Search

Airport-related development raises important city-regional planning and governance issues. The paper examines the development of a new Chinese airport and associated changes in nearby cities. Ezhou Huahu Airport was initiated by one of China's largest delivery and logistics companies. The analysis focuses on the development patterns, growing visions, and changing governance around the airport as well as how the provincial government plays a crucial role in governing the airport region. Furthermore, the study highlights regional coordination manifested in various institutional forms, which warrants solid implementation through regional plans and regional institutions for dispute settlement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to alleviate the conflict between populations and land resource, Tianjin adopted multi-phase reclamation projects to the formed large-scale artificial reclamation land. The reclamation areas, however, are prone to subsidence, which poses a significant threat to infrastructure as well as the safety and assets of the residents. The SBAS-InSAR was used to acquire surface deformation of Tianjin Binhai New Area from January 2017 to December 2022, analyze in depth the response relationship between land subsidence, reclamation project time, and land-use type. There is a strong correlation between surface deformation and reclamation time. Severe land subsidence occurred over newly reclaimed areas. In the offshore direction, the deformation values of the Nangang Industrial Zone, the Lingang Industrial Zone, and Hangu Harbor were −98 mm to −890 mm, 45 mm to −580 mm, and −140 mm to −290 mm, respectively. Significant differences in deformation were detected among different land-use types where reclamation projects were completed in the same time. Subsidence was positively correlated with surface load; in areas with higher surface loads, the surface settlement was also more severe. The average surface settlement for the heavy shipyard, with 67 grain storage tanks and 27 grain storage tanks, road, and bare land were −201 mm, −166 mm, −107 mm, −64 mm, and −43 mm, respectively. This study reveals significant differences of surface deformation in the reclamation completed at different times, and determines that the load is the main driving factor of settlement difference in the reclamation land completed at the same time. This has important guiding significance for preventing and controlling geological disasters in the reclamation area and later development planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past two decades, the Mekong region has seen an increase in infrastructure projects aimed at improving transportation and connectivity between China and neighboring countries. These projects feature border control points, customs checkpoints, and security forces, leading to state control over cross-border trade mobility. Logistical power has gradually penetrated the social life in border trading, selectively facilitating certain groups while excluding others. Despite the overarching influence of state control, local traders still assert their agency in shaping cross-border trade practices. However, the transport and border control infrastructures hindered small-scale trading during the global pandemic and filtered out less economically important goods from cross-border mobility. This paper highlights the dynamic relationship between state control and various actors in cross-border trade in the Mekong region. It calls for an inclusive strategy in developing border infrastructure, aiming to ensure equitable benefit distribution and actively integrate the voices and experiences of those most impacted by these changes into the planning and execution of regional projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Live streaming commerce (LSC) effectively combines the traditional real economy and e-commerce. Based on more than half a million unique GIS data values on LSC activities sourced via Taobao (Alibaba), we traced the spatial distribution of different players along the supply chain and further highlighted the intermediary role of streamers in developing the inter-regional industry. This study guides industrial planning in a diversified regional context, especially in economically peripheral regions. Our results show the following outcomes: (1) in contrast to dispersed suppliers, streamers and consumers are highly clustered. This trend proves that streamers are rooted in a specific urban context while playing the role of an intermediary in inter-regional supply chains, effectively extending geographic interactivity between suppliers and (potential) customers. (2) LSC primarily promotes regional light industry, especially in economically peripheral and rural areas, and provides opportunities for rapid development in cities with skilled handicraft providers. (3) China's LSC streams have a pyramid structure, and the top group is highly clustered in metropolitan regions, such as the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) and the Pearl River Delta (PRD). This clustering makes it easier for streamers to work with large, well-known brands. The bottom group is mainly in charge of expanding the supply chain within the region and relies more on the local industrial base. It is diversified due to the different types of businesses or products. Ultimately, we draw attention to adaptive spatial planning and resource allocation in the context of the economic and geographic reforms brought by this growing industry, and discuss the policy implications based on the relationships between the supply of and demand for live streamers from a broader regional perspective. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is imperative to conduct collaborative planning for greenhouse gas and air pollutant control in China. At present, although the country has certain policies, laws, standards, institutions, and theoretical research as the basis for such planning, there are still deficiencies such as insufficient strategic coordination and a lack of effective connections of relevant plans, and the goals and requirements of collaborative control of greenhouse gases and air pollutants have not been fully incorporated into the territorial space planning, regional planning, and industrial development planning. In these circumstances, this study carries out text analysis and normative analysis and finds that the idea of improving the collaborative planning of greenhouse gas and air pollutant control mainly includes two aspects. The first is to strategically coordinate the collaborative control of greenhouse gases and air pollutants and determine its direction and long-term goal. Second, the collaborative control of greenhouse gases and air pollutants should be specifically deployed and arranged through the coordination of relevant plans. However, in order to fully realize the collaborative control of greenhouse gases and air pollutants by relevant plans, the following four aspects need to be guaranteed: ① We should further strengthen the coordination among the main bodies and strengthen unified supervision so as to provide the main body guarantee and supervision guarantee for the collaboration of related planners. ② We should strengthen theoretical research and further expand the scope of research to explore the relation⁃ ship between greenhouse gases (other than carbon dioxide) and air pollutants (including new pollutants). ③ We should formulate and re⁃ vise relevant policies, laws, and standards in a timely manner to assist collaborative planning. ④ We should actively carry out the pilot practice of collaborative control of greenhouse gases and air pollutants to explore the collaborative control mode that can be replicated and promoted and to accumulate practical experience for collaborative control planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hydrogen energy leads us in an important direction in the development of clean energy, and the comprehensive utilization of hydrogen energy is crucial for the low-carbon transformation of the power sector. In this paper, the demand for hydrogen energy in various fields is predicted based on the support vector regression algorithm, which can be converted into an equivalent electrical load when it is all produced from water electrolysis. Then, the investment costs of power generators and hydrogen energy equipment are forecast considering uncertainty. Furthermore, a planning model is established with the forecast data, initial installed capacity and targets for carbon emission reduction as inputs, and the installed capacity as well as share of various power supply and annual carbon emissions as outputs. Taking Gansu Province of China as an example, the changes of power supply structure and carbon emissions under different scenarios are analysed. It can be found that hydrogen production through water electrolysis powered by renewable energy can reduce carbon emissions but will increase the demand for renewable energy generators. Appropriate planning of hydrogen storage can reduce the overall investment cost and promote a low carbon transition of the power system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The distribution and sentiment characteristics of tourists directly reflect the state of tourism development, and are an important reference for tourists to choose scenic areas. Sensing the tourist distributions and their sentiment variations can provide decision support for the development planning of scenic areas. In this study, we crawled tourist social media data to explore tourist distribution characteristics and the patterns of tourist sentiment variations. First, we used web crawlers to obtain social media data (tourist comment data) and