Estimating the impacts of urban form on CO2 emission efficiency in the Pearl River Delta,China

The improvement of CO₂ emission efficiency is of great significance to realizing energy-saving and emission reduction targets and achieving low-carbon development. While it is increasingly recognized that urban form could significantly influence the CO₂ emissions of urban areas, few studies have been able to quantify the implications of urban form in relation to CO₂ emission efficiency. The purpose of this paper is thus to contribute to existing literature by empirically quantifying how urban form influences CO₂ emission efficiency. CO₂ emission efficiency in this study is presented in terms of CO₂ economic efficiency (CEE) and CO₂ social efficiency (CSE). Firstly, we calculated the CEE and CSE of nine cities in the Pearl River Delta (Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Zhuhai, Foshan, Jiangmen, Zhaoqing, Huizhou, Dongguan, and Zhongshan) using locally important socioeconomic variables over the period 1990–2013. Then, seven landscape metrics were selected in order to quantify three dimensions of urban form (extension, irregularity, and compactness) using remote sensing data. Finally, panel data models were utilized to estimate the associations between urban form and CO₂ emission efficiency. We identified a negative correlation between urban sprawl and CEE as well as CSE, a finding that indicates that urban growth decreases CO₂ economic efficiency. Further, increasing irregularity in the form of cities was found to decrease both CEE and CSE—a larger degree of irregularity, in other words, results in lower CO₂ emission efficiency. Conversely, urban compactness was identified as having a significant positive influence on both CEE and CSE, indicating that the compact development of cities can actually help to improve CO₂ emission efficiency. The findings of this study hold important implications for building low-carbon cities in China.     

An integrated strategy for sustainable development of the urban underground: From strategic,economic and societal aspects

Underground urbanization aids sustainability by contributing to the optimization of land use plans, diversification of urban functions, safeguarding of utility supplies and enrichment of social life. Underground space as a valuable land resource can be integrated into a general urban resources management scheme and development policy, by rationalizing resource supply according to economic demand, and by coordinating stakeholders from the public administration, private developers and users. After benchmarking best practices in administration and management, from seven cities (Helsinki, Singapore, Hong Kong, Minneapolis, Tokyo, Shanghai and Montreal), critical success factors are extracted to guide a pilot project implementation.The way to incorporate underground space planning into conventional urban planning process is exemplified by a pilot project of Suzhou City in China, which investigated thoroughly the supply potential of its underground space resource as well as the demand potential of the urban economy on underground space development. The core value of the case study in Suzhou City is based on active involvement of provincial and municipal governments, who supported territorial data collection, administrative consultation and the development of GIS-based decision-making tools. The typicality of the present case study refers to an old Chinese city with a modern Central Business District owning important economic functions for the Yangtze region. Underground Space in Suzhou City is considered as a new land resource manageable with a quantitative and spatial inventory for future allocation. An economic model putting forward a “3D land value” index will be illustrated for underground building projects. This index helps to regulate underground space development according to the resource supply potential and economic demand potential.This strategic framework including potential analysis, local implementation and instrumental innovation was developed from an international cooperation program named “Deep City project” between Switzerland and China. Further discussions on considering societal impacts affected by underground space use indicate future research directions for underground space operations management.     

An assessment technique for the evaluation and promotion of sustainable Olympic design and urban development

A response is presented to the dilemma of hosting resource-intensive large-scale sporting events at a time when requirements for sustainability and sustainable development must also be met. A framework was devised for judging development and design issues for future planning, one which is based upon extant historic evidence from host city experiences as well as previous event outcomes. It offers potential to compare plans against best/optimal practice. The technique for appraisal arises from a detailed analysis of Olympic Games held since 1896. Data associated with venue design, construction and usage, athletes' accommodation, and the facilities for officials, the media and visitors/spectators, were amassed and reviewed. An evaluation technique was produced which demonstrates how the organizers of a modern Olympic Games can assess and reflect upon planning, design and development decisions associated with their own city from an early outline stage. This should permit less wasteful, more appropriate and more sustainable Games' infrastructures to be considered before complex detailed development occurs.     

