Journal of the American Planning Association, 2022
Planners need to read plans to learn and adapt current practice. Planners may struggle to find ti... more Planners need to read plans to learn and adapt current practice. Planners may struggle to find time to read and study lengthy planning documents, especially in emerging areas such as climate change and urban resilience. Recently, natural language processing (NLP) has shown promise in processing big textual data. We asked whether planners could use NLP techniques to more efficiently extract useful and reliable information from planning documents. By analyzing 78 resili- ence plans from the 100 Resilient Cities Network, we found that results generated from topic modeling, which is an NLP technique, coincided to a large extent (80%) with those from the conventional content analysis approach. Topic modeling was generally effective and efficient in extracting the main information of plans, whereas the content analysis approach could find more in-depth details but at the expense of considerable time and effort. We further propose a transferrable model for cutting-edge planners to more efficiently read and study a large collection of plans using machine learning. Our methodology has limitations: Both topic modeling and content analysis can be subject to human bias and generate unreliable results; NLP text processing techniques may create inaccurate results due to their specific method limitations; and the transferable approach can be only applied to big textual data where there are enough sufficiently long documents.
Resilience has increasingly become the principal management priority and planning goal for cities... more Resilience has increasingly become the principal management priority and planning goal for cities, especially for climate change adaptation. Yet few studies have evaluated whether and how well resilience are integrated into climate change adaptation planning. In this study, we first conceptualized resilience as five key elements (i.e., system, collaboration, uncertainty, coping capacity, and adaptive capacity) and developed a coding protocol based on these key elements. We then used it to evaluate a sample of 50 climate change plans in the United States (US) that has a major adaptation component. We found that the concept of resilience has not been adequately embedded in US climate change plans and that the predominant notions of resilience has limited influence on how well plans integrate resilience. We also found that standalone adaptation plans outperform hybrid plans in addressing uncertainty and fostering systems thinking. Ultimately, major barriers exist in translating the concept of resilience into climate change planning practice. We further offer implications for cities to more effectively plan for climate resilience.
A method is developed to evaluate the urban heat resilience. • Not all the factors that affect la... more A method is developed to evaluate the urban heat resilience. • Not all the factors that affect land surface temperature would significantly influence heat resilience. • Both 2D and 3D built environment factors have significant impacts on urban heat resilience. • Urban porosity and vegetation both deserve policy considerations to adapt to extreme heat.
Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 2020
As a global city, Hong Kong directly connects more than 120 cities worldwide and transfers nearly... more As a global city, Hong Kong directly connects more than 120 cities worldwide and transfers nearly 20 million passengers each year. The current COVID-19 pandemic has put the major transport hub in Asia under severe threat of potential imported cases. This Featured Graphic visualizes inbound confirmed COVID-19 cases to Hong Kong globally from January to June 2020, which could greatly help to assess risks from imported cases and improve air transport control policy for mitigating the global spread of COVID-19.
The relationship between urban form and building energy use has received increasing attention in ... more The relationship between urban form and building energy use has received increasing attention in recent literature. However, findings from existing studies are diverse and sometimes contradictory, and this issue has not been extensively discussed in previous reviews. This paper provides a systematic review of studies on the relationship between urban form and building energy use based on the proposed classification framework. The classification framework categorizes existing studies by their measure definitions, mechanism assumptions, and methodologies. Aside from these conceptual differences, the differences in site contexts of the selected cases are also reviewed. On the basis of the review results, this paper summarizes the consideration of mechanisms by pathway maps and provides an updated understanding of the three main debates in this field. These debates concern the magnitude of influence, impact of densification, and preference of typology. This review also reveals many challenges in this field, including the limited measures of urban form and building energy use, lack of understanding of pathway contributions, and uncertainty and validity issues of tools and models. In addition, future research directions are provided to inform urban planning and policy making decisions for sustainable urban development.
