| Abstract: | Economy is a major force in determining the hierarchy of urban system. As regional economy globalizes, urban systems in many countries are making their transition from the scale-based hierarchy to the networked system, while that in China still maintains an administrative stratification. The paper discussed the triumph of Baigou Town in the East Baoding Sub-center Campaign. It significantly shattered the administrative hierarchy of the urban system in China, which owes largely to the new type of economical development, i.e. government-led fixed assets investment and real estate development, as demonstrated in the urban expansion. Under the pattern of "territory" logic, spatial planning not only lost efficacy, but also stimulated bottom-up over development in local areas. The paper recommended foreign action- and collaboration-oriented urban planning theories, and that the absolute top-down spatial blueprint planning must be abandoned, and a harmonious synergy of planning roles, work content and methodology be facilitated. |
