City Planning Review（2025.2）

♦ THE 300-YEAR VISION FOR FUTURE CITIES: A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW OF CHARACTERISTICS AND ESSENTIAL CONSIDERATIONS

Author：WU Zhiqiang; HAN Jing; ZHAO Qian; ZHOU Mimi; YAN Juan; XU Haowen; HE Rui

ABSTRACT: This paper conducts a comprehensive analysis of the evolution of future city schemes over the past 300 years, and explores the logic of changes at different stages and their implications for the future. Through an in-depth analysis of more than 300 cases of future cities from 1700 to 2022, the paper elucidates the historical contexts and the evolutionary processes. It discusses the essence of future city schemes from an ideological perspective and summarizes the characteristics of future cities and their temporal and spatial attributes. The aim is to explore the logic and patterns underlying the evolution of future city schemes and to reflect on their implications. It draws a conclusion that the essence of future cities lies in humanity’s pursuit of a higher-level vision and the intelligent enhancement of cities as a developmental artificial life phenomenon.

KEYWORDS: the 18th century to present; modern; future cities; historical cases; context

♦ AN ECO-ENVIRONMENTAL APPROACH TO URBAN MORPHOLOGICAL RESEARCH

Author：WANG Xiaojun; WANG Jianguo

ABSTRACT: A comprehensive understanding of the formation and development laws and mechanisms of urban morphology is conducive to sustainable development of cities. In view of the lack of eco-environmental studies in current urban morphological research, this paper illuminates the relationship between urban morphology and ecological environment at different scales from the perspectives of urban climate, hydrology, and biodiversity through an extensive literature review on the impact of urban morphology on ecological environment. Furthermore, it puts forward a framework for the eco-environmental approach to urban morphological research. In the end, the paper examines the problems existing in the eco-environmental studies related to urban morphology, and discusses the connection and adaptation between urban planning practice and scientific research.

KEYWORDS: urban form; urban morphology; eco-environmental approach; framework; sustainable development

♦ TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL EVOLUTION OF UNSTEADY WATER BODIES IN HISTORIC CITIES: A CASE STUDY OF INNER GUANG’ANMEN AREA IN THE OLD CITY OF BEIJING

Author：YANG Yucheng; LIU Yifei

ABSTRACT: Many steady and unsteady water bodies surrounded the Old City of Beijing and its suburban area. However, most of them have disappeared during urban development and construction. Moreover, the unsteady water bodies are more likely to be ignored because of the difficulty in maintaining their stability. The abundant amounts of historical maps, geomatics, and documents from different ages provide the data foundations for translating and comparing changes of unsteady water bodies within a precise spatial and temporal framework. Taking the Inner Guang’anmen area of the Old City of Beijing as an example, the morphological evolution of unsteady water bodies is examined and analyzed at both overall and individual levels across four periods: the mid to late Qing Dynasty, the Republic of China era, the pre-reform and opening-up period, and the post-reform and opening-up period. This paper comprehensively compares the morphological characteristics of their distribution and scale in the spatial and temporal frame. Finally, it is pointed out that the research on the restoration of historical unsteady water bodies provides valuable references for refined urban renewal planning and design, as well as the restoration of historical water systems, the protection of historical landscapes, the shaping of waterfront spaces, and the development of sponge city.

KEYWORDS: unsteady water body; historical water system; spatial and temporal frame; Old City of Beijing; historic area

♦ RURAL REVITALIZATION IN UNDERDEVELOPED AREAS BASED ON SPATIAL ISOMORPHISM IN URBAN AND RURAL AREAS: EVIDENCES FROM HORINGER, INNER MONGOLIA

