What kind of city is a people-oriented city? This is a difficult question to answer because humanistic cities evaluate the city by "people”, and people are extremely diverse, producing individual different evaluation standards. For example, a city that is friendly to car drivers, may not be so friendly to pedestrians.
Nonetheless, there is a general perception that some cities seem to be more friendly to people than others. Why is this the situation?
Sanlian City for Humanity, a division of Sanlian Lifeweek, along with Long Ying's group at the School of Architecture at Tsinghua University, UrbanXYZ, and DDH Studio, launched the "City for Humanity Spectrum Plan" to study this topic. This plan tries to observe a city utilizing multi-source and multi-dimensional big data. The study measures the human qualities of cities which are initially challenging to evaluate using data produced by human activity.
The following 15 sub-provincial cities and 4 municipalities were chosen for this phase of the City for Humanity Spectrum Plan (in alphabetical order): Beijing, Dalian, Jinan, Xiamen, Tianjin, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai, Wuhan, Changchun, Harbin, Ningbo, Shenzhen, Xi'an, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Qingdao, and Shenyang.
101 different sources of data were selected as indicators for the evaluation. The evaluation index system was finally formed after following the value dimensions of Sanlian Life Weekly 2020 City for Humanity Award - "Public, Innovation, Aesthetics, Humanity" and after several rounds of internal seminars and revisions by 38 experts in various fields, resulting in four main lists and ten sub-lists.
The glory of Humanity
Cities should give people a higher priority. To evaluate the human attributes of a city, we have divided a city's human qualities into 29 quantifiable parameters. These characteristics encompass many elements of a person's everyday life in a city, from the commuter happiness index to the variety of cultural events…The four indicators in this evaluation system are made up of the following elements：
- People and Urban Vitality（Attractiveness of Urban Population; Proportion of Unemployed Population; Proportion of Population with a College Degree or Higher; Public Reputation of Cinemas; Public Reputation of Cafes; Public Reputation of Amusement Parks; Public Reputation of Animal and Plant Parks; Public Reputation of Pet Service Spaces; Public Reputation of Tourist Attractions; Number of Participants in Cultural Activities; Duration of Cultural Activities; Diversity of Cultural Activities; Number of Cultural Activities）
- People and Places (Traffic Health Index; Commuter Happiness Index; Street Livability Index; Resident Travel Mood Index)
- People and Buildings (Public Reputation of Sports and Fitness; Public Reputation of Cultural Venues)
- People and Community (House Price to Income Ratio; Rent to Income Ratio; Proportion of Neighborhoods with Properties; Proportion of Living Area Covered by Hospitals and Clinics; Proportion of Living Area Covered by Kindergartens; Proportion of Living Area Covered by Elementary School; Proportion of Living Area Covered by Supermarkets/Convenience Stores; Proportion of Living Area Covered by Fresh Markets; Proportion of Living Area Covered by Sports and Fitness Venues)
- People and Nature（Public Reputation of Park Plaza）
The following are the rankings in this list: Chengdu, Shenzhen, Shenyang, Xi'an, Hangzhou, Beijing, Xiamen, Harbin, Wuhan, Shanghai, Nanjing, Guangzhou, Qingdao, Tianjin, Dalian, Changchun, Jinan, Ningbo, Chongqing.
The glory of Innovation
Our cities must continue to develop in today's increasingly complex and uncertain world. We have broken down a city's innovation atmosphere into 21 quantifiable dimensions, ranging from the number of bike-sharing trips to car-charging coverage, from the city's online prosperity to virtual community engagement, which generally reflects the acceptance and possibilities of new lifestyles in cities. The four indicators in this evaluation system are made up of the following elements：
- People and Urban Vitality（City Online Prosperity; Nighttime Online Activity; Tourist Attractions Online Activity; Cinema Online Interaction; Cafe Online Interaction; Amusement Park Online Interaction; Animal and Plant Garden Online Interaction; Pet Service Space Online Interaction）
- People and Places（Proportion of Registered Users of Shared Bicycles; Shared Bicycle Trips）
- People and Buildings（Online Activity of Cultural Venues; Online Activity of Sports and Fitness; Online Interaction Heat of Cultural Venues; Online Interaction Heat of Sports and Fitness）
- People and Community（Proportion of Living Area Covered by Parcel Stations or Parcel Locker; Proportion of Living Area Covered by Car Charging Station; Virtual Community Online Activity; Virtual Community Interaction Clout）
- People and Nature（Park Plaza Online Activity; Domestic Waste Harmless Treatment Ratio; Park Plaza Online Interaction Clout）
The following are the rankings in this list: Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Xi'an, Wuhan, Nanjing, Qingdao, Xiamen, Tianjin, Ningbo, Jinan, Shenyang, Dalian, Harbin, Changchun.
