Urban Integration Research Articles

China’s Internal Migrants: Processes of Categorisation and Analytical Issues

This article reveals the malleability of the boundaries between political and analytical categories related to internal migration in China. The author analyses the iterative process of categorisation, which, far from being neutral, settled, and objective, comes within government intervention strategies. Statistical categories, media practices, and the scientific understanding of migration by social sciences all dovetail with each other, showing themselves to be subject to evolving political, economic, and urban landscapes. This paper shows that the categories of spatial mobility do not correspond to those of urban integration, with implications that are not only of an administrative, material, and spatial nature but also concern identity issues.

Vulnerability of Chinese rural-to-urban migrants to social exclusion: Spatial pattern and mechanism

In response to China's new “people-oriented urbanization” strategy, investigating the current integration situation of rural-to-urban migrants (RUMs) in cities is essential. However, existing studies have not focused on their subjective willingness and adaptive capacity. Moreover, the mechanism of RUMs' urban integration has not been fully explored.The conceptual framework of vulnerability, which originated from the discipline of natural hazards, is perfectly constructive to address these drawbacks. It consists of three main components, including exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. Vulnerability index has been constructed and calculated by combining the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and Delphi method. The spatial pattern of vulnerability level is also analyzed with geographic information system (GIS). Furthermore, the underlying mechanism of vulnerability and its associated factors are investigated with the principle component regression.Three major conclusions are reached. First, the vulnerability level of the RUMs to social exclusion presents a heterogeneous pattern between inland and coastal cities in Shandong Province. Second, while the exposure and sensitivity level of each city correlate spatially with the vulnerability level, RUMs’ adaptive capacity further moderates it. Lastly, the level of urban development is revealed to be a key factor influencing vulnerability. This study offers meaningful references to promote inclusive urbanization and sustainable urban development.

Therapeutic environments as a catalyst for health, well-being and social equity

ABSTRACT With the increasing prevalence of mental illness, there is an ever-growing need for supportive and rehabilitative social and health services and facilities. In many countries, the healthcare infrastructure, transitional services and communities are isolated from one another, creating physical and mental barriers to rehabilitation. Therapeutic landscape research suggests that outdoor spaces can facilitate rehabilitative healing, foster community support and self-empowerment. Design focused on facilitating preventative and rehabilitative health may bridge the gap between treatment at the institutional level and day-to-day living environment, by supporting the well-being of vulnerable people. In this paper, the literature as well as individual case studies are explored to better understand how therapeutic environments may enable the built infrastructure and transitional landscapes to fruitfully coexist. Findings suggest that suitable urban integration of services through therapeutic landscapes can provide a catalyst for the well-being of the wider community, mediating healthcare stigmas.

Impacts of high-speed rails on urban networks and regional development: a study of the Yangtze River Delta, China

The high-speed rail (HSR) network in China has expanded rapidly, significantly reducing transportation costs and improving accessibility. However, scholars are concerned about whether HSRs further centralize resources and intensify regional polarization. This paper studies the role of HSR in the process of urban development and regional integration in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD). We use two indicators (overall connectivity and weighted centrality) to examine the impacts of HSR connection on spatial redistribution, and we adopt a difference-in-differences (DID) analysis to investigate the effects of HSR on local economic development. The results show that HSR operation enormously improves the overall connectivity of urban networks in the YRD. However, it also exacerbates the disequilibrium of urban centrality, forming a hierarchical spatial structure with Shanghai, Nanjing and Hangzhou as hubs. HSR connections also impede local economic growth in peripheral areas. Moreover, the results confirm the existence of a dynamic time-lagged effect on local economic growth, and the heterogeneous impact of HSR also aggravates regional economic disparities. This paper highlights the effects of HSR on the development of cities and regions, and suggests that government should exert greater efforts to reduce the negative effects of the development of HSR.

