Toward smart governance and social sustainability for Chinese migrant communities

Abstract

In the regeneration of Chinese migrant communities, which are usually referred to as “villages in the city,” various modes of governance have been formed based on the relationships between the three key actors (state, market, and society). These modes of governance are characterized by problems ranging from a lack of a transparent planning process, to ineffective collective decision-making. Rural migrants also play only a marginal role, or no role at all, in the regeneration practices, resulting in actual and potential social conflicts and inequality. This article contributes to current debates on social sustainability by presenting smart governance for the engagement of marginal migrants and other marginal social groups, and the establishment of an equitable relationship between the three key actors in the regeneration process. It firstly analyzes issues and problems of existing modes of governance in the regeneration of Chinese migrant communities. It then sheds light on the further exploration and application of new types of web-based Planning Support Systems, which can be developed based on SoftGIS methodology and easily used in social media on smartphones, in formulating smart governance. This article finally presents a framework on smart governance and social sustainability for migrant communities in China.