Urbanization Process In China Research Articles

The Development Potential of Urbanization in China's Third-tier Cities: A Case Study of Taizhou Area

With the acceleration of China's urbanization process, the development potential of third-tier cities has become increasingly prominent, becoming an important part of the national urbanization strategy. Taking the Taizhou area as an example, this study first conducts a comprehensive evaluation of the current status of urbanization development in Taizhou, aiming to reveal its development level and characteristics in various aspects such as economy, society, culture, and environment. On this basis, a multi-dimensional evaluation system including urbanization level, quality of citizenization, urban functions, and urban governance is constructed to comprehensively consider Taizhou's performance in several key areas of urbanization development. In terms of data processing, the study uses the Taizhou Statistical Yearbook from 2018 to 2022 and other related reports as the main data sources to ensure the comprehensiveness and accuracy of the evaluation. Through the dimensionless processing of data and the weights of indicators determined by the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), the development potential of urbanization in Taizhou was quantified and evaluated. The research results show that the urbanization development in Taizhou has shown a steady growth trend, especially significant progress in the quality of citizenization and urban functions, but there is still room for improvement in some key areas. Based on the research results, targeted policy recommendations are proposed: first, to improve the quality of citizenization, including deepening the reform of the household registration system and improving the level of public services; second, to optimize the pattern of urbanization, strengthen regional collaborative development and county town construction; third, to promote the construction of new types of cities, covering the improvement of urban innovation capabilities and the construction of smart cities; fourth, to deepen the integrated development of urban and rural areas, promote resource sharing and coordinated economic growth, aiming to guide Taizhou to achieve more balanced and sustainable urbanization development, and provide a reference for similar cities.

The Development Potential of Urbanization in China's Third-tier Cities: A Case Study of Taizhou Area

With the acceleration of China's urbanization process, the development potential of third-tier cities has become increasingly prominent, becoming an important part of the national urbanization strategy. Taking the Taizhou area as an example, this study first conducts a comprehensive evaluation of the current status of urbanization development in Taizhou, aiming to reveal its development level and characteristics in various aspects such as economy, society, culture, and environment. On this basis, a multi-dimensional evaluation system including urbanization level, quality of citizenization, urban functions, and urban governance is constructed to comprehensively consider Taizhou's performance in several key areas of urbanization development. In terms of data processing, the study uses the Taizhou Statistical Yearbook from 2018 to 2022 and other related reports as the main data sources to ensure the comprehensiveness and accuracy of the evaluation. Through the dimensionless processing of data and the weights of indicators determined by the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), the development potential of urbanization in Taizhou was quantified and evaluated. The research results show that the urbanization development in Taizhou has shown a steady growth trend, especially significant progress in the quality of citizenization and urban functions, but there is still room for improvement in some key areas. Based on the research results, targeted policy recommendations are proposed: first, to improve the quality of citizenization, including deepening the reform of the household registration system and improving the level of public services; second, to optimize the pattern of urbanization, strengthen regional collaborative development and county town construction; third, to promote the construction of new types of cities, covering the improvement of urban innovation capabilities and the construction of smart cities; fourth, to deepen the integrated development of urban and rural areas, promote resource sharing and coordinated economic growth, aiming to guide Taizhou to achieve more balanced and sustainable urbanization development, and provide a reference for similar cities.

Organic renewal of property plots in Chinese cities: Sustainable development of built environment via property value enhancement and digital twin construction

As the urbanization process in China continues to advance, urban residential property plots have commenced their transition to an organic renewal model. Nevertheless, achieving the sustainable and high-quality organic renewal of urban residential property plots poses a significant challenge for planning. This study postulates that the crux of organic renewal for urban residential property plots lies in the impacts on improvement for sustainable built environment, with the main obstacle being the organization and implementation of intricate renewal activities. A potential solution is to enhance land property value, while establishing a digital twin to optimize the design of renewal strategies and implement renewal activities precisely and efficiently. This study scrutinizes the characteristics of the property value composition of urban residential property plots, investigates basic strategies of organic urban renewal and proposes a theoretical framework to elucidate dynamic property value change, property value enhancement and incremental value allocation during the renewal process. Additionally, a theoretical concept was developed to efficiently promote property value in organic renewal through digital twin construction. A comprehensive case study showcases the pronounced benefits of property plot renewal, including a 1.17-fold increase in floor area and a 50% rise in residential floor area unit prices. The research framework proposed in this study is conducive to promoting the optimization, fair allocation and efficient implementation of property value in organic renewal. Furthermore, it is conducive to practicing ‘human-centric’ decision-making.

