Influence of desert mineral resource exploitation on the spatial structure of the urban system in Xinjiang

The strategic mineral resource exploration has important influence on the modern urbansystem in arid areas. Large amounts of investment on oil and gas industry have important effect onthe infrastructure which includes cities and communications, and this will become an importantfactor of changing the urban structure of Xinjiang. In the 1950s, Kelamayi and Dushanzi cities haveappeared by the petroleum exploration in the west of the Juggar Basin, which not only changedthe single role of Xinjiang oasis agricultural city but also made the distribution of cites broken fromnatural oasis for the first time, and the network trend of urban spatial structures emerged. In recentyears, the large-scale petroleum exploration in Tuha, Juggar and Tarim Basins gives local citiesmore chance of rapid development. Especially, a large-scale communication construction, with the552 km desert highway as representative, totally changed the traditional oasis spacial structure ofthe urban system in the Tarim Basin. The influence on the spacial structure of the urban system byoil exploration in a large-scale reserve basin can be divided into four stages.

The strategic mineral resource exploration has important influence on the modern urban system in arid areas. Large amounts of investment on oil and gas industry have important effect on the infrastructure which includes cities and communications, and this will become an important factor of changing the urban structure of Xinjiang. In the 1950s, Kelamayi and Dushanzi cities have appeared by the petroleum exploration in the west of the Juggar Basin, which not only changed the single role of Xinjiang oasis agricultural city but also made the distribution of cites broken from natural oasis for the first time, and the network trend of urban spatial structures emerged. In recent years, the large-scale petroleum exploration in Tuna, Juggar and Tarim Basins gives local cities more chance of rapid development. Especially, a large-scale communication construction, with the 552 km desert highway as representative, totally changed the traditional oasis spacial structure of the urban system in the Tarim Basin. The influence on the spacial structure of the urban system by oil exploration in a large-scale reserve basin can be divided into four stages.