Evolution and Determinants of Population Agglomeration in Less Developed Metropolitan Areas:A Case Study of the Taiyuan Metropolitan Area,China

It is of importance to enhance the urban areas'capacity for population aggregation in underdeveloped regions,aiming to rectify the imbalanced and insufficient pattern of economic development in China.Taking the Taiyuan Metropolitan Area(TMA)in central China as a case study,this paper examines the evolutionary process and characteristics of population agglomeration from 2000 to 2020,and identifies factors associated with agglomeration and their spatial effects.The findings indicated that:1)against the background of sustained population shrinkage in the provincial area,the TMA showed a demographic trend of steady increase,albeit with a decelerated growth rate.In the metropolitan area,urban population size continued to grow rapidly,whereas the rural areas endured sustained losses.Disparities in city size continued to widen,and the polarization of concentrated population in the core cities kept increasing.2)Agglomerations in both secondary and service industries had significant positive effects on local population agglomeration,with the former effect being stronger.Regional economic development,government fiscal expenditure,and financial advancement all contributed to facilitating local population clustering.From a spatial spillover perspective,service agglomeration and financial development promoted population agglomeration in surrounding areas.Conversely,fiscal expenditure inhibited such agglomeration.As for industrial agglomeration and regional economic development,their spatial spillover effects were non-significant.The results obtained reveal several policy implications aimed at enhancing the population agglomeration capacity of the metropolitan area in underdeveloped regions during the new era.

Coupling coordinated development among digital economy,regional innovation,and talent employment:A case study in the Hangzhou Metropolitan Circle,China

Coordinative development across various systems,particularly the economic,social,cultural,and human resources subsystems,is a key aspect of urban sustainability and has a direct impact on the quality of urbanization.The Hangzhou Metropolitan Circle,comprising Hangzhou City,Huzhou City,Jiaxing City,and Shaoxing City,was the first metropolitan circle approved by the National Development and Reform Commission(NDRC)as a demonstration of economic transformation in China.To evaluate the coupling coordination degree of the four cities and analyze the coordinative development in three systems(including digital economy,regional innovation,and talent employment),we collected panel data during 2015–2022 from these four cities.The development level of the three systems was evaluated by the standard deviation method and comprehensive development index.The results are as follows:(1)the level of coupling coordinated development of the three systems in the Hangzhou Metropolitan Circle was relatively low;(2)the coupling coordination degree of the four cities in the Hangzhou Metropolitan Circle showed significant regional differences,among which Hangzhou City was in the leading position,and Huzhou,Jiaxing,and Shaoxing cities made steady but slow progress in the coupling development of the three systems;and(3)the development of digital economy and talent employment needs to be strengthened.This study contributes to the coordinative development of Hangzhou Metropolitan Circle by innovatively focusing on the coupling coordination relationship among digital economy,regional innovation,and talent employment,which also meets the industrial layout of Hangzhou Metropolitan Circle.In this way,the optimal allocation and sustainable development of digital economy,regional innovation,and talent employment in the Hangzhou Metropolitan Circle can be achieved.

Multi-scenario Simulation of the Impact of Land Use Change on the Ecosystem Service Value in the Suzhou-Wuxi-Changzhou Metropolitan Area,China

As the most economically developed metropolitan area in China’s Yangtze River Delta,the rapid changing land use patterns of Suzhou-Wuxi-Changzhou(Su-Xi-Chang) metropolitan area have profound impacts on the ecosystem service value(ESV).Based on the patterns of land use change and the ESV change in Su-Xi-Chang metropolitan area from 2000 to 2020,we set up four scenarios:natural development scenario,urban development scenario,arable land protection scenario and ecological protection scenario,and simulated the impact of land use changes on the ESV in these scenarios.The results showed that:1) the area of built-up land in the Su-XiChang metropolitan area increased significantly from 2000 to 2020,and the area of other types of land decreased.Arable land underwent the highest transfer-out area,and was primarily converted into built-up land.The total ESV of Su-Xi-Chang metropolitan area increased initially then declined from 2000–2020,and the value of almost all individual ecosystem services decreased.2) Population density,GDP per area,night lighting intensity,and road network density can negatively impact the ESV.3) The total ESV loss under the natural development and urban development scenarios was high,and the expansion of the built-up land and the drastic shrinkage of the arable land contributed to the ESV decline under both scenarios.The total ESV under arable land protection and ecological protection scenarios increases,and therefore these scenarios are suitable for future land use optimization in Su-Xi-Chang.This study could provide a certain reference for land use planning and allocation,and offer guidance for the rational allocation of land resources.

