China mega-city governance strategy uses spatial organization models

Researchers from China have developed a comprehensive framework for coordinating the spatial governance of mega-cities through the systematic organization of metropolitan areas. Published in the journal Frontiers of Urban and Rural Planning, the study addresses the significant challenges facing super large-sized and very large-sized cities, which are described as the backbone of China’s socio-economic development. These urban centers face outstanding challenges often referred to as “urban diseases” due to their high concentration of population and economic activity. The study proposes that by leveraging the unique administrative characteristics of China’s urban systems, which naturally possess the attributes of metropolitan areas, coordinated spatial governance can be effectively promoted. This approach aims to help mega-cities allocate resources more efficiently at a larger scope and expedite the transformation of their development patterns, which is crucial for implementing new-type urbanization strategies.

The researchers employed a scientific approach that combines data and models to propose spatial governance strategies. This work was conducted under the national key R&D plan titled “Critical Technology for Spatial Optimization of Metropolitan Areas of City Clusters” during the “14th Five-year Plan” period. The primary focus of the study lies in optimizing the spatial layout of three distinct domains: ecological space, production space, and living space. By facilitating functional dispersal and enhancing spatial patterns, the researchers aim to adjust land use structures and spatial resource allocation. The strategies also involve coordinating rail transit with the organization of functions along transit lines and innovating service management to improve administrative efficiency. Through these diverse measures, the study aims to establish a comprehensive composite collaborative system that addresses the limitations of previous research and practices in China.

China’s mega-cities possess unique characteristics compared to their foreign counterparts, including rapid growth, high population density, and large numbers of residents. They naturally have the attributes of metropolitan areas due to an administrative management system of an urban system within city territory. The study highlights that previous research and practices in China have faced several challenges, including inadequacies in addressing the new developmental stage and a limited focus on the study of physical geographic spaces. Additionally, there has been an overreliance on empirical methods at the expense of scientific rigor and a lack of post-implementation monitoring and assessment. To address these issues, the research team adopted data and model-driven techniques to propose spatial governance strategies from the perspective of physical geographic spaces.

The proposed spatial governance strategies encompass two distinct levels: the overall metropolitan area level and the cross-border regional level. At the overall metropolitan area level, it is essential to optimize the layout of ecological, production, and living spaces reasonably. The study emphasizes the creation of a multi-center and network-based spatial structure guided by rail transit. This approach involves optimizing land use structure and spatial resource allocation reasonably by circles and strengthening the dynamic monitoring of the coordinated governance of metropolitan areas.

At the cross-border regional level, the strategies involve enhancing the restructuring of regional functional systems and the optimization of spatial patterns. A key component of this level is promoting the coordinated development of areas along rail transit corridors. These measures are intended to achieve coordinated spatial governance, representing an effective path to coordinate between development and security, resolve “urban diseases” in mega-cities, and enhance their overall competitiveness.

The study draws on data from various sources to support its findings, including the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the China Urban Construction Statistical Yearbook, and the Remote Sensing Center of the China Academy of Urban Planning & Design. For instance, the study notes that in 2014, New York’s residential land accounted for 42.5% of its total, while industrial and manufacturing land made up 3.5% and open space and recreational land 27%. In Tokyo in 2016, residential land was 37.5%, industrial land 4.9%, and parks and sports fields 7.9%.

The concept of “spatial organization” is defined in the study as a geographical term proposed in the second edition of Geographical Terms published by the Science Press in 2007. It is described as the combination, interaction, and regional concentration of social and economic objects of different territorial scopes. The spatial organization of different geographical scopes, such as city clusters, metropolitan areas, and cities, is identified as one of the main contents of urban planning research.

Subject of Research: Spatial governance and urban planning strategies for Chinese mega-cities

Article Title: Promoting coordinated spatial governance of mega-cities in China via spatial organization of metropolitan areas

Article References: Zhou, Y., Xu, H., Wang, Y., Li, C., Luo, Q., & Chen, S. (2024). Promoting coordinated spatial governance of mega-cities in China via spatial organization of metropolitan areas. Frontiers of Urban and Rural Planning, 2(1), Article 24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44243-024-00034-1

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s44243-024-00034-1

Keywords: mega-cities, spatial governance, urban planning, metropolitan areas, China urbanization, land use structure, rail transit, ecological space, production space, living space, urban diseases, spatial organization, regional coordination, data-driven models, 14th Five-year Plan, functional dispersal, administrative efficiency, urban competitiveness, sustainable development, city clusters