IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v14y2022i15p9142-d871883.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Urban Sustainability: Integrating Socioeconomic and Environmental Data for Multi-Objective Assessment

Author

Listed:
  • Yichun Xie

    (Department of Geography and Geology, Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI 48197, USA)

  • Chao Liu

    (School of Spatial Informatics and Geomatics Engineering, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan 232001, China)

  • Shujuan Chang

    (Inner Mongolia Key Laboratory of Remote Sensing of Grassland and Emergency Response Technic, Inner Mongolia Forestry and Grassland Monitoring and Planning Institute, Hohhot 010020, China)

  • Bin Jiang

    (Division of GIScience, Faculty of Engineering and Sustainable Development, University of Gävle, SE-80176 Gävle, Sweden)

Abstract

The large concentration of the world’s population in cities, along with rapid urbanization, have brought numerous environmental and socioeconomic challenges to sustainable urban systems (SUS). However, current SUS studies focus heavily on ecological aspects, rely on SUS indicators that are not supported by available data, lack comprehensive analytical frameworks, and neglect SUS regional differences. This paper develops a novel approach to assessing urban sustainability from regional perspectives using commonly enumerated socioeconomic statistics. It integrates land use and land cover change data and ecosystem service values, applies data mining analytics to derive SUS indicators, and evaluates SUS states as trade-offs among relevant SUS indicators. This synthetic approach is called the integrated socioeconomic and land-use data mining–based multi-objective assessment (ISL-DM-MOA). The paper presents a case study of urban sustainability development in cities and counties in Inner Mongolia, China, which face many environmental and sustainable development problems. The case study identifies two SUS types: (1) several large cities that boast well-developed economies, diversified industrial sectors, vital transportation locations, good living conditions, and cleaner environments; and (2) a few small counties that have a small population, small urban construction areas, extensive natural grasslands, and primary grazing economies. The ISL-DM-MOA framework innovatively synthesizes currently available socioeconomic statistics and environmental data as a unified dataset to assess urban sustainability as a total socio-environmental system. ISL-DM-MOA deviates from the current indicator approach and advocates the notion of a data-mining-driven approach to derive urban sustainability dimensions. Furthermore, ISL-DM-MOA diverges from the concept of a composite score for determining urban sustainability. Instead, it promotes the concept of Pareto Front as a choice set of sustainability candidates, because sustainability varies among nations, regions, and locations and differs between political, economic, environmental, and cultural systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Yichun Xie & Chao Liu & Shujuan Chang & Bin Jiang, 2022. "Urban Sustainability: Integrating Socioeconomic and Environmental Data for Multi-Objective Assessment," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(15), pages 1-21, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:15:p:9142-:d:871883
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/15/9142/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/15/9142/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Ingo Kowarik & Leonie K. Fischer & Dave Kendal, 2020. "Biodiversity Conservation and Sustainable Urban Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-8, June.
    2. Honglei Liu & Qiang Wu & Jianxin Chen & Mingjun Wang & Di Zhao & Cheng Duan, 2021. "Environmental Impacts Related to Closed Mines in Inner Mongolia," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-19, December.
    3. Roman, Philippe & Thiry, Géraldine, 2016. "The inclusive wealth index. A critical appraisal," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 124(C), pages 185-192.
    4. Jiabo Chen & Jun Lu, 2014. "Effects of Land Use, Topography and Socio-Economic Factors on River Water Quality in a Mountainous Watershed with Intensive Agricultural Production in East China," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(8), pages 1-12, August.
    5. Puthearath Chan, 2020. "Assessing Sustainability of the Capital and Emerging Secondary Cities of Cambodia Based on the 2018 Commune Database," Data, MDPI, vol. 5(3), pages 1-36, September.
    6. David Griggs & Mark Stafford-Smith & Owen Gaffney & Johan Rockström & Marcus C. Öhman & Priya Shyamsundar & Will Steffen & Gisbert Glaser & Norichika Kanie & Ian Noble, 2013. "Sustainable development goals for people and planet," Nature, Nature, vol. 495(7441), pages 305-307, March.
    7. Bogdan Tomoiagă & Mircea Chindriş & Andreas Sumper & Antoni Sudria-Andreu & Roberto Villafafila-Robles, 2013. "Pareto Optimal Reconfiguration of Power Distribution Systems Using a Genetic Algorithm Based on NSGA-II," Energies, MDPI, vol. 6(3), pages 1-17, March.
    8. Denis Michalina & Peter Mederly & Hans Diefenbacher & Benjamin Held, 2021. "Sustainable Urban Development: A Review of Urban Sustainability Indicator Frameworks," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(16), pages 1-20, August.
    9. Kubiszewski, Ida & Costanza, Robert & Franco, Carol & Lawn, Philip & Talberth, John & Jackson, Tim & Aylmer, Camille, 2013. "Beyond GDP: Measuring and achieving global genuine progress," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 57-68.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Shuzhen Mao & Jiyun She & Yi Zhang, 2023. "Spatial-Temporal Evolution of Land Use Change and Eco-Environmental Effects in the Chang-Zhu-Tan Core Area," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-16, May.
