Industrial Ecology Self-Organization System and Its Adaptation in Chinese Urbanism

Chinese cities, especially in the Pearl River Delta, have seen enormous development under globalization and the consequent ecological, socio-economic, and political changes. This 'high-speed urbanization' results from various factors (e.g., reorganizing the administrative and institutional system and new modes of production, employment, and investment). These processes lead to transformations in the urban structures with massive growth and concentrations of population, infrastructure, and economic and political power. The complex relations and connections influence the spatial, social, and ecological development in the new-urban areas. Reflecting on the development outcomes in the PRD, this paper examines the possibilities for new strategic action in the economically important and developing Yangtze River Delta area. Based on outcomes from integrating industrial ecology into the planning of new urban developments, this paper argues that applying these ideas to Chinese urbanization could result in shared economic values and sustainable success.