Urbanity mapping reveals the complexity,diffuseness,diversity,and connectivity of urbanized areas

There are urgent calls for new approaches to map the global urban conditions of complexity,diffuseness,diversity,and connectivity.However,existing methods mostly focus on mapping urbanized areas as bio physical entities.Here,based on the continuum of urbanity framework,we developed an approach for cross-scale urbanity map-ping from town to city and urban megaregion with different spatial resolutions using the Google Earth Engine.This approach was developed based on multi-source remote sensing data,Points of Interest-Open Street Map(POIs-OSM)big data,and the random forest regression model.This approach is scale-independent and revealed significant spatial variations in urbanity,underscoring differences in urbanization patterns across megaregions and between urban and rural areas.Urbanity was observed transcending traditional urban boundaries,diffusing into rural settlements within non-urban locales.The finding of urbanity in rural communities far from urban areas challenges the gradient theory of urban-rural development and distribution.By mapping livelihoods,lifestyles,and connectivity simultaneously,urbanity maps present a more comprehensive characterization of the complex-ity,diffuseness,diversity,and connectivity of urbanized areas than that by land cover or population density alone.It helps enhance the understanding of urbanization beyond biophysical form.This approach can provide a multifaceted understanding of urbanization,and thereby insights on urban and regional sustainability.

Dissolved Organic Matter Features of Three Adjacent Eastern Mediterranean Urbanized Watersheds

Landscape urbanization broadly affects ecosystems in coastal watersheds, but, until now, the influence of nonpoint source urban inputs on dissolved organic matter (DOM) amount, composition, and source is poorly understood. To understand how DOM composition varied with urbanization, fluorescence excitation-emission matrices (EEMs) were determined for urban and non-urban waters from upstream to downstream sites along three adjacent coastal watersheds that flow into the Mediterranean Sea. Two humic DOM fluorescent components (humic-like and fulvic-like peaks) and two proteinic components (tyrosine-like and tryptophane-like peaks) were identified by EEM fluorescence. The results indicated that urbanization had an important influence on DOM concentration and composition, with urban waters having a high degree of DOM variation due to different land uses surrounding each body of water. Urban waters show a higher DOM fluorescence index (FI), the highest fluorescence intensity of protein-like manifested also by BIX values, and a lower value of the humification index (HIX) than non-urban waters which were dominated by allochthonous inputs. In addition, the EEM was compared in dry and wet season where higher DOM amounts and FI appeared in summer due to autochthonous production coming from algae growth compared to allochthonous input from rainfall dominated in wet season. The concentration of DOC increased from upstream to downstream for the three rivers, especially Beirut River. The increase in DOC values was observed in both dry and wet seasons by 39 and 19 times respectively compared to upstream (0.93 - 0.91 mgC/L).

Effect of Flood Peak Discharge Control by a Small Reservoir in an Urbanized Area—Case Study in the Kurabe River Basin, Japan

Recently severe damage of flooding by urbanization was frequently occurred. To prevent this damage, small reservoir was constructed in the urbanized residential area. This paper describes an effect of flood peak discharge control by a small reservoir (control reservoir) caused by rapidly developed urbanization. Although work for this purpose was conducted, research on the effects of the control reservoir was not conducted until now. This research, conducted by simulation, was a case study in the Kurabe River Basin in the Tedori River Alluvial Fan Area, Japan, based on the precise investigation of the reservoir in the actual field. The study was conducted to determine not only the actual control reservoir capacity for the newly developed residential area but also the ideal capacity for all present residential areas and the largest capacity allowable for a maximum rainfall event that recently occurred. The control reservoir effects between individual blocks and the entire basin area were compared by dividing the test basin into 15 blocks (sub-basins). The results showed that the effects on the capacity per unit area of the residential area in blocks have close relationship with the decreasing ratio of peak discharge in blocks. Consequently, the effects of control reservoir capacity and the limitation were clarified. In the future, control reservoirs should be constructed for all of the already developed residential areas, for example, by utilizing underground car parking lot. The results of this research can contribute to the design of the control reservoir for protection against flooding damage in urbanized areas.

