Ecological network analysis of urban metabolism based on input-output table

Abstract With the increasing metabolic throughput, the city as a giant organism causes resource consumption and environmental pollution, which become a bottleneck for urban ecological systems to develop healthily. Using Beijing as an example, we adopt the material flow method to account for resource consumption and waste emissions during the urban metabolic process. Combined with a monetary input-output table (MIOT) for Beijing in 2002, we compile a physical input-output table (PIOT) and build an ecological network model of the urban metabolic system including 45 nodes and 1761 network paths. Using flow analysis and utility analysis methods of ecological network, we can study the complex relationships and hierarchical structure to reveal the crux that results in the disorder of the urban metabolic process; thus, it can provide a scientific basis for healthy development of urban ecological systems.