A Study on Spatial Renovation and Design of High-Density Urban Villages Oriented by Light Health: A Case Study of Guangzhou Shipai Village

As a component of healthy building design, the light environment has become a significant research topic. Many scholars have identified the mechanisms by which lighting conditions affect human health. Under the "Healthy China" framework, spatial environments are increasingly expected to support residents' healthy behaviors and lifestyles. Urban villages, with high-density building layouts, often show clear light-environment deficiencies. While many regeneration projects follow conventional light environment standards, they often overlook Light Health criteria. This study takes Shipai Village in Guangzhou as a case study to explore Light Health-oriented regeneration strategies for urban villages. In line with the 14th Five-Year Plan’s emphasis on stock revitalization, a "micro-regeneration" approach is adopted, minimizing changes to existing urban fabric such as street layouts and building footprints. It seeks viable Light Health-oriented regeneration pathways under the principle of "demolition as a last resort." The research process and outcomes are as follows: First, Light Health-related theories were reviewed. By integrating domestic and international healthy building standards with exemplary light-environment retrofit cases, light environment indicators were translated into Light Health metrics—including definitions and thresholds—to establish a theoretical basis for subsequent strategies. Second, field surveys assessed current conditions in Shipai Village. The village is dominated by overcrowded buildings and narrow alleyways, with widespread issues such as inadequate illuminance and poor uniformity. Resident interviews revealed that insufficient lighting negatively impacts daily life, contributing to physical and psychological health concerns. On this basis, simulation-based optimizations were carried out for spaces with typical Light Health challenges: at the street level, using light-guiding devices and high-reflectivity materials to improve ground-level illuminance; at the building scale, by adding "light wells" and optimizing window glazing to enhance daylight in deep-plan spaces; and at the cluster level, where passive retrofits were insufficient, by evaluating selective demolition strategies to identify effective approaches for improving daylight efficiency and expanding activity spaces that support visual health. Finally, these multi-level strategies were applied to specific sites in Shipai Village. Their effectiveness was validated by comparing pre- and post-intervention Light Health indicators and spatial configurations, showing that renovations improved measurable Light Health metrics and encouraged residents to adopt light-healthy lifestyles. By incorporating the "property-right exchange" model used in Liede Village, an implementation pathway was proposed to address complex ownership structures and low resident participation, enhancing real-world feasibility. This study explores Light Health-oriented regeneration approaches for high-density urban villages in Guangdong. It proposes and validates contextualized Light Health renewal strategies for Shipai Village, offering a transferable methodology for similar communities. The research has theoretical and practical significance for advancing healthy regeneration in high-density urban contexts across China.