The Impact of Urban Renewal on Sustainable Urban Development

Abstract

Urban renewal is one of the most important factors to improve urban development and the problem has been a focus for many scholars. This paper uses four cases in Tokyo, London, Germany and Barcelona to illustrate diverse regeneration trajectories. There are theoretical foundations of urban regeneration and the impacts showed in the article. Urban regeneration has impact on the development of a city through three ways: the rebuilding of physical infrastructure, the reallocation of land use and economic activity, and the restoration of ecological systems. According to the case study, the paper shows that regeneration can improve land-use efficiency, upgrade infrastructure, enhance air quality, stimulate cultural identity, and attract investment. Integrated approach is better than single-focus approach, because single-focus approach has negative impact on sustainable development of a city. So, in order to develop sustainability of a city, governments should apply integrated plan instead of single-focus one. Governments ought to combine urban re generation with social justice and ecological sustainability.