Framework for Assessing Sustainability in Peri-urban Settlements of China

China is experiencing urbanization at an unprecedented rate for the past two decades. The urbanization process is characterized by spatial restructuring and polycentric development. As a result, Chinese cities are increasingly encroaching on their rural neighbours, turning agricultural land and villages into residential compounds and industrial parks. Settlements in the peri-urban areas are under fast transition from predominantly rural towards urban nature and new settlements are being sprung up at large scales. At the same time, threats of environmental degradation and social stratification are being faced with. Since China's Agenda 21 was published in 1994, the Chinese Government has been actively promoting sustainable development at different administrative levels. However sustainable development is considered more as a strategy than a set of indicators that could be used to measure the sustainability of current developments. There has been little study on comprehensive assessment tools for settlements at all levels. The assessment tools for sustainable residences that have been published often have a limited emphasis on the energy efficiency of individual buildings and environmental quality. The social and economic aspects of sustainability were rarely covered. This paper is concerned with proposing a comprehensive and context-based measurement of sustainability for peri-urban settlement development in China. It is argued that the assessment needs to be carried out at the 'Residential District' level. The 'Orientation Theory' is applied to the building of the assessment framework and possible indicators are proposed through an orientor-specific context study. It is also argued that a participatory process is needed to justify the proposed indicators. The adjusted framework can be applied to measure and monitor on-going development outcomes and provide evidence for policy making and planning towards a sustainable future for peri-urban settlements.