Search Results (670)

This study investigates personal exposure to fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) during walking commutes in Gliwice, Poland—a city characterized by elevated levels of air pollution. Data from a low-cost air quality sensor were compared with a municipal monitoring station and the Silesian University of Technology laboratory. PM_2.5 concentrations recorded by the low-cost sensor (7.3 µg/m³) were lower than those reported by the stationary monitoring sites. The findings suggest that low-cost sensors may offer valuable insights into short-term peaks in PM_2.5 exposure to serve as a practical tool for increasing public awareness of personal exposure risks to protect respiratory health. Full article

Wellington, New Zealand, is highly vulnerable to disaster-induced food security crises due to its geography and geological characteristics, which can disrupt transportation and isolate the city following disasters. Urban agriculture (UA) has been proposed as a potential alternative food source for post-disaster scenarios. This study examined the potential of urban agriculture for enhancing post-disaster food security by calculating vegetable self-sufficiency rates. Specifically, it evaluated the capacity of current Wellington’s community gardens to meet post-disaster vegetable demand in terms of both weight and nutrient content. Data collection employed mixed methods with questionnaires, on-site observations and mapping, and collecting high-resolution aerial imagery. Garden yields were estimated using self-reported data supported by literature benchmarks, while cultivated areas were quantified through on-site mapping and aerial imagery analysis. Six post-disaster food demand scenarios were used based on different target populations to develop an understanding of the range of potential produce yields. Weight-based results show that community gardens currently supply only 0.42% of the vegetable demand for residents living within a five-minute walk. This rate increased to 2.07% when specifically targeting only vulnerable populations, and up to 10.41% when focusing on gardeners’ own households. However, at the city-wide level, the current capacity of community gardens to provide enough produce to feed people remained limited. Nutrient-based self-sufficiency was lower than weight-based results; however, nutrient intake is particularly critical for vulnerable populations after disasters, underscoring the greater challenge of ensuring adequate nutrition through current urban food production. Beyond self-sufficiency, this study also addressed the role of UA in promoting food diversity and acceptability, as well as its social and psychological benefits based on the questionnaires and on-site observations. The findings indicate that community gardens contribute meaningfully to post-disaster food security for gardeners and nearby residents, particularly for vulnerable groups with elevated nutritional needs. Despite the current limited capacity of community gardens to provide enough produce to feed residents, findings suggest that Wellington could enhance post-disaster food self-reliance by diversifying UA types and optimizing land-use to increase food production during and after a disaster. Realizing this potential will require strategic interventions, including supportive policies, a conducive social environment, and diversification—such as the including private yards—all aimed at improving food access, availability, and nutritional quality during crises. The primary limitation of this study is the lack of comprehensive data on urban agriculture in Wellington and the wider New Zealand context. Addressing this data gap should be a key focus for future research to enable more robust assessments and evidence-based planning. Full article

China’s rapid urbanization has driven tremendous socioeconomic development while posing new forms of social–spatial inequalities that challenge environmental sustainability and spatial justice. This study investigates urban park-accessibility patterns across 10 s-tier provincial capital cities in China, examining how these patterns relate to housing-price dynamics to reveal diverse manifestations of social–spatial (in)justice. Using comprehensive spatial analysis grounded in distributive justice principles, we measure park accessibility through multiple metrics: distance to the nearest park, park size, and the number of parks within a 15 min walk from residential communities. Our findings reveal significant variation in park accessibility across these cities, with distinctive patterns emerging in the relationship between housing prices and park access that reflect different forms of social–spatial exclusion and inclusion. While most cities demonstrate an unbalanced spatial distribution of parks, they exhibit different forms of this disparity. Some cities show consistent park access across housing-price categories, while others display correlations between high housing prices and superior park accessibility. We argue that these divergent patterns reflect each city’s unique combination of economic development trajectory, politically strategic positioning within national urban hierarchies, and geographical constraints. Through this comparative analysis of second-tier cities, this study contributes to broader understandings of social–spatial (in)justice and urban environmental inequalities within China’s urbanization process, highlighting the need for place-specific approaches to achieving equitable access to urban amenities. Full article

