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Advances of Healthy Environment Design in Urban Development—2nd Edition
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Advances of Healthy Environment Design in Urban Development—2nd Edition

A special issue of Buildings (ISSN 2075-5309). This special issue belongs to the section "Architectural Design, Urban Science, and Real Estate".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2025) | Viewed by 4294

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Xia Zhang

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
School of Urban Design, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430070, China
Interests: environment phycology; environment behavior; public space; urban design; space–time behavior analysis
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Prof. Dr. Hui He

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Archtecture and Urban Planning, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430074,China
Interests: environment behavior; public space; urban planning; urban design; healing environment
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue is a follow-up of the first Special Issue, entitled “Advances of Healthy Environment Design in Urban Development” (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/buildings/special_issues/517PHPFOLF), published in Buildings.

The built environment is closely related to human health. Currently, people requirements for high-quality urban environments and architectural spaces are increasing . The relationship between the built environment and human health has become urgently necessary to elucidate.

In existing research, numerous achievements have been made regarding the impact of environmental pollution and physical quality on health physiological indicators. The impact of the environment on users' living habits and behavioral patterns also clearly determines people's physical and mental health.

This Special Issue focuses on the concept of all-health, focusing on new theories, new technologies, new methods and innovative applications of various built environment and health indicator measurements and analyses, and focusing on the comprehensive promotion of the built environment in user health issues. Topics include but are not limited to the following:

  • Healthy buildings;
  • Healthy community;
  • Healing space;
  • Urban active space;
  • Healthy environments for particular populations (e.g., the elderly, children, and people with social anxiety);
  • Health-promoting behavior.

Prof. Dr. Xia Zhang
Prof. Dr. Hui He
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Buildings is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • built environment
  • environment behavior
  • healthy building
  • healthy city
  • healing environment
  • environment phycology
  • health-promoting behavior
  • health-supporting environment

