City Planning Review（2025.7）

♦  VALUE CO-CREATION: A PRELIMINARY DISCUSSION ON THE THEORETICAL PARADIGM AND CONSTRUCTION PATH OF URBAN REGENERATION

Author：HONG Liangping; LI Yixiao; QIAO Jie

ABSTRACT:In the era of stock regeneration, traditional theoretical frameworks, such as spatial production theory and rent gap theory, which were developed against the backdrop of incremental development and centered around the price of spatial assets, have become inadequate in explaining the pathways, models, and value creation logic of urban regeneration under stock development conditions. Consequently, there is a need to reconstruct a new theoretical paradigm aligned with the economic behavioral patterns from the perspectives of spatial transactions and spatial consumption. This paper first points out that urban regeneration is not only the physical renewal of existing space, but also requires the activation of existing spatial value through the import of new industries and consumer formats. Then, it extends the value chain and expands the “value cake” through subsequent use and operation. Using the theory of value co-creation in the field of consumer economics for reference, the paper discusses that urban regeneration, within the context of a consumer economy, is a process of collaboration between the government and the market, cooperation between spatial producers and consumers, interaction between industry and space, aiming to realize, create, and share spatial value. It reveals the essence of urban regeneration from a multidisciplinary perspective and explores the new theoretical paradigm of urban regeneration and the construction process of its interactive evolution by combing the value co-creation in the whole process of “investment, construction, operation, and management” in urban regeneration.

KEYWORDS: urban regeneration; value cocreation; theoretical paradigm; construction of theory

♦  PRICING TRAP AND PRICE DISCRIMINATION IN URBAN REGENERATION PRODUCTS: A THEORETICAL GENERALIZATION FROM DOMESTIC PHENOMENA

Author：LIU Di; HOU Wei; LI Bohan; LIANG Yingye; WANG Yu

ABSTRACT:  In urban regeneration, incomplete property disposal rights and the indivisibility of properties under collective ownership have led to a mismatch between consumers’ diversified demands and a uniform supply. The paper argues for a shift in the “supply side of regeneration”, advocating for diversified supply to meet varied consumer needs, in order to break the dilemma of current regeneration

and achieve outcomes that are “harmonious yet differentiated”. This study identifies key pricing challenges hindering diversified supply in current regeneration efforts. By analyzing “consumer psychology” in urban regeneration, introducing the concepts of demand elasticity and value surplus, and combining with several domestic urban regeneration phenomena, this paper analyzes pricing mechanisms under the guidance of supply diversification. Drawing on economic price theory,an updated approach to price discrimination is proposed, including three strategies: complete price discrimination, scale price discrimination, and classified price discrimination. The application forms of price discrimination strategies in urban regeneration are elucidated, and the legal boundaries that should balance fairness and efficiency when adopting price discrimination strategies are discussed. The empirical part takes the installation of elevators in old residential communities as a case study to analyze the specific application of three price discrimination strategies in local regeneration practices, and verifies the feasibility of this approach.

KEYWORDS: urban regeneration; property right; cost; efficiency; old residential communities; sustainable regeneration; public choice

♦  FACTORS INFLUENCING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION WILLINGNESS IN URBAN REGENERATION PROJECTS: A CASE STUDY OF OLD COMMUNITY RENOVATION

Author：DU Yaling; XIANG Yujuan; WANG Xiaoyu

ABSTRACT: Public willingness to particapate is a key determinant of their participation in urban regeneration. It is of great significance in promoting the shift from symbolic to substantive participation. Framed within the theory of planned behavior, this study draws on literature review and in-depth interviews to gather original qualitative data, and applies grounded theory to identify the factors influencing public participation willingness. Through three-level coding, three core categories, i.e., residents’ participation attitude, perceived pressure, and resource control, along with six main categories and 25 sub-categories are identified. On this basis, using the old community renovation project in Liulin Subdistrict, Hexi District, Tianjin as a representative case, 275 valid questionnaire responses are collected to verify the applicability of the three-level coding results in urban regeneration projects. The findings indicate that external attitude, internal attitude, injunctive norms, descriptive norms, internal control, and external control are key factors influencing public willingness to participate in urban regeneration. Moreover, this study reveals potential linkage relationships among these key influencing factors.

