‘Communicative turn’ in Chinese spatial planning? Exploring possibilities in Chinese contexts

•Post-reform socioeconomic dynamics push Chinese planning away from functional and towards the communicative side.•The cultural and institutional contexts influence the power relationship between government, market and society in China.•The government in China is still expected to take a decisive role in spatial planning.•The renewal case of South Luoguxiang illustrates a government-led participation method for Chinese spatial planning. This paper attempts to identify emerging elements of communicative planning, well known in Western countries, among the forces driving China. It relates Chinese planning to the international debate. By considering culture, societal relations and institutional contexts, the paper explains the changes in the power relationships between government, market and society in Chinese planning since China’s economic reform. After these reforms, although market and society have become significantly stronger, the government’s power is still decisive and remains the impetus behind the growth of market and civil society. In the first 20years of the reform, the government appreciated substantially market powers being involved in spatial planning and development. In recent 10years, with the diversification of society and the increasing complexity of planning issues, the paper suggests that society is becoming more inclusively involved in Chinese planning. Following this discussion, a case study of the renewal of South Luoguxiang, Beijing, China, illustrates a special communicative planning effort in Chinese contexts: government-led participation. This practice shows possibilities of communicative planning in China.