Urbanistica n. 122 September-December 2003 Distribution by www.planum.net Angela Barbanente Urbanistica: differences between languages, focuses and cultures Problems, policies, and research Policies and plans for medium sized cities in South Italy Giovanni Soda Urban policies in Cosenza Roberto Gerundo Salerno: a daring approach to town planning Paolo La Greca Programmes and policies of urban regeneration in Catania metropolitan area Antonio Pietro Latini The plan of Catania between the fox and the hedgehog Enrico Fontanari, Daniele Rallo Policies of conservation and revitalization of historic centres. The case of Ortigia (Siracusa) Carla Tedesco Europeanisation and urban policy initiatives in the Italian Mezzogiorno Projects and implementation Augusto Cagnardi A fascinating adventure Augusto Cagnardi The new "italian city" for 80,000 inhabitants at Pujiang Huang Xiang Ming One City, Nine Towns. Search for ideal suburbia in China Profiles and practices Ilene Steingut Ground Zero: costruction, recostruction, participation Teresa Cannarozzo Sicily: the interpretation of the territory in the Bourbon land registry of the first half of the XIX century Methods and tools Stefano Stanghellini Equalization in the new master plan for Catania Andrea Di Giovanni Reviews Received books 'One City, Nine Towns'. China from 1950's-1980's, a rural areas. It should be reform in rural areas, Search for ideal suburbia unique urban-rural self-sustained in terms of especially in 1983, when the in China framework is deeply rooted food supply. And the non- decades-old people's U 122/03 Huang Xiang Ming in its social and economic farming population lived in commune was abolished, system. urbanized areas with an the number of towns Population was divided into access to food provided by increased sharply. In the 'One City, Nine Towns' two major categories: the state. In 1954, to stop year 1984 along, the project is a scheme to farming and non-farming. unexpected migration from number of towns jumped promote social and With a household countryside to cities, a from 2,781 of 1983 to a economic development in registration and food household registration historical height of 6,211. suburban Shanghai, with a rationing system, the system was established. This reflects, to some focus on ten existing or government was able to Limited resources were degree, the reality of newly built towns. prevent largescale migration distributed in conjunction urbanization happened The origin of this project from countryside to cities. with this system until before 1980's. Nowadays, came from one of Shanghai Together with birth-control 1980's. Without proper after another two decades Municipal Government's six policy, thus, it was possible household registration, one since then, major shift from key topics "developing to stop unexpected growth had no access to many farming to non-farming took strategy for urbanization of of urban population. highly subsidized and place in urban and rural suburbs." It was first issued However, for the past two otherwise unavailable areas. However, the as Suggestions for and a half decades, China's consumer necessities such Chinese definition of 'urban' Shanghai to Promote the economy has been growing as soap. Although the food and 'rural', 'city' and Development of Experiment rapidly and sliding towards rationing system virtually 'countryside' that was used Cities and Towns in 2001, a free market orientation. vanished in early 1980's over the last 50 years is still which could also be seen as This tendency fueled a when the economic started influencing the decision- an implementation of the large-scale urbanization, not to boom, the traditional making process of the central government policy only in major cities, but also discrimination of urban and provision of urban embodied in Several in rural areas. Market force, rural population still exists. infrastructure and public Comments for the like that in the other part of The household registration services. Promotion of Healthier the world started to play an system keeps on affecting Development of Smallsized important role in China's farming population's access Suburban Shanghai Cities and Towns. urban system. People to public services such as Shanghai sits at the middle "During the Tenth 5-year virtually are free to move, to medical care and education, of China's eastern coastal Plan, and according to the live and to work in almost in large cities. line, at the mouth of the entire requirements of any place they want. The urban system of China Yangtze River. It has Shanghai's national Farmers left their lands to consists of cities and towns, become China's largest economic and social work in factories, or to build and the Ministry of Civil commercial center since the development, the buildings throughout the Affairs governs the beginning of the last government will enforce the country. This was not designation of them. The century. policy of breaking through at expected when China's criteria of designation Shanghai occupies an area key points and advancing urban policy was made half change in different time- of 6,344 kmq, out of which steadily, try its best to form a century ago. periods, reflecting 93% is considered as a super urban system for all As the reality goes beyond urbanization policy, suburban or rural parts. international economic the existing urban-rural economic development, and Registered population center." From the text policy framework, social and po-litical ideologies. amounts to 13 million above, a message is environmental impacts Among the towns, there are according to government expressed that the became obvious. Thus, to two main types: designated records of 1998. 