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Journal of Chinese
Architecture and Urbanism Revitalization through community empowerment

and citizen control. Community empowerment is the way social development; and second, exploring and revitalizing
to achieve so by letting people get to know and realize their the hidden recourses in the community is the fundamental
ability to participate. path to resource-depleted community regeneration and
Community empowerment has become an important development.
practice in urban regeneration in China today, though still 2. Literature review
with some challenges. Small-scale participatory projects
have emerged in China since the reform and opening-up 2.1. Urban transitions in China
in the 1990s (Plummer & Taylor, 2013). However, in There have been huge urban transitions in China since
2011, Professor Zhang Xiaojun from Tsinghua University the 1970s. Urban space was very limited due to the
frankly stated that in most cases in China, it is “canjia” backward economic development, the society was under
rather than “canyu” (Nitzky, 2013). The difference between collectivization, and it did not change until the Reform and
“canjia,” which refers to taking part in or attending, and Opening-up in 1978. Since early 1980s, a large amount of
“canyu,” which refers to taking part in with contribution, is countryside labors migrated into cities to earn their livings,
whether participants’ opinions are actually considered. As and the urbanization rate started to grow up. Satellite towns
for present, whether community empowerment practices were built to absorb the influx of population and private
in China have increased “canyu” and achieved better capital (Leaf, 1995). With economic growth and private
effects need to be further explored. In general, community sector enlarging, urban development occurred at an even
empowerment in the Asia-Pacific region faces many higher speed in the 1990s and 2000s. Friedmann (2005)
challenges, such as poorly organized governance, and observed that personal autonomy and citizenship started
imbalanced political structures, but it is currently gaining to emerge during this time period in China. At the same
momentum (Pawar, 2009). time, urban redevelopment in the inner city accelerated. In
Among the various types of communities targeted the 2010s, urban renewal projects started to be one of the
for community empowerment work, one type of most important kinds of project in cities, especially in large
community has attracted particular attention from urban cities such as Beijing.
scholars, namely, the declining, inactive, and “forgotten” Spectacles such as mega-events and festivals are
communities. These communities are often economically becoming the dominant tool and process in the
disadvantaged, demographically declined, with little production of urban space (Debord, 2012). Gotham
identical local culture, and few voices heard in society. (2005) believes that two major functions of spectacles
Although the socioeconomic infrastructure of such are profit making and bureaucratic control. Olympic
communities is poor, they retain a great deal of social Games – 2008 Summer Olympic Game and 2022 Winter
capital and attachment to the local area (Johnstone & Olympic Game – are two of the most influential and
Lionais, 2004). They need community empowerment to comprehensive mega-events held in Beijing in the past
revitalize and drive local development. 20 years.
This study focused on resource-depleted communities,
using Shougang Laoshan Community in Beijing as a case, 2.2. The concept of community empowerment
to explore how community empowerment can help them Following the notion of participatory planning, the
be revitalized. The study focused on the participatory term “community empowerment” emerged in the 1980s.
process of community regeneration and the interaction “Empower” means “the ability to choose” or “to increase
between the different actors (mainly residents and the one’s capacity to define, analyze, and act on one’s own
people carrying out community empowerment activities, problems” (Kent, 1988). One cannot “empower” others;
in this case these people are planners), to understand the one can only help others facilitate the process, reduce
practical logic of community empowerment, and to draw barriers, and enable others to “empower” themselves
practical suggestions for community empowerment and (Labonte, 1989). Community empowerment as a process
local revitalization in resource-depleted communities was initially associated with the concept of community
with their characteristics. This paper provides some development when it first emerged. Laverack (1999)
fresh first-hand experiences and practical reflections on subdivided community empowerment into nine domains
community regeneration in China, a detailed research to guide the operation and evaluation of the practice. The
case for academics, and it enriches the understanding of nine domains are as follows: participation, leadership,
the existing research by addressing two key ideas: first, it is organizational structures, resource mobilization, problem
necessary to carry out community empowerment with the assessment, asking why, links with others, outside agents,
professionals channeled to local level at this current stage of and program management. Participation, and its closely

Volume 5 Issue 1 (2023) 2 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.0351