City Strategies Research Articles

Supply-demand security assessment of water-energy-food systems: A perspective on intra-city coupling and inter-city linkages of ecosystem services

Ensuring the supply-demand security of water-energy-food systems (WEF) is paramount in sustainable cities. Leveraging ecosystem services (ESs) as a bridge between WEF supply and demand, this study proposes a conceptual framework for assessing the supply-demand security of WEF from the perspective of intra-city coupling and inter-city linkages of WEF-related ESs. Considering 14 Liaoning cities, we developed supply-demand indices for three ESs: water yield, carbon storage, and food production. The supply-demand security pattern of WEF was evaluated using Spearman's rank correlation, the Copula model, the coupling coordination degree model, the gravity model, and social network analysis, using these indices. The results show that the supply-demand security of WEF was higher in eastern Liaoning cities and weakened westward. Dandong had the highest supply-demand security, with a 98% probability of achieving moderate surplus in WEF resources. The regions of Dandong-Liaoyang-Anshan-Yingkou-Panjin-Jinzhou and Tieling-Fushun-Benxi formed two extreme WEF coupling coordination gravity networks. Liaoyang, Panjin, and Fuxin emerged as hubs in the WEF coupling coordination gravity networks and exhibited the highest degree and betweenness centrality values. Additionally, Fushun, Liaoyang, Dandong, and Tieling were identified as WEF high coupling coordination nodes. This supply-demand security assessment framework for WEF offers a scientific basis for developing sustainable city strategies.

Selection and performance evaluation of roof materials in arid oasis cities: The advantages of white polymer materials

Selecting the appropriate roofing material is crucial for addressing the urban heat island effects. However, uncertainty remains regarding the best roofing material for improving subsurface cooling during hot summers in temperate continental arid climates. Comparative studies on different roof materials under various climatic conditions are essential to determine the most effective heat mitigation strategies for arid oasis cities. We present a conceptual model to examine the relationship between roofing materials and their thermal mitigation capabilities in arid regions during hot summers, while assessing the influence of climate factors on their cooling performance. An experiment in Urumqi evaluated the subsurface heat mitigation capabilities of four roofing materials: white polymer materials (WPM), sod (SOD), asphalt (ASP), and solar photovoltaic panels (SPP). The results showed that the WPM provided the most effective subsurface cooling. Compared with SOD, ASP, and SPP, WPM showed the lowest subsurface temperature. Notably, the subsurface temperature of the WPM was minimally affected by climatic factors and showed no correlation with solar radiation intensity, precipitation, and cloudiness (P > 0.05), highlighting its superior cooling performance. WPM roofs are recommended for heat mitigation during hot summers in arid oasis cities owing to their low maintenance costs, ecological benefits, and superior cooling performance. This study highlights the subsurface cooling capabilities of various roofing materials and their interaction with climatic factors and provides valuable insights for heat mitigation strategies in arid regions.

Urban Planning Strategies for Coastal Cities in China in Response to Climate Change

Global climate change has increasingly posed a serious threat to coastal cities, rendering them particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of rising sea levels, more frequent and intense extreme weather events, and the shifting patterns of climate. Traditional urban planning methods, which had been the cornerstone of city development, were found to be inadequate in addressing these escalating challenges. The previous studies often failed to account for the critical importance of integrating climate factors into the planning process, leading to vulnerabilities in urban infrastructure and design. This study meticulously examined the limitations of these conventional urban planning approaches and explored the potential for adapting urban planning strategies in Chinas coastal cities to better respond to the looming threat of climate change. By conducting a thorough analysis of the impacts of high temperatures, floods, and other climate-related events, the study proposed a comprehensive series of response measures tailored to the specific conditions of the time. These measures included the integration of green policies into urban planning to enhance environmental sustainability, the strategic selection of building materials aimed at mitigating urban heat, and the enhancement of water resource management systems to alleviate the urban heat island effect. Moreover, the study closely investigated existing climate response measures through detailed case studies in Xiamen and Dalian, two prominent coastal cities in China. The primary objective was to significantly enhance the resilience of these cities, effectively reduce the risks associated with climate change, and promote a path towards sustainable development. Ultimately, the goal was to create more livable, safer, and sustainable urban environments that would be better equipped to face the challenges posed by an unpredictable climate future.

