Renewal Framework for Self-Built Houses in “Village-to-Community” Areas with a Focus on Safety and Resilience
Authors: Dong Wenli , Gao Xinyue , Han Wenying , Wang Jiwu 
Published: December 2023

Against the backdrop of rapid urbanization, with the expansion of administrative boundaries, some former villages have been transformed from administrative to urban in the sense that they have become special “village-to-city areas”; in this context, the housing pattern, which was previously dominated by self-built houses, is facing many challenges. In particular, the frequent occurrence of safety accidents in self-built houses in the village conversion areas in recent years constitutes an important component of urban spatial vulnerability. However, the ensuing “one-size-fits-all” ban on self-built housing has also raised concerns among scholars. In order to better guide the planning and construction of self-built houses, official safety inspections, planning guidance, and institutional constraints are essential. However, the safety inspection of self-built houses across China is difficult. On the one hand, it is challenging to obtain data on individual buildings (e.g., age, use, building structure ratio, foundation, structural condition, illegal demolition and alteration, and illegal use), and the methods of obtaining such data rely mainly on the basic checking of the safety grids under the responsibility of grassroots safety officers. However, the current organizational system of safety officers is not perfect, and the relevant evaluation training also has limitations. On the other hand, due to the city’s finances, development stage, and other reasons, the agricultural-to-residential areas in the cities of poverty-stricken counties are not likely to be renewed as rapidly as the cities of developed regions but instead may face long-term renewal timelines. Therefore, for the agricultural resettlement areas in the cities of poverty-stricken counties, it is necessary to screen the current problems, systematically study the mechanism and strategy of their renewal based on the management framework of the whole process, and carry out the organic renewal of self-built houses, so as to gradually realize a safe and resilient development mode. This paper establishes a framework for the renewal of self-built houses oriented to security resilience based on the theory of fortress land under the urban form theory of Conzen. Taking Lianhua County as a case study, we analyze the problems and issues related to self-built housing areas through an investigation of the current situation. Then, in response to the existing problems, based on the comprehensive investigation of the safety of self-built houses, we clarify the planning objectives and value orientation and suggest (i) the adoption of hierarchical and classified planning and construction control for the self-built housing areas of villages converted to residences in accordance with the local conditions; (ii) the enhancement of government supervision in the use of self-built houses and the establishment of laws and regulations; and (iii) renewal planning in an orderly manner to enhance the safety resilience of the self-built housing areas. Based on the renewal study of self-built houses in Lianhua County, a systematic exploration of the planning, construction, and governance strategies of self-built houses in China is carried out, which can provide a reference for the decision making of relevant departments.