The relationships between science parks and the less developed cities in China

Dan, Yongji 2025. The relationships between science parks and the less developed cities in China. PhD Thesis, Cardiff University. Item availability restricted.

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Abstract

This research investigates the role of National High-tech Industrial Development Zones (HTZs) in China’s economic and urban landscape, analysing their evolution since their inception in 1988. As a prominent policy instrument, HTZs are intended to create ‘innovation milieux’ and act as engines for a Schumpeterian process of economic and technological upgrading and stimulate regional development. However, the spatial disparities, raise critical questions about the equitable distribution of development benefits. While extensive literature has analysed China’s leading HTZs, a significant gap remains in understanding their local impacts and development trajectories, particularly in the nation’s less-developed cities, a point echoed in recent calls for more geographically sensitive innovation studies. This research addresses this lacuna by asking a central question: to what extent have China’s national HTZs, particularly those in less-developed places, functioned as instruments of mitigation or exacerbation of economic and innovation disparities between cities? To answer this question, this research develops and applies an innovative mixed-methods framework which integrates a multi-scalar investigation of governance, policy implementation and analysis of city-level geospatial data. The framework benefits from specific analytical tools, including a ‘Shadow of Hierarchy’ model to interpret governance, a Triple Helix framework to assess institutional interplay, and a set of quantitative metrics to measure city growth and innovation performances. Interviews were also conducted alongside quantitative data to provide a more nuanced, experience-based understanding of a complex innovation system. The research reveals that HTZs follow a multi-stage development trajectory. In their initial stage of formation, many HTZs, particularly in less-developed cities, exhibit characteristics of ‘enclaves’, with limited spill-overs to the host city. However, this is not a permanent state; at a later innovation-driven stage (at least some) HTZs, often after decades of development, may reveal a more mature model of city-industry integration and begin to function as engines of urban transformation. However, this transition, it is argued, is not automatic. The success of the local integration requires proactive and sustained local government intervention to forge connections, guide industrial upgrading and purposefully mitigate spatial disparities. The research in particular reveals the role of the university-industry-government linkages which cultivate a supportive and integrated local innovation environment. The study concludes that HTZs can be effective tools in mitigating spatial disparities, but it is local governance that ultimately determines their wider place-based economic impact. The research offers a better understanding of the interplay between innovation policy, place-making, and spatial inequality in China, developing a critical insight into the challenges of replicating innovation models in economically diverse regional contexts.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Date Type:	Completion
Status:	Unpublished
Schools:	Schools > Geography and Planning (GEOPL)
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > G Geography (General)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Science park, HTZ, innovation environment, policy, governance, disparity, innovation diffusion, economic radiation, skilled labour and city.
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	24 February 2026
Last Modified:	02 Mar 2026 09:47
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/185102

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