The construction of ecological security pattern is one of the important ways to alleviate the contradiction between economic development and ecological protection, as well as the important contents of ecological civilization construction. How to scientifically construct the ecological security pattern of small-scale counties, and achieve sustainable economic development based on ecological environment protection, it has become an important proposition in regulating the ecological process effectively. Taking Fengxian County of China as an example, this paper selected the importance of ecosystem service functions and ecological sensitivity to evaluate the ecological importance and identify ecological sources. Furthermore, we constructed the ecological resistance surface by various landscape assignments and nighttime lighting modifications. Through a minimum cumulative resistance model, we obtained ecological corridors and finally constructed the ecological security pattern comprehensively combining with ecological resistance surface construction. Accordingly, we further clarified the specific control measures for ecological security barriers and regional functional zoning. This case study shows that the ecological security pattern is composed of ecological sources and corridors, where the former plays an important security role, and the latter ensures the continuity of ecological functions. In terms of the spatial layout, the ecological security barriers built based on ecological security pattern and regional zoning functions are away from the urban core development area. As for the spatial distribution, ecological sources of Fengxian County are mainly located in the central and southwestern areas, which is highly coincident with the main rivers and underground drinking water source area. Moreover, key corridors and main corridors with length of approximately 115.71 km and 26.22 km, respectively, formed ecological corridors of Fengxian County. They are concentrated in the western and southwestern regions of the county which is far away from the built-up areas with strong human disturbance. The results will provide scientific evidence for important ecological land protection and ecological space control at a small scale in underdeveloped and plain counties. In addition, it will enrich the theoretical framework and methodological system of ecological security pattern construction. To some extent, it also makes a reference for improving the regional ecological environment carrying capacities and optimizing the ecological spatial structure in such kinds of underdeveloped small-scale counties.

Wei Y. H. D., Lu Y. and Chen W. Globalizing regional development in Sunan, China: does Suzhou Industrial Park fit a neo-Marshallian district model?, Regional Studies. This paper analyses the transformation of Suzhou, known previously for its Sunan model of development into a globalizing foreign direct investment (FDI) and high-technology centre. It is argued that the key to the transformation has been the efforts of states in utilizing global capital, mainly through the development of the Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP). However, the nature of Suzhou Industrial Park is largely that of a satellite district, and its future is likely a satellite neo-Marshallian district. A third pathway of development is promoted by integrating globalizing regional development with domesticating globalization, and by moving beyond the divide of globalization and localization. Wei Y. H. D., Lu Y. et Chen W. La mondialisation de l'aménagement du territoire à Sunan en Chine: le parc industriel de Suzhou, est-ce qu'il correspond au modèle des districts du type Marshall?, Regional Studies. Cet article cherche à analyser la transformation de Suzhou, reconnu auparavant pour son développement en un centre d'IDE mondialisé à la pointe de la technologie par le modèle Sunan. On affirme que la clé de la transformation a été les tentatives des états pour utiliser le capital mondial, essentiellement à partir du développement du parc industriel de Suzhou. Toujours est-il que le caractère du parc est grosso modo celui d'un district satellite et il est probable qu'à l'avenir il sera un district satellite du type Marshall. On avance un troisième sentier de croissance qui intègre un aménagement du territoire mondialisé dans une mondialisation au niveau national, et qui va au-delà du clivage entre la mondialisation at la localisation. Mondialisation Investissement étranger District industriel Aménagement du territotoire Chine Wei Y. H. D., Lu Y. und Chen W. Globalisierung der Regionalentwicklung in Sunan (China): Entspricht der Suzhou Industrial Park dem Modell eines Neo-Marshallschen Distrikts?, Regional Studies. In diesem Beitrag wird die Verwandlung von Suzhou, das bisher für sein Sunan-Entwicklungsmodell bekannt war, in ein sich globalisierendes Zentrum für Direktinvestitionen und Hochtechnologie analysiert. Wir argumentieren, dass der Schlüssel für diese Verwandlung in den Bemühungen der Staaten zur Nutzung von globalem Kapital lag, insbesondere durch die Entwicklung des Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP). Allerdings weist der SIP weitgehend die Merkmale eines Satellitendistrikts auf und wird sich in Zukunft wahrscheinlich in einen Neo-Marshallschen Satellitendistrikt entwickeln. Wir treten für einen dritten Weg der Entwicklung ein, bei dem die sich globalisierende Regionalentwicklung in die einheimische Globalisierung integriert und die Trennung zwischen Globalisierung und Lokalisierung überwunden wird. Globalisierung Ausländische Investitionen Industriebezirk Regionalentwicklung China Wei Y. H. D., Lu Y. y Chen W. Desarrollo regional globalizado en Sunan, China: ¿Se ajusta Suzhou Industrial Park a un modelo de comarca neo-marshalliana?, Regional Studies. En este artículo analizamos la transformación de Suzhou, antes conocida por su modelo de desarrollo Sunan, en un centro globalizado de inversión directa extranjera (IDE) y de alta tecnología. Sostenemos que la clave para la transformación han sido los esfuerzos de los estados por utilizar el capital global, principalmente a través del desarrollo de Suzhou Industrial Park (SIP). Sin embargo, la naturaleza del SIP es en gran medida como una comarca satélite y su futuro es probablemente el de una comarca neo-marshalliana satélite. Fomentamos una tercera vía de desarrollo que integre un desarrollo regional globalizado con una globalización nacional y que traspase la división entre globalización y localización. Globalización Inversión extranjera Comarca industrial Desarrollo regional China