The glory of Public
Cities should strive for the comfort and integrity of public life, as well as to encourage public participation and satisfy people's senses of dignity, equality, and value in their daily life. We divided a city's public attributes into 32 quantifiable dimensions, ranging from the area of urban roads per capita to the number of sporting events at the provincial level and above, which cover all areas of public life that a city provides to its people. The four indicators in this evaluation system are made up of the following elements：
- People and Urban Vitality（Annual Tourist Visits; Number of Sports Events at or Above Provincial Level; Number of Professional League Teams; Number of Cinemas Per Capita; Number of Cafes Per Capita; Number of Amusement Parks Per Capita; Number of Animal and Plant Gardens Per Capita; Number of Pet Service Spaces Per Capita; Number of Gyms Per Capita; Public Attention to Cultural Activities）
- People and Places（Urban Road Area Per Capita; Urban TOD Index; Density of Regulated Parking Areas for Shared Bicycles; Vitality of Shared Bicycle Riding at Night）
- People and Buildings（Number of Sports Venues Per Capita; Number of Commercial Complexes Per Capita; Proportion of Commercial Complexes Covered by Bus Stops; Proportion of Sports Venues Covered by Bus Stops; Proportion of Commercial Complexes Covered by Metro Stops; Proportion of Sports Venues Covered by Metro Stops; Proportion of Cultural Venues Covered by Bus Stops; Proportion of Cultural Venues Covered by Metro Stops）
- People and Community（Proportion of Living Area Covered by Parks and Squares; Proportion of Living Area Covered by Subway Stations; Proportion of Living Area Covered by Bus Stops）
- People and Nature（Park Green Space Per Capita; Proportion of Parks Open to the Public for Free; Proportion of Bus Stops Covering Park Squares; Proportion of Subway Stops Covering Park Squares; Annual Average Concentration Value of PM2.5; Sewage Treatment Rate; Urban Noise Pollution Level）
The following are the rankings in this list: Shenzhen, Shanghai, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Beijing, Qingdao, Nanjing, Xi'an, Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wuhan, Dalian, Shenyang, Changchun, Chongqing, Tianjin, Harbin, Jinan.
The glory of Aesthetics
The aesthetic goal of a humanistic city is to evoke the richness of life and the imagination of culture, as well as to raise the aesthetic awareness of citizens. To evaluate a city's aesthetics, we compiled 19 indicators ranging from street greening rates to online popularity of intangible cultural heritage that explain a city's beauty from various perspectives. They describe the beauty of a city from various angles. The four indicators in this evaluation system are made up of the following elements：
- People and Urban Vitality（Number of World Heritage Sites; World Heritage Online Activity; World Heritage Online Interaction Clout; Number of Intangible Cultural Heritage; Number of 4A and 5A scenic spots; Intangible Cultural Heritage Online Activity; Intangible Cultural Heritage Online Interaction Clout）
- People and Places（Street Green Vision Rate; Street Aesthetic Perception Evaluation）
- People and Buildings（Number of Museums; Number of Museum Collections; Number of Precious Cultural Objects in Museums; Number of Exhibitions Hosted by Museums; Number of First-Class Libraries; Number of Historical Buildings）
- People and Community（Average Greening Rate of the Community）
- People and Nature（Greening Coverage Rate of Built-Up Areas; Quality of Water Environment Such As Rivers And Lakes; Number of Parks Per Capita）
The following are the rankings in this list: Beijing, Chongqing, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Shanghai, Chengdu, Xi'an, Guangzhou, Tianjin, Xiamen, Wuhan, Shenyang, Shenzhen, Ningbo, Qingdao, Dalian, Jinan, Harbin, Changchun.
In addition to the four main lists mentioned above, the Spectrum Plan selected corresponding data indicators from five aspects: people and places, people and buildings, people and communities, people and nature, and people and urban vitality, resulting in ten sub-lists that show the specific performance of 19 cities in various humanity aspects.
Travel-Friendly City
Travel friendly indicates that city residents are in a positive travel mood. This index system includes five aspects, including the Residents' Travel Satisfaction Index, Public Transportation Convenience Index and Transportation Health Index.
The following are the rankings in this list: Chengdu, Qingdao, Shenzhen, Shenyang, Shanghai, Nanjing, Ningbo, Xiamen, Xi'an, Changchun, Wuhan, Harbin, Dalian, Guangzhou, Chongqing, Hangzhou, Tianjin, Beijing, Jinan.
Commuting Happiness City
Commute happiness indicates that the city has achieved a certain level of work-life balance. This index system includes five components: Commuting Distance Index, Commuting Time Consumption Index, Public Transportation Convenience Index, and Commuting Distance Index.
