Public art and soft city construction in China: an empirical analysis based on Beijing and Shanghai

This research, based on an interdisciplinary perspective, employs methods including literature analysis, case studies, questionnaires, in-depth interviews, and interventional research to systematically explore the inherent connections between public art and soft city development in China. Chapter 1, Introduction, details the research's background, motivation, questions, significance, limitations, and research hypotheses. Chapter 2 provides a detailed literature review of the literature needed for this research topic and, based on this, summarizes the theoretical and conceptual frameworks. Chapter 3 discusses the research methodology. Chapters 4 through 7 further explore the soft city era—opportunities for public art development, approaches to building soft cities from a public art perspective, and case studies of Chinese public art within the context of soft cities. Through analysis of representative cases in Beijing and Shanghai and crossnational comparisons, the paper reveals the core role of public art in shaping urban safety, comfort, and enjoyment and enhancing urban cultural identity. It also identifies three key principles for soft city development: art-driven spatial creation, multiparticipatory governance mechanisms, and sustainable development empowered by humanities. This research innovatively constructs a theoretical framework for "public art driving soft cities," proposing a three-dimensional methodology encompassing policy support, community collaboration, and artistic intervention, providing a practical path for building soft power in Chinese cities in the new era. The conclusion confirms that public art has become a key carrier for the construction of soft city systems through the dual dimensions of optimizing material space and shaping spiritual values.