Examination of land use/land cover changes,urban growth dynamics,and environmental sustainability in Chittagong city,Bangladesh

As in many other developing countries, cities in Bangladesh have witnessed rapid urbanization, resulting in increasing amounts of land being taken over and therefore land cover changing at a faster rate. Until now, however, few efforts have been made to document the impact of land use and land cover changes on the climate, environment, and ecosystem of the country because of a lack of geospatial data and time-series information. By using open source Landsat data integrated with GIS technologies and other ancillary data, this study attempts to classify land use and create land cover maps, enabling post-classification change detection analysis. By this method, we document the spatial and temporal trajectory of urban expansion in Chittagong, the second largest city in Bangladesh, over a 36-year period. The findings suggest that, over the study period, 56 % of the land cover has undergone change, mainly because of the expansion of built-up areas and other human activities. During the 36-year period, the built-up area around Chittagong city has expanded by 618 %, with an average annual rate of increase of 17.5 %. As a result of rapid urbanization, the vegetated hills near urban development areas face serious threats of further encroachment and degradation, given that 2178 ha of hills have already been intruded over the study period. Because urbanization processes in Bangladesh have traditionally been viewed as the result of population growth and economic development, very little work has been done to track the potential growth trajectory in a physical or spatial context. This study, therefore, will contribute to the current understanding of urban development in Bangladesh from a temporal and spatial point of view. Findings will be able to assist planners, stakeholders, and policy makers in appreciating the dynamism of urban growth and therefore will facilitate better planning for the future to minimize environmental impacts.     

Coastal protection structures in Tarawa Atoll, Republic of Kiribati

In the context of rapid population growth and urbanization, atoll countries have engaged in reclamation works and in the construction of coastal defences to extend inhabitable areas and reduce the threats posed by coastal erosion and flooding. Despite their major role in asset protection, coastal structures are still poorly documented. However, a better knowledge of the characteristics of these structures (location, type, condition, management status, etc.) would facilitate the establishment of consistent construction and maintenance programmes, and also contribute to a better understanding of shoreline changes. To address this need, this paper provides an assessment of coastal structures on Tarawa Atoll in Kiribati. The results highlight the abundance of structures, mostly seawalls (94.7 % of the total), which stretch along 29 % of the coastline. The protected shoreline decreases from urban (53.9 % at Bairiki) to rural islands (27.3 % at Buota), in proportion to population pressure. The occurrence and height of structures are greater on windward, ocean shores than on lagoon shores. Seawall condition is better in rural islands, compared to urban and semi-urban areas. The observed differences in the characteristics and physical condition of coastal structures mainly reflect differences in the management status of structures and the availability of building materials and funding. More generally, the occurrence and characteristics of coastal structures are strongly correlated to population densities, land-use dynamics and shoreline mobility. At some locations, the failure of coastal protection highlights the seriousness of the problems raised by land-use practices in Tarawa.     

The role of urban green infrastructure in mitigating land surface temperature in Bobo-Dioulasso,Burkina Faso

Green infrastructure in developed countries has been used as a climate change adaptation strategy to lower increased temperatures in cities. But, the use of green infrastructure to provide ecosystem services and increase resilience is largely overlooked in climate change and urban policies in the developing world. This study analyzed the role of urbanization and green infrastructure on urban surface temperatures in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, in sub-Saharan Africa. We use available geospatial data and techniques to spatially and temporally explore urbanization and land surface temperatures (LSTs) over 20 years. The effect of specific green infrastructure areas in the city on LSTs was also analyzed. Results show increased urbanization rates and increased temperature trends across time and space. But, LST in green infrastructure areas was indeed lower than adjacent impervious, urbanized areas. Seasonal phenological differences due to rainfall patterns, available planting space, and site limitations should be accounted for to maximize temperature reduction benefits. We discuss an approach on how study findings and urban and peri-urban agriculture and forestry are being used for policy uptake and formulation in the field of climate change, food security, and urbanization by the municipal government in this city in Burkina Faso.     

