Does polycentric spatial structure narrow the urban-rural income gap? – Evidence from six urban clusters in China

As urbanization and economic development continue to accelerate, social equity issues are becoming increasingly prominent and the urban–rural income gap is an important manifestation of this. This study uses the data of urban clusters from 2010 to 2019 and focuses on the relationship between the polycentric spatial structure of urban clusters and the urban–rural income gap. The findings show that the development of urban cluster polycentricity can reduce the urban–rural income gap, and the higher the degree of polycentricity in morphology, the smaller the gap. However, the relationship between polycentric spatial structure and the urban–rural income gap is “U” shaped, indicating the need for rational planning of urban polycentric development patterns rather than simple expansion. In addition, the polycentric spatial structure of urban clusters can reduce regional disparities by promoting factor mobility and industrial structure optimization. However, this depends on the level of industrial development and infrastructure. This study highlights the importance of a balanced approach to urban development that takes into account regional disparities and issues of social equity.     

The personal and social benefits of urban agriculture experienced by cultivators on the Cape Flats

Urban agriculture is considered a grassroots solution to food security in Africa. Research consistently supports this belief, and in South Africa urban agriculture is promoted by national and local government. One city supporting urban agriculture is Cape Town, the only South African city with an urban agriculture policy. Although many questions remain regarding the sustainability of non-governmental organisation (NGO)-supported urban agriculture projects in Cape Town and their contribution to food security, this study argues that one must look beyond economics and the physical benefits of urban agriculture to the personal and social benefits. By capturing the lived experiences of cultivators on the Cape Flats in Cape Town, the study shows that urban agriculture not only contributes to food security but builds social capital, which improves livelihood strategies and interpersonal relations. This is especially the case where urban agriculture projects are facilitated by NGOs that fund, train and oversee cultivators in these impoverished communities.     

构建新一轮西部大开发中的大开放格局

西部大开发是我国促进区域经济均衡发展的重大决策。2010年至2030年将是西部的加速发展阶段。大开放格局的形成将是其重要特征之一。近年来,西部对外经济各项指标增速明显高于东部地区,但其对外经济总量仍偏低。本文认为较低的对外经贸依存度,一方面说明西部未来的开放大有可为,另一方面也将促进中国的经济结构趋向合理。西部大开放格局的构建,将出现城市化与工业化同步的特征,也将以更广阔的视野,在更为完善的政策制度下,探索对内对外协同开放之路。     

Urban agriculture promotes sustainable livelihoods in Cape Town

Urban agriculture has long been endorsed as a means to promote food security and economic wellbeing in African cities. However, the South African context presents mixed results. In order to establish the contributions of urban agriculture to sustainable livelihoods, the sustainable livelihoods framework is applied to a case study on cultivators from Cape Town’s Cape Flats. This study contributes to the empirical literature on urban agriculture by providing a deeper understanding of the benefits cultivators themselves attribute to urban agriculture. The key finding is that cultivators use urban agriculture in highly complex ways to build sustainable livelihoods. NGOs are central to this process. Distrust, crime and a lack of resources are, however, limiting factors. The paper concludes with policy recommendations to support pro-poor urban agriculture in African urban centres.     

A diagnostic approach to intra-metropolitan spatial targeting: Evidence from Cape Town,South Africa

This article ascribes poor returns from place-based economic policy to prevailing spatial norms and causal assumptions which continue to influence its deployment across South African cities. By elevating the local over the systemic as the cause of and solution to urban problems, spatial targeting in the telescopic mould gives rise to three forms of spatial bias which lock in suboptimal local outcomes and gradually undermine the resilience of the urban system. Place-based policy should instead be guided by a systemic and relational evaluation of local economic potentiality supported by data-driven planning tools. The article introduces one such tool developed by the City of Cape Town, focusing on its theoretical basis, initial findings and implications for intervention. We find that the tool represents a robust platform for policy-makers to make targeting decisions that are more evidence led and hence less arbitrary.     

Post-apartheid urban geography: A case study of Greater Johannesburg's Rapid Land Development Programme

This article addresses the twin issues of urbanisation and the eradication of the socio-spatial patterns of apartheid in South African cities through the presentation of a case study – the Greater Johannesburg Metropolitan Council's Rapid Land Development Programme (RLDP), initiated in 1995. This has been one of the few housing delivery programmes in the country since 1994 which has attempted to address these two issues simultaneously (the Marconi Beam Development in Cape Town being another). The significance of the RLDP lies not only in its marginal success, but also in its failures. It brought to the surface the intractable ideologies and vested interests behind the patterns of property ownership in South African cities, as well as the lack of policies or procedures to challenge them. As a result, urban development in general, and in Greater Johannesburg in particular has, since 1994, reinforced rather than confronted apartheid geography.     

