Emerging Chinese Cities: Implications for Global Urban Studies

Chinese cities are emerging in multiple senses: They have created new physical spaces to accommodate the fast urbanization of the country but have also developed new properties and characteristics along with urban transformation. The novelty created by emerging cities in China is not easily covered by Western urban theory. This article examines the dynamism of Chinese urban transformation, especially political economic changes vis-à-vis so-called neoliberalism, and spatial outcomes as diverse and contrasting spaces of formality and informality. Finally, this article speculates on implications for global urban studies.     

Black Holes and Loose Connections in a Global Urban Network

This paper introduces the concept of black holes and loose connections in a global urban hierarchy. Black holes are defined as large cities, with a population of over 3 million, that are not classified as world cities. The paper draws upon a classification that uses advanced producer services as an indicator of world city status. Large, nonworld cities are identified, and provisional ideas about explaining their position are outlined. Connectivity and population data are used in a simple regression analysis to identify loose connections: cities whose connectivity is less than that predicted by their population.     

改革开放以来中国城市旅游目的地地位变化及因素分析

采用1982～2001年间中国28座重点旅游城市统计资料,并参照1989～2001年中国旅游统计资料,对改革开放以来中国城市旅游目的地的发展演变进行了研究,从总量、个案、时空等角度探讨了中国城市旅游目的地的变化规律,得出中国城市旅游目的地地理集中指数变化趋缓的结论,并从城市旅游驱动力变化、城市功能和地位变化、城市旅游目的地竞争等方面进行地位变化的因素分析。最后,还讨论了中国城市旅游目的地的发展趋势。     

Beyond the Metropolis: Urban Geography as if Small Cities Mattered

In-car satellite navigation systems (SatNavs) are among the first products based on geographic information systems to have widespread fashionable appeal. In the United Kingdom, portable versions that are easily installed on the dashboard or front windshield have become a popular vehicle accessory. As prices have fallen, demand has increased over the last few years to the point that SatNavs might soon achieve the ubiquity of in-car entertainment systems. The rise of popularity of SatNavs, however, has also brought with it increased vulnerability to vehicle crime. Our analysis for the London borough of Newham shows a threefold increase in SatNav theft that occurred from 2005–2006 to 2006–2007. This is not limited to SatNavs being on display, but criminals also looking for the telltale signs of suction marks on the windshield indicating that a portable SatNav might be in the glove compartment or trunk of the car. A geographical analysis of these crime data is presented. Whereas the geo-engineering has focused on improving real-time visualization of position and articulation of navigational instructions, the product engineering as a portable accessory has insufficiently addressed the social implications of vulnerability in a high-crime society, the consequence being a focused acquisitive crime wave.     

Global environmental change: conceptualising the growing challenge for cities in poor countries

Ongoing urbanisation makes cities a key focus for global environmental change (GEC) research, creating an imperative for a new, city-scale, research agenda. The vulnerability of urban populations to the multiple stresses of GEC lies at the core of overlapping domains of knowledge that could be better integrated in advancing research. The urban development, global change and disasters literatures are fragmented and reveal fundamental cleavages over the role that government could play in mitigating vulnerability to multiple threats and challenges. Important empirical gaps exist, especially on cities of the South. While there are significant knowledge gaps and numerous tensions within and between schools of thought, this overview suggests useful entry points for framing an invigorated research agenda on urban GEC.     

Measuring Urban Sustainability: the potential and pitfalls of city rankings

Measuring the sustainability of a city, and ranking the city against other cities, is increasingly seen as a way to achieve urban sustainability. A number of studies have highlighted how Sydney is unsustainable, with two recent ranking exercises appearing to confirm these findings by placing Sydney below many other Australian cities for urban sustainability. These two exercises are situated within international moves towards ranking cities. The article explores the assumptions and criteria used by Mercer in its Eco-City Index and the Australian Conservation Foundation in its Sustainable Cities Index. The conclusion discusses how Sydney could become more sustainable, and identifies why normative urban sustainability rankings should be recognised for their potential while simultaneously being treated with caution.     

Cities and Urban Land Use in Advanced Placement Human Geography

Abstract

This article examines key topics and concepts in the cities and urban land use section of the Advanced Placement human geography course. Among the topics discussed are definitions of urbanism, the origin and evolution of cities, functional character of contemporary cities, the built environment and social space, and responses to urban growth.     

城市旅游与旅游城市的深化发展

城市旅游是以城市整体形象作为旅游吸引物,招徕游客进行各种游憩活动,其实质是人们对城市文明的向往与追求。一个城市要发展城市旅游,必须挖掘城市文明,提升城市的游憩功能,使城市转变为旅游城市,进而发展为优秀旅游城市。优秀旅游城市是城市旅游的品牌,它通过品牌效应直接影响旅游者的旅游决策,引发更多的城市旅游,从而实现城市旅游与旅游城市的互动发展。     

Aberrant Cities: Urban Population Loss in the United States, 1820-1930

Our understanding of population loss from U.S. cities draws primarily from the fate of industrial centers in the decades following World War II. Quite numerous, those cities cast off residents at unprecedented and sustained rates. Prior to this time, few large cities had ended a decade smaller in population size than they began. In order to broaden and deepen our knowledge of why some cities and not others lose population, this paper analyzes cities that shed population in the 19th century. Using Census data and capsule stories developed from city biographies, the paper explores both contextuating and precipitating factors. These findings subsequently become the basis for reflecting anew on urban decline since the mid-20th century.     

