IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v10y2018i6p1997-d152344.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Land Ownership, Rent-Seeking, and Rural Gentrification: Reconstructing Villages for Sustainable Urbanization in China

Author

Listed:
  • Jinkun Yang

    (Department of Urban and Regional Planning, School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China)

  • Eddie C. M. Hui

    (Department of Building and Real Estate, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR 00852, China)

  • Wei Lang

    (Department of Urban and Regional Planning, School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China)

  • Xun Li

    (Department of Urban and Regional Planning, School of Geography and Planning, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou 510275, China)

Abstract

Gentrification is a widespread urban phenomenon across the post-industrial world. However, rural gentrification has been explored insufficiently in the context of China’s unprecedented urbanization. By reviewing the redevelopment processes in Zengcuoan village, Xiamen City, China, this study empirically reveals that the socio-spatial transformation of this village has been mainly led by artists and villagers based on institutional arrangements of land ownership. Rural gentrification, which involves refurbishing houses and public spaces, has played a key role in social life and the engagement between indigenous villagers and artists. As active rent-seekers, indigenous villagers contribute to gentrification in a combined effect with China’s rural land property rights. Contrary to Western findings, villagers in China act as landlords who benefit from rural gentrification, which in turn causes grassroots artists or young people to move out because of the increasing rent or property prices. This paper attempted to enrich the extant understanding of rural Chinese gentrification and broaden the analytics of gentrification studies of the institutional arrangements from a land-ownership perspective. Contributing to the literature on rural gentrification, this study highlights the excessive commercialization of rent-seeking as the trigger of gentrification.

