Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Are societies becoming proself? A topographical difference under fast urbanization in China

  • Published:
Environment, Development and Sustainability Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Topographical variation is hypothesized to directly and indirectly influence social value orientations (SVOs) through the two channels of physical environment and urbanization. To examine the effects of topography on SVOs in urbanization, we conduct field surveys in mountainous, hilly and plains areas of Beijing, collecting sociodemographic information and SVOs. Our results demonstrate that higher proportions of proself people are found in plains and hilly areas than in mountainous areas, reflecting topographical differences in people’s SVOs. Overall, our results suggest that a new social mechanism is necessary to direct people’s social preferences toward prosociality when more people live in plains and hilly areas; otherwise, important social issues, such as air pollution, which require cooperation for solutions, might pose a danger in the future.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. Regarding the villages in mountainous and plains areas, Fig. 1c displays a clear topographical character corresponding to each type. The villages (Erhezhuang and Beisiwei) in Fangshan and village (Xiongerying) in Pinggu are located in higher terrain or hilly areas, as also noted in Jiang et al. (2007).

Abbreviations

RMB:

Renminbi, Chinese currency

SVO:

Social value orientation

SD:

Standard deviation

USD:

United States dollar

References

  • American Association for the Advancement of Science. (2016). Rise of the city. Science, 352, 906–907.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balk, D., Leyk, S., Jones, B., Montgomery, M. R., & Clark, A. (2018). Understanding urbanization: A study of census and satellite-derived urban classes in the United States, 1990–2010. PLoS ONE, 13, e0208487.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Balliet, D., Parks, C., & Joireman, J. (2009). Social value orientation and cooperation in social dilemmas: A meta-analysis. Group Processes and Intergroup Relations, 12, 533–547.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Beijing Daxing Municipal Bureau of Statistics. (2017). Beijing Daxing district yearbook 2017.

  • Beijing Fangshan Municipal Bureau of Statistics. (2017). Beijing Fangshan district yearbook 2017.

  • Beijing Municipal Bureau of Statistics. (2016). Beijing regional statistical yearbook 2016 (Tech. Rep.). Beijing, China: China Statistics Press.

  • Beijing Municipal Commission of Planning and Natural Resource. (2017). General city plan for Beijing (2016-2035) (in Chinese) (Tech. Rep.). Tongzhou District, Beijing, China: General Office of the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality.

  • Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau. (2017a). Wangxinzhuang police station.

  • Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau. (2017b). Yancun police station.

  • Beijing Pinggu Municipal Bureau of Statistics. (2017). Beijing Pinggu district yearbook 2017.

  • Blicharska, M., Smithers, R. J., Mikusiński, G., Rönnbäck, P., Harrison, P. A., Nilsson, M., et al. (2019). Biodiversity’s contributions to sustainable development. Nature Sustainability, 2, 1083–1093.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bogaert, S., Boone, C., & Declerck, C. (2008). Social value orientation and cooperation in social dilemmas: A review and conceptual model. British Journal of Social Psychology, 47, 453–480.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bringslimark, T., Hartig, T., & Pati, G. G. (2009). The psychological benefits of indoor plants: A critical review of the experimental literature. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 29, 422–433.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brueckner, J., & Lall, S. (2015). Cities in developing countries: Fueled by rural-urban migration, lacking in tenure security and short of affordable housing. In G. Duranton, V. Henderson, & W. Strange (Eds.), Handbook of regional and urban economics (p. 1399-1455). North Holland.

  • Calo-Blanco, A., Kovarik, J., Mengel, F., & Romero, J. G. (2017). Natural disasters and indicators of social cohesion. PLoS ONE, 12, e0176885.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cecilia, T., McGranahan, G., & Satterthwaite, D. (2015). Urbanisation, rural-urban migration and urban poverty. International institute for environment and development: Human settlements group.

  • Chan, C. K., & Yao, X. (2008). Air pollution in mega cities in China. Atmospheric Environment, 42, 1–42.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, W., Zhang, Y., Pengwang, C., & Gao, W. (2017). Evaluation of urbanization dynamics and its impacts on surface heat islands: A case study of Beijing, China. Remote Sensing, 9, 453.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Crandall, J. E. (1975). A scale for social interest. Journal of Individual Psychology, 31, 187–195.

    Google Scholar 

  • De Groot, J. I. M., & Steg, L. (2010). Relationships between value orientations, self-determined motivational types and pro-environmental behavioural intentions. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30, 368–378.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dudwick, N., Hull, K., Katayama, R., Shilpi, F., & Simler, K. (2011). From farm to firm: Ruralurban transition in developing countries. World Bank publications.

