Doctoral Dissertation Research: Rapid Urbanization and New Town Development

这个项目调查了人类历史上最深刻的变化之一——世界范围内的城市化浪潮。根据2007年联合国的一份报告，2006年世界城市化程度超过农村，城市人口多于农村人口。联合国最近的一份报告估计，到2050年，世界城市人口将增加72%，从2011年的36亿增加到2050年的63亿。这种前所未有的全球城市化在三个方面意义深远。首先，这种城市革命标志着地方和国家政治经济的深刻重组。它需要大量人口和生产流离失所，粉碎现有的社会和经济网络，并逐步形成新的治理计划。其次，城市的快速发展依赖于资源的大量消耗，并产生了越来越多的污染。因此，它对人类社会的可持续性构成严重威胁。第三，如果没有同样快速的市场全球化，就不会出现如此快速的城市化。现在城市之间的联系更加紧密。然而，全球的城市化高度不平衡。中国，随着其惊人的经济增长，现在是世界上城市化最快的地区和世界上最大的建筑工地。中国城市如何促进全球城市化，并在此过程中塑造全球资本、资源和思想的流动？此外，中国的城市化大多发生在新建城镇。在这个过程中，数百万农民流离失所，投入了大量资源。然而，许多新城镇仍然是“鬼城”或“沉睡的城镇”，白天很少有人居住和工作。这些新的（鬼城）是如何形成的？我们应该如何理解中国城市的快速发展？本研究以中国东部南京市河西新城为研究案例，考察了不同的力量（国内与国外、社会与物质）如何相互合作或相互冲突，并共同塑造了这些新城。它采用了广泛的档案研究、半结构化访谈和参与式观察。从理论上讲，本研究将整合批判城市理论的三个分支——城市政治经济学、城市政治生态学和普通城市主义。该项目不仅将提供对中国城市化更细致和全面的理解，还将在西方城市理论和中国经验之间建立对话。研究结果将在西方和中国的学术和媒体上发布。它将帮助当地居民更好地了解影响他们生活的力量，特别是那些利益受到发展影响的民间团体。此外，这项研究将帮助中国以外的普通观察者，包括美国的观察者，更好地评估中国巨大的城市变化，这些变化影响着他们遥远的生活。最后，作为博士论文研究进步奖，该项目将为有前途的学生提供必要的支持，以丰富她的论文，完成她的博士学位，并为她未来的研究生涯奠定坚实的基础。

This project investigates one of the most profound changes in human history - the world-wide surge of urbanization. According to a 2007 UN report, the world became more urban than rural in 2006, with more people living in cities than in the countryside. A more recent UN report estimates that the world urban population will increase by 72 percent by 2050, from 3.6 billion in 2011to 6.3 billion in 2050. This unprecedented global urbanization is profound in three ways. First, such an urban revolution signifies the deep reorganization of local and national politics and economy. It entails massive displacement of people and production, the shattering of existing social and economic networks, and the gradual formation of new governance schemes. Second, the rapid growth of cities relies on vociferous consumption of resources and produces increasing pollution. It, as a result, poses serious threats to the sustainability of human society. Third, such rapid urbanization would not have happened without equally fast globalization of the market. Cities now are much more inter-connected. Yet urbanization is highly uneven across the globe. China, with its spectacular economic rise, is now the fastest urbanizing region and the world's largest construction site. How do Chinese cities contribute to global urbanization and in so doing shape the global movements of capital, resources and ideas? Moreover, most of China's urbanization occurs in the newly created towns. In the process, millions of farmers are displaced and an immense amount of resources is invested. However, many of the new towns remain 'ghost towns' or 'sleeping towns', where few people live and work during the day. How do these new (ghost) towns come into being? How should we understand China's rapid urban growth? Using the Hexi New Town in Nanjing in eastern China as a case study site, the research examines how different forces (domestic and foreign, social and material) collaborate or come into conflict with each other and collectively shape these new towns. It employs extensive archival research, semi-structured interviews, and participant observation. Theoretically, the research will integrate three strands of critical urban theory - urban political economy, urban political ecology, and ordinary urbanism. This project will not only provide a more nuanced and comprehensive understanding of China's urbanization but also will create a dialogue between Western urban theory and the Chinese experience. The results of the research will be distributed in both academic and media venues in the West as well as in China. It will help local residents better understand the forces affecting their lives, especially civil groups whose interests are impacted by development. Moreover, the research will help ordinary observers outside of China, including those in the US, better assess the dramatic urban changes in China that influence their own lives from afar. Last, as a Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement award, this project will provide the necessary support for a promising student to enrich her dissertation, complete her PhD Degree, and provide a solid foundation for her future research career.