As a global city, Hong Kong directly connects more than 120 cities worldwide and transfers nearly... more As a global city, Hong Kong directly connects more than 120 cities worldwide and transfers nearly 20 million passengers each year. The current COVID-19 pandemic has put the major transport hub in Asia under severe threat of potential imported cases. This Featured Graphic visualizes inbound confirmed COVID-19 cases to Hong Kong globally from January to June 2020, which could greatly help to assess risks from imported cases and improve air transport control policy for mitigating the global spread of COVID-19.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , 2020
With the unprecedented urbanization during the past three decades, air quality in many Chinese ci... more With the unprecedented urbanization during the past three decades, air quality in many Chinese cities has been a serious issue which poses great challenges for urban sustainability. This study examines the health consequences of development patterns in China by establishing the linkage between urban form, air pollution level, and cardiorespiratory mortality rate. We assembled a dataset by compiling a series of variables from multiple sources, including China's Disease Surveillance Points (DSP) system, which forms a nationally representative sample of mortality for the year 2005, Chinese census, satellite imagery, and the Chinese National Land Use Database. After controlling for local climate, demography, socioeconomics, and other pollution factors, this study finds that urban form elements (e.g., urban density, fragmentation level, forest/green space ratio) have significant influences on PM 2.5 (atmospheric particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers) concentration, thus influencing the incidence of cardiorespiratory mortality at the county level. These results may help explain how the type and pattern of development shape public health by influencing air quality and form an evidence-based land use policy to improve environmental quality and public health.
Understanding the spatial pattern of energy consumption within buildings is essential to urban en... more Understanding the spatial pattern of energy consumption within buildings is essential to urban energy planning and management. This study explores the spatial complexity of residential energy usage intensity, with a focus on urban form and geomorphometry attributes. Using spatial regression models, we find that while vegetation and isolation have more local impact on energy intensity, urban porosity and roughness length have consistent spillover effects on building electricity usage intensity in Chicago. In addition, these relationships are seasonally varied. The results highlight the importance of spatially explicit policies and clear urban design and form frameworks for improving urban energy efficiency.
China’s Urbanization and Socioeconomic Impact, 2018
The unprecedented infrastructure development in China has created huge opportunities for urban la... more The unprecedented infrastructure development in China has created huge opportunities for urban land development and economic activity. Recently, China has accelerated the construction of urban public infrastructure by investing as much as seven trillion Yuan ($1.03 trillion) during its 12th Five-Year Plan from 2011 to 2015. In this chapter, we provide empirical evidence on how different levels of infrastructure provision influence urbanization in China. By using a cross-sectional dataset from 650 Chinese cities, we examine the effects of infrastructure related determinants on urban expansion rates and urban land price. Additionally, we use the hedonic price model to explore the relationship between urban intra-infrastructure development and housing prices in the city of Shenzhen. The results indicate both intra- and inter-city infrastructure developments, including streets within cities, and inter-city express highways and railways connecting cities, have positive impacts on urban expansion. However, much of the convenience provided for intra- and inter-city commuters by streets, public transit and railways has not been capitalized into land price. In general, the findings clearly show that infrastructure has important effects on urban expansion rates, land prices, and subsequently, housing price. Finally, we examine whether recent infrastructure developments could help Chinese cities grow toward a sustainable future, and further discuss the challenges and critical issues associated with the current practice of infrastructure development in China.
Comprehensive Geographic Information Systems, 2018
There has been a relative lack of attention in geographic information system (GIS) applications f... more There has been a relative lack of attention in geographic information system (GIS) applications for urban energy analysis. This article provides a holistic overview of existing studies, potential GIS-integrated tools and models that deal with urban energy analysis. A wide range of GIS applications for renewable energy and energy consumption modeling that are associated with urban energy systems are covered. Three important categories of models/tools for urban energy analysis are identified and analyzed, including (1) renewable energy potential analysis tools; (2) urban building energy consumption/microclimate tools and models; and (3) energy consumption/emission assessment tools and models. This article suggests that GIS and GIS-integrated models/tools have great potential to better inform urban energy planning and policy-making.
