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• A distribution dynamics approach is employed to examine the converge of TFEE across Chinese PAA level cities. • The findings show a clear convergence in TFEE. • Convergence comes more from efficiency drops in high TFEE cities than from efficiency gains in low TFEE cities. • The environmental protection polices in key cities improved energy efficiency. • Large-sized cities show better performance in energy efficiency than small- and medium-sized cities. Improving energy efficiency is considered the most direct route to reducing carbon emissions on a massive scale. To examine the long-run trend of China's energy efficiency, this paper employs a distribution dynamics approach to analyze the convergence of total-factor energy efficiency (TFEE) across 286 Chinese cities between 2002 and 2014. The result suggests the existence of convergence, which comes more from the efficiency declines in the high TFEE cities rather than the efficiency gains in the low TFEE cities. Despite the fact that a few cities have performed well in energy efficiency, the majority of cities have converged to a low-efficiency point. Further analyses show that the inefficiency was attributed to inefficient energy use in small- and medium-sized cities. Our analysis provides strong scientific support for China's ongoing energy conservation and environmental protection policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has witnessed 556 million people migrating to urban areas over the past three decades with the process of urbanization, which has brought enormous pressure on electricity consumption and urban sustainable development. This paper establishes the generalized Divisia Index Decomposition Method (GDIM) model, and aims to reveal the electricity consumption mechanism of urban residents in China between 2000 and 2018. The results show that residential income, per capita electricity consumption and residential appliances are the main driving factors for the growth of urban residential electricity consumption, while the energy-saving willingness and expenditure structure have the inhibiting effect. With the expansion of urban residential income, the increase in income and air-conditioning numbers will continue to promote the growth of urban residential electricity consumption. Then, this paper puts forward relevant suggestions to alleviate the pressure of electricity demand and sustainable development from urban residents in China. [Display omitted] • The growth of power consumption in residential sector mainly comes from urban areas. • Establish GDIM model to decompose urban residential electricity consumption in China • Income has the greatest driving effect on urban residential electricity consumption. • Air-conditioning is the main source of the effect of household appliances. • Energy-saving willingness inhibits urban residential electricity consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Building sustainable cities and communities is a key priority of the Sustainable Development Goals. However, the spatial mismatch of construction land (SMCL) poses a significant challenge to sustainable urban development. This paper presents a new framework for measuring the SMCL from the dual perspectives of planning deviation (PD) and economic mismatch (EM). Using a minimum deviation estimation model, a land-comparable correction method, and the extended HK model, this study focused on 285 cities in China from 2002 to 2021. The results revealed that the PD exhibited an "N"-shaped fluctuating trend, reaching a peak of 27.63 km2 in 2011, with the deviation direction generally characterized by over-planning allocation followed by lack of planning allocation. The eastern region had the highest PD, with an annual average of 35.06 km2, followed by the western region. In contrast, the central and northeast regions had relatively low PD. The EM fluctuated in a "W" shape, with an annual average of 0.37. The direction was always dominated by economic over-allocation and complemented by economic under-allocation. There was also heterogeneity in EM across regions. Furthermore, both PD and EM differed considerably between cities by size. In 2021, most cities in China still existed PD or EM, but EM was more widespread and severe. This indicated that SMCL was still a serious issue in China, and there was still a long way to go to achieve the vision of sustainable allocation of construction land. This paper enriches the relevant literature on SMCL and provides a decision-making reference for governments to implement optimal land allocation. • Provide a new framework for measuring spatial mismatch of construction land (SMCL). • Apply the framework to study the SMCL in 285 Chinese cities in 2002–2021. • Planning deviation (PD) or economic mismatch (EM) existed widely in Chinese cities. • EM is more serious and the pattern of land development needs to change urgently. • The vision of sustainable land allocation in China still has a long way to go. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through a study of the behaviour of already debt-ridden local governments in response to the Made in China 2025 policy, this paper explores whether local governments prioritized State interests over local interests, when their financial involvement was required. Deploying a panel data analysis for more than 280 prefectural-level cities, this paper finds that, despite having been subject to an "Administrative Subcontract" arrangement under which the Central Government appoints top local officials, local economic/debt interests were prioritized over national policy implementation under fiscal decentralization. Instead of promoting infrastructure development, the Made in China 2025 policy provided an opportunity for local governments to raise capital via Local Government Financing Vehicles (LGFV) primarily for debt refinancing, despite the State's numerous attempts to control the growth of local government/LGFV debt. Some policy implications concerning i) the effectiveness of national policy implementation on local levels under "Administrative Subcontract" and ii) the debt situations of prefectural-level Chinese cities and their effects on China's economy in general are then discussed. • National policy required local government investment under fiscal decentralization. • Local leadership faced with dilemma between career prospects and mounting debt. • Prefectural-level cities prioritized local interests over State interests. • The Made in China 2025 policy triggered further accumulation of local debt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The extent and mechanisms of the influence of cultural factors on China's population flow have yet to be fully revealed compared to the influence of other factors, such as the level of socioeconomic development. From a network perspective, this paper examines the influence of cultural ties represented by dialect similarity on the tie formation and strength of China's population flow networks. The results are as follows: during the Spring Festival travel rush, dialect similarity increases the probability of tie formation but doesn't influence the strength of ties in China's population flow networks in 2019; however, dialect similarity hinders the tie formation and the increase in the flow intensity in the change of China's population flow networks from 2019 to 2022. During the daily period, more similar dialects between the two cities increase the likelihood of forming network ties and exhibiting stronger levels of population flow in 2019; dialect similarity significantly facilitates tie formation, but it does not affect the flow intensity in the change of China's population flow networks from 2019 to 2022. The results reveal the different influencing effects of dialect similarity in different periods, which is important for revealing the influence mechanism of cultural ties on population flow. • This paper examines the influence of cultural ties on the population flow networks in China in 2019–2022. • The dialect similarity represents the cultural ties. • Binary and valued exponential random graph model (ERGM) and stochastic actor-oriented model (SAOM) are applied. • Cultural ties have different influences on the population flow networks and their changes during different periods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions and climate change risk have become constraints on global economic sustainable development. Environmental regulation (ER) is a key method for achieving synergy in CO 2 and pollution reduction in China. This paper is the first study to explore the effects of ER on CO 2 emissions by exploiting the National Environmental Protection 11th Five-Year Plan (NEP11-FYP). The implementation of the NEP11-FYP significantly decreases CO 2 emissions by 19.73% in key environmental cities relative to other cities. Heterogeneity analyses suggest that this negative impact is larger in western cities and cities with more pressure to reduce CO 2 emissions. Scale effects, structural effects, and technical effects might be three potential influencing channels through which ER contributes to the CO 2 reduction effect. In addition, the results of the spatial externality of the NEP11-FYP demonstrate a positive spillover effect in neighboring cities within a distance of 300 km and a negative spillover effect in cities more than 500 km away. Our empirical findings provide policy implications for implementing low-carbon transition strategies and reducing CO 2 emissions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Challenges to social, economic, and environmental sustainability are global in scale, yet sustainable development policies must be implemented locally. There has been a tendency for sustainable urbanism projects to engage in the conspicuous sustainability of spatially bounded and highly visible sustainability achievements, rather than spatially expansive, long-term achievements. China's complex system of multilevel governance encourages policy experimentation, but it is also frequently productive of entrepreneurial urbanism and intercity competition. This paper analyses spatial planning documents concerning Hengqin (Zhuhai Municipality, Guangdong Province), an island adjacent to Macao SAR, to show how the ambitions for a new-build district's contributions to sustainable development have become more spatially expansive and ambitious over time. This has occurred alongside changes in project leadership (from city, to provincial, to central government leadership) as well as a deepening awareness of the Greater Bay Area as a region for crossborder