| Small town is in the joint of rural area and urban area; therefore, it is closely linked to both agricultural economy and large and middle cities. It is an important support to achieving modern agriculture and the base and backup force for the further development of large and middle cities as well. Research on the features and trends of the development of small towns is significant in ensuring healthy development of small towns in the new century. The central government emphasizes that "the grand development of West China and construction of small towns are important strategic issues which are essential to the social and economic development of China". At present, there is a wave of small town construction in China. However, there also exist many problems of small town construction in both theory and practice. For example, in some places, the local governments emphasize only on the quantity of small towns without considering their damage to resources and environment. Therefore, without a proper strategy, the development of small towns will not be smooth and the economy will be negatively affected. Small towns are playing an important role in the process of urbanization of rural areas unless both quantity and quality of small towns are considered carefully. China maintains a long term policy that is "strictly controlling the scale of large cities, properly developing middle and small cities, and actively developing small towns". This policy neglects the function of large cities, which is opposite to the principle of regarding efficiency as the priority and is not fair for large cities. By reviewing many related literature and analyzing corresponding data from home and abroad, the author argues that the development of small towns should be sustainable and diversified. On one hand, concentration-proliferation effect of large cities should be encouraged andmiddle and small cities should also be developed actively. On the other hand, some key small towns should be selected and be developed. Large cities should be given the right to further expand. Moreover, small towns should not be developed all in the same way, without considering their different features. For those who have advantage and potential, we should encourage and propel their development, and for those without advantage and potential, we should restrict their excess and irrational development. Middle and small cities should form a certain concentration as fast as possible to become the radiation center of the region. "To develop key small towns" is not to focus on the development of small towns. In the diversified development of large, middle and small cities, developing small towns is a necessary and important way to advance urbanization, but not a major or only way. This paper consists of four chapters:Chapter one analyzes the scope of small town and the concept of "trend of small town" and then defines small town. The understanding of small town has been always controversial among scholars. Small town will consist of different parts according to different research angles. On the basis of "trend of small town", the paper points out that small town includes three parts. This chapter also reviews the related theories of both abroad and home and analyzes the motive mechanism of "trend of small town". Chapter two analyzes the present development of small towns and existing problems from various aspects using many statistics data. Firstly, it reviews Chinese policies on the development of small towns in the past two decades, and the evolution of small towns in China. Secondly, it finds some problems in the course of the development of small towns and tries to find the causes of these problems. The author found that these problems have something to do with the long term macro policies that "is strictly controlling the scale of large cities while actively developingsmall towns", and also ascribe to the system that need to reform.Chapter three analyzes the experience of foreign countries in developing small towns and the e... |
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