Search

Urban heat waves pose a significant risk to the health and safety of city dwellers, with urbanization potentially amplifying the health impact of extreme heat. Accurate assessments of population heat exposure hinge on the interplay between temperature, population spatial dynamics, and the epidemiological effects of temperature on health. Yet, many past studies have over-simplified the matter by assuming static populations, leading to substantial inaccuracies in heat exposure assessments. To address these issues, this study integrates dynamic population data, fluctuating temperature, and the exposure-response relationship between temperature and health to construct an advanced heat exposure assessment framework predicated on a population dynamic model. We analyzed urban heat island characteristics, population dynamics, and heat exposure during heat wave conditions in Beijing, a major city in China. Our findings highlight significant intra-day population movement between urban and suburban areas during heat wave conditions, with spatial population flow patterns showing clear scale-dependent characteristics. These population flow dynamics intensify heat exposure levels, and the disparity between dynamic population-weighted temperature and average temperature is most pronounced at night. Our research provides a more comprehensive understanding of real urban population heat exposure levels and can furnish city administrators with more scientifically rigorous evidence., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Urbanization in China has dramatically increased from 39.10 in 2002 to 58.52% in 2017. Studies have discussed the impacts of urbanization and its corresponding changes in consumption patterns on carbon dioxide emissions; however, little is known about their impacts on black carbon (BC). Therefore, we collected data on the BC emissions of various sectors to calculate the consumption-based BC emissions in China, and we used an input-output analysis (IOA) and structural decomposition analysis (SDA) to explore the impacts of urbanization and changes in consumption patterns on BC emissions from 2002 to 2017, focusing on sectoral BC emissions. The total BC emissions of various sectors first increased and then decreased. BC emissions increased from 1083.47 in 2002 to 2550.83 Gg in 2012. They were then reduced to 2478.63 Gg in 2017. Additionally, with the rise in the urbanization rate, household consumption BC emissions increased from 446.18 in 2002 to 1080.12 Gg in 2017. Urban consumption, rural consumption, and BC emission intensity were the three main contributing factors to household consumption BC emission changes. Transport, storage, postal, and telecommunications services (TSP); farming, forestry, animal husbandry, and fishery (FFA); and residential and other industries (RES) contributed the most to the urbanization-related BC emission increase. In particular, the TSP sector contributed the most to the BC emission increase because of the increasing TSP needs related to urbanization. Therefore, it is necessary to formulate mitigation policies for the TSP sector.

The effect of temperature on cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality has been extensively studied. However, it remains largely unknown over whether there is any difference between urban and suburban areas within the same city and how urbanization modifies the relationship between temperature and CVD mortality. In order to examine whether the association between temperature and CVD mortality existed difference in urban and suburban areas, and how urbanization modified this association, we used a distributed lag nonlinear model and a generalized additive model to investigate temperature-related CVD mortality in urban and suburban areas in Beijing, China, from 2006 to 2011. The age, gender, and educational attainment of the population were stratified to explore the modifying effect. We observed that the impacts of heat and cold temperature on CVD mortality were higher in suburban areas than in urban areas. In addition, the elderly and illiterate subjects in suburban areas were more vulnerable to both heat and cold than their counterparts in urban areas. Moreover, higher urbanization levels were significantly associated with districts having lower the excess risks for temperature- CVD mortality. Our findings provide evidence that populations in suburban Beijing have higher risk of temperature-related CVD mortality than those in urban areas. Therefore, greater attention should be paid to vulnerable groups in suburban areas to reduce temperature-related health burden., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Urbanization will play a key role in ending the tuberculosis (TB) epidemic by 2030, but understanding the relationship between urbanization and the health threats posed by TB is incomplete. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the spatiotemporal distribution of TB at the township level during urbanization in the new urban area of Nanchang., Methods: Seasonal-trend decomposition of time series analysis was used to explore the seasonal distribution and trend analysis. Global and local spatial autocorrelation statistics, and space-time scan statistics were performed to detect the spatiotemporal clusters of TB cases in the new urban area of Nanchang from 2010 to 2018., Results: A total of 3245 TB cases were reported in the study area from 2010 to 2018. Of all the TB cases, 68% occurred in individuals older than 40 years old, 73.2% were male cases, and 56.6% were farmers. The primary seasonal peak was in late spring (April), and a smaller peak was in early autumn (September). The results of local indicators of spatial association showed that Jiaoqiao town and Changleng town might be "High-High" clusters. The most likely spatiotemporal cluster was located in the southwest of the study area in 2010, which included five towns, and then shifted to the northeast gradually. Across 2010 to 2018, nine spatiotemporal clusters were identified. The most likely cluster was located at the northeast of the study area. The center of this area was in Nanji town with a circle radius of 43.74 kilometers., Conclusions: The spatial clusters of TB incidence shifted to the rural region and the fringe of the new urban area of Nanchang. Targeted management strategies for urban migrants in the process of urbanization should be strengthened.