policymaking. The paper argues that crossborder perspectives are vital for genuine sustainable development but face certain obstacles in relation to the sites at which policy decisions are made. • Policymakers often prefer conspicuous sustainability to long-term achievements. • Innovative urban entrepreneurialism is common in China's multilevel governance. • Hengqin's spatial planning initially prioritised immediate, localised results. • Centralised leadership and regional awareness can raise sustainability ambitions. • Crossborder perspectives better reflect sustainable development needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the domain of global socio-economic dynamics, the pivotal role of food production (FP) cannot be overstated. It constitutes the bedrock of fundamental human necessities while being inexorably linked with critical aspects such as economic expansion, societal equilibrium, and geopolitical interplays. The multifaceted nature of FP appears through its direct impact on macroeconomic indicators and its latent influence on international relations and policy-making. This critical nexus underscores the imperative for a comprehensive understanding and strategic management of food production processes to sustain and enhance global socio-economic stability and growth. Investigating the nexus between green finance (GF) and FP is pivotal for ensuring national security and promoting sustainable economic development. This research thus paper examines GF's impact on FP in China as outlined in the 2017 green finance policies. It employs the difference-in-differences (DID) method and analyzes a balanced panel dataset comprising 282 cities in China from 2009 to 2020. The results show that GF has an inhibitory effect on FP, and this remains valid after a range of reliability checks, including parallel trend assessments and placebo tests. Further findings of transmission mechanism analysis indicate that non-agricultural factors and financial exclusion are critical for GF's inhibitory effect on FP. Heterogeneity analyses show that GF's inhibitory effect on FP is more pronounced in the main food-producing areas, the main food-marketing areas, and cities with better infrastructure. The empirical results of this paper comprehensively illustrate GF's impact on FP and how it contributes to the achievement of food security objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China plays a significant role in the global product supply chain through its exports. To remain competitive, Chinese firms need to manufacture products cost-effectively. Revamping innovative cities can contribute to this goal, but empirical evidence in this area is limited. Therefore, this paper scrutinizes the innovative city pilot policy's consequences on firms' export performance and product quality. We employ the time-varying Difference in Difference (DID) model and harness a comprehensive firm-by-product level database to estimate the co-movement between the pilot intervention and the performance of the export product. Based on the findings, we unveil that a smart intervened city can significantly boost firms' export product quality, which still holds after multiple robustness checks. Furthermore, innovative cities heighten the quality of the manufactured products when we consider firm-level (i.e., private, foreign, and ordinary trade enterprises), industry-level (i.e., low-polluting, capital-intensive, and technology-intensive industries), and regional (i.e., Middle, and Western regions) heterogeneities. In addition, the intervened smart city strategy impacts the efficacy of export product quality through policy and innovation-driven effects. Over and above, policymakers and experts should support state-of-the-art ideas while considering local conditions, providing guidance for decision-making in China's innovative development strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the evolution of the urban spatial structure is of great significance for clarifying the stage and trajectory of urban development and formulating future urban development plans. Given that previous studies have marginally explored the long-term evolution of the urban employment spatial structure, this paper proposes a theoretical model hypothesizing five sequential stages of a complete evolution cycle from the perspective of mono- and polycentricity: mono-centralization, main-centralization, multi-centralization, de-centralization and re-centralization. Further empirical results based on 292 prefecture-level cities in China from 1997 to 2017 support the model and demonstrate that most cities present an evolution in line with the hypothesis, except a few cities experiencing short-term fluctuations, and approximately 60 % of cities are in the stage of multi-centralization, where subcenters have a growth advantage, and the main center has a scale advantage. Additionally, this paper reveals two characteristics of the evolution of the urban employment spatial structure in China: spatiotemporal compression and government intervention. • Propose a theoretical evolutionary model of urban employment spatial structure. • Empirically test the theoretical model based on a sample of 292 prefecture-level cities in China from 1997-2017. • The evolution of the urban employment spatial structure in China gradually tends to be polycentric. • Spatiotemporal compression and government intervention are features of China's urban employment spatial structure evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Chinese economy hit hard by both the pandemic and city lockdown. • City lockdown explains 2.8 percentage points of the GDP loss. • Significant spatial spill-over effects of the pandemic but not lockdown. • Reduced labor mobility, land supply, and entrepreneurship are main mechanisms. • Significant heterogeneity across cities in post-pandemic economic recovery. As the first major developing country heavily struck by the COVID-19 pandemic, China adopted the world's most stringent lockdown interventions to contain the virus spread. Using macro- and micro-level data, this paper shows that both the pandemic and lockdown policies have had negative and significant impacts on the economy. Gross regional product (GRP) fell by 9.5 and 0.3 percentage points in cities with and without lockdown interventions, respectively. These impacts represent a dramatic recession from China's average growth of 6.74% before the pandemic. The results indicate that lockdown explains 2.8 percentage points of the GDP loss. We also document significant spill-over effects of the pandemic in adjacent areas but no such effects of lockdown. Reduced labor mobility, land supply, and entrepreneurship are among the most significant mechanisms underpinning the impacts of the pandemic and lockdown. Cities with higher share of secondary industry, higher traffic intensity, lower population density, lower internet access, and lower fiscal capacity suffered more. However, these cities seem to have recovered well from the recession and quickly closed the economic gap in the aftermath of the pandemic and city lockdown. Our findings have broader implications for the global interventions in pandemic containment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is the first to investigate the role of China's top-down model captured by cities' administrative level in the hukou transfer intention of rural migrants with settlement intention. We develop a conceptual framework and attribute rural migrants' decision on hukou transfer to a comprehensive evaluation of the benefit, risk, and opportunity. Using a Multilevel Logistic Regression, the empirical study uncovers that the impact of cities' administrative level comprises direct effect and moderating effect. The direct effect highlights the benefit of hukou transfer, through which cities' administrative level positively affects rural migrants' hukou transfer intention. The moderating effect underlines both the benefit and risk of obtaining urban local hukou, through which cities' administrative level shapes the relationship between marital status/migration type/arable land/homestead/household income and hukou transfer intention. Our work offers an international insight into rural migrants' settlement by revealing the role of cities' political system in shaping the stratification of the distribution of permanent migrants at the city level. It also contributes to the knowledge of the neoclassical perspective in migration studies by considering rural migrants' long-term cost-benefit balance on settlement. • China's top-down model shapes rural migrants' hukou transfer intention. • The impact of cities' administrative level consists of direct and moderating effects. • The direct effect highlights the benefit of hukou conversion. • The moderating effect underlines the benefit and risk of hukou conversion. • Further considering the long-term cost-benefit balance from the neoclassical view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rational assessment of the regional sustainable development level is an important prerequisite for formulating development strategies and achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Currently, little literature provides nuanced understanding for national sustainable development from the perspective of county sustainability. Such studies can provide more accurate regional heterogeneity characteristics and policy decision support. Thus, this paper applies the entropy weight method and Chinese county data from 2000 to 2017 to reassess the sustainability of Chinese counties. The results show that China's county sustainability (Sustainable Development Index, SDI) is slowly improving. County sustainability performance is poorer in ethnic minority agglomerations, poor counties, old revolutionary counties, and central and western regions, better in county-level cities and eastern regions. The decomposition results show that economic sustainability and environmental sustainability are the main supporters of SDI growth, and livelihood sustainability is in urgent need of improvement. The regional inequality of SDI in Chinese counties gradually decreases, and inter-group differences are the main contributors to regional inequality in SDI. This paper provides support for China to develop county-level sustainable development measures and practice the SDGs. The findings could be useful for policymakers. [Display omitted] • Based on the entropy weight method and the Chinese county data, the sustainable development levels of 1533 counties in China from 2000 to 2017 are estimated. • Analyses of spatial-temporal dynamic