The urban village of huanggang: A successful communal model?

Abstract

Shenzhen, a city of 12 million people named Shenzhen that did not exist 30 years ago. In 1978, this was a land of agrarian villages of only 300,000 people (Baoan Xianzhi Committee 1997). Today's Shenzhen is a land of urban villages, a form informal self-build rental housing block unique to China, with its origin in theregions of Pearl River Delta. Shenzhen's urban villages are some of the earliest and best preserved of their kind in China. They are excellent access points for understanding China's urban village phenomenon.