The beginning of the 2000s as the ‘Chinese Century’ through the analysis of Chongqing urban and political development

Located in the southwestern part of China, Chongqing is a city with a very long and controversial history. Because of its geographical position it has been isolated and somehow independent from the central power during the centuries of the Chinese Empire, providing the place with its own peculiar image and identity. This article focuses on contemporary Chongqing from two main perspectives, namely the local policies on urban planning and the administrative rearrangement after the upgrading of the city into a Municipality directly controlled by the Central Government, with the purpose to give a comprehensive overview of this city that in recent years has lived through a rapid and dramatic development. The analysis aims to critically discuss the effects of Chongqing urban renewal considering three variables, namely, gentrification and land use, actual living conditions vis-à-vis housing standards, and global urban planning theories and their impact on the territory.