Chinese Urban System Research Articles

Research on the Scale and Platform of Sustainability Assessment for Area Scale Residential Development in China

It is the aim of this paper to discuss and search for the suitable scale and platform of sustainability assessment of area scale residential development in China, to contribute to the research of sustainability assessment and thus to promote the sustainable development in Chinese urbanization. The status quo of sustainability assessment in China and the scale definition of globe assessment tools for area scale are reviewed firstly to define the problem. And then, an analysis of Chinese urban system, land ownership and market and residential development are made to establish the combined hierarchical structure. Finally based on the previous research, residential district and regulatory plan are chosen by this research as the implement scale and platform of sustainability assessment for area scale residential development, together with the benefits analysis. The suggested assessment scale and platform could connect the existing sustainability assessment on city & building scale and promote sustainable development realize from targets to measures.

Spatial Development of Producer Services in the Chinese Urban System

The Chinese economy has transformed from the development of industries in the early economic reform period of the 1980s to the development of service industries in the 2000s and, more recently, the emergence of producer service industries. Producer services have become increasingly important to the Chinese economy. Most studies on producer services in China mainly focus on individual cities. Spatial development of producer services at the regional and national levels is relatively less examined. In this paper we analyze the growth and location of producer services in the Chinese urban system. The study also shows that producer services are becoming spatially more concentrated across the urban system. As producer services that are important in generating economic development are more likely to be located in large metropolitan areas, they tend to reinforce the competitiveness of large cities. Moreover, the uneven spatial development of producer services suggests that small and medium cities need to conduct careful market studies and analyses on their ability to attract producer service industries before they initiate large central business district development projects and invest in massive construction of offices.

Digital Urban Network Connectivity: Global and Chinese Internet Patterns

The majority of cities in our world is not only connected through conventional physical infrastructure, but increasingly through modern digital infrastructure. This paper aims to test whether digital connectivity leads to other linkage patterns among world cities than traditional infrastructure. Using a generalized spatial interaction model, this paper shows that geography (and distance) still matters for an extensive set of world cities analysed in the present study. With a view to the rapidly rising urbanization in many regions of our world, the attention is next focused on the emerging large cities in China in order to test the relevance of distance frictions - next to a broad set of other important explanatory variables - for digital connectivity in this country. Various interesting results are found regarding digital connectivity within the Chinese urban system, while also here geography appears to play an important role.

Method of urban color plan based on spatial configuration

AbstractThe present Chinese urban color plan inclined to assume the way of Japanese, which is based on the theory of the Geography of Color founded by Lenclos. However, both my interview in 2004 and my urban color plan in 2006 show that the way of planning from color to color can hardly meet the requirement of the rapidly developing Chinese cities, and the authority should leave more creative space to the designers. Researching the color scheme of Kirchsteigfeld done by Werner Spillmann in 1994 was very enlightening. Findings of other researchers also helped me to set up a systematic planning method. Considering the complexity of color in urban space, the present way of planning simply by color combination is not sufficient. Spatial configuration is the core of color plan, and the authority should emphasize the color pivot and vision rank to encourage creativity in real design. This article discusses the systematic method of color planning when considering Chinese urban plan system, and with typological means. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 2013

Modeling Fractal Structure of Systems of Cities Using Spatial Correlation Function

This article proposes a new method to analyze the spatial structure of urban systems using ideas from fractals. Regarding a system of cities as a set of “particles” distributed randomly on a triangular lattice, we construct a spatial correlation function of cities. Suppose that the spatial correlation follows the power law. It can be proved that the correlation exponent is the second order generalized dimension. The spatial correlation model is applied to the system of cities in China. The results show that the Chinese urban system can be described by the correlation dimension ranging from 1.3 to 1.6. The fractality of self-organized network of cities in both the conventional geographic space and the “time” space is revealed with the empirical evidence. The spatial correlation analysis is significant in that it is applicable to both large and small sizes of samples and can be used to link different fractal dimensions in urban study, including box dimension and radial dimension.

