Characteristics and Causes of the Spatial Evolution of Urban Villages:A Case Study of Shenzhen Special Economic Zone

Studies on the renovation and governance of urban villages have become the interest of human geography since the 1990s.However up to now,there is little literature focusing on the development patterns and dynamic mechanism of the spatial evolution of urban villages based on the theoretical system of urban spatial structure,and there are few scholars doing analyses on the relationship between urban villages and general urban areas in terms of spatial development.In this paper,Shenzhen,the most representative city of China in terms of urban village development,is taken as a case for exploring the characteristics and modes of the spatial evolution of urban villages.With census data of urban village construction in 1999 and 2004 in terms of built-up area,floor area,and construction intensity,the spatial and temporal evolution of the 91 administrative urban villages in the original Shenzhen Special Economic Zone have been analyzed in comparison with that of Shenzhen’s general urban areas.It is indicated that the spatial evolution of urban villages matches with the general rules of the spatial development of general urban areas in three aspects.First,land expansion is the most remarkable mode of spatial evolution in the early stage of development;second,in the period of rapid development,there is the obvious tendency of "distance-decay" in terms of construction intensity accompanied by some anomalous fluctuations at certain points;third,renewal and redevelopment are carried out gradually in the mature stage of development.However,because of historical and institutional restrictions,the spatial evolution of urban villages shows its unique characteristics in the aspects of original spatial distribution and spatial expansion mode in the period of rapid development,etc.The outcomes of this study would help not only enrich the theoretical study on the evolution mode of urban spatial structure,but also strengthen the administration over urban villages,in particular with the suggestions that the spatial evolution of urban villages as a type of urban space should not be the same as that of general urban areas and its unique characteristics should not be ignored;specific rules should be set up to guide the rational spatial evolution of urban villages according to the economic development of the city,as well as the housing demands of various kinds of residents.     

Study on Social Planning Strategies in China's Urban Planning

Unbalanced with its rapid development in urban construction and economy,China’s social development is lagging behind a fair amount.As an important policy means to guarantee social equity and public benefit,urban planning should play its inevitable role in solving social problems and promoting harmonious social development,while at the same time it exposes certain limitations of traditional Chinese urban planning mainly focusing on physical planning in both theoretical and methodological aspects.Aimed at the relevant social problems caused by simple physical planning at present,this article attempts to study out a research framework of social planning suitable for China’s urban planning as a monographic study,so as to introduce a people-oriented view of social development into the key contents of urban planning,and to provide ameliorative strategies to supplement and improve the planning concept,procedure,contents and methods.This article also briefly introduces the perspectives and key contents of social planning.     

An Institutional Analysis on China’s “Urban Disease”

This paper aims to clarify the institutional causes of China’s"urban disease"and propose solutions to counter it.The institutional causes summarized in the paper include the fiscal and taxation system,land system,planning system,the central-local relations,and so forth.By influencing the behavior of municipal governments,these factors not only produce excessive incentives for cities to pursue urban development,but also result in"urban disease"in Chinese cities.Based on such an analysis,this paper puts forward some thoughts and suggestions on gradual reforms in the future to help mitigate China’s"urban disease."     

Glossary

<正>Editor’s Note:The observation on China’s urban development since the 1950s till today reveals that it has been closely related to the construction of a number of mega-projects,such as the 156 industrial projects aided by the former Soviet Union in the 1950s,the"Three Lines"war preparation projects in the 1960s,the directly imported production projects from the West in the 1970s,the special development zone projects in the 1980s,and the industrial or economic development zone projects in the 1990s.That makes the construction of mega-projects a key character of China’s contemporary urban development,which has greatly influenced not only the socio-economic development but also the physical environment of Chinese cities.During this process,urban design,as an important complement     

Ten Years'Progress of Administration Work for Registered Urban Planners

The urban planner qualification system of China was established in the year of 2000.After ten years’ progress,a team of 15,000 registered urban planners has been set up,which has become the backbone of China’s urban planning industry and has played an important role.The enhancement of the administration of registered urban planners is needed for standardizing urban planning education,accelerating the fostering of planning professionals,and keeping pace with the market economy system and the urban-rural planning in the new era.Meanwhile,it is also an important task for China’s urban planning industry to open up to the outside world and catch up with international standards.     

