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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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 ( 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

6. Shanghai as treaty port

7. 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

8. 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.

9. 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”

10. Urban administrative hierarchy

11. Han and Tang Silk Routes

12. Cities and regions today

13. 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

14. 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?

15. 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?