Search Results (41)

Resource-exhausted cities face dual crises of economic stagnation and ecological degradation, which is primarily attributable to the inefficient use of industrial land. The redevelopment of industrial land has emerged as a crucial solution to the “resource depletion-urban decline” dilemma. The issue of inefficient industrial land use in resource-exhausted cities is of great significance as it directly impacts both economic development and ecological protection. Therefore, finding effective ways to redevelop this land is essential for the sustainable development of these cities. This research takes Hegang, a representative resource-exhausted city in China, as a case study. A multi-dimensional evaluation framework and an adaptive redevelopment strategy system are constructed in this research. By integrating data related to land use status, land use efficiency, policy constraints, and development potential, a parcel-scale assessment model is established. This model consists of 4 primary indicators and 13 secondary indicators. Through this model, 11.01 km² of inefficient industrial land in the main urban area of Hegang is identified. Standard deviation ellipse and kernel density analysis are employed to reveal the spatial pattern of inefficient land. The results show that the inefficient industrial land in Hegang exhibits a pattern of “overall dispersion with localized agglomeration”. It is found that idle and abandoned land are the dominant types of inefficient industrial land in Hegang’s main urban area, accounting for 69.7% of the total. This finding provides a clear understanding of the nature of the inefficient land use problem in resource-exhausted cities. A strategic framework is proposed, which incorporates classified governance, dynamic restoration, and multi-stakeholder collaboration. This framework offers a governance toolkit with both theoretical depth and practical value for resource-exhausted cities. Breaking the locked relationship between industrial land and resource dependence promotes the deep integration of spatial restructuring and sustainable transformation. The findings of this research provide significant scientific insights for similar cities worldwide to address the challenges they face and achieve harmony between human activities and land use. Future research could focus on further refining the evaluation framework and redevelopment strategies based on different regional characteristics and resource endowments. Full article

The strategic prioritization of inefficient industrial land (IIL) redevelopment is critical for directing capital allocation toward sustainable urban regeneration. However, current redevelopment prioritization suffers from inefficient identification of IIL and ambiguous characterization of redevelopment potential, which hinders the efficiency of land resource allocation. To address these challenges, this study develops an AI-driven redevelopment prioritization framework for identifying IIL, evaluating redevelopment potential, and establishing implementation priorities. For land identification we propose an improved YOLOv11 model with an AdditiveBlock module to enhance feature extraction in complex street view scenes, achieving an 80.1% mAP on a self-built dataset of abandoned industrial buildings. On this basis, a redevelopment potential evaluation index system is constructed based on the necessity, maturity, and urgency of redevelopment, and the Particle Swarm Optimization-Projection Pursuit (PSO-PP) model is introduced to objectively evaluate redevelopment potential by adaptively reducing the reliance on expert judgment. Subsequently, the redevelopment priorities were classified according to the calculated potential values. The proposed framework is empirically tested in the central urban area of Ningbo City, China, where inefficient industrial land is successfully identified and redevelopment priority is categorized into near-term, medium-term, and long-term stages. Results show that the framework integrating computer vision and machine learning technology can effectively provide decision support for the redevelopment of IIL and offer a new method for promoting the smart growth of urban space. Full article

In the era of new productive forces, the efficient utilization of industrial land in high-tech zones is critical for fostering technological innovation, intelligent manufacturing, and green development. However, constrained by limited land reserves, inefficient stock utilization, and sluggish industrial upgrading, high-tech zones must establish a scientific early warning mechanism for industrial land redevelopment. This study constructs a four-tier early warning system (normal, alert, warning, and response) based on three key dimensions: enterprise life cycle, enterprise–park compatibility, and industrial land use efficiency. Using the Jinan High-Tech Zone as a case study, this study conducts an empirical analysis of 360 industrial land parcels from 2020 to 2022, employing DEA, fixed effects models, GIS visualization, and MCDA methods. The results indicate a strong correlation between enterprise life cycle and land use efficiency, with significant spatial differentiation in enterprise–park compatibility. Efficient land use is concentrated in areas with well-defined functions and high industrial agglomeration. This study identifies 360 land use scenarios, with 12% classified as normal, 28% requiring monitoring, 52% requiring optimization, and 8% necessitating redevelopment. Based on these findings, a “warning–monitoring–regulation” closed-loop management model is proposed, providing decision-making support for dynamic land optimization and sustainable development in high-tech zones. Full article

