ABE Team published a book on China’s Sustainable Urbanism
13 January 2022
In collaboration with their Japan-based co-author, Ali Cheshmehzangi and Ayotunde Dawodu have co-published a book titled ‘Sustainable Urbanism in China’. To date, this is the most comprehensive book related to this important topic, covering China’s sustainability pathways and transitions in cities and communities. The book was officially launched in August 2021, and was published by Routledge in New York, the US.
In around 450 pages, the book holistically explores the notion of "Sustainable Urbanism" by considering the role sustainable neighborhood planning plays in the larger picture of sustainable urbanism. It suggests a range of innovations and best practices that are either developed or adopted by China. These are narrated as lessons learnt for other countries where we see similar trends of development patterns or emerging practices. Through various explorations of challenges, paradigms, and innovations of urban sustainability, this book highlights how planning, policy, and design are forming and reforming in the context of China. These are offered through a set of guidelines and pathways for urban sustainability at the scale of neighborhoods/communities or districts in a wider context of urban environments, as well as strategies for planners, developers, policy makers, and educators in the field of the built environment.
Through a comprehensive overview of urban sustainability practices in China, this book investigates 12 case study projects. These comprehensive explorations should in turn help construct the future directions of China’s sustainable urban development and provide innovative pathways of sustainable urbanism in China and around the globe.
Four key parts of the book are:
PART 1: Sustainable Tools and Indicators
PART 2: Sustainable Planning and Policy
PART 3: Sustainable Energy Systems
PART 4: Sustainable Urban Design
The authors are very proud to acknowledge the involvement of many research members under this three-year project. Team members included PhD students, UG research interns, Research Assistants, and external collaborators. The book is appraised by CABR – Shanghai Branch, and BRE-China, two of the ABE’s main regional collaborators.
Ali Cheshmehzangi is Professor of Architecture and Urban Design, Head of Department of Architecture and Built Environment, and Director of Urban Innovation Lab at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China (UNNC), and Visiting Professor at Network for Education and Research on Peace and Sustainability (NERPS), Hiroshima University, Japan.
Ayotunde Dawodu is Assistant Professor of Building Services Engineering and Career and Industrial Engagement Officer at the Department of Architecture and Built Environment at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China.
Ayyoob Sharifi is Associate Professor at the Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Hiroshima University, with a cross-appointment at the Graduate School of Advanced Science and Engineering of Hiroshima University, Japan.
"China promises to be carbon neutral by 2060. In the process of sustainable urbanization, more than 100 green ecological urban areas are under construction or have been built. As the book says, ‘China’s development is no longer a matter of China alone.’ This book provides a holistic view of China's progress and directions in sustainable urbanism, which will be beneficial to many local and international stakeholders."
– Yanyan Sun, Director of Eco City and Big Data Center, China Academy of Building Research (CABR) Shanghai Branch
"This book features some most in-depth thoughts on China['s] lessons during fast urbanization [such as their struggles] to maintain a spirit of sustainability and achieve some balance. There have been lessons learned certainly, and such lessons will be great references for future policy makers and influencers for the industry of sustainable development."
The book is available directly from Routledge at:
https://www.routledge.com/Sustainable-Urbanism-in-China/Cheshmehzangi-Dawodu-Sharifi/p/book/9780367902513