Examining collaborative planning processes and outcomes in urban regeneration: a deliberative turn in China?

Collaborative planning practices have recently emerged in China to deal with the complexity and conflicts of interest in urban regeneration. Building on the concept of authoritarian deliberation, this study develops a conceptual framework to examine the reasons for initiating collaborative planning, and its processes and outcomes. Through the case study of Guangzhou’s Enning Road micro-regeneration project, this research deepens understanding of collaborative planning in an authoritarian context. It reveals that deliberative methods were used by the local government to mitigate conflicts and improve governance performance in urban regeneration. While deliberations in an authoritarian context met many process criteria of collaborative planning, the collaborative processes had limited influence on planning outcomes. In addition, this study marks the increased level of participation in Chinese urban regeneration and discusses the limitation of deliberative practices in an authoritarian context. Lastly, this study reflects on the adoption of collaborative planning approaches as a state strategy to balance various interests and reinforce its dominance in market-driven urban regeneration, ultimately to achieve goals beyond economic benefits.