Chinese coastal megaproject development: A multi-method case study of the shifting ecologies of the Greater Bay Area

Abstract

Coastal megaprojects are on the rise. In Southern China, 11 cities are to merge into a super-region through the Greater Bay Area megaproject. This is the result of centrally planned infrastructure such as a large bridge or an artificial island built to connect the region. By building massive infrastructure to connect coastal cities, the megaproject promises a redistribution of wealth from richer to poorer regions. The megaproject also promises that it will protect the region's natural resources and provide better social welfare to residents through a reconfiguration of territories. In this thesis, I investigate how Chinese megaprojects built on the coast try to deliver these promises and influence socio-environmental relations through a case-study on the Greater Bay Area. I perform a multi-method analysis. First, I do an analytical literature review on Chinese coastal development and environmental governance to contextualise coastal megaproject construction. Next, I perform a content analysis on a planning document for the Greater Bay Area to show how megaproject infrastructure shifts ecologies and alters landscapes to benefit certain groups of people. Finally, using interview data collected in Hong Kong and Zhuhai, I describe how people in these two cities that will be merged into the Greater Bay Area perceive the megaproject. I argue that coastal megaprojects shift ecologies and coastal spaces into ones that prioritise economic growth, which alter people’s access to and relationship with the coastal environment.