ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of changing contexts and institutional changes for collaborative planning in China. The interplay of globalization, marketization, and decentralization has led to pluralism, fragmentation, social inequality, and severe environmental issues. In particular, urban regeneration and environmental management have encountered complex problems that are difficult to solve by governments themselves. A deliberative turn has thus taken place in the Chinese political system emphasizing experimentation and institutionalization of participatory and deliberative practices for local governance. Among others, co-creation and the community planner system are important institutional innovations to facilitate the interaction and collaboration between governments and societal actors. Yet, it would be naïve to claim equal relations between various actors, since power can be shaped by policies, administrative structures, and resources. The complexity and conflicts of interest also implicate the difficulties for all actors to agree on problems and solutions, leading to partial consensus and partial problem-solving in collaborative planning practices.
