A Study Of The Road To Urbanization With China's Characteristics

The process of urbanization of the world in the 20^th century is very fast, and the 21^st century is a new era of world urbanization. Having the largest population in the world, China is now undergoing rapid urbanization and China's urbanization will be a historic social structural transform focusing attention upon the world in the 21^st century. Upon entering the new century, China put forward an important strategy that China must go along the road to urbanization with China's characteristics based on the situation of China. Why China cannot copy other countries' urbanization model, emphasizing its own characteristics? What is the road to urbanization with China's characteristics? What are the contents and features of the road? How to go along the road to urbanization with China's characteristics? These are the most important issues which haven't been solved till today in carrying out the road to urbanization with China's characteristics. For this reason, this dissertation tries to fully, systematically and deeply study the road to urbanization with China's characteristics so as to accelerate China's urbanization.Urbanization is a symbol of social progress. It is also the produce of industrialization and people's seeking civilized life. In the process of implementing urbanization, the choice of the road to urbanization is vital. The road to urbanization is about the development orientation, strategy, motive force, mechanism, speed and policy of urbanization. There is no fixed road to urbanization and every country chooses its own way according to its situation. The choice of the road to urbanization mainly includes the following choices: pattern of urbanization, type of urbanization, mechanism of motive force and realization of urbanization, development mode of cities.The experience of different countries in realizing urbanization indicates that the choice of right road to urbanization is crucial for one country to realize its urbanization. In order to study the road to urbanization with China's characteristics, we must use the experience of other countries for reference so that we can avoid detours. So it is quite significant to analyze and compare urbanization and the road to urbanization of such developed countries as the UK, the United States, Japan and such developing countries as Brazil and India.Since the establishment of new China in 1949, China's road to urbanization is quite unique which has the following features: (1) underurbanization; (2) government dominated; (3) unbalanced urban structure and (4) unbalanced regional urban distribution.International experience of urbanization and the road to urbanization indicates that China can neither go along the underurbanization road which China went along before, nor can China go along the overurbanization road which some developing countries went along before. China must go along the road to urbanization with China's characteristics because it is the requirement and necessary choice of China's situation, new type of industrialization, sustainable development, informationalization and economic globalization.The road to urbanization with China's characteristics is one in which urbanization, industrialization, informationalization and modernization advance simultaneously, centralized urbanization and decentralized urbanization advance simultaneously, the construction of big, medium and small cities and small towns advance simultaneously, market impelled and government oriented. Compared to previous road to urbanization, the road to urbanization with China's characteristics has the following characters: (1) Urbanization, industrialization, informationalization and modernization advance simultaneously. When pushing the course of urbanization, China faces the tasks of realizing industrialization, informationalization and modernization. (2) Centralized urbanization and decentralized urbanization advance simultaneously. One of the features of China's urbanization is centralized urbanization, that is to say, industries and population still move to cities on a large scale, the number and size of cities are increasing. On the other hand, decentralized urbanization or counter-urbanization has emerged in China's metropolis or conurbation. (3) The construction of big, medium and small cities and small towns advance simultaneously. Because of its huge population and also huge rural population, China cannot only carry out centralized urbanization, letting most of the people move into the big cities. On the other hand, due to the lower conglomeration and scale benefit, the decentralized urbanization centering small towns doesn't fit for China's situation. Therefore the type of China's urbanization should be a combination of centralized urbanization and decentralized urbanization. (4) Market impelled and government oriented. In the era of planned economy, China went along an underurbanization roadwhich was nearly totally controlled by the government and in which market mechanism plays little role. Can the urbanization process be completely driven by market mechanism? The answer is certainly no. That western developed countries and some developing countries have mostly depended upon market mechanism in the process of urbanization has caused severe urban problem. So the road to urbanization with China's characteristics should be both market impelled and government oriented and started by both government force and civil force.In order to well achieve the road to urbanization with China's characteristics, the right measures should be taken. Firstly, the urbanization development strategy should be adjusted. Developing big cities does not inevitably bring about urban problem and the road to urbanization centering on small towns doesn't fit for China's situation. The objective strategy of China's urbanization development is to set up an urban system in which the cities and towns are reasonably distributed, the functions of cities and towns are sound, big, medium and small cities and small towns harmonize each other. Secondly, a series of systems such as employment system, household registration system, land system, social security system and city construction fund system should be reformed and innovated. Thirdly, rural industrialization strategy should be changed. Finally, urban planning and urban management should be enhanced.In conclusion, this dissertation has fully, systematically and deeply studied the road to urbanization with China's characteristics, focusing on the following three main issues: Why should China go along the road to urbanization with China's characteristics? What is the road to urbanization with China's characteristics? How can China go along the road to urbanization with China's characteristics? The innovative points of the dissertation are as following:1. From an angle of the road to urbanization, the paper summarizes the experience of five countries, including the UK, the U.S., Japan, Brazil and India. This kind of study is not common in previous study of the same kind.2. The paper has generalized four characters of China's traditional road to urbanization: underurbanization, government dominated, unbalanced urban structure and unbalanced regional urban distribution, remedying the shortage of the previous study.3. Analyzing government dominated urbanization, especially the advantages and disadvantages of such kind of urbanization, paying more attention to overcome thedisadvantages of government dominated urbanization and fully exert the role of market mechanism.4. Summarizing the transition of China's urbanization strategy, that is, from only highlighting big cities whereas neglecting small cities and towns to rigidly controlling big cities whereas highlighting small cities and towns, and to balanced development of cities and towns at all levels.5. Putting forward a viewpoint that the middle part of China should become the main spot in achieving China's urbanization. Because the eastern part of China is the most urbanized region of China and has many big cities. The main task of this region is to increase urbanization quality. While the western part cannot become the main spot in achieving China's urbanization due to natural conditon and environmental pressure. However, the middle part of China has large population and severe problem existing in agriculture, countryside and peasants. Therefore the middle part should enlarge the sizes of big cities moderately, emphasizes the development of medium-sized cities and properly develop small towns, thus making this region the main spot of China's urbanization.