Search Results (71)

Migrant workers, vital for urban sustainable development, often exhibit leisure-time physical inactivity (LTPI). Few studies have examined LTPI and its constraints among migrant workers. This study aimed to identify the determinants of LTPI and its constraints among migrant workers. Guangzhou was used as a case study through a questionnaire survey of 26 communities (n = 1024). Logistic regression assessed the impact of household registration on LTPI and its interaction effects. The determinants of LTPI among migrant workers were compared with those of the other groups. The study found a link between LTPI and the living environment among residents and migrant workers. Household registration influences LTPI through interactions with factors such as the number of sports facilities and community greetings. The main barriers to leisure-time physical activity among migrant workers were insufficient education, social capital, and green open spaces. This study discusses the underlying mechanisms and proposes measures to address LTPI among migrant workers. Full article

More than half the world’s population live in cities¹. According to UN Habitat, we are rapidly approaching the time when five billion people will live in cities, and by 2050 this could be 7.5 billion, with much of the growth concentrated in the global south. The context for this paper is how urban growth is linked to notions of community values which cross-link to concepts of heritage. Urban places are where the majority of the world’s population lives and will increasingly do so. Inextricably linked to this proposition is that urban places are where community memories, identity and sense of place are inherent, and here is the link with heritage. What do these paces mean to us? Are there regional, national and international differences? Parallel with these ideas of urban heritage is the sense of place and attachment people have for green spaces in cities and the incremental loss of green spaces. This prompts the question of how this phenomenon has stimulated scholarly and professional attention on the concept of greening cities. Underpinning the inquiry is an understanding of how urban green growth has become regarded as critical to the well-being of people in urban areas. Central to such concerns is the role of people and their social and cultural values which shape how they see their cities. Notable also is how there has been growing concern for urban conservation since the 1990s and the need to understand cities as people spaces, not just collections of buildings. Discourse on cities as spaces for people has its roots in, and builds on, a paradigm shift in innovative thinking and concepts in the twentieth century which has continued into the twenty-first century. Mindful of this background, the paper opens with a review of the historical background to these concerns on the premise that the past is not always a foreign country². It then moves into consideration of heritage values and the role of landscape and what we mean by values. This consideration is central to the paper and moves into an overview of the Historic Urban Landscape (HUL) approach as new approaches and tools for urban conservation came into play. Full article

Mostly, public places are planned and designed by professionals rather engaging the community in the design process. Even if the community engaged, the engagement process was limited to hand drawings, manual mappings, or public discussions, which limited the general public to visualize and well-communicate their aspirations with the professionals. Against this backdrop, this study intends to develop a mobile application called “CityBuildAR”, which uses Augmented Reality technology that allows the end user to visualize their public spaces in a way they want. CityBuildAR was developed by the authors using the Unity Real-Time Development Platform, and the app was developed for an Android Operating System. The app was used to assess community interests in designing open spaces by categorizing participants into three groups: those with limited, average, and professional knowledge of space design. The open cafeteria of the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka served as the testbed for this study. The study findings revealed that: (a) Mobile Augmented Reality is an effective way to engage people with limited knowledge in space design to express their design thinking, (b) Compared to professionals, the general public wanted to have more green elements in the public space; (c) Compared to the professionals, the general public who were not conversant with the designing skills found the app more useful to express their ideas. The study guides urban authorities in their placemaking efforts by introducing a novel approach to effectively capture community ideas for creating inclusive public spaces. Full article

Large parks play a key role in the identity of urban public spaces and as destinations for residents’ urban walks, with the social benefits they provide being irreplaceable by other types of green spaces. This study examines the accessibility of large urban parks in Rizhao, China, focusing on spatial distribution, service equity, and optimization strategies. Using GIS-based walking route proximity analysis, the study identifies significant accessibility gaps in high-density urban areas. Rizhao is a typical coastal tourist city, selected as the study area due to its low level of urbanization and the underutilization of its natural resources. This study uses online map data to evaluate the service efficiency and supply–demand heterogeneity of large parks from multiple perspectives, proposing targeted, practical, and micro-intervention-based spatial measures based on typical case analysis. The results show that 70.52% of the population in the study area is served by park entrances within a 1500 m walking distance, indicating that a considerable portion of residents remain beyond a reasonable walking distance. In the context of urban renewal and sustainable development, this study proposes practical improvements to park accessibility, including suggestions for determining suitable locations for new large parks as a long-term goal, alongside low-cost interventions such as increasing park entrances to maximize the use of existing resources and optimizing pedestrian routes (including opening gated communities and adding crossing facilities) to improve park walking service catchment in smaller environments. This study provides insights for urban park renewal, retrofitting, and expansion, supporting accessibility measures in planning practices, and is expected to provide valuable references for urban managers and policymakers. Furthermore, the study suggests that policy adjustments are necessary to integrate green spaces into urban development more effectively, particularly in rapidly urbanizing areas. Full article

