Abstract：Urban fringe is the front regional of the urbanization, also is the regional space that urban effects and countryside effects interweave and collide. The concepts and the standards of dividing urban fringe are different because the backgrounds of development of the urban and the countryside and the points of view for research are different.
The first part of this thesis reviews the development of the concept of urban fringe in foreign countries since the Germany geographer H. Louis firstly brought forward this concept in 1936. Then it compares the differences about some concepts for area between urban and rural in China such as suburb, crisscross area of urban and rural, urban fringe, and defines their bounds for use. Because the condition for this concept's confusion, it is considered that the concept of urban fringe is more suitable than other concepts to describe this special area for the following reasons. First, urban fringe directly perceived reflects the trends and intermediate state about the area between the urban and the countryside. Second, the concept of urban fringe has a relatively lo ng history of its development, and it has been introduced for a long time in China. Last, the concept of urban fringe accords with the history and presents condition relation between the urban and the countryside.
The second part of this thesis summarizes several principal methods for dividing urban fringes, such as "fissure point" analysis method, quota deciding method, "extent landscape disorder" judgment method, synthetically define method at all. From this comparison, the author considers that the standard of dividing urban fringes is different in our practical researches.
Last, taking Wuhan City as an Example, this thesis divides its urban fringes by the above principles and the stages of city advance. Dividing Wuhan City's urban fringe for five periods:1949-1957, 1958-1965, 1966-1976, 1977-1990, 1991-2000, and indicates by the illustration after innovating and opening in 1980's and 1990's for some concrete situations, such as the boundary of urban essential factor's extent, the boundary of urban administrative areas, the building of circular roads in urban outside, the range of urban planning area, and the protecting area of flood prevention.
魏伟, 周婕. 中国大城市边缘区的概念辨析及其划分[J]. 人文地理, 2006, 21(4): 29-33.
WEI Wei, ZHOU Jie. THE CONCEPT AND DIVIDING ON URBAN FRINGE IN CHINA. HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, 2006, 21(4): 29-33.
