Sustainable urban form for Chinese compact cities: Challenges of a rapid urbanized economy

Land saving in the process of rapid urbanization is critical to the long-term sustainability of China. Compact cities, characterized by relative high density, mixed land-use and pedestrian-oriented habitation, have been proposed as one solution for sustainable urban planning. However, given the fact that Chinese cities are characterized by high population densities, the applicability of a more compact solution to expanding cities in China remains questionable. Essential to the decision-making is a deeper understanding about the relationship between urban compactness and the sustainable performance of the cities. This study is proposed for a quantitative evaluation about the costs and benefits of cities’ compaction in Chinese context from environmental perspective, especially with respect to “facility availability, infrastructure efficiency, public transport, domestic energy and resources consumption and environmental externalities.” 45 core Chinese cities are selected for the detailed illustration.