Research On Spatial Development Of A Regional Central City In South Xilingol Of Inner Mongolia

In line with the nationalstrategies of further opening up of the hinterland and frontier regions and building up development bridgeheads in the border regions, China is now upgrading its development strategies, extending priorities of development from the already developed coastal regions to the long neglected landlocked hinterlands and border regions. As a result, Inner Mongolia, a once backwater border region traditionally inhabited by the ethnic Mongolians, has been attracting ever-increasing attentionsfor its unique place inthe all-round development of China because of its advantages of geographical location and resources endowments. As Inner Mongolia stretches vast expanses of land from northeast to southwest in a shape of a narrow strip along the border and its cities and towns are small in scale and far and distant from each other, it is difficult to integrate all of them into one regional development network and impossibleto develop all the regions in a balanced way due to resources and time constrains. In response to these unique geographical conditions, in order to achieve advantages in regional competition and cooperation, this study makes the suggestion that Inner Mongolia should reexamine the developmentconditions of its various composite regions and develop cross-administrative boundaryregional development networks from the angle of breaking up the original administrative boundaries and integrating these areas into the geographical and spatial network of the surrounding regions. In line with this proposal, Inner Mongolia should optimize its system of regional central cities by fostering spatial strategic pivotal cities and regional impact axles and belts, thus building up an outward-looking spatial layout for each componentgeographical region, with the regional central cities being growth engines driving the development of surrounding areas along the their impact axles and belts while serving as portals and gateways to the development network of the adjacent geographicalregions out of Inner Mongolia.As a passage between China and Mongolia and a linking area between the east and west of Inner Mongolia, and with an abundance of resources, Xilingol League(prefecture) enjoys both geographical and resources advantages, capable of being integrated into the greater Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei economic zone due to its strategic geological location of being adjacent to the north of Hebei province. In response to the requirements of the national development strategies of China, the regional spatial layouts of Inner Mongolia and the self development needs of Xilingol League(prefecture), and based on the regional central city generation theory, the theory of regional spatial structure, the theory of co-ordination of regional development, this dissertation puts forward the proposition that a regional center city be fostered in the southern areas of Xilingol League(prefecture). The necessity, site suitability, development methods and strategies for the regional central city are also examined thoroughly to lend supports to this proposition.First, the growth environment, spatial layout, and present development conditions of the regional central cities in Inner Mongolia are examined and the centrality of the prefecture-level cities and the comprehensive scales of the county seat towns in Inner Mongolia are measured quantitatively. The findings show that the southernareas of Xilingol League(prefecture) have fallen into areas of depression and are in need of a regional central city to bring the surrounding areas along. Secondly, based on the diverse geographical conditions of Inner Mongolia, this dissertation suggests the criteria for regional central cities in Inner Mongolia. By making comparisons of the spatial development conditions of the different areas in southern Xilingol League(prefecture), the selection of the preliminary sites of the regional central city for the southern areas of Xilingol League is made. Then, the preliminary locations of potential sites are further assessed quantitatively against the suitability factors to eventuallyarrive at the suitable site for the regional central city for the southern areas of Xilingol League. Lastly, this study expounds the idea that this would-be regional central city will be of the growth type and examines the paths and strategies for the site to leap develop from a traditional grassland station post into a regional central city from such diverse angles as industrial development, demographics and urbanization, regional transport, and spatial layout, in accordance with the planning notions and methods of the growth type city.This study also suggests that the fostering of this would-be regional central city in the southern areas of Xilingol League(prefecture) will break the administrative boundaries between the different regions, providing a portal and nexus for the southern areas of Xilingol League(prefecture) to be integrated into the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei network, so as to realize “alleviation from depression”. This dissertation makes a few contributions. First, it makes a case study to show how the implementation of the national strategy of further opening up the hinterlands and frontier regions and building up bridgeheads in the northern border regions could be put into practice in Inner Mongolia. Secondly, it provides insights into the optimization of the regional central cities system and perfection of structures and scales of cities and towns in Inner Mongolia so as to break up the development barriers and build up an externally oriented spatial development layout for Inner Mongolia in general and Xilingol League in particular. Thirdly, it explores the strategies and paths for the leap development of a typical grassland town and sheds lights onthe structural hierarchy and geographical distribution of the regional central cities and its spatial development strategies.