The world is facing a state of “global boiling,” causing damage to various sectors. Developing pedestrian systems is a key to mitigating it, especially in tropical and humid cities where the climate discourages walking and increases the need for shaded walkways. Recent research shows a lack of data and in-depth studies on the built environment promoting walkability in such climates, creating a research gap this study aims to fill. Using Singapore as a case study, four locations—Marina Bay, Orchard Road, Boat Quay, and Chinatown—were surveyed and analyzed through visual decoding and questionnaires. Results show that natural light is the most frequently observed and important element in pedestrian pathway design in tropical and humid areas. Trees and sidewalks are also important in creating a walk-friendly environment. Green spaces significantly influence the desire to walk, though no clear positive outcomes were found. Additionally, “Other Emotions” negatively affect the decision to walk, suggesting these should be avoided in future pedestrian pathway designs to encourage walking. Full article

Urban green spaces (UGS) are essential for residents’ well-being, environmental quality, and social cohesion. However, previous studies have typically employed undifferentiated analytical frameworks, overlooking UGS types and failing to adequately measure the structural disparities of different UGS types within residents’ walking distance. To address this, this study integrates Gaussian Two-Step Floating Catchment Area models, Simpson’s index, and the Gini coefficient to construct an accessibility–diversity–equality assessment framework for UGS. This study conducted an analysis of accessibility, diversity, and equity for various types of UGSs under pedestrian conditions, using the high-density city of Shenzhen, China as a case study. Results reveal high inequality in accessibility to most UGS types within 15 min to 30 min walking range, except residential green spaces, which show moderate-high inequality (Gini coefficient: 0.4–0.6). Encouragingly, UGS diversity performs well, with over 80% of residents able to access three or more UGS types within walking distance. These findings highlight the heterogeneous UGS supply and provide actionable insights for optimizing green space allocation to support healthy urban development. Full article

Urban commercial districts, with their unique characteristics, serve as a reflection of broader urban development patterns. However, only a handful of studies have harnessed point-of-interest (POI) data to model the intricate relationship between retail commercial space types and other factors. This paper endeavors to bridge this gap, focusing on the influence of urban development factors on retail commerce districts through the lens of POI data. Our exploration underscores how commercial zones impact the density of residential neighborhoods and the coherence of pedestrian pathways. To facilitate our investigation, we propose an ensemble clustering technique for identifying and outlining urban commercial areas, including Kernel Density Analysis (KDE), Density-based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN), Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR). Our research uses the city of Manchester as a case study, unearthing the relationship between commercial retail catchment areas and a range of factors (retail commercial space types, land use function, walking coverage). These include land use function, walking coverage, and green park within the specified areas. As we explore the multiple impacts of different urban development factors on retail commerce models, we hope this study acts as a springboard for further exploration of the untapped potential of POI data in urban business development and planning. Full article

This study employs Hannah Arendt’s (1958) the human condition as a philosophical framework to examine walking not merely as a physical activity but as a meaningful form of environmental consciousness. Homo faber, which denotes tool making, corresponds to the nature-based railway regeneration exemplified by the Gyeongui Line Forest Park in Seoul City, South Korea. By applying walking as a method, bifurcated themes are explored: a pedestrian-provision focus on walkability and an environmentally oriented focus consisting of nature and culture, supporting the notion that environmental elements are co-experienced through the embodied activity of walking. Thematic findings are supported by generalized additive models, grounded in a between-method triangulation attempt. The results confirm the interdependencies among the park’s environment, pedestrian satisfaction, and environmental consciousness. Specifically, the environment surrounding the park, which traverses natural and cultural elements, is strongly associated with both pedestrian satisfaction and environmental sensitivity. The research reifies walking as a fundamental human condition, encompassing labor, work, and action, while arguing for heuristic reciprocity between homo faber and nature, as well as framing walking as a sustainably meaningful urban intervention. This study contributes to maturing the theoretical understanding of walking as a vital human condition and suggests practical insights for pedestrian-centered spatial transformation. Full article