Adjustment of Administrative Divisions and Upgrading of Industrial Structure in Hefei Metropolitan Area:Taking"Partitions of Chaohu"as a Quasi-natural Experiment

Administrative regions are an important environment for the operation of China's market economy.The relevant economic subjects cannot predict the policy of adjustment of administrative divisions and carry out conscious migration behavior,adjustment of administrative divisions can be regarded as a quasi-natural experiment.The three cities of Hefei,Wuhu,and Ma'anshan,which are directly related to the adjustment of the administrative division of Chaohu,are taken as the treatment group,and the seven adjacent cities of Lu'an,Huainan,Chuzhou,Bengbu,Anqing,Chizhou,and Tongling are taken as the control group.Differences-in-Differences method and relevant control variables affecting the upgrading of industrial structure are used to test.The test results show that"Partitions of Chaohu"has a significant industrial structure upgrading effect by promoting the optimization of spatial layout,the cross-regional flow of production factors and the effective management of Chaohu Lake Basin.At the same time,the increase of total retail sales of consumer goods,urban fixed assets investment,public utility expenses in science,education,culture and health,and population plays a significant positive role in promoting the upgrading of industrial structure,while foreign direct investment plays a certain inhibition role in the upgrading of industrial structure.In order to meet the ever-developing space demands and enhance the impact on surrounding areas,the Hefei metropolitan area should be driven by technological innovation,strengthen the integration of industrial chains,improve the business environment and transportation network,and continuously promote the upgrading of industrial structure and the formation and development of new productive forces.

Basic Research on the Burden of Dropping off and Picking up Children: Differences by Employment Type and Gender in the Tokyo Metropolitan Area

There is a need to reduce the burden of child drop-off and pick-up for child-rearing generations, but most studies on the actual situation in Japan are based on survey results. In this study, we analyzed differences in child drop-off and pick-up by employment type and gender, utilizing the “Metropolitan Area Person Trip Survey,” which is a statistical data set. The study targeted households in which both spouses were between 30 and 49 years old, had children under the age of 6, and included the following three groups. 1) Dual-income Group 1 (both spouses employed/on contract/temporary);2) Dual-income Group 2 (husband employed/on contract/temporary, wife part-time);3) Full-time housewife group (husband employed, wife unemployed). The analysis revealed that a) wives are almost always responsible for dropping off and picking up their children;b) husbands drop off and pick up their children less frequently in dual-income households;and c) households with children raising within 10 to 30 km of Tokyo Station have longer commuting times and need to reduce the burden of dropping off and picking up their children.

Metropolitan Housing Development in Urban Fringe Areas-A Case Study of Three Metropolitan Cities of South Africa: Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni and Tshwane

Purpose:The metropolitan cities of Johannesburg,Ekurhuleni and Tshwane play an important role in the economy of the Gauteng province in South Africa.The region constitutes to 22.4 percent of the total population of South Africa and has a strong presence and contributes in areas of manufacturing sector,financial and business services,retail and wholesale trade,etc.The rapid urban population,increase in the informal settlements and socio-economic opportunities has resulted in considerable urban sprawl in and around the urban fringe areas of these metropolitan cities.The urban fringe areas of these metros often come under the influence of rapid urbanization process and pressures.Coupled with the economical and potential land dynamics and lack of priority of spatial development guidelines,these areas attract rapid and haphazard development from communities and developers.Research Design/Methodology:This research is based on a qualitative approach through a comprehensive literature review that included content analysis of key documents on housing sector such as IDPs(Integrated Development Plans),Municipal Annual Reports,Growth Development Strategies,and among other sectoral documents on housing sector.Some of the key priority issues considered in the housing sector included:eradication of housing backlogs,spatial restructuring of housing,provision of choice in terms of location,tenure and housing typology.Findings:The current paper discusses the approaches of metropolitan housing development processes in three metropolitan cities of South Africa from Gauteng region,namely:Johannesburg,Ekurhuleni and Tshwane.The paper discusses the existing housing sectoral scenario along with the fringe areas in three cities with focus on:formal and informal settlements,housing segregation and the backlogs,current institutional arrangements,role of public private participation,and scope for alternate mechanisms.The paper concludes in discussion on sustainable development options for housing development in urban fringe areas.

