Development Zones In China Research Articles

Joint optimal vehicle and recharging scheduling for mixed bus fleets under limited chargers

Owing to the high acquisition costs, maintenance expenses, and inadequate charging infrastructure associated with electric buses, achieving a complete replacement of diesel buses with electric counterparts in the short term proves challenging. A substantial number of bus operators currently find themselves in a situation where they must integrate electric buses with their existing diesel fleets. Confronted with the constraints of limited electric bus range and charging infrastructure, the primary concern for bus operators is how to effectively utilize their mixed bus fleets to adhere to pre-established bus timetables while maximizing the deployment of electric buses, known for their zero pollution and cost-effective travel. Consequently, this paper introduces the concept of the joint optimization problem for vehicle and recharging scheduling within mixed bus fleets operating under constrained charging conditions. To tackle this issue, a mixed integer linear model is formulated to optimize the coordination of bus schedules and recharging activities within the context of limited charging infrastructure. By establishing a set of feasible charging activities, the problem of electric buses queuing for charging at constrained charging stations is transformed into a linear optimization model constraint. Numerical simulations are conducted within the real transit network of the Dalian Economic Development Zone in China. The results indicate that the judicious joint optimization of vehicle and charging scheduling significantly enhances the service frequency of electric buses while reducing operational costs for bus lines. Notably, the proportion of total trips performed by electric buses rises to 80.4%.

More sprawl than agglomeration: The multi-scale spatial patterns and industrial characteristics of varied development zones in China

Development zones contribute significantly to the course of industrialisation and urbanisation across the globe. China's development zones are highly representative and encapsulate three functional types: industrial, economic and technological, and diversified. These functions can further be divided into 13 categories. This study proposes a new theoretical framework based on the theory of the production of space to explain the spatial patterns and industrial characteristics of the development zones. The results indicate that the entire country comprises spatial modes representing single-core and multi-centre, as well as dual-core and dual-centre. The eastern region contains more than half the nation's development zones and is more densely industrialised than the other regions. Cities above the prefecture level generally show a €-shaped distribution. Municipal districts represent the principal county-level spaces for the establishment of industrial clusters and parks. The eastern coastal provinces in the three urban agglomerations denote active spaces for large-scale centralised establishments. This spatial production process exhibits numerous typical multi-scale disparities. Spatial scales operate on a hierarchy spanning national, regional, provincial, prefectural, county and urban–rural dimensions. Power games create imbalanced allocations of capital and space, causing development zones to resemble more land sprawls than industrial agglomerations. Policy planning powers and the authority to establish administrative divisions inherited in space are dispersed through governments at all levels. However, sustainable economic growth and population urbanisation are neglected. Prospective studies should be grounded in theoretical and empirical evidence to more frequently and comprehensively discuss the evolutionary mechanisms and transformation paths of development zones.

Development zone policy and urban carbon emissions: empirical evidence from the construction of national high-tech industrial development zones in China.

As a key strategy to promote system reform, improve the investment environment, and encourage industrial agglomeration, the national high-tech industrial development zone (NHTDZ) policy in China can not only reduce energy consumption through the scale effect but also improve energy efficiency by modernizing industrial structure and fostering technological innovation, thereby alleviating environmental pollution. Existing studies, however, focus solely on the effects of NHTDZ policy on social and economic development, ignoring their impact on the ecological environment, especially carbon (CO2) emissions that contribute to global warming. Thus, this article analyzes a panel data of 285 prefecture-level cities and above in China from 2003 to 2019 to assess the influence of NHTDZ policy on CO2 emissions, treating the NHTDZ construction since 1988 as a quasi-natural experiment. The results indicate that the NHTDZ policy would mitigate urban carbon emissions, particularly in middle, southeastern, medium-sized, resource-based (RB), non-key environmental protection (non-KEP), and non-two control zone (non-TCZ) cities. In addition, the mediation mechanism test demonstrates that the environmental benefits of the NHTDZ policy in China are attributable to the scale effect, the structural upgrading effect, and the technology innovation effect. The NHTDZ policy would lower per capita CO2 emissions by reducing energy consumption, upgrading industrial structure, and promoting green technology innovation.

