Abstract：With the couple of paradoxical tendencies transforming urban space, concentration and decentralization, the paper aims at establishing a philosophical perspective, interpreting the complexity of evolution of urban spatial structure. It firstly reviews the twin concepts in various disciplines. This illustrates their heuristic power as philosophical particles. Their connotation in sphere of urban space evolution is further scrutinized as two basic "resultant forces" of the sophisticated mechanisms beyond urban spatial evolution. The mutuality of concentration and decentralization as two aspects of unity of opposites is a fundamental contradiction of urban spatial evolution. It is argued that the spatial meaning of concentration and decentralization in the philosophic method, and paradoxical recurrent trends of concentration and decentralization are abstracted as a pervasive intrinsic feature of urban spatial evolution. Based on this, Secondly, the paper proceeds to survey theoretical explanations of urban spatial evolution, with the controversial performance of concentration and decentralization as the monotype, and put forward that the urban spatial evolution is under the contradictory development of concentration and decentralization. Although urban spatial evolution exhibits colorful patterns of concentration and decentralization, it is still possible to conclude in some common laws. Therefore the paper investigates into the current trends, revealing the concentration dialectic in evolution of urban space. After discussed academic view of concentration and decentralization and the track of city development, then pointed out mechanism characteristics and unified trend of concentration and decentralization. Finally, the paper contends that because of the difference of socio-economic backdrops, the play of concentration and decentralization of urban space exhibits distinguished features. The paper emphasize this will be convenience of understand and hold the evolvement regulation of urban space, and guide city development fulfillment in our country. This paper cover six parts:(1) discussed academic view of the concept of concentration and decentralization in the philosophic method, (2) the spatial meaning of concentration and decentralization, (3) the controvert of concentration and decentralization in academic research, (4) the Concentration dialectic in evolution of urban space. (5) the philosophic deduction of concentration and decentralization (6) the conclusions.
朱喜钢. 城市空间集中与分散的哲学透视[J]. 人文地理, 2004, 19(4): 45-49.
ZHU Xi-gang. A PHILOSOPHICAL PENETRATION INTO CONCENTRATION AND DECENTRALIZATION OF URBAN SPACE. HUMAN GEOGRAPHY, 2004, 19(4): 45-49.
