Sustainable Urbanism in China

Ali Cheshmehzangi, Ayotunde Dawodu, Ayyoob Sharifi

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781000410495
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Architecture
• Subtopic: Urban Planning & Landscaping

Sustainable Urbanism in China explores the notion of "Sustainable Urbanism" by considering the role sustainable neighborhood planning plays in the larger picture of sustainable urbanism and suggests innovations and best practices that are either developed or adopted by China. These are narrated as lessons learnt for other countries where we see similar trends of development patterns or emerging practices. Through various explorations of challenges, paradigms, and innovations of urban sustainability, this book highlights how planning, policy, and design are forming and reforming in the context of China. These are offered through a set of guidelines and pathways for urban sustainability at the scale of neighborhoods/communities or districts in a wider context of urban environments, as well as strategies for planners, developers, policy makers, and educators in the field of the built environment. Through a comprehensive overview of urban sustainability practices in China, this book investigates 12 case study projects. These comprehensive explorations should in turn help construct the future directions of China's sustainable urban development and provide innovative pathways of sustainable urbanism in China and around the globe.

1

Recent Advances in Sustainable Urbanism and the Significance of China in Achieving Sustainable and Resilient Cities

1.1 The Importance of Global Urbanization

Cities have traditionally been centers of economic growth and innovation. However, their importance in national and global contexts has significantly increased recently as more than 55% of the world population now lives in cities and according to the United Nations projection the share of the world urban population is expected to increase to about 68% by 2050 (UNDESA, 2018). The increased urban population will be about 2.5 billion people, the majority of which is occurring in cities of developing countries such as China, India, and Nigeria. Based on the current projections, by 2050, in most countries the proportion of the urban population will be over 50%. In fact, many countries are expected to be 75% urbanized by then. As engines of economic growth, cities also account for approximately 80% of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP), indicating their significance for global development (UNDESA, 2018). Therefore, our global development is very much dependent on global urbanization.

Many externalities have emerged along with these rapid urbanization trends, raising concerns about the implications for global sustainability. Urbanization often leads to shifts towards more consumption-based and energy-intensive lifestyles. Cities are now responsible for about 70% of global energy use and associated CO₂ emissions (Seto et al., 2014). This makes them major contributors to anthropogenic climate change. Given the rapid rates of urbanization in the Global South, in the absence of desirable urban planning and design and infrastructure development scenarios, the urban share of global CO₂ emissions is likely to further increase in the future (Creutzig et al., 2016). Another major environmental externality is caused by the uncontrolled expansion of cities into their natural hinterlands that leads to environmental degradation and reduces benefits provided by ecosystem services. There is ample evidence from different regions showing how urban expansion leads to deforestation and agricultural land loss (DeFries et al., 2010; Sharifi et al., 2014).

Externalities of urbanization are, however, not limited to the environment. Many cities, particularly in the Global South, are socio-economically polarized, meaning that services and opportunities are not distributed equitably. A clear manifestation of this polarization is the prevalence of slums in populous regions such as Eastern and South-Eastern Asia, Central and Southern Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. In fact, currently, more than 20% of the world’s urban population is living in slums with limited access to basic services such as water, energy, and sanitation infrastructure (UNDESA, 2018). Slum dwellers also have limited livelihood options and security and often become involved in the informal economy. They are also, often, disproportionately affected by the impacts of climate change and other risk events.

Related to the risks and vulnerabilities, the increasing concentration of people and properties in urban areas raises major concerns about the potential consequences of major urban disasters. A recent UN report shows that about 60% of cities with over 500,000 inhabitants, equivalent to 1.4 billion people, are highly exposed to at least one of these disastrous events: cyclones, floods, droughts, earthquakes, landslides, and volcanic eruptions (United Nations, 2018). As climate change is expected to increase the frequency and intensity of disastrous events, further urban vulnerabilities are expected to emerge in the future. For instance, according to some estimates, by 2030, between 268 and 286 million people are likely to live in low elevation coastal zones that are highly exposed to coastal flooding (Neumann et al., 2015). In addition, non-climatic risks such as pandemics also cause concerns about the risks associated with living in urban areas. For instance, during the recent COVID-19 pandemic there were discussions about higher rates of infections and dea...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Endorsements
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• About the Authors
• Preface
• Acknowledgments
• 1 Recent Advances in Sustainable Urbanism and the Significance of China in Achieving Sustainable and Resilient Cities
• 2 Sustainable Urbanism at the Neighborhood Scale and China’s Position
• Part I Case Study Chapters 3 to 5: Sustainable Tools and Indicators
• Part II Case Study Chapters 6 to 8: Sustainable Planning and Policy
• Part III Case Study Chapters 9 to 11: Sustainable Energy Systems
• Part IV Case Study Chapters 12 to 14: Sustainable Urban Design
• Index