Urban greenspaces, such as parks and other public vegetated spaces, provide respite from the built environment for residents and visitors. Lesser-known urban greenspaces are community-managed open spaces (CMOSs), such as play lots, community gardens, and memorial gardens. This study investigated the effect of the distance to and size of parks and CMOSs on residential house prices in Baltimore, MD, in 2016–2017 using a hedonic price model. This is the first study of an urban city comparing parks and CMOSs. The study included 21,116 houses sold and revealed that park proximate price premiums ranged from 7.73% to 11.01% for distances of up to a 1/2 mile, and the CMOS proximate price premiums were 8.69% and 8.96% for distances of up to 1/8 and 1/4 miles, respectively. Moreover, both parks and CMOSs revealed a buyer preference of a 1/8 to 1/2 mile distance from these urban greenspaces. Small- to medium-sized parks, less than 9.65 acres, increased house prices by approximately 2.36%, and small CMOSs, less than 0.24 acres, increased house prices by 5.93%. These results confirm that parks and CMOSs provide economic benefits in addition to their social, health, and well-being benefits and suggest that CMOSs are a viable economic development strategy for communities. Full article

Numerous research studies have long established the causes and consequences of the depopulation of certain regions in Europe, but it seems that there are no systematic approaches to implementing the policy of managing abandoned areas. Following years of demographic decline in settlements, the 2022 census revealed depopulated clusters in Serbia—regions with 20 or fewer residents or even no inhabitants at all. The areas of depopulated settlements are growing territorially from the south towards the north. This paper adopts a broader interpretation of brownfield land, defining it as any previously used land that is no longer employed for commercial purposes, serving as the theoretical foundation. Although they seem economically hopeless, some depopulated clusters have become the subject of research for the exploitation of mineral resources such as gold, copper, zinc, uranium, lithium and coal. The main problem is that depopulated clusters have acquired an ecological stability that would be disrupted by the opening of mines and massive construction. The changes in land use were analyzed using time series data and a formal database of natural resources from these communities. The primary methodological framework was based on the correlation between population size, utilized areas, and the ecological stability coefficient. This study aimed to explore the relationship between the proportion of arable land within a spatial unit and its depopulation rate while also examining how arable land and mineral resources could influence the potential revitalization of rural wastelands in Serbia’s depopulated areas. The primary findings indicate a significant correlation between population decline and changes in the natural environment of abandoned clusters, as well as the significant potential of clusters as rural brownfields. While it is natural to continue with ecological and green space projects, the current liberal and centralized mining management policy can create major problems for the remaining population. Full article

Leisure activities positively impact community development including benefits related to enhancing physical health, improving mental health, developing social skills, encouraging creativity, and enhancing quality of life. However, the relationship between leisure activities’ benefits and residents’ motivation to participate in community building remains little explored. To fill the gap, this study constructed structural equation modeling including positive environment changes, residents’ participation, leisure activities, and improving quality of life. The results found three key implications of positive environmental changes in boosting the intention of community participation, including the following: (1) positive environment changes including making more green space, enhancing the aesthetics of community layout, and building more open spaces significantly boost recreational activity demand; (2) leisure activities and their multifaceted impacts lead to improved quality of life contributing to the residents’ intention of community development; (3) the intention of community development participation is strongly influenced by perceptions of the positive changes in physical landscapes and by the mediating role of leisure activities and benefits of the quality of life. The findings provide insight and perspective for policymakers and planners toward sustainable living environments. Additionally, they emphasize the critical role of diverse, accessible recreational opportunities in enhancing the overall quality of life in dynamic residential contexts. Full article

The conversion of open space to residential development increasingly continues across the United States, impacting both humans and nature. Residential development requires public input to generate meaningful places and understand contextually relevant priorities. Most municipal policies do not guarantee the provision of open spaces when residential development occurs, missing opportunities for benefits to those communities and reducing both environmental and spatial justice. This study operated a seven-state verbal questionnaire to collect and analyze a small-sample population perceptions concerning open space conservation and green space preferences towards future residential development priorities. Statistical analytical results indicated patterns, trends, and relationships within data. Although 46% of United States residents living in rural, suburban, and urban community types believe the amount of open space required in new developments should be determined on a case-by-case basis, just under half believe that requiring at least 50% open space in new developments is appropriate. More than half of Americans in the states targeted, particularly Colorado and liberal-leaning respondents, believe a lack of coherent planning will prevent open space conservation and that open space planning and conservation should be a priority for city governments. Beyond the United States, this study provides research and insight into conservation strategies that foster healthier landscapes and living environments globally. Full article

