New-type Urbanization In China Research Articles

How does new-type urbanization promote green development efficiency in China? The mediating role of governments, enterprises, and residents

New-type urbanization (NTU) is proposed by China to solve unsustainable issues and improve green development efficiency (GDE) during the process of rapid urbanization. However, the impact mechanism of NTU on GDE is unclear. Using panel data of 282 prefecture-level cities in China from 2010 to 2019, we measured NTU and GDE to describe their spatiotemporal pattern and relationship evolution. The fixed effects panel model and mediating effect panel model were further utilized to analyze the benchmark impact, mediating mechanism and spatiotemporal heterogeneity of NTU on GDE. The results showed that NTU improved whose level in eastern region was the highest, while GDE increased in fluctuations whose level in eastern and western regions performed better. With the proportion of double-high cities increasing from 13.83% to 43.62%, the NTU-GDE relationship was upgraded. Overall, every 1% improvement in NTU increased GDE by 0.3111%, and the enterprise effect, resident effect and government effect played a positive mediating role from high to low. During the later stage of NTU, it improved GDE more strongly and the mediating role of governments was optimized. The eastern region was the only region with three positive mediating roles of governments, enterprises and residents. These findings will facilitate GDE through NTU in China and have reference significance for the sustainability of global urbanization.

Promoting or inhibiting? New-type urbanization and urban carbon emissions efficiency in China

Urban carbon emissions lead to increases in global carbon emissions; consequently, meeting targets for low carbon emissions is a difficult problem in the context of urbanization. Improving urban carbon emissions efficiency (UCEE) in the new-type urbanization (NTU) process is key to reducing urban carbon and enhancing sustainable urban development. However, the potential of NTU in facilitating improved UCEE remains unclear. Thus, we investigated the effect and transmission mechanisms of NTU on UCEE in China. A set of spatial econometric models was used, with panel data from 283 cities across China from 2006 to 2019. The results showed that NTU significantly promoted the improvement of UCEE, and UCEE improved strongly during the later stage of NTU construction. In China's central and western cities, large cities, and non-natural resource–based cities, the promotion effect of NTU on UCEE was more significant. Overall, the economic agglomeration effect had the most significant influence, followed by the government leading effect and resource allocation effect. Moreover, the NTU pilot policies of civilized city, low-carbon city, innovative city, smart city, and green finance city significantly promoted the improvement of UCEE. These findings provide theoretical and empirical evidence for the effective achievement of the “dual carbon” goal with respect to NTU in China.

Can new-type urbanization promote the green intensive use of land?

An analysis of how new-type urbanization in China impacts the green intensive use of land not only provides us with an important reference basis, but also helps support decision-making when promoting new-type urbanization. This paper theoretically analyzes how new-type urbanization influences the green intensive use of land and takes the implementation of China's new-type urbanization plan (2014–2020) as a quasi-natural experiment. To empirically analyze the impact and mechanism of new-type urbanization on the green intensive use of land, we take the panel data of 285 Chinese cities from 2007 to 2020 and use the Difference-in-differences method. Results show that new-type urbanization facilitates green intensive use of land, a conclusion which is verified by several robustness tests. Furthermore, the effects are heterogeneous with respect to urbanization stage and urban scale, both of which exert a stronger driving effect in the later stages of urbanization and in large cities. Further analysis of the mechanism shows that new-type urbanization can promote green intensive land use through an innovation effect, a structural effect, a planning effect and an ecological effect.

