Transformation and Spatial Evolution of Industrial Land in the Process of Urban Renewal in Shenzhen, China

With the continuous development of urbanization in China, megacities have entered the stage of urban renewal. In the process of continuous extension and expansion of the city, the edge distribution of the early old industrial areas has gradually evolved into the central area of the modern city. There is a huge contrast between the superior location conditions and inefficient land use, which makes the old industrial land become the most valuable stock zone. A spatial perspective is adopted to investigate the industrial land transformation, which is important to evaluate the spatial impacts of urban renewal yet has been rarely studied in existing literatures. Based on the urban renewal project planning data of old industrial zone from 2010 to 2018, this paper analyzes the function transformation and spatial pattern of old industrial land in Shenzhen. The research shows that the local reform on urban renewal system towards marketization has greatly promoted the industrial land transformation. The development of real estate market, the upgrading of industrial structure, and the strategic demand for intensive development of industrial land are the important factors that affect the transformation. Urban renewal has led to a sharp reduction in the scale of the old industrial land, and commercial and residential space and new industrial space are the main directions of the transformation of old industrial land. Under the innovative “urban renewal unit” system framework of Shenzhen, the redevelopment of old industrial zones have also contributed a lot of land for public facilities to local governments. The planned new industrial space is mainly located in the city center, while the new commercial and residential space gradually moves to the suburban areas. To achieve more sustainable urban development, more attention should be paid to balance the demand for industrial space and the erosion of the industrial space driven by property-led redevelopment in the urban renewal process.