Search Results (107)

To address the challenges in simulating nonpoint source pollution inflow, pollutant source distribution, and migration pathways in plain river network regions, this study innovatively proposes an optimized technical framework based on the NDR module of the InVEST model. Through land use data reconstruction, DEM negative value correction, and flow accumulation threshold optimization, the framework effectively resolves key issues including pollutant receiving water identification, runoff path simulation, and pollutant migration termination determination, significantly enhancing the model’s applicability to complex river systems. Using the Taipu River as a case study, this research investigates the spatial distribution characteristics of nonpoint source pollution load inflow and its sources in major rivers within plain river network regions. Results show that in 2023, total nitrogen and total phosphorus inflows into the Taipu River were 1004.11 t/a and 83.80 t/a, respectively, with pollution loads primarily originating from the Wangning Polders in the midstream, Chengnan New District Small Watersheds and Chang Yang River Small Watersheds, mainly entering the Taipu River through tributaries such as the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal and Nanzha Port. Calculations based on measured data indicate total nitrogen and total phosphorus inflows into the Taipu River were approximately 1300 t/a and 90 t/a, respectively, consistent with model predictions. Building on environmental capacity assessment results, this study proposes targeted recommendations for precision-based nonpoint source pollution control in the Taipu River basin. The findings provide scientific evidence and technical paradigms for nonpoint source pollution management and sustainable management in plain river network regions. Full article

The environmental persistence of sucralose (SUC), a recalcitrant artificial sweetener, has raised significant ecological concerns owing to its notable resistance to both thermal and biological degradation. This study focused on the eight major river basins in Zhejiang Province and used the LC-MS/MS external standard method to systematically detect the environmental occurrence of SUC. Significant spatial variations were observed. The highest concentration recorded in the river was 6.60 μg/L in the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. In contrast, the Ou River showed almost no detectable concentration. Higher contamination levels were consistently found in urban-adjacent areas, particularly near Hangzhou metropolitan region. Distinct seasonal patterns were also identified, with peak concentrations occurring during summer months. Through the application of the seasonal Kendall trend analysis, an increasing trend was projected for seven of the eight river systems studied, with the Ou River being the sole exception. Furthermore, the accuracy of the model’s prediction results was verified by comparing the data from the 2024 experimental tests with the model’s predicted results. By comparing the data from the experimental tests in 2024 with the model’s predictions, the results showed that, except for the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the relative deviations of the other rivers were all less than 5.00%. This indicates that the model had a high accuracy in predicting the changing trend of concentrations. This study provided fundamental data for understanding sucralose’s environmental behavior in the Yangtze River Delta watersheds, serving as a critical baseline data for ecological risk assessments and contributing to water resource sustainability. And the ecological or toxicological implications of SUC pollution require further study. Furthermore, this study developed a transferable methodological framework for monitoring artificial sweetener contamination across diverse aquatic ecosystems. Full article

Current research on heritage corridors predominantly focuses on linear heritage in Europe and America, while studies in Asia urgently need to be expanded. This study investigates China’s linear heritage. Based on the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model, it conducts heritage corridor construction for the Henan section of the Sui–Tang Grand Canal, and reveals the following: (1) A total of 252 heritage sites were classified into three categories: canal hydraulic heritage (13.5%), canal settlement heritage (21.4%) and related heritage (65.1%), exhibiting a “local clustering under global dispersion” pattern with a core–secondary–edge structure. (2) The influence of natural–social resistance factors was ranked as follows: elevation > roads > land use > slope. Interwoven corridors were simulated by GIS and optimized to four primary corridors with multiple secondary corridors. (3) The transverse zone of the primary corridors was stratified into core area (0–10 km from the centerline), buffer area (10–25 km), and influence area (>25 km) with a total width of 25–30 km. The longitudinal section was partitioned into four subsections based on hydrological continuity and heritage density. Then, a tripartite conservation framework characterized by “heritage clusters–holistic corridor–transverse stratification and longitudinal section” was proposed. It aimed to provide insights into methodologies and content structuring for transnational linear heritage (e.g., the Silk Road and the Inca Trail). Full article

