Urban regenerative thinking and practice: A systematic literature review

Regenerative approaches to the built environment represent a conceptual departure from reductionist sustainability fields. By utilizing the inherent interconnections between social-ecological systems as an informing foundation, regenerative fields have the potential to facilitate transformation towards sustainable cities. This paper provides a systematic review of publications on urban regenerative thinking and practice, including across urban development stages and sectors. Results indicate precincts as the optimum scale for regenerative intervention and provide insights into the worldviews underpinning regenerative approaches. The targets and aspirations of regenerative fields are well-documented, along with the practical challenges to effective implementation. Gaps in the literature are identified including paradigmatic and definitional inconsistencies across urban regenerative thinking and practice. Similarly, there is a lack of detail on the realization of planning aspirations at subsequent stages of building lifecycles. The sample also does not extensively outline the specific engagement mechanisms required to remove barriers to regenerative practice or encourage its uptake across geographic and legislative contexts. Whilst the operationalization of regenerative principles in high-density urban environments remains a challenge, these fields offer transformative frameworks to not only mitigate further harm but also achieve net-positive natural and social outcomes.