This book documents both the roots of the Urban Village movement and its application in contemporary society. A series of essays by eminent practitioners offers particular urban perspectives.

Addressing one of the hottest trends in real estate the development of town centers and urban villages with mixed uses in pedestrian-friendly settings this book will help navigate through the unique design and development issues and reveal how to make all elements work together."

Focusing on Shenzhen as a representation of the general urban village phenomenon in China, this book considers the impact of China’s economic reform on urbanization and urban villages over the past three decades. Shenzhen’s urban villages are some of the first of their kind in China, unique in their diversity and organizational capacity, but most notably in their ability to protect village culture whilst coexisting with Shenzhen, one of the fastest urbanizing cities on earth. Providing a study of regional contrast of urban villages in China with newly collected fieldwork materials from Guangzhou, Beijing, and Xi’an, this book also considers recent developments within urban villages, including attempts at marketization of the so-called xiao chanquanfang (the quintessential urban village apartment units). It also addresses the corruption scandals that engulfed some urban villages in late 2013. Through cutting edge fieldwork, the author offers a cross-disciplinary study of the history, culture, socio-economic changes, and migration of the villages which arguably embody Chinese social mobility in an urban form.

"What are the factors that make a town center exceptional and not just another routine shopping area? Packed with color photographs, site plans, and case studies of top new projects, as well as classics that have endured the test of time, this book gives you the inside story and the details on how town centers were developed and what makes them innovative. It provides hard-to-find facts on costs, rents, land uses, and more. A full chapter on trends analyzes what is working and what is coming next."--BOOK JACKET.

As China races towards modernity, its cities are experiencing an unprecedented surge in urbanisation, characterised by a relentless influx of migrants and sprawling expansion into suburban realms. Shiyu Yang draws upon Henri Lefebvre's influential theoretical framework and applies it to case studies of two urban villages in Beijing to examine how migrants shape the social production of space in these districts. With a wealth of first-hand material from the field, this study provides essential insights into the ongoing processes and social dynamics that resonate with scholars from cross-disciplinary urban studies as well as practitioners in governance and urban planning.

This publication seeks to explain the nature of settlements termed “urban villages” as set within the context of growing levels of urbanization in contemporary Pacific towns and cities. It investigates the meaning and conceptualization of myriad forms of urban villages by examining the evolution of different types of settlement commonly known as native or traditional villages, and more recently squatter and informal settlements. It views village-like settlements such as squatter and informal settlements as a type of urban village, and examines the role these and other urban villages play in shaping and making the Pacific town and city and arguably, the Pacific village city. It presents key actions that Pacific countries and development partners need to consider as part of urban and national development plans when rethinking how to conceptualize the ongoing phenomena of urban villages while achieving a more equitable distribution of the benefits of urbanization.

This book addresses the mystery and diversity of urbanization in China, especially with regard to urban villages. The “village in the city” is a unique social phenomenon in the process of Chinese urbanization. A local village society composed of deep-rooted social networks linked by blood, geography, folk beliefs, and folk customs is the outcome of a complex social process, which is accompanied by changes in property rights, restructuring of social networks, and conflicting benefits and values. The end of the village is the epitome of social transformation, and for China as a whole, this change may take a very long time to complete. This book includes various examples of and stories on urban villages, offering readers a wealth of insights into the phenomenon and its significance.