URBAN DESIGN PRACTICE IN SOCIALIST CHINA

Urban design and urban form in contemporary China have been deeply influenced by socialist ideology. This paper traces the impact of ideological change on urban form through four major periods of socialist Chinese history, including the period of reconstruction and rehabilitation (1949-1952), the First Five Year Plan period (1953-1957), the period of political and economic instability and upheaval (1958-1976) and, finally, the most recent period of economic reform (since 1977). The relationship between ideological change and the built form of cities and towns is examined, and specific examples of representative design schemes for each period are presented. -Authors