DEPT OF GEOGRAPHY

Researcher : Chen Y

List of Research Outputs

 

Chen Y. and Jim C.Y., Valuation of Nature: Economic Contribution of Peri-urban Protected Areas in Guangzhou Baiyun Mountain Scenic Area, In: Jim, C.Y., Corlett, R.T. (eds.), Sustainable Management of Protected Areas for Future Generations. Gland, Switzerland, World Conservation Union (IUCN), 2006, 59-75.

 

Jim C.Y. and Chen Y., Consumption Preferences and Environemntal Externalities: A Hedonic Analysis of the Housing Market in Guangzhou (China), Geoforum. Amsterdam, Elsevier Science, 2007, 38: 414-431.

 

Jim C.Y. and Chen Y., Impacts of Urban Environmental Elements on Residential Housing Prices in Guangzhou (China), Landscape and Urban Planning. Amsterdam, Elsevier Science, 2006, 78: 422-434.

 

Researcher : Jim CY

Project Title:

The process of desertification and its control in Northern China

Investigator(s):

Jim CY, Peart MR, Zhang D

Department:

School of Geography

Source(s) of Funding:

Matching Fund for National Key Basic Research Development Scheme (973 Projects)

Start Date:

07/2001

 

Abstract:

To identify indigenous peoples knowledge on desertification in China; to evaluate soil property changes associated with desertification; to examine if aeolian transport of dust impacts upon precipitation chemistry.

 

Project Title:

Landscape and ecological assessment of heritage trees in Guangzhou city (China)

Investigator(s):

Jim CY

Department:

School of Geography

Source(s) of Funding:

Small Project Funding

Start Date:

11/2004

Completion Date:

10/2006

 

Abstract:

To understand the composition, characteristics, spatial pattern and differentiation, and landscape and ecological contribution of the highest-calibre trees situated in the urban areas of Guangzhou city.

 

Project Title:

Valuating urban green spaces and water bodies based on hedonic pricing model of housing market in Guangdong

Investigator(s):

Jim CY

Department:

School of Geography

Source(s) of Funding:

Hui Oi Chow Trust Fund - General Award

Start Date:

03/2005

 

Abstract:

The proposed study aims at the following objectives: (1) To understand whether residents of Guangzhou pay a premium on environmental attributes of houses they purchased. (2) To verify the expected effect of variables that are supposed to affect the housing price in Guangzhou. (3) To explore whether the value of environmental elements (green spaces and water bodies) could be capitalized in housing price in current housing market in Guangzhou. (4) To investigate which variables (environmental attributes) are considered as the most appreciated and how much the marginal price are of these environmental attributes reflected by housing price. (5) To explore the possibility of building a theoretical hedonic pricing model which includes significant explanatory factors of housing price in Guangzhou (Table 1). (6) To study housing choice behaviour of home buyers of Guangzhou, their preferences of environmental attributes, and factors that determine and differentiate homebuyers' choice of residential houses.

 

Project Title:

Cost-benefit analysis of urban greening in Chinese cities using contingent valuation method - Zhuhai city as a case study

Investigator(s):

Jim CY, Chen Y

Department:

School of Geography

Source(s) of Funding:

Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research

Start Date:

01/2006

 

Abstract:

The main objective of this study is to conduct a cost-benefit analysis of urban greening in Chinese cities, adopting the new urban greening plan proposed by the Zhuhai municipal government in May 2005 as a case study. The benefits would be elicited using the contingent valuation method (CVM) by soliciting residents' willingness-to-pay (WTP) for the greening. The cost data (planning, implementation and management) will be collected from relevant government departments and through field surveys. The public attitude towards the urban greening projects, which might affect their WTP, would be explored. The results could provide a clear understanding of the net benefit of the urban greening project for both residents and municipal decision-makers. Urban forests could provide a wide range of environmental benefits, such as abatement of air pollution, amelioration of heat island effect, rain water retention, groundwater recharge, and protection from natural hazards. The socio-economic benefits of urban greening encompass the common recreation and amenity aspects, as well as the less known but equally important improvement in urban health, higher worker productivity, lower health care and medical cost, higher property value and hence higher tax revenue, better attention span and academic achievement of school children, and attraction to high quality employees and investors. These benefits could contribute notably to the wide spectrum of environmental, social and economic sustainability of cities and improve the quality of urban life. The contributions of these benefits to society in China, however, are relatively unknown due to the lack of relevant researches. The benefits have often been taken for granted, and commonly underestimated or even neglected by developers, urban designers, policy-makers and residents. Inherently, it is not easy to give a value to nature or natural goods which traditionally are considered as non-priced and non-market commodities. Consequently, the benefits of urban greening and urban nature in general are often poorly understood and seldom factored into the municipal funding and expenditure regime. Similarly, private development projects also routinely ignore the long-term and sustainable benefits of greening within their sites. Such a knowledge gap is not conducive to the allocation of adequate resources and to gaining support to further the cause of urban greening.Despite the difficulties in assessing the value of urban greening, some effective methods have been developed recently by economists and ecologists to convert the benefits into conventional market economic values. Amongst the different approaches, the contingent valuation method has been widely applied in oversea studies of natural resources and environmental benefits, from which some convincing results have been derived. However, the application of CVM in China with a different socio-economic ambience is still scant in comparison with western countries where the method was initiated. This study endeavours to explore the applicability of CVM in China and seek to develop a variant format that is appropriate to the country's circumstances. In applying CVM, a carefully structured sampling scheme will select individuals who are required to express their preferences for some ecosystem services by answering questions about hypothetical choices. The respondents will be asked a variety of questions about how much they would be willing to pay to ensure a welfare gain from a change in the provision of a non-market environmental commodity, which in this study means more green spaces. The data will then be interpreted and extrapolated to the population at large. There are several survey formats and elicitation techniques of CVM, the selection of which might affect the efficiency and robustness of the results. In this study, the referendum formats (both single-bounded and double-bounded dichotomous choice questionnaire) and survey techniques recommended by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the USA would be adopted. The explanatory power, validity, and reliability of these two formats will be estimated and compared, and their suitability to the Chinese situation will be assessed.Urban greening in Chinese cities has drawn much attention from various levels of government and different sectors of the society. Whereas the ecological benefits are usually implicit, it is widely acknowledged that urban forests could enhance the attractability of cities to investors and urban residents. The increasing need to improve the quantity and quality of greenery in urban areas may not be matched by a commensurate rise in provision. The rapid urban growth of the Pearl River Delta demands careful planning and protection of urban green spaces. In the evaluation of land use configuration in urban areas, the trade-off between ecological and economic benefits has become an important issue, which has engendered national-wide debates. The cost-benefit analysis of urban greening projects could analyze aggregated economic efficiency of changes in natural resource allocations. The findings could raise awareness of green space values amongst residents and justify the investment on this key natural municipal infrastructure. It will also provide hints on the preferred green space design, such as the choice of plant species composition, landscaping approach and biomass structure to meet specific local expectations.A new urban greening plan was proposed in May 2005 by the municipal government of Zhuhai city, which aimed to provide green spaces within 200 m and a park for recreational activities within 1000 m for residents in 2020 by increasing green spaces in built-up areas. The proposal is innovative and progressive, and ties in with modern landscape ecological principles. It may serve as a model for the rest of China if not for other cities in the developing world. Its efficacy and cost-benefit could be assessed before considering wider adoption. Some queries have been raised by the community and this study intends to find answers and distil recommendations.

