Restructuring for Growth in Development Zones, China: A Systematic Literature and Policy Review (1984–2022)

Lingfan Yang, Xiaolong Luo, Ziyao Ding, Xiaoman Liu and Zongni Gu
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Lingfan Yang: School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
Xiaolong Luo: School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
Ziyao Ding: School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
Xiaoman Liu: School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
Zongni Gu: School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China

Land, 2022, vol. 11, issue 7, 1-32

Abstract: China’s development zones have been enjoying a process of dramatic growth and restructuring since the start of the new millennium, which has been extensively documented in the literature. The growth stems from the increased scope and expansion in demand created by China’s economic growth, as well as gradual global economic reconfiguration, which has, in itself, become a factor in advancing the country’s spiraling economic growth. This article examines the trajectory of the growth and restructuring of China’s development zones since 1984, by reviewing critical policies and their measures and effects, as well as academic research in this field, focusing on transitional stages, features and mechanisms. Based on different academic viewpoints, the work sets out a three-pronged conceptual framework composed of institutional transition, industrial evolution and land use transformation to systematize the growth process. In recent years, the restructuring of development zones has come to be considered as a comprehensive and complex issue, and its main challenges arise from factors such as overcoming outdated institutional arrangements, strengthening market participation, promoting high-end industrial agglomeration and breaking the bottleneck of inefficient land use. This article uses a multi-dimensional, logical approach to address the growth of development zones, and examines relevant practices and studies so as to explore the deeply rooted correlations between different dimensions in more depth and to examine the innate and unchanged logic involved in the restructuring of development zones.

Keywords: development zones; export processing zones; science parks; restructuring; decentralization; globalization; urbanization; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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