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In many countries, national governments deploy city-regionalism not simply as a domestic policy tool but also as a geopolitical device enabling the internationalization of state territory and economy. Focusing upon the evolution of Yangtze River Delta (YRD) region in China, this paper offers new insights into the close associations between Chinese city-regionalism and the geopolitical orchestration of national development. Rather than conceived as an inevitable outcome of contemporary globalization processes, the development of YRD region is instead examined against the changing geopolitical dynamics and national objectives of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1949 to the present day. In the early phase of CCP rule, the development of regional urban centres, such as Shanghai in YRD region, was an instrument of national territorial integration and class unity. Following economic reforms in the 1980s, the formal designation of YRD as a city-region reflected the Chinese state's aspiration for accelerated economic growth and the internationalization of the domestic economy. Now confronted with widening regional inequalities, the Chinese state has greatly expanded YRD region to incorporate peripheral cities and provinces for the sake of regionally coordinated development. Even as YRD transforms into a global city-region, Shanghai seemingly separates itself functionally and discursively from the rest of the region. In departing from contemporary post-Westphalian or hyper-globalist perspectives on the rise of global city-regions in a stateless world, the paper provides a new interpretation of Chinese city-regionalism as a case of countervailing geopolitical processes at work within and beyond national state borders. [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 This paper builds an environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) multiple logistic regression model to analyze how socio-economic development impacts mainland China's coastal waters environment. China's coastal provinces have significantly different seawater quality at different stages of the seawater's EKC. Jiangsu and Hebei are still at the early stage of the seawater's EKC because of the large quantity of pollution-intensive industry, whereas the coastal provinces at the late stage of the seawater's EKC have presented obviously improved seawater quality based on adjustments in the industrial structure since 2001. Urbanization has a severe impact on the seawater quality of Shanghai and Zhejiang at the middle stage of the seawater's EKC. Furthermore, this paper proposes an overall strategy and several "tailored" strategies to address coastal waters environment improvement for current poorly targeted policies at different stages of the seawater's EKC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Group travel behaviour widely exists in cities, but has not been well investigated by researchers. To fill this gap, this paper develops a co-existence-based methodological framework to systematically explore the spatiotemporal characteristics of group travel behaviour. We apply our framework to a case study of Shanghai, China, using a one-month tranche of metro smart card data. Results show that most travellers perform a small number of group trips, together with a small number of co-travellers. They usually travel in a dyad or triad group and form far more small social communities than large ones. Group travel behaviour is distinctly different from individual travel in terms of both time and space: group travellers are more likely to travel during weekends, on holidays, and in the afternoons and evenings. They also prefer to perform group behaviour near stations located in the city centre or the centres of new towns in suburban areas, and close to attractions and public facilities. The analysis we present has various potential applications such as improving the management of public events and supporting the design of group ticket policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relationship between dense urban development, often represented by high-rise buildings, and its location vis-à-vis metro stations reflects the connection between transportation infrastructure and land use intensity. Existing literature on high-rise buildings has focused either on developed countries or on cities where urban and public transit developments have occurred in an uncoordinated manner. This paper examines the following questions: What is the spatial proximity and spatial correlation between high-rise buildings and metro stations in different stages of development in various parts of the city? What were some of the factors that resulted in the observed patterns? The results suggest that buildings constructed after 2000 and buildings within the urban core/Shanghai Proper districts had a greater spatial proximity to the metro stations. However, the spatial correlation, measured by the number of high-rise buildings within a 500-m buffer from the nearest metro stations and the time-distance to these stations, is stronger in the outer districts than in the urban core. These differences can be accounted for by Shanghai's stages of urban development, the existence of metro infrastructure when high-rise development was undertaken, and the city's land use policies. This case study sheds light on the relationship between high-density developments and metro systems in other large cities in China and other developing countries where rapid urban development coincides with the establishment of a comprehensive public transit system. • Investigate the relationship between high-density development and its location vis-à-vis metro stations. • Understand the different spatial distribution patterns of high-rise buildings between suburban districts and urban core. • Application of the spatial proximity and spatial correlation measures between high-rise buildings and metro transit. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Co-production is a valuable approach to waste management. • Co-production of waste management is compatible with centralized governance regimes. • The government-volunteer consortium and the peer pressure underpin co-production. • Contextual elements are critical for the success of waste management policies. Rapid urban population growth in China has resulted in significant challenges for Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management. To combat these challenges, Chinese authorities implemented a pilot program of MSW sorting in eight Chinese cities including Shanghai in 2000 but is yet to reach a widespread success. This paper uses a qualitative case-study approach to explore the potential of a community-based co-production strategy for household waste sorting as an alternative to the conventional top-down approach. Co-production implies the involvement of citizens, consumers, volunteers and/or community organizations in producing public service. We find two major drivers of the government-volunteer consortium and the peer-pressure effect help realize the potential of waste-management co-production at a lowered cost with improved efficiency and collaborative innovation. In addition, context-specific conditions including policy consistency, strong volunteer effort and compatibility with local culture to promote public participation must be present for further co-production application. We also acknowledge that the co-production approach would be most effective at the initial stage of policy implementation to foster the waste-sorting habit-formation in regions where the waste collection rates remain low. [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]

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]

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to explore the rapid urbanization of Chinese cities with a focus on the plans for a new, ongoing urban sub-centre in the north-west of Shanghai: Zhenru Urban Sub-Centre. Information-rich urbanization is a defining feature of the 21st century, reshaping cities and communities in China and in developing countries around the world. The scale and pace of change requires a solid systems approach of urban development. In 2011, China announced that it has reached an urbanization rate of 50%. If we take rapid urbanization as a given and that it is already well underway, it is still widely unclear what research needs to be conducted and policy changes made to support municipalities of fast transforming cities and to avoid repeating the development mistakes that have occurred in industrialized nations, i.e. driving urban growth with high consumption patterns without fully considering the environmental and social needs and occupants'' behaviour and aspirations. This paper compares two cases of urban development patterns for new sub-centres for polycentric city structures: It relates to new urban sub-centres in Berlin (Germany) and Shanghai (China), and the relationship of these sub-centres to ‘Network City’ theory. Network theory is useful in this context as the ‘network’ metaphor and concepts of decentralization seem to have replaced the ‘machine’ metaphor which was based on efficiency based on the availability of cheap fossil fuels. As cities aim to move towards more resilient urban ecosystems and polycentric systems, the case of Potsdamer Platz Berlin, compared to Zhenru Sub-Centre in Shanghai, is discussed. Both are transport-oriented developments promoting mixed-use density and less car-dependency. According to documentation of the Shanghai municipality, Zhenru urban centre, which is currently in its planning phase, is supposed to become a ‘new sustainable sub-centre for a growing metropolis’. Based on the Potsdamer Platz experience, a series of careful recommendations are formulated for the design and development of such centres, knowing that it is rather difficult to translate from one case to the other. The conclusion includes five lessons (recommendations) from Potsdamer Platz for the urban design of new sub-centres to ensure a delivery of economical, social and environmental sustainable outcomes. A core finding is that drawing lessons from the German case study for Chinese urbanization seemed a useful tactic and gave a sense that there are underlying urban design strategies. However, the conversion of such strategies to another cultural and social context requires further research. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The rapid economic ascent of China and the increasing integration of the world economy over the past two decades have made the metropolises in China, such as Shanghai and Beijing, emerging global cities. As in other parts of the developing world, foreign investment is a central force underlying the emergence of Chinese metropolises as global cities. This is especially true in Shanghai where major foreign investments in China are concentrated. The primary objectives of this paper are twofold: (1) to examine the process of foreign investment development in Shanghai and (2) to assess the significance of foreign investment in the transformation of Shanghai into a global city. As the literature on global cities dwells primarily on the experiences of those cities with advanced economies, this paper broadens the scope by contributing to a better understanding of the dynamics of global city formation in the developing world. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Planned as Shanghai’s new port, Yangshan is currently expanding its roles as transhipment hub and integrated logistics/industrial center in the Asia–Pacific region. This paper examines the impact of the emergence of Yangshan on the spatial pattern of the Yangtze River Delta since the 1970s, with reference to existing port system spatial evolutionary models. While this emergence confirms the trend of offshore hub development and regionalization processes observed in other regions, we also discuss noticeable deviations due to territorial and governance issues. Strong national policies favoring Shanghai’s vicinity rather than Ningbo as well as the growth of Yangshan beyond sole transhipment functions all contribute to Shanghai’s transformation into a global city. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In this paper, Shanghai city, the biggest city in China, was selected as the case for quantifying the impact of land-use/land cover (LULC) change on patterns of surface urban heat island (UHI). Time series of LULC maps of Shanghai were produced from Landsat TM/ETM+ images between 1997 and 2008, during which this city experienced unprecedented urban growth. The results show that dramatic changes in LULC have occurred, with loss of cropland, forest and shrub to urban use. The built-up land increased by 219.50%. In contrast, bare land, cropland, fallow land, forest and shrub decreased by 79.38%, 50.50%, 43.35%, and 20.90%, respectively. Consequently, these drastically altered the land surface characteristics and spatiotemporal patterns of UHI. According to temporal analysis on seasonal and inter-annual variations of intensity of the UHI (UHII), both the mean UHII between the city center (UHIIC-R) and UHII between the peri-urban and surrounding rural areas (UHIIP-R) reached maximum during summer period, followed by UHIIC-R and UHIIP-R during spring period. UHIIC-R and UHIIP-R were both relatively weak during winter period. In contrast, UHIIC-R and UHIIP-R were both slight during autumn period. Spatially, there were significant LSTs gradients from the city center to surrounding rural areas. Furthermore, the overall relationships between surface UHI pattern and pixel-based biophysical features as well as population density and road density were quantitatively explored. Thus, based on temporal–spatial analysis of land use dynamics, patterns of LST, and socioeconomic driving forces, our findings highlight the urgent demands for planers and decision-makers to deliberately take urban expansion, UHI effects, and their impact on local climate change into account in future planning. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Knowledge absorption theories argue that technologically less advanced companies (latecomer firms) can substantially upgrade their knowledge base through active knowledge absorption. These theories view knowledge absorption as a stepwise process which includes a linkage phase, a leverage phase and a learning phase (LLL concept). Case studies in Taiwan and Korea have shown that latecomer firms can indeed follow this approach and catch-up technologically with advanced firms. This paper aims to discuss the relevance of the LLL concept in China using the example of Optical Technology (OT). It reveals that the concept is not universally applicable. In the case of China, the ownership of companies determines successes and failures of strategies for increasing knowledge absorption. Private firms face substantial difficulties in establishing the necessary linkages; the upgrading of foreign-invested enterprises (FIEs) is controlled by their parent companies. This result has implications for theoretical concepts of learning and innovation in China, as well as for policy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Previous studies have understood urban competitiveness mainly from an economic perspective. Drawing on insights from recent debates on urban governance that argue for sustainable development, this study employs a more balanced view that takes into account the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of urban competitiveness. A four-level hierarchical indicator system is used to examine the competitiveness of 253 Chinese cities at the prefecture level or above in the year 2000. The results show that most of the top 20 cities are in the eastern part of China and have populations over 0.5 million. The bottom 20 cities are located primarily in the western part of China and have smaller populations that range from 0.2 to 0.5 million. In 2000 the city with the top economic competitiveness was Shanghai, the top social competitiveness was Beijing, and the top environmental competitiveness was Zhuhai. A given city does not necessarily rank the same in economic, social, and environmental competitiveness, but may perform well in different ways. The paper argues that, in order to sustain urban competitiveness, a city should achieve not only good economic performance, but also satisfactory social and environmental development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the gendered impacts of job-housing balance and neighborhood environments on mental health in the context of urban China. Using data of suburban commuters derived from a 2017 activity-travel survey in Shanghai, we employ ordered logistic