    2. Batara Surya & Patmawaty Taibe & Syahrul Sariman & Hernita Hernita & Agus Salim & Nasrullah Nasrullah & Arie Gunawan Hazairin Zubair, 2023. "Renewable Energy Utilization and Environmental Pollution Control in the New City Area Mamminasata Metropolitan, Indonesia," International Journal of Energy Economics and Policy, Econjournals, vol. 13(1), pages 213-226, January.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Jiawang Zhang & Jianguo Wang & Jingmei Tao & Siqi Tang & Wutao Zhao, 2022. "Integrated Zoning Protection of Urban Remains from Perspective of Sustainable Development—A Case Study of Changchun," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(10), pages 1-20, May.
    2. Fan, Jing-Li & Li, Kai & Zhang, Xian & Hu, Jiawei & Hubacek, Klaus & Da, Yabin & Liang, Xi & Cheng, Danyang, 2022. "Measuring sustainability: Development and application of the Inclusive Wealth Index in China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 195(C).
    3. Guido Kraemer & Markus Reichstein & Gustau Camps-Valls & Jeroen Smits & Miguel D. Mahecha, 2020. "The Low Dimensionality of Development," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 150(3), pages 999-1020, August.
    4. Sievers-Glotzbach, Stefanie & Tschersich, Julia, 2019. "Overcoming the process-structure divide in conceptions of Social-Ecological Transformation," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 164(C), pages 1-1.
    5. Zeug, Walther & Bezama, Alberto & Thrän, Daniela, 2020. "Towards a holistic and integrated Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment of the bioeconomy: Background on concepts, visions and measurements," UFZ Discussion Papers 7/2020, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ), Division of Social Sciences (ÖKUS).
    6. Cholho Song & Sea Jin Kim & Jooyeon Moon & Soo Jeong Lee & Wona Lee & Nahui Kim & Sonam Wangyel Wang & Woo-Kyun Lee, 2017. "Classification of Global Land Development Phases by Forest and GDP Changes for Appropriate Land Management in the Mid-Latitude," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-16, August.
    7. Ribas, Aline & Lucena, André F.P. & Schaeffer, Roberto, 2017. "Bridging the energy divide and securing higher collective well-being in a climate-constrained world," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 108(C), pages 435-450.
    8. Patrick Moriarty & Damon Honnery, 2020. "New Approaches for Ecological and Social Sustainability in a Post-Pandemic World," World, MDPI, vol. 1(3), pages 1-14, October.
    9. Chiara Catalano & Mihaela Meslec & Jules Boileau & Riccardo Guarino & Isabella Aurich & Nathalie Baumann & Frédéric Chartier & Pascale Dalix & Sophie Deramond & Patrick Laube & Angela Ka Ki Lee & Pasc, 2021. "Smart Sustainable Cities of the New Millennium: Towards Design for Nature," Circular Economy and Sustainability,, Springer.
    10. Burhan, Nik Ahmad Sufian & Mohamad, Mohd Rosli & Kurniawan, Yohan & Sidek, Abdul Halim, 2014. "National Intelligence, Basic Human Needs, and Their Effect on Economic Growth," MPRA Paper 77267, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    11. Ingrid Boas & Frank Biermann & Norichika Kanie, 2016. "Cross-sectoral strategies in global sustainability governance: towards a nexus approach," International Environmental Agreements: Politics, Law and Economics, Springer, vol. 16(3), pages 449-464, June.
    12. Martinico-Perez, Marianne Faith G. & Schandl, Heinz & Fishman, Tomer & Tanikawa, Hiroki, 2018. "The Socio-Economic Metabolism of an Emerging Economy: Monitoring Progress of Decoupling of Economic Growth and Environmental Pressures in the Philippines," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 147(C), pages 155-166.
    13. Ida Kubiszewski & Kenneth Mulder & Diane Jarvis & Robert Costanza, 2022. "Toward better measurement of sustainable development and wellbeing: A small number of SDG indicators reliably predict life satisfaction," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(1), pages 139-148, February.
    14. Francesco Sarracino & Kelsey J. O’Connor, 2023. "Neo-humanism and COVID-19: Opportunities for a socially and environmentally sustainable world," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 18(1), pages 9-41, February.
    15. Hametner, Markus, 2022. "Economics without ecology: How the SDGs fail to align socioeconomic development with environmental sustainability," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 199(C).
    16. Vincenzo Formisano & Bernardino Quattrociocchi & Maria Fedele & Mario Calabrese, 2018. "From Viability to Sustainability: The Contribution of the Viable Systems Approach (VSA)," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-17, March.
    17. Zhijiang Li & Decai Tang & Mang Han & Brandon J. Bethel, 2018. "Comprehensive Evaluation of Regional Sustainable Development Based on Data Envelopment Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-18, October.
    18. Steve O’Hern & Roni Utriainen & Hanne Tiikkaja & Markus Pöllänen & Niina Sihvola, 2021. "Exploratory Analysis of Pedestrian Road Trauma in Finland," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(12), pages 1-14, June.
    19. Carmen Ruiz-Puente & Daniel Jato-Espino, 2020. "Systemic Analysis of the Contributions of Co-Located Industrial Symbiosis to Achieve Sustainable Development in an Industrial Park in Northern Spain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-28, July.
    20. Rositsa T. Ilieva, 2017. "Urban Food Systems Strategies: A Promising Tool for Implementing the SDGs in Practice †," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(10), pages 1-35, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:14:y:2022:i:15:p:9142-:d:871883. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.