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Globally, co-production serves as a crucial approach to promote sustainable neighborhood rehabilitation. However, in China, where the governance system is characterized by strong state discourse power and a lack of public participation tradition, neighborhood rehabilitation encounters significant challenges, leading to project postponements or even failures due to unsuccessful co-production activities. To reveal the hidden problems, this paper aims to gain an in-depth understanding of the stakeholders' co-production roles and their participation structure in the co-produced sustainable neighborhood rehabilitation process from multiple dimensions. Using the case in Chongqing, the data was collected through questionnaire surveys and in-depth interviews. Social network analysis was utilized as the research method, and one-mode and two-mode networks were established to depict six relationship types with using diverse network indicators. This study revealed the high complexity of stakeholder structure, the awkward role of grass-rooted government, the dilemma of public voices and perceptions, uneven involvement in the co-production process, and the dynamic path of co-production formation. Drawing upon co-production theory, this paper elucidates the intricate mechanism of co-produced neighborhood rehabilitation in China. It offers valuable implications for policymakers and urban planners for project promotion, and contributes empirical insights to research in similar governance systems across the global context. • Stakeholder structure in co-produced sustainable neighborhood rehabilitation is highly complex. • Grass-roots government sectors have low discourse power in practice. • Resident-initiated organizations may not always accurately represent the views and interests of in-situ residents. • Uneven involvement of stakeholders can result in a downplayed co-design process and a weak role for investors. • Six network types are interconnected and interdepend. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Challenges to social, economic, and environmental sustainability are global in scale, yet sustainable development policies must be implemented locally. There has been a tendency for sustainable urbanism projects to engage in the conspicuous sustainability of spatially bounded and highly visible sustainability achievements, rather than spatially expansive, long-term achievements. China's complex system of multilevel governance encourages policy experimentation, but it is also frequently productive of entrepreneurial urbanism and intercity competition. This paper analyses spatial planning documents concerning Hengqin (Zhuhai Municipality, Guangdong Province), an island adjacent to Macao SAR, to show how the ambitions for a new-build district's contributions to sustainable development have become more spatially expansive and ambitious over time. This has occurred alongside changes in project leadership (from city, to provincial, to central government leadership) as well as a deepening awareness of the Greater Bay Area as a region for crossborder policymaking. The paper argues that crossborder perspectives are vital for genuine sustainable development but face certain obstacles in relation to the sites at which policy decisions are made. • Policymakers often prefer conspicuous sustainability to long-term achievements. • Innovative urban entrepreneurialism is common in China's multilevel governance. • Hengqin's spatial planning initially prioritised immediate, localised results. • Centralised leadership and regional awareness can raise sustainability ambitions. • Crossborder perspectives better reflect sustainable development needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given its significant implications for the economy and society, this paper investigates the impact of housing supply regulation on household wealth inequality. Utilizing data from the China Household Finance Survey and land transaction records spanning from 2013 to 2019, we employ recentered influence function regression and two-way fixed effects models to analyze the effect of unexpected housing supply shocks on the wealth gap among households. Our findings reveal that positive unexpected housing supply shocks are crucial in reducing household wealth inequality. This reduction is attributed to the heterogeneous impacts of housing supply regulation on different wealth groups. By deregulating the housing supply, the upward trend in housing prices has slowed, which in turn makes homeownership more accessible and facilitates wealth accumulation for households that fall within the 20 % and 80 % wealth quantiles. Conversely, deregulation has a negative impact on property values for households in the 80–100 % wealth quantile, thus mitigating their overall wealth growth. Overall, this study emphasizes the significant role of housing supply regulation in shaping wealth inequality in China. • This paper examines the housing supply regulation's impact on wealth inequality in China. • Positive housing supply shocks play a vital role in decreasing household wealth inequality. • Deregulation boosts homeownership for 20 %–80 % wealth quantile households. • Wealthiest households face property value drops with deregulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the evolution of the urban spatial structure is of great significance for clarifying the stage and trajectory of urban development and formulating future urban development plans. Given that previous studies have marginally explored the long-term evolution of the urban employment spatial structure, this paper proposes a theoretical model hypothesizing five sequential stages of a complete evolution cycle from the perspective of mono- and polycentricity: mono-centralization, main-centralization, multi-centralization, de-centralization and re-centralization. Further empirical results based on 292 prefecture-level cities in China from 1997 to 2017 support the model and demonstrate that most cities present an evolution in line with the hypothesis, except a few cities experiencing short-term fluctuations, and approximately 60 % of cities are in the stage of multi-centralization, where subcenters have a growth advantage, and the main center has a scale advantage. Additionally, this paper reveals two characteristics of the evolution of the urban employment spatial structure in China: spatiotemporal compression and government intervention. • Propose a theoretical evolutionary model of urban employment spatial structure. • Empirically test the theoretical model based on a sample of 292 prefecture-level cities in China from 1997-2017. • The evolution of the urban employment spatial structure in China gradually tends to be polycentric. • Spatiotemporal compression and government intervention are features of China's urban employment spatial structure evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on energy poverty dynamics by answering one question: Does energy poverty trap exist in Chinese cities? For this purpose, we examine the co-evolution between per capita energy consumption and income for 286 prefectural-and-above level cities in China over the period 2002 to 2014. A nonparametric joint-distribution dynamics approach is employed in the analysis. Both static and dynamic distribution analyses demonstrate significant evidence of club convergence in energy consumption across Chinese cities, and there are multiple equilibria between per capita energy consumption and income in the long-run distribution. The results also suggest that considerable cities fall into energy poverty trap, a chronic state with low income and low energy consumption. Therefore, we can argue that energy poverty is not a transitory state for those cities and support the existence of energy poverty trap in China. Our findings highlight the need to tailor policies aimed at reducing energy poverty in low-income cities. • We examine the co-evolution between per capita energy consumption and income in China. • A dataset of China's 286 prefecture-level cities during 2002–2014 is explored. • The results argue club convergence in energy consumption across Chinese cities. • Considerable cities fall into energy poverty trap. • The study supports the existence of energy poverty trap in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While localized price competition in many markets has been extensively analyzed, little empirical work has been undertaken in the land market. It is the intent of this paper, therefore, to investigate the nature of spatial price competition among land sellers that compete in concentrated markets within a specific geographical area. Applying spatio-temporal autoregressive model to data from the residential land market in China from 2007 to 2015, we find that, (1) the land market for residential development is highly localized, where land sellers (local governments) respond more strongly to the price changes by "close-by" sellers; (2) larger market share is significantly associated with less spatial price response and higher land price. Placebo analysis using the sample of land supply for industrial development reinforces a causal interpretation of our main findings. Results from this paper permit the conclusion that the supply of land for residential development is not a perfect competitive but a localized competitive market where land sellers controlling a larger share of the market exercise market power to maximize land revenue. • The first study investigating the nature of spatial price competition in land market. • Price competition among land