KEYWORDS:urban regeneration projects; public willingness to participate; old community renovation; theory of planned behavior; grounded theory

♦  EXPLAINABLE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE IN URBAN DESIGN: FROM SCIENTIFIC  INQUIRY TO METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK

Author：YANG Junyan

ABSTRACT:The evolution of intelligent urban design is profoundly connected to the advent of new technological revolutions. Influenced by general-purpose intelligent models such as ChatGPT and DEEPSEEK, urban design faces both unprecedented opportunities and challenges as it advances into core technical echelons of explainable intelligent design generation. This paper first elucidates the latest development in urban design during the era of big science and distills four academic schools in international research on intelligent urban design. Furthermore, it interprets key scientific issues, including the construction mechanisms of the complex giant system of urban morphology, the priori-evidencebased dual-channel intelligent design generation logic for urban morphology, and engineeringlevel explainable intelligent urban design with iterative optimization processes. Subsequently, it proposes transformative directions for advancing urban design science and establishes a workflow framework for explainable AI-enabled urban design. Core methodologies are introduced, such as global-scale vector-based urban 3D morphology self-learning, constraint-based generation integrating rigid industry regulations with flexible expertise, and adversarial iterative optimization of spatial morphology through human-computer interactive refinement. Based on this, the paper outlines future prospects for the theoretical core of AI-enabled urban design and interdisciplinary research frontiers.

KEYWORDS:explainable artificial intelligence; urban design; generative design

♦  A STUDY ON COLOR ENVIRONMENT PLANNING AND DESIGN OF CHILD-FRIENDLY CITY

Author：WEN Yajun; YU Yifan

ABSTRACT: Color is a critical element influencing individuals’ experience of place. For children, color serves not only as a significant medium for understanding spatial environment but also exerts profound impacts on their emotional and cognitive development as well as environmental behavior. This paper systematically examines the impact of color environment on children’s behaviors and psychology through four dimensions: color vision, color association, color emotion, and color preference, considering the unique characteristics of children. In response to the practical needs of child-friendly city planning and construction, the paper establishes a threedimensional theoretical framework of “Age-Scenario-Place” and proposes four principles for planning child-friendly color environment: meeting visual needs, aligning with psychological characteristics, adapting to local culture, and promoting child participation. Furthermore, the paper explores design strategies for creating color environment in children’s activity places within typical scenarios such as learning, healing, play, travel, and dwelling. Meanwhile, an intervention pathway for color environment planning of childfriendly cities is proposed in terms of scenario analysis, evidence-based decision making, color design, practice, as well as assessment and feedback.

KEYWORDS: children; child-friendly city; city color; color environment; planning and design

♦  IDENTIFICATION AND COMPARISON OF URBAN MORPHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS IN CENTRAL URBAN AREAS: A CLUSTER ANALYSIS OF 3D BLOCK FORMS

Author：QU Bing

ABSTRACT: The organic continuity and effective planning of urban characteristics depend on the identification of its physical morphological features. In response to the complexity, diversity, and ambiguity of urban morphological characteristics in the central areas of Chinese cities, this study proposes a quantitative framework and analytical approach based on cluster analysis of three-dimensional block forms. Drawing on 24 representative city cases, the study examines the number,patchiness, boundaries, and structural features of block clusters, as well as the location and scale of the identified urban centers. These morphological elements collectively reveal, from a block-scale perspective, the physical foundation shaping the characteristics of central urban areas. Through an indepth analysis of the internal mechanisms and metric variations involved in cluster identification, the study further finds that the number of morphological clusters exhibits a quasi-parabolic relationship with the level of socioeconomic development. This study not only provides a quantitative basis for the recognizability of urban characteristics in central areas, but also offers morphological support for urban form regulation, the development of central urban area systems, and territorial planning.

