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CONTACT: Anthony Flint
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RAPID GROWTH IN CHINA RAISES STAKES FOR ENVIRONMENT, SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC POLICIES, NEW BOOK SAYS
Urbanization in China examines land policies, migration to cities, sprawl
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – China is experiencing accelerating urbanization accompanied by environmental degradation and socio-economic tumult as the country surges forward with continuing rapid economic growth and land development, according to a new book published by the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy.
Urbanization in China: Critical Issues in an Era of Rapid Growth, edited by Yan Song and Chengri Ding (Lincoln Institute of Land Policy 2007 / 320 pages / Paper / $30.00 / ISBN: 978-1-55844-175-0), examines the most pressing challenges facing planners and policymakers today in China in four areas: urban planning, land policy, rural-to-urban migration, and financing China’s urbanization.
“The urban growth we’re seeing in China is at an unprecedented scale, and its speed is increasing. Over the next 10 years, China’s urban population is expected to grow by 15 to 20 million people per year,” said Gregory K. Ingram, president of the Lincoln Institute and co-chair of the International Studies department. “The growth has huge implications for urban areas, land policy, and the environment, while the massive migration from rural areas will have important consequences in those communities as well.”
The Lincoln Institute has been actively engaged in China for the last five years, through its Program in the People’s Republic of China. Joyce Man of Indiana University was earlier this year appointed director of the program, and is now based in Beijing.
Urbanization in China reflects the proceedings of a conference held by the Lincoln Institute in May 2006 to facilitate the search for urbanization strategies and instruments that promote urban growth in ways that are economically sound, environmentally desirable, politically feasible, and socially acceptable.
The topics covered in the book include the administration of land use changes via land policy reforms, the process of rural-to-urban migration, the urbanization of farmland, urban redevelopment, and the development of public finance systems. All of these changes are part of China’s transition to a socialist market economy.
To obtain a review copy, please contact Anthony Flint at anthony.flint@lincolninst.edu.
The Lincoln Institute of Land Policy conducts research and policy evaluations, holds conferences, provides education and training, supports demonstration projects, and publishes books and reports on policy issues relating to land. The Institute seeks to improve the quality of public debate and decisions in the use, regulation, and taxation of land by integrating theory and practice, and providing a nonpartisan forum for the discussion of related issues.
The international reach of the Lincoln Institute extends to Asia, Africa, Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean. For more information go to www.lincolninst.edu.
About the Editors
Yan Song is assistant professor in the Department of City and Regional Planning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her research interests include economics of land use regulations, growth management, spatial analysis of urban form, land use and transportation interactions, and the use of GIS and other computer-aided planning tools.
Chengri Ding is special assistant to the president of the Lincoln Institute for the China program. He is associate professor in the Department of Urban Studies and Planning at the University of Maryland in College Park, and specializes in urban economics, housing and land studies, GIS, and spatial analysis.
Urbanization in China: Critical Issues in an Era of Rapid Growth
Edited by Yan Song and Chengri Ding
2007 / 320 pages / Paper / $30.00 / ISBN: 978-1-55844-175-0
Ordering Information
Contact Lincoln Institute at www.lincolninst.edu
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