我国城市总体规划中人口规模确定的反思与启示——以西安市为例

There is a long-term problem that the population size determination in urban master planning usually deviates from the implementation result.How to determine the population size scientifically and reasonably during the transformation of spatial planning system in China has become the focus of attention in the new era.Taking Xi’an as an example,based on the analysis of differences between the population size determination and the actual development of population in the four rounds of urban master planning since the founding of the People’s Republic of China in 1949,this paper reflects on the reasons for the inaccuracy of population estimates from three aspects:the connotation of"goal-oriented"planning,the planning objective of"growthism,"and the determination method of"mechanical simplicity."In the context of territorial and spatial planning,this paper puts forward enlightenments for the population size determination in urban master planning in three aspects,i.e.,putting the people first and combining rigid and elastic control,practicing ecological civilization and strengthening bottom line thinking,and establishing a sound methodological system and unified standards and regulations.     

Step out the Paradox of Livable City Studies:Conceptual Model and Path Choice

Based on a comparative analysis on the concepts and standards of livable city in China and abroad,the paper creates a conceptual model and a fundamental formula for livable city development with economic development as the foundation,and the social and cultural conditions,the ecological status,and the city governance as three pillars,so as to provide a theoretical explanation for the two paradoxes of livable city.The paper suggests that China should choose Path C,which combines economic development with city livability.It also analyzes the development rules of livable city under Path C,and talks about the fundamental ideas of livable city construction under the current circumstances in China.In the end,the paper puts forward related planning strategies in terms of spatial structure,ecological environment,cultural construction,transportation system,and housing system,in order to establish a livable city development model that is suitable for China’s practical conditions.     

Development of Cultural and Creative Industries in China and Its Impacts on Urban Renovation

Emerging along with the economic restructuring and the increase of cultural demands after the reforms and opening-up in the late1970s,the cultural and creative industries have gone through rapid development in China driven by the reform on cultural system.Since the21stcentury,the development of cultural and creative industries has further become one of China’s national policies of industrial development,occupying a significant position in the national economy.Starting by clarifying various definitions on the conception of cultural and creative industry,this paper outlines the process of cultural and creative industry development in China since the reforms and opening-up,summarizes its development trends in the past decade and its contributions to the socio-economic development,and analyzes its potential influences on the urban renovation of certain kinds of areas,in particular the historic neighborhoods in regeneration,the industrial areas in redevelopment,and the peripheral urban villages in transformation.     

Response of Urban Planning to Climate Change in Rapidly Urbanizing Area: A Case Study of Nanjing

Global climate change is the greatest challenge for the survival of civilization in human history, to which a lot of countries all over the world have taken measures including the administrative and technical approaches in the field of urban planning. However, those approaches are mainly in line with the traditional urban planning principles and methodologies, with weak guidance to practice. Especially for the areas which are undergoing rapid urbanization, it is urgent to work on the critical problem of how to draw up city and regional plans to deal with the challenge of climate change by innovating the existing urban planning principles and methodologies. Taking Nanjing as example, this paper firstly puts forward the strategic principles to deal with the climate change in city master planning, including controlling urbanization speed and restricting disordered urban sprawl, balancing ecological system, protecting green spaces and ecologically fragile areas, enhancing the resilient ability to natural disasters and protecting urban security, and promoting sustainable development, etc., then presents the sustainable and flexible urban planning methods including adaptability assessment on spatial development, identification and delimitation of important ecological protection zones, risk assessment and early warning of disasters, clean pro- duction and energy-saving approaches, etc. It further explores some measures to addressing the issue of climate change that are applied in the new City Master Plan of Nanjing, including ① controlling the sprawl of construction land and protecting the ecological carbon sink spaces in order to weaken the impacts of climate change; ② guaranteeing the safety of ecological pattern and maintaining the balance of the urban eco-system in order to ensure the stability of local micro-climate and livable environment; ③ strengthening the regional flood-prevention in order to weaken the threat of natural disasters caused by climate change; ④ giving priority to public transportation and reducing carbon emissions in order to reduce the impacts of urban activities on the atmosphere.     