The theories surrounding the three circuits of capital have been extensively studied and developed within the context of developed countries. However, there is a scarcity of empirical evidence from the developing world. China, as the largest developing economy, has experienced rapid urbanization with population migration and capital flow, which has garnered significant attention. In light of these circumstances, this study aims to analyze the temporal dynamics of capital switching between the three circuits and utilizes panel regression analysis to explore their growth effects and driving forces across Chinese provinces. This study reveals several notable observations. Firstly, it is evident that most provinces have witnessed the capital switching out of the production sphere. Secondly, regarding the impact of three circuits of capital on urbanization transformation, a sequence characteristic is observed. Specifically, the primary and secondary circuits of capital have initially displayed a weakening positive effect on urban economic growth, which eventually becomes statistically insignificant. Conversely, the tertiary circuit of capital exhibits a robust and continuously significant positive impact. Lastly, the determinants differ across three circuits of capital. The local fiscal deficit is found to have a significant positive effect on the primary circuit, while the scale of social credit stands out as the most notable factor for the tertiary circuit of capital. Moreover, the study uncovers the significant role played by institutional factors and financial development in promoting the secondary circuit of capital and facilitating fixed investment in the urban built environment. These findings have important implications for enhancing capital flow and achieving the goal of new-type urbanization in China. It also highlights the importance of creating a favorable institutional environment that encourages investment and fosters a thriving financial sector. • Most provinces have experienced the capital switching out of the production sphere. • The effects of the three circuits of capital on urban economic growth display 'sequence characteristics'. • Fiscal deficit and social credit have significant positive effects on the primary and tertiary circuits, respectively. • Both institutional factors and financial development play a significant role in promoting the secondary circuit of capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urbanization-environment nexus has been widely studied and discussed in academia and practice. However, previous studies have primarily relied on empirical analyses using outcome indicators such as CO 2 emissions and often overlooked the role of policy and governance, which is not compatible with China's unique top-down urbanization model. To address this gap, this study presents a new perspective on the urbanization-environmental nexus by analyzing the impacts of ecological policy considerations on urbanization. It is the first to provide theoretical deductions and empirical extensions of such effects, using general equilibrium models, welfare analysis, and regression analysis with Chinese provincial data. The study draws three key findings. Firstly, it provides both theoretical models and empirical evidence from China that substantiate the negative impacts of ecological policy considerations on urbanization. Secondly, the study highlights the regional heterogeneity of the impacts, which are more significant across central and western regions of China and in regions without pilot cities of pollution rights trading (PRT) or carbon emission trading (CET) schemes. Finally, the study identifies two effective mechanisms for realizing the negative effects: reducing urban gas supply and labor-intensive industrial output. In order to strike a balance between urbanization and eco-environment, it is crucial to upgrade and implement the green transformation of urban energy systems and labor-intensive industrial production modes. These conclusions enrich our theoretical and empirical understanding of the urbanization-environment nexus, and emphasize the critical role of policy making and government intervention in achieving sustainable urbanization and ecological civilization construction in China. • The negative impact of ecological policy considerations on urbanization is substantiated. • Such negative impact is regionally heterogeneous. • Impacts are more evident in the central, western and non-pilot regions. • The upgrading and green transformation of energy system and labor-intensive industrial production are crucial mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• We discuss the insecure status of Chinese rural women's land tenure. • We enhance the connotation of rural women's land tenure security in Chinese context and empirically explore the impact of land tenure security on rural women's empowerment. • We employ Tobit model and IV method using 2017 survey data collected from rural households in 28 Chinese provinces to do the empirical test. • We highlight the rapid urbanization has a potential adverse effect on rural women's empowerment since it might further widen the rural gender gap. The empirical evidence from developing countries suggests that land tenure equity can be regarded as a means of promoting development by empowering women. Despite current prime laws and regulations having provided the basis for rural women to enjoy equal land rights, village rules and regulations and various informal customs have adversely affected their land tenure security under the unique villagers' autonomy political system in rural China. Chinese rural women land tenure is therefore subject to considerable discrimination and is highly insecure due to the greater risks involved compared to those faced by men. Being entitled to land ownership does not mean women's land tenure is secure, an issue that has received little attention to date. Accordingly, this paper aims to empirically examine whether women's tenure security ̶ legal tenure security, de facto tenure security, or economic tenure security ̶ can provide a means of improving their level of autonomy in household decision-making (used to characterize women's empowerment) in such areas as house purchases, durable goods purchases, daily necessities purchases, fertility choice, medicalcare choice, job choice, and social interaction choice. Using 2017 survey data (6073 samples) obtained for 28 provinces of rural China and employing the Tobit model for the analysis, we find that the formal title certificate is a prerequisite for realizing legal land tenure security; the risk of land expropriation and tenure disputes exacerbates the insecurity of land tenure at the de facto level; and that access to land circulation income can enhance land economic tenure security and has a significantly positive effect on women's empowerment. Moreover, we highlight the potential adverse effects of rapid urbanization on rural women's empowerment, which might further widen the rural gender gap. Our study indicates that policies enhancing land tenure security have the potential to increase women's empowerment and associated beneficial welfare effects on the development of women's rights, family, the rural economy, and also contributes to narrowing the gender opportunity gap within households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Anthropogenic emissions of reactive nitrogen (Nr) result in adverse impacts on the ecosystems. Nowhere has that threat been more challenging than in rapidly urbanized China, the world's largest anthropogenic Nr producer. The Nanjing Declaration in 2004 called for global reductions in Nr emissions. To assess China's progress, multisource Nr emissions were evaluated with a quantitative method from 2004 to 2014. The results showed that national Nr emissions had increased with fluctuation over this period, 55–59% of the total Nr emissions were emitted to the atmosphere, and that agricultural production still was the biggest contributor (62–69%). The hotspots were mainly located in the developed and coastal regions that also have high population densities. Urbanization was associated with overall decreases in agricultural Nr emission and increases in industrial and residential Nr emissions. The overall increase in residential Nr emission per capita played a large role in driving the growth of national Nr emission. Continuing urbanization poses a significant challenge to future Nr mitigation for ecosystem sustainability and a range of strategies, covering improvement of N-use efficiency, slowdown of Western China's urbanization, and promotion of low N intensive lifestyle, are proposed that can promote Chinese low-nitrogen development. Graphical abstract Unlabelled Image Highlights • Anthropogenic Nr emissions from China have increased with fluctuation since Nanjing Declaration. • Urbanization has positive and negative two-way effects on Chinese Nr emissions. • Continuing urbanization poses a significant challenge to future Nr mitigation. • Regional Nr emissions possess mitigation potentials with the promotions of low-N strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a large amount of population moved from countryside to cities in China during its urbanization in the past two decades. The majority of these people have no formal qualifications for city residency, and they are so-called ‘floating population’. The increase of this group of people has induced the pressure of land use in cities, and the contradiction between the demand and the supply of urban land has been intensifying particularly in those developed regions in China. This paper examines the impacts of floating population on urban land by presenting the interrelations between floating population and urban land expansion from the perspective of production land and living land. Structural equation model (SEM) is employed in conducting the analysis. The result shows that the floating population alone does not have direct effect on urban land expansion, but have indirect impacts through engaging in the production or living process. It is particularly interesting that floating people's living conditions have no direct positive effect