The Economic–Cultural Dynamics of Urban Regeneration: Calibrating a Tripartite Evolutionary Game and Policy Thresholds for High-Quality Operational Renovation in China

Zhibiao Chen, Leyan Yang, Yonghong Gan and Zhongping Wu ()
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Zhibiao Chen: School of Biological Science and Biotechnology, Minnan Normal University, Zhangzhou 363000, China
Leyan Yang: School of Architecture, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China
Yonghong Gan: School of Biological Science and Biotechnology, Minnan Normal University, Zhangzhou 363000, China
Zhongping Wu: School of Architecture, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510641, China

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 20, 1-18

Abstract: Cities worldwide are transitioning from demolition–redevelopment-driven expansion to high-quality regeneration centered on stock upgrading, cultural continuity, and long-term operations. Against the backdrop of China’s high-quality urban renewal phase guided by the “anti-massive demolition and construction” policy, this study constructs a calibrated tripartite evolutionary game among government, investors, and residents. By embedding culture–economy parameters—cultural renovation intensity ( k ), operational profit-sharing ratio between investors and residents ( j ), cultural identification coefficient ( i ), and cost-sharing coefficient ( w )—we establish a behavioral interaction mechanism of “cultural value conversion–benefit-sharing–cultural identification–cost-sharing.” Simulations based on replicator dynamics demonstrate that sustained tripartite cooperation requires four conditions: cultural intensity surpasses the cost threshold ( k ∈ [0.6, 0.7]); the profit-sharing ratio preserves market incentives ( j ∈ [0.25, 0.35]); cultural identification reaches a minimum threshold ( i ≥ 0.4); and residents’ cost-sharing does not exceed their benefit capacity ( w ≤ 0.2). These findings reveal the core tension in China’s high-quality urban renewal stage—namely, the challenge of instituting sustainable operational mechanisms under cultural protection constraints—and globally provide a quantifiable policy toolbox for culture-led urban regeneration.

Keywords: urban regeneration; operational regeneration; cultural economy; evolutionary game theory; stakeholder collaboration (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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