  • Eckel, C. C., & Grossman, P. J. (1998). Are women less selfish than men? Evidence from dictator experiments. Economic Journal, 108, 726–735.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Elmqvist, T., Andersson, E., Frantzeskaki, N., McPhearson, T., Olsson, P., Gaffney, O., et al. (2019). Sustainability and resilience for transformation in the urban century. Nature Sustainability, 2, 267–273.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fang, C., Ma, H., & Wang, J. (2015). A regional categorization for “new-type urbanization” in China. PLoS ONE, 10, e0134253.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fang, Y., & Bin, Y. (2016). Spatial distribution of mountainous regions and classifications of economic development in China. Journal of Mountain Science, 13, 1120–1138.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gaoling Township People’s Government of Miyun District. (2017). Overview of Gaoling township (in Chinese).

  • Garling, T., Fujii, S., Garling, A., & Jakobsson, C. (2003). Moderating effects of social value orientation on determinants of proenvironmental behavior intention. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 23, 1–9.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gordon, M., & Satterthwaite, D. (2014). Urbanisation concepts and trends. London: Iied.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenfield, P. M. (2009). Linking social change and developmental change: Shifting pathways of human development. Developmental Psychology, 45, 401–418.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grossmann, I., & Varnum, M. E. (2015). Social structure, infectious diseases, disasters, secularism, and cultural change in America. Psychological Science, 26, 311–324.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gueguen, N., & Stefan, J. (2014). “Green altruism”: Short immersion in natural green environments and helping behavior. Environment and Behavior, 48, 324–342.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hamamura, T. (2012). Are cultures becoming individualistic? A cross-temporal comparison of individualism-collectivism in the United States and Japan. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 16, 3–24.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Health Effects Institute. (2018). State of global air 2018, Special report (Tech. Rep.). Boston, MA 02110, USA: Health Effects Institute.

  • Henrich, J. (2014). Rice, psychology, and innovation. Science, 344, 593–594.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang, G., Zhang, F., Chen, J., Duan, Z., & Su, Z. (2007). Analysis of the driving forces of change of rural residential areas in Beijing mountainous areas based on logistic regression model (in Chinese). Transactions of the Chinese Society of Agricultural Engineering, 23, 81–87.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jiang, G., Zhang, F., Zhang, J., Zhang, L., & Chen, J. (2007). Change in acreage of cultivated land and its driving mechanism at Pinggu district, Beijing (in Chinese). Soils, 39, 408–414.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jingchao, Z., & Kotani, K. (2012). The determinants of household energy demand in rural Beijing: Can environmentally friendly technologies be effective? Energy Economics, 34, 381–388.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jingchao, Z., Kotani, K., & Saijo, T. (2019). Low-quality or high-quality coal: Household energy choice in rural Beijing. Energy Economics, 78, 81–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Joye, Y., & Bolderdijk, J. W. (2015). An exploratory study into the effects of extraordinary nature on emotions, mood, and prosociality. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 1577.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kahn, P. H. J., Friedman, B., Gill, B., Hagman, J., Severson, R. L., Freier, N. G., et al. (2008). A plasma display window?-The shifting baseline problem in a technologically mediated natural world. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 28, 192–199.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kangzhuang Township People’s Government of Yanqing District. (2017). Overview of Kangzhuang township (in Chinese).

  • Keeler, B. L., Hamel, P., McPhearson, T., Hamann, M. H., Donahue, M. L., Meza Prado, K. A., et al. (2019). Social-ecological and technological factors moderate the value of urban nature. Nature Sustainability, 2, 29–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keniger, L. E., Gaston, K. J., Irvine, K. N., & Fuller, R. A. (2013). What are the benefits of interacting with nature? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 10, 913–935.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Knight, G. P., & Dubro, A. F. (1984). Cooperative, competitive, and individualistic social values: An individualized regression and clustering approach. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 46, 98–105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laslier, J.-F., Moulin, H., Sanver, M., & Zwicker, W. (Eds.). (2019). Future of economic design: The continuing development of a field as envisioned by its researchers. Springer. (pg. 253–260)

