Taiwan once pursued a policy of relying on cities to spur development in their surrounding areas, but the policy was not adequately thought out, and ended up widening the gap between urban and rural areas. Rural population drained continually to the cities, and with the industrial structure undergoing change, rural areas declined as development projects and enterprises became increasingly concentrated in large cities, especially Taipei.
而過去台灣擬以都市帶動區域發展的政策在未盡週全之下，使城鄉發展拉距加大，鄉村人口不斷往都市遷移，在產業結構的調整過程中，鄉村也愈形破敗，建設與企業卻越集中在大都市，其中自然以首善之都為最。