Urban governance in new industrial area of China: a case study of Tianjin Binhai New Area

Abstract

Urban governance in western countries transformed significantly from managerialism to entrepreneurialism over the past two decades. In China, with the adoption of 'market socialism' since late 1970s, central government has carried out new policies to establish new industrial areas including development zones to attract foreign direct investments. The new industrial area becomes economy entity endowed with administrative power which brings about new urban governance pattern. In this paper, we take Tianjin Binhai New Area-a typical rapidly developing new district in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region as an example, and analyze the basic operation mechanisms and institutional cooperation through literature review, investigation and interviews of management committee. It is indicated that urban governance in Tianjin Binhai New Area is institutional and spatial fragmented, which improves flexibility and efficiency in attracting investment but results in new governance form. The traditional top-down route pushed by local government is not fit for new industrial area. In addition, the rise of entrepreneurialism governance is discussed. Conflicts and competition between different functional districts have emerged, including competing for investments, conflicts in infrastructure construction and industrial structure. To solve such problems, the study examines the increasing cooperation among hierarchical management organizations, including primary land development, district promotion and building transportation network, and argues that more institutional cooperation among management agencies, non-state organizations and private sectors is needed to achieve effective urban governance in new industrial area.