Regional and urban planning for growth in China

Abstract

Chinese planning in the post‐reform era is primarily concerned with stimulating economic growth through urban developments. For cities, land sales revenue is an important source of income and a key driver of gross domestic product (GDP) growth, which is a core criterion for government career promotions. City planning involves creating an investment‐friendly built environment through nonstatutory spatial plans that can be used for place promotion. Furthermore, economic growth helps to consolidate the state's political power. Through the state's monopoly of land, local states are able to use land as collateral to deliver large urban projects and reap the greatest financial benefits. The urban governance of strategically important projects is also designed with a view to stimulating growth. Planning powers are assigned to development‐oriented state organizations while social responsibilities such as relocating residents are delegated to district and subdistrict governments. National‐ and regional‐level planning has been strengthened in the past decade to address rampant urban expansions and intense intercity competition which have had severe environmental and socioeconomic consequences. Yet, regional planning is not about curbing growth but about better coordinating it. However, due to insufficient and sometimes overlapping governance responsibilities being distributed to three national ministries, the regulatory power of national and regional planning is limited.