Wellbeing and Urban Regeneration in China: Towards a People-Centred Urban Agenda

Following four decades of reform, China has lifted millions out of poverty. Nevertheless, the social costs of the country’s growth-oriented agenda have long been scrutinised, with phenomena such as rapid urbanisation being one of the most transformative forces in this process. Under the umbrella of urban regeneration and quality of life improvements, state-led projects have been criticised for their primary focus on selective physical upgrading, large-scale demolition, and relocation, incurring significant social costs. However, recent paradigm and policy shifts are pointing towards increased governmental interest in promoting wellbeing-oriented urban development: a response aligned with global efforts to define new directions for evaluating human progress, beyond indicators such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This has led to growing scholarship on the topic of wellbeing and urbanisation in China, albeit theorisations remaining narrow.

The present, exploratory research project therefore identifies that it is necessary to carry out further inquiries into current urban regeneration approaches in China. It also addresses the need for constructing new assessment frameworks, tailored to the political, socio-economic and cultural specificities of the country. In this sense, the thesis explores how the concept of wellbeing is understood and integrated in the context of current urban regeneration schemes in China.

Towards this aim, the research employs qualitative methods such as systematised literature reviews, interviews and observation. It begins by constructing a theoretical framework for wellbeing in urban transformation, where wellbeing lies at the nexus of both processes and sociospatial outcomes of regeneration. The framework is contextualised by analysing political and intellectual engagements with the concept of wellbeing in China, revealing a complex picture of urban China in transition - one where wellbeing lies at the convergence between the legacy of collectivism, and the rise of individualism. This is followed by a review of Chinese urban regeneration mechanisms in the last three decades, focusing on three case studies from Shanghai, Beijing and Guangzhou in order to scrutinise the un-linear and complex path towards more people-centred regeneration approaches. Finally, the study explores the ways in which practitioner understandings of wellbeing are being materialised into current practices, revealing the emergence of new actors, innovative governance mechanisms and place-based solutions.