Evaluation of Urban Industry-Education Integration Based on Improved Fuzzy Linguistic Approach

Integration of industry and education is a strategic measure to address the structural imbalance issues in the scientific and technological development and industrial transformation, as well as educational system. Currently, joint efforts of governments, universities, and enterprises have achieved improvements in integrating education and various related industries. However, the evaluation of industry-education integration has not received sufficient attention it deserves. Based on the context-input-process-product (CIPP) evaluation model, this paper proposes an evaluation index system for urban industry-education integration. Considering the vagueness and uncertainty of the indexes, the evaluation model is established using intuitionistic fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (IFAHP) method and 2-tuple linguistic information representation approach. A case study indicates that industry-education integration environment is the most important division of evaluation, with local regulation being the most important evaluation index. The evaluation model is proven to be effective in improving the urban industry-education integration.

English

In this work, Henan is taken as a typical study area to assess the level of gender differences of urbanization willingness in China; Henan population structure is a small representation of the whole country. Using data of Henan migrant workers' citizenization research in 2017, the evaluation index system of Henan migrant workers' urban integration degree was established based on the Maslow's demand theory. The weight was computed by combining the weight from the analytic hierarchy process and factor analysis, respectively. The urbanization willingness of different genders was calculated by using the evaluation index system. The result shows that there is no difference between the two groups.     Key words: Urbanization willingness, gender differences, synthetic evaluation.

Urban Afforestation in Manaus: Spatial Analysis and Biodiversity Assessment of City Squares

This study investigates the design and ecological role of urban squares in Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, with a focus on their potential for afforestation and urban biodiversity. Utilizing mapping and satellite imagery analysis via Google Earth, we examined 24 squares, categorizing them according to the square typology proposed by De Angelis and De Angelis Neto (2000). We conducted a comprehensive tree inventory, documenting 513 trees spanning 13 families, 31 genera, and 35 species. Notably, 51.4% of these species are exotic to Brazil, while 48.6% are native, with a significant portion (15 species) indigenous to the Amazon region. Our analysis revealed a non-standardized integration of squares within Manaus's urban framework, necessitating the creation of four subtypes specific to the city's context. The most prevalent square type in terms of urban integration was found to be type 3 (54.2%), followed by types 2 (29.2%) and 4 (16.6%). This study underscores the importance of strategic planning and management of urban squares in Manaus, considering their role in social interaction, recreational activities, and as crucial nodes for urban biodiversity and afforestation."

A study on the optimization strategies for the service trade structure of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area

The construction of urban agglomerations and integration of regional economics have become the new trends in Chinese economic development. The economy of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area plays a significant role in driving regional development and stimulating technological innovation. In this paper, through study on the current situation of trade in service in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, the reasons for the improper trade structure are concluded. Through data and case analysis, the factors affecting service trade structure are located. The results of case analysis can offer some useful and viable recommendations for the optimization of service trade structure, which can facilitate the industrial transformation and upgrading in Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area as well as give a fresh impetus to economic growth.

Research on the Construction Path Based on the Framework of Zhejiang Territorial and Spatial Planning System

In order to effectively improve the construction level of Zhejiang Province’s territorial and spatial system and its spatial governance capabilities, it is necessary to redeploy the province’s territorial and spatial planning based on the actual development of Zhejiang Province. With the rapid advancement of the urban integration work in Zhejiang Province, the increasingly prominent problems such as the deterioration of the ecological environment, the chaotic order of land use, and the large differences in regional development have made land and space development and governance more difficult. In order to effectively improve this situation, this article Taking Zhejiang Province as an example, the author discussed the basic path of constructing the framework of Zhejiang’s territorial and spatial planning system, hoping to play a certain role in promoting Zhejiang’s territorial and spatial planning.

