Obstacles to emancipation in neighborhood regeneration: The case study of Dong Gang New Town, Suzhou

Abstract

In recent years a neighborhood regeneration policy has been implemented at the Chinese national level to tackle deprivation in old neighborhoods. This article elucidates neighborhood regeneration based on concepts of neighborhood, social innovative urban governance, and social capital using the case study of Dong Gang New Town in Suzhou Industrial Park. The findings show that the implementation of the neighborhood regeneration policy has no significant impact on the neighborhood governance. In addition, findings indicate that the regeneration process was not emancipated, although some of residents’ needs were met by the regeneration. The results also show that this is due to weak linking social capital among resident, non-government organizations and the local government. This article concludes with policy suggestions on local organizations’ role to improve neighborhood governance for better neighborhood physical environments in Dong Gang New Town