Research on Low-carbon Layout and Planning of Urban Space Driven by Sustainable Development

Carbon dioxide emissions, leading to global warming, have threatened human development. It is urgent to control and slow down greenhouse gas emissions to maintain ecologically sustainable development. The energy demand and pollutant emissions generated in the process of urban development are the main reasons leading to climate and environmental change. Scientific planning for cities and construction of low-carbon urban development models are the first work to deal with climate and environmental issues. In view of these problems, the article takes Guangyuan City as an example of low-carbon city construction, through transforming the city's industrial structure, strengthening the energy and science and technology innovation, establishing and improving the low-carbon system and other methods to implement the specific construction of low-carbon city, to build a clean, low- carbon new urban life mode, Make Guangyuan City from 2015 to reach the exploitable hydropower installed capacity of 65% to 80% in 2020. In this paper, we propose a series of specific low- carbon urban spatial layout and planning strategies, which not only in-depth analysis of the key problems in China's urbanization process, such as energy consumption, carbon emissions, etc., but also propose targeted solutions. By implementing these strategies, we can effectively meet the challenges brought about by urbanization and promote the development of Chinese cities in a more low-carbon and sustainable direction.

State‐led urbanization and technological innovation: A quasi‐natural experiment from county‐to‐district conversion in China

AbstractDifferent from the market‐led urbanization in western countries, China's urbanization process has the characteristics of being state‐led, in which county‐to‐district conversion (CTDC) policy plays a key role in promoting urbanization. Our study uses the data of 279 cities as a simple to explore the effect of the state‐led urbanization of CTDC on technological innovation. We find that CTDC significantly promote innovation, and this promoting effect is enhanced with the improvement of urban innovation ability. The mechanism test shows that financial expenditure on education and science, population agglomeration, information and communication technology industry are three channels for CTDC to boost technological innovation. We also find that this promotion effect is more obvious in eastern cities and the cities with higher administrative hierarchy, and is weakest in western cities, however, CTDC adjustment in northeastern cities significantly inhibited technological innovation. Further research shows that when the distance between merged county and city administrative center within 20 km, the effect is negative, after the distance is more than 20 km, with the increase of distance, the promoting effect of CTDC increases.

Dynamics of respiratory infectious diseases under rapid urbanization and COVID-19 pandemic in the subcenter of Beijing during 2014–2022

ObjectiveThe study analyzed the impact of urbanization on epidemiological characteristics of respiratory infectious disease in Tongzhou District, Beijing during 2014–2022 to provide reference for prevention and control priorities of respiratory infectious diseases during the innovative urbanization process in China. MethodsThe incidence data of notifiable respiratory infectious diseases (NRIDs) in Tongzhou Beijing during 2014–2022 were summarized. The trend of incidence rate was analyzed by Joinpoint regression model, and entropy method was performed to construct the comprehensive index of urbanization (CIU) and generalized linear model was used to analyze the influence of CIU on the incidence rate of respiratory infectious diseases. ResultsTotally 72616 NRIDs cases were reported in Tongzhou District during 2014–2022, and the incidence rate of NRIDs was higher during 2017–2019 (153/100 000) than during 2014–2016 (930/100 000) and during 2020–2022 (371/100 000), respectively (both P < 0.001). The CIU constantly increased with slight fluctuation in 2016 and 2018, respectively. The incidence rate of NRIDs showed an increase along with the CIU during 2014–2019 (r = 0.95, P = 0.004), while the incidence rate's tendency was interrupted by COVID-19 during 2020 with slight decrease in 2020–2021 and rebounded in 2022. For the patients aged <15 years, the incidence rate of NRIDs revealed a very sharp rise at the urbanization period without COVID-19 pandemic compared with that under pre-urbanization period (RR = 7.93, 95 % CI 7.63−8.24), and dropped off to the similar level as of pre-urbanization period when COVID-19 pandemic spread. ConclusionsUrbanization process may increase the incidence of NRIDs but constrained by COVID-19. Certain measures should be taken to prevent and control the effects by urbanization process, such as good natural environment with less population density, ecological environment with good air quality, promoted hand hygiene, mask wearing, keeping interpersonal distance, vaccination, media publicity for NRIDs’ prevention and control.

