Deserted Mining Regions in the Context of Chinese New-Type Urbanization: An Integrative Survey Framework for Managing Balanced Eco-social and Economic Development

China is in a difficult transformation period, with both economic development and urbanization in high speed. The first point of departure of this research is the implementation of new-type urbanization, with social-economic-natural complexity on the one hand and unbalanced development on the other. The second point of departure is the urban-rural dual-structure contradictions and uneven regional development. While these two points have deeply affected China as a whole, in recent years the deserted mining regions have been among those most significantly affected. After years of rapid and resource-based economic development, these regions are now under complex pressure from economic transformation, resource depletion, social conflicts, and environmental pollution. This thesis takes the deserted mining region in Mentougou District, Beijing, as its case. As a broader perspective is required in resolving complex pressures, the conditions of urbanization are analysed on four administrative scales: the whole state, the Jing-Jin-Ji metropolitan region, Mentougou District, and its five case areas. Through the lens of these five case areas—two in urban districts, two in rural areas, and one located in between—the study develops an integrative survey framework for managing balanced urbanization while considering the social-economic-natural ecosystem, differences between rural and urban areas, and residents' perceptions of their living environment. To facilitate appropriate community planning and management, a broad scope of research methods and frameworks were adopted, including the ecosystem approach, social-economic-natural complex ecosystem (SENCE), Driver-Pressure-State Change-Impact-Response (DPSIR), cluster analysis, public participation GIS (PPGIS), geological hazard forecast and prevention by the public (GHFPP), and potential ecological risk assessment (PERA). This thesis offers four main contributions. The first is the integrative theoretical research approach, which lays the foundation of this research; the second is the outlining of the integrative indicator system corresponding to the theoretical integration; the third is the results of a comparative study of the case areas and cluster analysis of the residents' perceptions, addressing the role of the integrated framework in balanced development; and the fourth is development in public participation. The specific contribution of this thesis to SENCE theory is in adapting the theory from the complex objective rationality context to the bounded rationality context. Adaption means focusing on pragmatic solutions in the face of wicked and complex questions in regional planning and management.