The Restructuring of Home and Sense of Home: Examining the Socio-Spatial Outcomes of Urban Redevelopment in Urban China Since 2000

Against the backdrop of intensified urban redevelopment with massive displacement across urban China in the early 2000s and a recent policy orientation toward micro-renewal without displacement, this proposed project aims to examine the socio-spatial outcomes of China’s urban redevelopment since 2000, as well as the impact of urban renewal on community experiences. We first employ 2000 and 2010 census data to examine the patterns of gentrification in urban neighborhoods. Then, we conduct survey and ethnographic research in eight neighborhoods to further explore how urban renewal affects local residents’ lived experiences, in particular their place attachment and social relations

An Analysis of Residents’ Social Profiles Influencing Their Participation in Community Micro-Regeneration Projects in China: A Case Study of Yongtai Community, Guangzhou

Urban regeneration has become one of the most effective ways to develop urban areas that have declined. Compared with other types of urban regeneration, community micro-regeneration is characterised by scattered stakeholders. Existing studies on public participation in community micro-regeneration mainly focus on revealing the interaction between different stakeholders with less attention to the main users’ social profiles in their participation process. This paper explores residents’ social profiles influencing their participation in community micro-regeneration projects in China. An evaluation framework for residents’ participation in community micro-regeneration projects is designed through literature research, the Delphi technique, and an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) based on the case study of Yongtai community, Guangzhou. Relative residents’ social profiles with the data from the questionnaire and literature research are further verified by stepwise linear regression. The results show that residents’ participation is still in the stage of tokenism with high-level passive information receipt but low-level enthusiasm for interactive activities. The older (i.e., 65-years of age and above) and middle-income groups (i.e., between 3000 and 14,999 CNY/Month) are positively associated with their participation in the Yongtai community micro-regeneration project. These findings can provide references for managers to distribute social resources

The 2011 Survey on Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy (HDP) in China:Prevalence, Risk Factors, Complications, Pregnancy and Perinatal Outcomes

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) are a group of medical complications in pregnancy and also a risk factor for severe pregnancy outcomes, but it lacks a large-scale epidemiological investigation in recent years. This survey represents a multicenter cross-sectional retrospective study to estimate the prevalence and analyze the risk factors for HDP among the pregnant women who had referred for delivery between January 1st 2011 and December 31st 2011 in China Mainland. A total of 112,386 pregnant women were investigated from 38 secondary and tertiary specialized or general hospitals randomly selected across the country, of which 5,869 had HDP, accounting for 5.22% of all pregnancies. There were significant differences in the prevalence of HDP between geographical regions, in which the North China showed the highest (7.44%) and Central China showed the lowest (1.23%). Of six subtypes of HDP, severe preeclampsia accounted for 39.96%, gestational hypertension for 31.40%, mild preeclampsia for 15.13%, chronic hypertension in pregnancy for 6.00%, preeclampsia superimposed on chronic hypertension for 3.68% and eclampsia for 0.89%. A number of risk factors for HDP were identified, including twin pregnancy, age of >35 years, overweight and obesity, primipara, history of hypertension as well as family history of hypertension and diabetes. The prevalence of pre-term birth, placental abruption and postpartum hemorrhage were significantly higher in women with HDP than those without HDP. The possible risk factors confirmed in this study may be useful for the development of early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of HDP

Spatial and Seasonal Patterns of Nutrients and Heavy Metals in Twenty-Seven Rivers Draining into the South China Sea

Due to the acceleration of industrialization and urbanization in recent decades, the majority of coastal rivers and estuaries in China have been moderately or severely contaminated by a variety of pollutants. We investigated the spatial and seasonal variations of water nutrients (permanganate index, chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, ammonium, nitrate, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus) and heavy metals (Hg, Pb, Cu, Zn, Se, As, Cd, Cr, Fe, and Mn) in 27 subtropical rivers draining into the South China Sea. Our results indicated that the average concentrations of all water quality parameters except ammonium, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus satisfied the requirements for grade III of the surface water quality standard of China. The concentrations of both nutrients and heavy metals showed a strong spatial variation. Cluster analysis classified the 27 rivers into three spatial clusters corresponding to low, moderate, and high pollution levels. In terms of seasonal variation, the values of chemical oxygen demand and biochemical oxygen demand in wet seasons were significantly lower than those in dry seasons. Multivariate statistical analyses demonstrated that river nutrients might mainly originate from domestic, industrial, and agricultural wastewaters, while heavy metals likely came from industrial activities and natural weathering processes. The findings of this study suggest that for reducing the pollution of subtropical rivers draining into the South China Sea, further efforts should be made to control nitrogen and phosphorus export from catchments

Rail-Induced Social Changes in Central Guangzhou, China

The economic benefits of rail development are well researched, but the social effects of rail are largely understudied, especially in China. We analyze the association between educational attainment level and urban rail development using the 2000 and 2010 census data from Central Guangzhou, China, and a linear mixed-effects modeling approach. Our results indicate that the change in education level is greater in rail neighborhoods than in non-rail neighborhoods in the central area of Guangzhou, and that the rail/metro-induced effect on educational attainment level is evidenced. This research contributes to the existing literature by exploring a new method for this line of research and providing empirical evidence of social changes in a city that has experienced rapid economic growth and pioneered rail development in China, a developing country. The limitations and implications of the research are discussed