 

Project Title:

Soil moisture variations and their controlling factors associated with roof greening

Investigator(s):

Jim CY, Chen Y

Department:

School of Geography

Source(s) of Funding:

Hui Oi Chow Trust Fund - General Award

Start Date:

05/2006

 

Abstract:

Most building roofs in Hong Kong have hard surfaces that absorb much solar energy, resulting in high surface temperature reaching 58ºC in hot months. The ambient air temperature above such heated roofs could attain 38ºC. A notable proportion of the heat in hard roof materials could be transferred through the ceiling to the top-floor space below, thus raising the indoor air temperature and increasing energy consumption for air conditioning. Rooftop air intakes of many commercial and institutional buildings draw in heated air and need more energy to cool the air down to a comfortable level. Researches in other cities indicate the multiple benefits of green roofs in reducing heat gain, heat flux, cooling energy consumption and ameliorating the urban heat island effect. As a tropical city, Hong Kong has seldom employed roof greening to usher energy conservation and ancillary environmental benefits. Application of roof greening technology to local buildings demands a systematic research of the methods and materials to find an optimal recipe. Soil plays a key role in roof greening, because the depth of soil is often restricted due to the limited load bearing capacity of the reinforced concrete slab. Insufficient soil depth and poor soil quality could reduce water-holding capacity of the soil and dampen plant growth. The lack of soil depth means that plant growth could easily suffer from moisture deficit. Less soil moisture also reduces evaporation from the soil and transpiration from the plants, thus depresses the cooling effect of the green roof. This study attempts to focus on the critical factor of variations in soil moisture on a green roof by soil material, soil depth, time of day, season (weather condition), irrigation regime and vegetation type. A green roof will be chosen for a detailed experimental study that will last for two years. The results will be analyzed to find the optimal combination of soil and vegetation to support plant growth in green roof environment. The findings and practical recommendations will be communicated to relevant parties associated with building development, management and landscaping. This study will form the foundation for more in-depth studies on other aspects of roof greening in due course.

 

Project Title:

Developing a cost-effective roof greening technology for energy conservation

Investigator(s):

Jim CY

Department:

School of Geography

Source(s) of Funding:

CLP Energy Innovation Fund

Start Date:

07/2006

 

Abstract:

This study aims squarely at developing a cost-effective and simple type of technology tailor-made to fit our urban setting and circumstances to bring maximum energy benefits at a reasonable level of cost and effort. It involves the use of easily established and maintained materials, a thin soil layer with a light load that could be supported by most existing roofs, and herbaceous vegetation that requires little care. It avoids the elaborate approach that requires a lot of expertise, investment and recurrent maintenance. The results will be analyzed to find the optimal combination of soil and vegetation that could minimize heat gain and heat flux and maximize cooling by evapotranspiration on the roof environment. The findings and practical recommendations will be communicated to relevant parties associated with building development, management and landscaping.

 

Project Title:

Assessing the ecological and conservation values of stone retaining walls

Investigator(s):

Jim CY

Department:

School of Geography

Source(s) of Funding:

Competitive Earmarked Research Grants (CERG)

Start Date:

01/2007

 

Abstract:

(1) To evaluate the masonry materials, methods and designs adopted in stone retaining wall construction. (2) To map the spatial distribution of different wall types and ascertain their relationship with urban development and land use changes in the wall environs. (3) To measure or assess in the field the detailed physical attributes of individual walls, and in the laboratory the physical and chemical properties of soil in the crevices in relation to plant growth. (4) To identify the trees and other plant life forms growing on walls, and quantify their dimensions, biomass structures and ecological associations. (5) To develop an objective method to quantify the ecological, landscape and amenity values of walls, and to convert the value into monetary units. (6) To develop a package of methods and precautions to minimize the impacts of construction and reinforcement measures on wall fabric and wall vegetation. (7) To select the best walls based on the above assessments and to recommend them for conservation. (8) To disseminate the research findings to related professionals, government officers, policy makers and the general pubic through seminars or public lectures.

 

Project Title:

The amenity value of natural landscape in a compact city: hedonic analysis of housing transaction price in Hong Kong

Investigator(s):

Jim CY, Chen Y

Department:

School of Geography

Source(s) of Funding:

Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research

Start Date:

04/2007

 

Abstract:

Natural elements in urban areas, such as forests and water bodies, have been accorded important environmental and amenity values mainly because of contribution to the quality of urban life. In densely inhabitated and urbanized areas, the provision of a pleasant view and accessibility to natural landscapes in the environs of a property, bringing passive enjoyment and relief from the otherwise congested, harsh and monotonous cityscape, is a major concern in making home buying decisions. However, the complex factors leading to this preference and the underlying amenity value provided by natural landscape are difficult to be assessed by conventional market approaches . This fundamental conceptual and methodological constraint is mainly due to the non-commodity and non-tradable characteristics vis-à-vis the traditional market framework. The limited understanding and appreciation of such less tangibel values could influence policies on the protection and provision of natural features in conjunction with residential developments. The amenity value of natural elements could be ignored when urban landuse zoning plans are designated. and when developers bid for lands for housing projects. Overall, natural elements could fail to be factored into pertinent decisions related to town planning, nature conservation in cities, and real estate investments. The city's valuable natural remnants could be gradually degraded or lost as a result of this general attitude. Neo-classical economics holds such precepts that individuals behave rationally in maximising utilities with preference and satisfaction. Therefore, the relative price of specific characteristics could be elicited by the hedonic price method. It models individual's willingness to pay to consume a particular goods (usually housing) as a function of the levels of the goods' characteristics. Each property may be assumed to constitute a distinct combination of attributes which determine the price which a potential buyer or tenant is willing to pay. Three categories of attributes are considered, namely structural characteristics (such as housing unit size and number of rooms), neighbourhood characteristics (such as social conditions and wage differentials), and locational characteristics (such as local amenity and environmental quality). Household willingness-to-pay for amenities could be estimated through statistical analysis of a large volume of multi-market housing transaction data.Different landscape features might trigger different perceptions and offer different values. Properties located in close proximity to water, especially those commanding a water frontage, might command a price premium which is different from those with a forest or garden view. In addition, in a compact city with scarce natural resources, where most residents are living in high-rise and high-density flats commonly detached from nature, natural amenities could be perceived in a different way in comparison with cities with generous natural endowments. A reliable estimate of the amenity value provided by various natural landscapes is important to developers interested in making good use of the potential of lands with specific natural attributes for property development. There is common belief of a traditional affinity for natural landscape amongst Chinese people. However, the objective quantification of the value accorded to such amenities has seldom been studied in China Mainland and Hong Kong. Only a couple of studies could be found on the application of hedonic pricing method, which tend to focus on the structural characteristics of buildings, such as the effects of providing balcony and the optimal site area for high-density housing projects. Thus far, there has been no research on the possible links between landscape amenity and housing price. The differentials between the amenity values provided by various natural landscape elements remain largely an uncharted territory. The principal objective of this study is to investigate the amenity value of natural landscape with the help of the hedonic pricing method in a typical compact city, Hong Kong. Three types of landscapes would be categorized, namely natural forests, ocean, and artifical urban green spaces. The different effects of these landscape types and how they are valued by different resident groups would be explored. The choice of appropriate variables and elicitation equation for applying hedonic pricing model would also be investigated with reference to the urban milieu and real estate regime in Hong Kong.

 

List of Research Outputs

 

Chen Y. and Jim C.Y., Valuation of Nature: Economic Contribution of Peri-urban Protected Areas in Guangzhou Baiyun Mountain Scenic Area, In: Jim, C.Y., Corlett, R.T. (eds.), Sustainable Management of Protected Areas for Future Generations. Gland, Switzerland, World Conservation Union (IUCN), 2006, 59-75.

