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

Highlights • Explore the self-selection issue from the perspective of households. • Examine how two partners' attitudes affect residential and car ownership decisions. • Husbands' travel attitudes have more influence in these decisions than wives'. • The travel attitudes of two household heads can affect each other's travel behaviors. Abstract Residential self-selection has been acknowledged as a key issue underlining the link between the built environment and travel behavior. Existing studies often implicitly assume that residential choice is a decision of an individual and the influence of intra-household interactions is not considered. In reality, residential choice is a decision often made at the household-level involving more than one household members. Similarly, car ownership is usually a household-level decision incorporating views of different household members. In both cases, the travel related attitudes of more than one household members may play a role in the decision making. In other words, there is an issue concerning residential self-selection (similarly car ownership self-selection): whose self-selection? This paper makes an attempt to probe into this question by examining the self-selection issues concerning residential location choice and car ownership decision from the perspective of households, by incorporating the travel attitudes and travel behaviors of two household heads into an integrated self-selection framework. Data are derived from a household sample survey involving two-day activity-travel diaries conducted in 2016 in Beijing, China. Multivariate modeling results show that household members play different roles in household decisions with travel implications: in general husbands' travel attitudes have relatively more influence in residential choice and car ownership decision than wives'. Nevertheless, wives' travel attitudes have more power than husbands' in explaining the commuting distances of both husbands and wives. Some distinct features of the residential and car ownership self-selections in the Chinese context are also identified and discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the factors that influence the use of carsharing systems in Beijing, as well as the potential for carsharing systems that integrate electric vehicles. Investigated variables include weather, air quality, price, vehicle attributes and “status” indicators. Additionally, we explore how the impacts of these factors differ when carsharing is utilized for one-way trips as compared with round-trips. The study relies on a pen-and-paper survey (1010 completed survey forms with 2023 reported trips) which uses a stated-preference pivoting design to build hypothetical choice sets around actual trips. The data are used to estimate binomial logit regression models for one-way and round-trip carsharing. Results of the analysis indicate that age, car ownership, shelter mode, the original cost for taxi users, perceived parking availability, cold weather, and relative cost differences are significant for one-way carsharing. For round-trip carsharing, significant factors include car ownership, income, gender, environmental concern, and relative cost differences. The most statistically significant factors to attract carsharing customers are the cost gap (defined as cost of original mode – cost of carshare) for both one-way and round-trip carsharing services, and car ownership, which has a positive significant effect for one-way trips and a negative significant effect for round-trips. This paper contributes to the literature by further examining the determinants that affect the use of carsharing, distinguishing between one-way trips and round-trips, and developing models that can be applied in urban environments like Beijing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Any tourist site open to local residents represents a point where residents and tourists become a back drop for the experiences of the other. This paper examines a specific Beijing film tourism attraction, Grand View Gardens, and the manner in which the site is used by local residents, the meanings attributed to it, and residents' role in creating an ambience for tourists. Residents have a daily connection with the site, and form audiences for events held at the Gardens. They often interact with tourists, becoming a source of information for tourists. The paper examines residents' motives for using such attractions, their attitudes towards tourists and suggests they possess a role in the creation of a sense of place that is valued by tourists. The paper fills a gap in an under-researched area, where, in the Chinese context, both residents and visitors form backdrops to each other's experience of place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a series of statistical and regression approaches to investigate city-cluster transport connectivity patterns. Three major city clusters in China are selected for this study, namely, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH), the Yangtze River Delta (YRD), and the Pearl River Delta (PRD) economic zones. Our analyses examine three aspects of city-cluster connectivity patterns: (i) connectivity distribution among cities within the city cluster; (ii) dependence of the non-center city on the center city; and (iii) the impact of improved intra-city-cluster rail connectivity on air-connectivity distribution. First, it is found that the BTH has the most concentrated connectivity among the three city clusters, with Beijing clearly dominating the other cities in every kind of connectivity. The connectivity distributions are more balanced in the YRD and PRD. Second, the calculated "survival connectivity" and regression analyses suggest that non-center cities heavily rely on the center city as the hub to develop their network connectivity. Such a "hub-and-spoke system" helps a non-center city improve total connectivity but reduces its direct connectivity to other cities outside the city cluster. Finally, our regression analysis shows that improved intra-city-cluster rail connectivity further deteriorates the air-connectivity disparity within the city cluster, which occurs because the center city benefits more from the upgraded air-HSR (high speed rail) intermodal connectivity because it can attract air passengers from neighboring non-center cities. Relevant policy implications and suggestions are also discussed in the paper. We believe the proposed statistical and regression approaches can be easily applied to examine city-cluster connectivity in other contexts and countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite massive new town development in megacities in China, none of the prior studies examined commuting disparities of residents of different income groups living in various types of new towns. Based on established literature on urban structure and commuting and income disparities in commuting, this paper has examined the roles of income and new town types in commuting distance, mode, and time differences. Based on Beijing's new town development context, we categorize its six major new towns into residential, national park-driven industrial, market-based industrial, and satellite new towns. Using descriptive analysis and regressions on 595 new town residents, we find that high-income commuters tend to have longer commuting distances and times and are more likely to drive to workplaces. Those living in the residential new town tend to have longer commuting distances and times. Results also show the transportation resource differences in different types of new towns. Those living in the residential new town are more likely to commute by public transit. Results also show the transportation difficulties for low-income residents who live in satellite towns. Though high-income commuters living in those towns have