Suchergebnisse

AbstractChina's rapid urbanization has resulted in substantial suburbanization over recent decades. However, limited research has been conducted into how land‐based capital is mobilized, accumulated and circulated within the circuits of the capital accumulation process, or how land‐based capital is used to finance massive investment in suburbanization by China's local governments, especially since the trend in land commodification during the 2000s. We examined the capital switching experience in the city of Hangzhou and our findings indicate that local governments have attempted to simultaneously strengthen housing development and industrial growth. In contrast to experiences of suburbanization in Western countries, a real estate boom during the early days of suburbanization in Hangzhou was not necessarily the result of diversion of excess capital from over‐accumulated investments in the manufacturing industry. Rather, it was a consequence of capital accumulation facilitated by land‐reserve systems and land‐based financing of infrastructure orchestrated by local government. Local governments and their affiliated land‐reserve centers and local investment platforms have acted as entrepreneurs by using profits from suburban property development to subsidize industrial investments and fund the infrastructure‐supported expansion of outer suburbs. These findings highlight the potential risks of land‐centered accumulation and provide important reflections upon the theory of David Harvey in the context of urban China.

Since reforms carried out in the late 1970s, China has experienced unprecedented rates of urban growth. Remote sensing data and surface observational data are used to investigate the urbanization process and related environmental consequences, focusing on extreme heat events and air pollution, in Zhejiang Province (ZJP, East China). Examination of satellite-measured nighttime light data indicates rapid urbanization in ZJP during the past decade, initially forming three urban clusters. With rapid urban sprawl, a significant Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect has emerged. During extreme heat events in summer, the UHI effect significantly exacerbates nocturnal heat stress in highly urbanized areas. Taking a long-term view, urbanization also causes additional hot days and hot degree days in urban areas. Urbanization also imposes a heavy burden on local and regional air quality in ZJP. Degraded visibility and an increase in haze days are observed at most meteorological stations, especially in the three urban clusters. The results show that urbanization has led to serious environmental problems in ZJP, not only on the city scale, but also on the regional scale. Maintaining a balance between the continuing process of urbanization and environmental sustainability is a major issue facing the local government.

Context: Walkability is an important element for assessing urban sustainability. There are increased concerns that more cities in the People's Republic of China (PRC) have become less walkable. Objectives: We aim to develop a composite walkability index. We intend to use it to evaluate the spatio-temporal evolution of the walkability of PRC cities in the context of the rapid urbanization. Methods: We developed a comprehensive walkability index that integrates five aspects of the urban built environment: dwelling density, street connectivity, land-use mix, access to public transit, and elevation variation. Using Shanghai, Hangzhou, Chongqing, and Lanzhou as cases, we evaluated the spatio-temporal patterns and changes of walkability in the context of rapid urban expansion. Results: All four cities expanded their urban land from 1990 to 2010, but that there was a higher expansion rate in 2000-2010 than in 1990-2000. For inner cities, Shanghai had the highest average walkability index, whereas Lanzhou held the lowest. In 2000-2010, however, the inner cities of Hangzhou, Chongqing, and Lanzhou and the entire cities of Shanghai and Chongqing increased their walkability index, whereas the inner city of Shanghai had decreased walkability. Furthermore, while inner cities of Shanghai and Hangzhou experienced decreased or stable walkability, inner cities of Lanzhou and Chongqing enjoyed moderate to high increases in walkability. Conclusions: The spatiotemporal changes in walkability seem to be directly associated with governmental policies at both central and local levels. The walkability index method can be widely implemented for any urban landscape because of its comprehensiveness, simplicity, and flexibility.