After decades of rapid development, economic level has undergone qualitative changes in both aggregate and structural terms in China. This paper introduces the concept of market access, which argues that there are externalities to the opening of high-speed railways (HSRs) and that the accessibility of cities without high-speed railways is similarly affected by the opening of high-speed railways in other cities and investigates the impact of the opening of high-speed railways on the market access of cities. By drawing on Herzog’s estimation framework, general equilibrium conditions for trade are estimated and a derived simplified model is used to determine a method for measuring cities’ ability to enter the market. A systematic study of the market access indicator methodology for assessing transport infrastructure improvements is conducted to examine the spatial and temporal evolution of high-speed rail construction in China, measure the changes in market access due to high-speed rail and conduct a characteristic factual analysis based on the results obtained. The paper finds that the average inter-city travel time in China fell by 2.27 hours, i.e., 15.67%, from 2015 to 2019, with the marginal contribution to the decline in travel time coming mainly from the opening of HSRs. Over the 10 years from 2010 to 2019, the logarithm of access to market capacity for Chinese cities increased by around 50%, with the construction of high-speed railways leading to a substantial increase in access to market capacity. Overall, this paper focuses on the scientific method of measurement to provide a better objective understanding of the impact and evolution of high-speed rail construction on the market access of cities in China.

To build climate-neutral, and at the same time sustainable and highly resilient cities, it is necessary to act on their infrastructures and activities that take place in them, which constitutes an operation that requires activating a long and pervasive planning process based on a highly integrated use of the intervention tools available to a municipality. Furthermore, it is necessary to have a specific tool which, in addition to structuring actions to counteract climate change, stimulates and coordinates this integration. A voluntary tool that has established itself in European cities committed to combating climate change is the Sustainable Energy and Climate Action Plan (SECAP), which, subsequently and as a complement to the Sustainable Energy Action Plan, was promoted by the European Union to contribute from below to policies to counter climate change. Currently, one or both instruments have been adopted by around 8,000 municipalities or groups of municipalities. Furthermore, in recent years another tool has been emerging, which is often developed to replace or complement the SECAP to increase the effectiveness of the Municipalities’ actions to combat climate change. This new tool, which has taken on different names, is referred to here as Climate Transition Strategy. The experience of the elaboration and the initial implementation of the Climate Transition Strategy of Brescia (Italian municipality of 200,000 inhabitants) is critically described, which was activated together with SECAP to achieve higher levels of mitigation and adaptation to climate change. In particular, the theoretical-methodological characteristics and the initial implementation of this strategy are described, comparing them with the performances required for the adoption of the SECAP and with the experiences that have been had with the latter tools. In this way, the performance of this new tool was compared with that of a consolidated and constantly evolving tool.

This paper, set against the backdrop of folk culture and rural landscapes in China’s western regions, delves into the pivotal role of territorial landscape aesthetics theory in the design of public spaces in new rural areas. It offers innovative ideas and methodologies for rural spatial planning and design. The concept of the “New Countryside” aims to enhance rural residents’ quality of life, propel rural modernization, and foster integrated urban-rural development. Employing the analytic network process (ANP), this study establishes an assessment framework for evaluating folk cultural rural landscapes, encompassing natural, social, and economic dimensions as indicators, and analyzes the weightings between influencing factors. The research findings underscore the significant impact of territorial landscape aesthetics on elevating rural landscapes. Building upon these findings, the paper presents recommendations for the design of public spaces in tourism-oriented rural areas of China’s western regions. These recommendations encompass preserving historical relics and traditional dwellings, integrating folk culture into public artistic designs and enhancing rural cultural heritage exhibitions that depict local customs, traditions, and accomplishments. These suggestions are aimed at enhancing the quality and appeal of rural landscapes, thereby fostering the development of local tourism. Through an in-depth exploration of the application of territorial landscape aesthetics, it is hoped that this study can offer valuable guidance and inspiration for the design of public spaces in tourism-focused rural areas of China’s western regions, while actively contributing to the preservation and promotion of folk culture.

The negative impacts of climate change are becoming increasingly clear and cities around the world are a driving force behind these problems, accounting for over 70% of all greenhouse gas emissions. In recognition of the need to act quickly, over 2300 jurisdictions, including 653 in Canada, have recently made climate emergency declarations (CEDs). Yet because most of these CEDs have only been made over the past few years, very little research has been completed focused on what cities are doing after making these decisions. Informed by a literature review on CEDs, urban governance, citizen engagement, communication and place branding strategies, we seek to advance understanding in this important area. To do so, we present a study that centered around two Decision Theatre workshops conducted with climate, energy and communication professionals (n=12) working for or with local governments in four Canadian cities that have declared CEDs. Workshops were transcribed and analyzed via thematic analysis to identify and understand a series of solutions and challenges facing cities. The top solutions recorded were creating targets/action plans, the importance of collaboration, and sharing information with communities. The top two challenges identified were the diversity of city staff and getting the message out. The study closes with a discussion of the broader implications of this work, including recommendations for cities and calls for future research in this critical area.

Urbanization in China is a complex process. The expansion of urbanization has pushed the government to tackle the long existed rural/urban divide by redeveloping urban villages. However, not many studies have focused on the relationship between urban redevelopment and urban governance in relation to specific policy elements, that is, how land use change and policy dynamics reinforce urban governance. By conducting a case study of urban redevelopment in Shenzhen, this article first evaluates the redevelopment background, theoretical perspectives on land use and the policy context of urban villages. Based on the analysis of the case, it was concluded that land use change has played a significant role in urban governance, in which the policy dynamics of urban villages in China are crucial to understanding the redevelopment process. Findings show that an integrated approach was adopted to redevelop the village, which combined both government and community forces. Furthermore, the forces of land use change and the policy dynamics manifested in a co-management process engaged by stakeholders, and eventually reinforced urban governance.