Megalopolisation: An Effect of Large Scale Urbanisation in Post-Reform China

Megalopolis is a group of densely populated metropolitan areas that combine to form an urban complex. Since China introduced the economic reforms in late 1970s, the Chinese urban system has experienced unprecedented growth. The process of urbanisation prevailed in the 1980s, and the process of predominantly large city growth appeared to continue through 1990s and 2000s. In this study, the magnitude and pattern of urbanisation in China during 1990s were examined using remotely sensed imagery acquired by TM/ETM+ sensor onboard the Landsat satellites. The development of megalopolis areas in China was also studied based on the GIS analysis of the increases of urban and built-up area from 1990 to 2000. The analysis suggests that in the traditional agricultural zones in China, e.g., Huang-Huai-Hai Plains, Changjiang River Delta, Pearl River Delta and Sichuan Basin, the urban and built-up areas increased by 1.76 million hectares, of which 0.82 million hectares are expansion of urban areas, an increase of 24.78% compared with 1990 at the national scale. The Yellow River Delta, Changjiang River Delta and Pearl River Delta also saw an increase of urban and built-up area by 63.9%, 66.2% and 83.0% respectively. As a result, three major megalopolises were developed in China: the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong KongMacau (Pearl River Delta: PRD) megalopolis area, the ShanghaiNanjing-Hangzhou (Changjiang River Delta: CRD) megalopolis area and the Beijing-Tianjing-Tangshan-Qinhuangdao (Yellow River Delta-Bohai Sea Ring: YRD) megalopolis area. The relationship between the processed of megalopolisation and the inter-provincial population flow was also explored in the context of social-economic and transport infrastructure development in Post-reform China. Keywords—Megalopolisation, Land use change, Spatial analysis, Post-reform China

The Chinese Urban Caste System in Transition

AbstractUsing data from a 2004 national survey, we examine the recent trends in the conditions of migrant workers in China. Our discussion engages the debate in the existing literature between the migrant workers as victims of China's economic growth and as a newly emerging political force with growing bargaining power. The study focuses on three dimensions of migrant workers' status: their socio-economic conditions, relations with rural and urban residents, and conflict resolution behaviour. The findings indicate that while migrant workers continue to occupy more blue-collar and service jobs than urban residents, their economic, social and political status has improved. In some areas, migrant workers show even more political activism than both rural and urban residents. Migrant workers' growing social influence is a positive development in China's political diversification.

Study on spatial relations of Chinese urban system:Gravity Model Approach

During the past 50 years,profound changes took place in the field of spatial structure of Chinese urban system.This paper will focus on the spatial relations(including network relations and territorial relations) in the inner urban system,and classify the ranks of spatial combination areas of Chinese urban system with different values of Distance Friction Coefficients b.Concerning Chinese urban system,two major regions(1st grade urban system) and seven sub-regions(2nd grade urban system) have formed,the Southern Major Region centralized with Shanghai and the northern one with Beijing.The Southern Major Region consists of four 2nd grade regional urban systems including the Shanghai System(Shanghai,Jiangsu,Zhejiang,Anhui and Fujian),Wuhan System(Hunan,Hubei and Jiangxi),Guangzhou System(Guangdong,Guangxi and Hainan) and Chongqing System(Chongqing,Sichuan,Yunnan,Guizhou and Tibet).The Northern Major Region consists of three 2nd grade regional urban systems including the Beijing System(Beijing,Tianjin,Hebei,Henan,Shandong,Shanxi,Shaanxi and Mongolia),Shenyang-Harbin System(Liaoning,Jilin and Heilongjiang) and Lanzhou-Urumqi System(Gansu,Ningxia,Qinghai and Xinjiang).Besides,64 local urban systems(3rd grade) have formed in the Chinese urban system,among which the 3rd Grade Shanghai System covers Wuxi,Ningbo,Hangzhou and Jinhua Systems,and the 3rd Grade Beijing System includes Beijing System and Datong System.

Research on the location characters of urban color plan in China

Abstract“Urban color” has gradually become one of the hot topics in the field of urban planning in China, and many cities have done research and developed planning practices. On the basis of the comparisons of those cities, numbers and figures show that most of them locate in the eastern part of China. Through the introduction of the Chinese urban planning system and implementation procedure, the authors indicate the status of the urban color plan and analyze the maneuverability of items on color in related laws and regulations. Next, we discuss the reasons of the distribution character with the examples of urban color plan of Yiyuan and architectural façade rebuilt of Guidu Holiday Inn in Suzhou. Finally, the authors point out that under the present Chinese system, urban color planning is the result of the game between urban planners and architects who come out from the rapid boom of urban construction and economy development. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Col Res Appl, 33, 68–76, 2008

The size distribution of Chinese cities

This paper uses urban data to investigate two important issues regarding city sizes in China, the relative growth of cities and the nature of the city size distribution. The manner in which cities of different sizes grow relative to each other is examined and, contrary to the common empirical finding that the relative size and rank of cities remains stable over time, it is found that the Economic Reforms and the One Child Policy since 1979 have delivered significant structural change in the Chinese urban system. The city size distribution remains stable before the reforms but exhibits a convergent growth pattern in the post-reform period. The theoretical literature on city sizes highlights a link between log normal and Pareto distributions for city sizes prompting the employment of Pearson goodness-of-fit tests to examine directly which theoretical distribution provides the best approximation to the empirical city size distribution. Contrary to the evidence for other countries, a log normal rather than Pareto specification turns out to be the preferred distribution.