on the increase of construction land. Based on the research results, suggestions are offered for improvements in government policy towards a more sustainable and integrated urbanization, including the provision of housing support, the formation of more urbanized society and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ongoing process of global urbanization has shifted the discourse from ‘developmental mechanistic’ towards ‘sustainable and ecological’ view. Global cities must also transition toward more dynamic, sustainable, healthier and smarter futures. However, the supportive transition theories, trajectory agendas, methodologies and pathways are currently under-investigated. This introductory paper provides an overview of the twenty-seven papers included in this special volume, with the objective to document the key lessons learned and to catalyze theoretical dialogue about the evolution of smart cities, healthy cities, eco-cities, and regenerative cities. These authors reviewed how these aspects of evolving cities are measured, monitored and implemented across different geographic, time and cultural contexts. After reviewing and mapping the obstacles and enablers in implementing transitions towards smarter, healthier, sustainable, regenerative, post-fossil carbon, urban societies, the authors of this introductory article provide insights into practical pathways and examples of best practices of their implementation in multiple social, cultural and climatic contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past literatures have studied both ‘urban resilience (UR)’ and ‘urban sustainability (US)’ in terms of the dual character - vulnerability and pertinacity - of cities. However, there is a large overlap between the meaning of resilience and sustainability, which threatens to weaken both concepts. In this study, we discuss the difference between urban resilience (UR) and urban sustainability (US) from three aspects of research trends, research scale and research clusters. CiteSpace 4.0.R5 is used for co-citation analysis, visualizing co-citation networks and research clusters. UR and US studies contrast in not only their different theoretical bases, but also even more in their empirical work. A conceptual framework is proposed to define the difference between UR and US, and four kinds of urban development are examined based on the framework. We indicate that rational urban development can be achieved only when it is both resilient and sustainable, and conclude that urban planners, policymakers and researchers should pay equal attention to both UR and US before decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanization has generated an increasing number of dispossessed farmers in China, with the issues and problems involved gaining extensive attention by the government and academia. Some of them are turning to entrepreneurial activities as an alternative means to earn a living that can solve their long-term livelihood. This study has identified the factors influencing their choices of self-employed industry based on the Grounded theory. Then four hypotheses are developed and quantitatively tested by the Multinomial Logit regression analysis method with 219 observations collected in Zhejiang Province. The empirical results indicate that the four hypotheses receive different levels of support. The decision-making of specific industry is the result of synergistic effects exerted by both internal and external factors. Dispossessed farmers with similar characteristics tend to choose similar industries. The entrepreneurial, adjustment and protective, policies are put forward to facilitate the likelihood of dispossessed farmers' successful startups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the late 1990s, Chinese cities have been experiencing significant suburbanization with massive numbers of people moving out of city centers. Facing this background, this paper aims to identify the typology of residential resettlements in suburban areas, and analyze the mechanisms of each residential resettlement via archive studies, census tracks and field research instead of the traditional macro-demographic approach. Five types of resettlement are identified, comprising public housing districts for poor people with housing difficulties, low-end private housing districts for lower socio-economic people, multiple housing districts (containing public housing and low-end private housing) for displaced shantytown residents, and villa areas for the wealthy. This suburban residential resettlement pattern is generally different from that in Western cities, which is largely attributed to the Chinese governments' monopoly of land supply and public service provision. It is also concluded that the state power, capitalist actors (e.g., developers and private enterprises), and other professionals (e.g., planners and architects) have become the Chinese characterized ‘pushing’ factors and actors in driving the typology of suburban resettlement housing in the context of urbanization era of China. Besides, the five typology of resettlement housing has brought about socio-spatial consequences including a spatial mismatch for lower socio-economic groups in suburban areas, which may lead to the formation of poverty belts around Chinese cities. This may provide important implication for understanding the residential resettlement in other developing countries with similar context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the accelerating urbanization in China, the right-of-use transfer (RUT) of rural collectively owned construction land provides a promising means of increasing the efficiency of rural land use and promoting urban and rural integration. There are various ways of doing this and no universal mode of RUT that fits all areas because of the divergent cultural characteristics and geographical features of different regions and locations in China and decisions need to be made on a case-by-case basis. This paper proposes an analytical framework to help in such decision making. Firstly, the literature concerning the RUT of collective construction land is reviewed and six typical pilot reform areas are studied. Secondly, a theoretical analytical framework for the choice of RUT mode is developed based on the findings of the literature review and the experiences of the pilot reform areas. Thirdly, Zhoushan City's new urban district is used as a case study to demonstrate and test the framework, and an appropriate RUT mechanism is suggested. The analytical framework can serve as a guideline for local governments to make decisions on the form of collective construction land RUT throughout China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land suitability assessment is a fundamental process in various types of space control planning and land development, due to its effects on proper land use and reasonable urban layout. However, this form of assessment has also received much criticism for its theoretical and empirical deficiencies. This study aims to review Chinese land suitability assessment from the perspective of rainfall-waterlogging focusing on the Su Yu Yuan area in Changsha. It finds that more than half of the land in the Su Yu Yuan area that is assessed as (very) suitable for urban development has high risk of rainfall-waterlogging. The prevailing Chinese land suitability assessment method is therefore deficient as it cannot accurately reflect the rainfall-waterlogging risk of land use. To refine the land suitability assessment, it is suggested that either (1) the indictor “inundation degree of flood” is replaced with “rainfall-waterlogging risk” or (2) rainfall-waterlogging risk assessment results are superimposed onto land suitability assessment results for regions with plentiful rainfall and low-lying terrain. [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]

China is facing the challenge of sustainable urban redevelopment due to its massive economic transformation process. As a unique product of the rapid urbanization of past decades, urban village has become a major obstacle for sustainable redevelopment because of its sub-standard infrastructure and disordered built environment. Redevelopment of ‘villages in the city’ (ViCs) is distinct from normal urban redevelopment because it involves the change of collective land ownership without de jure property rights to state land ownership with de jure property rights. What site characteristics, what ownership type, what geographical characteristics, make village sites more likely to be redeveloped? This study addresses this question with particular reference to industrial sites in Shenzhen. An analytical framework is developed based on the concept of rent gap to analyze the possible effects of these factors. An empirical investigation is conducted based on a set of data that covers all 44 village-owned industrial sites in the Nanshan District in Shenzhen. The findings suggest that village sites with better accessibility to good transportation facilities and the city centre are significantly more likely to be redeveloped and thus will be integrated into formal urban areas earlier than those located in less accessible areas. It is also demonstrated that fragmented land ownership and lack of legal land rights are not significant barriers for the sustainable redevelopment of such sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urbanization process is creating dramatic and rapid changes globally, with over half of the world's population living in cities. This rapid urbanization growth has led to the need to understand urbanization as a major contributor to not only economic/social transformation but also resource consumption and environmental damage. In this context, ‘sustainable urbanization’ came into being. Theoretical debate on ‘sustainable urbanization’ has been eliminated by the rhetoric and realities of sustainability, while the practical application of this debate to the urbanization process has been both limited and contradictory ( Pinches, 1994 ). From the practical application point of view, many effective urban-rural sustainability practices exist in different situations depending on