Sustainability-Oriented Urban Renewal and Low-Impact Development Applications in China: Case Study of Yangpu District, Shanghai

Abstract

Urban renewal raises great challenges for global sustainable development. However, there is a lack of integrated knowledge on how to improve urban sustainability through a low-impact development process for urban renewal. Through the integration of the driving forces–pressure-state-impact-response (DPSIR) and low-impact development (LID) framework, this paper presents a case study of urban renewal in Shanghai, China, to understand the sustainability of urban renewal from a dynamic and integrated perspective. The findings of this paper are (1) the dynamic process of urban renewal raises high expectations on environmental quality, which implies more ecological limitations for urban economic activities; (2) the implementation of low-impact development needs a comprehensive approach for urban planning, which requires the integration of multiple plans such as urban master plan, eco-environmental plan, transportation plan, and infrastructure plan; and (3) the zoning management and technology selection should be of specific concern based on local characteristics. Several suggestions for sustainable urban renewal are then presented, including the determination of the ecological red line areas, the improvement of stakeholder involvement, and the promotion of information sharing and tailored evaluation.