Volume 20 (2026-2027)

The West Florissant Avenue Great Streets project in St. Louis County, Missouri, represents a rare example of three cities — Dellwood, Ferguson, and Jennings — developing and adopting a unified zoning ordinance for a historically disinvested, socially significant commercial corridor. This initiative to revitalise a corridor deeply affected by decades of disinvestment and the 2014 civil unrest following the death of Michael Brown Jr. integrates land-use reform, community-driven redevelopment, brownfields planning, and infrastructure investment and was coordinated by the St. Louis Economic Development Partnership in collaboration with the cities and other regional partners. This paper examines the governance structure, planning process, and policy mechanisms that enabled the creation of the shared West Florissant Corridor District Zoning Ordinance,1 analyses its outcomes to date, and discusses how the approach can inform regeneration efforts in other multijurisdictional urban environments. The case demonstrates the value of sustained collaboration, shared regulatory tools, and community stewardship in transitioning corridors from sites of crisis towards resilient, opportunity-rich places. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
Keywords: urban regeneration; zoning; economic development; governance; cities

This paper documents a participatory planning process in a marginalised neighbourhood in Ostrava, Czechia, a traditional industrial city facing urban shrinkage. The case study focuses on the regeneration of a vacant grassy area on Jílová Street, an initiative by the City of Ostrava proposed through participatory budgeting. The study area suffers from spatial segregation and decades of systemic underfunding. The project aimed to address this long-term neglect by designing a public space that genuinely reflects the needs of local residents. A research team from the University of Ostrava conducted field research with the help of diverse participatory methods, involving a wide range of residents, specifically focusing on children and teenagers. Informed by these insights, the team developed a design for a multifunctional leisure space for all generations. Despite various complications during the project’s realisation, the successful implementation and subsequent use of the public space refuted prejudices regarding a passive attitude of locals and fears of vandalism. The case of Jílová Street area suggests that successful regeneration in ‘left-behind’ neighbourhoods calls for a place-based approach and patience. Ultimately, the active involvement of the local community not only strengthens their sense of belonging but also serves as a catalyst for sustained interest in the area’s further development. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
Keywords: participatory budgeting; urban planning; children’s participation; marginalised communities

Since time immemorial, cities have relied on water (which accounts for 71 per cent of the surface area of the earth) as a means of trade and sustenance. Yet the world’s megacities all exist with the perpetual threat of flooding through rising sea levels. Water may be perceived as a risk, but it also offers an opportunity to re-evaluate a surface area that could relieve pressure from land-hungry energy and food systems while acting as a catalyst for urban regeneration. This paper provides a review of waterborne urbanism concepts, including Pomeroy Studio’s ‘Pod Off-Grid’ (POG), a design research prototype tested in Venice; and its production-scale evolution, the Halo Float Farm (HF²), a floating, closed-loop, waterborne urbanism project deployable in under-utilised docks, ports, and waterways. Contextualised within Singapore’s food and energy resilience policy framework, the modular HF² structure synthesises existing tried-and-tested vertical farming and photovoltaic technologies to help global waterfront cities become more self-sustaining and resilient to climate change, while demonstrating the governance and policy conditions under which productive waterborne urbanism can serve as a tool for waterfront regeneration. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
Keywords: waterborne urbanism; floating infrastructure; closed-loop agri-aquaculture; urban food resilience; climate adaptation; urban regeneration

The ‘Reconnecting Runcorn’ regeneration programme offers a real-time example of how to create pride in place. For nearly a decade, local partners have worked together on a complex programme of holistic placemaking in Runcorn Old Town. The aim of the programme is to: reconnect the physical assets of Runcorn Old Town through capital-funded improvements; use the reconnection of those assets as the catalyst for local economic growth; and connect residents to opportunities in that expanded economy through investment in skills and social infrastructure. The value of a holistic approach to regeneration, spanning physical, economic, and social interventions, is reinforced by new evidence from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and others about what works. This practice paper explores what partners have sought to do, progress and challenges, and overall lessons. The lessons are relevant to practitioners working to create and sustain safe and successful neighbourhoods, including those that are part of the UK Pride in Place programme, professionals involved in planning and building the current wave of New Towns, and policy makers responsible for national and regional urban development strategies. The authors were involved in developing and supporting delivery of elements of the Reconnecting Runcorn programme. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
Keywords: regeneration; towns; economic development; Pride in Place; New Towns; urbanism; partnership; growth

