The renovation of old residential neighbourhoods represents a critical livelihood initiative. In this study, a theoretical framework utilising fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) is developed to investigate the complex interplay of factors influencing residential satisfaction and to identify multiple pathways for satisfaction enhancement in old residential neighbourhood renovation projects. Thirty old residential neighbourhoods within Nanchang’s urban core are selected as case studies. Through the systematic evaluation and measurement of five critical dimensions—governmental policy; community environment; community support; housing quality; and resident perception—the research applies fsQCA to analyse potential pathways for enhancing residential satisfaction from a “community” perspective. The research finds that residents’ satisfaction can be enhanced through four pathways: housing quality enhancement, quality and support improvement, community environment improvement, and environment–quality linkage. The research findings yield key policy implications: First, a multifactorial synergistic approach should be implemented to overcome reductionist tendencies toward single-factor solutions. Second, differentiated rehabilitation frameworks should be developed to prevent homogenisation in old residential neighbourhood renovation practices. Third, enhancing the accessibility and comprehensibility of government policies through effective communication strategies is crucial, and cultivating a community ethos centred on co-creation, co-governance, and shared benefits should be prioritised to foster collective responsibility and participatory decision-making.

Under tightening resource and environmental constraints, exploring the synergy between new-type urbanization and water use efficiency is key to high-quality development in Central China. Using panel data for cities in Jiangxi (11) and Hunan (13) from 2013 to 2022, this study measures the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of water-coupling coordination in the two provinces. It also incorporates feedback mechanisms from Complex Adaptive Systems (CAS) theory to explain the differences in the evolutionary trajectories of the two provinces from three dimensions: signal strength, transmission efficiency, and bottleneck nodes. The results show the following: (1) The urbanization processes in these two provinces have shifted from a phase of rapid growth to one of steady optimization, and water use efficiency has improved in both. Since 2016, Jiangxi Province has experienced fluctuations, moving from a decline to a recovery, while Hunan Province has seen a steady increase; however, disparities among regions within the provinces persist. (2) The evolutionary trajectories of coupling coordination between the two provinces show marked divergence: Hunan exhibits a pattern of “core responsiveness and peripheral lag,” while Jiangxi displays a “multi-point gradual response”. (3) The barriers in the two provinces are highly similar in nature, focusing on economic scale, capital investment, and labor. Although the same constraints exist, different response pathways lead to distinct patterns—Jiangxi’s passive adaptation results in a diffuse equilibrium, while Hunan’s proactive adjustment results in a polarized gradient. These findings identify two distinct pathways for urban-water system evolution in central China’s water-rich areas, advancing theoretical understanding of system adaptation while providing targeted policy references for regional high-quality development.