Assessment of urban resilience based on the transformation of resource-based cities: a case study of Panzhihua, China

Abstract

Long-term development of resource utilization has caused a series of economic, social, and ecological problems in resource-based cities (RBCs). Thus, in pursuit of sustainable urban development, many RBCs have begun seriously pursuing urban transformation and have achieved good results. However, the RBCs' urban resilience also exhibits evident stage characteristics throughout the processes of urban transformation. Herein, we constructed an evaluation index system to measure the urban resilience of Panzhihua, China and analyzed the resilience time-varying characteristics and influencing factors from 2000 to 2016. The results show that: (1) after undergoing urban transformation, changes in Panzhihua's resilience can be divided into three stages consisting of a slow rising period (2000-2005), a rapidly fluctuating rising period (2006-2010), and a stable development period (2011-2016). (2) Among the four divisions of urban resilience, the largest changes were found in the infrastructure and environment, and economic and social categories; only relatively small changes were observed in health and well-being, and government management capabilities. Nevertheless, all showed an upward trend. (3) Among the 12 indicators, transportation and communication, social security, education development, and comprehensive development ability were found to be closely linked to urban resilience. (4) Under the influence of urban transformation, RBCs' resilience greatly fluctuates, likely in response to actively transitioning the urban system from its previous state to its current state. Our study demonstrates that there is a high degree of correlation between the RBCs' life cycles and adaptation cycles.

Keywords

• adaptive cycle
• resource-based cities
• urban resilience
• urban transformation