The Role of Foreign Direct Investment in Urban Environmental Management: Some Evidence from Hanoi, Vietnam

In recent years flows of foreign direct investment (FDI) to developing countries have rapidly been increasing. It is now an important contributor to the national economy and urban growth in scores of developing countries. Rapid urbanization in these countries is leading to many problems in the cities. Existing urban infrastructure and municipal services have been unable to cope with the increased demand arising from growing population and rapid economic growth. Consequently, the environment in these cities has deteriorated alarmingly. This paper assesses the role of FDI in urban environmental management (UEM) by analyzing the linkages between them for Hanoi City in Vietnam. The paper's analysis and findings are presented under three main themes: one, FDI, employment and income; two, FDI and environmental degradation; and three, potential of utilizing FDI for the provision of urban environmental infrastructure and services (UEI&S) in order to improve the urban environment. Both primary and secondary source data have been used. Policy implications of the research findings are drawn from the perspective of sustainable development.     

Exploring the causal relationship between carbon emissions and land urbanization quality in China using a panel data analysis

Land use and carbon emissions have long been a heated topic in China as well as developing countries. This paper contributes to the study of the related area as to investigate the causal relationship between the land urbanization quality and carbon emissions using panel data from 30 provinces in China over the period of 2004–2013. The empirical results show that: There exists bidirectional causality between land urbanization quality and carbon emissions across the country; land urbanization quality has negative effects on carbon emissions in all areas, with its effects largest in the Central region, followed by the Eastern, and the Western ranked at last; causal relationship exists in all regions, in addition to Eastern China; Central region has the highest potential of energy conservation. These findings provide new insights and valuable information for optimizing land use and urban development in China. In particular, to actively adjust the industrial structure, innovation in science and technology, and separate policy focus can contribute to energy conservation and urban land use.     

Arsenic in groundwater: A threat to sustainable agriculture in South and South-east Asia

The problem of arsenic pollution of groundwater used for domestic water supplies is now well recognised in Bangladesh, India and some other countries of South and South-east Asia. However, it has recently become apparent that arsenic-polluted water used for irrigation is adding sufficient arsenic to soils and rice to pose serious threats to sustainable agricultural production in those countries and to the health and livelihoods of affected people. This paper reviews the nature of those threats, taking into account the natural sources of arsenic pollution, areas affected, factors influencing arsenic uptake by soils and plants, toxicity levels and the dietary risk to people consuming arsenic-contaminated rice.     

Urbanization and sustainability: challenges and strategies for sustainable urban development in Bangladesh

Like other developing countries, urbanization in Bangladesh is a growing phenomenon, which is steady in nature but fretfully affects urban sustainability in the wake of lacking in good governance. Despite urban authorities are concerned about this issue, they often fail to address the problems due to the fact of uncontrollable and unpredictable rural to urban migration, and negligence of urban poor’s sustainable living and access to basic services. Virtually the rural poverty problem has been transposed to urban areas, particularly in Dhaka City, Bangladesh. Inadequacy of infrastructural services, basic amenities and environmental goods; environmental degradation; traffic jam and accidents; violence and socioeconomic insecurity are the major challenges which are created through rapid urbanization. This paper provides a general understanding of urbanization in Bangladesh and tries to embrace related sustainability issues and challenges hindrance to sustainable urban development in Dhaka city. In addition, it presents a brief case study of water supply in Dhaka city which introduces an issue of ‘system hijack’. The paper concludes providing some strategies that might be helpful to the policy makers in formulating development policies for sustainable urban services.     

Awareness on usage of contaminated groundwater around Perungudi dumpsite,Tamil Nadu,India

Groundwater is the major drinking water source both in urban and rural area. Mostly in urban and peri-urban areas of developing countries, groundwater is more susceptible to contamination due to urbanization. Therefore, the awareness of usage of groundwater has to be analysed to frame the policy measures and to suggest proper intervention programs. The community residing around Perungudi dumpsite, Tamil Nadu, India, has been chosen to assess the awareness on usage of groundwater using regression model. The groundwater flow and quality analysis assessed technically is in line with people’s perception on groundwater quality. The model results clearly indicate that the socio-economic status (β = 0.167) and distance (β = 0.305) play a major role in groundwater usage. Though 31.2 % of respondents reported that the water quality is bad within 1 km in the contaminated area, 45 % of low socio-economic categories depend on well water. This shows the unawareness of health issues due to the usage of contaminated water. Proper policies have to be framed, especially for the contaminated site to get rid of adverse health impacts due to long-term exposure of contaminated water.     

