Spatial Expansion Patterns of Chinese big cities: the Case of Suzhou

Abstract

Urban spatial expansion is the physical form of urbanization,resulting from complicated elements of urban growth.Since the reform and open-up policy the big city’s space has expanded rapidly because of fast economic development,concentration of foreign-invested enterprises,establishment of development zones and real estate development. Taking the case of Suzhou the paper explored the patterns of big city’s spatial expansion under globalization after reviewing the urban expansion cases in the recent thirty years.They included the rule of axis development along the transport corridors,oriented development rule and the urban spatial expansion procedure under the urban economic centralization and decentralization model.The rules may guide urban planning and construction to prevent urban space from unreasonable expansion,and facilitate urban health growth and sustainable development in China.

城市用地空間擴展是城市成長發展過程中在物質形態上的具體體現,是城市發育有機成長的各種因素綜合作用下的結果。自改革開放以來,由于經濟增長迅速,優越區位外資的集聚,開發區的形成,中國大城市的用地空間擴展迅速。經過多年來的建設實踐,參照全球經濟一體化的背景,結合蘇州市個案研究,初步探索了中國大城市用地空間擴展的若干規律,即城市擴展沿交通走廊軸線發展的脈動規律,城市邊緣地區定向開發以及城市經濟集聚與擴散規律制約下的城市空間擴展過程,按照科學發展觀,探索這些規律指導中國的城市規劃與建設,構建和諧社會,防止城市用地盲目擴大、用地失控,并促進城市土地開發按資源節約型方向發展,走城市可持續發展,健康城市化的道路。