Urban village regeneration and migrant preference for relocation schemes: Evidence from Shenzhen, China

Caixia Liu1 , Ulf Liebe, Shuyi Feng, Eveline van Leeuwen, Francesco Cecchi

Due to rapid urbanization and economic development in China, cities have experienced a massive influx of migrants from other parts of China since the late 20th century, leading to the emergence of urban villages characterized by informal settlement of diverse populations, substandard living conditions, inadequate infrastructure and essential services. Urban villages have become focal points for regeneration efforts aimed at achieving sustainable urban growth and improving living conditions. However, migrants have little to say in the decision-making of urban village regeneration about whether, when and how to move, thus raising concerns about social equity and justice. We use the discrete choice experiment method to assess migrants’ preferences for different relocation policy measures that differ according to five attributes. A survey was implemented in urban villages of Shenzhen involving 1008 migrants. The mixed logit model reveals that notice period of eviction, compensation, school rights, and rent increase after renovation are significant factors of preference over alternative relocation policy designs; heterogeneity is observed in migrants’ preferences for relocation policies, migrants’ choices of relocation policy options are significantly influenced by their  household composition, education, occupation and hukou status. Migrants show the highest preferences for school rights remaining, followed by compensation and notice period of eviction. This paper provides an understanding of urban regeneration from the perspective of migrant preferences, which enriches existing studies on urban sustainability, social justice, and ex-ante policy evaluation.

Event: World Bank Land Conference 2024 - Washington

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Document type:Urban village regeneration and migrant preference for relocation schemes: Evidence from Shenzhen, China (939 kB - pdf)