Practical exploration and theoretical framework of sustainable urban regeneration in urban China

With China's urban development entering an era of ''stock-based growth'', urban regeneration has risen to a strategic level of constructing a new national development pattern and promoting high-quality urban development. The practice of urban regeneration has gradually shifted from focusing mainly on the reconstruction and transformation of the physical environment to a sustainable urban regeneration model that considers economic, social, and environmental goals. However, there is still a lack of a systematic and comprehensive theoretical framework for sustainable urban regeneration to guide research and practice. Therefore, this paper attempts to use the Theory of the Production of Space as the foundation, combined with an analysis of urban regeneration practices in China over recent decades, to construct a systematic and comprehensive theoretical framework for sustainable urban regeneration in Chinese context from the perspective of spatial reproduction. This theoretical framework includes five core elements: sustainable regeneration goals, government, market, society, and spatial reproduction. It summarizes the composition, power, capital, and interests of the three categories of stakeholders (government, market, and society) and their different focuses and modes of competition within the reproduction operation mechanism. The paper suggests that a sustainable urban regeneration model should emphasize both comprehensive value and benefits in spatial reproduction and equitable distribution, as well as consider sustainable pathways for spatial reproduction under the constraints of limited regeneration capital.