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This paper investigates the life experiences of creative expats and the associated impact of, and on, the built environment of their host localities. Grounded on participants' testimonies, we develop the concept of transient mentality as a potential mediating factor in-between such reciprocal relations. Employing an interview and survey-based research approach and drawing on grounded theory for data collection and analysis in Beijing, China, we found that the prevalence of a transient mentality among creative expats is influenced by the nature of their occupations, the fluidity of their social relationships, and the rapid transformations in the built environment. This transient mentality, in turn, affects the production of the cityscape through the consumption preferences of these expats. We argue that understanding such a transient mentality is crucial for urban planning and cultural policy, particularly in (emerging) global cities that work to brand themselves as international creative hubs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suburban railways in megacities exert a pivotal role in propelling urbanization and shaping urban agglomeration. However, previous study endeavors have overlooked the transformations occurring in urban expansion along suburban railways, with a particular dearth of attention on the spatio-temporal evolution of landscape ecology and urban function. Therefore, this study employs the megacity of Beijing as an example. It utilizes remote sensing and point-of-interest (POI) data spanning from 2008 to 2022 to construct an indicator system from two essential dimensions: urban form and function. We explored the spatio-temporal characteristics of alterations in urban expansion within the gradient buffer zone adjacent to the suburban railway network in Beijing. The results showed that: (1) The rates of urban expansion were highest in 2008–2013 and lowest in 2013–2018; moreover, suburban railways had the greatest impact on the built-up area within 2–4 km along the route, and the impact gradually decreased beyond 4 km. (2) The direction of urban expansion shifted northward in the direction of latitude and eastward in the direction of longitude from 2008 to 2022, with the shift in latitude being more distinct. (3) The number of urban functions gradually increased from 2008 to 2018, but the number of medical services suddenly increased and the number of other urban functions decreased from 2018 to 2022; in addition, urban functions other than scenic spots were mainly distributed in the main urban areas, with very few clusters distributed near stations. (4) The landscape shape index became more irregular and fragmented from the center along the route to the edge of the buffer zone from 2008 to 2013, and the degree of fragmentation was highest in the 2–4 km buffer zone. In summary, this paper analyzes the spatio-temporal characteristics of urban expansion along suburban railways through four indexes, namely expansion rate, expansion direction, urban function, and landscape shape, and the results of this study are of great significance to the development and planning of suburban railways in megacities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clarifying the pattern of the urban greenhouse gas (GHG) budget and its influencing factors is the basis of promoting urban low-carbon development. This paper takes Beijing and Shenzhen—the capital city and the most rapidly developing city in China, respectively—as case studies, comprehensively accounts their GHG budgets from 2005 to 2020, and investigates and compares the factors affecting their GHG budgets. The total GHG emissions in Beijing were lowest in 2005 (160.3 TgCO2 equivalents) and peaked at 227.7 TgCO2 equivalents in 2019, and then decreased to 209.1 TgCO2 equivalents in 2020. Meanwhile, the total GHG emissions in Shenzhen gradually increased from 36.0 TgCO2 equivalents in 2005 to 121.4 TgCO2 equivalents in 2019, and then decreased to 119.1 TgCO2 equivalents in 2020. The energy activity sector was the greatest contributor to GHG emissions in this period, accounting for 82.5% and 76.0% of the total GHG emissions in Beijing and Shenzhen, respectively. The carbon sink of the ecosystems of these two cities could absorb only small parts of their emissions, and the neutralization rates of sinks ranged from 1.7% to 2.3% in Beijing and from 0.3% to 1.5% in Shenzhen. The enhancement of population, economic product, and consumption increased the greenhouse gas emissions in both cities. A 1% increase in population size, per capita GD (gross domestic product), and residential consumption level would increase total GHG emissions by 0.181%, 0.019%, and 0.030% in Beijing, respectively. The corresponding increases in Shenzhen would be 0.180%, 0.243%, and 0.172%, respectively. The household size had opposite effects on the two cities, i.e., a 1% increase in household size would increase GHG emissions by 0.487% in Shenzhen but reduce them by 2.083% in Beijing. Each 1% increase in secondary industry and energy intensity would reduce GHG emissions by 0.553% and 0.110% in Shenzhen, respectively, which are more significant reductions than those in Beijing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the first-tier cities, subway has become an important carrier and life focus of people's daily travel activities. By studying the distribution of POIs of public service facilities around Metro Line 10, using GIS to quantitatively analyze the surrounding formats of subway stations, discussing the functional attributes of subway stations, and discussing the distribution of urban functions from a new perspective, this paper provided guidance and advice for the construction of service facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green space accessibility affects housing prices, which is an issue that has been underappreciated. This paper takes Beijing's central urban area as an example. First, the Gaussian-based two-step