Analysis on the Referential Role of Western Urbanization Theory in the Process of Urban and Rural Construction in China〔*〕

Li Qin

(School of Life Science　East China Normal University,Shanghai　200241)

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Analysis on the Referential Role of Western Urbanization Theory in the Process of Urban and Rural Construction in China〔*〕

Li Qin

(School of Life ScienceEast China Normal University,Shanghai200241)

Ⅰ.The quality of life:the measurement of how well we learn from western urbanization theory

1.Taking urban and rural economy as a reference to improve the “scientificity” of China’s urban and rural construction process

With the constant development of the market economy in our country,the level of urban and rural economy has been generally improved to varying degrees,and the establishment of urban development and new social environment has become the focus of current urban and rural construction in our country.The new type of urban and rural construction should take western urbanization theory for reference,make full investigation of urban and rural economic development situation,and make the direction of urban and rural economic development a yard stick for “targeted” development so as to guarantee “scientificity” of urban and rural construction.The core of western urbanization theory is to replace rural community with urban community,to take advantage of natural resources to exert corresponding influence upon urban development,and to make the pace of development of urban and rural construction more “scientific”.In our country,the economic development speed and prospect in urban and rural areas should be effectively evaluated〔1〕to ensure high accuracy of the direction,which can lead to the harmonious development of urban and rural economy and positive effect on the residents’ life quality.This is the primary demonstration of the referential value of western urbanization theory,and at the same time the foundation of improving the “scientificity” of the process of China’s urban and rural construction.

2.Strengthening the efforts of infrastructure construction to promote the virtuous cycle of China’s urban and rural construction

Effort in infrastructure construction is an important measurement of the pace of urban and rural construction.With the continuous development of time,social and economic development has accelerated,the life quality of urban and rural residents has been improved in different degrees,and the demand for infrastructure has been growing as well.Therefore,to continuously strengthen the efforts in infrastructure construction has become the most fundamental step under the background of urban and rural construction,which can cast positive influence on the improvement of the rural and urban life quality.Meanwhile,the life quality is an important factor in measuring the speed of urban and rural construction and development,and can fully reflect China’s development process in the new age.Western urbanization theory also advocates the constantly strengthening efforts in infrastructure construction in order to meet the demand of urban and rural development and to further create great atmosphere for development.To continuously improve the infrastructure construction is an important part of China’s urban and rural construction in the new age,and its increasingly strengthening efforts speed up urban and rural construction,which is the pivotal impact of western urbanization theory in the construction and development of urban and rural areas in China.In the increasingly severe situation of social economic development,western urbanization theory provides positive guiding function for China’s urban and rural construction in order to improve the “scientificity”,which is also the key part of gradually moving the construction towards a virtuous cycle.

3.Taking scientific practice as a method to improve the life quality of residents and to achieve integration of urban and rural development

The pace of China’s urban and rural construction continues to accelerate,making increasingly higher requirements for the scientific practice as well as the “scientificity” and “rationality” of the development direction.The scientific practice is the base of discovering problems and searching for solutions.The development path of China’s urban and rural construction can be continually broadened in the scientific practice so as to eventually make a qualitative leap of the quality life in the urban and rural areas.It is the central idea of urban and rural development strategy as well as the fundamental premise for fully implementing “Scientific Outlook on Development” to facilitate the pace of development with practice,〔2〕to effectively improve the living standards of urban and rural residents,and to achieve the integration of urban and rural development.We should regard scientific practice as implementation means to gradually improve the living standards of urban and rural residents,to effectively observe and understand the life quality of urban and rural residents in order to make the reflection more “realistic”,and to carry out accurate assessment of the direction of the construction to eventually make the material,spiritual and cultural pursuits of urban and rural residents reach a new height,thereby lifting the integration of urban and rural development to a new level.This is the referential value of western urbanization theory in China’s urban and rural construction and the core part of seeking integrated development in urban and rural construction in our country.

