Wuhan's changing peri-urban zone: the case of Dongxihu district

Peri-urbanization is a process in which previously rural areas on the outskirts of established cities become more urban in character. This process is of great significance in China, because peri-urbanization is often manufacturing and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) driven. After witnessing the dramatic development of the Eastern Coastal Region from the mid-1980s, China recently changed its regional development focus to interior regions to pursue more spatial equity within the nation. Wuhan, as the most populous city in central China, is experiencing significant peri-urbanization. The thesis focuses on Dongxihu District, a representative peri-urban area in Wuhan Municipality.

To explore peri-urbanization in Dongxihu, this study first documents the metrics of ongoing peri-urbanization in the District from land use, economic, demographic and institutional perspectives. Causality is explored by relating peri-urban outcomes to drivers within the framework of research questions, namely: (i) What is driving peri-urban change in Dongxihu? (ii) Which drivers of peri-urbanization in the District are most important? (iii) How can Dong Xi Hu's peri-urbanization process and outcomes best be characterized? and (iv) What policy implications can be drawn from Dong Xi Hu's peri-urbanization experience?

The primary conclusion is that Dongxihu's peri-urbanization is primarily manufacturing driven, resembling previous first generation peri-urbanization on the coast more than the more diverse peri-urban outcomes now emerging in wealthy coastal metropolitan areas, e.g., Shanghai.