From sequential to parallel growth of cities: Theory and evidence from Canada

This paper examines city growth patterns and the corresponding city size distribution evolution over long periods of time using a simple New Economic Geography(NEG) model and urban population data from Canada. The main findings are twofold. First, there is a transition from sequential to parallel growth of cities over long periods of time: city growth shows a sequential mode in the stage of rapid urbanization, i.e., the cities with the best development conditions will take the lead in growth, after which the cities with higher ranks will become the fastest-growing cities; in the late stage of urbanization, city growth converges according to Gibrat′s law, and exhibits a parallel growth pattern. Second, city size distribution is found to have persistent structural characteristics: the city system is self-organized into multiple discrete size groups; city growth shows club convergence characteristics, and the cities with similar development conditions eventually converge to a similar size. The results will not only enhance our understanding of urbanization process, but will also provide a timely and clear policy reference for promoting the healthy urbanization of developing countries.     

China's Urbanization in 1949–2015: Processes and Driving Forces

The pace and scale of China's contemporary urbanization are stunning. This paper reviews process and the underlying driving forces of China's urbanization between 1949–2015. Contemporary China's urbanization has experienced four stages, and each has had different driving forces: 1) economic re-construction and industrialization-led urbanization(1949–1977); 2) economic reform and market-led urbanization(1978–1995); 3) economic globalization and the global-local urbanization(1996–2010); and 4) the land-economyled urbanization(2010–). These urbanization processes and driving forces will undoubtedly provide scientific reference and have significant implications for developing countries, especially African countries, to formulate their urbanization public policies.     

Development,territorial difference and spatial evolution of towns in China—A discussion on the views of anti-urbanism in China

Growth of Chinese small towns is a continuing process of urbanization. By analyzing regional disparity and comprehensive development level of Chinese small towns, it is considered that town development depends mainly on the regional agriculture and social development level. Their spatial distribution is restricted by population distribution and regional economic development level. Chinese urbanization, just the same as urbanization in developed countries, is a sign of socio-economic vigour and prosperity, and is not related to social and political systems. Thus, it is worth to discuss China’s anti-urbanism with abroad scholars.     

AN ANALYSIS OF RELEVANT CONDITIONS FOR DEVELOPING RESOURCE-TYPE INDUSTRIES IN CHINA

Resource-type industries are significance in national economy in the initial stage of industrialization and urbanization in developing countries including China. China is abundant in energy resources, but their distribution is uneven. The prospect of iron and steel industry from the supply of iron ore and coal as well as nonferous metallurgical industry, and chemical industry, is discussed. Processing of agricultural product is an important component of resource-type industries, and the base of light industry. The current status of light industry and different potentials in China's provinces are analysed. The author classifies all provinces into five types according to the spatial combination of minerals in China, and argues that four indicators have to be taken into account with regard to the appraisal of geographical position.     

The role of railroad in the development of the american west

This paper explores the role of geographical expansion of railroads, one of the most important Fransportation vehicles, in the history of American west development, analyses its implication on the unprecedented migration movement and the resulted urbanization in the west and concludes with the fact that the appropriate interference by the government, especially in the early period, is vital to regional development practice, because of market failure at the initial stage, infrastructure construction conducted by the government always plays as the first impetus to any regional development process. Only through this bridge, can some physical factors, such as population, be attracted to feed the backward area. As a result, cities grow fast and the region develops well. The experience can be shared by all countries. Besides reviewing the history of west development in America, focusing on the relationship between railroads expansion and urban growth, which was realized through population migration. A comparison on the particular pattern of regional development between U. S and China is made as well at the end. It is noted that despite of the common first impetus, government subsidies and the common final result, urbanization, the path for the America is bottom-up, whereas that for China is top down, that is to say, development should originate from big cities, then to towns, and finally radiate into rural areas.     

