Industrial Parks, Argo-processing Zones and Urban Transformation

 

Coordinators:

Xinping Wang, Southeast University, China

Aurobindo Ogra, University of Johannesburg, South Africa

Oyelaran Oyebanji, Africa Development Bank

 

When reviewing the history of development of the urban world, industrialization can be seen as an important factor in the push towards modernization and urbanization. Benefiting from the pioneering development during the Industrial Revolution, the developed countries in Europe, North America and North-East Asia have accomplished remarkable achievements in industrialization, which have led them to be more developed and leading in the modern world now. Represented by Economic & Technological Development Zones and High-Tech Industrial Development Zones, industrial parks in China have now also stimulated the rapid growth of the national economy, leading to large rises in the number of cities. Inspired by China’s development zone patterns, more and more developing countries in Africa & Asia regard industrialization as a viable national development strategy used to achieve the urbanization goals of middle-income countries and the sustainable development of the economy. In fact, the development of industrial parks including agro-processing zones in some areas of Africa and Asia have transformed these previously undeveloped countries into newly industrialized nations. However, cities faced with the development of these parks are also faced with the problems that these parks give rise to, such as various forms of pollution, urban segregation, urban expansion，enhanced consumption of energy, etc. How should industrial parks and agro-processing zones be developed in order to promote sustainable urban development? How can urban and human settlements transformation be promoted through sustainable industrialization?

 

Sub-Questions:

• How do developed countries plan on using the development of industrial parks to achieve high-quality industrial development and industrialization goals?
• What is the sustainable development path of industrial parks including agro-processing zones in developing countries that suits their national conditions?
• How should industrial parks be transformed and redeveloped to promote sustainable urbanization?
• How should China-Africa cooperation parks be planned to achieve sustainable development and help achieve the goals of poverty reduction, economic growth & urbanization in African countries?

产业园区、农业加工区与工业型城市转型

回顾世界城市发展史，工业化是推动现代化、城镇化进程的重要力量。得益于工业革命时期的率先发展，欧洲、北美洲和东北亚的发达国家率先取得显著的工业化成就，成为当前世界较为发达的国家并引领世界发展。在中国，以经济技术开发区、高新技术开发区等为代表的产业园区促进了经济的快速发展，并带动了大批城市的崛起。在中国开发区模式的激励下，亚洲、非洲越来越多的发展中国家将工业化作为国家重大战略实施，以向中等收入国家迈进，并推动实现社会经济发展。近年来，在亚洲和非洲不断涌现的包括农业加工区在内的产业园区也已取得较为明显的发展成效，并有望推动所在国向新兴工业化国家转型升级。但随着产业园区的发展，各类污染、产城分离、城市扩张、能源高消耗等发展问题也逐步涌现。产业园区、农业加工区应当如何发展以促进城市的可持续发展？如何通过可持续的产业发展推动城市和人居环境转型？

 

主要探讨的问题：

• 发达国家是如何规划和发展产业园区以实现高质量的产业发展的？
• 发展中国家应如何选择一条适合国情的产业园区、农业加工区发展之路？
• 如何通过产业园区的转型升级和再开发，推动可持续的城镇化？
• 中非合作园区应如何规划和发展以实现园区的持续发展，并助推非洲国家实现减贫、经济增长和城镇化发展目标？