sellers is highly localized. • Market concentration significantly influences the pricing behaviors of land sellers. • Land sellers exercise market power to maximize land revenue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing literature has overemphasized the power of state in the theorization of China's urbanization and transition, and after the reform and opening-up, substantial attention has been given to the interaction between state and market. Comparatively, the role of society has been vastly underestimated. The paper selects housing planting in Hohhot to explain how local villagers contended actively with local states for and over space to increase compensation for land requisition. The contention has caused severe social conflicts, high compensation cost, and forced demolition, thereby threatening local states' land finance and development. Essentially, space has become a useful tool for citizens to preserve their interests. This implies that with the rise of society, China's urbanization is transitioning from a high-speed and low-cost stage to a high-quality and high-cost stage. Due to the changing relation between state, capital, and society, many pertinent institutions need to be adjusted as well. The paper calls for additional attention to the state-society-relation perspective when theorizing China's urban development. • Apply housing planting in Hohhot to understand the new urban space landscape in China via the state-society-relation perspective. • Reveal the process of how villagers contend for and over space with local state to analyze the spatial power relation. • Offer political-economic implications of the rise of society in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's new town and ghost city phenomenon has attracted interest from academics and the media since the 2010s. There is, however, little research on the lived experiences of people in new towns, or of the transformation of these new towns. This paper uses Lefebvre's spatial triad to examine how the spaces of the new town are produced and transformed by interactions between multiple actors. Using an analytical framework based on the spatial triad, we explore the interactive mechanisms and the dialectical relationships within the triad. Taking Kangbashi, a new town in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, as a case study, we explore how the spatial production of a new town is co-created by multiple actors, and local government-led conceived space plays a dominant role in that creation. Through interactions in the dynamic nexus of conceived-perceived-lived space, the new town space is in the process of transformation from an empty "ghost city" to a comfortable habitable city. This research deepens our understanding of new towns and production of space by connecting state-led and capital-driven urban construction with the lived practices of residents. Moreover, this empirical Chinese study contributes to knowledge and understanding across diverse global urban contexts. • An analytical framework based on the spatial triad is proposed. • The mechanisms for the transformation of a new town space from a ghost city to a more habitable city is examined. • The local government dominates both the production of space and its transformation in the new town. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research explores the pattern of institutional change and its underlying logic in China's recent land development governance. China's central government has been issuing national policies since 2012 to promote urban regeneration to improve land use efficiency and sustainability. Through the lens of historical institutionalism, this paper analyses the making and implementation of Shanghai's new urban regeneration policies since 2014, which was a response to the central state's mandate. Results show that the redevelopment mode encouraged by the municipal governments is financially unattractive to district governments and market entities. Pro-growth development governance maintains strong inertia since it has been embedded in interlocking institutional arrangements. However, the top-down campaign temporarily changed the power distribution among different levels of government and cultivated incremental institutional layering. A small range of redevelopment projects were implemented through political mobilisation of the state-owned enterprises' financial resources and the local cadre's attention. This paper concludes that the transformation of China's land development governance is an inevitably arduous top-down process, characterised by constant rescaling of the distribution of power and constant adjustments to reconcile the pro-growth inertia and the state mandate toward sustainability. • Adopting historical institutionalism, the paper focuses on power in urban governance. • Sustainable land development modes contradict China's pro-growth inertia. • Top-down political mobilisation drives the paradigm shift in urban redevelopment. • Political mobilisations temporarily alter power distribution and trigger institutional changes. • Arduous incremental institutional layering in urban governance is inevitable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Given the ongoing "mobility turn" in social science research, a more comprehensive understanding of segregation is needed. Activity-space-based segregation studies have aroused renewed interests in geography and urban planning research. Most of the existing studies utilized the differences in spatial characteristics of people's actual activity space to identify the segregation among social groups. However, few studies have examined activity-space-based segregation in terms of individuals' potential activity space and the temporal variations in their segregation experiences. This paper aims to help fill these two research gaps by implementing an empirical study in Beijing. We examine the activity-space-based segregation of the residents of different types of housing in a Beijing suburb in terms of both actual activity space and potential activity space. We further investigate the temporal variations of the residents' segregation experiences during a week. A 7-day individual GPS tracking dataset, combined with the activity diary data and the socioeconomic attributes data of 422 participants is used for the study. The major finding is that residents of different types of housing in Beijing do experience activity-space-based segregation, while the characteristics of segregation vary with respect to actual activity space and potential activity space. Also, participants' segregation experiences varies between different days of the week. This paper offers some empirical evidence on enriching the understanding of activity-space-based segregation research as well as improving the understanding about social segregation among the residents of different types of housing in Chinese cities. It also generates some nuanced knowledge for future policy recommendations in a broad context. Highlights • Residents of different housing types in Beijing do experience activity-space-based segregation, while the characters of segregation varies in AAS and PAS. • The residents of affordable housing have both the smallest AAS and PAS on weekdays, which makes them the most isolated group. • With respect to the residents of market housing and institutional housing, they have relatively large AAS on weekdays while having relatively moderate PAS. • As for the residents of resettlement housing, their PAS are relatively large, although their AAS are small. • Significant differences in the extensity of both the AAS and PAS of the residents in different housing types can only be identified on weekdays. In weekends, differences in the extensity of the activity spaces are not significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Conflict is inevitable in public-private partnership (PPP) due to the long-term agreement and multiplicity of stakeholders with varying beliefs and interests. However, a thorough understanding of the root causes of conflict beforehand helps to minimize conflict occurrence, thereby ensuring a smooth PPP process. This paper aims to explore and evaluate the root causes of conflicts in PPPs through a comparative study between Ghana and China. Further, the most suitable conflict resolution mechanisms are explored from the Ghanaian and Chinese perspectives. Results show that causes of conflict ranked higher in Ghana directly relate to poor governance and contract arrangement, whereas causes related to poor risk management and communication are ranked higher in China. Further, arbitration and negotiation are the most suitable conflict resolution mechanisms for PPPs in Ghana and China respectively. The outputs of this study inform international private investors interested in PPPs in Africa and China of the possible sources of disputes and resolution mechanisms in PPPs. This will enable international investors to develop strategic measures before entering into the PPP markets of both regions. Highlights • Conflict is inevitable in public-private partnership arrangements • This paper explores the root causes of conflicts and conflict resolution mechanisms in PPPs • Causes of conflicts related to poor governance and contractual arrangements emerged as critical in Ghana, whereas causes related poor risk management and communication emerged as critical in China • Arbitration and Negotiations are the most suitable resolution mechanisms for conflicts in PPPs in Ghana and China respectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

