Renorming of $C(K)$ spaces (Q4804053)

A class of Banach spaces is found, whose duals admit equivalent dual norms that are uniformly rotund in every direction (URED) or pointwise uniformly rotund (p-UR). (Here a norm \(\|\cdot\|\) on \(X\) is p-UR, if there exists a \(w^*\)-dense set \(F\subset X^*\) such that \(\lim f(x_n-y_n)=0\) whenever \(x_n, y_n\in S_{(X,\|\cdot\|)}\), \(\lim \|x_n+y_n\|=2\) and \(f\in F\).) A three-space-like theorem for the following properties of a Banach space \(X\) is proved: \(X^*\) admits an equivalent dual URED (p-UR) norm. This theorem allows to renorm duals to spaces like the Johnson-Lindenstrauss space \(\text{JL}_2\) or \(C(K)\) for scattered \(K\) with \(K^{(\omega)}=0\) by dual norms that are simultaneously locally uniformly rotund and p-UR. An example of \(C(K)\), where \(K\) is the ``two-arrow'' compact space, shows that the properties of the duals to be equivalently renormed by a dual URED norm (or a p-UR norm) are not three space properties. Further, it is proved that if \(K\) is an Eberlein and scattered compactum, then \(C(K)^*\) admits an equivalent LUR and p-UR norm. Two open questions are raised: Is there any reflexive Banach space \(X\) such that \(X\) admits an equivalent URED norm and does not admit any equivalent p-UR norm? Is there any Banach space that admits an equivalent URED norm and does not admit any p-UR norm?