Abstract
Purpose
Adaptive reuse has been recognized as one of the key drivers of both urban regeneration and resource conservation, advancing circular economy goals and promoting long-term sustainability. However, limited research has systematically compared how adaptive reuse policy frameworks operate across distinct governance and cultural contexts.
Study
This study examines how governance systems, policy landscapes and market-circularity conditions shape adaptive reuse in the UK, China and India.
Design/Methodology/Approach
This study compares the governance and policy frameworks shaping adaptive reuse in the UK, China and India, which represent contrasting governance and planning structures: the UK’s mature and decentralized planning system, China’s centralized and directive governance model, and India’s emerging multi-tier governance system. It draws on document analyses of national and local policy materials, combined with visual mapping across three analytical dimensions: governance systems, policy landscapes and market circularity contexts.
Findings
The findings show that adaptive reuse outcomes are shaped by different governance logics: negotiated and cross-sectoral in the UK, vertically hierarchical in China, and hybrid and fragmented in India. In the UK, stronger coordination and market-led circularity conditions support adaptive reuse, but implementation is often slowed by procedural complexity. China’s governance structure enables policy coherence and rapid mobilization, but weak horizontal integration constrains adaptive capacity. In India, fragmented multi-level governance and uneven institutional capacity result in inconsistent and scheme-specific delivery.
Originality/Value
This study contributes to adaptive reuse and circular economy debates by showing how circularity is mediated within different governance systems, providing a cross-scalar comparison of policy intent and implementation, and highlighting context-sensitive opportunities for mutual learning across different stages of policy development.
Research Limitations/Implications
The study is limited to qualitative document analysis of the UK, China and India. Future research could extend the framework through project-level case studies, additional national contexts or longitudinal analysis.
Practical Implications
The findings identify context-sensitive opportunities to strengthen institutional coordination, policy integration and circular value recovery, rather than transferring governance models wholesale.
Keywords
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