the location data of China's 5A scenic areas from the Ctrip tourism platform. Second, SnowNLP (Simplified Chinese Text Processing) was optimized and used to classify the sentiment of tourists' comments and calculate the sentiment value. Finally, we mined the distribution characteristics of tourists in 5A scenic areas and the spatio-temporal variations in tourists' sentiments. The results show that: (1) There is a negative correlation between the number of tourists to China's 5A scenic areas and tourist sentiment: the number of tourists is highest in October and lowest in March, while tourist sentiment is highest in March and lowest in October. (2) The spatio-temporal distribution of tourists has obvious aggregation: temporally mainly in July, August and October, spatially mainly in the Yangtze River Delta city cluster, Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei city cluster, and Guanzhong Plain city cluster. (3) Tourist sentiment cold/hot spots vary significantly by city clusters: the Yangtze River Delta city cluster is always a sentiment hot spot; the northern city cluster has more sentiment cold spots; the central city cluster varies significantly during the year; the southwestern city cluster has more sentiment hot spots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of economy, China's cities and villages have been changing with each passing day. The planning and updating of traditional settlements have become an important topic in the development of our country. By studying the theory of space syntax, the author extracted the technical method of updating traditional settlements. We chose a traditional settlement as the research object. Based on the regional function of traditional settlements, the spatial structure of the region has been used to plan and update the area. The method designed in this paper can effectively update and transform traditional settlements. This is of practical significance to the progress and construction of our society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The actual status of the current regional environmental planning is difficult to obtain through traditional statistical methods, and it is necessary to use remote-sensing identification technology to collect information. Based on the NPP/VIIRS technology, this study uses the NPP/VIIRS technology to identify and analyze China's regional environment. Moreover, on this basis, this study conducts a dimensional analysis of regional environmental planning, verifies the feasibility of the technology, and promotes the development of the technology in environmental planning. In addition, this study links light intensity and carbon emissions based on night-light data and traditional energy consumption data. Finally, from the perspective of time and space continuity, new solutions and research methods are provided for many problems existing in traditional carbon emission research, which in turn provides a solid scientific foundation and theoretical basis for the formulation and implementation of carbon emission reduction strategies. The research results show that the method proposed in this study has certain effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • We modified an ecological connectivity index considering ecological patches' quality. • We found landscape fragmentation and connectivity loss in Jiangsu from 2000 to 2018. • We gave suggestions on improving ecological network in Jiangsu, China. • The combined method can provide valuable tools for spatial planning. Urbanization in China has led to land-use changes resulting in landscape fragmentation, natural habitats loss and ecological connectivity decline. Aiming to support sustainable landscape planning, we proposed an integrated method for ecological structure assessment and optimization including morphological spatial pattern analysis (MSPA), minimal cumulative resistance (MCR) model and circuit theory to assess landscape fragmentation and ecological connectivity change at regional scale. A modified connectivity index is also proposed by employing the index of relative quality of ecological patches and corridors. We applied the combined methods to Jiangsu province in eastern China for multi-temporal landscape analysis and optimization. The results showed that the combined analysis revealed both fragmentation trend of ecological patches and ecological connectivity reduction with regard to all the species as a whole in the study area from 2000 to 2018. While, the trend has been slowed down to a certain extent lately, which is related to a series of ecological protection policies implemented in the study area, including ecological redlines policy, national park construction and returning marginal farmland into forest or grassland. Furthermore, suggestions for improving the ecological network in the study area were proposed. We proposed to improve the ecological network by fostering twenty-five potential ecological sources, maintaining twenty-five pinch points, restoring eleven dredging corridors and planning fifty-three stepping stones. Overall, we argue that the combined method can reveal both structural connectivity and functional connectivity, and the time series analysis can provide dynamics situation for better understanding and planning landscape process. It can also provide planners with a valuable strategic tool that advances the practical utility of landscape ecology techniques for spatial planning, and the combined application of the method helps to reduce some of the limitations of each individual method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increase in the proportion of new energy resources being generated in the power system, it is necessary to plan the capacity configuration of the power supply side through the coordination of power generation, grid, load, and energy storage, to create a relatively controllable power generation output and ensure the safe and stable operation of the power system is a key problem that needs to be solved at present. Therefore, combined with national and regional policies and resource constraints in China, this paper firstly determines the requirements and boundary conditions of various power supply planning in the regional power system and proposes a "generation-grid-load-energy storage" coordination mode. Secondly, establish a regional power system coordination planning model considering the proportion of new energy consumption and low-carbon cost. Finally, in three scenarios with a high, medium, and low proportion of new energy resources, the new installed capacity configuration of regional power supply is optimized to verify the effectiveness of the proposed model and provides reference for regional power supply planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coalbed methane (CBM) resource in the southern Qinshui Basin, North China, is abundant. Proper understanding of the geological control factors on CBM enrichment in Anze Block of southern Qinshui Basin is critical to design efficient CBM development plan in this area. Field and laboratory data including well logging, well testing, hydraulic fracturing, and groundwater chemical analysis of were used to evaluate the characteristics of the hydrodynamic and geostress, and then, the combined effect of hydrodynamic and geostress field on CBM enrichment was analyzed. The results show that the total dissolved solids (TDS) of groundwater in the west is generally lower than that in other areas in the block, and the primary formation water is NaHCO3-type. The geostress field shows a σ H > σ v > σ h dominated geostress type in this area, and the western block has a lower value than the eastern block. The strong hydrodynamic field with low TDS also has a lower gas content while the weak hydrodynamic field with high TDS has a higher gas content. Both the TDS value and the horizontal stress differences are positively related to the gas content, indicating that inactive hydrodynamics and large horizontal stress difference of coal reservoir is favorable for CBM preservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reservoir classification is an important content of reservoir evaluation, and has significance for the optimization of favorable areas and the formulation of development plans. Aiming at the characteristics of low and ultra-low permeability sandstone reservoirs in Jidong Oilfield, this paper selects sedimentary facies, sand body width, mean effective radius and effective percolation coefficient as evaluation parameters. Through conducting the macro qualitative analysis and microscopic quantitative evaluation, the classification boundary is determined by cluster analysis, a comprehensive evaluation system of low and ultra-low permeability sandstone reservoirs is established. The reservoirs are divided into four types, the physical properties get worse in turn of type I to III, and type IV is small sand body. The sedimentary facies of type I to III reservoirs are mainly bar host and fluvial channels, the inner edge of the bar, the outer edge of the bar and shoal in turn. The sand body width of type I to III is more than 300 m,and it is less than 300 m of type IV reservoirs. Based on the classification results, the feasibility analysis of water injection was carried out, and corresponding development policy recommendations are put forward for four types of reservoirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heterogeneous enterprise agglomeration is an important perspective in understanding urban exports and reshaping the new advantages of urban openness. This paper considers data from China's industrial enterprises and municipality-level panel data from 192 cities to systematically examine enterprises' heterogeneity, agglomeration