CC-BYHu, Miao2024-11-282024-11-282024978-94-64981-82-7https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14235/2248Game changer? Planning for just and sustainable urban regions, Paris, 8-12th July 2024In recent years, China proposed the concept of people's "sense of gain" as the highest criterion for measuring urban development. This paper explains the connotation of the concept and suggests it emphasizes comprehensive material and spiritual development, promotion of fairness and justice through community participation, and mechanism and policy innovation. In Shanghai's practices of housing improvement in historic residential districts, how does it foster a "sense of gain" among the communities? The paper reviews three housing improvement methods in Shanghai since the 1990s and examines their changes, efforts, experiences, and shortcomings from the aspects of the content of housing improvement, the degree and frequency of residents' participation, and mechanism and policy innovation. The paper suggests, that in Shanghai’s housing improvement practices, the goals are shifting from the mere expansion of living space to considering spiritual aspects such as social relationships and place attachment, and active and deep community involvement enhances residents' satisfaction and the fairness of the renewal outcomes. All these contribute to increasing disadvantaged groups’ “sense of gain”. Keywords: people’s sense of gain, housing improvement, historic preservation, urban regeneration, ShanghaiEnglishopenAccessconferenceObject1998-2006