Metropolitan Fusion Or Folly the Creation of a Multiple-Nodal
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Metropolitan Fusion or Folly The Creation of A Multiple-Nodal Metropolis in Taiyuan, Shanxi, China by Sarah-Laura Dolins A Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Urban and Environmental Planning Approved November 2014 by the Graduate Supervisory Committee: Douglas Webster, Chair Jianming Cai Aaron Golub ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY December 2014 ABSTRACT Targeted growth is necessary for sustainable urbanization. There is a pattern in China of rapid development due to inflated projections. This creates “ghost towns” and underutilized urban services that don't support the population. In the case of Taiyuan, this industrial third-tier city of 4.2 million people. A majority of the newer residential services and high-end commercial areas are on the older, eastern side of the city. Since 2007, major urban investments have been made in developing the corridor that leads to the airport, including building a massive hospital, a new sports stadium, and "University City". The intention of the city officials is to encourage a new image of Taiyuan- one that is a tourist destination, one that has a high standard of living for residents. However, the consequences of these major developments might be immense, because of the required shift of community, residents and capital that would be required to sustain these new areas. Much of the new development lacks the reliable and frequent public transit of the more established downtown areas. Do these investments in medical complexes, sports stadiums and massive shopping centers create new jobs that impact the income disparity, or do these new areas take years to fill, creating vacuums of investment that remove funding from areas with established communities? Can Taiyuan move successfully to a post-industrial economy with these government interventions, or is it too much too soon? By examining demographic data from 2000, 2007, 2009, 2011, and 2013, research on sustainability assessments in Chinese cities (Lu Jia), and translated government publications detailing the urbanization efforts in Taiyuan, I will assess the results of the urbanization changes instituted by the new mayor, Geng Yanbo. My thesis will evaluate the success and failures of these policies and the implications for Taiyuan. i ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Firstly I would like to thank my committee members, in particular Dr. Webster and Dr. Golub, who would go so far as to even edit my drafts in dog parks so that I could meet a deadline. This research could not have been done without the support of the Gage Davis Travel Award and the Graduate College’s Travel Award that funded my fieldwork, as well as the graciousness of the Taiyuan Urban Planning & Design Institute, Shanxi University, and the kindness of the diverse expat community I’ve known in Taiyuan. Special thanks to Dr. Wang Guoxia for coordinating my site visit, to Samuel Gell and Jeanne Geiger for hosting me, and to Bram Ramaut for his lending his time, expertise and 关系 to me. I would like to express sincere gratitude for the contribution of the Arizona State University community of scholars and friends. Without these individuals I would have not been able to complete this thesis: Andy Stein, Andrew Lane, Ben Macneille, Brandon Stocksdale, Collin Marshall, Kayce Flowers, Joshua Matthews, Patricia Garland, Shruti Dalal, Wes Pittman, and Josh Shane. They have been inexhaustible sources of inspiration and encouragement. Deepest thanks go to Evelyn Dolins and Col. Stanley Dolins, who, despite my expulsion from pre-school, believed I could reform. They have graciously accepted that although I did not become the anesthesiologist they hoped for, I’ve turned out all right. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Page LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................................... v CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION ................ ......................................................................................... 1 2 CONTEXT ...................... .............................................................................................. 4 National Context ........................................................................................ 4 Taiyuan as Urban Agglomeration .............................................................. 6 Taiyuan Context ......................................................................................... 8 3 RESEARCH APPROACH .......................................................................................... 13 The Issue ................................................................................................... 13 High Ambitions: Are They Realistic? ...................................................... 13 Research Questions .................................................................................. 17 Methods .................................................................................................... 18 4 ASSESSMENT OF THE TAIYUAN CITIES AGGLOMERATION PLAN ................ 20 Four-Fold Approach ................................................................................. 25 Connecting the City .................................................................................. 27 Twin Cities Growth ................................................................................... 34 Completed Elements: Fusion or Folly ..................................................... 39 Elements Map ........................................................................................... 50 5 TAIYUAN DISTRICTS ............................................................................................... 51 Study Area 1: Yingze District ................................................................... 58 Study Area 2: XiaoDian District .............................................................. 61 iii CHAPTER Page 6 ANALYSIS: STUDY AREA 1, YINGZE DISTRICT ..................................................... 73 Population ................................................................................................ 74 Average Real Estate Prices per Square Meter ......................................... 78 Commercial Real Estate .......................................................................... 80 GDP ........................................................................................................... 85 Secondary Industry (Value Added) ........................................................ 88 Tertiary Industry (Value Added) ............................................................ 90 Fixed Investment ...................................................................................... 92 Science & Technology Expenditures ....................................................... 94 Education Expenditures ........................................................................... 96 Conclusions ............................................................................................... 98 7 ANALYSIS: STUDY AREA 2, XIAODIAN DISTRICT .............................................. 102 Income per Capita .................................................................................. 102 Number of Hospital Beds ....................................................................... 105 Residents per Health Personnel ............................................................ 107 Number of Middle Schools .................................................................... 108 Green Space per Capita .......................................................................... 109 Annual Investment in Pollution Control ................................................ 112 Sulfur Emissions ..................................................................................... 114 Retail Sales ............................................................................................... 117 Conclusions ............................................................................................. 120 iv CHAPTER PAGE 8 CONCLUSIONS: PERSONAL PERSPECTIVE ......................................................... 121 Research Outcomes ................................................................................ 123 9 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................... 126 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. China Population Trends & Growth, 112 Cities. ............................................... 2 2. Population by City Size ..................................................................................... 3 3. Corridor Group Network of Chinese Urban Agglomerations ........................ 4 4. Map of Horizontal Vertical Axes Plan from China’s 12th 5 Year Plan ............ 6 5. Central China’s Urban Agglomerations .......................................................... 7 6. Taiyuan’s Borders ............................................................................................. 9 7. Taiyuan’s Location ........................................................................................... 9 8. One Area, One Corridor, Two Axes ................................................................. 11 9. Yingze Dajie in 1955 ....................................................................................... 14 10. Yingze Dajie Post-AECOM Renovation ......................................................... 15 11. Map of Taiyuan’s Master Plan and Expansion into Yuci ............................... 19 12. Map of Shanxi Province .................................................................................