T21 China 2050: A Tool for National Sustainable Development Planning

The Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs)of the United Nations 2030 Agenda are a key focus for implementing the Sustainable Development(SD)concept.But generally speaking,SD goals and targets are continuously evolving,country specific,complex to implement,and are often given relatively short time horizons,such as the 15-year horizon for the SDGs.Many SD issues need a much longer time horizon as the policy interventions to deal with these issues can take decades before their effects become apparent,which is especially true for China.The T21 China 2050 is developed to study the long-term SD challenges and opportunities of the country.In its business-as-usual simulation to 2050,T21 China 2050 reveals some of the sustainability challenges facing China,including 1)aging population and labor force decline,2)huge food imports,3)land degradation and loss of arable land,4)water shortages,5)huge fossil fuel imports,and 6)carbon dioxide emissions.These SD issues are a subset of the SDGs specifically relevant to China over a time horizon well beyond 2030.The model is then used to test possible policy interventions in these six areas under two separate scenarios:Balanced and Narrowly Focused.The major results from these two scenarios are compared with those of the business-as-usual scenario.The simulations show that by adopting certain policy measures,China’s path towards SD can be further improved.It also shows that a variety of policy measures can be selected and tested with the T21 China 2050 model for exploring the future SD prospects of the country.Specific policies recommended include:extension of retirement age,adjustment of the current family planning policy,protection of agriculture land,promotion of agricultural R&D to raise yield,improvement of public transportation to slow private vehicle ownership,increased investment in renewable energy,and water conservation.

IRP/DSM and Sustainable Development

This paper introduces the energy consumption status in China, elaborate the affects of the unreasonable energy consumption structure on energy environment and sustainable development of economy. Simultaneously, it points out the solution, i.e., to implement integrated resources planning (IRP)/demand side management (DSM), and gives some recommendations on the way of implementing IRP/DSM.

Sustainable Development Plan Based on Mathematic Model Analysis

Sustainable development has been a global issue, which focuses on balancing human needs with the earth＇ s health. In this paper, we construct a model to distinguish the sustainability of a country. To evaluate the sustainability of a country, we select eight metrics based on four aspects： Society, Economics, Ecology and Politics. We use BP neural network to obtain the sustainability ranking and use Grey Relational Analysis to calculate the sustainability scores of 187countries. By combining the ranking and the score, we develop a measure to define whether a country is sustainable or not. The critical point is Maldives, which ranks No. 103 and scores 63.65. As one of least developed countries, Uganda ranks No.164 and scores 48.79, according to our measure. Based on Uganda＇ s society, population, natural resources, etc., we draft a 20-year （2013-2033） sustainable development plan that integrates the social, economic, ecological and political components. The overall goal of the plan is to transform Uganda into a sustainable country and make noticeable progress in the ranking. Furthermore, to analyze changes＇ influence on our plan, we take climate change as an example. The weights of Environment and Health will be modified by climate change, causing a reduction in the growth rate of sustainability score.

Underground space planning in Helsinki

This paper gives insight into the use of underground space in Helsinki,Finland.The city has an underground master plan(UMP) for its whole municipal area,not only for certain parts of the city.Further,the decision-making history of the UMP is described step-by-step.Some examples of underground space use in other cities are also given.The focus of this paper is on the sustainability issues related to urban underground space use,including its contribution to an environmentally sustainable and aesthetically acceptable landscape,anticipated structural longevity and maintaining the opportunity for urban development by future generations.Underground planning enhances overall safety and economy efficiency.The need for underground space use in city areas has grown rapidly since the 21 st century;at the same time,the necessity to control construction work has also increased.The UMP of Helsinki reserves designated space for public and private utilities in various underground areas of bedrock over the long term.The plan also provides the framework for managing and controlling the city’s underground construction work and allows suitable locations to be allocated for underground facilities.Tampere,the third most populated city in Finland and the biggest inland city in the Nordic countries,is also a good example of a city that is taking steps to utilise underground resources.Oulu,the capital city of northern Finland,has also started to ‘go underground’.An example of the possibility to combine two cities by an 80-km subsea tunnel is also discussed.A new fixed link would generate huge potential for the capital areas of Finland and Estonia to become a real Helsinki-Tallinn twin city.

Sustainable Development,Rational Planning–Annual National Planning Conference 2017 Successfully Held in Dongguan

The Annual National Planning Conference 2017(shortened as the Conference hereinafter)was held in Dongguan from Nov.18to 20.The theme of the Conference was'Sustainable Development,Rational Planning,'which aims to call on planners to better study and act on the spirit of the 19th CPC National Congress and fundamentally promote reform and innovation of the plan-