Study on structural development of social space in megalopolises : Shanghai - 中欧社会论坛 - China Europa Forum

Study on structural development of social space in megalopolises : Shanghai

Yang Shangguang

2005

Chengshi guihua xuekan (Urban Planning Forum) No. 5, 2005

Chengshi guihua xuekan (Urban Planning Forum) No. 5, 2005

As liberalisation reform increases in the distribution of income, urban property, housing and civil status, social space in modern Chinese megalopolises is entering a period of reconstruction and differentiation. This has resulted in the emergence of slums, immigrant and wealthy neighbourhoods as well as other structural variations of social space typical of Western megalopolises; among these the polarisation of urban areas due to residential area division and class separation stands out.

This paper uses Shanghai as an example to discuss the development of social space in Chinese megalopolises. It analyses the resulting governance problems, for example social segregation, marginalisation of the areas occupied by the underprivileged population and lack of space. To tackle these problems, this paper proposes a series of measures to regulate and manage this space. These include refocusing on public interest in urban planning, emphasising the orientation and management of property investments, promoting a system of public interest protection and promoting mixed communities where the human being is the priority. These measures also aim to establish a practical demographic distribution strategy and to strengthen integrated urban community-building.

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