Resilient governance under asymmetric power structure: The case of Enning Road Regeneration Project in Guangzhou, China

Rethinking collaborative planning in China: Does the communicative or agonistic planning theory matter?

“…Based on the study on the regeneration of Enning Road in Guangzhou, Cao and Wang (2019) argue that newspapers with online and offline editions play a crucial role in the planning process, reporting the problems of the project and questioning local government for non-transparency and social injustice. Government is no longer the only dominant player in urban planning, since non-governmental actors and mass media have actively participated in the public sphere through public topics (Yao et al, 2021). Societal actors do not resist against government, but they also jointly construct planning practice along with government (Yao et al, 2021).…”

“…Government is no longer the only dominant player in urban planning, since non-governmental actors and mass media have actively participated in the public sphere through public topics (Yao et al, 2021). Societal actors do not resist against government, but they also jointly construct planning practice along with government (Yao et al, 2021).…”

“…However, scholars argue the lack of a robust civil society (as a liberal notion that pits society against state) in China (Hu et al, 2013), since non-governmental organizations (NGOs) may develop relations and build trust with governments to survive, hindering their impact on policies and practices (Hsu and Hasmath, 2017). Yao et al (2021) argue that there are still asymmetric power structures, particularly the influence of the uneven distribution of resources between state and society. Hu et al (2013) point out that the traditional Chinese culture (e.g., Confucianism) and institutional structures influence the power relations and make them different from that of the communicative approach with an emphasis of citizens’ self-organization and equal power.…”

“…Government-led experimentations of collaborative practices change the expectations of citizens and become a new culture, while bottom-up agonistic practices stimulate the creation of innovative participation mechanisms for collectively problem solving in the short term. Local governance are adaptive and adjusted to external challenges such as social contestation, financial pressure and the influence from higher political levels (Yao et al, 2021). Therefore, these practices may lead to institutional and policy changes in the long term, through the actions of governmental and non-governmental actors.• Collaborative planning emerges for specific governance contexts and issues .…”

Urban renewal as policy innovation in China: From growth stimulation to sustainable development

“…Their main goal was to preserve the historic blocks for the general good of the city. In the case of Enning Road, Zhang and Li (2016) In this early stage, private property developers led the old town redevelopment projects and hoped that the dilapidated Yongqing Fang area could be turned into a high-end residential and commercial complex to generate revenues from land lease and property sales, demonstrating the asymmetric power of the market over the social purpose of urban renewal (Yao et al, 2020).…”