State-sponsored and spontaneous urbanization in Fujian province of China, 1982–2010

Abstract

This paper examines unbalanced urbanization process in Fujian province from 1982 to 2010 from the perspective of dual-track urbanization. The analysis is mainly based on 67 county-level units. The spontaneous track of urbanization is a new process of urbanization in China emerged in the reform period. It plays an important role in linking urban and rural areas but also creates problems of rural-urban integration and social cohesion. This paper examines the relative roles of spontaneous and state-sponsored urbanization and their impacts on the spatial pattern and structure of urbanization in Fujian. It is found that rural to urban migration plays the most significant role while state-sponsored urbanization and rural urbanization play equal roles in the process of urbanization. There was a significant shift of state-sponsored urbanization from county-level cities and counties to urban areas of central cities, Fuzhou and Xiamen, and from inland area to coastal area after 1990. There have also been significant shift and growth of temporary population towards the central cities in the reform period. The shift from small towns to large urban areas is clear in both tracks of urbanization.