ABSTRACT
To understand the resurgence of commercial development from below, this chapter presents a parallel of two different shopping streets in Shanghai. Although both are influenced by new globalization from the outside, continuous rural-urban migration within China, and state policies of global city-style urban renewal, each shopping street has emerged in response to specific local conditions. The commercial spaces created by the working-class owners of ground-floor apartments offer opportunities with low entry costs for migrants to start small shops and service businesses. This unique process of bottom-up commercial development distinguishes. Global cities, highlights the common forces of globalization and migration. In contrast to Tianzifang creative businesses, Minxinglu is an ordinary shopping street that provides everyday needs of local residents. The sharp difference between Tianzifang and Minxinglu looks at the larger context in which globalization, migration, and the local state shapes the ecosystem of the local shopping street.