social, economic, political, cultural development and geographical conditions, which makes it difficult to effectively share the experiences obtained from these practices. It is therefore imperative to establish a fundamental holistic model to share these practical experiences in order to mirror and help transfer the good results already obtained. The aim of the bi-dimensional model for sustainable urbanization is to analyze environmental, social and economic issues in quadrant terms at different stages from a new life cycle perspective of the urban and rural environment. Based on the conceptual model, a Curitiba case is used to demonstrate the way how one of the quadrant I (sustainable urban form) is achieved at city level. It is highlighted that government sponsored urbanization pattern can be efficient. However, practical implementation at city governance/management level is rather more important. This research proposes a roadmap for sustainable urbanization, facilitating the generation of the effective acquisition and sharing of sustainable urbanization experiences to support the decision making processes involved in selecting strategies and solutions. This contribution aims to stimulate innovative methods that are able to cope with current challenging urbanization problems in an integrative manner that is adapted to fluctuating urban demand patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In contrast with the classical topics of poverty and exclusion of rural areas, the multiple dualities in the social-spatial dimension of villages in semi-urbanized suburbs of China’s large cities have received little attention to date. As this paper demonstrates, such dualities have emerged during China’s rapid urbanization since the early 2000s. It is firstly argued that these dual characteristics are derived from the institutional separation of urban and rural entitlements (e.g., hukou , welfare, land property ownership etc.). These distinctions are then projected into social capital differentiation, such as the division between the strong and weak ties of local community residents. Consequentially, the dualities are embodied in the residential space segregation between established residents and rural migrants that is divided into Houses in Single-Family Occupancy (HSFOs) and Houses in Multiple-Family Occupancy (HMFOs). To support these claims, a case study of the village of Zhoucun, a southern suburb of the Nanjing Metropolitan Area on the east coast China, is used. This draws on both quantitative and qualitative data that includes interviews with authorized officers from local government to municipal government, and a questionnaire survey and interviews with both the HSFO and HMFO residents themselves. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urban system has been a prevailing research issue in the fields of urban geography and regional economics. Not only do the relationships between cities in the city system exist in the form of rankings, but also in a more general network form. Previous work has examined the spatial structure of the urban system in terms of its separate industrial networks, such as in transportation and economic activity, but little has been done to compare different networks. To rectify this situation, this study analyzes and reveals the spatial structural features of China's urban system by comparing its transportation and economic urban networks, thus providing new avenues for research on China's city network. The results indicate that these two networks relate with each other by sharing structural equivalence with a basic diamond structure and a layered intercity structure decreasing outwards from the national centers. A decoupling effect also exists between them as the transportation network contributes to a balanced regional development, while the economic network promotes agglomeration economies. The law of economic development and the government both play important roles in the articulation between these two networks, and the gap between them can be shortened by related policy reforms and the improvement of the transportation network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Along with China's modern industrialization, challenges on smog crisis are raising dramatically in the past decade. The sources of municipal smog are multiple and complex, one of which is construction dust emission due to the rapid urbanization. In literature, there are studies focusing on the end-pipe treatment of construction dust; however, very little research has been conducted from the perspective of dust mitigation in developing countries. To fill in this research gap, this paper investigates the current situation of construction dust prevention and control in China, with the aim of providing insights for mitigating dust pollution caused by the construction industry. Through a combination of the content analysis, on-site observation, questionnaire survey and interviews with experienced professionals, a total of 11 related regulations are thoroughly reviewed, and the main sources of construction dust production are identified. A case study is further presented to demonstrate the prevailing dust control measures on site. Recommendations are proposed in order to increase the awareness of related stakeholders, including formulation of targeted regulations, establishment of an appropriate charging scheme, development of a feasible monitoring system, and enhancement of training and dissemination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the level of urbanization in China now exceeding 50%, its collective rural land system is under increasing pressure, creating conditions in which there is increasing conflict between the efficient use of land for agricultural purposes and its retention as security for the rural population. This paper first examines the fundamental nature of China's collective land system by analyzing the collectivization history of China, then provides a comprehensive appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of the collective land system's role in history and the challenges it faces in modern times. The main changes needed for the current collective system are identified as (1) the establishment of a new transfer mechanism for potential collective construction land, (2) the completion of land rights verification and consolidation work, and (3) the endowment of villagers with more rights to enjoy the distribution of land incremental value. The paper's main contribution is to question the relevance of collective rural land system in contemporary China, where a shift is now taking place from one of pure economic development to one involving more social concerns, and propose potential viable amendments to integrate the need for both perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In current practice, urban-rural development has been regarded as one of the key pillars in driving regenerative development that includes economic, social, and environmental balance. In association with rapid urbanization, an important contemporary issue in China is that its rural areas are increasingly lagging behind urban areas in their development and a coordinated provision of public facilities in rural areas is necessary to achieve a better balance. A model is therefore introduced for quantifying the effect of individual infrastructure projects on urban-rural balance (e-UR) by focusing on two attributes, namely, efficiency and equity. The model is demonstrated through a multi-criteria model, developed with data collected from infrastructure projects in Chongqing, with the criteria values for each project being scored by comparing data collected from the project involved with e-UR neutral “benchmark” values derived from a survey of experts in the field. The model helps evaluate the contribution of the projects to improving rural-urban balance and hence enable government decision-makers for the first time to prioritize future projects rigorously in terms of their likely contribution too. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proper understanding of the urbanization bubble is very important to assist local governments in adopting strategies to mitigate the effects of the bubble and guide urbanization toward sustainable development. This paper presents a method of measuring the urbanization bubble with particular reference to China. In referring to the definition of an economic bubble, this study defines the urbanization bubble as a dynamic process in which urbanization rate ( U R ) deviates from four urbanization performance variables comprising the proportion of urban population with registration ( T RP ), urban construction land area ( T BA ), level of industrial development ( L ID ) and level of public facilities ( L PF ). Four coordinates are formed between the rate of urbanization and the four performance variables to examine the practice of urbanization in terms of four quadrants. The ratios between changes in urbanization rate and the changes of the four urbanization performance variables are introduced to measure the urbanization bubble. The method is tested through a case study to show that the coordinate method has the potential to help policy makers detect any bubble in the process of urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The inverted-U relationship between urbanization and urban-rural inequality has been relatively widely observed and investigated. However, most are confined to the context-specific empirical evidence and a certain measure of inequality. Furthermore, the discussions concerning the mechanism involved deserve focus and extension, particularly with the goal of new-type urbanization in China. This study aims to provide an analytical framework of the distribution effect of urbanization. It includes mathematical deductions based on the Gini coefficient and Theil's index, and empirical evidence relating to both the nexus and mechanisms across Chinese provinces based on panel models and mediating effect models. The key findings are threefold. Firstly, the inverted U urbanization-inequality nexus has been substantiated both theoretically and empirically, and most Chinese provinces have experienced the 