Housing in Urban China: Policies, Practices and Comparative Approaches – Workshop

The two-days workshop “Housing in Urban China: Policies, Practices and Comparative Approaches” proposes to approach some of the issues facing Chinese society through housing policies and practices.

Indeed, housing has become a crucial issue in China since the late 1990s, as the socialist market economy has seen the emergence of homeowners as a new social class. The housing industry is now a major factor of economic growth for the country, but also of physical changes as it reshapes urban landscapes and threatens heritage. Yet, some problems have arisen: gentrification leads to urban polarization, migrant workers cannot find decent affordable housing and the younger generations struggle to buy property due to rising real estate prices.

Some of these issues will be tackled a comparative perspective on June 13th and 14th during the workshop organized by the Sciences Po Centre for European Studies and Comparative Politics (CEE), Center for International Studies (CERI) and the Urban School. Each thematic intervention on China will be followed by comments from a recognized scholar, highlighting similar housing issues faced by other large cities.