On The Development Of The Outskirt Economy

Outskirt refers to such a region, located in an urban periphery, which relates closely with city in terms of economy, technology and culture and runs rural regulation system in general. Outskirt economy is the base of urban economy's expansion, on the other hand it is a guide for rural economy's transformation. Therefore, outskirt economy is an exceptive region economy intervening town and country, which plays an important role in balancing the urban and rural development and promoting the industrialization and urbanization.Outskirt remains a dynamic and relatively steady economy unit. Outskirt's special location brings some specific situations for itself as follows: it is situated at the front of the urban radiation area receiving the powerful economy radiation and spatial extension from the central city that is inclined to be a region with further agriculture modernization and rapid urbanization; outskirt, especially the metropolitan outskirt, turns into the top infected region of population swell, traffic jam, environment pollution as well as "urban sickness" such as poverty and crimes. Thereafter, we should study the outskirt economy as an independent economy unit different from urban economy and from the commonly rural economy as well. Insisting on the new road the industrialization and urbanization that is beneficial to both rural and urban development, what we should probe into is its economic characteristics, function rules, development road, developing track. During the developments of the urbanization and of outskirt economy, we have experienced the deficiency of these two developments and the negative impact from industrialization simultaneously.This dissertation is divided into seven chapters, which focuses on the development of outskirt economy in the theory and instance perspective with thebackground of the urbanization and the development of outskirt economy in our country. Based on the relevant conceptions' definition of outskirt economy development, elaboration of correlative materials and the development's experience from developed countries' outskirt economy and focusing on Chinese development practice of outskirt economy, this dissertation researches into a series of problems involving the development's features, the elements and the effect of outskirt economy; the adjustment and optimization of outskirt industry structure; the outskirt space distribution and the central cities' marginal circle economy development; the property right system of collective economy during the development of outskirt economy; the transfer system of land and the social security system of the land-expropriated farmers; the sustainable development of outskirt economy and corresponding countermeasure along with suggestion.First of all, this dissertation categorizes the notions of "city", "outskirt" and "city circles" etc., with a view to Marxist economics, theory of location and regional economics, with analysis of the "outskirt" as a spatial conception. With all of the above mentioned as the basis, the author holds that outskirt, as a mid-belt between city and country, is a geographic unit possessing transition and transformation and possessing its relative stability. "Outskirt", while working as an idealistic spatial conception without specific location and strict boundary, refers to the linking belt between city and country, which is different from the city and the traditional countryside, which is a belt functioned by outskirt urbanization and urban suburbanization contemporarily and during which transition and relative stability exist together. While investigating the specific region with particular space and time employing this conception, such as certain metropolitan outskirt during its process of industrialization and urbanization, we should deduce that it bears the variability from suburb to exurb or vice versa and consequently accelerates the urbanization. However, the extension scale of a city is limited to some extent, nor is outskirt the "limitless space" of urban extension, thereby, the urbanization achieving a certain level results in the more steady "city circles" from ever rapidly alterative "urban outskirt".Secondly, this dissertation expounds that the development features, elements and effect of outskirt economy after turning to the research into the geographic location of outskirt, the economic and technologic relationship between city andcountry and the comparative advantages of outskirt. It points out that outskirt economy, which holds the urban economic features and associates with rural economy, is an especially regional economic activity intervening city and country. It is provided with the comparative advantage of connecting rural economy relying on urban economy. Outskirt has the following characteristics: it associates closely with city and country simultaneously in terms of economy, technology and culture; it locates the front of the urban radiation area receiving the economic radiation and spatial extension from central cities; it is the bridge and linkage of urban and rural relationship and of the agricultural modernization, as a result, outskirt economy takes on the special advantage of promoting urban and rural collaborative work and intercourse to exert its four effects, i.e., service effect, niche effect, extension effect and demonstration effect. In China the difference between city and country is uniquely distinct