China’sRapidUrbanization:Benefits,Challenges&Strategies其他文种:Fran?ais,???????,Chinese,Espa?olResourcesChinaUrbanizesbookwebsiteWorldBankresearch:EastAsia'sEconomicProspects?UrbanizationinChinaonanunprecedentedscale?StrategiesformanagingChina’scities?ThedemandsandstrainsofbiggercitiesUrbanizationinChinaonanunprecedentedscaleJune19,2008—WhileChina’surbanizationbeganalmost4,000yearsago—infact,Neolithicvillageshadbeguntoappearinrivervalleysathousandyearsbeforethat—thecountryisnowurbanizingonanunprecedentedscale.Bytheendofthe1940s,Chinahad69cities.In2007,ithad670cities,almosttentimesasmany.Increasingurbanizationistheresultofmigrationfromvillages,aswellasnaturalincrease,leadingtotheexpansionofsmalltownswhichhavebeenreclassifiedascities.Ofthesecities,89haveapopulationofoveramillion,dwarfingthenumbersinotherlargecountriessuchastheUnitedStateswith37ofthissizeandIndiawith32.Inarapidlyurbanizingworld,Chinaisexpectedtoplayanimportantrole,chieflybecauseofitssizeandthespeedatwhichitischanging.In1980,China’surbanpopulationwas191million.By2007,itwas594million,excludingmigrants.AbouthalfofChina’spopulationnowlivesincities.AspolicymakersmeetattheWorldCitiesSummitinJune,China’sphenomenalurbanizationwillbealikelyfocus,bothintermsofcopingstrategiesandthebenefitsandchallengesthecountryhasexperienced.“Asmorepeoplemovetourbanareas,notjustinChina,butelsewhereinAsiaandAfrica,thefocusofdevelopmentactivitiesmustbetwofold,”saidJustinLin,WorldBankChiefEconomist,“Ruraldevelopmentwhichremainscriticalinagriculture-basedeconomies;andrapidurbanindustrialdevelopmentwhichisandwillbetheprincipalsourceofgrowthforthenationaleconomy.”BacktotopStrategiesthathavehelpedmanageChineseurbanizationAccordingtoShahidYusuf,aSeniorAdviserintheWorldBank’sDevelopmentResearchGroup,andco-editor(withTonySaichofHarvardUniversity)ofanewbook,ChinaUrbanizes,China’surbanizationprocessissucceeding.Whileurbanizingonanunprecedentedscale,Chinahasmanagedtocontainmigrationfromthevillagesorchannelittosmallormedium-sizedcities.Crowding,butfewslums.AcornerstoneofChina’surbanizationstrategyhasbeenthehukou,orhouseholdregistrationsystemtocontrolmigrationandtotrytochannelmigrantstosmallormedium-sizedcities.“OneofChina’sgreatestsuccessesinitsrapidurbanizationhasbeenthatithasmanagedtocontaintheprocesstotheextentthattherearecrowdedlivingconditionsbutveryfewslums,”saidYusuf.“Thisisanimportantachievementforadevelopingcountry.”Increasingly,however,largercitiesarerelaxingthehukourules,andthereisanongoingdebateaboutthefutureroleofthissystemandwhatitportendsformigrants’accesstourbanservices.Lowurbanpovertyandunemployment.WiththerapidgrowthoftheChineseeconomy,urbanpovertyhasbeencontained.Itisestimatedatbetween4and6percentofthepopulation.Urbanunemploymentisalsolow,inthe3to4percentrange.Decentralization.AnotherkeyelementofChina’ssuccessfulurbanizationisthedevolutionofpublicservicesandmanyadministrativefunctionstocitygovernments.In2005,Chinesecitizens’degreeofsatisfactionwithlocalgovernmentsroseto72percent—considerablyhigherthaninmanyothercountries,includingtheUnitedStates.Containmentofurbansprawl.Chinahasalsobeenfrugalaboutitsuseoflandspaceforurbandevelopment—citiesnowoccupyabout4.4percentofthetotallandarea.“Onthenegativeside,theincomegapbetweenvillagesandcitiesisverywide,”saidTonySaich,“Urbanairandwaterpollutionisaseriousp...
