"Governing Urban Development in China: Critical Urban Studies" released
3 February 2025
Professor Fulong Wu and Professor Fangzhu Zhang from The Bartlett School of Planning have recently published a new book providing deep insight into the Chinese urban experience.

The book 'Governing Urban Development in China: Critical Urban Studies', investigates urban development and governance in China and introduces China perspectives to the understanding of governing urban development in the 21st century.
This new publication authored by Professor Fulong Wu and Professor Fangzhu Zhang offers a comprehensive examination of urban governance and development in contemporary China, providing valuable insights into the country's rapidly evolving urban landscape. The work delves into various aspects of China's urban transformation, including:
- The intricate processes of urban planning and management
- The role of local governments in shaping city development
- The impact of national policies on urban growth
- Challenges and opportunities in sustainable urban development
The newly published book is aimed to be of significant interest to urban planners, policymakers, and scholars focused on China's urbanization trends. It contributes to the growing body of literature on critical urban studies, offering a nuanced perspective on the complexities of governing and developing Chinese cities in the 21st and was funded from the H2020 European Research Council Project ‘Rethinking China’s Model of Urban Governance’.
Professor Fangzhu Zhang is a professor of China Planning and a joint coordinator for the China Planning Research Group at the Bartlett School of Planning. And co-author, Professor Fulong Wu is Bartlett Professor of Planning at The Bartlett School of Planning.
Allan Cochrane, Emeritus Professor of Urban Studies, The Open University, UK said: “This is a powerful and significant book. It provides a long overdue and comprehensive review of the Chinese urban experience and its governance, giving it the status it deserves. But, alongside its thought-provoking reflections on the Chinese case, what makes this book such an important contribution is the extent to which it moves beyond exceptionalism. It repositions Chinese urbanism in ways that highlight how learning from China is fundamental to developing a rounded understanding of urban change as a globalised phenomenon.”