https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7027-5005
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ABSTRACT
In contrast to the dichotomy of platform urbanism-ruralism populated in recent urban geography, we propose an analytical framework of “platform-urban villagism” to examine the roles and impacts of digital platforms on the ongoing spatial transformations in urban villages in southern China. Our framework offers a nuanced understanding of the entanglements between digital platforms and key actors in unconventional urban areas. Leveraging empirical evidence from garment villages in Guangzhou, we explore the diversities of power relationships between various actors and the corresponding spatial implications. Specifically, our analysis reveals the potential symbiotic and productive relationships between digital platforms and other economic actors, leading to functional upgrading of the labor-intensive apparel industry and fostering non-antagonistic relationships with local governments and residents. By highlighting the transformation of production and non-production spaces within garment villages, our study challenges conventional notions of urban development and consumption-oriented activities associated with platform urbanism.
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank all anonymous interviewees who shared their experiences with us. Special thanks to editor Prof Pablo Bose and two anonymous reviewers for valuable feedback on the earlier draft of this paper.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Data availability statement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Notes
1 The word villagism is used to describe the form and characteristics of a village in a city rather than the “horizontal” and “vertical villagism” outlined by Terlouw (Citation2022).