From Peril to Promise

Abstract

Rural migrants are being evicted from China’s metropolis. Urban villages used to be a refuge for rural migrants fleeing excessive living expenses, where they might find reasonable housing, social connections, and even work opportunities. However, as these villages are now being redeveloped mainly to create land revenues for local municipalities, rural migrants are being evicted and left vulnerable. This can also create vulnerabilities for the cities themselves. Despite the amount of literature on urban village development and redevelopment (Hao et al., 2013; Kochan, 2015; Lai et al., 2021; Li et al., 2014; Zhou, 2014), there is little research on the social problems, particularly problems for rural migrants, brought by current mode of redevelopment, which occurs frequently nowadays. This study aims to answer the question of how urban villages can be redeveloped to create socially resilient communities by using multiple methods, in both social and spatial aspects. The study aims to address the issue of urban village redevelopment in China's metropolises and its impact on rural migrants by proposing an alternative art-driven redevelopment strategy. A comprehensive solution package that includes urban design, policy recommendations, and participation strategies that take into account the social resilience of migrants will be developed. To do this, the study will first use methods such as stakeholder analysis and engagement, as well as spatial analysis and urban design at a community scale, using the case of Zanhualing Village as an example. The ultimate goal is to create a strategic plan for numerous urban villages across the city of Dongguan to create a more resilient city overall.