DEVELOPMENT, TERRITORIAL DIFFERENCE AND SPATIAL EVOLUTION OF TOWNS IN CHINA

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Spatial-temporal pattern and formation mechanism of county urbanization on the Chinese Loess Plateau

Urbanization is a comprehensive and complex socioeconomic phenomenon that plays an influential role in promoting global socioeconomic development. The Loess Plateau region is an important part of the China's ecological security pattern, and occupies an important position in the implementation of China's new-type urbanization strategy and the realization of the urban dream. The characteristics of the staged changes and regional differentiation of urbanization in the area from 1990 to 2018 were studied with focus on regions and subregions by selecting 341 county-level administrative units on the Chinese Loess Plateau as the research area, and employing partition analysis and geographic detector methods. This revealed the formation mechanism of the spatial differentiation pattern of urbanization on the Loess Plateau. We found that the urbanization of the Loess Plateau,previously in a slow growth phase, entered the accelerated development phase, presenting a macro pattern of high rates of urbanization in central and eastern areas and low rates in western areas. The formation of the regional differentiation patterns of urbanization on the Loess Plateau were the combined results of natural geographical and socioeconomic factors. Among these factors, the interaction of any two factors had a stronger impact on regional urbanization patterns than a single factor, which was specifically manifested as nonlinear or bi-factor enhancement effects. The findings of this paper may provide a theoretical reference and scientific basis for the scientific promotion of healthy urbanization on the Chinese Loess Plateau and the ecologically fragile areas of developing countries around the world.     

Non-coordination in China＇s Urbanization： Assessment and Affecting Factors

Urbanization is a comprehensive concept, a trinity process that population urbanization, economic urbanization and space urbanization, is based on the interactions and mutual influences among the in which, people are the central and leading players in this process, while economic activities serve as the driving force and space is the carrier-the physical or material setting as well as the product. So the coordination among these processes is crucial for a country or region＇s sustainable development. China is experiencing rapid growth of cities and a surge in urban population, with the basic national condition of many people and little land, which calls for a systematic study of the issue of coordinated urbanization from theoretical, methodological and practical perspectives. Based on the concept of urbanization and non-coordination of urbanization, this article built a quantitative method to identify and evaluate the urbanization and non-coordination of urbanization, and made an empirical analysis in China between 2000 and 2008. The results show that the non-coordination overall level of China＇s urbanization declined during the study period, because population urbanization, economic urbanization, and space urbanization exhibited different trajectories of change. This study also reveals that performance assessment system, household registration system, and urban land expropriation system, etc., are the main affecting factors. At the end, we put forward some suggestions to achieve sustainable development of China＇s urbanization from the aspects of improving the local government＇s obiective function, imolementing the urban plalming svstem, enforcing public particination asnects and so on.     

Measurement and spatio-temporal distribution of urbanization development quality of urban agglomeration in China

Urbanization development quality (UDQ) of urban agglomeration (UA) is one of the important indexes to evaluate if the UA urbanization speed is reasonable, if the population urbanization process is sound, if the economic urbanization process is efficient, if the social urbanization process is harmonious and fair, which is generally composed of three parts, including economic urbanization development quality, social urbanization development quality and spatial urbanization security quality. With the research of evolution rules of UDQ, through the analysis on the interactive coordination relation between UDQ and urbanization level, the paper proposes three dimensional index ball and standard value of comprehensive measures of UDQ, which is composed of three categories of indexes. By introducing Atkinson model, this paper constructs the sub-element measure model and segmental measure model of UDQ, and further makes an overall evaluation on the characteristic of UDQ of UAs in China. Results show that: 1) UDQ of UAs lied at optimization and upgrading phase during 1995–2008 and the quality was low. Population urbanization level did not reflect the UDQ of UAs; 2) the improving speed of the spatial urbanization security quality was higher than the social urbanization development quality, and the improving speed of economic urbanization development quality was the lowest; 3) the coordination between UDQ and urbanization level was not so good; 4) there was a weak correlation relation between UDQ and UA scale, and it was not true that the bigger the UA was, the better the UDQ was.     