Does Regional Urbanization Promote Balanced Land Development? Evidence from Long Time Series Satellite Imagery

The urban megaregion has been promoted as among the major urbanization forms in New-Type Urbanization in China, which aims to promote more balanced development among cities and between the urban and rural areas in a region. While numerous studies have examined developed land expansion in cities worldwide using remotely sensed imagery, fewer have investigated its dynamic process in a rural area and the differences in the growth magnitude and expansion morphology between urban and rural areas. Using Landsat imagery from 1986 to 2020, we examined the spatiotemporal patterns of developed land in both the urban and rural areas in the Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan urban megaregion, China, using morphological analysis. We found that (1) the differences in the growth magnitude between the urban and rural areas varied between the different-sized cities, with increases in the largest city of Changsha, but decreases in the smaller ones of Zhuzhou and Xiangtan, although there was a slight increase at the megaregional scale. (2) The dynamic process of developed land in rural areas was similar to that in urban areas but showed a clear time-lag effect, where the dominant expansion types in urban areas shifted from edge to infilling expansion and to another edge expansion in 1986–2000, 2000–2010, and 2010–2020, whereas that in rural areas changed from outlying to edge expansion in 1986–2000 and 2000–2020. (3) The positive relationships between the growth speed and outlying and edge expansion suggested that the CZT urban megaregion was in the rapid outward expansion stage. Such a pattern may cause similar ecological effects, such as habitat fragmentation and urban heat archipelagos, to that in the eastern megaregions. Understanding such differences and their changes in the urban and rural areas will help optimize the strategies of urban megaregion sustainability.

Examining the Planning Policies of Urban Villages Guided by China’s New-Type Urbanization: A Case Study of Hangzhou City

Planning policies have greatly influenced the development of urban villages, an informal phenomenon in which rural settlements are encircled by urban environments during China's rapid urbanization process. "The National New-type Urbanization Plan (2014-2020)" of China initiated in 2014 provides a new perspective on planning policy research on China' urban villages. Hangzhou, a pioneer city that adopts new-type urbanization in China and combines the characteristics of rapid urban growth, mountainous urban terrains, and a long cultural history, serves as a typical case study to compare the planning policies responding to the informality of urban villages guided by traditional and new-type urbanization. This study employed the content analysis method to analyze the evolution of Hangzhou's planning policies of urban villages since the reform and opening up and used one-way ANOVA to analyze the differences in rental levels among the urban villages developed under the planning policies of different urbanization stages, aiming to compare the influences of planning policies guided by traditional and new-type urbanization on urban village development. The results indicate that the policies allowing some degree of informality in the new-type urbanization stage achieve a higher rental level for urban villages than the policies of the traditional urbanization stages that restrict and prevent informality. The findings of this research suggest that informality may provide advantages that formality cannot replace and provides important policy implications for rapidly urbanizing countries.

Systematic Measurement and Evolution Situation of Coupling Coordination Level between Intensive Cultivated Land Utilization and New-Type Urbanization

This study uses the entropy method to measure the comprehensive evaluation index of 30 provincial samples, with the exception of the Tibet, Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan regions, of farmland intensive utilization and new-type urbanization in China. This study also builds a coupling coordination model to measure the coupling degree, coordination degree, and relative development degree. The kernel density estimation method and Theil index describe its evolution situation and spatial differences. The results showed that the coupling degree, coordination degree, and relative development degree of cultivated land intensive use and new-type urbanization were highly coupled, barely coordinated, and that cultivated land intensive use lagged, respectively. Kernel density estimation shows that the coupling degree, coordination degree, and relative development degree of cultivated land intensive use and new-type urbanization decrease as a whole and the regional differences increase. Theil index analysis shows that the differences of coupling degree, coordination degree, and relative development degree in eastern, central, and western regions are mainly caused by intragroup differences. Therefore, according to the economic situation and resource endowment conditions of each province and city, the benign interaction between the intensive use of cultivated land and new-type urbanization should be promoted according to local conditions. Food security is an important basis of national security. Cultivated land is not only a key element to ensure food security, but also a strong driving force for promoting high-quality, green, and sustainable development of agriculture and coordinated urban–rural development. By improving agricultural infrastructure and production conditions, China could choose to establish a strict arable land protection system and other measures to improve the level of intensive utilization of cultivated land.

