Urban Transformation and Institutional Policies: Case Study of Mega-Region Development in China’s Pearl River Delta
Publication: Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 139, Issue 4
Abstract
Mega-region development has been identified as one of the top national agenda items in China. Aggressive institutional policies have been put in place to guide and encourage the formation and development of mega-regions. This article analyzes how this development model is being adopted in China and identifies the factors that contribute to such institutional arrangements, using the transformation in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) mega-region as an example. This article argues that mega-region development in China is an institutional response to global and regional economic transformation and significantly affects the regional development outlook. It uses a strong top-down characteristic to enforce the senior government’s political and economic objectives. Findings are drawn from reviewing government policies, analyzing socioeconomic data, and discussing intrinsic issues before recommendations are proposed.
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Acknowledgments
This research was jointly supported by a 985 III Project, an Excellent Research Fund, and an internal project of Center for Chinese Public Administration Research, a Ministry of Education key research center project 12JJD840004, and a Hundred Talent Program research start-up grant from Sun Yat-sen University. The author wants to thank the editor and anonymous reviewers for their comments. All errors and omissions are the author’s.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Urban Planning and Development
Volume 139 • Issue 4 • December 2013
Pages: 292 - 300
Copyright
© 2013 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 29, 2011
Accepted: May 23, 2013
Published online: May 25, 2013
Discussion open until: Oct 25, 2013
Published in print: Dec 1, 2013
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