中国的城市群是近30年来伴随国家新型工业化和新型城镇化发展到较高阶段的必然产物,自21世纪初期城市群成为国家参与全球竞争与国际分工的全新地域单元之后,中国连续10年把城市群提升为推进国家新型城镇化的空间主体,首次召开的中央城镇化工作会议和《国家新型城镇化规划 (2014-2020年)》进一步明确了城市群作为推进国家新型城镇化的主体地位。然而,城市群在中国的研究目前尚处在亟待加强的薄弱环节。系统总结从1934-2013年的80年间发表在地理学报的城市群主题论文,只有不到19篇,仅占总篇数的0.55%,不仅发表篇数少,而且发表时间短,首次发表城市群研究成果不到10年,研究单位和作者群体集中,研究内容瞄准国家需求但比较发散。即便如此,仅有的城市群研究成果还是对国家城市群总体格局的形成起到了引领作用,做出了重要贡献。具体体现在,提出的城市群空间格局推动国家形成了中国城市群空间结构的基本框架,引导国家新型城镇化规划把城市群作为推进新型城镇化的主体形态,提出的城市群空间范围识别标准与技术流程对界定国家城市群范围起到了重要作用,提出的城市群系列研究领域带动城市群的研究向着纵深与实用方向拓展,提出的中国城市群形成发育中存在的问题对未来城市群的选择与发展起到了警示作用。以这些研究进展和成果为基础,未来中国城市群选择与培育的重点方向为：以问题为导向,深刻反思检讨中国城市群选择与发育中暴露出的新问题;以城市群为主体,重点推动形成“5+9+6”的中国城市群空间结构新格局;以城市群为依托,重点推动形成“以轴串群、以群托轴”的国家城镇化新格局;以国家战略需求为导向,继续深化对城市群形成发育中重大科学问题的新认知,包括深入研究城市群高密度集聚的资源环境效应,科学求解城市群高密度集聚的资源环境承载力,创新城市群形成发育的管理体制和政府协调机制,研究建立城市群公共财政制度与公共财政储备机制,研究制定城市群规划编制技术规程与城市群空间范围界定标准等。

Urban agglomeration has been the inevitable result of China's rapid industrialization and urbanization over the last 30 years. Since the early 2000s, urban agglomeration has become the new regional unit participating in international competition and the division of labor. China has declared urban agglomeration the main spatial component of new types of urbanization over the next decade as clarified at the first Central Urbanization Working Conference and in the National New-type Urbanization Plan (2014?2020). However, research on urban agglomeration remains weak and needs to be strengthened. From 1934 to 2013, only 19 papers published in Acta Geographica Sinica contained the theme of urban agglomeration (0.55% of the total number of articles published) and the first paper on urban agglomeration appeared less than 10 years ago. Despite a small number of divergent studies, this work has contributed to and guided the formation of the overall pattern of urban agglomeration in China. For example, spatial analyses have promoted the formation of the fundamental framework of China's urban agglomeration spatial structure and guided the National New-type Urbanization Plan; spatial identification standards and technical processes have played an important role in identifying the scope and extent of urban agglomeration; serial studies have facilitated pragmatic research; and problems with the formation and development of urban agglomeration have provided a warning for future choices and Chinese development. Future research into urban agglomeration in China should (1) review and examine new problems in China's urban agglomeration options and cultivation; (2) critically consider urban agglomeration when promoting the formation of the 5+9+6 spatial pattern; (3) rely on urban agglomeration to construct new urbanization patterns such as 'stringing the agglomerations with the axis, supporting the axis with the agglomerations'; and (4) deepen national awareness about resources, environment effects and environmental carrying capacity in high density urban agglomerations, management and government coordination innovation, the construction of public finance and fiscal reserve mechanisms, the technical regulation of urban agglomeration planning, and standards for identifying the scope and extent of urban agglomeration.