The structure of cities in the LDCs
Urban development in China
China's inland cities have served and
controlled particular rural areas
over thousands of years.
North: walled cities had social districts
South: with commercial centres, lots of small streets and craftsmen's houses
- 19th century: European intrusion created CBDs of shanghai and Guangzhou ->
serve commercial interest, financed railways: ind. Cities could develop on the
coalfields and iron ore deposits
Today:
urban-industrial growth is carefully planned
population increase threatened to swamp crowded cities -- > migration into
cities restricted and young people from urban families -- > employment
outside the city
today still employment and housing controlled
one-child family to control population
positive urban planning aims to prevent overcrowding
-- Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin are part of a planned municipality (-- urban area
with local self-government)
-- include much open countryside with rural areas - supply with vegetables
new towns there: make people move there from the city
reservoirs there control water supplies
- recently created SEZ (Special Economic Zone), based on urban centres with
private industrial investment and joint ventures with foreign firms
- Shenzen: developed modern city with high-tech industry
1997 linked with industrial towns and Hong Kong's CDB
- China's booming economy: in the east and inland areas - create wealth and
spread it into low developed areas
- Village suburbs: industry alternates farming, but much of the old character
remains there
- also, cities vary according to history and function
the structure of cities is not uniform and conditions vary from district to
district
- but poverty zones are not predictable, but they appear in so many cities
- controls are strict and authorities are anxious to avoid the urban problems
