UGOD Thrust Seminar | Satellite monitoring of shrinking cities on the globe and containment solutions
Shrinking cities are often neglected in the context of global urbanization, the tip of the iceberg that was driven by underlying complex sets of causes. Therefore, it is urgent and crucial to investigate the invisible aspects of global urbanization propelling specific challenges to attain Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG 11) related to sustainable cities and communities. Here, we identify shrinking cities 1992–2000, 2000–2012, and 2013–2018 and predict them in 2018–2050, using nighttime light images and redefined natural city boundaries. The proportion of shrinking cities increased from 9% to 16 and 25%. Looking ahead, there will be 7,166 predicted shrinking cities in 2050, accounting for 37% of all cities. In this context, synergistic efforts like regreening vacant lands and constructing compact cities would help achieve SDG 11 in consideration of the new urban shrinking landscape with multisource data like CO2 emissions and points of interests (POIs).
Ying Long, Ph.D. is now working in the School of Architecture, Tsinghua University, China as a tenured associate professor. His research focuses urban science, including applied urban modeling, urban big data analytics & visualization, quantitative urban studies, planning support systems, data augmented design and future cities. He has an education background in both environmental engineering and city planning. Before joining Tsinghua University, he has worked for Beijing Institute of City Planning as a senior planner for eleven years. Familiar with planning practices in China and versed in international literature, Dr. Long’s academic studies creatively integrate international methods and experiences with local planning practices. He has published almost two hundred papers and led over twenty research/planning projects. His funded projects range from international organizations like World Bank, World Health Organization, World Resource Institute and NRDC, and Wellcome Trust, internet companies like Alibaba, Baidu, Jingdong, Tencent, Didi, Mobike and Gudong, local governments like Beijing, Chengdu, Qingdao, Hefei, Zunyi, Rongcheng and Laizhou, to central governments like NDRC and MOHURD, and the NSFC. Dr. Long is also the founder of Beijing City Lab (BCL www.beijingcitylab.com), an open research network for quantitative urban studies.