Stakeholder Analysis and Social Network Analysis in the Decision-Making of Industrial Land Redevelopment in China: The Case of Shanghai.

Wendong Wu,Yuan Yi,Taozhi Zhuang,Fang He

doi:10.3390/ijerph17249206

Abstract

Currently, many large Chinese cities have entered the postindustrial era, leaving a large amount of vacant, inefficiently utilized industrial land and buildings in the inner cities. Industrial land redevelopment (ILR) can benefit cities in multiple ways, such as by increasing urban public space, improving the quality of life of citizens, and improving the environment, and is considered an effective approach to enhance people’s wellbeing. However, large-scale ILR projects often raise a series of social issues in practice, such as injustice and inequality. To address complex urban issues, ILR requires multifaceted, coordinated, and comprehensive strategies involving multitudinous stakeholders. A profound understanding of diverse stakeholders in the decision-making of ILR is a vital step in enhancing the sustainability of ILR. The aim of this paper is to use Shanghai as a case study to understand the diverse stakeholders and their participation during the decision-making of ILR in China. Interviews and questionnaires were used to collect data. Stakeholder analysis (SA) and social network analysis (SNA) were used as complementary research methodologies in this paper. First, stakeholders who participated in the decision-making of ILR were identified. Then, the characteristics of various stakeholders, including power, interests, and knowledge, were analyzed. Following this, the interactive relationships among stakeholders were explored, and their network structure was examined. Finally, policy recommendations were presented regarding stakeholder participation problems in the decision-making of ILR in China.

Highlights

Since the reform and opening up and the rapid urbanization of China, the urban population has grown rapidly [1], which has led to a significant increase in the required urban space
The government reported that the purpose of Industrial land redevelopment (ILR) is to benefit the public, the results show that the public has extremely little power in decision-making but is completely marginalized in the network and has no influence on decision-making
This study explores the characteristics of stakeholders and their interactive relationships during ILR decision-making in Shanghai, China

Summary

Introduction

Since the reform and opening up and the rapid urbanization of China, the urban population has grown rapidly [1], which has led to a significant increase in the required urban space. Urban sprawl and urban renewal are seen as two approaches to address the requirements for urban space caused by population rise. Urban renewal can bring significant improvements in the inner city and is an effective approach to tackling urban decay and realizing multiple goals, such as improving the living conditions of citizens and the urban environment, thereby enhancing people’s well-being [4,5,6,7]. After over 40 years of rapid economic development, many large cities in China, e.g., Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou, have taken the lead in entering the postindustrial era, and the industrial base of these cities has shifted from manufacturing industries to service industries [8]. Public Health 2020, 17, 9206; doi:10.3390/ijerph17249206 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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