published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Landscape Architecture

published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Landscape Architecture

published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Landscape Architecture

Illegal Parking has become a serious problem in major cities of China, but the features and causes of illegal parking are seldom studied; hence, no effective solutions have been proposed to solve this problem. This study is a case study on one provincial capital city of China, Hefei, Anhui. With an on-site observation and a self-designed questionnaire survey, this study is able to reveal the general background of the study area where illegal parking is prevalent due to great parking shortage. After analyzing all the data obtained from the surveys, this study also brings to light the main characteristics of illegal-parking participants, including age, gender, income, perception on punishments and parking difficulty, as well as the distributions of illegal-parking activities temporally and spatially. Through these, this study gives a comprehensive picture of what illegal-parking phenomenon is like. The reasons leading to illegal parking vary. This study uses a combination model of PEST and Cause and Effect Diagram (CED) to comprehensively explain the illegal parking causes from four aspects: policy & regulation, economic, social and technique. Aiming at solving illegal parking problem, this study looks deeply into the externalities produced by and the costs of illegal-parking activity. A microeconomic analysis is adopted to compare the external cost, generalized cost and perceived cost of illegal parking. Lastly, a series of recommendations are proposed accordingly. Increasing generalized cost is then considered as an effective and efficient way to solve illegal parking problem by not only reducing illegal parking demand but also internalizing the externality. Besides, carrying out supportive policies, increasing parking supply, educating drivers and updating parking facilities and management methods are also recommended based on the analysis of illegal parking causes. / published_or_final_version / Transport Policy and Planning / Master / Master of Arts in Transport Policy and Planning