 

Cheung T.O. and Jim C.Y., Improving Ecotourism Practice to Enhance Protected Area Management in Hong Kong, In: Jim, C.Y., Corlett, R.T. (eds.), Sustainable Management of Protected Areas for Future Generations. Gland, Switzerland, World Conservation Union (IUCN), 2006, 373-387.

 

Jim C.Y. and Corlett R.T., (eds.) Sustainable Management of Protected Areas for Future Generations. Gland, Switzerland, World Conservation Union, 2006, 401 pp.

 

Jim C.Y. and Wong F.Y., An Evaluation of the Country Parks System in Hong Kong since its Establishment in 1976, In: Jim, C.Y., Corlett, R.T. (eds.), Sustainable Management of Protected Areas for Future Generations. Gland, Switzerland, World Conservation Union (IUCN), 2006, 35-58.

 

Jim C.Y., Career Workshop for Research Postgraduate Students, Graduate School, The University of Hong Kong, How to Find Academic Jobs?. 2007.

 

Jim C.Y., Chief Editor, Asian Geographer. Hong Kong, Dept. of Geog. of the Univ. of HK & the HKGA, 2007.

 

Jim C.Y., Community Forum on Greening Master Plan, Sheung Wan Civic Centre, Urban Greening in Hong Kong: Learning from Best Overseas Examples. 2007.

 

Jim C.Y., Community Forum on Greening Master Plan, St. James Settlement, Wan Chai, Urban Greening in Hong Kong: Learning from Best Overseas Examples. 2007.

 

Jim C.Y. and Chen Y., Consumption Preferences and Environemntal Externalities: A Hedonic Analysis of the Housing Market in Guangzhou (China), Geoforum. Amsterdam, Elsevier Science, 2007, 38: 414-431.

 

Jim C.Y., Energy Innovation Fund Award 2006. China Light and Power, 2006.

 

Jim C.Y., Energy Innovation Fund Best Application Award 2003-2006, China Light and Power. China Light and Power, 2006.

 

Jim C.Y. and Chen Y., Impacts of Urban Environmental Elements on Residential Housing Prices in Guangzhou (China), Landscape and Urban Planning. Amsterdam, Elsevier Science, 2006, 78: 422-434.

 

Jim C.Y., Invited Seminar, Professional Green Building Council, Green Roof: Idea and Practice. Hong Kong, 2006.

 

Jim C.Y., Invited seminar presented to professional officers of the Civil Engineering and Development Department, Learning from Worldwide Exemplars of Urban Greening. Hong Kong, 2006.

 

Jim C.Y., Invited seminar, Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Telling Nature Stories from Trees. 2007.

 

Jim C.Y., Invited seminar, Hong Kong Experts Association, Hong Kong Club, Strategies for Green Roof Promotion. 2006.

 

Jim C.Y., Invited seminar, Sustainable Development Council, HKSAR Government, Hong Kong, Learning from Worldwide Exemplars of Urban Greening. 2006.

 

Jim C.Y., Invited seminar, Training Programme for Professional Staff, Architectural Services Department (repeated due to heavy demand), Promoting Green Roofs: An Urban Renaissance for Hong Kong. 2007.

 

Jim C.Y., Invited seminar, Training Programme for Professional Staff, Architectural Services Department, Promoting Green Roofs: An Urban Renaissance for Hong Kong. 2007.

 

Jim C.Y., Invited seminar, Training Programme for Professional Staff, Architectural Services Department, Tree Transplanting: Principles, Precautions and Best Practices. 2007.

 

Jim C.Y., Invited seminar, Training Programme for Professional Staff, Architectural Services Department, Trees on Old Stone Walls: Understanding and Protecting a Unique Urban Heritage. 2007.

 

Jim C.Y. and Yang Y., Local Responses to Reservoir Inundation and De-farming: A Case Study in the Middle Area of the Reservoir Zone of the Three Gorges Project, China, Environmental Management. New York, Springer-Verlag, 2006, 38: 618-637.

 

Jim C.Y., Loh Kwai Sim, Dorothy, Circum-harbour afforestation plan around Victoria Harbour. Hong Kong, 2007.

 

Jim C.Y., Member of Board of Consulting Editor, Environmental Awareness. Vadodara, India, International Society of Naturists, 2007.

 

Jim C.Y., Member of Editorial Board, Arboricultural Journal. UK, Arboricultural Association, 2007.

 

Jim C.Y., Member of Editorial Board, Arboriculture and Urban Forestry. Champaign, Illinois, International Society of Arboriculture, 2007.

 

Jim C.Y., Member of Editorial Board, Cities. Amsterdam, Elsevier Science, 2007.

 

Jim C.Y., Member of Editorial Board, Forest Ecology and Management. Amsterdam, Elsevier Science, 2007.

 

Jim C.Y., Member of Editorial Board, Interdisciplinary Environmental Review. New York, Rowman & Littlefield, 2007.

 

Jim C.Y., Member of Editorial Board, Journal of Geographical Science. Taipei, Dept. of Geography, National Univ of Taiwan, 2007.

 

Jim C.Y., Member of Editorial Board, Journal of Geographical Sciences. Beijing, Science Press, 2007.

 

Jim C.Y., Member of Editorial Board, Landscape and Urban Planning. Amsterdam, Elsevier Science, 2007.

 

Jim C.Y., Member of Editorial Board, Urban Forestry and Urban Greening. Amsterdam, Elsevier Science, 2007.

 

Jim C.Y., Member of Editorial Committee, Modern Urban Research. Nanjing, Urban Research Association, 2007.

 

Jim C.Y., Member of Editorial Committee, Pedosphere: A Quarterly Journal of Soil Science. Beijing and New York, Science Press, 2007.

 

Jim C.Y., Preservation and Restoration of Forests Associated with New Town Development in Hong Kong, In: Forest Landscape Restoration. Seoul, International Union of Forest Research Organizations, 2007, 85-87.

 

Jim C.Y., Preservation and Restoration of Forests Associated with New Town Development in Hong Kong, International Conference on Forest Landscape Restoration. Seoul, 14-19 May, International Federation of Forest Research Organization, 2007.

 

Jim C.Y. and Mok K.L.K., Trees in Diagrams, Volume I. Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department, Friends of the Country Parks & Cosmos Books, Hong Kong, 2007, 184 pp.

 

Researcher : Lai K

List of Research Outputs

 

Li Y. and Lai K., Problem Of ‘guanxi’ For Actualizing Community Tourism: A Case Study Of Relationship Networking In China., Tourism Geographies. London, Routledge, 2007, 9: 115-138.

 

Researcher : Lee F

List of Research Outputs

 

Zhang D., Zhang J., Lee F. and He Y., Climate Change and War Frequency in Eastern China over the Last Millennium, Human Ecology. Springer, 2006, 35: 403-414.

 

Researcher : Lee FYS

Project Title:

A comparative study of environmental consciousness: Hong Kong, Japan, Vietnam

Investigator(s):

Lee FYS

Department:

School of Geography

Source(s) of Funding:

Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research (APN) - General Award

Start Date:

12/1998

 

Abstract:

To compare environmental consciousness in three major "border confucian" culture zones in Asia.

 

Project Title:

The impact of local and global factors on the development of cultural heritage management in Hong Kong, Macau and Southern China

Investigator(s):

Lee FYS, Lung DPY, Lee HY, DiStefano L

Department:

School of Geography

Source(s) of Funding:

Competitive Earmarked Research Grants (CERG)

Start Date:

12/2003

 

Abstract:

To improve the current understanding of the way cultural heritage management (CHM) is practised in Hong Kong, Macau and Southern China; to explore how CHM has evolved in relation to local and global factors in five case study cities: Hong Kong, Macau, Guangzhou, Leizhou and Dali; to examine the development and praxis of CHM in these five cities through a rigorous, comparative case study analysis of selected key issues, the project will identify the major cultural factors, both indigenous and alien, that have influenced their forms and contents as well as investigate the extent to which global concerns in CHM, such as sustainable development, have affected their manifestations.