26% of government has made a restructure the out-of-date towns (jianzhizhen) and them are with a household decision to take strategic urban-rural policy gradually market towns (jizhen). The registration of farming, measures and to shape a emerges as a national population in designated although in reality, only 14% new urban-rural framework priority in China's process of towns is reported in the of the total population are in China's social structure, modernization. statistical yearbooks of involved in farming at least, as an experiment. 'One City, Nine Towns' is an China as part of the urban activities. If this is more on a policy effort to open new population, but that in Most parts of Shanghai are level, then, on a more possibilities for urban-sub- market towns is not flat, with abundant water realistic level, it's worth wise urban interaction and to reported. In the period resources and products. It to have a try to regulate the form a new urban system, between 50's and 80's of enjoys a climate of obvious urbanization taking place in which will enhance the last century, China's subtropical monsoon, with suburban Shanghai with an Shanghai as a metropolis of policy over non-farming clearcut seasons, longer overall policy of social and international importance. population varied, but winters and summers, and economic development. mainly very tight, as the shorter springs and This is almost the first Traditional urban system government was to autumns. attempt of its kind since the Chinese population was minimize the size of the It appreciates abundant founding of the People's basically divided into two population to whom the rainfall, long frostless Republic. major categories: farming state had to supply grain. season and sufficient Because of the central and non-farming. Farming After the adoption of the sunshine. planning economic nature of population used to live in open-door policy and the Shanghai is constituted with Urbanistica 2 www.planum.net central urban and suburban public services are seriously Shanghai has more than At the policy level, areas. Suburban Shanghai insufficient. Quality as an 200 towns. Only 10% of household registration consists 1 county of urban space is relatively them have a population of system, farming and non- Chongming, 8 districts low. more than 10,000, while faring population, land use (Nanhui, Minhang, In suburban Shanghai, a most of the rest (more than and distribution and social Baoshan, Jiading, Jingshan, typical Municipality-District- 71%) have less than 5,000 security system have been Fengxian, Songjiang and Town 3 level hierarchy of residents. In average, a far behind the social and Qingpu), the suburban part administration is applied. town normally serves an economic realities. of Pudong New District, area, which is smaller than In the megalopolis, excluding 6 townships which Trend of urbanization 5 kmq. governance between was already put under the By mid 1970's, China Because of the existing provinces, cities and towns administration of central became the world's largest urban-rural system, constitutes the major urban part. urban nation, although only interaction between the burden in the effort to By the end of 1998, there 20% of the population was inner 'built-up' part of city maximize efficiency of were 204 towns and 8 urbanized at that time. In and suburban has been public service delivery and townships, with a total area the past two decades, this restricted. Movement of effectiveness of urban and of 5,900 kmq. Registered process became dramatic. It people, capital and regional management. population in suburban is predicted that over the economic interests are Shanghai counts at 5.84 next 10-15 years, half of somehow limited. One City, Nine Towns million, which constitutes China's population will live Therefore, the input to 'One City, Nine Towns' is a 45% of the total population and work in urbanizing upgrade the infrastructure in project focusing on the of Shanghai. Among the areas. suburban Shanghai remains future development in suburban population, 42% In Yangtze Delta, urban low. Especially, as the suburban Shanghai. As a of it is holding a non- population amounts to 54% towns and villages are too test of new policy, one farming registration while of the total, while in much spread, the efficiency central town was chosen for 58% is farming.