China City Planning Review (No.2, 2017)

♦Community Planning Based on Socio-Spatial Production: Explorations in “New Qinghe Experiment”

Author: Liu Jiayan, Deng Xiangyu

Abstract: Rapid urbanization and the booming of diversified community development requirements have challenged the development of community planning in China from theory to practice. Community planning, especially with localized and practice-oriented characteristics, is now facing many limitations. These include aspects such as traditional urban planning techniques that mainly focus on space, a restricted research perspective, as well as basic planning theories that are mostly imported from the West. Using the perspective of socio-spatial dialectic for reference, this paper summarizes the evolution process of Chinese modern residential space planning and design from residential district planning under the planned economy system, to housing estate planning in the real estate development, and to community planning in the new era, presenting an important characteristic of transitioning from “producing space” to “production of space,” with “society” gradually replacing “space” and returning to the goal of production. Based on the analysis on the main limitations and problems in the former work of community planning in China, the paper takes the practical exploration on community planning in the “New Qinghe Experiment” in Haidian District, Beijing for an example. Aimed at the prominent problem of an extreme imbalance between “urbanization of space” and “urbanization of population” in the current Qinghe area, the key objective, means, and technical path of new-type community planning are proposed, within which three significant transition features are demonstrated, including going from “need-oriented” to “capital-oriented,” from “interest intervention” to “relationship intervention,” and from “community construction” to “community building.”

Keywords: community planning; socio-spatial production; New Qinghe Experiment; producing space; production of space

♦Re-understanding the Role of City Master Planning in the Spatial Planning System

Author: Yang Baojun, Zhang Jing, Dong Ke

Abstract: Holding a dominant position in the spatial planning system at the city level, a city master plan should be able to guide both long-term strategies and short-term planning implementation, while taking into account both resource conservation and urban-rural development and coordinating multi-government power and interests of various stakeholders. In the future, city master planning should keep its advanced nature and must follow the principles of being people-oriented, paying equal attention to both development quality and quantity, promoting diversified development, and containing multiple driving forces for development.

Keywords: spatial planning system; city master planning; strategic guidance; statutory blueprint; collaborative platform

♦Optimal City Size in China: An Extended Empirical Study from the Perspective of Energy Consumption

Author: Zhang Jie, Xie Yang

Abstract: The optimal city size has always been a heated topic for debate in China. Given the background of global warming and fossil fuel crisis, it is argued that the issue should be considered from not only the perspective of economic benefits of a city but should also consider the energy consumption efficiency of the city. On the basis of the energy consumption data of 286 cities at the prefectural level and above in Chinese mainland except Lasa, which are obtained from the EU Emission Database for Global Atmospheric Research (EDGAR), this paper carries out an empirical analysis on the relationship between the city size and the energy consumption efficiency of the city. Then based on this analysis, the paper further examines the economic benefits, social benefits, and environment quality of cities in different scales, and the findings reveal that large cities with 2 – 5 million population have the highest efficiency in all these aspects.

Keywords: optimal city size; energy consumption of urban residents per capita; EDGAR database; curve fitting method

♦Green Eco-District Regulatory Plan Decision Tool –Carbon Accounting Standard Protocol 

Author: Stanley C T Yip

Abstract: Green eco-district planning and construction occupies a very important position in China’s future low carbon urbanization roadmap because the experience gained through practice will provide cities with a technical pathway to manage climate change and reduce carbon emissions. However, during the current preparation and implementation stage of the green eco-district plans, both the planning management departments and planning design institutes are faced with the problem of how to quantify the greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions, especially the CO2 emissions, when approval decisions are to be made. Aiming at setting up a carbon accounting protocol within the statutory framework of China’s green eco-district planning and construction management system, this paper argues that it is important to incorporate the GHG emission inventory into the statutory regulatory planning system, and discusses the technical issues and coping measures for assessing carbon emissions at the district level. It proposes to refine the Activity Data (AD) and Emission Factors (EF) in the current China’s National GHG Inventory and set up the urban district carbon accounting protocol based on nine sectors. These nine emission accounting sectors are established according to the key policy and function as defined in the statutory local regulatory plans under the present planning system in Chinese cities. Taking planning and construction management at the district level as a platform to control carbon emissions, it develops an initial carbon accounting protocol suitable for China’s green eco-districts which can be applied in both the existing and planned urban areas, and be integrated into the decision making process of the local planning process.

Keywords: carbon accounting; green eco-districts; low carbon urbanization; regulatory planning

♦Research on Urban Carbon Emission Inventory and Its Application in Planning

Author: Gu Chaolin

Abstract: This paper systematically reviewed related studies on urban carbon emission inventory, and especially analyzed current studies on the urban green-house gas inventory in China. Through comparative studies of four cases, it systematically discusses the application of urban carbon emission inventory in low carbon urban planning as a response to climate change, it thus concluded that city planners in China have duty-bound obligations and responsibilities to apply low carbon ideas into urban and regional planning, and the in-depth study on greenhouse gas emission inventory is undoubtedly of great significance and scientific value to mitigate climate change.

Keywords: climate change; urban carbon emission inventory; low carbon urban planning

♦From Forced Demolition to Reversed Monopoly, Appeals for the Perfection of Laws: Reflections on Demolition Case in Qiaodong Jiedao, Taiyuan

Author: Liu Xiaobing, Ye Yumin

Abstract: Inventory planning is the mainstream of China’s urban and rural planning in the future. However, during the implementation of inventory planning, demolition issues generally cause serious social contradictions, and lead to a great increase in the implementation cost of inventory planning. This paper takes the demolition of shantytowns in Qiaodong Jiedao, Taiyuan as an example, reviews the process of urban demolition from forced promotion by the government to reversed monopoly by the owners of demolished buildings, and points out that ambiguous connotation of public interest, lack of authority to define public interest, and unclear boundary between public interest protection and private interest protection are the important reasons leading to forced demolition and reversed monopoly. Meanwhile, requesting high compensation on grounds of the protection of right of habitation is also a major reason leading to reversed monopoly in the demolition of urban shantytowns. This paper proposes establishing a demolition legal system with balanced rights under the guidance of balance theory, that is, constantly improving laws concerning demolition from both the substantive and procedural aspects to make rights and obligations clear and balanced and to make procedure complete and fair on one hand, and formulating a soft legal system containing incentive clauses to encourage equal cooperation between multiple subjects and to complete demolition through market, on the other hand.

Keywords: forced promotion; reversed monopoly; public interest; private interest; balance theory; cooperation; market

♦Study on Small and Medium-Sized Town Development Model Based on the Garden City Concept: Evidence of Planning and Practical Experience of Yilan in Taiwan

Author: Chen Nan, Chen Keshi, Li Xinjue

Abstract: Yilan is a successful model of agricultural county transformation during Taiwan’s rapid development period. Its urbanization can be considered as an application and evolution of the Garden City concept. With the establishment of a high-quality cluster group and the cultivation of each cluster therein, Yilan has created a healthy, prosperous, and characteristic town agglomeration. Its experiences and development model have great implications for the future construction of small and medium-sized towns in Chinese mainland.

Keywords: Garden City; town cluster group; town cluster; Cultivating Development Model