Urbanization, Suburbanization, and Population Redistribution in Urban China: A Case Study of Nanjing

This paper analyzes the urbanization and suburbanization of Nanjing, an ancient capital and a new Tier-1 city in China, from 1990 to 2015. We use on China's census and survey microdata and the shift-share methods to examine population redistribution and spatial expansion in the city. The results show two distinct periods of population growth and distribution. In the 2000s, intracity migration led to urban spatial expansion and the population of the inner suburbs grew much faster than that of the city center. Urban residents moved from the city center to the suburbs for better living conditions. In the early 2010s, urban growth was fueled by rural urban migration for employment opportunities and for city-living due to the relaxation of migration rules. Population growth was concentrated in the newly developed outer suburbs. Urban growth and population redistribution were led by two countervailing movements, the suburbanization of urban residents and the continued rural-urban migration (urbanization). However, unlike most U.S. cities, despite suburbanization, Nanjing has kept the high population density in its city center.