Neighbourhood Renewal Research Articles

JUE Insight: The labor market effects of place-based policies: Evidence from England’s Neighbourhood Renewal Fund

Neighbourhood renewal programs are a type of place-based policy that aim to revive underperforming localities. The literature on place-based policies has found mixed results regarding their effects on local labor market outcomes, but there are relatively few studies of policies that aim to improve local labor supply. In this paper we examine the labor market effects of the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, which targeted 88 of the most deprived areas in England during the early 2000s as part of the Labour government’s National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal. The fund disbursed almost £3 billion for spending on community safety, education, healthcare and worklessness, with supply-side interventions making up the bulk of the program’s spending on worklessness. Using a difference-in-differences approach, we find statistically significant impacts on local employment. Our results suggest that policy interventions to improve local labor supply can be a successful strategy for neighborhood renewal.

Towards equal neighborhood evolution? A longitudinal study of soundscape and visual evolution and housing value fluctuations in shenzhen

The equitable evolution of neighborhood environments is closely linked to housing economics. However, the lack of quantitative and longitudinal evaluation methods makes it challenging to assess residents' neighborhood perceptions and achieve social inclusiveness goals. Using long-time series street view imagery, we quantified Shenzhen residents' multidimensional neighborhood perceptions before and after micro-renovations, including visual and soundscape dimensions, and revealed the association between perceptual evolution and the housing value. We identified inequitable results during neighborhood renewal: Neighborhoods with high soundscape scores are accompanied by low visual perception scores, and vice versa. The spatial inequality is reflected in the perceptual differentiation prevalent between urban and suburbs. Visual aspects showed a stable but weak relationship with housing value fluctuations, while soundscape aspects had a strong but more dynamic impact. The inequitable spatial evolution is facilitated by changes in residents' perceptions: expectations for positive audio-visual perceptions are increasing, but sensitivity for negative soundscape is decreasing. Meanwhile, residents are increasingly seeking diverse and rich visual neighborhood landscapes and atmospheres filled with human voices. This study provides quantitative support for the equitable evolution of neighborhoods and the economics of neighborhood landscapes. It offers a novel method for measuring multidimensional perceptions that can be applied to settlements worldwide.

Sustainability outcomes and policy implications: Evaluating China's "old urban neighborhood renewal" experiment.

Globally, old urban neighborhood transformation has become a new urban sustainability focus for its significant contribution to the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goal 11. A regeneration-oriented approach is particularly important for Chinese cities with a dwindling land supply, obsoleting infrastructure, and inadequate standard of living. Using a mixed-methods approach informed by BREEAM Communities, we examined two Chinese initiatives-old urban neighborhood renewal (OUNR) and sponge city development (SCD)-through a comprehensive study of pilot project sustainability, policy emphases and gaps, and broader governance implications. We found that SCD's top-down technocratic management was highly efficient in enhancing neighborhood hydrological functions and physical environment. However, successes were undermined by the lack of climate considerations and civic participation. Besides actionable recommendations for applied scholarship and policymaking in China, we provide insight into how the OUNR/SCD initiatives may broadly inform worldwide urban regeneration practices through project and policy experimentations that build adaptive capacity.

Neighborhood renewal at stake: feedback on speculative redevelopment in setif, algeria

Introduction: This paper examines a type of real estate speculation that plays a key role in urban redevelopment, characterized by densification and unaffordability. Purpose of the study: The study aims to analyze how pericentral housing in the form of a garden city is being subjected to incremental renewal in the historic core of Setif, Algeria. It reflects on UN Sustainable Development Goal #11, Sustainable Cities and Communities, in terms of relationships between housing densification, loss of green spaces, and socio-economic implications. Methods: We used a survey strategy based on observation and a sustainability indicator questionnaire as quantitative sources as well as semi-structured interviews and focus groups as qualitative sources. Results: Our study revealed that the typological shift from single-family houses to multi-family apartment buildings is not driven by changing housing preferences, but rather by a profit-oriented land-use strategy. This shift has led to affordability issues and gentrification, which in turn challenge socioeconomic cohesion. The process of densification and apartmentization causes the erosion of the architectural character of buildings and the physical characteristics of the neighborhood. The study emphasizes the importance of proactive, participatory, and inclusive methods in urban planning and management for a bottom-up approach to counteract speculative neighborhood renewal driven by liberal policies. It proposes a densification toolkit to promote the principles expressed in the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Semantic network analysis of spatial gene sequence in Dabaodao neighbourhood