patterns, and urban exports. The results reveal that: (1) the heterogeneity in enterprise productivity exhibits a significant promotional effect on urban exports in China's central and northeastern regions, but not on its western regions; (2) specialized agglomeration positively affects exports in the central and western regions and in small and medium-sized cities, while diversified agglomeration significantly and positively impacts the eastern and northeastern regions and small and large cities; and (3) thresholds exist in determining the effects of agglomeration and sequencing on urban exports and their sequence by considering heterogeneity in enterprises' productivity. This work provides important policy implications for the development of export trade in cities and countries by suggesting a focus on rational planning and adjustments to regional industrial policies, improvements to talent flow mechanisms, and construction of social infrastructures. HIGHLIGHTS Heterogeneous enterprise agglomeration can shape exports from city-based businesses A new simultaneous model determines how to increase urban exports Heterogeneity can have various impacts in different Chinese regions and cities Increasing productivity and exports requires strategic planning for optimization [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terrain classification involves essential tasks in geomorphology, landscape investigation, regional planning, and hazard prediction. Most existing methods are based on a simple thresholding approach. However, such an approach is limited in terms of accuracy and robustness, especially for large‐scale tasks. To overcome this limitation, this article proposes an object‐based framework combined with the random forest. Six terrain factors, namely terrain relief, surface roughness, elevation, elevation coefficient variation, shaded relief, and accumulative curvature, are first selected by correlation analysis using Sheffield's entropy. The obtained segmentation result is then optimized by Moran's I and the weighted variance, combining both terrain factors and textures derived from digital elevation models. Then, the features are selected among both terrain factors and their gray‐level co‐occurrence matrix textures. Finally, the features are fed into the random forest classifier. Seven landform types are classified, including plain, hill, low mountain, low‐middle mountain, high‐middle mountain, high mountain, and extremely high mountain. A case study in China was conducted and achieved an overall accuracy of 80.53% compared with the official landform atlas, which is better performance over the compared semi‐automatic methods. The transferability of our framework was further confirmed by an additional application in provincial‐scale mapping with a different classification system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the rapid development of high-speed rail (HSR) systems in China, the evaluation of the accessibility of HSR has become an important issue, especially for daily accessibility, or daytime round-trip travel (one-way journeys taking within 4 h), as this form of travel has significantly redefined the concept of the business trips are. This paper presents an improved approach to measuring potential-based accessibility by adding train frequency as an important weight and distinguishing the travel time into different intervals to measure accessibility. With a case study of Shandong Province, China, the paper verifies that the improved approach is more suitable for evaluating the daily accessibility and more practical for regional and transport planning than the original approach. First, the method is more effective in analyzing the differences in accessibility between cities and revealing more detailed changes or improvements in accessibility resulting from HSR. Second, there is a stronger correlation between the accessibility of different time intervals and the local economic level (GDP). Third, the method is more in line with the actual conditions in explaining the improved accessibility and corresponding spatial structures of a region. As a result, the improved approach provides an improved ability to better characterize the impacts of accessibility on regional development and will play an important role in regional planning and transportation planning. Finally, the paper also notes that the proposed approach is primarily suited for the middle-or macrolevel accessibility studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, based on 55 years' worth of high-resolution simulated wave data using numerical modeling off the southern coasts of China, intra-annual and decadal variations of the wave climate and wave energy were evaluated. The results show that it is important to consider a sufficiently long time period for wave energy assessment to take into account the changing climate. The high-resolution wave dataset enabled the quantitative analysis in both nearshore and offshore, and the quantitative analysis was performed in two phases: First, using two different approaches. i.e., "Climate-dependent Sustainability Index" and "Wave Exploitability Index", the wave power and its short and long-term changes were considered to prioritize the candidate stations for further assessment. Then, a modified "Multi-Criteria Approach" consisting of both sea state and Wave Energy Converters (WECs) was applied to determine the most suitable combination of WEC and location in the domain, which is Wave Dragon in the eastern parts of the domain with the energy production of around 92,000 MWh for a single device. The results provide the quantitative analysis for different scenarios of development plans in the study area on the selection of appropriate location and technology. [Display omitted] • Long-term high-resolution simulated wave climate was used in Southern China. • Inter and intra-annual variation of wave resources was investigated. • Climate-dependent Sustainability Index and Wave Exploitability Index were utilized. • Multi-criteria approach was applied in candidate stations. • The suitable location and WEC were determined for different development scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accurate prediction of regional development trend is important to regional planning and coordinated development in China. It provides a basis for decision-makings on the resource balance in multi-regional integration. However, due to the limitation of macro data and the influence of multi-regional correlation, the prediction accuracy of the existing forecasting methods in multi-regional macro-data forecasting is reduced. To overcome these problems, an improved grey model is proposed in this study. Firstly, a new spatial weight matrix is constructed based on the grey correlation analysis to define the spatial effect of multiple regions. Then, an actual-state rolling spatial-effect weighted grey model (ARSWGM) is developed considering the spatial interactions and the actual-state rolling mechanism. Finally, the proposed model is validated by the forecasting of manufacturing quality level of representative provinces in the process of regional coordinated development in China. The result shows that the proposed model demonstrates the best predicting performance compared with the classical grey forecasting models, indicating the advantages of this proposed model in multi-regional macro-data forecasting. Furthermore, this model can also be applied for a broader range of multi-regional limited macro-data forecasting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Originally proposed by the former president of Kazakhstan in 1995, Eurasian integration progressed into the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which was launched in 2015. From an international development perspective, the EAEU can be seen as an attempt to boost the international competitiveness of its partners by reorienting them from currently prevailing yet inherently unstable resource-based economic models into more sustainable ones, based on domestic industries structured around common markets for goods, services, capital and labour. In reality, however, the project is yet to prove its viability and development potential, particularly vis-à-vis its powerful neighbours, China and the European Union. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large-scale land creation projects involving the cutting of mountains to infill gullies for construction have been carried out in Lanzhou New District (LZND). However, there is an urgent need for comprehensive and detailed research on the spatiotemporal evolution of ground deformation in LZND. Based on Sentinel-1A SAR data, combined with the urban geological background, the ground deformation in LZND from 2017 to 2019 was analysed. Two independent, multi-temporal techniques, persistent scatterers interferometry (PS-InSAR) and the small baseline subset (SBAS-InSAR), were used to calculate the deformation time series, and the results were cross-verified. The time series-monitoring results of the SBAS and PS calculations exhibited strong consistency in LZND and verified the high reliability of the experimental results. The results showed the whole surface of the LZND from March 2017 to October 2019 maintained stability, and the deformation rate was primarily in the range of −10 to 10 mm/year. However, ground deformation in the Xicha area was evident. The maximum annual deformation rates monitored by SBAS-InSAR and PS-InSAR were −52.48 mm/year and −56.35 mm/year, respectively. The most typical deformation areas include the built-up area and the land creation area. The surface subsidence area was concentrated in the filling area. The ground deformation range of LZND kept expanding and accelerating from 2017 to 2019. Land creation, urban construction, geology and precipitation were the primary factors contributing to local severe ground deformation. The results of this study provide reference for the regional urban planning in LZND. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The past decade has witnessed a blossoming of megaregional plans throughout China. However, it is still unclear whether megaregions delineated in these plans are based on a functionally integrated foundation or imagined by the government. This study takes the Central Yangtze River Megaregion (CYRM)—a cross‐jurisdictional megaregion planned as a leading regional integration platform in Central China—as a case to examine the mismatch between the governmentally designated regions and functionally integrated regions. Specifically, this research employs the community detection algorithm to identify functionally integrated regions within the CYRM based on producer services networks, then associate the formation of these network‐based regions with territorial factors. The results show that the integration of identified first‐tier functional regions is subject to the provincial administrative divisions; whereas, the locally planned regions comply with the second‐tier functionally integrated regions spatially. Besides, the regression results indicate that the territorial factors are significantly associated with the above spatial patterns. Hence, the region‐making practices initiated by the local governments rather than the central government, are more consistent with the conditions of regional economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitative assessment of nitrogen（N）balance in greenhouse vegetable fields could enhance our understanding of N loss path in soil and its potential environmental pollution, which could be beneficial for the green development of intensive greenhouse vegetable production in China. In this study, we analyzed N balance and its spatial distribution in greenhouse vegetable fields based on 648 groups of available data selected from the CNKI and Web of Science according to the National Key Area Development Plan of Greenhouse Vegetables （2015-2020）. Our results showed that the apparent nitrogen balance of greenhouse vegetable fields was positive in every growing season （49~1154 kg N·hm-2）, and the mean was 324 kg N·hm-2. The mean nitrogen use efficiency（NUE）of greenhouse vegetable fields was 18.6%. Regarding N input, the total nitrogen input per growing season was approximately 863 kg N·hm-2. Chemical fertilizer and organic fertilizer were two major sources（471 kg N·hm-2 vs 306 kg N·hm-2）of nitrogen, and the nitrogen contributed by irrigation water could not be ignored（86 kg N·hm-2）. Regarding N output, the total nitrogen output per growing season was approximately 539 kg N·hm-2 and the percentages absorbed by crops and lost to the environment（leaching, nitrification and denitrification, and NH3 volatilization）were 42.6% and 57.4%, respectively. The distribution of N balance exhibited a spatial heterogeneity pattern. The N surplus in the Huang-Huai-Hai and the warm temperature area around the Bohai Sea were the highest（441 kg N·hm-2）. The main reasons were the large amount of nitrogen input and low crop absorption. In addition, the nitrogen loss in this area was also high, and the leaching loss reached 186 kg N·hm-2. Our result suggested that the overall apparent nitrogen balance of Chinese vegetable fields showed a positive surplus, mainly owing to the large amounts of chemical fertilizer and organic fertilizer input, but there was a high risk of nitrogen loss. Reducing N input as well as improving crop up⁃ take and NUE may be promising ways to optimize N management. It is necessary to reduce nitrogen input and mainly focus on nitrogen leach⁃ ing losses, especially in Huang-Huai-Hai and the warm temperature area around the Bohai Sea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's city regionalization aims to remedy the negative effects of territorial fragmentation in search of coordinated development across various jurisdictions. Scant research systemically examines fragmentation in China with particular reference to its mechanisms and solutions. This article formulates a conceptual framework capable of dissecting China's territorial fragmentation based on three institutional designs, namely—the central-dominated administrative system, the pro-growth cadre evaluation system, and the twofold tax-sharing system. Under this framework, this article deciphers territorial fragmentation in China from the perspectives of the centrally initiated political selection, cadre reward, and socioeconomic regulatory mechanisms. These three aspects help coordinate pro-growth-induced political decentralization which, at the same time, reveals the path dependence of Maoist state authoritarianism to solid regulatory powers of the central state. The framework allows us to pinpoint clearly three administrative solutions to mitigate the negative effects of fragmentation for future institutional design: the adjustment of jurisdictional boundaries, setting-up of interjurisdictional partnerships and regional institutions, and formulation of a regional spatial plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zhou, L.; Bao, X.; Yu, J.; Zhang, Y., and Feng, R., 2019. Recent initiatives and developments in the ecological utilization of marine resources (EUMR) in China. In: Guido-Aldana, P.A. and Mulahasan, S. (eds.), Advances in Water Resources and Exploration. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 93, pp. 443–449. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Since the 1990's, China's marine management has undergone a series of developments. It has progressed from lawlessness to the rule of law, from blind development to a rational planning and from over-exploitation to ecological use of marine resources. Based on the ecological conditions and the characteristics of the marine utilization in China, this paper describes the concept of the "ecological utilization of marine resources (EUMR)" and its development, connotation and foundation. Furthermore, it presents the new regulations on China's regional infrastructural planning for marine utilization, protection and utilization of the coastline, marine ecological red line, and others. Lastly, this paper proposes some suggestions on the implementation of the EUMR from four aspects, namely, the ecological development, ecological protection, resource conservation and remediation. Adhering to the EUMR has become the new principle of marine management in China, and this principle provides a direction for solving the problems regarding the excessive consumption of the marine resources and deteriorating ecological environment. Furthermore, it can act as a healthy base of marine management experiences for other coastal countries to study and follow them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking China&'s industrial enterprises above a designated size at provincial level as study objects, this paper explores enterprise R&D efficiency in different regions of China's 31 mainland provinces over time with Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA). It further discusses the factors influencing R&D efficiency. This paper explains R&D efficiency from the three perspectives of comprehensive efficiency, pure technical efficiency and scale efficiency. It is shown that although R&D efficiency displays rising trend, scale efficiency performs better than comprehensive and pure technical efficiency in China. The hot spots and cold spots of R&D efficiency change substantially in spatial distribution over time. Hot spots of comprehensive and pure technical efficiency migrated from Western China to coastal regions, demonstrating strong spatial dependence, whereas scale efficiency did not show a similar spatial distribution. Factors leading to variation in R&D efficiency across regions were studied. The significant factors for comprehensive, pure technical and scale efficiency were found to be different. These findings may be beneficial in planning regional development and effectively encouraging innovation at the regional level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the 1990's, China's marine management has undergone a series of developments. It has progressed from lawlessness to the rule of law, from blind development to a rational planning and from over-exploitation to ecological use of marine resources. Based on the ecological conditions and the characteristics of the marine utilization in China, this paper describes the concept of the "ecological utilization of marine resources (EUMR)" and its development, connotation and foundation. Furthermore, it presents the new regulations on China's regional infrastructural planning for marine utilization, protection and utilization of the coastline, marine ecological red line, and others. Lastly, this paper proposes some suggestions on the implementation of the EUMR from four aspects, namely, the ecological development, ecological protection, resource conservation and remediation. Adhering to the EUMR has become the new principle of marine management in China, and this principle provides a direction for solving the problems regarding the excessive consumption of the marine resources and deteriorating ecological environment. Furthermore, it can act as a healthy base of marine management experiences for other coastal countries to study and follow them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the comparative research on China's and Russia's understandings of regionalism, by analysing the two states' regional projects, the New Silk Road of China and the Eurasian Economic Union of Russia. It examines how Chinese and Russian ruling elites think of international cooperation in the context of their regional initiatives, and noting their rejection of the universalism of Western-made international norms. The author argues the different understanding of both countries on regionalism and distinct views on how international cooperation at the regional level should be arranged. It also discusses China's emphasizes on the flexibility and openness of its project and Russia's principles for universal and legally binding norms.

