By Sun Zhiyan, Department of Development Strategy and Regional Economy, DRC

Research Report, No.29, 2019 (Total 5529) 2019-3-11

Abstract: The new-generation of technological advancement has not only exerted a great impact on the organizational model of economic and social activities, but is also promoting the profound transformation of spacial attributes of different economic factors such as human capital, financial capital, knowledge and technology, changing the new round of global urbanization’s internal driving force mechanism at a higher level. The urbanization in various countries has shown different characteristics from the previous three industrial revolutions. For example, the re-urbanization in developed countries and the “non-growth urbanization” in some developing countries need to be put under review. Against the background of the new technological revolution, the urgent problem needed to be solved for China is how to actively respond to the challenges imposed by the rapid development and swift expansion of urbanization, and how to promote urbanization with a higher quality and let it play a more important role in national development. On the basis of international comparison study, this paper puts forward relevant policy options respectively from the aspects of the selection of future urbanization model, the optimization of urban system structure and the governance of metropolitan areas.

Key words: urbanization model, global urbanization, the fourth industrial revolution