The Impact of Urbanization and Protection of Water Resources in Owerri and Environs SE, Nigeria

Untreated sewage and agriculture are the most important sources of contamination. The study was carried out by conducting a short-term surface water and groundwater pollution survey of the Owerri Urban area and its environs, in order to establish the current levels of pollution. An attempt has been made to show the relationships between pollution levels, population density, industrial and agricultural activities. The spatial distribution of pollutants due to a poor land use system and to human activities was investigated. This emphasises integrated planned development as a preventive measure for arresting pollution levels in fast growing urban centres. The total groundwater stored in the area amounts to 7.87 × 10⁹ m³. Twenty five percent of this is released as base flow into the adjacent rivers (Otamiri and Nworie). The annual groundwater recharge is 3.4 × 10⁹ m³. The enormous volume of groundwater stored and the comparatively low cost of development makes groundwater an excellent alternative supply source for the area (Uma et al., 1984).     

三峡工程建设前后库区城镇发展与环境变化

利用卫星遥感监测，分析三峡工程建设前后库区城镇发展类型、时空过程，揭示库区城镇变化的驱动力，探索了城镇扩展与人口城镇化关系，研究城镇环境变化特征。三峡库区城镇规模发展不均衡，库尾城市规模庞大，库中、东部区县级城市规模较小，而乡镇的比例占城镇面积24%；在过去15 a中，建城区规模扩大172%，高于全国省会城市发展水平72%；三峡库区城镇规模扩大的同时，东西城镇规模差距逐步缩小，三峡工程建设起着重要的推动作用；城镇发展以侵占了优质耕地资源为代价，耕地占城镇变化83%；城镇用地变化与人口城市化发展不平衡，城镇空间发展快于人口城镇化过程，城镇对农村人口的吸引力不及全国省会城市平均水平，在2007年城市化率低于全国水平13%，差距进一步扩大；城市空间结构发展模式受地形和土地资源的限制，城市分维数和坡度分别增加12%和104°，城市向潜山区扩展或搬迁的同时，城市空间的完整性下降     

中国城市化与能源强度关系的交互动态响应分析

基于1990-2009年的统计数据,建立城市化率和能源强度间的向量自回归模型,运用协整分析、脉冲响应函数和动态方差分解法,从不同视角对两组变量的交互动态响应关系进行分析和预测,旨在揭示我国城市化水平与能源利用效率的内在联系、互动机制与发展趋势。分析结果表明:尽管在短期内呈现波动态势,我国城市化水平与能源强度之间存在长期均衡关系;两组变量的动态脉冲响应为负,体现出城市化率和能源强度之间的反向变动走势;与城市化相比,能源强度的脉冲曲线波动剧烈,说明单纯依靠能源系统内部来改善能源效率缺乏可持续性;方差分解时序值显示,能源强度对城市化变动因素的累计贡献较低,而城市化水平对能源强度变动的影响显著且增长迅速,说明能源强度的降低并不是城市化率提高的主要动力,反之城市化水平的提高对能源强度的下降具有较强的促进作用。由此可见,通过城市的优化开发与系统建设,能够有效促进能源的可持续利用,实现能源消费与经济增长间的均衡发展。     

Pollutants and the health of green sea turtles resident to an urbanized estuary in San Diego, CA

Rapid expansion of coastal anthropogenic development means that critical foraging and developmental habitats often occur near highly polluted and urbanized environments. Although coastal contamination is widespread, the impact this has on long-lived vertebrates like the green turtle (Chelonia mydas) is unclear because traditional experimental methods cannot be applied. We coupled minimally invasive sampling techniques with health assessments to quantify contaminant patterns in a population of green turtles resident to San Diego Bay, CA, a highly urbanized and contaminated estuary. Several chemicals were correlated with turtle size, suggesting possible differences in physiological processes or habitat utilization between life stages. With the exception of mercury, higher concentrations of carapace metals as well as 4,4′-dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) and γ chlordane in blood plasma relative to other sea turtle studies raises important questions about the chemical risks to turtles resident to San Diego Bay. Mercury concentrations exceeded immune function no-effects thresholds and increased carapace metal loads were correlated with higher levels of multiple health markers. These results indicate immunological and physiological effects studies are needed in this population. Our results give insight into the potential conservation risk contaminants pose to sea turtles inhabiting this contaminated coastal habitat, and highlight the need to better manage and mitigate contaminant exposure in San Diego Bay.     

