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Performance assessment of low carbon cities (LCCs) attracts great interest and attention from academia, industry, and government as an effective measure to promote urban low-carbon development. However, the efforts of LCCs could be misinterpreted without consideration of the fact that cities with different endowments face different challenges and assume different responsibilities, thus it is important that this fact is considered in assessing LCCs' performance. This study develops the previous study by the research team, "dual perspective diagnosis method for assessing LCC performance", by introducing a correction factor to take into account the impacts of local endowments and mitigate the 'one-size-fits-all' phenomenon when comparing LCC assessments between cities. The empirical case study presented in the paper indicates that the adoption of a correction factor has improved the accuracy of the assessment results by demonstrating actual management efforts in developing LCC performance. It is proposed that applying the correction factor can help to achieve more accurate assessments of the status of low-carbon city practice, based on which more effective low-carbon policies can be designed and implemented towards achieving carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In cities, the intensity of integrated development, both above and below ground, has been continuously increasing. Unfortunately, associated events such as surface cracking and ground collapse are common, and research into the susceptibility of urban ground collapse (UGC) has consequently, also been increasing. Methods: In this study, we calculated the spatial probability distribution of historical UGC events in Hangzhou, China as a case study. To avoid the influence of the subjectivity of expert opinions on the evaluation results, and to distinguish it from the first version of the UGC sensitivity map in 2021, collinearity and correlation analyses based on geo-detector were conducted, and the 11 most representative factors from 22 candidates were identified. Then, a GIS-based susceptibility assessment system was established and applied to eastern Hangzhou, China. Results: The assessment results were divided into three grades. High-susceptibility areas accounted for 6.08% of the total area and were mainly distributed in the central area on both sides of the Qiantang River. Medium-susceptibility areas accounted for 23.92% of the total area and showed an expanding trend around the central area. Low-susceptibility areas accounted for 12.42% of the total area and were mainly distributed within the bedrock mountainous areas on the west side. Discussion: The assessment model take more urban construction activies into consideration, which can fits better with the trigger factors of UGC itself, and has good applicability for other cities in Zhejiang Province to assess the susceptibility of UGC events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's large- and medium-sized cities have entered the stage of seeking space resources underground. The safety of underground spaces has become an important issue for the high-quality development of cities. Urban ground collapse (UGC) is a common accident that occurs in underground spaces and is affected by a combination of factors. In this study, Internet news was used to supplement the data of the relevant departments, and a database of 68 UGC events from 1964 to the present was built. The probability distribution of the UGC risk was calculated using the nearest neighbor and density models. Then, the geo-detector was used to explore the explanatory power of risk factors, including natural environmental and socio-economic factors. The results show that the impact of the explanatory power of risk factors on UGC, from high to low, is population density, metro influence, and soil type. The interaction of factors enhances the explanatory power, whereby the interaction between socio-economic and natural environmental factors represented by population density and soil type is the highest. A risk division map of UGC in Hangzhou was obtained, with proportions of type I (0.6%), type II (28.3%), and type III (71.0%) areas. This study demonstrates the influence of human activities on UGC events through quantitative results and provides research support for urban underground safety risk assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As urbanization continues to accelerate worldwide, the consequential rise in CO2 emissions has caused substantial environmental challenges. Urban regeneration has emerged as a promising approach to reducing carbon emissions and developing low-carbon cities. Even though both urban regeneration and carbon emissions reduction have been researched from various perspectives, a thorough review is still required to completely reveal their multifaceted relationship. Based on 231 papers published between 2001 and 2023, a bibliometric analysis was conducted to understand the overall trajectory and main focus of the existing research. Then, we qualitatively analyzed the main findings from bibliometric results in terms of key regeneration elements, specific regeneration strategies, research methodologies, as well as research trends and agendas. The results indicated that research in this field is gradually becoming more specialized and comprehensive. Buildings and energy have always been two key urban regeneration elements and research hotspots. Additionally, as a systematic project, reducing carbon emissions requires further exploration of other regeneration elements' contributions and their interactions in the urban system, which needs the corresponding support of more specific regeneration strategies and research methodologies. These findings can advance the development of innovative and impactful pathways for low-carbon