Search Results (288)

In the context of urban regeneration and the redevelopment of existing urban land and built assets, industrial heritage has become a cross-sectoral policy issue involving heritage conservation, spatial reuse, land governance and public cultural uses. Existing studies have primarily examined individual adaptive reuse projects and spatial strategies, whereas the long-term evolution of policy texts has received less systematic attention. Taking Shanghai as a case study, this paper constructs a clause-level corpus of industrial heritage-related policies issued between 2006 and 2025. The corpus comprises 524 clauses extracted from 86 policy documents covering heritage conservation, historic building conservation, cultural and creative industries, land use, planning, urban renewal and industrial tourism. Overall and stage-based Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) models are combined with cross-period topic alignment to identify the structure and evolution of policy themes. The results show that Shanghai’s industrial heritage policies have been shaped not only by heritage conservation concerns, but also by industrial land governance, the transformation of underused industrial land, the regeneration of existing industrial spaces (EIS), industrial culture, tourism and public service provision. Four stages are identified: initial exploration, regulatory consolidation, revitalisation and renewal, and integrated consolidation. Across these stages, four major evolutionary pathways can be observed: industrial land supply and governance, renewal of EIS and old industrial areas (OIA), industrial heritage conservation and value recognition and the expansion of industrial culture, tourism and public services. The paper provides clause-level evidence for understanding industrial heritage governance in China’s urban regeneration context and highlights the need for stronger coordination between heritage, land, planning, industry, culture and tourism policies. Full article

In recent decades, residential mobility has emerged as a fundamental interpretative key lens for understanding contemporary urban transformations, particularly in polycentric and fragmented urban contexts. Movements between different residential settings reflect economic, social and cultural changes, impacting the organisation of urban spaces, the demand for services and mobility systems. In territories characterised by dispersed settlement patterns and strong functional polarisation, these dynamics tend to promote the intensive use of private means, with consequent negative impacts on environmental sustainability, social equity and economic efficiency. In response to these critical issues, there is growing interest in sustainable mobility models based on proximity and on the integration between daily travel, access to services and the quality of public space. Within this perspective, greenways are configured as hybrid infrastructures, capable of reorganising mobility while contributing to the regeneration of urban spaces. In the Caserta area, in the Campania region, the disused route of the former Alifana railway represents a topic of great interest, both for research and planning. Its potential strategic conversion into a greenway opens a broader perspective than that so far considered at the regional level, which has mainly focused on the infrastructure dimension. The paper analyses the strengths and weaknesses of an approach limited to infrastructural mobility, proposing a comparative evaluation of project scenarios—including the non-intervention hypothesis—both through the application of the MACBETH approach and preliminary parametric estimation of construction costs, in order to emphasise the importance of integrating social and environmental benefits, as well as quality of life, into decision-making processes. Full article

Decommissioned airfields are increasingly recognized as strategic sites for ecological regeneration, climate adaptation, and the creation of new public spaces. However, research on their transformation has predominantly focused on the environmental performance of Nature-based Solutions (NBS), often overlooking the role of inherited spatial morphology in structuring regeneration processes and outcomes. This paper proposes an AI-assisted, morphology-based proto-ontological framework for analyzing and designing post-airfield architecture. The framework was developed through the inductive and comparative analysis of a corpus of 32 urban post-airfield regeneration projects, from which recurrent inherited morphologies, transformation actions, spatial devices, and NBS were identified and structured into a relational sequence. The framework was then applied to two contrasting case studies: Maurice Rose Airfield Park (Frankfurt) and Xuhui Runway Park (Shanghai); these were selected for their different transformation logics. The results show that similar airfield morphologies can generate markedly different climatic, ecological, social, and memory-related outcomes depending on how they are transformed and linked to NBS. The study demonstrates that inherited airfield morphologies are not passive remnants but operative spatial structures, and that NBS should be understood as spatially embedded and form-generating design components. The proposed proto-ontology offers a transferable analytical model and a basis for future computational and generative design applications. Full article