 

Project Title:

Towards Sustainable River Basin Governance in China: A Case Study of Dongjiang

Investigator(s):

Lee FYS

Department:

School of Geography

Source(s) of Funding:

Small Project Funding

Start Date:

01/2006

 

Abstract:

Aim/purposeFocusing on the river basin of Dongjiang (East River), the proposed project is designed (i) to help improve our understanding of the primary functions of and institutional constraints faced by the river basin commissions in China; (ii) to explore the feasibility of introducing an innovative institutional mechanism for the purposes of strengthening river basin governance as the country shifts toward a market-oriented economy; and (iii) to examine the extent to which concerned stakeholders such as different water-user groups from up-stream, mid-stream and down-stream communities could be involved in the river basin decision-making processes.Through an intensive fieldwork-based case study analysis of the above three aspects of river basin management in Dongjiang, the ultimate objective of the project is to identify pathways by which the existing freshwater resources management scheme in China could be reformed and moved toward an effective, equitable and sustainable river basin governance structure. Key issuesWater is arguably China's most critical resource. Nearly 700 million Chinese lack access to clean potable water and have to rely on water contaminated with animal and human waste that exceeds the legally allowed maximum levels for faecal coliform bacteria. As a result of rapid economic growth and rapid urbanization in the past two decades, competition for the increasingly scarce resource of water has been intensifying all over the country, between urban, industrial, and agricultural consumption, and between upstream, midstream and downstream users. At the national level, for instance, out of 668 major cities, two-thirds are reportedly suffering from some sort of water shortage problem. Many cities in the North China Plain have increasingly turned to groundwater to make up for the shortfall between swelling water demands and limited surface water resources, leading to the problems of over-extraction of groundwater and falling levels of water tables.The water shortage problem has been greatly exacerbated by the water pollution problem which is, broadly speaking, caused increasingly by municipal and agricultural sectors than industries. Large proportions of municipal wastewater are being discharged into surface water bodies with minimal or no treatment, contributing to an increasing load of organic and toxic waste in major waterways. For example, less than 10 percent of municipal wastewater countrywide-which is only a fraction of industrial rates-receive treatment before they are discharged. This waste load is then further augmented by an ever-increasing amount of chemical pollutants such as fertilizers and pesticides carried into water-bodies by agricultural runoffs. The combined effects of water shortage and high pollution have been extremely detrimental to the health of economies, eco-systems and the human species. For instance, more than 90 percent of urban river sections have been so heavily polluted that they are considered not suitable for human contact; and the water quality in about half of these river sections are considered so poor that it is not even suitable for irrigation purposes. Given that China's de facto urban population will continue to increase at a rapid rate in the coming decade, the demand for urban environmental infrastructure, already high, will multiply accordingly. Primarily out of a concern over the rapid rate of urban population growth, some researchers in the west have been highly sceptical about the Chinese government's plan to raise the overall municipal wastewater treatment rate from 11 percent in 1997 to 40 percent by 2010. Indeed, providing sufficient environmental infrastructure will represent a particularly challenging task for local administrations of smaller cities and towns, which have the least amount of resources at their disposal to construct environmental infrastructure but where much of the increase in urban population will concentrate. Devising a viable financing mechanism to help urban governments at various spatial scale to generate revenues to pay for the construction and long-term maintenance costs of environmental infrastructure is, however, only a necessary but not sufficient condition to tackle the steadily swelling volume of municipal wastewater. An indispensable requirement is an institutional framework that could be used by higher authorities to encourage or coerce the local-level governments to place a higher priority on cleaning up their wastewater discharge and to cooperate with neighbouring jurisdictions in redressing, minimizing or avoiding cross-boundary impacts of water pollution problems in the first place.

 

Project Title:

Urban Water Management in Southern China: The Promises and Limitations of Water Services Bureaus

Investigator(s):

Lee FYS

Department:

School of Geography

Source(s) of Funding:

Small Project Funding

Start Date:

01/2007

 

Abstract:

Aim/purposeThe proposed research project is designed to address the following questions, through in-depth case studies of selected cities in Southern China, to help us improve our understanding of the promises and limitations of the newly created body of water services bureau in tackling water resources management problems in this supposingly water-rich region: (a) To what extent, and how, have the water services bureaus been able to address the most challenging water management problems encountered in their respective jurisdictions? (b) What are the major institutional constraints that have prevented the water services bureaus from fully implementing the necessary measures in correcting the water management problems? (c) What are the major lessons that could be drawn from the case study cities, in terms of policy implications as well as implications for further research?Key issuesAlthough coordination is severely lacking among jurisdictions, some cities in Southern China have led the way in seeking a functional coordination of water management.　Reportedly modelled after the water services department in Hong Kong, China's first city-level water services bureau was established by the Shenzhen government in July 1993 to help fight the twin problems of drought and flooding that have hit the city particularly hard since the early 1990s. In 1991, the volume of daily water supply was sharply reduced by 30 per cent as a consequence of a partial shutdown of the city's water supply plants for maintenance purposes, causing major disruptions to economic and social lives and resulting in an estimated total economic loss of RMB 1.2 billion. In 1993, Shenzhen lost another RMB 1.4 billion to damages caused by two major rain storm-fed floods. In order to avert similar and further economic damages, the Shenzhen city government then decided in 1993 to transform the city's water resources bureau (WRB) into the country's first water services bureau. The latter differs from the former in two major ways: First, the WSB was accorded a higher level of bureaucratic status in the city's hierarchical structure than the WRB, with a commensurately higher level of authority to re-distribute and manage water resources effectively across the urban-rural divide thorough the city's entire jurisdiction. Secondly, unlike the rural-oriented WRB, the WSB was asked to focus on accomplishing two urban-centred tasks: establishing a modern, reliable urban-based water supply system and building an effective urban flood-control mechanism. Of these two objectives, the articulation of the urban and rural water supply systems into one single network was billed as the first step toward building an integrated water management structure for the rapidly burgeoning city-region. In practice, however, WSBs have made their presence felt more in flood control, a more southern concern.Shenzhen's urban-based integrated water management structure was gradually replicated elsewhere and effectively instituted, by the end of 2003, in 50 per cent of country's city and county-level jurisdictions. There were, however, substantial variations in the level of services provided by these newly created WSBs: while 96 per cent of them have assumed the flood control function, only 68 per cent were running the water supply networks, with 37 per cent managing the drainage facilities and an even smaller portion-28 per cent-overseeing the wastewater treatment plants. It is also interesting to note that the majority of the jurisdictions in the Pearl River Delta have not yet opted for the WSB model.Accomplishments in terms of major financial gains in scale economies in constructing city-wide integrated water supply projects, improved efficiency in water allocation as well as reduced tensions between territorial and functional sectors competing for water have been claimed by cities-such as Shenzhen and Shanghai-that have established the WSBs. These urban-based offices have also been credited with the strengthening of the institutional basis for the introduction of price reform measures and commercialisation schemes in the water sector, at least in areas such as water supply and sewerage, where, as noted, the WSBs are least likely to exercise direct control, although they have responsibility integrated water resource management. Despite such initial claims of success, some researchers are quick to point out that the effectiveness of the WSBs is severely constrained by the lack of consistency and urgency in the implementation of this institutional form at a nationwide level. Beijing did not establish a WSB until March 2004. With only a minority of the country's designated cities embracing the integrated water management structure, old and new systems continue to coexist, and the nation's vertical hierarchy and horizontal bureaucracy relating to water resources management are plagued by confusion and sometimes contradictions in administrative 'property rights', organisational goals and project objectives. These problems are aggravated by the ineffectual design and half-hearted implementation of politically sensitive reform measures such as price hikes in water fees and wastewater treatment charges. Hence, almost without exception, water supply and wastewater treatment enterprises throughout urban China have remained money-losing entities and continue to rely on substantial subsidies paid for from municipal budgets.

