The Transformation of the Urban Planning System in China from a Centrally-Planned to Transitional Economy

Paperback. The dominance of ideology, state control and economic planning on urban planning and development in China is rapidly diminishing after economic reforms in 1978. With the declining role of state enterprises in the economy and investment in cities, the introduction of housing and land reform, and the opening up of Chinese cities to foreign investment, the state and centrally-planned economy have less significant roles to play in influencing the development of cities. Past urban planning practices, which were legitimized by the socialist ideology of planned growth, are now fundamentally challenged. Economic reforms have triggered reorganization of the economy and society on which urban planning operates. Decentralization of decision making, market-led urban development initiatives, retreat from socialist ideology, deregulation and increase in the number of actors and conflicts of interests in land development have fundamentally challenged the prac