Distribution And Change Of Population In Shanghai: 1990-2010

As the largest city in China, with the economic development, Shanghai’s urbanization level is increasing, and population suburbanization is deepened. Urbanization is that population shift from rural to urban, and the rural population gathers to the suburbs of the town; suburbanization is that the urban population shift from concentration in city to a centrifugal diffusion, and population spread from the city center to the periphery. Urban population shift from the central city to seek a more relaxed and comfortable living space outward, while the rural population emigrate from rural to urban areas to seek more employment opportunities and convenient urban public services. Central city population suburbanization and suburbs population urbanization is the main line of Shanghai population distribution development.From the Shanghai population distribution and change study, we would have the following conclusions:1990-2010, the city’s population grows rapidly, the population gravity center continues to shift to the suburbs; population decreases significantly in the city center, and the population density decreased; the population high import intensity zone expands from the original city outskirts areas to suburban areas, suburban population density increased significantly; population in new town of suburbs growth, leading to the overall growth of suburban population.Through quantitative Shanghai population density distribution model analysis, we obtain rules and characteristics of Shanghai’s population distribution and movements through quantitative analysis. In 1990-2010, the emergence of new changes in population distribution and urban development into new heights is expressed as population density curve shift from lower-level negative exponential distribution pattern to higher secondary exponential distribution patterns. Shanghai population suburbanization continue to develop outward, with the lower population space density gradient and population density distribution curve gradually leveling off.Shanghai’s urbanization rate has been increasing in the stage of suburbanization. Shanghai’s urbanization has reached advanced stages of development, a high level of urbanization. The current urbanization, only completed the population space transferring, but the citizenization process of the new urban population still requires quite a long process. In the next stage, Shanghai will continue to further develop the level of population urbanization, shifting from quantity upgrading to quality improvement.Suburban new town construction takes shape, the population is growing rapidly, attracting large-scale foreign population immigration, and becomes a reservoir to absorb the additional population. Outskirts of town, as the "Twelfth Five Year Plan" key development target, providing space for industrial and population development, would become an important carrier of the city population growth.In the foreseeable future for a long period of time, Shanghai will continue to promote the urban population suburbanization and rural population urbanization. Population in Shanghai central city will be further reduced, suburban population will continue to rise, the level of urbanization will further increase, and the intensity of population suburbanization will further increase. Shanghai will continue to promote the development of the suburbs new towns, guide suburban industrial layout, create more jobs and attract population, to complete major economic and social transformation.