Since the late 1990s, there are growing studies on the development of cellular automata (CA) as a simulation tool for assisting urban and regional planning in China. Rapid urban development is the main reason that this country has become one of the best places to test the methodology of CA and analyze the effectiveness of using these models. This paper attempts to summarize the experiences and issues of using CA to solve various environmental and planning problems in China. The analysis is based on the literature review using the search engines of ISI Web of Science and Google Scholar. These experiences could be important for those who want to apply CA in developing countries. For example, which environmental and ecological problems can be solved by using this bottom-up approach? What are the data inputs to these models and how can they be calibrated? Our analyses indicate that CA have the great potential to support land-use planning and policy analysis for fast-growing regions. Some specific features of using CA in China are also identified in the literature review, including delineation of urban growth boundary, prevention of illegal development and formulating zoning schemes. The CA studies in this fast-growing country provided valuable experiences for other developing countries to solve a series of simulation and planning problems by using this bottom-up approach. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

• ES decrease with the increase of IS, which has a scale effect. • When the IS growth rate exceeds a certain threshold, the ES will degenerate. • Regional ecological management should be macro-control at the provincial level. • The measures taken to limit IS expansion should be at a smaller grid scale. • ESCI is more suitable for exploring the relationship between IS and the ecosystem. The complexity and fragility of the Yellow River Basin ecosystem limits its economic growth and sustainable social development as a strategic planning area for development in western China. The Chinese government has established the Loess Plateau Ecological Screen (LPES) in the region to eliminate or mitigate the negative ecological impacts of human activities represented by the expansion of impervious surfaces (IS) through active ecological conservation and restoration. However, there are few studies that quantify the effects of impervious surfaces on ecosystem services (ES). To fill this gap, this study takes the LPES in China as an example and explores the response of ES to IS changes and its scale effect from 2000 to 2020. Based on remote sensing, meteorological, soil, hydrological, social, and economic data using GIS spatial analysis techniques. The results show that: From 2000 to 2020, the urbanization of the LPES developed rapidly, and the IS increased rapidly. The increase in IS affected the supply of ES, which decreased with the increase in IS growth rate, and this phenomenon had a scale effect. Overall, except for soil conservation service (SCS) - IS, carbon storage service (C) - IS at the administrative scale, the negative correlation increased with increasing scale, while the opposite was true at the grid scale. There were thresholds for the response of ES to IS, and the thresholds were also influenced by the scale of study. The smaller the scale was, the lower the threshold was. However, there were differences in the ranking of each ES reaching the threshold with increasing IS at the grid-scale and administrative division scale. The ecosystem services composite index (ESCI) was found to be the best indicator for exploring the relationship between IS and ES compared to other single ecosystem services indices, with the largest negative correlation with IS and the least influenced by scale effects. Given the obvious scale effect of IS on ES, this study suggests that the development of ecological management programs at the national level should be macroscopically regulated at the provincial level, with specific measures at smaller grid scales (5 Km × 5 Km) to constrain IS expansion.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education is a primary goal in the United Nations' agenda for sustainable development. Under this global initiative, China has been striving to achieve equitable education in rural areas through the planning and development of rural schools. To this end, the paper focuses on the rural school planning issue by proposing an evaluation-optimization-validation framework in a case study in Changyuan, a county-level city in China. Specifically, by focusing on the nine-year compulsory education institutions, including elementary schools, junior high schools, and nursery schools, the paper first identifies the low-school-accessibility areas by a modified Huff three-step floating catchment area (MH3SFCA) method. Then, the paper optimizes the school locations using the maximum covering location problem by the complementary coverage (MCLP-CC) model by improving the equity of school access. Lastly, a comparative analysis before and after the optimization reveals that except for elementary schools, the spatial equality of the school-specific accessibility and that of the overall accessibility have both been improved to a significant degree. The proposed framework provides a new scientific procedure for schools' location planning, and the implementation results can provide insights into future planning initiatives to promote educational equity in rural China and beyond. • We proposed an evaluation-optimization-validation framework for schools' location planning. • By integrating accessibility evaluation and MCLP-CC optimization method, the maximum coverage of schools is optimized. • Villages not covered by the junior high/elementary/nursery schools is reduced by 62.55%, 70%, and 84.30% after optimization. • In line with the UN SDG goals, the proposed approach significantly improves educational equity in rural Changyuan, China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When considering development and urbanization, a critical question relates to the institutions on the basis of which these ought to be achieved. Formal, private and titled property rights are oft considered as essential in this. However, contrary to the notion that such rights can be exogenously designed and implemented, this paper ascertains that the property rights of Chinese housing stem from endogenous development. The institutional amalgam of contradictory, overlapping and opaque rights points to endogeneity – resultant from actors' multitudinous interactions, bargaining and conflict – rather than the reverse. The housing property rights are analyzed in an evolutionary sense around ownership as an idealized concept. In so doing, the paper describes how the Chinese housing rights' structure developed into its current form; what has been commercialized and what not; and what is formally defined and what not. The analysis covers a half century: the collectivist period since 1962 until the present, with a focus on the time since the 1998 Housing Reforms. The analysis includes the main types of urban and rural housing. In light of the endogenous structure of China's housing, the article cautions against precipitous institutional intervention, and contends that formalization and titling should proceed with great care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The intensity and spatial distribution of land use conflict were accurately identified. • The potential factors affecting land use conflicts were discussed. • Development of a new framework for spatial control zoning to mitigate and guide land use conflicts. • Land use conflict mitigation strategies with regional differences were formulated. The coordinated development of territorial space is a necessary condition for sustainable regional development. In the context of rapid socio-economic development, how to construct a spatial control model to coordinate land use conflicts between agriculture, construction, and ecology has become an urgent problem to be resolved. By taking the Rao River Basin, a typical region with land use conflict issues, as an example, this study developed various land use suitability evaluation systems to identify and evaluate the land use conflict status in 2020 under the three major land use objectives: agricultural production, urban construction, and ecological protection. Then, based on the consideration of ecological priority, the remote sensing ecological index was applied to characterize the ecological quality of the watershed. Afterwards, a framework for spatial control zoning was developed to guide the land use approach within the context of territorial spatial planning by integrating regional ecological quality and land use conflict status. The results found that the spatial distribution of the suitability of agricultural land, construction land, and ecological land in the Rao River Basin exhibited overlap and intersection, causing significant land use conflicts. According to statistics, 36.55 % of the basin was affected by conflict, with medium conflict as the main grade and agriculture-construction conflict being the most significant with an area of up to 1,397.01 km2. Therefore, it is necessary to develop differentiated