With the rise in rural tourism, public space use has become more complex, causing significant weekday-weekend vitality imbalances. However, the factors shaping these dynamics in traditional villages remain unclear. This study uses Wi-Fi sensing method to analyze vitality variations across weekdays and weekends, and it develops a 13-metric evaluation framework to examine how built environment factors, from both internal and external dimensions, differentially influence the vitality of public spaces in traditional villages across various time periods. Using 17 public spaces in Yantou Village, Lishui, China, as a case, it finds: (1) Historical Element Proximity consistently and significantly drives public space vitality across all periods; (2) Leisure Facility Count and Decorative Element Count demonstrate strong positive effects during weekend morning peaks. (3) Retail Facility Count significantly reduces vitality during weekend morning peak but enhances it during midday off-peak, whereas Street Vendor Count shows the opposite pattern—increasing vitality in morning peak and decreasing it in midday off-peak. Using Wi-Fi sensing’s high-resolution, real-time, and non-invasive capabilities, this study provides a scientific method to accurately assess the variations in public space vitality and their impact factors between weekdays and weekends in traditional villages, offering technical support for enhancing public space vitality and sustainably revitalizing rural heritage. Full article

Linear cultural heritage poses significant challenges in tourism development, primarily due to the complexities involved in implementing scientific zoning and differentiated management strategies. Systematic optimization of its tourism spatial structure has thus become crucial for achieving sustainable utilization. This study adopts a case study approach based on deductive reasoning to examine the morphological characteristics and evolutionary patterns of the tourism space along linear cultural heritage. Taking the Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal as an example, it proposes a targeted optimization pathway from a spatial positioning perspective. The findings indicate that the tourism value of linear cultural heritage exhibits a “vine-shaped structure” spatially, and the development process of the tourism space structure follows the “growth pole” evolution law. Moreover, spatial optimization can be achieved through the dual dimensions of spatial form and utilization intensity. Based on this pathway, a three-level tourism zone system is constructed for the Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal: the primary tourism zone, located in southern sections, such as Yangzhou and Hangzhou, serves as leading regions that play a pivotal and driving role; the secondary tourism zone, encompassing Beijing, Tianjin, Langfang, and Cangzhou, requires focused enhancement and functional upgrading; and the tertiary tourism zone, mainly including Shandong Province and Xuzhou, Suqian, in Jiangsu Province, necessitate comprehensive and integrated development to achieve overall improvement. This classification not only facilitates coordinated tourism development along the entire canal from a holistic perspective but also provides a basis for formulating targeted strategies for segments with varying tourism values and utilization intensities. Full article

The research is grounded in the perspective of urban historical landscape (HUL), exploring the connections between cultural heritage and a broader urban context, as well as the general public and communities. It also focuses on small cultural heritage sites (SCHSs) in urban areas that have been overlooked in previous studies. By integrating various types of data, an assessment framework and methodology comprising six dimensions and 24 indicators were established and applied to the empirical research of 30 SCHSs in the Beijing section of the Grand Canal. The empirical research demonstrated the operability, effectiveness, and flexibility of the HUL assessment for SCHSs. The research findings are as follows. (1) The method provides differentiated recommendations for the formulation of tailored policies and planning management schemes based on heritage types, conservation levels, and the urban districts in which they are located. (2) The comprehensive quality of the open spaces where SCHSs are situated is critical for the cognition of the general public and community residents. (3) The overall conservation of the community areas containing SCHSs is highly significant, and the linkage between social development levels and cultural resources enhances public cognition of the SCHSs. (4) Cluster analysis offers guidance for the refined improvement of different SCHSs. The research aims to establish an action-oriented assessment framework, with a dimensional framework responding to the requirements of HULs and allowing for indicator flexibility. This study is significant for supporting the conservation and utilization of SCHSs in urban areas and for promoting their sustainable development. Full article