Urban parks have become more important in residents’ daily lives owing to both rapid urbanization and increasing environmental pressures. Globally, there is growing concern regarding equitable access to urban parks, particularly in densely populated countries such as China. This study focuses on the accessibility and equity of urban parks in Jiujiang using walking route data obtained from an open-source platform through an application programming interface to assess park accessibility. We explored the equity of park accessibility from three perspectives: spatial, opportunity, and group equity. The results indicated that urban parks in central Jiujiang have significantly better accessibility than those in suburban areas. Less than half of the study area was covered within a 1500 m walking distance. There is a large service blind catchment in park accessibility. Similarly, disparities in the equity of park accessibility were observed. The Penpu sub-district has the best accessibility; in contrast, the Qili Lake sub-district benefits from less than 10% of park accessibility. Wealthier communities benefit more from park accessibility than disadvantaged communities. Our study aims to provide strategies for urban planning for policymakers. Strategies such as increasing park entrances, opening gated communities, and creating shared green spaces may help ensure environmental equity. Full article

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the cause of coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19), has resulted in dramatic changes in human lifestyles and the geographic distribution of populations. However, despite the unequal impact of COVID-19 across urban spaces, research on the association between socioeconomic disparities in the usage of various types of urban amenities during the pandemic is limited. Thus, this study utilized mobile phone data and land use/land cover (LULC) data to investigate COVID-19-induced changes in the hot spots of the daytime and nighttime populations of two districts in Seoul, South Korea: Gangnam (a high-income community) and Gangbuk (a low-income community). First, the differences between Gangnam and Gangbuk in the LULC and mobile phone data, before and during the pandemic, were statistically analyzed by age. Second, the areas with significantly increased mobile phone-based populations during COVID-19 were identified using a hot spot analysis method and Welch’s t-test. This study identified that there were significant disparities in the use of green spaces during the pandemic, with a higher percentage of the mobile phone-based population in Gangnam than Gangbuk. Youths and adults in Gangnam were more likely to visit schools and enjoy physical activities in forests and open spaces during the pandemic, whereas there was no such increase in Gangbuk. The findings contribute to the understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on human behaviors and socioeconomic disparities in the quality of urban life. Full article

Urban growth is vast in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) due to economic development, and there is a need to consider liveability and sustainable ecosystems for future urban expansion. Promising strategies for sustainability focus on minimizing a building’s effects on the environment and improving residents’ quality of life, which is important in the desert and when confronting the issues of water and climate change. Sustainable practices that impact the livelihood of people in the UAE include factors such as walkable areas, open space, policing, healthcare, education, housing, and ensuring friendly transport that enhance the overall quality of life of residents in the region. Recognizing and appreciating the UAE’s cultural values is crucial when incorporating these aspects, allowing references to the nation’s character when creating communal areas. The primary research included quantitative surveys of three identified communities, composed of fifty participants each, where the findings indicate partial to full compliance, with 85.7% of the liveability indices being about public transport and green space. Through this analysis, liveability and sustainability principles need to be trialed and incorporated into future urban development to embrace the ecology as well as the inhabitants. To realize these targets, the proposed study adopted a four-part approach. Initially, an analysis of related studies concerning the UAE or the Gulf area was carried out to obtain important liveability and quality-of-life factors. A total of 6 dimensions and 51 indicators were extracted from the literature to inform the next stage. Subsequently, the authors identified and evaluated the design of three chosen communities in various cities in the UAE concerning liveability and sustainability indices. Consequently, a conceptual redesign of a typical community was made, illustrating the improved quality of life and sustainability. Lastly, a survey with respective facets from an urban planning architect and environmental scientist cum environmental economist was conducted to evaluate the practicality of the proposed design. This research gives a comprehensive picture of how liveability and sustainable ecosystem concepts need to be implemented in the UAE urban context and offers a direction to develop lively, context-specific, culturally attached, and sustainable urban environments for the present day and for the future. Full article

