China City Planning Review (No.4, 2013)

♦A Thomistic Paradigm for Planning Conflict Resolution 

Author: Hok-Lin Leung 

Abstract: Thomas Aquinas’s concept of natural law propounds two universal values: self-preservation and living-with-others. They are equal and symmetrical in any specific social relationship. Living-with-others is the most reliable guarantee for self-preservation; self-preservation provides the best standard for living-with-others. This opens up new opportunities for resolving conflicts between the developer and objector in land development. 

Keywords: conflict resolution; natural law; Western philosophy

♦Research on China City Network Based on Producer Service Industries 

Author: Miaoxi ZHAO, Ye ZHONG, ^① Zheng LIU 

Abstract: Based on the concept of the world city network (WCN), this paper analyzes city network that is based on producer service industries in mainland China at three levels. The corresponding findings include: firstly, at the sub-node level, the location decision-making of producer service industries is no longer merely dependent on linear expansion along the hinterland to establish spatial monopoly, but on a network layout mode based on setting up branch offices in core cities to maximize the profits; secondly, at the city node level, Beijing and Shanghai have become the two major cities for the agglomeration of producer service industries. The coastal city clusters are the principal areas for the concentration of producer service industries, while the majority of other cities are in the peripheral area of the network where there are comparatively low connectivities; thirdly, at the city network level, the primacy effect of Beijing and Shanghai in the city network is extremely significant and the linkage among core cities, namely, Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, in the three major city clusters forms the core network of the producer service industries in mainland China. 

Keywords: China; city network; producer service industries; city system

♦Urban Design in China: A Retrospective on Its Development in the Early Twenty-First Century 

Author: Jianguo WANG 

Abstract: This paper argues that, while drawing on successful international experience, China has developed its own framework of urban design. In terms of both theory and practice, it is a system that is multilayered, multi-dimensional, and multi-modal which integrates urban design with statutory urban planning. Considering the twenty-first century case studies of urban design practice in China, the paper outlines four urban design development trends in China, namely, conceptual urban design, urban design for the purpose of spatial restructuring and optimization, urban design aiming at heritage preservation, and green urban design that prioritizes ecological concerns. It then concludes that urban design should be viewed as neither part of urban planning, nor enlarged architectural design. Aiming at building delicate, elegant, livable, and enjoyable cities that can accommodate changes, from the past to the present and the future, urban design should be dedicated to creating unique urban spaces and forms that allow endogenous growth, as well as amiable places that show respect for human perceptions and experiences. It should also pay equal attention to both “general” and “distinctive” buildings, as well as daily living spaces and “grand urban narratives.” 

Keywords: urban design; Chinese characteristics; the new millennium; development trend; implementation

♦Review on the Urban Design and Planning for Jiangbei CBD in Chongqing 

Author: Zhen CAI, Dong DENG, Hongjie WANG 

Abstract: This paper briefly introduces the core concepts and major contents of the urban design and planning for the Jiangbei CBD in Chongqing. It presents some important methods and ideas for overall urban design from empirical perspectives, so as to provide certain references and experiences to similar urban design and planning projects. Keywords: urban design; Jiangbei CBD; Chongqing

♦A Methodology for Implementable Comprehensive Urban Design in Large Scale Projects: A Case Study on Daqing Comprehensive Urban Design 

Author: Ze LIU, Wensheng ZHOU, Wensong SU 

Abstract:  Based on relevant urban planning and design standards and a study on successful cases of comprehensive urban design in China, this paper explores a methodology of comprehensive urban design in large scale projects by applying classical urban design theories and advanced digital technologies. This enables a combination of artful design and scientific analysis through the establishment of an urban design indicator system, the application of digital technologies and a multi-leveled control over design contents. The chosen case of the Daqing Comprehensive Urban Design shows that the proposed measures can effectively promote the supervision of comprehensive urban design on both urban morphology and landscape, rapidly convert the urban design outcomes into management rules, and ultimately facilitate the application of the urban design outcomes. Keywords: comprehensive urban design; large scale; implementation; digital technology; Daqing City

♦Practical Significance of General Urban Design: Analyses and Reflections on Qingpu New City 

Author: Song ZHANG, Xuefeng ZHEN 

Abstract: General urban design is targeted at the urban environment, which includes identifying the relationship between landscape elements and spatial structure, and guiding and controlling open spaces, architectural features, and important landscape areas and elements. By applying the general urban design results into planning practices, the unique townscape with local characteristics can be shaped gradually through effective guidance on urban spaces. This paper, based on the practice of general urban design in Qingpu New City, provides a systematic analysis on the general urban design from the perspectives of the structure of urban spaces, the landscape control of key areas, the design guidelines and elements, and so forth. 

Keywords: general urban design; townscape; practical significance; Qingpu New City

♦Post-Reform New Town Development in China 

Author: Tinghai WU, Chengguo ZHANG 

Abstract: In this paper, we present an overview of urban practice in China since the late 1970s and come up with a refreshed concept regarding “new towns” as existing in a widely different politico-economic context. With the urbanization of capital being the theoretical backbone of this paper, we attempt to reveal basic laws inherent in the emergence and proliferation of various forms of urban spaces within a rapidly modernizing country. Considered from various viewpoints such as land institutions, national policy designs, and the financial capital and bank system, our paper covers: a historical overview of China’s post-reform new towns, a theoretical framework to explain related phenomena, empirical approaches to interpreting the contributory factors, and a theoretical outline for further research. 

Keywords: China’s new town, urbanization of capital, production of space, spaces of capital accumulation

♦Change and Continuity: Chinese Villages in Transition (II) – Panyang Village^① 

Author: Nick R. Smith 

Abstract This is the second in a series of four articles that ethnographically explores instances of village transformation in peri-urban China. Each article presents an in-depth case study of a single village and its unique combination of change and continuity. Together, these case studies demonstrate the specificity and idiosyncrasy of village transformation and the need for planners to “take actions that suit local conditions” (yindizhiyi). This installment investigates Panyang Village, located in the Xiangcheng District of Suzhou Municipality. The municipality has used a portion of Panyang’s land for an industrial development zone, and the remainder of the village has been turned into relocation housing for displaced villagers. This has resulted in profound economic and socio-spatial transformation, but Panyang has not been allowed to fully urbanize. For instance, both the village and its residents are still administratively rural, and the municipality has imposed building codes that preserve the village’s existing housing typology. The tension between economic transformation and socio-spatial conservation has led to unforeseen consequences, including a diffuse, de-centered morphology; increasing disinvestment on the part of registered villagers; and new development initiatives by migrant workers. 

Keywords: village planning; peri-urbanization; ethnography; Suzhou