regression models to test the effects of job-housing distance, commuting mode and neighborhood-scale environments on self-rated mental health status, and explore whether such effects vary between men and women. Model results indicate that, while longer job-housing distance generally predicts a lower level of self-reported mental health evaluations, this correlation is not significant among women. Compared with other travel modes, commuting by public transit is positively correlated with self-rated mental health, especially for women. Furthermore, whereas both men and women report better mental health status if living in a neighborhood with outdoor facilities and lower noise pollution, proximity to public space is negatively associated with mental health for men but not significant for women. Our findings entail the complexity of gendered mechanisms through which the physical environment – including the job-housing spatial relationship and neighborhood environment affects mental health among suburban commuters in rapidly urbanizing China. • Rapid suburbanization creates significant spatial imbalances between residential location and workplace. • Activity-travel survey in Shanghai was used to assess job-housing distance and perceived mental health. • Long commutes are associated with poorer mental health outcomes among residents. • Gender differences are associated with variable outcomes due to family roles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The socio-spatial segregation experienced by migrants has attracted considerable attention and an increasing number of studies have examined segregation in migrants' daily activity space recently. However, research on activity diversity and spatial contact between local residents and migrants has been limited. This paper fills this knowledge gap by investigating the differences in the extensity, intensity, diversity and exclusivity of activity spaces among local residents, urban migrants and rural migrants based on their routine activities in suburban Shanghai, China. It finds that rural migrants have low daily mobility and are physically constrained, and there is spatial sorting of activity locations among different social groups. Neighborhood environment significantly influences activity space-based segregation: People who live in neighborhoods with higher POI density and better access to commercial establishments and public spaces have small activity spaces, while those who live in neighborhoods with mixed land use, better access to public transit, and higher street connectivity have more diverse activity participation. Neighborhoods with better public spaces and a lower land use mix promote shared activity spaces. This study uncovers the segregation suffered by migrants by examining the usage of urban space and spatial interactions among social groups, enhancing our understanding of activity space-based segregation in developing countries. • We analyze the activity space-based segregation emphasizing diverse locations visited in residents' daily lives. • There is significant activity space-based segregation among hukou groups. • Rural migrants have limited daily mobility and are physically constrained in activity space. • Local residents tend not to share activity spaces with migrants. • Residential neighborhood attributes significantly influence activity space-based segregation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper investigates the unique institutional structures which manage interactions and interrelationships among key actors, their roles and functions, and how these articulate with national and global forces to produce new spaces of spatial economic development in the Pudong New Area in Shanghai. We begin with a revisionist historical perspective which links the official creation and initial development of Pudong to the political and international trade relations uncertainties of post-Tiananmen China and an economically laggard Shanghai of the late 1980s. The early focus in Pudong on export-oriented development has since yielded to a rather more sophisticated and comprehensive combination of strategies incorporating local, regional and international dimensions. Planning priorities and the resulting patterns of development in Pudong arose from the deliberate amalgamation and professionalisation of administrative responsibilities which have initiated and managed processes of change. The morphology of these spatial economic changes is not fully explained in relation to decentralisation, marketisation, and globalisation. The article considers a number of elements which need to be considered as part of a new conceptual framework for understanding the depth and extent of new spaces of globalisation in Pudong. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper investigates the fractal structure of China's stock market by calculating the multifractal singularity spectrum and comparing the scaling behavior of the bubble phase of eight abnormal volatilities with that of normal fluctuation on the timeline. We find robust evidence that the Shanghai Stock Exchange Composite Index has multifractal features in the bubble and normal fluctuation periods, where the higher multifractality is associated with a bubble and more unstable market. The short-sighted administrative policies cause over-supply of intervention, which enhances the multifractality and increases the instability of the stock market. The multifractal parameter set (α 0 , Δ α , − B) might be used as a quantifier to characterize the status of the stock market. A policy aimed to improve the