ABSTRACT
This chapter addresses the extent and underlying forces of the growth of large cities and the implications for China's urban planning and management. Socialist countries were very concerned with uneven distribution of population and industrial activities and implemented urban policies to control urbanization, but their industrialization policies tend to favor the growth of large cities. Marketization and decentralization have strengthened the administrative powers of large cities, whose officials have used certain powers to promote urban growth. The rural reform diminishes the ability of rural administrative organizations to control employment and migration. The complexity and rapid change of large cities necessitate the reform and strengthening of urban planning and management. China's open-door policy and the drive for economic development, facilitated by global restructuring and the globalization of economic activities, have attracted large amounts of foreign investment, which has contributed to the growth of large cities.
