Exploring the Potential Application of Brownfield Redevelopment in Dalian, China, Based on Municipal Experiences in Ontario, Canada

This study explores the potential of applying Canadian experiences of brownfield redevelopment to Chinese practices by investigating three cases: City of Kitchener, City of Hamilton and City of Dalian. Data collection methods in this research contain interviews, on-site observations and document collection and review. Both Kitchener and Hamilton have achieved considerable success in redeveloping brownfields largely due to government’s persistent commitment, various financial incentives through CIP, effective marketing efforts, and good public-private partnerships. These factors are regarded as successful municipal experiences based on the assumption that all municipal programs/approaches should be considered “successful” if the redevelopment occurs as opposed to the no-action alternative. Brownfields in Dalian are being formed, purchased and redeveloped in a different way from their Canadian counterparts. Dalian confronts different challenges such as high environmental risks and lacking detailed historic site information and community support. After comparing Canadian and Chinese practices, the study concludes that the successful municipal experiences of Kitchener and Hamilton are meaningful references to Dalian’s practice. Especially, public-private partnerships, marketing of brownfield programs and brownfield coordinators can help Dalian to create community support, improve the regulatory environment, and reshape the City’s public image. The SSRA approach used in Canada to develop appropriate clean-up criteria for a brownfield site may also be a useful technique for Dalian. Nevertheless, upper levels of Chinese government must take hard efforts in rule-making, regulating and planning in order to maintain economic growth while at the same time ensuring public safety/health in brownfield redevelopment. In addition, the researcher raises several constructive suggestions to China’s brownfield practice based on key findings from the field research

The role of industrial clusters in local economic and social development: the case of tourism cluster in Guilin, China

Since the 1990s, Guilin's tourism had made great progress during this period. However, the rapid development of tourism had put a significant impact on local industrial development, social and ecological environment. This had both positive effects such as generating huge economic benefits and promoting industrial upgrading and optimization, and negative impacts such as destroying the local ecological environment. How to further promote the sustainable development of tourism in Guilin, and reduce these negative effects while improving the competitiveness of Guilin's tourism? This study focused on the following issues: How did the Guilin's tourism industry cluster evolve and what were the development stages? What were the positive social and economic benefits brought by the tourism industry cluster, and what were the negative impacts brought to the region? How to promote the development of Guilin's tourism industry cluster to solve the current contradiction between human and land relations? Under the framework of life cycle theory, diamond model, this study divided the evolution stage of Guilin's tourism industry cluster, and analyzed the influencing factors and stakeholders of each stage development. The purpose was to find a sustainable development path to promote the healthy and rapid development of local tourism economic, social and ecological benefits. The study found that the Guilin's tourism industry cluster experienced a process from government initiation to multiple stakeholder drive. The interest orientation shifted from political interests to economic interests, and then from economic interests to the combination of economic interests, social interests and environmental interests. The experience of Guilin's tourism development could be summarized as follows: The government coordinated various resources, attached importance to human-land relations, strengthened the construction of various tourism systems, and launched innovative tourism products.Desde a década de 1990, a indústria do turismo de Guilin se desenvolveu rapidamente. No entanto, com o rápido desenvolvimento do turismo, o aumento de turistas e atividades turísticas exerceu um impacto tão significativo no desenvolvimento industrial local, no ambiente social e no ambiente ecológico, que não apenas gerará enormes benefícios econômicos e promoverá a modernização e otimização industrial, por um lado , mas também danificam o ambiente ecológico local e destroem a simplicidade local e os costumes populares. É urgente refletir sobre como promover ainda mais o desenvolvimento sustentável do turismo em Guilin através da construção do cluster da indústria do turismo de Guilin e reduzir ou até eliminar esses efeitos negativos, melhorando a competitividade do turismo de Guilin. Este estudo se concentra nas seguintes perguntas: Como o cluster da indústria do turismo de Guilin evolui e em quais estágios de desenvolvimento ele passou? Quais são os benefícios sociais e econômicos trazidos pelo cluster da indústria do turismo em Guilin e quais são os impactos negativos trazidos para a região? Como promover o desenvolvimento do cluster da indústria do turismo para resolver a atual contradição entre humanos e terra, com um aumento contínuo da capacidade de carga da indústria do turismo de Guilin? Sob a estrutura da teoria do ciclo de vida, modelo de diamante e modelo 3P, este estudo divide o estágio de evolução do cluster da indústria de turismo de Guilin, analisa os fatores que influenciam o desenvolvimento de cada estágio e conduz análises aprofundadas das partes interessadas em cada estágio de desenvolvimento. O estudo constatou que o cluster do setor de turismo de Guilin passou por um processo desde a iniciação do governo até a movimentação de várias partes interessadas. A orientação do interesse mudou de interesses políticos para interesses econômicos e, em seguida, de interesses econômicos para a combinação de interesses econômicos, sociais e ambientais. A experiência do desenvolvimento do turismo de Guilin pode ser resumida da seguinte forma: o governo coordena vários recursos, atribui importância às relações terra-homem, fortalece a construção de vários sistemas turísticos e lança produtos turísticos inovadores

