2 Research on Urbanization and Low-Carbon Development in China
41
2.2 Analysis on Historic Evolution of Urbanization
and Carbon Emissions in China
2.2.1 Urbanization and Carbon Emissions Since Reform
and Opening up
Since the reform and opening up, China’s urbanization has maintained a sound development. The burgeoning China’s economy has fast-tracked its growth, surging from
17.9% in 1978 to 60.60% in 2019. Its permanent urban population had soared from
172 million to 831 million, accounting for about 26% of the world’s new urban population in the same period. Figure 2.5 suggests that the urbanization in the world’s
major developed countries, i.e. the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany,
was growing much slower than that in China during the same period from 1978 to
2018. Meanwhile, Japan and South Korea have increase by nearly 20% and 30%
respectively. But urbanization growth in South Korea has cooled down significantly
after 1997, and the same was true for Japan after 2009. Despite a slowdown or gradual
slowdown of urbanization in the world’s major developed countries from 1978 to
2018, it had still remained above the world average. In 2012, China’s urbanization
exceeded the average level of the world and has kept robust growth ever since.
To better understand urbanization development in China, one can divide it into
three stages since the reform and opening up, with 30 and 50% as the demarcations
(Jianjun and Zhiqiang 2009).
1978–1995 marks the first stage, or the infancy of urbanization development that
began to gather momentum, which was mainly featured by growth in the urban
periphery, as the country embarked on reform and opening up and made initial
progress towards its goals. During this period, the level of urbanization rose from
17.9% to 29%, close to the 30% cut-off, averaging 0.65% growth on a yearly
0
20
40
60
80
100
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
urbannization rate by countries (%)
China
United States of America
UK
Japan
Korea
Germany
Fig. 2.5 Urbanization in major countries Data source World bank database
41
2.2 Analysis on Historic Evolution of Urbanization
and Carbon Emissions in China
2.2.1 Urbanization and Carbon Emissions Since Reform
and Opening up
Since the reform and opening up, China’s urbanization has maintained a sound development. The burgeoning China’s economy has fast-tracked its growth, surging from
17.9% in 1978 to 60.60% in 2019. Its permanent urban population had soared from
172 million to 831 million, accounting for about 26% of the world’s new urban population in the same period. Figure 2.5 suggests that the urbanization in the world’s
major developed countries, i.e. the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany,
was growing much slower than that in China during the same period from 1978 to
2018. Meanwhile, Japan and South Korea have increase by nearly 20% and 30%
respectively. But urbanization growth in South Korea has cooled down significantly
after 1997, and the same was true for Japan after 2009. Despite a slowdown or gradual
slowdown of urbanization in the world’s major developed countries from 1978 to
2018, it had still remained above the world average. In 2012, China’s urbanization
exceeded the average level of the world and has kept robust growth ever since.
To better understand urbanization development in China, one can divide it into
three stages since the reform and opening up, with 30 and 50% as the demarcations
(Jianjun and Zhiqiang 2009).
1978–1995 marks the first stage, or the infancy of urbanization development that
began to gather momentum, which was mainly featured by growth in the urban
periphery, as the country embarked on reform and opening up and made initial
progress towards its goals. During this period, the level of urbanization rose from
17.9% to 29%, close to the 30% cut-off, averaging 0.65% growth on a yearly
0
20
40
60
80
100
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2018
urbannization rate by countries (%)
China
United States of America
UK
Japan
Korea
Germany
Fig. 2.5 Urbanization in major countries Data source World bank database