Exploring the significance of domestic investment for foreign direct investment in China: a city-network approach

This paper uses a network approach and a negative binomial regression model (NBRM) to shed light on the association between Domestic Investment (DI) and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in interlinking Chinese cities in a space of flows. The empirical analysis is based on 2743 FDI and 9315 DI projects covering 77 Chinese cities. We address the question of what is the association between DI network measures and city attractiveness for FDI, and does the geographic distance of DI matter? While the physical distance of DI activity is found to have a negative association with FDI, city functional proximity and structural position in the DI network are found to have a positive association. We conclude that strategic policies to stimulate cross-territorial economic ties between Chinese cities should be advantageous in attracting inward foreign investment

Investigating China’s Mid-Yangtze River economic growth region using a spatial network growth model

China’s Mid-Yangtze River city region (MYR) has been designated as a national strategic growth region intended to reverse the slow-down in economic transition. However, there has been a lack of attention to the internal spatial organization of the region’s growth capacity associated with its inter-city relations. This article combines an urban network approach and a spatial econometric framework to not only examine the local contribution to growth of MYR cities’ indigenous factors, cross-territorial flows and positions in the regional capital network, but also estimate their spatial spillovers. The analysis sheds light on the interplay between spatial proximity and network capital in the regional growth process. Recent growth is found to be significantly influenced by indigenous capital stock, labor cost and technological advances, by commodity and self-investment flows, and by ‘authority’ and ‘hub’ network capital, associated with coexisting endogenous and exogenous spillovers. The findings infer that institutional capacity in organizing endowment mobilities will be important for policy to promote coordinated development

Searching for Health and Wellbeing: Commercial Real Estate Actor Encounters with Planning in the Urban Decision-making ‘Black Box’

A body of research has highlighted the transformative effects of the financialization and internationalization of real estate investment for city and regional development. However, little attention has been paid to the human health and wellbeing implications of the practices of the actors who mediate commercial real estate investment flows and their encounters with urban planning. Based on interview evidence from twenty-one senior international real estate industry actors, this paper addresses this gap. Using actor-network theory to assist with deconstructing the interaction between the actors and planning in the urban decision-making 'black box', we offer a new way to strengthen theoretical understanding of 'black boxing'. We find that despite a common perception that the interests of commercial real estate investment and urban planning actors are generally dichotomous, awareness of health and wellbeing has become prevalent amongst major real estate actors as an important component of sustainable investment. We conclude that robust public health evidence is needed to place human health and wellbeing at the forefront in the urban decision-making black box

Re-evaluating the place of urban planning history

This commentary seeks to prompt new discussion about the place of urban planning history in the era of contemporary globalisation. Given the deep historic engagement of urban planning thought and practice with ‘place’ shaping and thus with the constitution of society, culture and politics, we ask how relevant is planning's legacy to the shaping of present day cities. Late twentieth century urban sociology, cultural and economic geography have demonstrated the increasing significance of intercity relations and the functional porosity of metropolitan boundaries in the network society, however statutory urban planning systems remain tied to the administrative geographies of states. This ‘territorial fixing’ of practice constrains the operational space of planning and, we argue, also limits its vision to geopolitical scales and agendas that have receding relevance for emerging urban relations. We propose that a re-evaluation of planning history could have an important part to play in addressing this spatial conundrum

The Clustering of Financial Services in London*

This paper reports a one-year study which investigated the clustering of financial services activity in London. A questionnaire asking about the advantages and disadvantages of a London location was sent to a stratified sample of 1,500 firms and institutions. In addition, thirty-nine on-site interviews with firms, professional institutions, government bodies and other related agencies were conducted. The study finds that banking, including investment banking, forms the cluster’s hub with most other companies depending on relationships with this sub-sector. Generally, the cluster confers many advantages to its incumbents including enhanced reputation, the ability to tap into large, specialized labor pool and customer proximity. The localized nature of relationships between skilled labor, customers and suppliers is a critical factor which helps firms achieve innovative solutions, develop new markets and attain more efficient ways to deliver services and products. Particularly important are the personal relationships which are enhanced by the on-going face-to-face contact that is possible in a compact geographical space. Many of the cluster’s advantages are dynamic in that they become stronger as agglomeration increases. The study also finds important disadvantages in the cluster which threaten its future growth and prosperity. These include the poor quality and reliability of transport, particularly the state of the London Underground and links to airports, increasing levels of regulation and government policy that is not co-ordinated with the whole of the cluster in mind. Key words: Industrial clustering, agglomeration, financial services.

Mental wellbeing, housing provision and social valuation in a United Kingdom context: A planning issue?

This paper provides insights into the influence of housing quality on occupier mental wellbeing based on a critical review of interdisciplinary literature spanning housing, health and wellbeing, autonomy, and social value. We consider the signifi cance of extant research fi ndings for the mental wellbeing of housing occupants and indicate the relevance for planning. We find evidence of the relationship between housing occupier autonomy for the lived experience of wellness and discuss the need for mental wellbeing valuation to inform social housing provision in the United Kingdom. We introduce an original conceptual framework representing components of the housing environment shaping occupier mental wellbeing and conclude that planning in its coordinative capacity has the capability to connect housing provision with mental wellbeing determinants. To do so, however, will require a radical shift inthe present UK politics of social housing provision and planning