Toward a New Paradigm of Urbanization through Resettlement: Practices and Insights from China under Planetary Urbanization

This paper conceptualizes urbanization through resettlement as a distinct paradigm in resettlement planning, marking a paradigm shift from viewing resettlement as a by-product to a driver of state-led urbanization in China. Grounded in the framework of planetary urbanization, it draws on two empirical cases, administrative reclassification in Hangzhou and poverty alleviation resettlement in Qianxi, based on multi-method fieldwork conducted from 2021 to 2024. The study identifies three moments of resettlement, concentrated, extended, and differential , that reveal inherent contradictions between urbanization and ruralization. Despite this planetary condition, resettled villagers confront structural contradictions and actively exercise agency to (re)produce space. The findings provide conceptual and policy implications for resettlement and urban transformation across the Global South.