4.Taking the life quality of residents as a reference to constantly enhance the cultural construction in the city and countryside

The continuous improvement of the spiritual and cultural pursuit of urban and rural residents specifically reflects the accelerating development of time and shows the improvement of residents’ life quality.According to western urbanization theory,spiritual culture is a key factor in bringing about changes in residents’ awareness of production and living and is the most important focus of improving the quality of life,so the spiritual and cultural development should be attached with great importance in urban and rural construction.In the process of China’s urban and rural construction,we need to make the spiritual and cultural construction the key investigation aspect when evaluating the life quality of residents.Striving to strengthen spiritual and cultural construction has become the core of urban and rural construction in contemporary society,which requires facilitating cultural development with spiritual and cultural construction in order to eventually improve the life quality of residents and to lift the urban and rural construction to a new level.It is the new challenge facing China’s urban and rural construction to carry forward extensive exploration from the angle of spiritual and cultural construction and to meet the spiritual and cultural demand of urban and rural residents,which enables western urbanization theory to bring innovative development ideas and to accelerate the pace of development of the urban and rural construction in our country.

Ⅱ.Making correct use of western urbanization theory from the perspective of sustainable development

1.Taking the sustainable development of resources as the fundamental strategic concept to promote China’s urban and rural construction

Sustainable development of resources is the core concept of China’s economic development and an important condition for the rapid growth of China’s economy as well.The strategic concept of sustainable development of resources makes significant requirements for increasing the regeneration efficiency of resources via scientific utilization of resources,reducing waste,improving resource utilization efficiency,〔3〕and forming a virtuous circle of development.This is key to the long-term development of China’s economy,one of the basic elements in accelerating the process of China’s urban and rural construction,and the crucial and fundamental part as well.The continuous development of time and society constantly makes new requirements for the efficient application of western urbanization theory.The strategic concept of sustainable development of resources should make full use of western urbanization theory and constantly improve the efficiency of resource allocation and utilization,thus making China’s urbanization process maintain a good and fast development trend and speeding up China’s urban and rural construction.The path of sustainable development is a vital development concept in the process of social development in our country,while urban and rural construction process is strongly connected with the concept of sustainable development of resources.The relations between them provide significant guarantee for implementing the scientific outlook on development in China’s urban and rural construction to take the path of sustainable development.

2.Basing on the sustainable development of environment to accelerate the scientific development of China’s urban and rural construction

There is inseparable connection between the development of urban and rural construction and environmental protection.Environment has a great positive impact on the ecological development,while urban and rural construction should be continually carried forward in such an environment.Therefore,the sustainable development of environment has become the focus of China’s urban and rural construction and another important factor affecting China’s social and economic growth.Nowadays,the trend of social development is the high-speed development of the economy and environment,so China’s urban and rural construction should be environmentally friendly,which is the fundamental direction of the urban and rural construction in our country in the new age.Moreover,as a vital part,the sustainable development of environment has “decisive” effect.〔4〕The constant change of the social environment makes higher requirements for the sustainable development of China’s urban and rural construction,making environmental protection and improving become the foundation for seeking sustainable development.Western urbanization theory made a systematic analysis of the environmental development’s impact on the development process of urbanization,which can offer some effective guidance to China’s urban and rural construction process.We should establish a fundamental construction concept of regarding the sustainable development of environment as the foundation,make constant innovations according to the reality,make researches on the process of environmental utilization,improve the utilization efficiency of resources to ensure sound development of the environment.Ultimately,the path of China’s urban and rural construction will broadened much more.

