The Spatial Pattern, Process And Response Of Regional Urbanization

Research on urbanization is the focus paid attention by scholars in recent years. Currently, the development of urbanization in our country is facing with a series of problems such as space spatial imbalances, widening of gap between urban and rural areas, the ecological environment deterioration. At the same time, research on urbanization has transformed to new urbanization seeking the harmonious development among regional space, society, economy and ecology. The transforming of urbanization research from urban space to urban group space is a research process that horizon expands constantly and cognition deepens gradually. Research on spatial development of urbanization in the view of regional scale is profound to the integration of regional space resources and the promotion of regional strategic position. Therefore, in the background of new urbanization with all-round coordinated progress in various fields, it is of great significance to explore the economic, social and ecological environment in the areas of the response for enriching the practice of the new urbanization paths based on regional urbanization space evolution.Therefore, this study, based on regional urbanization, is trying to explore the pattern, process, mechanism and response of urbanization and then raise the regulation paths from the perspective of man-land relationship in accordance with the line of "pattern-process-mechanism-response-path", taking Shaanxi province as the study area, and adopting methods such as spatial analysis, statistical analysis, Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis, GIS visualization and remote sensing image interpretation. This study is trying to establish a comprehensive urbanization spatial research paradigm to enrich and perfect the spatial research framework of urbanization. The main conclusions are as follows:(1) On regional level, spatial pattern of urbanization is mainly embodied in the spatial difference of urbanization and urban system development degree.On the spatial pattern of regional urbanization, it is necessary to summarize urbanization development regularity and characteristics of different scales from the provincial, district and county levels. Through a variety of statistical description and measurement methods that urbanization level in Shaanxi province has entered a period of rapid development, but spatial differences of city region are obvious, the gathering trend of county urbanization gradually appear.On regional urban spatial pattern, urban scale structure, urban spatial distribution and urban functions are needed to analysis the spatial pattern. On urban scale structure aspect, urban hierarchy is relatively complete, while their scales are quite small, urban primary index of Xi'an is quite high. On urban spatial distribution aspect, the urban spatial layout shows the features like density of cities and towns of Guanzhong area is higher than northern and southern Shaanxi, the relationship among cities and towns is loosen and most of them are affected by Xi'an greatly, many key urbanization regions has been formed. On urban spatial distribution aspect, Shaanxi is still a province of significant function of industry, functions such as building industry, finance and real estate, transportation, trade and business service are not so notable; functions among cities differ greatly; counties can be divided into agricultural, mineral, industrial, traffic dominant, scientific and technological, trade and business service, cultural tourism, administrative center, regular type according to the calculation of prominent functions.(2) Period since the foundation of the state are divided into2stages in this study, they are the policy drive urbanization period under the influence of planned economy and economy independent development period of urbanization driven by market economy. The year after2000in the second stage is chosen to go on the study. Spatial evolution process of urbanization is also embodied in the change of spatial difference of urbanization and urban system evolution.Research on the change of spatial pattern of urbanization level should be based on different growth of urbanization to judge the urbanization growth type, and then explore the spatial changing rules of urbanization. The region can be divided into fast, steady and slow developing types according to urbanization. Conclusions can also be drew that county urbanization are getting higher and higher, the growth is getting stable, the spatial distance is reducing and balanced developing trend is getting obvious.Regional urban system evolution study should be done from urban hierarchy change, the spatial structure and function evolution aspects. Urban hierarchy can be divided into five classes; compared with2000, grade I still for xi'an, class II is given priority to the prefecture level cities, the number of grade III and IV are significantly increased, while the number of grade V dropped sharply. Regional spatial structure of "one core, many poles, one urban agglomeration, many key urbanization regions, two main axes and two secondary axes" are established by the evolution path of "center cities-axes-key urbanization regions-urban agglomerations" based on the pole-axes theory. Cities'functions tend to be diversify, the number of agricultural type towns declined, trade and business service, traffic dominant and regular type towns increase. The function type spatial change embodied in scattered layout and the scale aggregation benefit has not been formed, which needs polarization and diffusion to change the non-isolating development pattern; Functions tend to be diversify in Guanzhong area while mineral and agricultural type towns in northern Shaanxi and administrative center and regular type towns in southern Shaanxi increased.