The urbanization process and mechanism

Abstract

Based on the analysis of 1676 papers published in the 131 SCI/SSCI English journals from 2000 to 2014, and 1689 Chinese papers published in the 14 domestic journals from 1980 to 2014, we have found urban and regional development under globalization, population and economic growth and the function of market and policy, urban and regional sustainable development and planning, are the 3 major topics of the global urbanization research in the new millennium. Some important phenomena with urbanization including global change, land use, energy, ecological landscape and environmental pollution have also attracted many studies in the world. China’s urbanization research has risen with the rapid urbanization process since the end of the 1970s. Compared to its international counterparts, China’s urbanization research mainly focuses on how to lead and settle population into the cities, pays more attention on the urbanization’s process, dynamics, temporal and spatial variation, problems, influence and policy, etc. It has been clearly characterized by the close combination of theoretical research, policy implications and planning practice. Urban land use, ecological landscape and environmental pollution are the recent key topics connecting to urbanization. China needs to strive in the global perspective, theoretical innovation, and integrated study in its future urbanization research.