significantly longer commuting distances, they do not necessarily have longer commuting times than low-income people living in these towns. This study has several implications for future research and policy implications for new town development in China and other transit-dependent cities in Asia and Global South. • This paper examines commuting disparities across different types of new towns and income groups in Beijing. • High-income commuters tend to have longer commuting distances and times and are more likely to drive. • Those living in the residential new town tend to have longer commuting distances and times. • Those living in the residential new town are more likely to commute by public transit. • Results also show the transportation difficulties for low-income commuters living in satellite towns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Explore the land use-travel relationship from a household perspective. • Examine how residential and workplace built environments affect partners' travels. • Land use factors have varied and even contrast effects on partners' travel behaviors. • Land use factors affect husbands' travels indirectly by affecting wives' travels. The linkage between travel and the built environment has received extensive research attention over the past decades. However, the existing studies normally evaluate the built environment effect on travel from an individual-based perspective, neglecting the influence of intra-household interactions. We argue that individuals' travel behavior is derived from the allocation of household tasks and resources (e.g., household vehicles) and the travel behaviors of household members are interdependent. This suggests that the built environment may impact one member's travel behavior indirectly through its influence on others members' travel choices. Thus, examining the travel impact of the built environment needs to consider intra-household interactions. This paper proposes to analyze the land use-travel relationship from a household perspective. We simultaneously examine the effects of the built environments of residential and work locations on married couples' travel behaviors, considering the interrelations between their travels and controlling for both partners' travel attitudes. The empirical study in Beijing, China indicates that the built environment effect on travel is different between partners. Two work environment factors influence the partners' driving behaviors in opposite directions. Moreover, the wife's travel behavior mediates the association between the built environment and the husband's travel behavior. These findings highlight the importance of understanding the land use impact on travel behavior from the household perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From 1990 to 2017, the number of vehicles in China increased sharply from 5 million to 310 million, and vehicle emissions became one of the major sources of air pollution. Among the main sources of PM 2.5 in Beijing, the contributions from vehicle sources increased from 5.6% (2000) to 31.1% (2012) to 45% (2017). In 2010, the CO, hydrocarbon (HC), NO x , and particulate matter (PM) emissions of yellow-label vehicles (YLVs) accounted for 46.1%, 47.9%, 63.1% and 86.1% of the total emissions from on-road vehicles. In recent years, China has been implementing a YLV scrappage subsidy policy to control air pollution, and this policy has cost several hundred billion yuan nationwide. However, China has not evaluated the costs and benefits of the policy. Many people question whether the YLV scrappage subsidy policy is worthwhile, but all the stakeholders involved complicate the process of accurately evaluating the true value of the policy. In this study, we evaluated and compared the costs and benefits of the policy in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region based on 1.362 million YLVs from 2008 to 2015. Because of the implementation of the policy, the PM 2.5 , PM 10 , NO x , CO and HC emissions in the BTH region decreased by 16.46, 18.12, 174.44, 669.11, and 91.64 kt, respectively, in 2008–2015. The results show that the policy played an important role in reducing pollutant emissions and improving environmental quality in the BTH region. The costs, benefits, and net benefits of the policy were 13.69, 34.03, and 20.34 billion yuan , respectively. The cost-benefit ratio in the BTH region was 1:2.49; at the city scale, Beijing ranked first (1:7.27), and the cost-benefit ratios of Tianjin and Hebei Province were 1:2.06 and 1:1.14, respectively. Of the 13 cities in the BTH region, Beijing had the highest net benefits, amounting to 16.43 billion yuan , while Handan City has the lowest net benefits, amounting to −0.58 billion yuan. The results may provide scientific support for the promotion of older vehicle and diesel vehicle scrappage subsidy policies, the development of cost-benefit analysis (CBA), and effective environmental decision-making in China. • Based on net number of scrappage YLVs, net benefits of the policy are calculated. • This paper estimates costs and benefits of the policy based on 1.27 million YLVs. • The costs, benefits, and net benefits are 13.69, 34.03, and 20.34 billion yuan. • The results help China promote vehicle scrappage subsidy policy on a large scale. • The results promote the development of the cost-benefit analysis in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: During the summer of 2008 China’s biggest food crisis struck when it was discovered that milk suppliers were adding melamine, a colorless crystalline compound, to artificially boost the protein readings of their milk. While there was a lot of attention on the criminal investigations and post scandal industrial shake up, less is known about the impact of the Milk Scandal and policy response on the dairy farmer. The main objectives of this study are to describe the policies that were implemented by the government in response to the Milk Scandal and analyze the effect of the policies on dairy producers. To meet the objectives of the study, the paper uses a primary data set collected by the authors in 25 dairy producing villages, including 231 households, in the Greater Beijing area. The data set documents the policies that were implemented by the government as well as the response of the dairy farmers—both their participation in the dairy sector (stay in or drop out) and their herd size. Using descriptive and multivariate analyses on the changes in dairy production in the sample villages, the paper finds that, although dairy participation fell and herd sizes were reduced after the Milk Scandal, government policies did matter. Specifically, Marketing Management Policies were shown to have limited the fall in both participation and herd size. Production Management Policies had less of an effect in keeping dairy producers participating in the production of milk. The implementation of Crisis Income Management was correlated with a stronger decline in participation and herd size. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper is the second in a series of three papers aimed at understanding the emissions of vehicles in China by conducting on-board emission measurements. This paper focuses on light-duty gasoline vehicles. In this study, we measured 57 light-duty gasoline vehicles (LDGVs) in three Chinese mega-cites (Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen), covering Euro 0 through Euro IV technologies, and generated CO, HC, and NOx emission factors and deterioration rates for each vehicle technology. The results show that the vehicle emission standards have played a significant role in reducing vehicle emission levels in China. The vehicle emission factors are reduced by 47–81%, 53–64%, 46–71%, and 78–82% for each phase from Euro I to Euro IV. Euro 0 vehicles have a considerably high emission level, which is hundreds of times larger than that of Euro IV vehicles. Three old taxis and four other Euro I and Euro II LDGVs are also identified as super emitters with equivalent emission levels to Euro 0 vehicles. Of the measured fleet, 23% super emitters were estimated to contribute 50–80% to total emissions. Besides vehicle emission standards, measures for restricting super emitters are equally important to reduce vehicle emissions. This study is intended to improve the understanding of the vehicle emission levels in China, but some key issues such as emission deterioration rates are yet to be addressed with the presence of a sufficient amount of vehicle emission measurements. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Urban green spaces can promote physical activity, well-being, and public health, but disparities in the distribution of such spaces predominantly benefit affluent communities. Therefore, green justice issues have become a focus of academic research. In this paper, we develop a new model, the comprehensive floating catchment area (CFCA), to measure the accessibility of urban green space. The CFCA models urban green space attractiveness as a function of park size and of street green views from residential zones to parks. Three transportation modes (walking, biking, and driving a car) are compared. We take the central urban area of Beijing as the research area and measure green justice across different economic residential zones using the ordinary least squares model. The results suggest that the spatial disparities of urban green space are significant when only polygon urban green spaces are considered, regardless of the transportation mode. However, green injustice is mitigated when we consider both urban green spaces and street greening. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first attempt to study green justice by taking a street green view, and the results of this study can provide guidance on urban green space development for government leaders and researchers in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Highlights • The increases of commuting CO 2 emissions are several times larger than the urban size, population, and economics' developments. • Metro services reducing commuting CO 2 emissions near the metro stations is not statistically significant, possibly because the proportions of car users near the metro stations are similar to the two cities' average levels, which is caused by their higher household income and the longer travel time using the metro. • In Beijing, there are the smallest commuting CO 2 emissions in the outer suburbs due to job-housing balances, short distance and large percentage of non-motorized mode uses while the largest commuting CO 2 emissions in the inner sprawl suburbs due to car trips with long distance. Abstract To understand the changing relationships between commuting CO 2 emissions (CCE), travel behavior and urban forms, this paper provides a comparative study between the typical Chinese cities of Beijing (more developed) and Xi'an (rapidly developing). Further, the effects of metro services on reducing CCE were explored, and comparative analysis on CCE between the inner sprawling suburbs and outer suburbs was conducted. It was found that: (i) the increases in CCE are several times larger than the increases in urban size, population, and economic developments; (ii) metro services reducing CCE near metro stations is not statistically significant, maybe because the proportions of car users near the metro stations are similar to the two cities' average levels, which is caused by their higher household income and the longer travel time using the metro; (iii) in Beijing, there are smallest CCE in the outer suburbs due to job-housing balances, short distance and large percentage of non-motorized mode uses while largest CCE in the inner sprawl suburbs due to car trips with long distance. These findings indicate that to cope with the rapidly increasing CCE, more attention should be paid to developing strong industry and real-estate simultaneously; the improvement in the feeder bus and public bicycle systems should also be reinforced to reduce the total travel time of metro users; and satellite cities with job-housing balance are greatly needed. The implications will benefit efforts to reduce CCE and mitigate global climate change, and they also provide empirical evidence and reference values for other global cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • The relationship between commuting behaviour and congestion satisfaction are significant. • Semi-parameter model results are robust. • Heterogeneous effects on perceived satisfaction about congestion across social-spatial gradients. Abstract Megacity growth in developing countries suffers from heavy congestion, which undermines satisfaction as experienced by local residents. Drawing on a large scale individual survey in Beijing, this paper explores the social-spatial differentiation of urbanites' satisfaction perceptions about congestion by comparing residents with various motorized commuting modes including car, shuttle bus, and public transit. The results show that shuttle bus commuters are significantly associated with better satisfaction perceptions about congestion than other commuting mode users. We find that perceived wellbeing implications vary with demographic characteristics and transport accessibility characteristics. Findings from this study suggest the importance of considering neighborhood built environment into the design of land use and transport policy aiming to enhance commuters' subjective experiences towards congestion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The determinants of car use and car ownership are heatedly discussed in transportation planning research. However, little is known about the effects of life-course events, for instance, residential relocation and changes in household structure, on driving behaviour. In particular, in China's cities, massive urban renewal and residential relocation provide new contexts for transport. This paper aims to contribute to new evidences for the links between changes in car use and residential relocation by taking Beijing as a case. Structural Equation Modelling is applied to explore the effects of built environment, self-selection, and household status on car ownership and car use, and to highlight the mediating effect of changes in commuting distance on travel mode variation following residential relocation. The results show that residents make their travel choices based on their life stages, that is, the birth of kids, marriage, and a larger household size encourage car purchase and facilitate car use. The built environment variables play moderate roles in reshaping driving behaviour after residential relocation when controlling for other factors. Besides, commuting distance has marginal effects on car use and travel mode choice. More specifically, increasing commuting distance encourages the use of the metro and private cars. The present study has important implications for future research and policies aiming to discourage car dependence in growing metropolises. Highlights • Residents make their travel choices based on their life stages • A larger household size encourage car purchase and facilitate car use. • The built environment variables play moderate roles in reshaping driving behaviour after residential relocation. • Increasing commuting distance encourages the use of the metro and private cars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a basic structural unit of the city, the community plays a crucial role in decreasing carbon emissions and creating a low carbon city. This paper selects a classic and official low carbon community named Min'an Community in Beijing as a case to illustrate the governance mechanism of the low carbon community in China from the perspective of polycentric governance. The paper summarizes the