City clustering during the Development Course of the Strait West Coast Economic Area

Construction of the Strait West Coast Economic Area(SWCEA) has been a hotspot that various circles have paid attention to since 2004. By taking SWCEA growing up as background,the development levels of 51 cities in the area are analyzed quantitatively with synthetical model,next they are divided into 13 sections according to their development trends,and the strategies of city clustering formation are discussed emphatically from five phases.Firstly,multi-city-and-regional alliance should be established,the relations of competition and cooperation among the cities be coordinated;Secondly,multi-city-and-region planning should be launched to promote the city clustering area development with orderliness;Thirdly,the urban industrial clusters should be organized rationally to convert single city development into cluster development;Fourthly,integrative regional transportation systems should be enhanced to support and guide city clusters development.Fifthly,the development pole of city clusters should be made stronger to enhance their radiative force and holistic competitiveness.At last,it is thought that the development road of city clusters is an inevitable choice of city-development planning in SWCEA,but that is a long-term course.