Life cycle assessment in the environmental impact evaluation of urbandevelopment--a case study of land readjustment project,Hyogo District, Japan

In this paper, the Life Cycle of Urban Development was firstly analyzed, and the phases of Life Cycle Assessment applied to Urban Development (ULCA) were described. As a case study, ULCA was applied in the environmental impact assessment of the land readjustment project of Hyogo District of Saga, Japan. In addition, mitigation proposals for reducing CO2 were also presented and the relevant environmental ef-fects were simulated.

A Theoretical Framework and Methodology for Urban Activity Spatial Structure in E-society: Empirical Evidence for Nanjing City, China

The existing researches on the influence of information and communication technology （ICT） are mainly focused on human activity, whilst with few efforts on urban space. In the e-society, the widespread adoption of 1CT devices not only affects almost every aspect of people＇s daily life and thereby reshapes the spatial development of regions and cities, but also generates a large amount of real-time activity data with location information. These georeferenced data, however, have relatively recently attracted attention from geographers. Adapted from Lynch＇s framework based on people＇s perceptions, this paper proposes a framework of urban spatial struc- ture based on people＇s actual activity, including five elements, namely activity path, activity node, central activity zone （CAZ）, activity district, and activity edge. In the empirical study, by using one week＇s check-in tweets （from February 25 to March 3 in 2013） collected in Nanjing City, the five elements are recognized and analyzed. Through the comparison between our results and urban spatial structure based on population （and land use）, we argue that ICT uses： 1） lead to polarize, rather than to smooth, the urban structural hierarchy, due to the dual role of distance; 2） enable a partial decoupling of activity and activity space node, which challenges our conventional under- standing of the role of home and the utility of travel; 3） blur the boundaries of activity districts and hence may play a positive role in enriching districts＇ functions, which should not be overlooked in the current urban transformation in China.

Temporal and spatial differences and imbalance of China's urbanization development during 1950-2006

A better understanding of the regional disparity and imbalance characteristics of China's urbanization development is the important premise for constituting correct policy and strategy and promoting the healthy and sustainable development of urbanization in the 21st century. The regional differences of China's urbanization level have close relations with natural conditions of landform and climate etc.,the urbanization level reduces with the eleva-tion of topography and decrease of precipitation. According to the statistical data set of ur-banization in 1950-2006,the temporal change course of inter-provincial disparity of Chinese urbanization level since the founding of New China in 1949 was studied,and then the inter-regional and intra-regional disparities of urbanization development were analyzed by the Theil index and its nested decomposition method,to grasp the dynamic change of spatial disparities of China's urbanization level on the whole. Using the imbalance index model,the imbalance status of urban population distribution relative to total population,grain output,total agricultural output value,gross output value of industry,tertiary industrial output value as well as gross regional product was discussed,to hold the balance characteristics of urbanization development relative to the regional development conditions from the macroscopic scales.

Exploring harmonious development between urbanization and eco-environment based on climate analysis—A study in Changsha, China

The process of urbanization affects the urban warming.The change of urban warming was investigated by several urbanization factors in Changsha,China.The data of surface temperature(minimum,maximum and mean) of Changsha were analyzed to understand the possible effects of urbanization on the climate of this region owing to the population growth,built-up area expansion and energy consumption increases.The weights of these three factors were calculated by the analytical hierarchy process(AHP).Then,three weights were simulated with nonlinear method to obtain the urbanization development rate which was utilized to reveal the influence of the urbanization factors on the surface temperature.The result shows that there is a significant upward trend in the urban temperatures of Changsha.The temperature increase seems to be closely related to the rate of urbanization between 1993 and 2008,and there is an evidential increase trend of the influence on urban temperature by urbanization during 16 years.It is a quantifiable approach measuring the relationship between urbanization and urban eco-environment,and can be applied for the urban sustainability.