New Central Axis for Guangzhou City

This paper summarizes the entire construction process of Guangzhou’s new central axis, including planning, design, and decisionmaking. The relationships among master plan, action plan and urban design are discussed in a practical case. And design principles which should be followed and factors relevant to desirable effect in the urban design for key areas are also explored.     

哈尔滨多中心空间结构交通绩效检验——基于区位再选择假设的分析

In recent years,with the increasingly serious traffic problems in large cities of China,transformation to polycentric urban spatial structure has been considered as an important initiative to improve the urban traffic performance.This study examines the traffic performance of the polycentric spatial structure of Harbin,and analyzes the factors influencing the traffic performance of the structure using the location reselection hypothesis theory.The results show that the polycentric spatial structure does not significantly improve Harbin’s traffic performance,and only the centers in peripheral areas indicate advantages in commuting speed and distance,to which the main reason is that the social and spatial factors reduce the importance of commuting costs,making long-distance commuting economically rational and hindering possible location reselection.It is an effective direction for the improvement of the traffic performance of polycentric spatial structure by facing up to the rationality of long-distance commuting and transportation demand,improving the location equilibrium of residential and employment resources,and constructing high-grade centers in peripheral areas in appropriate locations and with comprehensive functions.     

Urban Village Renovation Planning from the Perspective of Human Settlements Theory:A Case Study on Wuhan

Based on the analysis on the characteristics of human settlement of urban villages in Wuhan,the paper examines the special urban social functions of urban villages during their self-evolution process.The totally market-led mode of urban village renovation has neglected existing positive social effects and failed to provide fair development opportunities for disadvantaged groups,and it will hinder the construction of a diversified and vigorous urban socio-ecological environment.In view of the situation,the paper suggests that in order to meet the urban socio-spatial demands during the specific period of social transition,measures should be adopted to re-examine and adjust the strategies and planning techniques concerning market-led urban village renovation with the improvement of sustainable human settlement as the goal.     

Study on Urban Construction History and Culture of the Tortoise City of Ganzhou

This paper states the geographic environment and brief history of Ganzhou City, specially discussing the idea of YANG Junsong, the Master of Feng Shui, who planned and built Ganzhou City in the shape of tortoise and its cultural connotation. It analyzes the advantages and disadvantages of its site selection, and discusses the urban flood and flood control. It also expounds the history of urban planning and construction. Ganzhou City is regarded as an example and a book of city planning and construction in ancient China in terms of the masters’ selection of the site and construction of the city, the city walls with functions of military defense and flood control, and the urban canal system of Fushougou against water-logging, the historical streets and lanes, the cultural relics, landscapes, etc., which not only make Ganzhou City the birthplace of first urban scenic spots and splendid historical culture, but also embodies the great wisdom of ancient Chinese. Three masters, YANG Junsong, KONG Zonghan, and LIU Yi, are heroes in the history of urban construction of Ganzhou.     

评《城市更新制度建设：广州、深圳、上海的比较》（英文）

正The Innovation of Urban Regeneration Institutions in China:Experience from Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Shanghai Authors:Tang Yan, Yang Dong, Zhu He Year:2019Publisher:Tsinghua University Press ISBN:9787302526186 (271 pages, in Chinese)After 40 years of reform and opening-up, China’s urban construction has developed rapidly. The new urbanization path, which aims at high-quality development, has also put forward new requirements for urban planning, urban construction, and social governance. After many years of theoretical research and practical exploration, the     

Glossary

<正>Editor’s Note:In China,urban planning education emerged in the early 20th century after modern urban planning was introduced from the West in the late 19th century,following the Western colonization in China,and then practiced through the construction of international concessions and leased territories in a number of Chinese cities.It became     