The value of multi-functional urban agriculture in creating sustainable cities

PhD ThesisChina's cities continue to expand rapidly and under severe challenge of sustainable urban development. The Chinese Government has decided to bring agriculture back into the city in a state-controlled way and to re-educate urban residents to enjoy agriculture activities in urban areas. This research explores the Chinese Government’s approach to new urban agriculture in China. It seeks to better understand and evaluate the impacts of multifunctional urban agriculture on sustainable urban development. The work is set within the context of China’s extremely rapid urbanization and concerns about pollution, poor lifestyles and an over-emphasis on manufacturing as the economic driver of growth. This thesis has presented a first attempt to redefine the term ‘urban’ in relation to urban agriculture, extending it to the urban core areas, desakota areas and exurban areas. In this way it suggests a new typology of urban agriculture in China, with a potentially broader range of objectives and possibilities that might normally be associated with the subject or practice. Taking Beijing as the case study city, this study selects 3 of its 16 districts: Chaoyang, Changping and Miyun representing core, desakota and exurban areas. The specific projects in these three districts are totally different, and together they represent the three levels in the model of Chinese new urban agriculture. Each level of model is informed and supported by case study of practical projects. These are: Government fully-owned large projects, Government-supported privately run projects and Folk Custom Villages. Data was collected from direct observation, documentation, archive, physical survey, interviews and questionnaires. This thesis found that the “Chinese” urban agriculture model, through three different types of projects, aims to make people rethink the role of agriculture and see it not simply as something undertaken by others in a rural area, nor as something simply to provide food. Rather, it can be something which enhances the urban experience, improves the urban environment, offers leisure facilities, engages people in traditional culture and provides a diverse range of employment and livelihood activities. A well planned modern agricultural production is required to create an agricultural environment with reasonable spatial layout to reduce pollution and to create aesthetically pleasing and sustainable landscapes. It can help urban agriculture ii integrate into the city system in a more sustainable way by reconnecting urban life and rural culture. This model, therefore, sets urban agriculture in a central role within planned urbanization. In summary, this thesis suggests that this model could become an important strategy for land use planning, urbanization and the sustainable development of Chinese cities, indeed, all cities, in the future. This study will be of interest to those scholars who are seeking to explore the Chinese urban agriculture as an effective method for land use in sustainable urban development

Sustainable Integrated Clean Environment for Human & Nature

In this book, the articles published in the special issue of the journal Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050), entitled “Sustainable Integrated Clean Environment for Human & Nature” are re-printed. The objective of this book is to answer the following questions regarding technical, economic, and social approaches:1. What is the current state of the environment? Is it clean?2. How can we make our environment clean and suitable for humans as well as nature?3. How can we keep our environment clean through sustainable practices? The re-printed research articles and review papers aim to cover the subjects mentioned below: 1. COVID-19 and the sustainability of a clean environment for humans and nature: visions, challenges, and solutions2. Clean technologies and nature-based approaches, including environmental remediation and resource circulation3. Global sanitation, hygiene, and public health issues4. Economic approaches, including the development of economic models, life cycle assessment, and the circular economy5. Social awareness and effective education on human rights for procuring clean air and water Through including the latest studies in the above-mentioned fields, this book addresses the technicians, economists, social activists, and decision-makers who are concerned about clean environment concepts for sustainable development of the current and next-generation through respectful interactions between humans and nature