Suchergebnisse

How people perceive, and behave in response to, environmental problems is important in understanding responses from the individual, group, and societal levels. This paper discusses the findings of a survey that elicited university student perceptions of China's environment and development issues. The findings reveal that university students in Beijing are not single-minded about the pro-growth beliefs and values that are deeply embedded in society. On the whole, students were conscious about the seriousness of environmental problems, both in China and throughout the world. However, they were pessimistic about future environmental conditions. Many students anticipated a decline in environmental quality over the next five years, both in China and the world. The students were also ambivalent about dividing priorities between economic growth and environmental protection. Yet they supported the establishment of more environmental NGOs to exert pressure on the government to protect the environment. Overall, a rising environmental awareness among these young intellectuals would ultimately spark environmental activism in China. (J Contemp China/DÜI)

The urban park is a place where urbanites can escape from the stresses of everyday life. Using a set of fifteen photographs as visual stimuli, we attempted to identify those scenes that are liked by visitors to Kowloon Park, Hong Kong. The visual quality of an urban park scene is measured by its likeability, referring to the probability that the scene will evoke a strong and positive response among the users of the park. Because Hong Kong is an international metropolis, the respondent sample included both Hong Kong residents and tourists. The principal component analysis revealed the three underlying 'dimensions' of the appraisal aspects of the data: the 'affective' component, the 'management status', and the 'naturalness' of the scene. The results replicated the affective responses of park visitors toward the scenic aspects of urban park spaces, in which scenic beauty can be used as a proxy for acceptable management. Overall, the study has yielded useful information for park professionals to provide enjoyable urban park spaces in metropolitan areas to meet the needs of their citizens and visitors.

Le delta de la rivière des Perles a depuis des siècles la réputation d'une terre à vocation rizicole et piscicole. L'homme a commencé à s'établir à la limite nord du delta il y a plusieurs milliers d'années. Depuis lors, l'urbanisation a joué un rôle important dans le delta de la rivière des Perles. Canton, Shenzhen et Dongguan sont aujourd'hui des mégapoles dont la population dépasse 10 millions d'habitants. Les terres agricoles du delta de la rivière des Perles ont rapidement cédé le pas à l'urbanisation et à l'industrie. Ce fulgurant développement économique et urbain a exercé de lourdes pressions sur l'environnement de la région. De plus, cette croissance s'est déroulée de façon assez anarchique, les collectivités locales de la région se faisant concurrence pour attirer les investissements étrangers et nationaux. La structure très fragmentaire de la gouvernance de la zone économique du delta de la rivière des Perles rend difficile, sinon impossible, toute coordination des mesures visant à traiter les problèmes environnementaux du delta.