Sustainable development (SD) has become a fundamental strategy to guide the world’s social and economic transformation. However, in the process of practice, there are still misinterpretations in regards to the theory of SD. Such misinterpretations are highlighted in the struggle between strong and weak sustainable development paths, and the confusion of the concept of intra-generational and inter-generational justice. In this paper, the literature survey method, induction method, and normative analysis were adopted to clarify the gradual evolution and improvement process of the concept and objective of SD, to strengthen the comprehensive understanding of the SD theory. Moreover, we also tried to bring in the situation and concepts of China. The results show that the theory of SD has gone through three periods: the embryonic period (before 1972), the molding period (1972–1987), and the developing period (1987–present). SD is gradually implemented into a global action from the initial fuzzy concept, including increasing practical wisdom. The goal of SD evolves from pursuing the single goal of sustainable use of natural resources to Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This paper argues that the theory of strong sustainability should be the accepted concept of SD. Culture, good governance, and life support systems are important factors in promoting SD.

The construction of a reasonable evaluation index system for low-carbon cities is an important part of China’s green development strategy in urban areas. In this study, based on the theoretical framework for the concept of low-carbon cities, the perspectives from three index systems—that is, the Drivers, Pressures, State, Impact, Response model of intervention (DPSIR), a complex ecosystem, and a carbon source/sink process—were integrated to extract common indicators from existing evaluation index systems for low-carbon cities. Subsequently, a standardized evaluation index system for low-carbon cities that contained five indicators—carbon emission, low carbon production, low carbon consumption, low-carbon policy, and social economic development—was established. Thereafter, Xiamen was selected for an empirical analysis by determining the indicator weight with an entropy weight method and by carrying out a comprehensive evaluation using a linear summation model. The results showed that the weights of the five selected primary indicators for the evaluation of low-carbon cities were: low-carbon production > low-carbon consumption > social economic development > carbon emission > low-carbon policy. Among the secondary indicators, the average entropy weight of “pollution emission” was the highest at 0.1591, while the average entropy weight of “urbanization rate” was the lowest at 0.0360. Furthermore, the comprehensive index of low-carbon development in 2015 was higher than that in 2010, while the rate of economic growth was greater than the growth rate of carbon emission, which indicated that the relative decoupling of economic growth from carbon emission was basically achieved.

Since the proposition of compact city theory, the sustainability of the compact city and whether it represents an appropriate orientation for urban development have been heatedly discussed. How urban compactness will affect resource utilization and environmental pollution is still unknown. By fully considering the core connotations of the compact city, a comprehensive evaluation indicator system was established to measure the compactness of 35 major cities in China in 2000 and 2010. The results showed the prevalence of urban sprawl. Multiple linear regression was employed to investigate the relationship between urban compactness and resource consumption and pollutant discharges in China. The results indicated that compact urban development can promote a more efficient utilization of urban resources with no obvious impact on the urban environment, especially in the reduction of pollutant emissions.

Pollutants discharged from irrational energy consumption pose a serious threat to urban ecological security. The Western Taiwan Straits Economic Zone is an important part of China’s coastal economy. With the rapid development of the economy in this area, the atmospheric environmental pollution problem, caused by energy consumption, has become increasingly serious. Therefore, the study of the environmental impact assessment of air pollution in the Western Taiwan Straits Economic Zone has reference value to prevent ecological risks. This paper constructed a regional-scale environmental impact assessment model that includes pollution sources, pollution stress, and evaluation results, and evaluated the environmental impact of SO₂, NO₂, CO, PM₁₀, and PM_2.5 from three perspectives: regional integration, different energy consumption sectors, and different cities. The results showed that the regional environmental impact level of the research area was high, and the main pollutants transformed from SO₂ to NO₂, PM₁₀, and PM_2.5 from 2008 to 2016. According to the results of different sectors, the transportation sector contributes the most to NO₂ and remains unchanged, and the industrial sector contributes the most to SO₂, PM₁₀, and PM_2.5. Combined with the research results of different cities, cities concentrated in the coastal areas contribute more pollution than other cities do.

Urban energy consumption is one of the most important causes of air pollution. Air pollution-oriented ecological risk assessment is of great significance to the promotion of urban environmental protection. This paper focuses on ecological risk in Xiamen city caused by air pollutant discharge from urban energy consumption. The Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning model was used to establish two scenarios of energy consumption in Xiamen city, and based on different scenarios, we estimated urban energy consumption and discharge quantity of air pollutant (DQAP). A box model and an expert scoring method were used to calculate the air pollution burden (APB) of SO₂, NO₂, CO, PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 and to obtain the probabilities of different air pollution loads. An ecological risk assessment model was developed and utilized to predict Xiamen city’s ecological risks in 2020. The results showed that under an energy-saving scenario, the ecological risks for PM_2.5, SO₂ and NO₂ are high, whereas the ecological risks for CO and PM₁₀ are low. Under a baseline scenario, the ecological risks for PM_2.5, SO₂ and NO₂ are moderate, whereas the ecological risks for CO and PM₁₀ are low. In addition, the APB of SO₂, NO₂, CO, and PM_2.5, but not of PM₁₀, is predicted to rise. In the simulation, energy generation from coal is the main source of air pollution. Although the DQAP from automobiles is not high, it is predicted to rise year-on-year. In summary, the ecological risk due to pollution in Xiamen city is high, and the main pollutants are SO₂, NO₂ and PM_2.5.

Since 1978, China has undergone an institutional reform, from a welfare-oriented housing allocation system to a market-oriented one. But with high housing prices, affordability is a major obstacle to home ownership for Chinese citizens. Now, the government has started to change the goal of housing policy from present economic benefits to sustainable housing, so future generations will have a decent place to live. Housing is an important indicator for social stratification, and home ownership, which is an important component of social sustainability in the Chinese context, is influenced by multiple factors that vary across countries. Although China has a long tradition of home ownership, there is a lack of comprehensive research on post-reform housing inequality. By undertaking a large-scale field study in the city of Xiamen, our research explored to what extent home ownership varies across socio-economic classes, and improves understanding of the reasons behind home ownership inequality. It was discovered that people have a variety of resources from which housing can be obtained, and that commercial housing served as the primary housing source, although, due to path dependence, public housing still comprises an important source of housing, as well as self-built houses. A structural equation model (SEM) was used to further explore the driving forces of home ownership inequality. The model indicated that hukou (household registration) status has the strongest effect on home ownership, followed by education, with family income and occupation as less important factors. Along with income and education, home ownership has a direct effect on people’s perception of their own socio-economic status (SES). A probability model of home ownership was developed, based on logistic regression. Local families with higher levels of income and education with at least one member working in a publicly owned organization had a higher probability of home ownership. Lastly, since 1999, housing reform in Xiamen has tended to increase social stratification, with negative economic and social consequences. Therefore, policies should pay more attention to the welfare of renters and integrating the migration process into urban planning.