Urbanization: Processes and driving forces

Urbanization is becoming the most important human social change in the world, especially in developing countries.However, what is the process of urbanization? What forces are driving the urbanization process? This paper summarizes five main processes of urbanization through various aspects of urbanization in different countries, including economic growth and development, demographic change, social transformation, reshaped and stretched urban spaces, and shrinking cities. Based on the comprehensive method of analyzing urbanization, this paper sorts out five driving forces of urbanization, which are industrialization, modernization, globalization, marketization and administrative/institutional power. The author tries to contribute to the healthy development of urbanization in developing countries through the analysis of process and driving force in urbanization.

Urbanization: positive and negative effects

Urbanization is a sign of modernization,and both developed and developing countries attach great importance to this issue.It is also a process in which the population continues to flow in urban areas,the non-agricultural industries(manufacturing and seivice industries)concentrate and develop,and the structure of human society gradually transforms.Urbanization drives economic development.changes the urban form,and in fluences production technologies,citizen lifestyles,and societal values.However,urbanization can have negative impacts on social equity,public health,and the natural environment.Leveraging the positive effects of urbanization while mitigating the negative effects is necessary for sustaining urban progress and improving human settlements.Otherwise,the"urban disease"and regional inequalities caused by urbanization will become increasingly severe,especially in rapidly urbanizing countries.

Progress in research on Chinese urbanization

This paper is a comprehensive study on the progress in research on Chinese urbanization. On the basis of the concept and connotation of Chinese urbanization defined by Chinese scholars, the paper systematically collects the research results on the issues concerning urbanization in China from the different approaches of demography, geography, city planning, economics and history, reviewin~ the process of research on Chinese urbanization made both domestically and internationally. In this paper, the domestic studies fail into five periods as follows： the initial period of research on urbanization in China （1978-1983）; the period with both domesticaUy constructed and borrowed theories on urbanization （1984-1988）; the period of research on leading urbanization factors and [oca｜ization （1989-1997）; the period with the research greatty promoted by the government （1998-2004）; and the period featuring flourishing studies on the science of urbanization in China （2005 ti[[ today）. In contrast, the overseas research on Chinese urbanization can be divided into three periods： the period studying the history of urbanization in China （before the 1970s）; the systematic research on Chinese urbanization （1970-1999）; and the comprehensive research on Chinese urbanization （2000 tiU today）. The paper focuses on the key results of research on Chinese urbanization, including nine issues as foLLows： the guidelines and road for urban development in China, the features of Chinese urbanization, the mechanism driving the growth of Chinese urbanization, the process of Chinese urbanization, the spatiat patterns of Chinese urbanization, the urbanization in rural areas in China, the comparison of urbanization in China and other countries, and gLobaLization and regional urbanization.

The inflection point about COVID-19 may have passed

In an era of globalization and informatisation,a Public Health Emergency of International Concern(PHEIC)imposes a huge impact on everyone’s life[1],as what the COVID-19 has demonstrated at the moment.Under China’s nationwide quarantine and extremely strict epidemic prevention measures,it becomes increasingly critical for China and the world to know the evolving trend,though unclear yet,for the sake of the global economy.This is mainly due to the following two important reasons[2].First of all,because of the quarantine,a sudden shutdown of manufacturing in China(now the second largest economy of the world)would break the global supply chain,with the potential to eliminate China’s current advantageous position.Secondly,many small enterprises in the service industry are facing death or life situation with the spreading disease,and many will bankrupt[3].When the inflection point of the COVID-19 epidemic appears suddenly becomes a critical issue for China and the world.

Study on Gregarious Low-Income College Graduates in Beijing: Tangjialing Phenomenon and Its Afterefect

During China's rapid urbanization process, the survival condition of low-income college graduates who live in urban villages has become a serious issue that attracts the attention of policy-makers and sociologists. Based on existing literatures, relevant information, and independent field investigations, this paper focuses on Tangjialing, an urban village where low-income college graduates gather, investigating on their current situations of sociological features and settlements, as well as the reasons for the formation of urban villages.

Response of Urban Planning to Climate Change in Rapidly Urbanizing Area: A Case Study of Nanjing

Global climate change is the greatest challenge for the survival of civilization in human history, to which a lot of countries all over the world have taken measures including the administrative and technical approaches in the field of urban planning. However, those approaches are mainly in line with the traditional urban planning principles and methodologies, with weak guidance to practice. Especially for the areas which are undergoing rapid urbanization, it is urgent to work on the critical problem of how to draw up city and regional plans to deal with the challenge of climate change by innovating the existing urban planning principles and methodologies. Taking Nanjing as example, this paper firstly puts forward the strategic principles to deal with the climate change in city master planning, including controlling urbanization speed and restricting disordered urban sprawl, balancing ecological system, protecting green spaces and ecologically fragile areas, enhancing the resilient ability to natural disasters and protecting urban security, and promoting sustainable development, etc., then presents the sustainable and flexible urban planning methods including adaptability assessment on spatial development, identification and delimitation of important ecological protection zones, risk assessment and early warning of disasters, clean pro- duction and energy-saving approaches, etc. It further explores some measures to addressing the issue of climate change that are applied in the new City Master Plan of Nanjing, including ① controlling the sprawl of construction land and protecting the ecological carbon sink spaces in order to weaken the impacts of climate change; ② guaranteeing the safety of ecological pattern and maintaining the balance of the urban eco-system in order to ensure the stability of local micro-climate and livable environment; ③ strengthening the regional flood-prevention in order to weaken the threat of natural disasters caused by climate change; ④ giving priority to public transportation and reducing carbon emissions in order to reduce the impacts of urban activities on the atmosphere.

Climate change and China’s mega urban regions

China’s mega urban regions are focal points of economic development and environmental concerns.This paper positions four mega urban regions(i.e.,the Yangtze River Delta,the Pearl River Delta,the Bohai Bay Area,and the South-eastern Fujian Province)along China’s coast into the national economy and elaborates their development challenges and planning innovations.Mega urban regions in China are spatial consequences of rapid economic transition.They deserve close scrutiny and demands for innovative planning responses in order to maintain their key role in driving economic growth but limiting their greenhouse gas emission.

Review on Industrial Agglomeration and Cluster Strategy in China

Industrial Agglomeration and Cluster Strategy in China Authors: Houkai WEI et al.Year: 2008Publisher: Economy&Management Publishing House,Beijing ISBN: 978-7-5096-0290-4(450 pages,in Chinese)An industrial cluster is more than an organizational mode that emerges out of the modern economy. In ancient China,the ceramic production in Jingdezhen,embroidery in Suzhou,the tea markets in Hangzhou,etc.,were all good examples of industrial clusters. However,as the planned economic system was gradually implemented after the founding of People’s Republic of China。