Population distribution has a huge influence on the development of port economic circle (PEC) in Ningbo. Residential satisfaction is one of key elements that determine housing location choice and, thus, the success of population distribution policy. To provide suggestions for the development of PEC, this study conducted a survey to investigate residential satisfaction and related factors in 11 port communities, which are located in the harbour area of Beilun, Zhenhai and Meishan in Ningbo. A total of 403 valid samples were collected through face-to-face interviews. The Likert scale was used to express satisfaction levels, with the highest level of 5 and the lowest level of 1. The survey data indicate that the mean value of residential satisfaction is 3.41, 3.40 and 3.49 in Beilun, Zhenhai and Meishan, respectively. Middle level residential satisfaction is noted in the port communities of Ningbo. A linear regression was performed to analyse the relationship between residential satisfaction and influence factors in terms of the demographic and socioeconomic features of the respondents and attributes of the house and neighbourhood. The results of the regression analysis show that household income, design of housing, type of community, population density and distance to the district commercial centre are the most influential factors of residential satisfaction. The findings suggest making regulations to enforce the design standards of new buildings. Moreover, measures to improve the accessibility and quality of public facilities and services in the communities should be encouraged to increase the attractiveness of neighbourhoods in the port area. Promoting land use with mixed commercial and residential functions is also suggested for the development of PEC.

This study investigated changes of individuals’ consumption behaviours during the COVID-19 pandemic and explored the driving determinants in consumption expenditure in Zhejiang China. Based on the 454 samples of survey data, which were collected in 2020 and 2021, it showed a reduction trend in consumption expenditure during the pandemic. Compared to the consumptions before the pandemic, money spent on housing, food, and beverage did not change too much. However, expenditures on wearing, recreation, and education reduced. Age, family size, and household income were significant to the expenditure changes. Online shopping became an important alternative way for residents during the pandemic and the trend is expected to continue even after the pandemic. Based on the findings, suggestions are summarized as two points. First, the young and single residents are the main group for recovering the consumption for wearing, recreation, education, and public transport. Meanwhile, to improve the satisfactions in online shopping, regulations should be issued by the government in improving the quality of goods and service.

The present paper highlights a quantitative method to maximize energy efficiency based on the minimum energy consumption and maximum quality of life from consumption behaviors. Quality of life is expressed by utility, which is a Constant Elasticity of Substitution (CES) function of demands for composite goods, car trips and public transport trips. Individual energy consumption is estimated by the demand of goods and we applied this method to Nagasaki to evaluate energy efficiency. Our results showed that 28,154 kcal of energy is needed to support the life of one individual per day in Nagasaki. Furthermore, we found that 76% of energy was used for composite goods and 24% was used for mobility goods. To achieve maximum energy efficiency, our results highlight that energy should be reduced by increasing the consumption of composite goods and public transport trips, while simultaneously decreasing the consumption of car trips. Compared to residents in urban and suburban areas, individuals in Central Business Districts (CBD) were found to have higher energy efficiency. Findings in Nagasaki suggest three policy implications: First, eco-energy consumption patterns should be encouraged to decrease energy use, while maintaining quality of life. Second, mixed land use is attributed to increased energy efficiency. Lastly, the energy efficiency of mobility could be improved though increasing the attraction of public transport.

Summary: To investigate the impact of traffic pricing policies on energy consumption, this study shows a microeconomic quantitative analysis scheme to simulate individual consumption behaviors from a microeconomic viewpoint. Energy consumption is estimated based on individual demand of non‐mobility goods and mobility goods under nine policy scenarios based on strategies of gasoline tax adding and mass transit fare reduction independently or combined. Results show that gasoline tax adding has strong effects on consumption behaviors. Energy consumption reduces mostly because of less consumption of non‐mobility goods and car trips. However, policy of mass transit fare reduction has limited impact on energy saving because consumption of non‐mobility goods and mass transit trips increases, but the number of car trips decline by only a small percentage. Comparing with single‐type policy, policies that combined gasoline tax adding and mass transit fare reduction show less energy consumption. Findings suggest that policies that increase cost of car trips, such as gasoline tax adding, are very helpful to reduce the consumption of non‐mobility goods and car trips, which contribute to less energy consumption. However, reducing cost of mass transit trips suggests limited effect on energy saving. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This paper examines the effect of transport policy on individual energy consumption by use of a microeconomic model. The energy consumption is estimated based on individual consumption behaviors explained by the demand of goods on the maximum utility (composite goods, car trips, and mass transit trips). We simulate the effect of a transport pricing policy on energy consumption in the Kumamoto metropolitan region. Five scenarios related to gasoline tax adding and mass transit fare reduction are set and simulated. Less energy consumption is found in the result of the higher gasoline tax adding scenario. A policy of mass transit fare reduction shows very limited effect on energy consumption reduction.