China’s Coastal Cities: Development, Planning and Challenges

Globalization of the world economy has assigned an important role to coastal cities to play in national development. In China, since the reform and openness policy was introduced in 1978, coastal cities have been called to act as “engines” in economic growth. By using the Chinese experiences, this paper examines the development of coastal cities in national economic change, and discusses the issues and challenges in coastal city planning. The Chinese experiences show that the development of coastal cities is dependent upon national policies of making use of the sea in connecting China to the global economy. Once national development strategy is determined, the economic and spatial structure of coastal cities can be planned accordingly. The use of market mechanisms to China’s land and housing markets provides an effective means for management of the coastal cities. Appropriate balances between government control and market determination in migration, between equity and efficiency in regional development, between economic growth and sustainability in resource use, are the main challenges ahead of Chinese planners in coastal city development