ABSTRACT Dabaodao neighbourhood was a central gathering place of Chinese in the period of German colonial rule in Qingdao (north-eastern China), so the style and form of it express the integration of Chinese and Western cultures. With the help of the semantic network method, this paper proposes a gene analysis method suitable for historic neighbourhoods and analyses the genetic heritability of the Dabaodao neighbourhood. Regarding specific content, the spatial genes of the Dabaodao neighbourhood are identified as the primary research object, and two genetic research samples are proposed. Next, the spatial texture of the neighbourhoods is analysed to construct a semantic network model. Finally, with the help of the topological quantification method, a specific gene sequence analysis of the Dabaodao neighbourhood is conducted to discuss the degree of genetic influence expressed by it. On this basis, the effectiveness of gene analysis in neighbourhood renewal is discussed in the context of the renewal in the Dabaodao neighbourhood. Semantic network gene analysis not only provides an indicative strategy for the renewal of the Dabaodao neighbourhood but is also a formal analysis method different from the traditional quantitative analysis.

Research on Microclimate Performance Simulation Application and Scheme Optimization in Traditional Neighborhood Renewal—A Case Study of Donghuali District, Foshan City

With global warming and rapid urbanization, the microclimate in the Lingnan region is prone to health problems, such as pyrexia and infectious diseases, and the average annual number of heatwave-related deaths is rising rapidly. The large-scale regeneration of traditional neighborhoods in Lingnan under high-quality development is underway, which has implications for the thermal comfort of microclimatic environments. This study focused on the impact of different building unit types and spatial patterns on thermal comfort in the Donghuali traditional neighborhood of Foshan City as an example. We extracted eight basic morphological units and designed a prototype block of 400 m × 400 m. In the Rhinoceros & Grasshopper parametric software 6.7, a variety of plug-ins were integrated to establish a platform with parametric modeling, microclimate simulation and evaluation, and optimal design for thermal comfort. Through experiments, the effects of new single-type and new composite building units on thermal comfort were investigated, and the correlation equations between spatial morphology and microclimate comfort in Lingnan traditional neighborhoods were established. Finally, the multi-objective genetic optimization of thermal comfort was carried out as an example of real block renewal, which provides a practical reference for the planning and design of traditional blocks.

Neighborhood renewal does not raise values of all aged residential properties: case from Hangzhou, China

Neighborhood renewal does not raise values of all aged residential properties: case from Hangzhou, China

Participatory Bias and Participatory Neighborhood Governance: Reanalyzing the Most-Likely Case of the Stockholm Neighborhood Renewal Program

Strategies for revitalizing marginalized neighborhoods often include participatory innovations. According to the participatory bias argument, however, participatory governance arrangements benefit the privileged rather than the poor. In the present article, the validity of this argument is examined by analyzing how individual resources and social positions relates to recruitment to, participation within, and outcomes derived from participation in a most-likely case of bias in participatory neighborhood governance. Although the privileged were overrepresented in recruitment, the pattern was less clear regarding influence within the processes, and quite the opposite regarding certain outcomes of participation. Also in a most-likely case for bias, participatory neighborhood governance may induce empowerment among poor. Based on the observation that participants that differ with regard to available resources and social positions also have different motives for participation, a mechanism-based account regarding why and how bias in early phases under certain conditions may produce empowering outcomes is proposed.

How to utilize neighborship: The role of residents' social capital in the neighborhood renewal in China

Neighborhood renewal projects in China have distinct characteristics. Unlike other government-led public affair, these projects entail extensive participation from the residents in the decision-making process. However, the behavior of the residents is often influenced by the complex social relationships among them, which in turn can impact the implementation of the renewal project. This paper aims to identify the relationships between residents' cooperative behavior and their social relationship in the context of neighborhood renewal. Social capital is taken as a lens to examine residents' social relationships, and the theory of planned behavior is used to study residents' behavior. Data from 381 residents in 75 neighborhood renewal projects was collected using questionnaire surveys and was analyzed through Structural Equation Modeling. The results show that the social relationships not only affect the residents' opinions regarding the renewal, but also directly influence their intention to engage in cooperative behavior. Moreover, the findings further suggest that gender and age play an important role in the relationship between residents' social capital and cooperative behavior. These finding contributes to a better understanding of residents' cooperative behavior in neighborhood renewal and provides important insights for the design of initiatives that effectively inspire cooperative behavior among residents.