ON THE SUBURBANIZATION OF BEIJING

SubUrbanizationisastageofurbanizationprocess.Itmeansthatpopulation,jobsandservicetradesdecentralizefrominnercitytosuburbanarea.SuburbanizationhasgreatlychangedtheeconomicandUrbandevelopmentinthedevelopedcountries.NOw,thefocalpointisWhethersuburbanizationinChina,asadevelOPingcountry,hasactuallybegun?Whendiditstartandwhatisthemechanisminprocess.ThispaperisapreliminalycasestudyofBeijing.I.~L~coxczviofaSUING~POLl~PeterHall's(1984)modelofurbanchangeofferedaframeworkthatcaneasilyidentifyOT…     

SCENARIOS SIMULATION OF COUPLING SYSTEM BETWEEN URBANIZATION AND ECO-ENVIRONMENT IN JIANGSU PROVINCE BASED ON SYSTEM DYNAMICS MODEL

1IN T R O D U C T IO NU rbanizationand eco-environment coupling is uniqueand complex,and itsmechanisms and ruleshave pro-voked much scholarship(B RENNA,1999).More than100yearsago,HOWARD(1898)publishedG ardenC ities of Tom orrow to revealthe interrelationshibpes-tween citygrowth and itseco-environment,and he triedtodealwiththeissuewithrationalplanningway,buthefailed(BOURNE and SIMMONS,1978).However,onlysincethe1920s had thetopicspeciallybeen intensfiied.AftertheChicago schoolhad…     

Balancing Carbon Emission Reductions and Social Economic Development for Sustainable Development: Experience from 24 Countries

The impact of human carbon emissions on climate has generated widespread global concern. We selected 24 countries as research objects and analysed the changes in carbon emissions in different countries between the establishment of emission reduction actions in 1990 and 2014. Then, we selected 19 factors representing four categories(economy, population, technology and energy) to explore the key factors that led to changes in carbon dioxide(CO_2) emissions in different countries. Emission reduction actions since 1990 did not lead to marked improvements, and only five countries(Russia, Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy and France) achieved reductions in carbon emissions. The factors that influenced CO_2 emissions varied among countries. In most developing countries, reductions in CO_2 emissions were caused by reductions in poverty and inherent natural conditions. Moreover, the extent of influence of a given factor on CO_2 emissions differed among countries. The global economic crisis may cause similar fluctuations in CO_2 emissions in many countries. Adjustments to energy and industrial structures are the main reason for the reduction in carbon emissions, whereas economic growth and urbanization are the two major contributors to the growth of carbon emissions. According to historical carbon emissions data, a green energy revolution must be implemented to address global climate change and ensure the sustainable development of human societies.     

Revisiting and rethinking regional urbanization in Changjiang River Delta, China

China is entering a critical and accelerating phase of urbanization.As one of the most urbanized regions in China,the Changjiang(Yangtze)River Delta has experienced dramatic urbanization and urban transformation.However,in the recent years,many changes have taken place in this region and there is limited attention to the regional urbanization path evolution,its problems and the way to solve these problems.Therefore,we should revisit the urbanization process in the Changjiang River Delta again.In this paper,we revisited urbanization paths of the Changjiang River Delta by data analysis,influence factors of urbanization by the Gray Relational Analysis,and major challenges to urbanization of the Changjiang River Delta by theoretical considerations.We found that the urbanization of the Changjiang River Delta had experienced several stages of large-scale spatial and urban system restructuring.Within the Changjiang River Delta,Shanghai,Zhejiang and Jiangshu had experienced different urbanization path with local characteristics.But with their development model gradually converging,their urbanization model is also converging.We also found that the major influence factors affecting the Changjiang River Delta urbanization were dynamic change and urbanization was driven by different key factors in different socio-economic development stages.Meanwhile,the Changjiang River Delta urbanization is facing many problems such as existing institutional arrangements,including the hukou(household registration)system and others which can not meet the needs of current socioeconomic development and urbanization.Therefore,it is imperative to promote institutional innovation and adopt a new urbanization development strategy for the sake of the orderly and sustainable urbanization development in the Changjiang River Delta.     

