Urban form takes on properties similar to random growing fractals and can be described in terms of fractal geometry. However, a model of simple fractals is not effectual enough to characterize both the global and local features of urban patterns. In this paper multifractal measurements are employed to model urban form and analyze urban growth. The capacity dimension Da, information dimension D\, and correlation dimension Di of a city's pattern can be estimated utilizing tbe box-counting method. If Da> D\> D2 significantly, the city can be treated as a system of multifractals, and two sets of fractal parameters, including global and local parameters, can be used to spatially analyze urban growth. In tbis case study, multifractal geometry was applied to Beijing city, China. The results based on the remote-sensing images taken in 1988, 1992, 1999, 2006, and 2009 show that the urban landscape of Beijing bears multiscaling fractal attributes. The dimension spectrum curves show several abnormal aspects, especially the upper limit of the global dimension breaks through the Euclidean dimension of embedding space and the local dimension fails to converge in a proper way. The geographical features of Beijing's spatiotemporal evolution are discussed, and the conclusions may be instructive for spatial optimization and city planning in the future.

The transition of the Chinese economy from plan to market has led to dramatic economic restructuring and urban transformation since the economic reforms and open door policy in 1978. The state and the market, which are the two basic regulating mechanisms, have significantly changed their role in economic and urban development in this transition in China. We attempt to examine the interplay of the state and the market in facilitating economic growth and producing ‘new’ urban space after replacing socialism with state capitalism. Four major waves of urbanisation and urban development have been identified, in terms of the interaction of the state and the market in producing different forms of urban development which also bring about economic transition in China. We further examine the new form of urban development in the fourth stage of urbanisation which is represented by the rapid growth of producer services and the resulting development of central business districts. Economic transition and urban transformation in China seem to converge with the development pattern of developed and other developing countries. However, embedded in a different state–market interplay, the experience of Chinese cities may be different and not be easily imitated by cities in other developing countries.

China's recent hukou reform provides opportunities for rural-urban migrants to acquire formal citizenship and for the country's urbanisation to step into a fair and humanistic stage. However, the between-city variation in migrants' intention of hukou transfer and the heterogeneity of its influencing factors have rarely been examined.These research gaps make it impossible to the rationality and effectiveness of the localised hukou entry criteria formulated by city governments. In this paper, we addressed the gaps by using nationwide large-sample survey data and a multilevel modelling approach with particular focus on the effects of city size. Results confirmed the higher willingness of migrants in larger cities for hukou transfer, which is in sharp contradiction with the small-city orientation of the current hukou reform. Our findings further verified the greater preference of well-educated migrants for large cities than less educated groups, implying an accelerated concentration of talents in leading cities. This research demonstrates the importance of the between-city variation perspective in understanding the variegated thoughts of rural-urban migrants, the effectiveness of localised public policies, and the future of China's migrant-dominated model of urbanisation.