Is China Making the Rent Gap Theory Untrue? Lessons from Nanjing

Cheng Liu, Weixuan Song and Yunpeng Zhang

Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, 2024, vol. 115, issue 1, 96-111

Abstract: In the past decade, the Chinese state seems to have moved away from its previously dominant urban development characterized by dispossession and displacement. It now appears less unscrupulous in exploiting rent gaps and seemingly attaches greater importance to extra‐growth goals in urban development such as de‐commodification, use value creation and equality. This article examines two such state‐led interventions: micro‐regeneration practices that renovate dilapidated neighbourhoods while avoiding displacement en masse and initiatives to minimize education‐based gentrification. Using examples from Nanjing, the article shows how both were limited and partial. Although local governments were enthusiastic about micro‐regeneration, their practices largely depended on public subsidies. Efforts to counter education‐led gentrification, on the other hand, were undermined by a lack of political will to unsettle vested power structures and contradictory policies. Therefore, China is not making the rent theory untrue.

Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.1111/tesg.12578

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bla:tvecsg:v:115:y:2024:i:1:p:96-111

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.blackwell ... bs.asp?ref=0040-747X

Access Statistics for this article

Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie is currently edited by Jan van Weesep

More articles in Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie from Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Wiley Content Delivery ().