Author：REN Kai; YANG Jianqiang

ABSTRACRT: Rural revitalization in underdeveloped areas is of great significance in promoting regional coordinated development and strengthening the awareness of the Chinese people. Rural revitalization in underdeveloped areas is a process of rebuilding the spatial relationship between urban and rural areas driven by bidirectional flow and mutual feedback. This study attempts to provide an explanatory framework for the dilemma of rural revitalization based on the context of latecomers and to propose a possible path for rural revitalization in underdeveloped areas with the value orientation of urban-rural spatial isomorphism, with the case of Horinger as an example. Firstly, based on the ownership positioning and functional division of rural areas in underdeveloped areas relative to cities, the paper proposes a basic framework for the spatial system featured by urban-rural mutual feedback; secondly, targeting at rural areas, the paper proposes two fundamental strategies to construct spatial heterogeneity and enhance the dimension of rights equity; finally, aiming at incorporating flexibility into the urban system, this paper explains the possibility of addressing the rural dilemma through the urban-rural spatial isomorphism model by making use of the symbiotic advantages of urban-rural social networks and the multi-level empowerment of rural areas. This study provides theoretical support for rural revitalization and development in complex changing contexts.

KEYWORDS: latecomer context; bidirectional feedback mechanism; spatial isomorphism; rights isomorphism; rural empowerment

♦ ORIGIN AND PRACTICE OF “TRANSFER OF DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS” AND ITS APPLICABILITY IN CHINA

Author：WANG Li; ZHAO Min

ABSTRACT: This paper discusses the applicability of “transfer of development rights (TDR)” in China’s public land ownership system by examining existing research viewpoints and summarizing practical experience. Firstly, the paper briefly introduces the origin and operation of the TDR mechanism in the United States. Subsequently, in view of the characteristics of China’s land management system, it reviews the main viewpoints of domestic research on the TDR from two aspects: “land use quota-based TDR” and “floor area ratio-based TDR”. Furthermore, the paper delves into the policy orientation and practice of these two types of TDR and presents a brief commentary on them. The findings reveal that, due to an inherent paradox in the cross-regional quota trading market, the policy of TDR based on land use quotas is effective to some extent, but has limitations in application as well. Within the urban built-up areas, the TDR in the forms of “compensation on designated lots” and “floor area ratio bonus” proposed in the planning control in China is essentially a kind of trading between the government and market entities, which fundamentally differs from the operation in the United States and other countries where private land ownership prevails.

KEYWORDS: land development rights; transfer of development rights (TDR); linkage between newly-added urban construction land and reduced rural construction land; China and the United States

♦ DELINEATION STRATEGY OF TOWN’S DEVELOPMENT BOUNDARY ORIENTED TO THE COORDINATION BETWEEN PUBLIC POWER AND PRIVATE RIGHTS OF LAND DEVELOPMENT RIGHTS: A CASE STUDY OF ZHANGJIAKOU CITY, HEBEI PROVINCE

Author：YIN Xiaoyong; TANG Yan; LU Qing; YIN Huiliang; GUO Feng

ABSTRACT：As a part of “urban development boundary”, the “town’s development boundary” (TDB) is of great significance in the allocation and protection of town’s land development rights (LDR). Based on the perspective of “public power - private rights” game, this study comprehends the practical history of town’s LDR and development boundaries in China, and clarifies the mechanism and delineation strategy of TDB reconstructing LDR in the new era from three aspects of linking the “vertical and horizontal” configuration, matching the “human and land” and “immediate and future” demand guarantees, and integrating the “fairness and efficiency” comprehensive objectives of public interests. On this basis, this study proposes the overall steps of “cluster identification - trend analysis - potential overlay - classification demarcation” for TDB delineation and three types of TDBs oriented to the coordination of “public power and private rights” of “incremental development type, stock renewal type, reduction vacating type”. This strategy has been applied in Zhangjiakou City, Hebei Province, delineating TDBs of towns, villages, and mixed groups under the evolving trends of continuous, leaping-forward, stable, and shrinking development. This study provides a reference for the mechanism analysis and delineation practice of TDB in China.

