The inhabited environment, infrastructure development and advanced urbanization in China’s Yangtze River Delta Region

Abstract

This paper analyzes the relationship among the inhabited environment, infrastructure development and environmental impacts in China's heavily urbanized Yangtze River Delta region. Using primary human environment data for the period 2006-2014, we examine factors affecting the inhabited environment and infrastructure development: urban population, GDP, built-up area, energy consumption, waste emission, transportation, real estate and urban greenery. Then we empirically investigate the impact of advanced urbanization with consideration of cities' differences. Results from this study show that the growth rate of the inhabited environment and infrastructure development is strongly influenced by regional development structure, functional orientations, traffic network and urban size and form. The effect of advanced urbanization is more significant in large and mid-size cities than huge and mega cities. Energy consumption, waste emission and real estate in large and midsize cities developed at an unprecedented rate with the rapid increase of economy. However, urban development of huge and mega cities gradually tended to be saturated. The transition development in these cities improved the inhabited environment and ecological protection instead of the urban construction simply. To maintain a sustainable advanced urbanization process, policy implications included urban sprawl control polices, ecological development mechanisms and reforming the economic structure for huge and mega cities, and construct major cross-regional infrastructure, enhance the carrying capacity and improvement of energy efficiency and structure for large and midsize cities.

Urban Expansion and Drying Climate in an Urban Agglomeration of East China

“…Although YRDUA occupies only 2.2% of China's land areas, it has a population of 0.15 billion and contributes to 18.5% of China's gross domestic product (National Development and Reform Commission of China, ). This area has been experiencing rapid urbanization with significant growth in urban population and urban built‐up areas in the past several decades (He et al, ; Tian et al, ; Zhu et al, ). Intense urban development in this area has also considerably enhanced the UHI intensity (Du et al, ; Gu et al, ; Luo & Lau, ; Sun et al, ), which is usually defined as the difference in surface temperature between urban area and other types such as cropland, water, and rural area (Chen et al, ; Jin et al, ; Tomlinson et al, ; Zhang et al, ; Zhou et al, ; Zhou et al, ).…”

“…Its climate is strongly influenced by the East Asian monsoon and is characterized by hot, humid summers and dry, cold winters. This area has been experiencing rapid urbanization with significant growth in urban population and urban built-up areas in the past several decades (He et al, 2014;Tian et al, 2011;Zhu et al, 2016). It consists of 26 cities including Shanghai, nine prefecture-level cities in Jiangsu province, eight cities in Zhejiang province, and eight cities in Anhui province (National Development and Reform Commission of China, 2016).…”

Modeling the Impacts of Urbanization on Summer Thermal Comfort: The Role of Urban Land Use and Anthropogenic Heat

“…Covering less than 2.2% of China's total land area, YRD accommodates about 11% of China's population and contributes almost a quarter of China's gross domestic product. Since the adoption of economic reform and open‐up policy of China in 1978, YRD has experienced rapid growth in its urban population and urbanized areas (Zhu et al, ). Concurrent with rapid urban development, the UHI effect has strongly intensified in YRD in the past two decades (Du et al, ; Huang & Lu, ; Xie et al, ; Yang et al, ).…”

Contribution of urbanization to the increase of extreme heat events in an urban agglomeration in east China

“…This region has experienced rapid economic development and significant growth in its urban population and urbanized areas since the late 1970s [Gao et al, 2012;Z. Wang et al, 2015;Zhu et al, 2016]. With rapid urban growth, the UHI effect has strongly intensified [Du et al, 2007;Xie et al, 2010;Huang and Lu, 2015].…”