IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/ecomod/v252y2013icp106-113.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Comprehensive evaluation of the structural characteristics of an urban metabolic system: Model development and a case study of Beijing

Author

Listed:
  • Zhang, Yan
  • Liu, Hong
  • Chen, Bin

Abstract

The resource shortages and environmental problems that cities face can be attributed to their increasing metabolic throughflow and their metabolic inefficiency. To support urban ecological management, it is necessary to identify the main metabolic actors responsible for these problems and analyze the characteristics of their metabolic structure. In this paper, we divide a typical urban metabolic system into seven components. Using material-flow analysis, we accounted for the amounts of resources and wastes transferred among the system's components and between the system and its environment, using Beijing from 1998 to 2007 as a case study. We used four indicators (metabolic scale, intensity, efficiency, and impact) to represent the inner structural characteristics of the urban metabolic system and analyzed the system based on the proposed indicators. The results provide scientific support for identifying the key metabolic actors responsible for urban metabolic disorders by accurately characterizing the city's metabolic status.

Suggested Citation

  • Zhang, Yan & Liu, Hong & Chen, Bin, 2013. "Comprehensive evaluation of the structural characteristics of an urban metabolic system: Model development and a case study of Beijing," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 252(C), pages 106-113.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:252:y:2013:i:c:p:106-113
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2012.08.017
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304380012004280
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2012.08.017?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Zhang, Yan & Yang, Zhifeng & Yu, Xiangyi, 2009. "Evaluation of urban metabolism based on emergy synthesis: A case study for Beijing (China)," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 220(13), pages 1690-1696.
    2. Zhang, Yan & Yang, Zhifeng & Yu, Xiangyi, 2009. "Ecological network and emergy analysis of urban metabolic systems: Model development, and a case study of four Chinese cities," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 220(11), pages 1431-1442.
    3. Christopher Kennedy & John Cuddihy & Joshua Engel‐Yan, 2007. "The Changing Metabolism of Cities," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 11(2), pages 43-59, April.
    4. Lee, Chun-Lin & Huang, Shu-Li & Chan, Shih-Liang, 2009. "Synthesis and spatial dynamics of socio-economic metabolism and land use change of Taipei Metropolitan Region," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 220(21), pages 2940-2959.
    5. Paul H. Brunner, 2007. "Reshaping Urban Metabolism," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 11(2), pages 11-13, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Asterios Papageorgiou & Rajib Sinha & Björn Frostell & Cecilia Sundberg, 2020. "A new physical accounting model for material flows in urban systems with application to the Stockholm Royal Seaport District," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 24(3), pages 459-472, June.
    2. Li, Yanxian & Wang, Xinjing & Tian, Xin & Zhang, Yan, 2018. "Understanding the mechanism of urban material metabolism with ecological network analysis: An experimental study of Wuxi, China," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 367(C), pages 58-67.
    3. Shogo Eguchi, 2017. "Understanding productivity declines of resource accumulation in the prefectures of Japan," Environmental Economics and Policy Studies, Springer;Society for Environmental Economics and Policy Studies - SEEPS, vol. 19(2), pages 337-357, April.
    4. Davide Longato & Giulia Lucertini & Michele Dalla Fontana & Francesco Musco, 2019. "Including Urban Metabolism Principles in Decision-Making: A Methodology for Planning Waste and Resource Management," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(7), pages 1-19, April.
    5. Shogo Eguchi, 2017. "Accounting for resource accumulation in Japanese prefectures: an environmental efficiency analysis," Journal of Economic Structures, Springer;Pan-Pacific Association of Input-Output Studies (PAPAIOS), vol. 6(1), pages 1-22, December.
    6. Zhu, Xueting & Mu, Xianzhong & Hu, Guangwen, 2019. "Ecological network analysis of urban energy metabolic system—A case study of Beijing," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 404(C), pages 36-45.
    7. Meng, Fanxin & Liu, Gengyuan & Liang, Sai & Su, Meirong & Yang, Zhifeng, 2019. "Critical review of the energy-water-carbon nexus in cities," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 171(C), pages 1017-1032.
    8. Giulia Lucertini, 2020. "Circular Cities – Urban Metabolism and Circular Economy as a Planning Approach to Building Resilient Cities and Territories," Briefs, Fondazione Eni Enrico Mattei, April.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Yang, Dewei & Kao, William Tze Ming & Zhang, Guoqin & Zhang, Nanyang, 2014. "Evaluating spatiotemporal differences and sustainability of Xiamen urban metabolism using emergy synthesis," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 272(C), pages 40-48.
