All rights reservedLi, Mingye2024-09-042024-09-042016978-85-7785-551-1https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14235/1931Proceedings of the IV World Planning Schools Congress, July 3-8th, 2016 : Global crisis, planning and challenges to spatial justice in the north and in the southSince 2010 several Chinese cities have been labeled as "Ghost cities" because of the high vacancy rate in commercial housing. Although each ghost city has its own circumstances, we can still identify some common ground. Most of these cities are third-tier cities of which the local economy is heavily dependent on real estate development. However, the attractiveness of these cities is not comparable to first-and second-tier cities in terms of job opportunities, income lever and public service. This paper examines the evolution of one the of the ghost cities-Changzhou during the last decade. Changzhou is a third-tier city located at the heart of the Yangtze River Delta and the last decade is a critical period of the formation and transformation of the phenomena. The objective of this research is first to comprehend the formation of ghost city and then to analyze the possible scenarios of future transformation of ghost city. Based on existing literature and our field work in Changzhou, we attempt to explore the forming process of ghost city which is closely related to the macroeconomic context, the urban governance pattern and the city planning. These three elements interweaved and contribute jointly to the phenomenon. First, the macroeconomic context of last decade is conducive for the development of real estate sector in Chinese cities. In 2003, a state Council circular letter marked a turning point in real estate development in China. The letter proclaimed that the real estate sector constituted ‘the pillar industry of the national economy’ and that ‘commercial housing was designated as the type of housing available for the majority of urban households’ (State Council, 2003). Consequently, in Changzhou, like in other Chinese cities, the local real estate market became prosperous with the dramatic increase both in the value of investment and housing prices until the global crisis of 2008.EnglishopenAccessconferenceObject1507-1509