While urban form affects building energy consumption, the pathways, direction and magnitude of th... more While urban form affects building energy consumption, the pathways, direction and magnitude of the effect are disputed in the literature. This paper uses a unique dataset to examine the effect of urban form on residential electricity consumption in Ningbo, China. Using survey and utility bill data of 534 households in 46 neighborhoods in the city, we model the electricity use of households using a multi-level regression model. We find that neighborhood street configuration and tree shade are important in controlling residential electricity consumption and, consequently, greenhouse gas emissions. Our results suggest that seasonality and dwelling type condition the effect of neighborhood densities on electricity consumption. Neighborhood density is associated with household electricity consumption in summer months, while there is no such association in winter months. As neighborhood density increases, households in slab and tower apartments in dense urban neighborhoods consume more electricity in summer months, which can be partly explained by exacerbated heat island effect. Interestingly, the neighborhood density is negatively associated with summer electricity consumption for single-family houses, suggesting that the effect of neighborhood density is different for different types of dwelling units.
This article examines local recovery plans that were created in response to the Wenchuan earthqua... more This article examines local recovery plans that were created in response to the Wenchuan earthquake and then suggests ways that planners can better apply the concept of sustainability to the recovery process. We utilize a plan evaluation protocol to analyze 16 recovery plans in counties and towns that were severely affected by the earthquake. We also conducted semi-structured interviews with public officials and planners, with the qualitative data gleaned from these interviews being used to supplement the plan quality assessment. The results reveal that local recovery plans do not appear to have incorporated sufficiently the concepts of sustainability. We conclude the paper with the following recommendations: emphasizing sustainability as a policy priority during vision and goal development; developing solid databases and planning techniques; designing a diversified set of regulatory-and incentive-based policy tools suitable for local governments; enhancing social and institutional learning; and further integrating multi-level and interagency governmental units.
Journal of the American Planning Association, 2022
Planners need to read plans to learn and adapt current practice. Planners may struggle to find ti... more Planners need to read plans to learn and adapt current practice. Planners may struggle to find time to read and study lengthy planning documents, especially in emerging areas such as climate change and urban resilience. Recently, natural language processing (NLP) has shown promise in processing big textual data. We asked whether planners could use NLP techniques to more efficiently extract useful and reliable information from planning documents. By analyzing 78 resili- ence plans from the 100 Resilient Cities Network, we found that results generated from topic modeling, which is an NLP technique, coincided to a large extent (80%) with those from the conventional content analysis approach. Topic modeling was generally effective and efficient in extracting the main information of plans, whereas the content analysis approach could find more in-depth details but at the expense of considerable time and effort. We further propose a transferrable model for cutting-edge planners to more efficiently read and study a large collection of plans using machine learning. Our methodology has limitations: Both topic modeling and content analysis can be subject to human bias and generate unreliable results; NLP text processing techniques may create inaccurate results due to their specific method limitations; and the transferable approach can be only applied to big textual data where there are enough sufficiently long documents.
Resilience has increasingly become the principal management priority and planning goal for cities... more Resilience has increasingly become the principal management priority and planning goal for cities, especially for climate change adaptation. Yet few studies have evaluated whether and how well resilience are integrated into climate change adaptation planning. In this study, we first conceptualized resilience as five key elements (i.e., system, collaboration, uncertainty, coping capacity, and adaptive capacity) and developed a coding protocol based on these key elements. We then used it to evaluate a sample of 50 climate change plans in the United States (US) that has a major adaptation component. We found that the concept of resilience has not been adequately embedded in US climate change plans and that the predominant notions of resilience has limited influence on how well plans integrate resilience. We also found that standalone adaptation plans outperform hybrid plans in addressing uncertainty and fostering systems thinking. Ultimately, major barriers exist in translating the concept of resilience into climate change planning practice. We further offer implications for cities to more effectively plan for climate resilience.
A method is developed to evaluate the urban heat resilience. • Not all the factors that affect la... more A method is developed to evaluate the urban heat resilience. • Not all the factors that affect land surface temperature would significantly influence heat resilience. • Both 2D and 3D built environment factors have significant impacts on urban heat resilience. • Urban porosity and vegetation both deserve policy considerations to adapt to extreme heat.
Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space, 2020
As a global city, Hong Kong directly connects more than 120 cities worldwide and transfers nearly... more As a global city, Hong Kong directly connects more than 120 cities worldwide and transfers nearly 20 million passengers each year. The current COVID-19 pandemic has put the major transport hub in Asia under severe threat of potential imported cases. This Featured Graphic visualizes inbound confirmed COVID-19 cases to Hong Kong globally from January to June 2020, which could greatly help to assess risks from imported cases and improve air transport control policy for mitigating the global spread of COVID-19.
The relationship between urban form and building energy use has received increasing attention in ... more The relationship between urban form and building energy use has received increasing attention in recent literature. However, findings from existing studies are diverse and sometimes contradictory, and this issue has not been extensively discussed in previous reviews. This paper provides a systematic review of studies on the relationship between urban form and building energy use based on the proposed classification framework. The classification framework categorizes existing studies by their measure definitions, mechanism assumptions, and methodologies. Aside from these conceptual differences, the differences in site contexts of the selected cases are also reviewed. On the basis of the review results, this paper summarizes the consideration of mechanisms by pathway maps and provides an updated understanding of the three main debates in this field. These debates concern the magnitude of influence, impact of densification, and preference of typology. This review also reveals many challenges in this field, including the limited measures of urban form and building energy use, lack of understanding of pathway contributions, and uncertainty and validity issues of tools and models. In addition, future research directions are provided to inform urban planning and policy making decisions for sustainable urban development.
As a global city, Hong Kong directly connects more than 120 cities worldwide and transfers nearly... more As a global city, Hong Kong directly connects more than 120 cities worldwide and transfers nearly 20 million passengers each year. The current COVID-19 pandemic has put the major transport hub in Asia under severe threat of potential imported cases. This Featured Graphic visualizes inbound confirmed COVID-19 cases to Hong Kong globally from January to June 2020, which could greatly help to assess risks from imported cases and improve air transport control policy for mitigating the global spread of COVID-19.
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , 2020
With the unprecedented urbanization during the past three decades, air quality in many Chinese ci... more With the unprecedented urbanization during the past three decades, air quality in many Chinese cities has been a serious issue which poses great challenges for urban sustainability. This study examines the health consequences of development patterns in China by establishing the linkage between urban form, air pollution level, and cardiorespiratory mortality rate. We assembled a dataset by compiling a series of variables from multiple sources, including China's Disease Surveillance Points (DSP) system, which forms a nationally representative sample of mortality for the year 2005, Chinese census, satellite imagery, and the Chinese National Land Use Database. After controlling for local climate, demography, socioeconomics, and other pollution factors, this study finds that urban form elements (e.g., urban density, fragmentation level, forest/green space ratio) have significant influences on PM 2.5 (atmospheric particulate matter with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers) concentration, thus influencing the incidence of cardiorespiratory mortality at the county level. These results may help explain how the type and pattern of development shape public health by influencing air quality and form an evidence-based land use policy to improve environmental quality and public health.
Understanding the spatial pattern of energy consumption within buildings is essential to urban en... more Understanding the spatial pattern of energy consumption within buildings is essential to urban energy planning and management. This study explores the spatial complexity of residential energy usage intensity, with a focus on urban form and geomorphometry attributes. Using spatial regression models, we find that while vegetation and isolation have more local impact on energy intensity, urban porosity and roughness length have consistent spillover effects on building electricity usage intensity in Chicago. In addition, these relationships are seasonally varied. The results highlight the importance of spatially explicit policies and clear urban design and form frameworks for improving urban energy efficiency.
China’s Urbanization and Socioeconomic Impact, 2018
The unprecedented infrastructure development in China has created huge opportunities for urban la... more The unprecedented infrastructure development in China has created huge opportunities for urban land development and economic activity. Recently, China has accelerated the construction of urban public infrastructure by investing as much as seven trillion Yuan ($1.03 trillion) during its 12th Five-Year Plan from 2011 to 2015. In this chapter, we provide empirical evidence on how different levels of infrastructure provision influence urbanization in China. By using a cross-sectional dataset from 650 Chinese cities, we examine the effects of infrastructure related determinants on urban expansion rates and urban land price. Additionally, we use the hedonic price model to explore the relationship between urban intra-infrastructure development and housing prices in the city of Shenzhen. The results indicate both intra- and inter-city infrastructure developments, including streets within cities, and inter-city express highways and railways connecting cities, have positive impacts on urban expansion. However, much of the convenience provided for intra- and inter-city commuters by streets, public transit and railways has not been capitalized into land price. In general, the findings clearly show that infrastructure has important effects on urban expansion rates, land prices, and subsequently, housing price. Finally, we examine whether recent infrastructure developments could help Chinese cities grow toward a sustainable future, and further discuss the challenges and critical issues associated with the current practice of infrastructure development in China.