  • Lestari, S., Kotani, K., & Kakinaka, M. (2015). Enhancing voluntary participation in community collaborative forest management: A case of Central Java, Indonesia. Journal of Environmental Management, 150, 299–309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, H., Peng, J., Yanxu, L., & Yina, H. (2017). Urbanization impact on landscape patterns in Beijing city, China: A spatial heterogeneity perspective. Ecological Indicators, 82, 50–60.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, Y., Li, X., & Wang, Y. (2011). Spatial pattern analysis of rural economic development in Fangshan district, Beijing (in Chinese). Journal of Geo-information Science, 13, 391–399.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ma, B., Zhou, T., Lei, S., Wen, Y., & Htun, T. T. (2019). Effects of urban green spaces on residents‘ well-being. Environment, Development and Sustainability, 21, 2793–2809.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Madsen, M. C., & Lancy, D. F. (1981). Cooperative and competitive behavior: Experiments related to ethnic identity and urbanization in Papua New Guinea. Journal of Cross-cultural Psychology, 12, 389–408.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Madsen, M. C., & Yi, S. (1975). Cooperation and competition of urban and rural children in the Republic of South Korea. International Journal of Psychology, 10, 269–274.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mao, X., Xiong, H., & Zhu, Y. (2016). Comprehensive evaluation and analysis of county tourism environmental quality in Beijing city (in Chinese). Areal Research and Development, 35, 91–95.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mayer, F. S., Frantz, C. M., Bruehlman-Senecal, E., & Dolliver, K. (2009). Why is nature beneficial? The role of connectedness to nature. Environment and Behavior, 41, 607–643.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McClintock, C. G. (1974). Development of social motives in Anglo-American and Mexican- American children. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 29, 348–354.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McClintock, C. G., & Avermaet, E. V. (1982). Social values and rules of fairness: A theoretical perspective. In V. J. Derlega & J. Grzelak (Eds.), Cooperation and helping behavior: Theories and research (pp. 43–71). Cambridge: Academic Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • McDonnell, M. J., & MacGregor-Fors, I. (2016). The ecological future of cities. Science, 352, 936–938.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Messick, D. M., & McClintock, C. G. (1968). Motivational bases of choice in experimental games. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 4, 1–25.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, R. O., & Ackermann, K. A. (2014). Social value orientation: Theoretical and measurement issues in the study of social preferences. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 18, 13–41.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, R. O., Ackermann, K. A., & Handgraaf, M. J. J. (2011). Measuring social value orientation. Judgment and Decision Making, 6, 771–781.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Bureau of Statistics of China. (2003). China statistical yearbook 2003 (Tech. Rep.). Xicheng, Beijing, China: China statistics press.

  • National Bureau of Statistics of China. (2016). China statistical yearbook 2016 (Tech. Rep.). Xicheng, Beijing, China: China Statistics Press.

  • Nisbet, E., & Zelenski, J. (2011). Underestimating nearby nature: Affective forecasting errors obscure the happy path to sustainability. Psychological Science, 22, 1101–1106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Office of Beijing Miyun County Committee of the Communist Party of China. (2014, November). Geography in Miyun (in Chinese). Miyun, Beijing, China.

  • Ogihara, Y. (2017a). Economic shifts and cultural changes in individualism: A cross-temporal perspective. In A. K. Uskul & S. Oishi (Eds.), Socioeconomic Environment and Human Psychology: Social, ecological, and Cultural Perspectives. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ogihara, Y. (2017b). Temporal changes in individualism and their ramification in Japan: Rising individualism and conflicts with persisting collectivism. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 695.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ostrom, E., Dietz, T., Dolsak, N., Stern, P. C., Stonich, S., & Weber, E. (Eds.). (2002). The drama of the commons. Washington, D.C: National Academy Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pan, Y., Xiao, H., & Yu, Z. (2009). Spatial evaluation on ecological and aesthetic quality of Beijing agricultural landscape (in Chinese). Chinese Journal of Applied Ecology, 20, 2455–2460.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peter, H. (1997). Assessing sustainable development: Principles in practice. Winnipeg: International Institute for Sustainable Development.

    Google Scholar 

  • Price, M. F., Jansky, L. F., & Iatsenia, A. A. (Eds.). (2004). Key issues for mountain areas. Tokyo: United Nations University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Qinglonghu Township People’s Government of Fangshan District. (2017). Overview of Qinglonghu township (in Chinese).

  • Qingyundian Township People’s Government of Daxing District. (2017). Overview of Qingyundian township (in Chinese).