Urban Expansion in Major Grain Producing Area from 1978 to 2017:A Case Study of Zhengzhou Metropolitan Area,China

The spatial form of urbanization in China has developed from single-core city expansion to a multi-center metropolitan area.However,little attention has been paid to the growth process of the emerging metropolitan area situated in major grain producing locations in the central China.Taking the Zhengzhou metropolitan area(ZZMA)as a case study,we developed an inverse S-shape model to characterize the spatial distribution of urban land density,and constructed an urban expansion core index,urban expansion intensity index,and urban compactness index to quantify the spatial structure change that has taken place from 1978 to 2017 during the process of urban expansion.Moreover,cropland contribution rate(CR)was constructed to evaluate the impacts of urban expansion on croplands.We uncovered four key findings.First,over the past 40 yr,the ZZMA has experienced dramatic expansion,and the central city of Zhengzhou expanded faster than other cities.The gravity centers of urban expansion of surrounding cities were moving toward to Zhengzhou City.Second,the urban land density decreased with the distance from the city center to the outskirts.As the only large city,Zhengzhou has experienced the fastest and most compact centralized urban expansion,especially after 2000,while other medium-and small-sized cities have experienced low-intensity decentralized expansion.Third,the urban core has been gradually expanding outward.From 1978 to 2017,the hot-zone of urban growth has moved progressively with the acceleration of urbanization.All cities except Jiaozuo had a single peak in different periods.Forth,the cities in national core grain-producing areas has higher cropland contribution rates and lower urban expansion areas,which was closely related to cropland protection.Further analysis showed that large city was relatively better positioned than smaller cities in the efficiency of their urban infrastructure and the effectiveness of wealth creation efficiency in the urbanized area could be tested in all cities,and the policy factor seemed to play an important role in the urban expansion process.

Spatiotemporal Evolution Characteristics of Urban Land Surface Temperature Based on Local Climate Zones in Xi’an Metropolitan,China

Local climate zones(LCZs)are an effective nexus linking internal urban structures to the local climate and have been widely used to study urban thermal environment.However,few studies considered how much the temperature changed due to LCZs transformation and their synergy.This paper quantified the change of urban land surface temperature(LST)in LCZs transformation process by combining the land use transfer matrix with zonal statistics method during 2000–2019 in the Xi’an metropolitan.The results show that,firstly,both LCZs and LST had significant spatiotemporal variations and synchrony.The period when the most LCZs were converted was also the LST rose the fastest,and the spatial growth of the LST coincided with the spatial expansion of the built type LCZs.Secondly,the LST difference between land cover type LCZs and built type LCZs gradually widened.And LST rose more in both built type LCZs transferred in and out.Finally,the Xi’an-Xianyang profile showed that the maximum temperature difference between the peaks and valleys of the LST increased by 4.39℃,indicating that localized high temperature phenomena and fluctuations in the urban thermal environment became more pronounced from 2000 to 2019.

Spatial-temporal Heterogeneity of Green Development Efficiency and Its Influencing Factors in Growing Metropolitan Area: A Case Study for the Xuzhou Metropolitan Area

This study analyzed the spatial-temporal heterogeneity of green development efficiency and its influencing factors in the growing Xuzhou Metropolitan Area for the period 2000–2015.The slacks-based measure(SBM)model,spatial autocorrelation,and the geographically weighted regression(GWR)model were used to conduct the analysis.The conclusions were as follows:first,the overall efficiency of green development of the Xuzhou Metropolitan Area decreased,the regional differences and spatial agglomeration shrunk and differences within the region were the main contributors to the regional differences of green development efficiency.Second,the counties with high-efficiency green development were distributed along the coast,and along the routes of the Beijing-Shanghai and the Eastern Longhai railways.A developing axis of the high-efficiency counties was the main feature of the spatial pattern for green development efficiency.Third,regarding spatial correlation and green development efficiency,the High-High type counties in the Xuzhou Metropolitan Area formed a centralized distribution corridor along the inter-provincial border areas of Henan and Jiangsu,whereas the Low-Low type counties were concentrated in the external,marginal parts of the metropolitan area.Fourth,the major factors(ranked in decreasing order of impact)influencing green development efficiency were innovation,government regulations,the economic development level,energy consumption,and industrial structure.These factors exerted their influence to varying extents;the influence of the same factor had different effects in different regions and obvious spatial differences were observed for the different regions.

