The Spatial Governance of Urban Shrinkage: A Case Study of Jixi, China
Publication: Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 149, Issue 3
Abstract
The governance of urban shrinkage has recently become an important topic for geographers and urban planners. However, a comprehensive exploration of the various spatial problems and governance paths in shrinking cities remains a huge gap in urban shrinkage governance literature. Building on the review and induction of extensive literature, this paper constructs a theoretical framework for the spatial governance of urban shrinkage from four perspectives: conceptual connotations, influencing factors, paths, and effects. By field investigation and policy interpretation, it takes Jixi City as a case, a coal-based shrinking city in China, to explore the policy response of the government and their effects. We find that the spatial governance of Jixi is a process of multisubject participation and multielement integration focusing on various spatial issues, which confirms the rationality of the analytical framework. Also, there are both similarities and differences in the spatial governance of urban shrinkage between Western countries and Chinese. This study enriches the theory of urban shrinkage governance, shows Chinese characteristics in urban governance, and provides governance enlightenment for other shrinking cities.
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Acknowledgments
Fundamental Scientific Research Funds of Central China Normal University (No. 2022CXZZ005).
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Received: Oct 11, 2022
Accepted: Apr 24, 2023
Published online: Jul 4, 2023
Published in print: Sep 1, 2023
Discussion open until: Dec 4, 2023
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