oriented urban regeneration, leading ultimately to sustainable cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective land use contributes to sustainable urban development. However, there are various reports suggesting that urban land resources used mismatch to different extents in many Chinese cities. This study measures the degree of the mismatch phenomenon in utilizing urban land resources from a supply–demand perspective, and a mismatching coefficient, namely land resource mismatch (LRM), is adopted as the measurement. The data used for the empirical analysis are from a sample of 35 cities in China. The empirical study shows the effectiveness of employing the mismatching coefficient LRM model in evaluating the degree of the mismatch phenomenon in utilizing urban land resources. The research findings suggest the following: (1) Overall, the mismatch phenomenon in utilizing urban land resources is significant in China in the form of either supply shortage or over-supply. (2) The degree of the mismatch phenomenon is different between different types of land, with the land for administration and public services showing more serious mismatching and the land for commercial and business facilities showing less mismatching. (3) There are significant differences both in the type and the degree of land use mismatch among different cities, which are contributed largely by the intensity of local government's controlling and planning role on land resources and the maturity of applying market mechanisms. The results from this study can inform the government of the importance and necessity of adopting effective policy measures for mitigating the mismatch phenomenon in utilizing urban land resources. The research method applied in this study can be applied in a larger context internationally for understanding the effectiveness of utilizing urban land resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study adopts a grounded theory approach to identify the influencing factors of value creation of URT PPP projects in China. The authors argue that the traditional design decision making, which is based on designers' experience, lacks quantitative feedback on design schemes and therefore fails to promote progress in urban design. The proposed framework incorporates urban design intelligence for TODs and employs parametric tools and models to evaluate generative urban design proposals, providing timely feedback to support design decisions. Huang et al. [[8]] studied the challenges in promoting Transit-Oriented Developments (TODs) through urban design and proposed a new framework that integrates generative design methods and data-driven decision-making approaches. [Extracted from the article]

Highlights • The spatiotemporal dynamics of nitrogen dioxide vertical column densities over 2005-2016 at city level are revealed. • We use the satellite nighttime light (NTL) data as a proxy for urban development. • The cities' NO2/NTL variations are grouped into four categories. • The effectiveness of the air pollution regulations during the 11th and 12th Five-Year-Plan periods are discussed. Abstract China experienced rapid urbanization and industrialization in recent years, which resulted in large increases of nitrogen dioxide (NO 2), particularly in urban areas. We analyze the spatiotemporal variations of the vertical column densities (VCDs) of tropospheric NO 2 with the level of urban development across China during the period 2005–2016. Nighttime light (NTL) data are applied as a proxy for urban development to investigate the relationship between NO 2 pollution and urban development. Both NO 2 column data and NTL data are observed by satellite measurements. The annual mean of NO 2 VCDs is presented on a grid basis. The average annual variations of NO 2 VCDs and NTL value are detected for all 341 prefectural cities. Two-thirds of the cities reached their peak NO 2 pollution level around 2010–2012, and decreased afterward. About 10% of the western cities kept on increasing their NO 2 levels until 2016. All cities are classified into four categories with respect to the average annual variations of NO 2 /NTL in 2005–2010, and 2011–2016. Approximately 62% of the cities turned the average annual variations of NO 2 /NTL from positive to negative. 19% of the cities are in the positive-positive category and 11% of the cities are in the negative-negative category. The remaining 8% of the cities changed their ratios from negative to positive. We summarize the national air pollution regulations, and our results show the effectiveness of the regulations for most eastern China cities. This work can help to design more efficient regional emission reduction policies with sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents the residents' perceptions on the urban resources environment (URE) in the context of China. Previous studies have suggested that the urban resources environment has been improving in recent years. However, it is unknown whether this improvement is perceived by the residents. The data for analysis in this paper are from a comprehensive questionnaire survey. The questionnaire was designed to understand the residents' satisfaction with water resources (W), energy resources (E), air environment (A), land resources (L), culture resources (C), human resources (H), transportation (T), infrastructures (I) and public service resources (P). The questionnaire was distributed to the residents in 35 large Chinese cities. In total, 4792 valid questionnaires were collected, which were analyzed by using statistical methods. The research results conclude that there are differences in the perceptions on URE by different groups of residents who are with different background characteristics. The residents have different levels of satisfaction with different types of urban resources. And different cities perform differently