Prior research on overwork has predominantly been conducted in developed countries. This study examines the role of affordable housing in Chinese cities and provides evidence from a developing country. Using data from China's National Health and Family Planning Commission's "China Migrants' Dynamic Survey," this study explores the relationship between affordable housing and overwork among migrant workers in Chinese cities, as well as the mechanism underlying this association. The results imply that migrant workers in China can work fewer hours if they reside in affordable housing. The impact of affordable housing on the overwork of migrant workers is partially mediated by their housing cost burden and their sense of local self-identity. Women, the younger generation, and later-arriving migrant workers are more negatively affected than men, the older generation, and earlier-arriving migrants. This study gives insight into the evaluation of the efficiency of affordable housing in China and evidence for future research on the issue of overwork in developing nations. • This study evaluates the effect of affordable housing on migrant workers' overwork in China. • The impact of affordable housing reduces migrant workers' overwork occurs partly through their housing cost burden and self-identity. • CMP, PSM and IV are applied to control endogeneity problems and perform robustness checks. • Conventional labor economic theory and identity economic theory are introduced to this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study looks into one of the most promising low carbon city planning initiatives in China, namely Shenzhen's International Low Carbon City (ILCC). First as a collaborative project between the Dutch and Chinese partners, the ILCC's international partners have expanded to include other countries, such as Germany, Italy, France, Australia and the US. This paper investigates the influence of these international actors in the development process of the ILCC and their benefits in the long run, through knowledge transfer and accumulation of resource. The paper first highlights a broad understanding of ‘low carbon city’ followed by detailed discussions on discourses of ‘low carbon city’, ‘eco-city’, and ‘low carbon eco-city’ in China. Then it provides insights on knowledge transfer in low carbon city development, and particularly the Sino-Foreign cases of China. The authors then introduce the case of study (ILCC) and highlight its visions, project planning, and partnerships. Using primary and secondary data, it then maps the ILCC's international actors and their roles, and then analyses their behaviours and impacts in the project's planning and development process. Next, the paper summarises the research findings with further updates on the case of ILCC. The authors conclude that the engagement between Chinese and international partners differ in three forms and they are (1) the type of involvement; (2) the level and timeframe of involvement; (3) the level of Influence in the project's multiple stages. The paper concludes that the role played by an international partner evolves as the project proceeds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 1978, market transition in China has significantly influenced the roles of the state, the market and the residents in urban restructuring. Since 2008, the central government has initiated Shantytown Redevelopment Projects (SRPs) to improve the living conditions of low-income residents. Between 2008 and 2012, about 12.6 million households were involved in SRPs, and forced to move as their dwellings were demolished. This paper investigates how SRPs are implemented by revealing how different stakeholders interact in SRPs in the city of Shenyang, China. Through in-depth interviews with various stakeholders and analysis of policy documentation on SRPs, the paper reveals a complex interplay between different stakeholders, which is characterized by the centralization of the inception of SRPs, the decentralization of actual SRP implementation, changes in the role of market forces, and decreasing housing affordability and multiple deprivation of residents in SRP target areas. Various stakeholders have consensus on the need for improving the living conditions in deprived neighbourhoods and on boosting the housing market. However, conflicts arise due to frictions between the central and local governments regarding the implementation of SRPs. We also find evidence of an entrepreneurial paradox in the relationship between local governments and developers. Finally, a mismatch occurs between the scope of the SRP policy and residents' attempts to improve their socioeconomic situation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the late 1970s, China's fast growth of economy and urbanization have driven large-scale urban renewal projects. To deal with complex urban problems, urban renewal requires integrated, coordinated and multifaceted strategies involving a wide range of stakeholders. A deeper understanding of the stakeholders in the decision-making process is an essential step towards sustainable urban renewal. This paper aims to understand the stakeholders and their participation in the decision-making of urban renewal in China, using the case of Chongqing. Data were collected through in-depth interviews and a questionnaire survey. Stakeholder Analysis and Social Network Analysis were complemented as the research methodology. First, the stakeholders involved in urban renewal decision-making were clarified. Second, the characteristics, including knowledge, power, and interest of each stakeholder, were analyzed. Third, the relationships between stakeholders were probed, and the structure of their network was examined. Finally, policy implications were drawn to the issues of stakeholder participation in urban renewal decision-making in China. • The stakeholders' interaction network is of high complexity. • Multiple layers of governmental sectors involved cause significant barriers to cooperation. • The informal participation of developers may create side effects on the outcomes. • Most stakeholders hold negative perceptions of public participation. • Specific laws, regulations, and accountability are needed in decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The migration determinants of graduates are of particular importance for the analysis of regional activities and thus influence city resilience in areas after the COVID-19 pandemic. By constructing a unique dataset from an online recruiting platform , we introduce a new measure of mobility intentions. We also apply the stacked difference-in-differences model to tackle the limitation of staggered treatments with a non-absorbing state brought about by lockdown policies. By comparing intention changes in cities with lockdown regulations to those without such regulations, we conclude that lockdown does influences the decisions of graduates and alter the attractiveness of cities mainly through panic job searching and recruiting digitalization. In a big picture, lockdown causally reduces graduates' mobility intentions by 0.7 %, but this intention increases by 1.2 % after lockdown is lifted. Lockdown policies also affect non-lockdown cities, particularly in cities that are less competitive and those that are in close geographical proximity. We further estimate the effects of lockdown duration and intensity on graduates' mobility intentions and find that full-scale lockdown increases intentions by 2.5 %, whereas partial lockdown increases intentions by only 0.9 %. This study fills the gap between the mobility literature and the COVID-19 literature by establishing the clean lockdown effects on graduate mobility intentions. • Lockdowns change the attractiveness of no locked-down cities to graduate migrants • New graduates cope with the anxiety from lockdowns by engaging in panic job searching • Graduates boost online job searches to offset lost offline recruitment during lockdowns • A data-driven analytical paper uses the large-scale human behavior data to quantify migration intention [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization is an important part of the modernization of traditional societies, and the growth of major cities is a prominent manifestation of urbanization. This paper uses historical maps and demographic data to measure the urban population and construction land growth of 47 major cities in China during 1900–1978, and examines the influence factors with different politic backgrounds. (1) China's cities were generally experiencing rapid growth. The growth rate of urban land was higher and more stable than urban population. (2) The growth rate of city size was negatively correlated with initial sizes, deviating Gibrat's law; the population's rank-size structure converged the Zipf's model during 1910–1949, but deviated during 1949–1978. The spatial pattern of urban system gradually shifted from regionalized core-periphery to a nationally-integrated, regional-egalitarian structures. (3) The patterns and mechanisms of urban population growth and land growth are not identical, reflected in the change of the distribution of urban construction land per capita. Urban land growth is more correlated with capital investment. (4) China was in a typical preconditions for take-off phase before 1949, but did not fit into the take-off phase as Rostow argues in 1949–1978. This period is crucial in comprehending China's rapid take-off after 1978, as it established the industrial foundation at the expense of urbanization. The previous process has left indelible traces and highlights the problem of the abnormal growth of urban land in recent