The distribution effect of urbanization: Theoretical deduction and evidence from China

The inverted-U relationship between urbanization and urban-rural inequality has been relatively widely observed and investigated. However, most are confined to the context-specific empirical evidence and a certain measure of inequality. Furthermore, the discussions concerning the mechanism involved deserve focus and extension, particularly with the goal of new-type urbanization in China. This study aims to provide an analytical framework of the distribution effect of urbanization. It includes mathematical deductions based on the Gini coefficient and Theil's index, and empirical evidence relating to both the nexus and mechanisms across Chinese provinces based on panel models and mediating effect models. The key findings are threefold. Firstly, the inverted U urbanization-inequality nexus has been substantiated both theoretically and empirically, and most Chinese provinces have experienced the ‘decoupling’ between urbanization and urban-rural income inequality. Secondly, such relationships are regionally heterogeneous in China, which is less significant in the northeast region but quite significant in the eastern and western regions. Finally, urbanization can play a key role in narrowing the income gap between the urban and rural areas through increasing fiscal expenditure on urban-rural affairs and reducing that on science, education, culture, and health. Nevertheless, the mediating effect of local fiscal expenditure on agricultural issues is relatively insignificant. These conclusions not only provide both theoretical and empirical support for the urbanization-inequality Kuznets curve, but also specify and expand insights into the mediating role of the local fiscal expenditure structure in the pursuit of China's new-type urbanization.

Impact of industrial agglomeration on new-type urbanization: Evidence from Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration of China

This paper examines whether industrial agglomeration can promote new-type urbanization in Pearl River Delta urban agglomeration of China. By building dynamic spatial Dubin model, our econometric results show that industrial agglomeration can significantly promote new-type urbanization in local area, and the spatial spillover effects of producer service industry and financial industry are significant. Compared with geographical proximity, the spatial spillover effects are more significant among cities with similar economic development degree. More specifically, the impact of producer service industry agglomeration on new-type urbanization is greater than that of foreign-funded industry and manufacturing industry. The impact of financial industry agglomeration on local new-type urbanization can only appear in a long period of time. Moreover, in case of coordinated industrial agglomeration in local and adjacent areas, the long-term effects of industry agglomeration on new-type urbanization are greater than the short-term effects. Overall, this paper offers a more comprehensive understanding the relationship between industrial agglomeration and new-type urbanization in China.

The characteristics of spatial expansion and driving forces of land urbanization in counties in central China: A case study of Feixi county in Hefei city.

Urbanization in Central and Western China has attracted increasing attention in the advent of new-type urbanization in China and the age of 'Global Urbanism'. Although land urbanization is at the epicenter of Chinese urbanization, its process and driving forces in counties beyond the Eastern coastal areas are less known. This paper therefore seeks to investigate the spatial expansion and driving forces of land urbanization in Feixi county, a relatively advanced county neighboring Hefei city proper in Anhui province in Central China. Based on the land-use change survey data, remote sensing interpretation data, and statistical yearbook data of Feixi county from 2002 to 2016, it is revealed that the overall scale of urban land in Feixi county increased remarkably, though with obvious temporal and geographical variants. The year 2009 appears to be the cutting line between quantity-based land urbanization and quality-based land urbanization. Land urbanization rate is sensitive to both geographical distance and traffic accessibility to Hefei city proper. Driving forces of land urbanization in Feixi county are summarized as: (1) central city expansion, (2) government-led industrial park construction, and (3) large industrial projects along traffic corridors. A better understanding of urbanization in Feixi county cannot be fulfilled without taking into account the wider spatial process in Hefei city and the Yangtze River Delta city-region.

Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Rural Labor Migration in China: Evidence from the Migration Stability under New-type Urbanization

Although the factors affecting rural-to-urban migration have been discussed and analyzed in detail, few studies have examined the spatiotemporal dynamic characteristics of rural migrants’ employment and working-cities in the post-immigrate era, which is essential for the citizenization and social integration of new-type urbanization in China. This study uses survey data from rural migration laborers across the eastern, central, and western China to construct a comprehensive labor migration stability index, and compares the determinants of the migration stability of rural labor among cities and industries using Geodetector. The results are as follows: 1) Compared with the midwestern cities, eastern cities have attracted younger and more skilled rural labor, and industries with higher technical content have higher migration stability among rural laborers. 2) Rural laborers more often adapt to changes by changing employment instead of changing working-cities. 3) The individual experiences of rural laborers and urban characteristics have significant impacts on the stability of migration, and family and societal guanxi (Chinese interpersonal relationships) enhance migration stability. 4) A unified labor market and convenient transportation have somewhat slowed industrial transfers and labor backflow. This study enhances our understanding of the roles of industrial transfer and new-type urbanization in shaping the labor geography landscape and provides policy implications for the promotion of people-oriented urbanization.

Ecological effects of new-type urbanization in China

The development of urbanization in China has changed from a traditional form of urbanization that focuses on the rate of growth to a new type of urbanization that stresses improvements in quality. To evaluate this new type of urbanization, this paper constructs a system that looks at the four dimensions of economy, population, society, and environment, and then, using provincial-level panel data, employs a dynamic spatial panel model to empirically test the ecological effects of the new type urbanization. The study finds that the new-type urbanization in China increased gradually from 2003 to 2017, focused on improvements to the ecological environment, and displayed obvious inter-provincial differences. Moreover, China's new-type urbanization has not only effectively reduced pollution emissions and improved energy efficiency but has also been significant in terms of its ecological effect. Moreover, economic urbanization, population urbanization, social urbanization and environmental urbanization exhibit the obvious ecological effects of “pollution reduction and efficiency improvement.” In the process of this new type of urbanization, both the government's “severe constraints” on pollution emissions and the active introduction of foreign capital are further important avenues that lead to achieving “pollution reduction and efficiency improvements.”

Haze pollution, new-type urbanization and regional total factor productivity growth: based on a panel dataset involving all 31 provinces within the territory of China

Purpose This paper aims to analyze the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of regional total factor productivity (TFP) growth and explores how haze pollution and different levels of new-type urbanization affect China’s economic growth. Design/methodology/approach This paper constructs an index for evaluating the TFP growth of China’s 31 provinces by integrating slack-based measures and the Global Malmquist (GM) productivity index. Meanwhile, the panel threshold estimation method is used to examine the complex relationships among haze pollution, new-type urbanization and TFP growth. Findings The results reflect conspicuous spatiotemporal heterogeneity in TFP growth in China. Interestingly, the influence of haze pollution on TFP growth is limited by the “critical mass” of new-type urbanization in China. When new-type urbanization does not cross the first threshold, haze pollution has a negative but non-significant effect on TFP growth. When new-type urbanization crosses the first threshold but not the second, haze pollution has a significant positive impact on TFP growth. When new-type urbanization crosses the second threshold, haze pollution significantly and positively affects TFP growth with the strongest positive effect. Originality/value This study innovates by combining haze pollution and TFP growth and proposing an integrated framework from the perspective of new-type urbanization, providing insight into how different degrees of new-type urbanization impact the mechanism between haze pollution and TFP growth. Using panel data in China and emphasizing green development, a sustainable economy and new-type urbanization, this study contributes to the current studies on haze pollution and economic development based on developed countries.

Synergistic Effects between Financial Development and Improvements in New-type Urbanization: Evidence from China

ABSTRACT In this paper, we use the combination weight of game theory to evaluate a comprehensive index of new-type urbanization and then dynamic panel data for Chinese provinces over the period 2001 to 2016 to investigate the synergistic effects between financial development and improvement in new-type urbanization. Our results are based on system-generalized method of moments, and estimators indicate that the financial development variable measured by each dimension has different impacts on the level of new-type urbanization, respectively. The level of financial deepening measured by the total loan balance of all financial institutions divided by gross domestic product has the maximum impact on urbanization, and the financial structure has a minimal effect, confirming that a bank-dominated financial system supports improvement in new-type urbanization at the current stage. From the perspective of time periods, small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have a more obvious effect in the post-crisis period than the period 2001 to 2008. The stock market’s promotion effect on new-type urbanization also increased; thus, it is playing a greater role. These results imply that policies such as improving SMEs efficiency, optimizing the financial structure, and relaxing restrictions on private investment are likely to promote further improvement in new-type urbanization in China.