全球环境变化与人类健康

全球环境变化与人类健康研究是目前地球系统科学研究关注的热点问题之一,引起了越来越多机构和科学家的重视,并且已取得了一定的研究成果。本文介绍了全球环境变化研究的内容和意义及目前全球环境变化的研究体系;总结了在全球气候变化、臭氧层损耗、生物多样性的丧失、土地荒漠化和干旱、环境污染、全球化以及城市化等多方面给人类健康带来的影响;概括了目前关于全球环境变化与人类健康研究的热点领域以及我国开展全球环境变化与健康研究的主要问题。     

城市增长与收缩的演变过程及其影响因素

中国快速城镇化过程中已经出现了城市增长与收缩并存的现象,其中收缩型城市中又以资源型城市较为典型。研究城市增长与收缩过程及其影响因素有助于优化资源型城市发展路径以及制定合理的规划策略。本研究以黑龙江省鸡西市、鹤岗市、双鸭山市、七台河市为研究案例,从城市比较研究的思路入手,利用均方差决策法、偏最小二乘法等方法定量化表征4市城市增长与收缩过程并分析其影响因素。结果表明：① 4市并不是处于持续收缩的状态,而是增长与收缩交替进行。② 从城市增长与收缩过程的影响因素方面看,鸡西市主要受居民收入与消费情况影响,鹤岗市主要受产业及投资影响,双鸭山市主要受制造业和外部投资影响,七台河市主要受煤炭产量影响。③ 从差异性角度分析,城市增长与收缩过程以及影响因素的差异主要由替代产业选择差异、城市间竞争、外部性影响所决定。     

城市边缘区的绿色城市设计理念与方法

城市边缘区作为一个特殊区域,在城市化的快速推进中,呈现着城乡复合、动态多变的发展特征.由于多方面原因.城市边缘区在社会环境和自然空间环境方面还存在着较多的问题.要使城市边缘区和谐、健康发展,在规划建设中,必须遵循绿色城市设计的理念与原则,运用基于城市边缘区特征的、结合自然生态环境的城市设计方法,构建人性化的居住和公共空间,创造城市与农村多功能相互协调、多种价值体系综合优化的空间环境.     

全球变化背景下的适应性研究综述

适应性研究是全球变化科学研究的重点领域。本文基于对适应性概念的辨析,探讨了全球变化背景下适应性的科学内涵,总结了适应性研究的途径。通过文献分析与归纳,将适应性研究途径分为敏感性．脆弱性．适应性框架、暴露．适应能力．脆弱性框架与弹性．脆弱性．适应性框架。从“适应对象”、“适应者”以及“如何适应”的角度概述了适应性研究的实践与应用,最后指出了未来的研究重点和发展方向。     

中国全球变化研究优势领域及进展

中国在全球变化研究中具有独特的优势:人类活动对青藏高原自然环境影响较小,冻土、冰川分布广,对全球变化反映敏感;黄土高原保存了地球环境演化历史和过程的许多信息;岩溶地貌分布面积广,岩溶作用能保留多方面的全球变化信息;季风气候典型,较大的气候异常在我国都有所反映;中国人口众多,分布不均匀,工业化适才起步,是观察全球变化的良好窗口。结合国际全球变化研究计划,阐述中国全球变化研究进展,提出中国全球变化研究展望:研究方法不断创新;全球变化与人类活动的相互作用成为重点研究领域;传统优势领域备受关注。     

Modeling Spatial Processes of Urban Growth in African Cities: A Case Study of Nairobi City

Africa's urban population growth has been especially rapid, averaging about 5% per year over the past two decades. As a result, many urban areas have experienced dramatic growth that is seriously outstripping the capacity of most cities to provide adequate services for their residents. Although population growth and urbanization rates in Africa have slowed recently due to a number of factors including HIV/AIDS, urban growth is still expected to double by 2030, leading to dramatic sprawl with serious environmental and social consequences. Using Nairobi as an example of a rapidly urbanizing African city, we studied the dynamics of land use and land cover change using satellite data and addressed the need for models and urban management tools that can guide sustainable urban planning policies. Cellular Automata, which integrate biophysical factors with dynamic spatial modeling, are used in this study. The model was calibrated and tested using time series of urbanized areas derived from land use/cover maps, produced from remotely sensed imagery, with future urban growth projected to 2030. Model assessment results showed high levels of accuracy, indicating that simulation findings were realistic, thereby confirming the effectiveness of the model. Results further showed that the model is a useful and effective tool to foresee the spatial consequences of planning policies in the context of many African cities. The forecast for Nairobi showed unsustainable sprawl.     

Interactive Knowledge Generation in Urban Green Building Transitions

Knowledge coproduction between practitioners and scientists offers promising opportunities for the emerging research field of the geography of sustainability transitions. Drawing on experiences from an international research project on urban green building transitions, this article explores the potentials and challenges of interactive and collaborative knowledge generation methods in understanding sustainability transitions. Our results show that ongoing engagement with local experts and practitioners through interactive World Café workshops and follow-up exchanges allows for a better understanding of the research context and knowledge exchange to all participants involved in the research process.     

城市规划建设的绿地功能应用研究新思路

城市绿地作为城市中最易感知的半自然因素，具有比较突出的生态功能、社会功能以及经济效益，能够改善城市的生态环境。该文对城市绿地功能在城市规划建设中的应用进行分析，指出其存在的问题，以生态学以及景观生态学的理论方法重新思考城市绿地功能在城市规划建设中的综合运用，重点探讨城市绿地与城市空间结构关系、城市绿地景观生态规划以及城市绿地生态系统服务功能价值评估等研究热点。综合分析发现，将绿地功能研究运用到城市规划建设中，有利于城市空间的可持续发展和城市生态环境的改善。