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This study provides an insight into the visual information (colours, symbols) of waste classification based on the three principles of closure, similarity and continuation of Gestalt theory. A field survey of Xiamen University Town in China and a survey of 1,000 local and international university students in the area were used to understand the level of awareness of visual information on waste recycling and segregation. The study found that the current level of awareness of visual classification information (colours, symbols) in the Xiamen University Town urban area and among students is low. Visual messages must convey accurate and standardised information such as colours and symbols. In addition, the purpose of this study was to illustrate the need for accuracy in visual information. This study concludes the need for uniform colour and symbol standards for waste recycling and segregation under the Gestalt theory to help achieve SDG goal 12, responsible consumption and production, as this study highlights the potential ripple effect on future stakeholders, especially considering the international mobility of university students, who epitomise global diversity. As users travelled across countries, ambiguous visual messages about waste classification became a key issue in responding to UN advocacy for a sustainable future. Addressing and correcting these visual discrepancies is critical to effective waste management strategies on a global scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In a society dominated by tourism consumption, space changes occurring in rural areas can generally reflect their social changes. On the theoretical basis of flow, regeneration and adaptation of rural tourism space, this paper originally and creatively proposes that the spatial elements in a rural tourist area can be classified into three categories: Attractions (A), Towns (T) and Villages (V). By analyzing the spatial transformation characteristics of A, T and V, five types of rural spatial transition modes are found, the types of heritage, theme park, those serving as scenic spots, leisure industrial clusters and ecotourism areas. These different classes emerge due to their geographical differentiation. They show the same spatial evolution trend: The Attractions are distributed throughout the whole area and characterized by diversification; supporting services facilities gather in the Towns; and the Villages are landscape images. In this area the traditional rural benefit trends toward that of compound development. Mufu Town, Hubei province, is taken as a study case, and the changing characteristics of A, T and V from 2006 to 2016 are described. Problems in the process of establishing the new spatial order are considered. In order to realize the synergy between production space, living space and ecological space, the interactive development between Attractions, Towns and Villages is recommended. The perspective of Attraction-Town-Village (ATV) can lead to a better understanding of the situation of tourism space in rural areas and provide directions for thinking about the reconstruction path for the modernization of traditional societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the development of sewage treatment technologies has made many treatment options available in towns. Selecting the most appropriate alternative (MAA) can make the best use of existing resources to achieve the optimal effect, which has become a topical issue in academic circles. The Liao River basin in China is an important area for agricultural cultivation and animal husbandry, but it also suffers from water shortages and pollution. In this study, the fuzzy set theory (FST), the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), and the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to an Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) were combined as a scientific and effective multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) model to optimize the sewage treatment technologies in town areas of the Liao River basin. It was found that compared with natural treatment technologies (such as constructed wetlands, stabilization ponds, etc.) and combination technologies (i.e., a combination of various technologies), single small-scale sewage treatment plant technologies (such as activated sludge process or sequencing batch reactor with small daily capacity) were more suitable for those areas. The indicator of construction costs was critical in this model, and the fluctuation of its weight might change the MAA. This study aims to provide a decision support framework for the future optimization of sewage treatment technologies in towns by combining economic, environmental, and social issues, rather than just focusing on the technical aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Eneigy-saving design of residential building is an important part of energy-saving architectural design. Planning and design of residential buildings in Hanzhong area should pay more attention to the building orientation, sunshine, summer ventilation and wind resistance in winter and so on, so as to create favorable conditions for energy-saving design of single buildings. The geographical location, climatic characteristics, residents living habits and indoor and outdoor thermal environment situation were analyzed in this paper, and combined with the existing problems of eneigy conservation in the planning and layout of residential buildings in Hanzhong