Redevelopment and the urban forest: A study of tree removal and retention during demolition activities

Though relationships between urbanization and tree cover are generally well studied, the effect of redevelopment on urban trees, at the scale of the individual property, is not well understood. Developing knowledge in this area is important in order to limit tree loss during redevelopment and thus, ensure sustained ecosystem services. Here, we explore the removal or retention of trees adjacent to building demolition in Christchurch, New Zealand. We mapped the presence or absence of individual trees on 123 properties prior to, and following, building demolition. Using a classification tree (CT) analysis, the presence or absence of 1209 trees was modelled as a function of: tree-related variables, property-related variables, and economic variables. The CT model estimated tree presence/absence with overall accuracy of 80.4%. Results show that 21.6% of all trees were removed as a consequence of building demolition, resulting in a tree canopy cover reduction of 19.7% across all 123 properties. The CT showed that tree crown area was the most important variable for predicting the presence/absence of trees, whereby trees with small crown areas (<7.9 m²) were most frequently removed, especially if they were within 0.7 m of a demolished building. Land value was also an important determinant of tree presence/absence, such that tree removal was more prevalent on properties with higher land value ($/m²). The results provide important new insights into some of the reasons for tree removal or retention during redevelopment at the scale of the individual property where most tree-related decisions are made.     

Interrogating urban experiments

The notion of the “urban experiment” has become increasingly prevalent and popular as a guiding concept and trope used by both scholars and policymakers, as well as by corporate actors with a stake in the future of the city. In this paper, we critically engage with this emerging focus on “urban experiments”, and with its articulation through the associated concepts of “living labs”, “future labs”, “urban labs” and the like. A critical engagement with the notion of urban experimentation is now not only useful, but a necessity: we introduce seven specific areas that need critical attention when considering urban experiments: these are focused on normativity, crisis discourses, the definition of “experimental subjects”, boundaries and boundedness, historical precedents, “dark” experiments and non-human experimental agency.     

Bargaining for nature: treating the environment in China’s urban planning practice

ABSTRACT

In much of the contemporary academic inquiry and political discourse on Chinese cities, urban entrepreneurialism and environmentalism often appear to be analyzed disjointedly and unreflectively. They are portrayed as two conflicting interests. Commentators also view urban planners as a homogenous group of professionals and/or state agents being forced to give up environmental goals to pursue economic value of space. Using the case of Tianjin Eco-City planning, this article interrogates the bargaining process between the “ecological value” and “commodity narrative”. It offers three major arguments. First, even though the discourse of environmental sustainability has been used to legitimize economic transformation, ecological demands are creating new pressures on entrepreneurial urban governance. Second, rather than treating Chinese planners as a fully constituted, internally coherent, organizationally-fixed, and operationally-consistent group, they should be viewed as hybrid, and diverse entities that represent divergent and sometimes contentious state interests. Third, planners, though still under tremendous pressure from landed interests, can become active players to positively influence urban transformation toward more environmental care.     

哈大巨型城市带要素集聚程度与生态环境水平关系演变

基于耦合模型和象限图法,从整体和内部分异2个角度对2000~2012年哈大巨型城市带要素集聚程度与生态环境水平演变及其关系进行分析,结果表明：哈大巨型城市带要素集聚程度呈波动上升的演变特征,生态环境则“先波动上升,后缓慢下降”,城市带整体要素集聚程度与生态环境水平间关系趋于协调,产业结构演变、资源消耗水平、经济密度是导致城市带要素集聚程度与生态环境水平协调度提高的主要驱动因子,其中产业结构演变的影响作用更加明显。城市带内部要素集聚的“四城市”格局已经形成,呈现出“核心-边缘”结构,要素集聚程度与生态环境水平可分为高级协调、要素集聚滞后、低级协调、生态环境滞后4种类型。4个区域中心城市要素集聚程度与生态环境水平关系趋向不协调,中心城市周边地区主要向要素集聚滞后型转变,资源型城市和重工业城市要素集聚程度与生态环境水平多表现为低级协调。     

辽宁中部城市群城市体系中规模与距离关系的研究

以城市人口规模、城市间距离为指标,通过多元回归模型,定量分析辽宁中部城市群中城市规模与空间距离的关系,以及城市与“最近城市”的距离和“距离位序”之间是否存在类似“城市位序-规模律”的定量关系。研究发现：① 城市i的规模P_i与“最近城市”n的规模P_n、距离D_i-n以及区域中心城市c的距离D_i-c有关,与首位城市的规模和距离无关,其中P_n、D_i-n为正向影响,D_i-c为负向影响。就影响力而言,区域中心城市c的影响大于“最近城市”n,这一点区别于国内其他城市群。② 城市群中存在“城市距离-位序律”的定量关系。③ 利用城市规模与距离的定量关系可以测算理论人口规模和影响范围,为辽宁中部城市群的人口预测和空间结构划分提供有益参考。     