 

List of Research Outputs

 

Hilary D. and Lee F.Y.S., (editors), Cultural Heritage Management in China: Preserving the Cities of the Pearl River Delta. London and New York, Routledge, 2007, 170 pp.

 

Hilary D., Lee F.Y.S., Lung D. and Distefano L., Economic Growth and Cultural Identity, In: Hilary du Cros and Yok-shiu F. Lee (editors), Cultural Heritage Management in China: Preserving the Cities of the Pearl River Delta. London and New York, Routledge, 2007, chapter 4, 85-116.

 

Hilary D. and Lee F.Y.S., One Country, Three Systems: Legal and Policy Frameworks for Cultural Heritage Conservation in Hong Kong, Macao and Guangzhou, Research Conference of the UNESCO-ICCROM Asian Academy for Heritage Management, 3-5 October 2006. Bangkok, 6 pp.

 

Hilary D., Lee F.Y.S., Sauvigrain-McClelland A., Chow E. and Lung D., The Pearl River Delta: One Region, Three Systems, In: Hilary du Cros and Yok-shiu F. Lee (editors), Cultural Heritage Management in China: Preserving the Cities of the Pearl River Delta. London and New York, Routledge, 2007, Chapter 2, 23-48.

 

Hilary D., Lee F.Y.S., Sauvigrain-McClelland A., Chow E. and Lung D., The Rise of Professionalism, In: Hilary du Cros and Yok-shiu F. Lee (editors), Cultural Heritage Management in China: Preserving the Cities of the Pearl River Delta. London and New York, Routledge, 2007, Chapter 3, 49-84.

 

Lee A.K.Y. and Lee F.Y.S., Vehicular Emissions Control in China: Policies and Problems (in Chinese), International Conference on Cross-Border Environmental Management, 15-16 June, 2007. Hong Kong, Open University, 12 pp.

 

Lee F.Y.S. and Hilary D., Conclusion, In: Hilary du Cros and Yok-shiu F. Lee (editors), Cultural Heritage Management in China: Preserving the Cities of the Pearl River Delta. London and New York, Routledge, 2007, chapter 6, 139-146.

 

Lee F.Y.S., Impacts and Implications of the Explosive Growth of Automobiles in China: Some Evidence from the Pearl River Delta Region, Elizabeth Chan Cheng E-Lay Geography Academic Seminar Series. Dept. of Geography, HK Baptist University, 2006.

 

Lee F.Y.S., Ma X.L. and Ho K.C., Integrated Approach to Protecting Water Resources in Dongjiang (in Chinese), International Conference on Cross-Border Environmental Management, 15-16 June, 2007. Hong Kong, Open University, 10 pp.

 

Lee F.Y.S. and Hilary D., Introduction, In: Hilary du Cros and Yok-shiu F. Lee (editors), Cultural Heritage Management in China: Preserving the Cities of the Pearl River Delta. London and New York, Routledge, 2007, Chapter 1, 1-22.

 

Lee F.Y.S., Rapid Motorization in the Pearl River Delta Region: Problems and Prospects. The Centre of Urban Planning & Environmental Management, HKU, 2007.

 

Lee F.Y.S. and Hilary D., The Human Factor and Cultural Affinity, In: Hilary du Cros and Yok-shiu F. Lee (editors), Cultural Heritage Management in China: Preserving the Cities of the Pearl River Delta. London and New York, Routledge, 2007, chapter 5, 117-138.

 

Nickum J.E. and Lee F.Y.S., China's Water Short Cities: Some Number Games, China Environment Series. Washington, DC, The Woodrow Wilson Center, 2006, no. 8: 87-91.

 

Wong N., Lo C. and Lee F.Y.S., The Role of Environmental NGOs in Cross-border Management Cooperation (in Chinese), International Conference on Cross-Border Environmental Management, 15-16 June, 2007. Hong Kong, Open University, 10 pp.

 

Researcher : Li Y

Project Title:

APPLICABILITY OF MARKET APPEAL -- ROBUSTICITY MATRIX IN COMMUNITY MANAGEMENT OF HERITAGE TOURISM: A MULTIPLE-CASE STUDY

Investigator(s):

Li Y

Department:

School of Geography

Source(s) of Funding:

Hui Oi Chow Trust Fund - General Award

Start Date:

05/2005

 

Abstract:

This research aims to evaluate the applicability of a Hong Kong made model: Market Appeal-Robusticity Matrix (hereafter MARM), in the community management of heritage tourism development in China through a multiple-case study. MARM is an audit model for assessing heritage resources. It proposes integrating cultural heritage management (hereafter CHM) and tourism concerns in planning a heritage tourism product. Theoretically, any application of MARM should concentrate on creating a balance throughout the planning and management process of heritage tourism development. The ULTIMATE PURPOSE of this study is, therefore, to improve a Hong Kong  made model by testing its applicability in the Mainland. The ties between Hong Kong and Mainland China have been significantly strengthened by the 'Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement' (hereafter CEPA). Very obvious is an increasing demand of cooperation between Hong Kong and the Mainland. Being Asia's 'World City', Hong Kong has successful experience in tourism product design, promotion and resource management, which may be of great inspirations for tourism development in the Mainland. This study will focus on one of these inspirations -- the 'Market Appeal-Robusticity Matrix'. Two KEY ISSUES have been identified. First, can MARM be testified further and to what extent applied to relevant cases in the Mainland? Second, how should we utilize MARM to facilitate heritage tourism development in China in terms of encouraging community involvement in managing heritage assets? Those issues manifest some paramount PROBLEMS for heritage resource managers, namely, how assets can be assessed scientifically to enhance their tourism potential and in the process, what appropriate actions should be taken to resolve the issues inherent in the essential contradictions of heritage tourism development--conservation vs. change. Specifically, this research has THREE OBJECTIVES: a) to evaluate the applicability of MARM on tourism potential assessment through specific cases of heritage tourism development in Anhui and Hainan provinces, as well as Hong Kong SAR b) to clarify the modification on the Western conception of community tourism when applied to China by examining community involvement in heritage tourism development across three administrative and economic regions of China c) to incorporate the proper application of MARM with modified conception of community tourism in China's context as a means to draw practical and theoretical implications for the sustainable management of heritage resources and a sound approach to future studies of community involvement in heritage tourism development of China Objective (a) is fundamental to formulating a theory of tourism resource assessment, while objective (b) attempts to establish an analytical framework for the investigation as community involvement is essential for managing heritage assets in tourism development. The original audit model of MARM is short of considerations regarding this aspect of community involvement in heritage resource management, thus needing modification and improvement. Objective (c) is the most significant because it endeavors to provide implementation instructions, as the result of the evaluation, for advancing the academic study and industry practice of heritage resource assessment and community involvement in tourism.

