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Urban waterfront space has important practical significance for inheriting and developing urban cultural characteristics, promoting the driving role of culture in urban development, and creating regional cultural artistic conceptions. This study comprehensively uses the methods of bibliometric visual knowledge map analysis and a qualitative reading of literature, systematically combing through the relevant research literature with the help of quantitative analysis and a qualitative perception of the literature analysis system. Through this approach, this study summarizes the stage characteristics, theoretical basis, and implications of waterfront space research from the perspective of historical inheritance. The research methods, research content, and hotspots clarified the research context of waterfront space from the perspective of historical inheritance. Based on bibliometric analysis, it is evident that research on the historical inheritance to waterfront space is primarily driven by universities and spans disciplines such as human habitat science, ecology, geography, urban planning, and architecture. Human settlement environment theory, cultural space theory, and place narrative theory together constitute the theoretical framework of the research on the historical inheritance of waterfront space. Domestic research on the historical inheritance to waterfront space in China primarily relies on traditional qualitative methods, while quantitative empirical methods have yet to become mainstream. In general, the research concerning the historical inheritance of waterfront space can be divided into three stages: first, a phase focused on the development and construction of waterfront spaces oriented towards recreation, commerce, and tourism functions; second, a stage of transforming and renewing waterfront spaces by leveraging urban development processes; and third, a stage aimed at preserving the unique cultural heritage of cities through the historical continuity of waterfront spaces. The transformation and revival of waterfront industrial heritage, the renewal and protection of waterfront historic blocks, and the protection and utilization of historical waterfront public space culture have become hot topics in the current research on the historical inheritance of waterfront space in China. This study concludes that the existing research is faced with problems such as unbalanced research areas, insufficient empirical research, and a serious separation of "pleasure" and the "ideal". Future research should focus on the system of waterfront space research as it deeply enriches the research methods, improves the research system, and provides direction and support for the historical inheritance and protection of research of China's waterfront space.

The global urbanization rate is accelerating; however, data limitations have far prevented robust estimations of either global urban expansion or its effects on terrestrial net primary productivity (NPP). Here, using a high resolution dataset of global land use/cover (GlobeLand30), we show that global urban areas expanded by an average of 5694 km2 per year between 2000 and 2010. The rapid urban expansion in the past decade has in turn reduced global terrestrial NPP, with a net loss of 22.4 Tg Carbon per year (Tg C year-1). Although small compared to total terrestrial NPP and fossil fuel carbon emissions worldwide, the urbanization-induced decrease in NPP offset 30% of the climate-driven increase (73.6 Tg C year-1) over the same period. Our findings highlight the urgent need for global strategies to address urban expansion, enhance natural carbon sinks, and increase agricultural productivity.

It is well known that urban areas are typically hotter than the surrounding (vegetated) rural areas. However, the contribution of urbanization to the trends of extreme temperature events such as heat waves (HWs) is less understood. Using a homogenized meteorological dataset drawn from nearly 2,000 stations in China, we find that urban and rural areas have different HW trends and the urban-rural contrast of HW trends varies across climate regimes. In wet climates, the increasing trends of HWs in urban areas are greater than those in rural areas, suggesting a positive contribution of urbanization to HW trends. In arid regions, the urbanization contribution to HW trends is smaller and even negative. The stronger urbanization contribution to HW trends in wet climates is linked to the smaller variability of urban heat island intensity. This study highlights the important role of local hydroclimate in modulating the urbanization contribution to extreme temperatures.

The low-carbon city pilot (LCCP) policy constitutes a crucial element in China’s endeavors to attain its carbon peak target. Thoroughly analyzing the carbon abatement effects and mechanisms of the LCCP policy is essential for supporting China’s goals of achieving low-carbon sustainability. We use panel data from 1997 to 2019, covering 249 Chinese cities, for a quasi-natural experiment. This study assesses the effect of the LCCP project on urban carbon emission intensity (CEI) using a difference-in-difference (DID) model. Furthermore, the article conducts analyses on policy coordination effects, impact mechanisms, and spatial spillover effects. Our research findings indicate that the LCCP policy substantially decreases urban CEI, a result that withstands a battery of robustness tests. The carbon abatement effect of LCCP policies is dynamic and typically endures for three years. Subsequent investigations unveil a cooperative impact between the LCCP policy and the carbon trading pilot policy. The decrease of urban CEI under the LCCP policy is primarily attributed to command and market tools, although the efficacy of voluntary tools remains unrealized. From the standpoint of adjacent nonpilot cities, our conclusions do not endorse the presence of spatial spillover effect for the LCCP project. The insights derived from our findings offer crucial guidance for policymakers exploring low-carbon models and pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous expansion of regional trade, interregional teleconnections have an increasingly pronounced impact on the changes in carbon storage caused by land use in China. Current research in this area remains remarkably limited, however. This study employs land-use data, carbon density data, and a multiregional input–output model to precisely quantify the embodied flow and spatial patterns of land-use carbon storage in China. We found that the carbon storage embodied in interprovincial trade in China accounts for 34.9 percent of total carbon storage, with cropland (44.9 percent) and woodland (43.6 percent) representing the highest proportions within their land-use categories. Inner Mongolia, Heilongjiang, and Tibet were found to be the most externally driven in terms of land-use-related carbon storage, with outflows exceeding 2,000 Tg C. Beijing, Tianjin, and Shanghai, on the other hand, were shown to consume up to 90 percent of land-use-related carbon storage inflows, showcasing the strongest external dependence. Additionally, Hunan (1,300.5 Tg C), Hubei (863.4 Tg C), Henan (1,534.6 Tg C), and Shanxi (2,223.6 Tg C) are the provinces where changes in land-use carbon storage are most significant, exerting the greatest influence on changes in China's total carbon storage. China's international export of land-use-related embodied carbon storage decreased by 3,964.7 Tg C during the study period, with woodland (1,516.8 Tg C) and grassland (1,505.7 Tg C) being the primary declining land types. Interestingly, as land utilization efficiency continues to rise, over half of the provinces have seen an increase in export trade value, while their corresponding embodied carbon storage has declined. The findings not only unveil the complex dynamics and spatial distribution at work in China's embodied land-use-related carbon storage but also provide practical insights and directions for achieving carbon neutrality goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]