Young Consumers' Behavioral Intention to Participate in Heritage Districts Based on Extended Theory of Planned Behavior: A Case Study in Shanghai, China

Urban construction is confronted with increasingly complex challenges as social and economic development progresses. Urban regeneration has become an inevitable choice for promoting high-quality urban development in the new era. Historical and cultural districts, with historic buildings as spatial carriers, are microcosms of a city's development and a testimony to the lives of local people. It is necessary to define their development position, role in the city, and functions to revitalize them commercially. The best way to achieve these goals is to clarify consumer preferences and identify the key factors that influence target groups' behavioral preferences in similar shopping areas. Only then will we be able to truly preserve the character and value of heritage districts while promoting their commercial development. This paper focuses on heritage districts. Through a combination of online and offline questionnaires, the authors learned about the current situation of young consumer behavioral preferences for urban commercial revitalization projects. A theory of planned behavior model was then built to empirically analyze the factors influencing consumer behavioral preferences in these projects. Based on the results of our analysis, we propose goals and suggestions for the government, property developers, and citizens involved in revitalization projects to support urban commercial revitalization and promote consumers' consumption intentions. Governments emphasize the importance of culture and give more directions to maintain historical elements. From the perspective of property developers, a business format combining culture and the market is necessary. The participation of citizens in the process of urbanization leads to a people-oriented and sustainable strategy that is beneficial for future development.