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作者

来源

JOURNAL OF URBAN AFFAIRS,Vol.41,Issue1,P.145-146

语言

英文

关键字

作者单位

University of Cincinnati

摘要

China is an intriguing travel destination for planners. I first visited Beijing and Tianjin in October 2016 with several colleagues. Though the pace of urbanization is incredible, the high levels of air pollution are reminiscent of the worst air pollution in the United States in the 1950s. China’s grand high-speed rail networks reduce travel times and increase efficiency, but the tremendous growth of privately owned automobiles causes ever increasing levels of congestion and air pollution, thereby decreasing the quality of life. From an American perspective, it is difficult to imagine how the denigrated urban environment of China will begin to improve.Fortunately, Robert Gottlieb and Simon Ng provide some insights into how China might address its environmental issues. Gottlieb, located in Los Angeles, is emeritus professor of urban and environmental policy at Occidental College, and Ng, located in Hong Kong, is an independent consultant and former chief research officer at Civic Exchange, a think tank in Hong Kong. The authors began their collaboration in 2012 and have continued to expand the breadth of their research to include all of Southern California and the Pearl River Delta of China, which includes the cities of Guangzhou and Shenzhen. They make comparisons to a few other Chinese cities as well, most notably Beijing and Shanghai.The book is organized into eight chapters. The first chapter provides the context to compare and contrast Los Angeles, Hong Kong, and China. The concept of global city is discussed; Los Angles has been a global city for decades, and Hong Kong has risen to that rank since the 1980s when China entered the world market. The central focus of the book is six urban environmental issues: ports and the movement of goods, air quality, water quality, food systems, transportation, and public space. The final chapter looks at the intersection of social movement and changes to policy. Let’s look at each chapter in more detail.In Chapter 1, “Moving Forward Together: An Introduction,” Gottlieb and Ng make a good case for comparing and contrasting the two cities. Both cities meet the definition of global city; they are both centers of finance, global shipping, and manufacturing. The two cities are linked directly by global shipping, with goods from much of China funneling through Hong Kong to the U.S. market via the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. There are other interesting connections between Hong Kong and Los Angeles: Chinese businesses have invested in Los Angeles real estate, large numbers of Chinese immigrants settle in the area, and Los Angeles is a top destination for Chinese tourists.Chapter 2, “The Global Goods Movement System,” focuses on the impact of increased shipping between the two port cities. Some of those impacts include air pollution from container ships due to very low-quality fuel, diesel trucks (especially older models), and railroad engines. Many low-income residences are adjacent to the ports in both regions, and they suffer a disproportionate number of health impacts.Chapter 3, “Breathing Air,” offers a cautionary tale on the control of air pollution. Air pollution has been a problem in Los Angeles since 1940; local industry was at first blamed. With increasing levels of smog by 1950, researchers “identified automobile exhaust as the single largest contributor to Los Angeles’s decline in air quality” (p. 67). Numerous controls to reduce air pollution have been put in place over the years, yet overall air quality remains poor due to ever increasing numbers of automobiles. Air quality in Hong Kong was excellent until 1990. Since then, air pollution has increased due to the increased numbers of automobiles as well as increased industrial activity. To reduce air pollution from industries located in Hong Kong, some industries were relocated to nearby Guangdong. Because industries in China proper have been subject to even less regulation than in Hong Kong, this has resulted in more overall air pollution, some of it carried back to Hong Kong by the wind.Chapter 4, “Water for the City,” focuses on issues of water supply (quantity) and quality. Los Angeles, because of its desert climate and water dependent residential lawns, has relied on large amounts of imported water from Northern California for decades. Hong Kong, although it receives over 50 inches of rain annually, relies on water sources in nearby China. Water quality has decreased in both cities due to greater industrial activities.Chapter 5, “The Food Environment,” offers a fascinating look at changes in food production over the past century. Historically in both cities, food was produced and sold locally. As land prices increased, food production relocated to more remote, rural areas. As greater quantities of food were required, larger retailers replaced farmers’ markets. Now in both cities, citizens have a desire for higher quality, locally produced food.In Chapter 6, “Transportation in the City,” the authors highlight the adverse impacts of automobile traffic on both cities. Hong Kong has a highly developed public transit system with ferries, buses, trams, and subways, yet the recent surge in automobile ownership has lessened pedestrians’ abilities to safely move around the city. Los Angles has been automobile dependent since the 1950s and most areas lack public transit. Recent improvements to public transit, such as the subway, hold promise.In Chapter 7, “Spaces in the City,” the authors explore the tension between private and public open space and the desire by private real estate interests to exert more control over open space. Gated communities in Los Angeles, historically built for the wealthy, are now built for lower and middle-income families. Hong Kong, surrounded on three sides by water, has a unique local resource for public space: its coastline and other “water spaces.” As the harbor has become deindustrialized, more coastline has been converted to recreational uses, although public access can still be an issue.In Chapter 8, “Social Movements and Policy Changes,” the authors provide a short summary of the efforts by local groups, nongovernmental organizations, and individual citizens to make “change from below” to exert pressure on the political system to institute policy changes. The chapter concludes with the idea of a right to the city, which, if implemented, would result in greater citizen engagement to increase the city’s livability.I recommend this book for graduate city planning students. The comparisons and contrasts between Los Angeles and Hong Kong make this book attractive to both American and international students seeking to better understand each country’s urban environmental issues and policies. I appreciate the engaging writing style, the solid historic context given for current issues, and the high level of scholarship as demonstrated by the extensive notes and bibliography.