Development Mechanism of Urban System in Rapidly Changing Period in China

The purpose of this research is to investigate the socio-economic development mechanism of China’s urban system in terms of spatial structure and its change. Totally 246 cities from 340 designated cities in 1985, and 488 from 640 designated cities in 1995 are selected as sample cities. And 22 attributes concerning urban features are analyzed to clarify the socio-economic characteristics and their changes in the urban system. Finally, the primary development factors are verified with the relationship of spatial structure and socio-economic characteristics. In conclusion, the socio-economic changes occurred more extremely than spatial structure changes. Furthermore, foreign investment be- came a major power for the development of China’s urban system in the period of 1985–1995.

EVOLUTION OF URBAN SYSTEM IN NEW ECONOMIC CIRCUMSTANCES AND PLANNING COUNTERMEASURES

Urban system is the spatial reflection of the inner-deep social economic movement. New economic circumstances not only make the evolution of urban system present one brand-new landscape, but also put forward a new subject for planning of urban system. This article analyzes the properties of the traditional economic process and its essential effect on urban system; it makes a complete survey on the properties of new economic circumstances and its effect on re-forming of urban system; the complicated influential process and result are concluded into the aspects, such as new growth motive force, new economic organization, new location factor and new spatial phenomenon, and its inner effect mechanism in shown as well. In this article, the change process of urban system space is explained in four aspects: (1) dissimulation in the process of spatial agglomeration and diffusion; (2) change of “center-periphery” effect; (3) acceleration growth of axial regions; (4) re-forming of the world and regional urban system. Based on the above theoretical analysis and the properties & requests of new economic circumstances, this article finally puts forward four philosophies emphasized by urban system planning, and forms the new frame for drawing-up of urban system planning.

Analysis of the Spatial Distribution Characteristics of Urban System in Tianjin City

Urbanization level of Tianjian City was comprehensively assessed by mathematical methods such as geometrical center,center deviation,divergence measurement and uniformity measurement of the city in this study.The results showed that Tianjin City has high divergence,lowuniformity,relatively low level of urbanization,so that the process of urbanization should be further enhanced.

Increasing of Resistance and Resilience of an Urban System against Calamities in the Light of the Maximum Ordinality Principle

The present paper aims at showing how it is possible to requalify the structures of an urban system, in order to increase its resistance and its correlative resilience, against natural calamities (earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.), by adopting as reference criterion the Maximum Ordinality Principle (MOP). In this sense, the paper opens a radically new perspective in this field. In fact, the village assumed as a case study was modelled as a Self-Organizing System. This is because, although the village is usually considered as being solely made of buildings, streets, places and so on, in reality it has been conceived, planned and realized by human beings during several centuries. In addition, the people who actually leave in such an urban center, systematically deal with its maintenance, in order to possibly increase its functionality. This justifies the assumption of the village as being a Self-Organizing System and, consequently, it has been analyzed in the light of the MOP, which represents a valid reference principle for analyzing both “non-living”, “living” and “conscious” self-organizing systems.

STATE POLICY AND URBAN SYSTEMS :THE CASE OF CHINA

Thispaperusestherank sizemodelandtheexpansionmethodtoexaminethe changeofcity sizedistributioninChinafrom 1 95 2to 1 990 .Itrevealsthatafterashort periodofconcentration ,populationdeconcentrationamongcitieshasdominatedurban China .Thistrendhasevenbeenspeededupinthereformperiodsince 1 978.Theestab lishmentofalargeamountofnewcitieshaslargelycontributedtothetrendofdecreasing populationconcentrationamongChinesecities.Withouttheconsiderationofnewlyestab lishedcities,Chinesesystemofcitieswouldexperienceatrendofincreasedpopulation concentrationandpopulationintheupper rankcitiesgrewfasterthanthatinthelower rankcities.

ECONOMIC GLOBALIZATION AND ITS IMPACTS ON URBAN SYSTEM IN CHINA

With the implementation of economic reform and open policy, China has expanded her foreign trade, utilized a lot of foreign investment, and thethere its economy has been increasingly integrated into world economy. Because the coastal region is different in the level of socio-economic development, location and accessibility from inland region, the former has got more opporturuties of development. In the coastal region, the ekisting urban clusters are spreading and new ones are appearing. However, a large floating population, traffic jam, sprawl spread in urban land use and environmental pollution have become serious problems in coastal cities.

A study on urban system planning of Xiantao city in Hubei Province,China

This paper studies developing history and power of city and town in Xiantao district and prediction method of urbanization level. It planes that city and towns is all around district centerXianto city, first, second third town axes; first center of Xiantao district is Xiantao city, second are Penchang, Tonghaikou, Mazui town.