years, thereby prompting a reflection on the role of land finance in China. • The changes of political background significantly influenced the industrialization and urbanization. • The two-dimensional measurements of land and population accurately portray urban growth. • The urban growth rate in China has undergone significant fluctuations. • The urban system shifted from a regionalized core-periphery to nationally-integrated, and regional-egalitarian pattern. • The mechanism of urban population growth and land expansion is not identical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resource-based cities play a crucial role in China's economic development. However, they are faced with the challenge of urban shrinkage due to the slowdown of economic growth in China, single industrial structure and the ‘boom and bust’ industrial cycle. To reverse the expected decline of these cities in the future, the Chinese Government has implemented active policies at national, provincial and municipal levels. This paper reviews the current planning policies and practices in resource-based cities in China from the macro perspective, and analyses how the Government engages with the pressing economic problems faced by resource-based cities, in particular, focussing on economic restructuring. To further analyse the policies from Central Government and the diversification of practices in local contexts, this paper presents two case studies, a petroleum mining city (Daqing City) and a coal mining city (Pingxiang City). Through discussion and an evaluation of general and place-based policies and practices for resource-based cities, this paper aims to enhance the understanding of shrinking cities in China and shed light on the policy-making of economic development for other resource-based cities in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The significant home price premium in top school attendance zones and the emerging evidence on residential segregation found in China's cities call for a study on the socioeconomic segregation in urban schools and its potential consequences. Using the 2009 and 2012 Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) surveys, this paper documents the socioeconomic and academic segregation among 15-year-old students in middle and high schools in Shanghai. We illustrate the effects of residence-based enrollment by comparing middles schools (required to use residence-based enrollment) and high schools (allowed to use merit-based selection), and further quantifies the relationship between school socioeconomic composition and academic achievement. We find that middle schools are more socioeconomically segregated, while high schools are more academically segregated. However, school segregation lessened from 2009 to 2012, especially in middle schools, likely due to the weakening of residence-based enrollment. Public schools in Shanghai became somewhat more integrated socioeconomically, but such a progress in equity was accompanied by an increasingly positive correlation between individual socioeconomic background and student performance, and an increasingly negative correlation between school socioeconomic diversity and student performance, both requiring the attention of policymakers. Highlights • An early study on the socioeconomic segregation in urban schools and its consequences in China; • Middle schools are more socioeconomically segregated, while high schools are more academically segregated; • School segregation lessened from 2009 to 2012, likely due to the weakening of residence-based enrollment; • Student performance was increasingly more correlated with family socioeconomic status; • School socioeconomic diversity and student performance was increasingly negatively correlated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Public rental housing (PRH) exits exert a profound influence on turnover rates, which further impact the public housing principles of fairness and efficiency. However, very few studies have attempted to investigate the tenant's barriers to exit PRH units in Chinese studies. In this paper, using data drawn from a randomly sampled survey of tenants in Beijing during the March 2017, we employ structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine the factors influencing tenant's barriers to exit. We find that housing availability is the most influential factor in determining the tenant's barriers to leave PRH, and residential satisfaction is also considered as a motivation against PRH exits. In addition, residential satisfaction transfers the impact of tenant's perceptions of housing and neighborhood to exit barriers. Especially, the effects of housing availability on exit barriers are higher in some groups, such as elderly, high income households, large-sized families and respondents with long spell of residence. Any program aimed at getting tenants to leave public housing sector needs to reduce their barriers to access to the private rental market and take into consideration the various characteristics of the tenants. Highlights • Explored the determinants of tenants' barriers to exit public rental housing in Beijing, China. • Housing availability is the most influential factor in determining the tenant's barriers to leave public rental housing. • Residential satisfaction transfers the impact of tenant's perceptions of housing and neighborhood to exit barriers. • Effects of housing availability on exit barriers are higher in some families. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The household registration (hukou) system has been regarded as the root cause of social exclusion in urban China. This article studies social integration in urban China by analysing the relationship between hukou identities, which differentiate citizenship in China, and trust in the central and local governments. Compared to urban locals, both rural migrants and urban migrants have lower levels of trust in the local government, which is consistent with the fact that migrants face hukou -based social exclusion in cities. Regarding trust towards the central government, while urban migrants have the lowest level, rural migrants still maintain a strong faith. Levels of generalized trust, perceptions of inequality and orientations towards authority vary systematically across the three groups of urban populations, thereby contributing to their differing political attitudes. In particular, feelings of political exclusion are prevalent among migrants and significantly erode their political trust. While improving the economic outcomes of migrants is necessary, our paper highlights the importance of promoting political integration among diversified urban populations. Highlights • We compare political attitudes among three groups of populations in urban China. • Compared to urban locals, both groups of migrants are less trusting of the local government. • In regard to the central government, urban migrants have the lowest trust while rural migrants have the highest trust. • Generalized trust, political efficacy and attitudes towards authority are important factors behind political trust. • Political exclusion erodes trust in the government for both groups of migrants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Social epidemiological studies have long understood housing as a social determinant of mental health. However, most studies have focused on the formal housing sector and the conceptualisation of housing is limited to the housing per se. This study aims to bridge the gap by investigating the mental health impact of housing disadvantages concerning the migrant population in China, who are largely excluded from the formal housing sector. Drawing from recent writings on stress as the intermediary agent between modern city life and mental illness, the study examines the relationship between housing and neighbourhood conditions, perceived stress and mental health status. Using a large-scale survey conducted in twelve Chinese cities in 2009, this research found that informal housing tenants have the highest level of perceived stress and worst mental health status compared to dormitory tenants and formal housing residents. Poor housing conditions are significantly associated with perceived stress but not with mental health, while the neighbourhood social environment significantly predicts both perceived stress and mental health. The paper concludes by calling for more ethnographic research on migrants' resilience and stress-coping strategies and more attention in urban planning and housing policy to address the vulnerability and adversity of migrant settlements. Highlights • Proposing a conceptualization of housing stress for migrants in urban China • Explaining the theoretical links between housing, stress and mental health • Exploring the impact of migrant housing on their mental health • Calling for more ethnographic data to understand migrants' stress-coping strategy [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the unbalanced and confrontational state-citizen relationship, China's urban redevelopment has been accompanied with continuous violent conflicts, which to a large extent damages the public image of Chinese government in recent years. This article first overviews the governance dilemma underlying China's violent demolition from the perspective of institutional arrangement, and then argues a collaborative approach can be a remedy for the dilemma. After the introduction and definition of collaborative governance, this article demonstrates its application in preventing violent demolition with the Caojiaxiang project in Chengdu as a case. It is found that