Neoliberal planning, master plan adjustment and overbuilding in China: The case of Ordos City

Abstract

This article applies the concept of “neoliberal planning” in China to explore the interactions between planning, especially master plan adjustments, and overbuilding in Ordos City. The results show that Ordos City's master plans have been deregulated and adjusted to facilitate and cater to, rather than to contain and regulate, the frenetic real estate development since the early 2000s, which eventually led to overbuilding and a collapsed real estate market. The findings display a dynamic and mutually reinforcing mechanism between neoliberal planning practices and the real estate boom in Ordos. Moreover, overbuilding has in turn nurtured a more rational and socio-environmentally inclusive mode of planning in Ordos City, as evidenced in the 2015 revision of the Ordos City Master Plan. This article also reveals the legal and institutional instabilities of China's master plans and suggests a transformation toward a more socio-environmentally inclusive approach to planning, with conscientious governance to ensure sustainability. This article adds insights to the underexplored, evolving interactions between neoliberal planning practices and development reality in the existing neoliberal planning literature, and it also contributes to neoliberal planning studies under authoritarian regimes. It argues that strong state capacity can function as a double-edged sword for promoting/tackling neoliberal planning. Finally, we call for more theoretical and empirical inquiries on neoliberal planning in China.