Administrative hierarchy and urban land expansion in transitional China

• Published in: Applied geography (Sevenoaks) Vol. 56; pp. 177 - 186
• Main Authors: Li, Han, Wei, Yehua Dennis, Liao, Felix Haifeng, Huang, Zhiji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2015
• Subjects: Administrative hierarchy; China; Demographics; Economic transition; Economics; Geography; Hierarchies; Land; Urban development; Urban land expansion; Urbanization; China, People's Rep; Urbanization; Administrative hierarchy; Urban land expansion; China; Economic transition
• ISSN: 0143-6228; 1873-7730
• DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2014.11.029

In a growing body of literature on urbanization in China, scholars have emphasized the proactive role of the Chinese local state in urban land expansion. Drawing upon official land use change data from 1998 to 2008, this study investigates the relationship between the hierarchical structure of the Chinese urban administrative system and urban land expansion. We find that urban land expansion coincides with administrative hierarchy, and cities with higher administrative levels (ranked by central government) tend to expand more rapidly while controlling for other economic and demographic drivers of urban expansion. Spatial regime models reveal that economic and demographic drivers of urban growth are also sensitive to a city's administrative rank. By quantifying the link between a city's rank and urban land expansion, we conclude that considering the hierarchical structure of the Chinese cities will result in a fuller understanding of the rapid urban growth in China. •This study analyzes the driving forces of urban expansion in China with a focus on the role of administrative rank.•Urban expansion coincides with the administrative hierarchy, and cities at higher ranks tend to expand more rapidly.•The processes of globalization, decentralization and marketization are important determinants of urban expansion in China.•The impacts of different mechanisms on urban expansion are conditioned by the rank of a city.