Landscape ecological characteristics in temporal changes of riverside open space in urbanized area

The aim of this paper is to clarify the pattern and process of changes of landscape in riverside open spaces in urbanized area.The area between the old banks of the Furukawa River in Hiroshima City was examined in this research.The land use maps of the study area were drawn at seven different times were analyzed,and the number,sizes and perimeters of all patches of all land use types were measured.In these areas,temporal patterns of land use change over the past 30 years were divided to three stages:19661976,19761988 and 19881997.As a result of human disturbance,the riparian forest patches in urbanized areas have decreased in average size and have also become longer and narrower.

Management of Water Supply Reservoirs under Uncertainties in Arid and Urbanized Environments

Simulation and evaluation study of the three Water Supply Reservoirs in the Notwane Catchment was undertaken using a hybrid modelling approach linking the reservoir simulation model (HEC-ResSim) model and a reservoir reliability analysis (RRA) model. It was used to understand the management challenges and operation aspects facing the recent failure and declining water supply from three reservoirs in Gaborone and the surrounding areas, a typical arid and urbanized environment where current and future water supply reliability is challenged by both climate and anthropologic factors. The model was analysed for a calibration period of ten years (1993-2002), and verification period of eight years (2003-2010) and then simulation period of 40 years (2011-2050). The simulation period up to the year 2050 was considered to include the year 2035, which is the planning horizon of the National Water Master Plan. The model calibration and verification results are satisfactorily accepted for the fit of the daily water levels. The values of R2 and the Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency criteria for the calibration period, are 0.81/60%, 0.62/27% and 0.54/39% for the Bokaa dam, Gaborone dam and Nnywane dam, respectively. Various scenarios were considered to determine the plausible sources of uncertainty and challenge for operation and management of the water supply reservoirs considering: population and urbanization, sedimentation, seepage, climate change, operational aspects, among others. From the RRA model, it was found that Gaborone dam, which is the largest of the three dams has lower resilience, lower reliability and higher vulnerability associated with increasing population pressures, urbanisation and climatic factors. Climate change, sedimentation, seepage, operational rules, contributing to the operation and management of the dams could have accelerated the drying up of the reservoirs and the prevailing water supply situation, which might continue to be the future possible challenges of water supply in the area.

Persistence of herpetofauna in the urbanized rouge river ecosystem

Over 100 years, urbanization has taken place along the Rouge River watershed of southeast Michigan, USA. To determine the impact(s) of urbanization on herpetofauna, species richness and distribution in 122 wetlands along 13.0 km of the urbanized Rouge River watershed were monitored from early spring to late fall 2003. Data were mapped using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). Both amphibian and reptile species richness were associated with wetland size and hydroperiod. The invasive plants Alliaria petiolata and Rhamnus cathartica were coincident with lower than average amphibian species richness. In spite of the number of herpetofauna being relatively low, this study identified hydroperiod and wetland size as important features that may contribute to amphibian and reptile species sustainability in this highly disturbed and fragmented urban landscape.

Understanding the Long-Term Changes in Groundwater Level—A Tale of Highly Urbanized City

The rapid drop in the groundwater level has raised concerns in the sustainable water management plan in many cities of the world. It is important to understand the underlying factors of such depletion. To improve knowledge of the changes in groundwater, this study investigates a long-term perspective of urbanization, and evaluates the influence of several factors including land cover, water use, and abstraction. Multi-year land cover maps are used to detect urbanization and land cover types. Hotspot analysis and correlation-regression are applied to assess the relationship between changes in groundwater and the driving factors. The investigations confirm that an extensive withdrawal of groundwater due to urbanization results in a progressive drop in the water level. However, the major industrial and commercial zone shows the consistent hotspot of groundwater depletion. The results indicate that groundwater abstraction and types of water use have a high influence on the changes in urban groundwater.

