Zhengzhou – Political economy of an emerging Chinese megacity

Abstract

Zhengzhou is one of the fastest growing cities in China, but has attracted comparatively little international attention. This paper charts the contemporary transformation of Zhengzhou and highlights some of the challenges that arise from its recent growth. It demonstrates the rise of Zhengzhou from small town to megacity. This transformation has occurred in less than seven decades with Zhengzhou benefiting from its geographic importance and its position as a provincial capital in China's hierarchical system of government. While western accounts typically focus on the role of market forces and agglomeration economies in explaining the rise of megacities, we show the role of political decisions in explaining the growth of Zhengzhou as an international centre for manufacturing, commerce and logistics. The paper concludes that innovation and reform in regional governance, particularly to deal with emerging challenges, are necessary, if it is to develop a well-functioning megacity.

Highlighting the Sustainability Implications of Urbanisation: A Comparative Analysis of Two Urban Areas in Ghana

“…This highlights the quagmire that the interaction between urbanisation and mining brings for social development in mining areas such as Obuasi. Furthermore, in consonance with scholarly views about how neoliberal alignment in urban areas could promote urban regeneration and simultaneously create social divisions [66,67,76,77], and considering how the urban expansion patterns in Kumasi reflect the demand for land to meet the needs of the growing populations, it could be argued that market forces could influence urban socio-spatial structures in these areas. Essentially, the influence of market forces in the context of urbanisation in Kumasi and Obuasi, could potentially lead to situations where the economic advantage held by groups such as high-income citizens combines with restrictions on housing or land ownership choices (due to unaffordability) for low-income citizens to contribute to socio-spatial segregation, e.g., [39,76,77].…”

“…In simple terms, urban entrepreneurialism is when market mechanisms are exploited and unleashed in order to achieve public goals in an urban area, but with minimal intervention by the constitutional State [63][64][65]. Urban entrepreneurialism could be a double-edged sword as it may lead to the growth and regeneration of urban areas [66], but at the same time create pernicious effects that deepen existing divisions in urban areas [64]. In some cases, scholars, e.g., [67], have noted that the neoliberal realignment in urban areas (promoted by entrepreneurialism) has never guaranteed social integration, cohesion or the survival of the social groups that its market mechanisms tend to marginalise.…”

Identifying Spatial Patterns of Retail Stores in Road Network Structure

“…It is found in China's hinterland and is known colloquially as "the center of sky and earth." The geographical coordinates of the city range from 112 [61]. Moreover, Zhengzhou is located at the intersection of the national ordinary railway network and the high-speed railway network.…”

Land Use Change, Spatial Interaction, and Sustainable Development in the Metropolitan Urban Areas, South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia

“…Urban agglomeration is understood as the union of several cities into one physical, economic and social cultural unit. An urban agglomeration comprises not only the central city, but also its suburbs that form a functional area of unity with the city concerned [49]. In this study, it is contemplated that the urban agglomeration of Metropolitan Mamminasata is the physical, economic, and social integration of the core city of Makassar, the urban area of Gowa Regency and the urban area of Maros Regency.…”