A Study Of Urbanization Transformation In Western Europe In The Second Half Of The 20th Century

Europe has been one of the most urbanized regions on earth since the middle ages.Since the mid-20th century,the developed countries in Western Europe have got rid of the traditional urbanization mode and started the urbanization transformation.The reason why urbanization in Western Europe can be transformed in the middle of the 20th century is due to economic reasons,that is,industrial transformation,and political reasons,that is,changes in regional and international situations.After World War II,Western European countries began to recover their economy by relying on the opportunity of urban reconstruction.The rapid development of its economy stimulated the growth of the city,the city continued to expand,factories gathered in the periphery of the city,promoting the development of the suburbs.With the change of environmental concept and the increase of labor cost,labor-intensive industries moved out,which made the industrial economy fall into decline.With the development of high-tech industries,the economic vitality of Western European countries reappears,which promotes the revival of major cities.Emerging industries connect traditional industries and commercial cities.Metropolitan areas of various countries cross the traditional political and geographical boundaries,in which human resources,capital and resources can flow freely without excessive constraints,making the economy develop continuously.Urban history research can deepen the discussion of industrialization and urbanization from multiple perspectives of theory and empirical research.This article is based on the basic theories and research results of urbanization,urban agglomerations,and metropolitan areas in related disciplines,with the evolution process of deep urbanization as the specific content,and Western Europe as the object,to carry out the evolution process of the three major metropolitan areas in Western Europe.A detailed analysis and research.On the basis of defining the concept of new urbanization and metropolitan area,this article analyzes the era background of urbanization transformation in Western Europe.From the collapse of the Roman Empire to the beginning of the 20th century,the level of urbanization in Western Europe has become higher and higher.The transformation of urbanization has changed the method and structure of urban governance and national governance.Multi-level governance is an important feature of metropolitan areas.Next,this article sorts out the historical experience of the three typical metropolitan areas and urban agglomerations in Western Europe.The Randstad metropolitan area in the Netherlands,the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan area in Germany and the Paris metropolitan area in France represent the multi-center and single-center model of the metropolitan area.Finally,this article summarizes the influence and dynamics of the urbanization transition in Western Europe in the second half of the 20th century.With the industrial transformation after the reconstruction of Western European cities after the war,the expansion direction of Western European cities shifted to the suburbs.In this process,Western European cities have enjoyed the economic benefits brought about by industrial agglomeration in metropolitan areas,but also faced the problem of urban hollowing caused by it.Cities in Western Europe are typical,and relevant thinking and research on urbanization transformation in Western Europe has enriched the academic depth of urban history and urbanization research.