This review provides an outline of current knowledge and experience regarding suburban renewal driven by the adaptive reuse of underutilised areas, and introduces the topic of greyfield-led regeneration.

‘Greyfields’ refers to underused or declining suburban sites such as retail centres, business parks, and large surface parking lots. Internationally—particularly in the US, Australia, and Canada—these sites are recognised as prime opportunities to counter urban sprawl. Due to their central locations, low plot ratios, strong transport connections, and proximity to social infrastructure, greyfields offer significant potential to be transformed into medium-density, mixed-use centres of neighbouring communities. The need for suburban regeneration is driven by rapid urbanisation, demographical changes, shifting working and shopping patterns, and climate change, making sustainable growth and affordable housing critically important.

Structurally, the first part of the review outlines the transformation of urban planning frameworks in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, thereby establishing a theoretical foundation for suburban regeneration through urban initiatives such as New Urbanism, the Compact City, and the 15-minute City. The second part examines the implementation of those concepts in international literature and practice, focusing on countries with sprawl challenges similar to those in Ireland. Finally, the Irish approach to suburban regeneration will be presented, addressing urban sprawl amid the current housing and affordability crisis. While Irish planning discourse strongly advocates for compact growth and land activation, policy and practice focus almost exclusively on large brownfields and pocketed greenfield developments. In Ireland, greyfields remain mostly unrecognised as a problem and as an opportunity.