Urban policy,economic policy,and the growth of large cities in China

It is argued that despite a Chinese national urban policy large cities are still growing rapidly. Policy implementation is considered weak. It is suggested that a better strategy for increased urbanization in large Chinese cities would include integrating urban with economic policy, improving urban facilities, and planning and managing large cities. A short review is given of theories on city size and development in developing countries. Chinese economic reforms and their impact on urban growth are described. During 1978-90 the level of urbanization rose from 17.9% to 26.4%. Five periods during 1949 to present are identified as exhibiting distinct development profiles. Over the 40 year period, policies pertaining to cities of a particular population size changed constantly. During the early 1950s, development focused on major coastal cities and newly expanding industrial centers. After the 1950s and the Great Leap Forward (1958-60), rural areas and small urban places were the focus of Maoist development. Large cities were de-emphasized. The early 1970s emphasized the development of rural industries and small urban places in order to reduce rural-urban inequalities. A national urban policy was prepared in the early 1980s. The aim was to control the size of large cities, to develop medium sized cities, and to develop small cities. This policy was amended later and is now China's Urban Planning Law. However, the percentage of the nonagricultural population (NAP) living in cities of a million or more persons increased from 37.5% in 1978 to 41.6% in 1990. The share of NAP living in small cities increased to 21.5% in 1990. Temporary migrants were an estimated 5-15% of large city populations. Most cities were beyond their population control limit. Large cities had served important roles in development: greater efficiency in the industrial labor force and more profits; centers for culture, education, politics, and transportation; and links to foreign countries. Economic reforms fueled growth. At present controlled growth is an obstacle to economic development in large cities. Improvement is needed in urban management.     

Advancing global citizens: afterschool and out-of-school time as common ground for civil society

The key importance of after-school and out-of-school time in a democratic society is the experience of activities and programs providing a common ground that extends the play of childhood into leadership opportunities for youthful learning and exploration of the world. The authors hypothesize that by focusing civic attention on the developmental quality of these out-of-school settings and time frames, objectives will also be better understood and reliable.     

Youth mentoring and spiritual development

Mentoring through faith-based programs could reach some of the most severely disadvantaged youth, yet efforts could be undermined if proselytizing occurs.     

Adventure-based programming: exemplary youth development practice

Despite functioning on the periphery of academic scholarship, theory development, and rigorous science, the better adventure-based programs are functioning at the forefront of professional youth practices. This article links the core elements and processes of adventure programs to the literature on positive youth development and quality youth programming. Contemporary work on developmental systems theory, developmental cascades, and initiative are well aligned with the historical, philosophical, and pro-grammatic roots of adventure education. In addition, adventure programs afford some powerful experiences by way of distinct features such as isolation, dosage, different physical environments, holistic approaches, social experiences, and program novelty. This combination of features often provides a microcosm for youth to live, learn, experiment, and grow. Despite the strengths in prototypical adventure programs, they remain less accessible and are not easily delivered to many youth. Although there are clearly differences in adventure program and other youth activities, many of the qualities of adventure programs can be included in a broader and more accessible spectrum of youth opportunities. This article thus explains the congruency between the literature on positive youth development and adventure programs and generalizes current tenets of adventure programs to the broader context of youth practice. It is time to recognize the important role that adventure programs play for many youth and fully embrace what these diverse and successful programs can teach the general field of positive youth development.     

Youth development and the camp experience

The organized camp experience has been an important part of the lives of children, youth, and adults for over 150 years. The camp experience is a way for young people to explore and search for an authenticity often missing in other parts of their lives that contributes to their healthy transition into adulthood. Over the past decade, tremendous growth in the volume and rigor of camp-related research has occurred, facilitated by a targeted research agenda conducted by the American Camp Association. This agenda was founded on three national research projects conducted between 2003 and 2007: a study to identify the developmental outcomes of the camp experience, a benchmarking study of the youth development supports and opportunities provided through camp experiences, and a program improvement project directed toward enhancing supports and opportunities provided by camps. The findings from these research projects suggest that camp experiences promote developmental outcomes in both campers and staff and that camps provide the supports and opportunities needed for positive youth development. This article explores the developmental outcomes of the camp experience and the characteristics of the supports and opportunities afforded by camp experiences, including settings, structures, and programs and activities, as a way to provide a clearer understanding of camp as a positive youth development setting. Innovations and opportunities in research related to the provision of quality camp experiences are also considered.     

