Land Reform, Participatory Budgeting and Grassroots Democracy in Progressive Chengdu, China

China’s changing urban development policies and urban landscapes in the transition from socialist to a market economy have been focused on entrepreneurialism and elite-dominance. However, with decentralization as a major feature of changes in governance in China in recent years, differences among localities in approaches to the planning and development of city regions are found to be diverse. Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan Province, is proving to be an exceptional case in its approaches toward inclusiveness in decision-making, access to land, and its relationships with its rural hinterlands. Based on policies and programs adopted by local government to narrow urban-rural disparities in Chengdu, this paper explores the progressive features of governing of Chengdu from an analytical assessment of reflexive interrelationships among land property reform, participatory governance, and grassroots democracy. The central question addressed is whether or not and how the adopted land property reform enhances the involvement of residents in participatory governance and the rise of local grassroots democracy. The case of Chengdu shows that even in a state-dominated political system, progressive features are gradually becoming apparent and prominent.