Urban forest garden residences, characterized by the incorporation of sky gardens within mid- to high-rise apartment buildings, play a pivotal role in advancing the concept of Quality Housing. These residences do not only facilitate a transition in housing paradigms, from merely providing a place to live to fostering a high-quality living environment, but also achieve synergistic benefits for both ecological sustainability and residential quality. Since the launch of the inaugural project in Chengdu in 2018, the development of such residences in mainland China has progressed from initial conceptual exploration to practical implementation, expanding from localized pilot initiatives to widespread to nationwide adoption. Currently, these residences have been established across all provincial-level administrative regions and have extended to some third- and fourth-tier cities and counties. Despite the issuance of the “Urban Forest Garden Residential Building Design Standard” by the China Association for Engineering Construction Standardization in 2021, many related projects do not comply with the standard’s requirements. Overall, the development of urban forest garden residences in mainland China confronts three principal challenges: the absence of comprehensive regulatory frameworks and inconsistent management standards; ambiguous delineation of responsibilities coupled with inadequately defined collaboration mechanisms; and insufficient integration of planning alongside homogeneous incentive measures. In contrast, since the 1990s, Singapore and Hong Kong have developed numerous garden residences equipped with sky gardens to address the dual challenges of high population density and land scarcity, and have accumulated extensive experience in the development and governance of such residences. Specifically, Singapore’s experience encompasses a government-led, multi-stakeholder cogovernance mechanism, stringent multi-level regulatory policies, and multi-dimensional flexible guidance measures. Hong Kong’s experience is characterized by a management mechanism involving collaboration between the government and industry associations, as well as comprehensive and refined regulatory policies. It is important to note, however, that garden residences in Singapore and Hong Kong are predominantly government-funded, whereas in mainland China, urban forest garden residences typically operate under a market-oriented model and are positioned as premium, upgradeoriented products. Furthermore, unlike garden residences in Singapore and Hong Kong, where gardens serve as public open spaces, urban forest garden residences in mainland China present greater challenges for supervision, as their gardens are located within private units. Consequently, there is an urgent need to develop more effective regulatory policies, collaborative mechanisms, and incentive measures. This study integrates the governance mechanisms and regulatory policies of garden residences in Singapore and Hong Kong with the exploratory efforts of mainland Chinese cities regarding accountability allocation and policy instruments, to propose a development governance framework specifically tailored to the institutional contexts of mainland China. Key recommendationsof this framework include refining regulations to incorporate detailed management requirements, strengthening collaboration mechanisms through clarified divisions of responsibility, and enhancing incentive measures to improve guidance effectiveness. Specifically, it is recommended that national-level regulations and policies be established to standardize the definition, technical standards, planning approval procedures, ownership registration and transfer protocols, and maintenance management responsibilities related to sky gardens. Local governments should develop regulatory and standard systems tailored to their specific conditions, emphasizing technical standards, such as spatial parameters, safety requirements, and greening configuration, and planning management aspects, including the clarification of calculation rules for floor area ratio, green space ratio, building spacing, and building density. Furthermore, it is advisable to incorporate these residences into the territorial spatial planning system, encompassing master plans, specialized plans, and detailed plans. Regarding collaboration mechanisms, it is recommended that these incorporate inter-ministerial coordination and engagement with local responsible institutions. This should include clear delineation of the comprehensive management procedures and the responsibilities of all involved entities, including municipal departments, property owners, and property service companies, throughout the entire process from planning approval to operation and maintenance. In terms of incentive measures, it is recommended that local governments develop differentiated incentive policy frameworks tailored to local realities, encompassing factors such as floor area ratio and floor area incentives, technical standards and design guidelines, market incentives and financial support, as well as demonstration projects and awards. Additionally, the exploration of a unified incentive system at regional and national levels is encouraged. Future research could advance from both technical and institutional perspectives. For example, studies might investigate technical systems for sky gardens across various climate zones, conduct quantitative evaluations of policy effectiveness, and examine improvements to the ownership system of sky gardens and supporting measures. Given that most garden residences in Singapore and Hong Kong are public housing, it is significant to further analyze these models to address current limitations regarding the target user group of urban forest garden residences and to promote the concept of inclusive housing. In conclusion, this study aims to provide a comprehensive reference for the holistic and detailed management of urban forest garden residences, encompassing all stages from development and construction to operation, maintenance, and supervision. Additionally, it seeks to contribute to the extant academic literature in this field.