The Links between Urban Renewal and Sustainability The term 'sustainable development'dates back to the 1970s,but it was not until the 1990s that it was used in the context of urban renewal policy(Bromley,Tallon, Thomas,2005).Sustainable development is a complex concept (Weingaertner Barber,2010)made even more so by the fact that there is no commonly agreed definition of sustainability.There is a growing body of research that attempts to conceptualize urban renewal sustainability in different contexts.Lorr (2012) reviewed three of the most common theoretical approaches to sustainability:the inter-generational and intra-generational equity and justice perspective,the comprehensive environmental,economical,equitable change perspective,and the free-market greening perspective.These approaches were applied in the context of North American cities and provided a working definition of urban sustainability,in which studies on multiple scales were emphasized.In the UK context,sustainability has been conceptualized by a case-based study of the Eastside regeneration of Birmingham,based on three pillars of sustainability and a weak-strong sustainability continuum (Lombardi,Porter,Barber,Rogers, 2011). No matter what conceptualization of sustainability is applied,the consensus appears to be that sustainable development has three pillars:social,economic, and environmental.This has therefore become the popular approach to achieving a more sustainable society in most contexts,and urban renewal is closely linked to it.Urban renewal aims at solving a series of urban problems,including urban function deterioration,social exclusion in urban areas,and environmental pollution.It is regarded as a sound approach to promoting land values,and improving environmental quality (Adams Hastings,2001);to rectifying the urban decay problem and meeting various socioeconomic objectives(Lee Chan, 2008a);and to enhancing existing social networks,improving inclusion of vulnerable groups,and changing adverse impacts on the living environment (Chan Yung,2004).Specifically,urban renewal projects facilitate good-quality housing and reduce health risks to the community (Krieger Higgins,2002); promote the repair of dilapidated buildings(Ho,Yau,Poon,Liusman,2012); and improve the effective use of the building stock and land resources in the city (Ho et al.,2012).In these respects,urban renewal can significantly contribute to sustainable urban development if it follows a sustainable path.However,most urban renewal policies have tended to focus on economic regeneration rather than on environmental or social regeneration(Couch Dennemann,2000).ForThe Links between Urban Renewal and Sustainability The term ‘sustainable development’ dates back to the 1970s, but it was not until the 1990s that it was used in the context of urban renewal policy (Bromley, Tallon, & Thomas, 2005). Sustainable development is a complex concept (Weingaertner & Barber, 2010) made even more so by the fact that there is no commonly agreed definition of sustainability. There is a growing body of research that attempts to conceptualize urban renewal sustainability in different contexts. Lorr (2012) reviewed three of the most common theoretical approaches to sustainability: the inter-generational and intra-generational equity and justice perspective, the comprehensive environmental, economical, equitable change perspective, and the free-market greening perspective. These approaches were applied in the context of North American cities and provided a working definition of urban sustainability, in which studies on multiple scales were emphasized. In the UK context, sustainability has been conceptualized by a case-based study of the Eastside regeneration of Birmingham, based on three pillars of sustainability and a weak-strong sustainability continuum (Lombardi, Porter, Barber, & Rogers, 2011). No matter what conceptualization of sustainability is applied, the consensus appears to be that sustainable development has three pillars: social, economic, and environmental. This has therefore become the popular approach to achieving a more sustainable society in most contexts, and urban renewal is closely linked to it. Urban renewal aims at solving a series of urban problems, including urban function deterioration, social exclusion in urban areas, and environmental pollution. It is regarded as a sound approach to promoting land values, and improving environmental quality (Adams & Hastings, 2001); to rectifying the urban decay problem and meeting various socioeconomic objectives (Lee & Chan, 2008a); and to enhancing existing social networks, improving inclusion of vulnerable groups, and changing adverse impacts on the living environment (Chan & Yung, 2004). Specifically, urban renewal projects facilitate good-quality housing and reduce health risks to the community (Krieger & Higgins, 2002); promote the repair of dilapidated buildings (Ho, Yau, Poon, & Liusman, 2012); and improve the effective use of the building stock and land resources in the city (Ho et al., 2012). In these respects, urban renewal can significantly contribute to sustainable urban development if it follows a sustainable path. However, most urban renewal policies have tended to focus on economic regeneration rather than on environmental or social regeneration (Couch & Dennemann, 2000). For