area. Based on the investigation, this paper drew some conclusions to provide references for the eneigy-saving planning and design of urban residential buildings in the local area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 95% of towns in China have no sewage treatment facilities at present. Increasing domestic sewage discharge from towns has greatly threatened not only the local environment and drinking water safety, but also the national water environment and sustainable development. However, there is no systemic investigation and data on sewage discharge and pollution loads from towns, which is necessary in order to plan and arrange sewage treatment in towns at the national scale. In order to estimate sewage discharge and pollution loads and to clarify its spatial distribution, we conducted two nationwide investigations of water use and sewage discharge in towns. Combined with investigation data from the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People's Republic of China (MOHURD), domestic sewage discharge and pollution loads were calculated and spatial distribution and influent factors were analysed. The results showed that (1) in 2008, the total amount of domestic sewage discharge from towns of 398 prefectural-level cities was 2.64 billion tons, which had a chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 3.99 million tons, total nitrogen (TN) of 623,000 tons and total phosphorus (TP) of 56,000 tons; (2) the national average intensity of sewage discharge was 76,100 ton/km2/year, and the average intensities of COD, TN and TP emission were 74.06 ton/km2/year, 14.81 ton/km2/year and 1.04 ton/km2/year, respectively. In South and East China, including Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Guangdong, Fujian, Guangxi and Sichuan Provinces, the contaminant emission intensity was much higher and was also relatively high in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region and in northeast China. These regions will be the focus of town-level domestic sewage treatment efforts. The results provide scientific support for rational planning of sewage treatment in towns in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: We chose five study sites, from a traditional village, the Laoxiancheng Village, in remote mountainous areas to towns, the Houzhenzi Xiang Township, the Mazhao Town and the Zhouzhi County Town, as well as in a modern city, Xi’an in the Shaanxi Province of China, to study differences in energy consumption between rural and urban households and to assess its conservation implications. This study confirmed the prediction of the ‘ladder of fuel preferences’ theory. Energies used in urban households are more convenient, cleaner, and more efficient than those used in rural areas, where biomass and coal are common fuel. The amount of energy used for entertainment and electric appliances is greater in urban areas, whereas the quantity used for cooking is larger in rural districts. People in Laoxiancheng Village completely depended on fuelwood for cooking and heating. In the Houzhenzi Xiang Township, 16.7% household use coal ball, and 23.3% use LPG. Electricity and fuelwood were used in each household. In the Mazhao Town, 96.7% households used crop residue, 90% used coal, about 30% use LPG, and every household used electricity. In the Zhouzhi County Town, of the entire sampled household, 92.7% used coal, 92.7% of household used LPG and 37.5% household used gasoline. In the Xi’an city, of the entire sampled household, 32.8% household used natural gas, 67.2% used LPG; about 34.9% household used gasoline, 48.6% household used electricity and 51.4% used natural gas for heating in winter. In the five study areas, the ratio of each energy source consumed per household was also different. In the Houzhenzi Xiang Township, coal took 6.2%, LPG 1.4%, electricity 1.4% and fuelwood 91%. In the Mazhao Town, crop residue took 31.4%, coal 62.2%, LPG 2.2%, and electricity 4.2%. In the Zhouzhi County Town, the importance of energy ranked as follows: coal 75.8%, LPG 12.8%, electricity 5%, and gasoline 6.4%. In the Xi’an city, LPG took 17.6%, natural gas 27.3%, gasoline 16.9%, and electricity 38.2%. Comparing total annual consumption, households in villages used more energy compared to the households in cities. The mean of total annual energy consumption was 79.57, 63.07, 37.75, 42.53, and 29.73GJ in the Laoxiancheng Village, Houzhenzi Xiang Township, Mazhao Town, Zhouzhi County Town, and Xi’an City, respectively. We should improve the efficiency of fuel burning and introduce cleaner energy resources, such as biogas and hydropower in villages. For the households in rural areas, it is necessary to substitute coal with other cleaner energy resources and it is more important and urgent for urban households to save energy, considering large population in cities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A test of 300 young students on individual modernity in China was carried out. The results indicated that there was a significant difference in individual modernity between the students from town and those from the countryside, as well as between males and females. There were also differences in individual modernity between each two of the levels of education. The students from town were more modern than those from the countryside. The males were more traditional than the females. With the rising educational level, the students’ traditionality will decrease and modernity will increase. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]