Roger C.K. Chan

Globalization and the dominance of large cities in contemporary China

Abstract 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.

Self-help housing strategy for temporary population in Guangzhou, China ☆

Abstract This paper aims to delineate the current situation and settlement strategies of rural–urban immigrants in metropolitan cities of China. The authors have reviewed the development of the housing market in Guangzhou since the 1980s. Based on the analysis of the general housing market in Guangzhou; the spatial residential pattern of the temporary population; and the recent renewal and construction plan of “Urban Village”, the authors recommend a self-help housing strategy for settling the temporary population in Guangzhou. The strategy can be considered as maintaining a balance between the housing supply of and the demand for the targeted population. A brief introduction on the housing experience of the urban poor, Hong Kong and Singapore is provided at the beginning of the paper. The authors feel that the experience and strategic recommendations are relevant and applicable to the formulation of settlement policy for temporary population in China.

Urbanization and sustainable metropolitan development in China: Patterns, problems and prospects

The path of urbanization in the Peoples Republic of China is largely shaped by the nations industrial development strategies. In the first three decades of socialist construction, and especially after the Sino-Soviet rift at the end of the 1950s, the adoption of strategies of self-reliance had led to urban biased patterns of development. The introduction of economic reforms and the open door policy in 1978 paved the way for and facilitated national economic development. Two issues, which feature significantly in the processes of development in China, are assessed. The first is the relationship between economic development and the protection of arable land. The second is the quest for a coordinated hyper-development in both urban and rural areas. This paper concludes by proposing a sustainable metropolitan development strategy that suits the case of China.

Cross-border regional development in Southern China

Cross-border zones have been developed rapidly in China since 1979. This was largely due to the global economic restructuring in the post-Fordist era. The enclave of Hong Kong plays an indispensable role in the process. While China adopts the Open Door Policy, factories in Hong Kong are quick to relocate to the Pearl River Delta region in order to benefit from the low production costs and other preferential policies. The paper first reviews the factors leading to the economic integration between Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta region of southern China. It then examines the sectoral changes and the socio-economic data of the region. Rapid urbanization and rural urbanization are reflected in the quest for infrastructural development plans and the loss of quality farmland. They also bring along environmental hazards. The paper concludes with the call for a comprehensive development strategy for the region into the next century.

A tale of two regions: Strategic planning for sustainable development in East and West

Abstract Many planning and development activities fail to reflect the principles of sustainable development. This neglect is a consequence of the dominance of the growth paradigm and can be seen in both developed and developing economies. Alternative models, such as ecological modernization, provide an opportunity to promote mutually supporting economic, social and environmental development. Such models imply the need for a transformation in attitudes in order to promote sustainable strategies and the means for their implementation. Drawing on case studies in the UK (Greater Manchester) and China (the Pearl River Delta) the paper illustrates the weaknesses inherent in the traditional growth paradigm and in the resulting modes of planning. Lessons and policy guidance for the introduction of a more sustainable approach to regional and urban planning are provided from the study of the contrasting cases.

Urban development strategy in an era of global competition: The case of south China

Abstract The economic structure of south China, including Hong Kong, has undergone rapid changes in the last 20 years. The transformation is more rapid in the wake of the opening up of Chinas economic system. This paper argues from the vantage point of the New International Division of Labour (NIDL) and investigates the impact of economic development and urban development strategies on the region. It reviews the process of economic development and the flows of resources, capital and labour forces in China as a whole, with special reference to Hong Kong and the Pearl River Delta region. Increasing economic integration has led to interaction in the planning domain, such as in infrastructural development. Selected development strategies have also been employed and these will be discussed in detail. The paper concludes that future development between Hong Kong and south China will be a symbiotic one and that the implementation of a sustainable urban development strategy is vital to the continued growth of the region.

Planning discourses, local state commitment, and the making of a new state space (NSS) for China: Evidence from regional strategic development plans in the Pearl River Delta

Grounded in the interpretive tradition, this paper applies the theory of New State Space (NSS) to China’s city regionalism. We argue that in the NSS effort in China, planning discourses enable a regulatory framework to be applied at the level of city region. City regionalism corresponds to the conceptualisation of NSS in two dimensions. First, the rise of the city region gives rise to a new territorial form of state administration. Second, the city region is made to be the most appropriate scale encapsulating capital–labour relationship (CLR). This study uses NSS to examine the regional strategic development plans (RSDPs) of the Pearl River Delta Region and presents two primary arguments based on an interpretation of the Outline of the Plan for the Reform and Development of the Pearl River Delta (2008–2020) (OPRDPRD) and the preliminary actions of various levels of government based on it. First, RSDPs serve as effective regulatory tools that not only enable new state administration articulating regulatory responsibility throughout the various levels of governmental hierarchy, but also elaborate the CLR in the interest of regional based industrial development, infrastructure construction, and formulation of social policies. Second, the city region has become a site for political rhetoric and related actions whereby regulatory order is unfolding in order to itself effect an economic restructuring and political reshuffle. Creating a city region is ‘planning ideological’ and solving problems is difficult because of the asymmetric jurisdictional power relations between municipalities.

New trends In urban and regional governance in the Pearl River Delta Region

Abstract The impacts of globalization and the collapse of the global credit market, along with the shift in global economic production, forced economic restructurings, are greatly affecting and stimulating the trajectories of Chinas economic developments. Under these circumstances, urban and regional governance is changing rapidly with complicated relations between government, the economy and the emerging civil society. The Outline of the Plan for the Reform and Development of the PRD 2008–2020 and other national plans for revitalizing key industries provide impetus for possible regional economic development and transformation in south China.

URBAN GOVERNANCE: A THEORETICAL REVIEW AND AN EMPIRICAL STUDY

Abstract The definitions and application of urban governance are discussed in this paper. It first reviews the economic, political and social background of urban governance, the theoretical roots and their explanations. The second part of the paper examines the application of urban governance in a transitional economy. Increasing attention is being paid to the process of decentralization and delegation of decision-making power to the lower echelons of the government bureaucracy. With the emergence of new stakeholders, there is a need to appreciate the rise of the civil society consequential upon of the evolving urban dynamics. The third part of this paper is a case study of the Guangdong Luoxi Bridge with particular reference to the controversy over the levying of toll charge, and the role and dynamics of the stakeholders involved in it. The paper concludes with further directions for future research with a view to improving urban governance and municipal management in Chinese cities.

Entrepreneurial city and the restructuring of urban space in Shanghai Expo

ABSTRACT This study examines the restructuring of urban space brought about by Shanghai Expo. The focus is on how the municipal government strategically makes use of this mega-event program to proactively implement two entrepreneurial spatial policies, namely economic restructuring and population decentralization. Specifically, it critically investigates the omnipotent government’s policies in terms of industrial relocation and residential resettlement leading up to the Shanghai Expo. Shanghai’s entrepreneurial city building, at the metropolitan level, has long been associated with the optimization of spatial structure. The empirical findings reveal that the negotiations involved in relocating enterprises were tougher when they took place within the state system, as compared to those between the government and foreign or private sectors. At the same time, social groups remained excluded from decision-making processes for resettlement, and there was a downscaling of governance, which contributed to improved efficiency of the resettlement work. The Shanghai municipal government was key to the restructuring and entrepreneurial city building, engaging, on the one hand, in negotiations on spatial relocation with central state-owned enterprises (SOEs) at the level of the central government and mobilizing, on the other hand, lower-tier government authorities to deliver the resettlement plan. This paper argues that the development of the entrepreneurial city in Shanghai depends essentially on the way local government implemented the policy and that an integrated approach is significant to attaining the goals and objectives.