Abstract:

Urban agglomerations are the most dynamic and potential core areas for the future economic development of China. As the key and optimal development zones of major function oriented zoning in China, urban agglomerations play the roles of strategic support points, growth poles and core nodes in national productivity layout. To begin with, the formation and development of Chinese urban agglomerations indeed dates back to the initial stage of China′s reform and opening-up in the 1980s. It has gone through three stages, namely the embryonic development stage in the 1980s, the rapid growth stage in the 1990s and the sustained development stage in the 2010s. Moreover, there are distinct government-led characteristics for the formation and development of Chinese urban agglomerations, mainly resulted from national and local macro-regulation policies and regional development policies. They involve in both the guidance of national macro-regulation policies and the propensity of key regions′ development policies. Specifically, the related supportive policies and their implementation impact on the formation and development of Chinese urban agglomerations from the 6^th Five-Year Plan to the 11^th Five-Year Plan can be concluded as follows. Firstly, the policy about regional cooperation and economic zone in the 6^th Five-Year Plan is to be the start the construction of Chinese urban agglomerations. Secondly, the policy about three levels of economic zone network in the 7^th Five-Year Plan builds the preliminary framework for the construction of Chinese urban agglomerations. Thirdly, the policy about horizontal alliance and balancing urban and rural development in the 8^th Five-Year Plan puts forward the integration outlook to the construction of Chinese urban agglomerations. Fourthly, the policy to promote balanced development among regions in the 9^th Five-Year Plan drives the formation and development of urban agglomerations in the central and western regions of China. Fifthly, the urbanization strategy in the 10^th Five-Year Plan points out the overall direction for the construction of Chinese urban agglomerations. Finally, the policy, which first time emphasizes urban agglomerations to be a primary pattern to accelerate urbanization in the 11^th Five-Year Plan, establishes the spatial layout for the construction of Chinese urban agglomerations. In addition, in view of the urban agglomerations in different regions, different spatial patterns and different development degree, national government successively implements at least 22 supported policies with the principle of adaptation to local conditions. The policies actively guide Chinese urban agglomerations to ensure their sound and steady development.

Key words: urban agglomerations, formation and development, policy implication process, prospect, China