Expansion of Urban Space and Land Use Control in the Process of Urbanization: an Overview

Urban expansion brought by the rapid progress of urbanization has caused many problems in China. It is a significant issue to evaluate the extent of urban expansion and to make appropriate controls over the sprawl of urban areas. With a comparative study of international experiences, this article analyzed the mechanism and consequences of urban expansion, reviewed the typical planning and financial policies adopted by other countries for controlling urban sprawl, and discussed the suitable densities of urba...     

Exploring the effects of population growth on future land use change in the Las Vegas Wash watershed: an integrated approach of geospatial modeling and analytics

The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is one of the fastest growing areas in the southwestern United States. The rapid urbanization has presented many environmental challenges. For instance, as population growth and urbanization continue, the supply of sufficient clean water will become a concern. In addition, the area is also experiencing the longest drought in history, and the volume of water storage in Lake Mead, the main fresh water supply for the entire region, has been reduced greatly. The water quality in the main stem of the Las Vegas Wash (LVW) and Lake Mead may also be significantly affected. In order to develop effective sustainable management plans, the very first step is to predict the plausible future urbanization and land use patterns. This paper presents an approach to predict the future land use pattern at the LVW watershed using a Markov cellular automata model. The multi-criteria evaluation was used to couple population density as a variable depicting the driving force of urbanization in the model. Moreover, landscape metrics were used to analyze land use changes in order to better understand the dynamics of urban development in the LVW watershed. The predicted future land use maps for the years 2030 and 2050 show substantial urban development in the area, much of which are located in areas sensitive to source water protections. The results of the analysis provide valuable information for local planners and policy makers, assisting their efforts in constructing alternative sustainable urban development schemes and environmental management strategies.     

基于遥感数据的PM2.5与城市化的时空关系研究——以成渝城市群为例

采用1998~2013年卫星遥感影像反演的PM2.5全球高精度产品数据集，结合GIS空间分析、地理加权回归（GWR）以及地理探测器等方法，系统地分析了成渝城市群城市化与PM2.5分布之间的关系。结果表明：（1）1998~2013年成渝城市群城市化速度较快，城市区域的PM2.5均值明显高于非城市区域，说明城市化对PM2.5具有一定的影响；（2）近16 a PM2.5重心与城市重心整体上都向东南方向移动，且两者每年在经度上的波动方向基本相反；（3）夜间灯光数据与PM2.5在空间分布上具有较好的一致性，且1998~2013年两者的GWR全局R2在0.86~0.95之间，相关性显著，研究区内城市化和人类活动对PM2.5的分布具有明显影响；（4）地理探测分析表明不同城市化因子对PM2.5影响差异显著，从2006到2013年城区人口密度和建成区绿化覆盖率逐渐成为成渝城市群PM2.5分布的主要影响因子。     

Water Bodies Protection Index for assessing the sustainability status of lakes under the influence of urbanization: a case study of south Chennai, India

Vulnerability of water resources to degradation is one of the critical issues facing developing countries. Changes in population and land use associated with urbanization may alter social interdependence of water bodies in the vicinity of urban and periurban areas thereby affecting their sustainability. Preservation and proper management of lakes are urgently needed to ensure that these freshwater ecosystems continue to deliver their services to the people in the changing scenarios resulting from urbanization. In this paper, we make use of indicators, a powerful tool in decision making, and propose Water Bodies Protection Index (WBPI), which can serve as monitoring cum ranking tool to prioritize conservation efforts for periurban water bodies. Water quality, biological diversity, encroachment of the lakes, role played by the local community in lake management and preservation, and implementation of existing Acts for protection of water resources by government agencies are the five factors chosen for formulating this index. The data and information for this were obtained through socio-ecological study of six water bodies situated in the urban to rural gradient at the southern fringe of Chennai city in south India. Weightages were assigned to the above factors based on a Delphi study. A simple aggregation of weighted factors yields the index that classifies the protection status from poor (<2.5) to sustainable (>9). Application of the WBPI to the study lakes and comparing it with an urbanization index from the literature for the locations of the study lakes provided satisfactory classification and correlation, respectively. The WBPI is expected to help assess many such water bodies elsewhere to set targets for their revival and preservation.     