On the Optimal Allocation of Urban and Rural Land Resources in Rapidly Urbanizing Areas of the Yangtze River Delta, China: A Case Study of the Nanjing Jiangbei New Area

In the process of rapid urbanization, the coordination of the population–land relationship, the optimal allocation of land resources, and the improvement in land-use efficiency are the keys to ensuring the sustainable development of the region. This study takes the Nanjing Jiangbei New Area (NJNA), a national development zone in China, as a case study to construct an analytical framework for the regional population–land–industry (PLI) coupling coordination relationship. A spatial organization model of population–land (PL) flow is used to calculate the coupling coordination degree of PLI factors. The allocation of land resources is adjusted and optimized through the characteristics of the actual population served in the area to determine the new urban population that can be effectively accommodated by the new district. The comprehensive evaluation of the coordination degree of PLI coupling shows that the area connected with Jiangpu and Dacang Street has high development potential in terms of population concentration and construction land layout and can be used as a key area for future development. Based on the analysis of the spatial layout of the PL flow, further suggestions are made to optimize planning for the future population concentration area in NJNA. This study can also provide a reference for the optimal management of land resources in similar areas at home and abroad.

Carbon Emission Prediction Model and Analysis in the Yellow River Basin Based on a Machine Learning Method

Excessive carbon emissions seriously threaten the sustainable development of society and the environment and have attracted the attention of the international community. The Yellow River Basin is an important ecological barrier and economic development zone in China. Studying the influencing factors of carbon emissions in the Yellow River Basin is of great significance to help China achieve carbon peaking. In this study, quadratic assignment procedure regression analysis was used to analyze the factors influencing carbon emissions in the Yellow River Basin from the perspective of regional differences. Accurate carbon emission prediction models can guide the formulation of emission reduction policies. We propose a machine learning prediction model, namely, the long short-term memory network optimized by the sparrow search algorithm, and apply it to carbon emission prediction in the Yellow River Basin. The results show an increasing trend in carbon emissions in the Yellow River Basin, with significant inter-provincial differences. The carbon emission intensity of the Yellow River Basin decreased from 5.187 t/10,000 RMB in 2000 to 1.672 t/10,000 RMB in 2019, showing a gradually decreasing trend. The carbon emissions of Qinghai are less than one-tenth of those in Shandong, the highest carbon emitter. The main factor contributing to carbon emissions in the Yellow River Basin from 2000 to 2010 was GDP per capita; after 2010, the main factor was population. Compared to the single long short-term memory network, the mean absolute percentage error of the proposed model is reduced by 44.38%.

Antecedents of knowledge-seeking intentions and efforts within new product development teams: empirical evidence from knowledge-based Chinese companies

PurposeThis study aims to examine the antecedents of knowledge-seeking intentions (SIs) and efforts within new product development (NPD) teams.Design/methodology/approachData was collected from 331 employees affiliated with 29 NPD teams across 18 Chinese firms in five high-tech and knowledge-based industries via an online assessment and a survey. Hierarchical linear modelling was used to test the hypotheses using HLM and Mplus software.FindingsThe results of this study show that intrinsic task motivation (IM) and personal task experience (TE) positively relate to SIs, whereas leadership support (LS) and shared culture (SC) negatively relate to knowledge-seeking efforts (SEs). SIs partially mediate the relationship between IM and SEs, while they fully mediate the relationship between TE and SEs. Additionally, customer orientation (CO) positively moderates the relationship between SIs and SEs.Research limitations/implicationsData collection was completed online by relying on an existing version of the Abedi Creativity Test. The samples involve 18 companies in a High-Tech Development Zone in China, which indicates limited generalizability.Practical implicationsEffective NPD depends on successful marketing–R&D integration and knowledge exchange within the NPD team. Besides, organizations need to find ways to stimulate NPD team members’ IM and also through various ways to inspire more efforts from team members under the condition of supportive leadership and culture.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the knowledge management and marketing literature on NPD teamwork by examining knowledge-seeking phenomena from the perspective of the internal knowledge market and contributes to knowledge-seeking research by revealing the antecedents of SIs and SEs at both the individual and organizational level.

