China City Planning Review (No.1, 2022)

♦Reflections and Enlightenments on the Population Size Determination in Urban Master Planning in China: A Case Study of Xi’an City

Author：Li Sijie, Liu Kewei, Li Ji

Translated by Liu Jinxin / Proofread by Tang Yan

Abstract：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.

Keywords：urban master planning; population size determination; territorial and spatial planning; Xi’an City

Full text is available at: <http://www.ccprjournal.com.cn/news/10102.htm>

♦Do Shrinking Cities Correlate with the Demographic Aging Process? Evidence from Shrinking Cities in China 

Author：Ma Jingwen, Zhao Shengchuan, Li Wu 

Edited by Liu Jinxin / Proofread by Liu Jiayan

Abstract：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 interrelation-ships 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.

Keywords：shrinking cities; demographic aging; PLS-SEM; urban development; China

Full text is available at: <http://www.ccprjournal.com.cn/news/10103.htm>

♦Correlation Between Neighborhood Built Environment and Physical Activity Among Chinese Population: Major Factors, Key Findings, and Research Prospects

Author：Chen Xin, Mou Yanchuan, Huang Ling

Edited by Li Caige / Proofread by Tang Yan

Abstract：Physical inactivity poses growing threats to the Chinese population, associated with booming urbanization and unfriendly living environment in recent years. This paper is a systematic review to investigate the neighborhood built environment factors correlated with physical activity in the Chinese population, including children and adolescents, adults, and the elderly. The Web of Science has been searched for articles in English, and the China National Knowledge Infrastructure has been searched for articles in Chinese. A total of 35 articles published before January 2020 have been included in this review. Then these articles are studied with a focus on six major aspects – transportation, density, design, diversity, amenity, and walkability – finding that the neighborhood built environment factors related to physical activity vary across age groups and different types of neighborhoods. In the context of refined community governance, future research should make further explorations from aspects including different resident groups, local characteristics of neighborhoods, built environment characteristics, research design, and other relevant variables.

Keywords：neighborhood built environment; physical activity; Chinese; review

Full text is available at: <http://www.ccprjournal.com.cn/news/10104.htm>

♦How Urban Residential Environment Influences the Emotional Health of the Elderly: An Exploration Based on Perception Survey

Author：Yang Dongfeng, Sui Hang

Translated by Li Caige / Proofread by Mao Qizhi

Abstract：The daily emotional experience of the elderly is not only related to their mental health, but also influenced and restricted by the urban residential environment. Existing studies have discussed the correlation between residential environment and emotional health from the two perspectives of built and social environment, and a variety of theoretical explanations have been developed. However, it has no explicit and reliable empirical basis. In order to explore how residential environment influences the emotional health of the elderly, this paper conducts targeted empirical research on the issue. Based on the perception survey, the paper adopts the self-assessed health status, living conditions, and mobility capacity to reflect the emotional experience level of the elderly, and explores the statistical correlation between residential environment factors and the emotional health in combination with an analysis on built and social environment factors. It is found that the built and social environment factors have remarkable differences in their effects on the emotional health. In terms of the social environment, neighborhood involvement has wide positive effects on the self-assessment of all three aspects of health status, living conditions, and mobility capacity; while in terms of the built environment, the landscape of leisure places have positive effects on the self-assessment of both living conditions and mobility capacity. In the end, guided by the concept of active health, the paper puts forward the evidence-based planning strategy from the perspectives of leisure landscape, neighborhood involvement, and travel safety, with the hope to improve the residential environment of the elderly.

Keywords：residential environment; emotional health; leisure landscape; neighborhood involvement; healthy and active aging

Full text is available at: <http://www.ccprjournal.com.cn/news/10105.htm>

♦Inspection on the Traffic Performance of Harbin’s Polycentric Spatial Structure: An Analysis Based on Location Reselection Hypothesis

Author：Guo Rong, Cui Yu

Translated by Qian Fang / Proofread by Liu Jiayan

Abstract：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.

Keywords：polycentricity; traffic performance; commuting; location reselection; Harbin

Full text is available at: <http://www.ccprjournal.com.cn/news/10106.htm>

♦Distribution Pattern of and Spatial Correlation Between Traditional Villages and Geological Disasters: A Case Study on Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Province

Author：Shi Bin, Liu Hongtao

Translated by Li Min / Proofread by Liu Jian

Abstract：Identifying the types of disasters and analyzing the distribution pattern of and the spatial correlation between villages and disasters are important prerequisite for the disaster prevention and mitigation of traditional villages. Taking Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture as an example and using the tools of kernel density evaluation and spatial statistics, this paper analyzes the distribution pattern of and the spatial correlation between traditional villages and typical geological disasters on the three spatial scales of Aba Prefecture, village agglomeration area, and village administrative area with necessary explanations. It concludes that most of the traditional villages in Aba Prefecture agglomerate in the middle- and high-level alpine gorges and some are clustered at either the border area or the central hinterland of counties; with the increase of maximum seismic intensity and frequency of earthquakes, it appears there is an increase of traditional villages and their trend of agglomeration, which implies an overlap of the areas of dense traditional villages and high-density geological disasters, as well as the synchronous increase of traditional village density and geological disaster density; and the traditional villages in Aba Prefecture are affected by multiple disasters, in particular landslide and debris flow. Finally, the paper discusses the issue of disaster prevention and mitigation in the protection and development planning of traditional villages.

Keywords：traditional villages; geological disasters; spatial distribution; spatial correlation

Full text is available at: <http://www.ccprjournal.com.cn/news/10107.htm>