China City Planning Review (No.1, 2017)

♦Spatial Distribution Characteristics and Evolution Trends of Urban Aging Population

Author：Zhou Jie

Abstract：This paper selects Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Wuhan as examples and builds a database based on the statistics of the fifth and sixth national population censuses and the latest statistics of aging population collected by ministries and commissions of the Central Government and local departments, as well as by our research team from 2000 to 2010. With its data unit accurate to Jiedao① level, it is the first time to analyze the micro-level spatial distribution characteristics of the aging population in China’s mega cities in comparison with research accomplishments in geography, which lays a foundation for further relevant studies and strategy formulation. The paper draws spatial distribution maps of the aging population in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Wuhan by Geograpic Information System (GIS), and uses Aging Degree Index and Population Gravitational Center respectively to analyze the spatial distribution characteristics and spatial evolution trends of aging population in these mega cities. The research indicates that, on the one hand, the spatial distribution of the aging population shows similar characteristics with that of developed countries when they were at the same urbanization level, especially with Japan which shares a cultural homology with China; on the other hand, it is greatly influenced by the distribution of affiliated residential space of large industrial sectors, enterprises, and research institutes under the early planned economic system. There are two trends: one is centrifugal spread, namely, the elderly are moving from the city center to the outside; the other is centripetal concentration, namely, the elderly who lived in the outer suburbs are moving towards the city center. These phenomena, such as centripetal concentration, suburban spread, exurban concentration, and socio-spatial differentiation of urban aging population, are driven by selective development in the city center, city function upgrading, re-hollowing of villages, and occupation and income differentiation of the elderly before retirement.

Keywords：mega cities; aging population; spatial distribution characteristics; evolution trend; GIS

♦Vernacular of the Urban Institution: A Circular Causal Reaction (II)

Author：Hu Yiran, Zhang Kaili, Zhou Xi

Abstract：This paper discusses how urban institutions affect urban form. It presents an introduction of the position of urban institutions into the research framework of new institutional economics, discusses the relationship between institutional reform and development of urban morphology, and carries out a comparison on New York, Hong Kong, and Barcelona in four aspects, i.e., policy-dominated type (formal and informal), regulatory strategy (compulsory and incentive), policy beneficiary (public and private), and the role of the government (manager and mediator), to attempt to ascertain in what specific ways institutions directly or indirectly affect changes in urban texture and urban form. Thereupon, it argues that the release of institutions may not achieve its predicted purpose. On the contrary, the form of a city, generated unexpectedly and spontaneously within the scope of rules will to some extent prompt the transformation of old institutions. Finally, it indicates that the interaction between “effect” and “feedback” is actually a circular causal reaction.

Keywords：urban institution; urban form; government; private; public

♦Brownfield Redevelopment Based on Theories of Urban Regeneration and Landscape Urbanism: A Case Study on Changchun Tractor Factory

Author：Lin Huiying, Wang Shijun, Song Yang, Wang Xuewei

Abstract：Urban development and construction has led to a series of problems, such as the deficiency of land resources, difficulty in old city renovation, and backward landscape construction, etc. Brownfield refers to the abandoned and polluted lands of industrial, commercial, or other uses, whose redevelopment can not only effectively stimulate the intensive utilization of urban lands and the growth of urban economy, but also improve the quality of the urban ecological environment. Considering that the research on brownfield redevelopment methodologies in China is still at its initial stage, the application of the theories of urban regeneration and landscape urbanism in brownfield redevelopment will be conducive to solving various urban problems and promoting brownfield land use values. This paper, based on an analysis on the theoretical connotations of urban regeneration and landscape urbanism and their influences on brownfield redevelopment, argues that the urban regeneration theory can serve as the “framework” while the landscape urbanism theory as “skeleton” of brownfield development, both of which can integrally form the “organic body of brownfield redevelopment.” It further puts forward five primary principles for brownfield redevelopment which are elaborated through a case study on Changchun Tractor Factory.

