High Speed Rail And Chinas New Economic Geography

Presenting an analytical approach to assessing the socioeconomic impact of high speed rail in China, and using a multilevel spatial analysis approach at both the national and the regional level, this book emphasizes capturing the spatial spillover effects of rail infrastructure development on China’s economic geography in terms of land use, housing market, tourism, regional disparity, modal competition, the economy and environment.

Presenting an analytical approach to assessing the socioeconomic impact of high speed rail in China, and using a multilevel spatial analysis approach at both the national and the regional level, this book emphasizes capturing the spatial spillover effects of rail infrastructure development on China's economic geography in terms of land use, housing market, tourism, regional disparity, modal competition, the economy and environment.

Over the past decade, China has built 25,000 km of dedicated highspeed railway—more than the rest of the world combined. What can we learn from this remarkable experience? China’s High-Speed Rail Development examines the Chinese experience to draw lessons for countries considering investing in high-speed rail. The report scrutinizes the planning and delivery mechanisms that enabled the rapid construction of the high-speed rail system. It highlights the role of long-term planning, consistent plan execution, and a joint venture structure that ensures active participation of provincial and local governments in project planning and financing. Traffic on China’s high-speed trains has grown to 1.7 billion passengers a year. The study examines the characteristics of the markets for which high-speed rail is competitive in China. It discusses the pricing and service design considerations that go into making high-speed rail services competitive with other modes and factors such as good urban connectivity that make the service attractive to customers. One of the most remarkable aspects of the Chinese experience is the rapid pace of high-quality construction. The report looks at the role of strong capacity development within and cooperation among China Railway Corporation, rail manufacturers, universities, research institutions, laboratories, and engineering centers that allowed for rapid technological advancement and localization of technology. It describes the project delivery structures and incentives for delivering quality and timely results. Finally, the report analyzes the financial and economic sustainability of the investment in high-speed rail. It finds that a developing country can price high-speed rail services affordably and still achieve financial viability, but this requires very high passenger density. Economic viability similarly depends on high passenger density.

High-speed rail (HSR) has led to a transportation revolution in China. This paper uses county-level panel data of China's Yangtze River region to investigate the effect of connecting to an HSR line on local economy. To address the issue of endogenous HSR route placement, we employ a straight-line strategy to construct potential HSR connection variables as instrumental variables of the actual HSR connection. Both the difference-in-differences and instrumental variable methods show that connecting to HSR impedes local economy, especially in peripheral regions. The impediment effect is channelled through population reallocation from peripheral to core areas and the restructuring of industries. Our results indicate that the polarization effects of HSR outweigh its dispersion effects, consistent with the new economic geography theory.

This book systematically expounds the significance of the high-speed railway in China's regional economic and social development. It also contains a large number of case discussions, so that readers can fully understand the development of China's high-speed railway and its role in promoting China's economy. The purpose of this book is to determine whether high-speed railway has important political and strategic significance for China's development, the inherent relationship and mechanism of the high-speed railway together with economic and social development, and how to achieve the high-speed rail and economic and social coordination, as well as sustainable development.

This book focuses on high-speed rail (HSR) and new town planning and development related to HSR, approaching the issue from three different perspectives: economic cooperation at a regional level; HSR-based economic growth point at a city level; and mixed land use and building environment in the periphery area of HSR stations. On the basis of simulations and case studies, it proposes practical planning principles and suggestions for area development, providing planners with a theoretical framework to incorporate the transportation system into new town planning. It also serves as a valuable reference source for the authorities, enabling them to make evidence-based and rational decisions.

This book focuses on high-speed rail (HSR) and new town planning and development related to HSR, approaching the issue from three different perspectives: economic cooperation at a regional level; HSR-based economic growth point at a city level; and mixed land use and building environment in the periphery area of HSR stations. On the basis of simulations and case studies, it proposes practical planning principles and suggestions for area development, providing planners with a theoretical framework to incorporate the transportation system into new town planning. It also serves as a valuable reference source for the authorities, enabling them to make evidence-based and rational decisions.

The technological revolution linked to high speed rail (HSR) has been accompanied by myths and claims about its contribution to society and the economy. Although HSR is unquestionably a technological advance that has become a symbol of modernity, this review and analysis of the international experiences shows that the conditions necessary to have a positive impact, economically, socially and environmentally, are enormously restrictive. The Economics and Politics of High Speed Rail: Lessons from Experiences Abroad, by Daniel Albalate and Germ Bel, introduces the main questions policy makers and scholars should examine when considering and studying HSR implementation, with particular emphasis on the US's recent interest in this technology and possible application in California. Albalate and Bel then review the experiences of the most significant implementations of HSR around the globe. This in-depth international perspective includes chapters on the pioneers of HSR (Japan and France), the European followers (Germany, Spain and Italy), as well as Asian experiences in China, Taiwan, and Korea. Albalate and Bel's study provides a clear distinction between the myths and realities associated with this transportation innovation. Among the most relevant findings, this study highlights how HSR projects that do not satisfy highly restrictive conditions--on mobility patterns, measured costs, and economically rational designs--that make it desirable have been the source of huge financial debacles and the economic failure of HSR in most cases, which result in unfortunate consequences for taxpayers. The Economics and Politics of High Speed Rail is a rigorous investigation of the economic and political challenges and ramifications of implementing new public transportation technology.

Currently, much is said about the directions of development of modern China. However, we still do not know what will determine the expected superpower position of the Middle Kingdom. The book is an attempt to answer questions about China's main development challenges from a regional perspective. China aspires to become the country with the largest economy and development potential. This intention may turn out to be in vain if such significant disparities and development imbalances in the regional system are still present in China. The key to understanding the transformation of contemporary China is to recognize the internal determinants of the functioning of both the state and the economy from a regional perspective. A better understanding of the ways of managing regional development disparities may contribute to a more accurate assessment of the dynamics and directions of China's socio-economic development.

This study systematically examines uneven regional development in China, focusing on three central agents: the foreign investor, the state and the region. Wei's findings have important implications for theories of, and policy towards, Chinese regional development. This book is a vital resource for those with an interest in transition economies.