Recent Regional Development Strategies in Turkey and Smart Cities: The Case of the Southern Aegean Region (TR32)

This article critically examines how the smart cities approach has been employed as a strategic tool in Turkey's recent regional development strategies. The paper explores the efficiency of development strategies prepared for Turkey's South Aegean Region (TR32) with a focus on smart city elements. These strategic elements include transportation, smart governance, energy efficiency, and digital transformation at the sub-regional level. The sub-regional plans prepared by the South Aegean Development Agency (GEKA) serve as a distinctive example of incorporating new technology-based urban and regional practices into regional development plans in Turkey. GEKA's smart city strategies, while addressing best practices, are criticized for a predominant focus on technological solutions, neglecting crucial human elements like sustainability and social inclusion. These strategies risk widening economic and social inequalities between urban and rural areas due to high costs and increased involvement of private sector companies, leading to an uneven distribution of projects. Critics argue that GEKA's plans lack transparency and public participation, prompting a call for a renewed debate on development agency strategies in Turkey. Furthermore, through a renewed emphasis on the integration of human-centric considerations and the cultivation of participatory governance mechanisms, GEKA's smart city strategies have the potential to facilitate sustainable and equitable development within the TR32 Region.

Recent Regional Development Strategies in Turkey and Smart Cities: The Case of the Southern Aegean Region (TR32)

This article critically examines how the smart cities approach has been employed as a strategic tool in Turkey's recent regional development strategies. The paper explores the efficiency of development strategies prepared for Turkey's South Aegean Region (TR32) with a focus on smart city elements. These strategic elements include transportation, smart governance, energy efficiency, and digital transformation at the sub-regional level. The sub-regional plans prepared by the South Aegean Development Agency (GEKA) serve as a distinctive example of incorporating new technology-based urban and regional practices into regional development plans in Turkey. GEKA's smart city strategies, while addressing best practices, are criticized for a predominant focus on technological solutions, neglecting crucial human elements like sustainability and social inclusion. These strategies risk widening economic and social inequalities between urban and rural areas due to high costs and increased involvement of private sector companies, leading to an uneven distribution of projects. Critics argue that GEKA's plans lack transparency and public participation, prompting a call for a renewed debate on development agency strategies in Turkey. Furthermore, through a renewed emphasis on the integration of human-centric considerations and the cultivation of participatory governance mechanisms, GEKA's smart city strategies have the potential to facilitate sustainable and equitable development within the TR32 Region.

KOL Strategies for Corporate Branding--The Digital Forbidden City as an Example

This study focuses on the KOL marketing strategy of the Digital Forbidden City in corporate branding, discussing how companies can carry out branding through KOL strategy in the digital era, especially taking the Digital Forbidden City as an example, analysing how it can leverage the power of KOL to achieve innovation and breakthroughs in branding. By studying the application of KOL strategy in strengthening brand influence and promotion effect, this paper reveals the significant effect of KOL strategy in enhancing brand awareness, shaping brand image and strengthening consumers’ emotional connection, and proposes specific insights for cultural heritage organisations and other enterprises. This study not only enriches the theoretical system of KOL strategy, but also provides operational practical guidance for enterprises.

Healthy city development: Indonesian government plans to build a new capital city

The urgency of urban health in Indonesia is very worrying because most of Indonesia’s population now lives in urban areas with minimal supporting infrastructure. That prompted this study to analyze the government’s response to the healthy city development plan in the new capital city. This study uses a qualitative approach that focuses on thematic analysis. It helps check official government documents related to healthy city development plans. The relevant documents that were found were in the form of regulations. This regulation is Law of the Republic of Indonesia Number 3 of 2022 concerning the National Capital (Ibu Kota Negara, IKN). This official document was coded by maximizing the analysis tool, namely NVivo 12 Plus. This study succeeded in mapping several bare references in the healthy city development plan for the new capital city by the Indonesian government. Some of these primary references include the healthy city model (World Health Organization, WHO), the healthy city strategy (Cardiff), and (Vancouver). All of these primary references aim to improve the quality of life of residents in cities through city development that focuses on health. However, there are several challenges that the Indonesian government may face in the future, including problems with air pollution, environmentally friendly transportation, and the provision of green public spaces, health facilities, universal health services, and other infrastructure. This all requires adequate capacity and budget plans, including ensuring transparency in budget management. This study also encourages collaboration between the government, the private sector, and civil society to support the development of healthy cities that run well and sustainably.

