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| THEORETICAL THINKING AND CASE STUDY ON MEASUREMENT OF URBANIZATION LEVEL |
| DAI He-zhi1, LIU Zhi-gang1, YU Wei1,2 |
1. School of Geography and Tourism, Qufu Normal University, Qufu 273165, China;
2. School of Geography, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China |
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Abstract There are usually three kinds of methods to measure the level of urbanization:the indicator of population method, the indicator of land-using method and composite indicator method. Among these methods, the indicator of urban population rate is most commonly used. As a basis of counting urban population, the correct urban-rural division is an important component in socio-economic statistics. Research on urban and rural area division method has the vital significance both in theory and practice. However, there is no criterion in dividing the urban-rural area and counting urban population. It is hard to evaluate the level of urbanization. Urban areas maybe conceived as administrative, functional and physical entities. In China, there is an obvious discrepancies between urban administrative boundaries and the 'real' urban space. Almost the administrative area of all cities and towns are much larger than the urban built-up area. As a result, vast rural areas and large agricultural population were included in the urban count. Here lies the principal difference with western countries. Obviously, it is difficult if not impossible for us to solve the contradiction by reducing the administrative area of a city or town. The authors believe that, it is essential to establish the concept of physical urban area with both adaptability to Chinese conditions and international comparability and make it the basis of urban-rural division and statistics.In this study, methods for identifying the urban population have been discussed and improved. The definition of urban area and urban population is the key to measure the level of urbanization. Based on the connotations of urbanization and China's actual situation, using more mature approaches from abroad, the paper proposes a new concept on urban area definition that considers different levels of administrative region and keeps the integrality of Administrative Region and also considers the population density. According to administrative region, different indexes are selected, and the corresponding critical values are calculated to measure the level of urbanization. In the end, a case study of Qufu city and Jiaxiang county is carried out by using the new method. It shows that this method is not only operable but also in accordance with the objective facts and will work properly in a wide range.
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Received: 17 February 2011
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2011, Vol. 26 