Study on the Coupling Coordination of Urban Infrastructure and Population in the Perspective of Urban Integration

The continuous development of urbanization and the integration of urban agglomerations are accompanied by the outbreak of the contradiction between urban infrastructure and population. Therefore, the study of the coupling coordination relationship between urban infrastructure and population is of great significance for the benign development of cities and the in-depth integration of urban agglomerations. In order to measure the coupling coordination between urban infrastructure and population accurately and objectively, we construct the evaluation index system of urban infrastructure supply level and population development level based on biblio-metrics method, determine index weights using G1 and standard variance method, then construct a coupled coordination model from four aspects: population, infrastructure, population and infrastructure, and relative lag. Next, a case study is conducted subsequently using the Qingdao, Yantai, and Weihai in China as examples. The results show that the coupling relationship between infrastructure and population will synergistically affect urban development, and has obvious temporal characteristics. Qingdao, Yantai and Weihai have initially built the prototype of metropolitan area, changing from population development lagging city to infrastructure lagging city. The research results are of great significance to the further research of urban agglomeration integration, can provide necessary reference data for the planning and construction of Jiaodong Economic Circle, help to quantify the relevant problems in the integration process of other urban areas.

La urbanización de la Villa 31 en su contexto: un estado de la cuestión de la rehabilitación del barrio de Retiro (2015-2019)

La propuesta del artículo es indagar en torno a lo que se considera una novedad en el campo de las políticas públicas orientadas a las villas de la CABA: la coexistencia de urbanizaciones orientadas a promover la “integración” de barrios populares con megaproyectos públicos y privados de otra índole en zonas aledañas. Atendiendo uno de los casos que consideramos paradigmáticos a este respecto, se procede a situar el proceso de urbanización de la Villa 31 en el contexto de la rehabilitación del barrio de Retiro. En función de ello, se busca hacer una caracterización muy sucinta de los proyectos y políticas urbanísticas impulsados durante el período 2015-2019 en el barrio en cuestión, los cuales se pueden dividir de la siguiente manera: a) obras públicas tendientes a equipar, acondicionar y/o embellecer el área; b) venta de tierras públicas para el desarrollo inmobiliario y c) la integración de la Villa 31.

Exploration of an integrated automated public transportation system

The COVID-19 pandemic triggers a pause in the urban transport system by creating disruptive impacts on both passenger and delivery services. A key prompt stemming from the outbreak of COVID-19 is for transportation engineers to re-think existing issues regarding urban transportation system and to develop innovative solutions to better cater to demands. An urban-based integrated automated public transportation system (APTS) that serves both people and freight is examined which leverages on emerging technologies such as information communication technology and automated vehicle. An illustrative example of an APTS, namely Dynamic Autonomous Road Transit (DART), is introduced, and the technical challenges are summarised. An APTS typology and components to model such an integrated mobility system for the urban area are described. Issues concerning business model and governance intervention to promote such an urban integration are explicitly discussed.

Digitally Engaged? Reflections and recommendations for engaging citizens in smart cities

A significant cultural shift occurred over recent decades, with the majority of the world’s population now living in cities and contributing over two thirds of global carbon emissions. If countries around the world are to meet challenging global carbon reduction targets, then how our cities are governed and managed to maximize energy efficiency is of vital importance. Faith is increasingly being placed in what are commonly referred to as ‘smart cities.’ Smart cities seemingly offer a utopian vision of urban integration, efficiency and [subsequent] carbon reductions, yet urbanisation presents real challenges, as noted by Sustainable Development Goal 11: “Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”. Cities are made up of people and increasingly both policymakers and practitioners are starting to see citizens as an essential stakeholder, even if there is a blurring over the boundaries between citizens and consumers. It is unclear what these people actually refer to when they talk about citizen engagement. Adopting key theoretical underpinning of ladder of participation (Arnstein), this research will present findings from case studies of novel citizen engagement from around the world, notably Nottingham (UK), Espoo (Finland) and Portland (USA). Utilising semi-structured interview material findings are analysed through critical framework of citizen engagement to see whether they fulfil the notion of smart cities and communities. Specifically, new forms of engagement that do not fit previously held assumptions around participation need to be considered. Recommendations are provided for increasing new forms of citizen engagement in smart city strategies in order to ensure they are fully adopted and embedded.

What Factors Influence Rural-To-Urban Migrant Peasants to Rent out Their Household Farmland? Evidence from China’s Pearl River Delta

With the accommodative policy and rapid urbanization in China, large-scale migration of rural-to-urban peasants seeking nonagricultural employment has occurred. This has led to farmland rental, which is considered an effective means of land arrangement. Multiple variables were selected to examine the influencing factors of land rental for rural–urban peasants in China by using survey data collected in six core cities of the Pearl River Delta and a logistic regression model. This study revealed that benefits, household members, and urban living conditions and urban integration are factors that affect land rental. According to the results, improvements in working conditions, urban social insurance and urban integration, annual gross household income, and secure land ownership can promote land rental, whereas stronger hometown connections and parenting inhibit land rental. Women and youth excluded from China’s previous land allocation hold complex attitudes toward land rental, with age and sex statistically significant variables affecting land rental. We underscore the influence of family members and urban living conditions for land rental, which were ignored in earlier studies, to provide suggestions for future policy development, with an emphasis on the land rental market and redistribution of idle land.

Economic Growth Mechanism of County-to-District Conversion and Its Dialectical Relationship with City Shrinkage: Case Study of County-to-District Conversion in Hangzhou, China

In China, county-to-district conversion (CTDC) is a major form of administrative division adjustment (ADA) and an important element of national regime policy. In this study, the authors used the synthetic control method to analyze the economic growth effect and mechanism of the CTDC that occurred in Xiaoshan and Yuhang in 2001, and to explore the dialectical relationship between CTDC and city shrinkage. The research results are as follows. First, the economic growth following CTDC in Xiaoshan and Yuhang exhibited different patterns of variation. Economic growth in Xiaoshan increased progressively from 2002 to 2012, and the difference in annual growth of per capita GDP between the actual Xiaoshan and synthetic Xiaoshan reached 5.77%. However, the economic effect of CTDC had a time lag in Yuhang, with the growth curves of actual Yuhang and synthetic Yuhang largely coinciding in 2002–2006. Since 2007, the difference of annual growth rate was 2.2%. Second, the reduced shielding effect of administrative boundaries is the key to greater economic growth after CTDC. Thus, CTDC stimulates economic growth indirectly via urban integration planning, amplification of consumption and urban investment, and retention of financial and administrative power. Third, for Hangzhou, a city with strong development, CTDC will not cause economic recession. However, it is not suitable to add municipal districts to shrinking cities by CTDC, because it has the risk of aggravating the unbalanced urban development. Fourth, the study provides evidence for evaluating policy effects of CTDC and explains China's city shrinkage and urbanization from the perspective of ADA.

La lucha por la urbanización y el rol de la judicialización en una villa de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires

En este artículo se aborda el proceso de judicialización de una villa localizada en un área privilegiada de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires actualmente en instancia de reurbanización. Se trata de la “Rodrigo Bueno”, como ha sido llamada por sus habitantes, una de las cuatro villas atravesada por la política de Integración Social y Urbana que lleva adelante el Gobierno de la Ciudad.
 Si bien el GCBA viene impulsando la reurbanización de este barrio a la luz de grandes transformaciones urbanas y dinámicas de valorización de la zona, el reclamo de los habitantes por la radicación y la permanencia en el lugar antecede a tal intervención a través de estrategias diversas como ha sido la judicialización.
 En estas páginas me propongo analizar el papel de la judicialización de la Villa Rodrigo Bueno, durante el período 2005-2015, tomando en cuenta el entramado actoral desplegado en el “campo jurídico” de una situación declarada conflictiva, y sus efectos sociales y territoriales en un área disputada de la ciudad.
 En este marco y desde una perspectiva de las ciencias sociales, entendemos a la judicialización como una arena más en la que se cristaliza un conflicto social preexistente -en este caso referido a la inscripción territorial y la permanencia de un sector social (popular) en el espacio urbano- en el cual diversos actores despliegan posicionamientos (argumentales y de construcción de sentido del problema) diferentes, según las instancias y los contextos en los que se encuentran

