Community Regeneration and Design for Future Human Settlements

From Oct. 17 to 19, 2025, the 2025 Annual Conference of the Housing and Community Planning Committee of the Urban Planning Society of China (UPSC) was successfully held at Shenzhen University. Organized by the Housing and Community Planning Committee of the UPSC, the conference was jointly hosted by the School of Architecture and Urban Planning of Shenzhen University and the LAY-OUT Planning Consultants Co., Ltd., in collaboration with the Community Development Committee of the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People’s Republic of China and the Editorial Department of World Architecture Review at Shenzhen University. Centered on the theme “Community Regeneration and Design for Future Human Settlements,” the conference brought together experts and scholars, government officials, industry representatives, and practitioners working in the fields of urban regeneration, community planning, community governance, operations and maintenance, and residential community research. Participants exchanged views and explored emerging research and practical approaches through academic forums, roundtable discussions, and on-site surveys. More than 40 invited speakers delivered keynote speeches and engaged in discussions addressing the conference theme as well as four sub-themes: planning for age-friendly, healthy, and resilient communities; housing design and policy research for the future; sustainable regeneration and governance of old residential communities; and smart community and application of emerging technologies. The conference was attended by more than 100 participants on site and attracted over 10,000 online attendees. In this column, the principal insights shared in the keynote speeches and forum discussions at the conference were summarized, for the purpose of providing useful reference for advancing both theoretical inquiry and practical application in the field of housing and community planning.