The Integration and Sustainable Development of Chengdu-Chongqing Urban Agglomeration

Urban Agglomeration is an inevitable outcome of urbanization and industrialization, and a main form of urban development. Based on the analysis of urbanization and urban system situation, this paper will discuss the integration of urban agglomeration development, using the urban area of Cheng (Chengdu)-Yu (Chongqing) Urban agglomeration (CYUA) as a case study. By means of industries, population and spatial integrations, the function, strength and competition of CYUA will be improved and this urban agglomeration will transit from a budding state to a growing and mature one in future. The sustainable development of CYUA will depend on countermeasures, such as accelerating industrialization and urbanization, building a traffic network and express roads, strengthening the ability of self-sufficiency, enlarging the ecological construction and environmental protection, and establishing the synergetic institution of cross districts.

Development of City Transport System and Two-wheel Vehicles

Based on the study on the city transport systems of some typical cities worldwide,this paper put forward that each city transport system has its own development mode,which is influenced by the city development plan,economic development level,traveling vehicle composition etc..When some problems occur,such as the congestions caused by contradiction between the road capacity and vehicle composition,the city transport system may come into temporary maturity period.If the improvement for road system is limited meanwhile,optimized structure of vehicle composition should be an effective solution in this case.With the development of economy-internationalization,the development speed of city transport modernization is rapid.When traveling easiness is conflicting with efficiency,the advantages of public transport system become more obvious.Correspondingly,the superiority of two-wheel vehicles will reappear.Though the important function of two-wheel vehicles for alleviating city traffic problems is obvious,however,their development strategy must be reasonably proposed,and operation regulations must be performed accordingly.

Geo-environment in the Sustainable Development of Chinese Cities

Urban geo_environment mainly concerns those regards in and around a city,such as the movement of earth crust and earth surface,conditions of hydrology,geology,geography and meteorology.The relevant studies on geo_disaster reduction and the influences resulted from human activities on the geo_environment are included as well.It is stressed in the paper that geo_environmental protection and management are of significance to the sustainable development for Chinese cities.

Trends of Urban Air Pollution in Zhengzhou City in 1996-2008

Urban air pollution is a commonly concerned environmental problem in the world. Identification of air quality trend using long-term monitoring data is helpful to understand the effectiveness of pollution control strategies. This study, using data from six monitoring stations in Zhengzhou City, analyzed the changing trend in concentrations of SO2, NOJNO2 and TSP/PM10 in 1996-2008, based on non-parametric Mann-Kendall test and Sen＇s slope estimator, and evaluated the comprehensive air pollution level using Multi-Pollutant Index （MPI）. It was found that the concen- tration of each pollutant exceeded obviously the World Health Organization （WHO） guideline value, but the changing trend varied： SO2 and NO2 were significantly increased mainly due to an increase in coal consumption and vehicle number, while NOx, TSP and PM10 decreased. The air pollution was serious, and differed markedly among the three functional regions： it is the most severe in the Industrial and Residential Area （IRA）, followed by the Transportation Hub and Business District （THBD）, and then the High-tech, Cultural and Educational Area （HCEA）. Different from NO2 concentration that had a similar change trend/rate among the function regions, the change rate of PM10 concentra- tion differed spatially, decreased much more obviously in THBD than other two regions. For the whole city, the com- prehensive air pollution level declined gradually, illustrating that the air quality in Zhengzhou was improved in the last decade.

The Evolution and Differentiation of Economic Convergence of Resource-based Cities in Northeast China

