Examining China’s urban redevelopment: Land types, targeted policies, and public participation

Abstract

In recent decades urban redevelopment in China has attracted vast attention around the world. Many studies have identified this process as property-led, coalition-dominated, and as not caring enough for communities and residents. Facing significant economic and social challenges in such practices, the different levels of Chinese government have tried to adopt some new urban redevelopment policies. This chapter studies a pilot urban redevelopment program, the “Three Olds Redevelopment” (sanjiu gaizao), in the Guangdong Province, to analyze the latest development in China. By examining the policy from three perspectives, land types, targeted policies, and changing public participation mechanisms, this chapter sheds light on the changes in China’s recent urban redevelopment policies and develops a framework for analyzing such policy changes. The findings are drawn from reviewing government documents, interviewing government officials and urban residents, and conducting fieldwork investigation. Questions are raised as to whether these changes will substantially change the way urban redevelopment is conducted in China, and further studies are suggested.