Periodic Reporting for period 3 - CoChina (Collaborative Planning in China: Authoritarian Institutions, New Media, Power Relations, and Public Spheres)
Reporting period: 2024-02-01 to 2025-07-31
Collaborative planning has become an effective means to address conflicts of interest in urban renewal and environmental management in China. Social media and digital platforms provide new opportunities for citizens to express their voices, and they are also used by the government as participatory tools. However, the egalitarian principles that ground collaborative planning theory call into question its validity in China. This theory was initiated in democratic contexts, so it is important to understand its origin and the experiences of adapting it to Chinese contexts. Hence, this ERC Starting Grant Project (acronym: CoChina) examines the practices of collaborative planning in China and identifies the challenges to collaborative planning theory. It not only leads to a new understanding of collaborative planning in China, but also makes a reflection on the collaborative planning theory and improves the theory. Besides, it provides valuable insights for policymakers and planning practitioners worldwide about the use of new digital technologies (e.g. social media and planning support systems) in collaborative practices for inclusive and sustainable development.
During the period February 2021 - September 2023, the team members of the project have performed their tasks in the five work packages (WP1-WP5). Two Ph.D. candidates conducted a literature review and fieldwork in several Chinese cities. They collected empirical data to understand institutions (WP1) and power relations (WP2) in collaborative planning in China. One of them also collected and analyzed social media data to examine the influence of social networking sites on power relations (WP2). The postdoctoral researcher (PD) conducted a literature review, interviews with stakeholders, and a survey to understand citizen participation in collaborative planning. The principal investigator (PI) coordinated the project and supervised the Ph.D. candidates and the PD. She developed a new theoretical understanding of collaborative planning.
The team members disseminated the project results to academic communities and potential users (WP5). First, the PI published two articles in Cities and Planning Theory, which are leading scientific international journals. She also published two articles in the Project Repository Journal, the European dissemination media agency’s flagship open access publication dedicated to showcasing funded science and research throughout Europe. Besides, the team members submitted six manuscripts to international journals, which are currently under review. Second, the team members gave nine presentations at international conferences (e.g. AESOP, CUPUM, and Fábos Conference) to disseminate the results of the project. Two papers were also respectively published in the proceedings of the Fábos Conference and CUPUM. Third, the PI and the team members are now editing and writing a book on the project. Fourth, a project website was established to disseminate the research results. Finally, the PI organized a kick-off workshop with partners to discuss the preliminary results and facilitate knowledge exchange.
The team members disseminated the project results to academic communities and potential users (WP5). First, the PI published two articles in Cities and Planning Theory, which are leading scientific international journals. She also published two articles in the Project Repository Journal, the European dissemination media agency’s flagship open access publication dedicated to showcasing funded science and research throughout Europe. Besides, the team members submitted six manuscripts to international journals, which are currently under review. Second, the team members gave nine presentations at international conferences (e.g. AESOP, CUPUM, and Fábos Conference) to disseminate the results of the project. Two papers were also respectively published in the proceedings of the Fábos Conference and CUPUM. Third, the PI and the team members are now editing and writing a book on the project. Fourth, a project website was established to disseminate the research results. Finally, the PI organized a kick-off workshop with partners to discuss the preliminary results and facilitate knowledge exchange.
This project theoretically conceptualizes Chinese collaborative planning, and expands the horizon of collaborative planning theory that is currently limited to democratic contexts. The results challenge the collaborative planning theory, and lead to a reflection on both the communicative and agonistic approaches to collaborative planning. It also develops new insights on the support functions of social media and other digital tools as well as their challenges for collaborative planning. Besides, it applies recent theorizing and approaches in the fields of media studies, network science, and political science to urban planning. It employs an innovative mixed methods approach combining fieldwork, critical discourse analysis, data mining, computer-assisted content analysis, and social network analysis to research collaborative practices. It also develops new methodological approaches for collecting and using social media data in the research of planning, governance, environmental science, and other domains.