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Urban Science
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Urban Regeneration: A Rethink
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Urban Regeneration: A Rethink

A special issue of Urban Science (ISSN 2413-8851). This special issue belongs to the section "Urban Planning and Design".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 7881

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Hadas Shadar

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
NB School of Design, University of Haifa, Haganim st. 21, Haifa 3502350, Israel
Interests: urban and rural design; new cities and neighborhoods planned by the state; ideology in planning; brutalist architecture; heritage preservation; urban regeneration
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Urban regeneration is a broad term encompassing complex processes aimed at revitalizing deteriorated areas within cities, and these processes can take various forms: demolishing and reconstructing dilapidated areas; densifying existing buildings and integrating new populations into the additional housing units; structurally rehabilitating rundown buildings; enhancing public spaces; introducing new, attractive functions into disadvantaged neighborhoods; increasing the appeal of such areas through cultural content such as festivals or fairs; or improving public transportation links to these neighborhoods to “bring them closer” to bustling urban centers. These and other interventions are considered more environmentally sustainable than urban sprawl and new development on greenfields.

Today, countries approach urban regeneration in diverse ways. In neoliberal economies, such projects are often left to be financed by private capital. In countries with stable or declining populations, regeneration focuses on improving existing housing and adapting it to climate principles, as well as enhancing public spaces. In countries facing immigration and public distrust in the government, regeneration involves the challenge of renewing neighborhoods inhabited by populations with cultures that differ from the dominant one. Aging populations also pose new challenges, especially regarding communication and public participation in a digital age.

This Special Issue aims to highlight urban regeneration from a variety of perspectives and contribute to the academic discourse by addressing regeneration methods, and examining the relationships between urban regeneration and economics, society, culture, and ideology. In particular, this Special Issue seeks to question commonly held “truths” about urban regeneration and, where possible, propose new ways to explore the topic and foster critical, renewed thinking.

Dr. Hadas Shadar
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Urban Science is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • urban regeneration
  • disadvantaged populations
  • gentrification
  • urban densification
  • high-rise development
  • infill housing
  • public space rehabilitation
  • narrative reconstruction of urban spaces

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Published Papers (6 papers)

