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China's Urban Speed Machine: The Politics of Speed and Time in a Period of Rapid Urban Growth

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  • Shiuh‐shen Chien
  • Max D. Woodworth

Abstract

China's urban transformation since 1978 is notable for both its scale and speed. Focusing on the dimension of speed, we propose the concept of the ‘urban speed machine’ to assess its role in shaping the politics and political economy of Chinese urbanization. We argue that in China speed must not be understood merely by means of measurable outcomes of change, but rather that speed is an essential and vital element embedded within China's specific processes and mechanisms driving urban growth. In this sense, speed is constantly at the forefront of local cadres’ considerations, since moving fast to achieve urban growth is an expression of political imperatives and pervasive city‐based accumulation strategies. The Chinese urban speed machine, as we conceive it, mainly involves three state‐dominated institutional arenas: the Communist party's personnel review system, the planning mechanism and local finance. We also discuss regional variability vis‐à‐vis the nature of speed in urbanization and in the differing responses to problems of fast‐city growth in recent years. This article's core contributions are to clarify the paramount importance of speed in the political economy of urban growth and illuminate a relational understanding of the politics of speed in China's urban change.

Suggested Citation

  • Shiuh‐shen Chien & Max D. Woodworth, 2018. "China's Urban Speed Machine: The Politics of Speed and Time in a Period of Rapid Urban Growth," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 42(4), pages 723-737, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:bla:ijurrs:v:42:y:2018:i:4:p:723-737
    DOI: 10.1111/1468-2427.12610
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    Cited by:

    1. Honghuan Gu & John R. Logan & Ruijun Wu, 2021. "Remaking Shanghai: New Divisions in an Expanding Metropolis," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(1), pages 80-98, January.
    2. Yafei Liu, 2022. "Space Reproduction in Urban China: Toward a Theoretical Framework of Urban Regeneration," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-22, September.
    3. Yunpeng Zhang, 2022. "Feature town development for inclusive urban development? The case of the Jadeware Feature Town in Yangzhou, China," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 22(1), pages 72-89, January.
    4. Shin, Hyun Bang & Zhao, Yimin & Koh, Sin Yee, 2022. "The urbanising dynamics of global China: speculation, articulation, and translation in global capitalism," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 117180, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    5. Dean Curran & Alan Smart, 2021. "Data-driven governance, smart urbanism and risk-class inequalities: Security and social credit in China," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 58(3), pages 487-506, February.
    6. George C S Lin, 2021. "Drawing up the missing link: State-society relations and the remaking of urban landscapes in Chinese cities," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 53(5), pages 917-936, August.
    7. Junxi Qian & Ning An, 2021. "URBAN THEORY BETWEEN POLITICAL ECONOMY AND EVERYDAY URBANISM: Desiring Machine and Power in a Saga of Urbanization," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 45(4), pages 679-695, July.
    8. Yunpeng Zhang, 2022. "TEMPORAL POLITICS AND INJUSTICE IN MEGA URBANIZATION: Lessons from Yangzhou, China," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 46(4), pages 558-575, July.
    9. Chris Hamnett, 2020. "Is Chinese urbanisation unique?," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 57(3), pages 690-700, February.
    10. Shaun S.K. Teo, 2023. "SOCIALLY ENGAGED MUNICIPAL STATECRAFT IN URBAN CHINA? The Shenzhen Biennale as Situated Planning Experiment," International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 47(4), pages 581-600, July.
    11. Shan Liu & Mingxia Yang & Yuling Mou & Yanrong Meng & Xiaolu Zhou & Changhui Peng, 2020. "Effect of Urbanization on Ecosystem Service Values in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Urban Agglomeration of China from 2000 to 2014," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(24), pages 1-15, December.
    12. 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.

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