Size and urban growth of Chinese cities during the era of transformation toward a market economy

2017 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chengri Ding ◽  
Zhi Li
Keyword(s):  
Parametric Method ◽  
Growth Control ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Floating Population ◽  
City Size ◽  
Small Cities ◽  
Chinese Cities ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Urban Migrants ◽  
Population Counts

The paper examines the growth of Chinese cities at prefecture level or above by first applying a non-parametric method. Kernel regression of the mean of growth rate conditional on city size reveals a U-shaped relationship between city growth and size, and rejects Gibrat’s law. That is to say that large cities take the form of divergent growth while small cities are convergent to each other. This U-shaped growth–size relationship holds for the registered ( hukou) population in 1989–2012 as well as for the permanent population in 1999–2012. Furthermore, our results show that the growth of large cities becomes more divergent using the permanent population than using the hukou population, whereas the growth of small cities becomes less convergent. The permanent population counts a portion of floating population, so it is then concluded that rural–urban migrants move to large cities disproportionately, making large cities grow faster than small cities. Estimated results from rank–size OLS regression confirm the divergent growth of large cities, and, at the same time, reject the notion of random growth of Chinese cities (which is also supported by panel root tests). Our findings have profound policy implications. The national strategy of urbanization that stresses the growth control of mega and super-big cities has had no effect in the past and may continue to be ineffective in shaping the urbanization trajectory in China in the next couple of decades. Sustainable urbanization will depend largely on whether and how well big Chinese cities prepare themselves in accommodating fast growth.

City size and housing purchase intention: Evidence from rural–urban migrants in China

Urban Studies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 57 (9) ◽  
pp. 1866-1886 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanjiao Song ◽  
Chuanyong Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Purchase Intention ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Housing Prices ◽  
City Size ◽  
Housing Cost ◽  
Spatial Equilibrium ◽  
Registration System ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Urban Migrants ◽  
The Impact

Despite the increased focus on housing choices among rural–urban migrants in China, there is a lack of studies on city size and housing purchase preferences. In this paper, we extend the conceptual framework of the Rosen–Roback model to analyse how city size affects rural–urban migrants’ housing purchase intention, and find that the impact of city size on the willingness to buy a house in the host city for migrants has an inverted U shape by using the China Migrants Dynamic Survey of 2014. To explain this phenomenon, we further adopt the Oaxaca–Blinder decomposition, which shows that rural–urban migrants have achieved a spatial equilibrium between housing costs and city amenities in large cities, compared with megacities and small cities. Specifically, the amenities in large cities can compensate for the negative impact of the high housing cost, making these large cities more attractive than small ones for rural–urban migrants, while rural migrants have to bear high housing prices and exclusive urban welfare because of the strict household registration system in megacities. This study thus sheds new light on the adoption of diversified housing policies to solve the housing problems of rural–urban migrants in China by considering city size.

scholarly journals High-Speed Railway and City Tourism in China: A Quasi-Experimental Study on HSR Operation

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinshuo Hou
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Treatment Effects ◽  
Policy Decision ◽  
City Size ◽  
International Tourism ◽  
Small Cities ◽  
High Speed Rail ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
City Tourism ◽  
Quasi Experimental

This paper aims to provide an examination of the general and heterogeneous allowed treatment effects of high-speed rail (HSR) on tourism in cities in China. Based on the implementation of a generalized difference-in-differences (GDID) model and a dose–response (DR) assessment under a quasi-experimental background, this study found significant evidence of a positive average effect of HSR operation on tourism development for both domestic and international tourism. The event study indicates that the counterfactual method implied in this paper is valid, since the parallel trend assumption is confirmed, and the treatment effect of HSR on city tourism has an upwardly increasing trend over time. The heterogeneity test, which separates large cities from medium-sized and small cities, shows that the effect is quite different for the two city types; the effect is not optimistic for large cities, but it is consistently positive for medium-sized and small cities. As an original contribution, this paper conducts a DR study, allowing heterogeneous treatment effects to be captured when cities have different HSR development statuses. This novel method relaxes the strong assumption that there is only one effect level on average for all cities. The results argue that cities with higher HSR development will enjoy more benefits in terms of arrivals and revenues both from home and abroad; however, there are significant differences for the two city groups, as well as for domestic and international tourism. Thus, the findings can offer important information for policy decision making and serve as a valuable reference for research, especially regarding the conclusion drawn from the heterogeneity effect based on city size and HSR development status.