A Psychological Study of the Socialization of the Elderly with Their Families

As China's urbanization process accelerates, population mobility is accelerated, and the urban adaptability and old-age care of elderly migrants to cities cannot be avoided. The rapid development of urbanization has changed the population structure in urban and rural areas, which in turn affects the transformation of old-age care models. In order to explore the changes and dilemmas of old-age care for elderly migrants in the process of urbanization, taking "elderly migrants" as the research object, this study explores a series of psychological changes in the process of urban socialization for elderly migrants. The study summarizes the changes and difficulties faced by elderly migrants in their living, livelihood, and social interaction in the process of urbanization, mainly analyzes the specific problems existing at the psychological level, and further analyzes the self-identity of elderly migrants. It is reflected in various aspects such as family contribution, social interaction, cultural inheritance, economic independence, and self-realization. In order to better adapt to the changes in new environment and lifestyle, the study focuses on the needs and psychological changes of elderly migrants, and promotes the attention and research of relevant groups in society.

Analysis of Tourism Attraction Based on SPSS: A Case Study of Tangcun Village in Xi'an

Although China's urbanization process continues to advance, the vast majority of the post-80s and post-90s grew up in the traditional villages, and the traditional villages still have a natural attraction for them. Even if they become a new generation of city residents, due to the hustle and bustle of the city, urban residents yearn for a peaceful and leisurely pastoral life with the beauty of nature.The current academic research on traditional villages focuses on the development of rural tourism industry under the background of rural revitalization, and the high-quality development of rural tourism industry.With the change of consumption subjects and consumption structure, this paper takes China Tangcun Chinese Agricultural Park as an example to explore the influencing factors of Tangcun tourism attraction through questionnaire survey and interview method, in order to explore the influencing factors of traditional village tourism attraction in the experience economy era, and provide strategies for the development and optimization of traditional village tourism products.

The Driving effect of industrial upgrading on new-type urbanization in Zhejiang Province

The process of urbanization is supported by the economic foundation and accompanied by the upgrading of industrial structure. At present, the new-type urbanization of Zhejiang is in the stage of rapid development, and the upgrading of industrial structure is continuously and stably advanced and rational. Urban and rural development and urban construction are gradually moving towards a higher level. Therefore, it is of great significance to explore the driving effect of industrial upgrading on the new-type urbanization in Zhejiang Province for studying how to further promote the new-type urbanization process in China. Based on the analysis of industrial structure upgrading and urbanization in Zhejiang Province, this paper adopts the entropy weighting method to comprehensively evaluate the new-type urbanization level of each city in Zhejiang Province. Using panel data from 2009 to 2018, empirical analysis is made on the influencing factors of new-type urbanization level score of each city in Zhejiang Province. The influence of industrial structure upgrading index and other factors on the new-type urbanization level in Zhejiang province is obtained, which provides reference for Zhejiang and other regions to guide the industrial upgrading and improve the new-type urbanization development level.

Urban Shrinkage from the Perspective of Economic Resilience and Population Change: A Case Study of the Shanxi-Shaanxi-Inner Mongolia Region

With the increasing uncertainty of urban development, urban shrinkage in the rapid urbanization process in China has become increasingly serious. While many studies have explored urban shrinkage from the economic and population perspectives, they often ignore the essence of the phased evolution of economic and population factors. Thus, this study introduces the theory of economic resilience into the field of urban shrinkage and constructs a theoretical method for identifying urban shrinkage by integrating economic resilience and population change to reveal the evolutionary trajectory of regional urban growth and shrinkage. The results show that urban economic resilience and population change in the Shanxi-Shaanxi-Inner Mongolia region (SSIMR) exhibit strong volatility, highlighting the importance of conducting urban shrinkage studies within specific crisis disturbance scenarios. In the context of the “new normal of the economy”, the economic resilience of cities in the SSIMR has significantly declined, and the problem of economic recession is gradually intensifying. The population change trend of cities in the SSIMR is relatively stable, with population loss being a common problem in urban development in the area and its scope and intensity increasing daily. Urban development in the SSIMR is evolving from global growth to widespread shrinkage, with 56.67% of the cities experiencing relative shrinkage, showing a spatial pattern of “western growth–eastern shrinkage”. Factors such as the agglomeration effect, industrial structure, and policy system collectively shape the evolution of urban growth and shrinkage.

