Scale, state and the city: Urban transformation in post-reform China

Shen, Jianfa

doi:10.1016/j.habitatint.2007.04.001

Cited by 118 publications

(80 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…During the evolution of the conception and theories of Scale, there have been several well-known theories in the published international literature, such as scale jumping [3], scale penetrating [17] and scale overlapping [9], which provides a theoretical framework for analyzing the scale strategies in neoliberal urbanization policy in China. Howitt (2003) [1] contends that "scale" is far beyond a single definition, and has become a central theoretical process since 1980s.…”

Section: Scale and Scaling-up In The Context Of Chinese Urban Developmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is certain that China, as a protagonist of this arena, has undoubtedly been proficient in applying these strategies to pursue fast urbanization and fascinating economic growth in the new millennium of the reform era [8]. Numerous cities and towns envisaged repeating the miracles of Shenzhen and Pudong, Shanghai in their internationalization paths with sustainable development rationales, green technology and aggressive scale reformation strategies [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Scaling-up Strategy as an Appropriate Approach for Sustainable New Town Development? Lessons from Wujin, Changzhou, China

Chen

Cheng

et al. 2015

Sustainability

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China has achieved rapid urbanization and unprecedented economic booming over the past three decades. Numerous cities and towns dreamed of cloning the miracles of Shenzhen and Pudong, Shanghai, in terms of their international development. However, inappropriate development strategies have meant that the majority of fast expanding urban suburbs or newly developed towns suffer a high ratio of vacant dwellings in real estate markets and a massive loss of farmland. The frequent exposure of these empty cities to mass media or the public has urged urban governments to impose fiscal austerity. These unexpected and negative consequences of urban development have explicit conflicts with sustainability. This paper aims to provide a political economy view of these unsustainable outcomes of new development. To achieve this, the processes and agendas of new city or town planning in Wujin District, Changzhou City, are analyzed and evaluated from the OPEN ACCESS Sustainability 2015, 7 5683 perspective of scale theory. Extensive interviews conducted with local politicians at different levels, planners, real estate agents and local residents facilitate the interpretation of these processes and agendas. It is argued that the legends of Shenzhen and Pudong, Shanghai originate from a modified neoliberal capitalism intervention at the right time and place, with which other peer cities are not comparable. It is concluded that the scaling-up strategy is not appropriate for the local new town development of Wujin, which has led to unsustainable outcomes-empty cities and towns-and created important lessons for the sustainable development of Chinese cities.

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Section: Scale and Scaling-up In The Context Of Chinese Urban Developmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Scaling-up Strategy as an Appropriate Approach for Sustainable New Town Development? Lessons from Wujin, Changzhou, China

Chen

Cheng

et al. 2015

Sustainability

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show abstract

“…), and cannot be captured by a single indicator; thus, it is typically evaluated by multiple indicators. Generally, the degree of urban competitiveness is calculated by the following weighted average: (1) where n is the number of indicators, W i is the weight of the ith indicator, and I i is the value of the ith indictor. Therefore, determining the indicators and the weighting method are key to measuring urban competitiveness.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measuring and Analysis of Urban Competitiveness of Chinese Provincial Capitals in 2010 under the Constraints of Major Function-Oriented Zoning Utilizing Spatial Analysis

Wang

Ren

et al. 2014

Sustainability

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Urban competitiveness aids local development by encouraging the exploitation of opportunities for economic development and by enhancing overall performance. Previous studies have evaluated urban competitiveness primarily from an economic perspective and few studies have considered locational conditions as factors that might influence local industrialization and urbanization. In response to the publishing of a national plan for the development of major function-oriented zones (MFOZs) in 2010, the present essay employs MFOZs as constraints to enable a balanced and comprehensive study of urban competitiveness that includes four dimensions of competitiveness: Economic, social-cultural, environmental, and locational (accessibility and hypsography). A four-level hierarchical indicator system and an entropy weighting method were used to assess the urban competitiveness of 31 Chinese provincial capitals based on a spatial analysis of data acquired in 2010 using Geographic Information System technology. The results reveal the overall ranking of provincial capitals in terms of urban competitiveness and their performances with respect to the four dimensions of competitiveness. Unlike OPEN ACCESSSustainability 2014, 6 3375 previous studies, this analysis was performed by overlaying the strategy of the national MFOZ with the urban competitiveness rankings. The development orientation of each provincial city is discussed according to its characteristics of urban competitiveness under the conditions of a MFOZ.

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“…One of two significant examples is the horizontal rescaling of the city's administrative boundary by annexing the county-level cities Huadu and Panyu as two new urban districts in 2000 (cf. Shen, 2007). This territorial expansion of the city was combined with a tactical concern to gain control of the new Baiyun International Airport being constructed in Huadu (and opened in 2003) and the port facilities in Panyu as well as to locate a new CBD in the middle of Panyu (interviews with urban planners in 2009).…”

Section: Image-building and City Development Through Entrepreneurial mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Driven by market-oriented development and globalization, decentralization of economic decision-making and downscaling of governance from the central state to local governments and authorities characterize the changing role of the state from urban managerialism to urban entrepreneurialism (cf. Schröder and Waibel, 2012;Shen, 2007). This transition and a strong orientation to a more outward-focussed stance, intended to enhance national and international economic and urban competitiveness, lead to a growing emergence of entrepreneurial governance at the city level including innovative entrepreneurial strategies, active entrepreneurial fashion and entrepreneurial discourses.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Glurbanization of the Chinese megacity Guangzhou – image-building and city development through entrepreneurial governance

Bercht

2013

Geogr. Helv.

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Abstract. The continuing integration of the Chinese economy into the globalizing world and increasing intercity competition have had significant and comparatively recent implications for post-socialist urbanization in China. Driven by market-oriented development and globalization, decentralization of economic decisionmaking and downscaling of governance from the central state to local governments and authorities characterize the changing role of the state from urban managerialism to urban entrepreneurialism. Drawing on Jessop's definition of the entrepreneurial city and his concept of glurbanization, this paper aims to identify and analyse different modes of entrepreneurial urban governance based on the example of Guangzhou, a Chinese megacity that has been under intense pressure to revitalize its leading role as an economic, commercial and cultural centre in the Pearl River Delta and the rest of southern China. To face globalization and promote competitiveness, Guangzhou pursues various innovative interscalar entrepreneurial strategies in an active entrepreneurial fashion through adopting an entrepreneurial discourse. This is critically reflected upon within this article.

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Scale, state and the city: Urban transformation in post-reform China

Cited by 118 publications

References 26 publications

Scaling-up Strategy as an Appropriate Approach for Sustainable New Town Development? Lessons from Wujin, Changzhou, China

Scaling-up Strategy as an Appropriate Approach for Sustainable New Town Development? Lessons from Wujin, Changzhou, China

Measuring and Analysis of Urban Competitiveness of Chinese Provincial Capitals in 2010 under the Constraints of Major Function-Oriented Zoning Utilizing Spatial Analysis

Glurbanization of the Chinese megacity Guangzhou – image-building and city development through entrepreneurial governance

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