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Research

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24 pages, 4572 KB  
Article
Urban Heritage as Embodied Intelligence: The Adaptive Patterns Model
by Michael W. Mehaffy, Tigran Haas and Ryan Locke
Urban Sci. 2026, 10(4), 213; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci10040213 - 15 Apr 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 603
Abstract
Urban heritage structures are most commonly understood as memorial artifacts, tourism assets, or redevelopment resources. While this common view acknowledges cultural and economic value, it overlooks a deeper function of heritage within the long evolution of human settlements. This paper advances a counter [...] Read more.
Urban heritage structures are most commonly understood as memorial artifacts, tourism assets, or redevelopment resources. While this common view acknowledges cultural and economic value, it overlooks a deeper function of heritage within the long evolution of human settlements. This paper advances a counter thesis: in addition to its historic contingencies and power relationships—which are real, but only part of the picture—urban heritage embodies valuable but often hidden intelligence that is highly relevant to contemporary urban challenges. Specifically, heritage environments encode useful structured information about spatial configurations that have gained adaptive value over time in a process known as stigmergy. Drawing on complexity science, network theory, the mathematics of symmetry, and theories of extended cognition, the paper argues that enduring urban forms persist not only for symbolic or historical reasons, but because they embed structural properties conducive to resilience, legibility, social interaction, climatic adaptation, and human well-being. Recurring characteristics include fine-grained network connectivity, fractal scaling hierarchies, organized symmetry, articulated thresholds, and biophilic integration. Evidence from environmental psychology, public health, and urban morphology suggests that such properties correlate with reduced stress, increased walkability, stronger social capital, and improved ecological performance. The paper proposes a methodological framework—what we call the Adaptive Patterns Model—for identifying, evaluating, and translating this embedded intelligence into contemporary regeneration practice. The Model is presented as a four-phase, conceptually synthesized framework—integrating insights from complexity science and stigmergy, urban morphological analysis, and pattern-language methodology—comprising documentation, pattern extraction, encoding, and performance correlation. It concludes by challenging a still-prevalent assumption that contemporary conditions invalidate accumulated spatial knowledge. Instead, urban heritage is understood as adaptive capital within an ongoing evolutionary process, offering a structurally grounded foundation for resilient urban transformation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Regeneration: A Rethink)
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31 pages, 940 KB  
Article
Lean Urban Regeneration Through Inclusion, Sharing, and Co-Creation
by Ari-Veikko Anttiroiko
Urban Sci. 2026, 10(4), 209; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci10040209 - 14 Apr 2026
Viewed by 948
Abstract
Urban regeneration has traditionally focused on large-scale developments that aim at increasing the livability and vitality of disadvantaged areas. Alternative views of urban regeneration have emerged to challenge such a structural approach. These novel ideas reflect contextual changes in progressive and innovative Western [...] Read more.
Urban regeneration has traditionally focused on large-scale developments that aim at increasing the livability and vitality of disadvantaged areas. Alternative views of urban regeneration have emerged to challenge such a structural approach. These novel ideas reflect contextual changes in progressive and innovative Western countries that embrace the culture of experimentation, prefer sharing to ownership, and emphasize participation and inclusion as fundamental aspects of public governance. This article elaborates the idea of lean urban regeneration in the progressive welfare society context, with a special view of citizen and stakeholder involvement through inclusion, sharing, and co-creation. Empirical research utilizes mini cases of the largest cities in the growth triangle of Finland. This article identifies the manifestations of lean urban regeneration and discusses its preconditions and ability to tackle urban development challenges. The results emphasize the framing nature of inclusion, the underutilization of sharing, and the key role of co-creation in lean urban regeneration. A particular potential of lean interventions is based on co-creation as the core of multimodal or hybrid regenerative projects that are firmly anchored on economic inclusion. By utilizing the input of residents, entrepreneurs, and other local stakeholders, it is possible to open up a path to integrated high-leverage activities with a potential to alleviate structural urban problems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Regeneration: A Rethink)
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24 pages, 3181 KB  
Article
Neoliberal Phoenix: The Contested Legacy of Solidere’s Post-War Reconstruction of Beirut Central District
by Sarah Al-Thani, Jasim Azhar, Raffaello Furlan, Jalal Hoblos and Abdulla AlNuaimi
Urban Sci. 2026, 10(4), 184; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci10040184 - 30 Mar 2026
Viewed by 1253
Abstract
Neoliberal privatization models, emphasizing economic advancement over universal fairness, present considerable challenges to the urban regeneration process in post-conflict environments. The Solidere project in Beirut shows how architectural development in the Central District establishes social obstacles through its transformation of 1.8 million m [...] Read more.
Neoliberal privatization models, emphasizing economic advancement over universal fairness, present considerable challenges to the urban regeneration process in post-conflict environments. The Solidere project in Beirut shows how architectural development in the Central District establishes social obstacles through its transformation of 1.8 million m2 of war-destroyed territory. This research applies UNESCO’s Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) framework to distinguish regeneration from gentrification systematically and to assess the impact of privatized governance. By employing rigorous case study methodologies to assess master plans, legal statutes, corporate reports, and academic publications, four evaluation criteria for the HUL: historical layering, social participation, spatial connectivity, and physical integrity, were developed. The results show that while Solidere’s physical reconstruction was successful; it did not incorporate HUL principles fully. This resulted in the forced relocation of between 40,000 and 60,000 individuals, the commercialization of heritage through façadism, with 24% of the original buildings being preserved and 76% being destroyed. Sarajevo serves as a point of comparison, revealing the vulnerabilities of profit-driven approaches. The study shows that market-driven reconstruction efforts lacking public engagement will foster exclusionary gentrification, resulting in the erosion of urban identity and ownership, challenging neoliberal urban theories. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Regeneration: A Rethink)
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18 pages, 1958 KB  
Article
Contested Marketplaces: Urban Regeneration and Market Transformation in Post-Socialist Belgrade
by Zlata Vuksanović-Macura, Stefan Denda, Edna Ely-Ledesma, Marija Milinković, Milan M. Radovanović, Jasmina Gačić, Veronika N. Kholina and Marko D. Petrović
Urban Sci. 2026, 10(3), 137; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci10030137 - 3 Mar 2026
Viewed by 824
Abstract
Open-air food markets have long functioned as key sites of food provision, social interaction, and local economic exchange in European cities. In recent decades, many of these markets have undergone significant transformation as part of modernization-oriented urban regeneration. This study examines the transformation [...] Read more.
Open-air food markets have long functioned as key sites of food provision, social interaction, and local economic exchange in European cities. In recent decades, many of these markets have undergone significant transformation as part of modernization-oriented urban regeneration. This study examines the transformation of Palilula Market in Belgrade, Serbia’s capital, from a traditional open-air market to a large, enclosed market complex, situating the analysis within the post-socialist urban context. Utilizing historical analysis, semi-structured interviews with vendors, and on-site observations, the research examines the impact of spatial reconfiguration on vendor livelihoods, economic practices, and social relations. The results demonstrate that, although the new indoor market has enhanced infrastructure, hygiene, and year-round usability, it has also led to higher rents, reduced stall capacity, increased competition, and stricter regulations. These developments have constrained small-scale vendors and diminished informal social interactions. This study expands the understanding of urban regeneration processes in post-socialist neoliberal contexts by showing how market modernization shapes the inclusivity and socio-cultural significance of traditional urban markets. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Regeneration: A Rethink)
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18 pages, 5155 KB  
Article
Urban Renewal and the Right to a Home in the Neoliberal Era: Legislation, Governmental Planning Guidelines and Research
by Hadas Shadar
Urban Sci. 2025, 9(12), 522; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci9120522 - 8 Dec 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 853
Abstract
The article straddles the intersection of legislation, planning guidelines, and housing policy studies in the neoliberal era. Its objective is to examine the right to a home within urban renewal projects. It addresses the gap between residents’ experience of housing as “home” and [...] Read more.
The article straddles the intersection of legislation, planning guidelines, and housing policy studies in the neoliberal era. Its objective is to examine the right to a home within urban renewal projects. It addresses the gap between residents’ experience of housing as “home” and private developers’ view of housing as strictly an investment. This raises the question: how do laws, planning guidelines, and scholarly studies reflect the meaning of home? This question is examined through the Israeli case study. The method is parallel and interpretive content analysis of laws, guidelines, and research spanning more than a decade. The results indicate that in response to rapid population growth, urban renewal in Israel relies heavily on demolition and rebuilding. Low-rise buildings accommodating mainly disadvantaged populations are replaced by high-rises, to which these populations are expected to return. The conclusion is that the neoliberal perspective dominates the discourse. Despite the financial and human costs associated with high-rise living, the relevant literature pays insufficient attention to the loss of the right to a home. Accordingly, financial compensation for disadvantaged populations is recommended by legislation and research, along with limiting residents’ responsibility to their apartment as a planning solution for the eroded right to a home. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Regeneration: A Rethink)
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Review