The Assessment of Land Suitability for Urban Expansion and Renewal for Coastal Urban Agglomerations: A Pilot Study of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area

Effectively and rationally allocating land resources, while coordinating urban expansion with internal renewal strategies, is crucial for achieving high-quality regional development in coastal urban agglomerations. Land-use suitability assessment (LSA) is a key method for coastal land-use planning, but it is primarily used to delineate ecological redlines or areas for urban expansion, often overlooking the spatial analysis needed for urban renewal. This is particularly critical in coastal urban agglomerations facing land scarcity and ecological fragility. Here, we combined land use and the Analytical Hierarchical Process (to consider stakeholder priorities) in a Minimum cumulative resistance model (MCRM) to determine suitable coastal urban growth and renewal based on a suite of 12 indicators relevant to development intensity and stock space. Application to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) indicates a dominance of the Ecological Buffer Zone (70.5%), and the available stock space in the GBA comprises only 9.2% of the total area. Our modeling framework tailored different development strategies for different cities: Huizhou and Zhaoqing had space for urban expansion to varying degrees, while other cities were found to be suitable for urban renewal due to low stock space and high development intensity. Our modeling approach, incorporating stakeholder input and objective evaluation of geographic land-use information, can assist planners in improving ecological security while promoting high-quality developments in coastal areas.

Study on the Optimization of Urban Traffic and Spatial Structure in the Environment of Low-Carbon Eco-Cities

Under the concept of “dual-carbon development”, optimising the spatial structure of urban life, perfecting the management system of public transport services, realising the spatial optimisation of urban transport, minimising carbon emissions and reducing environmental pollution are the problems that need to be solved urgently. This paper firstly analyses the development status quo of low-carbon cities, clarifies the influencing factors of low-carbon eco-cities, and discusses the correlation between the scale, population density, traffic structure and energy development of low-carbon eco-cities and low-carbon eco-cities. On this basis, the low-carbon ecological development strategy of City C in China is proposed as an example. Therefore, this study argues that low-carbon cities, as a strategic goal of new urbanisation development, should focus on constructing a theoretical system of urban upgrading and optimisation under the environment of green and sustainable ecological development, and introduce corresponding construction guarantee optimisation policies.

Exploring the Differences and Similarities between Smart Cities and Sustainable Cities through an Integrative Review

This study adopts an integrative review approach to explore the differences and similarities between smart cities and sustainable cities. The research starts by performing two systematic literature reviews about both paradigms and, after that, employs a thematic analysis to identify key themes, definitions, and characteristics that differentiate and connect these two urban development concepts. The findings reveal more similarities than differences between the two paradigms. Despite this, some key differences are identified. Smart cities are characterized by their use of advanced information and communication technologies to enhance urban infrastructure, improve public services, and optimize resource management. In contrast, sustainable cities focus on environmental conservation, social equity, and economic viability to ensure long-term urban resilience and quality of life. This study is important because it clarifies both concepts and highlights the potential for integrating smart and sustainable city strategies to address contemporary urban challenges more holistically. The findings also suggest a convergence towards the concept of ‘smart sustainable cities’, which leverage technology to achieve sustainability goals. Finally, this study concludes by identifying research gaps and proposing a future research agenda to further understand and optimize the synergy between smart and sustainable urban development paradigms.

Transitioning towards circular households: Exploring influential factors and constraints

The adoption of household circular economy practices is fundamental for sustainable consumption, yet this area remains underexplored, with individuals unaware of the societal impact they can make. While previous research has examined the drivers and barriers linked with the implementation of circular strategies in organizations, eco-industrial parks, and cities, there is limited understanding of the factors influencing household circular economy activities. Thus, the present work aims to identify what drives and inhibits individuals from fostering circular economy progress at the household level. This study is supported by a triangulation approach, combining an integrative literature review with the results derived from semi-structured interviews with householders. The literature review helped categorize the data obtained through the interviews, while outlining the existing theories. The findings of the interviews indicate that the drivers and barriers could vary between consumer stages – i.e., customer, user, end of life product holder. The householders can be negatively influenced by the lack of awareness, poor reputation, and a circular market offer with insufficient quality. The adoption process of circular economy-related practices depends on the attitude of each individual and can be driven by the possibility to reduce the cost of living, and the ability of the product to include digestible information, regarding its sustainability performance. Householders identified several recommendations that could promote circularity, such as implementing subsidies with reduced bureaucracy to alleviate initial financial pressures and improving transparency and disclosure of product sustainability (e.g., through a sustainability score). This research can capacitate policymakers and practitioners with insights into the factors that foster circular economic progress at the household level, outlining a structure tailored towards the desired consumer role.

