**5. Conclusions**

Based on the census data of industrial heritage in Tianjin, in which the author participated, this study constructed the Tianjin Industrial Heritage Census GIS Database, with the years of industrial heritage spanning from 1860 to 1978. Based on the database, kernel density analysis, mean centre analysis, deviation ellipse analysis and buffer-zone analysis were used to study the spatial and temporal distribution of industrial heritage in Tianjin. From the temporal perspective, the spatial distribution of industrial heritage shows a pattern of "gathering first, then scattering". The 1960s are a nodal point for two periods, and the overall spatial distribution's centre of gravity changed drastically. From the spatial perspective, the existing industrial heritage shows a clear pattern of distribution along the Haihe River, Jingfeng Railway and Jinpu Railway; and three clusters formed in the six districts of the downtown and the Binhai District. This indicates that during the century of industrial construction in Tianjin, the industrial clusters have changed to some extent but remain in a stable geographical range overall. The evolutionary characteristics of the distribution in the temporal dimension and the current distribution characteristics in the spatial dimension of Tianjin's industrial heritage provide an important basis for the

conservation of Tianjin's industrial heritage as a whole, and thus the concept of an urban industrial heritage corridor called the "Tianjin Industrial Heritage Route" is proposed.

The study also analysed the current situation of the conservation and reuse of industrial heritage in Tianjin, and focused on more promising reuse models. The resource types and their distribution are important factors for determining the reuse potential of industrial heritage. The plant-type and building-type industrial heritage concentrated in the six districts of the downtown area have greater potential for reuse and can be priority areas for later adaptive reuse. The structure-type industrial heritage concentrated in the Binhai District can be improved by defining its position in the industrial heritage route of Tianjin as a landscape along the heritage route. The above analysis will help to propose macro-strategies from the overall perspective of industrial heritage conservation in Tianjin and help the construction of a creative city. Compared to other cultural heritage, industrial heritage often occupies a more prime location and larger urban land area. In terms of urban land use planning, the results of this study can be used as a basic reference for relevant organisations to determine the nature of land use in industrial heritage sites, so that such sites can be considered as a whole and omissions can be avoided, thereby making the reuse of industrial heritage an important part of sustainable urban development.

In the context of China's urbanisation transformation, this study may also provide a new direction for the study of industrial heritage in other cities. In addition, based on the results of this study, further exploring the construction of an urban industrial heritage conservation system or delving into the analysis within industrial heritage clusters would be an important direction for future industrial heritage research.

**Supplementary Materials:** The following supporting information can be downloaded at: https:// www.mdpi.com/article/10.3390/land11122273/s1, Table S1: Tianjin Industrial Heritage Survey Form.

**Author Contributions:** J.Z. and H.S. conceived the whole structure, accomplished the data collation and wrote the paper. S.X. and N.A. performed the validation and revised the paper. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.

**Funding:** The project is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (52008175), the Natural Science Foundation of Fujian province (2020J01069), the Project of Xiamen Science and Technology Bureau (3502Z20206014) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities of Huaqiao University (ZQN-919).

**Data Availability Statement:** Not applicable.

**Acknowledgments:** This study was realized under the conditions of the project "Comprehensive Census of Industrial Heritage in Tianjin" commissioned by the Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Planning (merged into Tianjin Municipal Bureau of Planning and Natural Resources in 2018).

**Conflicts of Interest:** The authors declare no conflict of interest.
