Influence of Urban-Growth Pattern on Air Quality in China: A Study of 338 Cities

Yanchuan Mou, Yan Song, Qing Xu, Qingsong He and Ang Hu
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Yanchuan Mou: College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, No. 29 Jiuyanqiao Wangjiang Rd, Chengdu 610064, China
Yan Song: Department of City and Regional Planning, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
Qing Xu: College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, No. 29 Jiuyanqiao Wangjiang Rd, Chengdu 610064, China
Qingsong He: College of Public Administration, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, 1037 Luoyu Road, Wuhan 430074, China
Ang Hu: College of Architecture and Environment, Sichuan University, No. 29 Jiuyanqiao Wangjiang Rd, Chengdu 610064, China

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 9, 1-16

Abstract: Air pollution in China is a serious problem and an inevitable threat to human health. This study evaluated the relationship between air quality and urban growth pattern in China by conducting empirical research involving 338 prefecture-level and above cities. Spatial regression techniques considering spatial autocorrelation were applied to correct the calculation bias. To obtain local and accurate results, a conception of eight economic zones was adopted to delineate cities into different groups and to estimate regression separately. An additional six urban form and socioeconomic indicators served as controlling variables. Significant and positive relationships between the aggregated urban growth pattern index and air pollution were observed in Northeast China, northern coastal China, and Northwest China, indicating that a high degree of urban aggregation is associated with poor air quality. However, a negative parameter was obtained in southern coastal China, showing an opposite association on urban aggregation and air quality. Nonsignificant connections among the other four zones were found. The findings also highlighted that land use mix, population density, and city size exerted varied and significant influence on air quality across eight economic zones. Overall, this study indicated that understanding the quantitative relationships between urban forms and air quality can provide policymakers with alternative ways to improve air quality in rapidly developing China.

Keywords: urban growth pattern; urban form; air quality; spatial regression; Chinese cities (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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