Urban village is a very special type of neighbourhood,created in the fast urbanisation process in Chinese cities like Shenzhen in the past three decades,playing an essential role in accommodating migrant groups,including rural-urban migrant workers and the young professionals.Built by the villagers whose farmland was transformed into urban use,these high-density informal settlements have become places where the daily life of the migrant groups happens.Nowadays,along with the processes of fast urban development and upgrading of industries,urban villages located in the central urban districts are being considered as problematic neighbourhoods that need to be reconstructed.The current model is still based on large-scale redevelopment,replacing the urban villages with new urban functions.In response to such radical approach,this paper will present an alternative argument of maintaining and improving urban villages as arrival cities for migrant groups.It is based on an environmentalbehaviour study in the framework of liveability.This study is based on the theory that perceived control over the built environment is an important condition for liveability (Ahman 1975,Van Dorst 2011).It indicates the changing life styles inside the urban villages,as well as the way space is socially produced.Within the urban villages,physical environment is constantly changing to meet the demands of people,while at the same time,social behaviour of the migrant groups is also adapted consciously to the living conditions.The dynamics of socio-spatial interaction made the urban villages vital places,with perceived control as a central quality.This is mainly peoples control of their interaction with the social environment and the possibility of intervening in the physical environment,as well as the possibility of being involved in the environment and giving meaning to it.The paper starts with general introduction on the formation of urban villages and their common characteristics on urban morphology.This is followed by literature-based definitions on liveability and perceived control,in terms of the appreciation of individuals for their built environment that depends upon personal needs and socio-cultural contexts.Such theoretical analysis will result in indicators for sustainable liveability,which are mainly related to the basic needs of residents,their socio-cultural background,daily interaction with the urban environment and social interaction in it.These indictors will be reflected in the empirical study of two urban villages inside the special economic zone of Shenzhen,namely Hubei and Baishizhou.