Urban outdoor thermal comfort (OTC) has become an increasingly critical issue under the pressures of urbanization and climate change. Comparative analyses of urban blocks with distinct spatial morphologies are essential for identifying OTC issues and proposing targeted optimization strategies. However, existing studies predominantly rely on microclimate numerical simulations, while comparative assessments of OTC from the human thermal perception perspective remain limited. This study employs the thermal walk method, integrating microclimatic measurements with thermal perception questionnaires, to conduct on-site OTC investigations across three urban blocks with contrasting spatial morphologies—a business district (BD), a residential area (RA), and a historical neighborhood (HN)—in Beijing, a hot summer and cold winter climate city. The results reveal substantial OTC differences among the blocks. However, these differences demonstrated great seasonal and temporal variations. In summer, BD exhibited the best OTC (mTSV = 1.21), while HN performed the worst (mTSV = 1.72). In contrast, BD showed the poorest OTC in winter (mTSV = −1.57), significantly lower than HN (−1.11) and RA (−1.05). This discrepancy was caused by the unique morphology of different blocks. The sky view factor emerged as a more influential factor affecting OTC over building coverage ratio and building height, particularly in RA (r = 0.689, p < 0.01), but its impact varied by block, season, and sunlight conditions. North–South streets generally perform better OTC than East–West streets, being 0.26 units cooler in summer and 0.20 units warmer in winter on the TSV scale. The study highlights the importance of incorporating more applicable physical parameters to optimize OTC in complex urban contexts and offering theoretical support for designing climate adaptive urban spaces. Full article

A lack of access to healthy food has been a problem for low-income residents in many developed urban areas. Due to travel time and additional transportation costs, these residents often opt for unhealthy food rather than nutritious alternatives. This study examines the spatial distribution of food deserts in Mississauga—one of Canada’s most populous cities and a city with one of the highest diabetes rates in the Province of Ontario. Network analysis was employed to map the geographic inaccessibility to essential nutritious food, defined as residential areas that are beyond a 15-min walking distance from grocery stores. Socioeconomic indicators were integrated to identify and compare the regions that are socioeconomically disadvantaged and, therefore, most affected by food inaccessibility. The results reveal the presence of several food deserts spatially dispersed in Mississauga. The implications of these findings are discussed, with a focus on the relationship between food desert locations and the socioeconomic conditions of the affected residents. This study provides a practical, replicable approach for identifying food deserts that can be easily applied in other regions. The model developed offers valuable tools for policymakers and urban planners to address food desert issues, improving access to healthy food and positively impacting the health and well-being of affected populations. Full article

Walking-friendly cities not only promote health and environmental benefits but also play crucial roles in urban development and local economic revitalization. Typically, pedestrian interviews and surveys are used to evaluate walkability. However, these methods can be costly to implement at scale, as they demand considerable time and resources. To address the limitations in current methods for evaluating pedestrian pathways, we propose a novel approach utilizing wearable sensors and deep learning. This new method provides benefits in terms of efficiency and cost-effectiveness while ensuring a more objective and consistent evaluation of sidewalk surfaces. In the proposed method, we used wearable accelerometers to capture participants’ acceleration along the vertical (V), anterior-posterior ($AP$), and medio-lateral ($ML$) axes. This data is then transformed into the frequency domain using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT), a Kalman filter, a low-pass filter, and a moving average filter. A deep learning model is subsequently utilized to classify the conditions of the sidewalk surfaces using this transformed data. The experimental results indicate that the proposed model achieves a notable accuracy rate of 95.17%. Full article

The concept of the 15-minutes city [15 MC] focuses on providing important services within proximity and accessibility through active travel like walking or biking. While this model is becoming popular in urban planning and academic discourse, its implementation faces challenges in both densely populated developing and developed countries. This study aims to conduct a systematic review of recent literature to (1) identify the core components of the 15 MC model, (2) examine planning tools and strategies used in its implementation, (3) compare successes and challenges across global contexts, particularly in densely populated and resource-constrained areas, and (4) offer practical recommendations for adapting the model to meet local needs. The study reviewed 33 research papers published in the last five years [2019–2024]. Following PRISMA guidelines, a structured screening and selection process was conducted using databases such as Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Thematic analysis revealed major challenges for implementing the 15 MC in the Global South, including urban informality, gaps in infrastructure, and complex governance issues. Moreover, the review points out the potential risks of exclusion and gentrification if the specific needs of different contexts are not considered. While high-income countries tend to focus on sustainability and making neighborhoods walkable, developing countries struggle with deeper structural problems that make equitable implementation harder. This study emphasizes the need for locally adaptive frameworks in planning 15 MCs and aims to develop inclusive urban policies that support Sustainable Development Goal 11, which seeks to make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. Full article

