In Situ Rural-urban Transformation In Quanzhou And Spatial Development Patterns Of Greater Quanzhou

Since the reform and opening to the outsides world, rural-urban transformation in Quanzhou has been achieved through the process of in situ development of township and village enterprises where rural residents have been transferred from agricultural to non-agricultural sectors. This process has not resulted in the regional development process leading to the concentration of population in the central city , as anticipated by the conventional theories; rather it has caused spatial dispersion of the population employed non-agriculture sectors, and's urbanization lagging behind the the process of people transferring from agricultural to non-agricultural sectors. Behind this kind of low urbanized level, there is a large "quasi-urban population", which are distributed in a wide spread area. The process and the characteristic of in situ rural-urban transformation in Quanzhou are not accidental. They are the combined result of many macro- and the microscopic factor, such as high population density, improved transport conditions, TVEs development, and government policies. The questionnaire surveys conducted by the author also confirms the above conclusion.The background of in situ rural-urban transformation has significant influence on Quanzhou's spatial structure. It displays the following characteristic, i.e. rapid development of small towns, weak economic base of the core city, and well-developed Desakota region. This spatial structure has great impact on Quanzhou's spatial planning. Based on the concept of "extended metropolitan regions", the paper divides Quanzhou into the core area, the Desakota region, and other areas, and put forward suggestions more for Quanzhou as well the above areas, which conform better to Quanzhou's reality and will be conducive to its coordinated rural-urban development.