New green theories of urban development in China

China's rapid urbanisation has already led to the development of more large-scale cities than ever before. One result is that China is now the largest carbon emitter in the world. Meanwhile, China is facing enormous challenges in respect to environmental degradation, and limiting the use of natural resources in urban areas when it comes to balancing rapid economic development and environmental protection. To address this issue, China has to explore a new approach to urban development, namely green urban development. Various green urban theories are in the process of being formulated in China due to the difference in the responsibility of the central government and the gradual changes in national policies. The lack of a clear vision and target is a common barrier to green urban development in China. This paper reviews three new concepts and approaches to green urban development in China, and analyses how these concepts and approaches have been adopted, defined and developed within the Chinese context. Three typical projects are then selected to illustrate green city development in order to develop a better understanding of the application of the green theories of urban development in China. Finally, methods of future green urban development in China are proposed. (C) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.