The key to the competitiveness of cities lies in creating more added value in the limited space and resources, inserting wings for development with superior institutional environment and cultural soil, and improving residents' sense of belonging and happiness with meticulous governance capabilities.
According to the "2022 Urban Construction Statistical Yearbook" released by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development not long ago, the total urban population of Dongguan, Guangdong Province has exceeded 10 million, making it the third city in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to reach the scale of a megacity after Guangzhou and Shenzhen. Neither a provincial capital nor a special economic zone, why can Dongguan be among the ranks of megacities?Dissecting the development context of a city from a long-term period can find common laws for the high-quality development of cities.
The "expansion" of cities is often the result of industrial agglomeration and then attracting population influx. The development process of Dongguan has, to a certain extent, condensed the historical longitude and latitude of China's reform and opening up. In 1978, the country's first "three to one supplement" enterprise landed in Dongguan. Since then, Dongguan has made full use of its comparative advantages in location, land, manpower and policy, and the spring breeze of reform and opening up has been blowing strongly, and industries such as shoemaking, textiles, clothing, and toys have risen rapidly, and the new employment opportunities have attracted a large number of rural labor influx. The traditional agricultural county has gradually transformed into a "world factory", and there is even a saying that "Dongguan is out of stock when it is congested". It can be said that the prosperity of industry is the cornerstone of urban development and the "magnet" that attracts population agglomeration.
The "upgrading" of cities must be supported by the modernization of urban governance systems and governance capabilities. In the rapid growth of urban population, Dongguan has also encountered "growing pains", facing a series of problems such as low-end industrial transformation, ecological environmental protection, and "big city disease" treatment. If you abandon the old road and take a new path, you have to change your thinking. Urban construction and development can not "step on the watermelon peel and slide to where it counts", let alone pick up the basket is full of vegetables, and optimizing the industrial layout is the breakthrough. Dongguan has stimulated new momentum for urban development with innovation, withstood external shocks, embarked on a new path of development, and promoted industries such as electronic information and high-end equipment manufacturing to reach a scale of 100 billion yuan. Create the urban characteristics of "scientific and technological innovation + advanced manufacturing", guide private enterprises to "enhance confidence, travel lightly, and develop boldly", attracting more talents at home and abroad to this hot land. The high-end industry and high output value have brought about a younger urban population and high-end talents, and promoted the sustainable development of the city. This shows that only by taking the path of high-quality development can a city enhance its resilience and maintain its development vitality.
**The general secretary emphasized: "The core of the city is people, whether the city is doing well or not, whether the people are satisfied or not, and whether the life is convenient or not is an important criterion. "The population continues to increase, reflecting people's sense of belonging to the city. Relaxing household registration restrictions, expanding the coverage of policies benefiting the people, and accelerating the equalization of basic public services are the livelihood projects that Dongguan has continued to promote in recent years, and it is also a popular project that is well received by the public. Regardless of occupation or age, people who come to the city to work hard can enjoy urban public resources such as education, medical care, and elderly care. "I have been in Dongguan for 17 years, including 12 ......years in the library to read booksA migrant worker left a message in the Dongguan Library, feeling that knowledge benefits Dongguan and migrant workers, which makes people really feel the temperature of the city. The city is not only a space for gathering people, but also a platform for serving people. Only by providing a broad stage for talents to display their talents and eliminating worries for people to pursue their dreams can we continue to enhance the attractiveness of the city.
The development process of Dongguan reflects the profound relationship between production, city and people. In the "first half" of urbanization, it is relatively easy to attract a large influx of people if there is industry and employment. Nowadays, urban development has entered a new stage, and the struggle is the agglomeration of more production resource factors, more public infrastructure, and more innovative and entrepreneurial talents. The key to the competitiveness of cities lies in creating more added value in the limited space and resources, inserting wings for development with superior institutional environment and cultural soil, and improving residents' sense of belonging and happiness with meticulous governance capabilities. Only by basing on resource endowment, improving the level of governance, and conserving a good environment can we better build a harmonious, livable, dynamic and unique modern city.
In Dongguan, there used to be a "chili index", which refers to the aunt who sells vegetables can perceive the economic warmth and coldness earlier according to whether the chili sells well or not. Today, the "Coffee and Tea Index", which is playing the same function, reflects the new momentum injected into the city by young entrepreneurs and scientific researchers. The rapid development of the city is inseparable from the vigorous progress of people. Improving the efficiency of governance with "subtlety" and activating the momentum of innovation with "change" will surely continue to realize the resonance of individual struggle and urban development at the same frequency. (Sheng Yulei).