Sustainable Development of Strategic Regions in Urban Spaces: A Comparison Study of Rail Transit Central Stations Planning in China

Sustainable urbanization has entered an intensive land development phase in China. Current rail transit developments are forcing urbanization researchers to focus on conflicts with the built environment. In order to achieve resource systematization and spatial intensification, this paper explores regional transformation in Chengdu, a "new first-tier" city in China. Research objects are selected based on the fact that these areas have rail transit systems that interact with existing built-up areas and there is an intent for intensive urbanization. Studies reveal that compact city development is closely associated with transit-oriented development (TOD). In the strategic region of central stations, disorderly land use has been exacerbated by unclear pathways for density growth and functional combination patterns. More research parameters and thresholds are needed to construct a quantitative framework and construction standards, while drawing on Shanghai's successful development in strategic areas of central stations, which is aligned with China's national conditions. Therefore, based on the quantification objectives of density and function derived from the compact city theory, this paper explores the differences in intensive urbanization indicators between the strategic region of central stations of Chengdu and Shanghai, and analyzes the indicator thresholds for different regional types (new urban areas and old urban areas) according to the principles of normal distribution, providing quantitative support for the intensive development of strategic region of central stations in Chengdu.