A Social–Ecological Systems Framework for Continuous Urban Greenway Renewal: Evidence from Fukuoka, Japan

Urban greenways in dense cities face land constraints and changing ecological and social demands. This study develops a process-oriented framework from social–ecological systems (SES) theory and examines it through an explanatory documentary case study of Fukuoka, Japan. Planning and project records and published studies dated 1974–2025 were assessed through theory-guided pattern matching across river corridors, the urban core, and coastal areas. The framework links adaptability, social–ecological coupling, and governance feedback to three proposed mechanisms: spatial resource reorganization, context-dependent value realization, and feedback-enabled adaptation. River-edge reuse, vertical greenery, and phased coastal opening document distinct forms of spatial renewal. Published ACROS studies provide bounded thermal evidence and a later fungal-community observation; comparable service outcomes across the three settings remain unavailable. Public and expert comments can be traced into planning text and indicator design. A supplementary park-design episode also links residents’ requests to a revised scheme for a playground opened in 2025, although individual as-built changes and subsequent benefits are unverified. The case qualifies the framework by distinguishing project change from network completion, service potential from observed outcomes, and design uptake from a completed adaptive cycle.