ABSTRACT
In the first decade of the twenty-first century, urban populations in China have grown at unprecedented levels. In 2011, for the first time, the total population of cities overtook that of rural villages. At the same time, many Australians have been moving from crowded and less affordable large cities to more spacious and liveable regional towns. The growth in the number of rural villages and towns, paired with the necessity to provide residents with appropriate infrastructure, public services and amenities for the urban life of inhabitants, has required enormous efforts, more accurate planning strategies and consistent urban forms able to sustain the life of renewed or brand new cities in rural settings. While China has developed plans for more or less successful new model towns and urban expansion, very often inspired by broad principles of sustainability and eco-compatibility in terms of energy consumption, green space provision and building technology, in Australia, a traditional trend to foster low-density settlements and small-sized communities with potential for further expansion has resulted in towns with evident limitations due to poor provision of transport connections with the main regional centres and limited basic economic and social facilities. In outlining the major trends of urban and rural expansion in China and Australia, this chapter discusses how political visions and social and economic agendas have driven urbanisation in the rural contexts and links these factors to the urban paradigms (urban forms and regional planning) that have been developed and implemented in the past 30 years.