'decoupling' between urbanization and urban-rural income inequality. Secondly, such relationships are regionally heterogeneous in China, which is less significant in the northeast region but quite significant in the eastern and western regions. Finally, urbanization can play a key role in narrowing the income gap between the urban and rural areas through increasing fiscal expenditure on urban-rural affairs and reducing that on science, education, culture, and health. Nevertheless, the mediating effect of local fiscal expenditure on agricultural issues is relatively insignificant. These conclusions not only provide both theoretical and empirical support for the urbanization-inequality Kuznets curve, but also specify and expand insights into the mediating role of the local fiscal expenditure structure in the pursuit of China's new-type urbanization. • The inverted U urbanization-inequality nexus is substantiated theoretically and empirically. • Most Chinese provinces have experienced the 'decoupling' between urbanization and urban-rural income inequality. • The inverted U urbanization-inequality nexus is regionally heterogeneous. • Increasing fiscal expenditure on urban-rural affairs and reducing that on science, education, culture, and health have mediating effects involved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has experienced considerable economic growth since 1978, which was accompanied by unprecedented growth in urbanization and, more recently, by associated rising urban housing and land banking issues. One such issue is that of land hoarding – where real estate developers purchase land to hold unused in the rising market for a future lucrative sale, often several years later. This practice is outlawed in China, where land use is controlled by increasingly strengthened Government policies and inspectors. Despite this, land hoarding continues apace, with the main culprits being the developers and inspectors working subversively. This resembles a game between two players – the inspector and the developer – which provides the setting for this paper in developing an evolutionary game theory model to provide insights into dealing with the dilemmas faced by the players. The logic and dilemma of land banking strategy and illegal land banking issues are analysed, along with the land inspector's role from a game theory perspective by determining the replication dynamic mechanism and evolutionary stable strategies under the various conditions that the players face. The major factors influencing the actions of land inspectors, on the other hand, are the costs of inspection, no matter if it is strict or indolent, conflict costs, and income and penalties from corruption. From this, it is shown that, when the net loss for corruption (income from corruption minus the penalties for corruption and cost of strict inspections) is less than the cost of strict inspections, the final evolutionary stable strategy of the inspectors is to carry out indolent inspections. Then, whether penalising developers for hoarding is severe or not, the evolutionary strategy for the developer is to hoard. The implications for land use control mechanisms and associated developer-inspector actions and counteractions are then examined in the light of the model's properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This Call for Papers (CfPs) for a Special Volume of Journal of Cleaner Production (SV) focuses upon multiple dimensions of regenerative sustainability (e.g. regenerative design, regenerative development, and positive development) applied to the urban built environment at scales, which range from individual buildings, neighborhoods, urban development to integrated regional sustainable development. It was designed to address the objectives of (1) documenting the theoretical development of the term regenerative sustainability, its emerging principles and practices, (2) explaining how it can be measured and monitored, (3) providing encouraging practical pathways and examples of its implementation in multiple cultural and climatic contexts, and (4) mapping obstacles and enablers that must be understood and addressed so that more rapid progress can be made in implementing the shift towards an urban built environment that supports a genuinely sustainable society. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Delivering low-carbon communities requires an understanding of community practices and technologies, strategies and constraints associated with and accessed by communities. However, little research to date has investigated the application of green technologies as well as green strategies in achieving low-carbon communities. This paper first reviewed low-carbon technologies and strategies in the previous literatures and then examines how these technologies and strategies are addressed in two ongoing low-carbon communities. By comparing the differences of adopting various low-carbon technologies and strategies in the two cases, it is found that green strategies are not as valued as green technologies in the current stage of low-carbon communities in China. The ten One Planet Living principles are not fully considered and comprehensively implemented, and there is also lack of a clear and harmonious inter-sector working mechanism within and between energy, transport, waste management and water management sectors. Recommendations are proposed to provide a vehicle for a more effective and efficient use of green technologies as well as green strategies to reduce carbon emissions in low-carbon communities. Research findings in the study may therefore provide valuable references to guide low-carbon community development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Environmental impacts from construction waste have been increasingly becoming a major issue in urban management, particularly in the densely populated regions, such as Hong Kong. This paper presents the current practices of using low waste technologies (LWT) for design and construction in terms of their implementation level and barriers in application on site. Through two practical cases and the semi-structured interviews, the research presents discussions on of the major low waste technologies that have been adopted and the implementation extent of these LWTs in both design and construction stages. The study provides recommendations for improving the use of LWT, including the corresponding technology instruments and the government may develop and implement. The research result can help understand the current situation in applying LWT in design and construction and the findings are expected to assist the decision makers to formulate a set of design and technology toolkit for improving construction waste management. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Implementing international projects in a foreign country is a high risk business activity. Research on this subject has tended to emphasize traditional risks. However, an emerging new type of “social risk” in the globalization era has been ignored. With the rapid urbanization progress in China, many international contractors have entered the Chinese construction market due to the huge demand in the market. However, the differences in the social, economic and cultural backgrounds among the international contractors and their partners have led to difficulties and occasional disputes among various participants. In particular, they are presented with various social risks in a new environment. This paper identifies the key social risk factors associated with international contractors from a questionnaire survey and case study. The social risks highlighted from the questionnaire survey include “local protectionism (for local projects)”, “risk of poor social relations between various parties in the local region”, “permit or license risk in dealing with land use and construction planning issues due to policy changes” and “dispute risk with local construction labor”. Several risk response strategies for international contractors are also illustrated by the case study from China. Suggestions developed in the case study can provide useful references to those international contractors who have entered or are planning to operate their businesses in China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The rapid urbanization has led to extensive land use change particularly in those developing countries. In line with the development of urbanization, arable land is decreasing dramatically, which presents the threat to the food security for human being. It is therefore essential to understand the level of impacts of urbanization on the land use change. This paper introduces a dynamic systems based method for assessing the impacts of urbanization policy on land use change with reference to the urbanization practice in China. Four typical policy scenarios are identified in implementing urbanization in China, including balanced development driven by planning, uneven development driven by planning, balanced development driven by market and uneven development driven by market and their impacts on land use change are analyzed through a dynamic system model. Land use change is considered as a dynamic system model composing five subsystems: urbanization, social, economic, environmental and land use subsystems. The key attributes in these five subsystems are interactive and they are dynamic variables. The assessment on the impacts of urbanization policy to land use change is demonstrated through employing the software iThink to the land use change dynamic model, using the data collected from the Jinyun County in China. The findings suggest that the urban construction land will continue to increase in the foreseeable future in China, whilst the agricultural land will gradually decrease. Nevertheless, different policy scenarios will have different impacts on these land changes. Thus decision makers can adopt different policies to control the rate of land use change. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Use the Sustainable Livelihood Approach (SLA) to analyze and compare the path of poverty alleviation behind RLC in the government-led and PPP model. • Apply a PSM-DID estimator to examine how different RLC models (i.e. government-led and PPP) affect the income and income components (i.e. agricultural, property, wage, and other income), along with the income accrued by poor and non-poor households. • Identify the effect of RLC on poverty alleviation and income increase is sustainable. • Indicate the implementation of the PPP model increases the income of the two household types to a much greater extent than its government-led counterpart. • Reveal the income-increasing effect of poor households is much lower than non-poor households. China has been faced with many issues in land use due to its rapid industrialization and urbanization, and socio-economic transformation. This has hindered the coupling of "human-land-industry" systems and restricted the sustainable development of poor areas. Rural Land Consolidation (RLC), in combination with land system reform and policy innovation, which has produced the sustainable use of land, and further emerged as one of the most important instruments to boost China's poverty alleviation. This paper employs a sustainable livelihood framework to investigate the poverty alleviation and income increase mechanisms of different RLC models. Based on a questionnaire survey of 877 households in Hubei and Guizhou Province, the PSM-DID model of quasi-experimental research is applied to examine how different RLC models (i.e. government-led and PPP) affect the total income and income components (i.e. agricultural, property, wage, and other incomes) of poor and non-poor households. The results show that RLC promotes the coupling of "human-land-industry" systems in poverty-stricken areas during the transformation process by combining with land system reform and policy innovation. This has helped reduce the vulnerability of farmer households' livelihood and encourages them to obtain sustainable livelihood resources, contributes to alleviating poverty, and thus increases income. However, poverty alleviation and income increase are not consistent across different models. The theoretical analysis is verified by empirical research, which shows that two RLC models can promote the income growth of poor and non-poor households sustainably. It also demonstrates that the income-increasing effect of non-poor households is much higher than poor households, as well as indicating that the PPP model has a much higher income-increasing effect on households than government-led counterparts. These findings establish a basis for corresponding policy recommendations, which are put forward with the intention of improving RLC's efficiency in alleviating poverty and increasing incomes, and providing an important reference for other developing countries to formulate associated policies for RLC and poverty alleviation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Spatiotemporal pattern of habitat quality in Hangzhou was assessed by InVEST model. • Spatial distribution of habitat quality showed positive spatial auto-correlation. • Negative impact of urbanization on habitat quality varied with time and space. • Impacts of landscape pattern on habitat quality differed in magnitude and direction. China has experienced the most serious habitat degradation, especially in fast-growing metropolis cities. Although increasing attentions have been brought to this issue, we still lack the understanding of the quantitative impacts of urbanization and landscape pattern on habitats. In this study, we used the "Integrated Valuation of Environmental Services and Trade-off" (InVEST) model to evaluate the habitat quality in Hangzhou city. We further employed spatial auto-correlation to analyze its spatiotemporal pattern variation characteristics. Finally, the ordinary least squares (OLS) and geographically weighted regression (GWR) models were used to explore the impacts of urbanization and landscape pattern change on habitat quality. The results show that the habitat quality index of Hangzhou decreased from 0.608 to 0.577 during 2004–2015, and these areas mainly located around the suburb decreased significantly. The spatial distribution of habitat quality showed significantly positive spatial auto-correlation, and the overall spatial auto-correlation degree of the habitat quality increased during this time. Rapid urbanization has significant negative effects on habitat quality in various areas, while the magnitude and direction of the impacts of landscape pattern on habitat quality differed in time and space. These results provide decision-making criteria for formulating differential urban development policies and landscape management measures for urban ecological sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A significant cause of economic recession and environmental change that has attracted the extensive attention of researchers and policy-makers worldwide is the land urbanization bubble (LUB) – a rapid and catastrophic growth and decline in urban development fueled by a mixture of misplaced exuberance and speculation. It is also an important topic for sustainable urban development and urban renewal, and is of particular interest to China, as one of the countries with the largest amount of urban land, most drastic change, and most prominent land urbanization conflicts in the world. This study analyzes the characteristics and presence of dynamic change in LUBs during China's urbanization process through a case study of the changing space-time rules in Hangzhou in Zhejiang province over the years 2004, 2007, 2010, 2015, and 2020. Based on a literature review and analysis of the mechanism driving Hangzhou's LUBs, we design a method for their classification and measurement. This reveals the existence of an overall 18.24 km2 LUB in 2010 and a predicted 40.62 km2 LUB in 2020. Locally, the Jianggan and Yuhang districts are expected to have a higher LUB risk by 2020, the Bingjiang and Xiaoshan districts a medium risk, the Shangcheng and Xiacheng districts a low risk, and the Xihu district having no LUB risk. Finally, three policy recommendations are proposed in consideration of Hangzhou's economic development and land use characteristics, comprising (1) reducing LUBs by promoting intensive urban expansion, (2) reducing the possibility of LUBs by building a market-oriented control system for construction land expansion, and (3) the dynamic control of LUB risks by differential regulation of the expansion of urban construction land. • These identified LUB areas are classified into two categories in this paper, including controllable LUB uncontrollable LUB. • This research found no LUBs in 2007 and 2015, but with an 18.24 km2 LUB in 2010 and an expected 40.62 km2 bubble in 2020. • The concept of LUB risk was introduced and calculated in this paper for decision makers' reference. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Most existing studies of high-speed rail (HSR) have paid attention to inter-regional trunk lines. This paper presents a case study of the City-Cluster HSR (C-HSR), a particular type of HSR line serving municipalities within a city-cluster (conceptually equivalent to a mega-city region in Europe or a mega-region in the United States context). The study investigated the effects of C-HSR on regional spatial reconfiguration along the corridor between Shanghai and Nanjing (namely the Hu-Ning Corridor) located in the Yangtze River Delta, China. In particular, the study attempted to answer the following questions: What role does the C-HSR play in city-cluster growth of the corridor? Does it increase regional integration or induce polarization? Three research steps are carried out: identifying the type of travel benefiting most from the C-HSR, describing the changing paradigm of city network structure in the corridor, and revealing the mechanism of the change. Based on the perspective of a "space of flows", the passenger flows of Hu-Ning C-HSR in 2010 and 2015 were compared in terms of link intensity and aggregation intensity. The results show that the main service objects of C-HSR were secondary intermediate districts and their trips to urban districts in different municipalities. These trips provide the opportunity for potential sub-districts, especially those adjacent to regional core urban districts, to give rise to a horizontal and polycentric city network and promote regional integration. The competitive travel distance to other transits, reasonable travel time, and internal conditions are found to be the main C-HSR's effects. This ex-post study uses a combination of aggregated flows and individual movements, a perspective not yet applied to the regional level, to explain the process of reconstruction of the regional spatial system. Theoretically, the findings are conducive to illustrate this emerging spatial phenomenon and presenting hard evidence of the importance of short and medium HSR service in an advanced stage of urbanization. In practical terms, they have implications for regional planning policies on C-HSR station set up, regional land use layout, and industry distribution, and provide suggestions for C-HSR operation schemes. Highlights • This paper is aimed to evaluate the C-HSR's cohesion effect by characterizing the distribution of actual passenger flows. • We use combination of aggregated flows and individual movements, a perspective not yet applied to the regional level. • The findings have implications for regional planning policies on C-HSR station set up and operation schemes and land use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The surge in energy consumption and CO 2 (carbon dioxide) emissions is exacerbating global warming. The Chinese government has promised to reduce CO 2 emission by 60%–65% per unit of GDP over the 2005 level by around 2030. Analyzing the factors influencing CO 2 emissions is one of the key aspects involved in effectively reducing greenhouse gas emissions. In this paper, we add climatic factors based on socio-economic factors, and adopt the extended STIRPAT model to investigate the mechanism driving emissions by the co-action of natural and socio-economic factors. The results show that the 1995–2014 emissions in China's Zhejiang province had an upward trend with growth rates varying between