Urban Densification Strategy and Land Value in Tijuana,Baja California-The Opinion of Specialists

Specialists can provide opinions regarding the city and land value based on their specialized field.Professionals in these fields are identified as urban planners and valuators,who play a crucial role in the current dynamics of cities.They have a qualified opinion on city issues based on their professional practice in various areas of expertise.This opinion was obtained through the formulation and application of a questionnaire to specialists.Subsequently,the results were analyzed and graphically represented.In the discussion,several findings were found related to the relationship between land value and the urban densification policy established in the urban planning that governs the city of Tijuana,Baja California.The study investigated the behavior of the real estate market in the region and the establishment of a solid strategy toward densification.

Urban Residential Land Value Analysis： Case Danyang, China

The research attempts to find out how the location of the CBD(central business district), the dis- tance to the main roads, the distribution of the public facilities, and the urban land-use pattern influence the urban residential land value variations. The study begins by identifying the influences into two categories: general circumstance and micro/neighboring circumstances. Benchmark price and market land value are tested to be the results influenced by general circumstance and both the influential range and the influential force of individual land-use are investigated and compared. At last explicit case comparisons are also taken for testing the result. The finding of the research is not only useful for understanding the spatial patterns of land values, but also beneficial for the policy-makers concerning land administration and urban planning.

Comparative Analysis of the Determinants of Residential Land Values

City development is a result of many factors, of which land value is one of the major determinants. The past urban economics studies have shown that land value is largely determined by location factors such as distance from Central Business District （CBD） ignoring the non-location factors like time of purchase and neighbourhood infrastructures. Therefore, this paper attempts to establish the relative importance of location and non-location factors in the determination of residential land value by positing Onitsha, Nigeria as a case study. Eight hundred and fifty residential housing units were selected and questionnaire administered to the landlords through multi-stage sampling technique. The stepwise regression analysis results showed that non-location factors, especially, time of land purchase, contribute more to the variation in residential land values. The paper suggests the revision of the classical economic theories to represent the conditions of urban areas in developing countries .

Assessing the Real Value of Farmland in China

The preservation of farmland is a growing concern in China because the fact that China possesses limited land resources and the world's largest population presents a clear contradiction. Only when the value of farmland is fully appreciated in commercial markets can farmland preservation be effectively achieved. The current study constructed a model to evaluate the economic, social, and ecological value of farmland in China according to the connotation of values. As a case study, the value of Chinese farmland was estimated in 1999, 2002, 2005, 2008, and 2011 using the established model. Although the amount of farmland was greatly reduced from 1999 to 2011 due to constructive occupation, agricultural restructuring, ecological restoration, and disaster destruction, the value of this farmland increased from 220.71×1012 to 736.26×1012 RMB Yuan as a result of the multifunctional nature and scarcity of farmland during the same period. The potential value of farmland in China was huge, but the value in the market was greatly underestimated, especially in regard to its social and ecological value. This study proposes a new method that integrates the discounted value of all future services provided by a natural resource(for the society and individuals) to evaluate the resource assets, provides a scientific foundation for the preservation and operation of farmland assets, and explores ways to increase farmers' property income.

Advances and Prospects in Research of Land Ecosystem Service Value

Ecosystem provides supply,regulation,support and cultural services.The value assessment of ecosystem service functions is helpful for people to understand the importance of natural ecosystems to production and life.Through analyzing domestic and foreign research on ecosystem service value,this paper sorted out the research process of value assessment.Based on the assessment process,the existing assessment methods and the introduced model methods were summarized,and the methods and models used by the latest research were classified.According to the weakness of the existing studies,it discussed prospects of future research.It is expected to promote multi-scale and multi-directional research exploration and enrich the theory and method of value assessment.

Assessment of Non-chemical Alternatives for Controlling the Burrowing Nematode on Banana in Costa Rica

The objective of this study was to technically and economically assess the effect of biopesticides on the serious plant parasitic nematode Radopholus similis on banana in Costa Rica. The following treatments were evaluated： a mixture of nematode trapping fungi-Arthrobotrys oligospora, A. botryospora, Dactylella brochophaga and Drechmeria coniospora; DiTera DF which consist of a ＂dead＂ fungus Myrothecium spp. and its fermentation substrate; Savitan produced from desert plant extracts; QL Agri which contain Quillaja saponaria extracts; Japanese-style compost called Bokashi; two application of a chemical nematicide; and an absolute control. Results of root sampling on a six month basis showed that the biopesticides had lower nematode population densities than the control with the nematode trapping-fungi having statistically significant differences over the other treatments. Chemical control was highly effective and produced the lowest nematode density. However, there were no significant differences between the chemical treatment and the trapping-fungi treatment. The functional root weight and bunch weight showed no significant differences between treatments. Conversely, economic analyses indicated that using nematode trapping-fungi, chemical nematieide, or the QL Agri treatments gave a detectable profit. The land expectation value （LEV） of the banana plantation was higher than the price of banana land which indicated that under normal conditions in the banana sector, production is economically sustainable / profitable. Other results confirm that profit in banana production is affected by the price of a banana box, production and discount rate. The optimal production cycle was obtained in year ten after farm establishment, which refers to the year with the highest profit following plantation renewal. Finally, economical results highlighted the importance of nematodes control, since profitability indexes were sensitive to the efficiency and cost of nematode management technology adopted by the banana company.