中国城市化发展决定因素的地区差异

城市化的发展与地方经济发展水平和劳动力迁移密切相关，中重城市化进程中的一个显著特征是区域差异非常明显，其根源是在国内经济发展水平不同的各地区，影响城市化发展的诸因素之发育程度及所起作用不同。本文运用平行数据《panal》模型，对影响中国各省、直辖市和自治区城市化发展的请因素进行了实证分析。主要结论为：①各地区之间，特别是沿海与内地之间。城市化进程的差异非常显著。②在中部地区，第二产业的发展对当地城市化水平的提高起推动作用；而在沿海地区，则由第三产业扮演着更为重要的角色。③对外开放政策对推动中国的城市化发展起了显著作用，在沿海省份表现尤为突出。由此可以推断。中、西部开放力度的加大将推动当地城市化的发展。④农村非农产业的发展在城市化进程中发挥着双重作用：在沿海和西部地区，农村非农产业对城市化起补充作用；而在中部地区，则起替代作用。     

中国城镇化态势分析和可持续城镇化政策建议

在阐述今后15年中国城镇化面临的就业和收入差距、资源和环境、区域发展、政府管治等四大挑战之后，分析了到2020年中国城镇化水平年均增长0．6、0.8、1．0和1．2个百分点的4种态势。如按1978—2002年城镇年均提供636万人就业考虑，到2020年中国城镇化水平年均增长不宜超过0．7个百分点；如果考虑到2005年上半年城镇安排595万人就业，则城镇化水平年均增长1．2个百分点也是可行的。但是，对于所有4种态势，土地短缺都是一个棘手的问题。最后就可持续城镇化提出的政策建议包括：①引导农村富余劳动力向城镇有序转移；②贯彻落实大中小城市和小城镇协调发展的方针；③高效利用和节约资源，保护生态环境；④统筹城乡规划，加强对经济区发展的引导；⑤贯彻落实工业反哺农业，城市支持农村的方针；⑥建立多元化的城镇基础设施投资体制，大力吸引民间和国际资本；⑦全面推进城镇管理体制创新，制定公众参与政策；⑧坚持按城镇化的客观规律办事，控制地方政府的城镇化热情。     

城市发展质量的综合评价--以江苏省13个省辖市为例

在城市发展质量评价指标体系构建的基础上,依据一定的规则确定各评价指标的目标值,根据综合评价方法,对江苏省13个省辖市2000-2002年各城市发展质量进行综合分析.提出测算城市质量系统间协调发展程度的一般计量模型,根据此模型及城市发展质量综合评价的结论,分别研究了13个城市在近三年的城市化进程中,城市质量系统发展的协调性.     

MINIMIZING THE IMPACT OF URBANIZATION ON LONG TERM RUNOFF1

Increasing concern about the problems caused by urban sprawl has encouraged development and implementation of smart growth approaches to land use management. One of the goals of smart growth is water resources protection, in particular minimizing the runoff impact of urbanization. To investigate the magnitude of the potential benefits of land use planning for water resources protection, possible runoff impacts of historical and projected urbanization were estimated for two watersheds in Indiana and Michigan using a long term hydrological impact analysis model. An optimization component allowed selection of land use change placements that minimize runoff increase. Optimizing land use change placement would have reduced runoff increase by as much as 4.9 percent from 1973 to 1997 in the Indiana study watershed. For nonsprawl and sprawl scenarios in the Michigan watershed for 1978 to 2040, optimizing land use change placement would have reduced runoff increase by 12.3 percent and 20.5 percent, respectively. The work presented here illustrates both an approach to assessing the magnitude of the impact of smart growth and the significant potential scale of smart growth in moderating runoff changes that result from urbanization. The results of this study have significant implications for urban planning.     

湖南省农村城市化问题成因及对策研究

农村城镇化是经济现代化进程的大势所趋．是湖南建设全面小康社会的必然选择。农村城镇化不仅有利于湖南解决好“三农”问题,而且有利于促进湖南农村经济的快速、健康发展.目前湖南农村城镇化存在水平偏低、分布不平衡、数量增长超过规模的扩张和质量的提升等问题。主要原因在于长期的政策制约、规划滞后性、建设随意性、建设资金不足、建设管理不到位以及基础设施建设落后等,本文根据产业集聚理论．客观地分析制约农村城镇化水平的原因．从而有针对性地提出了提高湖南农村城镇化的基本对策。     

直链烷基苯指示城市化过程初步研究

本研究以深圳市作为典型城市化地区代表,以直链烷基苯(LABs)作为环境分子标志物,在分析土壤LABs空间分布特征基础上,通过土壤LABs污染水平与城市化过程指标的相关分析,对直链烷基苯指示城市化过程可能性开展初步研究.结果表明,城市化过程中人口规模、用水状况、城市建设、收入与消费及产业结构这5个方面的因素与土壤中LABs污染水平均有相关性,表明环境LABs水平与城市化过程相关,可以作为环境分子标志物用于指示城市化过程.