The End of the Village: Planning the Urbanization of Rural China

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How Chinas expansive new era of urbanization threatens to undermine the foundations of rural life

Since the beginning of the twenty-first century, China has vastly expanded its urbanization processes in an effort to reduce the inequalities between urban and rural areas. Centered on the mountainous region of Chongqing, which serves as an experimental site for the countrys new urban development policies, The End of the Village analyzes the radical expansion of urbanization and its consequences for Chinas villagers. It reveals a fundamental rewriting of the nations social contract, as villages that once organized rural life and guaranteed rural livelihoods are replaced by an increasingly urbanized landscape dominated by state institutions.

Throughout this comprehensive study of Chinas urbanrural coordination policy, Nick R. Smith traces the diminishing autonomy of the countrys rural populations and their subordination to larger urban networks and shared administrative structures. Outside Chongqings urban centers, competing forces are at work in reshaping the social, political, and spatial organization of its villages. While municipal planners and policy makers seek to extend state power structures beyond the boundaries of the city, village leaders and inhabitants try to maintain control over their communities uncertain futures through strategies such as collectivization, shareholding, real estate development, and migration.

As China seeks to rectify the development crises of previous decades through rapid urban growth, such drastic transformations threaten to displace existing ways of life for more than 600 million residents. Offering an unprecedented look at the countrys contentious shift in urban planning and policy, The End of the Village exposes the precarious future of rural life in China and suggests a critical reappraisal of how we think about urbanization.

Reviews

"This excellent book provides important insights into the complexities of Chinese urbanization. Through a thorough and grounded investigation of a peri-urban village, Nick R. Smith produces a lively and remarkably informative account of how the village has been transformed by both state-led planning and reactions from its inhabitants against these external forces. Highly recommended to anyone interested in China and urban studies."Fulong Wu, author of Planning for Growth: Urban and Regional Planning in China

"The End of the Village is a grounded and masterfully executed project on the ever-evolving relationship between two moving targets: the city and the village. It is a go-to text for all students concerned about the spatial question in the political economy of Chinas transformation today."You-tien Hsing, University of California, Berkeley

"An essential authoritative text on urban-rural coordination and the contingencies of Chinas urbanization processes. It should be read by scholars not only of urban planning, but also those interested in Chinas party-state, development, and rural society."China Quarterly

"Overall, this book is very well written and has a nice narrative arcstarting from the perspectives of different stakeholders in Hailong, then moving to different key planning and development themes. Smith also skillfully articulates the contradictions generated from Chinas coordinative planning and presents these contradictions through episodes of conflicts between various stakeholders, making the book highly readable. "Journal of Urban Affairs

"Overall, this book presents a detailed and comprehensive case study of local actions in the rural development crisis and urban-rural coordination program in China. "H-Net Reviews

"This is an exceptional book that provides compelling insights on the complex processes of urbanization in China."Buildings & Landscapes

"The book documents a living history of Chinas urban transition and leaves the reader pondering the nations urbanrural relations and integration."China Information

"The book provides a vivid and meticulous account of the tension, fragmentation, conflict, and contingency surrounding the Chinese state."Contemporary Sociology

"This book is a delightful read and undoubtedly an essential contribution to Chinese Urban Studies. It is recommended to professionals as well as those wishing to gain a deeper understanding of multi-scalar negotiation processes accompanying urban planning and rural development in China."European Journal of East Asian Studies

"The lucid argumentation and enjoyable writing style make the book a valuable resource for undergraduate and graduate teaching in area studies, urban studies, and in interdisciplinary contexts."Pacific Affairs

"The book provides a comprehensive account of planning for the urbanisation of rural China from socio-economic, political, spatial and individual perspectives."Urban Research & Practice

"It is impossible to do justice to the depth of exploration and breadth of research that has gone into Smiths highly engaging and thoughtfully penned exploration of rural China under rapid urbanisation."Thesis Eleven

Author Bio

Nick R. Smith is assistant professor of architecture and urban studies at Barnard College, Columbia University.