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Abstract Despite the fact that China is becoming increasingly urbanised, some Chinese cities have witnessed a loss of urban population. In recent years, with the extensive expansion of the Chinese High-Speed Railway (HSR) network, the reduction in travel time has greatly increased the mobility of people across cities, thus affecting the spatial redistribution of the urban population in China. An important question arises: for cities experiencing population loss, when they were connected to the HSR network, did the HSR further aggravate this urban shrinkage? Using cities experiencing population loss as a sample, the paper provides a quantitative assessment of population loss in HSR-served cities. A Difference-in-Difference (DID) method was adopted to investigate whether the HSR aggravated population loss in shrinking cities. On the whole, empirical results show that the phenomenon of urban shrinkage in China was further aggravated by the HSR. Furthermore, the results unveil the dynamic impact of the HSR on shrinking cities, and multi-stage DID results reveal that the impact of the HSR on urban population may have a certain time lag effect. The HSR has significantly contributed to the population loss of shrinking cities four to five years after it first started operating. The paper highlights that the HSR does not always yield growth opportunities; on the contrary, for cities suffering from population decline, the HSR may bring a serious challenge. Highlights • The phenomenon of urban shrinkage in China was further aggravated by the HSR. • The multi-stage DID results reveal that the impact of HSR on urban population may have a certain time lag effect. • The paper highlights that HSR does not always yield growth opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the complexity of multi-tier decision-making in the planning and development of High-Speed Rail (HSR) stations in China, where relationships between central and local governments have been reformed whilst the HSR system has been built at a fast pace. By analysing field interview data and secondary information, the research addresses a key question about whether multi-tier governments play a concerted role in station area planning and development decision-making. The findings reveal that the siting of the station, the planning of the station area, and the development of the different sectors of the HSR station and its vicinity are outcomes of the interplay between the central and the local governments, each of which has their distinctive logic in discharging responsibilities and pursuing interests associated with the projects. In the siting of the Wuhan HSR station, the municipal and central governments interacted actively with each other to safeguard their visions of development, whilst in the planning and development of the station vicinity, both the municipal and the central administrations were passive to collaboration thus foregone an opportunity to develop an integrated HSR station project. • HSR stations and their vicinity were products of negotiations between multi-tier governments. • Governments had specific roles and distinctive interests associated with HSR stations. • Central and local government interacted through formal and informal institutions. • Existing formal institutions discouraged parties from collaboration. • Informal institutions helped resolve conflicts but not develop an integrated station area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper is a spatial (urban and territorial) approach to high speed rail implications for cities, with focus on recent research and developments. The current situation and future challenges of HSR in Europe are analyzed taking into consideration three main levels of analysis: inter-city relationships, wider spatial implications and the role of HSR stations. The paper reviews the different approaches in two world powers, China and USA, considering their HSR territorial strategies and station location rationale. This dual review, based on European territorial experience, is useful as a reflection on HSR developments in the near future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]