Globalization and the dominance of large cities in contemporary China

Since the introduction of the economic reforms in late 1978, the Chinese urban system has experienced spectacular growth, accompanied by a rapid rise of urbanization from about 20% to more than 36%. Although restricted by government policy, the development of large cities prevailed in the 1980s, as shown in a previous study ( Zhao and Zhang, 1995). This process of predominantly large cities growth appeared to continue in the 1990s, as is shown with further analysis and update on the issue, within the framework of globalization and other economic theories. Based on newly published demographic and economic data, the paper depicts the growth and concentration of population, foreign direct investment and employment availability in the large cities in contemporary China. This paper argues that in this globalization process, in which the fundamental economic rationales of increasing returns, urbanization economies and urbanization agglomeration prevail, large cities will continue to outperform the small cities and so the dominance of large cities will continue.

Growth of new designated cities in China

The opening of the economy has contributed to the rapid urban development in China over the last 17 years from 1979 to 1996. It is worthwhile to note three new development trends of Chinese urban system. The first trend identifies the emergence of mega-urbanization regions. The second trend rebuilds a closer tie between the Chinese urban system and the global urban system through the development of the world (global) cities and international cities. The third trend shows the fast-polarized development in hinterlands and peripheries around advanced economic regions. However, the research literature on Chinese urbanization in English has shown the scarcity of good databanks and the analysis results are incomplete. Some researchers also always question the quality of the data. Using the most completed and most recent data, this paper reviews the growth of China’s new designated cities since 1949. This paper also seeks to examine the various policies and to explore the underlying factors that have affected the growth of China new cities. From the development of China’s cities in the past 47 years from 1949 to 1996, it is easy to find that metropolitan cities developed with a relatively high rate compared with smaller ones, but the ratio of number and population to whole country cities remained stable; Chinese urban system development had entered a phase of small cities development; in terms of cities regional distribution, the south and east region is still the central area of urban development.

Managed care systems in the people's republic of china

This article attempts to determine whether or not managed care is the way forward for health services systems reforms in urban China. It first highlights the problems of the present Chinese urban health care financing system, which is largely based on third party fee-for-service reimbursement. It then analyses the salient features of three existing managed care systems in China -private plans, plans under the existing public and labor medical insurance systems, and the newly introduced pilot Employees Medical Insurance Scheme. Available evidence tend to suggest that all of them have been quite effective in controlling cost escalation, and that there have been some improvement in terms of equity under the new Employees Medical Insurance Scheme.

Public sector housing in Urban China 1949–1988: The case of Xian

Abstract The literature on housing systems and housing policy in different countries has made an important contribution to the analysis and understanding of key issues relating to the origins and nature of state intervention in housing, and to the interaction of specific social, political and economic forces. The most important initial contributions to this literature referred principally to the advanced industrial economies of Western Europe and North America. This paper aims to broaden the base of comparative research in housing and add to the understanding of public sector housing provision and policy in China. It examines the development of public sector housing in urban areas between 1949 and 1988 through a study of Xian City, and provides detailed analyses of distinctive features of the Chinese urban housing system. The objectives are to fill the gap in the existing literature on housing provision in China through reference to the inland area of the country. This paper concludes that the current urb...

The Chinese urban labor system: Prospects for reform

The international industrial relations literature has devoted little attention to the Chinese experience. Yet during the last ten years China has adopted a number of labor reforms that represent a significant departure from previous policies. This paper reviews the employment problems that motivated these reforms, describes the nature and limits of these new policies, and analyzes the effect of these reforms to date. Particular attention is devoted to reforms officially implemented in the summer of 1986 that change the “labor system” for nonprofessional workers in the largest enterprises. In theory, the reforms will increase the mobility of these workers between enterprises as well as give employers greater flexibility in making decisions about staffing and termination. The likely success of these policies is evaluated using both secondary sources and a limited survey of Chinese enterprises.