Low-Carbon Development Patterns: Observations of Typical Chinese Cities

Abstract

Abstract:Threatened by the huge pressure caused by climate change, low-carbon cities have become an inevitable part of urban evolution. It is essential to evaluate urban low-carbon development levels to smoothly promote the construction of low-carbon cities. This paper proposes an evaluation index system for urban low-carbon development from the points of view of economic development and social progress, energy structure and usage efficiency, living consumption, and development surroundings. A weighted sum model was also established. Selecting 12 typical Chinese cities as cases studies, an integrated evaluation was conducted based on the index system and the assessment model. The development speed and limiting factors of different cities were also analyzed. The 12 cities were ultimately classified into three groups in terms of their low-carbon development patterns by integrating all of the analysis results. Furthermore, suitable regulation and management for different patterns were suggested. This study both aids in assessing the executive effect of low-carbon city construction and helps to determine existing problems and suggest effective solutions.

Evaluation of a Low-Carbon City: Method and Application

“…With clear expressions, simple calculation and understandable biophysical implications, this analysis can be used on different scales of comprehensive evaluation and detailed analysis, which is consistent with the bottom-up and top-down ideas. Compared with the commonly used evaluation method named weighted sum model [2,20,22] that defines the evaluation standard by researchers, set pair analysis emphasizes intrinsic relationships among different objects and generates reference sets from different objects, thus it is well suited to dynamic relative evaluation when there is no fixed standard of urban low-carbon development level. Additionally, describing relationships among different objects from aspects of identity, contrary, and discrepancy, set pair analysis maintains relatively more information and is favorable to overcome the partial property in the process of evaluation [26,28].…”

“…Although without unified definition and standards, it has become gradually acknowledged that multiple indicators should be considered for evaluation of a low-carbon city covering economic development, social progress, energy structure, living consumption, and environmental quality. Some scholars have used these indicators to comprehensively evaluate urban low-carbon development based on a weighted sum model [2,20,22], whereas others have analyzed urban low-carbon construction only at the scale of concrete indicators [23]. In fact, both comprehensive evaluation and concrete analysis are necessary for low-carbon city evaluation.…”

“…Since the concept of a "low-carbon economy" was put forward in the UK white paper "Our Energy Future: Creating a Low Carbon Economy" in 2003 [1], this concept has been considered and pursued as a hopeful development pattern for reducing carbon emissions and coping with the challenges of climate change [2]. As one of the biggest contributors to carbon emissions [3,4] and the basic unit of economic development and administrative management, cities always play important roles in the development of a low-carbon economy.…”

“…It is easily understandable that there is no globally accepted definition of a low-carbon city. Certain evaluation indictors of the low-carbon city have been established based on different understandings and emphases, such as macro-level economic indicators, macro-level per capita indicators, end-use sectoral indicators [19,20], as well as indicators of carbon emissions, carbon source control, carbon capture, and human development [2,[21][22][23]. Although without unified definition and standards, it has become gradually acknowledged that multiple indicators should be considered for evaluation of a low-carbon city covering economic development, social progress, energy structure, living consumption, and environmental quality.…”

Environmental Impacts of China’s Urbanization from 2000 to 2010 and Management Implications

“…For example, urban metabolism and material/energy flows analysis are widely used in studies focusing on urban energy consumption and emissions reduction in China (Su et al 2012;Feng et al 2013;Chen et al 2014;Chen and Chen 2015). Evaluation indicator system approaches are another big part of the methodologies.…”