Spatial structure of Beijing during suburbanization

Urban sprawl has been a general problem for metropolitan areas, which has resulted from over-suburbanization. Different spatial structures need different smart-growth approaches. The more complicated spatial structure of the city than the duality structure model of core–periphery relations within China and some developing countries challenged smart growth for them. The author of this paper provided the background description, population distribution and especially the special zone of fringe areas in Beijing to describe the spatial structure of Beijing during suburbanization. The author thought, in conclusion, that the spatial structure of Beijing could upgrade the core–periphery model and could explain the suburbanization process more accurately than the core–periphery structure. With this model, smart growth could be more significantly practical.