Green transformation paths of resource-based cities in China from the configuration perspective

Green transformation is an unavoidable choice for resource-based cities(RBCs)that face resource depletion and environmental pollution.Existing research has focused primarily on specific RBCs,making it challenging to apply green transformation strategies universally across cities.The fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis(fsQCA)is a combination of qualitative and quantitative analyses that can handle multiple concurrent causality problems and determine how different conditions combine into configurations and generate an outcome.Thus,to address this gap,in this study,we established a research framework for green transformation and utilized the fsQCA to examine the configurations of 113 RBCs in China.By incorporating the element of time,this study explored the dynamic evolution of solutions in 2013,2016,and 2019.The main findings indicate that individual elements do not constitute the necessary conditions for improving the green transformation efficiency(GTE),and the systematic combination of multiple conditions is an effective path for realizing the improvement of the GTE in RBCs.Green transformation paths of RBCs exhibit the same destination through different paths.Additionally,the combination of system environment elements and system structure elements is both complementary and alternative.Differences in RBCs have led to various factor combinations and development paths,but there are some similarities in the key elements of the factor combinations at different stages.Economic environment,government support,and technological innovation are key factors that universally enhance the GTE in RBCs.These insights can assist city managers in formulating policies to drive green transformation and contribute to a better theoretical understanding of green transformation paths in RBCs.

Conceptualizing and Measuring Economic Resilience of Resource-based Cities： Case Study of Northeast China

This paper develops a conceptual model and an indicator system for measuring economic resilience of resource-based cities based on the theory of evolutionary resilience and the related concepts of persistence, adaptation, and transformation. Nineteen resource-based cities in Northeast China were analyzed using the indicator system. The results showed that Liaoning and Jilin provinces had higher economic resilience than Heilongjiang Province. Panjin, Benxi, and Anshan in Liaoning Province were the top three cities, while Shuangyashan and other coal-based cities in Heilongjiang Province ranked last. Metals-and petroleum-based cities had significantly higher resilience than coal-based cities. The differences in persistence, adaptability, transformation, and resilience among resource-based cities decreased since the introduction of the Northeast Revitalization Strategy in 2003. Forestry-based cities improved the most in terms of resilience, followed by metals-based and multiple-resource cities; however, resilience dropped for coal-based cities, and petroleum-based cities falling the most. The findings illustrate the importance and the way to develop a differentiated approach to improve resilience among resource-based cities.

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.

Discussion on the Problems and Path of Characteristic Town Construction in Underdeveloped, Resource-Based Cities: A Case Study of Ganzhou City

Characteristic towns as a characteristic industry are one of the important measures of China's new urbanization strategy. The construction of characteristic towns in different regions needs to pay attention to regional differentiation. At present, the research on characteristic towns focuses on the developed the developed central and eastern regions. There are still few studies on characteristics towns in underdeveloped areas. Starting from the analysis of the concept of the characteristic town, this paper sorted out the general situation of the construction of characteristic towns in China based on the existing research literature, selected Ganzhou City for research, pointed out there were "two restrictions and two singles" in the construction of characteristic towns in Ganzhou City, and clarified that the characteristic towns of Ganzhou City should adhere to the construction path of "two characteristics and two integrations", with a view to providing a useful reference for in Ganzhou City the construction of characteristic towns, industrial transformation and upgrading, and poverty alleviation in such underdeveloped, resource-based cities.

Study on Correlative Issues about State-owned Enterprises Restructuring in Resource-based Cities in China

The ＂sediment＂ formed in the process of long-term development of the resource-based cities not only restricts the economic structure trans/brmation, but also increases the difficulties for restructuring the state-owned enterprises. Furthermore, it makes current ways of reforming staffs＇ identity replacement and managers＇ shareholding mode inefficient in state-owned enterprises reformation in resource-based cities. According to the characteristics of resource-based cities and property right reform theory, cash and share right compensation for the different staffs in the process of staffs＇ identity replacement have been identified. In addition, different profitable investment policies have also been suggested. For managers＇ share holding, the stimulant share ownership should be adopted principally, at the same time corresponding restrictions should be set up for managers＇ investment share ownership due to share ownership structure.

