Speaker
Description
China’s accelerated urbanization and the elevation of Yangtze River Delta integration to a national-level strategy have dramatically spurred development in cross-boundary peripheral areas at both provincial and municipal scales. However, this study finds that these peripheral metropolitan regions face “hollowing out” risks, evidenced by widespread housing vacancies, frequent delays or abandonment of residential projects, and underutilized industrial spaces. By analyzing the manifestations of this “hollowing out”—including insufficient residential occupancy, frequent construction delays or project abandonment, and a large stock of unutilized or underutilized industrial space—the research identifies several underlying causes.
Drawing on questionnaire surveys and on-site interviews, the findings indicate that: (1) residential suburbanization leads to overdevelopment in real estate (e.g., developers’ “land grabbing” results in an oversupply of housing, many purchased units remain unoccupied, and market conditions reduce buyers’ willingness to purchase), (2) population reflows across administrative boundaries and aging demographics exacerbate the hollowing out (cross-boundary commuters returning to central cities, increasing numbers of migrant workers heading back to their hometowns, and a growing elderly population), and (3) sluggish industrial development, arising from barriers to industrial relocation and insufficient local industrial vitality, creates extensive vacancies in factories and supporting facilities. In response, this study proposes governance strategies focused on establishing a coordinated multi-level risk mitigation mechanism, innovating real estate development models to revitalize existing housing stock, and exploring effective approaches to industrial space reuse and cross-boundary collaboration. These measures collectively aim to address the root causes of hollowing out and foster sustainable, stable development in peripheral metropolitan areas.
| Keywords | Governance; peripheral metropolitan regions |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | Yes |
