中文摘要：

自从法国地理学家戈特曼提出大都市带（Megalopolis）的概念之后,城市群作为一种特殊形态的城市体系,成为城市地理学的核心研究内容。国外学者相继提出半城市化区域、全球城市—区域、多中心巨型城市—区域等概念,其研究都建立在都市区基础之上,强调城市之间以及城乡之间密切的功能联系。中国学者提出了都市连绵区、城市群等概念,并开展了大量研究工作。都市连绵区的界定立足于都市区基础之上,亦与国际上相关的研究接轨。但城市群在国内更为流行,且被写进国家五年发展规划纲要之中。城市群作为中国区域发展空间战略的重心,发挥着区域经济增长极的作用。国内城市群研究却存在着概念含糊、界定模糊等问题。城市群是都市区之间强烈的相互作用形成的,相关研究必须建立在都市区基础之上,才能避免概念以及空间尺度的混淆。中国官方并未有都市区的界定方案。结合第六次人口普查数据,加强对都市区和城市群界定的研究,立足于都市连绵区基础之上,开展跨学科研究,深入分析不同空间尺度城市群集聚与扩散模式,建立起中国城市群研究范式。

英文摘要：

After Gottmann introduced the concept of Megalopolis in 1957,the urban agglomeration,as a special form of the urban system,has been the core content of urban geography.Since the reform and opening up,China＇s urban spatial organization has presented a new trend.Urban agglomerations are emerging as engines of Chinese economy.The State Council of China has also issued a series of important plans to take the urban agglomerations as national and regional growth poles and main form of urbanization.This article reviews the most important domestic and foreign literature on important concepts including ＇Megalopolis＇,＇Desakota Region＇,＇Global City-Region＇,＇Polycentric Mega City-Region＇,＇Metropolitan Interlocking Region＇ and ＇Urban Agglomeration＇.Gottmann argued that megalopolis was the hub and incubator of national development.He pointed out there were six megalopolises around the world.Mcgee,based on the actual development of Asia,put forward different spatial pattern namely dasakota.Scott et al.paid attention to the effect of globalization and localization on city and regional development.They argued that global city-regions were the most important actors of the world.Hall et al.integrated research method of economic geography and urban geography to study the polycentric mega city-region.This study was innovative and enlightening.Zhou Yixing argued that the research on metropolitan interlocking region must be based on definition of metropolitan area.Yao Shimou introduced the concept of urban agglomeration systematicly.It is also the most popular spatial concept in China.Chinese scholars have done a lot of work on urban agglomerations,while the concept of urban agglomeration is not clearly defined.Because of confusion on definition,spatial scale of urban agglomeration is uncertain.So it is hard to establish the research paradigm of urban agglomeration in China.Regional and national planning on urban agglomeration is also impacted by this fuzzy concept.It is also necessary for State Council to lau