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Introduction
Guangzhou, the capital city of Guangdong province and the southern gate of China, is one of the most important centers of foreign trade and exchange in China (fig. 1 ). Like most Chinese coastal cities, Guangzhou has been experiencing fundamental transformations since the 1970s of great social, economic, and environmental significance.
The purpose of this paper is therefore twofold.
First, a multi-dimensional evaluation of the ongoing process of change in Guangzhou and its border region since reforms began in China is presented.
Second, analysis and discussion of the impacts of these changes on both the development of Guangzhou city specifically, and urban planning in China in general are also presented.
The assumption is made that the development of Guangzhou will, to a large extent, mirror the development pattern of other metropolitan coastal Chinese cities given that Guangzhou has been an important locale within the testing area of Chinese reforms and "open door policy" in the last 15 years. Evaluating developments in Guangzhou will therefore contribute to a greater understanding of urban development and planning during an era of reforms in China.
Historical background
Guangzhou is located at the convergence of the Dong and Bei rivers, two of the navigable rivers within the third largest river system in China, the Pearl river system. The city is situated in the upper part of a valley extending south to the sea, thereby marking the northern limits of the Pearl River Delta (PRD). Both in the past and present, the PRD has been one of the most prosperous regions in China. The delta is a patchwork of river channels, including major outlets of the Pearl river system leading into the sea. The city of Guangzhou enjoys favorable conditions as a major port city within the PRD (figs. 2, 3 and 4).
The city wall was built in AD 214 when Guangzhou was established as the control point from which the central government could explore the rich agricultural resources of the PRD. Guangzhou eventually became the trading center between southern and central China largely due to the development of the PRD and the improvement of transport connections between the PRD and central China.
As early as the Tang dynasty, Guangzhou had become
China's largest foreign trading port with links...