Noise hindering sound complexity in urban environments: Towards a novel evaluation criterion for urban sustainability

Urban environments are complex adaptive systems, wherein changes in one area can lead to unforeseen consequences in others. Environmental noise emerges as a multifaced issue influencing various receivers across different spatial and temporal scales. The perception of noise as a high-intensity or unwanted sound has defined the concept of quietness accordingly overlooking sustainability co-benefits. This study proposes an alternative evaluation criterion for urban planning and design, focusing on the sound complexity of public spaces that are vulnerable to environmental noise fluctuations. To determine the sensitivity of sound complexity to environmental noise, sound level measurements and sound recordings were conducted along the waterfront of a Mediterranean metropolis during the pandemic lockdowns (April 2021). Additionally, the bird dawn chorus phenomenon was studied. The analysis of collected data revealed an inverse relationship between complexity and noise, highlighting an additional impact on the urban sound environment. The promotion of sound complexity as a strategy for livable and sustainable cities can guide urban planners and designers in developing quiet and ecologically resilient urban environments.

A Study on the Regional Branding Strategy of UNESCO's Creative City : Based on Sapporo, a City of UNESCO's Media Art Creation

A Study on the Regional Branding Strategy of UNESCO's Creative City : Based on Sapporo, a City of UNESCO's Media Art Creation

Analysis of Ecological Vulnerability Control Strategies for Typical River Valley Cities in Northwest China: A Perspective of Spatial Heterogeneity

Analysis of Ecological Vulnerability Control Strategies for Typical River Valley Cities in Northwest China: A Perspective of Spatial Heterogeneity

СТРАТЕГИИ ГОРОДОВ РОССИИ ЛЮДНОСТЬЮ БОЛЕЕ СТА ТЫСЯЧ В 2014–2024 ГГ.

The characteristics of urban strategies adopted over the ten years of the Federal Law “On Strategic Planning in the Russian Federation” are studied, broken down into two five-year plans. The formalized results of the analysis of the texts of 82 strategies of cities with a population of more than 100 thousand people adopted in the first five-year plan and 42 strategies that emerged in the second five-year plan are compared. For each strategy, the dynamics of the characteristics were evaluated. These characteristics are continuity, balance (both improved), ambition (the emergence of more realistic strategies), stated and real priorities (the share of strategies with high attention to spatial development, public institutions and ecology has in- creased) and the use of flagship projects (there are more strategies with conscious use of flagship projects). There has been an increase in attention to all sectors of the social sphere, especially education, culture, and healthcare. Urban strategies (Novo- rossiysk and Sochi) have been identified, characterized by a deep study of spatial development issues, which brings them closer to master plans. During the content analysis of the formulations of the main goals of the strategies and missions of cities, it was found out that the leading phrase remains “quality of life”, used in more than 60% of the main goals. In the second five- year plan, the words “comfort”, “entrepreneurship”, “space” were used much more often than in the first. The popularity of the word “growth” has decreased.

The Spatial–Temporal Evolution and Driving Factors of the Coastal Tourism Economy in China

Tourism has emerged as a pivotal element of China’s economic development, particularly within its coastal cities. This paper presents a comprehensive analysis of China’s coastal city tourism economic development, focusing on 53 coastal cities. Through a meticulous combination of literature analysis and data crawling, a robust database is constructed, encompassing tourism resources and revenues. This study delineates the spatial–temporal evolution pattern of China’s coastal city tourism development and employs geo-detector methods to quantitatively analyze the impact factors driving this evolution. Key findings reveal distinct trends in the coastal tourism economy of China from 2009 to 2019, characterized by spatial stability, similar trends in adjacent spatial units, and localized spatial structures. Notably, factors such as actual foreign investment, the presence of star-rated guesthouses, tourism industry employment, airport activity, and import–export trade volume exert significant influence on the domestic tourism economy. Similarly, tourism employment, airport activity, availability of star-rated hotels, import–export trade, and utilization of foreign capital emerge as influential factors shaping inbound tourism. Policy recommendations emphasize the need for government intervention to optimize tourism development strategies for coastal cities. This entails balancing resource exploitation with environmental protection and enhancing the quality of tourism services, fostering sustainable growth and long-term prosperity.

