Polycentric Urban Development and Land-Use Change in a Transitional Economy: The Case of Guangzhou

Since economic reform in 1979 China has witnessed dramatic changes. In particular, the adoption of the new land leasing system in 1987 has led to the transformation of the urban internal structure of this country. Perhaps because of the lack of data, empirical studies lag far behind the rapid urban development and land-use changes currently taking place in China. In this paper the author attempts to examine empirically land-use changes in a fast growing city—Guangzhou—by analyzing data obtained from aerial photographs. The author suggests that some new characteristics have emerged in the distribution of land-use change since the introduction of land reform. Polycentric urban development, a phenomenon that has been attracting wide research attention in Western contexts, has also appeared in the transitional economy. The author demonstrates that besides population density, housing and land value, and firm location, land-use change can be used as a prompt and reliable indicator of polycentric urban development. A range of policy implications are briefly outlined.