heterogeneity, Linear decomposition, and Dagum decomposition are conducted to study the features of sustainable development in Chinese counties. •The influence of natural features and national concern preferences on county sustainable development are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart cities for the elderly are crucial for advancing inclusive smart cities amidst urbanization and population ageing. While the age-friendliness of smart cities is increasingly emphasized, differences across various fields of age-friendliness in smart cities remain unclear. In the context of smart city construction gradually shifting to a people-centered approach, it is also urgent to carry out refined assessment and heterogeneous analysis of the perceptions and needs of different groups of citizens. This paper delves into the evaluation of age-friendliness in smart cities (AFSC). And the heterogeneity of age-friendliness of various fields of services in smart cities is explored, as well as the AFSC deviation in perceptions between elderly people and non-elderly people. First, the main fields and evaluation indicators of AFSC are identified. Then, the AFSC evaluation model is established which is combining the improved Analytic Hierarchy Process (IAHP), the CRiteria Importance Through Intercriteria Correlation (CRITIC) and improved Fuzzy Comprehensive Evaluation method (IFCE). Finally, a case study is conducted in Nanjing, China. The results show that the AFSC of Nanjing has a score of 61.41, which indicating a favorable level. Furthermore, heterogeneity analyses showed that there are significant variations in age-friendliness across different fields within the city: smart life and consumption, smart recreation and entertainment, smart transportation and mobility have a favorable level of AFSC, while the other fields are deficient. The overall AFSC score for non-elderly citizens is significantly higher than that of elderly citizens, and elderly citizen' perceptions of AFSC vary according to elements of their personal physical condition and elements of their personal socio-economic status. In addition, the study proposes differentiated enhancement of AFSC in all fields, accurate enhancement of AFSC by identifying specific elderly citizens, and integrated enhancement of AFSC by adopting multi-dimensional measures. This study reveals age-friendliness in different fields of smart cities, clarifies the perceived heterogeneity of age-friendliness of smart cities among different groups of citizens, and enriches the intersection research of smart cities and age-friendly cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluates the economic performance of China's East-West pairing-off poverty alleviation, a policy enacted in 2016 aiming to eradicate absolute poverty by 2020 through substantial fiscal transfers from the assisting cities to the assisted impoverished counties. Employing a counterfactual framework and analyzing data from 2013 to 2018, this research assesses the economic performance of China's East-West pairing-off poverty alleviation. Our findings reveal a negative impact of the fiscal pressure burdened by the assisting cities on their economic performance. Meanwhile, the allocation of anti-poverty funds to the assisted counties does not exhibit a significant impact on their economic outcomes. The mechanism analysis suggests that the fiscal pressure experienced by the assisting cities shows negative impacts on fixed assets investment, innovation activities, and economic growth expectations. Further analysis indicates a negative relationship between the policy and the growth of secondary industry and rural income in the eastern regions, while simultaneously identifying a positive impact on the enterprises' financial burden. These results underscore the complex economic trade-offs inherent in poverty alleviation strategy transferring fiscal funds from developed regions to less developed regions and call for a global understanding of pure cash transfer programmes' impacts. • This paper aims to evaluate the economic performance of China's East-West pairing-off poverty alleviation. • Substituting the investments in physical and social infrastructure for pure cash transfers should be emphasized on a global scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines whether implementing the smart cities initiative (SCI) can effectively uphold children's right to healthy growth. Using a time-varying difference-in-differences model and a data set collected from 2638 counties in China from 2005 to 2018, we empirically examine the causal relationship between SCI and child growth for the first time. The results show that SCI has a beneficial impact on mitigating the prevalence of stunting and wasting. This conclusion remains valid after various robustness checks, including propensity score matching, placebo testing, and instrumental variable method. Further heterogeneity analysis reveals that SCI substantially reduces the risk of growth failure in children, particularly in the eastern region and cities with higher administrative levels, and boys are more positively affected than girls. Finally, we find that SCI can facilitate the healthy growth of children through three primary effects: economic development, reduced pollution exposure risk, and optimized public service quality. This study provides valuable insights into the impact of SCI on safeguarding children's health and establishes a foundation for informed decision-making to promote child-friendly growth spaces in China and other developing countries. • We examine the causal relationship between smart cities initiative (SCI) and child growth. • We use a difference-in-differences model and a data set from 2638 counties in China. • SCI has a beneficial impact on mitigating the prevalence of stunting and wasting. • SCI reduces the risk of growth failure of boys more positively than girls. • Three influence channels are economic development, reduced pollution exposure risk, and optimized public service quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the impact of skyscrapers on urban resilience in China using a panel dataset of 295 cities from 2002 to 2018. Urban resilience is evaluated across economic, social, ecological, and infrastructure dimensions, focusing on the impact of skyscrapers' quantity and height. The study finds that skyscrapers have a positive effect on urban resilience. Specifically, one standard deviation increase in the skyscraper index (1.010) corresponds to a 0.229 increase in urban resilience, approximately 23% of its own standard deviation. The qualitative result remains robust across different model specifications and instrumental variable estimation methods. Mechanism tests reveal that skyscrapers drive economic and societal shifts, such as increased urban density and diverse populations, which enhance urban resilience. Conversely, they present challenges to ecological resilience. The paper also finds that the skyscraper effect is complex, characterized by the nonlinear, heterogeneous, and persistent effects of skyscrapers. This study highlights the importance of balancing economic growth with social and ecological sustainability in urban development. The findings also suggest that future research should continue to explore the complex relationships between urban spatial patterns, economic resilience, and ecological sustainability to support the development of sustainable and resilient cities. • First empirical study on skyscrapers and urban resilience. • Robust findings reveal complex, multi-dimensional impacts. • Dual effects: Enhances urban density but challenges ecology. • Provides policy insights for balanced urban development. • Suggests further research on urban form and resilience dynamics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The change in urban construction land (UCL) and rural residential land (RRL) and their coupling relationship are the main manifestation of urban-rural construction land transition (URCLT) and the mapping of urban-rural factor flow. It is of great significance to systematically understand and master its laws for expanding the theory of land use transition (LUT) and adjusting the man-land relationship between urban and rural area. This paper constructs a theoretical model of URCLT, analyses the spatial and temporal characteristics of urban and rural construction land (UARCL) scale, elasticity and structure transition in Shandong Province from 1996 to 2015, reveals the transition process and coupling mechanism of UCL and RRL by using the method of geographic detector. The research shows that the UCL and RRL in Shandong Province have evolved along a coordinated track of increase and decrease as a whole, but with certain periodic fluctuations, resulting in insufficient elasticity and structural transition of URCLT. The rationalization degree of UCL growth was reduced, the low synchronization and non-synchronization of RRL reduction predominates, while the dominant type of urban-rural human-land relationship changed from urban-rural (UR) increase or decrease coordinated to both urban (U) and rural (R) increase uncoordinated. The URCLT had obvious spatial differences. The UARCL in the "blue-yellow" economic zone and the provincial capital urban agglomeration was active, but was dominated by uncoordinated transition, and the non-synchronization reduction of RRL was dominant. The factors influencing the transition of URCL were complex, diverse and unstable, and the transition mechanism was the interaction process of self-regulation of population, industry and land elements within the urban and rural system and intervention of external natural environment, science and technology and institutional policies. Highlights • The paper constructs a theoretical model of URCLT. • The paper reveals the transition process and coupling mechanism of URCLT. • The factors influencing the URCLT were complex, diverse and unstable. • URCLT was driven by the interaction of natural background, economic development, social progress and policy innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Despite the fact that China is becoming increasingly urbanised, some Chinese cities have witnessed a loss of urban population. In recent years, with the extensive expansion of the Chinese High-Speed Railway (HSR) network, the reduction in travel time has greatly increased the mobility of people across cities, thus affecting the spatial redistribution of the urban population in China. An important question arises: for cities experiencing population loss, when they were connected to the HSR network, did the HSR further aggravate this