Reinventing the Chinese City: Urban Regeneration and Governance in Transition delves into the intricate relationships between space and society within the context of China's rescaled urban regeneration. It seeks to uncover and critically examine pivotal aspects of these dynamics. Through a comprehensive, cross-sectoral, and multi-scalar approach, the book advances an understanding of socioeconomic differentiations, multifaceted relations, institutional systems, administrative structures, and lived experiences tied to urban regeneration.

This study offers a compelling exploration of the social and economic innovations driving urban regeneration in China's evolving political and policy landscape. It examines the transformative changes reshaping society, culture, economy, and space, highlighting how these dynamics differ from earlier redevelopment strategies in terms of spatial patterns, economic impacts, and societal consequences. As social and economic conditions shift, the book delves into the complexities of socio-spatial relations, uncovering emerging challenges, conflicts, and priorities, while also shedding light on the growing influence of entrepreneurialism and the state's expanding role in urban governance.

This book is an essential resource for scholars in urban studies, geography, planning, and development studies, particularly those interested in China's urbanization, heritage, conservation, and environmental challenges. Graduate students and planning practitioners will also find it invaluable for understanding the complexities of urban development and governance in China.

Zhu Qian is Associate Professor in the School of Planning, University of Waterloo, Canada. His primary research interests lie in urban land-use reform, urbanization and resettlement, planning in urban-rural interface, and urban regeneration in Chinese cities. He has published widely on these topics, including the recent books Property Rights and Urban Transformation in China (Edward Elgar, 2022) and When Formalization Fails: The Credibility of Informality in China's Resettlement Communities (with Chen Yang, Cambridge University Press, 2026).