Evolution of residents' cooperative behavior in neighborhood renewal: An agent-based computational approach

The cooperative behavior of residents is complex and influenced by their complicated social relationships. This complexity is especially noticeable in neighborhood renewal, so the government does not know how to promote residents' cooperative behavior. Therefore, this study proposes an agent-based model (ABM) to investigate the development of residents' cooperative behavior in neighborhood renewal. Based on a questionnaire survey among residents of old neighborhoods in China, the parameters of ABM were determined in this study. Then, controlled experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of general trust among residents and government control of neighborhood renewal on cooperation patterns in renewal projects. In addition, this study examines the effects of different types of social network structures (small-world, scale-free, and random networks) on the evolution of residents' cooperative behaviors. The simulation results show that when residents' initial willingness to agree to renewal projects is high, their close social relationships need to be managed by the government to achieve better outcomes. Conversely, if initial willingness is low, residents' close relationships may pose a challenge to the government. In addition, government-led renewal projects should be encouraged to a greater extent. This study confirms that the different social network structures have an influence on the development of residents' cooperative behavior. The results of this study provide concrete evidence for understanding the factors that contribute to the emergence of residents' cooperative behavior and for studying the effects of government intervention on neighborhood renewal projects. In addition, the results of this study provide theoretical support for future studies of residents' social network structures.

Nurturing Cultural Heritages and Place Attachment through Street Art—A Longitudinal Psycho-Social Analysis of a Neighborhood Renewal Process

The Faro Convention emphasizes the link between cultural heritage and place-related identity, highlighting their role in fostering environmental and community belonging. Urban renewal projects centered around contemporary and street art have gained popularity worldwide but often exhibit unclear impacts on local populations. Few studies have explored this topic using a psychological and longitudinal approach. Addressing this research gap, our study analyzed changes in place attachment and neighborhood image five years after implementing a street-art-based renewal project in a Milan suburb. Moreover, the project’s impact on the neighborhood’s historical “personality” as perceived by residents and citizens (n = 296) was examined. A survey was designed and administered to compare trends in these variables between 2017 (project start) and 2022, applying content analysis and analysis of variance techniques. Results showed that street art inspired by local history and culture had a positive effect on residents’ place attachment and local image, without disrupting community traditions. However, no significant impacts were found among non-residents. These findings highlight the significance of urban renewal policies that prioritize a district’s social and cultural history. Such policies not only safeguard the citizens’ well-being and foster place attachment, but could also revitalize the local imagery, promoting innovation and creativity.

Research on the renewal and renovation of Rabbit Mountain Site Park oriented by the construction of green blocks

ABSTRACT Through the review studies of ecological city construction and green neighbourhood development at home and abroad, green neighbourhood construction has become an important bridge between ecological cities and green buildings, but in China, there are fewer research results for green neighbourhood construction in urban renewal. Therefore, this study selects the national cultural heritage protection unit Rabbit Hill Heritage Park as the research scope, takes the traditional neighbourhood as the research object, and establishes a research framework for quantitative analysis of green neighbourhoods by combining the 2018 Green Urban Area Evaluation Criteria. Using the spatial analysis methods such as the spatial syntax software DEPTHMAP and ARCGIS, quantitative analysis is carried out for the current space from five levels: site layout, green transportation, green space system, public space, and disaster prevention system, and the optimization strategy for green neighbourhood renovation is proposed based on the quantitative analysis results to make up for the lack of existing green neighbourhood research results and provide data support for the smooth implementation of green neighbourhood renewal and renovation. It has certain innovative value and strong practical significance.

Go-along interview assessment of community health priorities for neighborhood renewal.

Healthcare systems are increasingly investing in approaches to address social determinants of health and health disparities. Such initiatives dovetail with certain approaches to neighborhood development, such as the EcoDistrict standard for community development, that prioritize both ecologically and socially sustainable neighborhoods. However, healthcare system and community development initiatives can be untethered from the preferences and lived realities of residents in the very neighborhoods upon which they focus. Utilizing the go-along approach to collecting qualitative data in situ, we interviewed 19 adults to delineate residents' community health perspectives and priorities. Findings reveal health priorities distinct from clinical outcomes, with residents emphasizing social connectedness, competing intra- and interneighborhood perceptions that potentially thwart social connectedness, and a neighborhood emplacement of agency, dignity, and self-worth. Priorities of healthcare systems and community members alike must be accounted for to optimize efforts that promote health and social well-being by being valid and meaningful to the community of focus.

