Rural-Urban Divide Blurring in China

As China's cities grow, the economic policy that determines who is a rural resident and who is an urban resident are in need of some changes, according to this article.

1 minute read

January 9, 2010, 11:00 AM PST

By Nate Berg


"At present 46% of China's population (some 600 million people) is classified as urban, while some of the 700 million considered rural already live under semi-urban conditions. Urban incomes and expenditure are three times higher, on average, than their rural equivalent.

Hukou reform is one of the longest-running sagas of Chinese economic policy, but has never made it on to the statute book. This time, Chinese economists note, the conditions are right. The global economic crisis has made a change of course inevitable.

The decision to change now 'has a lot to do with the government's plan of structural adjustments for China's growth model ... Urbanisation is one of the structural adjustments aimed at reducing China's reliance on external demand,' writes Yao Yang, a researcher at the China Centre for Economic Research, in an article on ending hukou, published by the China Daily."

Thursday, January 7, 2010 in Guardian

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Cover CM Credits, Earn Certificates, Push Your Career Forward

Aerial view of town of Wailuku in Maui, Hawaii with mountains in background against cloudy sunset sky.

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly

Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

July 1, 2025 - Honolulu Civil Beat

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

July 2, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

White and purple sign for Slow Street in San Francisco, California with people crossing crosswalk.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths

Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

July 1, 2025 - KQED

Google street view image of strip mall in suburban Duncanville, Texas.

Adaptive Reuse Will Create Housing in a Suburban Texas Strip Mall

A developer is reimagining a strip mall property as a mixed-use complex with housing and retail.

4 hours ago - Parking Reform Network

Blue tarps covering tents set up by unhoused people along chain link fence on concrete sidewalk.

Study: Anti-Homelessness Laws Don’t Work

Research shows that punitive measures that criminalized unhoused people don’t help reduce homelessness.

6 hours ago - Next City

Aerial tram moving along cable in hilly area in Medellin, Colombia.

In U.S., Urban Gondolas Face Uphill Battle

Cities in Latin America and Europe have embraced aerial transitways — AKA gondolas — as sustainable, convenient urban transport, especially in tricky geographies. American cities have yet to catch up.

July 6 - InTransition Magazine