Density effect and optimum density of the urban population in China

Abstract

This article examines the density effect and the optimum density of the urban population using panel data from China’s 284 cities from 2006 to 2010. Considering the endogeneity problem from the employment density in the density effect, we employ the density of the public transport passenger volume instead, and we control the size effect and the structure effect to obtain more reasonable results. Our results indicate that, using the dependent variables of product per labour and wage, the density effect shows an inverted U shape. Further study shows that the optimum urban population density gauged by the total urban population divided by the built-up area is approximately 13,000 people per km2 for the prefecture-level cities in China. The results are robust. Based on the concept and value of the optimum urban population density, China has a huge potential urban land use capacity of approximately 28% of total built-up area. China’s expansion of the city built-up area and the process of population urbanisation should be coordinated by the optimum urban population density.

Sensoriamento remoto aplicado ao estudo de densidade demográfica

“…Serve ao planejamento, ordenamento e reordenamento territorial, e as pesquisas sobre a relação entre superfícies impermeáveis e número de habitantes [44]. Além disso, a análise de densidade demográfica é processo básico no planejamento de transportes, pois fornece dados do provável quantitativo de passageiros [45]. Os adensamentos populacionais geram diferentes padrões de viagens, e sua análise pode ser aplicada também aos estudos de danos causados por desastres naturais, tais como terremotos [45], dentre outros.…”

“…Além disso, a análise de densidade demográfica é processo básico no planejamento de transportes, pois fornece dados do provável quantitativo de passageiros [45]. Os adensamentos populacionais geram diferentes padrões de viagens, e sua análise pode ser aplicada também aos estudos de danos causados por desastres naturais, tais como terremotos [45], dentre outros. Ademais, uma das principais limitações e que compromete a atualização dos estudos de densidade demográfica, por qualquer método a ser utilizado, diz respeito ao fato de que essas análises dependem de dados do censo.…”

Determining Optimum Design Density for 20-minute Neighbourhoods

“…Due to the count nature of the outcome variable, Poison regression models were estimated to identify the effects of population density on the type of opportunities supported within the buffer. A quadratic term of population density was included to test and identify optimum population density (Roback and Legler 2021;Su, Wei, and Zhao 2017). Distance to the Melbourne CBD from each SA1 was included in the model to take into account the effects of spatial organisation (locational advantage) (Hong 2017).…”

Trade-offs between sustainable development goals in systems of cities

“…Some results in urban economics regarding an optimal city size requires to consider a city in a closed system, which is unreasonable from a realistic perspectives [Singell, 1974]. Studies of an optimal urban population density are restricted to economic criteria of wage and productivity [Su et al, 2017]. The sustainability of urban forms for CO2 emissions requires considering complex indicators of urban form [ Le Néchet, 2012].…”