collaborative governance is advantageous in enhancing the legitimacy of governance, increasing the potential to find effective solutions, and enhancing the trust between government and citizens. Despite the disadvantages of collaborative governance, including limited effect and the dependence on social capital, quality of stakeholders' interaction and leadership, this paper argues the success of Caojiaxiang project may be duplicated given the following institutional requirements are met: 1) an institutional procedure to establish and operate evictees' association in urban redevelopment projects; 2) an effective complaint system for the upper-level government to monitor the malpractice of lower-level government; and 3) an judicial system independent of local governments and legal proceeding over any illegal behavior in demolition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building livable cities has been an important goal for new urbanization in China. Thus, understanding residents' satisfaction with urban livability in China and its determinants is beneficial for urban planning and policy making regarding livable cities construction. However, scientific evidence on satisfaction with urban livability towards Chinese cities is still lacking. Drawing on large-scale questionnaire surveys conducted in 2015 in 40 major cities in China, this paper aims to explore the characteristics of satisfaction with urban livability and the effect magnitude of its determinants using the geographical detector model. The results show that the respondents are just moderately satisfied with urban livability in China (2.996). With respect to the dimensions of urban livability, the respondents are relatively satisfied with the convenience of public facilities (3.118), the natural environment (3.057) and the sociocultural environment (3.056), while slightly dissatisfied with urban security (2.788), environmental health (2.912) and convenient transportation (2.929). The result of the geographical detector model further reveals that all the six dimensions of urban livability have significant and positive impacts upon overall satisfaction with urban livability, of which the natural environment, convenient transportation, environmental health are the greatest contributing factors. Moreover, individual socioeconomic attributes such as geographical location, type of housing, education, family size, age, hukou status, also exert significant effects on overall satisfaction with urban livability in descending order, but the magnitude of their effects is far less than that of the dimensions of urban livability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the global discourse of ambiguous property rights, the prevailing argument is that ambiguous property rights are blamed for myriad land-related problems in the Global South. In the absence of secure land property rights, China provides new insights into this prevailing argument; however, whether China's ambiguous land property rights have led to land-related problems is still under heated debate. Through an empirical investigation of the Shanghai No.10 Iron and Steel Works redevelopment, this paper explains the ambiguity of property rights over state-owned industrial land in relation to the ambiguous property rights approach and evaluates its impacts on industrial land redevelopment. The case study analyzes the major stakeholders and their de jure rights and de facto rights, reveals the land rents redistribution, and examines how ambiguous property rights fundamentally impacted the spatial outcomes of the No.10 Steelworks site. With the evidence of the two-sided impacts caused by ambiguous property rights in China, this paper criticizes the monolithic understanding of ambiguous property rights in the global discourse and argues that the introduction of ambiguous property rights has been a double-edged sword for land redevelopment in non-Western countries. New thinking concerning alternatives to land institutions is finally discussed within and beyond China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the emerging land-centered urban politics in China, can western Growth Machine Theory (GMT) explain local dynamics in Chinese cities? This paper argues that three major interest groups exist in a local land market: the central government, the local government, and local developers. Economic coalitions are expected to form between a local government and developers, and political coalitions are expected to exist between the central and local governments. To test this hypothesis and to examine the existence of local economic coalitions, this paper uses Suzhou and Shenzhen as case studies. It shows that individual land-related local interest groups are emerging and economic coalitions exist in both cities, but with varying degrees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a formal analysis of the neighborhood vibrancy created by urban form. We use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to develop quantitative measures of urban form and define neighborhood vibrancy based on a GPS-based activity survey in suburban Beijing. An Urban Form index was adopted to determine that our measures of urban form capture meaningful differences in the characteristics of urban neighborhoods – differences that may have direct impacts on neighborhood vibrancy. Specifically, high density and mixed land use are strongly positively correlated with neighborhood vibrancy, whereas developed external traffic systems are negative. However, a thorough inter-circulation system and convenient accessibility do not always boost neighborhood vibrancy. These factors lose efficacy when gated neighborhoods are selected and surrounding facilities are distributed far away. Our study argues that urban planners, using their professional judgment, can contribute to urban vitality at the neighborhood scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing the reliance on car-based transportation is a common goal of academics and policy makers, one element of which is car-ownership. This paper contributes to our understanding of the links between socio-economic attributes, the built environment and car ownership. Based on a sample of 3480 individuals across China in 2012, this study examines the impacts of the built environment at both neighborhood and city levels on car ownership and its moderating effects on household income. The results indicate that built environment elements at both levels affect car ownership significantly, and while some elements mitigate the effects of household income on car ownership, others strengthen them. Thus, urban transportation policy should focus on the built environment at both the neighborhood and city levels and promote compact development for the sake of restraining car ownership and encouraging more sustainable modes of travel. Moreover, policy should not ignore the interaction effects between individual socio-economic attributes and the built environment, as their directions are heterogeneous. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization has resulted in children in many cities being separated from contact with nature, despite the many benefits that this can provide for play and learning. Influenced by research and practice from the ‘west’ there is increasing evidence that in recent years these benefits for young children are being acknowledged and expressed in policy and practice in China. Chengdu, a rapidly expanding city in the south-west of China, has playgrounds in public spaces dominated by the Kit, Fence, Carpet approach but also has some kindergartens with a more natural approach, which supports a higher play and educational value. Nothing is known of parents' perceptions of different approaches to the provision of playgrounds and this paper seeks to begin to fill this gap. It reports on research with parents and young children at two kindergartens in Chengdu that sought to understand parents' perceptions of different playground styles, aesthetics and play risk associated with the different styles and children's perceptions of different playground styles. The results of an on-line questionnaire revealed that over 87% of the parents understood and recognized the benefits of natural elements within a playground. Vegetation and water were the most popular elements followed by sand and stone, landform and then insects and small animals. Physical and creative developments were the two most recognized development functions of natural elements acknowledged by the parents. Images of different playground styles were used with both adults and children and revealed that both groups tended to select a natural style with parents more inclined to select a higher degree of nature than children. Parents also considered that more natural playgrounds to be of low risk and attractive to look at. Two policy changes in China make this work of great significance: the change from one to two-child policy and the introduction of a natural education approach. The resultant increased numbers of children in future will benefit if the positive findings of this research inform policy and practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes the role of local citizens in the morphological transformation of China's urban historic neighborhoods. With a focus on ordinary neighborhood properties, this research explores how local citizens have consumed different types of properties, and critically investigates socio-spatial problems that arise from such consumptions. By the case of the Stele Forest Neighborhood in Xi'an, the study argues that both the local state