Culture represents the core and ultimate value of a city, serving as a foundation for its economic and social development. However, with rapid urban expansion and increasing globalization, issues related to the spatial distribution pattern, accessibility and equity of cultural resources have become more prominent. This study proposes an integrated GIS-based framework combining ANN, Kernel Density, accessibility, and LQ analyses. It evaluates cultural service coverage across walking, cycling, and driving modes under varying travel durations (5–30 min). Both area-based accessibility and residential-based accessibility are considered. Additionally, the study incorporates Location Quotient (LQ) Analysis for low-income communities across these travel modes and accessibility types to assess spatial equity. The framework is validated through a case study of red cultural resources in Shanghai (China). The results show significant mismatches between area accessibility and residential accessibility in certain administrative districts, particularly highlighting disparities in cultural service provision for disadvantaged populations. These findings suggest incorporating residential-oriented accessibility and equity-based metrics into planning practices. This method supports more accurate and equitable allocation of cultural resources and informs evidence-based decisions in facility planning, urban function optimization, and spatial management. Full article

This study explores the impact of microclimatic variations on thermal perception and walking experience in Béjaïa, Algeria, focusing on two contrasting urban areas: the compact historic medina and the modern lower city. A mixed-method approach combined microclimatic measurements (Ta, Ts, Va, RH) with subjective evaluations from 70 participants. After urban morphological analysis, walking itineraries were designed and studied through accompanied walks. Participants reported their thermal sensations and walking comfort via questionnaires and mental maps, while environmental data were simultaneously collected (21–28 July 2022). Results show that transitions between urban fabrics significantly affect thermal sensation and walking thermal comfort (WTC). Strong correlations were observed between surface temperature (Ts) and sky view factor (SVF), and between ASV and WTC (Kendall’s τᵦ = 0.79, 95% CI [0.70, 0.88]). Beyond physical factors, perceptual variables like vegetation (OR = 1.50), maintenance (OR = 1.40), and views (OR = 1.30) significantly increased WTC, while fatigue (OR = 0.70) and safety concerns (OR = 0.80) reduced it. The findings highlight strong contrasts between the two areas and support planning strategies emphasizing vegetation, spatial optimization, and the integration of perceptual thermal factors in urban design. Full article

The study explores the features of spatiotemporal circles of residents’ daily walking. Through a survey of residents’ walking activity in 16 residential communities, the walking purpose, distance, time, and speed of different residents were analyzed, and the circles of residents’ walking activities in historic and modern districts were identified. It is found that residents’ walking activities showed obvious spatiotemporal and individual differences. Walking activities on weekdays mainly focus on short distances (0.5–1 km) and short duration (5–15 min) for commuting and basic needs, while walking activities on weekends tend to be longer distances (more than 2 km) and longer duration (15–40 min) for leisure purposes. There are significant differences in distance and speed between walking activities in the historic and modern districts, with residents of the historic districts walking a smaller range but more diverse destinations, and residents of the modern districts walking to a wider range but fewer types of destinations. The study provides a scientific basis for multi-circle planning strategies of community life units, and it contributes to the localized adaptation of the “15-minute city” concept by revealing how historical and modern districts shape distinct spatiotemporal circles for walkability in Chinese cities. Full article

This study presents a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of the NENGOUE residence, a multi-occupancy building located in Yaoundé, Cameroon, over an 80-year lifespan. The analysis encompasses four life cycle phases—construction, use, renovation, and deconstruction—and evaluates twelve environmental impact categories. The results reveal that the use phase contributes overwhelmingly to environmental burdens, accounting for over 96% of total impacts. To mitigate this dominance, two alternative scenarios were assessed: a sustainable transport model and the integration of a photovoltaic system. In the first scenario, environmentally friendly commuting strategies, such as increased walking, cycling, and public transport, led to a 17.10% reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In the second, rooftop photovoltaics offset 69.29% of the building’s electricity needs, resulting in a 26.72% GHG reduction. A third, combined scenario demonstrated the highest environmental gains, achieving a 42.97% reduction in GHG emissions, alongside substantial improvements across other impact categories, including acidification (−38.4%), cumulative energy demand (−28.3%), and photochemical ozone formation (−40.18%). In addition to the environmental benefits, the study highlights the importance of considering social acceptance, behavioral change, and economic feasibility for real-world implementation. The willingness of residents to adopt sustainable mobility practices, cultural preferences, safety concerns, and the initial cost barriers associated with photovoltaic technology are identified as critical factors. These findings underscore the need for integrated strategies that combine technological innovation with inclusive urban planning and stakeholder engagement. The proposed approach demonstrates that aligning environmental measures with local socio-economic realities can significantly enhance the sustainability of residential buildings, contributing meaningfully to climate change mitigation in Sub-Saharan African cities. Full article