Can state-led urban regeneration occur without gentrification?

Abstract

In the ongoing wave of globalization and neoliberalism, urban regeneration is increasingly linked to gentrification. Previous studies have emphasized the growing importance of the state's role in regeneration and its effect on gentrification. However, empirical research on how different types of state and market involvement in urban regeneration relate to gentrification remains limited. This study investigates the association between urban regeneration and gentrification in Shanghai by utilizing housing transaction and building rooftop data. A key novelty of this study is to consider three involvement types of regeneration actors. The state-led regeneration in China gradually encompasses multiple goals, moving beyond a purely government-sponsored development model. It was surprising to find that urban regeneration with solely government involvement was not necessarily accompanied by gentrification, whereas regeneration driven solely by the market or by multi-actor (i.e., government and market) promoted gentrification. These findings confirmed that China's urban development model has evolved to a phase of refined governance, where gentrification can be mitigated by increasing government involvement in urban regeneration.