Home

The Program on Chinese Cities (PCC) was established by Department of City and Regional Planning (DCRP) Professor Yan Song to develop an internationally-recognized research agenda to better understand the impacts of rapid metropolitan development on China’s built and natural environments. A three-part agenda guides the research activities of the PCC: documentation of China’s urbanization process; analysis of China’s urbanization policies and practices; and global implications of Chinese urbanization.

“The challenges facing China’s cities and metropolitan regions are daunting in scale and complexity; without exaggeration, the lives of millions will depend on how well China manages the continued growth of its cities in coming years,” says Professor Song. “It is exciting that this group of researchers at DCRP are developing whole new areas of research expertise. Their work focuses on a variety of areas, including sustainable environment and energy; land use and transportation planning; urban redevelopment and its social equity implications; economic development policy; property rights, infrastructure planning and government finance.” Since its creation, PCC has hosted more than 170 visiting scholars from China.

PCC is an initiative within UNC’s Center for Urban & Regional Studies. It conducts research and training aimed at better understanding the impacts of rapid urban growth on China’s built and natural environments. The Program explores ways to make China’s urbanization process more equitable, transparent, and socially and ecologically sustainable.