The role of economic clusters in improving urban planning support

Abstract

Improving the mechanism of integrating economic and spatial developments is an important issue in urban policy analysis and design. As Economic Clusters (ECs) become an important organisation in contemporary urban development in both economic and spatial practices, the research addresses the potential roles of ECs in improving urban planning support. Specifically, the aim of this PhD research is to explore the roles of ECs in strengthening the analytical and monitoring ability of urban planning through better accommodating urban economic dynamics. The aim is examined by three research questions, respectively on conceptual, practical and instrumental aspects. The research includes an empirical study of Beijing examining the evolution of ECs in both economic and geographical spaces and the relationship between the cluster development and urban growth. Theoretical explorations conceptually show the value of incorporating ECs into models of urban planning processes at establishing a fine tuning between economic and spatial developments. Theoretical analysis also indicates an empirical approach to address the nature of EC development on economic spatial (functional clusters) and on geographical space (spatial clusters). With the case study of Beijing, elements of a practical implementation of ECs in the urban planning practice are developed and assessed, which includes identify functional and spatial clusters and examines their development with the urban growth. Specifically, availing of input-output tables, statistical analysis derives functional clusters, answering the question of ‘what are clusters?’ Correspondingly, spatial statistics techniques addresses the issue of ‘where are clusters?’ by detecting spatial clusters of functionally related economic activities and their pattern in the city. Further, planning analysis is implemented with the concerns of urban spatial growth, transportation and housing. The major empirical findings are: ECs are the key driver and closely related current urban economic-spatial dynamics; the cluster view-point indicates Beijing urban structure is physically evolving towards polycentrism, functionally the city region is still predominantly mono-centric, which challenges current urban plans. Accordingly, cluster-based recommendations is come up with on strengthening manufacturing-services relationships, balancing diversification and specialisation in spatial development, and integrating clusters into the functioning of places for healthy and sustainable urban spatial economic development. Based on the conceptual and empirical work in this thesis, a framework is proposed to integrate ECs as an instrument in urban planning support systems. It considers three aspects: conceptual and explanatory considerations, methods and contextual (institutional, organisational) considerations. In order to realise such a system, suggestions are also given on data building capacity and future more case-based qualitative-oriented research. The prime value added by the research is linking physical and economic aspects of urban development and addressing the issue of ECs as a main organisation and driver for the current and future urban growth. Correspondingly, the research presents the theoretical rationale, implementing approach and instrumental framework.