The Impact of New Urbanization Policy on In Situ Urbanization—Policy Test Based on Difference-in-Differences Model

Compared with traditional urbanization, new urbanization is more closely aligned with China’s basic national conditions and reflects the basic goal of sustainable development. As the main method of new urbanization, in situ urbanization can make up for the shortcomings of traditional urbanization. The establishment of national new urbanization pilot areas is an important element of the new urbanization policy. This paper tests the policy effect of the National New-type Urbanization Plan (2014–2020) on in situ urban development through the establishment of pilot areas. We found the following: (1) In the central region, the establishment of new urbanization pilot areas has not played a significant role in promoting the process of in situ urbanization. By dividing the central cities into Yangtze River and non–Yangtze River Economic Belt areas, we also find that the effect of the new urbanization policy is not obvious, for these cities are not located in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. (2) The central cities located in the Yangtze River Economic Belt have seen significant policy effects due to their advantages in transportation, resources, industry, labor, etc. The establishment of new urbanization pilot areas has a significant promoting effect on the process of in situ urbanization.

The pursuit of new citizenship by peri-urban residents in China: Status, rights, and individual choice

Although China did not announce any official urbanization policy until 2014, since the 1980s urbanization has been the core goal of China’s unceasing push for modernization and national rejuvenation. Tens of millions of inhabitants living on the fringes of China’s cities merely hold temporary permits with virtually no political and social rights and only a modicum of public policy benefit in the cities where they work. The rights and social entitlements of these people are changing once again, because cities in China are now required by the central government to include the majority of them as normal citizens with equal rights. From the perspectives of three groups of peri-urban residents – relocated agricultural elites, in situ urbanites, and migrant workers – in Luoyang, Shanghai, and Hohhot, this article traces the dynamic dimensions of this ongoing, highly complex urbanization process. We argue that the decision to become a participant, negotiator, deal-maker, or deal-breaker in the migration, displacement, and/or resettlement process involves proactive agency and rational choices in a fast-moving environment, and that cities in China must make concessions to convince peri-urbanites to give up their official rural links.

A Framework Proposal for Analysis of Urbanization Policy

This paper suggests a framework proposal for the analysis of urbanization policy as a public policy. Firstly, how urbanization policy is conceptualised is discussed. After, a framework for analysis of urbanization policy is suggested. Main elements of this framework are specified as (1) conditions that constitute urbanization policy background; urbanization logic produced by socio-economic structure; (2) political and administrative agents and other related actors and also their relations; forms of theoretically doing politics of actors; (3) key issue of urbanization policy and its prominent characteristics; process of urbanization policy; (4) change pattern of the policy. Paper ends up with an emphasis on an important inclusionary analysis for the development on urbanization policy making.