A Study On The Integrative Development Of The Urban Agglomeration In The Yangtze River Delta

Change is a law of nature. The cities, as well as urban systems, where human beings dwell and conduct economic and cultural activities, have been developing at various paces, making history with their rises and falls. With the rapid expansion of globalization and regional integration, both cities and regions are facing the challenge and opportunity of making themselves the key development area as well as the source of regional growth in the increasingly keen competition. The development of every region is driven by the combined effect of natural advantages, structure of economic elements, external stimulation, and policy opportunities. Yet, most regions would eventually encounter a slow-growth period. Therefore, sustained competitive advantage has become the main concern of cities and regions to participate in global competition. The focus is shifted from global city development to the 16 cities in Yangtze River Delta, China' s most balanced region in terms of spatial development and the world' s sixth metropolitan area, led by Shanghai, the most likely to-be world city in China. The delta enjoys a great number of advantages such as robust economic environment, potential for growth, clustered industry system, supportive government actions and heightening public awareness of fairness and environment. The cities in Yangtze River Delta are integrating, responding to China' s turn from extensive economy to an intensive one and the global trend of regional integration. Hence, urban agglomeration calls for researches of theoretical as well as practical levels.The trend of globalization has given rise to integrated spaces. Urban agglomeration is a way for higher efficiency and better effect. It is an economic issue of locational and spatial equilibrium of urban system. The process of integration is a game where involved cities look for opportunities for development. The dissertation draws from the theory of spatial economics and adopts the game analysis methodology in the study of urban agglomeration in an effort to establish a theoretical basis of urban agglomeration and regional development with a new framework and from a different perspective. An analysis framework is built up by combining spatial economics and game analysis to describe the process of urban agglomeration from a new point of view. The research is based on one of the world' s most dynamic region unit-the urban agglomeration in Yangtze River Delta, China. It lays great emphasis on the core issue of China' s economic transition, the transitioning from administrative region economy to economic region economy. Researches of this dissertation on related issues can help enhancing the theoretical basis of urban agglomeration and regional development, providing a solid and objective perspective for understanding and practice. Moreover, the urban agglomeration of Yangtze Delta is described and simulated through empirical analysis and practical application of the theory.The dissertation consists of 8 chapters. Chapter one introduces the research background, significance, methodology as well as possible innovation and shortcoming. Chapter two reviews and comments on related literature and further clarifies and defines the key concepts of the dissertation. Chapter three mainly discusses the formation and evolvement of urban agglomeration on the basis of spatial economics. Based on the former two chapters and enlightened by spatial economics, the fourth chapter introduces potential game theory in the analysis of the integration of city agglomeration. Then it covers the concepts of communication and evolvement equilibriums, analyzing the communication equilibrium driven by potential game. Finally, it explains the roles of correlated mechanism in the integration of urban agglomeration. This chapter constructs the research theory framework. Chapter five is a historical analysis of urban agglomeration of Yangtze River Delta, which aims to point out that the ups and downs of the process are a game by nature. The sixth chapter is a empirical research based on the theoretical framework established in the previous chapters on the urban agglomeration of Yangtze River Delta to examine the theory and, more importantly, to analyze the issues in the course of integration. Chapter seven is an application of the theory. It analyzes the strategies of integrating urban agglomeration in Yangtze River Delta. The last chapter concludes the dissertation by outlining the main research achievements, providing suggestions on policy-making and proposing future researches.