Measuring the Evolution of Urban Resilience Based on the Exposure–Connectedness–Potential (ECP) Approach: A Case Study of Shenyang City, China

Spatial-Temporal Evolution and Driving Factors of the Coupling Coordination between Urbanization and Urban Resilience: A Case Study of the 167 Counties in Hebei Province

Urban resilience, as an important ability to deal with disasters in the process of urbanization, has been paid more and more attention as the result of the increasing risks that are caused by rapid urbanization. China is taking the county level as the basic unit to promote new-type urbanization and constructing resilient cities has become one of the development strategies. However, to achieve this strategy researchers need to analyze the interaction between county urbanization and urban resilience and its driving mechanism, which have been paid little attention. Therefore, this paper selected 167 counties in Hebei Province as the investigation subject. Based on the statistical data from 2010 to 2020, a comprehensive index system was developed to quantify the degree of coupling coordination between urbanization and urban resilience, and the spatial Durbin model was used to analyze the driving mechanism of it. The study shows that: Firstly, the urbanization level of counties rose year after year, with there being a geographical distribution that was "lower from southeast to northwest". The level of urban resilience increased year after year, showing a geographical distribution that was "higher from south to north" and a "core-edge" feature that was localized. Secondly, the coupling coordination degree increased steadily, and the overall level changed from a basic imbalance to a mild imbalance. In space, it is bounded by "Pingquan City-Pingshan County", which showed the distribution of "high in the east and low in the west, high in the center and low on the outskirts". Thirdly, the coupling coordination degree has spatial spillover effect. Government financial expenditure, innovation level, industrial upgrading level and urban shape index all influence the coupling coordination degree positively, with a successively decreasing impact, while the urban compactness has significant negative impacts. This study indicates that the regional differences exist in the coupling coordination degree, and the counties in different development stages need to adopt different strategies to promote the coordinated development of urbanized and resilient cities. Inter-regional support is also necessary in this process. Meanwhile, it is necessary for the government to govern various urban elements, especially in terms of their urban form.

Urban-Rural Fringe Long-Term Sequence Monitoring Based on a Comparative Study on DMSP-OLS and NPP-VIIRS Nighttime Light Data: A Case Study of Shenyang, China

Urban-rural fringes, as special zones where urban and rural areas meet, are the most sensitive areas in the urbanization process. The quantitative identification of urban-rural fringes is the basis for studying the social structure, landscape pattern, and development gradient of fringes, and is also a prerequisite for quantitative analyses of the ecological effects of urbanization. However, few studies have been conducted to compare the identification accuracy of The US Air Force Defence Meteorological Satellite Program's (DMSP) and the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) nighttime light data from the same year, subsequently enabling long time series monitoring of the urban-rural fringe. Therefore, in this study, taking Shenyang as an example, a K-means algorithm was used to delineate and compare the urban-rural fringe identification results of DMSP and VIIRS nighttime light data for 2013 and analyzed the changes between 2013 and 2020. The results of the study showed a high degree of overlap between the two types of data in 2013, with the overlap accounting for 75% of the VIIRS data identification results. Furthermore, the VIIRS identified more urban and rural details than the DMSP data. The area of the urban-rural fringe in Shenyang increased from 1872 km² to 2537 km², with the growth direction mainly concentrated in the southwest. This study helps to promote the study of urban-rural fringe identification from static identification to dynamic tracking, and from spatial identification to temporal identification. The research results can be applied to the comparative analysis of urban-rural differences and the study of the ecological and environmental effects of urbanization.

Socio-Economic Resilience of Poland’s Lignite Regions

The article is seeking to analyse the coal transition in three Polish lignite regions as part of the scientific discussion on a just transition, which is a big challenge, especially in the regions and countries dependent on their own coal deposits as the main source of energy. Polish lignite mines are now entering the phase-out of coal, which results from implementing the assumptions of the Green Deal and the Paris climate agreement. The article answers the following question: what is the socio-economic resilience of coal regions in the context of the projected closure of mines in the coming years? The empirical analyses are based on secondary statistical data. The analysis and comparison of basic statistical data, i.e., the level of employment and lignite extraction in three lignite regions in the period from the end of the Second World War to 2017, allowed the authors to determine the phases of the adaptive cycle in which the individual regions are. In the second part of the study, the indicator evaluation method was used in order to calculate the Socio-Economic Resilience Index for individual areas (poviats) included in the coal regions, which made it possible to assess the current resilience and its intra-regional differentiation. The obtained results, which indicate that the regions under analysis are in different phases of the adaptive cycle and reveal their territorial heterogeneity, allow us to assume that the possibilities of a just energy transition of regions depend on the diversity of local conditions and resources, emphasising at the same time the territorial dimension of the issue of the energy transition.

Analysis of Urban Resilience in Water Network Cities Based on Scale-Density-Morphology-Function (SDMF) Framework: A Case Study of Nanchang City, China

In the face of increasing disturbance factors, resilience has become an important criterion for measuring the sustainable development of cities. Quantitatively describing the development process of urban resilience and identifying key areas and important dimensions of urban resilience are of scientific significance for understanding the evolutionary law of urban resilience, guiding regional risk prevention, and building an environment for urban resilience development. For this study, taking Nanchang City as a case study and dividing the natural water network groups, the resilience index system was constructed from scale, density, morphology, and function by drawing on the theory of landscape ecology on the basis of considering the internal relationship between urban development attributes and disturbance factors. On this basis, the study focuses on the evolution process and development differences of resilience in various dimensions from the water network groups and quantitatively describes the coordinated development status and adaptive phase characteristics of urban resilience. This study not only enriches the research scale and perspective of urban resilience but also provides specific spatial guidance for formulating resilient urban planning and promoting sustainable urban development.

Comprehensive Resilience Assessment of Complex Urban Public Spaces: A Perspective of Promoting Sustainability

Complex urban systems, such as multi-floor rail transit stations and integrated railway transport hubs, are termed “complex urban public spaces” (CUPSs). These CUPSs facilitate people’s lives, but, at the same time, are threatened by various risks due to their multi-floor structure, dense crowds, high correlation in multi-function, complex facilities, and space openness. The risk events of CUPSs could have a negative influence on public safety and further influence sustainable development. Increasing the resilience of CUPSs is an effective way to respond to risks and guarantee public safety. Therefore, it is necessary to first assess the resilience of CUPSs. In this paper, a six-level comprehensive resilience indicator system was established based on aspects of the essence of resilience. Used in combination with the methods of resilience impact score and fuzzy analytical hierarchy process, the resilience value could be calculated. The Shenzhen North Railway Station (SZ) and the Guangzhou South Railway Station (GZ) were used to validate the proposed methodology. The established resilience indicator system was shown to be comprehensive and innovative, and, regarding practicality, the proposed assessment methodology is convenient to use. This research can help policymakers to assess the resilience of CUPSs and develop relevant policies to improve the resilience of buildings, which can further enhance urban sustainability.