Abstract: Urban informal spaces are typically centers where urban vitality congregates, capable of reflecting the cultural characteristics of urban areas to facilitate cultural inheritance. Urban renewal in historical districts led by informal spaces can further satisfy residents’spatial demands for a better life. By introducing the concept of informal spaces, this article constructs an analytical framework of‘inhabitants-culture-design-policy’. Taking the Dongmenkou Historical District in Yiyang City, Hunan Province as the research object, and starting from the four dimensions of‘guiding resident participation, excavating regional culture, designing the urban area, and improving multigovernance’, it proposes a path for urban renewal design. The aim is to extract urban cultural connotations from the perspective of urban informal spaces to further guide renewal and broaden the research horizons for urban renewal in China.