Exploring the Key Factors of Old Neighborhood Environment Affecting Physical and Mental Health of the Elderly in Skipped-Generation Household Using an RST-DEMATEL Model

Most elderly people choose to age in place, making neighborhood environments essential factors affecting their health status. The policies, economic status, and housing conditions of old neighborhoods have led many elderly people to live in skipped-generation households (SGHs), where they have gradually weakened physical functions and are responsible for raising grandchildren; this puts their health in a more fragile state than that of the average elderly person. Practical experience has shown that when faced with complex environmental renovation problems in old communities, many cases often adopt a one-step treatment strategy; however, many scholars have questioned the sustainability of such unsystematically evaluated renovation projects. Therefore, it is often valuable to explore the root causes of these old neighborhood problems and conduct targeted transformations and upgrades according to the interactive relationship between various influencing factors. This study attempted to establish a novel evaluation system to benefit the health of elderly families in old neighborhoods and develop an understanding of the impact relationship among the indicators, while avoiding any form of waste when collecting responses in regard to the future transformation of old neighborhoods. A questionnaire survey was conducted on the elderly in the Guangzhou Che Bei neighborhood in China, and by applying the rough set theory of the decision-making trial and evaluation laboratory model, we established a preliminary evaluation system, obtained key environmental factors affecting the health of elderly people living in SGHs, and clarified their mutual relationships. Finally, on this basis, we proposed corresponding neighborhood renewal suggestions. The results of this study provide a theoretical basis for future research, and our research model can be applied to similar aging research in the future.

Modeling residents' multidimensional social capital in China's neighborhood renewal projects: SEM and MIMIC approaches.

Neighborhood renewal is now an important approach to sustainable urban development in China. However, neighborhood renewal projects are often beset with social problems such as noncooperation from residents, which can be attributed to diverse interests and complex relationships among residents. However, there is little research on resident relations in China and intra-resident conflict. Based on social capital, this study provided a better understanding of resident relationships in neighborhood renewal in China. To this end, we developed a theoretical framework of residents' multidimensional social capital (structural, relational, and cognitive). Then, a survey was conducted to collect data from 590 residents across China who were experiencing or had experienced neighborhood renewal. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and multiple indicators multiple causes (MIMIC) modeling were used. The results revealed positive effects of structural social capital on relational and cognitive social capital, and the mediation role of relational social capital was demonstrated. We also tested the effects of differences in sociodemographic characteristics. Our findings verify the explanatory power of social capital regarding residents' complex relationships in neighborhood renewal in China. Implications for theory and policy are discussed. This study helps to improve our understanding of residents' social systems in neighborhood renewal and provides theoretical support for formulating neighborhood renewal policies in China and abroad.

Global Appeal: Colorblindness, Neoliberalism, and Neighborhood Branding

Using content analysis of Buffalo media and 20 semi-structured interviews, I document the use of immigrant entrepreneurialism as a neoliberal urban governance strategy. Racism evasiveness is central to this strategy. I observe that immigrants and refugees are treated as symbolic capital as part of a neighborhood branding strategy that involves parlaying diversity into material benefits. I call this strategy global appeal. Buffalo’s resurgence is a feel-good story that draws on neoliberal market logics, colorblindness, and diversity ideology. These stories allow Whites to evade racism when discussing neighborhood renewal and racist comments. Drawing on Bourdieu’s theory of symbolic capital, Bell’s concept of neighborhood frames, and Beeman’s theory of racism evasiveness, I argue that immigrants and refugees are used as symbolic capital to construct a neighborhood brand. This is part of a strategy of roll out neoliberalism that relies on two neighborhood frames: revitalization and diversity. The revitalization frame credits immigrants and refugees with contributing to the neighborhood through homeownership, entrepreneurialism, and school enrollment. The diversity frame celebrates people of different races, cultures, and ethnicities coming together while both evading and obscuring racism.