3.Aiming at the optimization of ecological environment to promote the sustainable development of China’s urban and rural construction process

The construction of ecological environment is the ultimate demonstration of the rational development and utilization of natural resources and has positive influence on promoting the scientific development of China’s urban and rural construction.The continuous optimization of the ecological environment mainly demonstrates in the scientific and reasonable exploitation of natural resources,the improving efficiency of resource utilization,the expanding methods of resource regeneration,and eventually the sound development of ecological environment,which is not only the important direction,but also an important embodiment of the scientific development in China’s urban and rural construction.Optimizing the ecological environment is the foundation of China’s urban and rural construction and planning.We need to continue strengthening the efforts to protect and recreate the ecological environment so as to approach ecological civilization,which is the base of the “scientific” thought of China’s urban and rural construction as well as the significant goal of the construction of environmentally friendly city in China.In western urbanization theory,the optimization of the ecological environment is an important part,which highlights the strategic position of ecological environmental development in the process of urbanization,develops the pattern of win-win cooperation in urbanization,and lays a a solid theoretical foundation for furthering comprehensive development of urbanization.Choosing the path of scientific development in China’s urban and rural construction is an important manifestation of drawing lessons from the western urbanization theory.Based on the western urbanization theory,we gradually develop an innovative thinking and further extend the strategic idea of sustainable development in order to achieve innovative development in China’s urban and rural construction.

4.Targeting at the recycle and reuse of the environment and resources to raise the awareness of “China Dream” in the urban and rural construction

The recycling and reuse of natural resources reuse is an important measure to reduce consumption and to protect the environment,and is the major construction direction of ecological civilization in our country.“China Dream” is China’s great “dream of renaissance”.However,excessive exploitation and consumption of natural resources is the primary factor in making the ecological environment fall into the vicious cycle and further exert seriously negative influence on our country’s economy,society and environment,thus turning the great rejuvenation of the “China Dream” into “illusion”.So in the new age,China’s urban and rural construction should be oriented towards the goal of great rejuvenation of the “China Dream”,constantly optimize the ecological environment,achieve considerable development of China’s ecological civilization,gradually expand the scale of environmentally friendly urbanization,thereby stimulating urban and rural construction to a virtuous cycle.This is an important symbol of the consciousness of “China Dream” in China’s urban and rural construction,and is the only way for China’s future urban and rural construction,which can make the pattern of urban and rural construction “scientific”,“rational” and “integrated”.

Ⅲ.Conclusion

The continuous development and progress of time presents tough challenges for China’s urban and rural construction,and cultural construction as well as the coordinated development of urban and rural economy has become the primary starting point of today’s urban and rural construction.Meanwhile,the effective development and utilization of resources and environment is the core for China’s urban and rural construction to take the path of sustainable development.The western urbanization theory probes into the aspects above and provides referential value for the innovative development of China’s urban and rural construction.

(Translated by Huang Qiuyue)

References:

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〔2〕戴賓：《新型城鄉形態的內涵及其建構》，《財經科學》2011年第12期，第108-113頁。

〔3〕蹇彪：《新時期綜合配套改革試驗與城鄉一體化》，《山西財經大學學報》2011年第S1期，第39-40頁。

〔4〕王永明：《城鄉一體化進程中鄉村休閑文化產業可持續發展對策研究——以蘇州地區為例》，《學術論壇》2014年第1期，第133-138頁。

Western urbanization theory has crucial influence on the course of China’s urban and rural construction.Social economy and the scientific distribution of population are the key of the layout of urban and rural construction and an important factor in facilitating the innovative development of urban and rural construction.The continuous improvement of the environment of social resources as well as the quality of life is the focus of China’s urban and rural construction.As western urbanization theory just probes into this specific issue,it offers referential value in urging us to take the path of sustainable development in urban and rural construction.

western urbanization theory;urban and rural construction;coordinated development;referential value

About the author：Li Qin(1977—),MA,lecturer at School of Life Science,East China Normal University,Senior Engineer,National Registered Urban Planner.

〔*〕This paper is supported by the project of Humanities and Social Sciences granted by the Ministry of Education in China entitled “Analysis on the Protection and Utilization of the Drainage System of Traditional Villages under the Background of New Type of Urbanization”.