 

Project Title:

Exploring Countermeasures for Gap between Tourism Planning and Implementation

Investigator(s):

Li Y

Department:

School of Geography

Source(s) of Funding:

Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research

Start Date:

02/2006

 

Abstract:

In tourism literature, a KEY ISSUE is identified, and considered ubiquitous in planning exercise. Namely, a gap occurs between planning and implementation (hereafter GPI) once the planned approach to tourism development is adopted. The ALTIMATE PURPOSE of this proposed research is, firstly, to identify the causes of GPI associated with two specific planning exercises in China and secondly, to find out countermeasures for the GPI by comparing the 2 cases with a relatively successful experience of Hong Kong. It is widely acknowledged that planning is crucial to successful tourism development and management; and planning has been a widely adopted principle in tourism development at both regional and national levels (Inskeep, 1991; World Tourism Organization [hereafter WTO], 1994). Arguably, the merits of planning can only be possible given that a plan can be implemented in the first place. As such, experts suggest implementation be considered in the planning process; and a plan be practically made for this purpose (Cooper et al., 1993; Gunn, 2002; Inskeep, 1991; McIntosh, Goeldner, & Ritchie, 1995; Shepherd, 1998; Veal, 2002). Ideally, a plan should be implemented as planned. In practice, however, planners are frequently challenged by the fact that their choices “are nuanced and have to balance idealism [what ought to happen by and for society] with pragmatism [what can happen with private sector investment]” (Burns, 2004, p.27). This situation creates a gap between planning and implementation, and has led to the failure of tourism plans. For instance, studies have recorded the failure of tourism development plans caused by lack of analytical details or miscalculations regarding the control of land usage (Cooper et al, 1993; Shepherd, 1998), the failure of central planning caused by lack of community involvement (Tosun & Jenkins, 1996), as well as mismatch between central planning and local possibilities (Burns & Sancho, 2003). GPI has been described in some ironic but telling terms, such as “paper exercises” (King, McVey, & Simmons, 2000, p.413), “sitting on government shelves to collect dust” (Burns, 2004, p. 29), “perfunctory or bureaucratic exercise” (Gunn, 2002, p. 28) and “theoretical exercise” (Baidal, 2004, p.322). This phenomenon of GPI is not rare in China’s tourism planning exercises. Recently it was revealed at two forums--China Tourism Planning Summit Workshop 2001 and 2001 Conference on Tourism Planning and Management in Developing Countries--that effective implementation of tourism planning had been rather weak in China. ‘Zhishang Huahua, Qiangshang Guagua’ (drawn on the paper then hung on the wall), a well-known planning jargon, is just a Chinese edition of ‘paper exercise’. Wei Xiao An (2004), former director of the Planning Department, China National Tourism Administration (hereafter, CNTA), criticizes that China’s tourism planning, especially at the master planning level, has come to the end in its present form for lack of innovations. Due to China’s continuous growth of the tourism economy in the 1990s, the number of plans has also increased dramatically in the country (Zhang, 1995; Zhang & Lew, 2003). Wei’s criticism suggests that China has experienced and will see high rate of plan abortion or poor implementation, which may seriously affect both the public and the private sectors involved if necessary countermeasures are not secured. The existing literature of tourism planning offers little in-depth study of GPI. It has focused much “on plan preparation and initial implementation”; “there is little or no consideration of what happens subsequently” (Pearce, 2000, p. 191). Some scholars do have disussed the phenomenon of GPI in the studies of community involvement (Ioannides, 1995; Tosun & Jenkins, 1996), miscalculations regarding the control of land usage (Cooper et al, 1993; Shepherd, 1998), mismatch between central planning and local possibilities (Burns & Sancho, 2003), shortage of funding resource for plan implementation (Inskeep, 1991), uncontrollable factors in the changing environment (WTO, 1994; Shepherd, 1998). However, a PROBLEM remains unsolved. That is, their studies are rather fragmented and lacking in empirical evidence. References: Baidal, J.A.I. (2004) Tourism planning in Spain: Evolution and perspectives. Annals of Tourism Research, 31(2), 313-333. Burns, P.M. (2004) Tourism planning: A third way. Annals of Tourism Research, 31(1), 24-43. Burns, P.M. and Sancho, M.M. (2003) Local perceptions of tourism planning: The case of Cuéllar, Spain. Tourism Management, 24(2003), 331-339. Cooper, C., Gilbert, D., Fletcher, J. and Wanhill, S. (1993) Tourism principles and practice. New York: Wesley Longman Publishing. Gunn, C. A. (2002) Tourism planning. London: Routledge. Inskeep, E. (1991) Tourism planning: An integrated and sustainable development approach. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold. Ioannides, D. (1995) A flawed implementation of sustainable tourism: The experience of Akamas, Cyprus. Tourism Management, 16(8), 583-592. King, B., McVey, M. and Simmons, D. (2000) A societal marketing approach to national tourism planning: Evidence from the South Pacific. Tourism Management, 21(4), 407-416.McIntosh, R.W., Goeldner, C.R. and Ritchie, J.R.B. (1995) Tourism principles, pra ctices, philosophies. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Pearce, D. G. (2000) Tourism plan reviews: methodological considerations and issues from Samoa. Tourism Management, 21(2), 191-203. Shepherd, R. (Ed.) (1998). Tourism principles and practice. Harlow, Essex: Longman Tosun, C. and Jenkins, C. L. (1996) Regional planning approaches to tourism development: The case of Turkey. Tourism Management, 12(7), 519-531. Veal, A.J. (2002) Leisure and tourism policy and planning. New York: CAB International. Wei, X. A.(2004) Qingjing guihua yu tiyan sheji [Scenario planning and experience design]. http://218.30.125.23/qikan1/pages/guangdian.htm: logged on 11/12/2004. WTO (1994) National and regional tourism planning: methodologies and case studies. London: Routledge. Zhang, G.R. (1995) China’s tourism since 1978: Policies, experiences, and lessons learned. In A. A. Lew and L. Yu (Eds.). Tourism in China (pp, 3-17). Oxford: Westview Press. Zhang, G. R. and Lew, A. A. (2003) Introduction: China’s tourism boom. In A. A. Lew et al. (Eds.). Tourism in China (pp, 3-12). New York: Haworth Hospitality Pre

 

Project Title:

Sport Tourism and Public Health: the Implications of the 4th East Asian Games for Hong Kong

Investigator(s):

Li Y

Department:

School of Geography

Source(s) of Funding:

Small Project Funding

Start Date:

12/2006

 

Abstract:

