“Urbanising China at 50”—Call for Contributions

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We are calling for contributions to a proposed book titled “Urbanising China at 50”. 

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An urbanising China as we know it today started in 1978, when the country launched its “reform and opening-up”. This is a modernisation—and, essentially, nation-building—agenda, to which urbanisation is integral. 

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In any sense, the year 1978 is a dividing line in the two-millennium history of the ancient empire and civilisation. China has since been transformed, among other things, from a rural society into an urban one. This urbanisation is unprecedented; it is unlikely to be matched in the future. In human history, China’s urbanisation is the largest in scale and the most profound in nature. 

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The year 2028 will be the 50th anniversary of an urbanising China. 

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We propose an edited book to mark this important milestone. It is meant to be commemorative and summative. More importantly, it is meant to be reflective and imaginative—to reflect on the past and imagine about the future. We ask fundamental questions—what has happened? how has it happened? who have made it happen? has it been different from experiences elsewhere? what if…? —to steer an inquiry into “urbanising China at 50”.

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This is an “open” call for contributions to the book: it is open in terms of questions, issues, authorship, fields, and perspectives. The complexity and challenge of the task require such an approach. Much has been said—both at home and overseas—about an urbanising China; more awaits to answered or addressed. Now it is the time to extend the known and to explore the unknown. 

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We invite contributions from the orthodox and the unorthodox, the established and the challenging, the leading and the emerging. We welcome not only authentic experiences but interested observations and international comparisons. We also expect contributions from and for the marginalised, the unvoiced, and the unheard. 

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We hope this book project will help establish a global intellectual community based on a shared interest in China’s urbanisation. This community will sustain before, during, and after the book’s fruition. 

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Expression of Interest

If you’re interested in contributing a chapter to the book, please send to the editors: 

•    Proposed chapter title 
•    Abstract (up to 300 words)
•    Short bio for each author (up to 50 words per author)

 

The final, accepted chapter will be no more than 8,000 words, including references, notes, tables and figures.

 

Editors

Professor Richard Hu 
Contact: richard.hu@outlook.com.au

Professor Hu is an award-winning urban planner. He is the author of Reinventing the Chinese City (2023, Columbia University Press) and the editor of the Routledge Handbook of Asian Cities (2023), among other books. His work and interests integrate the city, economy, and technology to address contemporary urban transformation and sustainable development with a focus on the Asia-Pacific region.

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Dr Kaiyi Zhu
Contact: k.zhu_kaiyi@outlook.com

Dr Zhu is a trained architect, urban researcher, and heritage specialist. She is an assistant professor at Shanghai University; she is also affiliated with the LDE Port City Futures and the UNESCO Chair on Water, Ports and Historic Cities. She obtained her PhD at TU Delft with the project titled In the Name of Conservation. Her research focuses on transnationalism, heritage values, and sustainability-oriented urban regeneration.

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Indicative Timeline

 

• 20 December 2025–20 February 2026: Call for contributions

• 18 January 2026: Informal seminar for Q&A

• 20 February 2026–20 May 2026: Confirmation with contributors; preparation and submission of book proposal; book contracted with an international publisher

• 20 May 2026–1 December 2026: Instructions for authors; chapter writing; online/onsite writing seminars

• 1 December 2026–1 June 2027: Editorial and peer review; revision; manuscript submitted to publisher

• 1 June–1 December 2027: Publisher’s production, including copyediting and proofreading 

• Early 2028: Book release and launch.