Low-Carbon Community Regeneration in China: A Case Study in Dadong

Abstract

Low carbon sustainability has been addressed in China’s sustainable urbanism strategies as a response the impact of climate change. This study empirically examines the relationship between household factors and carbon emissions in the context of community regeneration through the use of correlational and regression analysis. The participants were drawn from the Dadong community in Guangzhou, China, who has been participating in low-carbon community regeneration. In total, 102 valid questionnaires were obtained from homeowners and the data were analyzed with SPSS and STATA software with an OLS estimate method, checking for BLUE to identify and decide upon the degree of correlation among the variables. The results reveal that family carbon emissions were primarily impacted by house area and income. This study found that larger houses tended to have higher carbon emissions, emphasizing the importance of using low-carbon materials and facilities in community regeneration. Additionally, households with higher incomes tended to have more household appliances, which can contribute to higher carbon emissions and potentially lead to conflicts between different actors involved in low-carbon community regeneration. To reduce household carbon emissions, low-carbon community regeneration develops through interactions and transformations among different actors. However, there has been a lack of research examining the mechanisms underlying the process of low-carbon community regeneration involving the various stakeholders. Using the reference of the actor–network theory (ANT), this research innovatively reveals the mechanisms related to key actors (community government) and multivocal obligatory passage points (OPP) with a synchronous process (problematization, interessement, enrollment, mobilization) through interactions and transformations made by different actors. Finally, the study highlights the need for further research on the low-carbon community or urban regeneration with innovative technological and self-regulation strategies.