Mapping fine-scale carbon sequestration benefits and landscape spatial drivers of urban parks using high-resolution UAV data

Urban parks offer dual ecological benefits by increasing carbon sinks and reducing carbon emissions and are considered an important natural strategy for cities to achieve “double carbon” goals. However, rapid, efficient, and accurate quantification of the carbon sequestration benefits of urban parks poses a significant challenge. To address this, we utilized unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) multispectral data to construct large-area, high-resolution models of urban park carbon sequestration benefits, replacing traditional, time-consuming, and laborious large-scale field surveys. Additionally, we explored the relationship between urban park landscape patterns and the benefits of carbon sequestration. First, we used data from 12 tree species to calculate the carbon storage based on tree species and compared these results with those calculated based on forest type. Second, three prediction models were constructed using multispectral vegetation index only, texture features only, and a combination of both, in conjunction with gradient boosting decision Trees (GBDT), random forest (RF), and backpropagation (BP) neural network to generate carbon sequestration benefit maps for the entire park. These maps allowed us to determine how variations in urban park landscape structures affect carbon stocks. The results show that UAV multispectral imagery provides a fast and accurate method for measuring the carbon sequestration benefits of urban parks and offers an alternative method for generating carbon sequestration benefit maps. This research reveals the benefits of urban park carbon sequestration and explores the spatial patterns within landscapes. The findings are of great significance for guiding the estimation of urban carbon sequestration benefits and achieving carbon neutrality.

Impact of city size on self-employment behavior: Evidence from Chinese migrants

Self-employment is an important approach for migrants to gain a foothold in cities and improve their economic and social welfare. This study investigates the relationship between city size and migrants’ self-employment behavior using data from the 2011–2018 CMDS and macro-statistical sources. We find that in the Chinese context, larger cities correlate with an increased likelihood of migrants engaging in self-employment. These results persist under various methodological checks, including alternative estimation methods, sample screening techniques, and addressing concerns about endogeneity. Market potential and diversified agglomeration emerge as important channels through which larger cities encourage migrants’ decisions to pursue self-employment. Moreover, the positive impact of larger cities is more pronounced among rural-to-urban migrants and own-account workers compared to urban-to-urban migrants and employers. This paper provides insights into high-quality development and migrant management strategies in large cities in China.

Geospatial determinants of urban poverty in Nigeria: an analysis of locally weighted factors

ABSTRACT Determining the factors that influence poverty has been seen as one of the ways of identifying appropriate poverty alleviation strategies in cities. This has been done, in most cases, through the application of ordinary least squares (OLS), which assumes homogeneous influence without considering the spatial heterogeneity that may occur in this influence. This study aims to determine the spatial heterogeneity in the influence of public infrastructure, economic, environmental, and social factors on poverty, by carrying out comparison analysis using OLS and Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) in ArcGIS Pro 3.0.1, with a view of proffering poverty alleviation strategies for each section of an urban area. A questionnaire in Geographic Open Data Kit (GeoODK) was administered to 366 urban residents across the twenty wards in the selected city in Nigeria. The results reveal that factors that influence income poverty are spatially varying in direction and weight across a city. Spatial heterogeneity of poverty’s determinants should be considered in the formulation and implementation of effective poverty alleviation policies and programs.

Road accident risk analysis of at- and near-port areas reflecting regional heterogeneous characteristics

ABSTRACT In port cities, road traffic safety management should consider various types of cargo that will shift in the trucks and containers. This applies not only in the case of ‘at port’ areas within a 2-km radius but also ‘near-port’ areas within a 4–8-km radius. This is important for traffic safety because the crash severity can be high as there are many trucks to the ports that can cause large-scale crashes. Therefore, to prepare traffic safety management strategies for port city, it is necessary to identify crash risk factors that affect the crash severity. This study developed a two-stage road crash severity model of ‘at-port’ and ‘near-port’ regions using a support vector machine and a Bayesian multinomial model. Additionally, a severity model suitable for Korean ports was proposed that considered spatial heterogeneity in the Bayesian multilevel multinomial model. Findings derived from this study can be used for policy development to increase road traffic safety in port cities. ‘This article is a revised and expanded version of a paper entitled [Accident Risk Analysis of At and Near-Port Areas Reflecting Regional Heterogeneous Characteristics] presented at [The 11th International Conference on Logistics and Maritime Systems, Korea, 4-7 September 2023]’.