A framework of decision-making factors and supporting information for facilitating sustainable site planning in urban renewal projects

• We develop a framework of factors to support site planning in urban renewal.
• We identify factors affecting land-use decision-making in site redevelopment.
• We incorporate sustainability principles into land-use plans of renewal projects.
• We review literature on sustainability in site planning and urban renewal.
• We find the differences of planning considerations between theory and practice.

Urban renewal is an emerging issue in almost all developed cities with a long history. To revitalize the landscape and functions of old areas in these cities, many urban renewal projects have been launched by local governments in recent years. Site planning of renewal projects is the premise of redevelopment and is related to the success of future developments. This paper develops a framework of factors identified from relevant literature, which affect the decision-making process for sustainable land use planning of urban renewal projects. Three typical redevelopment projects in Hong Kong are studied to help provide an understanding of the practical operations of such projects and the actual factors involved. Based on the differences between the factors in the theoretical framework and the factors found in the real life cases, the work necessary for improving sustainable site planning in urban renewal projects is discussed.