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CPRG Seminar: Who Builds Cities in China?

03 March 2021, 12:00 pm–1:00 pm

China

A China Planning Research Group Seminar

Event Information

Open to

All

Organiser

Fangzu Zhang

Zoom Meeting ID: 922 4925 5135 https://ucl.zoom.us/j/92249255135

Chinese cities have been the subject of copious research over the last few decades, in English as well as in Chinese. Much of this research has revolved around issues such as the commodification of housing, the displacement of residents from inner city areas and the construction of new satellite settlements. There has, however, been surprisingly little discussion of the organisations that actually fund and undertake the building work in Chinese cities. This is all the more surprising given the pivotal position adopted by the parastatal companies that are most heavily involved. They are known by a variety of names, a fact that perhaps adds to their relative absence from academic discussion until quite recently. I refer to them as urban investment and development companies (UIDCs), translating the term chengshi touzi fazhan gongsi by which they are most commonly known in China. In this talk, I will briefly rehearse the chief functions of UIDCs, emphasising their ubiquity and diversity. I will then discuss some of the confusion that surrounds them, particularly in respect of their role as financing platforms. UIDCs are seen by many commentators as harbingers of future problems around indebtedness. I will argue that this view is misleading, before concluding with an attempt to set UIDCs in a broader international framework.

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About the Speaker

Dr. Paul Waley

Senior Research Fellow at East Asian Geography at the University of Leeds

His research grows out of a strong focus on specific geographical settings in East Asia. He has worked in recent years on research projects in Shanghai, Anhui Prefecture and Nanjing. He has a specific interest in the role of urban investment and development companies in urbanisation projects in China, and a broader interest in regional patterns of gentrification in East Asia.