management strategies and divide spatial control zones to mitigate land use conflicts according to the basin's current development status. Integrated land use conflicts and ecological quality, the watershed was split into six spatial control zones: eco-dominated zones, agricultural production zones, urban construction zones, priority treatment zones, controlled development zones, and development potential zones. The study results can provide a basis for decision-making on the spatial development of the Rao River Basin and a methodological reference for identifying and mitigating land use conflicts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Soil nutrient index method was used to gain a comprehensive insight of soil nutrient characteristics of Tianshan Mountains. • The average soil nutrient indices of the western area were higher than those of the eastern area. • All nutrients except the total salts decreased with increasing depth. • The differentiations of soil nutrients and variation patterns were attributed to the vegetation type and coverage, altitude, and more importantly, to human activity. Soil nutrients are the basic properties and essential characteristics of the soil. Study of areal variability of soil nutrients is an important fundamental work for regional planning, environmental protection, and regionally sustainable development. Dynamic changes in soil nutrients are affected by factors such as soil type, fertilization, farming, irrigation, altitude, and climate. This study takes the Tianshan Mountains, located in the central region of Xinjiang, China, as this region is not only a hub for agriculture, industry, transportation, and tourism, but also it is crucial as a forest-grassland transition zone. Through field sampling, laboratory analysis and supported by statistical analysis, we investigated the soil nutrient characteristics and the soil nutrient index to gain a spatial image of soil nutrient status in Tianshan followed by the discussion of those influencing factors. We selected suitable locations along the forest-grassland transition zone to excavate pits of 40 cm × 40 cm in area and 100 cm in depth. A total of 133 soil samples were collected from 0–5 cm, 5–20 cm, and 20–40 cm in pairs (woodland, grassland). Five soil nutrients (soil organic matter (SOM), available nitrogen (AN), available phosphorus (AP), available potassium (AK) and total salts were selected for experimental, multivariate statistical, correlation and soil nutrient index analyses. The results show that (1) the average soil nutrient indices of the western area (M-T and K-B sites) were 0.5 and 0.24, respectively, higher than 0.2 of the eastern area (B-A site); (2) in soil layers of different depths of these three locations, all nutrients except the total salts (SOM, AN, AP, and AK) decreased with the increase in depth; (3) more fertile soils distribute in the western area (M-T and K-B sites) than in others of the Tianshan Mountains, showing higher soil nutrient contents and nutrient indices, abundant vegetation with greater diversity, higher vegetation coverage (80%-90%), and higher altitude. It can be concluded that the differentiation of soil nutrient index between western and eastern section of Tianshan were attributed to theirs' vegetation type and coverage, altitude, and more importantly, human activity.. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To promote regional economic development, China introduced regional development plans (RDPs) in 2009. This is the first study to investigate the net effect of the RDPs on China's regional economic growth by employing the multi-stage difference-in-differences (DID) strategy and a city-level panel data set during the 2004–2015 period. We reduce the self-selection bias by employing the propensity score matching strategy and explore the mediating effects from two perspectives, i.e., investment scale and production efficiency. Finally, using nighttime satellite light data, we conduct a robustness test of the previous results. The results show that the RDPs have a significant negative impact on economic growth, with strong regional heterogeneity. The RDPs have no effect on economic growth in western cities when reducing self-selection bias, and the underlying reason is that their impacts on both the investment scale and production efficiency are unclear. However, the RDPs exert significantly negative impacts on economic growth in the eastern and central regions. The negative impacts are mainly because the RDPs decrease production efficiency to inhibit economic growth. Therefore, the central government needs to attach great importance to the improvement of the production efficiency when regulating regional development. • The effect of the Regional Development Plans (RDPs) on economic growth is investigated. • The self-selection effects and mediating mechanisms are also discussed. • The RDPs has a significant negative impact on economic growth. • The RDPs' impacts show clear geographical differences. • The negative impact occurred mainly because the RDPs decreased production technological efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Zhou, L.; Bao, X.; Yu, J.; Zhang, Y., and Feng, R., 2019. Recent initiatives and developments in the ecological utilization of marine resources (EUMR) in China. In: Guido-Aldana, P.A. and Mulahasan, S. (eds.), Advances in Water Resources and Exploration. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 93, pp. 443–449. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208. Since the 1990's, China's marine management has undergone a series of developments. It has progressed from lawlessness to the rule of law, from blind development to a rational planning and from over-exploitation to ecological use of marine resources. Based on the ecological conditions and the characteristics of the marine utilization in China, this paper describes the concept of the "ecological utilization of marine resources (EUMR)" and its development, connotation and foundation. Furthermore, it presents the new regulations on China's regional infrastructural planning for marine utilization, protection and utilization of the coastline, marine ecological red line, and others. Lastly, this paper proposes some suggestions on the implementation of the EUMR from four aspects, namely, the ecological development, ecological protection, resource conservation and remediation. Adhering to the EUMR has become the new principle of marine management in China, and this principle provides a direction for solving the problems regarding the excessive consumption of the marine resources and deteriorating ecological environment. Furthermore, it can act as a healthy base of marine management experiences for other coastal countries to study and follow them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban and regional planning is a complex decision-making process that often involves multiple objectives, especially concerning the purpose of balancing the protection of ecosystems and economic development. We aim to establish a quantitative approach to the recent integrated regional planning in China, known as major function zoning (MFZ), by developing a spatial decision support system (SDSS). The SDSS is developed on the basis of the geographical information system (GIS) which offers powerful functions in spatial analysis and visualization. SDSSs can not only evaluate a variety of geographical features, such as the suitability of land use, but also support the decision makers in choosing, with the participation of stakeholders, between multiple alternatives. This system was applied in a case study of the Beijing – Tianjin metropolitan area by establishing an integrated assessment model of regional development and an index system. Through spatial analysis of different indices developed in group workshops, two alternatives were proposed according to development-oriented and protection-oriented objectives. In the protection-oriented alternative, a higher proportion of area was sited in prohibited zones (28.6%) than in the development-oriented alternative (21.5%); after negotiations with the stakeholders, the former was adopted as the final scheme for MFZ of Beijing – Tianjin metropolitan area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reflecting upon China's current path of regional urbanization, this research studies the polycentric structure of China's megaregions. It defines the concept and measurement for megaregional polycentricity and utilizes the spatial statistics tool--standard deviational ellipse of directional distribution--to measure the demographic spatial pattern of individual megaregions. The result reveals that most megaregions in China do not have significant polycentricity. They are either dominated by a single major center or by a number of major centers clustered closely. A challenge for China's megaregional development is to explore the potential policy instruments that can promote a more polycentric megaregional spatial pattern and more balanced spatial development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A number of urban and regional plans have been developed with the advancement of urbanization and regional integration, among which the delineation of sphere of urban influence and improvement of integration between the city and its hinterland have become vital important for guiding practices. In terms of delineating sphere of urban influence, existing studies have been focused on static study by using single year data or single method, resulting in a lack of time-series longitudinal analysis or comprehensive analysis based on multiple methods. This study emphasizes on comparing two methods from both the theoretical and empirical perspective. Both