Heritage-led regeneration in Chinese intermediary cities: understanding incremental changes under a ‘business as usual’ urban governance regime

Abstract

This study examines Longchang, an intermediary city in China, to discern differences in its heritage-led regeneration compared to major Chinese cities. Despite the recent incremental shifts in China’s urban governance regime, which is characterised by ‘selective learning’ and ‘trial and error’ approaches, cities like Longchang, constrained by scant socio-institutional resources, perpetuate pro-growth tendencies in their regeneration. While progress has been made towards more sustainable outcomes, the persistent disregard for local communities is still ‘business as usual’ in current practice. This phenomenon jeopardises the urban transformation process, amplifying heritage commodification and adversely impacting the intangible and living heritage.