The following are the rankings in this list: Xiamen, Ningbo, Shenzhen, Xi'an, Harbin, Jinan, Hangzhou, Shenyang, Dalian, Nanjing, Changchun, Guangzhou, Qingdao, Wuhan, Chengdu, Tianjin, Chongqing, Shanghai, Beijing.
Historical Museum City
the history of a city is closely linked to the emotional ties of its residents. This index system includes four aspects, such as Museum Index, Intangible Cultural Heritage Index, and World Heritage Index.
The following are the rankings in this list: Beijing, Tianjin, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Xi'an, Shanghai, Chengdu, Wuhan, Shenyang, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Qingdao, Jinan, Harbin, Ningbo, Dalian, Changchun, Shenzhen.
Culture Vitality City
The cultural vitality of a city reflects to some extent the creativity and curiosity of its residents. This indicator system includes six indicators: Diversity of Cultural Activities, Number of Participants in Cultural Activities, and Number of Cultural Activities.
The following are the rankings in this list: Beijing, Chengdu, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Qingdao, Nanjing, Tianjin, Shenzhen, Xiamen, Jinan, Xi'an, Changchun, Chongqing, Dalian, Ningbo, Shenyang, Wuhan, Harbin.
Community Friendly City
Community is the first public space for urban residents to enter society, and community creation and living experience show a positive correlation trend. This index system includes four aspects, such as the Convenience Index of Five-Minute Living Circle and the Cost of Living Index.
The following are the rankings in this list: Shenzhen, Chengdu, Wuhan, Xiamen, Guangzhou, Xi'an, Harbin, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Shenyang, Changchun, Qingdao, Chongqing, Beijing, Nanjing, Dalian, Ningbo, Tianjin, Jinan.
Social Fun City
The fulfillment of both material and spiritual needs is also an essential component of the city. This index system includes five aspects, such as Cinema Vitality Index, Cafe Vitality Index, and Park Square Vitality Index.
The following are the rankings in this list: Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Qingdao, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Dalian, Guangzhou, Xiamen, Xi'an, Chongqing, Shenyang, Ningbo, Tianjin, Wuhan, Harbin, Jinan, Changchun.
Landscape Friendly City
The harmonious coexistence of urban development and natural ecology is undoubtedly one of the most expressive symptoms of the city for humanity. The item index system includes four aspects, such as the Greening Index of Built-Up Area, Park Landscape Friendly Index, and Road Landscape Friendly Index.
The following are the rankings in this list: Chongqing, Nanjing, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Beijing, Dalian, Guangzhou, Ningbo, Xi'an, Hangzhou, Qingdao, Xiamen, Shenyang, Shanghai, Changchun, Wuhan, Harbin, Jinan, Tianjin.
Environmentally Friendly Cities
Environmental friendliness means sustainability of the city's future. This index system includes seven indicators such as the Annual Average Concentration Value Of PM2.5, Per Capita Park Green Space, Sewage Treatment Rate, Urban Noise Pollution Level, etc.
The following are the rankings in this list: Xiamen, Dalian, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Chengdu, Beijing, Ningbo, Shenzhen, Hangzhou, Qingdao, Wuhan, Jinan, Shenyang, Shanghai, Xi'an, Changchun, Tianjin, Harbin.
Online Vitality City
The advanced Internet and social media have translated the prosperity of the city's physical space into virtual space. This index system includes three aspects: city online activity, virtual community activity, and city online prosperity.
The following are the rankings in this list: Shanghai, Beijing, Chongqing, Chengdu, Xi'an, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Nanjing, Jinan, Ningbo, Tianjin, Qingdao, Xiamen, Dalian, Shenyang, Harbin, Changchun.
Tourism Vitality City
To some extent, tourism vitality reflects a city's attractiveness. This indicator system includes six indicators, such as Number Of 4A And 5A Scenic Spots, Number of Tourist Arrivals Received in a Year, and Online Activity of Tourist Attractions.
The following are the rankings in this list: Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai, Xi'an, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Tianjin, Chengdu, Wuhan, Guangzhou, Shenyang, Xiamen, Ningbo, Qingdao, Dalian, Harbin, Shenzhen, Jinan, Changchun.
The City for Humanity Spectrum Plan has been in place for more than a year, but we still see it as a long-term experiment that is just getting started. We believe that cities should be people-oriented, and thus recognize the importance of rationally assessing cities' seemingly indescribable humanistic attributes. The Spectrum Project will continue to investigate the question, "What kind of city is a people-oriented city?" in the future. The answer to this question will gradually become clearer.
So, if you had to describe the ideal humanistic city in a single sentence, what would you say?
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