This present research aimed (1) to examine the level of sexual health knowledge, patterns of sexual attitudes and prevalence of sex-related behaviours among college students in contemporary China; (2) to explore factors predicting knowledge, attitude and behavior regarding sexuality; and (3) to assess gender differences in both characteristics and correlates. Based on data collected from 274 college students (167 male and 107 female) by the way of convenience sampling, in Hefei, China, Phase 1 of the study first selected, examined and modified (if necessary) three instruments (Sexual Health Knowledge Scale, SHKS; Sexual Attitude Scale, SAS; Sex-Related Behaviour Questionnaire, SRBQ), which was used in Phase 2 of the Study. It was found that the examined and (if necessary) modified SHKS, SAS and SRBQ showed good psychometric properties and internal consistencies, which could be useful questionnaires for the measurement of Chinese college students’ sexuality regarding knowledge, attitude and behaviour. Phase 2 of the Study including Section 1, 2 and 3 explored characteristics and correlates of sexual health knowledge, sexual attitudes and sex-related behaviors among an convenience sample of 1398 college students (828 male and 570 female) in Hefei, China. The results in Section 1 demonstrated college students had very limited sexual health knowledge and boys were likely to be much more knowledgeable than girls. Subscales and global score of sexual health knowledge correlated with received sexuality education, romantic relationship experience and coming from urban area, but the overall impact of the factors studied was not strong. The results in Section 2 indicated males had neutral attitudes about sexuality and females had relatively conservative attitudes. Although the overall impact of the factors studied was not strong, several variables (i.e., relationship experience, time spent online, parents’ education, family income, urbanity and sexual health knowledge,) were statistically significantly associated with subscales and global score of sexual attitude. Age was a positive predictor of permissiveness for males and a negative predictor for females. It was found in Section 3 that specific sex-related behaviours in the last one year varied in frequency. Prevalence of some sex-related behaviors (i.e., heterosexual intercourse, oral sex) remained low, while prevalence of other sexual behaviours (i.e., masturbation, pornography use) was high. The magnitude of gender differences in some sex-related behaviors (i.e., oral sex) was relatively small while there was the big gender gap in other sexual behaviours (i.e., masturbation). Moreover, students who had romantic relationship experience, lower educational aspiration or had received sexuality education reported more sexual behaviors involvement. Interestingly, males, but not females, were significantly influenced by time spent online. The thesis suggested significance at theoretical, empirical and practical level, limitations (i.e., gender-related reporting bias, limitation of generalization) and possible directions (i.e., safe sex, sexual and gender monitories, qualitative, cross-cultural and longitudinal study) for future research by reflecting on the findings of this research. Finally, the research was evaluated in terms of practical implications for sexuality education and broader public health policy in aspects of the role of schools and families, students’ participation, Internet utilization, teaching strategies and resources recommendation. / published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The pursuit of cultural heritage conservation is particularly problematic in China as the country has been undergoing substantial changes in its governance processes in the post-reform era. As the regime becomes less authoritarian and more pluralized, a multitude of stakeholders (both state and non-state), are now involved in promoting, constructing, challenging and safeguarding a variety of meanings and values in heritage. This thesis incorporates an urban governance lens to examine the policy and practical problems in conserving urban built heritage in contemporary China. This approach offers a new perspective in understanding the distribution of authority and power between the state and society as well as its effect on the management of public affairs. The reconfigurations of the role of the state, market and civil society have ushered in a new phase of urban politics that have enormous implications for built heritage conservation practices. As a result of reforms, conventional stakeholders have assumed new roles in politics; meanwhile, an increasing variety and number of new stakeholders connected to the non-state sector have also emerged; and their relationships and interactions with the state have become increasingly complex. An urban governance perspective draws attention to the new arrangements embedded in these relationships, which have profoundly impacted the decision-making processes in conservation, re-shaped the interpretation of heritage values, re-defined the scope of heritage and re-thought the use of heritage in Guangzhou. By employing a case-study approach, this thesis provides a detailed analysis of the conservation efforts undertaken by various stakeholder groups in Guangzhou in the post-reform era. Guangzhou is one of the country’s designated historic cities; it is also the provincial capital of Guangdong and has experienced rapid marketization over the past three decades. Three district-specific cases are selected to provide an in-depth analysis on the changing relationships among concerned stakeholders. The case of Shamian Island demonstrates the rigidity and constraints of central-local relation; while the case of Xinhepu discloses the evolving state-market relation. Finally, the case of Enning Road examines the rise of non-state stakeholders and their power struggle against the state. These cases were selected because each of them covers a particular heritage aspect that is directly related to the three-pronged national conservation hierarchical framework. The findings in the three cases respectively reveal the intricacies of conservation politics: the bureaucratic politics in the management and conservation of designated heritage; the struggle between state and society over what legitimate type of history is considered as “national” history and the maintenance of its local significance; and the operation-cum-conservation of heritage assets by market forces in China’s transitional economy. The findings of this thesis contribute to a broadened understanding of the changing roles and functions of the state, market and civil society in China’s transitional period; thus revealing the major deficiencies in the existing institutional and managerial frameworks for built heritage conservation in Guangzhou. This thesis also documents the impacts and outcomes of the actions of various state and non-state stakeholders on the prospect of built heritage conservation at an urban scale in China. / published_or_final_version / Geography / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

In contemporary society with housing construction in full swing, ‘Gated Community’ has become a new phenomenon that soundlessly changing the way people lives. ‘Gated’ means ‘safe’ and ‘private’, but it is also associated with ‘segregation’ and ‘differentiation’. This contradictory concept has rich connotations that are concerning not only physical space and urban structure but also social stability and economical fairness, etc. To have better understanding of Gated Communities and their impacts, the dissertation has taken Wuhan, one of the famous metropolises in China, as an illustration. Through observing the quality of physical environment (size and scale, boundary form and environment, road system, public facilities, and open space), analyzing the relationship between public space and private sector, and evaluating process of property development and management, we learnt that huge-sized GCs led incompleteness of urban branch road system, making urban structure fragmented, and income-based segregation contributed to many social problems as well as unreasonable allocation of public faculties, etc. Based on these evaluations, many optimization strategies have been formulated. For example, from spatial perspective, we can relief this situation through scale and size control, mixed land use, boundary optimization, social integration and policy formulation. From administrative perspective, current land leasing mode needs to be changed into a better-planned one. The development rights, property rights, and management responsibilities need to be clearly divided and some affordable housing strategies need to be adopted, etc. / published_or_final_version / Urban Planning and Design / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