The corridor effect of metropolitan spatialextension and optimization of landscape structure—the case of Beijing

Because of the existence of gradient field of the urban center and the corridor effect. underthe drive of going merely after economic benefit, the city intrinsically has the trend of massive growth, and this will seriously destroy the urban reasonable landscape structure and the ecological equilibrium.By applying the theory of corridor effect. this paper studies the interactive process between artificialcorridors and natural corridors. At the same time, by studying the Beijing's spatial extension pattern in central urban area during different periods. this paper analyses the corridors extension volume.extension velocity and variant tendency of urban landscape on & directions. Moreover. this paperbrings forward the idea of incorporating the systen of natural corridors into the Beijing'smetropolitan planning, namely to form a star-shaped scattering-group pattern in which artificialcorridors and natural corridors are alternately distributed in order to effectively prevent built-up areafrom massive growth .

Empirical Study on Effect of Industrial Structure Change on Regional Economic Growth of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Metropolitan Region

Based on the data of gross domestic product(GDP),industrial added value and the proportion of industrial employees from 2000 to 2008,this paper studies the effect of industrial structure change on the regional economic growth of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Metropolitan Region in China using the shift-share method.The results show that:1) In the 21st century,the industrial output of three industries,namely,primary,secondary,and tertiary,and the GDP grew rapidly in the study period.The tertiary industry grew the fastest;it had the largest contribution to the GDP and mean-while had become the most competitive industry in the metropolitan region.2) The development of cities within the region was not balanced.Firstly,compared with Tianjin,Beijing,as one of the two core cities,was more rational in the industrial structure.Secondly,the surrounding eight cities,which are Shijiazhuang,Qinhuangdao,Tangshan,Langfang,Baoding,Cangzhou,Zhangjiakou,and Chengde,were all uncompetitive than the two core cities.3) There was a great industrial gradient in the region(especially between the two core cities and the cities of Tangshan,Baoding,Zhangjia-kou,Chengde,Cangzhou,and Langfang).As a result,it is foreseeable that the industry transfer in the Bei-jing-Tianjin-Hebei Metropolitan Region will be one of the trends in regional development,and the industry transfer is inevitably to promote the regional integration.

Ambient noise as the new source for urban engineering seismology and earthquake engineering: a case study from Beijing metropolitan area

In highly populated urban centers, traditional seismic survey sources can no longer be properly applied due to restrictions in modern civilian life styles. The ambient vibration noise, including both microseisms and microtremor, though are generally weak but available anywhere and anytime, can be an ideal supplementary source for conducting seismic surveys for engineering seismology and earthquake engineering. This is funda- mentally supported by advanced digital signal processing techniques for effectively extracting the useful information out from the noise. Thus, it can be essentially regarded as a passive seismic method. In this paper we first make a brief survey of the ambient vibration noise, followed by a quick summary of digital signal processing for passive seismic surveys. Then the applications of ambient noise in engi- neering seismology and earthquake engineering for urban settings are illustrated with examples from Beijing metro- politan area. For engineering seismology the example is the assessment of site effect in a large area via microtremor observations. For earthquake engineering the example is for structural characterization of a typical reinforced con- crete high-rise building using background vibration noise.By showing these examples we argue that the ambient noise can be treated as a new source that is economical, practical, and particularly valuable to engineering seis- mology and earthquake engineering projects for seismic hazard mitigation in urban areas.

