Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Urbanization, Industrialization, and Sustainable Development in China: Converging Paths?

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
China’s Urbanization and Socioeconomic Impact

  • 719 Accesses

Abstract

Many policymakers and citizens alike point to cities as major culprits in China’s ecological decline. Roads are clogged with vehicles, the air is often foul and unhealthy to breathe and waste piles up in mountainous landfills, robbing farmers of productive land. However, cities can also be powerful engines for sustainable development (可持续发展). This chapter will attempt to answer the following questions: First, what factors are driving China’s urbanization and industrial strategy? Second, what does the concept of sustainable development mean in the Chinese context? Third, what measures are being taken at the national level to encourage sustainable development? Fourth, what challenges does the national government face in promoting sustainable development and environmental policy enforcement at the local level? Finally, what are the prospects for further deepening sustainable development as an integral part of China’s overall revitalization strategy?

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Ang, Y. 2016. How China Escaped the Poverty Trap. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Banister, J. 1987. China’s Changing Population. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baum, R. 1980. China’s four modernizations. In China’s four Modernizations: China’s New Technological Revolution, ed. R. Baum, 1–22. Boulder: Westview Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beeson, M. 2010. The coming of environmental authoritarianism. Environmental Politics 19 (2): 276–294.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blewitt, J. 2014. Understanding Sustainable Development, 2nd ed. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bruntland, G. 1987. Our Common Future. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, W. 2015. China’s development path: Joys and worries. In East Asian Development: Twenty-First Century Perspectives, ed. S. Hua, and R. Hu, 177–194. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cobbinah, P., M. Erdiaw-Kwasie, and P. Amoateng. 2015. Rethinking sustainable development within the framework of poverty and urbanization in developing countries. Environmental Development 13: 18–32.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Conrad, B. 2012. China in Copenhagen: Reconciling the “Beijing climate revolution” and the “Copenhagen climate obstinacy”. The China Quarterly 210: 435–455.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dhakal, S. 2009. Urban energy use and carbon emissions from cities in China and policy implications. Energy Policy 37 (11): 4208–4219.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Economy, E. 2001. The impact of international regimes on Chinese foreign policy-making: Broadening perspectives and policies…but only to a point. In The Making of Chinese Foreign and Security Policy in the Era of Reform: 1978-2000, ed. D. Lampton, 230–253. Palo Alto: Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Economy, E. 2010. The River runs Black: The Environmental Challenge to China’s Future. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fong, W.K. 2016. Twenty-three Chinese cities to cut peak carbon emissions by 2030. World Resources Institute Insights. Retrieved from http://www.wri.org/print/44163.

  • Gang, F. 2011. The Economics of Climate Change in China: Towards a Low Carbon Economy. Washington, DC: Earthscan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilley, B. 2012. Authoritarian environmentalism and China’s response to climate change. Environmental Politics 21 (2): 287–307.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Guo, X., D. Marinova, and J. Hong. 2013. China’s shifting policies towards sustainability: A low-carbon economy and environmental protection. Journal of Contemporary China 22 (81): 428–445.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrington, J. 2005. Panda diplomacy: State environmentalism, international relations and Chinese foreign Policy. In Confronting Environmental Change in East and Southeast Asia: Eco-Politics, Foreign Policy and Sustainable Development, ed. P. Harris. New York: United Nations Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrington, J. 2008. The Climate Diet. London: Earthscan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Harrington, J. 2016. China, global ecopolitics and Antarctic governance: Converging paths? Journal of Chinese Political Science 2016 (September): 1–20.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hart, C., Y. Zhu, and J. Ying. 2015. Mapping China’s Climate Policy Formation Process. Beijing: The Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany.

    Google Scholar 

  • ICLEI. 2015a. Local government climate roadmap. Retrieved from Bonn: http://www.iclei.org/index.php?id=1197.

  • ICLEI. 2015b. ICLEI China partnerships. Retrieved from http://eastasia.iclei.org/iclei-east-asia/iclei-china.html.

  • Jahiel, A. 1998. Organization of environmental protection in China. China Quarterly 149: 83–103.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kennedy, S., and C. Johnson. 2016. Perfecting China INC: The 13th Five Year Plan. Washington DC: Center for Strategic and International Studies.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koehn, P.H. 2016. China Confronts Climate Change: A Bottom-Up Perspective. London: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kostka, G., and W. Hobbs. 2012. Local energy efficiency policy implementation in China: Bridging the gap between national priorities and local interests. China Quarterly 211: 765–785.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kuhn, B. 2016. Sustainable development discourses in China. Journal of Sustainable Development 9 (6): 158–167.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, J.I. 2012. Green Innovation in China—China’s Wind Power Industry and the global Transition to a Low-Carbon Economy. New York: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lewis, J. 2013. China’s environmental diplomacy: Climate change, domestic politics and international engagement. In China Across the Divide: The Domestic and Global in Politics and Society, ed. Foote, 200–225. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lin, E. et al. 2006. National Assessment Report on Climate Change: Climate Change Impacts and Adaptation. Beijing: National Climate Center Retrieved from http://en.cnki.com.cn/Article_en/CJFDTOTAL-QHBH200602001.htm.

  • Lippit, V. 1987. The economic development of China. White Plains: M. E. Sharpe.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lo, K. 2014. China’s low-carbon city initiatives: The implementation gap and the limits of the target responsibility system. Habitat International 42: 236–244.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ma, X., and L. Ortolano. 2000. Environmental Regulation in China: Institutions, Enforcement and Compliance. New York: Rowman and Littlefield.

