China’s New Urban Space Regulation Policies: A Study of Urban Development Boundary Delineations

Abstract

China's rapid urbanisation has led to ecological deterioration and reduced the land available for agricultural production. The purpose of this study is to develop an urban development boundary delineation (UDBD) model using the high-tech manufacturing area of Xinbei in the District of Changzhou as a case study, and by applying remote sensing, GIS, and other technologies. China's UDBD policies are reviewed, spatiotemporal changes since 1985 are documented, and future expansion is modelled to 2020. The simulated urban-growth patterns are analysed in relation to China's policies for farmland preservation, ecological redlines protection areas, and housing developments. The UDBD model developed in this study satisfies regional farmland and ecological space protection constraints, while being consistent with urban development strategies. This study provides theoretical references and technological support for the implementation of land management policies that will optimize land allocations for urban growth, agriculture, and ecological protection.

A New Perspective for Urban Development Boundary Delineation Based on the MCR Model and CA-Markov Model

“…The first is the method based on "positive" thinking, which mainly uses the model to directly simulate the spatiotemporal trend of urban growth. For example, Zhuzhou Zhuang et al (2017) developed a model by applying remote sensing, GIS, and other technologies to delineated UDB [21]. Xun Liang et al (2018) delineated UGB by CA-based FLUS model and morphological method [22].…”

Evolution of the Spatiotemporal Pattern of Urban Industrial Land Use Efficiency in China

“…To strengthen the supervision of urban industrial land use and promote the intensive and efficient use of urban industrial lands, the State Council promulgated the Notice on Promoting the Economical and Intensive Use of Lands in 2008, and the Ministry of Land and Resources promulgated the Provisions on the Economical and Intensive Use of Lands in 2015, which sets forth the provisions regarding industrial land use, including input/output evaluation, idle land disposal, underground space development, and standards for construction projects. In recent years, a series of new concepts, including Smart Growth [5,6], Multiple Intensive Land Use [7,8], Compact City [9], and Urban Boundary [10], have been developed to improve UILUE. Several provinces and municipalities of China have adopted various measures, such as reduction in urban construction lands in Shanghai, transformation of old towns, factories and villages in Guangdong, and "Double Improvement" (e.g., improve land use intensity and benefits) in Jiangsu, to improve UILUE.…”

Curbing Sprawl with Development-limiting Boundaries in Urban China: A Review of Literature

“…That is, urban development should be rigidly controlled to safeguard a region’s ecological security; UDBs should serve as a bottom line against urban expansion, so that necessary regional resources and ecological environment are maintained to support the maximum level of urbanization in a region (Lin et al 2017). Zhuang et al (2017, 8) cited an official definition of UDBs from the Measures for Formulating City Planning published by MUHRD (2016), which states UDBs are spatial boundaries “based on the determination of factors such as topography, natural ecology, environmental capacity and basic farmland” and “areas allowing and banning urban development construction can be established, permitting the largest possible boundaries for urban construction land use.”…”

“…Zheng et al 2018;Q. Zheng et al 2017;Zhuang et al 2017). Others introduced analyses of an urban area's carrying capacity, determined by the area's natural resource capacity, environmental assimilative capacity, ecosystem services capacity, and society supporting capacity, and used the resulting capacity assessment as an added layer to make adjustment to the UGBs (e.g., excluding areas of low carrying capacity from the UGB; see Jiang et al 2016).…”