Evaluation of citizen participation in World Bank projects in Algeria - Sidi Slimane District/Town of Bou Saada

Citizen participation has become one of the pillars of good governance in order to achieve sustainable local development. This is what the World Bank's contribution in Algeria has been aimed at, through the Precarious Habitat Resorption Program (P.H.R), by adopting the pattern of popular participation among its priorities to change the deteriorating situation experienced by the residents of these neighborhoods. This study is to assess the popular participation in these projects and to determine the extent to which they have affected public action and the improvement of the conditions of the population, and what obstacles have prevented the realization of the objectives of this; And as a research methodology, the descriptive method was used, as well as the method hqe2r, (h: high, q: quality, e: (environmental/ economic efficiency/social equity), r: (neighborhood renewal / building rehabilitation), through the L indi (indicateur's Impact) application. The results of the first phase of the preliminary situational evaluation were evaluated at between 0 and 1.4, where a total absence of popular participation was noted. In the second phase of the evaluation, after the exploitation of the project, the indicators jumped to 3 points. This explains the significant improvement in public action, but popular participation remains below the required level, due to the weakness of the legal system and the absence of a legal framework that controls public action and restrains the authority of the administration

Implementation strategies for sustainable renewal at the neighborhood level with the goal of reducing carbon emission

• Excessive energy consumption has a serious impact on the low-carbon of communities. • There is marked heterogeneity between communities for carbon emission efficiency. • Different types of communities have various carbon mitigation situations. • Proposes an adaptive decision-making framework for neighborhood low-carbon renewal. • Develops multiple implementation strategies and paths of neighborhood renewal. Excessive emissions of CO 2 have become an important factor affecting sustainable urban development. In the existing renewal decision-making, few strategies have been formulated with the goal of promoting the low-carbon development. As a fundamental building block of a city, low-carbon construction in neighborhoods is already the basis for promoting sustainable cities. Therefore, this study develops a carbon accounting methodology and an efficiency assessment model that are applicable at the neighborhood level to measure the carbon emission characteristics and reduction potential. Then, a decision-making framework for sustainable neighborhood renewal is put forward from the perspective of carbon emission mitigation. Through a case study of fifteen communities in Yuzhong District, Chongqing in China, this study reveals the current situation of community CO 2 emission and carbon emission efficiency, and formulates the sustainable renewal paths according to local conditions. Results show that 83.16% (1.68E+08 kg) of the CO 2 in the study communities comes from energy consumption, and CO 2 absorption is only 1.78% (3.62E+06 kg) of the total emission. Meanwhile, the carbon emission efficiency of the fifteen study communities has a significant heterogeneity, with a mean value of 0.7402, and 80% of these communities are ineffective. These communities are ineffective mainly because the resource investment cannot be fully utilized. For example, the average utilization efficiency values for energy, purchased resources, and natural resources are 0.7427, 0.8113, and 0.4384, respectively. Thus, adopting adaptive renewal strategies to integrate the use of resources can effectively promote the construction of low-carbon neighborhoods. In addition, the research results can provide a basis for the organization and management of low-carbon renewal projects and the implementation of plans in other regions.

Social Capital in Neighbourhood Renewal: A Holistic and State of the Art Literature Review

In the new era of sustainable urban development, neighbourhood renewal has received increasing attention. Social capital, which can be defined as the value embedded in the relationship between residents, plays a significant role in the process of neighbourhood renewal. However, within the current neighbourhood renewal knowledge domain, there is a lack of clear and systematic understanding of the various components that make up social capital, how they are formed, and how they impact neighbourhood renewal. With the rise in neighbourhood renewal projects worldwide, it has become increasingly important to facilitate better knowledge in this area. To this end, this study focuses on filling this knowledge gap. First, based on the review of 84 journal papers related to social capital in neighbourhood renewal, a research framework is developed for analysing social capital in the context of neighbour renewal. Using this framework as a lens, a critical review of the literature is then conducted. Finally, through an in-depth discussion, this study presents the main concepts of social capital, its formulation and its association with neighbourhood renewal. This review paper can be used as an important reference for researchers globally interested in the topic of social capital in neighbourhood renewal.

The Labor Market Effects of Place-Based Policies: Evidence from England’s Neighbourhood Renewal Fund

The Labor Market Effects of Place-Based Policies: Evidence from England’s Neighbourhood Renewal Fund