urban shrinkage? Using cities experiencing population loss as a sample, the paper provides a quantitative assessment of population loss in HSR-served cities. A Difference-in-Difference (DID) method was adopted to investigate whether the HSR aggravated population loss in shrinking cities. On the whole, empirical results show that the phenomenon of urban shrinkage in China was further aggravated by the HSR. Furthermore, the results unveil the dynamic impact of the HSR on shrinking cities, and multi-stage DID results reveal that the impact of the HSR on urban population may have a certain time lag effect. The HSR has significantly contributed to the population loss of shrinking cities four to five years after it first started operating. The paper highlights that the HSR does not always yield growth opportunities; on the contrary, for cities suffering from population decline, the HSR may bring a serious challenge. Highlights • The phenomenon of urban shrinkage in China was further aggravated by the HSR. • The multi-stage DID results reveal that the impact of HSR on urban population may have a certain time lag effect. • The paper highlights that HSR does not always yield growth opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether a low-carbon strategy can force manufacturing enterprises to step up digital transformation is essential to the decarbonization of cities. Using China's low-carbon city pilot (LCCP) as a quasinatural experiment, this paper tests its effect on the digital transformation of manufacturing enterprises by applying the difference-in-differences (DID) method. Furthermore, this paper conducts a heterogeneity analysis and tests for influence mechanisms. The results show the following. (1) The LCCP has promoted the digital transformation of manufacturing enterprises in pilot cities, as verified by several robustness tests. (2) The promoting effect of the LCCP on digital transformation has remarkable enterprise heterogeneity, industrial heterogeneity, and regional heterogeneity. The LCCP has resulted in a stronger driving effect on the digital transformation of state-owned enterprises (SOEs), enterprises in high-carbon industries, and enterprises in financially developed areas. (3) The LCCP has promoted digital transformation by not only strengthening fiscal expenditures on science and technology (S&T) but also alleviating financing constraints. This study presents a realistic basis for refining LCCP policies and formulating incentive measures for digital transformation. • Regard China's low-carbon city pilot (LCCP) as a quasi-natural experiment. • Evaluate policy effects upon the digital transformation of manufacturing enterprises. • Digital transformation effects vary from the heterogeneity of enterprises, industries, and regions. • Strengthening fiscal expenditures on science and technology and alleviating financing constraints are important driving mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban village regeneration has been considered an effective way to achieve the vision of transforming the arrival cities in China to affordable cities. However, the existing research into urban village regeneration does not pay enough attention to the group of rural migrants, and the dynamic process of their participation is indistinct. With a theoretical underpinning of the conception of Arrival City and Affordable City and the ladder theory of participation, this paper attempts to understand the practices of rural migrants' participation in urban village regeneration and, more importantly, to unpack the underlying mysteries of the transition process from arrival cities to affordable cities in China. The paper finds that rural migrants are involved in urban village regeneration indirectly, as opposed to directly or not participating at all. Before a regeneration project take places, they are expelled and ostracised by the alliance of "government-developer-villager" because of their informal identities. After the project, middle-class migrants lived in the regenerated urban villages but suffered from social exclusion. Most of the migrants gather in the newer urban villages or form new arrival cities in the urban periphery, resulting in potential social conflicts and a vicious cycle of "regeneration – migration – regeneration – migration". The vision is realised only in the environment and discourses from the alliance, but not in terms of rural migrants. China's urban transition from arrival cities to affordable cities is incomplete and one-sided. This transition, guided as it is by the existing mechanism of urban village regeneration, undermines social equity and causes social conflicts, which is not sustainable. These findings and proposed corresponding suggestions can serve as valuable references for the practices of public participation in urban regeneration that are underway in developing countries or where there is eagerness to transition effectively from arrival cities to affordable cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accidents (such as hazardous chemical accidents and fires) have adverse effects on urban safety and sustainable development. Many countries, such as China, are making great efforts to develop better urban safety strategies to prevent and mitigate accidents in urban areas and to keep cities safer. At national level, and from an accident prevention perspective, this study uses an evidence-based safety approach to propose potential strategies for China's urban safety. The contributions include: (1) the identification and discussion of major urban safety problems and challenges in China, and (2) the development of China's urban safety strategies based on available evidence. This study attempts to provide useful evidence and suggestions for future urban safety management, both within China and in other countries. However, because this paper discusses China's urban safety at macro level, more detailed studies on China's urban safety should be carried out for a deeper understanding and a more targeted solution for China's urban safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on China’s latest national railway network planning proposal, the connectivity and accessibility indices of China’s high-speed railway network (CHSRN) in different time periods are computed to evaluate the implications of high-speed rail (HSR) for Chinese cities. An overall index for measuring the connectivity-accessibility of cities on the HSR network is proposed based on three indicators: (a) the Beta index, to reflect the connectivity of the HSR, (b) the number of reachable counties by HSR within the 500-km domain of a city, to reflect the location-based accessibility of the HSR, and (c) the population of the reachable places by HSR within the 500-km domain of a city, to reflect the potential-based accessibility of the HSR. Finally, the differences in the normalized connectivity-accessibility levels of different categories of cities are qualified to measure the impact of China’s future national HSR network on the potential development of cities. It is found that “Mid-to-Long-Term Railway Network Plan (Revised in 2016)”, if fully realized, would profoundly change the HSR connectivity/accessibility of different cities. Most notably, cities in the Yangtze River Delta would suffer the most whereas cities of the central and western regions would gain the most. This could potentially contribute to, or bring about new changes in, the socioeconomic landscapes in China. The methodological contribution of this paper is twofold. Firstly, an overall index to evaluate the comprehensive connectivity and accessibility levels of the HSR network is designed. Secondly, this paper investigates how to qualify the impact of the future HSR network on different tiers of cities in different time periods according to the change of the overall connectivity/accessibility index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Partnerships emerge as part of an environmental governance paradigm shift towards less hierarchical, more collaborative, and non-regulative steering arrangements. This paper examines the prevalence of partnerships in environmental governance on an urban level in a semi-authoritarian setting, by exploring climate initiatives in cities in China. The paper presents exploratory qualitative analysis of governance in urban China through analysis of a database of 150 climate initiatives in 15 cities, which are seen at the forefront of climate protection. The analysis suggests that climate partnerships are used as a governance strategy in China. Moreover, partnerships perform a range of essential governance functions, from rule-setting and provision of public infrastructure and services, to supporting technology development and low carbon demonstration projects. The results indicate that partnerships can facilitate local climate action by creating access to resources, such as information, technology, and funding, as well as contribute to introduction of emission reduction technology and new policy approaches. However, the inclusion of non-state actors in the formulation and delivery of climate mitigation projects redefines the lines of authority over public issues. This draws attention to two key governance challenges in the context of a comparatively state-controlled, top-down political system: skewed participation and lack of deliberative opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's rapid urbanization growth during the past decades which has highly promoted its affluence has induced various challenges for the countryside. The problem of rural decline of quite many villages which are suffering depopulation in turn challenges the urbanization sustainability in China. By way of in-depth historical and literature review, the paper finds distorted urban-rural relationship and the tendency of village decline owing to China's long time urban biased policy. By further investigating China's new-type urbanization strategy, the paper draws concerns about future rural development which is less mentioned in the plan. It calls for ruralization and actions to revitalize the countryside so as to be adapted to China's new-type urbanization plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Institutional arrangements can exert significant impact on land use and the spatial pattern for a region. Since the reform opening, the Pearl River Delta (PRD) area of China has witnessed an explosive amount of bottom-up rural industrialization. This situation has given rise to a fragmented urbanized landscape in peri-urban areas. In 2009 the Guangdong government initiated a comprehensive urban and rural redevelopment plan known as the Three-Renewal Policy. This paper begins with an analysis of the double-track land system and their impact on fragmented urbanization in peri-urban areas. Taking a typical peri-urban area such as the Panyu district of Guangzhou as a case study, this paper demonstrates the industrial land redevelopment practice created by the Three-Renewal Policy. The paper argues that the existing fragmented land use pattern in Panyu has been somewhat locked in, and the redevelopment of rural industrial land has been difficult due to historical institutional uncertainty and path dependency. The uncertainty caused by volatile redevelopment policies, absence of trust between local government and villagers, long-time reliance of villages on land leasing income, and high transaction costs to achieve consensus among villages serve as key barriers to redevelopment. These problems have led to a prolonged redevelopment process and low participation of villages. The results suggest that further institutional change and more collaboration among various parties are necessary to overcome the current barriers of spatial lock-in to push forward the redevelopment of collective industrial land. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on energy poverty dynamics by answering one question: Does energy poverty trap exist in Chinese cities? For this purpose, we examine the co-evolution between per capita energy consumption and income for 286 prefectural-and-above level cities in China over the period 2002 to 2014. A nonparametric joint-distribution dynamics approach is employed in the analysis. Both static and dynamic distribution analyses demonstrate significant evidence of club convergence in energy consumption across Chinese cities, and there are multiple equilibria between per capita energy consumption and income in the long-run distribution. The results also suggest that considerable cities fall into energy poverty trap, a chronic state with low income and low energy consumption. Therefore, we can argue that energy poverty is not a transitory state for those cities and support the existence of energy poverty trap in China. Our findings highlight the need to tailor policies aimed at reducing energy poverty in low-income cities. • We examine the co-evolution between per capita energy consumption and income in China. • A dataset of China's 286 prefecture-level cities during 2002–2014 is explored. • The results argue club convergence in energy consumption across Chinese cities. • Considerable cities fall into energy poverty trap. • The study supports the existence of energy poverty trap in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the aggravation of carbon emissions and global warming, the probability of various natural disasters and environmental risks will increase significantly. Therefore, carbon emission reduction and low-carbon development have become the focus of environmental economic research. This paper uses the information about the opening of high-speed railway (HSR) in China to comprehensively explore the effect of infrastructure construction on urban carbon total factor productivity (CTFP) in China, which is calculated by the novel non-parametric method named biennial non-radial Luenberger productivity indicator (BLPI). Our results reveal that in China, an extra HSR line significantly improves the CTFP of local cities by 0.63%, while the CTFP of related surrounding cities increases by 6.3%. We confirm the robustness of our empirical findings and perform the mechanism analysis from several aspects. The mechanism analysis shows that the HSR improves the CTFP of local cities mainly via industrial upgrading and technological progress, and improves the CTFP of surrounding cities via industrial agglomeration and factor spillover. Besides, the impact of the HSR is more pronounced for the core cities, large cities, and innovative cities. Our results suggest that the HSR makes cities more carbon efficient, which is a non-negligible advantage of infrastructure construction in reducing environmental risks. • Governments around the world have been committed to reducing external environmental risks by adopting urbanization. • This paper analyzes the spillover effect of the onening of HSR on CTFP in China. • This paper provides a novel framework, which uses the LPI combined with the BNDDF to measure CTFP. • An extra HSR line significantly improves the CTFP of local cities by 0.63% and surrounding cities by 6.3%. • The mechanism analysis reveals four channels, including industrial upgrading, technological progress, industrial agglomeration, and factor spillover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food subsidies are widely implemented as part of government policies globally to mitigate food insecurity amongst the urban poor. Subsidies to retail outlets are one a type of supply-side subsidy designed to make food more affordable to low-income consumers. China's Affordable Food Shop (AFS) program introduced by the central government in 2011 and implemented by municipal governments is one example. To date, there has been little research examining the effectiveness of the AFS program despite more than a decade of implementation. This paper presents a case study of the program's effectiveness in Nanjing which was one of the first Chinese cities to introduce the program which grew very rapidly in the years that followed. In early 2020, the Nanjing program was closed which raises important questions about its effectiveness and impact. We show that food insecurity in Nanjing is generally low but that increased food insecurity is associated with lived poverty, lower income, and unaffordability of staple foods. Food insecurity is not mitigated by proximity to an AFS Program shop. The paper argues that the program had various deficiencies and a limited effect in reducing food insecurity and increasing food accessibility. These included inappropriate targeting, program redundancy, and competition from supermarkets and public markets. In the circumstances, the decision by the city government to close the program is understandable. • Food subsidy programs in many countries target low-income, food insecure urban populations. • The Chinese central government introduced an Affordable Food Shop (AFS) Program in 2011. • Food insecurity in Nanjing City affects about 20% of the population and varies with level of poverty, income, food expenditure and household type. • The AFS Program in Nanjing has not succeeded in providing cheaper food for low-income, food insecure households. • The limitations of the AFS Program in Nanjing are partly responsible for its closure in 2020. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The citizenization of peasant migrants is key to understanding China's long-term urban-rural imbalance and ongoing rural transformations. The majority of existing literature focused on structural/institutional or agentive/subjective factors, while an integrated perspective examining both structural and agentive factors related to the citizenization process is rarely seen. Borrowing theories from the strategic-relational approach, this paper unfolds the matching and mismatching mechanisms between the policy design and peasant migrants' intentions of citizenization. Drawing on a case study in China's Guangdong Province, this study finds that: (1) citizenization policies prefer to offer citizenship to the new generation of peasant migrants, which matches the age structure of peasant migrants; (2) although municipal governments are prone to attract young peasant migrants with high educational level and strong competitiveness, peasant migrants generally have a relatively low educational level and weak professional training; (3) the high threshold of citizenization in mega-metropolitan and metropolitan cities mismatches peasant migrants' preference towards the first-tier cities. This paper describes the matching and mismatching mechanisms between structure and agency associated with the citizenization of peasant migrants. The policy reflections proposed by this study point towards enhancing nearby urbanization and in situ urbanization, so as to increase the attraction of young peasant migrants by ordinary cities. Besides, this paper calls for the promotion of rural-urban co-governance, making rural revitalization an alternative and supplement to the urbanization driven by rural-urban migration. • The strategic-relational approach is a critical perspective for understanding citizenization. • As a progressive and dynamic process, the citizenization of peasant migrants intersects with local strategies of urbanization. • Governments should realize that ordinary cities are critical places for most peasant migrants to realize citizenization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By providing public service for equity and reducing the investment gap between rich and poor children, government spending plays a crucial role in intergenerational income mobility. With the China Health and Nutrition Survey data from 1989 to 2015, this paper assessed the relationship between government spending and intergenerational income mobility in China. First, we found that there was greater intergenerational mobility in high-spending provinces compared with low-spending provinces. Second, children with high per-capita government spending were more likely to experience upward mobility; this effect was twice as common in urban areas compared with rural areas. Third, government spending exerted influence on intergenerational income mobility through the mediation of education expansion. Higher government spending, which brought better quality in primary and secondary education, benefited poorer families more. In underdeveloped provinces, especially rural areas, government spending aimed at equal distribution of public services may provide more opportunities for the poor and lead to greater intergenerational income mobility in the future. Finally, the robustness checks that supported changing how income was measured or how government spending occurred did nothing to change our findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The temporal and geographic varieties of entrepreneurial urban governance have sparked considerable debate. A key research gap that remains unfilled is the role of national states in the transition of urban governance from a singular logic of growth. This paper attempts to reveal how the national state and its top-down territorial logic shape this transition in China. Based on a theoretical engagement between political and economic geographers' approaches to city-regional