“Better City, Better Life” is the theme of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. It is not until now that people have realized the role of cities in building a better life. As early as 2,000 years ago, the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle once said, “People come to the city-state for life, and stay in the city-state for a better life.” At that time, the city-state was the city. Professor Edward Glaeser from Harvard University praised city as the greatest invention and the best hope of mankind in his influential book Triumph of the City, believing that the future of cities will determine the future of mankind. Glaeser’s evaluation is based on profound insight. Cities have essentially reshaped the mechanism for interaction and cooperation of human society, strengthened the scale effect and agglomeration effect of resource allocation, promoted division of labor and specialization, promoted innovation, and enabled wealth to be created and accumulated on a larger scale.

Download the full report：Report on the Integration of Urban Agglomerations in China