A key target of the overall strategy implementation for regional development since the 18th Party Congress of China has involved taking measures to narrow regional disparities. This is because resource-based cities' economic development has fallen below general levels due to resource exhaustion and an unbalanced industrial structure, among other factors. Further, an economic gap has long existed between Northeast China's large number of resource-based cities and non-resource-based cities. This article comprehensively studies the economic convergence of Northeast China's resource-based cities and non-resource-based cities from 1996 to 2015 by using a dynamic panel to analyze not only the economic development of different industries and types of cities, but also the main factors that influence economic development. The empirical results demonstrate that economic convergence exists in both resource-based and non-resource-based cities, but the economic gap between them has clearly narrowed since the implementation of a strategy to revitalize the Northeast's old industrial base. Shrinking cities are the fastest to converge, as mature cities are slower and regenerating cities are the slowest; regarding industry structure, the secondary industry dominates the economy in mature and shrinking cities, and the tertiary industry in regenerating cities. The primary stimulus in resource-based cities' economic development involves upgrading the industrial structure and investing in human capital. As China faces a ‘new normal' economy, resource-based cities in Northeast China should restructure the economy and perfect their market system to avoid again widening the economic gap.

Spatial Structure and Elements of Boundaries of Traditional“Shan-shui Cities”in the Sichuan Basin

The Sichuan Basin is endowed with unique natural and cultural conditions, which provide good conditions for the creation of traditional ＂shan-shui dries＂. As an important constituent dement of ＂shan-hui cities＂M, boundaries delimit cities and nature and determine the scope and scale of cities. This paper divides the boundaries into dty boundary, mountain boundary, water boundary and celestial horizon, which integrate with each other and embody the boundary feature of four in one.

Impacts of Suburbanization on Urban Eco-environment of Xi'an in China

Suburbanization in large cities is an important phenomenon in the process of urbanization development in China in recent decades,which plays a very important role in promoting city development,whereas some side effects on the eco-environment appeared at the same time.This paper,taking Xi'an City in China as a case study site,analyzed the features of population suburbanization and industry suburbanization and pointed out the impacts of suburbanization on urban eco-environment.Based on the research,suggestions of countermeasures for urban planning and municipal management of Xi'an City in protecting urban eco-environment and conserving natural ecology were put forward in the end.

Vulnerability of Large City and Its Implication in Urban Planning: A Perspective of Intra-urban Structure

Vulnerability is a new field and analytical tool in the study of urban safety. Analysis and assessment of vulnerability provide a new basis for urban planning. This study constructed a quantitative index system for assessing vulnerability, based on the city′s sensitivity and emergency response capacity. City size, density, and spatial form influence a city′s sensitivity to crises and risks, to which vulnerability is positively related. Levels of socio-economic development, infrastructures, and emergency management contribute to a city′s emergency response capacity, with which vulnerability is inversely associated. Vulnerability of 19 large Chinese cities was assessed. Harbin and Shenzhen demonstrated the highest and lowest vulnerability among 19 cities, while Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou ranked the 5th, the 9th and the 12th. Spatially, northern cities tended to be more vulnerable than southern cities. And the differences in vulnerability among cities were explored based on cities′ physical geography conditions, level of socioeconomic development, infrastructures, regional status, history of disaster, history of urban planning and development, government policies, etc.

Impact of Small Scale Irrigation Technologies on Poverty Alleviation among Peri-urban and Urban Farmers

Smallholder farms, mainly rain-fed dominate the agricultural sector in Ghana, accounting for about 80% of total production. Cultivation is mostly of indigenous and non-traditional varieties, characterized by low productivity, and compounded by production shocks due to environmental stresses. The research introduced vegetable farmers to better irrigation and compost management practices using the nuclear and isotopic techniques. On the average, yield of vegetables increase by 9.2% under irrigation and organic manure application compared to yield under the conventional method. Farmers saved 60%-70% of the total cost on water per acre using drip irrigation. Relative to conventional methods, farmers save at least US$70 per acre on fertilizer taking in to account cost of converting manure to compost. The result also revealed that, overall poverty gap among farmers who only depends on rain fall needed an additional 55% of the present income to attain minimum basket of their basic needs compared to 30% among some of those who irrigate in addition to rainfall. Results of our study have shown that farmers could gain financially, redeem themselves from poverty as well as improving their social conditions and ensure ecologically sustainable development with Small Scale Irrigation integrated with the right composting recipe.

