Interactions between water-land resources and oasis urban development at the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains,Xinjiang,China

Urban development in arid and semi-arid regions is largely constrained by fragile physical environ- ments. The characteristics of an urban settlement are different from those in other regions of China. This paper analyses the coupling characteristics and spatio-temporal variations for oasis urban development and water-land resources at the northern slopes of the Tianshan Mountains by principal component analysis and a coupling degree model. The result shows that the degree and change in regional use of water and land resources are different among the studied cities/counties during their development. The built-up areas of these cities/counties have changed little with increasing populations and urbanization levels, which well reflects that the urban development in arid and semi-arid regions is limited by oasis areas. Per capita amount of water supplied, however, presented a trend of slowed growth with increasing levels of urbanization. Water consumption gradually increased with urban development and the improvement of people＇s living standards, accompanied by enhanced water use efficiency. The level of urbanization can be assessed through the coupling degree between oasis urban development and the use of water and land resources. A high coupling degree represents a high level of comprehensive urban devel- opment and use of water-land resources. Alternatively, a low coupling degree denotes a low level of urban devel- opment and water-land resource use.

A relationship between red tide outbreaks and urban development along the coasts of Guangdong Province

Red tides are one of the main coastal catastrophic events in Guangdong Province of southern China. The comparison between the number of red tide events and the development indexes of cities along the coasts of the province shows that the regional differences in red tide outbreaks has close relations with the coastal urban developments. The cause for an initiation of red tide blooms may be natural factors, while wastewater caused by the fast development of population, industry and aquiculture of the coastal cities enhanced the blooms. It may explain why the two periods of frequent outbreaks of the red tides over the last two decades matched the urban developments in the coastal areas of Guangdong not only spatially but also temporally. The red tides in the first period were restricted only to the coasts of middle Guangdong, where urbanization process was at a higher speed than the other coastal areas of the province. In the second period, fast development of the coastal cities in eastern Guangdong led to an increase in the occurrence of red tides in local sea areas of the same coasts.

Changing Concepts of City and Urban Planning Practices in Guangzhou(1949–2010): An Approach to Sustainable Urban Development

By focusing on Guangzhou, this paper examines how different concepts of city in terms of urban-rural relationships are shaped in transforming China since 1949, and explores how they influence the way in which urban planning are practiced. In the pre-reform era, the city was defined as a productive space under the system of urban-rural segregation established for securing rapid industrialization. Urban planning was thus only concerned with the development of urban areas. In the 1980 s and 1990 s after the reform, institutional change and economic transformation mobilized the urban-rural linkages. The development of suburban areas was then considered by urban planning, but this consideration was a passive response to urban problems such as population explosion and water resources protection. Since the new millennium, the agenda for sustainable development and problems of uneven urban-rural development have called for the development of urban-rural integration. In this context, the city is conceptualized as a complex of mountain, city, river, farmland and sea, reconstructing the ideology of urban-rural division in defining urban development. Urban planning has therefore sought in an active way to develop a sustainable city embracing rural and natural elements, and to balance economic growth and environmental protection. It is argued that developing the concept of city as a complex of urban and rural elements contributes to the urban planning for sustainable urban development, while this conceptualization relies on the recognition of the integrated urban-rural relationship.

Urban Development Boundary Simulation Based on“Double Evaluation”and FLUS Model

The delimitation of urban development boundaries plays an important role in optimizing the nation land space.“Double evaluation”is one of the important means to study and predict the scale of new construction land in the future and to determine the spatial distribution of urban construction land.This study combines the“double evaluation”with the FLUS(Future Land-Use Simulation)model to study the delimitation of the urban development boundary of Yichang.The results show that:(1)the“double evaluation”method comprehensively considers the carrying capacity of the resource environmental bear and the suitability of urban development;(2)the FLUS model can better couple the“double evaluation”method for Land Use/Land Cover(LULC)suitability evaluation,Land Use/land Cover Change(LUCC)simulation and urban development boundary delineation,and the overall accuracy of the simulation reaches 96%;(3)according to the requirements of relevant national policies,this study divides the urban development boundary of the study area into concentrated construction areas,elastic development areas and special purpose areas.This function-based division can meet the requirements of urban flexible development,ecological protection and urban safety.This research combines the FLUS model,which is widely used in the simulation of LUCC,with the double evaluation method used in China’s new round of land and space planning to obtain the result of the urban development boundary.This result is consistent with the existing plan of the study area.

Unified Data Model of Urban Air Pollution Dispersion and 3D Spatial City Model:Groundwork Assessment towards Sustainable Urban Development for Malaysia

Understanding the behavior of urban air pollution is important en route for sustainable urban development (SUD). Malaysia is on its mission to be a developed country by year 2020 comprehends dealing with air pollution is one of the indicators headed towards it. At present monitoring and managing air pollution in urban areas encompasses sophisticated air quality modeling and data acquisition. However, rapid developments in major cities cause difficulties in acquiring the city geometries. The existing method in acquiring city geometries data via ground or space measurement inspection such as field survey, photogrammetry, laser scanning, remote sensing or using architectural plans appears not to be practical because of its cost and efforts. Moreover, air monitoring stations deployed are intended for regional to global scale model whereby it is not accurate for urban areas with typical resolution of less than 2 km. Furthermore in urban areas, the pollutant dispersion movements are trapped between buildings initiating it to move vertically causing visualization complications which imply the limitations of existing visualization scheme that is based on two-dimensional (2D) framework. Therefore this paper aims is to perform groundwork assessment and discuss on the current scenario in Malaysia in the aspect of current policies towards SUD, air quality monitoring stations, scale model and detail discussion on air pollution dispersion model used called the Operational Street Pollution Model (OSPM). This research proposed the implementation of three-dimensional (3D) spatial city model as a new physical data input for OSPM. The five Level of Details (LOD) of 3D spatial city model shows the scale applicability for the dispersion model implementtation. Subsequently 3D spatial city model data commonly available on the web, by having a unified data model shows the advantages in easy data acquisition, 3D visualization of air pollution dispersion and improves visual analysis of air quality monitoring in urban areas.

IMPACTS OF SEA LEVEL RISE ON MAJOR PROJECTS AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT IN CHINA'S COASTAL PLAINS

Due to the dual dris oftural and man-made factors, relative sea leverise in China's coastal plains can be 2 to 3 times over the global mean dunng thefirst half of the 21st Century, it will strongly whuence the vanous coastal projectsand installations and the development of coastal dhes and towns. Research resultsshow that a 50-cm-nse in relative sea leve will cause maed decline in the functionof coastal defense and drainage projects and seriously endangur the functionalworking of the vast majority of coastal harbors. Meanwhile, it will also whuence thedevelopment of coastal dhes and towns throwi deterioratin water quality of thesource of urban water supply, increasing urban fiood risk and damagin seasidetounst resources etc.. Tianin, Shanghai and Guangzhou, the three most importancoastal dhes of China, will be Strongly affeded.

The conception framework of Asian urban development in transition

Aiming at providing references to China's urban development in the reform era, this paper gives a brief summary of the recent academic advances about the contemporary urban development in Asia. Mainly based on reviewing the literature concerning Asian specificity, the author attempts at addressing the current critical orientations of international urban studies. The basic issues covered are the 1) changing conception of major forces for urbanization; 2) the. new concerns upon alternative urbanization approaches, ac 3) the more attention to the necessary reform of urban governance for a sustainable urban development

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.

On the status and role of social sports in urban development

The importance of social sports in urban development show that it makes the quality of urban residents greatly improved and becomes a strong surge of power to promote the development of economy; it makes the cultural connotations of the city more abundant and becomes the propeller of urban cultural development. And the specific roles show that it forms the group of physical and mental health in the city; it makes sports become an important part of people＇ s lives; it cultivates and enhances the citizens＇ sense of honor; it improves the urban management and enhances the image of the city.

Minister Hou Jie on China's Housing Construction and Urban Development

At a reception held recently, Mr. Hou Jie, Minister of Construction, spoke about China’s housing construction and urban development. According to Mr. Hou Jie, the Chinese government always pays high attention to housing development, and has adopted many policies to speed up the construction of houses. Especially since 1979 when China introduced the policy of reform and opening, residential housing has developed rapidly and witnessed outstanding achievement. From 1979 to 1996, 13.8 billion square metres of residential

Mega-Events Serve as Catalysts for Rapid Urban Development--Take the Rio Olympics as an Example

During the past decades,more attention has paid to the concept of leveraging sports mega-events to fast-track urban development and bring lasting value for host city(Legroux,2014).The 2016 Rio Olympics brings a great chance to the city to transform,promoting economic development including boosting tourism,attracting investment and stimulating infrastructure development.However,unbalanced development of the three aspects of ecological,economy and social inclusion exists in the Olympic projects.More attention is paid for the economic accumulation and most public facilities are built in well-developed areas.At the end of the article,some recommendations are come up for coordinated development.The government should focus on the equal distribution of resources and public participation.The development taking the Olympic Games as an opportunity should adhere to the principle of sustainable development.Considering the decreasing trend of bidding for the Olympic Games,low-cost and high-efficiency development models should be applied.

Open Space Implications in Urban Development: Reflections in Recent Urban Planning Practices in Nepal

Open space has various implications in urban development planning and has been integrated in recent urban planning approaches and practices in Nepal.The open spaces are not only important for(re)shaping the urban form but are also important for enhancing urban social life and disaster risk management,particularly for dense cities.As most of the cities in Nepal have been growing haphazardly,the cities lack sufficient open space.However,the value of open space in dense cities like Kathmandu has been recognized more after the Gorkha Earthquake 2015 as the open spaces were extensively used for risk relief,treatment,recovery,and rehabilitation during and after the earthquake.With this background,this paper presents the major planning initiatives in Nepal and discusses how recent urban plans have provisioned and initiated open spaces development by reviewing concurrent urban planning practices,particularly reviewing Periodic Plans,Integrated Urban Development Plan,Smart City Plan,and Land Development Plan.The development of open areas has not been given much attention in the earlier urban planning practice but recent urban development planning has emphasized with a special focus which is very important for sustainable and safer city development and is expected to address the current bulging urban issues of spatiality and sociability.Therefore,it is very important for integrating open space implications in city planning and such open space should be conceptualized according to the city’s geography,landscape as well as socio-cultural contexts.

Theoretical framework of the Isfahani style: Inspiring sustainable aspects of a vernacular urban development

The Isfahani style represents a method of traditional Iranian architecture and urban development that existed in the early 20th century and is regarded as a leading model in most traditional Iranian cities. It exhibits several vigorous features contributing to its recognition as a traditional approach to sustainable architecture and urban development. This research endeavors to reveal a theoretical framework beneath these inspiring aspects using the typology of sustainable modern forms, including the hierarchy, passive design strategies, compactness, density, diversity, mixed land use, pluralism, balance, good composition, and integration over time. To this end, the study employs qualitative research methods, drawing from traditional samples, to identify innovative, energy and socially efficient, and low-impact strategies implemented in this vernacular architecture of Iran's semi-arid and hot climates. The findings revealed that the neighborhood concept as a local and plural community (Mahalla) was a vital phenomenon in Iran's urban development. Apparently, the demise of this paradigm effectively played an important role in the numerous challenges regarding the social, energy, and economic viability of modern Iranian cities. Hence, this study presented theoretical frameworks—aligned with sustainable concepts—from the Isfahani style through its analysis, classification, and interpretation, which can contribute to modern urban development.

Identifying influencing factors and characterizing key issues in urban sustainable development capacity through machine learning

In response to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and China’s“Dual Carbon”Goals(DCGs means the goals of“Carbon Peak and carbon neutrality”),this paper from the perspective of the construction of China’s Innovation Demonstration Zones for Sustainable Development Agenda(IDZSDAs),combines carbon emission-related metrics to construct a comprehensive assessment system for Urban Sustainable Development Capacity(USDC).After obtaining USDC assessment results through the assessment system,an approach combining Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator(LASSO)regression and Random Forest(RF)based on machine learning is proposed for identifying influencing factors and characterizing key issues.Combining Coupling Coordination Degree(CCD)analysis,the study further summarizes the systemic patterns and future directions of urban sustainable development.A case study on the IDZSDAs from 2015 to 2022 reveals that:(1)the combined identification method based on machine learning and CCD models effectively quantifies influencing factors and key issues in the urban sustainable development process;(2)the correspondence between influencing factors and key subsystems identified by the LASSO-RF combination model is generally consistent with the development situations in various cities;and(3)the machine learning-based combined recognition method is scalable and dynamic.It enables decision-makers to accurately identify influencing factors and characterize key issues based on actual urban development needs.

AN APPROACH ON SEVERAL PROBLEMS OF CHINA'S URBANIZATION DEVELOPMENT

China, having urique national conditions, is facing a basic contradiction between large numbers of less educated surplus rural labor forces and limited capacities of urban employment and infrastructure on the urbanization process.Hence, the urbanization model should prevail in comprehensive and several ways: (1)On occupational and spatial shift rural surplus labors, two fashions of 'leaving land bot not countryside' and 'leaving both land and countryside' should be integrated with joint effort of cities and countryside. (2) On urbanization motive, urban construction will be invested by not only the govermment (from the upper), but the locality, personnel and foreigners (from the lower). (3) On urban scales, metropolis,large, medium-sized and small cities and towns should play fully their roles to absorb rural surplus lanors. Thereby, the present urban development policy needs to be rectified, which this paper has discussed particularly. (4) On account of great regional disparities in China, urban development should perform different models in different regions. In addition, this paper has also focused on the problem and its primary countermeasures of 'labor force mass', a hot issue closely related to urbanization and rural labor transfer.

Influence Factors of Urban Sustainable Development of Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region——with a Case of Urumqi

Urban sustainable development is under influence of social, economic and environmental factors. Xinjiang is in a new cross-domain development stage, and the research on urban sustainable development in Xinjiang wil be an important contribu-tion to sustainable development in western China. In this paper, with the district of Urumqi city as the study area, environmental indicators in 2011 economic society were col ected to establish an index system of factors affecting the sustainable de-velopment, and to make analysis and comprehensive evaluation on the influence factors, proposing suggestions and countermeasures of sustainable development in districts or counties in Urumqi County as per quantitative and qualitative analysis methods.

Urban sprawl and its impact on sustainable urban development:a combination of remote sensing and social media data

Urbanization is one of the most impactful human activities across the world today affecting the quality of urban life and its sustainable development.Urbanization in Africa is occurring at an unprecedented rate and it threatens the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).Urban sprawl has resulted in unsustainable urban development patterns from social,environmental,and economic perspectives.This study is among the first examples of research in Africa to combine remote sensing data with social media data to determine urban sprawl from 2011 to 2017 in Morogoro urban municipality,Tanzania.Random Forest(RF)method was applied to accomplish imagery classification and location-based social media(Twitter usage)data were obtained through a Twitter Application Programming Interface(API).Morogoro urban municipality was classified into built-up,vegetation,agriculture,and water land cover classes while the classification results were validated by the generation of 480 random points.Using the Kernel function,the study measured the location of Twitter users within a 1 km buffer from the center of the city.The results indicate that,expansion of the city(built-up land use),which is primarily driven by population expansion,has negative impacts on ecosystem services because pristine grasslands and forests which provide essential ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration and support for biodiversity have been replaced by built-up land cover.In addition,social media usage data suggest that there is the concentration of Twitter usage within the city center while Twitter usage declines away from the city center with significant spatial and numerical increase in Twitter usage in the study area.The outcome of the study suggests that the combination of remote sensing,social sensing,and population data were useful as a proxy/inference for interpreting urban sprawl and status of access to urban services and infrastructure in Morogoro,and Africa city where data for urban planning is often unavailable,inaccurate,or stale.

Environmental influence of Wuhan urban agglomeration development and strategies of environmental protection

In Wuhan urban agglomeration （WUA）, the population growth and concentration, the industrial development and urban sprawl have been affecting the environment ftmdamentally. Comparing with Yangtze delta metropolitan region, the level of urbanization and industrialization of WUA has lagged behind for about 10 years; but the problems in environmental protection and rehabilitation are commonly serious. In the future, WUA should avoid unnecessary mistakes and seek a win-win strategy for economy and environment in its large-scale development stage. Based on the analysis of the changing of main environmental pollutants and the coupled curves in past decades, the paper discussed the important links among the urban environmental pollutions, industry growth and urban sprawl in WUA. It is concluded that the integration of economic and environmental policies in urban development is more required and significant at the large urban agglomeration region. Four proactive and long-term strategies need to be adopted to provide prior guidance and better protection for the development of WUA.

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.