KEYWORDS: urban characteristics; block; morphological classification; urban design

♦  INNOVATIVE STRATEGIES FOR DETAILED PLANNING UNIT COMPILATION IN LARGE CITIES GUIDED BY PLANNING, CONSTRUCTION, AND GOVERNANCE INTEGRATION:

A CASE STUDY OF HANDAN’S MAIN URBAN AREA

Author：XU Zun; YUAN Ye; WANG Xuan; FENG Yingkun

ABSTRACT: The Third Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China proposed the comprehensive enhancement of urban-rural integration in planning, construction, and governance. While theoretical discussions on this topic have accumulated, practical explorations

and interpretations remain relatively limited. This paper takes the practice of detailed planning unit compilation as an example to explore innovative strategies for unit planning within the integration of planning, construction, and governance (PCG). First,the paper analyzes the fundamental characteristics of

detailed planning units and summarizes their general features in promoting PCG integration, based on the practical work of unit planning in China’s megacities. Subsequently, it examines the challenges faced in the detailed planning unit compilation in Handan’s main urban area, as well as the specific delineation approaches and innovative strategies. They include: (1) innovating the underlying rules of detailed planning units to facilitate effective transmission between master and detailed plans; (2) using detailed planning units to coordinate the layout and development of specific areas, promoting synergy between planning, construction, regeneration, and governance; (3) linking detailed planning units with specific subdistrict and town entities to establish a management platform that integrates the full lifecycle of PCG. Building on the experience of megacities and taking Handan’s project as an example, this paper explores strategies for detailed planning unit compilation tailored to the local needs of large cities under the PCG integration framework, providing insights for improving the theoretical system of territorial detailed planning.

KEYWORDS: territorial detailed planning; PCG integration; detailed planning unit delineation; delineation approaches and strategies

♦  BUILDING GOVERNANCE-SYNERGIZED “DETAILED PLANNING UNITS”: A STUDY ON SPATIALLY COUPLED PLANNING IMPLEMENTATION PATHWAYS

Author：WANG Qing

ABSTRACT: China’s current territorial governance system faces misalignment between administrative scales and spatial scales, which is manifested as the overlapping of multi-dimensional spaces and the superposition of multi-level management. This necessitates unified approaches to enhance governance efficacy. This paper analyzes the contradictions of multi-dimensional overlay, hierarchical coordination, and boundary connection in the same space from a governance perspective. It proposes a “flexible” spatial coordination strategy based on administrative management boundaries, and explores implementation pathways for improving the territorial governance system through three mechanisms: coordination of governance subjects, synergization between governance level and spatial planning, and construction of detailed planning units with governance attributes. The paper aims to facilitate the realization of systematic territorial governance and high-quality spatial development through governance transformation that is enabled by tiered planning transmission, multiscale management coordination, and reasonable allocation and control of elements at the unit level.

KEYWORDS: spatial governance; detailed planning unit system; coupled pathway; planning implementation

♦  EVOLUTION OF URBAN INNOVATION SPACE ORGANIZATION FROM A GEOGRAPHYNETWORK INTEGRATED PERSPECTIVE: AN ANALYSIS BASED ON BEIJING’S PATENT DATA

Author：NIE Jingxin; TANG Yongwei; LIU Helin

ABSTRACT：Under the multifaceted influences of information networks, integrating geographical and network perspectives becomes essential to accurately characterize the urban innovation space organization. Using Beijing as an empirical case and leveraging the patent application data, this paper explores the structural evolution and patterns of urban innovation space organization from a geography-network integrated perspective. The results show that the structural evolution progresses through three stages: emergence, growth, and relative maturity, with increasing structural equilibrium and centrifugality. The organizational logic demonstrates mutually reinforcing synergies between geographical concentration and network concentration. While geographical agglomeration progresses slowly but significantly, network agglomeration is continuously strengthening yet limited. The overall pattern evolves from node concentration to centripetal concentration with limited dispersion, and finally

to geography-network coupled concentration. Correspondingly, the paper argues that research and planning guidance for urban innovation space should move beyond unidimensional geospatial analysis to prioritize multi-scale functional coordination, emphasize the dynamic restructuring effects of innovation networks, and accurately portray the law of innovation space evolution employing multisource data. The paper concludes with a series of suggestions for planning purposes.

