Ecological Security Evaluation Algorithm for Resource-Exhausted Cities Based on the PSR Model

Today,resource depletion threatens a number of resource-based cities in China.The ecological security problem caused by the long-term exploitation of natural resources is a key issue to be solved in the development of resource-exhausted cities.Using 23 indicators,this study evaluated the ecological security status and development trends of 21 resource-exhausted cities in China from 2011 to 2017.The results showed that from 2011 to 2015,the overall ecological security of this type of city was low,with over 60%of the cities at an unsafe level.However,ecological security improved rapidly after 2016,and by 2017,all of the cities had reached the critical safety level.The top 10 indicators of ecological security included industrial sulfur dioxide emissions,water supply,agricultural fertilizer application,and forest coverage.These 10 indicators’cumulative contribution to ecological security was 48.3%;among them,reducing industrial sulfur dioxide emissions contributed the most at 5.7%.These findings can help governments better understand the ecological security status of resource-exhausted cities,and it can provide a reference for the allocation of funds and other resources to improve the ecological safety of these cities.

ISM-based Correlation Analysis of Development Constraints of Forest Resource-exhausted Cities

Forest resource-exhausted cities have to face with various constraints in the acceleration of its urbanization.This paper analyzed major development constraints of these cities,such as unitary economic structure,weakened forest ecological functions,and geographical barriers,and applied ISM method(Interpretive Structural Modeling) to analyze the correlation among the constraints,and gave suggestions for promoting the development of forest resource-exhausted cities.

Paths and strategies of resource-exhausted city transformation: A case study in coal city Pingxiang of Jiangxi Province

Appearance and exhaustion of the resource city is an inevitable objective phenomenon in the process of industrialization. Transformation of the resource city became the focus of attention with highlighting problems and contradictions in the city. The paper places emphasis on path selection and transformation strategies of resource-exhausted city transformation taking the coal city Pingxiang as an example. From the perspective of profi le and effectiveness of transformation in Pingxiang city, the paper analyzes the main problems in the city transformation, points out its main path direction from economic transformation, social transformation and ecological transformation, and fi nally presents transition strategy and policy recommendations to the city.

Research on Wetland Restoration Technology and Design in Resource-exhausted Areas

Due to the lack of restrictions on the exploitation and use of coal mine resources in early China,many wetland lakes were formed because of the changes in geological structure and groundwater overflows,which seriously damaged the land for production and construction.At present,the research on the key technologies and landscape design of water ecosystems and wetland repair in subsidence areas is still insufficient.By analyzing the current situation of thePan'an Lake Wetland,this paper focuses on the strategies of wetland repair and landscape design in this resource-exhausted area.Further,it discusses the enlightenment of these strategies for transforming and planning similar areas in China.

Are Chinese resource-exhausted cities in remote locations?

Numerous domestic scholars have argued that a remote location is the major factor preventing the transformation and sustainable development of resource-exhausted cities. Research to date, however, has not presented relevant evidence to support this hypothesis or explained how to identify the concept of ‘remoteness'. Resource-exhausted cities designated by the State Council of China were examined in this study alongside the provincial capital cities that contain such entities and three regional central cities that are closely connected to this phenomenon: Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou. Spatial and temporal distances are used to calculate and evaluate the location remoteness degrees(LRDs) of resource-exhausted cities, in terms of both resource types and regions. The results indicate that resource-exhausted cities are indeed remote from the overall samples. Based on spatial distances, the LRDs are α_1 = 1.36(i.e., distance to provincial capital city) and β_1 = 1.14(i.e., distance to regional central city), but when based on temporal distances, α_2 = 2.02(i.e., distance to provincial capital city) and β_2 = 1.44(i.e., distance to regional central city). Clear differences are found in the LRDs between different regions and resource types, with those in western China and forest industrial cities the most obviously remote. Finally, the numbers of very remote resource-exhausted cities based on spatial and temporal distances(i.e.,α > 1.5 ∩β> 1.5) are 14 and 19, respectively, encompassing 17.9% and 24.4% of the total sampled. Similarly, 25 and 30 not remote resource-exhausted cities based on spatial and temporal distances(i.e.,α≤1.0 ∩β≤ 1.0) encompass 32.1% and 38.5% of the total, respectively. This study provided supporting information for the future development and policy making for resource-exhausted cities given different LRDs.