Rail-Induced Social Changes in Central Guangzhou, China

The economic benefits of rail development are well researched, but the social effects of rail are largely understudied, especially in China. We analyze the association between educational attainment level and urban rail development using the 2000 and 2010 census data from Central Guangzhou, China, and a linear mixed-effects modeling approach. Our results indicate that the change in education level is greater in rail neighborhoods than in non-rail neighborhoods in the central area of Guangzhou, and that the rail/metro-induced effect on educational attainment level is evidenced. This research contributes to the existing literature by exploring a new method for this line of research and providing empirical evidence of social changes in a city that has experienced rapid economic growth and pioneered rail development in China, a developing country. The limitations and implications of the research are discussed

Analysis of the Spatial Distribution Characteristics of Residences and Workplaces under the Influence of Metro Transportation in Metropolises from the Perspectives of Accessibility and Travelers’ Industries: The Case of Guangzhou

The spatial separation between residences and workplaces of citizens is a challenge encountered by many, causing urban problems like long-distance commutes, traffic congestion, and environmental pollution due to the heavy usage of cars. As a result of this phenomenon, metro transportation has become an increasingly important means of transportation in metropolises. To further understand the spatial separation issues, we analyzed the spatial distribution characteristics of areas under the influence of metro transportation in metropolises, and this could provide new approaches to this challenge. This research used Guangzhou city as a case study to investigate the spatial distribution characteristics of residences and workplaces from two perspectives: accessibility, and the type of the travelers’ industries. The analysis was mainly based on (1) passengers’ travel data provided by Guangzhou Metro Group Co., Ltd. (Guangzhou, China); (2) the resident population, based on the sixth national census in China; and (3) the employed population, based on the third economic census of China. Our research resulted in three key findings. First, the spatial separation of residences and workplaces was generally noticeable in Guangzhou but was less noticeable in the area with metro stations. Second, workplaces were concentrated in the central ring while residences were concentrated in the inner suburban ring in Guangzhou. Third, there was a relative concentration of workplaces in the same service industry and the workplaces of each service industry were concentrated in separate, respective areas in Guangzhou. On the basis of these findings, we provided suggestions for policymakers to develop specific and effective actions to mitigate the negative impacts of spatial separation

Analysis of the Spatial Distribution Characteristics of Residences and Workplaces under the Influence of Metro Transportation in Metropolises from the Perspectives of Accessibility and Travelers’ Industries: The Case of Guangzhou

The spatial separation between residences and workplaces of citizens is a challenge encountered by many, causing urban problems like long-distance commutes, traffic congestion, and environmental pollution due to the heavy usage of cars. As a result of this phenomenon, metro transportation has become an increasingly important means of transportation in metropolises. To further understand the spatial separation issues, we analyzed the spatial distribution characteristics of areas under the influence of metro transportation in metropolises, and this could provide new approaches to this challenge. This research used Guangzhou city as a case study to investigate the spatial distribution characteristics of residences and workplaces from two perspectives: accessibility, and the type of the travelers’ industries. The analysis was mainly based on (1) passengers’ travel data provided by Guangzhou Metro Group Co., Ltd. (Guangzhou, China); (2) the resident population, based on the sixth national census in China; and (3) the employed population, based on the third economic census of China. Our research resulted in three key findings. First, the spatial separation of residences and workplaces was generally noticeable in Guangzhou but was less noticeable in the area with metro stations. Second, workplaces were concentrated in the central ring while residences were concentrated in the inner suburban ring in Guangzhou. Third, there was a relative concentration of workplaces in the same service industry and the workplaces of each service industry were concentrated in separate, respective areas in Guangzhou. On the basis of these findings, we provided suggestions for policymakers to develop specific and effective actions to mitigate the negative impacts of spatial separation

Spatial and Seasonal Dynamics of Water Quality, Sediment Properties and Submerged Vegetation in a Eutrophic Lake after Ten Years of Ecological Restoration

Eutrophication has caused many serious environmental issues in lakes. Submerged vegetation, which plays a key role in maintaining the clear water state of shallow lakes, is strongly influenced by water quality and sediment properties. In this study, we seasonally investigated the water quality, sediment properties and submerged plant communities in 18 sites in Lake Honghu of China, an internationally important wetland under the Ramsar Convention. Results indicated that most of the water quality parameters and sediment properties showed no significant difference among the three site types (i.e., perennially vegetated, seasonally vegetated and unvegetated). However, the Secchi depth in perennially and seasonally vegetated sites was significantly higher that in unvegetated sites. By contrast, season had a strong effect on most of the water quality parameters and sediment properties (e.g., water chlorophyll-a concentration). For submerged vegetation, species richness and biomass showed significant spatial but not seasonal differences, with higher richness and biomass in perennially vegetated sites. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that the distribution of submerged plants was mainly determined by water NH4+ concentration and water depth. Our findings suggest that restoration of submerged vegetation in Chinese eutrophic lakes may be a feasible method for improving water environments and enhancing ecological functions