Housing development in the context of the modernization, urbanization and conservation of Chinese traditional cities: Beijing, Shanghai and Suzhou

China has been making dramatic progress in both quality and quantity of housing construction in the past twenty years; however, there are still many problems of housing development, especially within the context of the modernization, urbanization and conservation of traditional Chinese cities. In order to provide an increase in livable space and a better living environment for residents, while preserving arable land and other resources, it is necessary to de-densify housing at the level of unit and increase density at the level of block or district, while containing development within the developed boundaries of urban areas as much as possible through redevelopment. At the same time the essential urban morphology of traditional Chinese cities is worth of preservation and development, in which traditional housing in the repetitive variation of a basic square compound space is an important component. On the other hand, since the introduction of the market mechanism, there raises an urgent and crucial question to the government: to what extent can traditional housing types be made to fit into the context of the modernization, conservation, and redevelopment of China's urban areas, functionally, economically and socially.; Based on the principle that all parties at stake get what they want while, paying what they should, the government should decide the amount of compensation to housing projects according to building density, location, and different relocation and compensation scenarios, and take into consideration not only the economic feasibility but also social consequences. Through study on housing industry in three important cities of China, Beijing, Shanghai and Beijing, it is found that without compensation, total relocation is not an attractive proposal in most of the areas to each party, namely, the developer, the existing residents and the government, in terms of both economic prosperity and social consequences. On the other hand, total accommodation could never be feasible for private developers in areas with high-density population, unless the government allows extremely high FAR or pays for the construction cost. The analytical framework and results may contribute to the formation of a rational and efficient compensation and regulation system for housing development in China.; Studying on the revised local housing types based on historic reviews of housing types in the three host cities shows that traditional local housing types are of great potential to be redeveloped. According to the average income level and real estate market in the three cities, there is apparent difference in the feasibility of courtyard housing in Beijing, lilong housing in Shanghai and courtyard housing in Suzhou respectively. Because of its comparatively low population density and related fees and costs in land transfer and housing market, the gap between the profitable price of housing for the developer and the affordable price of housing for the residents of Suzhou is the smallest, even though its average income is the lowest. On the contrary, although the average income level of Beijing and Shanghai is high, it is more difficult to make revised local housing types feasible in the central areas of the cities.