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From socialist danwei to new danwei: a daily-life-based framework for sustainable development in urban China

From socialist danwei to new danwei: a daily-life-based framework for sustainable development in... The danwei (or work unit) compound was the basic spatial and social unit of urban China in the pre-reform period, and its transformation has been an important part of the larger transitions that have remade urban China during the reform era. This paper investigates spatial and social changes in urban China over three stages; namely, the formation of the socialist danwei system, the decline of the socialist danwei and the formation of a new kind of danwei. I argue that the socialist danwei included positive elements like mixed land use, job-housing balance and social equality, while the decline of the socialist danwei system has resulted in many negative outcomes such as spatial mismatch and social segregation. In proposing a framework for new danwei, I suggest that urban life should be structured around residents' daily activity spaces based on their daily-life-circle systems. The concept of the new danwei offers a practical solution through combining a human-focused approach with consideration of China's contemporary economic and social reality. The paper concludes with a discussion on possible avenues for future research. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Asian Geographer Taylor & Francis

From socialist danwei to new danwei: a daily-life-based framework for sustainable development in urban China

Chai, Yanwei
Asian Geographer , Volume 31 (2): 8 – Jul 3, 2014
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8 pages

From socialist danwei to new danwei: a daily-life-based framework for sustainable development in urban China

Abstract

The danwei (or work unit) compound was the basic spatial and social unit of urban China in the pre-reform period, and its transformation has been an important part of the larger transitions that have remade urban China during the reform era. This paper investigates spatial and social changes in urban China over three stages; namely, the formation of the socialist danwei system, the decline of the socialist danwei and the formation of a new kind of danwei. I argue that the socialist danwei...
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Publisher
Taylor & Francis
Copyright
© 2014 Hong Kong Geographical Association
ISSN
2158-1762
eISSN
1022-5706
DOI
10.1080/10225706.2014.942948
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The danwei (or work unit) compound was the basic spatial and social unit of urban China in the pre-reform period, and its transformation has been an important part of the larger transitions that have remade urban China during the reform era. This paper investigates spatial and social changes in urban China over three stages; namely, the formation of the socialist danwei system, the decline of the socialist danwei and the formation of a new kind of danwei. I argue that the socialist danwei included positive elements like mixed land use, job-housing balance and social equality, while the decline of the socialist danwei system has resulted in many negative outcomes such as spatial mismatch and social segregation. In proposing a framework for new danwei, I suggest that urban life should be structured around residents' daily activity spaces based on their daily-life-circle systems. The concept of the new danwei offers a practical solution through combining a human-focused approach with consideration of China's contemporary economic and social reality. The paper concludes with a discussion on possible avenues for future research.

Journal

Asian Geographer – Taylor & Francis

Published: Jul 3, 2014

Keywords: urban transition; danwei system; new danwei; sustainable development; daily-life circle; urban China

References

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