Spatial Accessibility of Road Network in Wuhan Metropolitan Area Based on Spatial Syntax

Based on space syntax theory, the spatial accessibility of the road network in Wuhan Metropolitan Area has been quantitatively analyzed by building a series of accessibility variables. Topologic connectivity in the accessible rings appears to be broken;traffic axis network is in spatial structure of hub-and-spoke and fishbone-like. Meanwhile, the differences in classified road network have led to inefficiency of its network servo and its ever-worsening capability to respond to traffic jams. Besides, two band-like integrated cores of which one is east to west along the Yangtze River and the other is north to south along Beijing to Guangzhou Railway, have become the first level traffic axis in the whole network, which is responsible for the connectivity of the entire metropolitan area network. This consequently has strengthened the dominant position of Wuhan which is located on the bands’ crossing. In short, the spatial accessibility of that classified space morphology, the urban system, the transport infrastructure as well as the social and economic development of Wuhan Metropolitan Area are highly interrelated to each other, especially to the high level highway network featured by freeways, the development level of which is well in line with that of road network accessibility.

Earthquake risk assessment for Istanbul metropolitan area

The impact of earthquakes in urban centers prone to disastrous earthquakes necessitates the analysis of associ- ated risk for rational formulation of contingency plans and mitigation strategies.In urban centers,the seismic risk is best quantified and portrayed through the preparation of'Earthquake Damage and Loss Scenarios.'The components of such scenarios are the assessment of the hazard,inventories and the vulnerabilities of elements at risk.For the development of the earthquake risk scenario in Istanbul,two independent approaches,one based on intensities and the second on spectral displacements,are utilized.This paper will present the important features of a comprehensive study,highlight the method- ology,discuss the results and provide insights to future developments.

Monitoring Urban Spatial Growth in Harare Metropolitan Province, Zimbabwe

Taking Harare metropolitan province in Zimbabwe as an example, we classified Landsat imagery (1984, 2002, 2008 and 2013) by using support vector machines (SVMs) and analyzed built-up and non-built-up changes. The overall classification accuracy for the four dates ranged from 89% to 95%, while the overall kappa varied from 86% to 93%. The results demonstrate that SVMs provide a cost-effective technique for mapping urban land use/cover by using mediumresolution satellite images such as Landsat. Based on land use/cover maps for 1984, 2002, 2008 and 2013, along with change analyses, built-up areas increased from 12.6% to 36.3% of the total land area, while non-built-up cover decreased from 87.3% to 63.4% between 1984 and 2013. The results revealed an urban growth process characterized by infill, extension and leapfrog developments. Given the dearth of spatial urban growth information in Harare metropolitan province, the land use/cover maps are valuable products that provide a synoptic view of built-up and non-built-up areas. Therefore, the land use/cover change maps could potentially assist decision-makers with up-to-date built-up and non-built-up information in order to guide strategic implementation of sustainable urban land use planning in Harare metropolitan province.

Research on the hierarchical structure of the metropolitan system and economic development of the provincial capital urban circle in Shandong

Regional development is the trend for future urbanization,and the urban circle is a highly efficient economic spatial pattern of regional development.This study selects statistical data of urban area population,GDP,and the output value of tertiary industry for seven cities in China- Jinan,Zibo,Tai'an,Laiwu,Dezhou,Liaocheng,and Binzhou- in the Shandong provincial capital urban circle from 2005 to 2009.It uses the principles and Zipf model,rank-size rule,and Lotka logarithmic model to analyze and study the hierarchical structure of the metropolitan system and economic development of the Shandong provincial capital urban circle.Based on the above research,this paper provides references for decisionmaking on enhancement of the metropolitan system structure,improvement in core city primacy index,the optimal adjustment of industrial structure and the optimal allocation of essential resources.

Spatiotemporal Measurement of Regional Expansion in Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan Metropolitan Area Based on Nighttime Light Data

The research purpose is to accurately reveal the temporal and spatial law of the urban expansion of Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan, one of the seven major urban agglomeration areas in China, and provide decision-making basis for the future urban construction land layout and regional development policy-making. Based on the night lighting data (DMSP/OLS), this paper extracts the boundary of the urban construction land of Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan urban agglomeration from 1993 to 2017, and quantitatively studies the spatial and temporal characteristics of the expansion of the metropolitan area in the past 25 years according to the methods of spatial expansion analysis, center of gravity migration measurement, landscape pattern index, spatial autocorrelation, etc. The results show that: 1) it is scientific and feasible to extract urban agglomeration construction land by the method of auxiliary data comparison for the study of urban expansion;2) the expansion of regional space in Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan metropolitan area shows a trend of “weakening first and strengthening later”. The construction land keeps increasing, and the expansion form gradually changes from extensive type to intensive type;3) the center of gravity of the metropolitan area fluctuated and repeated in part during the past 25 years, but it was always located in the municipal district of Changsha city. The eastern region, mainly Changsha city, was still the core area of urban agglomeration expansion;4) strengthening the territorial space protection and control of ecological green core in the metropolitan area is a key measure for the high-quality development of urban agglomeration.