China's next giant:Urbanized migrants as new consumers

By examining the urbanization process underway in China, this paper predicts potential consumption expansion andits sustainability in the next decade and beyond.In years past, China’s urbanization pattern has transformed fromsemi-inclusive to inclusive, embodied in the better inclusion of migrant workers and their families under the umbrellaof public services and changes in household registration (hukou) identity.This trend is expected to create a giant newconsumer group in 10 years; 2020 is the target year the Chinese leadership has set for achieving a better-off society.Inthis paper we examine this by summarizing existing research.

基于监测与模型的典型合流制排水系统溢流污染来源解析

以北京中心城区某典型合流制分区为研究区,开展自“地表-管网-排口”的全过程监测,基于MIKE URBAN软件构建数值模型,构建一套结合监测与模型的溢流污染解析方法,量化分析不同降雨量级下溢流污染来源。结果表明:管道沉积物、地表径流和生活污水对COD的贡献率分别为43.4%~53.9%、27.4%~27.5%和18.6%~29.2%。中雨流量峰值晚于浓度峰值,大雨反之;两场降雨溢流水质浓度峰值差异小于流量峰值。随着降雨量级及强度增加,地表径流和管道沉积物的污染负荷增加,后者增加量更大。管道沉积物是合流制溢流污染的主要来源,应优先对其进行控制。

基于雨水截流率的合流制改造措施研究

合流制溢流污染控制是中国当前城市排水系统(尤其是在密度大和改造难的老城区)所面临的一项急迫且艰巨的重要任务。为削减溢流污染且充分发挥原有设施的调控能力,建立一套经济可行的合流制改造措施至关重要。基于水环境容量,以雨水截流率作为污染控制指标,联合当量降雨强度确定截流调蓄总量,利用MIKE Urban的时间—面积模型构建某大城市老城区排水系统的水力水质模型,通过对截流、调蓄改造进行可行性与经济性分析,制定原有截流设施保持不变、增设水泵限流装置、新建4 mm降雨量调蓄池的改造方案。模拟改造后,雨水截流率由58.9%提高到85.3%,不仅简化了截流调蓄改造的计算,增强其普适性,还进一步提高了截蓄两者的联动性,在满足污染控制要求的同时更直观地体现溢流污染控制效果,对老城区更合理高效地开展合流制改造具有指导意义。

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.

Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Microplastics in Snow in the Inner Mongolia Plateau, China

Microplastics(MPs;<5 mm)have become one of the most prominent global environmental pollution problems.MPs can spread to high altitudes through atmospheric transport and can be deposited by rainfall or snowfall,potentially threatening the structure and function of natural ecosystems.MPs in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems alter the growth and functional characteristics of organisms.However,little attention has been given to the possible harm associated with MPs deposited in snow,particularly in the context of global climate warming.MPs collected from surface snow in the Inner Mongolia Plateau,China,were used for quantitative analysis and identification.The results showed that MPs were easily detected,and the related concentration was approximately(68±10)–(199±22)MPsL1 in snow samples.Fibers were the most common morphology,the polymer composition was largely varied,and the abundance and composition of MPs were linked to human activity to a great extent.High-throughput sequencing results showed that the composition and abundance of microorganisms also differed in snow samples from areas with different MP pollution characteristics,indicating a considerable difference in microbial functional diversity.MPs may have an interference effect on the individual growth and functional expression of microorganisms in snow.In addition,the results showed that functional living areas(e.g.,landfills and suburban areas)in cities play an important role in the properties of MPs.For instance,the highest abundance of MPs was found in thermal power plants,whereas the abundance of polymers per sample was significantly lower in the suburban area.The MP contaminants hidden in snow can alter microbial structure and function and are therefore a potential threat to ecosystem health.

