The Process of Urban Renewal In China Based On Henri Lefebvre’s Theories, The Case of Urban Village, Nantou City’s Spatial Production

After the transformation of the economic structure, China embarked on the road of urbanization. Large areas of the old city were demolished and replaced by residential buildings and commercial streets. In the process of urban renewal, urban villages have always been regarded as an indelible part of the city .Negative space has many problems such as high building density, backward infrastructure, and poor sanitary conditions. But it is also a unique existence in urban transformation, which is reflected in directly displaying the contradiction between urban and rural duality. The original urban village was replaced by a middle-class community, and the rising land and housing prices could no longer allow the original residents to return to their previous living places. The original community has disappeared, but it cannot be integrated into the community of the bourgeoisie in modern society. The demands of the residents are difficult to be truly resolved and implemented, and many existing problems reflect the existence of structural problems in society This thesis tries to focus on the issues on the urban villages under the process of urban renewal in China combining perspective on Henri Lefebvre’s theories. It will start with the introduction of urban renewal in China and urban villages which is a unique form of existence under urbanization in China. And through realistic cases, We can understand the distribution of power in the management and operation of urban village regeneration and the existing problems. And by employing the theory of the production of space, the thesis will be able to discover this problem in a new dimension. We will first discuss the formation of the concept of urban renewal, its historical development in the Western world, as well as the entire process of urban renewal in China. This includes understanding the current operational mechanisms, which encompass the formulation of relevant policies, the power relationships, and how various stakeholders exert their influence. Additionally, we will conduct research on practical case studies of different types of urban renewal based on land attributes. Subsequently, we will delve further into a distinctive type of urban renewal in China, known as 'urban villages,' using the case of Shenzhen's urban villages as an example. We will explore the historical origins and economic background of urban villages, along with the development of policies related to them. Our focus will be on studying the transformation process of urban villages within the urban renewal context. Specific case studies of urban villages will be examined to summarize their impact on urbanization and the various issues they present. Moving forward, we will introduce Henri Lefebvre's theory of spatial production. We will begin by providing the background and content of this theory, particularly its relevance to the production of urban space. Building on the previously introduced case of Shenzhen's urban villages, we will analyze their spatial production model from a fresh perspective. This involves examining the role of power-related entities in the creation of urban villages' spatial production within the context of their transformation, where the reshaping of urban village spaces interconnects with the transformation of social spaces. Through this analysis, we aim to shed light on the existing issues in contemporary urban renewal.