Tangible Cultural Heritage Re-Appropriation Towards A New Urban Centrality. A Critical Crossroad In Semi-Peripheral Eastern Riverside Lisbon

. The transformation of decayed semi-peripheral riverside areas and its Tangible Culture Heritage is presented today as a contributing factor in urban regeneration by several public preservation bodies and agendas, as well as privately led investment. These practices demand the economic and symbolic valorization of abandoned Tangible Cultural Heritage, where the social coexistence of residents, workers and visitors is seen as a smoother urban integration of these deprived territories and their communities into the surrounding contemporary cities.We’ll focus our approach on socio-spatial changes occurring in Marvila and Beato, presented today as new urban areas in which to financially invest after the 2011 economic crisis occurred in Portugal, discussing public and private re- appropriation of Old Palaces, Convents and Farms and Reconverted Warehouses (industrial and commercial); towards the creation of a new urban centrality in Lisbon. In this case, public ground-field intervention established a culture led regeneration process, with the creation of a municipal library, a crucial point in the cultural use of this space, community participation and gathering. Dealing with private investors, despite the positive effects, such as a reduction in unemployment, economic diversification and re-use of urban voids, there is always the possibility of undesired consequences. This paper argues, and the research experiments in many European cities show us that the ambition to improve the image of these deprived areas, despite somGonzalex encouraging ground level achievements, has unwanted or unexpected outcomes, starting as urban regeneration practices, often sliding towards gentrification, where local public powers have a determinant role.

Places of Heritage in Cities: The Challenge of Planning Based on Their Sustainable Urban Integration

Places of Heritage in Cities: The Challenge of Planning Based on Their Sustainable Urban Integration

Acceso a equipamiento urbano y calidad de vida. Quilpué y Villa Alemana, Chile

El acceso a equipamiento y servicios urbanos ha ganado centralidad en la discusión urbana chilena, siendo un elemento fundamental de la política, los indicadores y el proyecto de ley sobre integración social urbana. De esta manera, el Estado chileno reconoce que para democratizar la calidad de vida y el desarrollo humano no basta con asegurar una vivienda, sino que debe promover entornos residenciales funcionalmente complejos. El artículo mide la accesibilidad al equipamiento urbano y su relación con la distribución de grupos socioeconómicos en dos comunas del Área Metropolitana de Valparaíso: Quilpué y Villa Alemana. Los resultados muestran un patrón de urbanización desequilibrado, con alta cobertura de servicios urbanos como colegios y centros de salud, pero deficitaria en la distribución de oportunidades de ocio, deporte y cultura, lo cual se traduce en un factor de reproducción de desigualdades sociales, ya que priva a grupos medios y vulnerables de oportunidades de recreación y cultura en la cercanía a su lugar de habitación.

Ecological Civilization in China: Challenges and Strategies

ABSTRACT The construction of ecological civilization in China is not only a discourse, but also a practical strategy. At the same time, it is also a Marxist response put forward by China in the process of promoting its own economic and social practice. This response has concentrated on achieving “the harmonious coexistence of humanity and nature.” What exactly is ecological civilization (shengtai wenming)? This is the first theoretical issue that needs clarification. Furthermore, why is ecological civilization popular in China, but not ecological modernization theory, organic Marxism, ecological Marxism, or something else? At present, China’s ecological environment is facing enormous challenges and pressures, and it also presents corresponding opportunities and factors of change. This seems to explain why there is a wave of ecological civilization construction in China. In this context, China needs to adjust its strategy and make some changes, including focusing on the quality of urbanization and strengthening of urban and rural integration, promoting public participation in environmental governance, building a green economy and strengthening ecological legislation to truly move towards ecological civilization.