Master thesis in Sustainable Development 304 Examensarbete i Hållbar utveckling Building Sustainable Cities: A Case Study in Beijing Bin Meng DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES INSTITUTIONEN FÖR GEOVETENSKAPER Master thesis in Sustainable Development 304 Examensarbete i Hållbar utveckling Building Sustainable Cities: A Case Study in Beijing Bin Meng Supervisor: Carole L. Crumley Evaluator: Paul Sinclair Copyright © Bin Meng and the Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University Published at Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University (www.geo.uu.se), Uppsala, 2016 Content 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 1 2 Literature Review ...................................................................................................................... 2 3 Method ........................................................................................................................................ 4 3.1 Questionnaire designed toward Beijing employees (city-wide) .......................................... 4 3.2 Questionnaire designed toward employees who work in Central Business District (CBD) in Beijing (CBD-wide) ..................................................................................................................... 4 3.3 Interviews toward employees who work in or visit Central Business District (CBD) in Beijing .............................................................................................................................................. 5 3.4 Site survey ............................................................................................................................ 5 4 Results ......................................................................................................................................... 6 4.1 City-wide questionnaire results ............................................................................................ 7 4.1.1 Transportation .................................................................................................................. 7 4.1.1.1 Four characteristics of employees’ choices of means of commuting and related reasons ...................................................................................................................................... 8 4.1.1.2 Traffic jams frequency and reasons ............................................................................. 9 4.1.1.3 Commuting duration by public transportation ........................................................... 10 4.1.1.4 Commuters’ attitudes toward ticket prices and the proposed methods of developing public transportation .............................................................................................................. 11 4.1.2 Waste management ........................................................................................................ 13 4.1.2.1 Employees’ opinions on the performances of waste assortment in the city .............. 13 4.1.2.2 Employees’ attitudes toward the proposed changes on waste management .............. 14 4.1.3 Green spaces .................................................................................................................. 14 4.1.4 Energy saving buildings ................................................................................................. 15 4.1.5 Employees’ attitudes toward the difficulties in realizing the proposed methods .......... 16 4.2 CBD-wide questionnaire results ........................................................................................ 16 4.2.1 Transportation ................................................................................................................ 17 4.2.1.1 Public transportation .................................................................................................. 18 4.2.1.2 Other means of transportation .................................................................................... 18 4.2.1.3 Parking at CBD .......................................................................................................... 18 4.2.2 Waste management ........................................................................................................ 19 4.2.3 Green spaces .................................................................................................................. 19 4.2.4 Energy saving building and diversity of the function of CBD ...................................... 20 4.3 Comparison of results for the “same” questions in two questionnaires ............................. 21 4.3.1 Employees’ means of commuting .................................................................................. 21 4.3.2 Reasons for their choices of means of commuting ........................................................ 21 4.3.3 Reasons for congestion .................................................................................................. 22 4.3.4 Employees’ willingness to dispose of waste correctly and finely ................................. 22 4.3.5 Reasons for not sorting waste correctly and finely ........................................................ 23 4.3.6 Connection between sense of commitment to employers and green spaces .................. 23 4.4 Interviews ........................................................................................................................... 24 4.4.1 Transportation ................................................................................................................ 24 4.4.1.1 Public transportation .................................................................................................. 24 4.4.1.2 Other forms of (public) transportation ....................................................................... 25 4.4.1.3 Driving and parking ................................................................................................... 26 4.4.1.4 Solutions ..................................................................................................................... 26 4.4.2 Waste management ........................................................................................................ 27 4.4.3 Green spaces .................................................................................................................. 27 4.4.4 Energy saving buildings ................................................................................................. 28 4.4.5 Vegetable greenhouse .................................................................................................... 28 4.4.6 Set up public kindergarten and primary school in CBD ................................................ 29 4.4.7 Indoor and outdoor working environment they like to have .......................................... 30 4.4.8 Diversity of the function of CBD ................................................................................... 30 4.5 Site survey .......................................................................................................................... 30 4.5.1 Infrastructure .................................................................................................................. 30 4.5.2 Price ............................................................................................................................... 30 4.5.3 Service ............................................................................................................................ 30 4.5.4 Interval ........................................................................................................................... 30 4.5.5 Others ............................................................................................................................. 31 5 Discussion .................................................................................................................................. 32 5.1 Transportation .................................................................................................................... 32 5.1.1 Bus ................................................................................................................................. 33 5.1.1.1 Increase the number of bus routes and departing frequencies ................................... 33 5.1.1.2 Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) ........................................................................................... 33 5.1.1.3 Bus lanes should restrict other vehicles the whole day .............................................. 35 5.1.1.4 Customized bus .......................................................................................................... 35 5.1.2 Metro .............................................................................................................................. 36 5.1.3 Biking and walking ........................................................................................................ 38 5.1.4 Parking ........................................................................................................................... 39 5.1.5 Land use planning .......................................................................................................... 40 5.1.6 Summary in Transportation Discussion ......................................................................... 40 5.2 Waste management ...........................................................................................................