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Modelling Urban Population Densities in Beijing 1982-90: Suburbanisation and its Causes

Author

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  • Fahui Wang

    (Department of Geography, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois 60115-2854, USA, wang@geog.niu.edu.Yixing)

  • Yixing Zhou

    (Department of Geography, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China)

Abstract

The existing empirical research of urban population density is rich on developed countries but much less so on developing countries. On cities in a planned economy such as that of China, very little is reported. Part of the reason is the lack of reliable data sources. This research models the population densities in Beijing 1982-90. Data are from the third and fourth national population censuses in 1982 and 1990 respectively, and are aggregated at the level of sub-district (jie-dao). Spatial boundaries of these sub-districts are obtained from various sources of local governments and numerous field trips. The research shows that the negative exponential function also fits the density distributions in Beijing, the density gradient becomes flatter, and the city-centre intercept drops over time. The results are consistent with the findings on Western cities, implying that even a socialist city cannot escape the universal forces shaping urban structure. In addition, GIS surface modelling is used to analyse the spatial patterns. While central-city sub-districts have experienced significant loss of population, suburban sub-districts have gained growth at various scales. This signals the beginning of suburbanisation in Beijing. However, some of the causes are different from those in Western countries.

Suggested Citation

  • Fahui Wang & Yixing Zhou, 1999. "Modelling Urban Population Densities in Beijing 1982-90: Suburbanisation and its Causes," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 36(2), pages 271-287, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:urbstu:v:36:y:1999:i:2:p:271-287
    DOI: 10.1080/0042098993600
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Wang, Fahui & Guldmann, Jean-Michel, 1996. "Simulating urban population density with a gravity-based model," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 30(4), pages 245-256, December.
    2. Small Kenneth A. & Song Shunfeng, 1994. "Population and Employment Densities: Structure and Change," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 36(3), pages 292-313, November.
    3. McDonald, John F., 1989. "Econometric studies of urban population density: A survey," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 26(3), pages 361-385, November.
    4. Frankena, Mark W., 1978. "A bias in estimating urban population density functions," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 5(1), pages 35-45, January.
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    Cited by:

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    2. Daquan Huang & Xiaoqing Yang & Zhen Liu & Xingshuo Zhao & Fanhao Kong, 2018. "The Dynamic Impacts of Employment Subcenters on Residential Land Price in Transitional China: An Examination of the Beijing Metropolitan Area," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(4), pages 1-22, March.
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