Modernization and China's Urban Development∗

Economic development and modernization programs launched in the past three decades have significantly altered the traditional urban systems in China, which had essentially evolved within physiographic regions through centuries. Construction of railroads, development of energy sources, agricultural transformation, expansion of foreign trade, and a rapid process of demographic transition have all contributed to the emergence of a more integrated national urban system in China with articulated linkages between physiographic regions. In spite of political overtones in China's development policies since 1949, the new patterns of urbanization reflect the need to meet the specific realities of resources, cultural values, and social heritage in the nation building process.