Changing urban form in a planned economy: the case of Nanjing

Plots have consistently provided effective evidence in interpretations of urban transformations. In a market economy they are profitable land units involving capital, and they play an important role in urban development. However, it is unclear what role plots play in a planned economy, where they lack exchange value and only have value in their use for supporting buildings. In China during the socialist period from 1949 to 1988, the land unit for urban construction was freely allocated land. The process of plot metamorphosis was dominated by the planned economy system, and it progressed through the creation and changes in the physical form of danweis. The specifics of the morphological process in this political and economic system merit investigation. This paper examines the morphological transformation of part of the central commercial district of Nanjing from 1949 to 1988. It explores the system of land occupation, widens morphological knowledge and complements the contribution of M. R. G. Conzen to methods of historico-geographical investigation.