The Yangtze River Delta (YRD) has experienced rapid urbanization and dramatic economic development since 1978 and the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration (YRDUA) has been one of the three largest urban agglomerations in China. We present evidence of a significant urban heat island (UHI) effect on climate warming based on an analysis of the impacts of the urbanization rate, urban population, and land use changes on the warming rate of the daily average, minimal (nighttime) and maximal (daytime) air temperature in the YRDUA using 41 meteorological stations observation data. The effect of the UHI on climate warming shows a large spatial variability. The average warming rates of average air temperature of huge cities, megalopolises, large cities, medium-sized cities, and small cities are 0.483, 0.314 ± 0.030, 0.282 ± 0.042, 0.225 ± 0.044 and 0.179 ± 0.046 °C/decade during the period of 1957–2013, respectively. The average warming rates of huge cities and megalopolises are significantly higher than those of medium-sized cities and small cities, indicating that the UHI has a significant effect on climate warming (t-test, p < 0.05). Significantly positive correlations are found between the urbanization rate, population, built-up area and warming rate of average air temperature (p < 0.001). The average warming rate of average air temperature attributable to urbanization is 0.124 ± 0.074 °C/decade in the YRDUA. Urbanization has a measurable effect on the observed climate warming in the YRD aggravating the global climate warming.

The inequities in healthcare services between regions, urban and rural, age groups and diverse income groups have been growing rapidly in China. Equal access to basic medical and healthcare services has been recognized as “a basic right of the people” by Chinese government. Spatial accessibility to healthcare facilities has received huge attention in Chinese case studies but been less studied particularly at a county level due to limited availability of high-resolution spatial data. This study is focused on measuring spatial accessibility to healthcare facilities in Deqing County. The spatial inequity between the urban (town) and rural is assessed and three scenarios are designed and built to examine which scenario is instrumental for better reducing the spatial inequity. This study utilizes highway network data, Digital Elevation Model (DEM), location of hospitals and clinics, 2010 census data at the finest level – village committee, residential building footprint and building height. Areal weighting method is used to disaggregate population data from village committee level to residential building cell level. Least cost path analysis is applied to calculate the travel time from each building cell to its closest healthcare facility. Then an integral accessibility will be calculated through weighting the travel time to the closest facility between three levels. The spatial inequity in healthcare accessibility between the town and rural areas is examined based on the coverages of areas and populations. The same method is used to compare three scenarios aimed at reducing such spatial inequity – relocation of hospitals, updates of weighting values, and the combination of both. 50.03 % of residents can reach a county hospital within 15 min by driving, 95.77 % and 100 % within 30 and 60 min respectively. 55.14 % of residents can reach a town hospital within 5 min, 98.04 % and 100 % within 15 and 30 min respectively. 57.86 % of residential building areas can reach a village clinic within 5 min, 92.65 % and 99.22 % within 10 and 15 min. After weighting the travel time between the three-level facilities, 30.87 % of residents can reach a facility within 5 min, 80.46 %% and 99.88 % within 15 and 30 min respectively. The healthcare accessibility pattern of Deqing County has exhibited spatial inequity between the town and rural areas, with the best accessibility in the capital of the county and poorest in the West of the county. There is a high negative correlation between population ageing and healthcare accessibility. Allocation of more advanced medical and healthcare equipment and highly skillful doctors and nurses to village clinics will be an efficient means of reducing the spatial inequity and further consolidating the national medical security system. GIS (Geographical Information Systems) methods have proven successful method of providing quantitative evidence for policy analysis although the data sets and methods could be further improved.

In recent years, the impact of land-use systems on global climate change has become increasingly significant, and land-use change has become a hot issue of concern to academics, both within China and abroad. Urbanization, as an important socioeconomic factor, plays a vital role in promoting land-use transition, which also shows a significant spatial dependence on urbanization. This paper constructs a theoretical framework for the interaction relationship between urbanization and land-use transition, taking the Yangtze River Delta as an example, and measures the level of urbanization from the perspective of population urbanization, economic urbanization and social urbanization, while also evaluating the level of land-use morphologies from the perspective of dominant and recessive morphologies of land-use. We construct a PVAR model and coupled coordination model based on the calculated indexes for empirical analysis. The results show that the relationship between urbanization and land-use transition is not a simple linear relationship, but tends to be complex with the process of urbanization, and reasonable urbanization and land-use morphologies will promote further benign coupling in the system. By analyzing the interaction relationship between urbanization and land-use transition, this study enriches the study of land-use change and provides new pathways for thinking about how to promote high-quality urbanization.