Open Villages within the Exclusive City: an Empirical Study on Urban Villages in Shenzhen, China

Abstract

Since the mid-1980s, rural-to-urban migration in China has been taking place at an unprecedented rate. Many rural villages have been encompassed into newly developed urban areas in the process of economic and industrial development. These so-called “urban villages” provide migrants with affordable housing and fundamental utilities. Since urban villages are constructed and maintained on the basis of self-help in the absence of formal regulations, they are often associated with squalor, overcrowding and social problems. Consequently, official policies are foremost heading at demolition and redevelopment of these areas, especially into large-scale modern living and service facilities. This paper explores the role that urban villages play in the extremely fast growing metropolis of Shenzhen. Using data collected from field reconnaissance, interviews, and planning authorities, we analyse the development of urban villages with respect to their geographical, social and institutional position in the city system. We find that many urban villages are critical sub-markets of urban housing, providing a realistic and effective affordable housing solution for migrants. We suggest that the current policies focusing on redevelopment of urban villages would lead to immediate and significant housing stress in certain areas, which may in the long run, negatively impact the openness of the city