KEYWORDS：land development rights; town’s development boundary; public power; private rights; delineation of boundary

♦ EXPLORATION OF A PLANNING CONDITIONS SYSTEM ORIENTED AT THE “FULL TERRITORY, ALL ELEMENTS, AND WHOLE PROCESS”

Author：QUE Quanhong; WEN Chaoxiang; ZHU Chasong

ABSTRACT: As an important basis of spatial regulation, the planning conditions system has not yet played its due role, and it is necessary and urgent to construct institution that responds to the reform of the territorial planning. This paper reviews the four development stages of the planning conditions system since 1984, including initial establishment, game, integration and reform, and deeply analyzes the practical needs of the planning conditions system optimization. On this basis, the paper argues that “planning conditions as an important means of planning guidance and control over the development, utilization, protection and restoration of territorial space, are an important basis for the rights, obligations and planning permits of utilization of territorial space and natural resources and the registration of real estate ownership”. Adapting to the spatial characteristics of “full territory and all elements”, and based on the planning zoning, the planning conditions are categorized into two major types of development and utilization, protection and restoration for institutional discussions. Facing the control requirements of the “whole process”, the paper proposes measures to improve the policy tools of planning conditions from three aspects: the scientific of issuance, the seriousness of changes and the effectiveness of supervision.

KEYWORDS: planning conditions; planning implementation; territorial and spatial planning; institution design; spatial regulation

♦ SMART GOVERNANCE: MEASUREMENT OF GOVERNMENT RESPONSE EFFICIENCY AND SPATIAL PATTERN IN CITIES - AN EMPIRICAL STUDY OF CHINESE CITIES BASED ON THE MESSAGE BOARD FOR LEADERS OF PEOPLE’S DAILY ONLINE

Author：WANG Yankai

ABSTRACT: To achieve a simple and reliable assessment of government response efficiency in cities, this paper proposes a quantitative method - Response Efficiency Index (REI) that combines response duration and response quantity. Based on the REI, we revealed the spatial patterns of government response efficiency of 350 cities in China. The results show that the REI outperforms other traditional indicators in measuring government response efficiency, making it suitable for supporting assessments and monitoring of smart governance initiatives. The spatial distribution of government response efficiency in Chinese cities is uneven, exhibiting higher response efficiency in provincial capitals compared to most other cities. Further correlation evaluation demonstrates a strong relationship between government response efficiency and both urban prosperity and residents’ satisfaction. In summary, the REI offers a new tool to departments and practitioners working on measuring and monitoring government response efficiency, and these research findings provide fundamental theoretical, methodological, and institutional guidance for urban planning and governance in the smart era.

KEYWORDS: Response Efficiency Index (REI); government response efficiency; government governance; spatial pattern; urban planning administration; smart city; smart governance

♦ CARBON EMISSION MEASUREMENT AT THE SCALE OF REGULATORY PLANNING UNITS: FRAMEWORK AND MODEL

Author：LIU Helin; LUO Mei; LI Wentao; LI Yingying; LUO Wenjing

ABSTRACT: Accurately quantifying carbon emissions at the scale of urban regulatory planning units is a fundamental prerequisite for developing the low-carbon oriented territorial regulatory planning techniques. While methodologies for carbon emission measurement at the scale of territorial master planning are relatively mature, methods tailored to the scale of regulatory planning units are underdeveloped. Through an analysis on the advantages and disadvantages of carbon emission measurement methods at various scales, including global, regional, urban, and regulatory planning units, this paper addresses the technical challenges caused by the complex impacts of spatial elements, such as scale effects, proximity effects, and flow effects, which are encountered at the scale of urban regulatory planning units. Consequently, the paper argues that carbon emission measurement at this specific scale should integrate considerations of three logical aspects, namely space, activity, and technique, covering both construction and operational phases. A framework and a model for carbon emission measurement at the scale of urban regulatory planning units are proposed, encompassing a foundational carbon emission calculation function, a comprehensive impact function, and a cross-impact adjustment function, in the hope of providing reference for the development of low-carbon oriented regulatory planning techniques and methods.

KEYWORDS: regulatory planning unit; carbon emission; measurement framework; carbon neutrality; territorial planning

♦ CARBON METABOLISM PATTERN IDENTIFICATION AND ADAPTIVE RENEWAL STRATEGY IN URBAN NEIGHBORHOODS: A CASE STUDY OF HISTORIC CONSERVATION AREAS IN CHANGTING COUNTY, FUJIAN PROVINCE

