Urban waterfront renewal, especially public space improvement, is important for regaining waterfront space vitality. However, existing studies constrained by sparse and hard-to-access data are hard to explore how changes in spatial elements during waterfront renewal would affect space vitality. Waterfront space vitality comprises social vitality represented by public behaviors and economic vitality represented by urban functional facilities. Taking the Maozhou River renewal project in China as an example, we collect spatial elements and vitality on corresponding periods in 2018 and 2020 (before and after the renewal construction) and use multiple linear regression models to assess the relationships. We find that the functional diversity (e.g., commercial and cultural facilities) and design quality (e.g., path density and the shoreline’s proximity to the water) are the two most influential spatial elements affecting space vitality during waterfront renewal. Overall, the use of two-time datasets has generated strong evidence for measuring waterfront revitalization.

Rapid urbanization-induced extreme rainstorms severely disrupt social functions. Previous research often focused on “de-densification” strategies, which are difficult to adapt to high-density Sponge City Stormwater Management Units (SMUs) that carry core development functions. This study uses Shenzhen as a case study, utilizing Keep movement big data as a “social sensor” for system function perception and introducing the Socio-Ecological-Technological Systems (SETS) theory to construct a “recovery (RCN)–resistance (MI)” binary assessment framework. Through systematic clustering and hierarchical regression models, the driving mechanisms of blue landscape patterns, topography, road networks, and the built environment on social behavioral resilience are systematically parsed. The results show: (1) Road network morphology dominates resistance, while multi-dimensional elements collaborate for recovery. Resistance (MI) is primarily dominated by macro road network detour resistance (TPD2000, β = 0.956), while recovery depends on the synergistic support of blue space interspersion (Blue_IJI), topography, and micro-circulation road networks. (2) Green infrastructure fails in the model due to efficiency bottlenecks, empirical evidence of weakened regulation caused by green space fragmentation in ultra-high-density environments. (3) Low-density, eco-centric built environments provide dual synergistic gains for resilience. Based on this, a “Bidirectional Socio-Ecological Resilience Needs Pyramid” model is constructed, identifying four governance types such as the “Synergistic Balanced Type”. This study provides a quantitative basis for the transition from administrative control to precise morphological governance in high-density cities.

Global climate change and rapid urbanization have intensified extreme precipitation events, making urban pluvial flood risk management particularly urgent. However, existing research exhibits theoretical and methodological limitations in reconciling pluvial flood resilience within high-density urban development, especially lacking a quantitative framework for human mobility resilience based on natural hydrological units. To address this, this study takes 48 natural catchment areas in Shenzhen as research units. By integrating mobile phone signaling data, remote sensing imagery, and multi-dimensional spatial form indicators, it constructs a post-disaster recovery curve based on population dynamics to quantify human mobility resilience. Using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression, and the K-means clustering method, this research analyzes the mechanisms through which green infrastructure, road network structure, and three-dimensional building morphology influence resilience. The results show that three-dimensional building morphology is the core driver of post-disaster recovery capacity, with Floor Area Ratio (FAR), Standard Deviation of Building Height (SDBH), and Building Coverage Ratio (BCR) significantly promoting recovery, while Building Shape Coefficient (BSC) exerts an inhibitory effect. A key comparative analysis reveals that the model based on natural catchment areas has significantly better explanatory power than the model using stormwater management units, and the dominant factors differ: building morphology factors are more prominent in natural hydrological units, whereas road network structure factors are more significant in stormwater management units. This study confirms that natural geographic boundaries can more authentically reveal the intrinsic “morphology–resilience” relationship, providing an important theoretical and empirical basis for optimizing the planning and management units of sponge cities in high-density urban areas.

Although design research and practice in landscape architecture have increasingly engaged with issues related to gentrification, theoretical discussions at the ontological level—concerning how design itself intervenes in and shapes such spatial processes—remain limited. As a result, the role of design is often underrepresented in related narratives. This article develops its analysis mainly along three dimensions. First, it examines the dialectical relationship between the intrinsic value of design and the regulation of spatial circulation. Second, it explores how alternative economic networks embedded in design can enable community-based value production. Third, it analyzes how institutional instruments, such as community land trusts, can influence spatial production processes. Based on this, the article constructs a spatially centered analytical framework integrating economy, space, and institutionalization. This framework addresses the tension between development-oriented urban regeneration and broader social considerations, and discusses the potential role of landscape design in mediating such processes. From the perspective of design activism as an embedded and collaborative practice within social networks, the study further proposes an alternative model of landscape activism. Through literature review and case analysis, the research focuses on three key aspects. First, the circulation of spatial and aesthetic values within communities can partially recalibrate capital-driven models of spatial production. Second, design can support the emergence of diverse economic forms, fostering locally grounded alternatives through community collaboration. Third, design can facilitate localized institutional spatial innovation, contributing to the formation of relatively stable spatial production mechanisms. These processes are synthesized into three analytical dimensions—circulation, alternative, and sustainability—offering a structured perspective on the role of design in addressing complex urban transformations.