Limits on Growth: Urbanization Processes in the Extended Beijing Region
EMBARGOED UNTIL 2027-01-23
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Date
2023
Publication Type
Doctoral Thesis
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yes
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EMBARGOED UNTIL 2027-01-23
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Abstract
The "Limit on Growth" initiative, as articulated in the Beijing Urban Masterplan (2016–2035) to position Beijing as an exclusive national capital, has profoundly transformed the extended Beijing region, revealing new challenges and imperatives in its urban development discourse. Grounded in Lefebvre’s spatial production theory, the planetary urbanisation concept, and the patterns and pathways framework, this dissertation critically examines the evolving urbanisation processes in the extended Beijing region by synthesising ethnographic data, expert interviews, and archival records amassed during extensive fieldwork undertaken between 2017 and 2022.
Adopting a diachronic approach to scrutinise historical trajectories, the research posits that Beijing's limit-on-growth tension is rooted in the state’s anti-city mindset, intensified by the multifaceted challenges emanating from the past expansionist trajectory and further propelled by the current state agenda of centralised control. By conceptualising urban territory as a dynamic force field and utilising exploratory cartographic techniques, this study identifies seven intertwined urbanisation processes, elucidating the motivations, objectives, and mechanisms driving Beijing's contemporary urban metamorphosis.
This study delves into three particularly peripheral and intricate processes, each elaborated in distinct chapters. The chapter on Green Mask Urbanisation scrutinises Beijing’s green initiatives between the 5th and 6th ring roads, revealing how greenery serves as a veneer for displacement and a means to externalise territorial challenges. Enclave Urbanisation investigates the residential expansion in the south-eastern areas beyond Beijing’s administrative boundary, underscoring a speculative landscape developed to outsource Beijing’s public services. Lastly, Corridor Urbanisation assesses the transformation of mountainous regions north of Beijing for the 2022 Winter Olympics, illustrating the commercialised and mechanised transformation for developmental surplus extraction.
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published
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Examiner : Kerez, Christian
Examiner : Schmid, Christian
Examiner : Wu, Fulong
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Pages / Article No.
Publisher
ETH Zurich
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Subject
Beijing; Urbanisation; Political ecology; Political Economy; Mega Projects
Organisational unit
08810 - Schmid, Christian (Tit.-Prof.)
03668 - Kerez, Christian (emeritus) / Kerez, Christian (emeritus)
02655 - Netzwerk Stadt u. Landschaft ARCH u BAUG / Network City and Landscape ARCH and BAUG