As the role of conservation has changed markedly over the past 30 years and became the agent of regeneration, the urban regeneration of the historic environment has become a priority concern of national governments and international organizations due to the most important strategies it has to address the socio-spatial decline and deprivation of that environment. From this point and due to the failure of previous techniques (urban renewal and rehabilitation) there is a growing tendency towards urban regeneration in Iranian context as well. Considering this tendency, this paper presents evidences from three experiences in different parts of the world using comparative approach to derive basic strategies suited the socio-spatial characteristics of the Iranian context, particularly the city of Sanandaj. In this comparison, the focus of the study is on the role of government and other institutions and participation incentives in the process of regeneration. More importantly, as the definition and application of regeneration concept has another story in the urban contexts of the third world countries, this comparison can also help to find the deficiencies and forgotten potentials of the selected experiences. The analysis part includes that the previous techniques of urban renewal and rehabilitation can be seen as process of essentially physical change, urban development (or redevelopment) with less well-defined purpose and method of approach in dealing with the historic environment in Iranian context. Finally, as a result of the comparison, the paper presented some urban regeneration strategies which incorporate social and environmental policies suited the Iranian case under investigation.
