Towns Against a Background of Cities: Recent Evolution of Town Urbanization Policy in the People's Republic of China

摘要

Continuing a long tradition of promoting town development, the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) intends to grow towns further to achieve the twin goals of sustaining economic growth and narrowing the rural-urban income gap. Under the Asian Development Bank-financed 'Town-Based Urbanization Strategy Study,' Planning and Development Collaborative International, Inc. and the China Center for Town Reform and Development explored, on behalf of the PRC, different ways to promote the growth of towns. Case studies in Liaoning and Shanxi provinces showed that towns grow best when they are physically and economically linked to nearby cities; when they benefit from strong local leadership that articulates a clear vision for future development; and when they have been priority targets of government-channelled private sector investment. To enable the development of towns, it was proposed that PRC should: (1) grow towns by facilitating the development of larger urban agglomerations made up of different types of urban settlements; (2) focus efforts on towns with high potential for employment generation and economic growth; and (3) grant greater authority to towns for development planning, budgeting, revenue generation, and infrastructure investment.