History, Progress, and Prospects of Urban Fringe Research in China: An Idiosyncratic Synthesis from a Spatial Perspective

Zhi Li, Lixin Zhang, Tian Hu () and Yifei Wu
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Zhi Li: College of City Construction, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China
Lixin Zhang: College of City Construction, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China
Tian Hu: Beijing Key Laboratory of Megaregions Sustainable Development Modelling, School of Urban Economics and Public Administration, Capital University of Economics and Business, Beijing 100070, China
Yifei Wu: College of City Construction, Jiangxi Normal University, Nanchang 330022, China

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 2, 1-18

Abstract: Urban fringes, as transitional zones between urban and rural systems, have played a pivotal role in China’s rapid urban expansion. Though there have been very rich urban fringe studies in China, little efforts have been made to introduce this research progress to global peers. To fill this gap, this paper presents an idiosyncratic synthesis based on the relevant Chinese literature, from a spatial perspective—with urban fringes as a land system type of its own kind. We first recap the historical trajectory of urban fringe research in China, revealing its progression from early international influences to context-specific investigations shaped by China’s unique governance and socio-economic conditions. We then introduce, in more detail, the main research progresses on revealing the spatial patterns, underlying mechanisms, and governance practices of China’s urban fringe areas. We argue for studying urban fringes as part of and the critical zone for coupling urban–rural systems, and call for a holistic, inclusive approach in future studies. Specifically, we identify three research prospects: (1) understanding the new patterns of social-environmental dynamics in China’s New Era; (2) promoting spatial governance from a coupled urban–rural system perspective; and (3) leveraging artificial intelligence for producing spatially actionable knowledge.

Keywords: urban fringe area; land system; urban-rural system; review; spatial governance (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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