Shanghai swings: The Hongqiao project and competitive urbanism in the Yangtze River Delta

Abstract

That cities compete against each other is a cliché of the contemporary neoliberal condition, in which so much focus and energy is expended on a zero-sum-game of trying to outshine imagined rivals. In this paper we examine how this type of competition plays itself out in China, and more specifically in and around Shanghai, in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD). We argue that the competition here, principally for foreign and domestic inward investment, is intense and multi-scalar. It is fuelled in particular by China's nested territorial administrative structure, leading to a situation that eventually involves all scales, from district to central government. We choose therefore the term competitive urbanism to encapsulate these multi-scalar and multi-directional competitive forces. Lying at the centre of this competitive urbanism in the YRD is the giant new Hongqiao project in west Shanghai, second only in expanse and ambition to Pudong. The Shanghai municipal government has promoted this project partly in response to competitive pressures from other cities in the YRD, and partly to swing the dynamic of growth westward within the city and link it better to its hinterland. In this way, Hongqiao is reinforcing and accelerating the competitive urbanism that characterizes China's most prosperous region.

In‐Situ Marginalisation: Social Impact of Chinese Mega‐Projects

“…Whilst the dominant discourse on mega projects is mostly based on empirical studies from the global North, mega projects have also proliferated in Asian countries (Shatkin ; Sonn et al ) whereby China has emerged as a hotbed for large‐scale urban projects (Jiang et al ; Li and Chiu ; Shen and Wu ; Wu and Waley ). However, increasingly more studies express doubt that the concept of neoliberalisation is suited to explain the Chinese urban development process (Wu ; Wu and Phelps ).…”

“…Mega projects initiated by lower levels of government such as district governments tend to have profit‐oriented goals such as land value capture through land sales (Li and Chiu ; Wu and Waley ). On the other hand, many mega projects especially initiated by municipal, regional or even national level governments (for example Xiong’An New Area) have more strategic objectives such as restructuring the industrial sector, alignment with central government policies (Wu :1385) and competing with neighbouring cities (Jiang et al ). Although the specific objectives of Chinese mega projects may vary, they tend to focus on uplifting the economy and ultimately serve to consolidate the state’s power.…”

“…Although the specific objectives of Chinese mega projects may vary, they tend to focus on uplifting the economy and ultimately serve to consolidate the state’s power. For instance, the Shanghai Hongqiao project aims to become the new CBD in the Yangtze River Delta region and to stimulate the economy of Shanghai’s underdeveloped peri‐urban districts (Jiang et al ).…”

“…To answer this question, it is necessary to consider the specific institutional arrangement that was put in place to govern Chinese mega projects. To ensure that the development outcomes of the project align with the strategic objectives of the state, at the city level, the government usually adds two types of “special‐purpose and project‐oriented” state organisations to the existing institutional hierarchy of the mega project (Jiang et al :1937). The first type of state organisation takes the form of a State Owned Development Corporation (henceforth SODC), which is essentially a state‐owned enterprise specialised in urban development.…”

Informal Land Development on the Urban Fringe

“…In this way, they strengthened the sense of responsibility of the manager and the operator, and built a rural democratic system. After decades of development, Hongqiao became one of the national-level centers and is now competing with major cities such as Suzhou, Hangzhou, and Nanjing as the western economic hub from Shanghai [43]. The pilot policy was then implemented in Hunan, Hangtou, and Malu.…”