AGGLOMERATION AND RADIATION EFFECT OF THE PULL OF URBANIZATION

In order to explore the train of thought for China‘s urbanizing development and coordinated rural eco-nomic development, and to find good ways of solving rural problems through urbanization, this paper absorbs the push-and-pull forces theory and the systematic dynamic theory in the traditional population migration theories, views urbanization as a dynamic system, makes research on the push-and-pull mechanism of urbanization. The pulling power of urbanization is analyzed according to two aspects, the agglomeration effect and the radiation effect of cities. The agglomeration effect provides continuous propelling force for urbanization, and the radiation effect further accelerates the urbanization process by pushing forward the development of rural economy. Of course, the slow de-velopment of urbanization can result in the hindrance to rural economic development.     

Reconsideration of the urbanization research in China

Theappearanceofmodemurbancommunityisanoutcomeofindustrializationandsocialdevelopment.ThecityitseIfindicatestheconcentrationofpopulation,toolofproduction,capital,enjoymentanddemand.Asaspecialintensive1ivingspace,citymay,inthecourseofmodernization,gatherandagglomeratevariousre-sourcestoitsown,andreflectandspreaditsfunctionstoperipheralareasaswell,whichistheprocessofur-banization.Nomatterasatermoraphenomenon,sinceitwasfirstused'intheworks"FundamentalTheoryofU,ba.i.ati.."bytheSpanishengineerA.S…     

Empirical Analysis on Urbanization Patterns in Zhejiang Province Based on Spatial Economy and GIS

1 Introduction For the two past decades of economic reforms in China, the urbanization level has risen dramatically from 17.92% in 1978 to 41.8% in 2004, with the average an- nual increase in the urbanized population of 3.3%. Owing to the social and economic factors, however, the agri- culture, rural area and farmer, named “three agricul- ture-related problems” in the country, have benefited little from the rapid and unprecedented process of ur- banization (Lin and Ho, 2003). Conversely, as…     

A theoretical analysis of interactive coercing effects between urbanization and eco-environment

Objectively, a complex interactive coercing relationship exists between urbanization and eco-environment, and the research of this relationship is primarily divided into three schools, i.e., interactive coercion theory, interactive promotion theory and coupling symbiosis theory. Harmonizing the relationship between urbanization and eco-environment is not only an important proposition for the national development plan but also the only way to promote healthy urbanization. Based on an analysis of urbanization process and its relationship with the eco-environment, this article analyzes interactive coercing effects between urbanization and eco-environment from three perspectives of population urbanization, economic urbanization and spatial urbanization, respectively, and analyzes risk effects of the interactive coercion. Further, it shows six basic laws followed by interactive coercion between urbanization and eco-environment, namely, coupling fission law, dynamic hierarchy law, stochastic fluctuation law, non-linear synergetic law, threshold value law and forewarning law, and divides the interactive coercing process into five stages, namely, low-level coordinate, antagonistic, break-in, ameliorative and high-grade coordinate. Based on the geometric derivation, the interactive coercing relationship between urbanization and eco-environment is judged to be non-linear and it can be explained by a double-exponential function formed by the combination of power and exponential functions. Then, the evolutionary types of the interactive coercing relationship are divided into nine ones: rudimentary coordinating, ecology-dominated, synchronal coordinating, urbanization lagging, stepwise break-in, exorbitant urbanization, fragile ecology, rudimentary break-in and unsustainable types. Finally, based on an interactive coercion model, the degree of interactive coercion can be examined, and then, an evolutionary cycle can be divided into four phases, namely rudimentary symbiosis, harmonious development, utmost increasing and spiral type rising. The study results offer a scientific decision-making of healthy urbanization for achieving the goal of eco-environment protection and promoting urbanization.     