gravity model and improved field model are applied to the selected study area for measurements and comparison, to explore their strengths and weaknesses. A research framework for comprehensive analysis on delineating sphere of urban influence is proposed. In the end, the differences of delineating methods are illustrated and the feasibility of comprehensive analysis is discussed. Recommendations are provided for selecting appropriate methods for delineating sphere of urban influence or developing regional hierarchy system plans and urban spatial structure schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based upon the centralized model, it first measured the data envelopment analysis (DEA) efficiencies of 31 regions of China in 2010 with considering their internal three major properties. Then it obtained the efficiency and the relative importance for each property using the efficiency decomposition method in the premise of keeping the region efficiency unchanged. Moreover, it also investigated the returns to scale (RTS) of each property in each region. The empirical results indicate that overall efficiencies of regions are relative low. The efficiency and the relative importance for the primary property are relative low. There is a small difference for the average efficiencies of the secondary property and tertiary property, but the relative importance for the tertiary property is higher than the secondary property in most of regions. In addition, from the perspective of the RTS, most of regions are in the stage of the decreasing return scale (DRS). The primary property and tertiary property in most of regions are in the stage of the increasing return scale (IRS). The secondary properties in most of regions have been in the stage of the DRS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Socioeconomic development, leading to significant changes in land-use patterns, has further influenced the output of regional nonpoint-source (NPS) pollution. Multiple uncertainties exist in the processes of land-use changes and NPS pollution export. These uncertainties can deeply affect the management of regional land-use patterns and control of NPS pollution. In this research, an integrated land-use prediction and optimization (ILUPO) model based on system dynamics, export coefficient, interval linear programming, and fuzzy parameter programming models was proposed. The ILUPO model can provide future land-use patterns and NPS pollution loads, and also help optimize the patterns under multiple pollution reduction scenarios. Interval and fuzzy uncertainties in the processes of land-use changes and NPS pollution output can be effectively addressed. The developed model was applied to a water source area in the central part of northern Guangdong Province in South China. For the prediction period 2020–2030 under the high-speed development scenario, results show that cropland area would decrease, while grassland and waterbody areas would increase. In contrast, these three types of land-use would show opposite variation trends under the low-speed development scenario. Construction land area would decrease, while forestland area would increase under both the low-speed and high-speed development scenarios. Variation of the predicted land-use patterns would lead to an increase of total nitrogen loads under each of the scenario, while the total phosphorus loads would show relatively complex variation trends. Regional land-use patterns should be further optimized to mitigate NPS pollution. However, the pollution loads in the study area cannot be reduced by >5% through land-use adjustment. Because cropland would still be the critical source of NPS pollution after optimization, strictly controlling the areas of cropland would be important for the management of such pollution in the research area. In addition, certain areas of grassland and waterbody would need to be converted into cropland and construction land to balance the economic benefit of the system and NPS pollution control. Multiple results obtained from the model under different scenarios of pollution reduction targets and α-cut levels can provide decision-making supports for the local policy makers. The developed ILUPO model can yield insights useful for the planning and adjustment of regional land-use patterns while considering NPS pollution control under conditions of uncertainty. • An integrated model is proposed for land-use prediction and optimization. • System dynamics of land-use patterns affected by multiple factors can be reflected. • Uncertainties in land-use change and NPS pollution export processes can be addressed. • Optimal land-use patterns can be obtained to support land-use decision-making. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Exergy efficiency with consideration for the quantity and quality of energy is taken as an index of energy utilization. • A collaborative planning model is proposed on energy structure selection and equipment capacity optimization configuration. • The solution methods used in this model include Matter-element information theory, Frequent Pattern-growth algorithm, and the tabu search algorithm embedded in the multi-objective genetic algorithm. • The comparison between the three schemes verifies the effectiveness of the model. This paper introduces the exergy efficiency that takes into account both the quantity and quality of energy, and constructs a bi-level planning optimization model of the regional integrated energy system. Factors such as equipment exergy efficiency are considered by the upper-level planning model. Through matter-element information theory and Frequent Patterm-growth algorithm, the energy structure of the regional integrated energy system planning is determined by quantitative means. The lower-level planning model is intended for economy and exergy efficiency, and the tabu search algorithm is embedded in the solving algorithm of the multi-objective genetic algorithm for solving, determining the capacity of each equipment in the energy structure. In the case study, three comparison schemes are used to verify the proposed model and method through the regional integrated energy system in a resort town in northern China. Among them, Scheme 1 is devised for economy, Scheme 2 is proposed for economy and energy efficiency, and Scheme 3 is intended for economy and exergy efficiency. The results show that compared with the Scheme 1 and Scheme 2, the system exergy efficiency of Scheme 3 corresponding to this model has increased by 17.34% and 11.17%, respectively. Despite an increase of 10.61% in total annualized cost in Scheme 3 compared to Scheme 1, there is a decrease of 6.37% compared to Scheme 2. Despite the conflict in improving exergy efficiency and economy, there is still a balance to draw in the proposed model in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study investigated the spatiotemporal variations in reference evapotranspiration (ET 0) in China during 1961–2019. • Seven empirical models were calibrated by mind evolutionary algorithm. • This study evaluated the application of different models in calculating ET 0 on different spatial and temporal scales in China. Accurately estimating the reference evapotranspiration (ET 0) is a basic requirement for precision irrigation and the correct planning of regional water resources. This study aimed to investigate the spatiotemporal variations in ET 0 in China and to improve the accuracy of ET 0 calculations on different spatiotemporal scales. Meteorological data collected at 100 stations in China during 1961 to 2019 were used to calculate ET 0 with the Penman–Monteith model, and the temporal and spatial patterns in ET 0-PM were analyzed with the Mann–Kendall nonparametric trend test method. Three machine learning models comprising convolutional neural network (CNN), extreme learning machine (ELM), and multiple adaptive regression splines (MARS), and seven empirical models calibrated with mind evolutionary algorithm (MEA) were compared to assess their suitability for calculating ET 0 on different spatiotemporal scales in China. The results showed that the annual mean ET 0-PM value (413.29–2772.35 mm) in China gradually increased from north to south and from west to east. ET 0 exhibited an upward trend in the temperate continental zone (TCZ) and mountain plateau zone (MPZ) but a downward trend in the temperate monsoon zone (TMZ) and subtropical monsoon region (SMZ). By comparing the global performance indicators (GPI), the machine learning models generally performed better than the empirical models at different spatiotemporal scales. And CNN was the best model for calculating ET 0 in terms of the model accuracy and stability. On the daily scale, MARS performed well in MPZ, whereas ELM performed well in TMZ and TCZ. On the monthly scale, MARS performed well in TMZ, whereas ELM performed well in SMZ and MPZ. At the annual scale, the accuracy of ELM was higher than that of MARS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Northern foot of the Qinling Mountains (Xi'an Section) is a transitional section between the Qinling Mountains and Xi'an City, so it has great ecological significance. On the basis of sorting out landscape city, space structuring of the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains was studied within the theoretical framework of landscape city, it was disclosed that northern foot of the Qinling Mountains was a significant ecological screen for the landscape city spatial pattern of Xi'an, and an important carrier for its "mountain, water and city" cultures. Then, five influence factors for the space structuring of the study area were given, and basic contents of the space structuring analyzed from five perspectives of spatial structure, spatial form, ecological environment, integration of regional spaces, historical and cultural context, so as to explore ecological conservation and moderate utilization of the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains from the perspective of space structuring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: China has recently seen the proliferation of regional plans. This paper tries to understand the development of regional plans from the perspective of state restructuring and changing regional governance. In contrast to conventional wisdom, which predominantly describes China''s decentralization, another aspect of ‘recentralization’ is highlighted here. The paper focuses on a case study of Yangtze River Delta Regional Plan. It is argued that the latest regional plans are used by the central government to coordinate diverse local interests to achieve a more balanced development. However, complex politics between different levels and divisions of government make this plan an impossible project to deliver central regulation on contemporary city-regions. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper outlines a brief history of Chinese urban policies during the last half century, in particular describing the 'State Planning Regulations' that aim to control urban expansion. But evidence from data analysis on land occupation rates suggests the regulations did not achieve their expected outcomes. In order to reveal the problems, discussions not only about the regulations themselves but also of the contradiction between central and local authorities are interpreted. The core issue is that local authorities need to purchase more land to accommodate rapid urbanization and benefit from land releasing, while the central government is more concerned with sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Carrying Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) is being promoted through law in many parts of the world with the aim of integrating environmental consideration into decision-making process and improving sustainable development. Although it is generally agreed that SEA plays an important role in the decisions affecting the environment, SEA is currently experiencing increased pressure from decision makers and politicians to argue and prove its effectiveness. Recently, studies concerning this area have been accelerating. When considering evaluating SEA effectiveness, two main challenges need to be addressed. Firstly, the identification and formulation of evaluating indicators, and secondly, finding ways and methods to quantify and measure conformance to the indicators. In this study, we first review critically the indicators and criteria on the effectiveness of the impact assessment, four dimensions evaluating indicators, including substantive indicator, procedural indicator, contextual indicator, and incremental indicator, and 13 sub-indicators have been identified. An evaluating model is developed and a fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (fuzzy AHP) approach for designing and evaluating SEA is established and applied to a regional planning in China. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: It is widely recognized that the coordinated development between urban and rural areas can not only narrow gaps in infrastructure between urban and rural areas, promote balanced development in rural areas in terms of society, economy and environment, but is also an effective way to address issues facing agriculture, rural areas and farmers. In line with this, development of infrastructure projects has been an important means for promoting coordinated urban–rural development in developing countries (such as China). However, there is a lack of indicators that can be used to assess the contribution of infrastructure projects to coordinated urban–rural development. This paper thus attempts to present a set of critical indicators for evaluating the contribution of infrastructure projects to coordinated urban–rural development in the particular context of Chongqing, Western China. First, a list of optional indicators that are with potential for assessing the contribution of infrastructure projects to coordinated urban–rural development is presented based on examination on related project feasibility reports, official reports and literature. Then 42 indicators are identified from the optional list through a questionnaire survey. By using the data collected, the relative level of significance of each indicator is derived. Finally, an indicator system consisting of 19 critical indicators is established based on results of principle component analysis. The applicability and significance of the identified indicators for assessing the contribution of infrastructure projects to coordinated urban–rural development are discussed as well. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Neoliberalism has become dominant in both thought and practice throughout much of the world since the early 1970s. In China, neoliberal ideas are growing fast, even as it festers and stagnates in capitalist economies. To capture this process, many scholars have extensively studied market politics in China, demonstrating how state functions are rearticulated downwards and outwards to allow local discretion and market formation. The result is a burly wave of urban entrepreneurialism, which becomes a key municipal strategy to enhance place-specific, socio-economic assets. However, such arguments neglect a counter-trend in which the state has deterritorialised and recentralised some key functions. This paper draws on two cases in urban land administration and state planning regulation to argue that state functions are being reassembled as a new post-crisis political instrument to reassert the functional importance of top-down regulatory control. Economic decentralization is now counterbalanced by the rise of state strategies to control the articulation of scales through which a more centrally consolidated power can be achieved. Rather than viewing markets as taking over the state and local territorial discretion overshadowing hierarchical administration, the paper emphasises the important role of state and top-down regulation in the current post-crisis context under transition. 摘要 自上世纪七十年代起，新自由主义成为了领导世界的主流思想及实践方向。市场革命极大地影响了发达国家与发展中国家现行的资本累积体制。尽管新自由思想思潮在资本主义经济体系的作用愈见滞后，但却在中国发展壮大。 有鉴于此，国内外学者开展了有关中国市场机制的研究，并认为下放经济管理权与政府职能直接导致了地方权力的扩张和市场的发育。结果就是城市企业主义的出现，并广泛成为城市政府强化地方社会经济优势的主要策略。然而，该种阐述忽略了一个重要的逆反现象，就是国家的管理体制也同时在经历'去地域化'、重建上级政府治理的过程。本文以城市土地管理与政府规划管理为例，来说明通过适当收权重建国家治理能力正成为一种新的管治工具。与权力下放不同，这种逆向趋势加强了上级政府的处理层级关系的能力。本文的主要论点为：市场并未取代政府，权力下放也并不代表'条条'管理的消失。在转型期的后经济危机时代，政府的作用与至上而下式的治理模式依然十分重要。 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper firstly investigated the land-use and land-cover change (LUCC) in the Hun-Taizi River watershed, Northeast China from 1988 to 2004 based on remotely sensed images and geographic information systems (GIS) technology. Then, using the famous land-use change model of Conversion of Land Use and its Effects at Small regional extent (CLUE-S), this paper simulated the land use changes under historical trend (HT), urban planning (UP) and ecological protection (EP) scenarios considering urban planning and ecological protection over the next 20 years. The simulated results under UP scenario in 2020 were compared with the planning map to assess the feasibility of using land-use change model to guide regional planning. Results show that forest land, dry farmland, paddy, and shrub land were the main land-use categories. Paddy and dry farmland being converted to urban area and rural settlement characterized the land-use change from 1988 to 2004. The main land-use categories changed over time. Landscape-pattern fragmentation will be worse under HT and UP scenarios, but better in EP scenario. The comparing results of simulated map with planning map in 2020 show that land-use change model is powerful tool to guide regional planning. Land-use scenarios can support regional planning and policy-making through analyzing future consequences scientifically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In geographical analysis, spatial simulation and optimization are usually separate processes tackling different problems. It is, however, increasingly necessary to integrate them. Particularly in a fast developing area, the development to be simulated is seldom inertial (i.e., strictly following the historical trend); instead, it is likely to be interfered by new planning measures. Meanwhile, in such an area an optimization plan might not be even meaningful if it only addresses a snapshot of a highly dynamic landscape. In this study, we explored the possibility of integrating cellular automata (CA), a widely used method for simulating urban development and land use changes, and ant colony optimization (ACO), an advanced technique for solving complex path optimization problems. We named the resulting integrated system the geographical simulation and optimization system (GeoSOS) and applied it to a case study concerning finding the optimal path for a planned expressway in Dongguan, a fast-growing city in one of the most economically active regions of China. In the case study, the CA component of the GeoSOS generated simulations of the industrial land use changes for some years in the next decade. The ACO component of the GeoSOS, which had been revised from the conventional ACO to work on raster surfaces, took the simulations as input and completed raster-based path optimizations. In terms of the cumulative utility, a measurement used to evaluate the performance of the optimization, the coupling method surpasses the noncoupling method by 10.3 percent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]