The transforming housing inequality undergoing the shantytown renewal movement in urban China, a case study of Nanjing

Housing inequality has been a tough issue all over wide in the trend of neoliberalism and globalization. In urban China, in order to alleviate the housing situation of the urban poor in shantytowns, an official movement called 'shantytown renewal' has been implemented since 2010. About 26 million housing has been renewed from 2010 to 2015, another 20 million is expected to be renewed from 2015 to 2020. As a whole, the housing quality of relevant households has been improved, while there are different stories among different groups in this process when considering the dynamic subsidy, relocation, housing discrimination and other housing policy. The research aims to explore that how this housing project has influenced housing inequality within relevant social groups in a city level through a case study of Nanjing, China. It is expected to supplement the theoretical debates of housing policy and housing inequality using the empirical study of a Chinese city. The research aims to answer the question of how the housing inequality has been transforming undergoing the shanty town renewal projects in urban China through the lens of case study in Nanjing? The research question will be unpacked in sub-questions. How to define and quantify the housing inequality from multi-perspectives in the context of China? Which social groups are involved in the shanty town renewal project in Nanjing China and how their housing situation has been changed in this project influenced by municipal policy? How the housing inequality (housing chances, housing quality, housing affordability, neighborhood change et al.) is reflected and transformed during the shanty town renewal process? Case study is the fundamental research method of this project. A combination of qualitative and quantitative methodology is planned to be adopted during the data collection and data analysis.