Evaluation and Obstacle Diagnosis of Low-carbon Intensive Land Use in Kaifeng City

Low carbon intensive use of urban land is an important trend to achieve regional high quality development.In this study,with Kaifeng municipal district as an example,the catastrophe progression model was used to estimate and analyze the low-carbon intensive use level of urban land in Kaifeng City from 2011 to 2020,and the obstacle factors in the process of low-carbon intensive land use in Kaifeng City were revealed by using the obstacle degree model.The results showed that during the study period,the low-carbon intensive use of land in Kaifeng City showed a slow,fluctuating and declining trend,and the overall situation was in a generally intensive state.The land input level and land output level were on the rise,while the low-carbon level of land and the degree of land use were on the decline.Currently,the main obstacle factors restricting the low-carbon intensive use of land in Kaifeng City were the carbon structure coefficient of land use,energy consumption per square kilometer,carbon emissions per square kilometer,carbon emissions per capita,and non-agricultural land use efficiency.In the future,it is necessary to further improve the land use structure and promote the high-quality development of Kaifeng City.

Variations in Surface Urban Heat Island and Urban Cool Island Intensity:A Review Across Major Climate Zones

The climate has an impact on the urban thermal environment,and the magnitude of the surface urban heat island(SUHI)and urban cool island(UCI)vary across the world’s climatic zones.This literature review investigated:1)the variations in the SUHI and UCI intensity under different climatic backgrounds,and 2)the effect of vegetation types,landscape composition,urban configuration,and water bodies on the SUHI.The SUHI had a higher intensity in tropical(Af(tropical rainy climate,Köppen climate classification),Am(tropical monsoon climate),subtropical(Cfa,subtropical humid climate),and humid continental(Dwa,semi-humid and semi-arid monsoon climate)climate zones.The magnitude of the UCI was low compared to the SUHI across the climate zones.The cool and dry Mediterranean(Cfb,temperate marine climate;Csb,temperate mediterranean climate;Cfa)and tropical climate(Af)areas had a higher cooling intensity.For cities with a desert climate(BWh,tropical desert climate),a reverse pattern was found.The difference in the SUHI in the night-time was greater than in the daytime for most cities across the climate zones.The extent of green space cooling was related to city size,the adjacent impervious surface,and the local climate.Additionally,the composition of urban landscape elements was more significant than their configuration for sustaining the urban thermal environment.Finally,we identified future research gaps for possible solutions in the context of sustainable urbanization in different climate zones.

Field Modeling Method for Identifying Urban Sphere of Influence:A Case Study on Central China

With rapid development of urbanization and regional interaction and interdependence, regional urban agglomeration planning becomes more and more important in China, in order to promote integrated development of various cities with close interrelationship. However, it is still arguable academically on how to define the boundary or which cities to be included for the urban agglomeration of a region. This paper aims to shed lights on how to identify urban spheres of influence scientifically by introducing field modeling method and by practicing a case study on 168 cities in Central China. In our field modeling method, the influence intensities of cities were measured by a compre-ensive index and urban spheres of influence were represented spatially by field intensity. Then, their classification and spatial distribution characteristics of study area in 2007 were identified and explored by using GIS and statistical methods. The result showed that： 1） Wuhan is the absolute dominant city in Central China; 2） the provincial capital cities dominate their own provinces and there are no other lower grade agglomeration centers; and 3） the basic types of organization form of urban sphere of influence are single-polar type, agglomeration type, close-related group type and loose-related group type.

A Numerical Study of the Urban Intensity Effect on Fog Evolution in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei Region

The influence of urban intensity on fog evolution in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) region (China) is investigated numerically with the the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model coupled with the urban canopy parameterization-building energy model (UCP- BEM) urban physics scheme. The experiments were designed with a focus on the influence of different urban intensities, which are represented by a different fractional coverage of natural land, buildings, and energy consumption inside buildings in an urban environment. The results of this study indicate that urban areas notably influence fog evolution when natural land is reduced to a small fraction (e.g., less than 10%). Developed land changes fog evolution through urban effects. Higher urban intensity (HUI) generally results in warmer temperatures and lower wind speeds throughout the day, while inhibiting morning specific humidity loss and afternoon specific humidity gain because of the HUI effect on surface heat flux, surface roughness, and surface moisture flux. HUI leads to later and weaker liquid water content formation, with a higher liquid water content base, primarily due to its effect on near surface temperatures. This finding implies that HUI may inhibit the conditions for fog formation. In addition, urban areas with equal natural and developed land coverage seem to greatly enhance the upward surface moisture flux, which is attributed to the combination of a relatively large potential evaporation on developed land and an ample moisture supply from natural land. As a result, the specific humidity increases in the afternoon.