Urban sprawl and brownfields are recognized as the main challenges for sustainable land use in post-industrial cities. Using a mixed methodology (GIS and interviews), this research aimed to examine the relationship between the redevelopment process of former Soviet military brownfields and urban sprawl in Hungary. Research findings highlighted the overall importance of the regeneration of military brownfields in urban development; however, not all the assessed projects appeared to be beneficial to densification objectives. We could identify two groups of brownfields lying within the boundaries of the compact city and outside the boundaries. The regeneration of military brownfields embedded in the built-up areas of cities can contribute to densification objectives and attract new functions and residents to abandoned areas. They can also support wider regeneration strategies of local governments, especially in run-down neighborhoods. However, a large number of military brownfields are located on the peripheries of metropolitan areas. The regeneration of such sites, as demonstrated by the case studies, can play a catalyst role in urban sprawl. Therefore, it is important to emphasize that local municipalities should make a careful strategic selection of military brownfield sites for redevelopment based upon their characteristics and location, as supported by the typology presented in this study, together with locally perceived socio-economic and risk factors. Full article

In the context of land scarcity and high-density urban areas, the adaptive reuse of abandoned historical industrial buildings plays a critical role in achieving sustainable development goals. This study proposes a sustainability assessment framework for the adaptive reuse of industrial buildings as exhibition spaces within the context of high-density urban development, addressing multiple dimensions of sustainability, including the building’s physical structure, economic factors, environmental impact, social considerations, and governance. The framework consists of 55 design indexes, categorized into 15 subcategories and 5 main categories. We conducted a survey of experts with experience in high-density urban renewal design and implemented a weighting analysis to identify priority intervention measures for industrial building redevelopment in the era of urban stock. Finally, a fuzzy comprehensive evaluation was carried out on ten cases in Shenzhen where industrial buildings were converted into exhibition spaces over the past 12 years. The findings reveal the following: (1) “Reuse of old architectural spaces” is the most critical category to prioritize, and, at the indicator level, “adaptability and efficiency of building reuse”, “public participation in the renewal process”, “cooperative operation structures”, and “planning vision” are identified as the four key influencing factors. (2) The functional layout, historical value, and richness of public amenities in the transformed industrial buildings have a significant positive impact on the evaluation results, while the building’s construction time and floor area do not significantly affect public post-evaluation. (3) Younger and more highly educated groups tend to view the transformed exhibition spaces as tourist attractions, particularly expressing satisfaction with the repurposing of the Kinwei Brewery and OCAT B10 New Hall, and consider the adaptive reuse of industrial buildings to promote sustainable urban renewal (SUR). This study provides concrete policy recommendations and practical guidance for the adaptive reuse of both new and existing industrial buildings, contributing to the creation of sustainable urban environments. Full article

This manuscript explores how incorporating temporal dimensions into built environment research can promote a more circular society, adding societal improvements to efficiency-driven measures closing waste or material cycles. The current circularity approaches in industrial environments mainly focus on short-term innovations reducing resource extraction and waste, overlooking long-term circularity potentials of natural resource management such as living soils as a basis for all life. This study addresses this gap by investigating, analyzing, and drawing interplays between regenerative soil cycles and business development cycles in two Flemish industry parks, Kortrijk-Noord and Haasrode. Using diachronic mapping, a qualitative design and action research tool, the study aims to generate a space–time composite of soil and business cycles, integrating archival research, interviews, and policy document reviews. This method visually captures interplays between geology, land valuation, and economic development, demonstrating that integrating soil and business cycles can suggest new pathways for site-specific circular practices on Flemish industry parks, which can inform site-specific project frameworks for circular built environments. As such, the research advocates a paradigm shift in industry park (re)development, from product and material innovation within a ‘time is money’ framework to an integrated ‘time is life’ approach, where time’s historical and social dimensions are part of circular landscape development. Full article

