Driven to swim with the tide?: urban redevelopment and community participation in China

Hyun Bang Shin

LSE Research Online Documents on Economics from London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library

Abstract: Over the last decade, there has been growing attention to the issue of neighbourhood governance and community participation in China. The focus has been on the extent to which community involvement in rule-making and decision-making processes could be promoted. The issue of community participation in urban redevelopment, however, has received little attention. Urban redevelopment in contemporary Chinese cities is taking place on an unprecedented scale, dissolving long-standing local communities and demolishing poverty-stricken neighbourhoods. Examining the case of Beijing, this paper questions current redevelopment planning and residents’ appeal procedures. It considers the extent to which local communities in dilapidated neighbourhoods have difficulty making an impact on decisions affecting their neighbourhoods’ redevelopment. The paper considers the extent to which local residents could express discontent and put forward ‘rightful claims’. The paper concludes that community participation in neighbourhood redevelopment remains at the bottom of the ladder of participation, and that the vested interests of local authorities and developers in urban redevelopment projects restrict poor residents’ active participation in decision-making processes.

Keywords: neighbourhood governance; community participation; urban redevelopment; ‘rightful claims’; Beijing; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I30 R50 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 27 pages
Date: 2008-02
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ehl:lserod:6194

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