  • Rochat, P., Dias, M. D. G., Liping, G., & Broesch, T. (2009). Fairness in distributive justice by 3- and 5-year-olds across seven cultures. Journal of Cross-cultural Psychology, 40, 416–442.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rushton, J. P., Chrisjohn, R. D., & Fekken, G. (1981). The altruistic personality and the self-report altruism scale. Personality and Individual Differences, 2, 293–302.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ryan, R. M., Weinstein, N., Bernstein, J., Brown, K. W., Mistretta, L., & Gagne, M. (2010). Vitalizing effects of being outdoors and in nature. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30, 159–168.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saaty, T. (1980). The analytic hierarchy process. New York: McGraw-Hill.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saijo, T. (2018). Future design: Bequeathing sustainable natural environments and sustainable societies to future generations. (Working paper SDES-2018-4; Research Institute for Future Design, Kochi University of Technology: Kochi, Japan)

  • Santos, H. C., Varnum, M. E. W., & Grossmann, I. (2017). Global increases in individualism. Psychological Science, 28, 1228–1239.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sawyer, J. (1966). The altruism scale: A measure of cooperative, individualistic, and competitive interpersonal orientation. American Journal of Sociology, 71, 407–416.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shahen, M. E., Shahrier, S., & Kotani, K. (2019). Happiness, generativity and social preferences in a developing country: A possibility of future design. Sustainability, 11, 5256.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shahrier, S., Kotani, K., & Kakinaka, M. (2016). Social value orientation and capitalism in societies. PLoS ONE, 11, e0165067.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shahrier, S., Kotani, K., & Saijo, T. (2017). Intergenerational sustainability dilemma and a potential solution: Future ahead and back mechanism. (Working paper SDES-2017-9; Research Institute for Future Design, Kochi University of Technology: Kochi, Japan)

  • Soutschek, A., Burke, C. J., Beharelle, A. R., Schreiber, R., Weber, S. C., Karipidis, I. I., et al. (2017). The dopaminergic reward system underpins gender differences in social preferences. Nature Human Behavior, 1, 819–827.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sovacool, B. K. (2009). Rejecting renewables: The socio-technical impediments to renewable electricity in the United States. Energy Policy, 37, 4500–4513.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spijkers, O. (2018). Intergenerational equity and the sustainable development goals. Sustainability, 10, 3836.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun, D., Zhou, L., Li, Y., Liu, H., Shen, X., Wang, Z., et al. (2017). New-type urbanization in China: Predicted trends and investment demand for 2015–2030. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 27, 943–966.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun, J., & Ryder, A. G. (2016). The Chinese experience of rapid modernization: Sociocultural changes, psychological consequences? Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 477.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sun, Y., Wang, Q., & Lu, Z. (2005). Effects of urbanization on landscape pattern of Beijing (in Chinese). Journal of Applied Ecology, 16, 1366–1369.

    Google Scholar 

  • Talhelm, T., Zhang, X., Oishi, S., Shimin, C., Duan, D., Lan, X., et al. (2014). Largescale psychological differences within China explained by rice versus wheat agriculture. Science, 344, 603–608.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tan, Y., & Shi, Y. (2015). Research on Beijing ecological leisure-agriculture under the background of the integrative development of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (in Chinese). Journal of Agriculture, 5, 135–140.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tang, X., Chen, B., Lu, Q., & Fang, L. (2010). Analysis on the landscape patterns change of land use in urban fringe area: A case study in Daxing district of Beijing. China Population, Resources and Environment, 20, 159–163.

    Google Scholar 

  • The People’s Government of Beijing Yanqing. (2016). Overview of yanqing (in chinese): Yanquing, Beijing, China.

  • Timilsina, R. R., Kotani, K., & Kamijo, Y. (2017). Sustainability of common pool resources. PLoS ONE, 12, e0170981.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Timilsina, R. R., Kotani, K., Nakagawa, Y., & Saijo, T. (2019). Accountability as a resolution for intergenerational sustainability dilemma. (Working paper SDES-2019-2; Research Institute for Future Design, Kochi University of Technology: Kochi, Japan)

