Shanghai’s Socialist Suburbanization 1953–1962

Abstract

This article analyzes Shanghai’s suburban development during the first two Five-Year Plans (1953–1962). The development trajectory of Shanghai’s inner suburban industrial zones and satellite towns was shaped by Maoist geopolitics, economic realities, the urban–rural nexus, regional spatial strategy, and radical political campaigns. Shanghai’s strategy promoted the homogenization of suburban industrial development and employment patterns, and the city’s suburban industrial zones and satellite towns were subordinate to the central city. The effective functioning of industrial zones and satellite towns was probably secondary to the political goals behind China’s grand development plans and initiatives, which were intended to demonstrate the superiority of socialist industrialization.