Influential Intensity of Urban Agglomeration on Evolution of Ecoenvironmental Pressure:A Case Study of Changchun,China

In this paper,we study the interactive relationship between the agglomeration of urban elements and the evolution of eco-environmental pressure.We build an index system for evaluating the agglomeration of urban elements and eco-environmental pressure.Using the entropy method and response intensity model,we analyze how urban elements agglomeration influenced eco-environmental pressure in Changchun from 1990 to 2012,eliciting the changing features and influential factors.Ultimately,we conclude there is a significant interactive relationship between the agglomeration of urban elements and the evolution of eco-environmental pressure in Changchun.This is inferred from the degree of this agglomeration in Changchun having increased since 1990,with the degree of eco-environmental pressure first decreasing and then increasing.Alongside this,the impact of urban elements agglomeration on eco-environmental pressure has changed from negative to positive.The main reasons behind this shift are arguably the rapid growth of urban investment and ongoing urbanization.

Impact of urban expansion on meteorological observation data and overestimation to regional air temperature in China

Since the implementation of the reform and opening up policy in China in the late 1970s, some meteorological stations ＇entered＇ cities passively due to urban expansion. Changes in the surface and built environment around the stations have influenced observa- tions of air temperature. When the observational data from urban stations are applied in the interpolation of national or regional scale air temperature dataset, they could lead to overes- timation of regional air temperature and inaccurate assessment of warming. In this study, the underlying surface surrounding 756 meteorological stations across China was identified based on remote sensing images over a number of time intervals to distinguish the rural sta- tions that ＇entered＇ into cities. Then, after removing the observational data from these stations which have been influenced by urban expansion, a dataset of background air temperatures was generated by interpolating the observational data from the remaining rural stations. The mean urban heat island effect intensity since 1970 was estimated by comparing the original observational records from urban stations with the background air temperature interpolated. The result shows that urban heat island effect does occur due to urban expansion, with a higher intensity in winter than in other seasons. Then the overestimation of regional air tem- perature is evaluated by comparing the two kinds of grid datasets of air temperature which are respectively interpolated by all stations＇ and rural stations＇ observational data. Spatially, the overestimation is relatively higher in eastern China than in the central part of China; however, both areas exhibit a much higher effect than is observed in western China. We concluded that in the last 40 years the mean temperature in China increased by about 1.58℃, of which about 0.01℃ was attributed to urban expansion, with a contribution of up to 0.09℃ in the core areas from the overestimation of air temperature.

Urban land development intensity:New evidence behind economic transition in the Yangtze River Delta,China

Over the past 20 years,China has experienced multiple economic transitions characterized by marketization,globalization,decentralization,and urbanization;as a result,urban land development intensity(ULDI)has become a significant issue for sustainable development.As China’s largest globalized urban area,the rapid socio-economic development of the Yangtze River Delta has created a huge demand for urban land.We apply a theoretical framework for a four-dimensional analysis tool to understand the dynamic evolution of the ULDI in the context of economic transition.It reveals that marketization,globalization,decentralization,and urbanization affect the ULDI in the economic transition of Yangtze River Delta.Marketization,especially the continuous improvement of land marketization,optimizes the spatial allocation of land resources and encourages urban land users to improve ULDI.Globalization promotes the rapid growth of economy and population through an increase in foreign direct investment.In the process of decentralization,local governments rely on developing a mode of land finance,resulting in a disordered urban space and low ULDI.Population growth and agglomeration during urbanization stimulates residents’consumption capacity and promotes economic growth,thus creating a greater demand for urban land.However,a low level of development and utilization restricts the improvement of development intensity.Economic development can improve the level of land-intensive use by promoting the adjustment,optimization,and upgrade of urban industrial structures.

Spatiotemporal evolution of national development zones and their impact on urban land growth in China

Development zones are important growth poles for promoting regional economic development. However, the spatiotemporal relationship between development zone construction and urban land growth is still unclear. This paper analyzes the spatiotemporal changes of national-level development zones(NDZs), approximately 219 national economic development zones, and 156 high-tech development zones during 1990–2018 in China. The impact of development zone establishment on the growth of surrounding urban land was quantitatively explored using circle buffering analysis and time series comparative analysis. The results show that China's NDZs spread from the southeast coast to the inland area from 1990 to 2018, and the establishment of the development zones has an obvious promoting effect on the surrounding urban land growth. The scope and intensity of influences of the development zone established in different periods present distinct nonstationarity in space and time. Overall, the impact on urban land(IU) of China's NDZs established in different years was mostly highest at the 100 m buffer zone radius, while the slope of the IU was mostly negative, which meant that the 100 m buffer zone radius of the development zone center was the most efficient scale to promote urban land growth. In the meantime, the curve of IU of NDZs established before 1990, during 1996–2000 and 2001–2005 has a clear inflection point, which indicates that the most efficient scales of NDZs established before 1990, during 1996–2000, and 2001–2005 are 1300 m, 900–1000 m, and 800 m, respectively. NDZs established in other periods do not have the most obvious efficient scale. The development zone played the greatest role in promoting urban land growth from 2000 to 2010. Three association modes, including post-growth, pre-growth and steady-growth, were identified based on the differences in geographical location, establishment time, and type of development zones. We quantitatively identify the impact of the growth pole of NDZs on urban land growth from the perspective of spatiotemporal evolution. The findings would provide decision-making support for optimizing the spatial relationship between development zone construction and urban land growth.