Spatial Structure Adjustment Strategies of the Coal Resource-Based Cities during the Mature Period: A Case Study of Pingdingshan

Coal cities are the main part of the resource-based cities in China, and the benign development of coal cities' spatial structure has a direct impact on these cities' future economic and social development, as well as the urban residents' welfare. Land use fragmentation is the most typical morphological characteristic of the coal city's spatial structure development. In this paper, Pingdingshan City of Henan Province in China is taken as an example. Through empirical analysis, the urban spatial structure development processes of a typical coal resource-based city in its mature period are illustrated, and the formation reasons and potential mechanism behind coal city land use fragmentation are explored, and the measurement method of land use fragmentation degree of the coal city is put forward. On the above basis, the appropriate adjustment strategies and methods aimed at the coal city spatial structure are found out and given. This study is a good guideline and reference for the spatial structure planning and land use planning of the coal city during the mature and declining period, which is of great help to the sustainable development and industrial structure transformation of the coal city. It also has certain reference significance for the coal city in the growth period.

Green development and economic resilience:Evidence from Chinese resource-based cities

Resource-based cities are currently facing challenges due to ecological pollution and an unbalanced industrial structure,which hinders sustainable economic growth.The focus on green development as a strategy for economic growth and environmental protection is becoming increasingly popular.This study employs a spatial econometric model to explore the effect of green development on economic resilience in Chinese resource-based cities from 2011 to 2019,revealing a positive correlation between green development and economic resilience.For each 1 unit increase in green development,economic resilience increases by an average of 0.512 units.Furthermore,the analysis of heterogeneity reveals differences in the factors influencing various resource-based cities.In addition,provincial green policies bolster economic resilience by encouraging green development.This research aids in comprehending the balance between the economy and the environment.

Analysis of CO2 Emissions and the Mechanism of the Industrial Enterprises above Designated Size（IEDS） in Resource-based Cities by Application of Geographical Detector Technology

Resource-based cities are the most important players in responding to climate change and achieving low carbon development in China.An analysis of relevant data(such as the energy consumption)showed an inter-city differentiation of CO2 emissions from energy consumption,and suggested an influence of the Industrial Enterprises above Designated Size(IEDS)in resource-based industrial cities at the prefecture level and above in different regions.Then by geographical detector technology,the sizes of each influencing mechanism on CO2 emissions from energy consumption of the IEDS were probed.This analysis showed that significant spatial differences exist for CO2 emissions from energy consumption and revealed several factors which influence the IEDS in resource-based cities.(1)In terms of unit employment,Eastern and Western resource-based cities are above the overall level of all resource-based cities;and only Coal resource-based cities far exceeded the overall level among all of the cities in the analysis.(2)In terms of unit gross industrial output value,the Eastern,Central and Western resources-based cities are all above the overall level for all the cities.Here also,only Coal resource-based cities far exceeded the overall level of all resources-based cities.Economic scale and energy structure are the main factors influencing CO2 emissions from energy consumption of the IEDS in resource-based cities.The factors influencing CO2 emissions in different regions and types of resource-based cities show significant spatial variations,and the degree of influence that any given factor exerts varies among different regions and types of resource-based cities.Therefore,individualized recommendations should be directed to different regions and types of resource-based cities,so that the strategies and measures of industrial low carbon and transformation should vary greatly according to the specific conditions that exist in each city.

A Review on Integration of IoT as an Approach for Energy Saving in Smart Sustainable Cities

Rapid urbanization has been happening around the world,leading to many challenges and difficulties in infrastructure,communication network,transportation,environmental and organizational problems.Proper and responsible management of urban resources plays a significant role in sustainable development.Smart sustainable cities use ICTs(Information and Communication Technologies)to improve quality of life,efficiency of urban operation and services.The latest advancement in communication,technology,data management,and IoT(Internet of Things)provide a tremendous role for practical implementations and adoption of devices and entities.Smart sustainable cities can be intellectualized as an innovative approach of controlling urban resources and valuable components based on the latest advancement in ICT.Our study focuses on reviewing and discussing the literature that states the vital components of IoT associated with smart sustainable cities in general and specifically with green energy.

Spatial Differentiation Pattern of Habitat Quality and Mechanism of Factors Influencing in Resource-based Cities:A Case Study of Tangshan City,China