Qualitative Research Methods in Spatial Urban Development： A Methodological Investigation of Approaches into Urban Development Based on Centralities in the Context of a Medium-Sized European City

Dispersed and peripheral spaces in the urban core are influenced both by the trend towards constant growth as well as social ways of life which are constantly evolving. Following a connotation, these two factors therefore play a crucial role in defining the alternation of urban space--in particular, that of the centers. The main focus of this research article is on the methodology used in the survey and evaluation of ＂centralities＂ as well as their developments over the past four decades （1974-2014） in approaches to urban development that has been developed in Graz.~ The analysis has drawn on the four editions （＂evolution＂） of approaches to urban development as conceived by the city of Graz in order to examine their verbal characteristics in regard to centralities. At the same time, the analysis does not examine presentations of plans which exist in supplementary forms （e.g., explanatory reports and supplemented plans）--it restricts itself solely to the various plans set out in the STEKs.2 The highest degree of accuracy has been applied to the notion of ＂centralis＂ in approaches to urban development. The goal of the research project was to depict the modulation of the notion of ＂centrality＂ in the urban context as a space-forming dimension. Furthermore, it clearly shows the extent to which the notion of the ＂centre＂ （in the widest sense of the word） has become distanced from qualitative, spatial development and at the current time of urban development is experiencing a sort of Renaissance. In the field of ＂urban development＂, architectural references in the context of＂centrality＂ have scarcely been researched. This has led to the opening-up of a complex interdisciplinary research field. In order to make the complex architectural determinants of ＂centrality＂ more accessible to the participating disciplines, approaches to urban development have been explored in the form of a social and spatial analysis.

Urban-Design Process with Snow and Wind Simulations： A Study on the Kitami City Hall

Regional climatic conditions should be considered while designing urban development plans, with special attention to the impact of snowfall on public spaces in cities with harsh winters. The Kitami-city-hall-renewal project in Hokkaido, Japan was studied as an environmental assessment of snow drifting. Assessments of the two site plans proposed during the architectural planning process （A-type and B-type） were conducted in terms of the following three items： （1） The two site plans indicate snow-drifting problems around the main entrance; （2） More number of local snowdrifts on the main-street sidewalks were suggested in the B-type design; （3） Less number of snowdrifts in the parking area beside the railroad were indicated in the A-type design. These results were reflected in the architectural planning process. On the basis of this study, a desirable design process incorporating environmental assessments has been identified for cities with harsh winters.

Public-Private Partnerships to Address Global Environmental Problem： Sino-US Cooperation on Climate Change and Energy

The study indicates that public-private partnerships （PPPs） can play ＂strategic＂, ＂practical＂, or ＂regulative＂ roles by making use of ＂instrumental＂, ＂institutional＂, and ＂normative＂ approaches in tackling political issues between countries. PPPs have often been discussed in studies of urban development, service provision, health care, and so on, but they have rarely been analyzed in terms of international relations and political problems on global environmental issues. This study takes an environmental problena---Sino-US energy and climate change cooperation--as a case study to inspect the possible roles and approaches of PPPs. Sino-US cooperation has been launched such as under the Strategic ＆ Economic Dialogue （S＆ED） by both administrations, which has significantly contributed to their reconciliation of domestic abatement policies in climate change, environmental protection, and energy. The establishment of schemes such as the Ten-Year Framework for Cooperation on Energy and Environment （TYF）, the EcoPartnerships, and wide-ranging dialogues and initiatives on clean energy and clean vehicles, in which both public and private actors participate, are among the important approaches of facilitating bilateral cooperation. The study concludes that these schemes have played strategic and practical roles in strengthening the degree of mutual trust and in facilitating the progress of cooperation, although more investigations are needed to considerate their regulative roles. The application of instrumental, institutional, and normative approaches have been observed through the implementation of the TYF and EcoPartnerships.

