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Electric vehicles (EVs) are widely recognized as low-carbon transportation that adopts green and clean technology with contributing to mitigating global climate change. However, it appears that the practice in using EVs has not gained widespread popularity despite the promotion of various incentives with the presence of various restricting factors and challenges. In conducting this study in the context of China, we hypothesize that restricting factors have varying impacts on promoting EVs in China, where the adoption of EVs is of great potential. This paper identifies these restricting factors by applying AHP-FCE integrated approach, and these factors are classified into five dimensions, namely, technical, infrastructural, economic, governance and social. The results indicate that the top five restricting factors are security issues, limited driving range, long charging time, improper distribution of charging stations and lack of sharing between charging piles respectively. Our research contributes to a better understanding of EV restricting factors and their significance, which offers the assistance in the formulation of policies and decisions in order to promote effectively EVs in China. • The promotion of EVs is of great potential in China for mitigating global climate change. • Explore the RFPEVs in China using AHP-FCE integrated approach. • The RFPEVs in China can be classified into five dimensions, namely, technical, infrastructural, economic, governance and social. • The technical and infrastructural related are the most important constraints. • The main three important restricting factors are security issues, limited driving range, long charging time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The climate change triggered by carbon emissions has significantly impacted the sustainable development of human society. In line with the understanding on the importance of carbon reduction attached by the international community, most countries have set targets for carbon neutrality. The timing of the carbon peak is crucial for assisting countries in progressing towards the objective of carbon neutrality. This study examines the different carbon peak statuses between a sample of 154 countries in terms of carbon intensity, carbon emissions per capita and total carbon emissions. The data analyzed were collected over the period from 1990 to 2020. This study proposed an innovative two-procedure research method for distinguishing whether a country's carbon emissions have peaked, in which the Mann-Kendall trend test and Tapio decoupling model were applied interactively. The peaking statuses are divided into three types: true peaked, false peaked, and under peaked. The findings indicate that most of the sample countries have achieved the true peaked status of carbon intensity, and nearly one third of them in the true peaked status of carbon emissions per capita. Only a few countries in the true peaked status of total carbon emissions. Countries with higher income levels achieved true peaked status earlier in terms of carbon intensity, carbon emissions per capita and total carbon emissions. Countries with a false peaked status are mostly affected by multiple factors across economic, social and political dimensions. • Most sample countries have truly peaked in carbon intensity. • Nearly one third of countries have truly peaked in carbon emissions per capita. • Only a few countries in the true peaked status of total carbon emissions. • Countries with higher income levels achieved true peaked status earlier. • Countries in false peaked status are shaped by economic and social factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban regeneration has become a popular research topic globally against the critical challenges that cities face with the decay of urban function, urban fabric, and residents living condition. However, it is the proper decision-making on urban regeneration mode and strategies to bring the long-term effectiveness of urban regeneration, no matter how much efforts and resources are devoted. This study introduces a "two-step" decision-making framework for determining the suitable urban regeneration mode and strategies. The decision-making variables are mobilised to delineate the status-quo decay of the local territory across the facets of sustainable performance and physical conditions, thus the most suitable regeneration mode can be designed (step 1). On top of the regeneration mode design, the most suitable urban regeneration strategies can be further tailored by considering the regeneration constraint factors including the requests for historical and cultural conservation, government financial capacity and previous regeneration experiences (step 2). The proposed decision-making framework is proven effective via the case study of nine districts of Chongqing municipality in China. The framework is instrumental for assisting urban governors to identify the most critical issues that need to be addressed, and to tailor suitable mode and strategies for implementing urban regeneration programs in order to tackle the decay challenges and revitalise their urban territory. Via enabling the effective integration between the resources within a city and rationalising the investment allocation, the introduced decision-making framework is effective for the overall planning and (re)development at city level. • Urban regeneration suitability relies on trade-off of sustainable performance, physical conditions, and constraint factors. • A "two-step" decision-making framework for facilitating the design of suitable urban regeneration mode and strategies. • Adopt Chongqing to exemplify the validity of the framework, results are discussed by linking local development reality. • The decision-making framework is more effective and applicable for overall planning and (re)development at city level. It appears that the urban regeneration decision-making methods reported in existing studies tend to focus on and based at micro-scale (such as neighborhood or project level), and the decision indicators tend to concern individual elements (such as land, infrastructure, and buildings). Nevertheless, although urban regeneration programmes are implemented through individual projects and specific elements within an urban system, it would be difficult to achieve the overarching sustainable development aim by solely addressing the individual projects and specific urban elements at micro level. The micro-perspective may not be adaptive to different regeneration scenarios and not suitable for the promotion of regeneration programmes at city-level. Instead, an overarching decision-making methodology upon the urban regeneration orientation, modes and strategies at regional level is essential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Reducing the total CO2 emissions intensity (TCEI) in the Chinese construction industry is an important strategy to cut its CO2 emissions, which share a considerable proportion of sectoral CO2 emissions in China. However, there is lack of an in-depth analysis of the effect of production structure on the TCEI. This study comprehensively investigates the effect of production structure on the TCEI in the Chinese construction industry by using structural decomposition analysis and sensitivity analysis methods collectively. The results show that the TCEI in the Chinese construction industry declined by 0.3505 tons CO2/104 RMB between 2007 and 2012, and the effect of production structure contributed 110.66% to such decline. Over 95% of the effect was contributed by the electricity, steam and hot water production and supply industry and the refined petroleum, coke products, and nuclear fuel industry. The results also demonstrate that the three most critical technical coefficients were for the nonmetallic mineral products industry consumed by the construction industry, the metal smelting and pressing industry consumed by the construction industry, and the metal smelting and pressing industry consumed by itself in 2012. Besides the first two coefficients, the coefficient for the electricity industry consumed by itself was also critical in 2007. The production chains of the construction industry itself and the metal smelting and pressing industry included over half of the twenty most critical technical coefficients. This study can provide valuable reference for Chinese policy makers to take proper strategies to adjust the production structure in order to reduce the TCEI. Highlights • The effect of production structure on TCEI in construction industry was analyzed. • The TCEI in the Chinese construction industry declined by 19% between 2007 and 2012. • The three most critical technical coefficients were identified. • The production chains of construction industry and metal industry were most critical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • A Super-SBM with undesirable output model is applied. • The environmental efficiency of 283 Chinese cities during 2003–2016 is analyzed. • The overall environmental efficiency performance across the Chinese cities is low. • China has achieved significant improvement in environmental efficiency across survey period. Abstract In the past decades, unprecedented dramatic economic development in the Chinese cities has also brought serious environmental problems. In line with this, the Chinese government has been investing great efforts and resources in addressing environmental problems. However, little previous studies have been conducted in examining whether this development is efficient from a win-win perspective balance between economic growth and environmental protection. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis on the environmental efficiency (EE) in the process of dramatic economic development in the Chinese cities. The Super-slack-based measure (Super-SBM) model is adopted to analyze the EE performance. Data used for analysis are collected from 283 sample cities in China. The research results indicate that the overall EE performance across the Chinese cities is relatively low, and the differences in EE performance among the 283 cities are significant. The top three EE performers are Shenzhen, Sanya and Erdos, and Baiyin, Xinzhou and Liupanshui are the bottom three performers. The results also suggest that the EE performance in the Eastern area, where most first-tier cities are located in, is significantly higher than that in the Central and Western areas (aggregated with fourth and fifth tier-cities). From the dynamic perspective, the results show that China has achieved significant improvement in environmental efficiency across the surveyed period of 2003–2016. The research findings provide valuable references not only for the Chinese policy-makers and practitioners to adopt measures for promoting a win-win balance between environmental protection and economic development in the Chinese context, but also for further studies on environmental efficiency in the international context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • An economic performance-carbon index panel framework for classifying different regions is established. • Carbon emission are decomposed into four impact factors. • The understanding of impact factors offers valuable references for adopting low carbon economy measures. Abstract As the largest carbon emitter in the world, China is under pressure in addressing carbon emission reduction. It is important for the country to understand the impact factors on emission so that proper mitigation measures can be taken. Previous studies have analyzed emission factors through classifying regions mainly by a single economic index or carbon index, whereas this study introduces a two-dimensional panel framework to classify regions. These two dimensions are per capita GDP and carbon intensity. Based on this panel framework, the 30 provinces in China are classified into four regions, namely, high economy and high carbon intensity (Region I), high economy and low carbon intensity (Region II), low economy and low carbon intensity (Region III), and low economy and high carbon intensity (Region IV). The STIRPAT (stochastic impacts by regression on population, affluence, and technology) model and the panel cointegration approach are employed to analyze the impacts of various carbon emission factors in the four classified regions. The results show that the most significant factor for Region I is industrial structure, and that for Regions II , III and IV is energy intensity, population size and per capita GDP respectively. The research results can help decision makers adopt effective emission control measures. The two-dimensional panel framework introduced can be extended for application to examine the emission impact factors at regional or national levels in other countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The recurrence of similar problems caused by human errors in urbanization process is common throughout the world. However, the knowledge learnt from these problems should become lessons and important references for decision-making to avoid the recurrence of these problems, thus urban development can be sustainable. It is considered of imperative importance to incorporate the lessons experienced into the decision-making process in a way that can help foresee the potential problems and take proper measures for addressing the problems. There are few studies that have been conducted to investigate the similarity between the current scenario of urbanization practice and the previous context of lesson cases. The ignorance of this similarity presents a significant barrier for decision makers to learn from the existing lessons effectively thus to have references of how to make better decisions for future urbanization practices. This paper presents a Lessons Mining System (LMS) to assist in mining lessons experienced from previous practices. The establishment of LMS is based on Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) theory and the similarity matching principles. The system includes five components, namely, Lessons-case Representation, Lessons-case Store, Lessons-case Retrieval, Lessons-case Application, and Lessons-case Update. LMS can facilitate decision makers to understand what potential problems might occur from their current actions by referring to the lessons experienced previously in similar circumstances. This understanding can help decision makers take preventive measures against the potential problems. The use of LMS can send alarming messages to decision makers about what possible problematic consequence may occur, thus they can modify their actions before too late. A demonstration of Yangwu Town is presented to show the application of LMS, and the result shows that the lessons mined can provide valuable references for the government of Yangwu Town to improve their decision-making quality. Graphical abstract Image Highlights • A Lessons Mining System (LMS) is proposed. • LMS is a new method of mining lessons learnt from urbanization problems. • LMS can facilitate decision-makers to foresee potential problems. • LMS can facilitate decision-makers to improve decision-making quality. • A demonstration of Yangwu Town is used to show the application of LMS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective evaluation on the coordination between socio-economy (V) and carbon emission (W) is essential for sustainable urban planning, and this study introduces an improved coupling coordination degree (CCD) model for conducting such evaluation. The limitation of the traditional CCD model has been examined. The effectiveness of the improved CCD model is demonstrated with its application in 30 case provinces of China by using the data collected for the period 1995–2015. The results show that: (1) The subjectivity embodied in the traditional CCD model in analyzing the coordination between V and W significantly distorts the true coordination between the two systems. (2) The improved CCD model is effective as its application can reflect the reality of the sample cases. (3) The average coordination degrees of the 30 case provinces for the surveyed period show an upward evolution, and the coordination statuses of these provinces have been transforming from low-grade symbiosis to high-grade symbiosis. (4) The spatial distribution of coupling coordination degree in China is characterized by a higher degree of coordination in the Eastern provinces. The results of applying the improved coupling coordination degree model can help decision makers formulate effective sustainable measures to balance socio-economic development with carbon emission reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Development of smart city has been increasingly accepted as a new technology-based solution to mitigate urban diseases. The Chinese government has been devoting good efforts to the promotion of smart city through introducing a series of policies. However, policies may have limited effectiveness in application if they do not respond to the practice. There is little study examining what results have been achieved in practice by applying policy measures. This study presents a holistic evaluation of smart city performance in the context of China. The evaluation indicators in this study are selected by applying a hybrid research methodology including literature review and semi-structured interviews. Indicator data are collected from 44 sample smart cities. The evaluation was conducted by applying Entropy method and Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) technique collectively. This study highlights that the overall smart city performance in China is at a relatively low level. There is also a significant unbalance in performance between five smart city dimensions including smart infrastructure, governance, people, economy and environment. The smart performance between cities varies significantly since cities implement smart city programs in different ways. These differences impede experience sharing between cities. Actions have been recommended in this study for promoting further development of smart city in the context of China, such as increasing the investment on smart infrastructure, providing training programs, and establishing evaluation mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Developing low carbon city is a global strategy for achieving carbon emission reduction. However, the evolution process