From Chicago to Shenzhen, via Birmingham : Zones of Transition and Dream of Homeownership

Are the processes of urban change, urban conflict, and the competition for housing very different in Chinese cities when compared to the experiences of their Western counterparts or are we mesmerized by the scale and pace of change in China so that the quantitatively different is sometimes mistaken for the qualitatively different? Every city, every nation-state, every culture will mediate common processes, common developments to produce distinct configurations and outcomes. Equally, apparently similar outcomes and patterns may be produced by quite different forces and relationships. In exploring these and related questions with regard to the competition for housing in cities, the narrative will traverse almost a century and progress from Park’s Chicago, via Birmingham in England, to the contemporary Chinese city.