Fast economic growth in China has significantly improved the life of one fifth of the world's population over the last twenty-five years. However, the benefit of reform was not shared equally in the society. Mass unemployment created by recent industrial restructuring jointed by many millions of rural migrants formed a new poor social and economic group. This book looks at the social change, housing and poverty problems arising from the transition from a socialist planned economy toward a market economy. Urban Poverty, Housing and Social Change in China highlights the causes and scale of urban poverty and addresses questions such as how serious are the inequality and poverty problems in Chinese cities? Who are the urban poor? Where and how the poor live? What are the effects of rural to urban migration on urban poverty? What kind of antipoverty policies have been developed? How effective are they? The book also puts the Chinese experience in the wider context of the transitional economies and discusses the similarities and differences between China and Central and Eastern European countries. The book is based on a long period of research on Chinese urban development, and benefited from several research projects conducted in Chinese cities. Urban poverty is a direct result of market reform in transitional societies. The Chinese experience provides an important comparison to the problems faced by other transitional economies. Unlike many Central and Eastern European countries, China has followed a progressive reform process which avoided sudden collapse of urban economy and delayed the emergence of urban poverty. Sustained economic growth also enabled the government to develop new social support policies and reduce the extent of suffering of low-income communities. The rising urban poverty, however, has become a major obstacle in the future development of Chinese cities, and demands a pro-poor economic development strategy. This book will be an important reference for all of those interested in urban and social change and a key text for students of the Chinese economy and society.