of becoming a low carbon city remains unexplored, which is not conductive to the promotion of low carbon city. This study examines the evolution of low carbon city from process characteristic perspective. The evolution processes are analyzed by establishing the relationship between city's economic development and carbon emission performance. By adopting Kaya Identity method, city's emission characteristics in the process of promoting low carbon city are decomposed into energy structure, energy intensity, economic output, industrial structure and population. The performances of these five characteristics in different evolution processes are analyzed. By using the data collected from case cities of Singapore, Beijing, and New York, the evolution process and the corresponding emission characteristics of these cities have been investigated. The key findings from this study are: (1) a city successively goes through three turning points (TP) and four processes (P-Ⅰ, P-Ⅱ, P-Ⅲ, P-Ⅳ) to shift from carbon intensive to low carbon. (2) Performances of the five emission characteristics for cities vary significantly between the four evolution processes. The findings of this study help city governments understand the process they position in and the gap between their emission performances and their goals of becoming a low carbon city. This understanding allows the decision-makers to take proper emission reduction measures which shall incorporate city's emission characteristics in the corresponding process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investment attraction by adopting adequate development orientations is perceived as effective method for promoting social and economic development in those less developed areas or regions such as the mountainous townships in Southwest China. Investments will not be attracted or utilized effectively if the development orientation is positioned improperly. Existing studies do not provide methods for helping these townships define proper development orientations. This paper presents a decision-making method called matching coefficient model for supporting these less-developed townships to identify suitable development orientations in order to attract effective investments. The application of the method is demonstrated by a sample of 20 townships located in Southwest China. Research data employed are collected through on-spot investigations and semi-structured interviews with the officials in these sample townships. The research reveals that the existing development orientations adopted in many less-developed Chinese townships do not match the resources endowment they possess, thus limited investment has been attracted. The study finds that agritourism business is most suitable for application in these townships in order to attract effective external investments, and that strategic emerging industry seems not suitable. The research results provide valuable reference for township governments to design development orientations and adopt measures towards effective investment attraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the constraints to achieving optimal infrastructure sustainability for mountainous townships in Southwest China. Although such townships are relatively less developed, it is well recognized that investment in infrastructure projects in less developed townships plays a vital role in China's sustainable development mission. While the benefits of infrastructure investments are usually measured by means of economic performance, their long-term sustainability performance is largely overlooked. It is therefore imperative to understand the constraints that impede infrastructure sustainability and what corrective actions can be taken. The constraints are identified in this study via exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modeling. Twenty-one townships in the mountainous regions of Southwest China were investigated by means of a questionnaire survey. The study reveals that the major constraints include four dimensions: “Economic Capacity”, “Governance and Management”, “Policy Instrument and Public Participation”, and “Local Geographic Characteristics”. Identification of these constraints provides a valuable reference for local governments to take adequate measures to ensure that their infrastructure sustainability can be improved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With China's rapid urbanization and industrialization, carbon emission in Chinese cities deserve special attention, and promoting low-carbon city (LCC) is considered essential for China. However, different cities present different development stages and carbon emission scenarios. This study presents the factors affecting carbon emission by introducing a city development-stage framework. The method of logarithmic mean Divisia index (LMDI) is adopted to decompose emission factors into energy structure, energy intensity, industrial structure, economic output and population scale. Beijing is chosen as the case city in this study, and four development stages for the city are identified by using the Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) theory, namely, S 1 (−1991), S 2 (1991–2004), S 3 (2004–2022) and S 4 (2022-). As the data collected for analysis are only available for the period of 1995–2014, this study focuses on the factor analysis for the stage S 2 and S 3 . The results show that the main driving factor for carbon emission increase in the stage S 2 is economic output, followed by population scale, while the main factor contributes to carbon emission reduction in this stage is the industrial structure. In the stage S 3 , the economic output is the top contributor to increase carbon emission, followed by population scale and energy structure, whereas energy intensity is the main influencing factor in curbing the carbon emission. Although the paper refers to the specific case of Beijing, the understanding on the driving emission factors in different development stages not only provides policy-makers and practitioners with valuable references for adopting effective measures to reduce carbon emission, but also provides other cities internationally with important lessons for accelerating the development of LCC. The innovative economic development stage framework incorporates carbon emission characteristics provides a new approach for understanding driving emission factors at city or national level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urbanization process over last several decades in China has brought benefits in multiple dimensions throughout the country. However, it appears that the benefits shared by small towns is very limited, and this is particular the case in Southwest China. This paper examines holistically the barriers against benefit-sharing by small towns in the urbanization process in China. Theory of Constraints (TOC) has been applied in this study in producing a holistic barrier-framework for studying the significance and performance of individual barriers. 21 case townships are selected in Southwest China for field surveys, including interview discussions, on-site visits and data collections. The content analysis and Likert scale scoring approach are used to convert the survey data to score values. Those significant barriers are discussed in depth by examining practical cases extracted from the field surveys. The study presents the most significant barriers which limit the benefit-sharing by small towns in Southwest China, such as lack of talents, limited financing channels, loss of labor-force population, lack of infrastructure construction, mono-industry structure, low level management ability, and restricted jurisdiction power. The findings from this study provide valuable references to search for effective approaches for promoting the development of small towns and contributing to the healthy and sustainable urbanization process in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In assuming its commitments to the reduction of CO 2 emissions, China is contributing great efforts to mitigate CO 2 emissions across its all economic sectors including construction industry. The Chinese construction industry is one of the main contributors to CO 2 emissions in China. This paper presents an empirical study on the CO 2 emissions in the Chinese construction industry across the period of 1995–2011. The input-output analysis method is employed for conducting the study. The data used for analysis are mainly collected from the world input-output database. The analysis results demonstrate that the CO 2 emissions in the Chinese construction industry increased by 388.7% from 1995 to 2011, reached to 3035.9 Mt in 2011. However, the carbon intensity in the construction industry decreased by 46.9% from 1995 to 2011, recorded as 0.00198 Mt/million dollars in 2011. The indirect CO 2 emissions were the majority of the construction CO 2 emissions, accounting for over 95% during 1995–2011. The process-based CO 2 emissions contributed 8.7%–12.6% of the total construction CO 2 emissions during 1995–2011. The electricity, gas and water supply industry, the other non-metallic mineral industry, and the basic metals and fabricated metal industry were the main contributors to the construction CO 2 emissions during 1995–2009. This study presents a comprehensive picture on the CO 2 emissions in the Chinese construction industry, which provides valuable references both to further study and to formulate more effective policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