This study aims to examine the governmental policies of Iran in providing affordable housing for low-income groups during the period 1989–2021 and to analyse the efficiency and effectiveness of these policies across six national economic and social development plans. The research is applied in purpose and employs a descriptive–analytical methodology. Data was collected through documentary and library studies, field observations, expert interviews, and questionnaires. The paper first clarifies the position of affordable housing within national macro-policies and the governmental strategies for low-income housing provision. Subsequently, the gaps and the level of success of these policies after the Islamic Revolution are evaluated through expert interviews and analysed using SPSS software. The study assessed the efficiency and effectiveness of the plans across four dimensions — physical, economic, social, and institutional–managerial — covering 26 indicators in total. The findings reveal that the performance of the programmes in Mashhad varies across different indicators, and the governmental housing policies have not achieved their intended objectives. Their overall effectiveness is assessed as approximately average. Furthermore, weaknesses in provincial and local executive systems are identified as the main reasons for the limited success of the plans. One of the paper’s key recommendations is to strengthen coordination among provincial, local, and municipal institutions in Mashhad in order to avoid overlapping actions within target areas. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
Keywords: affordable housing; executive policies; informal settlements; Iran

Janghang Smelting Factory’s company housing complex (the Complex), a backup complex for employee housing and support services in conjunction with large-scale manufacturing facilities, was the birthplace of a modern industrial city and urban housing. This characteristic housing complex was situated on the hillside of Sudo Mountain in Hwacheon-ri, Janghang-eup, located approximately 1.5km from the factory. The original site comprised 46 buildings with 115 units and included housing for managers, employees, and production workers. In 1976, the addition of the Saemaul Houses development expanded the Complex to 94 buildings with 182 units. Most of the Complex was demolished after the factory closed in 1989. Reflecting the early factory organisation and rank systems in its construction of residential space, the Complex is both a present space and a memory device to recall the lives of the workers at the time. Structurally, the Complex is stylistically eclectic and merges the following distinctive features: Japanese architecture, owing to its construction during the Japanese Occupation; Korean architecture, reflecting its location in Janghang; and Western architecture, imported via Japan. This eclecticism also allows for the gradual modernisation of Korean residential spaces. The Complex epitomises collective housing architecture, which embraces the emergence of modern communities. In terms of urban planning, the Complex is Janghang’s archetypal residential facility that mirrors the changes in the region, witnessing both its advance as a modern industrial city and the formation, maturation, and decline of the smelting industry. As a prototypical form of modern collective housing, the Complex cultivated the placeness and local identity of Janghang by transcending the limited sense of place shared among its residents and preserving the collective memories of Janghang as a modern industrial city. An ongoing palimpsest exists in contemporary Janghang, as the accumulated layers trace its history and imagine its future. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
Keywords: palimpsest; modern industrial city; industrial heritage; local identity; local regeneration; collective housing; colonial architecture; Janghang Smelting Factory’s company housing complex

Qatar is undergoing a rapid transformation of its built environment, driven by major transit investments aligned with the Qatar National Vision 2030 (QNV 2030). The Doha Metro represents a central pillar of this transformation, intended to reduce automobile dependency, enhance accessibility, and support sustainable urban development through transit-oriented development (TOD). A persistent challenge, however, lies in integrating metro stations into their surrounding urban fabric while reconciling compact, mixed-use development with cultural heritage preservation. This study examines the National Museum of Qatar (NMQ) neighbourhood as a TOD case study, adopting a mixed-methods research design grounded in an interdisciplinary urban design perspective that conceptualises the built environment as a dynamic socio-spatial system. The methodology combines quantitative user surveys (n = 80), qualitative semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions with planning and transport professionals (n = 40), and visual–spatial analysis using geographic information system (GIS) mapping, historical cartography, site observations, and photographic documentation. Analysis is structured around six TOD dimensions — urban density, land-use diversity, urban design, proximity to transport, destination accessibility, and demand management — to identify spatial patterns, diagnose implementation challenges, and explore regeneration opportunities. Findings reveal significant spatial and functional mismatches between transit infrastructure and adjacent land uses, limited pedestrian connectivity, and underutilised public spaces. Based on these insights, the study proposes a context-sensitive TOD urban regeneration framework aimed at enhancing multimodal connectivity, environmental sustainability, local economic vitality, heritage preservation, and community engagement. The proposed framework offers a transferable model for advancing culturally responsive and sustainable urbanism in Qatar and comparable Middle Eastern contexts. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
Keywords: sustainable urbanism; urban regeneration; Qatar National Museum; QNM; transit-oriented development; TOD; Doha; Middle Eastern cities; cultural heritage preservation