government mechanism, market mechanism, and public participation mechanism in Min'an Community and analyzes the provision, monitoring, and enforcement of each mechanism. We find that unlike the low carbon governance at the city or industry park levels, China's low carbon governance at the community level lacks a dominant mechanism. Even though it involves community-wide governance, the public participation mechanism is also inadequate. For improving low carbon governance at the community level, the government should broaden finance channels to strengthen the incentive mechanisms, make active use of new technologies, such as mobile Internet, encourage innovation of public participation mechanism, and employ various publicity and education measures to cultivate the low carbon culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a growing political and scholarly interest in the re-emergence of Chinese development cooperation and this work explores the construction of South-South spatial matrix of knowledge, power and imagination. The paper examines the critical geopolitics of producing international development studies in China as an intellectual project over the last 5–10 years, in close relation to the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Drawing on eight months' fieldwork in Beijing, it develops a political economic geography of individuals, institutions and ideologies that have shaped the geographically and politically situated processes of inventing Chinese international development studies. The paper traces the spatial genealogy of the disciplinary regime, making visible the rise of a division of social scientific labour at a complicated moment of geopolitical flux, especially against the backdrop of intensifying US-China rivalry. It also maps out the tensions and nuances in an uneven field of knowledge and power. The future of the nascent state-disciplinary apparatus is uncertain, not least dependent on China's ongoing reinterpretation of its national identity and national mission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A significant literature exists on the impacts of tourism on local communities. This paper examines this issue with reference to the impacts of tourism on the residents of Shi Cha Hai hutong in Beijing, but does so with reference to theories of place attachment or place identity. It therefore addresses two gaps in the literature—namely, (a) a comparative lack of empirical evidence on community impacts of tourism in Mainland China and (b) the absence of debate in the tourism literature about place attachment. The study involved both quantitative and qualitative methods, but this paper primarily concentrates upon the results derived from the quantitative study. It was found that, in general, concerns about heritage outweighed perceived advantages from economic development, and the role of heritage in place attachment is duly discussed. Additionally, a structural equation model is suggested whereby attitudes toward tourism are based upon attitudes toward heritage, tourism as a source of potential employment, length of residency and perceived intrusiveness of tourism, all of which impact on a sense of place identity. The findings from these tests raised issues about the role of government and self-efficacy in place identity in a Chinese environment. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

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

A comprehensive GHG inventory provides an overview and the information of sources of emissions, and can serve as a sound scientific basis for mitigation actions. This study was the first initiative to develop a complete and transparent GHG inventory of Beijing, to document the current situation and to help governmental officials to clarify their priorities for reducing GHG emissions. The authors investigated and calculated the emission sources defined by the GPC, and assessed data accuracy. The contents of the detailed inventory were documented and are open for research verification and for methodological references for other cities. The results showed that three emission sources, i.e. CO 2 emissions from fossil fuel consumption, CO 2 emissions from industrial production and CH 4 emissions from landfills, contributed 97% of Beijing's GHGs. Considering the problem of missing data and low data quality, the authors suggested that instead of seeking to compile a complete inventory, Chinese cities should first report their GHG emissions from these sources, while improving the data quality for the long run. The authors anticipate that the findings reported in this paper will help to strengthen city-level GHG inventory research in China and throughout the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Metro expansions exert spatial distribution effects on subway-side and road-side access. • Subway access improvements generate significant effects on transit use. • Residential self-selection plays a role in moderating the effects. This paper explores the impact of subway development on commuting behavior that arises from changes in network access induced by travel time reductions under geographical contexts of China's mega-city subway network expansion. The analysis is carried out on a cohort of residential areas in Beijing built from geographically-referenced data on individual surveys, administrative records and changes in subway network. We find that improved subway access increase subway use, mainly due to road-side distance reductions to subway stations rather than subway-side distance contractions. Automobile use is significantly reduced due to subway-side access changes along with the subway network expansion. The effects are robust to the consideration of travel attitudes, residential self-selection and other social and spatial gradients. Our results highlight an important implication that access is dynamic in nature and its decomposed subway-side and road-side access can be a key force for guiding metro-system development and station location placements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agricultural sector is extremely vulnerable to climate change and also plays a very important role in the operation of the entire economic system, leading many studies to evaluate the possible agricultural direct economic damage (ADED) of climate change. However, this damage may have an amplification impact through the intricate industrial linkages that exist among sectors, and this impact may be even greater than the original damage. Therefore, to elucidate the economic cascading effect (ECE) in China caused by ADED and industrial linkage, this paper used the ARIO model to evaluate the total ECE and analyse the differences in the 19 sectors by taking the ADED under future annual mean temperature (AMT) increases of 1–5 °C as the input condition and adjusting the exogenous parameters to enhance the adaptability of the model; the goal was to assess the economic impact of climate change in China. The results show that (i) there is a significant amplifying impact of ECE due to industrial linkage under the influence of warming, ECE will be 4.24–5.25 times that of ADED, and the total economic impact (ADED + ECE) will exceed the GDP of the Chinese capital of Beijing in 2012 when the AMT increases by 1.5 °C, while it will exceed one tenth of China's GDP when it increases by 4 °C. (ii) Manufacturing will be the sector most affected by the industrial linkage under ADED, which accounts for 26.58% of total ECE, followed by agriculture (10.39%) and construction (8.5%). (iii) The decrease in cultivated land area will have a significant impact on the economy; when it is reduced to the minimum demand (1.41% less than 2012), ADED increases by 1.65 times and ECE increases by 2.35 times. This paper aims to provide a new perspective from which to evaluate the economic impact of climate change by studying ECEs behind sectoral interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing countries like China have experienced substantial city transformations over the past decade. City transformations are characterized by transportation innovations that allow individuals to access to speedy commuting modes for work activities and offer potential influences on commuting behavior. This paper examines the potential effects of subway system expansion in Beijing on commuting behavior. Our methodological design controls for spatial effects by employing Bayesian multilevel binary logistic models with spatial random effects. Using cross-sectional individual surveys in Beijing, the results suggest that there is a significant rise in subway commuting trips while non-motorized and bus commuting trips are reduced with the new subway expansion. Model comparison results show evidence about the presence of spatial effects in influencing the role of built environment characteristics to play in the commuting behavior analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, tenants' residential relocations always present diverse spatial-temporal tendencies and are highly influenced by disadvantages of origin (push) and attractiveness of destination (pull). This paper aims to construct a relocation intention (RI) model and estimate the effects of residential push–pull factors on tenants' RIs, such as the household registration system (hukou), homeownership status, and residential dissatisfaction. The empirical research relies on a questionnaire-based survey of 2187 tenants conducted in 2019 in Beijing, China. Our findings confirm that non-local hukou status significantly pushes female and unmarried tenants to relocate, and non-local homeownership noticeably pulls male and married tenants' relocation. These two factors also significantly influence the RIs of tenants without higher education. For tenants younger than 35, non-local hukou status shows a strong pushing force, but non-local homeownership does not present notable differences by age. Additionally, residential dissatisfaction significantly pushes tenants' RIs and has a moderating effect on non-local homeownership. Moreover, for tenants who have explicit relocation intentions, non-local hukou status plays a vital role in shortening their intended stay before their actual relocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Industrial parks have been tested in various regions around the world, in attempt to foster innovation and fuel economic growth. Despite the importance of industry co-agglomerations in regional growth, few studies examine them in regional geographic space. This paper combines exploratory spatial data analysis and input–output method to explore the spatial pattern of key industrial co-agglomerations in Beijing, which is illustrated by location, function, frequency, spatial hierarchy and spacing. The results contribute to linking abstract economic and actual geographical spaces in urban and regional growth, enabling urban and regional planners to judge and evaluate planning initiatives before and after implementation. The failure of sub-center plans and risks of industrial parks schemes in Beijing are addressed. By considering industrial input–output relations including environmental and human resources, urban planners can optimize the development of such co-agglomerations to foster sustainable urban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the recent past Beijing has experienced rapid development. This growth has been accompanied by many problems including traffic congestion and air pollution. Understanding what stimulates urban growth is important for sustainable development in the coming years. In this paper, we first estimate a binary auto-logistic model of land use change, using physical and socioeconomic characteristics of the location and its access to major centers within the city as predictors. We find that variables determining regional access, like time distance to the city center, the Central Business District (CBD), industrial centers, employment centers, and the transportation system, significantly impact urban land conversion. By using measures of access to predict land use change we believe that we can better understand the planning implications of urban growth not only in Beijing but other rapidly developing cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on sampling data of 2008 and 2011, this paper adopts the ordered probit model to investigate the determinants of academic performance for two cohorts of migrant children in Beijing. We found: (1) Age (different directions for the two cohorts), being a girl, family income, mother's education, parental expectations, parental tutoring, and the degree of satisfaction with schools were associated with children's academic ranking in the class for both cohorts. (2) Family income only mattered for the 2008 cohort and only for girls; additionally for 2008, educational expectations, study time and being a student leader were significant predictors. (3) Heterogeneous effects by gender, by education stage and by school type were also documented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The education of the disadvantaged population has been a long-standing challenge to education systems in both developed and developing countries. Although computer-assisted learning (CAL) has been considered one alternative to improve learning outcomes in a cost-effective way, the empirical evidence of its impacts on improving learning outcomes is mixed. This paper uses a randomized field experiment to explore the effects of CAL on student academic and non-academic outcomes for students in migrant schools in Beijing. Our results show that a remedial CAL program held out of regular school hours improved the student standardized math scores by 0.15 standard deviations and most of the program effect took place within 2 months after the start of the program. Students with less-educated parents benefited more from the program. Moreover, CAL also significantly increased the students’ interest in learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Knowledge and technologies produced in Chinese cities has increasingly taken a greater share of total output of global cities. • The quality of this output has increased over time Chinese cities improve the quality of their knowledge output before increasing the quality of technology. • Only Beijing, Shanghai & Shenzhen compete globally in terms of quality of output – other Chinese cities do not. • This can be a mechanism for increasing regional inequality within China. Are Chinese cities becoming smarter in terms of the knowledge and technologies they produce? For decades, the widely held believe in the global North is that China merely copies, imitates and only incrementally improves ideas. Recently, this believe is increasingly being challenged. In this paper I quantify this process. Using data from about 6,1 million patents and 60 million academic publications I examine the complexity of technologies and knowledge developed in major Chinese cities and compare these to those produced in other global cities. The results show that (1) knowledge and technologies produced in Chinese cities has increasingly taken a greater share of total output of global cities; (2) the quality of this output has increased over time; (3) Chinese cities improve the quality of their knowledge output before increasing the quality of technology; and (4) only Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen compete with other global cities in terms of the quality of output, suggesting emerging regional inequality within China linked to knowledge and technology production. Not only is the size of the Chinese economy increasing, so is the quantity and quality of its knowledge and technology output. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Diversity, complexity and change have become the hallmarks of contemporary Chinese rural settlements. However, the literature so far has paid insufficient attention to this phenomenon from the standpoint of functional transition and related land-use change. To fill in this gap, this paper explores the functional transition of rural settlement through analyzing land-use differentiation in a transect of Beijing. Land-use changes are presented along the differentiation of land-use structure and use change of rural housing. The results indicate that there is an obvious differentiation of land-use structure from near-urban countryside to the rural hinterland. Besides that, the use change of rural housing also has regional characteristics. They are different responses to the urban sprawl, respectively from the collective economic organization and single rural resident. The regional differentiation implies a functional transition in some rural settlements, including increases of non-agricultural function and urban servicing function. Quantitative evaluation of the functional intensity and its rules on spatial–temporal evolution still need to be approached in the future. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Since 1958 the hukou (household registration) system has assigned Chinese citizens either a rural or urban status. Some studies argue that the rural-to-urban migrants in China who do not have urban hukou are not entitled to urban social insurance schemes, due to institutional discrimination, which applies differing treatment to urban and rural hukou (chengxiang fenge). Although rural–urban migrants participate less in the social insurance system than their counterparts with urban hukou, a closer examination of recent policy developments shows that migrants actually do have the legal right to access the system. This implies that discrimination between rural and urban workers has been declining, and distinctions based on household registration status are less able to explain China's current urban transition. This paper provides a new way of examining Chinese migrants' social insurance participation, by adopting a framework that includes both rural-to-urban migrants and urban-to-urban migrants, which are an important, but less studied, migrant group. Among our key findings are that urban migrants are more likely to sign a labour contract than rural migrants; urban migrants have higher participation rates in social insurance than rural migrants; having a labour contract has a greater impact than hukou status in determining whether Beijing's floating population accesses social insurance; and urban migrants who have signed a labour contract have higher participation rates in social insurance than either rural migrants or urban migrants without a labour contract. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: In order to analyze the dynamic evolutionary process of Chinese emerging housing market, the paper defines the behavioral functions of household agents in terms of demand generation, information search and price negotiation, and incorporates multi-agent technique and geographic information system to conduct a series of simulation studies on Beijing housing market. By setting different market scenarios, the impacts of new housing supply and information level on Beijing housing market are addressed. The findings show that, Beijing housing market is characterized by the prominent urban expansion with the formation of consolidated residential zones outside the 5th ring road; the growth in new housing supply can reduce the buyer search duration significantly, and lead the buyer search flow to the new housing market; higher information level can increase the sales of resale housing market, but inhibit the sales and time on market for new-built houses to some extent. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Psychological determinants of Chinese elderly's satisfaction with food-related life. • Satisfaction with food-related life positively affects the overall life satisfaction. • Food-related goals are positively related to satisfaction with food-related life. • Belief about food freshness positively affects all the food-related goals. Life satisfaction is a psychological state of an individual, however, a psychological perspective on how life satisfaction is based on cognitive inference-making has been largely neglected in the extant literature on elderly's life satisfaction. This paper fills the gap by focusing on the psychological determinants of Chinese elderly's satisfaction with the food domain of life, i.e. satisfaction with food-related life. Data were collected by personal interviews conducted in Beijing with 452 participants above 60 years old from March to May 2018. Based on means-end theory and the "bottom-up" approach to the concept of life satisfaction, this study confirms the hierarchical relationships between beliefs about food safety, taste, naturalness and freshness, the food-related goals of health seeking, enjoyment seeking and variety seeking, satisfaction with food-related life, and overall life satisfaction among Chinese elderly. All the three food-related goals positively affected Chinese elderly's satisfaction with food-related life with the goal of enjoyment seeking as the strongest predictor. Positive belief about food freshness was related to the importance of all the three goals. Food naturalness belief was negatively related to the goals of health seeking and enjoyment seeking, while belief about food safety did not have any significant impact on either of the two goals. The food taste belief did not significantly affect the goal of enjoyment seeking but affected the goal of variety seeking. Implications for how to improve Chinese elderly's satisfaction with food-related life and for future research were provided. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, with the growth of population and the acceleration of urbanization in China, cultivated land resources have become increasingly scarce, and cultivated land embodied in trade has become more and more important to areas with insufficient arable land. The measurement of embodied cultivated land is critical to explore the land use profile and understand the social and environmental issues related to land. However, few studies have explored the embodied cultivated land change and its socio-economic driving forces. Therefore, this study tracks the cultivated land embodied in products and serves traded between 30 provinces and 8 regions in China, adopting a multi-regional input-output model. We also identify the determinants of the changes in embodied cultivated land use through the structural decomposition analysis (SDA). Here we found that more than 80% of total cultivated land consumption in Shanghai, Tianjin, and Beijing is satisfied by other provinces, indicating that the more economically developed a province is, the less self-sufficient it will be with respect to the land required to support its consumption. The average proportion of embodied cultivated land among Chinese provinces is shown to have decreased from 41.39% in 2007 to 35.35% in 2012, indicating that dependence on cultivated land among Chinese provinces increased over this period. The results also highlight the fact that the most affluent regions in China, including the South Coast, Central Coast, and Beijing–Tianjin, have the highest imports of cultivated land embodied in products from the underdeveloped central and western regions. Further, our SDA results reveal that in most provinces, changes in embodied cultivated land can be attributed to the factors of cultivated land-use intensity and consumption volume. This paper helps determine where the responsibility for land consumption lies and provides data support for the construction of a land governance system, which helps to achieve environmental equity in the context of regional trade. • The embodied cultivated land-use change and its drivers were explored through MRIO and SDA. • More than 80% of cultivated land consumption in Shanghai, Tianjin, and Beijing is satisfied by other provinces. • The average proportion of embodied cultivated land among Chinese provinces decreased by 6.02%. • The changes in embodied cultivated land is mainly attributed to changes in land-use intensity and consumption volume. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper analyses the duration of housing project sales in the city of Beijing, China. In the housing market, new properties sometimes experience delays before they are sold. Such delays reflect the preferences of buyers with regard to the characteristics of the dwelling. Therefore, it is important for managerial purposes to identify the causes of delays in the sales of housing projects. A survival model with heterogeneity is adopted in the present research. The principal finding of this study is that delays are largely explained by the characteristics and the location of the housing project. Policy implications of the research findings, particularly those related to means of reducing the delays, are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Land development impacts of mass transit have long been studied in the developed economies. Yet relatively little is known by the outside world about the Chinese experience due to China''s rather short history in the development of modern mass transit and land/property market. This paper attempts to fill the gap by presenting evidence from China, with a detailed case study of Beijing. Selecting three newly built suburban transit lines in Beijing, the study examined land development context and estimated hedonic housing price models to measure the proximity premiums associated with these three lines. The empirical evidence in Beijing, one of the first tier mass transit cities in China, shows that investments in mass transit can have significant and positive impacts on land development. Properties with transit proximity enjoy sizable price or value premiums. The study also confirms the international experience: transit impacts on land development are unlikely to occur automatically; they rely greatly on supportive regional and site conditions. Integrated planning and design for mass transit and land development are critical to expand and maximize the return of transit investments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: Some commentators have claimed that there is a growing Beijing Consensus among emerging and developing economies concerning the merits of China’s economic policies. Within an analytical framework provided by the well known international policy trilemma, this paper investigates the empirical evidence concerning this claim with specific reference to the adoption of international macroeconomic policies. We find that there are substantial differences between what China does and what is done in other emerging and developing economies. While we discover some regional and inter-temporal variations, there seems to be little or no support for the existence of a Beijing Consensus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Keep in pace with the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 Shanghai Expo, engineering events of different types and sizes are coming to China more than it had ever happened during years. Obviously, these could all cause safety problems. To organize the event perfectly, a lot of questions occur: How to provide the best safety to everyone participate in our event? How to deal with the emergencies during the event? These questions are the most important element of holding a successful event. This paper discusses the necessity of engineering risk management during events. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The use of groundwater for cooling and heating purposes is of interest from both the economical and the ecological perspective. The groundwater heat pump (GWHP) system utilizes groundwater as alternative renewable and clean energy source for space heating and/or cooling, withdraws water from a production well, passes it through a heat exchanger and discharges the water into an injection well. By utilizing the relatively stable temperature of groundwater, GWHP system can achieve a higher coefficient of performance. Due to the utilization of groundwater stored in the aquifer, the assessment of the hydraulic capacity of the aquifer based on numerical groundwater models is always needed for the optimum design and the efficient performance of GWHP. In this paper, numerical methods of underground heat-water transfer, energy balance method and thermal storage method were presented to calculate the capacity of unit area of shallow groundwater aquifer. The model results indicate that the numerical method, which is based on performance efficiency of GWHP, represents the behaviour of groundwater pumping/recharging processes, and serves better than energy balance method and thermal storage method, in addition it has been proven itself that this method has the advantages of energy saving and environmental protection. The calculated capacity is positively related to aquifer thickness. It is found that it is easy for ground water recharge in alluvial and pluvial fan located at the piedmont, while the calculated capacity is relatively smaller compared with that of south-east plain where it is not easy for groundwater recharge. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Based on the existing Urban Expansion Dynamic (UED) model, this paper develops a geographic information system (GIS)-based model that can be used to assess the current and potential spatial stress on a regional wetland ecosystem due to urban expansion. Synthetically utilizing the simulation capability of the UED model and the spatial analysis power of a GIS, this new model takes into account the present disturbance by ongoing urban expansion, the potential disturbance by future urban expansion, the accessibility via the transportation network, and the neighborhood stability. The model is used in particular to simulate the spatial stress on the major wetlands in Beijing from 1991 to 2004. The simulation results are found to be consistent with the actual remote sensing observations: a relatively high spatial stress normally leads to an eventual conversion into urban use. With the future urban lands predicted by the UED model, this model is used to further assess the potential spatial stress of urban expansion on the major wetlands in Beijing by 2015. Moreover, the spatially stressed wetland fringe areas in Beijing are identified based on the total spatial stress combining the current and the potential. These areas are found to be mainly distributed in downtown Beijing and the plains areas that have relatively easy accessibility via the transportation network. Effective measures should be taken to protect such areas from being further disturbed in order to achieve the goal of a more effective conservation of the wetland ecosystems in Beijing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Sustainable development of geothermal resources is the key to prolong the commercial life of geothermal fields. This paper uses two well-known geothermal fields in China, with long histories of production, to demonstrate how sustainability can be quantitatively evaluated, and to highlight the essential differences between sustainable and non-sustainable development schemes. After examining the complex nature of sustainability evaluation, fuzzy synthetic evaluation is applied as a tool for the quantitative sustainability rating of geothermal reservoirs. The evaluation procedures include systemic criteria selection, weighing, individual criterion evaluation and finally final multi-criterion decision analysis evaluation. The sustainability of a limestone reservoir in the urban sector of Tianjin is rated rather low because of insufficient levels of water injection. On the contrary, the carbonate rock reservoirs of the Xiaotangshan geothermal field in suburban Beijing have a strong sustainability rating, mainly due to high injection rates. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The paper highlights the energy dilemma in China’s modernization process. It explores the technological and policy options for the transition to a sustainable energy system in China with Tsinghua University’s Low Carbon Energy Model (LCEM). China has already taken intensive efforts to promote research, development, demonstration and commercialization of sustainable energy technologies over the past five year. The policy actions cover binding energy conservation and environmental pollution control targets, economic incentives for sustainable energy, and public R&D supports. In order to achieve the sustainable energy system transformation eventually, however, China needs to take further actions such as strengthening R&D of radically innovative sustainable energy technologies and systems such as poly-generation, enhancing the domestic manufacturing capacity of sustainable energy technologies and systems, creating stronger economic incentives for research, development, demonstration and commercialization of sustainable energy technologies, and playing a leading role in international technology collaborations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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]

Abstract: Residential development provides product/service value like floor space, while at the same time it induces severe environmental impacts. This paper introduces a methodology for eco-efficiency (EE) evaluation of residential development at city level, which links product/service value and environmental impacts together. Different from previous researches on environmental impacts related to the construction process of residential buildings, the proposed methodology selects the ecological footprint (EF) as an aggregate environmental indicator to represent all resources consumed and all wastes produced by residential development, while the traditional EF model of a region is improved in view of characters of residential development. Since the final and main objective of the residential development is to provide floor space, which is chosen as the indicator of product/service value herein. The proposed methodology is applied and exemplified in the eco-efficiency evaluation of residential development in three Chinese cities, namely, Beijing, Shanghai, and Nanjing. Results derived from the proposed methodology can help policy-makers and participants in the industry to assess residential development quantitatively and roundly. They can also provide implications for the environmental management of residential development at city level. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Multiyear inventories of vehicular emissions in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou from 1995 through 2005 have been developed in this paper to study the vehicle emissions trends in China''s mega cities during the past decade. The results show that the vehicular emissions of CO, HC, NO x and PM10 have begun to slow their growth rates and perhaps even to decline in recent years due to the implementation of measures to control vehicular emissions in these cities. However, vehicular CO2 emissions have substantially increased and still continue to grow due to little fuel economy improvement. Passenger cars and large vehicles (including heavy duty trucks and buses) are the major sources of vehicular CO2 and CO emissions while large vehicles were responsible for nearly 70% and 80% of the vehicular NO x and PM10 emissions in these mega cities. Motorcycles are also important contributors to vehicular emissions in Guangzhou and Shanghai. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Consumers around the world increased consumption of fish and fish products in recent years due to recognition of their nutritional value. Frequent occurrences of food safety scares heightened public awareness causing significant reduction in the consumption of the affected products. Many countries, including China, implemented a traceability system to increase vertical coordination and guarantee safety in fish products. This paper aims to provide information on consumers’ awareness to quality and safety of fish products, purchasing behavior, and willingness to pay (WTP) for safe fish products in Beijing, China, based on a survey of consumers. The results show a shortage of safety knowledge among customers concerning fish products, including processing, storage, and the traceability system. The age of consumers, educational level, the perception safety and the average price, are the main determinants of Beijing consumer’s WTP for the traceable products. On average, consumers are willing to pay a 6% premium for safe, traceable fish products over the price of non-traced products of uncertain safety. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Since the open door policy in 1978 China has undergone enormous economic and social changes making China to be one of the largest economies and consumers of resources in the world. The pronounced differences in income and lifestyles especially between urban and rural China were also part of China''s economic rebirth. This paper explores current trajectories and scenarios for urbanization and lifestyle changes and other important socio-economic trends in China. The implications of these changes are analysed for Beijing in particular and then compared to China for the year 2020. These changes by 2020 are modelled using input–output analysis in combination with the Ecological Footprint and Water Footprint. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper focuses on the educational opportunities available to rural migrant children in Beijing. On the basis of fieldwork conducted in migrant communities in 2004–2005, I conclude that administrative and financial barriers, as well as discrimination, prevent migrant children from entering state schools. I discuss the quality of education available in unlicensed private schools, followed by an analysis of the possible reasons for the state''s exclusion of migrant children from state schools and its hostility to migrants’ self-provision of education. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper explores the establishment of migrant identities through linguistic and sociolinguistic exchanges in a Beijing public school. Drawing on the data from ethnographic observation and interviews, the research demonstrates how small features of language become emblematic of individual and group identities, and how such identities have an impact on the appraisal of migrant pupils’ performance at school as well as in wider frames of macro-political order which often invoke homogeneism within the dominant language ideologies, emphasizing linguistic uniformity and homogeneity. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper presents a novel method for quantification of the total emission of gases from area sources using the mobile mini-DOAS (Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy) instrument, a ground based optical remote sensing technique. The presented method has been applied to measure the emission of SO2 and NO2 from the city of Beijing, P.R. China, on a time scale of approximately 2h. The measurements have been performed during two field campaigns, in April and in August 2005. The estimated emission of NO2 is roughly the same during the two field campaigns with an average emission of 189tonsd−1 during April and 174tonsd−1 during August. The estimated emission of SO2 varies greatly between the two periods, with an average emission of 293tonsd−1 during April and 52tonsd−1 during August. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]