China City Planning Review (No.4, 2023)

♦Sharing and Empowerment: Humane Communities and Housing

Author：Yin Zhi, Wang Yu, Jiang Wei, Yu Ying, Liu Jiayan, Yao Nan, Wang Chenghui, Fang Xiaotao, Wang Ying, Xi Wenqin, Pan Chenyue, Mou Yanchuan, Wei Wei, Li Yun, Xiao Xiao, Chen Yulin, Zhao Di, Liu Wei, Zhang Jiuhe, Deng Yi

Translated by Li Caige & Liu Jinxin / Proofread by Liu Jiayan

DOI: 10.20113/j.ccpr.20230403a

Introduction：On Apr. 15 – 16, 2023, the 2022 Annual Conference of the Housing and Community Planning Committee of the Urban Planning Society of China (UPSC) was successfully held at the Chongqing Planning Exhibition Gallery, Chongqing. The conference was hosted by the Housing and Community Planning Committee of the UPSC, and jointly-organized by the Urban Planning Society of Chongqing, Chongqing Planning & Design Institute, School of Architecture and Urban Planning of Chongqing University, Chongqing Municipal Planning Affairs Center, and Chongqing Planning Exhibition Gallery. Taking “Sharing and Empowerment: Humane Communities and Housing” as its theme, and responding to the strategic guidelines of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council on further improving urban and rural community governance and promoting community services and housing security during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, the conference brought together experts and scholars from the fields of community planning, community building, social governance, housing research, and urban regeneration, as well as government officials and enterprise representatives to discuss and exchange views on the hot issues of community planning and housing development in the new era through academic forums and on-site surveys. Twenty guest speakers delivered keynote speeches and carried out academic dialogues on the theme of the conference as well as on the sub-themes of “Old Residential Area Renovation and Community Regeneration,” “Localized Community Planning and Development of Community Planner System,” “Housing Security and Social Inclusiveness,” and “Place-Making and Culture Revitalization.” More than 100 delegates attended the on-site conference, while more than 10,000 viewers participated online. In this column, the key views shared in the keynote speeches and forums of this annual conference were edited and summarized, for the purpose of providing useful reference for readers and for the theoretical improvement and practical application in the field of housing research and community planning.

Full text is available at: <http://www.ccprjournal.com.cn/news/10258.htm>

♦A Review on Resilience Theories and Evaluation Methods

Author：Ma Junrong, Zhu Li, Steivan Defilla

Edited by Li Caige / Proofread by Liang Sisi

DOI: 10.20113/j.ccpr.20230404a

Abstract：As global risks and disasters increase, resilience is needed to cope with risks and uncertainties. Cities are the subject of a large amount of resilience research. Hence resilient urban development covers many areas. Theoretical resilience research either focuses on a special field or extends over the context of a single analysis and evaluation system. There is a lack of multi-perspective comprehensive analysis and evaluation methods in the existing research. This paper reviews different theoretical frameworks of resilience through an induction method, and analyzes the resilience evaluation methods by means of literature-based measurement and visual expression methods. Based on the theoretical frameworks, this paper develops a model integrating different resilience analysis types and extends it to four interrelated dimensions in order to visualize the correspondence between the analysis frameworks and the evaluation methods. Finally, the paper develops a comprehensive approach to resilience analysis and evaluation, which is of great significance for understanding how resilient cities operate.

Keywords：typological model; resilience analysis; resilient city; calculation method; evaluation method

Full text is available at: <http://www.ccprjournal.com.cn/news/10259.htm>

♦Assessing and Mitigating the Heat Vulnerability from the Perspective of Morphological Regions: A Case Study in Beijing

Author：Cai Zhi, Tang Yan, Li Nana, Demuzere Matthias

Translated by Qian Fang / Proofread by Liang Sisi

DOI: 10.20113/j.ccpr.20230405

Abstract：Against the backdrop of climate change, heat waves have become increasingly detrimental to cities. Urban morphology, a comprehensive reflection of material and non-material elements in the physical world, is closely related to environmental quality, thermal environment, population health, and other elements. From the perspective of urban morphological regions, this paper examines the characteristics of heat exposure, sensitivity, adaptability, and vulnerability of the main urban areas and its surrounding areas in Beijing, in combination with land surface temperature, air temperature, population characteristics, vegetation distribution, and other indicators. The results indicate that the built-up areas of Beijing are dominated by compact classes, making them most vulnerable to heat waves due to the unfavorable thermal environment, high population density, a large proportion of young and old people, and sparse vegetation cover. In contrast, the open low-rise class shows the highest adaptive capacity due to better economic condition of the population and high vegetation cover. This paper provides mitigation strategies from angles of morphology optimization and policy guidance, and suggests that the assessment and analysis of heat vulnerability based on urban morphology can provide a reference for climate change-oriented planning and design, and promote urban high-quality development and sustainable construction.

Keywords：morphological regions; urban morphology; thermal environment; heat vulnerability; Beijing

Full text is available at: <http://www.ccprjournal.com.cn/news/10260.htm>

♦Resilient System, Flexible Boundary, and Dynamic Adaptation: A Case Study on the Planning Control on Eco-Space in Haicang District of Xiamen

Author：Lin Xiaoru, Wang Shiyu, Wen Chaoxiang, Xu Minghui

Translated by Liu Jinxin / Proofread by Liu Jian

DOI: 10.20113/j.ccpr.20230406a

Abstract：In line with the strategy of Ecological Civilization Construction, maintaining and increasing the value of natural resources is a core issue of China’s territorial and spatial planning. Ecological space, eco-space in short, is not only the guarantee of a city’s ecological security, but also the main body for realizing the value transformation of ecological resources. Currently, it is generally believed that the definition of eco-space is limited by natural attributes, leading to an either/or situation between eco-space and urban space in planning control. Although this approach may assure rigid bottom lines, it results in the freezing of ecological resources and the separation of eco-space from urban space, as well as the missing of many pos- sibilities for future urban development. In order to optimize the planning control on eco-space of the territorial and spatial planning system, this paper reconsiders the concept of eco-space and proposes the theoretical framework of “resilient system, flexible boundary, and dynamic adaptation,” as well as the categorization of eco-space into the three zones of mandatory protection, strategic reservation, and potential development. Taking Haicang District of Xiamen as an example, it puts forward an analysis model on the development potential of eco-space by superimposing the weight of five influence factors for a scientific result of zoning. It concludes that the mapping of overall ecological pattern, the spatial interaction crossing flexible boundaries, the management allowing dynamic conversion, and the refined control incorporating both rigid and elastic principles may provide guidelines for increasing the value of eco-space, so as to maximize the ecological benefits of the city.

Keywords：eco-space; territorial and spatial planning; planning control; resilience; Xiamen

Full text is available at: <http://www.ccprjournal.com.cn/news/10261.htm>

♦Research on the Relationship Between Multidimensional Characteristics of Blue-Green Spaces and Mental Health of Older Adults

Author：Yue Yafei, Yang Dongfeng, Xu Dan, Yuan Jingcheng, Lu Xu

Translated by Qian Fang / Proofread by Tang Yan

DOI: 10.20113/j.ccpr.20230407a

Abstract：According to the Theory of Justice, the characteristics of vulnerable groups should be considered in realizing the mental health benefits of blue-green spaces, so as to promote substantive equity and welfare in cities. The unclear relationship between the blue-green space indicator system and the mental health of older adults at both the quantitative and qualitative levels has hindered the development of spatial justice and health equity in cities. Based on the theories of stress reduction and attention restoration, this paper uses the Hierarchical Linear Model to systematically explore the relationship between the qualitative (environmental characteristics and landscape patterns of parks and water bodies) and quantitative (visibility and accessibility) characteristics of blue-green spaces and the mental health of older adults. The research finds that in the spatial dimension, there is a significant difference in the relationship between the qualitative and quantitative indicators of blue-green space and the mental health of older adults, and the relationship between the availability, visibility, and accessibility of blue-green space and the mental health of older adults is weakened in turn. In the social dimension, resilient ecological spaces can regulate and buffer the negative impacts on the mental health of older adults that are brought about by unfavorable socio-economic factors like having no homeownership. The research can provide guidance for environmental design and the selection of planning indicators to improve the mental health of older adults, and give empirical evidence for reaching a more “equitable” layout of urban blue-green spaces, so as to promote the development of age friendly cities and green and healthy cities.

Keywords：blue-green space; older adults; mental health; Hierarchical Linear Model

Full text is available at: <http://www.ccprjournal.com.cn/news/10262.htm>

♦Traditional Fair Built Heritage Protection Based on Stakeholder Analysis: A Case Study of Licun Fair in Qingdao

Author：Guo Yacheng, Tong Yehui, Wang Ran, Wang Tingting

Translated by Li Min / Proofread by Mao Qizhi

DOI: 10.20113/j.ccpr.20230408a

Abstract：In China, the urban construction and development mode is gradually changing from extensive renewal (large-scale demolition and construction) to more targeted micro regeneration. Against this backdrop, protection of traditional fairs which have witnessed the emergence and development of cities needs to be addressed urgently in the process of sustainable urban development. After summarizing the concept of cultural heritage and the international cultural heritage protection process, this paper affirms the value of traditional fairs as a kind of built heritage and proposes a sustainability assessment framework for traditional fair built heritage. Through analyzing the stakeholders involved in the traditional fair regeneration process, the paper identifies key stakeholders using Mitchell’s score-based approach. From the perspective of stakeholders and taking the Licun Fair in Qingdao City as an example, it puts forward a public participation-based sustainable development and regeneration strategy, providing a reference for the protection and reutilization of traditional fair built heritage in China.

Keywords: traditional fairs; built heritage; stakeholders; sustainability assessment; public participation

Full text is available at: <http://www.ccprjournal.com.cn/news/10263.htm>

♦Cross-Boundary Cooperation and Changes in the Roles of Governments at Different Levels in China: A Case Study of the Guangzhou-Foshan Metropolitan Area

Author: Chen Tingting, Li Xun

Edited by Li Min / Proofread by Tang Yan

DOI: 10.20113/j.ccpr.20230409a

Abstract: As few studies have been conducted on the roles of governments at different levels in cross-boundary cooperation process, this paper, drawing on the multi-level governance theory, explores the roles of local governments in cross-boundary cooperation in China through in-depth interviews and document analysis in the Guangzhou-Foshan metropolitan area. The paper finds that China has seen a significant advance in cross-boundary cooperation in terms of institutional building and a remarkable change in municipal and provincial government functions. The new forms of regional cooperation have enhanced horizontal ties, but political directives from the central government cannot simply be ignored as existing administrative hierarchy is still a pervasive principle. The power devolution is essentially the transfer of power from the central government to provincial- and municipal-level governments (or prefecture city governments) but overlooks the district and county governments. Furthermore, citizens and non-government institutions have no access to the decision-making process and channels for airing their appeals. In a real sense, the regional cooperation system has not yet been well established.

Keywords: cross-boundary; regional cooperation; local governments; Guangzhou-Foshan metropolitan area

Full text is available at: <http://www.ccprjournal.com.cn/news/10264.htm>