Since 1978, when China embarked on a new period of economic reforms and introduced open door policies, it has experienced a great urban transformation. The role of transport has proved indispensable in this unprecedented rapid urbanisation and economic growth. As the first research-focused book dedicated to this important topic, the Handbook on Transport and Urban Transformation in China offers new insight into the various opportunities and challenges brought by fast-paced motorization and urban development, and explores them in broad spatial-economic, environmental, social, and institutional dimensions.

Chapter 24, written by a UQ|UP team, examines the flow of planning policies between countries (and cities) that were traditionally considered as part of the less developed Global South. The potential policy “lender” is China whereas the potential policy “borrower” is Ethiopia. The object of policy transfer is Transit Oriented Development (TOD). A new, world-class metro system has been partly built in Hangzhou, which presents an opportunity to study TOD development in a Chinese context. In Addis Ababa, the first light-rail transit system in Sub-Saharan Africa was built in 2015 through capital funding from China and is being operated by Chinese companies. Despite this connection, the study reveals little evidence that any direct policy transfer has occurred between the two countries. More than policy transfer, this is a case of global policy diffusion, which is facilitated by new communication media and the globalization of planning practice.

Book title: Handbook on Transport and Urban Transformation in China

Chapter title: South–south policy transfer? Transit oriented development from China to sub-Saharan Africa

Authors: Keqi Si, Tsega Gebrekrstos Wereta and Dorina Pojani

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