The Externality Impact of Urban Rail Transit on Urban Real Estate Prices in China

China has the largest and fastest growing urban rail transit system in the world. The system plays an important role in China's urbanization process, city governance and residents' daily commutes. The development of urban rail transit (URT) has influenced China's urban spatial structure and real estate supply, and has produced externalities on real estate value, including both positive and negative externalities. The research shows a positive correlation between URT and China’s real estate prices in general. The closer rail transit systems are, the greater the premium on real estate prices. In addition, the impact of rail transit on real estate prices shows a trend of first increasing and then decreasing. Different land use types and urban areas will also be affected. The research also found that the three stages of URT construction: planning, engineering construction and traffic operation have different effects on housing prices. At the same time, the impact of URT on land price will also change with China's economic situation and urbanization process. These influencing mechanisms above between URT and real estate prices may be linked to some factors. This research attempts to explain it by introducing urban spatial and land rent transformation, changes in real estate supply and demand, gentrification process, and different employment and housing pattern. This research points out the shortcomings and possible research directions of existing studies. In order to provide a reference for academic research and government policy making.

Research on the mechanism involved in urban social inclusiveness and resident entrepreneurship: Evidence from China

During the urbanization process in China, issues such as the widening wealth gap, class stratification, and social exclusion influenced residents' decisions to pursue entrepreneurship. Inclusiveness is an inevitable trend in new urbanization, and it is also a key factor in promoting residents' entrepreneurship and stimulating the potential for social innovation. Based on three key principles, “fairness, openness, and sharing, “ this paper assesses the relationship, and the internal mechanism driving the relationship, between urban social inclusiveness and resident entrepreneurship. This includes constructing an urban social inclusiveness index, and analyzing data from the 2018 China General Social Survey (CGSS). The key results indicate that urban social inclusiveness has a significant positive effect on resident entrepreneurship. The mechanism analysis shows that urban social inclusiveness can improve the probability of residents being entrepreneurial, by improving risk attitude, promoting class mobility, and expanding social networks. Heterogeneity analysis shows that urban social inclusiveness has a significant impact on the entrepreneurial of local residents, and low-class and high-class residents; urban social inclusiveness has no significant impact on the entrepreneurial choice of transient residents and middle-class residents. Besides, urban social inclusiveness plays a more significant role in promoting residents' choice of survival entrepreneurship, compared with opportunistic entrepreneurship.

Utilization of oyster shell nano-hydroxyapatite modified red-brick waste as an environmentally friendly composite filler for Cd(II) and Cr(VI) adsorption: Preparation, property and mechanism

The ongoing process of urbanization in China has led to a growing concern regarding environmental contamination caused by the significant accumulation of construction demolition trash. This study employs the water thermal method to synthesize hydroxyapatite using natural waste oyster shells as the primary raw material. This study explores the use of synthesized hydroxyapatite (O-HA) on building waste red-brick fragments (RBF) for removing cadmium (Cd(II)) and chromium (Cr(VI)) from water. The RBF fillers, both before and after modification, underwent comprehensive characterization using various techniques, including automated analysis of specific surface area and porosity (BET), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). In the sixth cycle of purification experiments, the average removal rate of Cd(II) by O-HA-modified red-bricks (O-HA/RBF) could still reach 88.18 %, which was about 20.00 % higher than that of the RBF. However, the removal of Cr(VI) by O-HA/RBF was unsatisfactory at 5.33 %. The adsorption mechanisms of Cd(II) and Cr(VI) were explored by isothermal adsorption tests and adsorption kinetic tests. According to the mechanism analysis, physical adsorption and chemical adsorption were the main reasons for Cd(II) adsorption by O-HA/RBF. This involves ion exchange and surface complexation between calcium ions in O-HA and Cd(II), forming a low-solubility precipitate for effective removal. However, for Cr(VI), physisorption predominantly governs O-HA/RBF, elucidating the limited efficacy in Cr(VI) removal. The cost analysis showed that using O-HA/RBF as filler reduced overall expenses in wetland development, offering promising prospects for engineering applications.

