Digital platforms and the spatial transformation of urban villages in southern China: a case for platform-urban villagism?

In contrast to the dichotomy of platform urbanism-ruralism populated in recent urban geography, we propose an analytical framework of “platform-urban villagism” to examine the roles and impacts of digital platforms on the ongoing spatial transformations in urban villages in southern China. Our framework offers a nuanced understanding of the entanglements between digital platforms and key actors in unconventional urban areas. Leveraging empirical evidence from garment villages in Guangzhou, we explore the diversities of power relationships between various actors and the corresponding spatial implications. Specifically, our analysis reveals the potential symbiotic and productive relationships between digital platforms and other economic actors, leading to functional upgrading of the labor-intensive apparel industry and fostering non-antagonistic relationships with local governments and residents. By highlighting the transformation of production and non-production spaces within garment villages, our study challenges conventional notions of urban development and consumption-oriented activities associated with platform urbanism.