    Google Scholar 

  • MacFarquhar, R. 2011. The Politics of China: Sixty Years of the People’s Republic of China. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Mai, Q., and M. Franscesch-Huidobro. 2015. Climate Change Governance in Chinese Cities. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • McElwee, C.R. 2011. Environmental Law in China: Managing Risk and Ensuring Compliance. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Mol, A., and N. Carter. 2006. China’s environmental governance in transition. Environmental Politics 15 (2): 149–170.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nadin, R., S. Opitz-Stapleton, and J. Wei. 2016. Understanding China’s adaptation challenges. In Climate Risk and Resilience in China, ed. R. Nadin, S. Opitz-Stapleton, and Y. Xu, 37–60. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nadin, R. O.-S. Sarah, and J. Wei. 2016b. Understanding climate risk and building resilience. In Climate Risk and Resilience in China, R.O.-S. Nadin, Sarah, and X. Yinlong (ed.), 299–326. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Naughton, B., and K.S. Tsai. 2015. State Capitalism, Institutional Adaptation, and the Chinese Miracle. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ng, S., N. Mabey, and J. Gaventa. 2016. Pulling Ahead on Clean Technology: China’s 13th Five Year Plan Challenges Europe’s Low Carbon Competitiveness. Retrieved from https://www.e3g.org/docs/E3G_Report_on_Chinas_13th_5_Year_Plan.pdf.

  • NPC. 2016. China NPC 13th Five-Year Plan. Beijing: National People’s Congress of China.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ross, L. 1988. Environmental Policy in China. Bloomington: University of Indiana Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sachs, J. 2015. The Age of Sustainable Development. New York: Columbia University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scott, D. 2013. Soft language, soft imagery and soft power in China’s diplomatic lexicon. In China’s Soft Power and International Relations, ed. H. Lai, and Y. Lu, 39–63. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seligsohn, D., and A. Hsu. 2016. How China’s 13th Five-Year Plan addresses energy and the environment. Chinafile.com. Retrieved from https://www.chinafile.com/reporting-opinion/environment/how-chinas-13th-five-year-plan-addresses-energy-and-environment.

  • Shapiro, J. 2012. China’s Environmental Challenges. Malden, MA: Polity Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shen, L., and J. Zhou. 2014. Examining the effectiveness of indicators for guiding sustainable urbanization in China. Habitat International 44 (2014): 111–120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silk, M., and L. Ross. 1987. Environmental Law and Policy in the People’s Republic of China. New York: ABC-CLIO.

    Google Scholar 

  • Slater, H. 2015. Insights: China’s carbon emissions targets and the Paris COP. China Carbon Forum Newsletter 2015 (October): 1–3.

    Google Scholar 

  • Solinger, D. 1999. China’s floating population. In The Paradox of China’s Post-Mao Reforms, ed. M. Goldman, and R. MacFaraquhar, 220–240. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Song, L., and W.T. Woo. 2008. China’s Dilemma: Economic Growth, the Environment and Climate Change. [Canberra]; [Washington, D.C.]; [Beijing, China]: ANU E Press: Asia Pacific Press; Brookings Institution Press; Social Sciences Academic Press (China).

    Google Scholar 

  • Spence, J. 2012. The Search for Modern China. New York: W. W. Norton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stensdal, I. 2014. Chinese Climate-Change Policy, 1988-2013: Moving on up. Asian Perspective 38 (1): 111–135.

    Google Scholar 

  • Swaine, M. 2014. Xi jinping’s address to the central conference on work relating to foreign affairs: Assessing and advancing major power diplomacy with Chinese characteristics. China Leadership Monitor, 46.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tan, Y., H. Hu, L. Jiao, J. Ochoa, and L. Shen. 2017. A study of best practices in promoting sustainable urbanization in China. Journal of Environmental Management 193 (2017): 8–18.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • UNDP. 2015. Human Development Report: Work for Human Development. UNDP.

    Google Scholar 

  • UNDP-China. 2015. China, the Millennium Development Goals and the Post-2015 Development Agenda. Retrieved from Beijing: https://issuu.com/undp-china/docs/undp-ch-mdgpaper-post2015.

  • World Bank and Development Research Center of the State Council. 2013. China 2030: Building a Modern, Harmonious and Creative Society. Washington D.C.: World Bank Publications.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • WRI. 2013. Greenhouse Gas Protocol Tools. World Resources Institute: Washington D. C.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ye, W. 2013. Chinese perspectives on the environment and sustainable development. In Issues in Contemporary Chinese Thought and Culture (1 online resource, 218 pages).

    Google Scholar 

  • Yu, L. 2014. Low carbon eco-city: New approach for Chinese urbanization. Habitat International 44: 102–110.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, K. 2003. What explains China’s rising urbanization in the reform era? Urban Studies 39 (12): 2301–2315.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, K. 2004. The evolution of China’s urban transformation: 1949-2000. In Urban Transformation in China, ed. A. Chen, G. Liu, and K. Zhang, 25–39. Aldershot, UK: Ashgate Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Troy University, Troy, USA

    Jonathan Harrington

Authors
  1. Jonathan Harrington
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jonathan Harrington .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Public Policy and Justice, Auburn University at Montgomery, Montgomery, Alabama, USA

    Zongli Tang

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Harrington, J. (2017). Urbanization, Industrialization, and Sustainable Development in China: Converging Paths?. In: Tang, Z. (eds) China’s Urbanization and Socioeconomic Impact . Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4831-9_9

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-4831-9_9

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-10-4830-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-10-4831-9

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation