China City Planning Review (No.1, 2025)

♦  Technological Innovation and Future Human Habitat in Global Vision

Wang Kai, Zhong Yuanyue, Xu Weiguo, Lai Yuan, Kok Yun Geoffrey Chan, Xu Jiang, Chen Xiaojian

Translated & edited by Li Min & Liu Jinxin / Proofread by Tang Yan

DOI: 10.20113/j.ccpr.20250102a

Introduction:Themed “Technological Innovation and Future Human Habitat in Global Vision,” the 2024 Annual Conference of the International Urban Planning Branch of the Urban Planning Society of China (UPSC) was successfully held in Shenzhen from Jun. 14 to 16, 2024. The conference was organized by the International Urban Planning Branch of UPSC, hosted by the School of Architecture & Urban Planning, Shenzhen University, and supported by the Urban Planning Society of Shenzhen. It aimed to exchange and share new ideas and practices in urban planning both domestically and internationally, including scientific and technological innovation, security and resilience, and coordinated urban-rural development. The conference also explored the impact of the latest scientific and technological revolution on future human settlements, providing new thoughts on implementing sustainable development strategies and creating a livable urban living environment in China. China City Planning Review (CCPR) has compiled condensed articles based on the speeches delivered at the conference, which have been reviewed and approved by the speakers themselves.

Full text is available at:<http://www.ccprjournal.com.cn/book/10350.htm>

♦  Theoretical Origins, Evolutionary Stages, and Analytical Framework of Child-Friendly Cities: Research Prospects of All-Age-Friendly Cities from a Childhood Perspective

Wu Zhaofan

Translated by Qian Fang / Proofread by Liu Jiayan

DOI: 10.20113/j.ccpr.20250103a

Abstract:Research on child-friendly cities is an integral part of the Global Childhood Research Movement, emerging under the influence of the new sociology of childhood, feminist theory, and postmodern space theory. It has gone through several developmental stages: a period of germination from the 1970s to the 1980s, a period of exploration from the 1990s to the end of the 20th century, and a period of maturation from the 21st century to the present. During this process, the analytical framework has roughly transitioned from a focus on “age-development” to “social construction,” and then to “social structure.” In response to the current neglect of the shift from a child to a childhood perspective, China’s child-friendly cities should harness the momentum of the Global Childhood Research Movement. They should pay attention to the spatial issues arising under “inter-generational relations and generational structure,” revitalize the educational and natural attributes of space, and propose urban development strategies focusing on multigenerational childhood and all-age-friendly city programs from a childhood perspective. This approach will help to realize the coordination between people (in their childhood stages) and place (urban space).

Keywords:child-friendly cities; theoretical tracing; evolutionary stages; analytical framework; childhood perspective; all-age-friendly

Full text is available at:<http://www.ccprjournal.com.cn/book/10350.htm>

♦  Evaluation System and Renewal Strategies for Child-Friendly Informal Activity Spaces in Communities Based on Factor Analysis

Jia Shiyi, Wang Xia, Wang Rui, Helen Woolley, Yang Lianlian

Translated by Liu Jinxin / Proofread by Mao Qizhi

DOI: 10.20113/j.ccpr.20250104a

Abstract:A key objective of the Outline on the Development of Chinese Children (2021 – 2030) is to establish child-friendly cities and communities. Clarifying the characteristics of informal children’s activity spaces and understanding their preferences can help stakeholders in promoting childfriendly community development. This study, based on a review of existing domestic and international literature as well as field research, employs quantitative indicators to refine the concept of informal children’s activity spaces, ensuring its suitability for the Chinese context. These spaces are categorized into five types: street space, street-side open space, space near the residential complex entrance, pocket park, and square. Using questionnaire surveys and factor analysis, the study develops an evaluation system for assessing the child-friendliness of informal activity spaces across six dimensions: usability, interest, educational feature, natural design, safety, and environmental comfort. This system is then applied to the informal activity spaces in Chengdu. The findings reveal two key characteristics: ① high accessibility and safety standards in existing designs and ② a lack of play facilities for children and educational elements. Based on these results, the study proposes general strategies for the improvement of informal children’s activity spaces in communities. Additionally, it identifies priority factors for different types of spaces, providing a scientific foundation for enhancing the quality of outdoor community environments and fostering children’s the healthy development.

Keywords:informal children’s activity spaces; child-friendly community; factor analysis; evaluation of child-friendliness; community renewal

Full text is available at:<http://www.ccprjournal.com.cn/book/10350.htm>

♦  Research on the Evaluation and Optimization Strategy of Children’s School Commuting Path in Cold Climate Cities from the Perspective of ChildFriendliness: Taking Harbin as an Example

Liu Yibo, Sun Cheng

Translated by Qian Fang / Proofread by Lai Yuan

DOI: 10.20113/j.ccpr.20250105a

Abstract:The school commuting path is an important space for elementary school students to engage with society and nature. The design of these paths reflects concerns for children’s rights and healthy development and has crucial impacts on creating supportive environments for children. The scientific evaluation of the child-friendly level of school commuting paths forms a significant basis for shaping child-friendly environments and promoting the comprehensive development of children. Additionally, due to the unique climatic conditions, cold climate cities excert a distinct impact on children’s behavior, activities, and physical and mental health compared to cities in other climate zones. This study, from the perspective of childfriendliness, constructs an evaluation system for school commuting paths in cold climate cities, based on children’s behavioral characteristics and environmental needs. The system includes dimensions such as safety, diversity, and comfort. With children and their caregivers as the evaluators, the study applies structural equation modeling to assign weights to the various dimension indicators in the evaluation system. The research focuses on five elementary schools in the Nangang District of Harbin City, using methods such as machine learning, space syntax, and field surveys to assess the school commuting paths. Building upon these findings, the study constructs the characteristic profile of the commuting paths and proposes evidencebased control and optimization strategies for different types of school commuting paths in cold climate cities from a child-friendly perspective.

Keywords:child-friendly; cold climate cities; children’s school commuting path; evaluation; optimization strategy

Full text is available at:<http://www.ccprjournal.com.cn/book/10350.htm>

♦  Contextual Characteristics and Constraints of Rural Children’s Behaviors and Activities in Southern Shaanxi Province from a Child-Friendly Perspective

Wu Pei, Wang Xia, Yang Jing

Translated by Li Min / Proofread by Lai Yuan

DOI: 10.20113/j.ccpr.20250106a

Abstract:As the child-friendly concept was enshrined in China’s 14th Five-Year Plan, the construction of child-friendly spaces has emerged as a key issue. Nevertheless, current research and practices mainly focus on urban environment, with rural areas receiving comparatively less attention. Therefore, this paper employs the contextual analysis method in new time geography to examine 208 daily activity logs from children aged 4 to 15 in rural areas of southern Shaanxi Province, uncovering their behavior and activity patterns by investigating daily, geographical, social, and emotional contexts. Specifically, the observed children tend to exhibit space-time unpredictability and limited diversity. The inadequate outdoor activity spaces makes children’s activities typically center around their homes, with a relatively limited travel range. The dispersed layout of schools leads to an increase in the distance children have to travel to attend school. Additionally, they have a relatively simple and insular social circle, with activity peers often confined to family members or a fixed circle of friends. Despite their strong desire for cultural and sports activities, they exhibit negative emotions towards school commutes. The paper further explores what affects rural children’s behavioral activities from the perspectives of capacity constraints, coupling constraints, and authority constraints. Accordingly, this study proposes suggestions for planning and construction of child-friendly spaces in rural areas.

Keywords:rural children; activity context; constraint analysis; new time geography; child-friendly

Full text is available at:<http://www.ccprjournal.com.cn/book/10350.htm>

♦  Planning Strategy for Urban Fringe Villages Based on Village Development Potential Evaluation: A Case Study of the Shenshan Special Cooperation Zone

Yuan Lin, Jiang Juntao, Wang Mohan, Han Jiwen, Ma Hang

Edited by Li Caige / Proofread by Liu Jiayan

DOI: 10.20113/j.ccpr.20250107a

Abstract:Urban fringe areas are faced with remarkable contradictions between land supply and demand due to a lack of scientific planning. Rural hollowing is accompanied by a shortage of urban land, resulting in a loss of both land and employment for farmers as well as a destruction to the distinctive features of urban fringe villages. Therefore, it is necessary to explore a set of planning methods for urban fringe villages to satisfy the needs of urban and rural development. Firstly, this paper carries out a literature review on the evaluation of village development potential and the main factors affecting the development of urban fringe villages. Based on previous studies, the paper establishes a development potential evaluation system for urban fringe villages, employing the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method. In the end, taking the Shenshan Special Cooperation Zone as an example, the paper presents the types of village development and the corresponding planning strategies based on the results of village development potential evaluation.

Keywords:village development potential; urban fringe village; Shenshan Special Cooperation Zone

Full text is available at:<http://www.ccprjournal.com.cn/book/10350.htm>

♦  Measurement of Urban Vitality and Its Relationship with the Built Environment Based on Multi-Source Big Data: A Case Study of Hefei

Zhao Liwei, Xuan Wei, Peng Kang, Zhang Wen, Lu Yanfei

Edited by Li Caige / Proofread by Liu Jian

DOI: 10.20113/j.ccpr.20250108a

Abstract:Urban vitality is a complex and multifaceted concept that is pivotal to the livability and sustainability of cities. Recent studies have measured urban vitality and its relationship with the built environment from the perspectives of rationality and efficiency. However, in the context of new urbanization with Chinese characteristics which emphasizes people-oriented values, more emphases need to be placed on the subjective feelings of residents in studies of urban vitality. This paper focuses on Hefei, a representative second-tier city in central China, to explore the relationship between urban vitality and the built environment by utilizing multi-source big data, spatial autocorrelation, and geographic detector model. Urban vitality is measured in the two dimensions of population intensity and emotion intensity. The built environment is measured based on Maslow’s theory of needs, encompassing the five dimensions of accessibility, convenience, safety, socialization, and aesthetics. Taking Hefei as a case, the paper proposes 18 built environment factors that may influence urban vitality and identifies 14 factors that significantly influence the urban vitality of emerging cities in China. The built environment factors with the most significant impact on urban vitality are POI accessibility on weekdays and public transport on weekends. In addition, the interaction effects between any two built environment factors are higher than that of a single factor. The results effectively reveal the influencing mechanisms of urban vitality and can help urban planners and policymakers to develop more targeted strategies to enhance urban vitality by optimizing the built environment.

Keywords:urban vitality; built environment; big data; Maslow’s theory of needs; spatial autocorrelation; geographic detector model

Full text is available at:<http://www.ccprjournal.com.cn/book/10350.htm>