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The Political Economy of Urban Ruins: Redeveloping Shanghai

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  • Xuefei Ren

Abstract

This essay analyzes the political economy of the urban ruins captured in Greg Girard's photo album Phantom Shanghai. Rather than being marginal, irrelevant or merely objects for nostalgia, the ruins of buildings produced by real estate speculation offer crucial insights into the workings of the urban political economy and reflect wider trends of urban governance. Examining how building ruins come about in the first place and how they are represented in visual media can help us better understand the processes of urbanization and place making, and the central role of destruction in contemporary Chinese urbanism. This essay illustrates this point by analyzing the economic function, political legitimation and cultural significance of demolitions and ruins in urban China.

Suggested Citation

  • Xuefei Ren, 2014. "The Political Economy of Urban Ruins: Redeveloping Shanghai," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(3), pages 1081-1091, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ijurrs:v:38:y:2014:i:3:p:1081-1091
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    File URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10.1111/1468-2427.12119
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mi Shih, 2010. "The Evolving Law of Disputed Relocation: Constructing Inner‐City Renewal Practices in Shanghai, 1990–2005," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 34(2), pages 350-364, June.
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    Cited by:

    1. Ioan Sebastian Jucu & Sorina Voiculescu, 2020. "Abandoned Places and Urban Marginalized Sites in Lugoj Municipality, Three Decades after Romania’s State-Socialist Collapse," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-26, September.
    2. Min Wang & Shuqi Yang & Huajie Gao & Kahaer Abudu, 2021. "The Characteristics, Influencing Factors, and Push-Pull Mechanism of Shrinking Counties: A Case Study of Shandong Province, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-22, February.
    3. Xiaohua Zhong & Ho Hon Leung, 2019. "Exploring Participatory Microregeneration as Sustainable Renewal of Built Heritage Community: Two Case Studies in Shanghai," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-15, March.
    4. Judith Audin, 2022. "BETWEEN CHAI AND QIAN: How Unfinishedness and Ruination Have Reshaped Urbanity in China's ‘Coal Capital’ after the Construction Boom," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(6), pages 998-1015, November.
    5. Martin J. Murray, 2021. "Ruination and Rejuvenation: Rethinking Growth and Decline through an Inverted Telescope," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(2), pages 348-362, March.
    6. Daryl Martin, 2014. "Introduction: Towards a Political Understanding of New Ruins," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 38(3), pages 1037-1046, May.

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