Agricultural products are indispensable components of daily life. Nowadays, most cities in China, food supply is already setup, however the whole food supply chain is quite long with low efficiency. After the harvest of agricultural products, they have been transported to multi-hierarchical markets and go through plurality sales links by simple vehicles before meeting consumer. Due to the existence of an imperfect agricultural product supply system, specifically the inadequate infrastructure for cold-chain transportation and low-level storage technology, agricultural products and aquatic products, among others, suffer huge loss rates ranging from 15% to 30% during picking, transportation, and storage as well as during processing in other logistics sectors. Thus, some unscrupulous producers or agents add preservatives to the agricultural products in order to keep them looks with good quality. Besides, for the producers, though they do their utmost for farming and cultivating，they still living at the bottom of the social ladder with low income. For the consumer, owing to the increasing standard of living, the improvement of the logistical system and the structural adjustment of modern agricultural products, more and more consumers no longer just pursue the goal of having sufficient food to eat. Instead, they hope to eat better and healthier and prefer fresher or more diverse food options with high quality and nutrition. This thesis aims to study the existing agricultural product system in Guangzhou, focusing on the agricultural products supply model and discusses ways to revolutionize the “farm-to-table” agricultural products channel by proposing a new supply model in a regional scale to narrow the gap between consumer and producer in two main methods. On one hand, establish Agricultural Association to coordinate the whole system and guide the local farmer cultivate agricultural product and deliver their product to the consumer with high efficiency. On the other hand, attract the costumer come to productive area that they not only get the product directly but also understand the process of production. In these ways can guarantee the safety, freshness, and nutritional value of agricultural products, improve farmer’s income and satisfied consumer’s requirement by achieving a high-efficiency, low-pollution and energy-saving “farm-to-table” channel for local agricultural products. / published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Landscape Architecture

published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Landscape Architecture

Community-driven approach to Heritage Conservation has been increasingly discussed internationally. One of the principles in the Charter for the Conservation of Historic Towns and Urban Areas drawn up by International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) stated “the participation and the involvement of the residents are essential for the success of the conservation programme and should be encouraged.” (ICOMOS 1987) One of the more well-known bottom-up approaches is Machizukuri from Japan. 　　The origin of Machizukuri in Japan largely stems from the desire of local residents to maintain and develop aspects of their living environment that can otherwise be threatened by external forces. The need to voice out on behalf of their own community is often a relatable trait for various communities all around the world. 　　In the case of Machizukuri, its origin was cast in the backdrop of a post-war Japan, where at first glance the entire country seemed to homogeneously focus solely on modernisation and economic development regardless of costs (Siegenthaler 2004, 3). But as the truth revealed, many local communities—far away from the Japan National Government in Tokyo and its consideration when shaping the country’s urban planning scheme of the time—often differ from the opinions of top-down decision makers on how their own neighbourhood should be developed. 　　When this Japanese concept of bottom-up approach first started, the leaders of these organisations were mainly made up of local non-professional residents, contrasting greatly to the conventional decision makers comprised of scholars and bureaucrats—the “traditional elite”. And yet, despite its modest beginning, after decades of development, Machizukuri is seen as a proven method to effectively solve a wide-range of issues in areas such as planning, heritage conservation, and disaster relief. 　　Over time, the Japan National Government gradually accepted the merits of Machizukuri, eventually incorporating it into national planning law. It was evident that local inputs often improved upon planning decisions made by top-down approach, and thereby increased the chance of successful implementation. 　　After several decades, Machizukuri is recognised as a proven bottom-up, community-driven concept that aimed for the improvement of quality of living through the participation of local citizens of Japan. It represents an important development in local politics and urban management in Japan. The recent citizen movement of Hong Kong, since the 1997 Handover, shared similarities to the situation that led to the creation of the Machizukuri movement in Japan at that time. 　　 　　As Machizukuri gradually matures over the past decades, it became fully recognised in Japan and internationally as an effective method to conduct community-driven citizen participation activities. It can be a viable option for Hong Kong to consider as the citizens are exploring bottom-up conservation solutions. / published_or_final_version / Conservation / Master / Master of Science in Conservation