Research on Impact of Urban System Hierarchy Restructuring upon Spatial Planning

Economy is a major force in determining the hierarchy of urban system. As regional economy globalizes, urban systems in many countries are making their transition from the scale-based hierarchy to the networked system, while that in China still maintains an administrative stratification. The paper discussed the triumph of Baigou Town in the East Baoding Sub-center Campaign. It significantly shattered the administrative hierarchy of the urban system in China, which owes largely to the new type of economical development, i.e. government-led fixed assets investment and real estate development, as demonstrated in the urban expansion. Under the pattern of "territory" logic, spatial planning not only lost efficacy, but also stimulated bottom-up over development in local areas. The paper recommended foreign action- and collaboration-oriented urban planning theories, and that the absolute top-down spatial blueprint planning must be abandoned, and a harmonious synergy of planning roles, work content and methodology be facilitated.

Combined Remote Sensing and GIS Techniques for Studying the Large Roman Urban System Expansion during the Last Twenty Years

Several factors may contribute to on-going challenges for spatial planning and policy in megacities such as Rome, including rapid population shifts, poorly organized areas, and lack of data through which monitoring urban growth and land use change. This research was conducted to examine past and current effects of the urbanization process, occurred over the large Roman urban system, on the basis of multi-source and multi-temporal optical remote sensing (RS) data, collected between 1990 and 2013. These changes were then validated via Geographic Information System (GIS) techniques, in a particular procedure applied to urban land/agricultural transformations. The proposed approach, based on geo-statistical methods, was used to calculate the index of innovative space (AP Index), useful for the monitoring of the urban sprawl phenomenon. Strong evidence of urban expansion over the north-eastern quarter of the city, accompanied by environmental degradation and loss of biodiversity, is provided. Urban infill developments are expected to emerge in the south-eastern areas too, and these might increase urban pressure as well. In conclusion, RS and GIS technologies together with ancillary data can be used to assist decision makers in preparing future plans to find out appropriate solutions to urbanization encroachment.

A FRACTAL STUDY ON URBAN SYSTEM IN NORTHEAST CHINA

The paper made a preliminary study on the spatial structure of urbansystems which take Shenyang, Changchun and Harbin as centers respectively innortheast China. A law is found that the spatial stracture becomes gradually loosewhile the level of aggregation' tends to rise from the south to the north based on themeasurement and calculation of fractal dimension and fractal structure factor. Theauthor discussed how the spatial patterns formed and lastly put forward suggestionsto improve the supervision of the urban systems in northeast China.

An Overall Urban System: Integrating Central Place Theory and Urban Network Idea in the Greater Pearl River Delta of China

Following a half century of popularity, central place theory experienced 20 years of neglect when the new urban system theory of network modeling gained attention at the beginning of the 1990s. However, central place theory remains valid, and it seems there has been a reemergence with it. Using the Greater Pearl River Delta (Greater PRD) as an experimental study region, this paper intends to present an empirical study that validates central place theory and shows that it can be integrated into an overall regional urban system. The study uses the compound Central Place Importance (CPI) to evaluate whether there is a hierarchy among the urban centers within the study area. The results indicate the existence of a hierarchy. Furthermore, empirical observation finds distinct complementarity relationships, rank-size distributions, and co-operative actions between the different cities, thus substantiating the claim that central place theory can be incorporated into an overall regional urban system. Besides, the presence of the densely distributed modern infrastructure system also appears to constitute a dimension of the overall urban system. There need further theoretical and empirical studies in order to support this proposition.

Weak influence of natural vegetation in urban green spaces compared to agricultural ecosystems on House Martin populations:Insights from nationwide citizen science data in the Czech Republic

The House Martin(Delichon urbicum)is a common farmland bird species in the European landscape,yet its population numbers are currently in decline.However,it is not yet sufficiently explained why this long-term decline occurs.To fill this gap in our knowledge,we investigated how land cover composition affects the abundance of House Martins on the landscape scale by using nationwide citizen science data.Utilizing a generalised linear mixed-effect model(GLMM),we evaluated 12,094 records from the Czech Republic spanning 2009-2017.Our analysis underscores the significance of land cover type in shaping House Martin abundance.More specifically,our results indicate that within agricultural land covers“naturally managed arable lands”exhibited significant positive effect,while forests,orchards,and vineyards were deemed less favourable for House Martin populations.Within urban land covers,we found a clear distinction in the impact on House Martin populations,with a positive effect observed in urban infrastructure,development areas,and post-industrial sites(i.e.,UrbanAreas),while an indifferent impact was noted within urban green spaces and landscaped areas(i.e.,GreenUrban).Notably,our findings suggest that the simple spatial,age,and species structure typical of forests in Europe,and similarly,the uniform structure of parks and gardens,may be responsible for the decline in the abundance of the House Martin.We advocate for the preservation or enhancement of urban greenery,expansion of natural vegetation in rural areas and adoption of ecological management practices in orchards and vineyards to mitigate further declines in House Martin populations.

