Collaborative governance in urban regeneration: comparative insights from Seoul, Shenzhen, Vancouver, and Vienna

Urban regeneration amid climate change and digital transformation creates new opportunities for participatory approaches and collaborative practices. Yet the mechanisms of collaborative governance for sustainability remain largely understudied. This qualitative multi-method study examines how collaborative governance is operationalised in urban regeneration across four global cities – Seoul, Shenzhen, Vancouver, and Vienna – under differing institutional, socioeconomic, and cultural contexts. Findings show a consensus on the importance and interplay of coordination, hierarchy, and formalisation to collaborative action. Framing public value (e.g. liveability, cultural vitality, environmental stewardship) and fostering communicative approaches and policy integration, strengthen multi-level multi-stakeholder participation in the planning and implementation of urban regeneration.