Rapid urbanisation of economic zones in China has resulted in a special social phenomenon: "villages-in-the-city." Underdeveloped villages are absorbed during the expansion of urban areas, while retaining their rustic characteristics. Due to the rural characteristics of these areas, social security is much lower compared with the urbanised city. This book uses Tang Village, a remote area in the Shenzhen Special Economic Zone, as an example to establish a comprehensive analytical framework by integrating existing crime theories in analysing villages-in-the-city. The analysis covers the community, individual, and macro levels to detail the diverse social and behavioural factors causing crime at multiple levels. First, a brief history of the urbanisation process of Tang Village is provided to establish how urban planning contributed to the issues in the village today. The authors go on to explain how socially disorganised communities dictate the crime hotspots and the common types of crime. The book examines other risk factors that may contribute to the level of crime such as weak social controls, building density, and floating populations of poor working-class migrants. The routine activities of victims, offenders, and guardians are examined. The book concludes with the current trends in the social structure within the villages-in-the-city and their expected outcome after urbanisation.

Understanding Crime in Villages-in-the-City in China : A Social and Behavioral Approach
By Zhanguo LIU
Founding Director
Leaguer Industry Research

T Wing LO
Acting Head and Professor
Department of Social and Behavioural Sciences
City University of Hong Kong

ISBN: 9780367251185 (Print)
Published by Routledge