City clusters, which have proven successful in countries such as Canada, Australia and Japan, could be effectively adopted in China's urbanization, he said.

Each city in a cluster would have its unique function and develop specific industries. Better public services and residential functions in small cities and towns, and a more unified infrastructure network linking the big and small cities would help form an efficient city cluster.

The big cities could also transfer some of their functions to neighboring small and medium cities, to relieve the pressure brought by the growing population, he added.

Beijing plans to boost the scale and density of industries in its suburban areas, neighboring Tianjin municipality and cities in Hebei province, according to the capital's draft 12th Five-Year Plan (2011-2015).

Downtown Beijing absorbs 62 percent of the city's population and produces 70 percent of its GDP, which has caused problems such as worsening traffic congestion, said Zhao Hong, an economist with Beijing Academy of Social Sciences.

Transferring the capital's industries such as manufacturing and logistics to neighboring areas will not only help form a more functional Beijing-centered city cluster, but also realize a population transfer, Zhao was quoted by the Beijing News as saying.