    2. Zhang, Yan & Liu, Hong & Fath, Brian D., 2014. "Synergism analysis of an urban metabolic system: Model development and a case study for Beijing, China," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 272(C), pages 188-197.
    3. Zilong Zhang & Xingpeng Chen & Peter Heck, 2014. "Emergy-Based Regional Socio-Economic Metabolism Analysis: An Application of Data Envelopment Analysis and Decomposition Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(12), pages 1-21, November.
    4. Zhanqi Wang & Ji Chai & Bingqing Li, 2016. "The Impacts of Land Use Change on Residents’ Living Based on Urban Metabolism: A Case Study in Yangzhou City of Jiangsu Province, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(10), pages 1-17, October.
    5. Zhang, Yan & Yang, Zhifeng & Fath, Brian D. & Li, Shengsheng, 2010. "Ecological network analysis of an urban energy metabolic system: Model development, and a case study of four Chinese cities," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 221(16), pages 1865-1879.
    6. Asian Development Bank (ADB) & Asian Development Bank (ADB) & Asian Development Bank (ADB) & Asian Development Bank (ADB), 2014. "Urban Metabolism of Six Asian Cities," ADB Reports RPT146817-2, Asian Development Bank (ADB).
    7. Heba Allah Essam E. Khalil & Ahmad Al‐Ahwal, 2021. "Reunderstanding Cairo through urban metabolism: Formal versus informal districts resource flow performance in fast urbanizing cities," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 25(1), pages 176-192, February.
    8. Liu, Xiuli & Guo, Pibin & Yue, Xiaohang & Qi, Xiaoyan & Guo, Shufeng & Zhou, Xijun, 2021. "Measuring metabolic efficiency of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration: A slacks-based measures method," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    9. José Alejandro Barón-Hernández & José Alfonso Baños-Francia & Peter Rijnaldus Wilhelmus Gerritsen & Sandra Quijas, 2024. "Towards a Conceptual Approach on the Connections of Urban Metabolism and Entropy with the Human Habitat," World, MDPI, vol. 5(4), pages 1-19, November.
    10. Chiu, Hao-Wei & Lee, Ying-Chieh & Huang, Shu-Li & Hsieh, Ya-Cheng, 2019. "How does peri-urbanization teleconnect remote areas? An emergy approach," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 403(C), pages 57-69.
    11. Antonio Barragán-Escandón & Julio Terrados-Cepeda & Esteban Zalamea-León, 2017. "The Role of Renewable Energy in the Promotion of Circular Urban Metabolism," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(12), pages 1-29, December.
    12. Zackery B. Morris & Marc Weissburg & Bert Bras, 2021. "Ecological network analysis of urban–industrial ecosystems," Journal of Industrial Ecology, Yale University, vol. 25(1), pages 193-204, February.
    13. Liao, Wenjie & Heijungs, Reinout & Huppes, Gjalt, 2012. "Thermodynamic analysis of human–environment systems: A review focused on industrial ecology," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 228(C), pages 76-88.
    14. Qing Huang & Xinqi Zheng & Yecui Hu, 2015. "Analysis of Land-Use Emergy Indicators Based on Urban Metabolism: A Case Study for Beijing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 7(6), pages 1-19, June.
    15. Schaubroeck, Thomas & Staelens, Jeroen & Verheyen, Kris & Muys, Bart & Dewulf, Jo, 2012. "Improved ecological network analysis for environmental sustainability assessment; a case study on a forest ecosystem," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 247(C), pages 144-156.
    16. Bodini, Antonio & Bondavalli, Cristina & Allesina, Stefano, 2012. "Cities as ecosystems: Growth, development and implications for sustainability," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 245(C), pages 185-198.
    17. Zhang, Yan & Yang, Zhifeng & Liu, Gengyuan & Yu, Xiangyi, 2011. "Emergy analysis of the urban metabolism of Beijing," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 222(14), pages 2377-2384.
    18. Han, Wenyi & Geng, Yong & Lu, Yangsiyu & Wilson, Jeffrey & Sun, Lu & Satoshi, Onishi & Geldron, Alain & Qian, Yiying, 2018. "Urban metabolism of megacities: A comparative analysis of Shanghai, Tokyo, London and Paris to inform low carbon and sustainable development pathways," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 155(C), pages 887-898.
    19. Liu, Gengyuan & Yang, Zhifeng & Chen, Bin & Ulgiati, Sergio, 2014. "Emergy-based dynamic mechanisms of urban development, resource consumption and environmental impacts," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 271(C), pages 90-102.
    20. Galychyn, Oleksandr, 2022. "Towards sustainable cities: A multi-criteria assessment framework for studying urban metabolism," MPRA Paper 121584, University Library of Munich, Germany, revised 11 May 2022.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:ecomod:v:252:y:2013:i:c:p:106-113. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/ecological-modelling .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.