How Does Low-Density Urbanization Reduce the Financial Sustainability of Chinese Cities? A Debt Perspective

Low-density urbanization threatens urban social and ecological sustainability not only directly by excessively encroaching on suburban farmland and ecological space, but may also indirectly do so by undermining the financial basis of sustainable urban development. To address this relationship, this study empirically examines the effect of low-density urbanization on local government debt by using panel data of prefecture-level cities in China from 2006 to 2015. Results show that the scale of local government debt increases significantly with a rise in urban expansion. Furthermore, this study found that low-density urbanization affects local government debt in two ways. First, low-density urban expansion reduces the land output efficiency, which decreases potential fiscal revenue and thus increases local government debt. Second, low-density urban expansion raises the construction and maintenance expenditure of urban infrastructure, which increases the demand for urban construction financing and thus pushes up the scale of debt. The results of the heterogeneous study indicate that low-density urbanization significantly affects local government debt mainly in Central/Western regions, small and medium-sized cities, cities with high fiscal stress and development pressure, and residentially expanding cities. On the contrary, low-density urbanization has no significant effect on the Eastern regions, large cities, cities with low fiscal stress and development pressure, and spatially expanding cities. This study theoretically explored and empirically verified a critical indirect effect of low-density urbanization on urban sustainability by increasing fiscal risks, which is, and will continue to be, a common and vital challenge faced by cities in China and other rapidly urbanizing developing countries.

Analysis on the difference of college teachers’ professional pressure and strategies to improve teachers’ mental health under the expectancy theory

BACKGROUND: Professional pressure is one of the most concerned issues in society. Teachers are a group of people with greater professional pressure. The pressure sources include students, schools and society. OBJECTIVE: This exploration aims to explore the professional pressure and mental health of college teachers. METHOD: Based on the expectancy theory, the professional pressure and mental health of different college teachers are investigated. The overall steps are as follows: the determination of topic, questionnaire design, questionnaire distribution and recovery, questionnaire data analysis to obtain results, as well as countermeasure analysis based on the results. RESULTS: The investigation suggests that the sores of college teachers’ work pressure load, family life pressure, interpersonal pressure, physical and mental pressure, leadership and organizational factors pressure, career development pressure, scientific research, and professional title pressure are high. From senior to elementary, the pressure of teachers increases first and then decreases. The professional development pressure of liberal arts teachers is significantly higher than that of science teachers and engineering teachers (P < 0.05). Among science and engineering teachers, the professional development pressure of science teachers is relatively high. Men have better mental health than women (P < 0.05). Unmarried teachers have the best mental health status, followed by married and finally divorced (P < 0.05). The mental health of senior and elementary teachers is significantly better than that of sub-senior teachers and intermediate teachers (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The investigation on professional pressure and mental health of college teachers can contribute to the related problem solving in China, as well as enrich the content of relevant fields in China.

Analyzing the effect of mid-rise development on retail vibrancy in the Beach

In order to meet provincially-mandated growth targets, the City of Toronto has embraced mid-rise infill development along transit-supported avenues as the preferred approach to intensification and reurbanization. In the Beach neighbourhood, growing development pressure along Queen Street East within the Woodbine Beach Precinct has resulted in a departure from fine grain retail, which is still prominent in the eastern part of the neighbourhood. Using a set of key retail vibrancy indicators, this study explores how this new built form is affecting retail businesses on an important historic main street. Implications regarding the existing retail planning approach are discussed, as well as recommendations for strengthening city-wide retail policy, and in turn retail vibrancy in the Beach neighbourhood. Keywords: retail vibrancy, main street, fine grain, mid-rise, retail development, Toronto

Analyzing the effect of mid-rise development on retail vibrancy in the Beach

In order to meet provincially-mandated growth targets, the City of Toronto has embraced mid-rise infill development along transit-supported avenues as the preferred approach to intensification and reurbanization. In the Beach neighbourhood, growing development pressure along Queen Street East within the Woodbine Beach Precinct has resulted in a departure from fine grain retail, which is still prominent in the eastern part of the neighbourhood. Using a set of key retail vibrancy indicators, this study explores how this new built form is affecting retail businesses on an important historic main street. Implications regarding the existing retail planning approach are discussed, as well as recommendations for strengthening city-wide retail policy, and in turn retail vibrancy in the Beach neighbourhood. Keywords: retail vibrancy, main street, fine grain, mid-rise, retail development, Toronto

The Relationship Between Enterprise Budget Management and Accounting

There is a great correlation between cost budget management and accounting work. Realizing the overall disposal of the two can provide favorable support for enterprises to enhance their comprehensive market competitiveness. Therefore, improving the overall level of cost budget management and accounting work is a problem that many enterprise development strategy makers focus on under the situation that domestic enterprises are facing more and more development pressure.

Gardens in the Growth Machine

Community gardens have a complex relationship with urban growth and gentrification. This chapter draws on the history of Seattle’s P-Patch community gardens, which are well insulated from development pressure today, because dedicated resident-activists advocated for the gardens at critical times and won their preservation. Even while recognizing urban growth as a threat to their gardens, the P-Patch advocates opted for a pro-growth strategy, framing the gardens as good for a growing city. Indeed, the P-Patch gardens have fed Seattle’s image as a green and livable city, which has helped to attract high-income residents and increase property values. While the gardens are secure, and provide tangible benefits to many residents, low-income and other vulnerable residents face displacement from this green gentrification.