Geographers have contributed little to studying the phenomenon of sport tourism. The purpose of this proposed research is to focus on Macau's success in hosting the 4th East Asian Games in 2005 so as to achieve the following three major objectives: * to supplement to the inadequacy of the geographic enquiry on sport tourism* to examine the impacts of sport tourism on public health and destination image* to generate policy implications for Hong Kong SAR government to both promote the community public health and develop the tourism economy by hosting the 5th East Asian Games in 2009Nowadays, sport is increasingly becoming an important activity within tourism, and tourism and travel have been embedded fundamentally into many types of sport. On one hand, sport can promote tourism by providing sport-oriented tourist attractions, such as sport activities, sport landscapes (e.g. stadiums and statues), and sport cultures (e.g. festivals, symbols, images, etc.). On the other hand, tourism complements sport by adding a touristic or recreational color that can make sport more popular and exciting. Neverthless, sport tourism is defined as having three major features: (1) attractions of sport tourism is primarily sport (events, facilities, etc.), not traditional tourism attractions; (2) sport attractions are not located within sport tourists' home area; (3) sport tourists get involved in sport tourism by actively participating in sport activities on their own, or passively observing those engaged in sport. In recent years growing recognition has been given to the impacts of sport tourism. Statistics show that 55% German tourists, 50% British tourists, 52% Dutch tourists, and 37.3% Canadian tourists made their trips including at least a sport component (World Tourism Organization, 1999). In the 1980s and 1990s, the public generated surpluses of at least US $100 million were from Olympic Games (Roche, 2000). It is not surprising that past studies of sport tourism focused much on the economic impacts of the tourism activities related to specific sport events (Kim and Morrison, 2005; Lee and Taylor, 2005; Owen, 2005). Some (Ritchie and Adair, 2004) have criticized this trend of neglecting the social and cultural effects of sport tourism on the participants and spectators. To address the inadequacy of the past studies on the social and cultural impacts of sport tourism, this proposed research will investigate, specifically, the 4th East Asian Games held in Macao in 2005, in order to understand whether sport tourism can be a catalyst for engaging the community to improve its health.Leisure sports help promote public health by encouraging and motivating community residents to participate in physical exercises. Australia, USA and UK have launched the program of "exercising formula", which proved to be helpful for engaging the residents to improve its public health. Compared with other developed societies, however, the public participation rate in regular physical exercises is rather low in Hong Kong. This has affected the community public health (Department of Health, 2006). Therefore, how to reverse the low pubblic participation rate in physical exercises and how to achieve the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of public health promotion activities are two significant problems for the SAR government to handle in order to enhance the community public health. This research is designed to address the two problems by focusing on two specifically related issues, namely, whether sport tourism can serve as a catalyst for achieving the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of health promotion activities; and whether a specific sport event, such as East Asian Games, can help engage the community to participate more in healthy sport exercises. It is hoped this study will generate some specific policy implications which will help the SAR government to improve the public health of Hong KongKey References:Department of Health, HKSAR (2006). Fact sheet on physical activity. Retrieved January 8, 2006, from http://www.info.gov.hk/dh/do_you_k/index.htmKim, S. S. and Morrison, A. M. (2005). Change of image of South Korea among foreign tourists after the FIFA 2002 World Cup. Tourism Management, 26(1), 233-347Lee, C. K. and Taylor, T. (2005) Critical reflections on the economic impact assessment of a mega-event: the case of the FIFA 2002 World Cup. Tourism Management, 26(3), 595-603Owen, J.G. (2005). Estimating the cost and benefit of hosting Olympic Games: what can Beijing expect from its 2008 Game? The Industrial Geographer, 3(1), 1-8Ritchie, B.W. and Adair, D. (2004). Sport tourism: Interrelationships, impacts, and issues. England: Channel View PublicationsWorld Tourism Organization (WTO). (1999). Tourism: 2020 vision-executive summary. Madrid: World Tourism Organization.

 

List of Research Outputs

 

Li Y. and Lai K., Problem Of ‘guanxi’ For Actualizing Community Tourism: A Case Study Of Relationship Networking In China., Tourism Geographies. London, Routledge, 2007, 9: 115-138.

 

Researcher : Loo BPY

Project Title:

Airport coordination for HK-PRC development under "one country, two systems"

Investigator(s):

 

Department:

School of Geography

Source(s) of Funding:

Other Funding Scheme

Start Date:

01/2002

 

Abstract:

In 1979, there were only two international airports (at Hong Kong and Guangzhou) in the HK-PRC region. In about two decades, there were four international airports (also at Shenzhen and Zhuhai) in this region of 48,000 sq. km. Is there any need for airport coordination? Moreover, how would the geographical distribution of air passengers and freight changed? As a step further, how should the different airports in the region re-position themselves to achieve (common) regional development goals?

 

Project Title:

A spatial analysis of road accidents in Tuen Mun area

Investigator(s):

Loo BPY

Department:

School of Geography

Source(s) of Funding:

Small Project Funding

Start Date:

11/2004

Completion Date:

10/2006

 

Abstract:

To explore the spatial dimension of the road accidents and identify any positive spatial autocorrelation in the road accident pattern by improving the "back zone" methodology.

 

Project Title:

From the black spot to "Black Zone" methodology in road safety research: a case study of Hong Kong

Investigator(s):

Loo BPY, Chan WS

Department:

School of Geography

Source(s) of Funding:

Competitive Earmarked Research Grants (CERG)

Start Date:

01/2005

 

Abstract:

To conduct a spatial autocorrelation analysis of road accidents on the road network of Hong Kong.

 

Project Title:

An Experimental Study of Age Differences on Road Crossing Behaviour

Investigator(s):

Loo BPY

Department:

School of Geography

Source(s) of Funding:

Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research

Start Date:

04/2007

 

Abstract:

In Hong Kong, pedestrians accounted for more fatalities in road traffic injuries than any other road user groups. According to the road safety statistics 2005 from the Transport Department, 78 out of 151 fatalities were pedestrians (51.6%). In fact, the share has been persistently high (about 50%) over the past decade (Loo and Tsui, 2005; Loo and Tsui, forthcoming). Among the 78 pedestrian fatalities in 2005, older pedestrian group (age >65 years old) accounted for 49 cases (62.8%). At present, a study on the relationship of the age of pedestrians and severe traffic injuries is being conducted by the PI and CI. The preliminary findings show that old age (age >65) is a significant explanatory factor predicting on severe pedestrian injury. This phenomenon of older pedestrians being over-represented in casualty crashes as compared to younger pedestrians may be explained by an age-related decline in road-crossing skill and therefore increase in crash risk (Oxley et al, 1997; Oxley et al, 2005; Yee et al, 2005). Older pedestrians could have reduced physical capabilities like mobility and walking speed resulting in a reduced ability to move out of the way of approaching cars. However, road crossing is primarily a decision-making process and older pedestrians still can cross the road safely by choosing longer time gap to compensate for their perceived decline in physical capabilities. More precisely, a safe road-crossing decision will depend on the ability to perceive and integrate information like speed and distance of approaching car and to select a time gap long enough taking into account of their own physical abilities. In other words, reduced physical capability could not account totally for the phenomenon (Harrell, 2001; Loo and Tsui, 2005; Loo and Tsui, forthcoming). For instance, older pedestrians may have traffic judgments which are different from the younger pedestrians because of perceptual, sensory and cognitive deficits related to aging or pathological conditions like dementia or chronic cognitive impediment. The proposed study aims to investigate the traffic judgments of older pedestrians (the old pedestrian group of age 65-75 and the very old pedestrian group of age >75) in comparison with the younger pedestrians, and to establish factors accounting for any possible age differences by road crossing experiments done in a simulated road environment. The relationship of age with decision time, walking time, safety margins and pattern of decision response will be examined with the effect of cognitive impingement. It is recognized that the elderly is a heterogenous group and that their road crossing behaviour is affected by their cognitive power, rather than their physical ability alone. Moreover, the evironmental factors also played a role (LaScala et al, 2000; Loo, 2006). In terms of policy implications, it is hoped the results would affect the design of the road infrastructure to take into account the needs of the elderly, who may be less able to cope with complicated road crossing environment (Fontaine and Gourlet, 1997). Examples may include the lowering of vehicle speeds in the urban areas, the provision of larger central waiting area, the improvement of the visibility and clarity of the road crossing facilities and the provision of sufficient time for road crossing by less-able pedestrians. On the pedestrian side, the focus will be put on identifying and analyzing the most vulnerable group of elderly pedestrians, such as those having early signs of dementia, so that countermeasures can be formulated to allow this group of pedestrians to cross the roads safely. The long-term objective is to facilitate the formulation of a road safety strategy in Hong Kong (Loo et al, 2005; Loo et al, forthcoming). For references, see Section VII.

