Integrating High-speed Railway Stations and Urban Areas in China: Actors, Processes and Institutions

There is an increasing need for understanding the impacts of institutions on the integrated planning of transport and land use. High-speed railway (HSR) station areas, as nodes in transport networks and mixed-use areas, have become a focus in planning. The fast development of HSR station areas in China causes many problems, such as remote...

Governing Cities for Growth: Land politics, financial mechanisms, and state entrepreneurialism in China

During the course of the 21st century, China has experienced one of the fastest urban growth processes in history. Its rapid urban growth has not only contributed to its industrial and technological development but it has also functioned as a key driver of its national economic growth. As well as bringing many benefits, China’s rapid urban...

Moving in sync: Designing and implementing transport policy packages

Congestion in and pollution by traffic are amongst the most severe and urgent problems faced by both developed and developing countries these days. It is regarded as a "wicked" problem, which implies it is both hard to define the inherent problem and to find adequate measures to deal with. The complexity of transport systems makes it impossible...

From city branding to urban transformation: How do Chinese cities implement city branding strategies?

Chinese cities have experienced unprecedented economic growth and urban population expansion in the last four decades. However, a variety of social and environmental problems is associated with urbanization. Cities try to grapple with these challenges but simultaneously find themselves locked in an intense competition with other cities. City...

Place Branding in Megacity Regions in China: coping with ambiguous national environmental policies

In the past four decades, China has experienced unprecedented rates of urban growth. This remarkable urbanization has also created challenges for China’s environment. To protect the environment, the Chinese national government has issued several policies while still maintaining high economic growth, such as Scientific Approach to Development in...

Funding Sustainable Cities in China

Currently, more and more people live in cities, and this leads to an enormous increase in global GHG emissions. Cities are blamed for the cause of environmental problems. Therefore, countries over the world aim to approach these problems by launching sustainable city programs. On April 22, 2016, China signed the Paris Agreement at the United...

Public Infrastructure in China: Explaining Growth and Spatial Inequality

Public infrastructure is often mentioned as a key to promoting economic growth and development. This belief has been supported by the observation of rich countries, such as the U.S., Japan and those in Western Europe, where plenty of infrastructures developed during times of rapid economic growth. China has been one of the world’s fastest...

Eco-transformation of industrial parks in China

During the past three decades, China has achieved impressive economic development. However, the pollution and resource depletion that accompanied China's rapid industrialization have led to severe environmental issues, such as ecosystem degradation, groundwater contamination and smog, which have turned into visible crises. In China, industrial...

Transit-Oriented Development in China: How can it be planned in complex urban systems?

In recent years most of the Chinese cities have shown a rapid decline in modal split of public transport as a consequence of rapid urbanization and motorization in the “socialist market economy”. It has been witnessed that cars flood into streets; road congestion, air pollution and traffic safety have become major problems in urban China. To...

Innovative contracting practices in the road sector: Cross-national lessons in dealing with opportunistic behaviour