人地挂钩视角下人口与土地城镇化协调发展关系研究——以长江经济带上游地区为例

人地挂钩制度是促进城乡之间劳动力与土地要素优化配置的重要创新,对于解决人口城镇化与土地城镇化发展失衡问题有重要作用。研究从中国特殊体制制度框架下人口城镇化与土地城镇化的关系出发,基于"人地挂钩"的城镇化协调发展模式,构建指标体系,运用弹性系数法和重心移动模型,对2009～2016年长江经济带上游地区人口城镇化与土地城镇化协调发展关系进行分析。结果表明:(1)长江经济带上游地区人口城镇化与土地城镇化发展成效显著,空间"抱团"特征逐步显化;(2)研究区西部人口城镇化发展更快,东部则相反,黔中城市群为人口城镇化与土地城镇化发展热点,但土地城镇化发展更快,有城镇化发展失衡倾向;(3)研究区人口城镇化与土地城镇化基本处于协调发展状态,末期与初期相比,二者协调关系提升明显。据此建议,长江经济带上游地区西部,要继续有序推进人口城镇化,严格控制土地城镇化;地区东部尤其是黔中城市群,要杜绝"大开发",注重产业培养,提升城市魅力,以提高人口城镇化水平,最终实现地区人口城镇化与土地城镇化协调发展。     

半城市化地区农村社会和空间变迁研究〖HT2”SS〗——以江苏省姜堰市城郊结合部为例

城市化的快速推进,在城市建成区边缘和资源禀赋条件较好的农村地区产生了大量半城市化地区。在城市化、工业化等多重影响下,半城市化地区经历着从单一农村社会向城乡多元社会的转变。以姜堰市城郊结合部为例,分析半城市化对农村地区社会和空间变化的影响。结果表明：半城市化地区就业结构和居民家庭收入来源的非农化水平不断提高,农业在就业结构和家庭收入来源中的重要性逐渐下降;空间结构和功能呈现出更多的城市特征,居住空间正在由传统的自然村落向城市社区过渡。同时,半城市化地区存在着土地利用混杂低效、基础设施和公共设施服务匮乏、原住居民就业和社保形势严峻等亟待破解的问题。最后,针对姜堰市城郊结合部现状提出建议,推进城市化的健康发展     

Status of MSW management system in northern India-an overview

Many Indian cities are facing serious problems in managing solid wastes with rise in population and urbanization. This article assesses the existing state of municipal solid waste management (MSWM) in northern India with the aim of identifying the major obstacles to its efficiency and the prospects for improvisation of the solid waste management system in the region. The existing solid waste management system in the region is found to be highly inefficient. Primary and secondary collection, transportation and open dumping are the only activities practiced that too in a non-technical manner. Many cities in region face serious problems in managing solid wastes. The annual waste generation increases in proportion to the rises in population and urbanization. This paper systematically assesses the obstacles in the existing solid waste management system in the urban areas of region and also tries to assess the potentials for its improvisation.     

长江沿岸中心城市土地扩张时空演化特征——以宁汉渝3市为例

基于国家新型城镇化与"T"字型发展战略理论内涵,选取长江沿岸上、中、下游中心城市重庆、武汉和南京为实证研究对象,以1980、1990、2000、2010年4期遥感影像资料为基础数据源,通过RS、GIS和景观生态结合分析,分别对其城市扩张强度、城市扩张类型和城市建设用地扩张弹性进行对比分析,并采用景观指数进行了进一步分析和验证,从而系统分析了近30 a来3个城市建设用地扩张的时空特征与内在机理。结果表明:(1)30 a来,南京、武汉和重庆3市城市扩张强度均呈明显上升趋势,总体呈现南京市>武汉市>重庆市,但2000年是一个分水岭,之后重庆市城市扩张增速赶超武汉市,南京市反而增速最低;(2)对城市扩张类型分析表明,南京市始终以边缘式增长为主;武汉市在2000年之前以飞地式扩张主导,2000年之后呈现边缘式增长;重庆市以边缘式增长为主,但2000年之后飞地式增长迅速;(3)从城市建设用地扩张弹性分析表明,1980~2010年南京市土地扩张相比城市人口开始减缓,而武汉市和重庆市在2000年以后城市扩张速度远远超过城市人口增长速度;(4)景观指数验证分析结果显示,遥感分析、地理信息分析和景观生态分析的结合能够很好反映城市建设用地的扩张过程及演化特征。     

