ABSTRACT
Mega-urban regions in China show first signs of consolidation. A need for restructuring of the urban fabric and the socioeconomic structures starts to complement the strong focus on growth and expansion related to office and retail development in urban cores and high-tech parks in the periphery. Clusters of light industry and trade are not always simply replaced by office clusters or high-end residential towers. The lack of strategic planning and investment into larger markets made the entire cluster vulnerable to the short-sighted interests of key stakeholders. A major effort towards modernization and upgrading came after China’s accession to the WTO in 2001 and the rise of national competitors such as the China Textile City in Keqiao in the Yangtze River Delta, especially in the middle of the 2000s.