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Related Special Issue

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 1362 KB  
Article
Study on Factors Influencing Residents’ Participation in Public Space Improvement Projects for Sustainable Built Environment
by Qi Luo, Dan Li, Yongqi Guo and Huihua Chen
Buildings 2025, 15(23), 4317; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15234317 - 27 Nov 2025
Viewed by 377
Abstract
With the rapid pace of urbanization, the public-interest renovation of community spaces has emerged as a critical focus in urban planning and community development. These public spaces not only support residents’ daily activities, social interactions, and cultural endeavors but also play a vital [...] Read more.
With the rapid pace of urbanization, the public-interest renovation of community spaces has emerged as a critical focus in urban planning and community development. These public spaces not only support residents’ daily activities, social interactions, and cultural endeavors but also play a vital role in shaping their quality of life and fostering community cohesion. The willingness of residents to participate in such renovation projects significantly impacts the effectiveness and success of these initiatives. This study offers a comprehensive review of both domestic and international literature, synthesizing insights from behavioral science and social psychology. It identifies four key categories of factors that influence residents’ willingness to engage in public-interest renovation efforts: external environment, project attributes, residents’ subjective perceptions, and demographic characteristics. Based on this framework, sixteen secondary indicators were selected to construct a model explaining these factors. Drawing on established measurement scales and expert interviews, a survey instrument was developed for data collection. The data, gathered through questionnaire surveys, were analyzed using structural equation modeling to test the study hypotheses. The results revealed several significant findings: Among demographic factors, age, household size, and family structure were the primary differentiators of participation willingness. In terms of project attributes, comfort, openness, and sensory appeal were found to positively influence participation. External environmental factors, including policies, social atmosphere, and available information, indirectly impacted participation through residents’ perceptions. Furthermore, residents’ subjective perceptions, such as perceived usefulness and overall attitude, had direct positive effects on their willingness to participate. These findings contribute valuable insights to the field of urban sustainable development and the long-term viability of community spaces. They also provide actionable recommendations for community managers to develop targeted renovation and governance strategies that effectively engage residents. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances of Healthy Environment Design in Urban Development—2nd Edition)
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22 pages, 2236 KB  
Article
The Impact of the Built Environment on Urban Residents’ Physical Activity in Tropical Coastal Regions
by Liwei Zhu, Lin Jiang and Yilin Jiang
Buildings 2025, 15(23), 4289; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15234289 - 26 Nov 2025
Viewed by 266
Abstract
This study aims to analyze how the built environment influences urban residents’ physical activity in tropical coastal regions, and to identify the relative weights of key environmental factors. Through semi-structured interviews with 31 residents in Hainan, China, and qualitative analysis using NVivo 14, [...] Read more.
This study aims to analyze how the built environment influences urban residents’ physical activity in tropical coastal regions, and to identify the relative weights of key environmental factors. Through semi-structured interviews with 31 residents in Hainan, China, and qualitative analysis using NVivo 14, five core categories influencing physical activity were identified. A conceptual model with the built environment as its central node was then developed to elucidate the interrelationships among these categories. To further weight the sub-categories, a follow-up Analytic Hierarchy Process survey was conducted with 12 experts. Integrating the two stages, it was found that the safety and site conditions are prerequisite conditions to ensure residents’ physical activity. On this basis, residents have the strongest perception of the incentive effect of site conditions and landscape. The findings provide a theoretical basis and practical reference for systematically evaluating the impact of the built environment on residents’ health and well-being, and offer guidance for planning and designing health-promoting places in tropical regions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances of Healthy Environment Design in Urban Development—2nd Edition)
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24 pages, 4714 KB  
Article
Shaping Built Environments for Health-Oriented Physical Activity: Evidence from Outdoor Exercise in Dongguan, China
by Chao Ge, Fan Yang, Hui Wang and Linxi Xu
Buildings 2025, 15(16), 2812; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15162812 - 8 Aug 2025
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1054
Abstract
Physical activity plays a vital role in promoting public health. Among its various forms, outdoor exercise offers combined physical and mental health benefits. However, the spatial patterns and underlying drivers of outdoor exercise remain underexplored in rapidly urbanizing areas. Based on 15,880 app-tracked [...] Read more.
Physical activity plays a vital role in promoting public health. Among its various forms, outdoor exercise offers combined physical and mental health benefits. However, the spatial patterns and underlying drivers of outdoor exercise remain underexplored in rapidly urbanizing areas. Based on 15,880 app-tracked trajectories from 723 individuals, this study investigates running, walking, and cycling patterns across 130 communities in Southern Dongguan. Results reveal three key findings. First, different types of outdoor exercise show distinct spatial patterns: running is common in urban centers, walking is concentrated around natural landscapes, and cycling follows cross-regional networks. Second, natural and built environmental features shape outdoor exercise behavior. Waterfront continuity promotes participation, while residential areas support walking. In contrast, manufacturing zones inhibit participation due to environmental degradation. Socioeconomic factors also influence participation by enhancing the grassroots governance capacity. Third, spatial spillover effects significantly shape cycling patterns, and traditional models that ignore spatial dependence underestimate environmental impacts. These findings provide new insights into how the combined influence of artificial and natural environments shapes outdoor exercise in rapidly urbanizing cities. They also reveal the distinctive role of grassroots governance with state support in China, offering valuable lessons for other fast-growing urban regions worldwide. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances of Healthy Environment Design in Urban Development—2nd Edition)
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27 pages, 3772 KB  
Article
Synergistic Drive Between Local Knowledge and Landscape Design: Construction and Empirical Evidence of Landscape Design In-Situ Evaluation System for Forest Health Bases
by Ya Chen, Yangtian Ye and Yun Ye
Buildings 2025, 15(11), 1917; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15111917 - 2 Jun 2025
Viewed by 706
Abstract
This study explores the intersection of landscape design and ecosystem services, emphasising context-sensitive design and the integration of indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) in forest health bases. Current challenges include disconnects between design practices and local cultural identity, as well as insufficient ecological [...] Read more.
This study explores the intersection of landscape design and ecosystem services, emphasising context-sensitive design and the integration of indigenous and local knowledge (ILK) in forest health bases. Current challenges include disconnects between design practices and local cultural identity, as well as insufficient ecological integration, necessitating systematic approaches that harmonise ecological functions with sociocultural values. While existing research prioritises health benefit assessments, the role of ILK in long-term sustainability remains underexplored. To address this gap, we developed a multidimensional evaluation system integrating ecological, cultural, community, and human health indicators. Using a hybrid Delphi–Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), we identified 33 core indicators through literature word-frequency analysis. These indicators were refined via two rounds of expert surveys involving 48 interdisciplinary scholars and empirically validated at the Yuping Mountain Forest Health Base in Sichuan, China. The case study achieved an overall score of 4.371 (Grade I), with “Site location” (weight 0.064) and “Maintenance of the human landscape” (weight 0.056) as pivotal factors. ILK integration enhanced ecological resilience and community cultural engagement. Quantitative data revealed strong performance in five senses of experience (weight 0.056), though cultural resource utilisation requires refinement. The innovation of this study is that it is the first to construct an ILK-driven assessment framework to achieve the deep integration of scientific quantification and local wisdom. The study provides a decision-making tool that is both humanistic and scientific, in order to promote the synergistic development of human health, ecological protection, and cultural heritage and to help sustainable landscape design practice. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances of Healthy Environment Design in Urban Development—2nd Edition)
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20 pages, 2468 KB  
Article
Development of a Built Environment–Self-Efficacy–Activity Engagement–Self-Rated Health Model for Older Adults in Urban Residential Areas
by Chendi Wang, Fangyi Chen, Yujie Lin, Shaohua Qiang and Jingsong Sun
Buildings 2025, 15(10), 1660; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings15101660 - 15 May 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1375
Abstract
The aging population has posed significant challenges to the built environment (BE) in urban residential areas, particularly in addressing older adults’ activity and health needs. Understanding how the BE influences older adults’ activity and health is crucial for promoting active and healthy aging. [...] Read more.
The aging population has posed significant challenges to the built environment (BE) in urban residential areas, particularly in addressing older adults’ activity and health needs. Understanding how the BE influences older adults’ activity and health is crucial for promoting active and healthy aging. This study explored the interactions among the BE, self-efficacy (SE), activity engagement (AE), and self-rated health (SH) for older adults in urban residential areas. A random sampling technique selected 372 older adults residing in urban residential areas to participate in the questionnaire survey. Spearman correlation and hierarchical regression analysis were used to develop the BE-SE-AE-SH model for older people based on social cognitive theory. Accessibility, land use mix, and street connectivity affect activity engagement by influencing older persons’ walking and self-care abilities. Land use mix discourages walking ability and activity engagement, while esthetics encourages activity engagement. Land use mix, street connectivity, transportation, walking ability, self-care ability, and activity engagement enhance older adults’ self-rated health. Practical recommendations for age-friendly urban residential areas include the following: (1) optimize elevators and footpaths; (2) decentralize small businesses and create multi-use parking; (3) shorten crossings and enhance pavements; (4) add natural and humanistic elements; (5) limit car speed and install traffic signals. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances of Healthy Environment Design in Urban Development—2nd Edition)
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