The scope of this book is to map China’s city clusters and their individual directions for the national-level strategies in line with the 2060 carbon neutrality plan. Since China announced the carbon neutrality plan in autumn 2020, no study has looked at the role of city clusters in achieving this long-term plan. Hence, this study is believed to be the first attempt to explore this important topic from the city cluster perspective. It explores the challenges, opportunities, and directions of all 19 city clusters, allowing readers to have a clear picture of China’s historical and ongoing progress, as well as the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. In a short time, China’s city clusters have helped boost regional economic development, infrastructure development, trade and business, and better urban–rural integration. With enhanced coordination of connection and transport networks in and between the city clusters, we see a growing number of initiatives beyond just the initial economic strategies. The dual approach of top-down policies and infrastructure systems and bottom-up governance and investments has helped China consider urban–rural development strategies and regional sustainable development. These factors are essential to be explored from the city cluster perspective and in line with China’s sustainable development and carbon neutrality directions. Hence, the book covers these points holistically, ensuring that regional planning and development are favored in the face of uneven urbanization trends. We anticipate this book to be a valuable resource for local governments and authorities, urban planners and practitioners, developers, and urban researchers. While the focus is on China’s city clusters, we believe there are similar examples elsewhere. Hence, lessons learnt from this book could apply to other countries, regions, and subregions. Lastly, the book aims to put regional sustainable development at the heart of longer-term strategies and plans, such as the case of China’s carbon neutrality plan.

The scope of this book is to map China's city clusters and their individual directions for the national-level strategies in line with the 2060 carbon neutrality plan. Since China announced the carbon neutrality plan in autumn 2020, no study has looked at the role of city clusters in achieving this long-term plan. Hence, this study is believed to be the first attempt to explore this important topic from the city cluster perspective. It explores the challenges, opportunities, and directions of all 19 city clusters, allowing readers to have a clear picture of China's historical and ongoing progress, as well as the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. In a short time, China's city clusters have helped boost regional economic development, infrastructure development, trade and business, and better urban-rural integration. With enhanced coordination of connection and transport networks in and between the city clusters, we see a growing number of initiatives beyond just the initial economic strategies. The dual approach of top-down policies and infrastructure systems and bottom-up governance and investments has helped China consider urban-rural development strategies and regional sustainable development. These factors are essential to be explored from the city cluster perspective and in line with China's sustainable development and carbon neutrality directions. Hence, the book covers these points holistically, ensuring that regional planning and development are favored in the face of uneven urbanization trends. We anticipate this book to be a valuable resource for local governments and authorities, urban planners and practitioners, developers, and urban researchers. While the focus is on China's city clusters, we believe there are similar examples elsewhere. Hence, lessons learnt from this book could apply to other countries, regions, and subregions. Lastly, the book aims to put regional sustainable development at the heart of longer-term strategies and plans, such as the case of China's carbon neutrality plan.

This book considers the impact of global climate change, advocating to promote sustainable development from the perspective of low carbon and climate resilience, by reducing carbon emissions in different aspects of urban and regional development. As the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide, China is continuously exploring a sustainable path to achieve the momentous goal of 2060 carbon neutrality. In addition, this book reviews and summarizes China's green development and predicts the transformation of China's carbon emission and energy structure before and after the peak of carbon emission in 2030. It examines the role of governance in decarbonization efforts, focusing on decision making processes, policies and regulations, as well as the significance of regions, cities, and communities. This book highlights typical methods of implementing and achieving low carbon development in light of China's practical situation, which helps to resolve some of the problems that may arise in achieving the carbon neutral goal. Therefore, this book is suitable for the reference of scholars in low-carbon environment science, sustainable urban development, and other related fields. It also provides inspiration for China's medium and long-term sustainable development plans in the future.

This book is an unusual attempt to study urban regeneration. First, it is based on mapping the realities of urban regeneration case study examples and their impacts on people, places, and city life experiences. Second, it is context-specific, exploring only a particular region rather than covering one country or multiple locations. Hence, the aim is to avoid generic and global solutions but rather focus on local pathways and directions. Third, it delves into specific case study examples that could share some lessons for research, practice, and academia, particularly in the field of urban regeneration. This book is the first of (hopefully) many more on the way in urban mapping studies with various themes and focus areas. The ultimate goal is to ensure urban mapping is recognized well and practiced extensively in research and education. It is essential to map realities in cities and communities, those that we usually witness but should be experienced, perceived, and touched—not just via desk research. Mapping techniques are more than just common tools in urbanism, urban geography, urban studies, urban planning, etc. They are not just tools but inventive ways of understanding cities, places, communities, experiences, and people. Thus, in this book, we try to understand more about people and places through life experiences and mapping the urban regeneration projects of multiple cities in Yunnan Province. This collection is based on a very concise context-specific research focused on only one region. The decision to do so is intentional, just because contextual, cultural, and local attributes need to be looked at more accurately, considerably, and dexterously. Hence, this collection delves into case study examples of an inspiring location where traditions remain, resources are plenteous, and cultures are diverse. Yunnan is one of the few provinces left in China that offers a lot for comprehensive research studies at the urban, rural, and township levels. The experiences we gained from mapping studies, observations, and multi-stakeholder engagements are exceptionally rich and vibrant, allowing us to think more holistically and find ways and suggestions beyond just the generic globalized models elsewhere. We hope the book will be useful to various stakeholders, particularly urban specialists, researchers, and students. It is also a valuable collection for policymakers, decision-makers, and governmental authorities, who should refrain from top-down processes and bring back people to the heart of urban regeneration processes.

This book summarizes experiences from the World Bank s activities related to low-carbon urban development in China. It highlights the need for low-carbon city development and presents details on specific sector-level experiences and lessons, a framework for action, and financing opportunities.