Understandings of Urban Sustainability in China:a Bibliometric Analysis Using Chinese Literatures

Cities hold a critical responsibility for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)due to their high population density,extensive resource consumption,and significant economic contributions.To examine the present state of understandings regarding urban sustainability(SDG 11:Sustainable Cities and Communities)within Chinese research communities,this study collected 15950 papers from 1994 to 2022 on the 12 indicators of SDG 11,from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure(CNKI),a hub of Chinese academic papers,that directly relate to policymaking.Significant research topics on SDG 11 were identified for each indicator using bibliometrics analysis approaches.The high-frequency keywords and clusters of keywords over the last three decades reveal that existing studies primarily concentrated on the physical aspects,such as transportation and environment,while there is a lack of consideration of societal aspects.This indicates a limited and biased understanding of the urban sustainability within the Chinese academic community.Hence,it is crucial to prioritize the societal aspects in order to develop a research agenda that further advances urban sustainability.

智慧城轨车地一体化机电系统标准体系构建研究

With the rapid development and application of emerging information technologies such as cloud computing,big data,artificial intelligence,5G,satellite communication,and blockchain in urban rail transit,China’s urban rail transit has entered an era of intelligent transformation and upgrading.The development of intelligent systems and the construction of smart urban rail transit have formed a consensus in the industry.The electromechanical system is an important component of urban rail transit engineering,covering power supply stations,vehicles,stations,and lines.The depot and control center are important support for promoting the development of urban rail transit towards informatization and intelligence.However,research on the technical standards for the smart urban rail vehicle-ground integrated electromechanical system has just begun,and a technical standards system has not yet been formed,which cannot better support the electromechanical system.Therefore,it is necessary to conduct research on the technical standards system,propose the common criteria structure and standards list of the standards system,which can provide reference and guidance for the planning and establishment of China’s smart urban rail standards system.

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.

Residents'urbanized landscape preferences in rural areas reveal the importance of naturalness-livability contrast

Urbanization has caused significant landscape changes in rural areas,leading to the emergence of urbanized landscapes(ULs),which have been generally criticized by authorities and professionals.However,perceptions of ULs among local residents have rarely been studied.In this study,we chose five typical categories of ULs from rapidly transforming villages in Fujian Province,China–hardened water bank(HWB),big pavilion(BPA),big memorial arch(BMA),big ornamental lawn(BOL),and big square(BSQ)to do the study.We identified how these ULs were rated and ranked by on-site surveys,as well as how related aesthetic and multifunctional landscape characters(LCs)played a role.The results(N=550)showed that 1)residents supported the construction of ULs,and the most preferred category was that with the most natural elements(BOL)that was simultaneously well maintained.2)For the residents,the longer they had resided in the village and the fewer connections they had with the city,the more in favor they were of the ULs,and the more eager they were for landscape change.In addition,residents with higher education and Communist Party of China membership valued the naturalness related LCs more highly.3)Two contradictory preference features,naturalness and livability,should be well coordinated and balanced to construct an improved favorable village for the residents,to realize a balanced and sustainable development path.This study makes great theoretical contributions to landscape research and provides new insights into rural planning and construction.

Butterfly taxonomic and functional diversity in the urban green spaces of Hefei city

Urbanization has profound impacts on ecological environments. Green spaces are a vital component of urban ecosystems and play a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance and enhancing sustainability. This study aimed to investigate the community composition characteristics of butterflies in urban green spaces within the context of rapid urbanization. Simultaneously, it explored the status and differences in butterfly taxonomic diversity, functional diversity, and functional traits among different types of urban green spaces, regions, and urban gradients to provide relevant insights for further improving urban green space quality and promoting biodiversity conservation. We conducted a year-long survey of 80 green spaces across different urban regions and ring roads within Hefei City, Anhui Province, with monthly sampling intervals over 187 transects. A total of 4822 butterflies, belonging to 5 families, 17 subfamilies, 40 genera, and 55 species were identified. The species richness, Shannon, Simpson, functional richness, and Rao's quadratic entropy indices of butterflies in urban park green spaces were all significantly higher than those in residential and street green spaces(P < 0.05). Differences in butterfly diversity and functional traits among different urban regions and ring roads were relatively minor, and small-sized, multivoltine, and long flying duration butterflies dominated urban green spaces. Overall, these spaces offer more favorable habitats for butterflies. However, some residential green spaces and street green spaces demonstrate potential for butterfly conservation.

