This study focuses on the process whereby “Hutongs” (urban alleys) have been destroyed in the Buffer Zone of Shenyang Imperial Palace. (World Heritage Site), based on analysis of old maps. It emerges that over half of these old alleys were swept away in the course of rapid urban redevelopment, to make way for commercial buildings and apartment houses. The paper concludes that the remaining Hutongs and their values could be important in furthering historical conservation and future planning in this area.
