China's future requires managing its urbanization “right”

Abstract

This paper explains why China's future requires a “right” urbanization and how it can be achieved. The paper first indicates that the process of a “right” urbanization should be gradual in order to reduce destruction to the rural sector and the end result should appropriately diminish Chinese rural and urban divide. In addition, the paper advises that Chinese urbanization should avoid two pitfalls: the belief that a complete urbanization destines China to a better future and the belief that Chinese urbanization can be separated from rural development. The paper also proposes two approaches in order to achieve a “right” urbanization: the allocation of more resources to rural migrant workers, and an appropriate balance of urbanization, industrialization and rural development through empowerment of rural migrant workers. Responding to proposals of current radical urbanization in several inland cities and regions, and a relatively stagnant pace in the coastal area, e.g. Guangdong province, the last part of the paper examines the Pearl River Delta (PRD) model which mainly influenced the development in the Chinese reform, and suggests that a progressive PRD model according to the two approaches above can be a “right” model in the future Chinese urbanization.