and local citizens recognize heritage resources as an important source of profit and that the competition for exchange values between the two has contributed to historic neighborhood physical patterns. Local citizens' resistance against and dissent from local government's conservation policies are manifested through passive bargains and tolerated illegalities, and are eventually reflected in their neighborhood morphological forms. Morphological pattern-related decision-making and subsequent actions in China's neoliberal urban setting are no longer monopolized by the local state, but shared by the local state and non-state actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recent decades have witnessed a drastic shift in the spatial structure of China's large cities, from being monocentric to polycentric; however, the existing literature has not completely identified the transformation process, due to a lack of investigation from employment distribution. By using enterprise registration data from 1996, 2001, and 2010, this paper aims to fill the research gap by examining employment subcenters and their effect on population distribution in Beijing. We found that (1) the number of employment subcenters increased from 6 in 1996 to 11 in 2001, and to 16 in 2010; and (2) the population distribution in 2000 was not significantly affected by the appearance of employment subcenters, while the population distribution in 2010 was significantly and positively impacted by distance to the nearest subcenter. These results justify the trend of Beijing becoming a polycentric city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the mapping of urban networks based on inter- and intra-firm linkages has attracted extensive attention in the field of urban geography, analysing urban networks through specific lenses inevitably results in partial perspectives on how urban systems are organised. To further advance the research on understanding the pluralistic geographies of intercity connections, this paper unpacks the urban network as formed by client service relationships of law firms in China. Drawing on a network analysis of the interfirm service provision relationships between 24,441 law firms and their corporate clients in China, this paper presents a pilot study of what a law service provision network looks like and how its structure – especially the connectivities of cities and city-dyads – is shaped. The findings reveal that while the general patterns of the urban network formed by client service relationships of law firms is broadly in line with the underlying structure of China's economic and political landscapes, administrative factors, market and spatial distances have shaped the patterns of urban network in China in a unique and mixed manner, and that the ways in which these factors function are closely related to the characteristics of the network actors. • The geographies of intercity connections are pluralistic. • Administrative factors, market and spatial distance function together. • The characteristics of network actors shape the formation of urban networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gentrification has now unfolded at a planetary scale and has broken down the center-periphery structuring of urban and rural areas. In the context of new-type urbanization and rural revitalization, tourism gentrification has gradually become a new frontier of the rural-urban relations in China. Taking Xizha as a case study, this paper aims to explore the characteristics and mechanisms of tourism gentrification in historic districts through temporal analysis and multi-scalar approaches. Based on recent field visits and semi-structured interviews with administrative staff, enterprise managers, residents, and tourists in the study area, three main arguments are put forward in this paper. First, a phased tourism gentrification process has taken place in Xizha, with significant shifts in lifestyle, industry and investment, physical infrastructure, property rights, and the rent gap. Second, tourism gentrification in Xizha is a multi-subject and multi-scalar consequence of uneven development in China, with power-oriented, capital-driven and class-separated processes as the core mechanisms. Third, Xizha's tourism gentrification is regional and endogenous, with the local government and the rural-urban dual structure being the principal influencing factors. Further discussions are provided to expand the general significance of the case study and increase the contribution to the planetary gentrification. • A temporal analysis of tourism gentrification in Xizha is proposed. • The mechanism of tourism gentrification in Xizha relies on the multi-logic of power, capital and the class. • The institutionally distinctive background and the socio-spatial structure for gentrification in China are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's housing purchase restriction (HPR) policy is a "non-mandatory" policy, meaning that local governments can decide whether to adopt it and for how long. Based on an empirical analysis, this paper argues that the primary factor motivating a local government to implement the HPR policy is the external pressure from the higher-level governments. This paper concludes that a local government might be forced via implicit coercion to implement a housing policy that is ostensibly "non-mandatory." This paper deepens the international community's understanding of the diffusion of housing policies in Chinese contexts. • Analyzing a city's motivations from the perspective of policy diffusion. • Examining the factors determining a city to implement the HPR policy. • External pressure is the primary factor motivating a city to implement the HPR policy. • A city might be forced to implement a policy that is "non-mandatory". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Speculation in land and real estate has become a chief means of revenue generation in cities across the world. The literature on speculative urbanism has discussed how the advent of land markets transformed government strategies and created new partnerships between state and capital for rent extraction. Far less attention, however, has been paid to grassroots practices of speculation among residents of peri-urban and rural areas, whose neighbourhoods are often dramatically transformed by the rapid appreciation in land prices brought about by urbanization. Based on fieldwork in a Chinese urban village, this paper demonstrates how land commodification gave rise to competitive territorialization and forms of "intimate exclusion" within the community. The boom in property prices amplified inequalities between villagers, as those with greater access to capital, authority and social networks were better positioned to reap gains from the market while those without land rights were excluded. The desire to capitalize on market gains furthermore sharpened intra-community conflicts, creating tensions between neighbours and family members over issues of ownership and distribution. By focusing on everyday practices of territorialization at the neighbourhood level, this paper sheds light on how land speculation and rentiership could contribute to deepened differentiation at the urban frontier. • Highlights role of residents in land speculation in peri-urban China • Intra-village dynamics of accumulation and exclusion deepen social differentiation • Differential ability to participate in rentiership creates varied class trajectories. • More attention needed for intimate dispossession and land grabbing by villagers • Contributes to theorization of peripheral urbanization in Global South cities [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban growth management is a popular topic for study area all over the world. Despite the increasingly rich literature, however, little has been considered of the complex relationship between the various urban development factors and their feedback structure. This paper contributes in understanding the mechanism of, and establishing a link between, urban growth management oriented by zoning in China (namely development priority zoning or DPZ). A system dynamics urban growth model is presented that is integrated with China's socio-economic development situation. With Yiwu city and Qingtian County as case studies, the model is applied in simulating urban growth under different driving modes. The results indicate that the DPZ in these two areas has an influence on urban growth management strategy, with the driving mode of urban growth affecting economic development levels, migration and types of land conversion. It is concluded that different driving modes are needed for different types of regions according to the functional positioning of their DPZ and that the model contributes to their identification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following nearly three decades of urban sprawl, China's urbanization has entered a new era of land redevelopment that encompasses built-up land in villages in a manner that is unprecedented. Village redevelopment involves both dramatic institutional change and governance restructuring. The extant literature on this redevelopment focuses primarily on top-down initiatives launched by urban governments, paying little attention to villages' responses as actual landholders. Through a case study of village redevelopment in Nanhai, this paper examines villages' behaviour during periods of institutional change and their interactions with urban governments to shape final outcomes. Institutional uncertainty emerges during path-dependent institutional change, as