长珠黄区域建筑业经济结构质量分析

以2006～2010年长三角、珠三角和黄三角区域建筑业经济结构质量为对象,采用熵值法和DEA相结合的方法,对三个典型区域建筑业经济结构质量进行对比评价和趋势分析。研究结果为区域经济一体化背景下区域产业的经济发展质量提供了建筑业剖面视角,指出黄三角区域是建筑业经济发展新的经济活力区域空间,同时为其他经济规划区建筑业经济结构质量发展和评价提供参考。     

珠三角小城镇产业园区环境建设

“鱼米之乡”景象不再 珠江三角洲由于独特的地理位置与发展模式,其以“自下而上”为主要特征的工业化与一般工业化的“城市指向”特征恰恰相反: 珠三角工业化肇始于村镇,有着明显的“村镇指向”。这使小城镇成为珠三角城镇化发展的重要载体。目前,在小城镇大力发展集产业优化、升级、土地集约、设施配套于一体的第二、三产业联动发展的产业园区已成为珠三角经济发展的战略举措,但在具体的规划建设中其问题也愈加明显。在工业化进程中,城镇建设用地爆炸性扩张,工业用地比重严重扩大,加之忽视工业园区的环境建设,使珠三角那特色鲜明的“鱼…     

Occurrence of steroid estrogens, endocrine-disrupting phenols, and acid pharmaceutical residues in urban riverine water of the Pearl River Delta, South China

A scoping study was conducted to investigate the residues of nineteen pharmaceuticals and personal care products (PPCPs), including 4 natural and 3 synthetic steroid estrogens, 7 endocrine-disrupting phenols, and 5 acid pharmaceuticals in three urban streams and the Major Pearl River at Guangzhou, a megapolis in the Pearl River Delta, South China. Estrone was detected in >60% water samples with a maximum concentration of 65 ng L(-1). Endocrine-disrupting phenols (nonylphenol, bisphenol A, triclosan, 2-phenylphenol, methyparaben, and propylparaben) were found to be widely present at rather high concentrations in the urban riverine water of Guangzhou. Salicylic acid, clofibric acid and ibuprofen were detected in most water samples with maximum concentrations of 2098, 248 and 1417 ng L(-1) respectively, whereas naproxen was less frequently detected and also at lower concentration. Both the detection frequencies and median concentrations of the PPCPs appeared higher during the low-flow season than during the high-flow season. The seasonal difference in PPCPs occurrence was probably attributed to the dilution effect caused by the rainfall. PPCPs in the urban riverine water of Guangzhou originated mainly from random discharge and/or leakage of municipal wastewater. PPCPs contamination in the Major Pearl River may be of a potential environmental issue, especially during the low-flow season.     

Landslide susceptibility zonation study using remote sensing and GIS technology in the Ken-Betwa River Link area,India

The 231 km long Ken-Betwa River Linking canal will transfer 1,020 hm³ of surplus water from the Ken River to the deficit Betwa River basin. The landslide susceptibility zonation map of the river link has been assessed using remote sensing data in GIS. Various thematic maps such as geology, land use/land cover, lineament, drainage, slope, aspect, normalized difference vegetation index and soil type were generated from the Landsat Thematic Mapper 5 satellite data of 2005, the Survey of India topographic sheets, Shuttle Radar Topographic Mission Digital Elevation (SRTM-DEM) data and other existing maps. Numerical rating schemes were used for ranking the thematic layers. The results were supported with the rainfall data, groundwater level data and a petrological study of rock thin sections. In addition to providing valuable information for project decision-makers, the results will assist in slope management and land use planning in the area.     

地理信息系统和全球定位系统与遥感的结合

介绍了地理信息系统与遥感结合的方式,以及遥感调查中地理信息系统的应用,并对全球定位系统与遥感的结合作了阐述,以期将地理信息系统、遥感、全球定位系统三个尖端科学结合为一体,融入实际操作,从而提高测绘、成图的精度.     

Measurement indicators and an evaluation approach for assessing urban sustainable development: A case study for China's Jining City

Cities are complex ecosystems affected by social, economic, environmental, and cultural factors. The problem of attaining urban sustainable development is thus an important challenge. The development of evaluation indicators and a method for assessing the status of urban sustainable development will be required to support urban ecological planning, construction, and management. By using Jining City in China's Shandong Province as a case study, the authors developed a system of 52 indicators of urban sustainable development that address economic growth and efficiency, ecological and infrastructural construction, environmental protection, social and welfare progress. The authors developed a Full Permutation Polygon Synthetic Indicator method to evaluate the capacity for urban sustainable development at different times during the next two decades. The results of our research indicate that the value of a synthetic indicator for sustainable development of Jining City was 0.24 in 2004, which indicates a low level of sustainable development. According to the ecological planning of Jining City (2004–2020), the indicator will improve to 0.45 in 2007 and 0.62 in 2010, indicating significant improvements in sustainable development, and will reach 0.90 in 2020, indicating excellent potential for sustainable development. The Full Permutation Polygon Synthetic Indicator method provides a comprehensive, intuitive approach that reflects the system integration principle that the whole can be more than the sum of its parts. The approach thus provides a promising basis for decision-making to support urban sustainable development and monitoring of the effectiveness of these decisions.     

