How Industry And Urban Form Co-Evolve: The Case Of The Silk Industry Town Of Shengze, China

2023-12
Chen, Yue
Dijk, Terry Van
It is widely recognized that industrial activities exert a significant impact on the development of urban form; further research is still needed to understand how industry influences urban form during the extensive process of urban evolution. Traditional frameworks such as historical geography and Marxist political economy fall short in providing a definitive answer to this complex question. Using Shengze, a traditional Chinese silk industry town, as a case study, this paper explores the concurrent evolution of industry and urban form. The study introduces a nuanced analysis on the mechanisms of co-evolution through the lens of path-dependency concepts, including critical juncture, driving mechanism, and lock-in impact, shedding light on the multifaceted phases of the city’s development. It unveils the context-dependent influence of industry on urban form at each phase and reveals a coexistence of self-reinforcing and reactive modes in the urban evolution process. The application of path-dependency analysis adds a sophisticated to established historical geography method.
Citation Formats
Y. Chen and T. V. Dijk, “How Industry And Urban Form Co-Evolve: The Case Of The Silk Industry Town Of Shengze, China,” ODTÜ Mimarlık Fakültesi Dergisi, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 99–122, 2023, Accessed: 00, 2024. [Online]. Available: http://jfa.arch.metu.edu.tr/tr/sayi/40-2.