Comprehensive urban planning and management at multiple scales based on ecological principles: a case study in Beijing,China

SUMMARY

Rapid urbanisation and serious environmental problems have led people worldwide to realise the significance of urban planning and management towards a sustainable environment. Beijing was used as a case study to develop a framework and strategies for sustainable development using ecological principles. At the regional level, Beijing-Tianjin agglomeration and Hebei Province are considered together. At the Beijing administrative level, some important measures are put forward for revision of the Beijing Urban Master Plan. At the Beijing plain level, the future spatial structure of Beijing city and the relationship between settlements, green space and transportation are considered, and three basic development patterns are proposed. At the inner district level, the ecological corridor system is suggested, based on ecosystem services. At the selected area level, a comprehensive strategy and key measures for conservation and renewal of old Beijing city core are provided. Once strategies for Beijing urban development are implemented step-by-step, a vision for future development can be achieved. This paper provides considerations for improvement of urban planning and management in China and other countries.     

Characterizing the urban heat island in current and future climates in New Jersey

Climate change caused by increased anthropogenic emissions of carbon dioxide (CO₂) and other greenhouse gases is a long-term climate hazard with the potential to alter the intensity, temporal pattern, and spatial extent of the urban heat island (UHI) in metropolitan regions. Particular meteorological conditions—including high temperature, low cloud cover, and low average wind speed—tend to intensify the heat island effect. Analyses of existing archived climate data for the vicinities of Newark and Camden, New Jersey indicate urban to suburban/rural temperature differences over the previous half-century. Surface temperatures derived from a Landsat thermal image for each site were also analyzed for spatial patterns of heat islands. Potential interactions between the UHI effect and projected changes in temperature, wind speed, and cloud cover are then examined under a range of climate change scenarios, encompassing different greenhouse gas emissions trajectories. The scenarios include those utilized in the Metropolitan East Coast Regional Assessment of Climate Variability and Change and the A2 and B2 scenarios of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES).

The UHI effect was detected in Newark and Camden in both satellite surface-temperature and meteorological station airtemperature records. The average difference in urban—nonurban minimum temperatures was 3.0 °C for the Newark area and 1.5 °C for Camden. Extrapolation of current trends and the selected global climate models (GCMs) project that temperatures in the case study areas will continue to warm in the current century, as they have over the past half-century. An initial analysis of global climate scenarios shows that wind speed may decline, and that cloud cover may increase in the coming decades. These generally small countervailing tendencies suggest that urban—nonurban temperature differences may be maintained under climate change.

Overall warmer conditions throughout the year may extend the spatial and temporal dimensions of the urban-suburban heat complex. The incidence of heat-related morbidity and mortality are likely to increase with interactions between the increased frequency and duration of heat waves and the UHI effect. Camden and Newark will likely be subjected to higher temperatures, and areas experiencing UHI-like conditions and temperature extremes will expand. Thus, urban heat island-related hazard potential is likely to increase in a warmer climate.     

Particulate matter bio-monitoring through magnetic properties of an Indo-Burma hotspot region

Present study aimed to investigate the bio-monitoring study of particulate matter (PM) pollutants of 12 roadside plant species, in Aizawl, Mizoram, India (an Indo-Burma hot spot region). While, the second part was ascribed to the bio-magnetic monitoring stidies. Pertaining to first part of study, highest dust deposition was noted for Ramrikawn (RKN-Med) site on Ficus bengalensis (1.2?mg?cm^?2) and lowest in Bauhinia variegate (0.8?mg?cm^?2). Further, increased concentration of heavy metals (Fe, Cu and Zn) was recorded at RKN-Med site. Roadside plant leaves of F. bengalensis recorded maximum accumulation of Fe (26.1?mg?kg^?1) and Cu (19.5?mg?kg^?1) while Cassia auriculata (12.1?mg?kg^?1) showed lowest accumulation of Fe. B. variegate (1.88?mg?kg^?1) recorded lowest accumulation of Cu. Zn was recorded maximum (48.2?mg?kg^?1) in Mangifera indica while B. variegate showed lowest accumulation of 11.3?mg?kg^?1 Cu at Ramrikawn site. In relation to second part of the study, M. indica, Ficus benghalensis, Psidium guajava and Artocarpus heterophyllus were found to be efficient in bio-magnetic monitoring because all the magnetic properties (magnetic susceptibility, anhysteretic remanent magnetisation and isothermal remanent magnetisation) were high and significantly correlated with ambient PM (R²?=?0.424 to R²?=?0.998) thus may act as proxy for ambient PM.     

基于分形理论的农村居民点空间特征研究——以北京市平谷区为例

空间结构与空间形态相互联系、相互作用,共同构成农村居民点空间特征,对二者的综合分析可更好地考察农村居民点用地布局特点。基于分形理论,在总体与部分两个层次上对2004-2012年北京市平谷区农村居民点空间结构与形态特征及其动态变化进行综合分析,并提出空间结构合理优化及空间形态稳定性提高相关对策。研究表明,平谷区农村居民点空间结构和形态分形特征显著。全区尺度上,聚集维数、关联维数随时间变化而减小,形态维数值持续增大,农村居民点空间结构呈聚集发展态势,空间结构自组织不断优化,但形状特征日趋复杂,稳定性降低;分乡镇尺度上,部分乡镇存在空间结构松散、关联性较弱等问题。未来需加强交通等基础设施建设,增强居民点体系内各要素关联度,促进空间结构优化;并科学编制乡村土地利用规划,降低土地利用空间发展的随意性。研究可为优化农村居民点布局,科学指导农村居民点用地调整提供参考。     

