In alignment with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11, particularly Target 11.3 on inclusive and sustainable urbanization, many countries and regions now regard public participation as a cornerstone of human settlements planning. China’s recent neighborhood rehabilitation initiatives likewise prioritize resident engagement, though the COVID-19 pandemic has introduced new obstacles and reconfigured participatory processes. Against this backdrop, this thesis investigates resident participation for neighborhood rehabilitation in post-pandemic China. Drawing on established theories of public participation and neighborhood revitalization, it proposes a conceptual framework centered on stakeholder concerns, power relations, and information sharing, and examines mechanisms that foster sustained resident involvement. Wuhan, the initial epicenter of COVID-19, serves as the case study. Results identify 37 key concerns, each subject to varied stakeholder perceptions. Power operates through multiple channels, shifting across project phases. Despite frequent information sharing, exploitation and competition persist. Organizers, particularly community-based organizations, play a critical role but face resource constraints, shifting power dynamics, and information manipulation. Straightforward participatory activities, early engagement, and greater influence increase resident willingness to stay involved. Nevertheless, opacity and exclusion, amplified by power imbalances and selective information control, remain pressing issues. Synthesizing the lessons and insights, the thesis concludes with short- and long-term measures to “enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated, and sustainable human settlement planning and management (SDG 11.3).” ... Read more

Active resident engagement and effective organizer management are crucial for participatory neighborhood rehabilitation. Yet, existing public participation research focuses on residents, leaving the behaviors of organizers and their influence on outcomes less examined. Furthermore, most renewal studies treat the rehabilitation process as homogeneous and static, overlooking how stakeholders’ objectives, strategies, and actions evolve throughout the project lifecycle. To address these gaps, this paper employs stakeholder theory to propose the Stakeholder Influence Model (SIM), which investigates the multifaceted influence of stakeholders on resident participation across different phases of neighborhood rehabilitation. Drawing on 44 in-depth interviews and a four-month participant observation in Wuhan, China, deductive content analysis reveals stakeholders’ distinct influence strategies and both stimulating or disincentivizing effects on resident engagement. Specifically, indirect local government involvement, excessive delegation to neighborhood committees, and imbalanced power dynamics among residents are identified, jeopardizing the fairness, inclusiveness, and long-term viability of rehabilitation initiatives. By highlighting diverse stakeholders’ evolving impacts, this study advances current understanding of participatory urban renewal. The proposed SIM provides a robust framework for analyzing stakeholder interactions and informs policy interventions aimed at fostering more equitable and inclusive urban rehabilitation in China. ... Read more

Stakeholder participation is crucial for the success and long-term viability of port regeneration. It facilitates a collaborative planning that incorporates a wide range of values, expectations, and concerns to achieve consensus. However, the inherent division of labor and diverse experiences among stakeholders often result in differing and sometimes conflicting expectations, which can lead to conflicts. If these conflicts are not appropriately identified and managed, they can undermine the projects’ positive intentions and exacerbate social issues. In the realm of port planning, prior research on stakeholder expectations has been scattered and mainly reflects academic and governmental perspectives, paying insufficient attention to the views of social entities. In response to these challenges, this study employs a systematic review to comprehensively examine stakeholders’ expectations in port planning. Taking Wuhan, a representative port city in China, as a case study, this research compares the expectations of six main stakeholder groups in port regeneration: the government, planners, developers, citizens, academics, and environmental organizations. Suggestions are tailored to each group, aiming to align their expectations with the sustainable planning and renewal strategy for port regeneration. ... Read more

Neighbourhood micro-renewal (NMIR) plays a critical role in the renewal landscape of urban China. However, an oversight in post-occupancy evaluation (POE) impedes the comprehensive understanding of NMIR’s impact and post-implementation efficacy. This research addresses this gap by leveraging the lens of place value to examine NMIR’s outcomes. Using Wuhan, China, as a case study, 10 Delphi consultations and 28 interviews were conducted among five stakeholder groups: local government, planning professionals, academics, community workers, and residents. Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation (FCE) were combined to identify and rank potential indicators. A total of 6 primary and 22 secondary indicators were identified. The indicators were derived from four key policy areas—health, society, economy, and environment—highlighting the relationship among NMIR initiatives, their contribution to place quality, and alignment with policy goals. AHP and FCE results reveal substantial enhancements in environmental quality, residential properties, and public infrastructure. Nevertheless, the analysis exposes varied satisfaction levels and divergences in the perceived relevance of indicators among the government, professionals, and the residents, particularly concerning social cohesion. These disparities underscore the layered impacts of NMIR. This research recommends integrating resident feedback with expert insights to enhance place quality in NMIR projects by balancing physical upgrades with social considerations. It also advocates for a continuous, adaptable post-occupancy evaluation system to monitor and support place value over time. This system should be flexible and context-specific, allowing NMIR initiatives to adapt to diverse urban settings globally, thus supporting long-term sustainability and thriving urban communities. ... Read more

Resident participation is essential for neighborhood rehabilitation. It requires the active involvement of residents and efficient management by organizers. To improve the effectiveness of resident participation, it is necessary to understand the critical success factors (CSFs) underlying it. However, previous research has examined the critical factors from a single-stakeholder perspective, overlooking potential differences in perceptions among stakeholders with diverse roles and rehabilitation experiences. Based on 30 interviews and 255 questionnaires from six stakeholder groups in Wuhan, China, this study explores how the perception of critical factors for effective resident participation varies among local government, community-based organization, designer, contractor, consulting party, and resident. Thirty-seven factors were identified and compared among the stakeholders. Financial Incentive (for participation organizers) was identified as the most critical factor for effective resident participation, followed by Information Disclosure and Transparency, and Trust. Results from the analysis of variance (ANOVA) show that the six groups differed significantly in the importance of most factors (25/37), especially in Participant Education and Prejudice against the Working Group. Interview results indicate that the COVID-19 pandemic and rehabilitation experience changed stakeholders’ perceived importance of some factors. Specifically, in future RP initiatives, extra emphasis could be placed on Trait and Capacity (of the working group) and Participation-assistance Technologies. Stakeholders regarded these two factors as more critical as their rehabilitation experience accumulated. By understanding stakeholders' conflicting and changing perceptions of effective resident participation, suggestions were proposed to each stakeholder group to fulfill their distinct participation objectives and improve the overall effectiveness of participation practices. ... Read more