City Size and Ethnic Discrimination: Michigan Agricultural Implements and Iron Working Industries, 1890

1982 ◽  
Vol 42 (4) ◽  
pp. 825-845 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joan Underhill Hannon
Keyword(s):  
Ethnic Discrimination ◽  
City Size ◽  
Late Nineteenth Century ◽  
Small City ◽  
Barriers To Entry ◽  
Labor Management ◽  
Small Cities ◽  
Apparent Paradox ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Iron Working

Late nineteenth-century immigrants tended to concentrate in large cities despite the fact that they experienced less occupational mobility there than they did in small cities. This paper suggests that variation across cities in labor management systems and in the associated froms of discrimination may help to explain this apparent paradox. Analysis of data from Michigan's agricultural implements and iron-working industries in 1890 indicates that discrimination in hiring made it more difficult for immigrants to break into the small-city labor force. But in large cities, immigrant mobility was restricted by discriminatory barriers to entry into higher level jobs.

scholarly journals Recasting inequality: residential segregation by caste over time in urban India

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 615-634 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gayatri Singh ◽  
Trina Vithayathil ◽  
Kanhu Charan Pradhan
Keyword(s):  
Residential Segregation ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Census Data ◽  
City Size ◽  
Decennial Census ◽  
Small Cities ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Urban India ◽  
Indian Cities ◽  
Over Time

This paper analyses residential segregation over time in Indian cities. We examine the change in caste-based segregation longitudinally, while exploring how caste dynamics manifest differently across city size and region. The paper uses successive rounds of decennial census data, from 2001 and 2011. Contrary to expectations, we find residential segregation by caste/tribe persisting or worsening in 60 per cent of cities in our all-India sample, with differences by region and city size. For example, in the states of Karnataka, Haryana, Punjab and Tamil Nadu, a majority of cities experienced decreasing levels of residential segregation by caste/tribe, while in Maharashtra and Gujarat, 34 and 29 per cent of cities, respectively, experienced an increase. A greater proportion of small cities (population 20,000–49,999) than large cities (100,000–999,999) experienced an increase in residential segregation between 2001 and 2011. Across all city-size categories, the dominant trend has been no improvement in residential segregation by caste/tribe over time.

scholarly journals Divergent Trajectories of Urban Development in 287 Chinese Cities

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shenhao Wang ◽  
Jinhua Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Urban Development ◽  
Urban Form ◽  
Cluster Structure ◽  
Low Density ◽  
Mobility Patterns ◽  
Small Cities ◽  
Temporal Dimension ◽  
Chinese Cities ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Development Literature

The urbanization and motorization of Chinese cities follow divergent trajectories. However, how the diversity occurred, particularly within the small and medium cities, is understudied. Using panel data from 287 cities from 2001 to 2014 and a time-series clustering method, this study identified representative trajectories along which Chinese cities were urbanized and motorized. Urbanization was measured by scale, wealth, urban form, and infrastructure; motorization by automobile, taxi, bus numbers, and subway lines. Chinese cities were classified into four clusters: 23 Cluster-1 cities were the large cities with heavy rails; 41 Cluster-2 cities were the low-density wealthy cities with auto-oriented mobility; 134 Cluster-3 cities were the low-density medium-wealth cities with moderate mobility levels; and 89 Cluster-4 cities were the high-density poor cities with lowest mobility levels. Comparing to the traditional three-tier structure, exclusively based on political tiers, the four-cluster structure respects the multi-dimensional nature of cities and reflects the essential diversities among the medium and small cities. While political tiers remain critical, other features including scale, density, infrastructure, and mobility patterns are also important: scale differentiates Cluster-1 from others; low density characterizes Clusters 2 and 3; heavy rail and auto-oriented mobility respectively identify Clusters 1 and 2. We contribute to China’s urban development literature by explicitly examining the temporal dimension, analyzing both urbanization and motorization, and incorporating all the medium and small cities in China. The distinct patterns of Clusters 2, 3, and 4 are evident, and the variation within them were as important as that between them and large cities.

The Impact of High-Speed Rail on the Spatial Structure of Chinese Urban Agglomerations

2020 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 379-397
Author(s):  
Chunyang Wang
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
River Delta ◽  
City Size ◽  
High Speed Rail ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Urban Agglomerations ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Spatial Systems ◽  
Economic Concentration ◽  
The Impact

This paper measures the spatial evolution of urban agglomerations to understand be er the impact of high-speed rail (HSR) construction, based on panel data from fi ve major urban agglomerations in China for the period 2004–2015. It is found that there are signi ficant regional diff erences of HSR impacts. The construction of HSR has promoted population and economic diff usion in two advanced urban agglomerations, namely the Yang e River Delta and Pearl River Delta, while promoting population and economic concentration in two relatively less advanced urban agglomerations, e.g. the middle reaches of the Yang e River and Chengdu–Chongqing. In terms of city size, HSR promotes the economic proliferation of large cities and the economic concentration of small and medium-sized cities along its routes. HSR networking has provided a new impetus for restructuring urban spatial systems. Every region should optimize the industrial division with strategic functions of urban agglomeration according to local conditions and accelerate the construction of inter-city intra-regional transport network to maximize the eff ects of high-speed rail across a large regional territory.

scholarly journals Inequalities in access to safe drinking water in Peruvian households according to city size: an analysis from 2008 to 2018

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Akram Hernández-Vasquéz ◽  
Carlos Rojas-Roque ◽  
Denise Marques Sales ◽  
Marilina Santero ◽  
Guido Bendezu-Quispe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Drinking Water ◽  
Latin American ◽  
Socioeconomic Inequalities ◽  
City Size ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Safe Drinking Water ◽  
Small Cities ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
Latin American Region