revealed through the absence of effectively executed planning control and unclearly defined profit sharing. As a result, villages and urban governments sign incomplete contracts for entire redevelopment plans. Such agreements result in disordered competition for land rents that take the form of villages ‘holding up’ the government that has previously made a commitment to the village pursuant to the contracts. Villages maximize their profits and attenuate the government's role in ensuring public revenue, whereas government compromises related to development control challenge the capacity of limited public governance. The government's concessions related to profit distribution result in increased inequality between more prosperous villages and other groups, such as migrant populations and remote rural villages. Research findings contribute to a comprehensive understanding of newly created governance in redevelopment and call for a critical evaluation of existing urban renewal policies to ensure that urbanization is an inclusive process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under the banner of integrated urban-rural development in China, increasingly more rural population is being concentrated into large, new residential areas. For resettled residents, the rural-urban transition is rapid and affects multiple facets of their lives. This paper explores the effects of the transition on residents' social relations, drawing on the experience of resettled villagers in Zhenjiang, Jiangsu Province. It addresses three research questions. First, how are such effects manifested in residents' social interactions and sources of social support? Second, how are these effects vary by socioeconomic attributes of residents? Third, in what ways have residents deployed the spaces of social interaction to enhance their own wellbeing? We show that for resettled rural residents, both the scope and composition of social relations have widened. In particular, those with higher income, increased household assets, or workplace located within the neighborhood are experiencing larger scope of social relations and more diverse subjects of interaction. Our analysis also points to less desirable consequences, as reflected in limited social engagement by residents with fewer financial resources and employment options. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strong government intervention exists in China's land market compared to other countries. This paper examines the effects of government intervention on land misallocation and identifies its source, based on Chinese prefecture-level cities' panel data from 2003 to 2012. The empirical results show that local government's distorted land-leasing price policy, by which it leases out industrial land at a lower price, and leases out commercial and residential land at a higher price, leads to land misallocation between the industrial and service sectors. Local governments' revenue and political incentives also cause land misallocation. More land is leased to the industrial sector when local governments intervene more in land prices and rely more on investments, and when local officials have an incentive to signal performance in the early years of their tenure. The distorted land-leasing policy results from local governments' attracting investments and land-financing incentives, which leads them to lower industrial land prices to attract investments, and to push up commercial and residential land prices in order to pursue revenue. Political cycles foster the effects of land price distortion on land misallocation. Reforms of China's land-leasing system and central-local fiscal institutional arrangements are needed to reshape local governments' land-leasing incentives and remove land price distortion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the spatial relationship between walkability and air pollution exposure via a spatial vertical equity lens, and discusses the possible bias of healthy spaces with a special focus on age groups and housing prices. The urban centre of Wuhan, China, a rapidly urbanising area, is taken as the study area. The findings obtained are: (i) spatial inequities of the urban-rural gradient are evident in terms of walkability and air pollution exposure, and the combinations of the two measurements divide the study area into high walkability-low pollution exposure spaces ('sweet spot' locations), low walkability-high pollution exposure spaces ('sour spot' locations), high walkability-high pollution exposure spaces ('risky spot' locations) and low walkability-low pollution exposure spaces; (ii) both minors and seniors were inequitably treated in healthy space allocation, but minors are at a more significant disadvantage than seniors; and (iii) the communities with low housing prices exhibit low walkability and high air pollution exposure, suggesting that healthy spaces are more likely observed in economically advantaged communities. The study proposes a spatial lens to investigate the importance of embedding the notion of vertical equity in the built environment, and thus provides a conceptual framework to support sustainable urban planning and public health. • Spatial lens is adopted to investigate the equity embedded in the built environment. • Measurements of walkability and air pollution exposure have both been improved. • Minors, compared to seniors, are at a greater disadvantage in the built environment. • Economically vulnerable groups are being squeezed out of healthy spaces. • The research framework supports policies towards a more equitable environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies have frequently taken urban density as a surrogate for economic efficiency and applied composite scores such as urban intensity to assess the existing physical forms of towns. However, measures of intensity might nuance crude calculations of density while considering how such measures relate to future plans and the process of transformations. This paper used open source geospatial data and regulatory detailed planning to measure urban intensity of the existing and the planned. Spatial analytical techniques were applied to compute accessibility to destinations, building density, compactness of development, and diversity of land use function of sixteen specialty towns in China. The results showed that the regulatory detailed planning of these cases might not improve town planning measured by intensity in terms of spatial arrangement in the time horizon of 15–20 years. We found that well-integrated monocentric forms with the finer street network could potentially provide a more suitable spatial distribution for mid-sized towns measured by urban intensity, no matter whether the urban form is linear or center-spreading. Moreover, the comparison between the existing and the planned implies that the poly-centric urban form for mid-sized towns in China could end up with a lower score of urban intensity. We outline a framework of urban intensity measures that include analytical consideration of what is there now, planned to what is forthcoming, and conceptual in terms of time and space. • Differentiating urban intensity from density • Using urban block as the spatial unit of study is more accurate than a synthetic spatial grid. • Comparing existing and planned conditions of medium-sized towns • Evaluation and intervention of town planning policies [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the new appearance of ethnic congregation in a Chinese city that is intimately tied to the worldwide web of production and global commodity chains. Through an empirical case study, the paper examines how the formation of ethnic enclaves in urban China is driven by the global shift of international production and the interaction between global forces and locally-bounded attributes. Its proposition is that the ethnic enclave should be conceptualized as both part of a global system and a locally-constructed place. This study adds to the “global–local nexus” literature on urban transformation by showing transnational spaces are produced by both exogenous and endogenous forces under global shift of capital, production and people. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Since the introduction of the economic reforms in late 1978, the Chinese urban system has experienced spectacular growth, accompanied by a rapid rise of urbanization from about 20% to more than 36%. Although restricted by government policy, the development of large cities prevailed in the 1980s, as shown in a previous study (). This process of predominantly large cities growth appeared to continue in the 1990s, as is shown with further analysis and update on the issue, within the framework of globalization and other economic theories. Based on newly published demographic and economic data, the paper depicts the growth and concentration of population, foreign direct investment and employment availability in the large cities in contemporary China. This paper argues that in this globalization process, in which the fundamental economic rationales of increasing returns, urbanization economies and urbanization agglomeration prevail, large cities will continue to outperform the small cities and so the dominance of large cities will continue. