2006-2007: China Headquarters Economic Development Report (Includes CD-ROM)

Author: Zhao Hong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-12-01
Features: Urban transformation is a major change and turning point in the process and direction of urban development, representing a significant overhaul of urban development paths and models. After a prolonged period of development, cities need comprehensive adjustments and transformations in areas such as industrial structure, urban functions, and urban construction to adapt to the needs of sustained economic growth. Transformation is a common challenge faced by major cities worldwide. Cities like New York, London, Los Angeles, Tokyo, and Chicago have achieved relatively successful transformations internationally; some domestic cities face similar issues. With the accelerating pace of urbanization in China, production and manufacturing costs in many large cities have been rising, the hollowing out of manufacturing in central urban areas has become increasingly severe, and resources such as water and land are growing scarcer. Environmental pressures are intensifying, making sustainable development a critical strategic issue for urban growth. Key questions—such as how to shift economic growth models to improve quality, how to seek new growth drivers to promote sustained urban development, and how to achieve urban structural upgrades and functional enhancement to drive surrounding areas forward—have now become priorities.
Headquarters economy, as a new economic model, drives the development of various service industries in cities through the clustering of corporate headquarters, creating strong agglomeration effects in terms of industry, technology, and talent, which helps promote urban industrial upgrading and functional enhancement. Developing the headquarters economy is a crucial strategic choice for central cities to implement the scientific outlook on development, advance urban industrial restructuring and functional enhancement, and achieve urban transformation and sustainable economic and social development.
The 2006–2007 China Headquarters Economy Development Report is themed "Headquarters Economy Driving Urban Economic Transformation." It comprehensively and deeply explores the theoretical and practical aspects of urban transformation both domestically and internationally, the models and pathways through which the headquarters economy can facilitate urban economic transformation, and the practical explorations by major cities or central districts in China—such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, and Wuhan—developing the headquarters economy to promote urban economic transformation.
The report is divided into four parts: the Comprehensive Section, the Evaluation Section, the Theoretical Section, and the Practical Section.
Comprehensive Section: Research on the Headquarters Economy Driving Urban Economic Transformation
This section examines urban economic transformation theories and explores the successful models and experiences of major international cities like Chicago, the Ruhr, London, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Tokyo. It analyzes the urgency and necessity of urban economic transformation in some major cities in mainland China. Through empirical studies on several large cities—such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Wuhan, and Qingdao—that have applied headquarters economy concepts to promote transformation, the report concludes that developing the headquarters economy is a vital strategic choice for major Chinese cities to achieve economic transformation. It also delves into the major contradictions that need to be addressed in promoting urban transformation through the headquarters economy.
Evaluation Section: Evaluation Report on the Development Capacity of Headquarters Economy in 35 Major Cities in China
Building on the revision and improvement of the evaluation index system for urban headquarters economy development capacity established in the 2005–2006 China Headquarters Economy Development Report, this section evaluates and ranks the development capacity of the headquarters economy in 35 major Chinese cities across six dimensions: foundational conditions, business facilities, R&D capabilities, professional services, government services, and openness.
Theoretical Section: New Theoretical Research on the Headquarters Economy
This section focuses on refining the theoretical framework of the headquarters economy. It conducts in-depth research on key and challenging issues such as the formation mechanisms of the headquarters economy, factors influencing corporate headquarters location choices, the migration patterns of multinational corporate headquarters, the industrial and spatial value chains of the headquarters economy, and headquarters economy studies from an industrial cluster perspective. These efforts enrich and perfect the theoretical foundations of the headquarters economy.
Practical Section: New Practical Research on the Headquarters Economy
This section emphasizes the relationship between the headquarters economy and urban development, the headquarters economy and central district development, and the headquarters economy and the innovation-driven development of development zones. It comprehensively showcases the exploration and practice of major cities in China—such as Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, and Jinan—as well as central districts like Beijing’s Xicheng District, Guangzhou’s Yuexiu District, Wuhan’s Wuchang District, Qingdao’s Nanwan District, and Ningbo’s Jiangdong District—as well as central business districts like Chongqing’s Jiefangbei CBD. These cities and districts have built headquarters clusters and developed the headquarters economy to promote industrial upgrading and functional enhancement in major cities and central districts, driving urban economic transformation.