Rapid population ageing in China urgently demands improved attention to elderly friendly community green space design. Despite national efforts toward community renovation and urban regeneration, existing projects often overlook the systematic optimisation of green spaces explicitly tailored to elderly residents, leading to environments that inadequately support their physical, psychological, and social needs. Given that home-based care remains the predominant preference for elderly populations in China, creating optimised community green spaces is essential to facilitate healthy ageing-in-place effectively. This study systematically investigates the discrepancies between elders’ observed usage patterns and their stated landscape design preferences in two residential communities in Suzhou, China. By integrating year-round observational data with subjective interviews, the research identifies critical mismatches between elderly individuals’ actual behaviours and expressed preferences, highlighting significant deficiencies in current landscape designs. Comparative analyses reveal that prioritising microclimate comfort, accessible pathways, and targeted seating arrangements significantly enhances elderly usage frequency and satisfaction. Ultimately, this study provides practical, policy-aligned recommendations for designing climate-adaptive, elderly centric community green spaces, effectively contributing to sustainable urban renewal and the Healthy China 2030 initiative. Full article

Urban regeneration projects offer critical insights into contemporary urban land-use planning, particularly through high-profile interventions that reflect distinct planning visions and strategic approaches. This study examines two major regeneration initiatives in Athens: the redevelopment of Faliro Bay along the southern waterfront and the regeneration of Akademia Platonos in the northwest. Faliro Bay, designated as a metropolitan hub in the revised Athens Master Plan, is currently the focus of a regeneration project aiming to transform a predominantly state-owned area—including former Olympic facilities and a degraded waterfront—into a major cultural and recreational destination, combining extensive green public spaces with landmark developments through public–private collaboration. In contrast, the Akademia Platonos project is a public-led intervention within a dense urban setting, encompassing an archaeological site, former industrial premises, and mixed-use neighborhoods. Its objective is to reorganize land uses, reduce building intensity, and enhance open space and public amenities. These cases are comparatively assessed in terms of strategic orientation, governance structure, planning practices, and outcomes; this analysis highlights divergent planning trajectories and underscores the institutional, spatial, and governance challenges shaping the implementation of urban regeneration policies in contemporary Athens. Full article

Adaptive reuse of post-industrial heritage is often studied through technical performance, formal intervention strategies, or decision-support models. While these approaches clarify important aspects of reuse, they give limited attention to how projects evolve through the combined effects of architectural decisions, governance arrangements, financing mechanisms, policy instruments, social programs, and inherited fabric. This paper examines adaptive reuse as a time-structured project trajectory. It applies a hybrid methodology combining within-case reconstruction and comparative cross-case analysis to seven European projects in Brussels, Essen, Rotterdam, San Sebastián, Florence, Vienna, and Barcelona. The cases are analyzed across six dimensions: Asset & Context, Governance & Finance, Circularity, Social & Cultural, Policy & Design, and Outcomes & Transfer. The comparison shows that adaptive capacity depends on the alignment of governance, project time, and intervention strategy. Governance determines who can revise decisions and under what conditions; adaptation time is produced through funding horizons, approval procedures, institutional continuity, and civic or public stewardship; and strategies of retention, replacement, reversible insertion, and incremental occupation distribute future risk differently across project phases. From this synthesis, the paper extracts ten conditional lessons that frame adaptive reuse as configuration knowledge: transferable insights whose relevance depends on the interaction among governance capacity, temporal sequencing, inherited fabric, financing, policy support, and social objectives. The paper argues that knowledge transfer in adaptive reuse should be understood as disciplined translation across comparable constraints, not as the replication of models, rankings, or best-practice templates. Full article

