Railways and Sustainable Low-Carbon Mobility in China PDF
Preview Railways and Sustainable Low-Carbon Mobility in China
Linna Li Railways and Sustainable Low-Carbon Mobility in China Railways and Sustainable Low-Carbon Mobility in China Linna Li Railways and Sustainable Low-Carbon Mobility in China 123 LinnaLi Faculty of Geographical Science Beijing NormalUniversity Beijing,China ISBN978-981-15-9080-1 ISBN978-981-15-9081-8 (eBook) https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-9081-8 ©TheEditor(s)(ifapplicable)andTheAuthor(s),underexclusivelicensetoSpringerNature SingaporePteLtd.2021 Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.AllrightsaresolelyandexclusivelylicensedbythePublisher,whether thewholeorpartofthematerialisconcerned,specificallytherightsoftranslation,reprinting,reuseof illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmissionorinformationstorageandretrieval,electronicadaptation,computersoftware,orbysimilar ordissimilarmethodologynowknownorhereafterdeveloped. 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The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721, Singapore Foreword Today'sworldhasenteredagreaterafullofinnovationandthepromotionofglobal cooperation.Moderninformationtechnologyandahighlydevelopedtransportation system have facilitated economic contact and social communication. Sustainable transport is a vital component of sustainable development, which contributes to multiple goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including good health and well-being, affordable and clean energy, sustainable cities and communities, and climate action. In particular, developing a low-carbon transportsystemissignificantforminimizingenergyconsumption,greenhousegas emissions, and atmospheric pollution. Facing the 2030 Global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and coping with the huge challenges of global envi- ronmental changes and human sustainable development, sustainable transport, especially low-carbon transport, has become an important research issue. China, as a developing country, has experienced rapid development of its transport infrastructure and motorization during the last 40 years of reform and opening-up,whichhasbroughthugesocialandeconomiceffectsaswellasnegative environmental impacts. In 2008, the Beijing-Tianjin high-speed rail began opera- tions, marking China’s entrance into the high-speed railway age. The rapid development of high-speed rail has provided opportunities for developing low-carbon mobility in China by changing passengers’ travel modes and making modal shifts in transport systems. Studying the role of railways in sustainable low-carbon mobility can support national strategies in China, including realizing ecological civilization, building national strength in transportation, and mitigating global climate change. However, among the substantial studies about railway transport in China, most geographers have focused on its network evolution and socioeconomic impact, and few studies have comprehensively examined the evo- lutionary role ofrailways inlow-carbon mobility, especiallytaking high-speed rail into consideration. v vi Foreword This book is based on the author’s theoretical research about sustainable transportaswellasintensivefieldworkinShanghaiHongqiaoTransportHub,Pearl River Delta Intercity Railway, and Hong Kong International Airport over the last decade.Itprovidesasystematicandmultidisciplinaryperspectiveforunderstanding the role of railways in low-carbon mobility. Based on the principle of “retrospect ofthepast,analysisofthecurrentsituation,andprospectsforthefuture”,thisbook adopts multiple methods, including a spatial-temporal analysis, observational sur- vey, interviews, questionnaires, and geostatistics method, to comprehensively analyze the competition, cooperation, and integration between railways and other transport modes, which makes the book a valuable contribution to the existing literature regarding railways and low-carbon transport in China. In particular, Chapters3and4provideanoverviewofthecontributionofrailwaystolow-carbon emissionsinChinainthepastfewdecadesatboththenationalandregionallevels. Chapters 5 and 6 focused on the current competition, cooperation, and integration situationbetweenrailwaysandothertransportmodesaswellastheircontributionto low-carbon emissions. Chapter 7 addressed the institutional barriers and provides policy implications for developing low-carbon mobility in the future. Based on these studies, this book provides a comprehensive understanding of the role of railways in low-carbon mobility, the competition, cooperation, and integration betweendifferenttransportmodesandthebarriersforintegratedtransportinChina. In sum, this book has great value for both academic research on transport geographyandpolicymakingfortransportsystemdevelopmentinChina.Thisbook not only contributes to the research about sustainable low-carbon transport from a geographical perspective but also provides feasible strategies for improving low-carbon mobility in China, which is of great interest to readers who are inter- ested in sustainable transport and a valuable reference for students, academics, planners, and policymakers. Yansin Lin Fellow, The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS) Chair, IGU Commission on Agricultural Geography and Land Engineering (IGU-AGLE) Professor, Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Bejing, China Director general, Key Laboratory of Regional Sustainable Development Modeling, CAS, Bejing, China Preface Over the past several decades, the travel behavior of Chinese residents has