Urban Village

Urban village is a unique phenomenon in China’s urbanization caused by many social, economic, and institutional factors. It means that, with the expansion of a city, the villages once located on its outskirts are gradually merged into the city and became a distinct part of it. Although they are completely or partly urbanized in terms of industrial structure, living style, land-use, and landscape, they are still kept as rural units in terms of jurisdiction and working under the rules of Chinese rural institutions. This often makes the development of these villages go on a distorted way, which calls for renovations in line with extension of the urban development. In that sense, the phenomenon of urban villages can be regarded as a substantial expression of China’s dual system between cities and the countryside in terms of spatial development. Therefore, the redevelopment of urban villages has been a main issue of urban planning and administration in many Chinese cities.