This article proposes the addition of a "bridge high technology" stage to Park's (1996) Asian development model, based upon field research and analysis of four "science and technology parks" in different regions of China: Shenzhen, Shanghai, Suzhou, and Xi'an. Initially established as learning districts to foster technology transfer from foreign to domestic enterprises, these specially configured spaces exhibit a variety of interactions indicating an increasing shift toward domestically generated technology for native companies. The mix and type of companies in parks at different locations within China reflect the locational comparative advantages of each place, whether as an outgrowth of local research or by government design.

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Carefully constructed urban fieldwork enriches students' geographic education in ways impossible to reconstruct in the classroom. Geographic literature lacks good examples from human geography of how this might be accomplished. This research extends fieldwork application to the urban setting at a level most appropriate for college students, particularly those in an urban institution. The research question explored concerns the relationship of a city and its suburbs. Students conducted tests of the suburban dependency theory in five different communities in metropolitan Atlanta, using a variety of data sets, interviews, surveys, and other field techniques. Critical factors previously overlooked were size of the community and the role of county government.

Dynamics of spatial interaction within high tech parks in metropolitanShanghai are examined to assess strategies for advancing the Chang Jiang delta region. The concept of neo-Marshallian development zones, when applied in the context of a developing world city, transitioning socialist economy, and centralized control of both State and foreign direct investment companies, suggests several modifications to classic models. Interviews with key participants in four zones present a fuller picture of forces at work in the effort to rapidly advance China from a manufacturing to an innovation leader in targeted industries.