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Over the last forty years, China has been facing major problems resuIting from rapid urban growth. In the last decades, great efforts were made to solve the dramatic housing shortage and to improve the appalling living conditions in overcrowded areas. In 1990, the Beijing municipal government launched a program for the renewal of the old city center. A series of residential projects has been implemented in traditional neighborhoods since then which have affected the character of the old city and the lives of its residents. So far, very few studies have been conducted to assess the implementation of the renewal program. This thesis provides an overview of the regeneration projects implemented in the inner-city of Beijing since 1990. It identifies the diverse approaches currently used, along with their impacts on the traditional environment and its population. The main weaknesses of the renewal program are discussed and suggestions are made for its future transformation.

xi, 78 p. : ill., map / China's housing reform has brought significant changes to housing supply and allocation. This thesis uses a 2005 survey of Beijing residents to examine how housing conditions vary among different housing sources and across various population groups. Results indicate that people who owned their housing reported better housing conditions (larger space and better satisfaction with open space and landscape quality) than renters; residents living in privately developed housing reported better conditions than those living in publicly developed housing. People at a younger age (<40) group and higher income residents relied on multiple housing sources to obtain homeownership, while older-age (>50) and lower-income residents relied on purchasing past public housing or public-subsidized affordable housing to achieve homeownership. This research shows that while the reform has led to more housing choices and better housing quality for urban residents, it also resulted in greater inequality in housing and environment qualities among different population groups. / Committee in charge: Yizhao Yang, Chairperson; Laura Leete, Member; Renee Irvin, Member

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