undergoneanotabletransformationduetorapidurbanizationandindustrialization, withtraveldemandsincreasingandtravelmodeschanging.Ontheonehand,ithas made travel more affordable, convenient, and efficient; on the other hand, various pollution caused by traffic has placed significant pressure on the environment. Indeed, transport development is a complex system that involves multiple aspects, such as the population, economy, resources, and environment. In China, it is par- ticularly important to explore a pathway towards sustainable development that can reach a balance between mobility and the environment. Amongthekindsoftransportmodes,railwayshavecharacteristicssuchasmass capacity, high safety, and low-carbon emissions, which is appropriate for regions withahighpopulationdensityandflatterrain.However,asthetransportsystemhas evolved, the role of railways has decreased and railways have been replaced by automobiles and airplanes with higher energy consumption and carbon emissions. In recent years, high-speed rail technology has given railways an opportunity to make a comeback and shifted the modal share of transport systems, which was further influenced the sustainable development of transport systems. Railwaysandsustainabletransporthavebeenthemesofmyresearchsince2008, whenmymasterstudiesfocusedontheaccessibilityeffectsofintercity-railwaysin thePearl River Delta. Thelast decade hasseenarapid developmentofrailwaysin China,includingrailwaynetworkextension,railwayelectrification,andhigh-speed railway development. My research has focused on the relationship between rail- ways and low-carbon emissions, land use change, and social equity. Thisbook,entitledRailwaysandSustainableLow-CarbonMobilityinChina,has beendividedintothreeparts.PartIRetrospectofthePast:ModalShiftisImportant tries to estimate how much railways have contributed to low-carbon transport in China over the past few decades at both the national and regional levels in com- parison with other transport modes and emphasizes the contribution of this modal shifttoincreasesintransportcarbonemissionsinChina.PartIICurrentSituation: Competition and Integration Between Railways and Other Transport Modes ana- lyzes the competition and integration between railways and other transport modes vii viii Preface usingseveralcasestudies.PartIIIProspectsfortheFuture:BreakingInstitutional Barriersdeterminesthebarrierstomodalshiftsfromothertransportmodesbackto railways and further integration of different transport modes from both the infras- tructure and institutional perspectives. It also proposes cooperation as a strategy to promotesustainable low-carbon transport systems in China. From the perspective of system analysis, this book explores the relationship betweenrailwaysandsustainablelow-carbontransportfrommultipletemporaland spatialscalesandproposesapathwaytobuildasustainabletransportationsystemin Chinathroughrailwaysandintegratedtransport.Itishopedthatthisbookprovides references for scholars and decision-makers of relevant departments, as well as helps the public understand the relevant issues of sustainable mobility in China. Beijing, China Linna Li Acknowledgements This book is based on my Ph.D. dissertation at the University of Hong Kong and my following studies at Beijing Normal University. My interest in sustainable transport started from the impact of railways on economic development, carbon emissions,andsocialequityinmymaster’sandPh.D.research,andthenbroadened to the relationship between transport development and land use change, rural poverty and urban-rural spatial restructuring. This book would not be possible without the support and encouragement from everyone that helped me during my research.Iwouldliketotakethisopportunitytoexpressmygenuinegratitudetoall of them. My greatest appreciation goes to my supervisors, Professor Becky P.Y. Loo (Ph.D. supervisor) at the University of Hong Kong and Professor Xiaoshu Cao (master supervisor) at Sun Yat-sen University, for their intellectual guidance and endlessencouragementinbothmyresearchandeverydaylife.Theirhard-working, rigorous scholarship, and international academic interaction have continued to influencemyresearchadvancement,careerdevelopment,andpersonalenrichment. My sincere gratitude also goes to the experts that have provided many con- structivesuggestionsandcommentsonmyresearch.Inparticular,ProfessorYansui Liu, fellow of The World Academy of Science (TWAS) and professor at the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research, Chinese AcademyofSciences(CAS),whohasinspiredmeandguidedmyresearchaftermy Ph.D..Hisacademicinsightsaboutthehuman-earthrelationshipandruralregional system have guided my research directions. I also want to thank Professor Claude Comtois at the University of Montreal for his constructive suggestions and com- mentsonmyPh.D.,andDr.LiuWujunatShanghaiAirportAuthorityforhiskind help with my investigation of the Shanghai Hongqiao Transport Hub. In addition, I would like to thank the academic staff and my friends at the Department of Geography, the University of Hong Kong, and my colleagues at Beijing Normal University, who have shared their research experiences with me. I also want to thank my family. Without their understanding and support, I would not have been able to finish this book. ix x Acknowledgements Finally,IwouldliketothanktheNationalNaturalScienceFoundationofChina (Grant No. 41701119) and the Hong Kong Research Grant Council (Grant No. 748408H) for their grant support. Additionally, I want to thank the publishers ofseveraljournalsincludingTransportation,EnergyPolicy,Cities,andJournalof RegionalScienceforgrantingmethepermissiontoreusemypublishedmaterialsin this book.
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