Changing imbalance: Spatial production of national high-tech industrial development zones in China (1988-2018)

Science parks are popular in most countries of the world. In China they have taken the form of National High-Tech Industrial Development Zones (NHTIDZs), which have demonstrated special spatiotemporal characteristics over the past thirty years. NHTIDZs, as exclusive spaces, epitomize the close relationship between governmental power and urbanization, and have become an organizational form of the production of space. However, little research has been carried out into the spatial production of China’s NHTIDZs. Based on the theory of the production of space, this article designs a framework for identifying the interactions between governmental power, NHTIDZs, and urbanization. We find there are two main characteristics of the changing imbalance between time and space: a rapid and unstable centralizing trend and an extremely uneven spatial distribution. The NHTIDZ, as a spatial organization pattern of urbanization, is dominated by governmental power. Because of rapid spatial expansion and great policy privileges, national-level NHTIDZs have become targets for governments at all levels. The purpose of the central government is to promote urbanization by expanding high-technology zones nationwide; therefore, urbanization in China is becoming a process of spatial production. To help China achieve a better urban-rural integration and sustainable development, policy suggestions for NHTIDZs are recommended.