Urban green spaces (UGSs) are increasingly recognised as critical infrastructure for mitigating climate extremes and promoting public health; indeed, the microclimatic mechanisms through which vegetation structure translates into measurable improvements in human comfort at the neighbourhood scale are of significant interest, particularly in the context of new urban developments. This study examines the cooling effects of an urban redevelopment project in the Marconi district of Imola, Italy, using ENVI-met (Version 6.0.0, ENVI-met GmbH, Essen, Germany) simulations to compare ex ante (current) and ex post (planned) scenarios under extreme heat conditions. Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) was computed at the pedestrian level for both standard adult and elderly models to assess spatial patterns of thermal comfort. The results demonstrate that tree canopies are the primary determinant of local cooling, with newly planted trees reducing PET by up to 3.5 °C at the core of the regenerated block and by 1–2 °C along adjacent pavements, while grass and low vegetation provided negligible mitigation. However, new buildings generated localised warming bands of 0.5–2 °C along façades, revealing a trade-off between densification and outdoor liveability. Elderly populations experienced slightly stronger thermal stress near buildings, highlighting spatial concentrations of vulnerability. These findings reinforce the need to prioritise tree planting and canopy management as core climate adaptation strategies, while simultaneously addressing near-building heat accumulation through integrated design approaches such as façade greening and ventilation preservation. The study demonstrates the value of spatially explicit microclimate simulation for evidence-based urban planning, contributing to the development of sustainable and liveable urban environments. Full article

Aiming for a just transition towards climate neutrality requires urban regeneration strategies that address ecological and social vulnerabilities. This study examines the strategies and experiences of developing nature-based solutions (NBS) for the regeneration of public space in neighbourhoods of seven European cities participating in the URBiNAT project. The aim is to move beyond the discussions on material solutions and focus on the sociopolitical components that shape the impact of NBS towards adaptation of urban communities and public spaces to climate change. Drawing on a qualitative sociological approach, the research enquires into the drivers and impact of participatory processes in the ecological and social dimensions of urban regeneration. More specifically, the study addresses the following research questions: (1) What are the individual, collective and institutional motivations that instigate different typologies of actors to engage in these processes? (2) What is the relevance of balancing material and immaterial solutions? (3) What are the lessons learned from the multiple actors, considering their experiences, expectations, and priorities? Findings confirm that the aim to produce socially and ecologically robust climate solutions for urban regeneration can be achieved through collaborative governance strategies emerging from, and tailored to, the typology of actors’ specific sensitivities, expectations, and priorities. Full article

Nepal has undergone significant land-use and land-cover (LULC) changes from 2000 to 2020, driven by urbanization, agricultural shifts, and broader socioeconomic dynamics. This study analyzes historical changes and projects LULC dynamics for 2030, 2040, and 2050 across four scenarios: Business-as-Usual (BAU), Rapid Urban Development (RUD), Forest Degradation and Terai Contraction (FDTC), and Agricultural Land Abandonment and Ecological Recovery (ALER). A CA–Markov modeling framework in TerrSet was used to simulate future land-use patterns, utilizing scenario-specific transition probability matrices and spatial constraints to reflect different socio-economic and policy assumptions. Under the BAU scenario, land-use change remains moderate, characterized by gradual urban expansion and limited forest decline. On the contrary, the RUD scenario predicts a drastic expansion of built-up areas by about 1.44 million ha, along with significant losses of cropland, bare soil, grassland, and forest, reflecting intensified development pressure. The FDTC scenario emphasizes agricultural expansion at the expense of forests, while urban growth remains limited. Conversely, the ALER scenario demonstrates strong ecological recovery driven by cropland abandonment and secondary vegetation regeneration, resulting in notable expansion of forest and other woody land. Overall, these four scenarios reveal sharply divergent land-use trajectories, ranging from rapid urban transformation to ecosystem restoration. These contrasting land-use pathways highlight the critical importance of integrated land-use policies that can proactively manage urban expansion, safeguard high-value agricultural and forest landscapes, and promote ecological restoration through incentives for agricultural land abandonment and secondary vegetation recovery, thereby ensuring long-term sustainability and climate resilience in Nepal. Full article

