Urban regeneration is an often complex and painstaking approach that requires a long term vision that can balance social, economic and environmental costs and benefits. Bottom-up approaches that seek to empower the local community can thrive through the sense of care and belonging that emerges from this. These challenging times are a worthwhile moment to look forwards and ask ourselves how the contemporary city can successful achieve this.

This issue offers fresh perspectives from practitioners, researchers and students into how regeneration is a vital part of an urban vision that can sustain both the environment and a sense of place. Gianni Talamini investigates the evolving and sustainable design strategies for net-zero energy-efficient neighbourhoods within highly dense urban areas, whilst Jeroen van Ameijde considers the urban renewal through a reenergised public space network within new town development. Helen Yip focuses on the revitalisation of the Central Police Station at Tai Kwun, particularly the role of the various decision makers in reconciling local demands and needs. Peter Cookson Smith widens the focus towards the planning and design strategies of The Asian City, and Ian Bentley presents a competition winning proposal for Heath Park, the regeneration of a former industrial area and community in the UK. Although in many ways a different typology and set of circumstances to the urban design challenges within Asia, Heath Park offers transferable lessons in creative usage and an ecological development strategy can be applied to regeneration. The regenerative capacities of transitional environments and biophilic design are introduced via the work and student output being led by Laurent Gutierrez at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.