Deciphering the new governance experiment of dilapidated neighborhoods in China: A case of Xi'ma New Village, Wuhan

Abstract

Approximately 100 million residents in Chinese cities inhabit former work-unit neighborhoods and municipal housing areas. Since the 1990s, the state has retreated from the direct provision of neighborhood services. However, as the alternative approach, commercialized property management has largely failed in these neighborhoods, leading to their gradual decline into “dilapidated neighborhoods.” Consequently, the poor living conditions and inadequate services severely constrained the well-being of these residents. Recently, new governance experiments have emerged in dilapidated neighborhoods across Chinese cities, warranting significant attention and exploration. Drawing on fieldwork and interviews conducted from 2019 to 2023 in Xi'ma New Village, Wuhan City, this research investigates the evolving governance shaped by affordable property management. Our findings indicate that, first, when sponsoring dilapidated neighbourhoods for affordable property management, the state's rationale is to address the crisis and alleviate social tensions; second, state leadership is reinforced through a multi-scalar governance network surrounding property management; third, in this case, the process of how the state achieved the above goals through deploying and mobilizing market and society exemplifies “state entrepreneurialism” in Chinese cities. Thus, the study offers nuanced insights, particularly at the neighborhood level, enabling readers to understand the evolving governance modalities in Chinese cities, especially in the context of (re)increasing state control and leadership.