Title: Urban Revitalization: How Does Urban Renewal Affect Innovation Within Cities?

Speaker: Liu Xiuyan, Distinguished Professor, Southeast University; Ph.D. Supervisor; Vice Dean, School of Economics and Management; Vice Dean, National Institute of Development and Policy; Chief Expert of Major Projects of the National Social Science Foundation of China; Recipient of the National High-Level Talent Program (2023) and the National High-Level Young Talent Program (2019); Standing Director of the Chinese Regional Science Association and Deputy Director of the Spatial Analysis Professional Committee; Standing Director of the Chinese Regional Economics Association and Deputy Director of the Discipline Construction Committee; Standing Director of the National Association for Economic Geography; Standing Director of the Chinese Urban Economics Association. His research direction is urban and regional economics. He has published more than 120 papers in core domestic and foreign journals such as "Economic Research Journal", "Management World", "China Industrial Economics", "China Economic Quarterly", "Journal of Development Economics", "China Economic Review", "Journal of Regional Science", "Applied Economics", "Review of Development Economics", "Habitat International", "China & World Economics", "Asia Economic Journal", "Cities", "Applied Geography" and "Scientific Data". He has successively presided over 5 projects of the National Social Science Foundation of China and more than 20 other provincial and ministerial-level projects. He has won one Second Prize and one Third Prize of the Outstanding Scientific Research Achievements Award in Higher Education Institutions of the Ministry of Education, two First Prizes and two Second Prizes of the Outstanding Achievements in Philosophy and Social Sciences of Jiangsu Province, and the "Outstanding Young Scholar Award of the China Urban Hundred Forum".

Abstract: Currently, cities generally have entered the stage of "inner-city revival". Many existing urban areas have physical spaces and location conditions that meet the needs of emerging industries and technological development. Based on the general equilibrium framework of urban internal space, this paper analyzes the role of local technological shocks and enterprise agglomeration brought by urban renewal in promoting innovation. By matching urban renewal unit information, patent data, and geospatial information such as population and land use, it accurately identifies the status of urban renewal and empirically tests its innovation promotion effect and internal mechanism. The research shows that: (1) The "three old renovations" (renovation of old factories, old residential areas, and old villages) in Shenzhen significantly improve the innovation performance of surrounding areas, and the innovation spillover effect shows a spatial attenuation trend with a maximum spillover range of approximately 1 kilometer; while the shantytown reconstruction in Beijing does not show an innovation promotion effect. (2) The innovation promotion effect of urban renewal in Shenzhen has significant heterogeneity: the effect of renewal projects for industrial, R&D, and office functions is more significant than that of pure residential and commercial renewal projects; the innovation effect of renewal implemented by government-enterprise cooperation or enterprise leadership is stronger. (3) The mechanism by which Shenzhen’s urban renewal promotes innovation spillover is that the internal space expansion of renewal units attracts the agglomeration of high-tech enterprises and talents, generates technological shocks to the surrounding areas, and promotes knowledge spillover. This study provides important reference and inspiration for formulating policies such as promoting the development of new-quality productive forces and innovative growth according to local conditions through urban renewal.

Date & time: 30 June 2025, 15:00

Venue: B321, Zhixin Building, Central Campus, Shandong University