Urbanization in Taiwan: 1900-1985

This paper reviews previous research and statistical data concerning urbanization and its relationship to migration in Taiwan from 1900-1985. The level of urbanization was very low when Taiwan was under Japanese rule. The low level of industrialization and the difficulty of communication and transportation in the early stage of development may have impeded migration. Beginning in 1953, Taiwan began a series of economic construction plans. Modern industries have burgeoned in many large cities and their peripheral townships, thus accelerating the urbanization process. The data clearly show that the growth rate of the urban population has been much faster than the rate of change in the proportion that is urban. During the 1920-1940 period, the population of Taiwan gradually moved from places of early settlement to new city centers or newly developed areas. It is quite clear that the process of metropolitan dispersion has increased with the development of urbanization in Taiwan. The pattern of city growth was not consistent from period to period. It was reverse U-shaped for the 1950-1960 period, upward-wave-shaped for the 1960-1970 period, and J-shaped for the 1970-1985 period. If a longer period (e.g., 1947-1985) was observed, then it became upward-wave-shaped again. It is quite clear that there is no simple relationship between city size and city growth. This relationship is affected by stage of development; it also appears to be affected by duration of observation. Generally, the longer the interval observed, and the later the period analyzed, the more the upward-wave-shape holds for the relationship. Many scholars maintain that urban growth in developing countries results primarily from the natural increase of urban populations. However, judging from the rapid urban growth in Taiwan during the 1953-1985 period, and considering the natural increase contributed by migrants in urban areas, it is likely that rural-urban migration is a more important source of urban growth.