New urban planning challenges under emerging autonomous mobility: evaluating backcasting scenarios and policies through an expert survey

The future implementation of Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) in cities can have significant impacts, both positive and negative, on their sustainability. The objective of this research is to investigate those impacts and evaluate which policies could be most effective in achieving the desired city scenario through a backcasting planning methodology. To this end, a survey among experts was carried out in which they expressed their opinions on the potential consequences of AVs in cities and on the effectiveness of various policy packages focused on achieving a more sustainable mobility and land use planning. The results obtained show that the experts consulted were sceptical about the positive impacts of AVs, arguing that they could induce an increase in car trips and urban sprawl. The policies that could be most effective in mitigating these effects, leading to a city more aligned with the planned objectives would be: to strengthen active (foot, bicycle) and public transport modes, to restrict access of motorised modes to central urban areas and to use freed spaces for alternative modes of transport, green areas and public facilities. A cluster analysis also showed that most of the experts consulted considered that the policy packages presented could be effective or very effective in reaching the most desirable scenario. Therefore, it is important that the implementation of AVs does not subordinate to, but enhances, the sustainable mobility and land use policies already being developed in many urban areas.     

Research on the impact of mega-projects on carrying capacity of cities taking the first-line project of the West-East gas pipeline as an example

With the acceleration of China’s urbanization, the functions and benefits of mega-projects are required higher. With the deepening of “the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road”, the quantitative evaluation of multinational investment projects will help strengthen cross-border communication among government, society and enterprises, which provide a basis for mutual trust. This study empirically analyzes and evaluates the impact of mega-projects on carrying capacity of cities, by using the DID method based on the panel data of 15 cities in China from 2000 to 2013. The results show that the construction and operation of the first-line project of the West-East gas pipeline has a significant positive impact on the improvement of carrying capacity of cities along the line. However, the degree of impact on three dimensions is slightly different. The impact on the social carrying capacity is the greatest, then the ecological and economic carrying capacity. Therefore, the decisions of domestic mega-projects should be unified with urban planning to promote the sustainable development of China’s economy and social. The investment of mega-projects abroad should also be coordinated with the carrying capacity of host cities, in order to enhance the competitiveness and creativity of Chinese multinational mega-projects investment.     

转变城市发展方式之低碳城市建设——基于德国经验借鉴

首先从产业能源体系、低碳交通网络及生态环境三方面梳理德国低碳城市建设实践,然后总结德国在低碳意识培养、战略目标制定、政策体系建设等方面值得借鉴的经验,最后从“公平-效率-质量”视角为我国低碳城市建设提出建设路径:加快创新驱动,提高建设效率;提供制度支持,注重建设公平;强调以人为本,提升建设质量。     

Parking futures: Preparing European cities for the advent of automated vehicles

The introduction of automated vehicles (AVs) is a virtual certainty. Much less certain is the timing of their introduction and how rapid the transition to full automation will be. Various governments are already working to facilitate this shift by, for example, amending and elaborating regulations to support the introduction of AVs, or supporting tests in different urban environments. Meanwhile, urban and regional planners and decision-makers are still grappling with the uncertainties and differing opinions about the possible impacts of AVs on land-use changes and location choices, particularly in relation to the space available for vehicles, both moving (i.e. roadspace) and stationary (i.e. parking space). This paper uses a backcasting approach to identify critical policy decisions and measures to be taken before the implementation of AVs, so as to achieve a more desirable, attractive and high-quality city. These policy measures primarily relate to the reuse and reallocation of parking and roadspace. Two strategic decisions are found to be essential to meet the major goals of sustainable and liveable cities: a clear commitment to a shared mobility and the delimitation of Core Attractive Mixed-use Spaces (CAMS). In order to deliver these desired urbanisation patterns, a set of three policy paths, involving eight policy packages, is proposed for the next 20–30 years. This article provides urban and regional decision-makers with examples of interventions that can be implemented beyond and during the implementation of AVs.     

