Stories Under the Concrete: City, Community, and Change in Shenzhen’s Urban Village

Shenzhen's urban development reflects a tension between state-led planning and bottom-up informal urbanism, particularly in its urban villages. These villages, vital to migrant communities and alternative economies, face pressures of redevelopment and cultural erasure. This course examines the competing narratives shaping Shenzhen’s identity, economy, and social fabric through research and spatial analysis.