development, we conceptualise a 'central-local state strategic coupling' between national geopolitical goals and local entrepreneurial strategies. We argue that municipalities endeavour to plug their city-regions into national geopolitical strategies to unlock the resources (e.g., land and financial capital) necessary for the implementation of local entrepreneurial strategies. The central state strategically selects certain city-regions to develop by privileging their municipalities' access to key resources to facilitate local entrepreneurial strategies. Thus, the central state aligns city-regional development/transformation to its geopolitical goals/strategies in a subtle and depoliticised manner. We substantiate this argument by taking local economic space production as a lens, with a comparative analysis of the emerging urban entrepreneurial/economic space production strategies in three Chinese inland cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper explores the effect of green finance on SDGs. • GFPZ significantly promotes SDGs. • Green finance indirectly affects SDGs through technological innovation. • The impact of green finance on SDGs exhibits heterogeneity. In pursuit of actively advancing energy transformation, ensuring the attainment of carbon peak and carbon neutrality objectives, and fostering sustainable development, China has dedicated substantial efforts. This article treats the Green Finance Reform and Innovation Pilot Zones (GFPZ) as a quasi-natural experiment, thereby constructing an analytical framework for evaluating the impact of green finance on achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We empirically investigate this impact by analyzing data from 316 cities in China spanning the period from 2011 to 2020, employing a difference-in-differences (DID) model. The study suggests a gradual improvement in the level of sustainable development in China. Moreover, green finance contributes to SDGs, and the conclusion is robust. Further investigation reveals that green finance improves sustainable development by fostering technological innovation. Heterogeneity results indicate that the influence is notably more pronounced in western regions and locales characterized by stringent environmental regulations. This article offers fresh perspectives on achieving SDGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's new town and ghost city phenomenon has attracted interest from academics and the media since the 2010s. There is, however, little research on the lived experiences of people in new towns, or of the transformation of these new towns. This paper uses Lefebvre's spatial triad to examine how the spaces of the new town are produced and transformed by interactions between multiple actors. Using an analytical framework based on the spatial triad, we explore the interactive mechanisms and the dialectical relationships within the triad. Taking Kangbashi, a new town in Ordos, Inner Mongolia, as a case study, we explore how the spatial production of a new town is co-created by multiple actors, and local government-led conceived space plays a dominant role in that creation. Through interactions in the dynamic nexus of conceived-perceived-lived space, the new town space is in the process of transformation from an empty "ghost city" to a comfortable habitable city. This research deepens our understanding of new towns and production of space by connecting state-led and capital-driven urban construction with the lived practices of residents. Moreover, this empirical Chinese study contributes to knowledge and understanding across diverse global urban contexts. • An analytical framework based on the spatial triad is proposed. • The mechanisms for the transformation of a new town space from a ghost city to a more habitable city is examined. • The local government dominates both the production of space and its transformation in the new town. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Little is known about the nationwide cancer prevalence in China. This paper aimed at assessing the 5-year cancer prevalence in China for 25 major cancers.Materials and Methods: Incidence data were estimated using data from 177 cancer registries and covering 175 million populations. Survival data were from 17 cancer registries diagnosed during 2003-2005 and followed up until 31 December 2010. Standardized protocols for data collection and validation were adopted. Cancer prevalence for 25 major sites was estimated from year-specific incidence rates and survival probabilities according to standardized formula.Results: The estimated 5-year prevalence for all cancers combined in 2011 in China was 7.49 million (3.68 million for men and 3.81 million for women). Cancer prevalence estimates for 5 years varied by cancer sites, ranging from 11,900 for testicular cancer to 1.02 million for women breast cancer. Those most prevalent five cancers (breast, colorectal, lung, stomach and esophageal cancers) covered 56.1% of cancer burden in China. The proportion for the 5-year prevalence was higher in urban areas compared to rural areas (666 per 100,000 versus 440 per 100,000), while cancer prevalence estimates were higher for women compared to men, with the men/women ratio of 5-year cancer prevalence reaching 0.96.Conclusions: This paper provides the first systematic analysis on 5-year cancer prevalence for 25 major cancers in China in 2011, which may serve as a baseline for assessment of the overall effectiveness of cancer health care. The huge number of cancer survivors requires resource allocation to improve health care programs and primary prevention, especially in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bicycles are a desirable form of transportation for many reasons, including the fact that taking a bicycle is environmentally-friendly, economically cost-effective, a way to keep fit and healthy and, on occasions, an enjoyable social activity. This paper explores the characteristics and commonalities between particular bike-sharing systems in urban areas, with a view to deriving influences on the sustainability of such systems. The empirical study is China and the paper analyses bike-sharing systems in five Chinese cities. China is suffering from the severe negative consequences of high private vehicle usage in large and densely populated cities. Nevertheless a long history of bicycle usage in the country provides great potential for such a green form of travel to be part of public and private transportation. The findings show that bike-sharing systems have varying degrees of success. The configurations which seem the most sustainable consider and integrate elements relating to transport planning, system design and choice of business model. Key conclusions are that those responsible for developing policy and practices in relation to bike-sharing systems need to understand the diverse aspects of value for the stakeholders wishing to engage with such a system. Public bicycle sharing, as a Product Service System, needs to be carefully developed to appreciate the quality and timely interplay between the physical design of the system and the provision of services being offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Detailed and precise urban land-cover maps are crucial for urban-related studies. However, there are limited ways of mapping high-resolution urban land cover over large areas. In this paper, we propose an operational framework to map urban land cover on the basis of Ziyuan-3 satellite images. Based on this framework, we produced the first high-resolution (2 m) urban land-cover map (Hi-ULCM) covering the 42 major cities of China. The overall accuracy of the Hi-ULCM dataset is 88.55%, of which 14 cities have an overall accuracy of over 90%. Most of the producer's accuracies and user's accuracies of the land-cover classes exceed 85%. We further conducted a landscape pattern analysis in the 42 cities based on Hi-ULCM. In terms of the comparison between the 42 cities in China, we found that the difference in the land-cover composition of urban areas is related to the climatic characteristics and urbanization levels, e.g., cities with warm climates generally have higher proportions of green spaces. It is also interesting to find that cities with higher urbanization levels are more habitable, in general. From the landscape viewpoint, the geometric complexity of the landscape increases with the urbanization level. Compared with the existing medium-resolution land-cover/use datasets (at a 30-m resolution), Hi-ULCM represents a significant advance in accurately depicting the detailed land-cover footprint within the urban areas of China, and will be of great use for studies of urban ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Group travel behaviour widely exists in cities, but has not been well investigated by researchers. To fill this gap, this paper develops a co-existence-based methodological framework to systematically explore the spatiotemporal characteristics of group travel behaviour. We apply our framework to a case study of Shanghai, China, using a one-month tranche of metro smart card data. Results show that most travellers perform a small number of group trips, together with a small number of co-travellers. They usually travel in a dyad or triad group and form far more small social communities than large ones. Group travel behaviour is distinctly different from individual travel in terms of both time and space: group travellers are more likely to travel during weekends, on holidays, and in the afternoons and evenings. They also prefer to perform group behaviour near stations located in the city centre or the centres of new towns in suburban areas, and close to attractions and public facilities. The analysis we present has various potential applications such as improving the management of public events and supporting the design of group ticket policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing research has explored the spatial patterns and determinants of labor migration but has not considered the heterogeneity of migrants. This paper compares the migratory behavior of highly and less-skilled migrants to provide a more nuanced understanding of internal migration in urban China. We employ a nested multinomial logit approach to assess the relative contribution of individual characteristics and city attributes in explaining migrants' destination choices. The findings reveal both similarities and differences in highly and less-skilled migration. Migrants share primary priorities: spatial proximity to hometowns, moving to cities situated higher in the administrative