The Sustainable Development Of The Three Economic Patterns In China

Sustainable development is a long-term dynamic process, which needs constant supervision and adjustment during regional development. Sustainability indicators are effective tools which can accurately assess the level of regional sustainable development and help researchers locate problems and find solutions.Coastal cities of Eastern China have enjoyed a period of rapid economic development since the reform and opening up in 1978, and gradually formed some distinctive economic patterns, among which the Three Economic Patterns, Zhujiang Model, Wenzhou Model and Sunan Model, were all generated in developed areas of China. However, these birthplaces are still confronted with many problems, especially regarding environment, thus a transformation of development model is urgently needed. A credible sustainability assessment is imperative for these areas and will facilitate the improvement and transformation of future economic development patterns. In this study, Genuine Progress Indicator (GPI) was adopted to evaluate the sustainability of 6 typical cities (Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Wenzhou, Suzhou, Wuxi, and Changzhou) of the Three Economic Patterns. Based on time-series data from 1995 to 2012, our study produced the following findings.(1) Based on the analysis of GDP per capita and GPI per capita of the six cities from 1995-2012, it was found that GDP of the six cities had experienced exponential growth, while their GPI hadn’t increased until 2005 with a relatively stable period from 1995-2005. Therefore, the gap between GPI and GDP was widening from a historical perspective. Inequality, urban congestion, environmental pollution, resource excessive consumption hindered the sustainable development of these cities.(2) Based on the analysis of the data in a horizontal way, Zhujiang Model made outstanding progress in economic growth. However, costs in economy, society, and environment were also evident. To reach sustainability, income inequality, traffic jam, and environmental pollution in the city need to be tackled. The high Gini coefficient of Wenzhou Model reflected a big gap between the rich and the poor, as well as a relatively low level of social account in slow growth. The widening gap of GPI between cities of Wenzhou Model and other models showed insufficient development stamina and urgent need for development model change. Mainly suffered from environmental depletion, Sunan Model needs more efforts in environmental pollution control through increased investment in science and technology, higher resource utilization efficiency, and less resources consumption.(3) Based on GPI, Sunan Model shares common problems with other. However, its performance rankings of economic, social and environmental costs lie in the middle, showing a rapid economic growth, a stable increase in social account, a higher genuine development level, as well as sustainable development potential.In a word, the Three Economic Patterns should continue to focus on three aspects of sustainability-economy, environment, and society. Among them, Zhujiang Model and Wenzhou Model shoule be more initiative in the search for development model transformation.