Particle deposition fluxes of BDE-209, PAHs, DDTs and chlordane in the Pearl River Delta, South China

Year-round bulk air deposition samples were collected at 15 sites in the Pearl River Delta (PRD) on a bimonthly basis from Dec 2003 to Nov 2004, and the particle-phase deposition of BDE-209, PAHs, DDTs and chlordane was measured. The annual deposition fluxes of BDE-209, total PAHs (15 compounds), total DDT (sum of p,p′-DDE, p,p′-DDD, p,p′-DDT, and o,p′-DDT ), and chlordane (sum of trans-chlordane and cis-chlordane) varied from 32.6 to 1970 μg m^− 2 yr^− 1, 22 to 290 μg m^− 2 yr^− 1, 0.8 to 11 μg m^− 2 yr^− 1, and 0.25 to 1.9 μg m^− 2 yr^− 1, respectively. Spatial variations were higher in the centre of the PRD and lower at the coastal sites for all compounds. The seasonal variations of deposition were found to be compound-dependent, influenced by a number of factors, such as the timing of source input, temperature, and precipitation etc. In particular, source input time affected the deposition fluxes of BDE-209 and high-weight PAHs, while temperature-dependent gas-particle partitioning was a key factor for DDT and light-weight PAH deposition. During the whole sampling period, the atmospheric deposition of BDE-209, ΣPAHs, ΣDDTs, and chlordane onto Hong Kong reached about 93, 86, 2.1 and 2.1 kg yr^− 1, respectively, and onto the PRD reached about 13,400, 2950, 82, and 63 kg yr^− 1. By comparing the calculated total air deposition with the burden in the soils, the half residual time of BDE-209 in soils was estimated to be 3 years.     

Chinese strategies of experimental governance. The underlying forces influencing urban restructuring in the Pearl River Delta

Pragmatic Chinese ideological slogans like “groping for stones crossing the river”, “no matter if it’s a black cat or a white cat, as long as it catches mice it’s a good cat” became guiding principles for a multitude of experimental approaches to new developments in the realms of Chinese economic, political, socio-cultural, and physical urban transformation since the beginning of reform and opening up in the late 1970s. Today, these concepts find their daily expression in so-called conceded informality. This paper illuminates the characteristics of nowadays typical, Chinese decision- and policy-making processes in the field of urban restructuring, with a focus on the informal and experimental aspects of flexible conceptual frameworks.     

全国矿产资源开发状况遥感监测工作简析

矿山遥感监测是一项具有中国特色的基本国情调查工作。多年的矿产资源开发状况监测工作表明,全国矿业秩序基本有序,疑似违法图斑主要分布在我国西部、北部地区;除非金属矿产外,煤、铁、金、铜、铅、锌、铝土矿、轻稀土矿等是主要的违法矿种;违法类型多以无证开采、越界开采为主;露天开采是主要的违法开采方式;私营企业是主要的违法经济主体。全国重点矿区的违法图斑密度逐年降低。指出了目前工作中存在的问题和努力方向。     

珠江三角洲流域水系景观特征及结构性问题

珠江三角洲是在浅海湾内的多河道上淤积而成的,其流域水系景观具有鲜明的地域特征,从水系结构特征、水情特征、水系景观的地域特征3个方面总结了珠江三角洲流域水系景观的特征,并通过问题缘由、客观数据及形态表征的相关分析,概括出珠江三角洲流域水系景观存在的结构性问题:1)干流收窄,河床演变加剧;2)河涌减少、河网密度降低,湖泊水面缩小:3)围垦收窄河口,加重淤积,洪涝加剧,为该区域水系景观规划提供了基本依据.     