城镇群空间结构与要素集聚

依据城镇化发展过程中要素空间集聚理论，展开区域经济发展的空间经济结构研究。通过城市引力、克鲁格曼指数计算，比较分析城镇群内部城市吸引力和城市产业分布的差异性，通过人口与生产空间分布集中度指标和不一致系数的测算，分析了山西省城镇群空间要素集聚效应。研究表明，山西省的城镇群规划与要素空间集聚趋势整体一致，城市间产业分工体系基本形成，城镇群的要素集聚效应明显，但人口与生产分布仍存在不一致性。研究认为，山西省城镇群发展应该继续明确各城市的产业分工和特色，引导劳动力和资本要素的合理流动，实现人口与生产空间分布的一致。     

The pressure of economic growth and the issuance of Urban Investment Bonds: Based on panel data from 2005 to 2011 in China

This paper explores the motivations behind the issuance of Urban Investment Bonds (UIBs) to stimulate local economies in China after the 2008 global financial crisis. Based on panel data from 2005 to 2011, we find that pressure to achieve economic growth has a positive effect on the issuance of UIBs, while fiscal pressure has the opposite effect on UIB issuance. We also find that the tenure of municipal party secretary, the revenue of land-use right transfer and fiscal pressure will change the impact of economic growth pressure on UIB issuance. These results are consistent with a pattern in which China's local government officials are influenced by the central government's assessment of local economic growth performance and have promotion-related incentives to maintain and develop the local economy.     

Study of emerging air taxi network operation using discrete-event systems simulation approach

This research focuses on understanding the air taxi operations to determine the number of air taxis required to fulfill the demand for urban air mobility in New York City (NYC). We leverage the Define, Measure, Analyze, Design, and Verify (DMADV) framework and integrate it with the systems simulation approach. Upon investigation, we find that all the parameters linearly impact the vehicle utilization, while other measures are robust, specifically with respect to the seating capacity. It is also recommended to operate initially with 70 air taxis in NYC to achieve a trade-off between customer wait time and vehicle utilization. The proposed approach can act as a recommender system for air taxi companies.     

城市轨道交通相邻多车站动态协同限流研究

为应对城市轨道交通车站高峰期客流压力,限流已经成为常态应对措施,而经常采用的限流策略大多针对单个车站,缺少对相邻多个车站的协同考虑。基于客流在车站间的传播效应,以乘客总延误时间最小为目标,以站台及列车能力为约束条件,构建城市轨道交通相邻多车站协同限流决策模型,同时为实现实时动态控制,引入滚动时域控制方法,优化多车站动态协同限流流程。以北京地铁8号线为例,经过相邻若干车站运营数据进行限流策略计算。结果表明,该模型限流可以在不造成车站服务人数损失的同时,将乘客总延误时间降低21%。     

中国—荷兰中欧班列货源结构时空演化研究

欧盟一直是我国最重要的贸易合作伙伴之一,荷兰则是我国在欧盟的前三大贸易伙伴之一,中荷贸易关系是中欧贸易关系中重要的一环,中欧班列的区域货源结构对中欧班列功能定位和发展规划意义重大。为明确中荷贸易背景下货源结构动态演化过程、特征及机制,在模糊C均值基础上,结合邻接矩阵对聚类分析结果进行修正,将各离散点货源数据进行合并聚类,剖析其时间和空间层面的演变及原因,探究货源结构时空演化趋势。结果表明:2014—2018年,中荷之间货源数量整体呈上升趋势,货源时空布局呈现空间集聚效应,表现为“由整到散”“西高东低”的演化态势。最后提出相关政策建议。     

Heritage tours and trails on foot in Hong Kong: towards a typology that crosses the tourist-local divide

Hong Kong's retrocession to Chinese sovereignty in 1997 initiated intense interest in cultural heritage on the part of divergently positioned actors, including activists, the state, and entrepreneurs. Heritage walking tours have proliferated, providing a wide range of examples suitable for comparison. This article develops a typology of heritage trails and tours in order to consider how they are situated in relation to the tourist economy and local context. Theoretically it builds on insights in new walking studies and debates in tourism and heritage studies on the ‘tourist-local divide.’ The article relies on qualitative research conducted in Hong Kong, including participant observation and interviews, and a review of various secondary sources. The typology distinguishes between government-generated, market-oriented, and community-based heritage walks. Three key issues are discussed: the ways that tours and trails develop, how they engage with official and unofficial heritage places, and how they reference urban issues including state-led urban renewal and redevelopment. The article argues that, while walking in general is a format that is suited to both tourist and local visitor engagement, some trails and tours reinforce dominant narratives of heritage and urban space, while others challenge them.