Industrial historical spaces serve as vital repositories of urban memory and industrial civilization, with their multidimensional, coordinated conservation being crucial to preserving the cultural fabric of former industrial cities. Yet, they lack a comprehensive evaluation regarding their systemic interactions. This study investigates 64 industrial historical spaces in Shenyang using a novel ‘Environment-Value-Memory’ coupling framework. By integrating GIS analysis with coupling coordination and obstacle diagnosis models, we examine the mechanisms that promote or hinder conservation. Results indicate significant typological heterogeneity: industrial culture categories demonstrate superior coordination, whereas transportation categories suffer from environmental fragmentation. Prominent conflicts exist between built environments and historical value excavation. Non-linear interactions between systems generate either ‘high coupling with low coordination’ or ‘low coupling with high coordination’ phenomena. These findings provide a theoretical basis for the collaborative governance of industrial heritage in transforming cities.
Tang et al. (2026) studied this question.