In recent decades, urbanization around the world has become an unavoidable trend. However, rapid urbanization has brought about a number of “urban diseases” which have considerable influence on sustainable urbanization. In order to diagnose urban problems, this study introduces a new perspective for the evaluation of urbanization sustainability named “urban health examination (UHE)” based on the urban lifeform theory which treats a city as a human body system. Then, an evaluation index system of UHE incorporating eight dimensions is constructed by referring to the existing authoritative indicator systems globally. Furthermore, a deviation maximization method and obstacle analysis method are integrated to evaluate urban development level and diagnose the urban diseases. Finally, in order to verify the feasibility of the UHE methodological framework, an empirical study was conducted in Wuhan, Central China. The results show that (1) the main urban diseases suffered by Wuhan City in 2010–2019 include traffic congestion, waterlogging, unsafe production, insufficient technological power, and excessive urban development; (2) the evolution mechanism of urban diseases in Wuhan has been explored. This study proposes a methodological framework of UHE which can successfully diagnose urban diseases, so that local urban managers adopt tailored strategies to prevent urban diseases and further achieve sustainable urban development goals.

As the size and complexity of cities around the world increase, various types of urban problems are emerging. These problems are caused by multiple factors that have complex relationships with each other. Addressing a single cause blindly may result in additional problems, so it is crucial to understand how urban problems arise and how their causes interact. The study utilizes the Grey Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (Grey-DEMATEL), in conjunction with the Grey Interpretative Structural Model (Grey-ISM), to construct a hierarchical structure that examines the relationships between the causes of urban problems, thereby revealing the root causes and developmental mechanisms of urban problems. The Grey Matrix Cross-Reference Multiplication Applied to Classification (Grey-MICMAC) method was employed to clarify the influence and position of each cause. The Poor Parking Convenience (PPC) in Wuhan, China, is taken as a case study. The findings reveal the following: (1) the proposed method effectively identifies the key causes and processes of urban problems; (2) the insufficient management of roadside parking areas and impractical allocation of temporary parking spaces are the two main causes of PPC in Wuhan City. This method would be helpful to urban managers in discovering the causes of urban problems and formulating corresponding policies, to ultimately contribute towards healthy urban and sustainable development.

A shortage of skilled laborers has constrained the new development path called Construction 4.0, which is proposed to improve the construction industry with advanced technologies. It should be noted that the mismatch between labor skills and technological progress will harm the sustainable development of the construction sector. In China, a three-tier management structure consisting of contractors, labor subcontractors, and laborers is widespread in the labor market. Considering the relationship between laborers and construction firms, promoting construction labor professionalization depends on the cooperation of general contractors and labor subcontractors. Previous studies have focused on training techniques and methods, but have neglected to investigate whether stakeholders are willing to cooperate in training labor. Considering that the standard workforce is more likely to receive human resource investment, this paper aims to analyze the strategic choice of related stakeholders in cultivating the standard workforce. Since evolutionary game theory has proven to be an effective method to study the symbiotic evolution between stakeholders, this paper will apply it to develop an evolutionary game model and conduct analysis. Moreover, this research examines how government incentive policy affects the dynamic evolution process of cultivating a standard workforce. The results suggest that without government incentives, general contractors and labor subcontractors tend to choose a contingent workforce. When the government subsidy reaches a certain level, general contractors and labor subcontractors are willing to cooperate in cultivating a standard workforce. Additionally, it is worth noting that compensation for labor subcontractors is relatively more effective than that for general contractors in promoting construction labor professionalization. Furthermore, some suggestions and countermeasures are proposed to help to cultivate a standard workforce in China.

The utilization of solid waste as building materials (USB) represents a three-win solution that simultaneously deals with the security of solid waste, environmental pollution, and scarcity of raw building materials. This study adopts a mixed content analysis, reviewing 258 USB policies (USBPs) issued between 1973 and 2022. A three-dimensional analytical framework that combines static and dynamic analyses was constructed including policy instruments, policy content, policy objectives, and time. The findings revealed both achievements and key barriers to USBPs. Over the past 50 years, cooperation among Chinese government departments and policy coordination has been increasing, and the revision of policy content and policy instruments has become more diversified and detailed. However, barriers such as an imperfect policy system and content, an irrational combination of policy instruments, and low implementation and sustainability of policies remain. In response, major recommendations for optimizing the existing USBPs in China were proposed in this paper, including improving the USB policy system and content, and optimizing the combination of policy instruments. Moreover, these findings can serve as a significant reference for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers to direct future practices of the building material industry in effectively contributing to solid waste management and sustainable development.

The rapid pace of urbanization has led to severe urban problems, with urban renewal emerging as an effective strategy to mitigate them. The City Betterment and Ecological Restoration (CBER) pilot scheme was an experimental policy aimed at urban renewal. Based on an optimized propensity score matching difference-in-differences model, the impact of the CBER pilot scheme on urban disease was examined. The results were threefold. (1) The CBER pilot scheme significantly alleviated urban disease in pilot cities. (2) The impact of the CBER pilot scheme was more pronounced in eastern and central regions of China, as well as in cities with high economic development, robust government capacity and abundant human resource. (3) Industrial structure optimization, infrastructure development and consumption upgrading were all effective pathways for mitigating urban disease through urban renewal. The findings offer valuable insights for other countries and regions to address urban problems and advance urbanization.

Recently, rapid urbanization around the world has spawned several urban problems. Although a large amount of experience has been accumulated throughout the process of global urban problem governance, the knowledge has not been optimally utilized. Furthermore, there is a dearth of mechanisms with which to distill and employ past experiences in addressing emerging urban problems. Consequently, in this study, based on the CBR method, we establish a mechanism called the Solution-Extracted System of Urban Problem Governance (SESUPG), aiming to find solutions to the diverse array of existing urban problems from previous experience. The main steps for obtaining a suitable solution for a specific urban problem in a target city through the SESUPG are as follows: (1) Calculate the similarity to retrieve the most similar cities. (2) Extract the possible solution through similar cities. (3) Case–solution modification before solution adoption. To verify the effectiveness of the proposed mechanism, the air pollution problem in Wuhan, China, was tested to verify the effectiveness of the SESUPG as a case study. As a result, four policy recommendations were extracted by the SESUPG, and all of them proved to be effective in mitigating air pollution problems in Wuhan. The system proposed in this study can aid decision makers in the selection of strategies and solutions when addressing urbanization issues and guiding the process of mining effective experience for the promotion of urban governance levels.