KEYWORDS：innovation network; space organization; patent data; network structure; pattern; Evolution

♦  INNOVATIONS AND PRACTICES IN INTELLIGENT SPATIAL GOVERNANCE AT THE BLOCK SCALE: A CASE STUDY OF THE “BLOCK PROFILING” SYSTEM IN BEIJING

Author：WANG Ruobing; XU Biying; ZHAO Yongjian

ABSTRACT：As the reform of detailed urban planning advances in Beijing, the demand-driven and orderly preparation of block-level regulatory detailed plans has become a key approach to improving both the scientific nature and implementability of urban planning. However, the unit-by-unit planning process

also poses challenges in capturing the city’s overall spatial dynamics and recognizing the distinctive characteristics of different areas. In response, this study explores a citywide spatial profiling approach at the block scale, aiming for full coverage of concentrated construction zones. Drawing inspiration from the profiling methods used in the internet industry, the study innovatively applies modern information technologies to the field of urban planning and development. By integrating multi-source data interaction, AI-based clustering, and human-machine co-evolution, a technical framework is developed consisting of “tag system construction, resident cluster analysis, and targeted service delivery”. Based on this framework, a typology of six characteristic urban and rural block types in Beijing is established, including categories such as “pleasant and livable” and “highenergy and dynamic”. This approach enables the refined sensing of spatial usage patterns, precise identification of spatial development trends, and accurate formulation of spatial governance strategies. It contributes both methodological innovation and practical pathways to support evidence-based and intelligent planning decisions.

KEYWORDS：block; profiling; intelligent and refined governance; tech-enabled planning; Beijing

♦  BOTTOM LINE CONTROL, DEVELOPMENT GUIDANCE, PROCESS ADAPTATION: SPECULATION ABOUT PRACTICAL VILLAGE PLANNING

Author：HUANG Minghua; WANG Ziyi; WANG Yisong; JING Bo

ABSTRACT：Under the background of the rural revitalization strategy and spatial planning reform, practical village planning serves as both a tool for implementing land use control requirements and a pivot for guiding precise policy implementation in rural revitalization. However, the current mindset of emphasizing regulation over development in village planning has led to practical dilemmas in terms of village classification, industry, population, land use, and other aspects. This paper delves into the practical connotations of “effectiveness”, “action”, and “process adaptation”, analyzes the internal causes of village planning issues, and proposes a planning compilation logic that advocates for urbanrural parity, shifting from form to action, and from outcomes to effects. Finally, practical strategies for village planning are outlined, encompassing the following: using natural villages as classification units, establishing a planning compilation and implementation mechanism that distinguishes between regulation and development and balances the long-term and the phased plans; driving industrial value-added pathways for comprehensive revitalization; implementing responsive measures based on the value of population mobility; and coordinating the guidance and control mechanisms for both incremental and stock resources. These strategies aim to ensure that planning safeguards fundamental principles while providing pathways and opportunities for realizing the diverse developmental values of villages, thereby truly embodying the usability, convenience, and effectiveness of village planning.

KEYWORDS：practical village planning; compilation of village planning; bottom line control; development guidance; process adaptation

♦  A STUDY ON PROTECTION AND UTILIZATION OF CONTIGUOUS TRADITIONAL VILLAGES FROM A RELATIONAL PERSPECTIVE

Author：LI Heping; YANG Huiqiao; XIAO Wenbin

ABSTRACT：With the introduction of policies for the contiguous protection and utilization of traditional villages, protection models for traditional villages are gradually shifting from an individualized and scattered approach to a regionalized and networked one. This paper focuses on two key issues in this context: how to construct a holistic spatial pattern and how to formulate scientific pathways for

protection and utilization. Introducing a perspective of relational theory, it constructs a relational framework of “regional space, historic culture, functional structure” within traditional villages. Based on comprehensive relational evaluation, this paper puts forward the method for constructing a centralized and contiguous spatial pattern encompassing “integrated area delineation, villagelevel hierarchical transmission, structural relation reconstruction”, alongside corresponding protection and utilization strategies. The method is empirically demonstrated using Youyang County, Chongqing Municipality, as a case study, offering feasible ideas for the centralized and contiguous protection and utilization of other traditional villages.

KEYWORDS：traditional villages; centralized and contiguous; relationality; integrity; Youyang County