Urban Built-Environment Stocks in Chinese Cities examines the scale, composition and spatial distribution of materials accumulated in buildings and infrastructure. Rapid urbanisation has created large anthropogenic stocks whose location and characteristics are central to future maintenance, redevelopment and circular-material strategies.

The visiting doctoral research develops high-resolution stock maps and comparative spatial analyses for Chinese urban areas. It combines building and infrastructure data with material-intensity coefficients to estimate where concrete, steel and other resources are embedded. These maps allow researchers to compare development patterns and to anticipate when and where materials may become available for recovery.

Supported through a Short-Term Scientific Mission of the COST Action Mining the European Anthroposphere, the collaboration connects Chinese stock research with European work on urban mining and circular infrastructure. It strengthens the Lab’s capacity to link material-flow accounting with spatial planning and long-term stock dynamics.