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Sustainability and Chinese Urban Settlements: Extending the Metabolism Model of Emergy Evaluation

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  • Lijie Gao

    (Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen 361021, China
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
    Key lab of Xiamen City metabolism, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen 361021, China)

  • Shenghui Cui

    (Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen 361021, China
    Key lab of Xiamen City metabolism, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen 361021, China)

  • Dewei Yang

    (Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen 361021, China
    Key lab of Xiamen City metabolism, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen 361021, China
    Ningbo Urban Environment Observation and Research Station-NUEORS, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315800, China)

  • Lina Tang

    (Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen 361021, China
    Key lab of Xiamen City metabolism, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen 361021, China)

  • Jonathan Vause

    (Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen 361021, China
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
    Key lab of Xiamen City metabolism, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen 361021, China)

  • Lishan Xiao

    (Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen 361021, China
    Key lab of Xiamen City metabolism, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen 361021, China)

  • Xuanqi Li

    (Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen 361021, China
    University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
    Key lab of Xiamen City metabolism, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen 361021, China)

  • Longyu Shi

    (Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen 361021, China
    Key lab of Xiamen City metabolism, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1799 Jimei Road, Xiamen 361021, China)

Abstract

Anthropogenic activity interacts with urban form and inner metabolic processes, ultimately impacting urban sustainability. China’s cities have experienced many environmental issues and metabolic disturbances since the nation-wide market-oriented “reform and opening-up” policy was adopted in the 1980s. To analyze urban reform policy impacts and metabolism sustainability at a settlement scale, this study provides an integrated analysis to evaluate settlement metabolism and sustainability using a combination of emergy analysis and sustainability indicators based on scrutiny of two typical settlements (one pre- and one post-reform). The results reveal that housing reform policy stimulated better planning and construction, thereby improving built environmental quality, mixed functional land use, and residential livability. The pre-reform work-unit settlements are comparatively denser in per capita area but have less mixed land use. Housing reform has spatially changed the work–housing balance and increased commuting travel demand. However, short commuting distances in pre-reform settlements will not always decrease overall motor vehicle usage. Integrating non-commuting transport with local mixed land-use functional planning is a necessary foundation for sustainable urban design. Functional planning should provide convenient facilities and infrastructure, green space, and a suitable household density, and allow for short travel distances; these characteristics are all present in the post-reform settlement.

Suggested Citation

  • Lijie Gao & Shenghui Cui & Dewei Yang & Lina Tang & Jonathan Vause & Lishan Xiao & Xuanqi Li & Longyu Shi, 2016. "Sustainability and Chinese Urban Settlements: Extending the Metabolism Model of Emergy Evaluation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(5), pages 1-17, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:8:y:2016:i:5:p:459-:d:69719
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Junxue Zhang & Lin Ma, 2021. "Urban ecological security dynamic analysis based on an innovative emergy ecological footprint method," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(11), pages 16163-16191, November.
    2. Lishan Xiao & Quanyi Qiu & Lijie Gao, 2016. "Chinese Housing Reform and Social Sustainability: Evidence from Post-Reform Home Ownership," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(10), pages 1-14, October.
    3. Jiayu Huang & Suguru Mori & Rie Nomura, 2018. "Comparing Characteristics of Environmental Behaviors and Spatial Types in Open and Gated Housing Blocks: A Case Study of Changchun, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(6), pages 1-14, June.

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