formulatingforeignenclaveinshanghaistateactionin.docVIP

Formulating Foreign Enclave in Shanghai: State Action in Globalization Jun WANG Department of Architecture, University of Hong Kong Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong Tel: +852 6121 4132 Fax: +852 2241 5973 Email: jwang@arch.hku.hk Abstract The industry of real estate has been serving as one of pillar industry sectors in the speedy urbanizing Chinese cities. The development of properties occurs in the contact of a global reorganization of industry and labor. Globalization of housing stocks is one of the key dimensions bearing witness to such interaction. Its bourgeoning, formulation and the latter development, all will be shaped due to the broader social, economic, and cultural context, respective interests of actors and their varying power and control in the spectrum of geographic scales. In Chinese cities, the burgeoning literature suggests an active role of local forces in many disciplines. One of the primary places bearing such interaction is foreign enclave, the emerging residence for foreigners (including ethnic foreigners and ethnic Chinese from overseas) in many large Chinese cities. However, a systematic examination of the local authorities’ role in the formulation of foreign enclaves is less touched upon. This article is situated in such a concern that how the local authorities conceive the benefit behind the development of foreign enclaves and then how they design and implement corresponding strategies. Using the case of Gubei New District, the first and largest cluster of foreign housing projects in Shanghai, the article argues that, developing foreign enclaves is central to the local governments’ pursuit of economic efficiency. An examination of this process may help to shed some light on the local authorities’ dynamic activities behind the globalization of housing market in Chinese cities, with shifting strategies corresponding to the varying interests perceived. Keywords: Globalization, foreign enclave, local authority, intruding elite group, Shang