Abstract Background Peru is one of the countries with the lowest percentage of population with access to safe drinking water in the Latin American region. This study aimed to describe and estimate, according to city size, socioeconomic inequalities in access to safe drinking water in Peruvian households from 2008 to 2018. Methods Secondary analysis of cross-sectional data using data from the 2008–2018 ENAHO survey. Access to safe drinking water, determined based on the presence of chlorinated water supplied by the public network, as well as socioeconomic variables were analyzed. A trend analysis from 2008 to 2018, and comparisons between 2008 versus 2018 were performed to understand and describe changes in access to safe drinking water, according to city size. Concentration curves and Erreygers concentration index (ECI) were estimated to measure inequalities in access to safe drinking water. Results In 2008, 47% of Peruvian households had access to safe drinking water, increasing to 52% by 2018 (p for trend < 0.001). For small cities, access to safe drinking water did not show changes between 2018 and 2008 (difference in proportions − 0.2 percentage points, p = 0.741); however, there was an increase in access to safe drinking water in medium (difference in proportions 3.3 percentage points, p < 0.001) and large cities (difference in proportions 12.8 percentage points, p < 0.001). The poorest households showed a decreasing trend in access to safe drinking water, while the wealthiest households showed an increasing trend. In small cities, socioeconomic inequalities showed an increase between 2008 and 2018 (ECI 0.045 and 0.140, p < 0.001), while in larger cities, socioeconomic inequality reduced in the same period (ECI: 0.087 and 0.018, p = 0.036). Conclusions We report a widening gap in the access to safe drinking water between the wealthiest and the poorest households over the study period. Progress in access to safe drinking water has not been equally distributed throughout the Peruvian population. Promoting and supporting effective implementation of policies and strategies to safe drinking water, including equity-oriented infrastructure development and resource allocation for most vulnerable settings, including emerging small cities, is a priority.

RURAL–URBAN MIGRATION AND CHILD SURVIVAL IN URBAN BANGLADESH: ARE THE URBAN MIGRANTS AND POOR DISADVANTAGED?

2008 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. MAZHARUL ISLAM ◽  
KAZI MD ABUL KALAM AZAD
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Poor ◽  
Child Survival ◽  
Childhood Mortality ◽  
Policy Implications ◽  
Urban Migration ◽  
Under Five ◽  
Urban Migrants ◽  
Urban Rural

SummaryThis paper analyses the levels and trends of childhood mortality in urban Bangladesh, and examines whether children’s survival chances are poorer among the urban migrants and urban poor. It also examines the determinants of child survival in urban Bangladesh. Data come from the 1999–2000 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey. The results indicate that, although the indices of infant and child mortality are consistently better in urban areas, the urban–rural differentials in childhood mortality have diminished in recent years. The study identifies two distinct child morality regimes in urban Bangladesh: one for urban natives and one for rural–urban migrants. Under-five mortality is higher among children born to urban migrants compared with children born to life-long urban natives (102 and 62 per 1000 live births, respectively). The migrant–native mortality differentials more-or-less correspond with the differences in socioeconomic status. Like childhood mortality rates, rural–urban migrants seem to be moderately disadvantaged by economic status compared with their urban native counterparts. Within the urban areas, the child survival status is even worse among the migrant poor than among the average urban poor, especially recent migrants. This poor–non-poor differential in childhood mortality is higher in urban areas than in rural areas. The study findings indicate that rapid growth of the urban population in recent years due to rural-to-urban migration, coupled with higher risk of mortality among migrant’s children, may be considered as one of the major explanations for slower decline in under-five mortality in urban Bangladesh, thus diminishing urban–rural differentials in childhood mortality in Bangladesh. The study demonstrates that housing conditions and access to safe drinking water and hygienic toilet facilities are the most critical determinants of child survival in urban areas, even after controlling for migration status. The findings of the study may have important policy implications for urban planning, highlighting the need to target migrant groups and the urban poor within urban areas in the provision of health care services.

scholarly journals What is the Price of Tea in China? Goods Prices and Availability in Chinese Cities

2020 ◽  
Vol 130 (632) ◽  
pp. 2438-2467
Author(s):  
Robert C Feenstra ◽  
Mingzhi Xu ◽  
Alexis Antoniades
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Consumer Goods ◽  
The United States ◽  
City Size ◽  
Competitive Effect ◽  
Chinese Cities ◽  
Price Indexes

Abstract We examine the price and variety of a sample of consumer goods at the barcode level in cities within China. Unlike the position in the United States, in China the prices of goods tend to be lower in larger cities. We explain that difference between the countries by the more uneven spatial distribution of manufacturers’ sales and retailers in China, and we confirm the pro-competitive effect of city size on reducing markups there. In both countries, there is a greater variety of goods in larger cities, but that effect is more pronounced in China. Combining the lower prices and greater variety, the price indexes in China for the goods we study fall with city size by around seven times more than in the United States.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document