The Changing Geography of China’s Urban Construction Land

Abstract

This chapter examines the temporal, structural, and spatial patterns of construction land expansion, the internal structure and dual-track development of UCL, and the relationship between UCL utilization efficiency and its development model. The development of construction land in China has been closely associated with the unique urbanization model. Formal and informal land development contributed 60% and 40%, respectively, to the total growth of UCL. Temporally, the formal development of UCL has been relatively steady, whereas the magnitude of informal land development has fluctuated over the past decade. Spatially, formally and informally developed UCL have both high concentrations in coastal metropolitan areas and inland provincial capitals. However, because of the more demand-driven nature of informal land development, it has concentrated more severely and become less affected by the administrative system unlike its counterpart. Chinese cities are classified into five groups based on their scale, speed, and the dominant approach of UCL development. The case cities, Beijing and Shenzhen, are classified into two types that represent rapid and large-scale UCL development by formal and informal approaches, respectively. The efficiency of UCL utilization is measured based on the economic and population densities of the region. Empirical examinations reveal an inverse U-shaped relationship between land use efficiency and the dominance of formal/informal land development, indicating the prime importance of formal-informal approach coordination in ensuring efficient UCL utilization.