New Trend of Urbanization in China: Land and housing development in suburban areas and small towns

China’s economic growth and urbanization is an important feature of development in the world in the 21st century. One of the main driving forces for this urbanization process is the increased consumption of land and housing in cities and towns by the emerging middle class. Most urban and housing research so far focused mainly on development in large Chinese cities, especially these located along the coast in the east region. China has many small cities and towns, which accommodate a large proportion of the urban population. Faced with the increasing problem of land shortage and competition in large cities, many developers recently shifted their attention and investment to suburban areas and county towns. This paper, using examples of small and suburban towns located in different regions, to illustrate the emerging trend of land and housing development in China