Depopulation and urban–rural population redistribution are challenges that reshape settlement patterns, landscapes, and local economies in many regions, from Europe to China and from Japan to North America. This study examines spatial and demographic transformations in the Baltic States (Europe), using Lithuania as a detailed case study. The analysis is based on high-resolution GIS population data derived from official population registers and linked to georeferenced settlement polygons for the years 2011 and 2021, combined with a linear projection of population change to 2026 (five-year period). The results reveal that population decline, which appears modest at the aggregated statistical level (approximately −1.1% to −1.5% per year), is territorially concentrated and reaches 45–48% in the most affected areas, which can only be identified through fine-scale spatial analysis. The most pronounced decline (−46%) is observed in the population of detached rural dwellings between 2011 and 2021, with trend-based estimation indicating that vacant rural houses may exceed 50% by 2026. At the same time, peri-urban zones surrounding the largest cities show clear population growth, largely driven by internal migration from ageing urban districts, smaller towns, and peripheral rural areas, compensating aggregated values and masking underlying processes. The findings reveal a dual process of rural shrinkage and suburban expansion, increasing pressures on territorial cohesion, service provision, infrastructure planning, and the preservation of cultural landscapes. The application of high-resolution spatial data allows the detection of localized demographic processes that remain insufficiently captured in conventional municipality-level statistics and that have rarely been analyzed at this level of spatial detail. Based on these results, this study emphasizes policy approaches such as adaptive rural regeneration and managed shrinkage. Although the empirical analysis is focused on Lithuania, the identified trends are relevant to many shrinking regions worldwide and may be reproduced using local population register data in other countries to support evidence-based regional planning. Full article

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Digital Twins (DTs) can support the digital and energy transition in the construction sector; however, their application to the built environment presents both opportunities and limitations. This study aims to give a critical perspective on the topic analyzing the related key challenges, including error assessment, model interpretability, data availability, cybersecurity risks, organizational constraints, and lifecycle costs. Where AI is nowadays developed as a context-dependent tool set, it is most effective when embedded within integrated socio-technical systems rather than adopted as a universal solution. Instead, DTs can be intended as an enabling framework, integrating AI, Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data, and Building Management Systems (BMS) to enhance energy performance, indoor environmental quality, safety, maintenance, and decision-making at both building and urban scales. The direction international research on these topics is facing is clear as evidenced by the wide number of research papers published. The future of these technologies moves towards a simulative approach oriented towards the sustainable and fair development goals and will bring a broad transformation of the building environment where they are ever more integrated into each social and technical aspect. The work is supported by a case study developed at Sapienza University of Rome founded by the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan within Flagship Project 2 (FP2), “Energy Transition and Digital Transition in Urban Regeneration and Construction,” of the Rome Technopole ecosystem. Full article

In the context of the global urban transition towards stock-based regeneration (a shift from outward urban expansion to the redevelopment of existing built environments), the provision of public service facilities is facing a paradigm shift from mere physical spatial implementation to sustainable long-term operation. Traditional planning pathways heavily rely on static spatial allocation policies and upfront indicator compliance, yet systematically neglect the dynamic adaptability of facilities throughout their entire life cycles. Taking the megacity of Guangzhou, China, as a longitudinal case study, this paper reveals a typical compliance versus failure paradox—a situation where facilities strictly meet technical planning standards on paper but fail to deliver intended social welfare outcomes in practice. Using early comprehensive redevelopment projects like Liede Village as examples, the public service facilities strictly met the statutory allocation standard (5.7%) during the construction phase. However, after more than a decade of operation, these facilities have exhibited severe structural supply–demand mismatches and long-term operational dilemmas. To address this issue, this study proposes a four-dimensional governance framework—Value, Actor, Space, Institution (VASI)—that transcends traditional spatial perspectives. Through an in-depth analysis of the Guangzhou case using this framework, the research confirms that the root causes of the compliance failure lie in the absence of life-cycle costing (a method of assessing the total financial cost of facility ownership over its entire lifespan), the severe structural misalignment of rights and responsibilities between construction and operation actors, and the long-term void in post-occupancy evaluation feedback mechanisms. This paper argues that the planning of public service facilities in high-density megacities must achieve a theoretical leap from rigid upfront technical allocation to adaptive whole-life-cycle systemic governance, providing theoretical references and a practical guide for global cities facing similar stock-based regeneration challenges as they move towards equitable and socio-economically sustainable urban regeneration. Full article

