From "Resettled Individuals" to "Governing Entities": How Does Spatial Reconfiguration Drive Identity Transformation ? : — Take Community C in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province as an example

Yaoyao Yang

doi:10.63313/FPM.9007

Authors

Yaoyao Yang Faculty of Public Administration, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63313/FPM.9007

Keywords:

Resettlement of communities, Spatial reconfiguration, Identity transformation, Community governance

Abstract

The large-scale remote centralized resettlement communities face a governance paradox where the spatial resettlement has been completed but social integration has not yet occurred. This study takes Community C in Chengdu City, Sichuan Province as a case, and constructs an "space reconfiguration - identity transformation" analytical framework to reveal the internal mechanism of resettlement community governance. The study finds: First, the governance dilemma of the resettlement community stems from the dual disengagement of spatial disorder and identity rupture, which is mainly manifested as the tension between physical space and social space, as well as the suspension of three-dimensional identities of interests, relationships, and emotions. Second, the driving force of space reconfiguration to drive identity transformation comes from the four-dimensional endogenous needs of residents' interests, relationships, emotions, and governance. Its mechanism is reflected in the horizontal spatial - interest - relationship - emotion collaborative embedding and the vertical individual - neighborhood - community - governance subject hierarchical transformation. The latter two interact through the progressive path of private domain - semi-public - public space. Third, the key to effective governance of large-scale resettlement communities lies in activating identity transformation through space reconfiguration, enabling residents to complete the identity transformation from "resettled individuals" to "governance subjects" in the continuous spatial practice. The constructed two-way construction framework of space reconfiguration and identity transformation provides a new theoretical perspective and practical path for understanding the current transformation of grassroots social governance.

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