Estimating urban lawn cover in space and time: Case studies in three Swedish cities

Lawns are considered monocultures and lesser contributors to sustainability than diverse nature but are still a dominating green area feature and an important cultural phenomenon in cities. Lawns have esthetical values, provide playground, are potential habitat for species, contribute to carbon sequestration and water infiltration, but also increase pesticides, fertilization, are monocultures and costly to manage at the same time. To evaluate the potential impact of lawns, whether positive or negative, it is of interest to estimate the total lawn cover in cities and its change over time. This is not a straightforward process, e.g., because many lawns are small and covered by trees. In this study we review the existing literature of lawn cover in cities and the different methodologies used for cover estimation. We found both pros and cons with NDVI and LiDAR data as well as manually interpreted aerial photos. The total cover of lawns in three case study cities was estimated to 22.5%. By extrapolating these percentages to all Swedish cities lawn cover was estimated to 2589 km² (0.6% of the terrestrial surface). The approximated total municipal management cost of lawns in all Swedish cities was 910,000,000 USD/ year. During 50 years lawn area almost doubled in relative cover and 56% of them were continuously managed. Since lawns constitute large parts of the urban greenery and are costly to manage it is highly relevant to consider their social, ecological and cultural value compared to alternatives, e.g., meadows with less intensive management.     

Population policy and development in Zambia: an evolutionary perspective

While there is no explicit and coherent statement of population policy in Zambia, it may be said that population policies are unknowingly embedded in various actions of government, which obscures their existence as a distinct set of policies. The reciprocal influence between development actions and demographic variables is evident. This paper attempts to identify population policies by extracting them from development actions. 2 conclusions can be drawn from the analysis: during the colonial days there was no centralized development planning and demographic variables were thus not seen in relation to development. Population was still not included as a component of development planning in the early years of independence. Recently, however, there has been increased awareness of the interaction of population and economic development. The 2nd National Development Plan (1972-76) incorporated important demographic variables (growth rate, future population size, estimates of current and future school and working-age populations) and recognized rapid growth and population pressures on social services as population problems. Specific policies to resolve these problems were not proposed. There is a need to specify the exact relationships between government action and demographic change. Policy makers should be aware of the effects of their development policies on demographic variables; this should help in predicting the desired direction and magnitude of population change.     

大城市节能减排中的问题与对策

一、大城市节能减排中的问题随着我国社会经济的飞速发展和人民生活水平的不断提高,汽车作为人们现代社会生活中的代步工具,发挥着重要作用。人们把汽车作为除住房外的第二消费热点,促使中国汽车市场中＂野蛮式强劲增长＂的汽车行业成为大城市GDP的增长点,并抢占了城市经济发展的制高点。     

我国典型城市污水处理的政策取向研究

一、城市污水处理的现状与问题（一）城市污水处理及配套设施仍然不足 新世纪以来．我国城市污水处理设施的建设速度迅猛。据统计,2000年底．全国设市的663个城市中有310个建有污水处理设施．共有污水处理厂427座．年污水处理量113．6亿立方米。截至2009年3月底。全国设市的城市、县及部分重点建制镇共建成污水处理厂1590座．处理能力达9204万立方米/日。     

Youth organizing: From youth development to school reform

Over the past twenty years, youth organizing has grown across the country. Through organizing, young people identify issues of concern and mobilize their peers to build action campaigns to achieve their objectives. Youth organizing has been appreciated for its contributions to youth and community development. The authors use two case studies to trace the more recent emergence of youth organizing as an important force for school reform. The Boston-based Hyde Square Task Force began with a focus on afterschool programming, but its youth leaders now organize to get Boston Public Schools to adopt a curriculum addressing sexual harassment. Meanwhile, the Baltimore Algebra Project began as a peer-to-peer tutoring program but now also organizes to demand greater funding for Baltimore schools. These cases illustrate a broader phenomenon where students reverse the deficit paradigm by acting out of their own self-interest to become agents of institutional change.     

高架路在城市中的发展前景

高架路在我国城市路网建设中已形成热潮。实践证明,高架路的交通功能显著,但也随之产生了很大的负面影响。高架路发展前景如何?不宜简单地下结论,只能根据各城市自身的情况,因地制宜、具体分析。     

大城市商业地产发展&问题解析

一、大城市商业地产发展的宏观态势(一)商业地产快速发展的总体表现现代零售商业的发展不同于以往,由于采取商业地产商的加盟和区域连锁化经营的基本思路,呈现出建设规模不断扩大的趋势。其具体表现为:一是投资增长持续加速,据商务部发布的《中国流通产业发展报告》,2004年全国商业地产投资达1723亿元,比上年增长31.4%,在全部房地产投资比重中超过13%,比上年提高0.3个百分点。二是投资布局由沿海向内地转移。商业地产开发商按照城市的收入和购买力水平、零售额规模和商业氛围,将国内35个～40个城市分为三级进行连锁网络的布点,一类城市为京…     

大城市商业地产发展&问题解析

一、大城市商业地产发展的宏观态势 (一)商业地产快速发展的总体表现 现代零售商业的发展不同于以往,由于采取商业地产商的加盟和区域连锁化经营的基本思路,呈现出建设规模不断扩大的趋势.其具体表现为:一是投资增长持续加速,据商务部发布的<中国流通产业发展报告>,2004年全国商业地产投资达1723亿元,比上年增长31.4%,在全部房地产投资比重中超过13%,比上年提高0.3个百分点.二是投资布局由沿海向内地转移.