Public Discourse and Urban Development: A Case Study of Hangzhou, China

Monika Vij

Abstract: In this paper, an attempt is made to study urban development from the point of view of discourse and focus on the particular case of city development discourse of Hangzhou, a historical, prosperous tourist city on the east coast of China. Drawing on a local perspective and a global-minded approach, it is an attempt to ascertain and assess what features of public discourse come to shape and consequently impact the development of the city. It will be seen, among other things, that in recent decades a popular discourse by citizens has literally penetrated and merged with the physical and cultural change of the city thereby initiating a historic transformation of the erstwhile authoritarian nature of city planning and beckoning democratization of urban development. This paper helps to draw implications for the construction and appropriation of urban development discourse, especially for cities in the developing world.

Keywords: History, Public Contest, Global minded, Local perspective, Social Media, Municipality, Spatial Identity