for its divided regulation between city and country. Hence the system barrier of city-country dualistic economy structure restricts the outskirts economic function.Subsequently, this thesis elaborates and argues the existing situation, problems and adjustments in China and optimization direction based on the comprehensive investigation and research. It considers that with the limitation of city-country dualistic economy structure, our country's outskirt industry represents simplification and similarity. The primary industry concentrates on the program of "Shopping Basket" and "Rice Bag"; the secondary industry is dispersed and underdeveloped with a low-level intensification; and the tertiary industry develops stagnantly and faces the upgrading difficult. So the adjustment and optimization of outskirt industries' structure orients towards the pattern of "the interaction of three industries and integration of city and country". In terms of industry selection we should: guide outskirt to take on the secondary industry transferring from cities to develop the accessorial industry serving for the cities' industry; develop the urban agriculture integrating the production of high quality primary products, sightseeing, pastime, education and tourism; prosper the tertiary industry serving for urban and rural people's life. In terms of industry organization, we should notice the extension of industrial chain and the cultivation of industrial cluster; develop specialization production and specialization market to produce an economy rich in outskirt features possessingthe comparative advantage of city and country and the comprehensive competitiveness.Fourthly, this thesis analyzes Chinese urban extension and outskirt's spatial development in the light of classical theory of location and modern theory of city circle and the practice of our country's city and outskirt development. It figures that as the most close and direct hinterland receiving the central cities' economic radiation, outskirt is the indispensable part of city circle. The space extension of economic activity leads to the outskirt economy activity's circle-style distribution. However, the track and effect of the circle layer are totally different, which depend on the layer's orientation and shape like: the central city's extension of "scrambled cake style"; the point-pivot distribution of "stelliform style" or "melon-vine style"; or the cities-dotted space style with population and economy's regular distribution. In China, due to the otherness and non-balance of regional space location, the development of outskirt urbanization and urban suburbanization and the emergence of interlaced region, overlapping region and new core region of marginal development are the inevitable tendency. But for the limitation of city-country dualistic structure and some misguiding, the central cities' extension function has been weakened and some problems originate from marginal circles like economic recession and stagnancy, the blindfold expansion of central cities, which must invite much attention during the outskirt space development in our country.Fifthly, this dissertation specializes the protruding "land-expropriated farmers" problem and tables corresponding proposals during the development of outskirt economy. It holds that such a concept of the "land-expropriated farmers" reflects special phenomenon in Chinese transformation period. The situation of farmers without land reveals the ponderance of the city-country dualistic structure barrier and the arduousness of farmer status's real transformation from farmer to townspeople. Meanwhile, it discovers that the defects of systems like the property right system of outskirt collective economy, land-expropriating system and social security system. What the "land-expropriated farmers" lose is production material during outskirt urbanization, which consists of the farmers' surviving basis. So the farmers should be compensated not only the basic life security lasting a certain period but also the farmers' production and lifeconditions as urban workers in the long run. The thesis emphasizes that the status transformation of the "land-expropriated farmers" should persist in the underlying principle of human-orientation and guard against both outskirt urbanization and the marginalization of the "land-expropriated farmers".Finally, outskirt economy's sustainable development is discussed in the paper on the base of the experience from western developed countries and the practices of our country. This thesis points out that outskirt is the central city's economic hinterland and the ecological barrier; the original locus receiving urban economy radiation and the primary victim of city and industry pollution and ecological damage. Thus the sustainable development of outskirt is the practical problems desiderating solution immediately. The paper probes systematically the sustainable development of outskirt economy in the theory and instance perspective and proposes the corresponding suggestions. The dissertation holds that the sustainable development is confronted with the dual tasks of economic sustainable development and ecological building, which focuses on the strengthening the industry's sustaining power and spatial carrying capacity of outskirt economy and finding out the specific methods for human all-round development, the resources saving, the increasing environment improvement and beneficial cycle of ecology.