Urban Growth in South China: Winners and Losers of China¿s Policy Reforms

• Autores: Karen C. Seto
• Localización: Petermanns geographische Mitteilungen, ISSN 0031-6229, Vol. 148, Nº. 5, 2004 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Ostasien), págs. 50-57
• Idioma: alemán
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• Resumen

  • One of the most salient impacts of policy reforms in China is the high rates of urban growth and urbanization. Urban growth ¿ the expansion of urban areas into villages, farmland, and natural ecosystems ¿ was made possible through neo-liberal policies, foreign investments, and economic development. Urbanization ¿ the increase in urban population ¿ was the result of an expanding economy and a relaxation of social controls such as the household registration system. This paper describes the patterns of urban growth and land-use change in the Pearl River Delta, South China, the macro-level drivers of these changes, and the winners and losers of policy reforms. Improvements in social and economic indicators of well-being at the national scale suggest that the country as a whole has benefited from the market reforms. A city-level assessment indicates that reforms resulted in winners, losers, and regions that were ¿catching-up¿ or ¿falling behind¿.