Author：CNEN Meiyi; HU Hong

ABSTRACT: Renewal of historic conservation areas in China is generally carried out based on renewal units, which are divided in line with historical landscape, identity of relics, property ownership, among others. Renewal strategies, such as renovation of old buildings and functional replacement of land use, are adopted. Nevertheless, in view of the difference in carbon metabolism of land plots in historic conservation areas, the large-scale detailed accounting of land plot-scale carbon emissions is seldom carried out, and the exploration on adaptive renewal strategies under the guiding principle of the carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals is limited. This paper introduces the machine learning method to accurately identify the types of carbon metabolism of land plots, and conducts a case study on four historic districts in Changting County - a national historic city in Fujian Province. The paper calculates carbon emissions from residents’ lives, public activities, and transportation as well as carbon sink characteristics of green space of 9,624 buildings on 449 land plots. It proposes low-carbon oriented adaptive renewal strategies for carbon metabolism patterns in each of the identified eight types of land plots, and evaluates the low-carbon renewal performance of the corresponding land plot. It aims to provide methodological and technological support for the transformation of China’s historic conservation areas.

KEYWORDS: low-carbon orientation; historic conservation areas; machine learning; adaptive renewal; carbon metabolism

♦ RISK ASSESSMENT OF VECTOR-BORNE DISEASE IN TERRITORIAL MASTER PLANNING AT CITY AND COUNTY LEVELS: METHODOLOGY AND PRACTICE

Author：WANG Lan; ZHANG Yutong; JIA Yinghui; LIU Xiao

ABSTRACT: Vector-borne diseases, which are transmitted by mosquitoes and other vector organisms, are one of the infectious diseases that are difficult to control and prevent. The association between vector-borne diseases and spatial elements such as eco-boundary and growth boundary has been gradually recognized. Current methods for risk assessment of vector-borne diseases usually lack the consideration of spatial elements which could be adjusted in planning. This paper proposes a new method with a focus on eco-boundary and growth boundary in territorial planning. Indicator called “co-edge rate” refers to the length of the human-wildlife interface per unit area. It is raised to capture the interaction between anthropogenic activities and vectors, as well as wildlife hosts. Other indicators including population density and biodiversity are also included in the assessment. To test the feasibility and robustness of the method, the risk assessment of vector-borne disease for Yunlong County is conducted and strategies and principles for disease prevention during the formulation of territorial planning are proposed. The method can be applied to provide a basis for the delineation and adjustment of construction boundary and the protection and restoration of ecosystems in territorial planning.

KEYWORDS: healthy city; vector-borne disease; health impact assessment; risk assessment; territorial planning

♦ RESEARCH ON RESILIENCE OF URBAN TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM: CONCEPT, CHARACTERISTICS, AND IMPORTANT ISSUES

Author：HUANG Jianzhong; HU Gangyu; SHI Jianing; CHEN Siling

ABSTRACT: Improving the resilience of urban transportation system is the foundation of building a resilient city. Based on the existing research, this paper defines the concept and sorts out the characteristics and important issues of resilience of urban transportation system, and puts forward the prospect for future research in view of the limitations of current research. The resilience of urban transportation systems is the ability of the system to resist, reduce, and absorb the impact of disturbances, maintain acceptable service levels, and restore to normal and balanced operation within a reasonable period of time and cost. It includes six basic characteristics that cover the entire process of before, during, and after disturbance: preparedness, robustness, redundancy, rapidity, resourcefulness, and adaptability. Current research mainly focuses on resilience measurement, resilience improvement, and multi-system collaborative optimization, and is insufficient in the aspects such as the comprehensiveness of resilience measurement indicators, the perfection of topological methods, the attention to travel decision-making, the empirical research combining multi-disaster data, and the multi-system collaborative research from an economic and social perspective. Consequently, the future research needs to strengthen explorations on resistance, recovery speed, and other indicators and pay more attention to traffic flow characteristics and people’s travel decisions. Moreover, it should also attach importance to the following issues: building an urban disaster database to conduct empirical research on improving sustainable resilience in the entire process; strengthening the multi-system collaborative optimization and paying attention to the impact of economic and social factors on the resilience of urban transportation system; keeping concerned with the changes brought by new technologies and deepening the research on the connotation, characteristics, and technical methods related to the resilience of urban transportation system.

KEYWORDS: resilient city; urban transportation system; resilience measurement; collaborative optimization; research review