hierarchy, occupations, and wages. But more importantly, migrants of varying skill levels have different strategies as they navigate increasing economic opportunities and public services while simultaneously encountering a discriminatory hukou system. Highly skilled migrants are more mobile and prioritize their personal preferences; less-skilled migrants, although more restricted by gender, age, and hukou types and inclined for stability, tend to maximize their utility through temporary movement to large cities. Hence, policymakers of different cities should recognize people's heterogeneous migration behavior and design targeted policies. • We investigate the destination choices of highly and less-skilled migrants in urban China at a micro level. • Similarities and differences in highly and less-skilled migration are revealed. • Migrants all prioritize proximity, upward mobility, occupations, and wages in destination choices. • Highly skilled migrants are more mobile and prioritize their personal preferences. • The less-skilled face more restrictions and place higher value on benefits available in destinations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Wild boar damage incident has become increasingly frequent in China's cities. • Wild boars appear close to the scenic spots near mountains and water bodies in the city. • Urban climbing expansion has intensified human and wild boar conflict. • Optimization of urban territorial development should be strengthened to mitigate HWCs. Under the context of socio-economic and ecological changes, frequent human-wildlife conflicts (HWCs) have occurred worldwide in recent years. To identify the drivers of human-wildlife conflicts and establish effective management measures, the human-wild boar conflicts in typical city of China were used to conduct empirical study. This study built a database of human-wild boar conflicts (also known as wild boar damage incidents) using 102 wild boar damage incidents occurred in the urban area of Nanjing from 2000 to 2022 to identify the spatiotemporal patterns, hazards and driving factors of these incidents by employing exploratory spatial analysis and geographical detector model. The results showed that the increase in wild boar damage incidents was influenced by a combination of rapid urbanization, habitat fragmentation, vegetation recovery, topography and other aspects. Among them, the root cause is the continuous expansion of built-up areas into the mountainous areas within cities and even encroachment on the mountains, resulting in the fragmentation and shrinkage of wildlife living space. Thus wildlife (represented by wild boars) had to move out and even invade the living space of humans, intensifying conflicts between humans and wild boars. HWCs are a symptom of the imbalance between socioeconomical systems and ecosystems within cities. The government should take some management measures to mitigate these conflicts and promote the harmonious coexistence between humans and nature within cities. For example, limit development, take defragmentation actions and improve compensation mechanism. The process of driving factor analysis of human-wild boar conflicts and related management measures in this paper would be helpful to address similar issues in other cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Prior research on overwork has predominantly been conducted in developed countries. This study examines the role of affordable housing in Chinese cities and provides evidence from a developing country. Using data from China's National Health and Family Planning Commission's "China Migrants' Dynamic Survey," this study explores the relationship between affordable housing and overwork among migrant workers in Chinese cities, as well as the mechanism underlying this association. The results imply that migrant workers in China can work fewer hours if they reside in affordable housing. The impact of affordable housing on the overwork of migrant workers is partially mediated by their housing cost burden and their sense of local self-identity. Women, the younger generation, and later-arriving migrant workers are more negatively affected than men, the older generation, and earlier-arriving migrants. This study gives insight into the evaluation of the efficiency of affordable housing in China and evidence for future research on the issue of overwork in developing nations. • This study evaluates the effect of affordable housing on migrant workers' overwork in China. • The impact of affordable housing reduces migrant workers' overwork occurs partly through their housing cost burden and self-identity. • CMP, PSM and IV are applied to control endogeneity problems and perform robustness checks. • Conventional labor economic theory and identity economic theory are introduced to this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite massive new town development in megacities in China, none of the prior studies examined commuting disparities of residents of different income groups living in various types of new towns. Based on established literature on urban structure and commuting and income disparities in commuting, this paper has examined the roles of income and new town types in commuting distance, mode, and time differences. Based on Beijing's new town development context, we categorize its six major new towns into residential, national park-driven industrial, market-based industrial, and satellite new towns. Using descriptive analysis and regressions on 595 new town residents, we find that high-income commuters tend to have longer commuting distances and times and are more likely to drive to workplaces. Those living in the residential new town tend to have longer commuting distances and times. Results also show the transportation resource differences in different types of new towns. Those living in the residential new town are more likely to commute by public transit. Results also show the transportation difficulties for low-income residents who live in satellite towns. Though high-income commuters living in those towns have significantly longer commuting distances, they do not necessarily have longer commuting times than low-income people living in these towns. This study has several implications for future research and policy implications for new town development in China and other transit-dependent cities in Asia and Global South. • This paper examines commuting disparities across different types of new towns and income groups in Beijing. • High-income commuters tend to have longer commuting distances and times and are more likely to drive. • Those living in the residential new town tend to have longer commuting distances and times. • Those living in the residential new town are more likely to commute by public transit. • Results also show the transportation difficulties for low-income commuters living in satellite towns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The promotion of creativity is a crucial element in China's attempts to upgrade its economic structure. In this context, creative spaces, located in derelict industrial sites, have become prominent symbols of China's so-called Second Transition (Bottelier, 2007). The basic hypothesis of this paper claims that the development of these sites not only implies a restructuring of inner city brownfields, but also new modes of urban governance. Altogether eight creative spaces in China will be compared over time. The empirical research is based on qualitative interviews and an extensive evaluation of policy documents. This paper argues that the governance of creative spaces can be described as a path from informal experiments at the local micro-level to the development of a comprehensive toolset of mainstream policies at the municipal level. This happened in face of the shifting acknowledgment of creative industries from the national level. Consequently, Beijing and Shanghai became spearheads regarding the legalization of creative spaces. This paper further shows that within the institutional milieu of creative spaces, the local state acts as a very pragmatic key decision maker. In conclusion, the local state plays several decisive roles in the course of the development of creative spaces: a transformer of land use rights, a regulator in developing a legislative framework, a mediator between former operator and real estate developer, an investor and distributor of public funds, a supervisor and manager of the local economic development and last but not least a supervisor of creative spaces. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Recently, a new state-led platform of regional development in China, known as specialty towns , has been launched and rolled out nationwide. Despite the greater emphasis on place-based industry specialism and agglomeration, the new strategy suffers from a typical top-down governance approach that has confronted emerging problems. In this paper by using the agglomeration theory we link regional preconditions for industrial and social (dis)advantages to various patterns of specialty towns. Drawing upon modern policy concepts from an evolutionary perspective, it offers a basic ex ante policy approach, by developing more specific policy orientations suitable for different types of specialty towns. Combined with our survey, on-site interviews and policy material analyses, we examine the historical foundations, industrial attributes and developmental aims of 134 provincial-level specialty towns in Zhejiang. We have identified three key types of specialty towns with grounded empirical illustrations: 1) State-planned platform specialty towns for developing emerging industries (Dream Town and Photovoltaic Town); 2) Specialized market-based specialty towns for upgrading mature industries (Socks Art Town) and; 3) Natural/cultural asset-based specialty towns for fostering the tourism industry (Hot Springs Town). A typological policy approach is proposed in order to avoid the potential 'one-size-fits-all' policy trap for future's ST development. • This paper investigates how and to what extent China's Specialty Towns (STs) approach to an innovative regional policy is being translated from policy concept to local practice in Zhejiang. • This paper conceptualizes the nature of specialty towns by combining the agglomeration theory with the evolutionary economic geography approach. • Three types of specialty towns are identified according to differentiations of regional preconditions for industrial and social (dis)advantages. • A fine-grained typological policy approach is developed according to three ST types, namely, state-planned platform