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Guidance experiments on residents' participation in decision-making activities related to urban settlement regeneration in China

Engineering and Technology

Guidance experiments on residents' participation in decision-making activities related to urban settlement regeneration in China

J. Zhang, X. Yang, et al.

This research, conducted by Jiayu Zhang, Xiaodong Yang, Manman Xia, and Dagang Lu, explores innovative ways to motivate residents in China to engage in urban settlement regeneration decision-making. By applying the Theory of Planned Behavior and testing effective guidance measures, the study reveals the unique influences of personality on community participation.

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Playback language: English
Introduction
In China, aging urban settlements built between the 1970s and the 21st century necessitate regeneration. Early demolition-rebuild approaches have shifted to organic regeneration focusing on retrofitting, environmental improvements, and infrastructure upgrades. Previously, decisions were solely made by local governments, often leading to resident disputes due to conflicting interests or unmet needs. To address this, China emphasizes citizen participation in decision-making, aligning with the principle of "cities built by and for the people." However, resident participation often lacks initiative and motivation. This study aims to identify guidance measures to enhance active resident participation in regeneration decision-making. Behavioral psychology suggests that motivation is influenced by both personality and the psychological environment, the latter being modifiable by altering the external environment. While some studies focus on identifying influencing factors and suggesting guidance measures, the effectiveness of these measures remains unconfirmed. This research uses behavioral experiments to test guidance measures, considering individual personality differences (introversion/extraversion). The study uses the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to analyze influencing factors and proposes concrete guidance measures. Experiments are conducted in two Harbin communities (development zone and city center) to validate the effectiveness of these measures and examine their efficacy across different personality types.
Literature Review
The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) provides a framework for understanding the factors influencing behavior, including participation attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control. These factors, in turn, influence behavioral intentions and ultimately, behavior. The study draws upon existing literature on resident participation in urban regeneration, highlighting the challenges of engaging residents and the importance of considering psychological and environmental factors. Previous studies have primarily focused on identifying influencing factors through models like SEM, offering suggestions for improvement, such as policy optimization and enhanced communication. However, few studies have experimentally tested the effectiveness of these suggested measures. The current research draws upon studies demonstrating the efficacy of behavioral experiments in analyzing the social environment's impact on individual behavior, filling this gap in the existing literature. This research specifically examines the influences of external pressure (from neighborhoods, communities, and local governments) and regeneration information (policies, technology, and case studies) on resident participation.
Methodology
This study employed a mixed-methods approach combining quantitative and qualitative data. First, a survey using a structural equation model (SEM) was conducted to identify the key factors influencing residents' participation in urban regeneration decision-making based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). The survey included questions measuring residents' participation attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, external pressure (from neighborhood, community, and government), and regeneration information (policies, technology, and case studies). 778 valid questionnaires were collected, with roughly equal representation from introverted and extroverted individuals. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used for dimensionality reduction, followed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to assess the reliability and validity of the measurement model. The SEM analysis helped to identify the significant pathways of influence and inform the design of the subsequent experiments. The second phase involved controlled experiments to test the effectiveness of specific guidance measures. Two typical communities in Harbin were selected as experiment regions: one in the development zone and one in the city center. 48 residents were recruited from each region, resulting in a total of 96 participants. Participants were screened and divided into six groups based on their personality traits (introverted or extroverted) and assigned to either “enhancing external pressure” or “providing regeneration information” experiments. For the "enhancing external pressure" experiments, three measures were tested: the leading role of representatives, enhanced communication, and incentives. In the "leading role of representatives" group, participants selected a representative who then made their contribution first. The "enhanced communication" group involved direct interaction between participants and experimental staff. The "incentives" group involved the promise of rewards for participation. For "providing regeneration information," three measures were tested: policy advocacy, regeneration technology popularization, and regeneration case sharing. Each group received information relevant to its assigned measure before indicating their willingness to contribute. The primary outcome measure was the level of participation, represented by the number of experimental coins participants were willing to contribute. Statistical analyses (ANOVA) were used to compare the participation levels across different measures and personality types.
Key Findings
The SEM analysis confirmed that both external pressure and regeneration information significantly influence residents' participation in regeneration decision-making, supporting the hypotheses. The experiment results indicated that all guidance measures, regardless of the category (enhancing external pressure or providing regeneration information), increased resident participation compared to the control group. The most effective measures were incentives and regeneration case sharing. However, the effectiveness of the guidance measures differed significantly based on personality traits. Enhancing external pressure measures were more effective for extraverted residents. Specifically: Incentives demonstrated the greatest positive effect on participation for both introverts and extraverts, however this effect was significantly more pronounced in extraverts. The leading role of representatives showed the second highest effect on participation for both introvert and extravert residents, however, the effect was again significantly higher in extraverts. Enhanced communication was the least effective method for participation rates overall. Conversely, extraverted participants were more strongly influenced by this measure than introverted participants, but it remained the least effective among all measures across personality type. For introverted residents, providing regeneration information measures showed greater effectiveness. In this category, regeneration case sharing had the most significant impact, followed by policy advocacy and then regeneration technology popularization. There were no statistically significant differences in the effects of providing regeneration information between personality groups, though there was a trend towards higher participation in introverts across all measures in this category. The effects of incentives were significantly different between regions, particularly for extraverted residents, suggesting prior experience with incentives might influence responses. The experiment confirmed that different personalities respond differently to different guidance measures. Introverted individuals are more receptive to information-focused measures, while extraverted individuals are more responsive to pressure-based approaches.
Discussion
The findings highlight the importance of tailoring guidance strategies to residents' personality traits and leveraging both external pressure and informative approaches. The high effectiveness of incentives aligns with incentive theory; providing tangible and future benefits motivates participation. The success of regeneration case sharing suggests that sharing successful examples builds confidence and understanding, which increases willingness to participate. While other measures like enhancing communication, leading role of representatives, and policy advocacy had less dramatic effects, their importance shouldn't be dismissed as they play supportive roles in building trust and knowledge. The regional differences in incentive effectiveness demonstrate the influence of pre-existing experiences and expectations. The study's findings are consistent with the TPB, demonstrating how external environmental factors affect psychological factors and ultimately behavioral intentions and actions related to participation. The different responses of introverts and extraverts to external pressure and information aligns with existing personality research.
Conclusion
This study provides valuable insights into guiding resident participation in urban settlement regeneration in China. The effectiveness of different strategies is linked to personality. Future research should expand the scope to different cities and explore the interactive effects of different measures and personality traits in greater detail. Further investigation should also be carried out on the specific ways in which the methods can be tailored to diverse contexts and individual needs. The implications of this research provide a framework for community and government agencies to develop more effective and targeted strategies to enhance resident involvement in urban regeneration projects, leading to more successful and equitable outcomes.
Limitations
The study's limitations include a focus on two communities in Harbin, which may limit the generalizability of the findings to other regions or contexts. The sample size, while substantial, might not fully capture the diversity of personalities and experiences within the larger population. The experimental setting, while controlled, might not perfectly reflect real-world complexities of resident engagement. Future studies should address these limitations by expanding geographical scope, increasing sample size, and employing more naturalistic experimental designs.
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