Grid System Analysis of Urban Flora of Bukhara City (Uzbekistan)

This article presents information on the study of the flora of Uzbekistan based on grid system mapping. The urban flora of the city of Bukhara was researched in it. As a result of research, the territory of Bukhara city was divided into 85 indexes based on 1 × 1 km2 grid mapping system. The diversity and density of species in the indexes are determined. The influence of anthropogenic factors on the diversity of species in the indexes is determined.

Carbon efficiency evaluation method for urban energy system with multiple energy complementary

Urban energy systems(UESs)play a pivotal role in the consumption of clean energy and the promotion of energy cascade utilization.In the context of the construction and operation strategy of UESs with multiple complementary energy resources,a comprehensive assessment of the energy efficiency is of paramount importance.First,a multi-dimensional evaluation system with four primary indexes of energy utilization,environmental protection,system operation,and economic efficiency and 21 secondary indexes is constructed to comprehensively portray the UES.Considering that the evaluation system may contain a large number of indexes and that there is overlapping information among them,an energy efficiency evaluation method based on data processing,dimensionality reduction,integration of combined weights,and gray correlation analysis is proposed.This method can effectively reduce the number of calculations and improve the accuracy of energy efficiency assessments.Third,a demonstration project for a UES in China is presented.The energy efficiency of each scenario is assessed using six operational scenarios.The results show that Scenario 5,in which parks operate independently and investors build shared energy-storage equipment,has the best results and is best suited for green and low-carbon development.The results of the comparative assessment methods show that the proposed method provides a good energy efficiency assessment.This study provides a reference for the optimal planning,construction,and operation of UESs with multiple energy sources.

LiMo 2040 Sustainable urban Living and Mobility Concept-Elevator System

How can individual mobility in urban areas be maintained alongside scooters and cargo bikes if conventional vehicles are foreseeably no longer allowed to enter city centers?And how can urban living be combined with individual mobility in a sustainable and socially acceptable way?LiMo-2040 attempts to provide answers to these questions.It follows a holistic approach according to the criteria:As light,as compact and as simple(cost-effective)as possible.Modular e-vehicle concepts(consisting of vehicle cabin and chassis)are known,but have not yet been thought through to their logical conclusion.The LiMo cabin is not only a vehicle cabin,but also a component of a modern high-rise apartment.It therefore requires no parking space and combines urban living and individual mobility sustainably and cost-effectively.If a vehicle is needed,an app can be used to book a chassis that comes along autonomously and waits until the cabin,including its occupants,travels down a sophisticated rail system,docks and autonomously heads for the desired destination.

Sustainable Urban Mobility: (A)Synchrony between Subway Systems

The present study analyses the differences between the subways systems of two cities, Lisbon (Portugal) and Brasília (Brazil), verifying the extent to which their subway systems are spatially integrated with the respective urban fabric-which would promote a better synchrony in terms of economy and sustainability. For interpreting the data, the methodology and tools of the Theory of the Social Logic of Space were used, by means of axial maps, researching the relationship between the constructed and empty (public spaces) areas of the urban structures. Based on the findings, meaningful differences between the subway systems and the configuration of urban spaces were observed, as a product of specific design matrixes. In Lisbon, the mobility associated to the subway seems to be encouraged by the integration of the system with the potential for movement provided by the urban tissue (making the secondary centralities articulated with the subway stations more dynamic). In Brasilia, however, there are several difficulties for such mobility, due to the predominant role of the empty spaces in the city which weakens the gathering potential of such areas, despite the fact that such articulation with secondary centralities is also present there.

Patterns of Interactions of the Complex City System:Emotional Urban Objects as Triggering Agents-A Secondary Publication

This article presents an analysis of the patterns of interactions resulting from the positive and negative emotional events that occur in cities,considering them as complex systems.It explores,from the imaginaries,how certain urban objects can act as emotional agents and how these events affect the urban system as a whole.An adaptive complex systems perspective is used to analyze these patterns.The results show patterns in the processes and dynamics that occur in cities based on the objects that affect the emotions of the people who live there.These patterns depend on the characteristics of the emotional charge of urban objects,but they can be generalized in the following process:(1)immediate reaction by some individuals;(2)emotions are generated at the individual level which begins to generalize,permuting to a collective emotion;(3)a process of reflection is detonated in some individuals from the reading of collective emotions;(4)integration/significance in the community both at the individual and collective level,on the concepts,roles and/or functions that give rise to the process in the system.Therefore,it is clear that emotions play a significant role in the development of cities and these aspects should be considered in the design strategies of all kinds of projects for the city.Future extensions of this work could include a deeper analysis of specific emotional events in urban environments,as well as possible implications for urban policy and decision making.

