2017 International Conference on China Urban Development

Description

In many of the world’s largest seaport cities, the waterfront transformation schemes initiated before the turn of the century are still unfinished. While these projects move forward, a new trend in developing waterfronts seems to have emerged. Old port structures and port-industrial terrains have become search-areas for new and sometimes highly modern types of business and manufacturing. Creative industries take residency in old warehouses and shipyards, and research and development facilities choose to locate themselves in the cheaper, rougher, often easier-to-adapt seaport structures. Still relatively close to the inner city, these waterfronts are exciting new frontiers of ‘hybrid urbanism’ in which new economies and lifestyles mix with conventional port business, industries, and trade. By extension, it has recently been argued that, since the 1960s, there has been little to no waterfront redevelopment research in mainland China even though many Chinese cities have seen considerable waterfront change. It is therefore both interesting and relevant to mirror the—mostly Western—academic insights on this topic against the features of waterfront development in contemporary mainland China, most notably in Shanghai. What do ‘next generation waterfronts’ have to offer? And can they also be found in Shanghai? How does the state, market and society perceive the future of waterfront and what roles do they play in defining the future of Shanghai’s waterfronts?

Period	4 May 2017 → 6 May 2017
Event title	2017 International Conference on China Urban Development
Event type	Conference
Location	London, United Kingdom
Degree of Recognition	International