Content analysis of Chinese cities’ Five-Year Plan transport policy documents

Abstract

Chinese cities’ Five-Year Plans establish the direction and priorities for their urban transport systems for the subsequent half-decade. In this study, we compiled and then analyzed the document structure and content of the Five-Year Plans for Transport for 23 Chinese cities at two points in time (2010 and 2020). These documents afford a unique opportunity to establish how Chinese transport policies vary across different types of cities during a period of rapid economic growth and transport network development. Using content analysis techniques, we report findings regarding frequency and sentiment (positive/negative) towards a set of traditional and emerging transport planning topics, as well as document legibility (words per sentence, sentences per paragraph, use of graphical content, etc.). Our findings indicate that compared to many western Regional Transport Plans, Chinese Five-Year Plans tend to be more text-heavy than similar documents in western countries, with their length increasing during the 2010s. Furthermore, we demonstrate systematic variability in terms of topic frequencies with respect to cities’ characteristics during the period 2010 to 2020, however the variations in terms of sentiment scores are weaker. More economically advanced cities exhibited a heightened focus on sustainable travel options, negative externalities related to cars, emerging technologies, and equity, whereas less economically developed cities emphasized regional development issues. We also demonstrate an increased focus over time on equity, vehicle technology, and parcel-delivery logistics within the Five-Year Plans. Of the various topics we analyzed, air pollution experienced the greatest decrease over time in sentiment.