floating catchment area (G2SFCA) method is used to measure four levels (community green space, subdistrict green space, district green space, and municipal green space) of green space accessibility by multiple travel modes (walking, cycling and driving). Second, the spatial error model (SEM) is used to examine the factors influencing housing prices. Finally, the geographically weighted regression (GWR) model is introduced to explore the spatial relationship between green space accessibility by walking, cycling and driving and housing prices. The results show the following: (1) The SEM shows that only driving accessibility has a positive spatial spillover effect on housing prices, indicating that the spatial inequity of local community green spaces by driving will exacerbate surrounding spatial inequity. (2) The GWR model shows that from the perspective of walking and driving accessibility, most areas within the Second Ring Road show spatial equity in green spaces, while cycling accessibility shows that the spatial inequity of green space exists only outside the Second Ring Road. (3) We find that municipal green space and subdistrict green space most affect the spatial equity of green spaces. Community green space, which is not open to the public, plays a minimal role. Regarding walking and driving accessibility, municipal green space increases the spatial equity of green spaces. In contrast, this type of green space can promote the spatial equity of green spaces regarding cycling accessibility. This study can significantly improve the quality of urban settlements in the Global South and has important implications for policy-makers, planners, and stakeholders in other large cities worldwide to create green and liveable cities. • We investigated green space accessibility impact on housing prices • G2SFCA was used to measure green space accessibility for multiple travel modes • Driving accessibility had positive spatial spillover effect on housing prices • Driving and cycling green space accessibility had opposite effect on housing prices • Our results provided guidance and example for other developing countries megacities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Urban and rural energy rebound effects in Beijing are studied by LA-AIDS model. • Energy rebound from substitution and income effects is decomposed by Slutsky equation. • Energy rebound effect of rural residents exceeded that of urban residents after 2010. • The income effect is the main source of the energy rebound effect in Beijing. • Energy rebound caused by various commodity groups presents obvious heterogeneity. With Beijing facing greater pressure for energy conservation, improving energy efficiency becomes more necessary. However, the energy rebound effect may weaken this energy-saving effect. Using the LA-AIDS (Linear Approximation of the Almost Ideal Demand System) model and simulation analysis, this paper evaluates the energy rebound effects of different commodity groups in Beijing's urban and rural households during 2000–2019. Then, the Slutsky decomposition equation is introduced to decompose the energy rebound caused by the substitution and income effects. Results suggest that: (1) The energy consumption of urban and rural residents shows a partial rebound in most years, and the energy rebound effect of rural residents exceeded that of urban residents after 2010. (2) The income effect from commodity price changes is the main source of the energy rebound effect both in urban and rural households. (3) The commodity groups Residence, Household facilities & Services, Transportation & Communication and Health care & Medical services have the same influencing direction on the energy rebound effect in urban and rural residents, while the commodity groups Food, Tobacco & Alcohol, Clothing and Culture, Education & Entertainment have different influencing direction. Finally, suggestions are provided for alleviating the energy rebound effect of households in Beijing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The improved ecological network analysis emphasizes both upstream and downstream of urban energy metabolic system. • Environ analysis and Ascendency analysis are integrated to analyze the processes and stability of urban energy metabolic system. • Beijing's 2007–2016 energy statistics are applied to reflect the transformation of Beijing's energy metabolic pattern. • Beijing's energy system has been improved through optimization both in supply and demand sides, with stability and risk resistance increased. In this paper, the improved ecological network analysis framework is applied to study the internal metabolic process and external stability of the urban energy metabolism system. Firstly, based on the analysis of ecological network, the sectors are selected from the three stages of urban energy production, transformation and consumption to build an ecological network model. Then, according to the metabolic process and stability characteristics of urban energy system, the Network Environ Analysis and Ascendency are integrated, and the time dimension is expanded. Finally, the data of Beijing from 2007 to 2016 are selected for empirical study. The results show that: (1) the cumulative consumption of raw coal and coal products and natural gas has changed significantly, the former has decreased from 3448×104 tce to 1283×104 tce, and the latter has increased from 560 ×104 tce to 3699×104 tce; (2) the electricity, heat and water production and supply sector consumed the most energy; (3) the energy transfer pathways between sectors has changed significantly. The results of stability analysis show that the overall stability of Beijing's energy metabolism system is increasing year by year, but there is still space for further improvement. This provides an important reference for optimizing the energy utilization structure of Beijing in the future and further promoting clean energy initiatives. [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]