From Confrontation to Integration: Changes of the Urban-Rural Relationship in China's Rural Movies in Social Transformation

This paper delves into the evolving portrayal of the urban-rural dynamic in Chinese rural films over the past four decades, set against the backdrop of China's profound social transformation. Our primary focus is on how the narrative shifts within Chinese rural cinema have both mirrored and shaped the broader socio-cultural changes accompanying China's urbanization process, thereby influencing the identities of rural inhabitants. To facilitate this exploration, we conduct a comparative analysis of two pivotal films: "Life" (1984) and "Coffee or Tea" (2020). Throughout this study, we pinpoint significant narrative transitions that mark this evolution, such as the shift from individuals "leaving hometowns" to "returning home," providing insight into varying levels of social status among villagers. Additionally, we observe a transformation in character portrayals from "runaway" figures to "new farmers," reflecting changing rural perspectives towards their places of origin. Moreover, there is a notable shift in value orientations from an emphasis on "individual struggle" to a focus on "common prosperity," showcasing the countryside's capacity to integrate new technologies and ideologies. These narrative transformations signal a shift in the urban-rural relationship, progressing from a state of opposition and division to one of integration and reconciliation. Concurrently, the identities of rural inhabitants undergo a transformation, shifting from a self-centered focus to one centered around their hometowns. This study not only offers valuable insights into rural narrative texts within the context of modernity narratives but also provides an in-depth exploration of contemporary Chinese rural cinema as an art form.&#x0D; &#x0D; Received: 26 September 2023 / Accepted: 15 December 2023 / Published: 5 January 2024

How does economic agglomeration affect carbon emissions at the county level in Liaoning China?

China's regional economic development has become a regional agglomeration model. The implementation of urbanization strategies promotes spatial concentration and catalyzes economic agglomeration. Due to the heterogeneity of economic development at various spatial scales, economic agglomeration has different environmental externalities. Peak carbon and carbon neutrality make it vital to explore these externalities in China's urbanization process, especially at smaller scales. This study uses a long time series of macro data for 42 counties in Liaoning Province and constructs a dynamic spatial panel Dubin model to assess the impact of economic agglomeration on carbon emissions, showing that agglomeration and emissions exhibit an “inverted N-shaped” curve at the county level. There is a threshold of emission increases and reductions for economic agglomeration. When economic agglomeration exceeds a threshold, it shows a significant emission reduction effect. After further decomposition of spatial effects, economic agglomeration affects carbon emissions through two channels: the direct and the indirect effect with urbanization as a mediator. There are also spillover effects of economic agglomeration on carbon intensity, meaning that economic agglomeration impacts carbon emissions in the region and surrounding areas. The results provide a reference for development guidelines and emission reduction policies at the county level, emphasizing the need to balance the economy and the environment in county regional development.

Development Trends in Digital Highway Systems and Processes under Intelligent Technology

With the acceleration of China's urbanization process, the phenomenon of urban road traffic congestion is becoming increasingly serious, and the problem of road bottlenecks is becoming increasingly prominent. The operational efficiency of urban roads has encountered challenges. The rapid development of intelligent technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and the Internet of Things has provided more possibilities and opportunities for the research of digital highways. These technologies can be applied to traffic flow monitoring, road condition prediction, intelligent traffic management, and other aspects to improve highway traffic efficiency and service quality. This article designs a digital highway system based on intelligent technology to alleviate traffic congestion and other issues. Firstly, traffic information is collected and tested through channels such as circular coil detectors and cameras. This article would integrate and store the collected data into the Redis database; Then, the data is analyzed, processed, and predicted using the Kalman filtering algorithm. It then sends the predicted information to the client, providing convenience for users to choose the best route. This article tests the performance of the system through experiments. The experiment shows that the system can make correct analysis and prediction even in high pedestrian traffic, find the fastest driving route, and effectively resist the impact of fluctuations in pedestrian traffic. In addition, the system has achieved good results in accuracy testing of analysis and prediction. In summary, the digital highway system based on intelligent technology is expected to improve traffic efficiency, enhance traffic safety, achieve intelligent travel services, promote sustainable transportation development, and also bring broad prospects for commercial innovation and market opportunities. With the continuous progress and application of intelligent technology, digital highway systems would become an important tool for future road traffic to respond to challenges and improve service quality.