Development zones are crucial spatial carriers driving economic growth and industrial upgrading, playing a key role in China’s development. After years of expansion, these zones face significant challenges in industrial land development and performance enhancement. This paper takes Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP) as a case, which is a model of Sino–Singaporean government cooperation. Using Landsat 4–5 TM data, socioeconomic data, and industrial land use data, spatial analysis and statistical modeling were employed to examine the evolution and phased patterns of industrial land use in SIP from 1994 to 2022. A performance evaluation system encompassing economic benefits, innovation-driven growth, development intensity, green development, and social security was developed to assess land use performance and its responses to spatial transformations. The results reveal that industrial land in SIP experienced a significant change in the intensity of land expansion from 1.031 to 0.352 during 1994–2022, and the peak circle density expanded from 3 km to 15 km. The mean value of the comprehensive performance score during 2017–2022 was 42.18, with the highest economic efficiency (40.54) and a lower innovation capacity (16.98). The development of industrial land in SIP presents the stage characteristics of monocentric polarization, polycentricity, and spatial diffusion toward a generalized development zone, showing significant path dependence, and the difference in the land use performance of different industrial types is obvious. In the future, the optimization and redevelopment of the stock of land should be strengthened to promote the optimization of the spatial layout of technology-intensive industries and the technological upgrading of labor-intensive industries, as well as achieving sustainable economic growth through innovation-driven, green development and enclave economy collaboration. This study provides a reference for the industrial layout and high-quality sustainable development of development zones. Full article

The process of industrial transformation, becoming the most important for building up sustainable cities, is in urgent need for studying alternative options for land use to ensure sustainable city development. Rapid urbanization requires new built-up design in strong correlation with urban spatial planning issues. The objective of this paper is to contribute for the studies of sustainable land use solutions through investigating the problems of the reorganization of depressed industrial areas. The research methodology is based on the multicriteria decision-making method to provide primarily social functions of depressed industrial areas, depending on environmental and economic aspects of their historical location in urban structure. Since the article highlights the concept of the 15-min city to build a polycentric urban spatial structure, the assessment of supply and demand matching of social facilities is based on the analysis of 15 min accessibility to the serviced within either industrial zone and the city on the whole. The GIS spatial analysis method supports the developed criteria set to evaluate main city functions. The research provides the methodology for defining the priority land use solution for a specific industrial area in a specific location. The proposed methodology suggests a procedure for evaluating the importance of the land use composition for the city community, considering environmental requirements and cost-effectiveness of the project. Three different industrial zones located in the same city are a case study to asses the reliability of the proposed methodology. The research conclusion provides implementing sustainable land-use solutions for improving urban environment quality as well as the quality of life for the population. Full article

With societal progress, urban brownfields have become restrictive, and redevelopment studies have become an important part of urban renewal. In this work, we developed a two-step model for urban brownfield redevelopment, while considering the Wangping brownfield as the study area. Site suitability evaluation models for brownfield parks, agricultural picking gardens, and creative industrial centers were developed based on the elevation, slope, and surface runoff, and the evaluation results were categorized into five levels. The redevelopment plan was formulated based on these evaluation results. To study the effect of the plan, a transition matrix of land use was assessed using satellite images and the cellular automata (CA)–Markov model; based on the analysis, we predicted the land use situation of the Wangping brownfield, with respect to natural development, for 2030. A comparison of the redevelopment planning with the forecasted results revealed that the proportions of grassland, construction, and unused land decreased by 25.68, 3.12, and 2.38% and those of plowland and forest land increased by 6.61 and 24.57%. This confirms the advantages of redevelopment planning for restoring plowland and increasing biological carbon sinks. Notably, our two-step urban brownfield redevelopment model can enrich the current research on urban brownfields and guide similar urban renewal projects. Full article

The crucial role of urban industrial land redevelopment in sustainable urban renewal has garnered widespread attention. While some scholars have explored the interest game among stakeholders in industrial land redevelopment, they primarily focus on the government-led model. Moreover, there remains a research gap concerning the impact of government intervention on the redevelopment of industrial land. This article utilizes evolutionary game theory to investigate the interest game between local governments and original land users in the model of urban industrial land redevelopment dominated by original land users. We establish evolutionary game models considering incentives and the combination of incentives and regulations, explore the interest balance strategy, and examine the impact of positive incentives and mandatory regulations on industrial land redevelopment. Furthermore, we employ a numerical simulation to unveil the impact of initial strategies and parameter adjustments on game strategy. The research results are as follows: (1) Under the original land user-led redevelopment model, only two evolutionary stability strategies exist: either the original land users implement industrial land redevelopment with positive responses from local governments, or neither party advances the process. (2) Government intervention is pivotal in facilitating the redevelopment of inefficient industrial land as economic subsidies and punitive measures motivate more participants to adopt proactive strategies. (3) The increase in government support positively correlates with the likelihood of industrial land redevelopment implementation by original land users. (4) The interests and costs of original land users emerge as crucial parameters influencing strategic decisions. This study enriches the understanding of the interests of core participants in industrial land redevelopment and provides valuable insights for sustainable urban renewal. Full article