  • Todaro, M. (1996). Income expectations, rural-urban migration and employment in Africa. International Labour Review, 135, 421–444.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ulrich, R. S. (1986). Human response to vegetation and landscapes. Landscape and Urban Planning, 13, 29–44.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ulrich, R. S., Simons, R. F., Losito, B. D., Fiorito, E., Miles, M. A., & Zelson, M. (1991). Stress recovery during exposure to natural and urban environments. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 11, 201–230.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Lange, P. A. (1999). The pursuit of joint outcomes and equality in outcomes: An integrative model of social value orientation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 337–349.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Lange, P. A. (2004). From generosity to aggression: Five interpersonal orientations relevant to social dilemmas. In R. Suleiman, D. V. Budescu, I. Fischer, & D. M. Messick (Eds.), Psychological research on social dilemmas (pp. 3–23). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Lange, P. A., Bekkers, R., Shuyt, T. N., & Vugt, M. V. (2007). From games to giving: Social value orientation predicts donation to noble causes. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 29, 375–384.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Lange, P. A., De Bruin, E. M., Otten, W., & Joireman, J. A. (1997). Development of prosocial, individualistic, and competitive orientations: Theory and preliminary evidence. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 73, 733–746.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Lange, P. A., Vugt, M. V., Meertens, R. M., & Ruiter, R. A. (1998). A social dilemma analysis of commuting preferences: The roles of social value orientation and trust. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 28, 796–820.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Vugt, M., Meertens, R. M., & Van Lange, P. A. (1995). Car versus public transportation? The role of social value orientations in a real-life social dilemma. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 25, 258–278.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vandello, J. A., & Cohen, D. (1999). Patterns of individualism and collectivism across United States. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77, 279–292.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Lange, P. A. (2000). Beyond self-interest: A set of propositions relevant to interpersonal orientations. European Review of Social Psychology, 11, 297–331.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wan, L., Chen, Y., Tan, J., & Zhang, J. (2009). RS/GIS-based assessment and analysis of ecological security dynamics in the suburbs of Beijing (in Chinese). Progress in Geography, 28, 238–244.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, K., Zhou, W., & Li, W. (2016). Impacts of population spatio-temporal dynamics on ecosystem quality during fast urbanization in Beijing, China. Journal of Applied Ecology, 27, 2137–2144.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wei, Z., Zhao, Z., & Zheng, Y. (2016). Moderating effects of social value orientation on the effect of social influence in prosocial decisions. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 952.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weinstein, N., Przybylski, A. K., & Ryan, R. M. (2009). Can nature make us more caring? Effects of immersion in nature on intrinsic aspirations and generosity. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 35, 1315–1329.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wigginton, N. S., Fahrenkamp-Uppenbrink, J., Wible, B., & Malakoff, D. (2016). Cities are the future. Science, 352, 904–905.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson, D. S., O’Brien, D. T., & Sesma, A. (2009). Human prosociality from an evolutionary perspective: Variation and correlations at a city-wide scale. Evolution and Human Behavior, 30, 190–200.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wooldridge, J. M. (2008). Introductory econometrics (4th ed.). Cincinnati: South-Western College Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wu, J. (2014). Urban ecology and sustainability: The state-of-the-science and future directions. Landscape and Urban Planning, 125, 209–221.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, J., Xiang, W.-N., & Zhao, J. (2014). Urban ecology in china: Historical developments and future directions. Landscape and Urban Planning, 125, 222–233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Young, A. (2013). Inequality, the urban-rural gap and migration. Quarterly Journal of Economics, 128, 1727–1785.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zelenski, J. M., Dopko, R. L., & Capaldi, C. A. (2015). Cooperation is in our nature: Nature exposure may promote cooperative and environmentally sustainable behavior. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 42, 24–31.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zeng, R., & Greenfield, P. M. (2015). Cultural evolution over the last 40 years in China: Using the Google Ngram Viewer to study implications of social and political change for cultural values. International Journal of Psychology, 50, 47–55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, J., Piff, P. K., Iyer, R., Koleva, S., & Keltner, D. (2014). An occasion for unselfing: Beautiful nature leads to prosociality. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 37, 61–72.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, J., Zhu, W., Zhu, L., Cui, Y., He, S., & Ren, H. (2019). Topographical relief characteristics and its impact on population and economy: A case study of the mountainous area in western Henan, China. Journal of Geographical Sciences, 29, 598–612.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, K. H., & Song, S. (2003). Rural-urban migration and urbanization in China: Evidence from time-series and cross-section analyses. China Economic Review, 14, 386–400.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, Q., & Su, S. (2016). Determinants of urban expansion and their relative importance: A comparative analysis of 30 major metropolitans in China. Habitat International, 58, 89–107.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Economics, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada

    Zhang Jingchao

  2. Beijing Association of Sustainable Development, Beijing, China

    Zhang Jingchao

  3. School of Economics and Management, Kochi University of Technology, Eikokuji-cho, Kochi, Japan

    Koji Kotani & Tatsuyoshi Saijo

  4. Research Institute for Future Design, Kochi University of Technology, Eikokuji-cho, Kochi, Japan

    Koji Kotani & Tatsuyoshi Saijo

  5. Urban Institute, Kyusyu University, Fukuoka, Japan

    Koji Kotani & Tatsuyoshi Saijo

  6. College of Business, Rikkyo University, Tokyo, Japan

    Koji Kotani

  7. Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, Kyoto, Japan

    Tatsuyoshi Saijo

Authors
  1. Zhang Jingchao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Koji Kotani
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Tatsuyoshi Saijo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Koji Kotani.

Additional information

Publisher's Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Jingchao, Z., Kotani, K. & Saijo, T. Are societies becoming proself? A topographical difference under fast urbanization in China. Environ Dev Sustain 23, 12976–12993 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-020-01195-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10668-020-01195-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation