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Abstract Given the ongoing "mobility turn" in social science research, a more comprehensive understanding of segregation is needed. Activity-space-based segregation studies have aroused renewed interests in geography and urban planning research. Most of the existing studies utilized the differences in spatial characteristics of people's actual activity space to identify the segregation among social groups. However, few studies have examined activity-space-based segregation in terms of individuals' potential activity space and the temporal variations in their segregation experiences. This paper aims to help fill these two research gaps by implementing an empirical study in Beijing. We examine the activity-space-based segregation of the residents of different types of housing in a Beijing suburb in terms of both actual activity space and potential activity space. We further investigate the temporal variations of the residents' segregation experiences during a week. A 7-day individual GPS tracking dataset, combined with the activity diary data and the socioeconomic attributes data of 422 participants is used for the study. The major finding is that residents of different types of housing in Beijing do experience activity-space-based segregation, while the characteristics of segregation vary with respect to actual activity space and potential activity space. Also, participants' segregation experiences varies between different days of the week. This paper offers some empirical evidence on enriching the understanding of activity-space-based segregation research as well as improving the understanding about social segregation among the residents of different types of housing in Chinese cities. It also generates some nuanced knowledge for future policy recommendations in a broad context. Highlights • Residents of different housing types in Beijing do experience activity-space-based segregation, while the characters of segregation varies in AAS and PAS. • The residents of affordable housing have both the smallest AAS and PAS on weekdays, which makes them the most isolated group. • With respect to the residents of market housing and institutional housing, they have relatively large AAS on weekdays while having relatively moderate PAS. • As for the residents of resettlement housing, their PAS are relatively large, although their AAS are small. • Significant differences in the extensity of both the AAS and PAS of the residents in different housing types can only be identified on weekdays. In weekends, differences in the extensity of the activity spaces are not significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: It is not feasible to apply the traditional prediction method to predict hourly building cooling load at the urban energy planning stage because of the limited building information and complexity of energy prediction. This paper presents a simplified prediction model: Hourly Cooling Load Factor Method (HCLFM) that can provide quick and fair estimate of building cooling load for large-scale urban energy planning. The paper introduces the assumptions and principles of the proposed method, as well as discussing the implication and limitation of the approach. As a verification and demonstration, the method is applied to an office building in Beijing. The predicted results show that the dynamical trend of the cooling load is reasonable. The study further analyzes the potential causes of prediction errors and the significance of various cooling load influence factors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Urban containment policies, including urban growth boundaries, urban service boundaries and greenbelts, have been extensively discussed worldwide for managing urban growth. This paper focuses on the issues associated with supporting an urban containment plan and its application in China using a planning support system. The background is that the urban containment plan has been enacted as a new component of the urban plan under the City Planning Law of the People’s Republic of China. In China, the accommodating or restrictive features are integrated as control factors (CFs), which include control indicators for land-use type control, urban activity control, building height control, as well as underground development control. This paper proposes an urban containment planning support system (UC-PSS) based on ArcGIS for automatically compiling the Beijing urban containment plan considering 60 control factors with various control indicators. The compiled plan was also applied for reviewing urban master and district detail plans in Beijing supported by the UC-PSS. The effectiveness of UC-PSS was comprehensively evaluated from the perspectives of planning compilation and planning review via interviewing urban containment planners (main users of the UC-PSS) in Beijing. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

In previous urban planning research, the fine-grained population was considered a crucial factor. However, this population, which is generated from census data, represents only the number of people who live in a region. This static figure cannot indicate the underlying number of people and their temporal variation. Therefore, any decision-making based on the static population may be separated from reality. To overcome this difficulty, in this paper, the urban crowd flux is initially proposed and defined as the number of individuals flowing into or out of a region per unit time interval. Then, the urban crowd flux is estimated using an approach of human trajectory gridding reconstruction based on mobile phone location data. This approach is divided into three steps. First, the trajectory of each individual is extracted from sparse sampling of mobile phone location data after data cleansing. Then, combining with a road network, the trajectory of each individual is reconstructed by network interpolation based on the shortest path algorithm in regular grids. Third, we use the velocities of each user's trajectory record to estimate the urban crowd flux on spatio-temporal grids at each time slice. Finally, urban crowd flux in Beijing, China were estimated using our method and the spatio-temporal characteristics of flux is analyzed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we present a formal analysis of the neighborhood vibrancy created by urban form. We use Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to develop quantitative measures of urban form and define neighborhood vibrancy based on a GPS-based activity survey in suburban Beijing. An Urban Form index was adopted to determine that our measures of urban form capture meaningful differences in the characteristics of urban neighborhoods – differences that may have direct impacts on neighborhood vibrancy. Specifically, high density and mixed land use are strongly positively correlated with neighborhood vibrancy, whereas developed external traffic systems are negative. However, a thorough inter-circulation system and convenient accessibility do not always boost neighborhood vibrancy. These factors lose efficacy when gated neighborhoods are selected and surrounding facilities are distributed far away. Our study argues that urban planners, using their professional judgment, can contribute to urban vitality at the neighborhood scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The creative industries and the digital economy have become the drivers for the metropolises of China. Despite the rapid transformation towards knowledge production in China, the understanding of the role of informalities (like urban villages) in creative cities is still lacking. This paper examines the following interrelated questions: a) why have urban villages become the cluster/assemblages for a circuit of knowledge production (e.g. , digital work, media, and arts); and b) how is the assemblage of creative communities created by the growing rent-gap seeking regimes with different agency and everyday practices as shown in Beijing's artist and IT worker villages? Our investigations of the Heiqiao and Shigezhuang Villages in Beijing reveal that the Chinese rural land system has shaped the porous and interstitial spaces (e.g. , urban villages as the " semi-commons " for landowners and migrant tenants) in the regime-specific community-making and is distinctive from Western models of creative cluster formation. This study refines Florida's elitist-oriented analysis where the "creative class" prefers the "quality of place," and the city thus needs to enhance the quality of life to attract creative workers. The artist and IT worker villages, as a microcosm of the like-minded creative worker assemblage, are also sites for establishing contacts and fostering interaction in creative production. It is the quality of the public realm and networking (beyond the quality of the built environment) that shapes the assemblage of creative communities in urban villages. The networking and grass-roots alliance (as " semi-commons ") can help cope with the appropriation and provision problems facing " commons." • Urban village as semi-commons is a floating oasis for low-wage creative workers. • We need a relational and negotiated view on temporary land use in semi-commons. • Creative workers can unleash creativity in the Rent Gap Seeking Stage II . • Artist and IT worker villages take varied spatial forms and neighborhood activity. • Urban planning can become "softer" to allow for temporary uses of space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite modes of governance having been recently identified, little research has explained the impetus for the formation and transformation of these modes of governance in an authoritarian political setting. This paper aims to close the gap by combining fragmented state and grassroots governance with institutionalism's “structure–agency” framework. A case study of Jiuxianqiao's redevelopment was undertaken to analyze its shifting modes of governance. The research found that the mobilized citizens and the Central government with its priority on social stability indirectly resulted in the formation of an alliance, which strongly counteracted the pro-growth coalition between Chaoyang's District Government and private enterprises in Jiuxianqiao redevelopment. Consequently, the alliance of the Central government and society moved the transformation from the realm of public–private governance to a more inclusive type of governance in urban redevelopment. However, additional research is needed to verify its generality in China's urban redevelopment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Land development impacts of mass transit have long been studied in the developed economies. Yet relatively little is known by the outside world about the Chinese experience due to China''s rather short history in the development of modern mass transit and land/property market. This paper attempts to fill the gap by presenting evidence from China, with a detailed case study of Beijing. Selecting three newly built suburban transit lines in Beijing, the study examined land development context and estimated hedonic housing price models to measure the proximity premiums associated with these three lines. The empirical evidence in Beijing, one of the first tier mass transit cities in China, shows that investments in mass transit can have significant and positive impacts on land development. Properties with transit proximity enjoy sizable price or value premiums. The study also confirms the international experience: transit impacts on land development are unlikely to occur automatically; they rely greatly on supportive regional and site conditions. Integrated planning and design for mass transit and land development are critical to expand and maximize the return of transit investments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Taking Beijing as a case study, this paper analyses new trends in peri-urbanisation and the city’s planning responses after 2000 in China. The results of the analysis show that the percentage of temporary migrant residents continues to grow in the peri-urban region and the social inequalities in relation to quality of life between local people and migrants have increased there. In particular, there is a concentration of thousands of young and well-educated migrants in the peri-urban region, resulting in a new kind of urban slum. Sprawling development still dominates Beijing’s fringe. New planning policies related to an urban–rural integration strategy have played a positive role in improving living conditions in rural areas and reducing the social and economic gaps between urban and rural areas in the peri-urban region. However, planning in the peri-urban region is still facing new challenges due to vertically and horizontally fragmented management, growing market forces, and social discrimination caused by the remnants of the hukou mechanism. This suggests that it will not be easy to achieve the planning goal of urban–rural integration and harmony society unless further actions are taken to enhance political capacity of planning system in Beijing. The capacity-building of planning should be facilitated if institutional innovations can be made in arrangements of power, rights, public resources, accountability, and legitimacy in the planning system. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper aims to discuss innovative plan models for Chinese cities that are currently under rapid development. The study considers Complexity Theories of Cities as the theoretical basis and applies a holistic approach in city planning by recognizing the complex nature of city. It strives to integrate the diverse local structure in social and spatial aspects with the ambition and demand of city''s expansion. Digital sequence simulation is used as an innovative tool to represent local activities, promote interventions and predict possible self-organization process in the future. The study arrives at an open scenario, the feasible prospect. A conclusion is drawn to reflect the process and achievement and propose future works for this research. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: As a significant factor in urban planning, traffic forecasting and prediction of epidemics, modeling patterns of human mobility draws intensive attention from researchers for decades. Power-law distribution and its variations are observed from quite a few real-world human mobility datasets such as the movements of banking notes, trackings of cell phone users’ locations and trajectories of vehicles. In this paper, we build models for 20 million trajectories with fine granularity collected from more than 10 thousand taxis in Beijing. In contrast to most models observed in human mobility data, the taxis’ traveling displacements in urban areas tend to follow an exponential distribution instead of a power-law. Similarly, the elapsed time can also be well approximated by an exponential distribution. Worth mentioning, analysis of the interevent time indicates the bursty nature of human mobility, similar to many other human activities. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Urban wetlands, a complex social–economic–natural ecosystem, are known to provide many valuable ecological benefits to urban ecosystems. There has been much achievement related to wetland research, however, the research on urban wetland planning is lag. In this paper, the methodology on urban wetland planning was explored from the viewpoint of urban planning. Firstly, the major ecological services of urban wetlands, i.e., its efficacies on water purification, flood control, local microclimate adjustment, and scenic creation and cultural heritage are thoroughly discussed based on the ecological complexity research on urban wetland. Then, from the viewpoint of urban wetland planning, urban wetlands were classified as flood control wetlands, water purification wetlands, cultural, scenic wetlands, etc. Urban wetland planning techniques were proposed, including the setting of main functions; the appropriate locations of urban wetlands; the calculation of urban wetland areas; the determination of urban wetland spatial distribution, and the method of estimating ecological water requirements. Finally, after an in-depth investigation of the wetland situations in Beijing, a document for urban wetland planning in Beijing central region was drafted in accordance with development objectives set forth by Beijing government. In the planning, the acreage and spatial location of each type of urban wetlands were determined, and estimates of ecological water requirement by urban wetlands and its deployment were also given. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: For decades through the 1980s, housing units in major Chinese cities were “bonded” to jobs as they were located together with or very close to places of employment within large, walled danwei compounds. From the 1990s, accelerated suburbanization of population in major Chinese cities fueled by urban redevelopment, urban land reform and urban housing reform has fundamentally altered the jobs–housing spatial relation. The “spatial bond” that existed between urban jobs and urban housing for decades has dissolved and is being replaced by a prominent “spatial mismatch” when the jobs–housing relationship becomes increasingly imbalanced in space. This paper examines the new jobs–housing imbalance by assessing the extent of employment–residence spatial mismatch in Beijing. This analysis based on statistical data shows that the spatial imbalance between employment and population has become increasingly pronounced over time across urban districts. It is especially evident in the inner city where the loss of residents continues and the concentration of employment persists. The analysis of survey data, which focuses on people’s commuting patterns and travel behaviors, also provides strong evidence of spatial imbalance. Meanwhile, it reveals some of the impacts on job accessibility and other aspects of urban life. This study contributes to the understanding of how suburbanization has been unfolding in major Chinese cities and how it has been transforming urban development and urban life. It also adds to the understanding of the spatial dynamics of employment–housing relationship based on Beijing’s experience and sheds lights on the multifarious nature of the spatial mismatch problem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Urban Development Zones are always constructed rapidly and intensively, resulting in contingent ecological and environmental problems. This paper establishes a set of ecological-security index system for urban development and construction. It utilizes Pressure-State-Response (P-S-R) model to select frequently-used indexes, which represent the features of urban society, economy, and ecosystem environment. Through public survey and the analysis of the questionnaires, and Analytic Hierarchy Process (A-H-P) analysis, it prioritizes all the indices and screens out a set of operational eco-security index system according to the principle of monitorability. This method is applied to establish the eco-security monitoring index system for Beijing Eco-Tech Development Zone, therefore to provide basis for dynamic eco-security monitoring for the development and construction of Beijing Eco-Tech Zone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The peri-urban area of fast growing Chinese cities is under great pressure from the land demands of urban expansion, resulting in the loss of arable land, environmental deterioration and social exclusion of village communities. The recent development of agro-tourism enterprises in peri-urban areas, as a form of commercial urban agriculture, offers a means to promote integrated urban and rural development in a manner that can counteract some of the negative impacts of urbanization. This paper describes and analyzes the performance of a large-scale agro-tourism enterprise, Xiedao Green Resort in Beijing, over the period 2004–2008. The business model combines agricultural production and tourism services fostering a demand-supply relationship between urban and rural areas. It offers a way to improve the quality of agricultural products and services, while developing multiple functions of agro-tourism which have wider economic, environmental and social benefits, creating opportunities for integrated and sustainable urban–rural development. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Spatially explicit urban expansion models that can trace urban development in the past and predict the expansion scenarios in the future are indispensable for examining urban planning policies. This paper demonstrates a new urban expansion scenario (UES) model by coupling one “bottom-up” cellular automata (CA)-based model and one “top-down” system dynamics (SD)-based model. By implementing the UES model in Beijing, the urban evolution from 1991 to 2004 was simulated and the UESs from 2004 to 2020 were predicted. The results suggest that a dilemma of urban expansion versus limited water resource and environment deterioration exists. Dealing with such a dilemma remains a challenge for the local government. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The regeneration of old residential areas in China is facing a complex trap involving all kinds of stakeholders. On the one hand, ambiguous property rights, huge infrastructure investment arrears, and strict urban planning regulations make it challenging for market forces and social capital to enter the field of regeneration of old residential areas. On the other hand, the lack of an effective urban governance and social mobilization system leads to governance failures in the regeneration process. To break out of the above traps theoretically and practically, we construct an analytical framework called the Urban Regeneration Engine Model, in which the city government and the urban regeneration operator act as dual engines of urban regeneration. This dual engine drives the increase in social capital in the regeneration process and promotes the participation of the government, enterprises, residents, social organizations, and financial institutions. The positive feedback that comes from social capital increase further diversifies the fundraising sources, reduces the governance cost, and promotes the sustainable development of the community. Taking the Jinsong Community, one of the earliest residential communities in Beijing after the reform and opening up, as an example, this paper shows that the Urban Regeneration Engine Model provides a feasible and effective model for the regeneration of old residential areas in China and other developing countries facing similar problems. • We construct an analytical framework called Urban Regeneration Engine Model (UREM). • We provide a perspective on social capital as the driving force of sustainable regeneration for old residential areas. • The city government and the urban regeneration operator act as dual engines in the UREM. • UREM promotes the participation of various social stakeholders by increasing social capital in the community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The demand for Underground Logistics Systems (ULSs) in Chinese new cities. • Suitability of goods and freight types in ULSs is discussed. • Independent and integrated ULS network systems are compared and analyzed. • "Breakthroughs" for the ULS applications are presented. Underground logistics systems (ULSs) has been an important topic and research hotspot for urban underground space use in China, especially for implementation in new cities and districts, as it is a necessary element to be considered for city underground space planning. Since these newly planned areas will face many challenges, including increasing logistics volume, spatial constraints etc. if we use the existing freight transport modes similar to old cities. Furthermore, the rapid developments of Chinese new cities provides an opportunity to implement innovative ULS freight transport systems and technology that are efficient and sustainable. Recently, ULS has been included officially in the planning and study for Beijing's Sub-Center, the Yangtze River Demonstration District and other new cities and districts. However, the real value of ULS will not materialize unless it is successfully implemented. This paper presents the exploration, observations and findings of a few proposed ULS planning and research works in the new districts mentioned. The suitability of goods and freight types in ULS, logistic flow demand forecasting and ULS network systems integrated with underground metro or infrastructure are discussed. Both dedicated and integrated ULS network systems are also compared and analyzed. Despite the many advantages, many challenges and difficulties remain in the planning integration, technology adaptation and implementation of ULSs in new districts and cities, thus, interdisciplinary collaborations is one of the key success factors to ensure ULS can be brought to fruition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examined both the macroeconomic and hedonic determinants of housing prices in Beijing. The vector autoregression (VAR) model was used to explain the dynamic impacts of macroeconomic indicators on housing prices, and the geographical weighted regression (GWR) model was used to reveal the spatial variations in the effects of hedonic attributes on housing prices. The VAR results suggest that shocks to the macroeconomic indicators produce different dynamic changes in housing prices. Both an increase in the money supply and a decrease in the mortgage rates lead a rise in housing prices in the long term. Therefore, monetary policies and mortgage rates could be used as long-term financial tools to regulate the dynamics of housing prices. The GWR results show that the effects of hedonic attributes vary spatially. The size of a house has a negative impact on housing prices, especially in the downtown areas. The age of a house also has a negative impact on housing prices, especially in the suburbs. The effect of the number of bedrooms changes from positive in the downtown areas to negative in the suburbs. Furthermore, convenient accessibilities to critical amenities such as commercial centers, metro stations and high-quality schools contribute greatly to high housing prices in the downtown areas. The hedonic analysis of housing prices provides great implications for forming policy on urban planning, building design and public services construction. The core problem concerning urban planning, building design and public services construction in Beijing is the mismatch between working and living spaces. Therefore, relevant policy makings should focus on reducing the mismatch between working and living spaces, which is conductive to alleviating the spatial imbalance between housing supply and demand, narrowing the development gap within the city, and solving the urban diseases. Therefore, one important policy suggestion is that urban planning and public services construction should be upgraded to introduce more governmental offices, job opportunities, high-quality schools, commercial facilities and infrastructures into the suburbs. Another important policy suggestion is that the design for the floor area ratio and internal structures of new residential buildings should be planned to accommodate more residents and form better living environment in the downtown areas. Those suggestions can provide some guidance for solving urban problems in China and in other countries. • Monetary policy and mortgage rate have long-term impacts on housing prices in Beijing. • The effects of hedonic attributes on housing prices change over space significantly. • Relevant policy makings should focus on reducing the mismatch between working and living spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2014, China launched its latest urbanization strategy, the National New-type Urbanization Plan, to promote scientific and reasonable urbanization modes. China's new-type urbanization policy not only affects urban development, but will also have significant impacts on the lives of hundreds of millions of Chinese farmers as well as on the use modes of rural settlements. A thorough analysis of the impacts of new-type urbanization policies on the pattern evolution of rural settlements is therefore critical for developing and proposing a science-based layout scheme of rural settlements and for guiding the development and evolution of rural settlements in a reasonable manner. In this paper, we use the Tongzhou District of Beijing, one of China's new-type urbanization pilot areas, as an example. Applying the CLUE-S model to analyze the impacts of new-type urbanization policies, we simulate the potential influences of the implementation of these policies on the pattern evolution of rural settlements. Based on the results, the implementation of new-type urbanization policies has significant influences on both urban and rural population migration, mainly through the reform of the household registration system. The results further suggest that these policies have significant impacts on the land use scale as well as on the spatial patterns of rural settlements. By 2030, under the scenario of new-type urbanization, the land use scale of rural settlements in Tongzhou District would increase by 0.79% compared with that under the scenario of conventional urbanization. In terms of spatial distribution under new-type urbanization, land use of rural settlements would mainly compete with that of urban land and grassland. We conclude that the spatial distribution of rural settlements in Tongzhou District can be improved and better regulated via reasonable planning. • Simulated rural settlement pattern evolution in the Tongzhou District of Beijing. • Contexts and policies of China's new-type urbanization plan (NUP) were reviewed. • CLUE-S was used to analyze the impacts of NUP on rural settlement. • Household registration system reform impacts the utilization of rural settlement. • Rural settlement increase by 0.79% under NUP compared to conventional urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Property-led urban redevelopment in contemporary Chinese cities often results in the demolition of many historical buildings and neighbourhoods, invoking criticisms from conservationists. In the case of Beijing, the municipal government produced a series of documents in the early 2000s to implement detailed plans to conserve 25 designated historic areas in the Old City of Beijing. This paper aims to examine the recent socio-economic and spatial changes that took place within government-designated conservation areas, and scrutinise the role of the local state and real estate capital that brought about these changes. Based on recent field visits and semi-structured interviews with local residents and business premises in a case study area, this paper puts forward two main arguments. First, Beijing’s urban conservation policies enabled the intervention of the local state to facilitate revalorisation of dilapidated historic quarters and to release dilapidated courtyard houses on the real estate market. The revalorisation was possible with the participation of a particular type of real estate capital that had interests in the aesthetic value that historic quarters and traditional courtyard houses provided. Second, the paper also argues that economic benefits generated by urban conservation, if any, were shared disproportionately among local residents, and that local residents’ lack of opportunities to ‘voice out’ further consolidated the property-led characteristic of urban conservation, which failed to pay attention to social lives. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]