This paper draws on primary research conducted within the international project New Governance for New Spaces—NONA, implemented under the Interreg Danube Region Programme with EU co-funding. The principles of the New European Bauhaus (NEB) initiative are fully aligned with the research framework and outcomes. The study aimed to test the applicability of the NEB model in urban regeneration at four selected pilot sites in four mid-sized cities in Eastern Europe (Bulgaria, Hungary, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia) with a strong focus on participatory governance and co-creation involving stakeholders, local authorities, and citizens. It also examined appropriate financing and management models to support sustainable improvement and future development of these spaces. A central outcome of the research was the development of a comprehensive methodological framework outlining key steps and potential implementation scenarios, designed as a roadmap for medium-sized European cities. The methodology combined field research, surveys, the establishment of a Local Action Group (LAG), and the implementation of “soft interventions,” including creative competitions, site-based festivals, workshops, expert walks, and panel discussions and forums. These activities informed a set of beneficial practice recommendations, defined through clear requirements and expected outcomes. Full article

Urban regeneration is critical for addressing contemporary urban challenges, yet its complexity arises from the dynamic interactions among different participants’ preference and strategic behavior factors, making it a multi-agent system driven by strategic behaviors. This study, based on a Chinese urban regeneration case, develops a dynamic evolutionary game model for industrial park renewal to explore the strategic interactions among three key stakeholders: government, social capital, and property owners. The findings reveal three insights: Firstly, the probabilities of social capital participation and property owner cooperation exhibit opposing trends, highlighting conflicting incentives. Secondly, social capital participation follows an inverted U-shaped trajectory with investment ratios, reflecting a strategic trade-off between risk and control; further robustness checks incorporating time delays and phased investments confirm that the curvature of this trajectory is highly sensitive to the project’s development cycle. Thirdly, lower land repayment costs, higher rental income, greater project returns, and a higher profit-sharing ratio promote cooperative strategies among property owners, though this effect remains marginal. The study further demonstrates that non-cooperative behavior among property owners results in a single evolutionary stable strategy (1, 1, 0) where the government repurchases land property rights, and social capital acquires these rights for redevelopment. The findings suggest that this conclusion applies specifically to industrial park renewal in urban centers held by property owners in cities, where it is government-led facilitation, with property owners exiting and social capital entering simultaneously, thereby ensuring alignment of multi-agent strategic behavior in China. Full article

Waterfront brownfield urban public parks (WBUPPs) are complex regeneration projects that require comprehensive assessment of environmental remediation, climate resilience, urban connectivity, and social well-being. This study proposes a structured GIS-based spatial analysis protocol that operationalizes key attributes of brownfields, waterfronts, public parks, and sustainability, with the aim of examining how digital tools can support WBUPP planning processes. Using free and open source resources and datasets (QGIS and OpenStreetMap), the approach produces eight core thematic maps that spatially organize 39 of 50 criteria identified from the literature and classified under economic, environmental, and social sustainability dimensions. This mapping protocol streamlines navigation for planners through complex datasets and offers researchers a foundation for thematic spatial analyses aligned with these literature-based criteria. The protocol is illustrated with Brooklyn Bridge Park in New York City—an 85-acre waterfront redevelopment that demonstrates heritage conservation, ecological restoration, and financial viability. The results highlight identifiable spatial patterns such as dual zones (urban buffer and recreation), winding pathways, and clustered amenities. At the same time, the analysis underscores the importance of data validation, as inconsistencies in volunteered geographic information require cross-referencing with multiple sources and field verification. The analysis shows that WBUPPs require tailored approaches that integrate land–water mobility, heritage adaptation, nature-based solutions, and equitable service distribution. This criteria-driven protocol offers adaptable guidance for future waterfront brownfield regeneration, while emphasizing that digitalization enhances the process, but it cannot replace hybrid analytical methods that combine quantitative spatial analysis with qualitative evaluations. Full article