Review of peri-urban agriculture as a regional ecosystem service

The peri-urban area possesses mixed characteristics of rural and urban areas,i.e.,agricultural,and built-up land.This review explains various themes and concepts of peri-urban areas and the importance of peri-urban agriculture(PUA)as an ecosystem service(ES)for their surrounding areas.The methodological approach is a systematic literature search and explanatory review of books and journal articles.The focus of the discussion is as follows:(1)quantification of review results,(2)urbanization pressures,peri-urban,and governance,(3)two different concepts about the peri-urban area,(4)protection of PUA and their resilience,and(5)role of PUA in providing ESs to other regions.The review shows that PUA is more crucial in urban areas than in rural areas in terms of food supply,ecology and biodiversity preservation,disaster mitigation,and recreation.One of the primary causes of PUA loss is massive urban expansion,which entails the conversion of agricultural land in peri-urban areas into built-up land.Hence,we suggest that every country should develop a peri-urban management policy.We argue that sociocultural biases in PUA have resulted in many institutional constraints on peri-urban management being incorporated within existing political and regulatory frameworks,including planning practices and longstanding laws and regulations.

Rainwater harvesting systems: An urban flood risk mitigation measure in arid areas

Rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems have been developed to compensate for shortage in the water supply worldwide. Such systems are not very common in arid areas, particularly in the Gulf Region, due to the scarcity of rainfall and their reduced efficiency in covering water demand and reducing water consumption rates. In spite of this, RWH systems have the potential to reduce urban flood risks, particularly in densely populated areas. This study aimed to assess the potential use of RWH systems as urban flood mitigation measures in arid areas. Their utility in the retention of stormwater runoff and the reduction of water depth and extent were evaluated. The study was conducted in a residential area in Bahrain that experienced waterlogging after heavy rainfall events. The water demand patterns of housing units were analyzed, and the daily water balance for RWH tanks was evaluated. The effect of the implementation of RWH systems on the flood volume was evaluated with a two-dimensional hydrodynamic model. Flood simulations were conducted in several rainfall scenarios with different probabilities of occurrence. The results showed significant reductions in the flood depth and flood extent, but these effects were highly dependent on the rainfall intensity of the event. RWH systems are effective flood mitigation measures, particularly in urban arid regions short of proper stormwater control infrastructure, and they enhance the resilience of the built environment to urban floods.

Delineation of urban growth boundary based on FLUS model under the perspective of land use evaluation in hilly mountainous areas

With rapid economic development,the size of urban land in China is expanding dramatically.The Urban Growth Boundary(UGB)is an expandable spatial boundary for urban construction in a certain period in order to control the urban sprawl.Reasonable delineation of UGB can inhibit the disorderly spread of urban space and guide the normal development of the city.It is of practical significance for the construction of green urban space.The study utilizes GIS technology to establish a land construction suitability evaluation system for Nankang city,which is experiencing rapid urban expansion,and outlines the preliminary UGB under the future land use simulation(FLUS)model.At the same time,considering the coupled coordination of"Production-Living-Ecological Space",and based on the suitability evaluation,we revised the preliminary UGB by combining the advantages of the patch-generating land use simulation(PLUS)model and the convex hull model to delineate the final UGB.The results show that:1)the comprehensive score of the evaluation of the suitability of the construction of land from high to low shows the distribution of the center of the city to the surrounding circle type spread,the center of the city has the highest suitability score.The results of convex hull model show that the urban expansion type of Nankang is epitaxial.In the future,the urban expansion will mainly occur in the northern part of the city.The PLUS model predicts an increase of 3359.97 hm^(2)of construction land in Nankang by 2035,of which 2022.97 hm^(2)is urban construction land.2)The FLUS model has a prediction accuracy of 86.3%and delineates a preliminary UGB area of 9215.07 hm^(2).3)We used the results of the construction suitability evaluation,PLUS model simulation results,and convex hull model predictions to revise the originally delineated UGB.The final delineated UGB area is 8895.67 hm^(2)and it is capable of meeting the future development of the study area.The results of the delineation can promote sustainable urban development,and the delineation methodology can provide a reference basis for the preparation of territorial spatial planning.