in satisfying their residents in managing URE. The findings of this study provide policymakers with important references for designating measures to improve URE. • The connotation of urban resources environment is expanded. • The data referring to URE is collected through a comprehensive questionnaire survey. • Different types of URE dimensions presents different level. And different cities perform differently in providing URE to local residents. • Urban managers in China should give priority to improving the levels of air environment, human resources, infrastructure, and public services resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Monetary resettlement compensation influences the house purchase intention greatly. • Compensation flows back from rural to urban areas through house purchase behavior. • The existing policy has hindered two-way flow between urban- rural resources. • A new strategy to achieve two-way flow between urban-rural resources was proposed. The reasonable two-way flow of resources between urban and rural areas underlies the processes of urban-rural transformation and rural revitalization in China. The monetary resettlement compensation policy has been formulated to promote this two-way flow through market-oriented measures. This study extends the Theory of Planned Behavior by enhancing the variable of monetary resettlement compensation factor to analyze the behavioral tendencies of house purchase intention of relocated households in Zhejiang Province, China. An empirical analysis through PLS-SEM was conducted on the results obtained from 271 survey responses, and eight hypotheses were verified using SmartPLS 3. The results demonstrate that the monetary resettlement compensation policy may facilitate relocated households' purchase of houses in urban areas, which is indicative of compensation flowing back from the rural to urban areas through the house purchase behavior. Furthermore, a study on the possible gap between relocated households' purchase intention and their actual purchase behavior shows that the intention is aligned with actual action. The monetary resettlement compensation policy has thus failed and even hindered the achievement of a reasonable two-way flow of resources between urban and rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As urbanization continues to spread rapidly, the competition for space among urban, agricultural, and natural land uses is becoming increasingly fierce. The urgent question is how to harness the advantages of urbanization while mitigating its potentially harmful consequences. This research extends analytical framework of land sharing and sparing to urban land use and provides a comparable quantification approach to determine the comprehensive impact of urban services, food production, and ecosystem services. The results show that the overall value loss of the land sparing scenario is 23.6% lower than that of the sharing scenario on average, and the Eco-sparing scenario exhibits the smallest loss, which is only 55.4% of that under the Urb-sharing scenario. While land-sparing strategies mitigate the loss of local food production and ecosystem services, fostering a potentially mutually beneficial outcome, they also elevate the cost of accessing urban services. This creates a delicate trade-off between urban services and food production/ecosystem services, ultimately posing challenges in achieving an optimal win-win situation. The key contribution of this paper lies in extending the land sharing and sparing framework to urban areas, agricultural land, and ecosystems. It also introduces methods to quantitatively assess trade-offs among these land uses. This extended framework for land use offers insights into spatial competition due to urbanization and provides decision-making analysis tools for land use and planning. [Display omitted] • The extended land sharing and sparing framework is proposed for urban settlement land use decision. • Combining the priority targets and land sharing and sparing strategies are used to establish land allocation model based on CA model. • Quantitative approach is used to trade off urban services, food production, and ecosystem services. • The extended framework for urban land use provides decision-making analysis tools for land use and planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanisation is the key to China's modernisation. Extensive urban village redevelopment projects (UVRPs) have recently been implemented in China, with the expectation of generating positive socioeconomic and environmental effects. However, social instability has resulted from conflicts over land and informal settlements. In this study, we investigate the factors influencing conflict levels during the UVRP process. Based on data collected from 439 projects in seven Chinese cities, ordered logit regression reveals that UVRPs with a top-down rather than a bottom-up institutional arrangement are more likely to have violent conflicts. Projects implemented with a bottom-up and villager-funded approach involve lower levels of conflict than those with a bottom-up and private developer-funded approach. Other determinants, including factors related to policies, time, and space along with project specificity, also influence the conflict level during the redevelopment process. These empirical results can inform government approaches to policymaking, thus enabling more positive outcomes for both governments and affected villagers. • Social conflicts go with redevelopments of urban villages in mainland China. • Factors affecting the level of conflict are explored. • Data were collected from 439 projects in 7 Chinese cities. • Institutional arrangements matter in the determination of conflict levels. • A bottom-up villager-funding approach is more socially acceptable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]