Chinese Urbanism in Global Context PLAN A6526 Columbia University Prof. Weiping Wu Situating China’s Urbanism

Some concepts Urban population in China hukou (household registration system) Type: nonagricultural v. agricultural Place Treaty ports Planned (command) economy Developmentalist state Neoliberalism Socialist city

Defining urban Urban place Urban person Cities (657 in 2010) Criteria changed in 1955, 1963, 1984, 1986, & 1993 Generally, population greater than 100,000 Officially designated towns (19,410) Population over 20,000 At least 10 percent is non-agricultural Urban person Nonagricultural v. agricultural Locally registered v. migrants

China’s urbanization at a glance ~1980 ~2010 % change Urbanization level (%) 19.4 51.0 162.9 Number of cities 193 657 240.4 Eastern region 69 344 398.6 Central region 84 218 159.5 Western region 40 95 137.5 Cities by population size Super large (> 2 million) - 42 Extra large (1-2 million) 13 82 530.8 Large (0.5 -1 million) 27 110 307.4 Small & medium (< 0.5 million) 153 423 176.5 Agriculture’s share in employment (%) 64 39 -39.1 Ratio of urban-rural per capita income 2.6 3.2 23.1

Shanghai as treaty port

Key features of China’s reform Pragmatism – criteria for success determined by experiment rather than by ideology Incrementalism or gradualism – new idea/program first implemented locally or in a particular economic sector Dual track approach to market liberalization – coexistence of two mechanisms (plan and market) Growing out of plan – gradually increase share of non-plan, market transactions in the economy and made dual-track system into a transitional device Economic reform – widespread introduction of market reforms has not been accompanied by democratization

Features of socialist cities They tend to be under-urbanized, smaller, and have lower population densities. They tend to be functional, with less physical and human diversity (puritanical), but also less social problems. They have a unique ecological form (land, housing, etc.). Cities tend to be less spatially segregated as they emphasize social egalitarianism. There is little significant variation in housing types and standards among different parts of city.

Legacies of history Hierarchical urban governance system Provinces and city-provinces Prefecture-level cities (leading cities) Together, counting for 70% population Neighborhood governance jiefang Neighborhood committee “Walls”

Urban administrative hierarchy

Han and Tang Silk Routes

Cities and regions today

Endogenous context Marketization – command to market economy Decentralization – central-local fiscal relations Industrialization – agricultural to manufacturing economy Migration – rural-based to urban-based society Opening up – autarky to open regime

Questions Given the historical and endogenous context, how is China unique? Urbanization process Consequent urban landscape Role of government Does China share common features with other countries? If so, how?

Framing Chinese urbanism Modernization Modest pace of urbanization Developmentalist state Strong state Central and local Transition from socialism Post-socialist city? Neoliberalism or entrepreneurial governance?