哈大巨型城市带空间开发-经济发展-环境演变的耦合分异机制

通过构建空间开发、经济发展、资源环境水平的评价指标体系,引入耦合度概念,并应用变异系数、趋势面分析、回归分析等定量模型研究2000~2014年哈大巨型城市带空间开发-经济发展-环境演变的耦合分异特征及其影响机制,主要得到以下结论：① 2000年以来哈大巨型城市带各城市空间开发-经济发展-环境演变的耦合度均处在不同程度失调状态,且整体表现为“西高东低-南高北低”的空间格局,但耦合度水平总体趋于上升。哈长次区域和辽中南次区域以及哈大巨型城市带整体的耦合度波动性均先升高后下降,总体趋势不断向好;② 政府投入强度是2000年影响哈大巨型城市带各城市耦合度差异的重要作用因素,资本投入强度与科技投入规模是2007年、2014年2个阶段的主导影响因素,且城市发展能级差异与2007年各城市间的耦合度差异表现出一致性;③ 在政府投入强度、科技投入规模、资本投入强度等因素的共同作用下,哈长次区域空间开发-经济发展-环境演变的耦合程度出现空间分异。辽中南次区域耦合度分异的影响因素由人力资本效率和行政等级逐渐演变为以资本投入强度主导。     

长株潭地区农业功能的时空变化特征及发展策略研究

以长株潭地区23个县市区为研究区域,分别从农产品供给功能、就业和社会保障功能、生态保育功能、文化传承和休闲功能构建评价指标体系,综合运用熵值法、多指标综合评价法和农业功能变化的时空差异诊断模型等方法对长株潭地区1998~2014年农业功能的时空动态变化特征进行研究,根据各地区功能特征提出农业功能发展调控策略。研究结果表明：① 长株潭地区农产品供给功能有大幅提升,其重心有向外进一步扩散趋势;长株潭地区核心区域劳动力就业与社会保障功能下降幅度较大;大围山、罗霄山脉等山地丘陵区生态保育功能优势进一步凸显;文化传承和休闲功能部分区域获得进一步发展,但空间变化差异较小。② 研究发现不同区域农业主导功能不同,根据各地区农业功能不同优势特征,结合自身特色因地制宜发展优势农业并提出相应的优化调控对策,从而为长株潭地区农业多功能发展与功能特征的识别及确定提供理论依据。     

The nation-state and the city: introduction to a debate

In recent years, the urban political landscape has become infused with a potent and incendiary mixture of popular-democratic, anti-globalisation, and separatist rhetoric. One central process driving this has been the problematic relations between the nation-state and the city. This Debates and Interventions forum aims to prompt a debate about where the city should be situated intellectually in respect of the nation-state. Four questions are addressed: (1) How do contemporary processes of urban development reflect changing national geopolitical priorities? (2) To what extent are struggles around immigration, citizenship and recognition conducted within cities rather than around the nation-state? (3) To what degree does the city (as e.g. a physical form, social environment or discourse) help to mobilise, propel and/or contest this new urban politics? And (4) Is the concept of a “post-national” global order appropriate for understanding the city and urban politics today?     

Debordering and rebordering in the residential borderlands of suburban Guangzhou

Gated communities and enclave urbanism in China have recently drawn considerable attention of researchers and policy makers. The integration of urban space is now even on the agenda of the Chinese Central Government. This article therefore sets out to advance our understanding of how exactly urban borders function and how they change over time. This is done by applying concepts of border theory to what may be called residential borderlands. The empirical study is conducted in two such borderlands between gated communities and suburban villages in southern Guangzhou. It is based on over 70 qualitative interviews and the observation of spatial behaviour at the respective borders. Both debordering and rebordering processes are found to occur with regards to three dimensions: cross-border mobility, cross-border social connectivity and symbolic border functions. The identified dynamic processes at the neighbourhood borders are embedded in the overall urban spatial reconfiguration of Guangzhou.     

长沙都市区生境质量对城市扩张的时空响应

生境质量是评价生态环境的重要指标,掌握其对城市扩张的时空响应规律,有助于提升都市区城乡规划质量和生态管控的合理性。本文在运用InVEST模型对长沙都市区1995-2015年生境质量时空演化的基本特征进行分析的基础上,利用缓冲区由内向外逐层剖析,探讨长沙都市区近20年来城市扩张格局及其对生境质量的影响。结果表明：①长沙都市区建设用地面积从170.26 km²增至487.19 km²;三环线以内建设用地快速扩张,从三环线起向外扩张逐渐放缓;②生境质量中等及以上的区域占比从1995年的43.49%下降到2015年的27.22%,生境质量平均值则相应地从0.46下降到0.31,且退化最明显的区域从核心外围区(5-10号缓冲区)外移到三环线附近(10-15号缓冲区);③各圈层建设用地扩张强度与生境质量变化之间存在显著的空间负相关性,生境质量变化对城市扩张响应最强烈的区域始终位于核心外围区;④建设用地空间布局零散和几何形态不规则程度的增加加剧了生境质量的退化,并在三环线附近区域(10-15号缓冲区)表现最为明显,应成为未来长沙都市区城乡规划和生态管控的重点区域。