stability of the stock market should be devoted to optimizing the parameter set. • A multifractal process for the SSECI both in bubble and normal status are supported. • The parameter set (α 0 , Δ α , − B) distinguish the bubble from normal status well. • The marketization degree has a significant impact on the spectra of the SSECI bubbles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The challenge of food waste in the foodservice sector of China is under-examined. This paper advances knowledge by exploring the food waste management practices adopted in a sample of Shanghai full-service restaurants. Through 22 in-depth semi-structured interviews with senior managers it establishes the significance of the food waste challenge and identifies Chinese food consumption habits as a major cause. Despite the pronounced role of consumers in food waste generation, restaurateurs largely fail to engage them in mitigation. To mitigate food waste occurring on customer plates, changes to the Chinese dining culture should be facilitated via nation-wide campaigns aiming to raise public awareness of food waste when eating out. The government of China should lead on the design of such campaigns, ideally involving celebrities for better consumer appeal and academics for the assessment of their effectiveness. The national government should also provide free-to-attend specialist training to restaurant managers and staff on how to mitigate food waste occurring in kitchens. • Explores food waste management in a sample of full-service restaurants in Shanghai. • Establishes the significant magnitude of food waste generation. • Pinpoints the Chinese dining culture as a major cause. • Highlights the mostly passive nature of existing mitigation approaches. • Elaborates on the interventions required for more effective mitigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy (RE) is strategically important to achieve sustainability. Its development in China, however, is clearly imbalanced across regions. The uneven distribution of natural resources, financial resources and other factors across this country has brought serious challenges to the policymakers. It is thus important to give a comprehensive evaluation of China's regional RE development. To do so, this paper introduces a multidimensional approach and establishes a quantitative evaluation framework. Based on the existing literature, five dimensions of factors have been chosen for the framwork: economic foundation, institutions, technological development potential, energy security and environmental protection, and current status of the RE sector. A dynamic principal component analysis technique is applied to data from 29 provinces between 2008 and 2014. The results demonstrate large variations in RE development across provinces in China. More economically developed regions, such as Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangdong, have maintained a higher ranking and have clear advantages in almost all dimensions. Policy implications and recommendations for more balanced development across China are drawn from the empirical results. This approach can also be extended to investigate similar issues in other countries. • A five-dimensional index is proposed to quantify renewable energy (RE) development in China. • RE development performance in China has improved over time. • Disparities in RE development across regions have become smaller. • The institutional dimension is a challenging segment in RE development. • Beijing and Shanghai have the highest level of RE development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Community participation is key for sustainable cultural heritage management and urban development. • There are differences between Chinese and international practices on community participation within cultural heritage. • In general, Chinese cultural heritage management is a government-led process. • Chinese participatory governance for cultural heritage is still nascent and it has yet to find a firm foothold. Community participation is an essential issue in heritage management. The international heritage organisation ICCROM published a guidance document discussing people-centred approaches to heritage management in 2015. Cultural heritage management is recommended to be carried out through a community participation process. Despite the growing literature on community participation in cultural heritage management, little research has been done on comparing Chinese to international approaches. Although in China several pilot projects have conducted effective community participation and achieved excellent outcomes. This paper aims to fill this gap by providing an overview that compares and discusses the similarities and differences between Chinese and international approaches. A systematic literature review of the state-of-the-art was conducted to explore these differences based on four themes: engaged communities, participatory methods, degrees of participation and steps taken within cultural heritage management. This review concludes both Chinese and international practices seek to collaborate with and empower local communities in their approaches, with Chinese pilot cases, such as Tianzifang in Shanghai. However, in general, Chinese cultural heritage management is government-led, in which community participation is happening to a minimal degree. China is encouraged to learn from international practices when developing contextualised management approaches, to better face the challenges of rapid urbanisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]