Sustainable Development of New Urbanization from the Perspective of Coordination: A New Complex System of Urbanization‒Technology Innovation and the Atmospheric Environment

Exploring the coordinated development of urbanization (U), technology innovation (T), and the atmospheric environment (A) is an important way to realize the sustainable development of new-type urbanization in China. Compared with existing research, we developed an integrated index system that accurately represents the overall effect of the three subsystems of UTA, and a new weight determination method, the structure entropy weight (SEW), was introduced. Then, we constructed a coordinated development index (CDI) of UTA to measure the level of sustainability of new-type urbanization. This study also analyzed trends observed in UTA for 11 cities in Zhejiang Province of China, using statistical panel data collected from 2006 to 2017. The results showed that: (1) urbanization efficiency, the benefits of technological innovation, and air quality weigh the most in the indicator systems, which indicates that they are key factors in the behavior of UTA. The subsystem scores of the 11 cities show regional differences to some extent. (2) Comparing the coordination level of UTA subsystems, we found that the order is: coordination degree of UT > coordination degree of UA > coordination degree of TA. This suggests that the atmospheric environment system improvement is an important strategic decision for sustainable urbanization in Zhejiang. (3) The UTACDI values of the 11 cities are not high enough, as the coordination is mainly low, basic, or good, while none of the cities reached the stage of excellent coordination. (4) Gray Model (1,1) revealed that the time taking to achieve excellent coordination varies for different cities. Hangzhou and Ningbo were predicted to reach the excellent coordination level in 2018. Other cities are predicted to take 2–4 years to adjust their urbanization strategies enough to be considered to have excellent coordination of their UTA system.

Identifying Economic Growth Convergence Clubs and Their Influencing Factors in China

Balanced and coordinated economic development across regions is a critical goal of regional economic development and new-type urbanization in China. However, few studies have examined economic growth convergence clubs at the county level. To extend the research on convergence clubs, this research applies a log t convergence test and a dynamic spatial ordered probit model (DSOP) to endogenously identify economic growth convergence clubs in counties and to examine the influence of initial states and structures on club convergence probability. The study sample covers 2286 counties of China from 1992 to 2010. The results show significant convergence club patterns at the county levels, resulting in the gradual formation of six convergence clubs. The DSOP estimation results show that per capita fixed assets, population density, and industrialization have promoted convergence club formation to varying degrees.

Identifying Spatiotemporal Interactions between Urbanization and Eco-Environment in the Urban Agglomeration in the Middle Reaches of the Yangtze River, China

Urban agglomeration has become a crucial topic in order for the Chinese government to promote new-type urbanization in China, and its urbanization will greatly affect China’s eco-environment. Existing literature on bidirectional influence between urbanization and eco-environment from the perspective of urban agglomeration is, however, limited. This study establishes a conceptual framework to identify bidirectional relationships between urbanization and eco-environment in urban agglomerations. After evaluating urbanization level and eco-environment quality for each city in an urban agglomeration, this framework determines key interaction factors, and employs a global regression approach to quantify the coercing effects of urbanization on eco-environment and constraining effects of eco-environment on urbanization. Spatial heterogeneity of bidirectional interactions is then examined using local regression, represented by geographically weighted regression. The case study in the urban agglomeration in the middle reaches of the Yangtze River from 2000 to 2015 indicated the existence of bidirectional interactions and coercing threat that was stronger than constraining pressure in this region. The coercion that urbanization posed on the eco-environment began to vary in space significantly from 2010, whereas the constraint of eco-environment on urbanization was spatially stationary. This study will help policy-makers to develop sustainable policies to balance urban development and eco-environment conservation.

