POLYCENTRIC URBAN-DEVELOPMENT AND LAND-USE CHANGE IN A TRANSITIONAL ECONOMY - THE CASE OF GUANGZHOU

Since economic reform in 1979 China has witnessed dramatic changes. In particular, the adoption of the new land leasing system in 1987 has l ed to the transformation of the urban internal structure of this count ry. Perhaps because of the lack of data, empirical studies lag far beh ind the rapid urban development and land-use changes currently taking place in China. In this paper the author attempts to examine empirical ly land-use changes in a fast growing city-Guangzhou-by analyzing data obtained from aerial photographs. The author suggests that some new c haracteristics have emerged in the distribution of land-use change sin ce the introduction of land reform. Polycentric urban development, a p henomenon that has been attracting wide research attention in Western contexts, has also appeared in the transitional economy. The author de monstrates that besides population density, housing and land value, an d firm location, land-use change can be used as a prompt and reliable indicator of polycentric urban development. A range of policy implicat ions are briefly outlined.