Symbolic Urban Governance: Negotiating Inner-city Redevelopment in Globalizing Shanghai

Abstract

Existing literature suggests that community residents and organizations were excluded from decision-making processes in urban redevelopment and residential relocation in China under neoliberal governance. On the other side, scholars have long argued that participation schemes are quite often part of a package of neoliberal policies. This study examines why the municipal government adopts the new regulations on citizen participation in housing requisition and what roles the local government and community residents play. It argues that the adoption of the public participation scheme in housing requisition is an effort of the local government to legitimize displacement, and avoid controversy and dissent among the community. The underlying causes of the symbolic change of the housing requisition projects and its impact on local governance have been unexplored. Thus, findings of this study advance theoretical understanding of urban redevelopment in neoliberal urban governance and explain why China maintains social stability under tremendous urban-growth pressure and contentious land disputes.