Comprehensive Geographic Information Systems, 2018
There has been a relative lack of attention in geographic information system (GIS) applications f... more There has been a relative lack of attention in geographic information system (GIS) applications for urban energy analysis. This article provides a holistic overview of existing studies, potential GIS-integrated tools and models that deal with urban energy analysis. A wide range of GIS applications for renewable energy and energy consumption modeling that are associated with urban energy systems are covered. Three important categories of models/tools for urban energy analysis are identified and analyzed, including (1) renewable energy potential analysis tools; (2) urban building energy consumption/microclimate tools and models; and (3) energy consumption/emission assessment tools and models. This article suggests that GIS and GIS-integrated models/tools have great potential to better inform urban energy planning and policy-making.
While urban form affects building energy consumption, the pathways, direction and magnitude of th... more While urban form affects building energy consumption, the pathways, direction and magnitude of the effect are disputed in the literature. This paper uses a unique dataset to examine the effect of urban form on residential electricity consumption in Ningbo, China. Using survey and utility bill data of 534 households in 46 neighborhoods in the city, we model the electricity use of households using a multi-level regression model. We find that neighborhood street configuration and tree shade are important in controlling residential electricity consumption and, consequently, greenhouse gas emissions. Our results suggest that seasonality and dwelling type condition the effect of neighborhood densities on electricity consumption. Neighborhood density is associated with household electricity consumption in summer months, while there is no such association in winter months. As neighborhood density increases, households in slab and tower apartments in dense urban neighborhoods consume more electricity in summer months, which can be partly explained by exacerbated heat island effect. Interestingly, the neighborhood density is negatively associated with summer electricity consumption for single-family houses, suggesting that the effect of neighborhood density is different for different types of dwelling units.
This article examines local recovery plans that were created in response to the Wenchuan earthqua... more This article examines local recovery plans that were created in response to the Wenchuan earthquake and then suggests ways that planners can better apply the concept of sustainability to the recovery process. We utilize a plan evaluation protocol to analyze 16 recovery plans in counties and towns that were severely affected by the earthquake. We also conducted semi-structured interviews with public officials and planners, with the qualitative data gleaned from these interviews being used to supplement the plan quality assessment. The results reveal that local recovery plans do not appear to have incorporated sufficiently the concepts of sustainability. We conclude the paper with the following recommendations: emphasizing sustainability as a policy priority during vision and goal development; developing solid databases and planning techniques; designing a diversified set of regulatory-and incentive-based policy tools suitable for local governments; enhancing social and institutional learning; and further integrating multi-level and interagency governmental units.
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Papers by Chaosu Li
management. This study explores the spatial complexity of residential energy usage intensity, with a focus on urban form and geomorphometry attributes. Using spatial regression models, we find that while vegetation and isolation have more local impact on energy intensity, urban porosity and roughness length have consistent spillover effects on building electricity usage intensity in Chicago. In addition, these relationships are seasonally varied. The results highlight the importance of spatially
explicit policies and clear urban design and form frameworks for improving urban energy efficiency.
management. This study explores the spatial complexity of residential energy usage intensity, with a focus on urban form and geomorphometry attributes. Using spatial regression models, we find that while vegetation and isolation have more local impact on energy intensity, urban porosity and roughness length have consistent spillover effects on building electricity usage intensity in Chicago. In addition, these relationships are seasonally varied. The results highlight the importance of spatially
explicit policies and clear urban design and form frameworks for improving urban energy efficiency.