In the context of increasing focus on social sustainability, neighborhood rehabilitation has emerged as a crucial component of global urban renewal initiatives. Distinct from most renewal paradigms that are usually one-offs, neighborhood rehabilitation is a long-term endeavor that requires ongoing resident participation to effectively address diverse needs, investment shortages, and governance challenges. Extant research predominantly focuses on residents' initial engagement, leaving the dynamics of continued participation and its influencing factors largely unexamined. Employing the Expectation-Confirmation Model (ECM), this study explores how residents' initial participation experiences influence their intentions to continue participation. Analyzing questionnaire responses from 367 experienced residents in Wuhan, China, the study finds that a mere 38.2 % of residents exhibit re-engage intention. Path analysis shows that initial participation experience influences residents' re-engage intention indirectly through participation satisfaction and perceived usefulness. Residents' re-engage intention is most influenced by level of influence residents hold in decision-making, followed by type of activities they engage in, and stage of their initial involvement. As an exploratory study into the realm of continued participation, this research uncovers several potential pathways and policy recommendations, aiming to ease residents' transition from initial acceptance to sustained engagement in future neighborhood development efforts. ... Read more

Socially sustainable urban renewal hinges on active public participation, necessitating effective information sharing. Combining Social Network Analysis (SNA) and Ecological Network Analysis (ENA), this study longitudinally investigates how stakeholder information sharing evolves over the project lifecycle of neighborhood rehabilitation and its impacts on resident participation. A representative neighborhood rehabilitation project in Wuhan, China, serves as the study case, with data from 10 interviews, 35 questionnaires, and 3 focus groups. The study suggests that SNA and ENA are complementary and competent in identifying key stakeholders, as well as uncovering undesirable behaviors of manipulation and monopolization, and unhealthy relationships like exploitation and competition. Implementation unit and neighborhood committee emerged as principal information holders, while local media and tenant were least informed. SNA results underscore the central position of neighborhood committee in collecting and disseminating information, demonstrating significant autonomy and control throughout project lifecycle. Conversely, homeowner showed marked dependence and lacked control, particularly in the planning and design phase. ENA findings reveal neighborhood committee’s ongoing struggle with information exploitation, eroding its willingness and capacity to share information during the later phases of rehabilitation process. The information exploitation led to a fragile network that further marginalized local media, undermined by dwindling trust and autonomy. Notably, homeowners amplified their discourse power as project progressed, shifting from passive recipients to active decision-makers. Yet, well-informed homeowners monopolized information sharing, deliberately excluding others with conflicting interests, intensifying issues of inequity and opacity. Policy recommendations are provided to counter unhealthy stakeholder dynamics and promote equitable and inclusive public participation in urban renewal initiatives. ... Read more

本文介绍了荷兰建筑史学家赫尔曼·凡·贝赫艾克和其博士生团队对荷兰著名建筑师赫尔曼·赫茨伯格的专访。此次采访是为了准备 2022 年赫茨伯格 90 岁生日的庆祝活动。讨论的重点包括时间和手绘、结构主义、设计的延续性、建筑教育以及赫茨伯格目前关注的领域。在采访中，凡·贝赫艾克和他的团队成员就手绘在设计过程中的重要性、赫茨伯格对结构主义建筑运动的看法以及设计中延续性与时间概念的关系提出了引人思考的问题。此外，讨论还涉及赫茨伯格在建筑教育方面的经验和想法，以及他对该领域目前的兴趣。这次专访提供了对赫茨伯格在建筑基本方面看法宝贵见解，并深入了解了他对于设计标志性建筑的理念。 This article presents an interview with renowned Dutch architect Herman Hertzberger conducted by Dutch architectural historian Herman van Bergeijk and his Ph.D. students. The interview was done in preparation for Hertzberger’s 90th birthday celebration in 2022. The discussion centered on five key topics：time and hand-drawing，structuralism，continuity in design，architectural education，and Hertzberger’s present interests. During the interview，Van Bergeijk and his Ph.D. students posed thought-provoking questions related to the importance of hand-drawing in the design process，Hertzberger’s perspectives on the architectural movement known as structuralism，and the relationship between continuity in design and the concept of time. Additionally, the discussion touched on Hertzberger’s experiences and thoughts on architectural education，as well as his current interests within the field. This interview provides valuable insights into Hertzberger’s views on fundamental aspects of architecture and offers a deeper understanding of his approach to designing iconic buildings. ... Read more

Community residents possess first-hand knowledge of the community and effective execution of retrofit methods. Their understanding, acceptance and ultimately participation determine the smoothness of working process and the success of the project. Although the introduction of regulations and policies has increased resident participation in retrofit projects in China, the effectiveness of participation is far from guaranteed. This may be partly due to a failure to identify critical factors underlying. Thus, this paper aims to develop a set of critical success factors (CSFs) for effective resident participation in community retrofit projects. Based on the findings of the systematic review and data analysis, 29 CSFs are identified, which will influence resident participation from four dimensions: context, project, process and stakeholder. The review is presented for the reference of governments and practitioners, especially when it comes to policy making and promotion of community retrofit by improving resident participation. ... Read more