• A "Load – Carrier" perspective evaluation method has been introduced. • Overall tourism resource carrying capacity performance in China has been raised. • The performance in Northeast China has been Low-Medium Interval. • The performance of Eastern China has fallen in High Risk Overload Interval mostly. • The performance of the Central and Western provinces has been improved. Rapid development of the tourism industry has brought various challenges by causing unbalance between tourism resource load (TRL) and tourism resource carrier (TRC), such as the decline in tourist satisfaction, and the destruction of tourist attractions. The concept of tourism resources carrying capacity (TRCC) can be used to describe the relationship between TRL and TRC. Due to the vast territory, different provinces in China have different resource endowments and socio-economic environments, and their TRCC performances are different. Therefore, this paper investigates the temporal-spatial evolutionary performance of TRCC at provincial level in China. The theory of "Load-Carrier" is used to select evaluation indicators, the Entropy Weight Method and the Linear Weighted Summation Method are used to calculate the performance value, and the Quartile Method is adopted to classify the TRCC performance. Data used in this study were collected from 30 provinces in China from 2008 to 2019. The main conclusions are as follows: (1) From a temporal evolution perspective, the overall TRCC performance in China has been improved, due to the implication of various tourism development policies. (2) From a spatial differences perspective, the TRCC performance of Northeast China has changed from High Utilization Interval to Low-Medium Interval; TRCC performance of Eastern China maintained in High Utilization or High Risk Overload Interval, and TRCC performance in Central and Western China has been continuously rising. This study provides valuable references for both central and local governments to take appropriate policy measures to improve their TRCC performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real estate development is among the main consumers for green building materials (GBM), and developers play a critical role in the development of GBM. Therefore, green procurement (GP) practice adopted by developers is important to the promotion of GBM products. There are various factors acting as an impetus for developers to adopt GP in the areas of business policy, marketing, supplier selection, and enterprise organization. There are a number of attributes to each of these areas, and some of them are key factors playing essential roles in affecting developers' GP practice. This study examines the green features of GBM, factors affecting GP practice, and green procurement behavior in the context of real estate development. Research data used for analysis are collected through a questionnaire survey to developers, with the receival of 39 effective responses. The one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) technique is employed in identifying key factors to GP behavior. The study reveals that the key factors include “Marketing benefits”, “Market pressure” and “Internal pressure within organization”, and the typical reasons for developers to adopt GP are “Policy pressure”, “Marketing benefits” and “Business benefits”. The research findings on these key GP factors provide a valuable reference for assisting relevant government departments to formulate effective policies and regulations in order to encourage real estate developers to adopt GP and consequently promote the development of GBM. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) as the emerging leading powers in the world have great influence on the world development. Urbanization process has been a significant engine for development in these countries, which has important effect on the sustainable development globally. However, rapid urbanization has induced various problems, such as air pollution, traffic congestion, habitat destruction, and loss of arable land. These problems present the threats to the sustainable development of urbanization in these countries. This paper presents an evaluation on the dynamic sustainability performance during urbanization process in these countries by applying an elastic coefficient method and a new-type McKinsey matrix. The data used for analysis are collected from World Bank database for the period of 1990–2011. The findings from this study suggest that during the surveyed period the Brazil, Russia and India have been engaging a sustainable urbanization practice, whilst the urbanization processes in China and South Africa are unsustainable. The study provides valuable reference in searching for solutions to further promote sustainable urbanization practice globally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Global warming caused by carbon emission has been recognized as a threat to public health and welfare. Carbon emission reduction is therefore a necessary task for each country to address the severe challenges arising from global warming. This research combines the STIRPAT model with the use of the panel and time-series data to analyze the impacts of population, affluence and technology on the carbon emission of 125 countries at different income levels over the period of 1990–2011. The results show that the key impact factor (KIF) at global level is affluence, followed by technology and population in the order of their impacts on carbon emission. For countries at high-income (HI) level, technology has the greatest impact on carbon emission, while affluence has the least. Affluence, prior to technology and population, is identified as the KIF of carbon emission for countries at upper-middle-income (UMI) and lower-middle-income (LMI) levels. When it comes to the low-income (LI) level, affluence serves as the factor greatest affecting on carbon emission, and technology has the least impact. In particular, two generic patterns are identified based on the empirical results: higher income leads to greater impact of the technology and lower impact of the affluence on carbon emission. The KIFs of different income level countries identified in this study provide policy-makers and practitioners with valuable references for adopting effective policies and strategies to stimulate the global carbon emission reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Emission Trading System has been promoted as a tool for providing financial and cost-effective incentives to carbon emitters to apply emission reduction measures. The mechanism of Emission Trading System has been applied in many energy-intensive industries such as electric power industry. However, it appears that Emission Trading System finds limited application in building sector due to the unique characteristics of buildings. This study presents an identification and analysis on the factors affecting the implementation of Emission Trading System in the building sector within the context of China. Research data are collected from semi-structured interviews with a group of carefully selected experts. As a result, fifteen representative factors have been identified, and discussions on their representativeness have been conducted. The intricate interrelationships between the identified factors have been examined based on a hierarchy structure established by using the Interpretive Structural Modeling method. Furthermore, these factors have been classified into four categories: autonomous factors, dependent factors, linkage factors, and driving factors, which is based on the calculation of the factors' driving/dependence power by applying the Matrice d’Impacts croises-multipication appliqué a classement (MICMAC) technique. This classification provides a different profile between individual factors from that by traditional study where the relative importance is generally given between factors. The findings on these factors provide valuable references for helping policy designers and practitioners adopt effective policies and measures to promote the development of ETS in the Chinese building sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• "Load-carrier" perspective method is introduced for assessing Urban Transportation Carrying Capacity (UTCC) • Coupling coordination degree method is adopted for assessing the balance between the carrying capacities offered by different travel modes. • The research scope for conducting UTCC is based on the traffic analysis zone (TAZ) within a city. • A case study of 805 TAZs in Chongqing in China is used to present the applicability and effectiveness of UTCC models. Urban transportation is a complex system typically composed of car, bus, non-motorized, and metro travel modes, which connects various residential traveling and transport facilities. It is important to have a proper method to facilitate understanding on urban transportation carrying capacity (UTCC) of individual types of travel modes and the balance performance between the carrying capacities offered by different travel modes. This study introduces an alternative model named "load-carrier" perspective method for assessing the four types of UTCC. A measurement of coordination degree is used to measure if the carrying capacities between different types of travel modes are developed and utilized in balance. An application of the proposed method is conducted by using empirical data collected from 805 traffic analysis zones (TAZs) in Chongqing City in China in 2020. The research findings suggest that: 1) the UTCC performance can be divided into five grades, namely, low, mild, moderate, high, and extremely high level of utilization intensity. 