What is the relationship between ecosystem services and urbanization? A case study of the mountainous areas in Southwest China

China is undergoing a rapid urbanization process, and urbanization will have a direct impact on regional ecosystems and affect regional ecosystem services. Considering the mountainous counties in Southwestern China as the research object, this study reveals the spatial clustering characteristics of four typical ecosystem services(food production, soil conservation, water yield and carbon sequestration)as well as the trade-offs and synergies among ecosystem services in different urbanized areas. At the same time, piecewise linear regression is used to determine the threshold of the influence of urbanization on ecosystem services. The results indicate that: 1) There are spatial autocorrelations among the four typical ecosystem services; with strong clustering characteristics, the positive correlation types are "clustered" locally; and with significant spatial heterogeneity, the negative correlation types are scattered and mainly appear in the highly urbanized area. 2) There are also remarkable differences in the relationship among various ecosystem services in different urbanized areas, and in particular, there are marked trade-offs between food production and carbon sequestration in the moderately urbanized area and the highly urbanized area. However, there are synergies between them in the lowly urbanized area. 3) With an increase in the compounded night light index(CNLI), water yield, carbon sequestration, food production and overall ecosystem services values present an increasing-decreasing trend, the soil conservation function value shows a decreasing-increasing trend.The response of water yield, carbon sequestration,food production, and overall ecosystem services to the compounded night light index(CNLI) has a threshold of 1.2642, 1.4833, 1.3388, 1.5146 and 1.2237,respectively. Based on the detected relationships between urbanization and ecosystem services, this study provides a theoretical reference for the selection of urbanization development models in key ecological functional areas.     

Calculation of Ecological Footprint Based on Modified Method and Quantitative Analysis of Its Impact Factors ——A Case Study of Shanghai

1 Introduction The publication of UNDPI (The United Nation Devel- opment and Planning Indices) in May 1990 has brought about an on-going search for the system of “sustainable development”, which is also one of hot topics in China (Wackernagel et al., 1999; Vuuren and Smeets, 2000). Regretfully, the difficulty in quantifying sustainable de- velopment resulted in a slow progress in those researches. In the past a few years, however, ecological footprint (EF) analysis (Rees, 1992; Wackn…     

夜光遥感大数据视角下的中国城市化时空特征

社会经济的高速发展直接驱动了中国过去几十年的持续快速城市化进程。城市化是一个典型的复杂地理现象,伴随着高密度人口聚集、土地利用改变、基础设施建设和生态环境变化等系列人和自然交互过程的发生。深入理解城市发展的时空演化规律对研究、规划、管理和相关政策制定在内的诸多领域都有十分重要的意义。近些年来,由于快速发展的夜光遥感大数据具有空间清晰的与城市化有关的社会经济活动强度的感知信息,其为探索城市和城市化问题提供了新的研究途径。虽然有许多成果对利用夜光遥感数据进行城市化的研究进行了探讨,但大部分集中在城市化面积、人口规模和其他社会经济变量的定量相关和数值统计分析上,仍然缺乏对中国过去几十年来的城市化时空特征的综合多角度分析和理解。本研究利用1992-2013年的夜光遥感时间序列大数据,从夜光照亮面积、亮度变化时间转折点、不同亮度区的空间结构转换和亮度信号的空间扩散速度4个方面进行了定量化的信息提取与分析。研究结果从夜光辐射遥感大数据的视角综合揭示了中国在过去研究期间包括城市空间扩展、城市化发展的时间分布、城市空间结构演化和城市化活动空间扩散速度在内的定量时空特征。本研究的结果可以为深入理解中国城市化的时空模式与演化特征提供新的参考。