Title: Stakeholders and Partnership in Urban Regeneration
Description: Urban regeneration is an approach to revive the vitality of the communities all over the world. In China, previous regeneration efforts usually implement through a top-down method to raze the buildings and cities' historical memories. Recently, with the search for a more sustainable urban development strategy and the rise of bottom-up voices, an increasing number of stakeholders are engaged in the regeneration process. Nevertheless, the research questions of what are the roles and strategies of different stakeholders and what are the positions of the main players during the partnerships deserve in-depth examination. Embracing the strategy of culture-led waterfront regeneration, the case of Shanghai West Bund exemplifies the attempt to search for a sustainable future. Guided by the development strategy of “government-led regeneration with market-oriented management and collaborative governance”, West Bund is also an appropriate laboratory to examine the power relations among various stakeholders.

Accordingly, this study includes interviews with eight key stakeholders. The current strategy indeed has merits of high-efficiency first-level development process, a favourable environment for tenants related to the culture industry, and increasing stakeholders' involvement during the collaborative governance. However, the inefficiency of secondary developers, the lacking of social impacts of cultural facilities, and the indefinite responsibilities among the administrative departments may place the small business owners and residents at a disadvantaged position. The policy recommendations provided will also target for an economically feasible, socially equitable, and culturally heritable regeneration process.