- The Plan-led Urban Form: A Case Study of Shenzhen    click here to open paper content640 kb
by    Huang, Luxin & Xie, Yongqing | bingxixie@163.com   click here to send an email to the auther(s) of this paper
Short Outline
The study is to trace the evolution of Shenzhen's urban form led by planning. Through analysis of the plans and maps, the facilitating and coordinating role of planning is determined. Flexibility in the plans is the key to the success of Shenzhen.
Abstract
Since the establishment of the special economic zone, Shenzhen has grown from a small town with only twenty thousand people into a large city with a total population of over ten million during the past three decades. This growth is deemed a global miracle. The dramatic growth and rapid urbanization are mainly the result of national strategy and the aspirations of the local government. The local urban master plans designate urban development patterns according to the development stages of Shenzhen. These plans have to coordinate with relevant stakeholders because of the separation of land rights. This is a dynamic process and the spatial strategy of Shenzhen is modified in each version of the plan. The objective of this study is to trace the evolution of the urban form of Shenzhen under the urban planning framework and assess the implementation of each version of the master plan. Based on analysis of the plan and associated maps, this paper will identify the major spatial development issues in these plans and determine how to facilitate urban development through urban planning. This paper will also examine the rationality and operation results of these plans. This paper considers that, during different periods, these plans have taken spatial strategies from extensive growth to urban infill. Timely and flexible adjustment is the common feature in several versions of the plan and it has been key to the success of urban development in Shenzhen. Further, planners are responsible for coordinating stakeholder benefits. However, deficiencies in these plans also contribute to uncontrollable urban sprawl.
Keywords
urban form, urban planning, plan-led, Shenzhen
Case Study presented on the ISOCARP Congress 2012: Fast Forward: Planning in a (hyper) dynamic urban context
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