The Community Renewal of Shantytown Transformation in Old Industrial Cities: Evidence from Tiexi Worker Village in Shenyang, China

Abstract

There are many problems, such as poverty, unemployment, poor infrastructure and how to improve the ecological environment, in the shantytowns of old industrial cities. Shantytowns are the most centralized areas with different contradictions, referred to as the ‘problem areas’ of urban sustainable development. The shantytown transformation of old industrial cities is a typical process of unit community disintegration, which is reflected not only in the reconstruction of physical space but also in the community renewal of social spatial integration and culture reconstruction. Based on qualitative research, questionnaires and in-depth interviews, taking Tiexi Worker Village in Shenyang as a research case, this paper attempts to analyse the characteristics and driving forces of the community renewal of shantytown transformation in old industrial cities. We found that the physical space of Tiexi Worker Village has changed considerably, which is embodied in its land use structure, living environment and community service facilities, reflecting the development of community function from simple industrial function to comprehensive functions. The residents in this community have experienced a transformation from a period of homogeneity to one of heterogeneity. The social network of the community has been destroyed. Social stratification, social differentiation and higher fluidity have occurred. Community renewal is mainly affected by macro factors such as policy regulation, economic driving, condition constraints, and micro factors such as residents’ choice of living space and willingness to renew their communities. The transformation policy of the old industrial zone and the development policy of the new urban area are the fundamental and deep-seated reasons for the renewal of Tiexi Worker Village, which determine the direction of the renewal and development of the community. The paid use of land and the development of the real estate industry are the direct stimulating factors for the renewal of Tiexi Worker Village, which become the direct reasons for the spatial transformation. The changes in the population in urban and rural areas and the promotion of traffic are the driving factors for the renewal of the community, while the choice of residents and their willingness regarding community renewal are the endogenous forces for promoting community renewal. Finally, the author attempts to put forward a model of the interlaced mechanism of the forming of community renewal at the macroscopic and microcosmic levels, which are the urban renewal and reconstruction and social space differentiation of community residents, respectively. Keywords: old industrial city; shantytown; community renewal; mechanism; Tiexi Worker Village