Commercial Housing Development in Urban China

TLDR

Housing privatization was a key feature of 1980s–1990s reforms worldwide, and China’s distinctive reform path has attracted attention, yet no systematic study of commercial housing development in Chinese cities has been undertaken. The study aims to provide an up‑to‑date account of commercial housing development. It examines early 1990s investment scale, development process, quality and design standards, the commercial housing market, and residential estate management. The study highlights problems such as inadequate legislation and control, a mismatch between housing supply and affordability, and an underdeveloped urban housing market.

Abstract

Housing privatisation has been one of key features of reform during the 1980s and the 1990s in many countries. Chinese housing reform has attracted attention because of its distinctive features and there have been a number of commentaries on the general progress of urban housing reform policies. However, there has been no systematic study of the development of commercial housing in Chinese cities. The aim of this paper is to provide an up-to-date account of commercial housing development. It examines the scale of investment during the early 1990s, the development process, quality and design standards, the commercial housing market and the management of residential estates. The conclusions draw attention to several important problems of commercial housing development including the lack of appropriate legislation and control, the mismatch of housing supply and affordability, and the underdeveloped nature of the urban housing market.