Keywords：brownfield redevelopment; urban regeneration; landscape urbanism; Changchun Tractor Factory

♦“Brown Earth-Work”: A New Landscape Paradigm and Research Approach for Brownfields Regeneration

Author：Zheng Xiaodi

Abstract：Landscape architecture is one of the leading disciplines in tackling the challenges of brownfields regeneration, as open spaces are favored by regeneration projects as the end use. Among the many disciplines involved in brownfields regeneration efforts, the two key disciplines that have impacts on the physical and spatial quality of brownfield sites are landscape architecture and environmental engineering. However, in current brownfields regeneration practice in China, there is a lack of collaboration between the two disciplines and it is urgent to elaborate the coupling mechanism between environmental remediation and landscape design. In response, the concept of “Brown Earth-Work” is proposed, which emphasizes the physical and spatial dimensions of “contamination” in brownfield sites. By identifying the key spatial and environmental elements in brownfields regeneration, Brown Earth-Work can serve as a common basis for closer dialogues and collaborations between the disciplines of landscape architecture and environmental engineering during the process.

Keywords：landscape architecture; brownfields regeneration; Brown Earth-Work; environmental remediation; landscape design

♦Revitalization of Urban Brownfield: Case Study on the Planning of the Central Park of Nanhu Eco-City in Tangshan

Author：Hu Jie, Wang Xiaoyang

Abstract：The redevelopment and regeneration of coal mining subsidence area has always been a hot topic in the field of social and scientific research. Relying on remote sensing and the geographic information system (GIS) platform and considering the opinions of experts from various disciplines, this paper intends to take the landscape planning and design of the coal mining subsidence area in Nanhu of Tangshan as an example to discuss the planning design strategies and substantial implementing approaches to transform abandoned urban land into a national urban wetland park, which specifically includes: ① anticipation of geological subsidence disaster and construction of ecological security pattern; ② coal ash management; ③ garbage mountain transformation; ④ application of eco-technologies for solving ground subsidence, etc., so as to provide technical methods and research ideas for the utilization directions, ecological protection, and construction of urban brownfield in similar areas all over the world.

Keywords：landscape architecture; urban brownfield; ground subsidence coping techniques; ecological security

♦Exploration of the PIPP Financing Model in Brownfield Remediation

Author：Fan Lijun, Dai Yasu, Zhao Qinna

Abstract：Lack of adequate and affordable financing is the most significant obstacle to brownfield remediation. This paper identifies the financing barriers of PPP (Public-Private Partnership) model to brownfield reuse, develops a PIPP (Public Intermediary Private Partnerships) financing model, and discusses its operating mechanism and component elements from the aspects of its driving force, participation forms, and profitability. Accordingly, it puts forward the specific operating plan and safeguard measures of the PIPP financing model in brownfield remediation in China.

Keywords：brownfield; brownfield remediation; financing model; PIPP

♦Reconstructing Social Capital to Promote Urban Redevelopment: A Case of Lianjiao Area in the Pearl River Delta Region

Author：Yuan Qifeng, Qian Tianle, Guo Yan

Abstract：Guangdong Province started the so-called “three olds redevelopment” in 2009, aiming to advance industrial upgrading. Existing literature points out that appropriate distribution of land rent differential among the stakeholders like urban governments, village collectives, and developers is the most important determinant. Employing the theory of urban regime, the paper focuses on the redevelopment process of the Lianjiao Area in the Pearl River Delta region to reveal how the three entities (government, rural community, and developers) interact. It has been found that the local urban government is the main driver which facilitates the positive accumulation of social capital through the supply of redevelopment policy and financial support. Through the reconstruction of trust of villagers and developers, the government gains the rights to coordinate the redevelopment. As the actual landholder, rural villages represent the profits of villagers in bargaining with the other two parties. The improvement in infrastructure and the formulation of detailed redevelopment plans increase the land rent differential, encouraging developers’ participation in the redevelopment. The three entities form a negotiation-based development alliance and finally lead to successful redevelopment.

Keywords：urban regime; social capital; urban redevelopment; negotiation-based development alliance; rural industrialized area

♦The Changing Planning Concept of Postwar Hong Kong: Contract, Welfare, and Space

Author：Tan Zheng

Abstract：Accommodating high-density economic activities, the cellular urban structure of Hong Kong has a certain origin in the New Town Movement of post-war Europe. In the post-war era, the planning practice of Hong Kong, as a response to a series of urban crises, transformed the European new town ideal into a unique structure of Asian vertical “Garden City.” This paper starts with the reflection on the relationship between planning system and planning theory, thereby revisiting the “welfare state” tradition hidden behind the cityscape of Hong Kong. Through a brief review of the history of planning exchanges between Hong Kong and mainland cities like Shenzhen, it points out that the “collectivism” tradition was somehow overlooked in the urban design guidelines of mainland cities.

Keywords：planning by contract; New Town Movement; social subsidy; quasi-welfare state; cellular city