This study examined how environmental expectation gaps, defined as discrepancies between older adults’ expectations before admission and their actual experiences after admission, are associated with residential adaptation in nursing homes. Survey data from 613 residents of six public and private inclusive nursing homes in Changchun, China, were analyzed using structural equation modeling and bias-corrected bootstrapping. Expectation gaps in safety and mobility convenience, privacy and autonomy, environmental comfort, and spatial cognition and familiarity were significantly associated with emotional adaptation, with spatial cognition and familiarity showing the strongest relationship. Support for activities and social interaction was positively associated with relationship formation but negatively associated with communal-living adaptation. Residential adaptation followed a sequential process from emotional adaptation to relationship formation, acceptance of institutional living, and adaptation to communal living. Bootstrap analysis further showed that several environmental expectation gaps were indirectly associated with later adaptation outcomes through this sequential process, with some direct and indirect relationships operating in opposite directions. These findings demonstrate that environmental expectation gaps are associated with residential adaptation through differentiated and interconnected pathways, extending nursing home evaluation beyond facility conditions and satisfaction alone.

This study examines the relationships among crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED), sustainable management, and residents’ perceived quality of the living environment in urban regeneration areas of Changchun, China. A field survey conducted from April to June 2026 yielded 710 valid questionnaires. Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling were used to test an integrated framework linking second-generation CPTED, first-generation CPTED, sustainable management, and perceived living-environment quality. Community cohesion, community activity, and social trust were significantly associated with first-generation CPTED spatial conditions, while natural surveillance, natural access control, territorial reinforcement, and maintenance were positively associated with sustainable management. Bootstrap analysis confirmed significant indirect effects of all four spatial constructs through sustainable management. The direct-path comparison showed that none of the four additional direct associations were statistically significant, and the inclusion of these paths did not significantly improve overall model fit. Nevertheless, all four indirect effects through sustainable management remained statistically significant. These findings highlight sustainable management as an important intermediate component linking CPTED-related spatial conditions with residents’ evaluations of regenerated neighborhoods.