Cultural and Creative Industries and Urban (Re)Development in China

Cultural and creative industries (CCIs) have been regarded as a growth driver for economic and urban development in many cities worldwide. This study first traces the development of CCIs in China, both as the leading top-down approach and as grassroots efforts in local communities. Then, it identifies the driving forces for CCIs’ development and their impacts on urban development and regeneration. The extensive literature review finds that China’s CCIs share many common characteristics with Western cities. Meanwhile, the CCIs in Chinese cities also demonstrate unique characteristics, for example, strong top-down policy guidance; close relation with continuous urbanization especially through the construction of science and technology parks; and extremely weak ties with local communities. Based on the review, the authors suggest future research agendas to better understand the mechanisms that affect CCIs-related urban (re)development and both social and economic impacts from CCI development at multiple scales.