The growth and shrinkage of cities and towns are normal phenomena in the evolution of regional town systems. The growth and shrinkage of different levels of cities and towns are mutually influential. This study uses ArcGIS and the Hierarchical Linear Model to analyze the hierarchical differences and correlations in the characteristics and mechanisms of shrinking cities and towns in Northeast China from 2000 to 2020. The results indicate that the shrinkage of cities and towns is characterized by hierarchical differences. High-level cities show widespread and slight shrinkage, while low-level towns show the most severe and continued shrinkage. The population shrinkage of cities and towns within the same municipality is not fully synchronized. In terms of spatial patterns, the multi-level relationship between cities and towns is divided into growth-driven, central siphon, peripheral growth, local growth, and global shrinkage. The shrinkage of high-level cities is mainly influenced by economic and industrial development and built-up environment. The shrinkage of low-level towns is constrained by population concentration, economic development, enterprise scale, local arable land resources, and environmental quality. Wages, jobs, and infrastructures in high-level cities have a strong siphoning effect on low-level towns, while technology and industrial development drive the population and economic development of low-level towns.

The pioneers who started the gentrification process have contributed significantly to the activation of gentrified neighborhoods, but are often overlooked in top-down urban governance strategies. We studied the core participants, who were avant-garde café owners, in the initial stage of the commercial gentrification of Mudan Street in Changchun, China. By participatory observations and in-depth interviews, we closely investigated the statuses, behaviors, and preferences of the early gentrifiers, their contributions to block revivals, and the impacts of urban renewal policies on the gentrifiers themselves. Our conclusions are as follows. Most early gentrifiers were young and highly educated. They started the process of gentrification by youth culture production, which exhibited idealistic operating behaviors, such as the decoration of shops, creation of cultural atmospheres, and organization of cultural activities. They were the pioneers who drove bottom-up block renewal, reshaped traditional blocks into youth cultural consumption centers, and stimulated commercial vitality. However, commercialization was followed by soaring rents and increasing business competition that have forced many pioneers with low economic capital to leave. Furthermore, urban governance has had strong impacts on block renewal and gentrification. Inclusive management has promoted bottom-up neighborhood renewal, whereas arbitrary management has quickly destroyed the cultural landscape and business atmosphere, thereby accelerating the displacement of the pioneers. This study provides new evidence for gentrification theories, and offers a practical reflection for urban governance by constructing the profiles of early gentrifiers and discussing the paradox of gentrification in the context of urban China.

In recent years, the demand for children’s activities has been increasing, and the children’s consumer market has expanded annually. A large number of urban commercial spaces for children’s activity that meet the needs of children’s activities have been built in Chinese cities. This paper analyzed the distribution of these spaces in Changchun City, divided children’s activity space into five categories, analyzed the distribution and spatial differentiation using ArcGIS tools, and discussed the formation mechanism of the spatial pattern of children’s activity space. The results show that: (a) The spatial agglomeration of children’s activity places in Changchun was remarkable and formed a multicore spatial pattern of three municipal and six district-level centers. (b) Different varieties of children’s activity places showed significant spatial differences with “center–periphery” and spatial distribution patterns and each block unit had specialized characteristics. (c) The diversification and social demand for children’s activities, children’s consumption (a new growth factor for the modern service industry), market competition for rent, coupling relationship with urban functional areas, traffic convenience and accessibility, and changes of children’s activity behavior patterns and preferences were the main factors that influence commercial children’s activity space in Changchun. (d) The inequitable spatial distribution of children’s activities, the poor accessibility of children’s activity places, the lack of outdoor places and natural elements, the excessive concentration of children’s activities, and the lack of reasonable guidance of children’s commercial activity places in the city pose challenges for daily activities of urban children. Based on these results, this paper put forward some constructive policy suggestions, such as the planned addition of children’s public places and children’s outdoor places, enriched green and natural elements of children’s places, the construction of children’s activities facilities in residential areas, and the addition of children’s activity facilities in the compulsory standards for urban construction.