Numerical Simulation of Fracture Propagation Characteristics of Hydraulic Fracturing in Multiple Coal Seams, Eastern Yunnan, China

As a reservoir reconstruction technology, hydraulic fracturing is a key method to improve the production of coalbed methane (CBM) wells. The CBM reservoir in eastern Yunnan, an important CBM exploration and development zone in China, is characterized by multiple thin coal seams. Compared to the fracturing of the single-layer coal seam, the combined seam fracturing technology is more difficult and complex. To study the fracture propagation characteristics and influencing factors of hydraulic fracturing in multiple coal seams, taking No. 9 and No. 13 coal seams as the research objects, the fracturing process was numerically simulated by using the finite element method and ANSYS software in this work. Based on the mathematical model of low permeable coal-rock mass, a two-dimensional hydraulic fracture model was established. In addition, the fracture geometries of combined seam fracturing were studied quantitatively. The results indicate that although No. 9 coal and No. 13 coal seams have similar rock mechanical properties, the propagation process and final geometry of a fracture are different. The reliability of the simulation results is verified by the comparison of experimental parameters and field investigation. The results prove the feasibility of combined seam fracturing in eastern Yunnan. The high Young’s modulus and thickness of the coal seam make the fracture geometry longer, but the fracture height is smaller. The low Young’s modulus, high Poisson’s ratio, and thickness of the No. 13 coal seam result in an increase in the length and height of the No. 9 coal seam. The increase in Young’s modulus of interlayer inhibits the propagation of fractures, while the high thickness and low Poisson’s ratio of interlayers facilitate the extension of the length and inhibit the extension of the height. This work provides a case reference for combined seam fracturing of coal reservoirs and has practical significance for the development of CBM characterized by multiple coal seams in eastern Yunnan.

Sprawl More than Agglomeration: Multiscale Spatial Patterns and Industrial Characteristics of Various Development Zones in China

Sprawl More than Agglomeration: Multiscale Spatial Patterns and Industrial Characteristics of Various Development Zones in China

Industrial characteristics of renewable energy and spatial aggregation correlations in Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei

Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei is a key development zone in China, and the renewable energy industry is particularly concerned. This paper aims to combine spatial information with renewable energy industry to reveal the spatial-temporal evolution characteristics of industry and its driving factors. It is found that the industries in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei show an obvious agglomeration pattern, with the renewable energy industry in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region showing Moran’sI = 0.385579 during 2005–2010, Moran’sI = 0.319463 during 2010–2015, and Moran’sI = 0.329409 during 2015–2020. The global spatial autocorrelation analysis shows that the agglomeration level of the renewable energy industry in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region has not increased, but the local spatial autocorrelation shows that the areas with higher transportation and business levels tend to be significantly agglomerated in space. Through the Moran index, it is found that the industry in Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei presents an obvious agglomeration pattern, and through the hotspot analysis, the industrial agglomeration is found mainly occurs in Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang and Zhangjiakou, which can be explained by the factor agglomeration effect brought by urbanization. However, we further calculated the location quotient, Herfindahl coefficient and Gini coefficient, and found significant regional differences in Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region. For example, the unipolar agglomeration effect was weakening. Further three-phase space ellipse more vividly reveals the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei region of renewable energy industry in the past 20 years continued to form the benign industrial expansion. Starting from the capital Beijing, the industry moved southwest, driving the development of renewable energy industry in Hebei and Tianjin, and promoting the coordinated development of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei economic circle.

