The Persistence or Transformation of Urban Villages in Urban China

Many studies have been made concerning the problems, characteristics, formation, and transformation measures etc. in the field of the urban village. However, most of them started from the ?single city? standpoint and neglected the long-term existence of the urban village as floating population community. This article maintains that the floating population, including both rural-urban mobility and urban-urban mobility, is inevitable and will continue to exist for a long time under the socio-economic transition in urban China and globalization. The ?peasant-workers? have become the major body of the floating population. Moreover, considering the ?dual segregated rural-urban institution?, excellent location and the necessity to provide low-income housing the urban village becomes the ?natural residential congregation? for low-income groups. So in the course of transformation of the urban village much attention should be paid to the housing demands of the floating population, besides to compensation for local villagers. A superficial ?landscape-oriented urbanization? should be avoided.