intermediate periods. The order of the factors' elasticity coefficients is urbanization rate (0.181) > GDP per capita (0.180) > population (0.177) > energy intensity (0.170) > trade openness (0.170) > cooling degree days (0.127) > mean temperature anomaly (0.116). Economic development and urbanization were the main factors promoting CO 2 emissions in 1996–1999, while economic development and foreign trade were the main factors in 2000–2014. Policy makers should pay more attention to keeping a healthy pace of economic development, introducing more low energy consumption and low pollution enterprises and encouraging technological innovation. Improving the quality of urbanization, guiding a sustainable lifestyle, adjusting the structure of foreign trade and curbing energy intensity are also expected to reduce emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The promotion of sustainable urbanization has generated a growing number of best practice cases, which has led to the development of a prototype of an Experience Mining System (ExMS) for better use of the valuable experience embodied in these best practices. This paper presents an innovative method for the effective application of the experience mining system thus to promote the urban sustainability. It is considered essential to appreciate the urban features when ExMS is used to mine effective experiences for improving the sustainability of a specific urban area. For this purpose, this paper introduces the measure of similarity between a concerned case and those cases reported in an ExMS database in order to ensure the effectiveness of mining good experience. The method presented in this paper, it helps to find out useful experiences from existing best sustainable urbanization practices by considering the similarity between the case concerned and the sample best practices. The similarity is measured from six perspectives of urban features, including landform, climate, urban scale, development level, Gini coefficient, and GDP performance. The value formats of these six urban features include crisp symbol, crisp number, interval number, and fuzzy linguistic variable. A hybrid similarity measure will therefore guide the process in mining effective experiences for the promotion of urban sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization sustainability is intrinsically against incoordination in two distinct forms: incoordination across sustainability dimensions and geographical spaces in sustainability performance. However, the rapid urbanization, particularly in those developing countries such as China, has been bringing along the problems of dimensional incoordination and spatial incoordination. To date, existing studies do not address these two forms of incoordination while assessing the sustainable urbanization. This paper therefore introduces a measurement model to evaluate the incoordination-adjusted sustainability performance during the urbanization process. The proposed model is established based on the examinations of the weak-strong sustainability perspective and the principle of spatial justice theory. The Atkinson Measure is employed to develop the model. A case study of the Chongqing city is conducted to illustrate the process of applying the proposed model. The outcomes from the case study reveal that the model proposed is effective in gauging and monitoring the status and trajectories of sustainability incoordination during the urbanization process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization results in a considerable economic disparity between urban and rural areas in developing countries, which has had a consequent significant impact on CO 2 emissions. To accommodate this directly, this paper presents a modified version of the Kaya Identity formula, U-Kaya, that includes a direct urbanization factor to determine the relationship between energy consumption intensity, population growth, urbanization rates, urban and rural GDP per capita and the volume of carbon emissions, for application in the dynamic forecasting of carbon emissions by Monte Carlo simulation. The method is demonstrated in forecasting China's likely carbon emissions in 2020 by three different modes of urbanization policy: the government-dominant mode, market-dominant mode and a hybrid government market-dominant mode. The results indicate that a higher urbanization rate, energy carbon emission coefficient and energy intensity will lead to increased carbon emissions. Finally, three policy implications are identified, comprising the narrowing of the economic gap between urban and rural areas, adjustments to the energy structure and technical innovation, which will provide a valuable reference for developing countries in their efforts to reduce carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's urbanization and industrialization process is replacing large amounts of farmland, which is strongly driven by the country's land finance regime, with the intensified regional/local competition for manufacturing investment opportunities pushing local governments to expropriate farmland at low prices while leasing land at high market value to property developers. The additional revenue obtained in this way, termed financial increment in land value , can drive local economic growth and provide associated infrastructure and other public services. At the same time, however, a floating population of large numbers of inadequately compensated land-lost farmers, although unable to become citizens, have to migrate into urban areas for work, causing overheated employment and housing markets, with rocketing unaffordable housing prices. This, together with various micro factors relating to the party/state's promotion/evaluation system, plays an essential role leading to serious economic, environment and social consequences, e.g., for migrant welfare, the displacement of peasants and loss of land resources, in need of immediate attention. Our question, therefore, is whether such type of urbanization is sustainable. What are the mechanisms behind China's phenomenal urbanization process? From the perspective of institutionalism, this paper investigates the institutional background of the urban growth dilemma and solutions in urban China by introducing an inter-regional game theoretical framework to indicate why the present urbanization pattern is unsustainable. Looking forward to 2030, major policy changes are made from the triple consideration of the floating population, social security and urban environmental pressures. This involves (1) changing the land increment based finance regime into a land stock finance system, (2) the citizenization of migrant workers with affordable housing and (3) creating a more enlightened local government officer appraisal system to better take into account societal issues such as welfare and beyond. [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]

Abstract: The proliferation of good urbanization practices around the world has led to an imperative need to share these experiences. However, these good practice cases relate to different and specific contexts, making it difficult to effectively apply these experiences to other cases. It is appreciated that no existing method is available to guide us into refining these experiences so that they can be adopted in new urbanization scenarios. This method-shortage presents a major barrier to the sharing of good experiences between cities in promoting sustainable urbanization. This paper presents an Experience Mining System (ExMS) for effectively extracting previous urbanization practice experiences. ExMS is built based on the theories of experience representation, storage and mining. Its major components include a Sustainable Urbanization Practices Database (SUPD), a Refinery process, and a Mine-sweeper. ExMS can facilitate decision-makers in the selection of strategies and solutions when addressing urbanization practice challenges. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In recent years, there has been rapid urbanization worldwide, resulting in both benefits and problems. Sustainable urbanization has become an important aspect in promoting sustainable development. Existing studies have introduced various methodologies to guide urbanization towards sustainable practices. The application of these methods has contributed to improving urban sustainability. To further support the effective applications of the principles of sustainable urbanization, a tool is needed to evaluate whether a particular process of urbanization is sustainable. In this paper, we introduce an alternative model for evaluating sustainable urbanization by investigating the relationship between urbanization and urban sustainability. The practice of sustainable urbanization is defined as a dynamic process that enables urban sustainability to improve or to maintain a certain level of practice. By employing this definition, we introduce a sustainable urbanization elasticity coefficient eSU , which is defined by two parameters: urbanization velocity (VμR ) and urban sustainability velocity (VμS ). The sustainability of an urbanization process is measured by the value of eSU or read from the VμR –VμS coordinate. A case study demonstrates the application of the measure eSU and the VμR –VμS coordinate. The proposed model is an effective tool to help policy makers understand whether the urbanization processes they support are sustainable and thus whether to correct practices. The model also allows comparison of different urbanization practices and thereby encourages the sharing of successful experiences. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract With the deepening of housing reform, housing mobility and residential differentiation in urban China are on the rise. Extant studies on residential satisfaction and relocation intention tend to focus on rural to urban relocation, while little is known about their interactions in the context of urban China. This study attempts to fill this void by offering an updated and detailed account of intra-urban relocation, and by unravelling the complex mechanism and interactions between residential satisfaction and relocation against a general background of residential differentiation. Based on a questionnaire survey in three types of neighborhoods representative of the dominant residential patterns in contemporary Chinese cities, namely traditional inner city neighborhoods, urban villages and commodity housing estates, this paper examines determinants of residential satisfaction and relocation intention in each residential segment. The results from linear regression and multivariate logistic regression models show that residential satisfaction is influenced by different factors in the three types of residential neighborhoods, but is generally shaped by community attachment and the housing facilities. Relocation intention is generated by a combination of various factors that differ from neighborhood to neighborhood. In traditional inner city neighborhoods, residents are less likely to develop relocation intentions, and satisfaction levels tend to go down with the age of the housing estates. The situation is slightly different in urban villages, where residents with a weak sense of community prefer to relocate. The diversified determinants of relocation intention in the three types of neighborhoods are by no means incidental, being closely related, in fact, to the demographic composition, built environment and development history of the neighborhood. This study offers a multilayer explanation of intra-urban relocation and its interactions with residential satisfaction in post-reform urban China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sharp increase in global urban population and rapid expansion of impervious urban surfaces is raising concerns over more than just the quality of human life; researchers are also worried about ecosystem services and the stability and security of urban ecosystems and the infrastructures. In this paper, we define “urban ecological infrastructure” and propose an integrated framework in which the infrastructure network provides ecosystem services and sustainable urban systems despite changing landscapes and climate. We define the urban ecological infrastructure (UEI) as an organic integration of blue (water-based), green (vegetated), and grey (non-living) landscapes, combined with exits (outflows, treatment, or recycling) and arteries (corridors), at an ecosystem scale. The UEI framework represents the biotic and abiotic interactions within an ecosystem, and stresses an integrated relationship between artificial and natural systems. It links the grey, blue, and green infrastructures, and integrates them via both exits and arteries. Its insights can help to improve the circulation and reuse of resources throughout the urban ecosystem. This comprehensive conceptual framework can facilitate more rational urban development, and can improve urban ecosystem services and regional sustainability. Although understanding the form and function of UEIs is an important first step, innovative strategies are needed to address challenging obstacles such as rigid thinking, institutional fragmentation and inflexible policies. New thinking and innovative ways of acting will be required to provide a more resilient, stable, and sustainable urban system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization results in a considerable economic disparity between urban and rural areas in developing countries, which has had a consequent significant impact on CO 2 emissions. To accommodate this directly, this paper presents a modified version of the Kaya Identity formula, U-Kaya, that includes a direct urbanization factor to determine the relationship between energy consumption intensity, population growth, urbanization rates, urban and rural GDP per capita and the volume of carbon emissions, for application in the dynamic forecasting of carbon emissions by Monte Carlo simulation. The method is demonstrated in forecasting China’s likely carbon emissions in 2020 by three different modes of urbanization policy: the government-dominant mode, market-dominant mode and a hybrid government market-dominant mode. The results indicate that a higher urbanization rate, energy carbon emission coefficient and energy intensity will lead to increased carbon emissions. Finally, three policy implications are identified, comprising the narrowing of the economic gap between urban and rural areas, adjustments to the energy structure and technical innovation, which will provide a valuable reference for developing countries in their efforts to reduce carbon emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding spatiotemporal urbanization is one of the key questions related to sustainable urbanization in the drylands of northern China (DNC). However, urban expansion in the DNC has not been quantified and assessed effectively due to a lack of reliable data and methods. In this paper, we investigate urban expansion in the DNC at multiple scales, ranging from the whole region to four dryland subtypes, and six urban agglomerations in the DNC from 1992 to 2015. We also simulate urban expansion in the DNC from 2015 to 2050 by coupling the scenario framework of the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) with the Land Use Scenario Dynamics-urban (LUSD-urban) model. Despite of the uncertainty in the research, our findings provide useful insight into the past and the future urban expansion in the DNC. The results indicate that the urban land in the DNC expanded rapidly from 4110 km 2 in 1992 to 20,969 km 2 in 2015. Furthermore, the urban land in the DNC will continue to expand from 20,969 km 2 to 22,987–36,622 km 2 by 2040, with an annual growth of 80.72–403.48 km 2 under all SSPs. Thus, it is suggested that effective measures are urgently needed to facilitate sustainable urban development in the DNC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attaining inclusive, regenerative and sustainable cities for all in the context of unparalleled rates of urbanization, economy-oriented priorities, and chaotic urban development that characterize the developing world is a major challenge. A first step in reaching this goal is to conceptualize an inclusive framework for delineating, assessing and guiding the development of these cities towards sustainability. In this study we outline an inclusive, causal framework for Sustainable Development (SD) assessment, entitled “Trinity of Cities Sustainability from Spatial, Logical and Time Dimensions” (TCS-SLTD). It has been developed for cities in developing countries, and is illustrated using one such city, Xi'an. After reviewing the history and trends of urbanization of cities in Western China, some principles for assessing sustainability of cities in developing countries are suggested, after which the Xi'an case is presented. The urban area of Xi'an has expanded by more than 10 fold during the last quarter century, while arable land has decreased by 39%. In addition to these dramatic changes in land-use, the main axis of urban expansion has shifted from a north-south axial to radial expansion towards all areas around the core city. Over time, urban expansion has followed a “concentrated–deconcentrated– concentrated” trend. Xi'an overall sustainability, as measured by the index we present, has followed an upward – but not monotonic – trend between 1990 and 2010, during which its urbanization rate increased by 30%. On the basis of our multi-dimensional analysis, suggestions are made on how to direct Xi'an toward a more regenerative development path. These include revitalization of the urban system, control of urban form through planning, consulting and informing local communities about sustainable development issues, and achieving efficient functioning and harmonious coordination among different departments and municipal authorities in Xi'an. The TCS-SLTD model, outlined in this study, is a useful tool for guiding the process of Sustainable Development Indicator (SDI) selection, and provides a conceptual framework for holistically assessing the sustainability of city growth and expansion in developing countries. The model can assist urban planners and policy makers in developing countries in the performance of integrated assessments city sustainability, and in the formulation of pragmatic and focused policies to shift cities towards more regenerative and sustainable development trajectories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing awareness of the need to improve built environments in declined urban areas worldwide has raised the popularity of urban regeneration as a research topic. Various tools, such as questionnaire surveys, analytic hierarchy process, and fuzzy set theory, have been developed to measure the sustainability of urban regeneration and ensure that it follows the principles of sustainable development. However, these studies, which rely on the indicator system, assume that urban regeneration is a static and isolated state during the assessment process. Hence, this study aims to provide an alternative model for measuring sustainability of urban regeneration. Fuzzy set theory and Monte Carlo simulation were introduced to solicit critical measurement indicators that would lay a unified basis for comparison. Entropy method was also used to determine the weights of relevant critical measurement indicators to avoid subjective judgment. A general decision-making framework for dynamic monitoring of urban regeneration was developed based on the dynamic change of sustainability of urban regeneration ( V k ) and urgency of urban regeneration ( U k ). Four scenarios were discussed based on the four quadrants generated by V k and U k . Therefore, sustainable urban regeneration can be identified and compared through the V k – U k coordinate system, and the best practices of urban regeneration can be determined for global promotion. This model has the advantages to process the fuzzy and subjective nature in indicator assessment of sustainability of urban regeneration, which is an improvement compared with existing studies. As well, the decision-making framework could assist policy-makers in determining the sustainability of an ongoing urban regeneration as well in performing a dynamic and long-term monitoring of the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]