In recent years, the strategic development and utilization of historical and cultural resources in historic urban areas to foster advanced cultural industries has become a pivotal approach for promoting urban renewal. However, there are significant differences between the urban development models of Western countries and the unique context of China, rendering it challenging to directly apply Western theories to explain China’s urban development. As one of the leading cities in both cultural industry growth and urban renewal in China, Guangzhou offers a valuable case for examining how cultural industries can effectively empower urban renewal. This paper aims to explore and analyze the mechanisms through which cultural industry development influences urban renewal in China, using Guangzhou as a case to illustrate the dynamic interactions between cultural industries and urban transformation. Furthermore, it proposes a contextualized model and strategy for the role of cultural industries in driving urban renewal, thereby providing evidence-based insights and practical recommendations for enhancing the contribution of cultural industries to urban development. This study suggests that Guangzhou should further advance this goal by strengthening policy support, promoting the digital cultural industry, strengthening infrastructure for cultural industry spaces, and developing distinctive cultural industry projects, thus facilitating sustainable and high-quality urban development.

In the context of ecological city construction, residents' environmentally responsible behavior plays a crucial role in enhancing urban environmental quality and fostering a harmonious coexistence between humans and nature. As an important component of the urban ecosystem, urban greening serves as an essential focus for understanding and promoting residents' environmentally responsible behavior. This study investigates the impacts of cultural ecosystem services (CES) and place attachment on residents' environmentally responsible behavior, with banyan tree spaces in Guangzhou serving as the case study. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to analyze survey data collected from 1226 questionnaires in 59 banyan tree spaces. The results indicate that: (1) Environmentally responsible behavior is positively associated with the social relations and recreational services dimensions of cultural ecosystem services. (2) The social relations and recreational services dimensions of cultural ecosystem services positively affect place attachment. (3) Place attachment mediates the relationship between cultural ecosystem services and environmentally responsible behavior-cultural ecosystem services influence residents' environmentally responsible behavior through two pathways: social relations-place attachment-environmentally responsible behavior and recreational services-place attachment-environmentally responsible behavior. Overall, our research highlights that focusing on the non-material cultural services provided by urban greening and deepening the understanding of residents' place attachment are essential for optimizing environmentally responsible behavior. Such insights not only provide theoretical guidance for urban ecological construction but also offer practical references for policy formulation and implementation, thereby contributing to sustainable urban development. Therefore, future governments should enhance planning and policy guidance to effectively alleviate conflicts between urban renewal and tree protection. By scientifically and rationally designing green spaces, it will be possible to ensure that ancient and noteworthy trees are fully preserved during urban renewal processes, thereby collectively fostering a more livable and sustainable urban environment.

As global climate disasters become frequent, colleges and universities in disaster-prone areas are facing problems in disaster response and post-disaster recovery. Based on the theory of urban resilience, we case-studied nine universities in Conghua District, Guangzhou City, China, using the Delphi method and the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). We constructed a multi-criteria evaluation model for campus disaster prevention resilience under extreme climate conditions. By identifying 4 facets and 16 criteria, 9 colleges were ranked. The distance of the college from the city center, the terrain and natural environment of the college, the level of the college, and the ownership of the college affected their ranking The results of this study help campus managers and planners integrate campus resilience plans into campus planning, institutional regulations, campus site selection, and campus construction in the future.

Amid expanding higher education and enhancing spatial quality, modern university campuses face challenges including inefficient space utilization and a disconnect from human-centered design. We developed a coupled model that integrates the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) with space syntax theory to identify and address functional fragmentation, limited accessibility, and diminished spatial vitality. The Delphi method was employed to determine weights on visual and traffic influence factors. Through spatial quantitative analysis using Depthmap software, we estimated spatial-efficiency discrepancies across 11 component types, including school gates, teaching buildings, and libraries. A case study was conducted at a university located in the hilly terrain of Conghua District, Guangzhou, China which revealed significant contradictions between subjective evaluations and objective data at components, such as the administrative building and gymnasium. These contradictions led to poor visual permeability, excessive path redundancy, and imbalanced functional layouts. Based on the results of this study, targeted optimization strategies were proposed, including permeable interface designs, path network reconfiguration, and the implementation of dynamic functional modules. These interventions were tailored to accommodate the humid subtropical climate, balancing shading, ventilation, and visual transparency. In this study, methodological support for the renovation of existing campus infrastructure was provided as theoretical and technical references for space renewal in tropical and subtropical academic environments and the enhancement of the quality and resilience of campus spaces. The results also broadened the application of interdisciplinary methods in university planning.