Optimizing Urban Stock Space through District Boundary Reorganization: Hangzhou’s Administrative Adjustment

Fei Chao, Chen You and Wen Jin ()
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Fei Chao: School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310030, China
Chen You: School of Public Affairs, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310030, China
Wen Jin: School of Marxism, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China

Land, 2023, vol. 12, issue 5, 1-16

Abstract: Since China is the largest developing country in the world, its urban reconstruction has significance for countries undergoing rapid urbanization. The recent development of its central cities has gradually changed from large-scale incremental expansion to stock optimization. District boundary reorganization has become a new trend in reforming China’s administrative division of central cities. From the perspective of scalar reorganization and regional reconstruction, the adjustment of urban administrative divisions can be regarded as a regional construction strategy initiated by city governments to reshape the spatial structure, improve the governance relationship, and enhance the cities’ competitiveness. This study takes Hangzhou, an important central city in eastern China, as a case study to illustrate two ways in which a central city can optimize its urban spaces through district boundary recombination: scale recombination and regional recombination. The findings demonstrate two advantages of district boundary reorganization for China’s central cities: it eases the integration of new city districts and urban areas and promotes balanced development within the city. In the future, more Chinese cities will likely choose to reorganize their district boundaries.

Keywords: central city; scale restructuring; regional reconstruction; Hangzhou; urban administrative district adjustments (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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