道路交通网络与城市土地利用时空耦合关系——以南京市为例

城市的扩张与道路交通的发展是相辅相成的。道路建设造成了城市景观的破碎化,使城市景观呈现不同的空间格局和空间异质性特征,并且这种空间异质性随着时间的变化而发生改变。在RS和GIS技术的支持下,利用1989、1999和2008年的Landsat TM/ETM+数据,以南京市为例对道路交通网络与城市土地利用之间关系进行了不同层次和尺度的空间分析。结果表明：1989～2008年近20 a来,南京市城市空间形态扩展迅速,建设用地面积从1989年的1003 km2增加到2008年的6847 km2;在不同时期,南京市城市化过程表现出不同的道路交通网络结构和城市空间扩展模式;由道路交通建设造成的局部区域的景观破碎度在一定程度上能够反映周边区域的土地利用强度;土地利用强度和由道路交通建设造成的景观破碎度均表现出显著的空间自相关性,随时间推移,这种特征愈加明显,并且二者在表征城市空间拓展方面具有较高的耦合度;受其他辐射中心的作用,交通干线周边地区土地利用强度并未表现出距离指数衰减效应     

苏锡常地区城市发展对降雨的影响

苏锡常地区位于太湖流域的腹部地区,经济发达,是当今世界上较大的城市群之一,快速的城市化发展使该区自然环境产生了较大变化,并影响到当地水循环过程以及降水过程的变化。以该地区的苏州、无锡、常州3个典型城市为例,基于长系列降雨资料,在相同的气象背景条件下,通过城区与郊区雨量站同期资料的对比分析,采用线性回归、R/S分析、MK检验等方法,重点探讨城市化对降雨过程的影响。研究结果表明：在城市化缓慢期,城郊降雨差别不大。而随着城市化进程的加剧,城市化发展较快的苏州、无锡城市“雨岛效应”较为明显,而城市化发展相对缓慢的常州城市“雨岛效应”则不明显,并且在今后一段时间内,这种情况可能会持续存在。该研究为长江下游城市群的城市化发展对降雨影响的深入研究打下了基础。     

Moving towards urban sustainability in Kenya: a framework for integration of environmental,economic, social and governance dimensions

Global urban development is increasingly becoming an aspect of focus as nations fight sustainability challenges. A review of the current literature on urban sustainability suggests that research on development of cities, in both developed and developing countries, is growing fast, with an emphasis on sustainable development. However, very little of this research contains an integrated framework to systematically identify and examine the various dimensions of urban sustainability and to measure and evaluate them appropriately. Cities are more than the sum of their sectors, and are complex and interdependent systems on whose dynamics the quality of life of millions of human beings and a good part of the economy depend. Environmental, economic, social and governance problems can create formidable barriers to urban sustainability. Governance remains a critically important dimension of urban sustainability, especially when discussing urbanization in developing countries, given rapid population movements and imbalances in socio-economic development. Understanding how cities function is fundamental to resolving these imbalances. The aim of this paper is to provide a review and analysis of the concept of urban sustainability and to propose the development of a holistic framework through integration of environmental, economic, social, and governance dimensions of sustainability. Such a review would make it possible to understand the complex dynamics of the four dimensions and to assess the progress and challenges in moving towards urban sustainability, taking the case of Nairobi, Kenya, as an example. The paper argues that, for urban sustainability in developing countries, more emphasis should be placed on the governance dimension, because this is where the biggest challenge exists, with increasing needs for immediate management of rapid urbanization.     

城市化:浙江省推进经济与环境"双赢"的战略选择

改革开放以来,浙江省实际上走的是一条反集聚效应的农村工业化道路,它违背了世界各国城市化要求非农业人口向城市转移的一般规律,这种脱离了城市化的工业化进程,所引发的环境污染主要是通过“市场失效”和“政府失灵”来实现的,并对浙江省经济社会的可持续发展产生了一系列的不利影响。因此,要尽快从以农村工业化为主转到以城市化为主推动经济增长上来,努力探索出一条在推进城市化进程中解决环境污染问题、最终实现经济发展与环境保护“双赢”的新路子。