Carrier-Load Perspective Evaluation on Urban Resources Environment Carrying Capacity: Theory and Application

This chapter introduces a new method, URECC-LC, for assessing urban resources environment carrying capacity (URECC) from a load-and-carrier perspective, after reviewing existing literature to underline its significance for sustainable urban development. The method, rooted in dynamics discipline principles, views the urban resources environment as a system comprising urban loads (UL) and urban carriers (UC), and measures URECC by considering both elements. This approach not only facilitates effective evaluation of URECC but also extends its implications to sustainable development and urban resilience, and introduces a virtual threshold for its limitations. An application of the URECC-LC method to 35 large Chinese cities demonstrates its effectiveness in assessing urban water resources environment carrying capacity.