芘在土壤不同粒径组分中的形态分布

以芘为PAHs代表物,采用土壤粒径分级和PAHs连续提取方法,研究了老化4周污染黄棕壤中芘在不同粒径组分中的形态分布.结果表明,供试土壤中芘主要以有机溶剂提取态和可脱附态存在,结合态残留量所占比例甚小;细砂粒、粉粒、粗黏粒和细黏粒中芘残留占原土总残留的比例分别为6.00%、4.66%、34.68%和40.88%.各粒径组分中各形态芘含量大小顺序为有机溶剂提取态>可脱附态>结合态,有机溶剂提取态和可脱附态是各粒径组分中芘残留的主要存在形态(占比98.82%以上),芘结合态残留量占比<1.18%.土壤中黏粒(包括细黏粒和粗黏粒)是芘可脱附态、有机溶剂提取态、结合态和可提取态残留储存的主要粒径组分.     

打造与城市和谐发展的都市型钢厂的实践和探索

介绍了太原钢铁(集团)有限公司探索城市钢厂与城市和谐发展的实践。太钢结合自身的具体情况,通过全流程技术改造和创新,转变钢厂发展方式,承担社会责任,建设资源节约型、环境友好型企业,产品质量、能源消耗、环境保护水平显著改善,成为城市节能减排、构建循环经济的有机组成部分。     

Ecological network analysis of an urban energy metabolic system: Model development, and a case study of four Chinese cities

Urban metabolism research faces difficulties defining ecological trophic levels and analyzing relationships among the metabolic system's energy components. Here, we propose a new way to perform such research. By integrating throughflow analysis with ecological network utility analysis, we used network flows to analyze the metabolic system's network structure and the ecological relationships within the system. We developed an ecological network model for the system, and used four Chinese cities as examples of how this approach provides insights into the flows within the system at both high and low levels of detail. Using the weight distribution in the network flow matrix, we determined the structure of the urban energy metabolic system and the trophic levels; using the sign distribution in the network utility matrix, we determined the relationships between each pair of the system's compartments and their degrees of mutualism. The model uses compartments based on 17 sectors (energy exploitation; coal-fired power; heat supply; washed coal; coking; oil refinery; gas generation; coal products; agricultural; industrial; construction; communication, storage, and postal service; wholesale, retail, accommodation, and catering; household; other consuming; recovery; and energy stocks). Analyzing the structure and functioning of the urban energy metabolic system revealed ways to optimize its structure by adjusting the relationships among compartments, thereby demonstrating how ecological network analysis can be used in future urban system research.     

Spatial and temporal variations of urban litter in Mar del Plata, the major coastal city of Argentina

Urban littering is considered an important environmental and public issue globally. This problem is growing considerably within coastal communities of the southern region of South America. The goals of this study were to assess (1) the abundance and composition of urban litter; (2) the spatial and temporal variations of its abundance; and (3) the relationship between the abundance of litter and three anthropogenic variables (i.e. abundance of pedestrians, of parked vehicles, and of trash bins) in Mar del Plata, the most populated coastal city in Argentina. Eighty-eight transects, each covering 1425 m², were sampled along four sites from April 2008 to March 2009. Results showed 20,336 items (ca. 14 items per m²) of which cigarette butts (33%), papers (31%), and plastics (22%) were the most commonly littered items. Higher amounts of litter were found in an industrial area (city’s harbor), while the abundance of litter appeared relatively even throughout the year. Redundancy analysis techniques indicated a high abundance of all three anthropogenic variables associated with the central business district area of the city and an area in close proximity to a major seaside resort, where cigarette butts and papers dominated. This is the first study that has examined spatial and temporal variations of urban litter in a high-density coastal city in Argentina. Our results showed that addressing the problems associated with urban litter must include intensive educational and advertising campaigns directed at pedestrians and owners of parked vehicles, but waste reduction, clean-up operations and law enforcement should be also considered.     

城市生活污染对浏阳河长沙城区段水质的影响

对浏阳河长沙城区段的水质现状和污染来源进行了调查。结果表明,浏阳河河水流经长沙城区后,氨氮和总磷浓度分别升高了9.49倍和7.75倍,但铁、锰和高锰酸盐指数等其他监测指标无显著变化。浏阳河长沙城区段的污染主要是由于区域内生活污水直接排入和污水处理厂尾水排入导致清污比例严重失调引起的,城市生活污染对浏阳河长沙城区段水质下降的贡献最大。此外,湘江长沙综合枢纽工程库区回水的顶托作用对浏阳河长沙城区段水质也有一定影响。     

基于GM（1,1）模型的城镇生活污水排放量预测

根据2000--2012年全国城镇生活污水排放量数据,建立了相应的GM（1,1）模型和预测函数。通过后验差检验等对预测函数进行了评估,并对2013--2017年城镇生活污水排放量进行了预测,结果表明,2013--2017年全国城镇生活污水的排放量逐年增加,呈上升趋势,从2013年的477．2736亿t上升到2017年的624．1022亿t;灰色预测模型和方法简单易用,利用较少的数据即可进行精度较高的预测。