Mixed-use development has been widely accepted as a strategy in urban planning to address the problems resulted from the traditional zoning in the West, and it has also been increasingly adopted in many Chinese cities in recent decades with quite different results. However, few studies have provided empirical support to the claimed benefits of mixed-use development and little is known about the process to achieve the desired benefits of mixed-use. This paper reports our investigation of three typical urban development models commonly used in China – “top-down” centrally-controlled development model, “bottom-up” individual-dominant development model, and “bottom-up” collective-dominant development model. Using Southern Changping of Beijing as a case study, where the mixed-use development has been adopted in the past decade, we conduct a systematic evaluation of the three approaches and assess the impacts of mixed-use on urban development in Beijing. By conducting questionnaire analysis and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to compare the job-housing pattern, career development of residents, sense of community and community vitality of the three models, the paper discovers that the community under “bottom-up” collective-dominant development model effectively achieved mixed-use development, while the “top-down” centrally-controlled development may lead to functional division and the “bottom-up” individual-dominant developed community ended up in disorder and chaos. Our findings indicate that under current policy framework and development trends in China, the “bottom-up” collective-dominant development model and social inclusion would be an effective way to achieving the intended goals of the mixed-use development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Much like other post-socialist cities, Chinese cities experienced dramatic changes after economic reform. The danwei, or state-owned work unit, was once a fundamental building block of Chinese cities. In addition to being the basic form of economic and social organization, danwei communities defined Chinese urban development before reform, taking the form of gated, walled-off combined factory and residential areas. This paper focuses on spatial changes at the neighborhood scale in danwei, by selecting the Tongrentang pharmaceutical factory in Beijing, China during the time period between 1973 and 2006 as a case study. Through archival material and interviews, this paper describes how the community changed from gated, boring, solidified and strictly constrained work units to un-gated, vibrant, mixed-use and flexible urban neighborhoods. This case study in urban China provides implications for planning professionals and policy makers. By properly redeveloping these brownfield, traditional danwei communities many change to become un-gated, livable, accessible, integrated, and sustainable in the post-socialist era. The implication for current transition theory is that despite the similarity to Central and East European countries, urban China has a local context and unique spatial changes that should be embraced in future transition studies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Although urban land leasing is supposedly a local government matter, local leaderships' proactive pursual of economic growth for their career advancements can sometimes be at odds with national policies. Yet, how land conveyance decisions are made in midst of the implementation of national policies and land financing has been a rather overlooked aspect in the studies of China's land market. Hence, this paper explores this issue through a study of land conveyance decisions in Beijing and Shanghai's residential and commercial land markets from 2007 to 2018, and their subsequent land price effects. Deploying endogenous treatment effect models, it is revealed that land conveyance decisions in Beijing were highly subject to national policies and the status of its City Party Secretary, but not in Shanghai. Also, the use of Guapai resulted in higher residential and commercial land prices in Shanghai, but lower prices for Beijing's commercial land parcels. The findings indicate that Beijing, due to its closer proximity to the Central Government, appears to have stringently followed the national policy directions, whereas land officials in Shanghai seem to have had a higher degree of autonomy in their decisions. Additionally, the contrasting price effect of Guapai on land prices for residential and commercial land parcels enabled Beijing's government to compensate for the latent losses in land revenue when leasing residential land parcels, due to Nation #10, by leasing commercial parcels at higher prices via tender. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The morphology of a city affects its ecological and socioeconomic functions, and thus how a city is spatially structured has important bearings on urban sustainability. The paper analyzes the spatial pattern of Beijing in relation to its urban functions. Our results show that the 6 concentric ring-roads in Beijing provide a basic framework for the city''s overall spatial pattern, and also give its apparent resemblance to the classic concentric zone theory. The paper identifies 5 concentric zones for Beijing based on a suite of urban functions. However, there are significant differences between the urban spatial pattern of Beijing and that depicted in the classic concentric zone theory. The study sheds new light on the urban morphology of one of the major Chinese cities, and provides needed information for developing plans to diffuse urban functions in Beijing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

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]

The resource shortages and environmental problems that cities face can be attributed to their increasing metabolic throughflow and their metabolic inefficiency. To support urban ecological management, it is necessary to identify the main metabolic actors responsible for these problems and analyze the characteristics of their metabolic structure. In this paper, we divide a typical urban metabolic system into seven components. Using material-flow analysis, we accounted for the amounts of resources and wastes transferred among the system''s components and between the system and its environment, using Beijing from 1998 to 2007 as a case study. We used four indicators (metabolic scale, intensity, efficiency, and impact) to represent the inner structural characteristics of the urban metabolic system and analyzed the system based on the proposed indicators. The results provide scientific support for identifying the key metabolic actors responsible for urban metabolic disorders by accurately characterizing the city''s metabolic status. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

As responses to metropolitan suburbanization and rural urbanization, the formation and evolution of urban fringes should be understood against the background of overall economic development and spatial reconstruction of entire metropolises. At the same time, however, endogenous interactions between industrial structure and spatial patterns of non-agricultural activities are also worthy of scholarly attention. Since the 1980s, studies on urban fringes in China have been restricted by the lack of micro-level data. This paper investigates the spatial expansion and structural evolution of the urban fringe by taking the case of Beijing and uses systematic firm-level data in 1996 and 2001 from the National Census of Basic Units. The diversity of distribution patterns across industrial sectors brings about two interrelated results. On the one hand, structural adjustment of non-agricultural industries promotes the expansion and spatial evolution of the urban fringe. On the other hand, the stability and dynamics of industrial structure coexist in the moving urban fringe. This study also reveals that the outward-moving urban fringe is the optimal location for manufacturing, especially heavy manufacturing, as well as traditional producer and consumer services. However, industries with spatial stickiness such as tourism and sports have not moved with the fringe. Most advanced services remain concentrated in the city center. The authors argue that it is essential for understanding and managing urban fringes to take into account spatial evolution and industrial structural adjustment together with their interaction with each other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Beijing has built 267 urban rainwater harvesting projects (URHPs) in order to alleviate severe water problems; however, these projects are lacking in effective and full-scale cost-benefit analysis (CBA). In this paper, a CBA model for URHPs is put forward to evaluate projects. Results indicate the following: (1) URHPs can bring remarkable benefits, with an average benefit index α of 2.0; (2) in addition, 66.7% of the districts have α values exceeding 1.0; (3) The distribution of α, along with regression analysis shows that suburban areas have received more benefits because of fewer space limitations than urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Beijing, the probability of snowfall is decreasing as a result of global warming. At the same time, Beijing has suffered severe air pollution. In this paper, the concentration and particle size characteristics of BC (Black Carbon) in snow during the winter of 2015 in Beijing were analyzed by the SP2 method. The average concentration of BC in snow meltwater in Beijing is 82 ng/mL, with a minimum value of 62.9 ng/mL and a maximum of 210.6 ng/mL. The BC particle size in snow and ice in the Beijing area is mostly concentrated in the range of 70–400 nm. After log-normal, the BC particle size above 600 nm is still small, which should be closely related to the nature of the local BC emission source. The concentration of BC in snow is highly susceptible to meteorological conditions and local pollution levels. When Beijing is under the control of the east wind or the southeast wind, aerosols in the urban areas can easily accumulate in the northwestern mountains and then settle or participate in the snowfall process, resulting in an increase in BC aerosol accumulation in the snow, thus further changing the optical properties of snow in the Beijing area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With Beijing's energy demand shifting to the household side in the past decade, uncovering the driving factors of Beijing's energy consumption plays an essential role for policy design. To this end, the structural changes in Beijing's residential and productive energy consumption are decomposed using the logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) method in this paper. Empirical analysis is conducted focusing on Beijing's energy changes during 2009–2018. Results suggest that: (1) The contribution of residential energy consumption has exceeded that of the productive sector, meanwhile the expected decrease in both sectors' energy consumption are not observed considering the energy efficiency improvements; (2) The optimization of Beijing's energy consumption cannot solely rely on the technical development, the influence due to the upgrade of industrial structure in Beijing also matters, especially after 2011; (3) In the residential sector, all factors display stronger impacts on energy consumption changes in urban areas than in rural areas, among which the living standard is the most significant. Based on these results, suggestions are provided to promote the decrease of Beijing's energy consumption. • The structural changes in Beijing's residential and productive energy consumption are decomposed. • The phenomenon of "Jevons paradox" appear in both Beijing's productive and residential sectors. • The energy optimization in Beijing cannot solely rely on technical improvement due to the rebound effect. • All factors display stronger impacts on energy consumption changes in urban areas than in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]