The degradation of the eco-environment has been a challenge for sustainability in resource-based cities around the world.Although much attention has been drawn to this issue,few insights have been acquired regarding the spatial differentiation and mechanism of the factors influencing habitat quality in resource-based cities from the perspective of the interactions of natural and human factors.Using Tangshan City as a case study,this paper evaluates habitat quality by integrating Ecosystem Service Value Assessment and the InVEST-HQ model,identifies the spatial distribution of Tangshan’s habitat quality with spatial auto-correlation,and explores the influencing factors and their mechanism of influence on the spatial differentiation with the geographical detector model and Space production theory.The results show that:(1)The total value of the habitat quality in Tangshan City in 2019 was 3.45×10^(10) yuan,and the habitat quality value was 24435.05 yuan ha-1.The habitat quality value presents a clustered distribution pattern of"hot in the north and the south,cold from the center to the west".(2)On the county scale,Qianxi County had the best habitat quality and Lubei District had the worst habitat quality;Shangying Township had the highest average habitat quality and Kaiping Street had the lowest average habitat quality in the township unit.(3)The results of geographical detectors show that natural environmental conditions are the important basic factors affecting the spatial differentiation of habitat quality in Tangshan City,while urbanization and industrialization factors are the most important external forces driving the spatial differentiation of habitat quality.The contributions of average elevation,average slope,raw material industrial density,and population density to the spatial differentiation of habitat quality are all above 0.40.The interactions of any two factors on habitat quality are enhanced.Areas with concentrated populations,rich industrial resources,and convenient transportation become low-value habitat quality areas;while areas with beautiful landscape patterns,abundant precipitation,and a comfortable climate become high-value habitat quality areas.Space production theory can be used to explain the mechanism of the formation of the spatial differentiation of habitat quality.

Identification and classification of resource-based cities in China

Resource-dependent cities are cities whose economic development depends on the exploitation and processing of natural resources. Their transformation and sustainable development are an important area of research on regional industrial development, regional economy and urban development. Since the Chinese government launched a pilot project to transform resource-dependent cities, starting with Fuxin in Liaoning Province in 2001, accurately identifying and classifying China’s resource-dependent cities has become a focus of geographical research. Based on previous studies, this paper uses the theory and methods of urban function classification to analyze indicators and threshold values for identifying and classifying resource-dependent cities. It has thus identified 262 cities as being resource-dependent. Looking at the development levels, problems, characteristics and developmental direction of such cities, this paper attempts to establish a comprehensive analytical framework using the two evaluation indicators of resource security and sustainable development. It also creates a model to classify the 262 cities identified as resource-dependent cities into four types: growing cities, mature cities, declining cities and regenerating cities. The different connotations and characteristics of the city types were then analyzed. The results of this research support the delineation of scopes and categories of resource-dependent cities set out in the National Sustainable Development Plan for Resource-Dependent Cities published by the State Council, and they serve as a foundation for formulating policies on planning, classification and guidance.

Evolution Characteristics of the Ecological Space Network of Resource-Based Cities:A Case Study on Xuzhou

The territorial and spatial planning is an essential tool for ecological civilization construction in spatial development and urban governance.Since ecological space has been an important part of the territorial and spatial planning,this study established a spatial structural pattern of"ecological source-ecological corridor-ecological node"along with methods including landscape connectivity analysis and ecological resistance surface analysis.Taking the ecological space of Xuzhou City,a typical resource-based city,as a case study,this research analyzed the ecological spatial network structure and evaluated the evolution characteristics before judging the breadth threshold value of the ecological corridor and providing planning control strategy.The study found that since the urbanization of Xuzhou City resumed its growth,the quantity of ecological sources,corridors,and nodes have grown along.The resistance of the ecological corridor increases year by year,with the proper breadth threshold value around 100–200 m.The development of an ecological network structure shows a single-polarization evolution characteristic that is high quality and high resistance.

Understanding the Relationship Between Shrinking Cities and Land Prices:Spatial Pattern,Effectiveness,and Policy Implications

Urban shrinkage has emerged as a widespread phenomenon globally and has a significant impact on land,particularly in terms of land use and price.This study focuses on 2851 county-level cities in China in 2005–2018(excluding Hong Kong,Macao,Taiwan,and‘no data’areas in Qinhai-Tibet Plateau)as the fundamental units of analysis.By employing nighttime light(NTL)data to identify shrinking cities,the propensity score matching(PSM)model was used to quantitatively examine the impact of shrinking cities on land prices,and evaluate the magnitude of this influence.The findings demonstrate the following:1)there were 613 shrinking cities in China,with moderate shrinkage being the most prevalent and severe shrinkage being the least.2)Regional disparities are evident in the spatial distribution of shrinking cities,especially in areas with diverse terrain.3)The spatial pattern of land price exhibits a significant correlated to the economic and administrative levels.4)Shrinking cities significantly negatively impact on the overall land price(ATT=–0.1241,P<0.05).However,the extent of the effect varies significantly among different spatial regions.This study contributes novel insights into the investigation of land prices and shrinking cities,ultimately serving as a foundation for government efforts to promote the sustainable development of urban areas.

A Study on the Symbol-Based Narrative in the International Communication of Cities

Cultural symbols,a manifestation of cities’cultural resources,are not only signs that frame concepts but also forms that express meanings.Exploring the international communication of cities from the perspective of symbols,this paper analyzes in depth how cities create their cultural symbols in the dynamic process of international communication in an era of symbol-based digital media,and how they develop their narratives and explain meanings through the dissemination of symbols when telling their stories to international audiences,thus enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of their international communication efforts.

Cyber Security within Smart Cities:A Comprehensive Study and a Novel Intrusion Detection-Based Approach

The expansion of smart cities,facilitated by digital communications,has resulted in an enhancement of the quality of life and satisfaction among residents.The Internet of Things(IoT)continually generates vast amounts of data,which is subsequently analyzed to offer services to residents.The growth and development of IoT have given rise to a new paradigm.A smart city possesses the ability to consistently monitor and utilize the physical environment,providing intelligent services such as energy,transportation,healthcare,and entertainment for both residents and visitors.Research on the security and privacy of smart cities is increasingly prevalent.These studies highlight the cybersecurity risks and the challenges faced by smart city infrastructure in handling and managing personal data.To effectively uphold individuals’security and privacy,developers of smart cities must earn the trust of the public.In this article,we delve into the realms of privacy and security within smart city applications.Our comprehensive study commences by introducing architecture and various applications tailored to smart cities.Then,concerns surrounding security and privacy within these applications are thoroughly explored subsequently.Following that,we delve into several research endeavors dedicated to addressing security and privacy issues within smart city applications.Finally,we emphasize our methodology and present a case study illustrating privacy and security in smart city contexts.Our proposal consists of defining an Artificial Intelligence(AI)based framework that allows:Thoroughly documenting penetration attempts and cyberattacks;promptly detecting any deviations from security standards;monitoring malicious behaviors and accurately tracing their sources;and establishing strong controls to effectively repel and prevent such threats.Experimental results using the Edge-IIoTset(Edge Industrial Internet of Things Security Evaluation Test)dataset demonstrated good accuracy.They were compared to related state-of-theart works,which highlight the relevance of our proposal.

Enhanced Cooling Efficiency of Urban Trees on Hotter Summer Days in 70 Cities of China

Increasing the urban tree cover percentage(TCP) is widely recognized as an efficient way to mitigate the urban heat island effect. The cooling efficiency of urban trees can be either enhanced or attenuated on hotter days, depending on the physiological response of urban trees to rising ambient temperature. However, the response of urban trees' cooling efficiency to rising urban temperature remains poorly quantified for China's cities. In this study, we quantify the response of urban trees' cooling efficiency to rising urban temperature at noontime [~1330 LT(local time), LT=UTC+8] in 17summers(June, July, and August) from 2003–19 in 70 economically developed cities of China based on satellite observations. The results show that urban trees have stronger cooling efficiency with increasing temperature, suggesting additional cooling benefits provided by urban trees on hotter days. The enhanced cooling efficiency values of urban trees range from 0.002 to 0.055℃ %-1 per 1℃ increase in temperature across the selected cities, with larger values for the lowTCP-level cities. The response is also regulated by background temperature and precipitation, as the additional cooling benefit tends to be larger in warmer and wetter cities at the same TCP level. The positive response of urban trees' cooling efficiency to rising urban temperature is explained mainly by the stronger evapotranspiration of urban trees on hotter days.These results have important implications for alleviating urban heat risk by utilizing urban trees, particularly considering that extreme hot days are becoming more frequent in cities under global warming.

Do companies influenced by smart cities pay more attention to green governance?Mechanism and optimal spatial correlation

Smart cities are a way for China to construct an innovative and environmentally conscious nation.The paper examines the impact of smart cities on corporate green governance and provides a theoretical foundation for formulating and executing smart city policy in China.Based on panel data from Chinese A-share listed companies in Shanghai and Shenzhen from 2008 to 2020,this study constructs a multiperiod double-difference model to examine the influence of smart cities on corporate green governance.Additionally,it uses a spatial double-difference model to investigate the spatial spillover effect of smart cities on neighboring areas.The findings indicate that smart cities effectively enhance corporate green governance.Analyzing the influencing mechanisms reveals that resource allocation efficiency,technological innovation,management environmental awareness,and regional environmental enforcement efforts act as mediators.Furthermore,the study reveals that the impact of smart cities on promoting corporate green governance is more pronounced in regions with lower levels of marketization and resource-based cities.Moreover,the research explores the spatial spillover effects of smart cities,with an effective radius of approximately 350 km.The optimal spatial correlation zone for green governance of businesses in neighboring areas in relation to smart cities is within a range of 250-350 km.This is manifested by the significant promotion of green governance in neighboring area businesses facilitated by smart cities.

