Urban Acupuncture Nexus for Linear Infrastructure Regeneration

Linear infrastructures like railways, highways and waterways increasingly operate as socio-spatial barriers in contemporary cities intensifying neighborhood fragmentation, environmental stress and social inequities. While Urban Acupuncture (UA) has been widely promoted as a small-scale, targeted regeneration approach, its application to linear infrastructure (LI) regeneration remains theoretically fragmented and methodologically inconsistent, particularly in relation to equity and sustainability outcomes. This study addresses this gap by investigating how UA can be systematically adapted to regenerate linear infrastructure corridors in ways that prioritize neighborhood sustainability over project-led economic growth. The research adopts a mixed-methods design including literature review, cross-case studies synthesis, SWOT analysis and multi-dimensional sustainability assessment comprising four analytical steps: (1) review and assessment of Urban Acupuncture applications in linear infrastructure regeneration, (2) evaluation of regeneration impacts on neighbourhood sustainability, (3) cross-case synthesis to identify key attributes and challenges of acupuncture planning methods and (4) development of an equity-centered, multi-level Urban Acupuncture regeneration framework. Three international cases including High Line, the 606, and Cheonggyecheon Stream were selected based on their global influence, geographic diversity, linear infrastructure typology, maturity of acupuncture implementation and documented socio-economic and ecological impacts. The findings indicate that UA-based linear infrastructure regeneration improves environmental quality and connectivity, however, equitable outcomes require anti-displacement measures, culturally responsive co-design and balanced evaluation metrics to prevent displacement and social exclusion. Based on these findings, the study proposes an equity-centered, multi-level UA-for-LI framework with decision checkpoints across macro (city), meso (neighborhood), and micro (site) scales, offering actionable guidance for planners and policymakers.