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper analyzes how the spatial spillover effects of air pollution on city-level average housing prices vary with geographical, atmospheric and institutional factors in China. By using the panel data of Chinese major cities over the period 2005–2015, our empirical estimations show that: first, the negative spatial externality of transboundary neighboring air pollution on housing prices is significant only when the distance between cities is less than 200 km, and the impact magnitude significantly declines with distance; second, the spillover effect of air pollution is sensitive to wind direction; third, the negative externality of air pollution on housing prices is significantly aggravated where there is higher ventilation intensity between the cities and lower effectiveness levels relating to local environmental governance. These findings are robust to differing model settings and differing indicators for key variables. Our estimate suggests that, on average, a doubling of the total imported air pollutants from neighboring cities less than 100 km distant will be likely to reduce local housing prices by 6%. The paper concludes with policy suggestions on how to mitigate the negative externality of transboundary air pollution through collaborative cross-boundary urban governance. • The spatial spillover effects of air pollution on housing prices vary with geographic, atmospheric and institutional factors. • The negative externality of transboundary air pollution on housing prices is significant only when the distance is less than 200 km. • The estimate of spillover effect of air pollution is sensitive to whether the study has proper control of wind direction. • Higher levels of ventilation intensity and emission rate of industry pollutant aggravates the spillover effect of air pollution. • A doubling of total imported air pollutants from cities within the radius of 100 km will depress local housing prices by 6%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing countries tend to exhibit evident urban–rural income divergence as urban areas rapidly expand into adjoining land. However, Western-centric urban theories and studies of spatial inequality have not paid sufficient attention to the connection between income divergence and urban expansion. This paper employed a panel quantile regression model to investigate this relationship in 220 prefecture-level Chinese cities in 2006–2014. To identify potential spatiotemporal effects, we conducted additional robustness checks using the spatial Durbin model and geographical and temporal weighted regression. The results show that a 1 % expansion of urban land decreases the urban–rural income gap by 0.005 % to 0.011 %. This narrowing effect is particularly prominent in the eastern and central regions and in areas that are less urbanized overall. It also varies within regions that have a more pronounced difference between the lowest and highest quantiles in northeastern China and cities with urbanization rates of >50 %. Finally, we find evidence for an inverted U-shaped relationship between urban expansion and the urban–rural income gap. Our results entail suggestions for improved urban–rural development policies aimed toward greater integration and efficiency in urban expansion. • The relationship between urban expansion and the urban-rural income gap was investigated using panel quantile regressions. • Robust checks were conducted with the spatial Durbin model (SDM) and geographical and temporal weighted regression (GTWR). • A 1% urban expansion decreases the urban-rural income gap by 0.005% to 0.011%. • An inverted U-shaped relationship between urban expansion and the urban-rural income gap was found. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, China has witnessed fierce competition for talents among cities. There is evidence that China's first-tier cities are losing their appeal for young talents due to the soaring housing prices and high living costs in first-tier cities, as well as the catch-up of next-tier cities. Therefore, uncovering what factors drive young talents to develop in first-tier cities is important for policymakers to maintain and enhance the attractiveness of first-tier cities. Most previous research on talent migration has focused on demographic and socioeconomic factors, while little research has examined the influence of psychological factors. By adopting the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this paper aims to explore what beliefs and background factors influence university students' intention to develop in first-tier cities after graduation. Using the data we collected from 1242 university students across China, we found that two-thirds of university students have the intention to develop in a first-tier city after graduation. The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) results show that students' migration intentions were most influenced by their attitudes, followed by subjective norms and perceived behavioral control (PBC). Specifically, beliefs such as realizing future dreams, better job opportunities, and higher wages shape students' positive attitudes towards developing in first-tier cities. The supports from family, friends, teachers, and classmates contribute to positive subjective norms of developing in first-tier cities. In contrast, perceptions of high housing prices, high living costs, and family ties discourage students from developing in first-tier cities. Furthermore, being male, being a non-only child, studying in first-tier cities, and attending higher-ranking universities have positive influences on migration intention through the mediating effects of the TPB constructs. Policy implications were discussed to help first-tier cities attract graduates. • The brain drain has become a serious deterrent to the sustainable development of Chinese first-tier cities. • 64% of surveyed university students have the intention to develop in a first-tier city after graduation. • Attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavior control together explained 53% of the variance in students' intention to develop in a first-tier city. • Some behavioral beliefs, normative beliefs, and control beliefs have significant indirect effect on intention through influencing attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control respectively. • Students who are male, non-only child, and who study in first-tier cities, and in a higher-ranked university have greater intention to develop in a first-tier city than their counterparts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The spatiotemporal pattern of gradual institutional transformation since 1978 has formed a model of “administrative urbanization” and driven the progress of restructuring urbanization in China, called Chinese-style urban spatial restructuring (USR). The USR exhibits apparent path dependencies and lock-ins, and so needs to be understood within a comprehensive historical context. In China, USR is an institutional progressive system formed under a myriad of complicated driving forces, such as less Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and more SOEs–SCs–NWUs referring to state-owned enterprises, shareholding cooperatives dominated by government, and non-produced work-units in inland. Therefore, USR needs to be clearly analyzed in order to understand the spatiotemporal urbanization. This paper makes two arguments, the first being that even in light of recent trends towards strong local authority, USR is still dominated by the central government party. Secondly, we developed a model that identifies the path-dependency of SOEs–SCs–NWUs' location and relocation, state's institutional reform, and actor (re)locating-led lock-ins and regionally gradient lock-ins from the process of USR for Lanzhou, China, which is one of the largest inland cities in the country. Given USR of coastal cities is more frequently studied, this study provides a key step in understanding the role of local and central government agencies in USR of China's large inland cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last couple of decades, urban areas around the world have been engaged in increasing initiatives, practices and experiments with a view to achieving social, economic and environmental sustainability. Echoing these movements, sustainable urbanization has entered many policy agendas. In practice, various aspects including eco-environmental protection, land development, housing, policy, population growth and migration and energy utilization have been noted and discussed by different scholars. In the context of China, these terms/keywords are found in studies across different scales and types of cities, each of which would have implications for our understanding of theory relating to sustainable urbanization. In response, this paper reports on a comprehensive literature review of these studies of sustainable urbanization, and further explores three key areas including evaluation, innovative solutions and engagement of all stakeholders that will move forward sustainable urbanization process across cities in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes how the newly introduced land pricing system affects urban land productivity in China, taking post-land-reform Beijing as an example. China has been developing its urban land market by building an effective pricing system. This study indicates that the effects of such pricing system on urban land productivity have evolved with the progress of land reform. It is only since 2004, when land granting by negotiation was at last totally prohibited for profit-oriented developments, that the land pricing system has started to positively and significantly improve urban land productivity; the land pricing system also promotes more productive urban land usage by stimulating more intensive investment and better business management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]