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CPN Urban Regeneration Roundtable
June 17, Beijing
Renmin University

As part of CPN China Week June 15-20, 2009

Chair (oversea): Eugene L. Birch, Professor of Urban Research and Education, Department of City and Regional Planning, Co-Director, Penn Institute for Urban Research, University of Pennsylvania

Themes (to be revised)

Since the late 1980s, many cities and regions in the People’s Republic of China (China) have been restructuring their economic bases from manufacturing to service dependence.  Officials are closing manufacturing plants in urban areas often moving the industrial zone to less-developed peripheries.  The relocation movement has augmented considerably since 2000, partly as a result of increasing environmental concerns arising within the society.  Many of the plants being moved are engaged in heavy manufacturing activities, such as coke making, iron and steel making, and chemical production. 

The experience in North America and Europe indicates that deindustrialization and the restructuring were detrimental to a region’s economy unless the region adjusted its economic structure to the new environment.  We observe that the deindustrialization in China distinguishes itself from that in the Western world in at least four specific ways.  First, the government in China is pressuring industries to move, whereas the driving forces in North America and Europe were a “voluntary” movement by plants to pursue large profits and to escape union and environmental regulations.  Second, this government-led initiative in China has led to large-scale land redevelopment.  Acres of land have been freed from former industrial use for alternative higher-value uses.  Third, economic restructuring seems to happen simultaneously with deindustrialization, accompanied by a booming housing market.  Fourth, this relocation is significantly changing the regional structure in China.  Thus, the ongoing urban and regional revitalization is posing new challenges to China’s urban and regional economies.

Speakers/Discussant:

• Non Arkaraprasertkul, Harvard-Yenching Fellow, The Oriental Institute, Harris Manchester College, The University of Oxford
• Eugenie L. Birch, Professor of Urban Research and Education, Department of City and Regional Planning, Co-Director, Penn Institute for Urban Research, University of Pennsylvania
• Yung-Ho Chang, Professor and Head, Department of Architecture, MIT (tbc)
• John M. Courtney, Urban Planning Advisor China, Former Senior Urban Planner, the World Bank
• Randall Crane, Vice Chair and Professor of Urban Planning, Associate Director, Institute of Transportation Studies, UCLA
• John De Monchaux, Professor of Architecture and Urban Planning, former Dean, School of Architecture and Urban Planning, MIT
• Karen R. Polenske, Professor of Regional Political Economy and Planning, MIT, Former President, International Input-Output Association (bio)
• Michael Woo, Los Angeles Planning Commissioner, adjunct professor,  School of Policy, Planning, and Development, University of South California (bio)
• LU Bin, Head, Department of Urban Planning, Peking University
• TAN Zongbo, Head, Department of Urban Planning, Tsinghua University
• YANG Baojun, Chief Planner, China Academy of Urban Planning and Design
• ZHAO Min, Professor and former head, Department of Planning, Tongji University
• LI Dongquan, Assistant Professor, Land Management, School of Public Management, Renmin University of China
  

CPN Urban Regeneration Roundtable Program
Venue: Room 2, Yifu Conference Center, Renmin (People's) University

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Congress Logistics:
The CPN Urban Regeneration Roundtable will be held as part of the CPN China Week 2009: Urbanization Summit,, the 6th year continuation of CPN’s effort to fuse western knowledge on urban development with China’s unprecedented experience. CPN China Week 2009 will be held in Beijing/Chongqing on June 15-20, including seven conferences:

• CPN Urban Housing Conference (Renmin University, June 16-17, program)
• CPN Urban Regeneration Roundtable (Renmin University, June 17, program)
• CPN Urban Planning and Public Policy Roundtable (Renmin University, June 16, program)
• CPN Urban Economy and Job Creation Roundtable (Renmin University, June 17, program)
• CPN-ACSP Urban Planning Education Roundtable (Renmin University, June 17, program)
• CPN-NRDC Urban Energy, Climate Change and Transportation Roundtable (Tsinghua University, June 18, program)

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About CPN
China Planning Network (CPN) was established in 2004 and has since advanced from simply an academic interest group to become an independent voice that affects the education, research, practice and policies in China’s urban development. CPN has moved forward on its mission to systematically introduce western knowledge and experiences to China and more importantly CPN has started pursuing its vision of cultivating China's own discourse on urban development. As MIT President Susan Hockfield wrote in 2006: "Through the efforts of the China Planning Network, MIT and the Department of Urban Studies and Planning, continue to lead the world to bring the advanced knowledge on urban planning and development to bear on China's urbanization challenges."  

Please contact Jinhua Zhao at jinhua@mit.edu Tel: +1-857-350-0079 or Ming Guo at guoming@mit.edu Tel: +86-(0)10-84418776 for more information.