小城镇人居环境建设的对策探索——以珠江三角洲为例

一、注重城镇空间环境的整治,重塑有序的城镇空间形态 小城镇空间环境的整治,在现有城镇空间格局的基础上进行的调整,应注意将集中在珠三角密集地区的环境污染等主要问题,在时间上和空间上进行缓解、分散和弱化,避免形成集中的“环境污染带”;应注意控制改变城镇沿交通干线蔓延伸展和城镇连片发展的现状,通过区域绿地、环城绿带和道路绿化隔离等空间政策来有效遏制;应注重城镇簇群和中心城镇的培育,完善现有城镇结构体系;应注重城镇绿色产业、现代农业、旅游业、服务业、商业和工业在功能布局上的合理分布,并充分考虑与自然生态系统的有…     

多中心跨境城市一区域的多层级管治——以大珠江三角洲为例

在全球化和区域化并驾齐驱的格局下,全球城市一区域（Global City-Region）日益成为全球经济增长的核心动力,跨境区域（CBRs：Cross-BorderRegions）大量涌现。近年来欧盟国家有关大都市区的研究揭示了多中心（Polycentric）格局和区域融合中多层级管治（multi-level governance）的形态,但罕有探讨两者之间的关系及其制订对区域发展政策和规划的影响。目前,对于亚洲特别是中国的大都市多中心和多层级管治的系统研究尚不多,本文尝试揭示大珠三角作为多中心都市区和跨境区域的多层级管治的形成、演变和影响。本文进一步透过跨境大桥的案例分析,尝试揭示这个跨境城市一区域的多中心和多层级管治格局在“一国两制”框架下的独特之处。     

多中心跨境城市-区域的多层级管治——以大珠江三角洲为例

在全球化和区域化并驾齐驱的格局下,全球城市一区域(Global City-Region)日益成为全球经济增长的核心动力,跨境区域(CBRs:Cross-BorderRegions)大量涌现.近年来欧盟国家有关大都市区的研究揭示了多中心(Polycentric)格局和区域融合中多层级管治(multi-level governance)的形态.但罕有探讨两者之间的关系及其制订对区域发展政策和规划的影响.目前,对于亚洲特别是中国的大都市多中心和多层级管治的系统研究尚不多,本文尝试揭示大珠三角作为多中心都市区和跨境区域的多层级管治的形成,演变和影响.本文进一步透过跨境大桥的案例分析,尝试揭示这个跨境域市一区域的多中心和多层级管治格局在"一国两制"框架下的独特之处.     

基于基塘系统的珠江三角洲多尺度水敏设计研究

珠江三角洲是位于中国东南部以河流为主导的洪泛平原。由于堤防建设、河流渠化和城市化带来纳水空间的减少,珠江三角洲地区的河流、雨水和海洋所引起的洪水风险增加。为了防范洪水风险,需要采取更具适应性的城市化战略,在考虑多尺度研究视角的同时,重视珠江三角洲传统水利方法(即生态农业),例如利用传统水管理方法的基塘系统。确定基于该地区传统水陆混合农业实践的多尺度水敏设计的景观设计原则。顺德地区地处珠江三角洲西江和北江之间洪水易发的低地,这种传统水陆混合农业系统已经有着悠久的历史并促使其形成了与水共生的传统。通过学习传统的水陆混合农业实践,发现新的设计原则,从而减轻洪水风险,同时促进可持续的城市化。这种新的方法将不仅服务于顺德区,而且包括整个珠江三角洲,以增加对于洪水的适应性。     

An integrated approach for tactical monitoring and data-driven spread forecasting of wildfires

In recent times there have been increasing efforts to integrate technology into wildfire management, especially in the fields of tactical monitoring and simulation. On the one hand, thermal infrared imaging (TIR) systems have been installed aboard surveillance aircraft including unmanned systems (UAS). On the other, there exists a variety of models and simulators able to forecast the fire spread. However, both fields currently present significant limitations. While relevant information is still extracted manually from aerial thermal imagery and is most times merely qualitative, simulators’ accuracy on fire spread prediction has proved insufficient. To solve these issues, this article presents a twofold methodology to couple meaningful automated wildfire monitoring with accurate fire spread forecasting. The main goals are to, firstly, automatically process aerial TIR imagery so that valuable information can be produced in real time during the event and, secondly, use this information to adjust a Rothermel-based simulator in order to improve its accuracy on-line. The fire perimeter location is tracked automatically through an unsupervised edge detector. Afterwards, an assimilation module uses the remotely sensed data to optimise the simulator's fuel and wind parameters, which are assumed to remain constant for a certain period of time. Subsequently, the optimum parameters’ values are used to issue a fire evolution forecast. All outputs are projected onto the corresponding Digital Terrain Model (DTM) and integrated into a Geographic Information System (GIS) for visualization. The global system was validated using two large-scale experiments. If these algorithms can be applied to a sufficiently rich and varied set of experimental data and further developed to cope with more complex scenarios, they could eventually be incorporated into a fire management decision support system.