Online Urbanization

This book highlights the new urban-rural relationship that has emerged under the influence of e-commerce in China. In this regard, it presents case studies on the Suichang rural e-commerce model and Alibabäs rural strategy, together with analyses of online service in China. Furthermore, by means of a brief review of the urban-rural relationship throughout Chinäs history, and of academic literature on the study of space, it explains the special logic of urbanization in China. As such, the book makes a valuable contribution to the body of literature on the space of flows and grassrooting, aspects that are essential to appreciating the complexity of the new urban-rural relationship in underdeveloped areas (including developing countries and underdeveloped areas in developed countries) in the ongoing information era.

Dr. Li Zi has substantial experience in urbanization in Europe and Asia, especially in China. He is the co-founder of I-Village and the Rural Community Development Group (RCDG), a researcher at the National University of Singapore and a guest researcher at Alibaba's New Rural Institute. He hold PhD (National University of Singapore) and Master (TU Delft) in Urbanism. His research focuses on exploring the new spatial distribution of urban-rural China, taking into account the emergence of online services and e-commerce systems.