ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the agency and structure of China's urban planning and development control system on the state level first and then explains its implementation using the case of Beijing Municipality. By understanding recent changes that have taken place in the development control of Beijing Municipality, it is imperative to first briefly review how China's urban planning system was established and changed after 1949, and what the role of development control in the development process was during different periods. The chapter provides an overview of the institutional transition of China's planning system, which is composed of three sub-systems of socioeconomic planning, urban planning, and land use overall planning. Finally, the chapter concludes by summarizing the characteristics of plan institutions in Beijing, persistent state oversight, incremental changes in procedures, and the growing influence of public opinions.