Accurately identifying inefficient urban land is essential for urban regeneration and mining underutilized assets. Previous studies have primarily focused on examining the overall efficiency of land use without adequately considering the heterogeneity of urban land use types and comprehensive characteristics of urban quality. As a result, the spatial accuracy and precision of research findings have been relatively low. To address this gap, we developed a comprehensive method to identify inefficient urban lands for residential, commercial, and industrial use. The method integrated multi-source geographic data to quantitatively characterize the efficiency of different land use types considering six key dimensions, including building attribute, urban service, transportation condition, environmental quality, business performance, and production efficiency, utilized principal component analysis to reduce the multicollinearity and the dimensionality of the data, and identified land clusters with similar features that were inefficiently used by means of hierarchical clustering. By applying the method to Changsha, China, we validated its effectiveness. The results demonstrate that the method can accurately identify inefficient residential, commercial, and industrial land, with kappa coefficients of 0.71, 0.77, and 0.68, respectively. The identification results reveal the spatial distribution patterns of different types of inefficient land. Inefficient residential land is concentrated towards the city center, particularly in central areas. Inefficient commercial land is relatively evenly distributed, mainly outside the core commercial regions. Inefficient industrial land clusters towards the periphery, forming several agglomeration areas centered around industrial parks. By precisely identifying inefficient urban land and focusing on the key influencing factors, the proposed method enables the site selection of urban regeneration, site redevelopment evaluation, and optimization of urban resources. Full article

An important issue in the redevelopment of post-industrial sites, e.g., into housing, is the resolution of contaminated land issues, including health risks and environmental protection. The purpose of this article is to examine awareness of this aspect from the perspective of city or such site residents, using Warsaw as an example. Using a survey-style form data collection technique, a total of 55 fully completed survey questionnaires were collected and analysed using cross-tabulation. Furthermore, a desk research methodology was used to study the availability of sources on industrial areas and their transformation from the perspective of different stakeholder groups involved in the development of such areas in Poland. Similarly, information management was assessed from the viewpoint of information communities participating or being affected by redevelopment processes. The survey results evidenced that respondents are aware that post-industrial sites may be contaminated, but do not associate the possibility of potential health risks when residing on or near such sites. The analysis of the management of information on the reurbanisation of post-industrial sites in urban areas in Poland, including the availability of data on location and contamination, revealed a problematic data flow between central and local level authorities and mootable consistency of legal acts. Public awareness of negative phenomena, such as contamination and the consequent health risks associated with dwelling in such sites, can positively influence, as an input to monitoring and enforcement, the actions taken by other stakeholders in the clean-up processes of contaminated sites and force improvements in the management of such information. The flow of information, the activities forming the information function, and the decision-making process can be improved by technologies, such as spatial information systems and their infrastructures, by facilitating the integration of data from multiple sources and consequently enabling the analysis to be extended to include further relevant data. Full article

China has entered a new era of high-quality urban development. As an important stock resource in the city, old industrial parks face new situations of transformation and regeneration due to various problems such as chaotic land layout, low industrial efficiency, and lack of supporting facilities. However, existing research primarily focuses on case studies in large cities and rural areas, lacking fine-tuned adjustment plans for county-level cities in China. Therefore, this article aims to establish a decision-making and evaluation framework applicable to economically underdeveloped areas, providing a reference for the transformation of inefficient industrial land in county-level cities nationwide. Based on expert consultation, case studies, and other methods, a low-efficiency land evaluation model is constructed from three dimensions: spatial efficiency, operational efficiency, and industry screening, to tap the potential value of stock land. The research data are primarily provided by government departments and processed and quantified using GIS software. Based on the quantitative evaluation results of the Shengfang Industrial Park in Lianhua County, Jiangxi Province, three major strategic directions for land parcels with different renewal potentials are proposed: retention and improvement, rectification and renewal, and redevelopment and utilization. Targeted renewal strategies for the case industrial park are proposed from the aspects of spatial renewal and implementation mode guidance. The results of this study could provide suggestions for local government decision-making, which could contribute to the improvement of resource utilization efficiency and economic benefits. The findings could also provide references for the planning and development of industrial parks in other impoverished counties. Future research could focus on long-term monitoring, stakeholder engagement, and the application of evaluation results. Full article