STs, specialized market STs, and natural/cultural asset STs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gentrification has now unfolded at a planetary scale and has broken down the center-periphery structuring of urban and rural areas. In the context of new-type urbanization and rural revitalization, tourism gentrification has gradually become a new frontier of the rural-urban relations in China. Taking Xizha as a case study, this paper aims to explore the characteristics and mechanisms of tourism gentrification in historic districts through temporal analysis and multi-scalar approaches. Based on recent field visits and semi-structured interviews with administrative staff, enterprise managers, residents, and tourists in the study area, three main arguments are put forward in this paper. First, a phased tourism gentrification process has taken place in Xizha, with significant shifts in lifestyle, industry and investment, physical infrastructure, property rights, and the rent gap. Second, tourism gentrification in Xizha is a multi-subject and multi-scalar consequence of uneven development in China, with power-oriented, capital-driven and class-separated processes as the core mechanisms. Third, Xizha's tourism gentrification is regional and endogenous, with the local government and the rural-urban dual structure being the principal influencing factors. Further discussions are provided to expand the general significance of the case study and increase the contribution to the planetary gentrification. • A temporal analysis of tourism gentrification in Xizha is proposed. • The mechanism of tourism gentrification in Xizha relies on the multi-logic of power, capital and the class. • The institutionally distinctive background and the socio-spatial structure for gentrification in China are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper examines how different weighting methods affect the results of urban competitiveness ranking. Using a hierarchical indicator system that considers economic, social, and environmental dimensions of the competitiveness of Chinese cities as a case study, it shows that principal component analysis (PCA) produces rankings of urban competitiveness that are significantly different from the alternative equal weighting (EW) method. Moreover, PCA generates problematic weights for some indicators and assigns a small weight to the environmental performance of cities. The paper investigates these problematic results and argues for the necessity of deliberating more consciously on appropriate weighting methods in the construction of composite indicators in urban competitiveness studies and beyond. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to explore the rapid urbanization of Chinese cities with a focus on the plans for a new, ongoing urban sub-centre in the north-west of Shanghai: Zhenru Urban Sub-Centre. Information-rich urbanization is a defining feature of the 21st century, reshaping cities and communities in China and in developing countries around the world. The scale and pace of change requires a solid systems approach of urban development. In 2011, China announced that it has reached an urbanization rate of 50%. If we take rapid urbanization as a given and that it is already well underway, it is still widely unclear what research needs to be conducted and policy changes made to support municipalities of fast transforming cities and to avoid repeating the development mistakes that have occurred in industrialized nations, i.e. driving urban growth with high consumption patterns without fully considering the environmental and social needs and occupants'' behaviour and aspirations. This paper compares two cases of urban development patterns for new sub-centres for polycentric city structures: It relates to new urban sub-centres in Berlin (Germany) and Shanghai (China), and the relationship of these sub-centres to ‘Network City’ theory. Network theory is useful in this context as the ‘network’ metaphor and concepts of decentralization seem to have replaced the ‘machine’ metaphor which was based on efficiency based on the availability of cheap fossil fuels. As cities aim to move towards more resilient urban ecosystems and polycentric systems, the case of Potsdamer Platz Berlin, compared to Zhenru Sub-Centre in Shanghai, is discussed. Both are transport-oriented developments promoting mixed-use density and less car-dependency. According to documentation of the Shanghai municipality, Zhenru urban centre, which is currently in its planning phase, is supposed to become a ‘new sustainable sub-centre for a growing metropolis’. Based on the Potsdamer Platz experience, a series of careful recommendations are formulated for the design and development of such centres, knowing that it is rather difficult to translate from one case to the other. The conclusion includes five lessons (recommendations) from Potsdamer Platz for the urban design of new sub-centres to ensure a delivery of economical, social and environmental sustainable outcomes. A core finding is that drawing lessons from the German case study for Chinese urbanization seemed a useful tactic and gave a sense that there are underlying urban design strategies. However, the conversion of such strategies to another cultural and social context requires further research. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Explanations of the existence of socio-spatial divisions in Western Europe and the United States revolve around the importance of economic, demographic, political, and socio-cultural macro developments and often also on the role of globalization. Much of the literature also emphasizes the role of institutions, especially the national and local state as well as individual and household constraints and opportunities. Many authors explain socio-spatial divisions by a mix of these factors and developments. This paper provides an account of the current state of affairs concerning the literature and theory on divided cities in China. Concentrating on a selection of 88 articles published in international journals during the last decade, we examine how authors explain urban socio-spatial divisions in Chinese cities. The paper indicates that a five-category framework of trends, policies, players, position, and preferences are useful in addressing the complexity of explanations attributed to current urban divisions and inequalities in Chinese cities. While the spatial patterns in the Western and Chinese contexts share rather similar characteristics, the interplay of mechanisms is significantly different. The influence of the state, its institutions, and the cultural background has a much stronger explanatory power in China than in the West. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Although built environment effects on travel behavior have become a popular research topic globally, studies on the subject have rarely examined how built environment effects may differ between household members. The distinction between household members may be especially important in countries like China where the household registration system and the culture encourage a clear designation of the household head. Using data from Nanjing, China, this paper applies a cluster analysis method to characterize three distinct types of residential built environment and applies the propensity score technique to control for self-selection when examining the travel behavior effects of the three built environment types. Results show that, after controlling for self-selection, built environment effects on travel behavior differ significantly between the household head and other household members. Changes in the built environment do not affect car travel duration or car trip frequency of the household head, but affect significantly car travel behavior of other household members. Moving from the outer area to core or inner urban area is associated with an increased number of leisure trips for the household head, an increased number of maintenance trips for other household members, and increased walking and bicycling travel for both the household head and other household members. The study provides unique evidence on intra-household differences when it comes to the built environment and travel behavior connection. Overlooking intra-household differences may lead to inequitable and/or inefficient urban planning and transportation policy decisions in the context of Chinese cities. • Built environment (BE) effects on travel behavior differ between household members. • BE does not affect car travel of the household head but other household members. • BE affects active travel of both the household head and other household members. • Self-selection leads to overestimation of BE effects for the household head. • Self-selection leads to underestimation of BE effects for other household members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To reduce the vulnerability of urban areas facing high temperatures, it is useful to develop methods to obtain the urban heat island (UHI) intensity. However, it is hard to equip all cities with extensive measurement networks and alternative UHI diagnostic methods are needed. Accordingly, in this paper we evaluate and revise the diagnostic equation designed by Theeuwes et al. (2017) and analyze its application for Xi'an (China), based on long-term summer meteorology data. The evaluation of the default diagnostic equation shows that limited accuracy for Xi'an is caused by the sum of morphological parameters being used outside the original range of calibration. Subsequently, we propose an extended equation, which adds the building fraction to express the morphology of additional spatial categories. This new equation is calibrated against a 3-year dataset and independently validated with data from another year. In addition, a class prediction with three spatial categories is proposed, and verified by independent data of 20 stations in Xi'an in 2018, which enables this formula to be applied in more cities. Altogether, the extended diagnostic equation is an effective method to evaluate the daily maximum UHI intensity (UHI max) on neighborhood-scale, which can be generalized for a whole city area and presents internal intensity differences with multi-points. Image 1 • A diagnostic equation for the maximum urban heat island is applied in Xi'an (China). • Building fraction is added to the diagnostic equation to represent morphology. • Sky-view factor and vegetation fraction are used for spatial categorization. • The extended equation is an effective method for UHI max evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]