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.

Urban regeneration, as a crucial strategy during China's stock transformation period, requires a comprehensive legislative framework to support its orderly implementation. The United Kingdom has developed a well-established urban regeneration system with extensive practical experience, which serves as a valuable reference. This study, framed within the context of historical institutionalism, examines the historical evolution of the UK's urban regeneration legal framework since the 1960s, analyzing the underlying structures, historical developments, and stakeholders' logics, based on primary data from official UK government sources. Ultimately, with a focus on China's development goals, this study proposes strategies to improve China's urban regeneration system: establishing a "core law+supplementary regulations" framework, incorporating equity and sustainable development into policy design, transitioning to a model of "proactive government with multi-stakeholder participation," and promoting community-centered, sustainable micro-regeneration. Compared to the UK, China exhibits unique characteristics in its institutions, public interests, and funding models. By assimilating international experiences, refining and innovating legislative frameworks tailored toward sustainable renewal holds significant implications.

The practice of neighborhood renewal in Chinese cities has gradually shifted towards the spatial governance of existing neighborhood resources. Future research will focus on the comprehensive process of spatial governance, which includes monitoring spatial changes, planning and governing existing resources, evaluating governance performance, and tracking outcomes. This study responds to this paradigm shift from the perspective of the health effects of neighborhood renewal. By reviewing English literature on the relationship between neighborhood renewal and health, it reveals that health-oriented neighborhood renewal is a holistic initiative aimed at enhancing health-related physical, social, and economic resources within the neighborhood. It emphasizes the temporal and spatial evolution of various environmental elements throughout the life cycle of neighborhoods. The influence of neighborhood renewal on residents' physical and mental health and well-being is multi-stage, multi-path, subject-differentiated, and dynamic. Primary renewal environments impacting residents' health include housing, blue-green and activity spaces, infrastructure, catering facilities, medical facilities, and social and psychological environments. The study proposes a four-stage research framework to advance the theoretical development and practical innovation of health-oriented neighborhood renewal in China. This framework includes evaluating neighborhood renewal performance, identifying health effects, explaining influence mechanisms, and assessing the health impacts of renewal planning and policies.