Virtual-Physical Interaction in Urban Regeneration Impacted by Social Media: A Case Study of Chaotiangong Sub-district in Nanjing
JIANG Xuan, GENG Huizhi, SUN Jie, ZHAO Bochuan, HU Shufen
Abstract：
The “virtual-physical interaction” between social media and urban space has become an important feature of urban regeneration in some regions, but the current research on the virtual-physical relationship and the role of media is not comprehensive. This paper sorts out three paths: “from reality to illusion”, “from illusion to reality”, and “mixed reality and illusion”, and constructs the virtual-physical interaction framework to investigate the evolutionary mechanisms of urban regeneration. Through an empirical analysis of Chaotiangong Street, three fundamental mechanisms are identified. First, spatial transformation progresses from virtual symbolic construction to physical embodied engagement, initiating decentralized regeneration that evolves into serial revitalization through the mutual reinforcement of physical clustering patterns and virtual hotspot linkages, ultimately consolidated by media-gaze-enabled multi-stakeholder governance. Second, social media operates dualistically as both a transmission channel disseminating spatial narratives (public aspirations, commercial strategies, tourist identities, and policy agendas) and an algorithmic apparatus shaping place perception through virtual-physical hybridization. Third, social media has invigorated market vitality, promoted public participation, and attracted policy attention. It has transformed urban renewal from being fragmented to integrated, and from a bottom-up approach to a model of collaboration between top-level and grassroots efforts, which should be guided and advanced in an orderly manner.