The organisation of urban agriculture in Cape Town,South Africa: A social capital perspective

This article explores urban agriculture in Cape Town and its organisational forms. Based on a literature review of peer-reviewed articles and grey literature, it examines the state of linkages among urban farmers and various supporting organisations of urban agriculture. Moreover, it examines the coordination of activities among key supporting organisations. By analysing the roles of state and non-state actors and linkages, the article discusses implications for the development of urban agriculture. This article suggests that a lack of effective coordination of initiatives among supporting actors presents a significant pitfall in the development of urban agriculture. Furthermore, the failure of farmers to self-organise is identified as equally detrimental. Therefore, it calls for improved synergies between state and non-state actors involved to ensure that the gains of urban agriculture are enhanced.     

浅析辽西城市群发展模式

本文从区域经济的视角,结合辽西城市群的基本情况,对照三种主要的城市群发展模式,对辽西城市群发展模式的选择进行了较为深入的剖析。希望通过本文的研究,对辽西城市群发展模式的决策选择提供一定的借鉴价值。     

现代化城乡区域发展体系研究

加快建设现代化经济体系、推动经济高质量发展,是加快国家治理体系和治理能力建设和社会主义现代化强国建设的坚实基础。在现代化经济体系建设框架下,基于区域发展理论分析和全球区域政策实践演进的研究,本文探讨了现代化城乡区域发展体系建设的意义和内涵特征:现代化城乡区域发展体系是区域发展的三个客观基础和三个基本现象相互作用、相互关系形成和决定的有机系统,包括建立发挥比较优势的区域协调机制、建立有利于区域增长和创新的区域治理机制、建立城乡融合发展机制和乡村振兴机制以及建立区域统筹发展支持体系的四大机制和体系。现代化城乡区域发展体系建设是中国区域政策实践的转型探索与创新。研究指出:要尊重客观规律和客观事实,以“人民”的发展权利为中心而不是以“地区”发展绩效为中心,重视和基于中国区域发展最新形成的三个基本空间:即传统地理划分的宏观空间、城市群空间和具有中国特色的城乡二元空间,构建优势互补、协调联动的现代化城乡区域发展体系,彰显中国社会主义建设的制度优势和显著特色。     

The significance of geographical information systems for development planning

Based on the experiences in the City of Cape Town, this article argues that technological progress should be utilised to undergird urban and regional planning in South and southern Africa for at least three reasons. First, as far as planning for the future is concerned, information technology can help us come to grips with the multiple challenges facing the new South Africa. Second, information technology would provide structural leverage in the formulation, adoption and implementation of community‐driven development pro grammes. Third, it would enable local authorities to cooperate across jurisdictional boundaries to promote substantive information sharing and proactive planning strategies.     

长三角城市群网络化结构特征研究及实证分析

长三角城市群作为中国经济活动最活跃的地区之一,城市群网络化发展的将是长三角城市区域今后发展的主要特征.文章借鉴社会网络分析方法和城市引力模型,以长三角城市群16个中心城市间的经济联系为例,对长三角城市群网络的基本形式、结构属性和网络微观特征进行实证分析.研究发现长三角城市群经济关联具备了网络化规模,但内部各城市间联系不均衡性特征明显,多中心网络协同发展格局已初步形成;通过网络分析进一步提出为实现长三角城市群网络化发展的政策建议.     

区域物流的经济发展区位贡献分析

论文基于区域经济学的区位理论,探讨区域经济发展的内涵和区域物流与区域经济发展的关系,分析区域物流对区域经济发展的区位贡献,认为区域物流的发展能够促进区域工业和农业区位的优化,加快区域城市化进程,改善区域对外贸易格局,进而提升区域经济发展的总体水平;相应的政策是要以区域物流作为先导性产业来构建支持区域经济协调发展的区域物流系统。     

长三角大都市圈协同发展的战略思考

从世界范围的经济发展规律来看 ,构建有系统的城市群区域经济已经成为国家间经济竞争的重要内容之一。 2 0世纪 80年代以来长江三角洲取得了突飞猛进的发展 ,但与世界五大著名都市圈相比 ,长江三角洲城市群的发展还明显存在着传统和自然发展的痕迹 ,特别是因其属于三个省级行     

我国长三角地区国家区域政策效果评价研究——基于偏相关和多元分布滞后模型

文章利用长三角地区上海市、江苏省以及浙江省的经济增长数据,构建多元虚拟变量分布滞后模型对国家长三角地区的区域发展规划效果进行评价。研究结果表明国家长三角区域发展规划政策出台后,不同政策变量对三地市的经济增长的影响存在差别,其中中央补助收入在上海和江苏的经济增长弹性显著提高,但是中央补助收入对浙江省的经济增长促进作用有所下降,同时中央转移支付与税收返还政策效果存在时滞。最后提出了结构上调整国家区域发展规划政策等对策建议。     

