Research on Spatial Form and Characteristics of Regional Small Cities and Towns in Different Development Stages of Urbanization in China

With the development of urbanization, regional small cities and towns generally go through four stages, which are discrete, polarization, spread and balance, form patterns evolution from dots scattered type to single centripetal, polycentric-multicore, polycentric networks, transportation, economic and physical geography are major factors. In different regions, due to differences in force size, generated by the synthesis of influencing factors, creating spatial development phases and morphological differentiation, leading to differences of spatial patterns in the development of small cities and towns in east, Middle and west areas. In future, eastern region should co-ordinate the development of small cities and towns further, optimized network spatial patterns; the central and western regions, countries should give more support to small cities and towns, close economic ties with east, by the way, build a network of regional spatial systems.