Research On Weifang’s Rural Towns Construction Enhancement

As an inevitable course of modernization as well as an inevitable trend ofeconomic and social development, urbanization has been drawing great attention fromthe CPC Central Committee and the State Council of China. The17thCPC NationalCongress, with great consideration of further implementing the Scientific Outlook onDevelopment and building a moderately prosperous society, clearly puts forward theconcept of taking urbanization course with Chinese characteristics. The state’s “12thFive-year Plan” also demands to enhance the balancing development of major,middle-sized and small cities and towns by sticking to the principle of general plan,reasonable pattern and complete function. The impact caused by the internationalfinancial crisis upon China’s economic structure made us realize more clearly that toquicken the economic restructure and enhance the overall economic quality is aninevitable way leading to scientific development and harmonious development andgaining initials in international competition during the post-financial crisis period.Further urbanization is an important part of economic restructure. As a crucialcomponent of the urbanization strategy, quickening the development of rural towns isnot only an inevitable course for building new socialist countryside but also a focus ofimplementing the fundamental strategy for balanced rural and urban development.During its urbanization at three levels namely prefectural central city, county-level central city and town, Weifang is enforcing the strategy in which the centralcities at both prefecture and county levels play leading role and catch most attention.As a result, the central cities are well-developed, while the small towns, despite themeasures like merge among more developed towns and less developed ones as well asmore jurisdiction coming down to the towns, are basically self-dependent and growrelatively slowly and inferiorly. That problem has turned out to be a crucial obstaclehindering the development of urbanization.With the help of documents and after comparison and analysis, this paperclassifies the theories and academic research materials related to building small townsand analyzes the experience and difference at home and abroad in building smalltowns. Via cases analysis and field study, this paper focuses on the measures taken inWeifang during the small towns building and concludes the different features ofseven-type towns respectively highlighting comprehensiveness, industry, mining industry, port and transportation, tourist industry, fair market, and industrial market.Through qualitative analysis and quantitative analysis, this paper provides figuralanalysis for the current situation of Weifang’s small towns development, finds out therestrictions hindering its growth, and puts forward the advantages and measures ofenhancing small towns building in Weifang. This paper ends with a mathematicalmodel evaluating the small towns building enhancement potentials and workablesuggestions after cases test and analysis.This paper, with a few glimpses of the small towns development histories in andbeyond China, gives a full analysis of Weifang’s towns development status and trendin rural areas, brings up the factors in the way of the development and works on thesolutions. Hopefully, this paper may be serving as reference for the Party and localgovernment policies, as some material for related academic research and assuggestions for local economic and social development.