Pseudo-Urbanization? Competitive government behavior and urban sprawl in China

Abstract

Urban population size is a slippery indicator of China's urbanization level. Urban sprawl through infrastructure construction, the setting up of development zones and administrative adjustments, expands urban space and in turn inflates urban population size without necessarily urbanizing the overall landscape or economy. This article seeks to distinguish urbanization from urban sprawl. It aims to uncover why and how local governments have spurred urban sprawl and shaped urbanization in today's China. It suggests that urban sprawl is a land-centered process engineered by the government primarily to generate revenue for local coffers. City building has become a competitive enterprise for local governments who seek to outdo each other in ‘place-making’, both to attract investments and to conjure up highly visible trophy projects. The implications of these findings on China's urbanization and how urban sprawl may be further studied are addressed at the end of the article.