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22 pages, 1780 KB  
Review
Nature-Based Solutions in Urban Regeneration: A Review of Methods, Governance, and Future Directions
by Alessio Russo, Umberto Baresi and Ali Cheshmehzangi
Urban Sci. 2026, 10(3), 130; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci10030130 - 1 Mar 2026
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2177
Abstract
Urban regeneration is increasingly expected to integrate environmental resilience, social equity, and cultural heritage alongside economic objectives. This narrative review examines how nature-based solutions (NbS) can be embedded within regeneration strategies through ecological landscape planning and design. A structured search of peer-reviewed literature [...] Read more.
Urban regeneration is increasingly expected to integrate environmental resilience, social equity, and cultural heritage alongside economic objectives. This narrative review examines how nature-based solutions (NbS) can be embedded within regeneration strategies through ecological landscape planning and design. A structured search of peer-reviewed literature and policy reports identified 34 academic studies and 13 reports that were coded and synthesised into three thematic areas: (i) NbS typologies and applications, including urban forests, blue–green infrastructure, and landscape-led regeneration; (ii) governance frameworks addressing equity, participation, anti-displacement safeguards, and cultural sensitivity; and (iii) methodological advances such as Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based spatial analysis, multi-criteria decision frameworks, microclimate modelling, and participatory co-design tools. The review finds that NbS can enhance climate adaptation, biodiversity, and community wellbeing, yet implementation often remains fragmented because of governance barriers and uneven policy integration. Strengthening participatory processes, embedding culturally informed design principles, and incorporating anti-displacement measures are essential to ensure socially just outcomes. Strategic instruments, particularly Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA), combined with GIS and multi-criteria tools, can support more coherent long-term decision-making. Future research should prioritise cross-sectoral policy coordination, long-term monitoring, and inclusive governance to ensure that NbS-driven regeneration contributes to equitable, resilient, and culturally grounded urban futures. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Regeneration: A Rethink)
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