The Emergence of International Urban Planning and Design Firms in China from an OLI Perspective

There has been high demand for planning and design services at various scales in Chinese cities. International urban planning and design (UPD) firms have taken some of these opportunities. Despite the direct relevance of UPD industries for urbanisation and the important role of international UPD firms, little attention has been paid to their spatial and operational strategies. What are the drivers for international UPD firms appearing in China? What role have they played in China’s urbanisation? This research analysed the overall trend of international UPD firms operating in China based on an extensive survey and in-depth interviews with a number of these firms. The findings suggest that the emergence of international UPD firms is largely attributable to planning system reform and internal and global forces that can be understood by the advantages that comprise the OLI framework (ownership-, location-, and internalisation-specific advantages). Ownership-specific advantages such as high-quality urban planning and design skills are the most important element for these firms, contributing to globalised urbanisation. A high locational concentration of the international UPD firms has been observed in the largest Chinese cities, i.e. Shanghai and Beijing. The establishment of international UPD offices is not limited to single Chinese cities but is spreading as further opportunities are sought in and beyond China.