 

Researcher : Ng CN

Project Title:

Urban rural interaction of land use change and its ecological effects in cities of Pearl River Delta, China

Investigator(s):

Ng CN

Department:

School of Geography

Source(s) of Funding:

Seed Funding Programme for Basic Research

Start Date:

03/2006

 

Abstract:

Increased urbanization and industrialization have resulted in serious environmental pollution in many places of the world, including China and Hong Kong. These escalating environmental problems in urbanized areas and the urgent need for solutions lead to new shift of landscape research to urban ecosystem (Grimm and Redman, 2004). However, many studies based on natural ecosystems cannot sufficiently address this issue. Thus, a landscape ecological perspective for urban ecosystems is not only appropriate, but imperative as well (Berling-wolff and Wu, 2004). The study on urban ecosystem can not only test the current landscape ecology theories, but is also a critical need to sustain urban development.Landscape metrics are power tool for quantifying the compositional and configurational patterns of land use in complex ecosystem. The use of landscape metrics and remote sensing techniques can investigate the spatiotemporal dynamics of land use in urban areas (Herold et al., 2002; Herold et al., 2004; Schneier et al., 2005). Combining landscape metrics with the future simulated landscape or planning alternatives, landscape metrics can describe the predicted development and characterize differences among planned or designed alternatives (Herold et al., 2005; Herzog and Lausch, 2001). Based on the SLEUTH urban growth and land use change model, Herold et al. (2004) have illustrated how landscape metrics can be incorporated into the model calibration process. The findings have been used in road construction (Saunders et al., 2002), landscape ecological planning and design (Leitao and Ahern, 2002; Opdam et al., 2001), and landscape scenic perception assessment (Palmer, 2004).Urban-rural integration as observed in the urban fringe has been regarded as a distinct feature of Asian mega cities (Murakami et al., 2005). From an ecological perspective, urban-rural gradient represents the structural and functional differences of transitional patches in the temporal and spatial contexts. By integrating ecological, social, and physical variables in the different disciplines, gradient paradigm has been proven to be a useful organizing tool for studying ecological consequences of urbanization (McDonnell and Pickett, 1990; Medley et al., 1995; Foresman et al., 1997). Combining landscape metrics with gradient paradigm, the spatial properties of land use changes along the gradient can be systematically investigated (Luck and Wu, 2002; Zhang et al., 2004). Studies indicate that this approach can well capture the complex spatial pattern of urbanization and provide a more comprehensive framework to characterize urban rural interactions.Urban ecosystem evolves over time and space as the outcome of dynamics interactions between socio-economic and biophysical processes operating over multiple scales (Alberti, 1999; Alberti and Marzluff, 2004). Landscape changes in a city (subregion) do not only depend on the natural and historical conditions but also on its geographical situation and position in such a region. Thus, it is problematic to transfer results gained in one landscape to another (Burgi et al., 2004). Many changes in the European landscapes are considered as the result of networking in the policy of European (Antrop, 2000). Very limited work has been done to compare urbanization and its ecological effects in a Chinese context. The Pearl River Delta (PRD) is one of the fastest developing regions in China over the past two decades. Although some studies have focused on land use changes in urban areas, few have linked these changes to their ecological effects, particularly from an urban-rural gradient paradigm. Key issues include:- How does landscape pattern of land use change in the PRD region? What are the major factors contributing to landscape change in this region? - How do the changes and driving forces of landscape changes resemble or differ among different cities in this region?- How do the changes affect environmental variables along urban rural gradient? What kind of landscape metrics can describe these changes?- What are the key ecological factors for achieving sustainable urbanization of city cluster in the whole region?By addressing these questions, the process of urbanization and its ecological effects will be examined. This study will further contribute to regional spatial planning assessment and comparative analysis among cities in the PRD by synthesizing them into one coherent conceptual model. Objectives of the proposed project- To understand landscape pattern of the PRD region in general, with special attention to urban-rural dynamics and its differences among the cities;- To investigate urban-rural interactions and propose a set of spatial metrics that is linked to urban structure and its ecological process;- To link landscape patterns to major environmental variables and differentiate among alternative urban patterns;- To establish empirical relationships between urbanization and landscape dynamics, and then guild urban planning and enhance the landscape integrity regional landscape.Objectives of the present Seed Grant ApplicationThe primary objective of the present proposal is to carry out preparation work for the proposed project. It will include data collection and documentation, software preparation, preliminary processing and analysis, and a case study based on Guangzhou that will help us to understand better the potential of the proposed methodology in real life application.(Note: The reference list can be provided if it is needed.)

 

Researcher : Wan WS

List of Research Outputs

 

Wan W.S., The Role of the Skywalk System in the Development of Hong Kong's Central Business District, Annual Meeting of the Association of American Geographers, April 17-21, 2007 . San Francisco, CA, US, 2007.

 

Researcher : Zhang D

Project Title:

Travertine (tufa) deposit at waterfall sites: a field study on hydraulic changes and associated hydrochemical evolution in the Chinese and Jamaican karst rivers

Investigator(s):

Zhang D

Department:

School of Geography

Source(s) of Funding:

Low Budget High Impact Programme

Start Date:

11/2001

 

Abstract:

To examine the saturation index of CaCo3 of river waters in karst areas of China and Jamaica, which is a basic condition for travertine deposition.; to measure the chemical concentration evolution of CaCO3 and CO2 along the river sections with and without waterfalls and cascades, to investigate whether the concentration changes only occur at waterfall sites; to estimate how important of water effects in causing waterfall travertine deposition by theoretical analysis and field investigations.

 

Project Title:

Ice-age Tibetans and their living environment

Investigator(s):

Zhang D, Li SH

Department:

School of Geography

Source(s) of Funding:

Competitive Earmarked Research Grants (CERG)

Start Date:

01/2005

 

Abstract:

To reconstruct the paleoenvironment in which the ice-age Tibetans were living, including temperature, precipitation, surface vegetation cover and surface processes of 2000 years ago; to evaluate human activities around the site. This includes surveying and mapping of the whole site, discovery of new evidence of human occupation and a complete description and analysis of these remnants; to improve age accuracy using the latest dating techniques; to explore the best way in preservation of the handprints, footprints and hearth and other remnants.

 

List of Research Outputs

 

He Y.Q., Pang H., Theakstone W.H., Zhang D. and Li A., Spatia and Temporal Variations of Oxygen Isotopes in Snowpacks and Glacial Runoff in Different Types of Glacial Area in Western China, Annals of Glaciology. International Glaciological Society, 2006, 43: 269-274.

 

Li B., Wen X., Qiu S. and Zhang D., Phases of environmental evolution indicated by primary chemical elements and paleontological records in the Upper Pleistocene-Holocene series for Salawusu River Valley, China, Acta Geologica Sinica. Chinese Academic Journal Electronic Publishing House, 2007, 80(4): 801-810.

 

Shi C., Zhang D., You L., Li B., Zhang Z. and Zhang O., Land Subsidence as a Result of Sediment Consolidation in the Yellow River Delta, Journal of Coastal Research. Alliance Communications Group, 2007, 23: 173-181.

 

Wen X., Li B. and Zhang D., Magauinerstadial climate of Salawusu Valley-Milanggouwan statigraphical section, Acta Geologica Sinica. Chinese Academic Journal Electronic Publishing House, 2007, 82: 553-562.

 

Yuan B., Huang W. and Zhang D., Earliest Evidence of Human Activities on Northern Tibetan Plateau, Science Bulletin. China Science Press, 2007, 52(13): 1567-1571.

 

Zhang D., Zhang J., Lee F. and He Y., Climate Change and War Frequency in Eastern China over the Last Millennium, Human Ecology. Springer, 2006, 35: 403-414.



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