Factors Influencing the Spatial Variability of Air Temperature Urban Heat Island Intensity in Chinese Cities

Few studies have investigated the spatial patterns of the air temperature urban heat island(AUHI)and its controlling factors.In this study,the data generated by an urban climate model were used to investigate the spatial variations of the AUHI across China and the underlying climate and ecological drivers.A total of 355 urban clusters were used.We performed an attribution analysis of the AUHI to elucidate the mechanisms underlying its formation.The results show that the midday AUHI is negatively correlated with climate wetness(humid:0.34 K;semi-humid:0.50 K;semi-arid:0.73 K).The annual mean midnight AUHI does not show discernible spatial patterns,but is generally stronger than the midday AUHI.The urban–rural difference in convection efficiency is the largest contributor to the midday AUHI in the humid(0.32±0.09 K)and the semi-arid(0.36±0.11 K)climate zones.The release of anthropogenic heat from urban land is the dominant contributor to the midnight AUHI in all three climate zones.The rural vegetation density is the most important driver of the daytime and nighttime AUHI spatial variations.A spatial covariance analysis revealed that this vegetation influence is manifested mainly through its regulation of heat storage in rural land.

Soundscapes in Arab Cities:A Systematic Review and Research Agenda

In the context of Arab cities,this study explores the intricate interplay between cultural,historical,and environmental elements that shape their unique soundscapes.The paper aims to shed light on this underrepresented field of study by employing a three-fold research approach:systematic review,a comprehensive literature review,and the formulation of a future research agenda.The first part of the investigation focuses on research productivity in the Arab world regarding soundscape studies.An analysis of publication trends reveals that soundscape research in Arab cities is still an emerging area of interest.Critical gaps in the existing body of literature are identified,highlighting the importance of addressing these gaps within the broader context of global soundscape research.The second part of the study delves into the distinctive features that inform the soundscapes of Arab cities.These features are categorized into three overarching groups:(i)cultural and religious life,(ii)daily life,and(iii)heritage and history,by exploring these factors,the study aims to elucidate the multifaceted nature of Arab urban soundscapes.From the resonating calls to prayer and the vibrant ambiance of traditional cafes to the bustling markets and architectural characteristics,each factor contributes to the auditory tapestry that defines Arab cities.The paper concludes with a forward-looking research agenda,proposing sixteen key questions organized into descriptive and comparative categories.These questions emphasize the need for a more profound understanding of sound perception,sources,and the impact of urban morphology on the soundscape.Additionally,they highlight the need for interdisciplinary research,involving fields such as urban planning,architecture,psychology,sociology,and cultural studies to unravel the complexity of Arab urban soundscapes.

Ensemble Deep Learning Based Air Pollution Prediction for Sustainable Smart Cities

Big data and information and communication technologies can be important to the effectiveness of smart cities.Based on the maximal attention on smart city sustainability,developing data-driven smart cities is newly obtained attention as a vital technology for addressing sustainability problems.Real-time monitoring of pollution allows local authorities to analyze the present traffic condition of cities and make decisions.Relating to air pollution occurs a main environmental problem in smart city environments.The effect of the deep learning(DL)approach quickly increased and penetrated almost every domain,comprising air pollution forecast.Therefore,this article develops a new Coot Optimization Algorithm with an Ensemble Deep Learning based Air Pollution Prediction(COAEDL-APP)system for Sustainable Smart Cities.The projected COAEDL-APP algorithm accurately forecasts the presence of air quality in the sustainable smart city environment.To achieve this,the COAEDL-APP technique initially performs a linear scaling normalization(LSN)approach to pre-process the input data.For air quality prediction,an ensemble of three DL models has been involved,namely autoencoder(AE),long short-term memory(LSTM),and deep belief network(DBN).Furthermore,the COA-based hyperparameter tuning procedure can be designed to adjust the hyperparameter values of the DL models.The simulation outcome of the COAEDL-APP algorithm was tested on the air quality database,and the outcomes stated the improved performance of the COAEDL-APP algorithm over other existing systems with maximum accuracy of 98.34%.