Research on Smart Healthy Cities and Real Estate

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: 31 May 2025 | Viewed by 4453

Special Issue Editors

Department of the Built Environment, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Interests: design and decision support systems; digital urban planning; digital participation; human–environment interaction; human behavior in the built environment; sustainable and healthy cities
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Guest Editor
Department of the Built Environment, Eindhoven University of Technology, P.O. Box 513, 5600 MB Eindhoven, The Netherlands
Interests: healthy buildings; corporate real estate; hybrid working; sustainable buildings; human behaviour; well-being; mental health; positive psychology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The integration of smart technologies (i.e., IoT and sensor networks, digital applications for citizen engagement) within cities and real estate holds immense potential to improve people’s experiences, enabling heightened levels of comfort, satisfaction, and well-being. However, often, these technologies are implemented without considering people’s experiences. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the interplay among people, technology, and environment. Novel research methods, such as extended reality simulations, digital twins, digital serious games, agent-based modelling, and real-time surveys through experience sampling could increase insights about (i) the integration of smart technologies to increase people’s experiences, (ii) how these are perceived, and (iii) how novel research methods can be leveraged to co-create new technologies and design guidelines for enhancing the built environment. These insights are valuable for urban planners and developers as they provide guidelines during decision-making processes while adopting a user-centered approach.

This Special Issue aims for empirical papers on the perception of smart technologies within the built environment, encouraging novel methods to make cities and real estate smarter and healthier. We especially welcome papers that address the potential positive influence of these smart technologies on people and their behaviour. High-quality systematic reviews related to this topic are also welcome.

Dr. Gamze Dane
Dr. Lisanne Bergefurt
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 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

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

  • smart technologies for cities and real estate
  • digital tools
  • smart cities
  • smart real estate
  • user-centered approach
  • healthy development
  • data-driven approach
  • behavioural responses
  • digital twins
  • extended reality

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 324 KiB  
Article
Can China’s New Infrastructure Promote Urban–Rural Integrated Development? Evidence from 31 Chinese Provinces
by Yaolong Li, Xiaojie Ma, Yang Liu and Fanglei Zhong
Buildings 2024, 14(12), 3978; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14123978 - 14 Dec 2024
Viewed by 978
Abstract
Whether and how new infrastructure (NI) promotes urban–rural integration (URI) remains crucial for addressing unbalanced urban–rural development. This study analyzes panel data from 31 provincial-level administrative regions in China (2013–2022) to construct an evaluation index system for URI, encompassing economic, social, ecological, spatial, [...] Read more.
Whether and how new infrastructure (NI) promotes urban–rural integration (URI) remains crucial for addressing unbalanced urban–rural development. This study analyzes panel data from 31 provincial-level administrative regions in China (2013–2022) to construct an evaluation index system for URI, encompassing economic, social, ecological, spatial, and demographic dimensions. Using the entropy method, the study quantifies the development level of NI and investigates its differential effects on URI. The empirical findings demonstrate that NI exhibits a significant positive effect on URI, with the strongest impact manifested in economic and spatial dimensions. The influence on social, ecological, and demographic aspects, while positive, is comparatively modest. Regional disparities and innovation investment levels contribute to the heterogeneous impact of NI. Moreover, the study reveals that industrial structure advancement serves as the transmission mechanism through which NI drives URI. The promotional effect becomes more pronounced after crossing both the double threshold of industrial structure upgrading and the single threshold of industrial structure rationalization. Based on these findings, the following policy recommendations are proposed to optimize the new infrastructure investment structure, promote deep integration with industrial structural adjustments, and implement new infrastructure construction in accordance with local conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Smart Healthy Cities and Real Estate)
19 pages, 1527 KiB  
Article
Built Environment Influences on Emotional State Loneliness among Young Adults during Daily Activities: An Experience Sampling Approach
by Dominique Gijsbers, Pauline van den Berg and Astrid Kemperman
Buildings 2024, 14(10), 3199; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14103199 - 8 Oct 2024
Viewed by 1793
Abstract
Loneliness among young adults is a growing concern worldwide, posing serious health risks. While the human ecological framework explains how various factors such as socio-demographic, social, and built environment characteristics can affect this feeling, still, relatively little is known about the effect of [...] Read more.
Loneliness among young adults is a growing concern worldwide, posing serious health risks. While the human ecological framework explains how various factors such as socio-demographic, social, and built environment characteristics can affect this feeling, still, relatively little is known about the effect of built environment characteristics on the feelings of loneliness that young people experience in their daily life activities. This research investigates the relationship between built environment characteristics and emotional state loneliness in young adults (aged 18–25) during their daily activities. Leveraging the Experience Sampling Method, we collected data from 43 participants for 393 personal experiences during daily activities across different environmental settings. The findings of a mixed-effects regression model reveal that built environment features significantly impact emotional state loneliness. Notably, activity location accessibility, social company during activities, and walking activities all contribute to reducing loneliness. These findings can inform urban planners and municipalities to implement interventions that support youngsters’ activities and positive experiences to enhance well-being and alleviate feelings of loneliness in young adults. Specific recommendations regarding the built environment are (1) to create spaces that are accessible, (2) create spaces that are especially accessible by foot, and (3) provide housing with shared facilities for young adults rather than apartments/studios. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Smart Healthy Cities and Real Estate)
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21 pages, 1255 KiB  
Article
Can Smart City Construction Promote Urban Green and High-Quality Development?—Validation Analysis from 156 Cities in China
by Shilong Li and Rui Wang
Buildings 2024, 14(8), 2500; https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings14082500 - 13 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1131
Abstract
The in-depth participation and application of new-generation information and communication technologies, such as big data, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, etc., in the field of smart cities have promoted their abilities in urban fine governance, public services, ecological livability, scientific and technological innovation, [...] Read more.
The in-depth participation and application of new-generation information and communication technologies, such as big data, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, etc., in the field of smart cities have promoted their abilities in urban fine governance, public services, ecological livability, scientific and technological innovation, etc. Smart cities are gradually becoming recognized as the best solution to “urban problems”. Smart city construction drives urban innovative development, accumulates kinetic energy for economic growth, strengthens social support functions, enhances the effectiveness of the ecological environment, and promotes the convergence and integration of urban green development and high-quality development. This paper constructs a difference-in-differences model based on propensity score matching. Additionally, fiscal science and technology investment is introduced as mediating variables to further explain the mechanism through which smart city pilot policy impacts urban green and high-quality development. This research uses panel data from 156 prefecture-level cities in China from 2006 to 2019 to empirically test that the construction of smart cities has a significant positive effect on urban green and high-quality development. The mediation effect model shows that an increase in the level of local government’s fiscal science and technology investment enhances the positive effect of smart city construction on urban green and high-quality development. This research concludes with policy recommendations: the government should seize the development opportunity presented by smart city pilot policy, providing necessary policy support and financial incentive for the construction of smart cities. This will optimize the local economic structure, transform the driving forces of urban development, and assist cities in achieving green and high-quality development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Smart Healthy Cities and Real Estate)
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