The Transformation of Residential Segregation in the Pearl River Delta, China: A Planning-Driven Form

Abstract

Constrained by the hukou system and market mechanisms, Chinese rural migrants normally live in dormitories and urban villages (villages-in-the-city or chengzhongcun) quite distinct from the dwellings of more privileged social groups yet they are often located quite close together. This pattern may be described as a hukou-based yet market-driven form of residential segregation. This paper addresses an extreme level of segregation in China’s newest urban developments. By examining six key development zones in the Pearl River Delta (PRD), this paper argues that besides hukou and the market, urban planning contextualized in state-market engagement and socialist features is a crucial factor creating extreme residential segregation in these zones. This paper also argues that two planning instruments—large-scale land use zoning and the provision of public housing to migrants—play a significant role in creating segregation. The extreme segregation created by the state’s dominant planning practices in new urban developments demonstrates a transformation of China’s prevalent market-driven segregation.