Over the concluding iv decades , PRC has experienced rapid urban increment as well as massive rural to urban migration. Between the belatedly seventies to the early on 21st century , to a greater extent than than 300 meg people moved from rural areas to cities , increasing its urbanization charge per unit of measurement from 17.9% (1978) to 39.1% (2002) over a stream of 24 years. It took U.K. 120 years , the the US eighty years , as well as Nippon to a greater extent than than xxx years to plow over this. In the past times few decades , China’s urban population increment has been higher than that of Asia every bit good every bit the world. In 1982 , approximately 210 meg people lived inwards the urban areas accounting for 21% of the full population. By the destination of 2015 , PRC had a full urban population of 771 meg or 56.1% of the entire population. By 2025 , it is estimated that nearly 70% of China’s population volition last living inwards the cities.
Xian , an “urban village” engulfed past times an expanding urban substance inwards Guangzhou. Photo credit: Eric Jenkins-Sahlin
Such rapid urbanization has transformed the spatial as well as social landscapes of Chinese cities. One of the most visible production of this explosive increment are China’s urban villages or “chengzhongcun” , literally “villages inside the city”.
These villages were i time located on the fringes of huge cities , but every bit the cities grew , they encroached upon rural areas. Farmlands that were formerly cultivated past times the villages were compulsorily purchased as well as turned into urban province past times the regime , patch the villages themselves were left untouched because of the high economical terms to relocate as well as compensate the villagers. As a lawsuit , pocket-size pockets of rural areas surrounded past times towering skyscrapers , transportation infrastructures , as well as other modern urban constructions exists inwards many large cities that have got experienced pregnant expansion as well as received large numbers of migrants.
Hundreds of such urban villages be inwards large cities such every bit Guangzhou , Beijing as well as Shenzhen. The largest urban hamlet Shipai , inwards the pump of Tianhe District inwards Guangzhou , has over 50 ,000 residents inside i foursquare kilometer.
Photo credit: unknown
The urban villages are non regulated past times whatsoever degree of centralized urban planning as well as typically have no world services from urban substance governments because their position registration condition remains rural thence they cannot relish whatsoever of the welfare benefits offered to urban residents. Deprived of their province , the primary agency of livelihood , the villagers accept to edifice high-density houses as well as offering them to rent to migrant workers. Most of these villages are directly heavily populated as well as intensely developed , crowded alongside multi-story buildings ranging from iii to 5 (or more) floors , as well as narrow alleys , resulting inwards slum-like living environments. Inside the villages , it tin last nighttime as well as damp yr circular as well as lighting may have got to last kept on fifty-fifty during daylight hours.
While urban villages supply inexpensive accommodation for the impoverished population who come upwardly from the rural areas , they have got perish the breeding grounds for social problems such every bit criminal offense , drug addiction , alcoholism , as well as prostitution.
Redevelopment of urban villages is i of the priority issues on the agenda of Chinese regime , but the procedure is highly contested.
“The most usually used approach inwards redeveloping urban villages is to demolish all existing structures as well as build high-rise even out towers ,” says Yue Zhang , Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Illinois , Chicago. “Some of the even out units are thence distributed to the villagers to compensate them for their loss as well as the residual is sold on the market. Under such a redevelopment approach , most migrant tenants are displaced who are forced to motion to a to a greater extent than remote location , as well as degree a novel enclave , until their novel domicile is “redeveloped” again.”
“The redevelopment of urban villages needs to accept into work concern human relationship political factors every bit good every bit the bigger pic of China’s urban transformation. It is of import to position to a greater extent than equitable as well as sustainable pattern as well as policy solutions to improve the lives of both migrant tenants as well as villagers. This would require a improve agreement of the mechanisms of urban informality as well as a to a greater extent than inclusive approach to urban governance.”
Xian village. Some of the buildings are marked past times ruby-red flags strung to bamboo poles , thence excavators won’t accidentally demolish them , villagers say. Photo credit: Eric Jenkins-Sahlin
Shipai , the largest urban hamlet , inwards Guangzhou. Photo credit: Andreas Schwarz/Panoramio
Houses inwards an urban hamlet inwards Shenzen. Photo credit: YB Wang/Flickr
An urban hamlet on the outskirts of Chongqing , lying adjacent to the Caiyuanba Bridge. Photo credit: Mark Horn
Xian Village from the 16th flooring of the Chun Du Hotel , Huangpu Dadao. Photo credit: xianvillage.wordpress.com
Xian village. Photo credit: Matjaz Tancic/Beijing Lens
Xian village. Photo credit: Matjaz Tancic/Beijing Lens
Xian village. Photo credit: Matjaz Tancic/Beijing Lens
An urban hamlet inwards Guangzhou. Photo credit: Sliv Chua/Flickr
Sources: Wikipedia / LSECities / Urban Villages inwards China: H5N1 2008 Survey of Migrant [PDF]