The Necessity of Using Cloud Computing in Monitoring Metropolitan Performance<br/>-Case Study: Tehran Metropolitan Urban Observatory

Due to the metropolitan area of immense diversity and breadth of their construction activities, the performance of activities at districts level, cannot be precisely evaluated. Therefore, generally, it monitors only the indices which are defined for those functions. Furthermore, district-based development policy, and decentralization of governance, necessitate more local autonomy, which requires closer monitors of districts for being sure of its movements in the frame of urban developing plans. The advancement of technology has created the expectation that we can monitor all details of the metropolitan administrative processes and involve them in decision support systems for urban management. In this study, a web based SDSS prototype has been implemented to monitor the Tehran development plans progress at districts level. This interactive system presents a map of Tehran which indicates the realization of each component of the city master plan in different parts of town. The design of system lets all districts produce and support their own reporting maps, and it presents them in their dedicated place of city map by snapping all districts reports, when a city report arises. Also it elaborates the problem of implementing and proposes “cloud computing facilities” as a solution.

Monitoring of Temporal and Spatial Changes of Land Use and Land Cover in Metropolitan Regions through Remote Sensing and GIS

The use of remote sensing techniques and subsequent analysis by means of geographical information system (GIS) offers an effective method for monitoring temporal and spatial changes of landscapes. This work studies the urbanization processes and associated threats to natural ecosystems and resources in the metropolitan areas of Berlin and Erlangen-Fürth-Nürnber?Schwabach (EFNS). To compute the land use/cover (LULC) of the study areas, a supervised classification of “maximum likelihood” using Landsat data for the years of 1972, 1985, 1998, 2003, and 2015 is used. Results show that the built-up area is the dominant land use in both regions throughout the study period. This land use has increased at the expense of green and open areas in EFNS and at the expense of agricultural land in Berlin. Likewise, 5% of forest in EFNS is replaced with urban infrastructure. However, the amount of forest in Berlin increased by 3%. While EFNS experienced relatively big changes in its water bodies from 1972 to 1985, changes in water bodies in Berlin were rather slight during the last 40 years. The overall accuracy of our remotely sensed LULC maps was between 88% and 94% in Berlin and between 85.87% and 87.4% for EFNS. The combination of remote sensing and GIS appears to be an indispensable tool for monitoring changes in LULC in urban areas and help improving LU planning to avoid environmental and ecological problems.

Sustainable Utilization of Agricultural Land in Chengdu Metropolitan Area Based on Emergy Analysis

[Objectives]This study aimed to analyze the sustainable use of agricultural land in the Chengdu metropolitan area from 2006 to 2016.[Methods]Using Odum's emergy theory,an index system was constructed to evaluate the sustainable use of agricultural land,including total emergy input-output ratio,industrial emergy input-output ratio,environmental load index and sustainable use index of agricultural land based on emergy,to reflect the sustainable use of agricultural land in the Chengdu metropolitan area.The data base was a unified standard that was converted from various types of energy stored and flowing in the agricultural land system of the Chengdu metropolitan area,that is,emergy.[Results]From 2006 to 2016,the total emergy input-output ratio of agricultural land in the metropolitan area fluctuated and decreased,lower than the national average.The industrial emergy input-output ratio was generally in a fluctuating downward trend.The environmental load index of agricultural land in the metropolitan area was lower than the national average.However,it has been on the rise since 2012.During the corresponding period,the sustainable use index of the region also showed a downward trend.[Conclusions]The utilization rate of emergy in this area was low.The dependence of industrial emergy input-output ratio on industrial subsidiary energy and the degree of agricultural mechanization are constantly improving.The environmental resources in this area still have room for accommodation and have not been fully utilized.The sustainable use of agricultural land has been declining.