Suggested Citation

  • Jinkun Yang & Eddie C. M. Hui & Wei Lang & Xun Li, 2018. "Land Ownership, Rent-Seeking, and Rural Gentrification: Reconstructing Villages for Sustainable Urbanization in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-17, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:6:p:1997-:d:152344
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/6/1997/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/10/6/1997/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Palmquist, Raymond B., 1992. "Valuing localized externalities," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(1), pages 59-68, January.
    2. Justus Uitermark & Jan Willem Duyvendak & Reinout Kleinhans, 2007. "Gentrification as a Governmental Strategy: Social Control and Social Cohesion in Hoogvliet, Rotterdam," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 39(1), pages 125-141, January.
    3. Nick Bailey & Douglas Robertson, 1997. "Housing Renewal, Urban Policy and Gentrification," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 34(4), pages 561-578, April.
    4. Ya Ping Wang & Yanglin Wang & Jiansheng Wu, 2009. "Urbanization and Informal Development in China: Urban Villages in Shenzhen," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 33(4), pages 957-973, December.
    5. Blair Badcock, 2001. "Thirty Years On: Gentrification and Class Changeover in Adelaide's Inner Suburbs, 1966-96," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 38(9), pages 1559-1572, August.
    6. Wenjie Wu & Jianghao Wang, 2017. "Gentrification effects of China’s urban village renewals," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 54(1), pages 214-229, January.
    7. Alan Walks & Martine August, 2008. "The Factors Inhibiting Gentrification in Areas with Little Non-market Housing: Policy Lessons from the Toronto Experience," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 45(12), pages 2594-2625, November.
    8. Asaf Friedman Arch, 2014. "Sustainable Urban Renewal: The Tel Aviv Dilemma," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(5), pages 1-11, April.
    9. Zheng, Siqi & Kahn, Matthew E., 2008. "Land and residential property markets in a booming economy: New evidence from Beijing," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(2), pages 743-757, March.
    10. Song, Yan & Zenou, Yves, 2012. "Urban villages and housing values in China," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 42(3), pages 495-505.
    11. Eliza Darling, 2005. "The City in the Country: Wilderness Gentrification and the Rent Gap," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 37(6), pages 1015-1032, June.
    12. Huiling Chen & Wei Tao, 2017. "The Revival and Restructuring of a Traditional Folk Festival: Cultural Landscape and Memory in Guangzhou, South China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-18, October.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Yani Lai & Lin Jiang & Xiaoxiao Xu, 2021. "Exploring Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Urban Village Redevelopment: The Case of Shenzhen, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-26, September.
    2. Riku Tanaka & Haruka Kato & Daisuke Matsushita, 2023. "Population Decline and Urban Transformation by Tourism Gentrification in Kyoto City," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(3), pages 1-14, January.
    3. Marshall, Pierre, 2019. "Gentlemen, gentrification, and land-ownership in Leicestershire," Thesis Commons 2xu4c, Center for Open Science.
    4. Song Lu & Xiaofang Rao & Pengxiao Duan, 2022. "The Rural Gentrification and Its Impacts in Traditional Villages―A Case Study of Xixinan Village, in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(16), pages 1-19, August.
    5. Fengbao Liu & Xigang Zhu & Jianshu Li & Jie Sun & Qinshi Huang, 2019. "Progress of Gentrification Research in China: A Bibliometric Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-28, January.
    6. Wen Zhong & Minggui Zheng, 2022. "How the Marketization of Land Transfer Affects High-Quality Economic Development: Empirical Evidence from 284 Prefecture-Level Cities in China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-22, October.
    7. Shiran Zhang & Jiaping Yang & Changdong Ye & Weixuan Chen & Yixuan Li, 2023. "Sustainable Development of Industrial Renovation: Renovation Paths of Village-Level Industrial Parks in Pearl River Delta," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(13), pages 1-22, June.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Wenjie Wu & Jianghao Wang, 2017. "Gentrification effects of China’s urban village renewals," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 54(1), pages 214-229, January.
    2. Pengyu Zhu, 2016. "Residential segregation and employment outcomes of rural migrant workers in China," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 53(8), pages 1635-1656, June.
    3. Jing Qian & Yunfei Peng & Cheng Luo & Chao Wu & Qingyun Du, 2015. "Urban Land Expansion and Sustainable Land Use Policy in Shenzhen: A Case Study of China’s Rapid Urbanization," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-16, December.
    4. Chuanwang Sun & Xiaochun Meng & Shuijun Peng, 2017. "Effects of Waste-to-Energy Plants on China’s Urbanization: Evidence from a Hedonic Price Analysis in Shenzhen," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(3), pages 1-18, March.
    5. Brian Doucet, 2014. "A Process of Change and a Changing Process: Introduction to the Special Issue on Contemporary Gentrification," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 105(2), pages 125-139, April.
    6. Wenjie Wu, 2012. "Spatial Variations in Amenity Values: New Evidence from Beijing, China," SERC Discussion Papers 0113, Centre for Economic Performance, LSE.
    7. Pan, Wenjian & Du, Juan, 2021. "Towards sustainable urban transition: A critical review of strategies and policies of urban village renewal in Shenzhen, China," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    8. Nicolai V. Kuminoff & Jaren C. Pope, 2014. "Do “Capitalization Effects” For Public Goods Reveal The Public'S Willingness To Pay?," International Economic Review, Department of Economics, University of Pennsylvania and Osaka University Institute of Social and Economic Research Association, vol. 55(4), pages 1227-1250, November.
    9. Hillary Angelo & David Wachsmuth, 2015. "Urbanizing Urban Political Ecology: A Critique of Methodological Cityism," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(1), pages 16-27, January.
    10. Wu, Guiying Laura & Feng, Qu & Li, Pei, 2015. "Does local governments’ budget deficit push up housing prices in China?," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 183-196.
    11. Hans R.A. Koster & Jan Rouwendal, 2012. "The Impact Of Mixed Land Use On Residential Property Values," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 52(5), pages 733-761, December.
    12. Justus Uitermark, 2014. "Integration and Control: The Governing of Urban Marginality in Western Europe," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(4), pages 1418-1436, July.
    13. Raul-Tomas Mora-Garcia & Maria-Francisca Cespedes-Lopez & V. Raul Perez-Sanchez & Pablo Marti & Juan-Carlos Perez-Sanchez, 2019. "Determinants of the Price of Housing in the Province of Alicante (Spain): Analysis Using Quantile Regression," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-33, January.
    14. H. Allen Klaiber & Joshua K. Abbott & V. Kerry Smith, 2017. "Some Like It (Less) Hot: Extracting Trade-Off Measures for Physically Coupled Amenities," Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, University of Chicago Press, vol. 4(4), pages 1053-1079.
    15. Niu, Dongxiao & Sun, Weizeng & Zheng, Siqi, 2021. "The role of informal housing in lowering China’s urbanization costs," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    16. Yingjie Zhang & Siqi Zheng & Yan Song & Yongguang Zhong, 2016. "The Spillover Effect of Urban Village Removal on Nearby Home Values in Beijing," Growth and Change, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(1), pages 9-31, March.
    17. repec:zbw:inwedp:662016 is not listed on IDEAS
    18. H. Allen Klaiber & V. Kerry Smith, 2013. "Developing general equilibrium benefit analyses for social programs: an introduction and example," Chapters, in: Scott O. Farrow & Richard Zerbe, Jr. (ed.), Principles and Standards for Benefit–Cost Analysis, chapter 6, pages 194-246, Edward Elgar Publishing.
    19. Shen, Tiyan & Yao, Xinyi & Wen, Fenghua, 2021. "The Urban Regeneration Engine Model: An analytical framework and case study of the renewal of old communities," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C).
    20. Amelia Bilbao & Celia Bilbao & José M. Labeaga, "undated". "The excess burden associated to characteristics of the goods: Application to housing demand," Working Papers 2005-09, FEDEA.
    21. Guoying Deng & Manuel A. Hernandez & Shu Xu, 2020. "When Power Plants Leave Town: Environmental Quality and the Housing Market in China," Environmental & Resource Economics, Springer;European Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, vol. 77(4), pages 751-780, December.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:10:y:2018:i:6:p:1997-:d:152344. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.