Glocalization design strategies of multinational enterprises in the context of revitalizing historic districts: Case studies in China and Europe

Historic buildings reused by multinational corporations (MNCs) or multinational enterprises (MNEs) in cultural districts could well spur urban revitalization with their economic capital and business expertise. Nevertheless, with large scales and standardized business models, MNCs/MNEs normally maintain a high degree of consistency in their standardized architectural and interior design around the world. Historic districts are thus often caught in the dilemma of the diversity of cultural heritage conservation and the homogeneity of international enterprises' business models, which would inevitably cause the tension surrounding the conflicting identities between those MNCs/MNEs global presence and the local sensitivity attached to the cultural heritage. Therefore, in the game of economic capital verses culture and social capital, the localized adjustments had to be made in architectural design. In this paper, Starbucks and McDonalds, two common MNCs/MNEs with three outlets in reused heritage buildings respectively were chosen as cases to investigate their localization strategies in terms of façade, layout, spatial and decorative elements in Chinese and European historic districts by comparing them to their standard stores nearby. This paper also evaluates the rationality of the reuse and design strategies of heritage architecture by considering their built environment.