Community＇s Perceptions on Their Own Environment toward Disaster Mitigation and Prevention： A Case Study of Menteng Atas - Jakarta, Indonesia

Menteng Atas is a sub district （Kelurahan） in Southern Jakarta - Indonesia, under the district （Kecamatan） of Setiabudi. As a common crowded settlement in urban area, this location facing multi problems related to physical environment. Built environment with very high density and not well-arranged of fronts and position, also do not meet standards of healthy construction and environment are the main problems of Menteng Atas that brings to disasters such as flooding and fire. This paper explored how members of Menteng Atas community perceive their everyday surroundings within the context of an environment that has rapidly changed, primarily due to urban development. This paper also discuss how far they aware about their environment, the disasters prevention, and what they wants for the future of their environment. The study was start from the inside of the local community. Symbolic communication varies from one situation to the next were founded by studying the accounts, explanations, and social action that are meaningful to a group of people. This paper is trying to present and identify perception of host community on their own environment especially related to disasters prevention, and end up with some recommendations to achieve sustainable housing and settlement at this area.

The application of social capital in the development of eco- sustainable community planning

Sustainable is a familiar description to most people, it is in a sensible way to treat the natural and human environment, it is not only able to ensure ourselves a balanced, healthy living environment, but also to ensure that our future generations are also a normal, healthy and living environment. This means we can not only consider our current short-term interests, but also give our future generations a healthy and sustainable environment to further develop the natural and cultural environment. In those environmental conditions, our future generations can have the same quality of life as us forever, keep ecological and sustainable development of the world, and even be able to have a better quality of life than ever before. In sustainable urban development, first of all, it is to be in accordance with the laws of nature to have a cooperative and friendly attitude to treat the environment. In this rational way of working, we must respectfully treat human nature, it is a huge sustainable ecosystems. We can either learn a lot of knowledge from nature＇ s perfect eco-cycle system, but also it can be used in future planning and design.

Integrated Geo-information System for the Development of Low Carbon Eco-city in China Urban Context

Nowadays, cities are the main living environment of human beings. Rapid urbanization is associated with a variety of issues： population explosion, urban heat island effect, greenhouse gases emissions, energy crisis, climate change and so on. To deal with the challenges from the huge energy consumption and GHGs （greenhouse gases） emission, more and more attention has been paid to low carbon eco-city in China. In this research, the whole process is linked by low carbon eco-city development. High-resolution thermal IR （infrared） satellite remote-sensing is introduced to land use and urban heat island monitoring to meet the requirement of higher accuracy. GIS （geo-information science） technology provides a framework for collecting, processing, managing, analyzing and sharing spatial and temporal data. It has been used in spatial and temporal database management and analysis in low carbon eco-city study. The integrated geo-information system proposed in this research, which will be introduced to various government agencies in China, could enrich the concepts and means for the construction of low carbon eco^city.

Pattern and mechanism of urban spatial growth in Nanjing City, 1979-2007

Urban spatial growth has become a hot topic of geographic science and urban research. Exploring the patterns and mechanisms of urban growth is the prerequisite to understand the urbanization process of China. The paper provides a spatial analysis method of using Remote Sensing （RS） and Geographic Information System （GIS）. and presents major patterns and mechanisms of urban spatial growth during the period from 1979 to 2007 in Nanjing City. Firstly, the paper introohwes the data, study area and methodology of the research. Then. the patterns of urban spatial growth are identified Subsequently, the main mechanisms of urban spatial growth are analyzed Finally some conclusions are drawn definitely. The features of urban spatial growth in Nanjing are as follows： during 1979-1988, urban spatial growth of each district was stow. and the inner growth was in excess of suburban growth; during the period of 1988-2000. urban growth of suburban was in excess of inner city. the most insensitive growth appeared in the southeast, and the growth of each aspect was relatively insensitive expect ecst and west; during the period of 2000-2007, urban growth of suburban was violent, the most insensitive growth appeared in the southeast. and the urban growth of each direction was insensitive except the west. The mechanisms of urban spatial growth are complex, the main ones of which are social and economic development. Besides. the guiding of urban planning and influence of urban spatial structure are quite obvious.