Regional Distribution and Reconstruction Strategies of New Industrial Spaces at Multiple Spatial Scales in Shandong Province China

New industrial space is a new industrial area dominated by high-tech zone and economic development zone in China. Shandong is the front of China’s reform and opening up, with relatively complete types of new industrial spaces. With the deepening of China’s reform and opening up, these new types of industrial spaces with different backgrounds, different functions and spatial overlapping are in urgent need of multi-scale spatial reconstruction, so as to give play to the advantages of regional policy superposition, to promote industrial development and spatial restructuring, and to improve the industrial and regional competitiveness of Shandong. From four dimensions of scale, structure, dynamics and share, and seven levels of the number of parks, registered enterprises, foreign capital utilization, fixed asset investment, financial revenue, industrial production and its economic benefits, this paper constructs the evaluation index system of new industrial spaces, and classifies the new industrial spaces in Shandong Province at the dual spatial scales of city and county (district) by means of the principal component analysis and cluster analysis. Then, this paper analyzes the dynamic structure of evolution of Shandong’s new industrial spaces from the aspects of national policy, hierarchical government, technological innovation, transportation and information, and explores the reconstruction mechanism of Shandong’s new industrial spaces. Finally, based on the micro perspective of value chain and enterprise analysis, this paper puts forward the reconstruction strategies and corresponding policy measures of Shandong new industrial spaces at multiple spatial scales of province, interlocking metroplis and city.

Evaluation and Application or shortage or 1 alents in Technology-Led Development Zone

It is a common problem for many development zones in China to solve the problem of local talent shortage by attracting talents in short supply. However, almost all development zones have only preliminarily selected the general scope of talents in short supply. So far, there is no scientific evaluation method for whether the talents in short supply are really in short supply and how the shortage degree is. Based on the background of China’s development and the concept of shortage of talents, combined with the positioning of technology oriented development zones in China, this paper puts forward an easy to operate and quantifiable evaluation model of shortage of talents in technology oriented development zones, and illustrates the evaluation process and its application with practical cases. On this basis, a new evaluation process of shortage of talents is refined. It is expected that through the research of this paper, we can promote the standardization and scientization of the assessment of the shortage of talents in technology oriented development zones, and provide new ideas for solving the problem of shortage of talents in China’s technology oriented development zones, and provide reference for developing countries to solve the problem of regional talent shortage.

Dynamic Evolution of the Operating Efficiency of Development Zones in China

The efficient development of Economic and Technological Development Zones (ETDZs) across China has been key to the country’s economic transformation. Despite this, few studies have addressed the dynamic characteristics of the efficiency of ETDZs. Taking China’s 115 national ETDZs established before 2010 as the research sample, this study measures the comprehensive operating efficiency of ETDZs and identifies dynamic characteristics of that efficiency throughout the period 2011–2017, using a three-stage data envelopment analysis (DEA) model and the Markov method. This research also explores the relationship between the operation efficiency of ETDZs and urban economic development. The results indicate that the operating efficiency of national ETDZs was generally low, and subject to a downward trend over the study period; the efficiency of ETDZs in the western region was found to be higher than that in the central and eastern areas. It was found that operating efficiency was stable in terms of the types of transfer witnessed, and the results emphasize the difficulty of achieving leapfrog development in a relatively short time. In addition, medium-high coupling coordination was detected in the relationship between urban social and economic development and the operating efficiency of ETDZs. When the operating efficiency of the ETDZ was high, this coupling coordination improved significantly. Finally, most of China’s ETDZs remain in a factor-driven stage in their development, with their expansion occurring at the expense of efficiency. Based on these results, this paper suggests that the government should pay greater attention to the overall efficiency and growth quality in the sustainable development of the country’s ETDZs.

Ecological impact assessment of land use in eco-industrial park based on life cycle assessment: A case study of Nanchang High-tech development zone in China

As the main unit of developing a circular economy, and an important way of realizing the ecological industry (eco-industry), the eco-industrial park (EIP) is the way forwards for industrial park development in China. As land is the carrier of industrial parks, the ecological effects brought about by its use patterns, and the evolution process play an important role in the sustainable park development. Based on 3S technology, using Nanchang High-tech Development Zone as a case-study, the life cycle assessment (LCA) is used to quantitatively analyze the ecological impact of land use change, and the characteristics of its evolution or laws at different stages of the EIP life cycle. The results showed the following: (1) In the life cycle development period, the annual average ecological effect was −2.15 × 104 CNY, and during the mature life cycle period, the value rose to −2.01 × 104 CNY, an increase of 6.44%; (2) During the mature period, as a result of changes in quantity and quality, the cultivated, forest, and unutilized land types, had all increased in both total value and annual average value of the ecological effect, showing an improvement in the overall ecological environment of the park. These three types of land were the main contributors to the improvement of the ecological effect. The contribution size was: forest land > cultivated land > unutilized land. On the contrary, the construction land and grassland showed negative ecological effects compared with the previous life cycle stage. Construction land was the main contributor to the decline in ecological park quality, and its negative ecological effect increased by 1.66 times; (3) In the two life cycle stages, amongst the ecological effects caused by the transformation of various land usees, only the conversion to forest land brought significant ecological benefits. Others showed either a certain degree of improvement, or the accumulation of negativizes in ecological effects. Therefore, the EIP generally showed the state of ecological destruction; (4) Finally, there is a relevant discussion about the applicability, scientificity, and innovation of the LCA applied to evaluate the ecological effects of industrial land.

The ‘McDonaldized Consumer Society’ and tourism industry governance by local development zones in China: an empirical study

ABSTRACT Empirical data from a qualitative study of tourism industry by a local development zone in a China county is analysed in the context of the theories of McDonaldization, consumer society, and postemotional society. Tourism industry in China appears to run on the principles of ‘McDonaldized Consumer Society’, with notable differences from Western countries. We found that the central status of consumers has given way to governments at multiple levels including county and village. What Baudrillard calls the symbol system is established by local development zones in China by means of, Administrative Priority and Market Affinity mechanisms, and are implemented through the Project System and the Agent System with a process of Industry Planning, Administrative Simplification, Non-Market Translation, Selective Demarcation and Zoning Technology. The end result is an unsustainable, low quality, industrial development characterized by indifference on the part of bureaucrats and protests by villagers. We propose the implementation of non-government organizations (NGO’s) as a way to remedy some of the issues we discovered in our research.

A sociological view toward the economic and technological development zones in China

PurposeThis paper aims to introduce a sociological view to analyze the Economic and Technological Development Zones (ETDZs) in China. The ETDZs are established to foster concentrated regional economic development. Currently, there are 219 national level ETDZs throughout the country, and they account for more than 10% of China’s total GDP. Given the scale of the Chinese economy, the economic significance of the ETDZs indicates an important phenomenon for better understanding.Design/methodology/approachThis paper conceptualizes the Chinese ETDZs with sociology concepts of place, institutional logics and habitus.FindingsThe sociological view centers on how the ETDZs can naturally evolve with the participation of firms. The authors show that firms operating in the ETDZs can unintentionally alter the dynamics of the policy environment. A process model of place, logics and practice is developed to encapsulate these ideas.Originality/valueConventional research on the connections between Chinese Government policies and business operations has been largely conducted under a political economy view which outlines a top-down logic (policymaking, followed by firms’ strategic response). The authors move away from this dogma by introducing a sociological view of the ETDZs. This new view highlights that a government-initiated policy environment in China can also evolve when firms are seeking to blend into the regulatory system, instead of trying to shape the coercive arrangements to suit their best interests.

A Study of the Impact of Cloud Computing Alignment on the Enterprise Technological Capability Based on Environmental Turbulence

One of the most current concerns in the field of information system is whether cloud computing technology can deliver the desired improvement of capability and value to enterprises. This paper studied the enterprise technology development capability of the enterprises in Beijing Zhongguancun Technology Park, the first national high-tech industrial development zone in China, from the perspective of the breadth and depth of the alignment of cloud computing and enterprise. It proposed a theoretical model to study how the breadth and depth of alignment affects the enterprise technology development capability in a turbulent environment and considers the intermediary role of the enterprise technology absorption capability and the moderation role of environmental turbulence in it. The model was tested empirically by questionnaires and structural equation model (SEM). Empirical results showed that both the deep and wide alignment of cloud computing can enhance the enterprise technology development capability by improving the enterprise technology absorption capability.

Coastal vulnerability to climate change in China’s Bohai Economic Rim

Climate change and human activities exert a wide range of stressors on urban coastal areas. Synthetical assessment of coastal vulnerability is crucial for effective interventions and long-term planning. However, there have been few studies based on integrative analyses of ecological and physical characteristics and socioeconomic conditions in urban coastal areas. This study developed a holistic framework for assessing coastal vulnerability from three dimensions - biophysical exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity - and applied it to the coast of Bohai Economic Rim, an extensive and important development zone in China. A composite vulnerability index (CVI) was developed for every 1 km2 segment of the total 5627 km coastline and the areas that most prone to coastal hazards were identified by mapping the distribution patterns of the CVIs in the present and under future climate change scenarios. The CVIs show a spatial heterogeneity, with higher values concentrated along the southwestern and northeastern coasts and lower values concentrated along the southern coasts. Currently, 20% of the coastlines with approximately 350,000 people are highly vulnerable to coastal hazards. With sea-level rises under the future scenarios of the year 2100, more coastlines will be highly vulnerable, and the amount of highly-threatened population was estimated to increase by 13–24%. Among the coastal cities, Dongying was categorized as having the highest vulnerability, mainly due to poor transportation and medical services and low GDP per capita, which contribute to low adaptive capacity. Our results can benefit decision-makers by highlighting prioritized areas and identifying the most important determinants of priority, facilitating location-specific interventions for climate-change adaptation and sustainable coastal management.

Impact of Development Zone Construction on Labor Share in China

The decline in the share of labor income is associated with rising income inequality, which raises a series of economic and social problems. These problems seriously threaten the sustainability of economic development. To maintain sustainable economic development, China’s government has invested hundreds of billions of dollars to build economic development zones by attracting high-tech enterprises into the zones. In our paper, we aim to analyze whether the construction of economic development zones can effectively increase the share of labor income. We use PSM-DID (Propensity Score Matching Difference-in-Difference) to evaluate the impact of establishing economic development zones in China on the labor income share of enterprises in economic development zones in 2006. We found that the establishment and construction of economic development zones increased the share of labor income through the “agglomeration effect” and “policy effect”. Estimation of the level of heterogeneity among economic development zones shows that, compared with provincial economic development zones, the construction of national economic development zones has a greater effect on increasing the labor income share of enterprises in those zones. Economic development zones in the eastern, central, and western regions should also increase their share of labor income areas.

Changing imbalance: Spatial production of national high-tech industrial development zones in China (1988-2018)

Science parks are popular in most countries of the world. In China they have taken the form of National High-Tech Industrial Development Zones (NHTIDZs), which have demonstrated special spatiotemporal characteristics over the past thirty years. NHTIDZs, as exclusive spaces, epitomize the close relationship between governmental power and urbanization, and have become an organizational form of the production of space. However, little research has been carried out into the spatial production of China’s NHTIDZs. Based on the theory of the production of space, this article designs a framework for identifying the interactions between governmental power, NHTIDZs, and urbanization. We find there are two main characteristics of the changing imbalance between time and space: a rapid and unstable centralizing trend and an extremely uneven spatial distribution. The NHTIDZ, as a spatial organization pattern of urbanization, is dominated by governmental power. Because of rapid spatial expansion and great policy privileges, national-level NHTIDZs have become targets for governments at all levels. The purpose of the central government is to promote urbanization by expanding high-technology zones nationwide; therefore, urbanization in China is becoming a process of spatial production. To help China achieve a better urban-rural integration and sustainable development, policy suggestions for NHTIDZs are recommended.

Towards more dispersion: the geographical evolution of China's development zones

ABSTRACT The development zone (DZ) is a typical representative of China's regional economic development model. By comparing the development pattern of DZs in China from 2005 to 2017, we find that there was strong imbalance in 2005, but this trend decreased in 2017, mainly due to the rapid increase in the number of DZs in the central and western regions. Moreover, there is a significant correlation between the spatial pattern of the DZs and economic development. But compared with the spatial pattern of economic development, DZs have dispersed more strongly from 2005 to 2017. Indeed, the rapid dispersion of DZs has not fundamentally changed the imbalanced pattern of China's economic development from 2005 to 2017.