Sustainable Community Transformation and Planning Based on Community Layout and Low Impact Development Concept

The Sustainable Cities and Communities emphasized in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are cities and residential communities that prioritize inclusivity, safety, and resilience against disaster risks. China's urbanization process has embarked on a trajectory of rapid development, characterized by substantial advancements in urban construction and continuous enhancements to the urban landscape and environment. Confronted with an immense urban population scale, the sustainable transformation of traditional communities has emerged as the primary focus for establishing resilient communities. This paper compares the disparities between communities established by the traditional community model and sustainable community concept, scrutinizes the limitations of traditional community models, and proposes strategies for the sustainable transformation of traditional communities through adopting low impact development concepts in rainwater management. For the "block" layout, this paper proposes enhancing the connectivity of green spaces and promoting diversity. For the "central" layout, it is recommended to optimize access roads, including pedestrian and vehicle routes, by integrating green spaces. In the case of an "intensive" layout, emphasis should be placed on improving resource utilization efficiency through multi-functional approaches. For the planning of new sustainable communities, this paper puts forward suggestions from the micro and macro planning levels.

Surface settlement law of double-hole pipe-jacking tunnel undercrossing expressway

With the rapid urbanization process in China, there has been a significant development of urban underground spaces. The pipe-jacking method has gained popularity in various projects due to its advantages such as short construction period, adaptability to different soil conditions, and minimal excavation disturbance. This study focuses on a tunnel project involving double-hole rectangular pipe-jacking under an expressway. Utilizing FLAC software, a three-dimensional numerical model was created to analyze the impact of double-hole pipe-jacking construction on surface settlement and deformation of the expressway. The simulation results were validated by comparing them with field monitoring data. The study also investigated the impact of different construction parameters, such as excavation sequence and the angle of underpassing the expressway, on surface settlement. Additionally, the surface settlement curve at the slope bottom of the expressway exhibits asymmetric distribution and an offset center in the settlement trough. It is recommended to carry out the construction of double-hole pipe-jacking in the sequence of "big first and then small". Furthermore, when the included angle between the expressway and the jacking axis is 90°, the impact on surface settlement is minimized. This research provides valuable insights for the construction of double-hole pipe-jacking underpass structures in tunnel engineering.

Research on the wind environment in an enclosed courtyard: Effect of the opening position, size and wind angle

With the urbanization process in China, outdoor thermal environments are drawing increasing attention, of which comfortable pedestrian height wind environments are crucial for urban outdoor spaces. Few studies have been conducted on the comfort wind zone ratio (CWZR)11Abbreviations: CFD, computational fluid dynamics; CWZR, comfort wind zone ratio; MWSR, mean wind speed ratio; SWZR, static wind zone ratio. models for openings in enclosed courtyards. We quantitatively analyzed the effects of different opening positions, sizes, and wind angles on the wind environment of campus enclosed courtyards via computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, and CWZR models were established for different opening sizes and wind angles. The results are as follows: (1) The opening position, opening size and wind angle significantly affected the outdoor wind environment. (2) Under the dominant wind direction in summer, the cross-opening position better improved the courtyard wind environment than the symmetrical opening. The courtyard CWZR significantly increased with increasing inlet opening size and increased with decreasing outlet opening size. (3) A wind angle from 2° to 47° is the recommended angle for typical courtyard opening types, and the maximum courtyard CWZR occurred at a wind angle of 10°. The study results could guide courtyard building design and courtyard wind environment optimization and enrich the theoretical study of outdoor wind environments.

The ivory tower in China’s speculative urbanism: instrumentalizing the university-healthcare nexus

ABSTRACT This research investigates how the public university engages in China's speculative urbanism by establishing and operationalizing the university-healthcare nexus through both real estate and healthcare businesses. Drawing on open company data and expert interviews, the organizational structure of public and private actors in the university-healthcare nexus of the Peking University Healthcare City was unfold as a case study. Findings reveal that the university-healthcare nexus was established by Peking University and its subsidiary private companies. The nexus enables speculative urban development by aligning stakeholders' interests, branding healthcare businesses, and camouflaging profit-driven real estate development. This research thus brings an alternative perspective to understanding the relationship between public and private institutions and the critical role of universities in China's urbanization process. Since the research is based on an individual case study, future comparative studies could help test the scalability of the implications.