城市收缩与人口老龄化——基于中国138个县级市的实证

Urban shrinkage is a world-wide phenomenon characterized by population loss in a short period of time.During this process,the decrease of the younger generation will further accelerate the demographic aging process through lowering birth rates.Although many studies have qualitatively addressed that demographic aging could be both a result and cause of urban shrinkage,empirical studies to examine their interrelations are lacking.This paper aims to examine their interrelationships by proposing an integrated model which covers the paths,effects,and interrelationships between shrinking cities and demographic aging in economic,spatial,and social dimensions.Based on the data from 138 county-level cities in China,partial least-square method is used for structural equation modeling(PLS-SEM).The results show that two indirect influence paths exist between shrinking cities and the demographic aging process.First,urban shrinkage has an indirect interaction with the demographic aging process via social and economic factors(path:shrinking cities←→society←→economy←→aging process).Second,urban shrinkage is also indirectly interrelated with the demographic aging process in spatial factors(path:shrinking cities←→space←→aging process).To deal with the double challenges of urban shrinkage and demographic aging,planning policies should integrate with policies in socio-economic and spatial aspects.     

Glossary

Editor’s Note:During the rapid urbanization of China in the past 30 years,the development of new urban areas and new cities and the renovation of old cities are two key factors.Generally speaking,the urban renewal in China mainly refers to the redevelopment of the industrial areas and the renovation of the residential quarters in the built-up areas of a city.As an     

Why High-Speed Railway Stations Continue China’s Leapfrog Urbanization:Institutional Parameters of Urban Development

An ambitious program of High-Speed Railway (HSR) is under construction in China and already soon the network will overtake its counterparts in Europe. Reflecting on experiences in Europe, the authors explore the conditions for place making qualities of six new HSR station areas in China. The superb inter-city connectivity of the new infrastructure nodes raises a lot of expectations about the economic and social potential of the station areas, but the experiences in Europe thus far are very differentiated. With regards to the attraction of economic activities usually the existing differences between different economic regions are reproduced rather than shaping completely new conditions. Also the expectations of developing completely new integrated urban centers around stations in the urban periphery are rather ambitious. The paper questions the planning responses to HSR development in Chinese cities and investigates the institutional conditions that frame these responses. The authors explore how the plans for Chinese HSR station development account for their objectives and reflect on the potential of the station area planning by investigating the institutional parameters of urban development.     

Traditional Fair Built Heritage Protection Based on Stakeholder Analysis: A Case Study of Licun Fair in Qingdao

In China, the urban construction and development mode is gradually changing from extensive renewal(large-scale demolition and construction) to more targeted micro regeneration. Against this backdrop, protection of traditional fairs which have witnessed the emergence and development of cities needs to be addressed urgently in the process of sustainable urban development. After summarizing the concept of cultural heritage and the international cultural heritage protection process, this paper affir...     

The Historical Evolution of Chinese Urban Morphology

China has had a long urban experience. The existence oftowns in China can be dated to 2600 BC, and the pattern of urbanmorphology were essentially different from those in other majorcultural regions, which represents one of the major forms of urbangrowth of the world. This paper describes the characteristics andhistorical development of Chinese urban morphology. The centrallocation of political and administrative buildings, a grid-iron streetpattern, symmetrical layout and axis are the most important charac-teristics of Chinese traditional cities, which reflected the distinctivepolitical and economic system and cultural traditions of China. Polit-ical forces play a key role in shaping this urban pattern. The histori-cal development of Chinese urban morphology experienced fourphases: the walled city (770 BC——AD 906), the open city (618——1840), the colonial city (1840——1949), and the modern city(1949——1985). Each of these phases has its distinct characteris-tics and different planning philosophies reflecting the current na-tional political and economic development. The central feature of ur-ban development in China is that the process has been controlledto a large extent by the highly centralized government. After 1949,Chinese cities experienced a fundamental transformation in their in-ternal structure and morphology which reflect the communist idealsin urban planning. The key aims of urban planning in communistChina is to establish a highly productive and convenient living envi-ronment, and to reduce the gaps between city and countryside in or-der to achieve a new type of socialist city with 'classless' or 'uni-form socio-economic characteristic.