The present study examines the intersection of two complex and multi-layered concepts: the Right to the City and urban regeneration policies. The Right to the City seeks to create a foundation for sustainable urban regeneration by emphasizing citizens’ rights to participate in decision-making processes, influence and control urban environments, and exercise collective power from the bottom up. Accordingly, understanding the conceptual components of this right and its theoretical and practical implications for urban regeneration policies is essential.
This research adopts a fundamental–applied approach and is based on documentary and library data. To assess the extent to which Iranian scholarship on the Right to the City has addressed its theoretical and practical application in urban regeneration policies, 87 Persian-language sources published between 2014 and 2015 were analyzed using a systematic review methodology combined with qualitative and quantitative content analysis.
The findings indicate that existing studies can be classified into six main thematic categories: urban spaces, urban management, social groups, urban policymaking, conceptualization, and target areas of regeneration. While the literature demonstrates a relative richness in theoretical discussions surrounding the Right to the City, there is a clear and significant gap between academic knowledge production and its translation into policymaking processes and practical implementation in urban regeneration initiatives. Notably, none of the reviewed studies have directly or systematically examined upstream policy documents or operational regeneration plans in Iran through the lens of the Right to the City discourse. This gap can be attributed to a combination of structural, procedural, and discursive barriers that hinder the effective integration of this concept into practice. The study highlights the necessity of revising urban regeneration documents and encourages future research to adopt more practice-oriented and policy-focused approaches. Such efforts are crucial for advancing spatial justice and realizing the Right to the City for all urban residents,.