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Cross-Provincial City-Regionalism in China: Evidence from Smart Planning and Integrated Governance of the Yangtze River Delta

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Listed:
  • Tianren Ge

    (Department of Political Science, School of Political Science & International Relations, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China)

  • Yang Yu

    (Department of Urban Planning and Management, School of Public Administration and Policy, Renmin University of China, Beijing 100872, China)

  • Xiaohua Zhong

    (Department of Sociology, School of Political Science & International Relations, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China)

  • Yongli Jiao

    (Department of Teaching and Research, China Executive Leadership Academy Pudong (CELAP), Shanghai 201204, China)

Abstract

Taking the Demonstration Zone of Green and Integrated Ecological Development of the Yangtze River Delta as a case study, we find that city-regional development of the Yangtze River Delta has advanced to the fifth stage, so-called cross-provincial city-regional integrated development. The ongoing reform experiment in China presents a new model of city-regional development, which distinguishes itself from previous approaches used in both China and Europe/America. We propose a theoretical framework of cross-provincial city-regionalism from the two dimensions of smart planning and integrated governance. Based on the new framework, this article reveals how the top-down intervention of the central government has helped local governments break down the administrative barriers at the provincial level and stimulated them to participate in the cross-provincial coordinated development from the bottom up. The new framework alters the assumption and institutional logic of the traditional city-regionalism theory and extends its explanatory scope.

Suggested Citation

  • Tianren Ge & Yang Yu & Xiaohua Zhong & Yongli Jiao, 2025. "Cross-Provincial City-Regionalism in China: Evidence from Smart Planning and Integrated Governance of the Yangtze River Delta," Land, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-21, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:1:p:156-:d:1566311
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    References listed on IDEAS

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