How to Promote the Spatial Production of People-Centered New Urbanization in China: Evolutionary Game Analysis

Abstract

Since 2014, China has promoted people-centered new urbanization to meet people’s desire for a better living environment and achieve common prosperity. However, conflicting interests among stakeholders hinder this process. Based on the theory of the production of space from critical urban theories, this study developed an evolutionary game model involving the central government, the local government, and residents to analyze their strategic interactions and dynamic pathways in urban spatial production. The main aim of the study is to identify key conditions for achieving an ideal equilibrium of people-centered urbanization. Results show that while positive public feedback encourages the central government to strengthen supervision, high oversight costs discourage it. For the local government, both increasing penalties from the central government and reducing profits from traditional growth-oriented spatial production are effective incentives for implementing the central government’s policies. Lowering residents’ resistance costs drives people-centered urbanization through a bottom-up approach. The findings are validated through a case study of an urban renewal project in Yinchuan. Policy suggestions are proposed to coordinate stakeholders’ interests and establish a sustainable support system for people-centered urbanization. This study offers insights for other countries experiencing similar urbanization challenges.