Journal of Geographical Sciences >
Spatial production and spatial dialectic: Evidence from the New Urban Districts in China
Zhuang Liang (1989─), PhD Candidate, specialized in urbanization and production of space, urban management and administrative division. E-mail: zhuangliangboy@163.com |
Received date: 2019-04-17
Accepted date: 2019-06-20
Online published: 2019-12-06
Supported by
National Natural Science Foundation of China, No(41571138)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, No(41771171)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, No(41871143)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, No(41961029)
Copyright
New Urban Districts (NUDs) are the important spatial carriers to promote urban expansion or transformation. Since the 1990s, they have been playing a more and more crucial role in China’s urbanization. For NUDs in the strict sense we found that: 96% to the east of Hu Line; 56% within the municipal districts; 64% within 36 km from their every city center and below the area of 423 km 2. The regional distribution follows significant spatial difference as “Eastern Region (50%) - Central Region (42%) - Western Region (8%)”, and the provinces with the largest number of NUDs are Guangdong, Henan, Zhejiang, Liaoning, and Jiangsu. Furthermore, their interesting constructed process highlights the typical characteristics of spatial production and spatial dialectic. This paper uses the theory of the production of space, and discovers that the growth of NUDs is a rapid ternary dialectical process of spatial production: “representations of space” is guided by the top-down governmental power; “spatial practice” is reflected in the hierarchical and regional difference of spatial elements, such as the type, pattern, distance and area of NUD; “spaces of representation” embodies the tension between governmental power and urban development rights, as well as the countermeasure mechanism. The extensibility of spatiotemporal sequences ensures the unity and continuity of spatial (re)production of NUDs. However, this is also facing a series of challenges like the management coordination of administrative division and the increasing unbalanced or inadequate development. Thus, critically rethinking the evolution of NUD is the key basis for achieving sustainable urban renewal and regional orderly development in the new era.
ZHUANG Liang , YE Chao , HU Senlin . Spatial production and spatial dialectic: Evidence from the New Urban Districts in China[J]. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 2019 , 29(12) : 1981 -1998 . DOI: 10.1007/s11442-019-1700-4
Figure 1 Spatial distribution of 224 NUDs in China during 1993 to 2016 |
Figure 2 The stage evolution of NUDs in China |
Figure 3 The basic spatial model of NUDs in China |
Table 1 Types of spatial arrangement in NUDs |
Type | Specific meaning | Proportion (%) |
---|---|---|
A | Composed of single district(s) of the same prefecture-level city (or municipality) | 56 |
B | Composed of district(s) and county(s) of the same prefecture-level city (or municipality) | 20 |
C | Composed of a single county(s) of the same prefecture-level city (or municipality) | 21 |
D | Composed of district(s) and county(s) of the different prefecture-level city (or municipality) | 3 |
Figure 4 Kernel analysis of spatial layout of NUDs in China during 1993 to 2016 |
Figure 5 The spatial distribution of distances between regulatory agency and upper administration center and the changing trend of spatial elements of NUDs in China during 1993 to 2016 |
Table 2 Area scale of NUDs |
Scale | Feature | Area (km2) | Number ratio (%) | Area ratio (%) | Average area (km2) |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Small | The smallest size, the largest number. | 0-160 | 47.8 | 8.7 | 77 |
Medium | The smaller size, the larger number. | 160-419 | 22.8 | 13.7 | 255 |
Large | The largest size, the smallest number. | 419-960 | 17.0 | 23.6 | 588 |
Massive | The largest size, the smallest number. | 960-4132 | 12.1 | 53.8 | 1887 |
Figure 6 The spatial production of NUDs and its ternary dialectic |
1 |
|
2 |
|
3 |
|
4 |
|
5 |
|
6 |
|
7 |
|
8 |
|
9 |
|
10 |
|
11 |
|
12 |
|
13 |
|
14 |
|
15 |
|
16 |
|
17 |
|
18 |
|
19 |
|
20 |
|
21 |
|
22 |
|
23 |
|
24 |
|
25 |
|
26 |
|
27 |
|
28 |
|
29 |
|
30 |
|
31 |
|
32 |
|
33 |
|
34 |
|
35 |
|
36 |
|
37 |
|
38 |
|
39 |
|
40 |
|
41 |
|
42 |
|
43 |
|
44 |
|
45 |
|
46 |
|
47 |
|
48 |
|
49 |
|
50 |
|
51 |
|
52 |
|
53 |
|
54 |
|
55 |
|
56 |
|
57 |
|
58 |
|
59 |
|
60 |
|
/
〈 | 〉 |