The evolution of the planning system in the process of large-scale and rapid urbanization in China

Urban planning is a fundamental policy tool for countries to manage their land use and spatial development. As a nation’s economic, social and technological development undergoes changes, so does its planning system evolve dynamically to address the challenges of each era. In China, with the average annual urban population increasing 17.25 million since 1978, the spatial distribution of population and economic resources has undergone unprecedented great changes. The transformation of China’s planning system during the rapid and large-scale urbanization process could be divided into four stages: restoration of urban plan and establishment of the planning system (1978–1990); growth and development of the planning system under the market-oriented economic system (1990–2000); integration of urban and rural planning (2000–2010); exploring and forming a unified spatial planning system under the guidance of ecological civilization construction (2010–). This paper analyzes the characteristics of urbanization in China since the reform and opening up, the related era-specific issues and the policy responses, then elaborates the new landmark planning types that emerged in each stage, as well as summarizing the evolution process. There is no “standard, universal paradigm” in the process of building a country’s planning system, and no unchanging template or unified approach to achieving it.