Theories And Models Of Urbanization

This book provides a thorough discussion about fundamental questions regarding urban theories and modeling. It is a curated collection of contributions to a workshop held in Paris on October 12th and 13th 2017 at the Institute of Complex Systems by the team of ERC GeoDiverCity. There are several chapters conveying the answers given by single authors to problems of conceptualization and modeling and others in which scholars reply to their conception and question them. Even, the chapters transcribing keynote presentations were rewritten according to contributions from the respective discussions. The result is a complete “state of the art” of what is our knowledge about urban processes and their possible formalization.

This work is concerned with the understanding of the structure and behaviour of urban and regional systems in developing countries. Professor Chadwick considers not only how such systems change, but also how they might be changed by some form of manipulation. Both these purposes necessarily involve the activity of modelling the systems concerned. This study has been enriched by the author's own experience in Bahrain, Hong Kong, Korea and Saudi Arabia.

Following a research design of "e;phenomenal description a' theoretical analysis a' model construction a' empirical test a' policy suggestion"e;, this book aims at proposing "e;National Resources and Environment"e; (NRE) -constrained urbanization theory and establishing a measurement system for appropriate level of urbanization, which will serve as theoretical and empirical bases for measurement of appropriate level of urbanization under NRE constraints. Based on systematic review of previous researches on NRE-constrained urbanization at home and abroad, this book first summarizes the mechanism and rules of NRE-constrained urbanization with reference to theories of Wooden Barrel, Climbing Hill, Migration, Economic Growth and Ecology. By using the theory of endogenous economic growth and the theory of constraints, it further deduces the model of "e;resource drag"e; in urbanization caused by shortage of resources and environment and that of "e;resource curse"e; in urbanization caused by resource endowment respectively. The appropriate NRE-constrained urbanization is deconstructed into four sub-objectives including the level, speed, structure and scale, and thus a measurement model is proposed. Based on the analysis structure of NRE-constrained urbanization, major NRE effects and key constraint factors of NRE on the urbanization of Jiangxi province are studied. Econometric analysis of panel data is also conducted to examine various effects on the process of urbanization. By using theories and models of NRE-constrained urbanization, this book examines the "e;resource drag"e; and "e;resource curse"e; in Jiangxi's urbanization; deduces the equilibrium level of NRE-constrained urbanization in Jiangxi by using the econometric model and compares the actual compatibility of the level and speed of urbanization in Jiangxi during 1978-2008 by using environmental capacity constrained Logistic model. It further examines the compatibility of scale and space distribution in Jiangxi's urbanization and calculates optimal city scale for Jiangxi by using the measurement model of the structure of NRE-constrained urbanization. At last, based on the aforementioned analysis, this book summarizes main findings and future prospects of the research, and provides policy suggestions on promoting the appropriate process of urbanization. The research aims at the mechanism and rules of urbanization progress under constraint of the NRE based on systematic summary of the effect and constraint of NRE on urbanization. A measurement model for the appropriate progress of urbanization is proposed based on the analysis of NRE-constrained urbanization theories. Meanwhile, the general conclusion will be applied to typical areas and tested by an empirical study, so as to test and develop relevant theories, and give a comprehensive evaluation on the coordination of urbanization with NRE. In this way, lessons can be learned and summarized for similar regions to advance urbanization and utilize NRE. More specifically, the objectives of this book involve: (1) to reveal the mechanism and rules of NRE-constrained urbanization theoretically; (2) to propose a measurement model and methods for monitoring the appropriate progress of urbanization under constraint of NRE; (3) to conduct an empirical study on Jiangxi Province, evaluate its proper NRE-constrained urbanization process from the aspects of level, speed, structure and scale during "e;11th Five Year Plan"e; by quantitative evaluation on Jiangxi's urbanization, NRE, and thus giving suggestions for policy making.

Rapid urbanization in China in recent decades and the challenges of social and regional integration and governance have been issues of major concern. This book explores the course of urbanization and development in China over recent decades. It considers a range of issues including urbanization, changing urban and regional systems, regional integration and governance. The book pays particular attention to the economic relations between Hong Kong and mainland China and how regional development, integration and governance unfold in the Hong Kong-Pearl River Delta region.

Since the late eighteenth century, academic engagement with political, economic, social, cultural and spatial changes in our cities has been dominated by theoretical frameworks crafted with reference to just a small number of cities. This book offers an important antidote to the continuing focus of urban studies on cities in ‘the Global North’. Urban Theory Beyond the West contains twenty chapters from leading scholars, raising important theoretical issues about cities throughout the world. Past and current conceptual developments are reviewed and organized into four parts: ‘De-centring the City’ offers critical perspectives on re-imagining urban theoretical debates through consideration of the diversity and heterogeneity of city life; ‘Order/Disorder’ focuses on the political, physical and everyday ways in which cities are regulated and used in ways that confound this ordering; ‘Mobilities’ explores the movements of people, ideas and policy in cities and between them and ‘Imaginaries’ investigates how urbanity is differently perceived and experienced. There are three kinds of chapters published in this volume: theories generated about urbanity ‘beyond the West’; critiques, reworking or refining of ‘Western’ urban theory based upon conceptual reflection about cities from around the world and hybrid approaches that develop both of these perspectives. Urban Theory Beyond the West offers a critical and accessible review of theoretical developments, providing an original and groundbreaking contribution to urban theory. It is essential reading for students and practitioners interested in urban studies, development studies and geography.

Urban Theory: New Critical Perspectives provides an introduction to innovative critical contributions to the field of urban studies. Chapters offer easily accessible and digestible reviews, and as a reference text Urban Theory is a comprehensive and integrated primer which covers topics necessary for a full understanding of recent theoretical engagements with cities. The introduction outlines the development of urban theory over the past two hundred years and discusses significant theoretical, methodological and empirical challenges facing the field of urban studies in the context of an increasing globally inter-connected world. The chapters explore twenty-four topics, which are new additions to the urban theoretical debate, highlighting their relationship to long established concerns that continue to have intellectual purchase, and which also engage with rich new and emerging avenues for debate. Each chapter considers the genealogy of the topic at hand and also includes case studies which explain key terms or provide empirical examples to guide the reader to a better understanding of how theory adds to our understanding of the complexities of urban life. This book offers a critical and assessable introduction to original and groundbreaking urban theory and will be essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students in human geography, sociology, anthropology, cultural studies, economics, planning, political science and urban studies.

This in-depth study of the economics of urbanization and development explores the key characteristics of urban-rural patterns of production and consumption in developing countries--particularly Brazil, China and India--as well as government policies affecting urbanization, showing how policies often inadvertently create overcrowded industrial neighborhoods and squatter settlements. Drawing on a wealth of theoretical and empirical research, Henderson investigates rural-urban migration, changes in the production patterns in cities, the drain of skilled workers from small towns, individual city restrictions on growth and entry, and other phenomena.

Urbanization in Northern Corridor Economic Region in Malaysia presents five chapters: Introduction, Paradigm of Urbanization, The Rise of Urbanization, Urbanization in Northern Corridor Economic Region, and Strategy on Urbanization. The book provides an insight into scientific literature on the topic of urbanization, encompassing a variety of publications such as books, magazines, journals, and other formats. The notion of urbanization, related to the urban model and theory, is becoming recognized in academic spheres. Urban theory, within the urban context, aims to define objectives and distinct approaches for the common realization of city living. Urban transition consists of a variety of elements that transform the urban region. The data presented in the book examines the link between various perspectives on urbanization and their outcomes. The strategies on urbanization must involve many domains, because an estimated 1.6 billion citizens currently reside in urban regions.