Effects of urbanization and forest type on species composition and diversity,forest characteristics,biomass carbon sink,and their associations in Changchun,Northeast China:implications for urban carbon stock improvement

Differences in forest attributes and carbon sequestration of each organ and layer between broadleaved and conifer forests of central and outer urban areas are not well-defined,hindering the precise management of urban forests and improvement of function.To clarify the effect of two forest types with different urbanization intensities,we determined differences in vegetation composition and diversity,structural traits,and carbon stocks of 152 plots(20 m×20 m)in urban park forests in Changchun,which had the largest green quantity and carbon density effectiveness.We found that 1.1-fold thicker and healthier trees,and 1.6-to 2.0-fold higher,healthier,denser,and more various shrubs but with sparser trees and herbs occurred in the central urban forests(p<0.05)than in the outer forests.The conifer forests exhibited 30–70%obviously higher tree aboveground carbon sequestration(including stem and leaf)and 20%bigger trees,especially in the outer forests(p<0.05).In contrast,1.1-to 1.5-fold higher branch stocks,healthier and more diverse trees were found in broadleaved forests of both the inner and outer forests(p<0.05).Plant size and dominant species had similarly important roles in carbon stock improvement,especially big-sized woody plants and Pinus tabuliformis.In addition,a higher number of deciduous or needle species positively affected the broadleaved forest of the central urban area and conifer forest of the outer urban area,respectively.These findings can be used to guide precise management and accelerate the improvement of urban carbon function in Northeast China in the future.

Residents’perceptions of ecosystem services in an urbanizing basin:A case study in the Guanting Reservoir basin,China

Understanding stakeholders’differences in perceptions of ecosystem services(ES)is crucial for guiding ecolog-ical conservation and planning.However,the variations of ES perception amongst different types of residents in urbanizing areas along an urban-rural gradient are still poorly understood.Combining a questionnaire-based survey,redundancy analysis,and statistical tests,we delineated the urban-rural gradient according to local res-idents’socio-economic characteristics,and investigated the differences in local residents’perceptions of ES and potential factors affecting them in the Guanting Reservoir basin,a rapidly urbanizing basin in China.The results showed that residents living in urban-rural transitional areas attached great importance to provisioning services of providing food and domestic water,regulating services of carbon sequestration and air purification,and cul-tural services of providing education and training,which were 0.7%-13.1%,0.7%-9.1%and 2.5%-21.2%higher than that of residents in other areas,respectively.Age and occupation were major factors affecting residents’perceptions.In terms of land-use types that deliver ES,the difference in perceptions of ES delivered by grassland was the greatest amongst residents.Our results support recommendations for policymakers to take into account the stakeholders’diverse perceptions,thus promoting residents’sense of gain on ES.

地理大数据揭示中国主要城市建成环境物质存量的空间格局

The patterns of material accumulation in buildings and infrastructure accompanied by rapid urbanization offer an important,yet hitherto largely missing stock perspective for facilitating urban system engineering and informing urban resources,waste,and climate strategies.However,our existing knowledge on the patterns of built environment stocks across and particularly within cities is limited,largely owing to the lack of sufficient high spatial resolution data.This study leveraged multi-source big geodata,machine learning,and bottom-up stock accounting to characterize the built environment stocks of 50 cities in China at 500 m fine-grained levels.The per capita built environment stock of many cities(261 tonnes per capita on average)is close to that in western cities,despite considerable disparities across cities owing to their varying socioeconomic,geomorphology,and urban form characteristics.This is mainly owing to the construction boom and the building and infrastructure-driven economy of China in the past decades.China’s urban expansion tends to be more“vertical”(with high-rise buildings)than“horizontal”(with expanded road networks).It trades skylines for space,and reflects a concentration-dispersion-concentration pathway for spatialized built environment stocks development within cities in China.These results shed light on future urbanization in developing cities,inform spatial planning,and support circular and low-carbon transitions in cities.