New-type urbanization in China: Predicted trends and investment demand for 2015–2030

The future development of new-type urbanization has drawn great attention from both the government and public alike. In this context, the present study had three related research aims. Firstly, it sought to predict the urbanization and population dynamics in China at both national and provincial levels for the period of 2015 to 2030. Secondly, on this basis, it sought to examine the spatial variation of urbanization given the predicted national urbanization rate of 70.12%. Thirdly, it sought to estimate and evaluate the national and provincial demands of investment in the development of new-type urbanization. The main conclusions from this study were as follows: (1) The population size and urbanization rate will reach 1.445 billion and 70.12%, respectively, from 2015 to 2030. (2) The demographic dividend will vanish when the population pressure reaches its maximum. During this period, there will be 70.16 million urban population born. The suburban population that becomes urbanized will be 316.7 million, and thus the net increase in urban population will reach 386 million. (3) Although the urbanization rate of every Chinese province will increase during 2015–2030, it will do so unequally, while differences in urbanization quality among provinces will also be substantial. In some provinces, moreover, the urbanization quality is not compatible with their eco-social development. (4) A total of 4,105,380 billion yuan is required to fund new-type urbanization and the investment demand for each province varies greatly; for example, Guangdong province requires the most funding, amounting to approximately 148 times that required by Tibet, the province in least need of funding. In the final part of this study, policy suggestions concerning the investment of the new-type urbanization are put forward and discussed.

Challenges and the way forward in China’s new-type urbanization

China’s urbanization has been a notable global event. The National New Urbanization Plan (2014–2020) unveiled by the Chinese Central Government revealed a new path for urbanization that accommodated unique Chinese characteristics. The most notable aspect was the transfer from land-centered urbanization to people-oriented urbanization. Given that land urbanization was the key to the previous orbit, this manuscript aims to analyze the evolution and challenge for land-centered urbanization, and way forward for people-oriented urbanization in China. With increasing urban populations and expanding industrial activities, China has experienced vigorous land urbanization and an uneven population distribution pattern since 1978. Land-centered urbanization has created some economic and social benefits, but has also posed many adverse impacts. The issues of the loss of arable land, the phenomenon of “ghost cities,” and the urban heat island effect have become critical challenges. Eight suggestions from two perspectives are recommended in this manuscript for achieving new-type urbanization in China. We should give priority to this issue of the citizenization of peasant migrants. Government, scientists, and the public can all combine to influence the development trajectories of China’s new-type urbanization.

A Study on Forming a Construction Land Market That Unifies Urban and Rural Areas During the Process of the New-Type Urbanization in China

Under the background of China’s new-type urbanization, the transformation of urbanization which is people-centered is quietly underway. The new-type urbanization not only puts people first, but also is firmly based on establishing a construction land market that unifies urban and rural areas. The Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party adopted the “Decision on Major Issues Concerning Comprehensively Deepening Reforms” (hereinafter referred to as the “Decision”), in which “forming a construction land market that unifies urban and rural areas” was proposed, and the Decision advocated that the rural collectively-owned construction land can “enter the market with the same rights and at the same prices as state-owned land”. This paper firstly reviewed the status quo of China’s construction land market in which there is segmentation between urban and rural areas. Then under the guidance of the specific reforming measures proposed by the Decision, the paper made a further attempt to discuss and explore the supporting measures of and safeguard mechanism for forming a construction land market that unifies urban and rural areas.

Solar Heating and Cooling Application Potential and Application Case Analysis in New-type Urbanization in China

As the new government came to power, urbanization construction created waves in China, and it will produce hundreds of thousands of billion production value. New-type urbanization has the feature of ecological, energy saving. In this situation, renewable energy especially the lower cost solar energy will play a major role in the urbanization construction. In this paper, we analyzed application potential of SHC (solar energy heating and cooling) and typical cases of Beijing in urbanization construction.