The Differences between County,County-level City and Municipal District in the System of Administrative Divisions in China

Administrative division is an important means of political power reorganization and management,resource integration and optimal allocation,which profoundly shapes the spatial layout of urban development in China.To clarify and compare differences between counties,county-level cities and municipal districts is the primary premise for the study of administrative division and urban development.This paper analyzes the institutional differences between counties and county-level cities,as well as counties,county-level cities and municipal districts,from the aspects of organizational structure,urban construction planning,land management,finance,taxation and public services.The research shows that the establishment of counties,county-level cities and municipal districts adapt to different levels and stages of economic and social development,and the conversion from county to county-level city and the conversion from county(or county-level city)to municipal district are both important transformation ways to change their administrative systems,which has different management system and operation pattern.At the same time,the transformation of county-level administrative region is also a“double-edged sword”,we should think about the administrative system as a whole to decide whether it should be adjusted,and effectively respond to the actual needs of local economic and social development.

Space-time Relationship Between Urban Municipal District Adjustment and Built-up Area Expansion in China

Municipal district adjustment and built-up area expansion are two main forms of urban spatial expansion. Using geometric methods, this study constructed a space-time path method to characterize the space-time relationship between municipal district adjustment and built-up area expansion, and drew the space-time path sets of major prefecture level cities from 2000 to 2010 by constructing a coordinate system of the standardized built-up areas and municipal district areas. This divided them into four quadrants, namely, H-H, L-H, L-L, and H-L, based on the relative mean value to evaluate overall and individual stability by three indexes of the trajectory vectors, namely, direction, length, and slope. Results provide the following conclusions. 1) Municipal district adjustment is an effective spatial expansion way for city-scale promotion in China. Since 2000, municipal district adjustments have been mainly distributed in the eastern coastal regions and mid-western capital cities along with their surrounding cities. 2) Municipal district adjustment affects the scale and status of a city in China. Many cities that have expanded municipal districts behave stably and cross quadrants. 3) Great majority second-tier cities have effectively promoted their scale and status through municipal district adjustment. The municipal district adjustment of medium and small cities in the mid-west area is relatively advanced compared with city development. 4) Municipal district adjustment with minimal magnitude is severely restricted from upgrading the scale and status of a city. The transformation from entirely incorporated counties or cities to municipal districts should be the mainstream in future municipal district adjustment.

A Pioneer of Human Rights Protection——An interview with Professor Wu Qing,Deputy to Haidian District/Beijing Municipal People's Congresses

The first time I have learnt the name Wu Qing was in a host show, "Close-Up" on CCTV-4. She is a professor of Beijing Foreign Studies Univer-sity, and moreover she is the daughter of one of Chinese literary giants, Ms. Bing Xin. I was immediately fascinated not

The Evolution Pattern and Simulation of Land Use in the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center(Tongzhou District)

Beijing Municipal Administrative Center(Beijing MC)in Tongzhou District has inherited the non-capital core functions of Beijing’s central urban area,and its rapid construction and development urgently require a scientific understanding of the pattern of land use evolution in the region.This paper analyzes the pattern of land use evolution in Tongzhou District over the past 40 years,from 1980 to 2020.According to the historical evolutionary characteristics of land use and urban development planning goals,combined with the driving factors of cultural tourism development,the Future Land-use Simulation(FLUS)model is used to simulate the spatial distribution of land use in Beijing MC(Tongzhou District)in 2035 under three scenarios of urbanization acceleration,deceleration and sustainable development.The results show three major trends.(1)Beijing MC(Tongzhou District)is dominated by urban development and construction.During the high-speed urbanization stage from 1980 to 2010,the urban expansion pattern of“along the Sixth Ring Road and along the Grand Canal”was formed.During the low-speed urbanization stage from 2010 to 2020,the land distribution was stable,and Tongzhou District formed a pattern of urban-rural differentiation and land intensification from northwest to southeast.As a typical area of Tongzhou District’s urbanization,Beijing MC has the same characteristics of the temporal and spatial evolution as Tongzhou as a whole.(2)By 2035,there are significant differences in land use among the three scenarios with respect to the magnitude of change and spatial distribution.The area and distribution of ecological land under the urban sustainable development scenario are optimal,which is conducive to the realization of sustainable urban development.In analyzing the degree of conformity with the three Beijing MC zoning plans,the prediction simulation under the sustainable development scenario is highly consistent with the land use of the“Beijing Municipal Administrative Center Regulatory Detailed Planning(Block Level)(2016–2035)”(hereinafter referred to as“Planning”)issued by the municipal government.However,there are certain deviations between the simulation predictions in the cultural tourism function area and the livable living scenery area and the corresponding“Planning”expectations.During the urban construction process,the internal ecological land area still needs to be increased.(3)Tongzhou District may lack a close connection between the urban and rural areas in the southeast.Potential risks such as the imbalance in the development of northern and southern townships require further attention in the development process.The prediction and simulation results of the model can provide certain data and methodological support for the construction of a harmonious and livable city in Beijing MC(Tongzhou District).