(3) Mechanism between urbanization process and economy, society and ecology are raised preliminary.On one hand, the evolution of economy, society and natural environment have been the mechanism which promoting the change of urbanization spatial pattern:economy development with industry as the core is the internal impetus of urbanization, the quality of urbanization is affected by social development greatly, and natural environment has laid the basic urbanization pattern.On the other hand, urbanization also affects economy, society and natural environment: the urbanization process has led to the economic activities depending on population concentration aggregate to urban area gradually, and the gathering of economic activities can optimize the industrial and employment structure to realize economic growth and the income levels rise; the urbanization process can realize the transformation from rural production and lifestyle to urban production and lifestyle by the diffusion and broadcast of urban civilization; fast urbanization produce a stress to regional ecological environment, which restrict the sustainable development of the region.(4) Multi-dimensional integrated responses of urbanization are raised from economy, society and ecological environment aspects.Response of economy to urbanization is embodied in spatial gathering of economy, the change of industrial structure and employment structure. Firstly, economic activities tend to be gathered in urban area, the degree of gathering in Guanzhong area is higher than southern Shaanxi, and southern Shaanxi is higher than northern Shaanxi. Secondly, urbanization shows high positive correlation with secondary industry which leads to stronger adverse changes of the third industry than the first industry. Thirdly, adverse changes of the first industry employment is stronger than positive changes of the secondary and third industry employment that caused by urbanization. These changes are main reasons of rural population's gathering to urban and greater employment elasticity. The region can be divided into five classes that are stronger, strong, medium, weak and weaker types according to relative differences of economy response intensity which is convenient to horizontal comparison of counties.Response of society to urbanization is embodied in population flowing, semi-urbanization and urban-rural gap. Firstly, Shaanxi belongs to population outflow provinces; backward economy and weak attraction are the main reasons for the outflow of population under the background of increasing regional flowing population. Secondly, more semi-urbanization population in small towns which is the main reason for the big scale and high level of semi-urbanization, and slow process of complete urbanization are the characteristics of semi-urbanization. Thirdly, the gap of income, facilities, and living conditions between rural and urban area is widening.Response of ecology to urbanization is embodied in the change of land use structure, water shortages, ecological problems caused by predatory development of energy, and air pollution. Firstly, the decrease of arable land damages the complex ecological function; city construction land expansion problem is serious, and the new districts are the main cause of urban sprawl. Secondly, increasing water usage and water pollution caused by population growth lead to water shortage commonly. Thirdly, the predatory development of energy causes a series of ecological problems such as environmental pollution, surface subsidence, and water pollution and so on. Fourthly, industrial emissions and all kinds of smoke in the process of urbanization are main reasons to air pollution.(5) Effective spatial integration paths of the development of urbanization are required for Shaanxi province in the future based on spatial pattern and evolution process of urbanization. Therefore, the idea of space integration, namely development guidance by town hierarchical, coordinate development in regions and regional difference development are proposed in this paper.Based on the multi-dimensional responses, it is effective regulation to optimize the industrial structure in city area, accelerate industrial spatial agglomeration in the county area, and guide areal industrial development in the perspective of economy response. It is effective regulation to strength the industry support of urbanization, reform the household registration system, enhance financial support, set urban growth boundary for urban construction land and narrow the gap between rural and urban in the perspective of society response. It is effective regulation to define appropriate size of town scientifically based on bearing capacity of regional resources and environment, improve efficiency and structure of resource, increase investment in ecological environment, and take intensive and economical concept into process of urbanization in the perspective of ecology response.In conclusion, the systematic study of spatial pattern, process and its response of regional urbanization is a beneficial practice to enrich the connotation of urbanization and establish the paradigm of the spatial study of urbanization in theory. The analysis of spatial pattern, process can provide evidence for spatial policy and the analysis of response and corresponding paths can broaden the promoting channels of urbanization in practice.The innovation:Built with "pattern-process-mechanism-response-path" for research on urban spatial paradigms. Put forward an evolution theory model of regional spatial structure which is "center cities-axes-key urbanization regions-urban agglomerations". Established economic response coefficient of urbanization which corresponds to the ratio of non-agricultural rate and urbanization level. Based on ecological carrying capacity of regional urbanization, proposed the concept and determination of suitable population size, which corresponds to the size of the population marginal ecological net gain is zero.