The Neglected Voices within Urban Village Regeneration as a Historic Urban Landscape: A Case Study of Nantou Village in Shenzhen

Abstract

Rapid urbanization has resulted in uneven regional development in China’s urban villages. As well as providing affordable housing for low-income foreign residents, it also provides income for indigenous residents. Despite this, the government has often been plagued with problems such as poor living conditions, insufficient public services, and illegal construction. Despite its potential for improving environmental quality and bringing economic benefits to urban villages while maintaining urban culture, the Historic Urban Landscape concept remains problematic for a number of reasons. Taking the Nantou Village renovation project as an example, we conducted semi-structured interviews with residents, combining literature review and field observations, with the aim of understanding the actual living conditions and spatial rights of the residents after the project’s renovation. As a result of the project, visitors have been attracted, economic benefits have been generated, and the quality of the environment has been improved. Even so, it has not improved the residents’ sense of belonging and has neglected to address the issue of high living costs faced by the original low-income residents. To balance excessive increases in rent, the government should either provide affordable housing for low-income foreign populations, or provide differentiated rental products.