Introduction to Urban Ecological Planning

Author: Jiao Sheng et al.
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: The book is divided into 12 chapters. Based on an introduction to the origin, concepts, and theoretical foundations of urban ecological planning, as well as its two main methods, it primarily explores seven aspects: the identification methods of urban complex ecosystems, the assessment of urban ecological carrying capacity (ecological footprint), urban ecological functional zoning, the suitability analysis of urban expansion areas, ecological economic construction, ecological social construction, and urban green space system ecological planning. It discusses the main content and outcomes of urban ecological planning at each stage. Finally, it analyzes the complexity and complexity models of urban ecological planning and explores the research progress of complexity theory in urban ecological planning. This book is available for reference use by faculty and students of urban planning majors in universities, as well as relevant researchers.
[Preface] With the increasing severity of urban environmental problems, environmental protection has gained greater attention in urban planning. This means that the urban planning discipline, which is primarily material-oriented in China, must shift toward a more comprehensive approach. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) believes that urban environmental problems are mainly caused by three factors: urban planning, urban management, and environmental issues arising from urban development itself. As a macro-control planning measure targeting urban environmental problems, urban ecological planning represents a new stage in the development of urban planning and a key component of urban sustainable development, holding significant importance for the sustainable development of urban ecological and socio-economic composite systems. Urban ecological planning, guided by ecological theory, comprehensively plans the social, economic, technological, and ecological environments of cities to fully and effectively utilize various resource conditions, promote the benign cycle of urban ecosystems, ensure the sustainable and stable development of the economy and society, and create comfortable, beautiful, clean, and safe production and living environments for urban residents. Urban ecological planning is still in the exploratory stage both domestically and internationally, and its theoretical system and methods have yet to be finalized. This book is based on the authors' teaching experience in ecological planning and applied research in ecological planning. It is divided into 12 chapters. Chapter 1 analyzes major urban ecological issues domestically and internationally, the three stages of urban environmental sustainability, and the relationship between urban environmental issues and policies. It focuses on elaborating the purpose and significance of urban ecological planning research, as well as its origin, concepts, and development. Chapter 2 combines qualitative and quantitative approaches to study the disciplinary foundations of urban ecological planning, such as the main theories of urban ecology, human ecology, urban planning, and sustainable development theory, as well as their applications in urban ecological planning. It particularly provides an in-depth analysis of the mutual influence process between the two foundational disciplines of urban ecological planning—urban ecology and urban planning: the classical stage, the modern stage, and the postmodern stage. From a theoretical perspective, it further summarizes a new model of urban ecological planning guided by sustainable development and based on complexity theory, preliminarily establishing the methodology for urban ecological planning research. Chapter 3 primarily introduces the two main methods of urban ecological planning—the factor ecology method and the landscape ecology method—and their applications and practical steps in urban ecological planning. Chapters 4 to 10 introduce the main content and general procedures of urban ecological planning research. They primarily explore seven aspects: the identification methods of urban complex ecosystems, the assessment of urban ecological carrying capacity (ecological footprint), urban ecological functional zoning, the suitability analysis of urban expansion areas, ecological economic construction, ecological social construction, and urban green space system ecological planning. They discuss the main content and outcomes of urban ecological planning at each stage. Chapters 11 and 12 analyze the research progress of topics such as urban complexity, ecosystem complexity, and resource and environmental system complexity both domestically and internationally. They provide an in-depth analysis of the nonlinear and uncertain characteristics of urban ecosystems and explore the research progress of complexity theory in urban ecological planning. For example, they examine the application of urban complexity models (particularly several landscape ecology models) in spatial simulation of urban ecosystems and preliminarily explore the theoretical and practical applications of complexity (uncertainty) theory in urban ecological planning and ecological planning for small towns. The book strives to combine theory and practice, reflecting the research achievements of ecological planning. This book serves as a textbook for undergraduate and graduate students in environmental science, resource and environmental planning and management, urban planning, and related fields. It can also be used as a reference for researchers and technical personnel in environmental protection, natural resource management, urban planning, and management. The book is compiled by Jiao Sheng, Zeng Guangming, Cao Maru, and others. The authors of each chapter are as follows: Chapter 1 and Chapter 2, Jiao Sheng; Chapter 3, Jiao Sheng, Zeng Guangming, Cao Maru, and Zhou Jianfei; Chapter 4, He Jing, Jiang Xiaoyun, Wang Lingling, Jiao Sheng, Wei Chunyu, and Li Zhongwu; Chapter 5, Xiong Ying, Zhou Jianfei, Jiao Sheng, and Wei Chunyu; Chapter 6, Cao Xiaojuan, Jiao Sheng, Zhu Hua, Zeng Guangming, and Su Xiaokang; Chapter 7, Wang Lingling, Huang Danlian, Zhu Zhou, and Zeng Guangming; Chapter 8, Li Qian, Zeng Guangming, Cao Maru, and Zhang Pan Yue; Chapter 9, Jiao Sheng, Zhou Jianfei, Zeng Guangming, and Cao Maru; Chapter 10, Yang Fu, Jiao Sheng, Zeng Guangming, and Cao Maru; Chapter 11 and Chapter 12, Jiao Sheng, Zeng Guangming, and Cao Maru. Due to the authors' limited expertise, shortcomings and errors in the book are inevitable. We sincerely welcome criticism and corrections from relevant experts and readers.