Abstract: As China enters the stage of urban deindustrialization now, it is common to see the abandonment of old industrial places. Such will lead to the destruction of the original production network, social relations network and historical context of the city, and bring about a lot of waste resources and vicious competition for high-end resources. This paper takes Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York, as  a case study to compare and analyze the different urbanization modes between central New York and Williamsburg. The study finds that it is easy to ignore the old industrial spaces where the flexibility, creativity and innovation characteristics of urban “creativity” really exists. The old industrial space still has strong vitality, which can effectively allocate the city's resource endowment and promote the rational development of urban economy. The utilization and protection of old industrial space is very important for the benign and balanced development of high-end and service-oriented urban industries. Based on the study, this paper discusses how to protect the old industrial space, stimulate creativity and promote innovation ability in China, combining with the domestic cases in Guangdong province: Yangjiang Cutter Town, Innovation Island in Haizhu District, Guanggang New Town in Liwan District and Zhaoqing New Energy Vehicle, and, puts forward some suggestions.