Emerging paradigm in redressing the imbalanced “state-village” power relationship: How have rural gentrifiers bypassed institutional exclusion to influence rural planning processes?

Abstract

The imbalanced “state-village” power relationship persists amid modernisation and urbanisation processes, posing a threat to rural sustainable development. Nonetheless, the impact of newly arrived rural elites, such as gentrifiers, on this power dynamic has been largely overlooked. Drawing on a planning modification incident in Cenbu Village, Shanghai, this article examines the gentrifiers' motivations for planning participation, the institutional exclusion they faced, and the informal channels they adopted to circumvent the exclusion, through the lens of “empowerment” and “informal participation”. The findings reveal that the gentrifiers’ informal participation contributed to a partial alteration of the rural plan, directing the village on a path towards sustainable development. The involvement of gentrifiers also effectively redresses the deficiencies of the traditional top-down planning decision-making approach and signifies a shift in the “state-village” power relationship. These insights are crucial for managing complex relationships in rural governance and enhancing village planning participation systems. Furthermore, this article contributes a novel perspective on the multifaceted role of the gentrifiers in rural development, diverging from the negative stereotypes commonly observed in Western contexts. This understanding is instrumental in comprehending power dynamics and ameliorating any imbalances within rural gentrification.