Li Limei

Keywords： Urban Revolution; Neo-Marxism; Childe; Lefebvre; Harvey; Critical Urban Theory

Abstract：

The term of urban revolution, one of the core concepts of urban studies, has been developed by international scholars from multiple disciplines since the early 20th century. It was first coined by V. Gordon Childe, an Australian archeologist, in the 1930s. French philosopher and sociologist Henri Lefebvre’s The Urban Revolution was published in 1970, prophetically stating that society has been completely urbanized and the planetary urbanization is on the horizon. Geographer David Harvey further formulates urban revolution as a means to realize the right to the city under the global capitalism. The popularity of urban revolution does not wane in the 21st century, when urbanization has truly become a planetary phenomenon. This study critically traces the origin and the evolving meanings of urban revolution. It also discusses the implications of China’s phenomenal urban transformation in the past four decades to the theory of urban revolution.

Funds：

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