皖江示范区建设是区域经济协调发展的战略布局

改革开放以来,我国区域经济发展经历了非均衡向均衡协调发展的历程。让部分地区率先发展是小平同志的战略构想,经过近30年的区域差别政策,率先发展、快速发展的地区已经实现了先富起来的预期目标。但国内区域发展不均衡的矛盾日益突出,乃至影响国家发展的全局。国务院批准的皖江城市带承接产业转移示范区建设正是实施我国区域经济均衡、协调发展的战略布局,是实现中华民族全面振兴、人民共同富裕的战略步骤。     

城镇体系引导下的区域旅游产业集聚发展战略研究——以成都市龙泉山区域为例

城镇体系是一定区域内,由一系列不同职能、规模、相互联系的城镇组成的有机整体,对旅游产业集聚的发展具有引导意义。本文通过论述城镇体系对旅游产业集聚发展的作用,结合成都市龙泉山区域的实践,介绍了通过城镇体系分类引导、分级引导、名镇引导和政策引导等战略举措实现区域内旅游产业集聚的发展模式。     

长三角一体化背景下,“金融+科技”政策研究及产业培育路径分析

以长三角一体化发展为契机,区域内各个城市均在积极推进区域金融中心城市建设,着力打造金融聚集区、金融商务区试点,提升金融资源的集聚能力,完善金融服务功能和创新能力,形成特色鲜明、功能互补的金融产业集群。2019年8月,中共合肥市委、合肥市人民政府正式印发了《合肥市推动长三角地区更高质量一体化发展重点工作推进方案》,其中明文提到要"加快金融一体化",依托滨湖金融小镇等一批金融产业项目,积极引进长三角银行、保险、基金、期货、证券公司等金融机构在合肥设立区域分中心,为基础设施建设、科技创新升级、实体经济发展提供支持。立足合肥的科创及人才优势,安徽省级特色小镇--合肥滨湖金融小镇从设立之初,就确立了"金融+科技"的特色产业定位,本文通过案例分析及共词分析研究,梳理出滨湖金融小镇应重点推进"确立人才优先的产业集聚核心逻辑""实现科创中心与金融中心良性互动""释放金融基础设施项目,助推金融科技落地""监管科技与金融科技齐头并进""构建产业生态圈与金融品牌"等五大特色产业培育路径。     

新型城镇化协调发展下韶关市差别化土地政策研究

由于区域资源禀赋、经济发展状况不同,需要在城镇化进程中制定差别化的土地政策。以韶关市作为研究对象,全面分析了市域土地综合分区的差异性。以主体功能定位为导向,提出了分区差别化土地利用策略。在此基础上,详细分析了差别化的城镇建设用地政策和农业用地政策。研究成果有利于推动区域城镇化持续协调发展。     

The performance and support of food gardens in some townships of the Cape Metropolitan Area: An evaluation of Abalimi Bezekhaya

Drawing on an evaluation of the gardening promotion activities of Abalimi Bezekhaya, a gardening organisation operating in the townships of the Cape Metropolitan Area, this article puts forward recommendations and policy directives for the development of urban agricultural initiatives. Field research, undertaken with gardeners in the townships, utilised participatory methodologies to elicit their opinions and gain insight into their motivations for gardening, the various constraints they face, and their opinion of the services provided by Abalimi Bezekhaya. From these exercises, recommendations were made to the organisation on how it could improve its services to the communities. In addition, the evaluation revealed that urban agriculture offers gardeners an opportunity to become involved in a development strategy which holds tremendous potential and which can expand into an entrepreneurial activity, if due attention is paid to issues of policy, agricultural development, land reform and the creation of livelihoods.     

我国城市创新与产业协同指数构建及分析——基于熵权法的实证研究

文章从城市和行政大区两个角度出发,使用熵权法建立评估城市创新指数、产业发展指数以及二者协调程度的指标体系,并以此为依据给出具体的政策建议。研究表明:在城市创新指数方面,深圳、北京、广州最高,华东地区最高;在产业发展指数方面,上海、北京、深圳最高,东部地区最高;在两者协调性方面,太原、宁波最好,东部地区最好。以上三个指标按照4∶4∶2的比例加总得出的城市创新与产业协同指数,前三甲的城市为深圳、北京、上海。城市创新与产业协同指数评估结果表明,我国城市创新与产业协调水平总体较高,但城市与城市、区域与区域之间的差距较大,未来提升空间仍较大,并可以通过因地制宜选择区域创新发展新模式、增强区域协同发展能力、加强科技成果转化等达到。