Assessing Polycentric Urban Development in Mountainous Cities: The Case of Chongqing Metropolitan Area, China

Yong Liu, Peilei Fan, Wenze Yue, Jingnan Huang, Dong Li and Zongshun Tian
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Yong Liu: School of Construction Management and Real Estate, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China
Peilei Fan: School of Planning, Design, and Construction & Center for Global Change and Earth Observation, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Wenze Yue: Department of Land Management, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310029, China
Jingnan Huang: School of Urban Design, Wuhan University, Wuhang 430072, China
Dong Li: Beijing Tsinghua Tongheng Urban Planning and Design Institute, Beijing 100085, China
Zongshun Tian: School of Construction Management and Real Estate, Chongqing University, Chongqing 400045, China

Sustainability, 2019, vol. 11, issue 10, 1-15

Abstract: Mountainous settlements accommodate nearly one tenth of the world’s population. Most mountainous cities have adopted the strategy of polycentric urban development due to an asymmetric geography, which has received little attention from mainstream research. To fill the research gap, we proposed an analytical framework and conducted a multi-dimensional measurement of polycentricity. Taking Chongqing for the case study, this work confirmed that polycentricity is morphological and functional in mountainous cities. Polycentricity is believed to be particularly applicable to mountainous and water-rich landscapes, leading to an appropriate, balanced distribution and the strong multi-directional connectivity of urban nodes. This characteristic may partly result from natural determinism and long-term planning adaptation, complementary to market forces. Policy implications for planning such as avoiding excessive encroachment on natural barriers and increasing functional linkage in newly established subcenters were also proposed.

Keywords: mountainous city; polycentricity; urban form; morphological; functional (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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