Reducing carbon emissions and controlling air pollution is a dual challenge for China in addressing climate change. Analyzing the synergistic relationship between PM_2.5 and CO₂ in urban green spaces has become an important part of promoting pollution control. The study investigated the influence and synergistic relationship between the spatial pattern of community parks on PM_2.5 and CO₂ in Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province, through practical measurement and ENVI-met/Open Studio simulation calculations. The results showed that: (1) Within the sphere of influence, community parks exhibit a positive synergy varying with distance, peaking at 400 m and declining as 300 m > 500 m > 200 m > 100 m. (2) The green space rate, total edge (TE), and mean patch shape index (SHAPE_MN) positively influence the synergistic mitigation of PM_2.5 and CO₂, with a defined maximum impact boundary. The strongest synergistic reduction of PM_2.5 and CO₂ occurs at a green space rate of 85%, TE1200, and SHAPE1.2, with optimal influence boundaries of 300 m, 200 m, and 100 m, respectively. This conclusion demonstrates the key role of green space in community parks in the synergistic abatement and provides a scientific basis and practical guidance for the planning and design of urban green space under the goal of “dual-carbon”. Full article

The revitalization of historic districts is crucial for the sustainable development of cities, with street corner spaces being a vital component of the public space in these districts. However, street corner spaces have been largely overlooked in previous research on crowd dynamics within historic districts. This study investigates the key factors influencing crowd dynamics in street corner spaces within historic districts. First, a hierarchical model of vitality-influencing factors was developed based on prior research. Potential factors influencing the vitality of street corners were quantified using multi-source data collection methods, including deep learning algorithms, and crowd vitality within these spaces was assessed through multidimensional measurements. The impact of each element on crowd vitality was then analyzed through a multivariate linear regression model. The findings revealed that eight factors—corner building historicity, first-floor functional communality, transparency, openness, density of functional facilities, greenness, functional variety of buildings, and walkability—significantly influence the vitality of corner spaces, collectively explaining 77.5% of the vitality of these spaces. These conclusions offer new perspectives and scientific evidence for the revitalization and conservation of historic districts. Full article

Assessing the quality of urban street space can provide suggestions for urban planning and construction management. Big data collection and machine learning provide more efficient evaluation methods than traditional survey methods. This study intended to quantify the urban street spatial quality based on street view image segmentation. A case study was conducted in the Second Ring Road of Changsha City, China. Firstly, the road network information was obtained through OpenStreetMap, and the longitude and latitude of the observation points were obtained using ArcGIS 10.2 software. Then, corresponding street view images of the observation points were obtained from Baidu Maps, and a semantic segmentation software was used to obtain the pixel occupancy ratio of 150 land cover categories in each image. This study selected six evaluation indicators to assess the street space quality, including the sky visibility index, green visual index, interface enclosure index, public–facility convenience index, traffic recognition, and motorization degree. Through statistical analysis of objects related to each evaluation indicator, scores of each evaluation indicator for observation points were obtained. The scores of each indicator are mapped onto the map in ArcGIS for data visualization and analysis. The final value of street space quality was obtained by weighing each indicator score according to the selected weight, achieving qualitative research on street space quality. The results showed that the street space quality in the downtown area of Changsha is relatively high. Still, the level of green visual index, interface enclosure, public–facility convenience index, and motorization degree is relatively low. In the commercial area east of the river, improvements are needed in pedestrian perception. In other areas, enhancements are required in community public facilities and traffic signage. Full article

The House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) is a common but declining bird species in its native urban areas, partly due to reduced nesting site availability caused by modern urbanisation and loss of old architectural styles. In this study, we analysed, through a multivariate approach, the environmental factors influencing House Sparrow nest site selection in three diverse inland urban areas within the Valencian Community, Spain. We located 584 House Sparrow nests during spring 2017 and also selected 300 random points (habitat availability) in the study localities. We used Factorial Analyses of Mixed Data to assess urban feature gradients of nests and urban variables. We carried out Generalized Linear Mixed Models to compare nest locations to random points and explore variations in nesting typologies between urban zones. Specific nest site preferences vary between urban sectors, indicating that House Sparrow nests are not randomly located in urban areas. Nests are typically found near parks, schools, vacant plots, city limits, and surrounding crops, where greater vegetation cover provides abundant food sources. Low-rise terraced houses with traditional roofs and open clay tiles are consistently preferred for nesting, whereas modern architectural trends reduce nesting opportunities. Preserving green areas and old architecture with open clay tiles is essential for maintaining nesting sites and promoting House Sparrow conservation in Mediterranean urban areas. Adherence to these conservation measures may also benefit other hole-nesting species and urban wildlife reliant on green spaces. Full article