Abstract：In recent years, population migration and urbanization have played an increasingly important role in China's overall socio-economic development strategies. Some relevant issues, such as breaking through the dualistic rural-urban dichotomous structure, accelerating the urbanization process, and bringing the role of large cities into full play, have attracted increasingly more attention and research. This paper discusses three major aspects of these characteristics and new forms of urbanization and their impacts on China's urbanization processes. First, due to the blurring of rural-urban distinctions, the ‘rules of urbanization’, which are based on the rural-urban dichotomous conceptual framework and settlement classification, have become increasingly inadequate in reflecting the reality of many developing countries and regions. Urbanization is driven not only by rural-urban migration, but also by the development of rural non-agricultural activities and the increasing prevalence of urban-like facilities in rural areas. At the same time, ‘extended metropolitan areas’ and ‘city regions’, which extend beyond physically defined urban entities, are increasingly important in the urbanization process. Second, high population densities and improved transport conditions in many rural areas, and local initiatives of rural communities, have been playing increasingly important roles in the transformation of rural settlements. Third, rural-urban migration, one of the major components of urban growth, has taken more complicated forms; temporary migrants, who circulate between the places of origin and destination and maintain their double (rural and urban) residential identities, occupy an important position in the migration process of developing countries. This greatly increases the complexity of their urbanization processes and their urban planning. The paper discusses the implications of the above characteristics and new forms of urbanization for China's migration and urbanization policies, and argues that relevant research and policy making in China should pay more attention to these characteristics and new forms of urbanization.
朱宇. 城镇化的新形式与中国的人口城镇化政策[J]. 人文地理, 2006, 21(2): 115-118,128.
ZHU Yu. NEW FORMS OF URBANIZATION AND CHINA'S URBANIZATION POLICIES. HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, 2006, 21(2): 115-118,128.
