How can the research approach to new urbanization be broadened?
Identical paths, similar functions, a thousand cities with "one face," and a "one-size-fits-all" approach to management - these are persistent problems in China's urbanization process. In research on new urbanization, phenomena such as superficiality, lack of novelty, aimlessness, and vague generalities have also appeared. Such research results clearly lack guidance for practice. To deepen research on new urbanization, we should persist in seeking truth from facts and broaden our research approach.
Research new urbanization from the perspective of two approaches to urban industrial structure layout. There are two approaches to urban industrial structure layout: first, a single dominant industry; second, blossoming in all directions. The development of some industrial and mining towns is a prominent embodiment of the single dominant industry approach. Its advantage is that it can maximize the use of local resources to achieve rapid development; its disadvantage is that the industrial structure is relatively monolithic. For industrial and mining towns, once resources decrease or even become exhausted, development becomes unsustainable. Since the reform and opening up, more towns have chosen the development approach of industries blossoming in all directions, forming diversified industrial structures by strengthening infrastructure construction and attracting investment. Its advantage is stronger capacity for sustainable development; its disadvantage is that some industries do not suit local realities, which may lead to an irrational industrial structure, reduce resource allocation efficiency, and cause waste of manpower, financial resources, and resources. When many scholars criticize the decline of some industrial and mining towns after resource depletion, they also reject the single dominant industry development approach wholesale. But it should be recognized that the single dominant industry development approach still has vitality. In recent years, many small towns have succeeded by following the path of "one town, one product" based on historical tradition and local resources. The approach of blossoming in all directions is not omnipotent. In particular, when all places "attract investment" and "build nests to lure phoenixes," if they simply imitate and lack distinctive features, problems of industrial homogenization and overcapacity will follow. Therefore, research on new urbanization must go deep into specific towns and provide reasonable suggestions for industrial development according to actual conditions. For towns with a single dominant industry, they should not only plan successor industries in advance to avoid decline caused by resource depletion; they should also take neighboring areas into account and form industrial alliances or complementarity with surrounding towns to achieve economies of scale. For towns with industries blossoming in all directions, they should focus on enhancing the compatibility of leading industries with local realities as well as the coupling and interconnectedness among industries, so as to maximize resource allocation efficiency.
Research new urbanization from the perspective of two orientations of urban development. There are two orientations for urban development: "comprehensive all-purpose type" and "livable humanistic type." Comprehensive all-purpose towns emphasize self-sufficiency. Whether in industrial structure or urban functions, they pursue "large and complete" or "small and complete" and seek "all-round" development. "Livable humanistic type" towns, by contrast, are based on people - meeting the needs of citizens and the public, emphasizing the continuation of culture and history, and highlighting the personality and characteristics of the city. International metropolises usually belong to the "comprehensive all-purpose type," while the best livable cities (towns) are necessarily of the "livable humanistic type." It is almost impossible for a single town to develop into both an international metropolis and the best livable city (town) at the same time. The combination of an international metropolis and the best livable city (town) can only be realized through urban agglomerations (belts). Each town should determine its own functional orientation according to local conditions within the urban agglomeration (belt) in which it is located, and, according to the objective laws of economic and regional development, divide labor and cooperate, complement functions, and achieve its own development amid the coordinated development of the urban agglomeration (belt). In this regard, there are still many specific issues that require deeper research.
Research new urbanization by going deep into the process of people-centered urbanization. Urbanization is ultimately people-centered urbanization. At present, the focus is on solving the "three 100 million people" issue, namely promoting the settlement of about 100 million rural migrant workers in towns, renovating urban shantytowns and urban villages where about 100 million people live, and guiding about 100 million people to urbanize nearby in the central and western regions. Obviously, the ways to solve these three 100 million people issues are different, and within each 100 million people issue there are still many problems that need to be studied and solved. Taking the settlement of rural migrant workers in towns as an example alone, the citizenization of migrant workers is a process with obvious stages: first, rural migrant workers entering cities must solve the problem of employment and livelihood, that is, enjoy the economic rights of urban residents; second, they must obtain public services equally and enjoy all kinds of social security rights and interests of urban residents; finally, they must become fully integrated into urban society. Each stage can be further divided into two sub-stages: "enjoying partial rights" and "having equal rights with urban residents." In this regard, it is necessary both to break down institutional obstacles and to absorb and summarize innovative practical experience from various places and raise it to a theoretical level. Among these, there are a large number of practical problems that need to be studied and explored.
Promoting new urbanization is a major practical issue. Only by going deep into reality, conducting investigations and research, and mastering first-hand materials can research on it propose targeted, practical, and feasible solutions. There are still many approaches to studying new urbanization. Only a few examples are given here, in the hope of serving as a modest spur to induce others to come forward with valuable contributions.