2) most of the TAZs in Chongqing were in low and mild level of utilization intensity of UTCC. 3) the balance performance between four types of transportation carrying capacities was poor in Chongqing City, with 97.1% of the sample TAZs are in imbalanced and slight imbalanced status. The demonstration conducted proves that the introduced method provides an important tool for examining the UTCC performance by different travel modes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy instrument is the key to drive improving energy-efficiency in building sectors. This paper presents the current development of BEE policy instruments by examining their practices in seven selected countries and regions. These policy instruments are classified into three groups: the mandatory administration instrument, the economic incentive instrument, and the voluntary scheme instrument. The developments of the three types of instruments are analyzed among the selected countries and regions from the perspectives of the number of policy instruments developed, the development trend and the experiences gained in developing these instruments. The study shows that different countries have made good progress in achieving better building energy-efficiency through adopting different type of policy instruments. The research reveals various experiences gained in the process of developing and implementing BEE policy instruments from various countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The annual generation of construction waste is immense in both developed and developing economies. The environmental impacts caused by disposal of this waste stream are in multiple aspects, involving soil pollution, air pollution, water pollution, etc. Meanwhile, the green building concept is becoming more and more popular with the public; hence the building developers are eager to obtain green building certifications to increase the added value of buildings. Green building rating system (GBRS) is a tool for evaluating whether a particular building is green or not, and corresponding rank is given according to the detailed assessment requirements. In previous studies, GBRS has acted as a guideline to improve energy use and indoor air quality. However, the effectiveness of GBRS as applied to construction waste management has not been explored. To bridge this research gap, this study examines five selected GBRSs worldwide and proposes a comparative analysis, attempting to give a better understanding of measures that assist in improving construction waste management. The importance of construction waste management in different GBRSs is evaluated according to the accumulation of the corresponding scores of the related assessment items. Furthermore, the foci of construction waste management in different GBRSs are investigated in three dimensions based on the “3Rs” principle which is referring to reduce, reuse and recycle. The research findings reveal that of the five rating systems studied, the highest relative significance index of waste management is given to Evaluation Standard for Green Building, while the lowest belongs to Green Building Index. In relation to the 3Rs principle, Evaluation Standard for Green Building and Green Globes focus more on the reduce principle, while the other three systems propose waste management measures that largely based on the reuse and recycle principles. Discussions are further given based on the outcomes of the comparative analysis, future research topics are suggested as well. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The responsibility borne by governmental departments measured by a set of indicators is a key factor affecting the performance of urban sustainability. Thus, responsibility analysis can guide the selection of sustainability indicators. In line with the principle of Management by Objective (MBO), this paper aims to introduce a responsibility-based method, named Strategic goal-Responsibility department-Response (SRR), for selecting sustainable urbanization indicators. By applying this method, indicators are selected from the perspective of concerned departments’ responsibility. In developing the SRR model, the tool of Responsibility Assignment Matrix is used to identify the concerned departments who assume responsibilities in the process of implementing sustainable urbanization. The content analysis is used to analyze the work scope and definitions of the concerned departments and sustainable urbanization indicators that can measure the responsibility performance of the concerned departments are filtered out. A case study of Jinan city in China is used to demonstrate the procedures of using the proposed method. Based on the strategic goals of Jinan city, 20 responsibility departments and 152 initial indicators are identified by using the SRR framework. The case study reveals that the method is a feasible and effective tool in assisting policy makers to select sustainable urbanization indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although urbanization can promote social and economic development, it can also cause various problems. As the key decision makers of urbanization, local governments should be able to evaluate urbanization performance, summarize experiences, and find problems caused by urbanization. This paper introduces a hybrid Entropy–McKinsey Matrix method for evaluating sustainable urbanization. The McKinsey Matrix is commonly referred to as the GE Matrix. The values of a development index (DI) and coordination index (CI) are calculated by employing the Entropy method and are used as a basis for constructing a GE Matrix. The matrix can assist in assessing sustainable urbanization performance by locating the urbanization state point. A case study of the city of Jinan in China demonstrates the process of using the evaluation method. The case study reveals that the method is an effective tool in helping policy makers understand the performance of urban sustainability and therefore formulate suitable strategies for guiding urbanization toward better sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Chinese government is a promoting sustainable urbanization process to develop future cities, and various indicator systems have been introduced for guiding the sustainable urbanization practice. This paper examines the effectiveness of these existing indicator systems introduced in China. Nine sample indicator systems were collected and compared. Principal criteria selected to analyze the effectiveness of the nine samples was based on a literature review. This study reveals that the existing indicator systems have limitations for guiding sustainable urbanization practice and the differences between the various indicator systems present barriers for their effective application. It is found that no official department in China supervises the application of these indicators. The lack of a systematic method for establishing indicators is considered as a major reason for contributing to the limited effectiveness of these established indicators. There is a need to develop an effective method to supervise decision makers to establish and select effective indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing appreciation of the use of concentrated rural settlement as an effective means of implementing infrastructure projects and helping to achieve sustainable development in rural areas. This occurs in China through the exchange of rural residential land for urban construction. However, this policy has not been effective under normal circumstances (called development-driven conditions) as frequently farmers are reluctant to accept such an exchange. By contrast, in a time of disaster, such as after the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan Province, China, rural victims have accepted this policy of rural residential land exchange. Employing game theory, this paper identifies the reasons for the different outcomes and it contends that the implementation of concentrated rural settlement practice under disaster-induced conditions is more effective than its introduction under development-driven conditions. The results of the analysis indicate that, in China, concentrated rural settlement is feasible in a context of post-disaster reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Housing products are subject to more risks than other manufacturing products. Based on an empirical investigation, this paper examines the policy risks existing in the process of developing housing products in China. The findings demonstrate that policy risks have a major impact on the development of housing products in China and with different levels of influences at different development stages. A comprehensive impact degree (CID) model is introduced to analyze the major policy risks affecting business performance during the development process. The research findings provide a valuable reference to both housing developers and policy makers in the industry for adopting proper risk management strategies to mitigate the effects of the risks involved in the development of the Chinese housing market. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• A three-layer guiding index framework for examining urban carrying capacity (UCC) is developed. • The development of UCC guiding index framework is underpinned by multiple theories. • UCC guiding index framework is composed of top-layer pillars, intermediate-layer carriers, and bottom-layer indexes. • Guidance upon how to apply index framework to examine urban economic, social and environmental carrying capacity is provided. Extant studies have presented various indexes for evaluating urban carrying capacity (UCC), but there is no consistent perspective on UCC. This paper presents a guiding index framework from a holistic perspective as a reference guidance for evaluating urban carrying capacity (UCC). The framework is developed based upon the theory of sustainable urban development by addressing the fundamental question of what carrying capacities are needed to enable sustainable urban development. The framework is composed of three-layer elements, namely, top-layer pillars, intermediate-layer carriers, and bottom-layer indexes. At top-layer, there are three pillars of UCC, namely, economic carrying capacity, social carrying capacity, and environmental carrying capacity. The intermediate-layer carriers are identified based upon production factors theory, Maslow's need-hierarchy theory, and environmental factors theory. The bottom-layer presents guiding indexes which are established through comprehensive literature review, references to criteria and expert validation. The three pillars of UCC carry on different functions. Economic capacity is to maintain economic growth, which is generated by utilising effectively economic carriers, such as natural materials, human resources, and capital resources. Socially, a city should have the capacity to meet human needs through providing effective social carriers, such as food, housing, transportation, education, and medical services. Environmentally, a city should be capable to provide quality environment including land, water, and atmosphere. Each carrier is underpinned by several measurable indexes to examine the level of urban carrying capacity. The guidance and rationale of how to apply the proposed UCC guiding index framework are provided across three pillars of urban carrying capacity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infrastructure provision is widely emphasised amid industrialisation, modernisation and urbanisation, for which plenty efforts have been devoted across countries globally. Nevertheless, it should be noted that the shortage or over-supply of urban infrastructures has already induced various urban symptoms, such as urban storm water runoff, urban heat island effect, and habitat destruction, and this is particularly the case in the context of some emerging economies. China, the largest-volume developing country worldwide, has witnessed an unparalleled urbanisation process since the post-reform era, whilst is simultaneously being challenged with critical urban problems triggered by the inappropriate expansion of urban infrastructures. These urban problems manifest more explicitly in mega cities. It is considered essential for these large cities to address properly the scale of urban infrastructures (UIS) by underpinning the understanding of the driving factors for UIS expansion, so that proper planning and construction strategies can be designed and implemented. Extant literature presents inherent limitations in duly exploring the driving factors of UIS expansion, and in filling this research gap, this study therefore aims to investigate the driving factors of UIS expansion in the context of 35 Chinese large cities. Kaya identity and Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) method are applied collectively for conducting the research. The findings from this study can be highlighted as follows: Utilisation efficiency (UE) is found inhibits UIS expansion in 77% (27/35) surveyed Chinese large cities; economic output (EO) and population (P) present significant role in stimulating UIS enlargement across all the surveyed large cities. Tailor-made policy recommendations have been synthesised by drawing upon the understanding of UIS expansion driving factors, which can facilitate local urban governors to address appropriately the scale of urban infrastructure construction and delivery, and further contribute to the sustainability improvement of urbanisation paradigm across the country of China. •Expansion of urban infrastructure system can be investigated by its underpinning driving factors. •A decomposition model is developed for analysing driving factors of urban infrastructure scale (UIS). •Utilisation efficiency plays the most significant role upon inhibiting UIS expansion in the context of China. •Economic output and Population propel the expansion of urban infrastructures. •Policy implications are synthesised towards proper delivery of urban infrastructures from nuanced perspective of driving factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Many international trade theories are constructed on the assumption that domestic demand favors the growth of an export industry. Nevertheless, previous studies have ascribed the linkage between domestic demand and the ability to export to an internal tension in developing countries'' construction industries. Sustainable growth of a construction industry necessitates utilizing the linkage in appropriate ways rather than worsening the intension. Drawn on an extensive literature review, this study raises three hypotheses about the linkage and tested the hypotheses empirically with reference to China''s local construction sectors. Using a panel data approach, the study finds that the linkage is positive, the effect of the linkage unfolds gradually within a period of time, and the Chinese construction industry can therefore continue with outward development to secure sustainable growth. The research findings provide new insights into how to utilize the linkage to guarantee the sustainable growth of construction industries in developing countries. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The generation of significant amount of emissions from building construction process has led the promotion of controlling emissions as an important strategy for implementing sustainable development principles in the built environment. The emissions incurred during various stages include carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxide, non methane volatile organic compounds and particulate matter. This paper conducts the life cycle assessment of the air emissions by using a particular case to examine emissions during construction stage. This study examines the emissions sources in each of the six stages and presents an inventory analysis method to measure air emissions to quantify the air emissions during the six life cycle stages for buildings. This method can help evaluating the impacts of implementing a building on the air quality, thus actions can be taken in early stages to reduce the environmental impacts during building life cycle. A case study is presented to demonstrate the practical application of the method with reference to the building practices for all life cycle stages in Hong Kong. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: It is widely recognized that the coordinated development between urban and rural areas can not only narrow gaps in infrastructure between urban and rural areas, promote balanced development in rural areas in terms of society, economy and environment, but is also an effective way to address issues facing agriculture, rural areas and farmers. In line with this, development of infrastructure projects has been an important means for promoting coordinated urban–rural development in developing countries (such as China). However, there is a lack of indicators that can be used to assess the contribution of infrastructure projects to coordinated urban–rural development. This paper thus attempts to present a set of critical indicators for evaluating the contribution of infrastructure projects to coordinated urban–rural development in the particular context of Chongqing, Western China. First, a list of optional indicators that are with potential for assessing the contribution of infrastructure projects to coordinated urban–rural development is presented based on examination on related project feasibility reports, official reports and literature. Then 42 indicators are identified from the optional list through a questionnaire survey. By using the data collected, the relative level of significance of each indicator is derived. Finally, an indicator system consisting of 19 critical indicators is established based on results of principle component analysis. The applicability and significance of the identified indicators for assessing the contribution of infrastructure projects to coordinated urban–rural development are discussed as well. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Given a changing competition environment, strategic management has become of essential importance to construction firms. Effective strategy enables construction firms to match their activities to the changing environment and achieve superior performance in competition. Therefore, there is a need for studying contractors' competitive strategies. This paper does that in relation to the Hong Kong construction industry. The impact of competition environment on contractor performance, and the relationship between competitive strategy and performance are examined by a questionnaire survey. The findings show that competition environment has a great impact on contractor performance, and four generic competitive strategies have been applied by contractors. Contractors can indeed be classified into four groups according to their different strategic orientations: prospectors, analyzers, defenders, and reactors. As a result, the strategies that contractors should pursue in the local construction industry can be identified with confidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Abstract: Air pollution problems caused from the development of infrastructures are getting serious, in which air flow is reduced and heat is trapped among high-rise buildings. In order to mitigate these problems, various methods have been developed in previous studies. Extensive green roof has been identified as one of the most important means to mitigate these problems and implement sustainable development principles in the building features. Governments world-wide have been introducing various policies and regulations for promoting extensive green roof particularly for building projects. However, the existing buildings in many large cities such as Hong Kong display few extensive green roof features. Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated cities with many high-rise buildings. This paper examines the major barriers encountered in promoting extensive green roof systems for the existing buildings in Hong Kong. Case study approach is adopted to investigate how and why the barriers can hinder the implementation of extensive green roof features. Research results show that lack of promotion and incentives from governments and the increase maintenance cost are identified as the top barriers to the implementation. The paper concludes by providing further suggestions and actions that can help mitigate these existing barriers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Sustainable development principles have been implemented in various sectors including the construction industry since it was published in the Brundtland Commission Report in 1987. In line with this development, implementation of infrastructure construction projects has been given particular attention as they have more significant impacts on the environment, society and economy. It is considered that proper development and operation of infrastructure projects such as highways can contribute significantly to the mission of sustainable development. However, there is little existing work to provide appropriate methods to assess the sustainability performance of infrastructure projects. The study described in this paper introduces a simulation model, using system dynamics principle, to evaluate the sustainability performance of highway infrastructure projects during the construction and operation stage. The study introduces the indicators which measure the sustainability performance of highway projects and identifies the dynamic factors affecting indicator performance by referring to the relevant feasibility studies of highway projects. A real highway project is presented to demonstrate the application of the simulation model in evaluating the sustainability performance of the project. The case study is used to explore the solutions for improving those poor sustainability performance areas through policy scenarios. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Infrastructure projects have major effects on implementing the principles of sustainable development. Infrastructure projects will continue to be developed in the coming years, particularly in developing countries such as China and India; therefore, it is important to find methods and solutions for improving the sustainability of them. Although existing studies have suggested various methods for practicing sustainable development principles in the process of implementing infrastructure projects, effective assessment indicators are unavailable, which presents a barrier to the effective assessment of infrastructure project sustainability. This study introduces key assessment indicators (KAIs) for assessing the sustainability performance of an infrastructure project. The research data used for analysis were collected from a questionnaire survey given to three groups of experts, including government officials, professionals, and clients in the Chinese construction industry. The fuzzy set theory was used to establish KAIs. A procedure for using the KAIs is demonstrated by a case study. These research findings provide an alternative solution to appraise the sustainability of infrastructure projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: With the increasing requirement for resource efficiency and climate change adaptation in the construction industry, there is a need for contractors to implement sustainable practices. Such action will also be the source of competitive advantage in the future. However, there are few studies investigating the contribution of sustainable construction practice to contractors’ competitiveness. This paper is a review of sustainable practice in the construction industry and the relationship between sustainability performance and business competitiveness. A framework for implementing sustainable construction practice to improve contractors’ competitiveness is introduced to help contractors develop their sustainable strategies for meeting a changing competition environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Research interests in addressing construction and demolition (C&D) waste management issues have resulted in a large amount of publications during the last decade. This study demonstrates that there is no systematic examination on the research development in literature in the discipline of C&D waste management. This study presents the latest research trend in the discipline through analyzing the publications from 2000 to 2009 in eight major international journals. The analysis is conducted on the number of papers published annually, main authors’ contributions, research methods and data analysis methods adopted, and research topics covered. The results exhibit an increasing research interest in C&D waste management in recent years. Researchers from developed economies have contributed significantly to the development of the research in the discipline. Some developing countries such as Malaysia and China have also been making good efforts in promoting C&D waste management research. The findings from this study also indicate that survey and case study are major methods for data collection, and the data are mostly processed through descriptive analysis. It is anticipated that more future studies on C&D waste management will be led by researchers from developing economies, where construction works will remain their major economic activities. On the other hand, more sophisticated modeling and simulating techniques have been used effectively in a number of studies on C&D waste management research, and this is considered a major methodology for future research in the discipline. C&D waste management will continue to be a hot research topic in the future, in particularly, the importance of human factors in C&D waste management has emerged as a new challenging topic. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The promotion of green strategy in housing development has significant contribution to the implementation of sustainable development principles. Why do the housing developers go for green? This paper examines the benefits and barriers in applying green strategies in the process of housing development and facilities management. The examination is conducted from the whole process of developing a housing project, including project plan and design, construction, and operation and management stages. It is considered by the housing developers that the application of certain types of green strategies can help contribute to building up developers’ competitive advantages, such as solar system and optimizing building envelope thermal performance technology. The four case studies suggest that housing developers believe that the application of these green technologies can contribute to reputation gaining, reduction in construction and operation cost, receiving favorable land prices, and more channels available for financing. On the other hand, the major barriers affecting the application of the green strategies in housing development process have also been identified, such as higher cost for green appliance and higher cost in relation to customers’ demand. Data used for analysis are collected from a comprehensive questionnaire survey and four constructive case studies within the Chinese housing development market. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Selecting an appropriate competition strategy in bidding is the ambition of most contractors. The multiple requirements of clients encourage contractors to consider other strategies to deliver additional benefits besides offering a low-price bid. Offering low bids will reduce contractors' profits and potentially make development less attractive. Contractors need to understand their specific resources that generate competitive advantage and accordingly develop strategies to win contracts. This paper reports the findings from a recent survey on competition strategies in the Hong Kong construction industry. Thirteen typical bidding strategies, their used frequency in bidding, and their effectiveness for winning contracts of different types and between different groups of contractors are studied. The analysis of findings is explored to provide local contractors and clients with new insights into competition strategies in bidding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gaining or maintaining a “contractor’s” competitive advantage is not easy as it is determined by a large number of factors. Identification of critical success factors (CSFs) allows one to reduce the vast number of factors to some manageable few but vital ones. Based on the CSFs, contractors’ limited resources such as money and manpower can be allocated and aligned appropriately for yielding a maximum outcome of overall competitiveness. This paper describes the CSFs identified from a survey study carried out in Mainland China. The ranking analysis of the survey results shows that 35 factors are rated as critical for determining the competitiveness of a contractor. Factor analysis reveals that the 35 CSFs identified can be grouped into eight clusters, namely, project management skills, organization structure, resources, competitive strategy, relationships, bidding, marketing, and technology. The CSFs in this study provide a vehicle for guiding a contractor in managing its resources in order to improve competitive advantage. The study also provides insights into the management of competitiveness for contractors that are operating in the particular context of the Chinese construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Different cities should apply tailor-made indicators for promoting LCC practice. • MBO method can help cities set tailor-made indicators to enable their LCC objectives. • Cities must consider their local conditions when setting specific LCC objective. • The application of proposed method needs the proper understanding of LCC objectives. Cities with different development backgrounds and characteristics will set different objectives for promoting low carbon city practice, including overall, dimensional, and executable objectives. Therefore, a method is needed to ensure that the selected indicators are tailor-made and can correspond to objectives. The existing methods for selecting LCC indicators are not objective-based. This paper introduces an innovative method for setting LCC indicators by using the Management by Objectives (MBO) method to enable the achievement of LCC objectives. Two case cities are used to demonstrate the application of the MBO-based indicator setting method. The main conclusion can be drawn from this study as follows. Firstly, different cities should apply different indicators to guide their LCC practice as they have different backgrounds. Secondly, the MBO method can help different cities to set tailor-made indicators to guide their LCC practice towards their LCC objectives. It is emphasized that indicators applicable to different cities should not be selected discriminately. Thirdly, there are three basic procedures in applying the MBO based indicator setting method, namely, identification of the overall LCC objectives, decomposition of the overall LCC objectives into the dimensional and executable LCC objectives, and selection of indicators for evaluating executable LCC objectives. The application of the MBO based indicator setting method can help the cities choose a set of indicators most suitable to local conditions to guide the LCC practice towards achieving their LCC objective defined locally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a computer-aided decision support system for assessing a contractor''s competitiveness. Measures of competitiveness are employed to describe a contractor''s strengths and weaknesses, thus to assist project clients in identifying proper contractors at the pre-qualification stage. The identification of a contractor''s weakness can also help the contractor adopt proper measures to improve its competitiveness. Based on a competitiveness scoring model, a Windows-standard Decision Support System Contractor''s Competitiveness Assessment Scoring System (C-CASS) was developed in this study. Case studies in a simulated environment are used to demonstrate the application of this system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• 16 representative forces affecting low carbon city are identified by using LDA model. • ISM-based hierarchy structure between the representative forces is established. • Government is the most important driving force implementing LCC in China. • Policy implications on key driving forces for developing LCC in China are provided. Developing low carbon city (LCC) has been widely appreciated as the key strategy for achieving emission mitigation goal. Despite the impact factors on cities' carbon emission reduction have been extensively studied in recent years, little attention has been paid to investigating the key driving force (KDF) on the development of LCC. This study aims to explore the KDF affecting LCC within the context of China through identifying systematically representative forces (RFs) and examining the interactive relationships between RFs. Based on topic modeling of Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA), RFs for LCC are identified firstly from the policies issued by the pilot LCCs in China. Then KDFs for LCC are investigated through establishing the interactive relationships between RFs by adopting the Interpretive Structure Modeling (ISM). Results show that: (1) 16 RFs on LCC are identified from the pilot LCC policies in China; (2) emission trading system, carbon emission accounting system, and low carbon planning are identified as the KDFs on the development of LCC; (3) carbon sink is positioned at the topmost level and performs as the most frontier force on the development of LCC. Results of the KDFs identification can provide policy-makers with insight for designing LCC improvement path, and consequently promote emission mitigation in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial accessibility to medical services (SAMS) is one of the most important indicators to examine the convenience for people to get access to medical services. In China, the difficulty in getting access to medical services is a commonly appreciated social problem. To mitigate this problem, Chinese government established the hierarchical diagnosis and treatment system (HDTS) in 2005. However, there is no existing study to examine the HDTS from the perspective of SAMS. This paper therefore introduces an integrative method to analyze SAMS in adopting HDTS. The introduced integrative method is developed by referring to the existing 2SFCA method, a commonly applied method for analyzing SAMS, and the characteristics of HDTS are taken into consideration. The application of the integrative method is demonstrated with reference to a Chongqing case. The research findings suggest that: 1) A new method to evaluate SAMS in the context of HDTS is needed; 2) The integrative method developed in this study is proven effective for analyzing SAMS in the context of HDTS through the case study; 3) The case results reveal that the implementation of HDTS can significantly improve the overall SAMS performance in Chongqing; 4) The desirable referral rate of HDTS is 1.24% in the case study by comparing the SAMS performance between different referral rates. • The hierarchical diagnosis and treatment system (HDTS) in China is addressed. • Introduce an integrative method of spatial accessibility to medical service (SAMS). • Characteristics of HDTS are taken into consideration in the integrative method. • Implementation of HDTS can significantly improve the overall SAMS performance. • The desirable referral rate for best SAMS performance is 1.24% in the case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduces competitive tendering methods in the Chinese construction industry. Information on the development of tendering application; Reference to the characteristics of tendering practice; Problems in tendering practice; More detailed information on the competitive tendering methods in the construction industry in China.