Big Town Strategy: The New Search For The Urbanization Mode In Zhejiang Province

This paper analyzing the founding of the PRC, especially since the reform and opening up, Zhejiang urbanization process, finds that Zhejiang is taking a rural urbanization road mainly in small town which driven by rural industries. This model brought significant question is: the number of large and medium-sized cities in Zhejiang is small and small-scale; small town is a large number, gathering little aggregation effect; urban layout is of the structural contradiction. Level of urbanization in Zhejiang has lagged its own industrialization, agriculture conversion rate. Every province has different economic development level and characteristics of the resource endowment, Zhejiang should urbanize according to its own local conditions. Due to geographical constraints and the lack of urban basis, Zhejiang can't promote the rapid process of urbanization only through the development of large and medium-sized cities. Zhejiang should focus on the problems which small town has encountered in its developing, while developing large and medium-sized cities vigorously, to play a multiplier effect. Facing with the difficulties which small town has encountered in the theory and practice, this paper proposes a new idea to reform the existing small town by using the big town strategy which is a innovation.Big town is an entity between small town and small city which is the expansion of small town and the development of small town in the advanced stage. Big town is an appropriate focus by overcoming the problem that the number of small towns is large but the size is small. It is of more powerful functions. Compared to the city, big town is reasonable dispersion, avoiding some problems in the urban development. To develop big towns can transfer of rural surplus labor better; promote the integration of urban and rural areas; improve the urban system in Zhejiang province. It is useful on the building of a harmonious society and building the socialist new countryside.At the same time, developing big town in Zhejiang Province is also feasible. Zhejiang quality small towns resources, a strong economic strength, adequate private capital, developed agriculture provide good condition to formalize and develop big town. As small town is the starting point for the city and not the end, big town is only a transitional stage in the process of urbanization. Through the development, big town might change to large city or even mega-city in some areas which geographic conditions is exceptional; In some place, big town might lead to medium-size city, as the organic components of belt cities or city-intensive areas; and in some places, with the loss of the conditions for development, big town reduction become small town or even town.