Unravelling the growth of small cities with entrepreneurial urbanism in transition China: A case study of Zouping

Small cities are the critical arena for urbanisation and economic growth around the world. The tailored and variegated approach is key to facilitating the development of small cities. Based on the theory of entrepreneurial urbanism, this study constructs a conceptual framework of ‘subject‐economy‐policy‐culture‐space’ and takes Zouping as a typical case to explore the potential path of development for small cities. This study finds that the development of Zouping is an unintentional approach of entrepreneurial urbanism; emphasising industrial development, urban marketing and technological innovation to drive economic transformation; shaping the regional cultural atmosphere of mercantilism; and reconstructing the urban space with industrial parks as a leading spatial driver. Further research shows that a multi‐subject cooperative network between the local government, enterprises and society is the foundation, and the establishment of an entrepreneurial urban cultural atmosphere is a necessary condition for the development of small cities. The entrepreneurial actions of local governments are the decisive conditions for the development of small cities. This study provides a reference value for the development of small cities both in China and the Global South and contributes to enriching the theoretical system of global entrepreneurial urbanism through Chinese cases.