Creative City's Strategy and its Contradiction: A Case Study of the Joy City in Shanghai

• In Event: 20420 - Section on Sociology of Culture Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 10: Text Analysis

Abstract

The “creative city” concept has attracted both acclaim and criticism, particularly regarding the role of shopping malls in neoliberal urban development. This study examines Shanghai Joy City—a high-profile, Ferris-wheel-centered shopping complex—as an empirical case to explore two significant critiques: (1) external critiques that emphasize gentrification, market-driven inequality, and the loss of public “right to the city,” and (2) immanent cultural critiques that question the authenticity of large-scale commercial amenities in fostering genuine creativity.

Using 37,591 user-generated reviews from Dianping (China’s Yelp-like platform), a Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) text analysis identified four key patterns. Two revolve around themes: a fixed, high-cultural-capital Ferris wheel focus versus rapidly changing pop-up stores that attract younger, trend-oriented consumers. The other two center on participation modes: presentational (selfie-driven, time-limited “check-in” consumption) and sincere (routine, daily-life-oriented visits). Results suggest that Joy City sustains its creative edge by combining a stable “landmark” identity with fluid, mass-friendly pop-up events, thereby tapping highbrow cultural capital and broader popular culture.

However, this mixed strategy reveals contradictions. Over time, the surge in pop-up visitors generated spatial overload, with rising crowding and a steep decline in visitor satisfaction. Meanwhile, “sincere” local engagement diminished, suggesting that spaces once accessible for non-commercial use have been appropriated by profit-driven spectacles. Contrary to theories predicting the waning relevance of malls, Joy City’s success indicates that in contexts like China’s urban transformation, such large-scale centers can remain focal points for creative consumption. Still, they embody neoliberal tensions, marginalizing residents while courting mobile, consumer-oriented populations.

Future studies should employ more extensive spatial data to verify crowding effects and investigate whether such superstar malls ultimately undermine their creative sustainability. These findings enrich debates on the creative city model’s applicability in rapidly evolving urban contexts.

Author

• Yumeng Tong, University of Toronto