The complexity of processes and constraints associated with redevelopment of brownfield lands calls for provision of relevant, adequate, sufficient, up-to-date, and easily accessible information on brownfield lands to enable developers make an informed decision when navigating the hurdles of brownfield redevelopment. Furthermore, the various obstacles and barriers that developers encounter during decision making for brownfield redevelopment has continued to contribute to the limited uptake of brownfield lands in England by developers for redevelopment and regeneration. This study was conducted to explore the factors that developers consider when redeveloping brownfield lands and to present a decision criterion that will support brownfield site selection and subsequent regeneration. A mixed methodology using qualitative and quantitative approaches was adopted to investigate the factors, criteria, and information that developers consider when making decisions for brownfield redevelopment. Data collection was carried out using a literature review and interviews with brownfield experts. Using a purposeful sampling approach, a total of 11 brownfield stakeholders, which cut across key experts involved in brownfield redevelopment within the Black Country region of England, was interviewed. Each expert interviewed holds a stakeholder critical role in regulatory organisations and construction industry organisations, including local authorities, geo-environmental organisations, land remediators and consultants, housing developers, etc. A comparative analysis of evidence obtained from developer interview responses, the literature review, and the brownfield register showed that 57% of factors, criteria, and information such as cost/capital expenses, funding, contamination level, infrastructure, water risk, neighbours, connectivity (digital, energy networks/grid), and access and transport, which developers require for decision making relating to redevelopment of brownfield sites, are not available on a standard local authority’s brownfield land register. To address the identified information gaps, this study developed “The BRIC Index”, a decision-making tool that incorporates a GIS-based system to facilitate screening of brownfield sites based on specified criteria and to help identify risks, contamination, and remediation costs of brownfield development. The effectiveness of the BRIC Index was validated through successful usage for site selection by various SMEs in the Black Country. Full article

Even though the common acknowledgment that vacant urban lands (VUL) can play a positive role in improving stormwater management, little synthesized literature is focused on understanding how VUL can take advantage of different stormwater control measures (SCMs) to advance urban water quality. The project aims to provide urban planners with information on the remediation of vacant lands using urban runoff pollutant removal techniques. To find the most effective removal method, relevant scholarly papers and case studies are reviewed to see what types of vacant land have many urban runoff pollutants and how to effectively remove contaminants from stormwater runoff in the city by SCMs. The results show that previously developed/used land (but now vacant) has been identified as contaminated sites, including prior residential, commercial, industrial, and parking lot land use from urban areas. SCMs are effective management approaches to reduce nonpoint source pollution problems runoff. It is an umbrella concept that can be used to capture nature-based, cost-effective, and eco-friendly treatment technologies and redevelopment strategies that are socially inclusive, economically viable, and with good public acceptance. Among these removal techniques, a bioretention system tends to be effective for removing dissolved and particulate components of heavy metals and phosphorus. Using different plant species and increasing filter media depth has identified the effectiveness of eliminating nitrate nitrogen (NO₃-N). A medium with a high hydraulic conductivity covers an existing medium with low hydraulic conductivity, and the result will be a higher and more effective decrease for phosphorus (P) pollutants. In addition, wet ponds were found to be highly effective at removing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, with removal rates as high as 99%. For the removal of perfluoroalkyl acid (PFAA) pollutants, despite the implementation of SCMs in urban areas to remove PFAAs and particulate-related contaminants in stormwater runoff, the current literature has little information on SCMs’ removal of PFAAs. Studies have also found that VUL’s size, shape, and connectivity are significantly inversely correlated with the reduction in stormwater runoff. This paper will help planners and landscape designers make efficient decisions around removing pollutants from VUL stormwater runoff, leading to better use of these spaces. Full article