As research on national cultural parks advances, the significance of conducting multi-dimensional perception evaluations of their cultural ecosystem services (CESs) becomes increasingly apparent. This study examines the eight dimensions of CESs within the Grand Canal National Cultural Park from the perspective of soundscape preference. Using Tongzhou Grand Canal Forest Park as a case study, five categories of soundscapes comprising 19 sound sources were identified through the analysis of online textual data. This study then collected public preferences and perceptions of these five soundscapes via on-site questionnaires and analyzed the data using SPSS26 for correlation and IPA analyses. The results indicate that the overall evaluation of the park’s CESs is positive. There is a significant mutual influence between soundscape preference and CES perception. Specifically, the preference for natural soundscape significantly impacts the evaluation of each CES dimension, while satisfaction with leisure and entertainment is positively correlated with preferences for all types of soundscapes. Additionally, there are notable differences in soundscape preference among different age groups. These findings not only enhance our understanding of soundscape planning in national cultural parks but also provide valuable guidance for their management and design. Full article

The Grand Canal serves as a vital water transportation route, a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage site, and an ecological corridor. It is currently undergoing coordinated transformation through infrastructure development, heritage preservation, and ecological restoration. However, existing research has primarily focused on either cultural heritage conservation or localized ecological issues, with limited attention to the spatial relationship between landscape patterns and ecological quality along the entire corridor. To address this gap, this study examines eight sections of the Grand Canal and develops a gradient analysis framework based on equidistant buffer zones. The framework integrates the Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RSEI) with landscape pattern indices to assess ecological responses across spatial gradients. A Multi-scale Geographically Weighted Regression (MGWR) model is applied to reveal the spatially heterogeneous effects of landscape patterns on ecological quality. From 2013 to 2023, landscape patterns showed a trend toward increasing agglomeration and regularity. This is indicated by a rise in the Aggregation Index (AI) from 91.24 to 91.38 and declines in both patch density (PD) from 8.45 to 8.20 and Landscape Shape Index (LSI) from 199.74 to 196.72. During the same period, ecological quality slightly declined, with RSEI decreasing from 0.66 to 0.57. The effects of PD and Shannon’s Diversity Index (SHDI) on ecological quality varied across canal sections. In highly urbanized areas such as the Tonghui River, these indices were positively correlated with ecological quality, whereas in less urbanized areas like the Huitong River, negative correlations were observed. Overall, the strength of these correlations tended to weaken with increasing buffer distance. This study provides a scientific foundation for the integrated development of ecological protection and spatial planning along the Grand Canal and offers theoretical insights for the refined management of other major inland waterways. Full article

As a World Cultural Heritage site, the Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal is lined with historic and cultural cities that bear abundant historical and cultural connotations. It is of vital importance to address the issues of landscape homogenization, the disconnect between conservation measures and public needs, and other related challenges in the development of these cities. This study adopts a mixed-methods approach combining qualitative and quantitative research. By integrating subjective landscape evaluation with eye tracking analysis, the ancient city of Taierzhuang along the Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal was selected as the research subject to conduct an in-depth investigation into the visual experience and preferences for different types of landscapes in this area. The study yielded the following findings: There are significant differences in visual experiences among various types of landscapes in Taierzhuang Ancient City. Among them, participants exhibited the highest level of attention toward canal landscapes and the lowest toward heritage site landscapes. In terms of visual distribution differences, eye tracking heatmaps revealed that attention was primarily concentrated on architectural structures and water surface reflections. In the subjective evaluation analysis, canal cultural landscapes received the highest comprehensive score (4.39 points), followed by historical architectural landscapes (4.02 points), historical street landscapes (3.93 points), modern commemorative landscapes (3.72 points), and heritage site landscapes (3.69 points). Additionally, a significant correlation was found between eye tracking data and subjective evaluation results, validating the scientifically effective relationship between subjective assessments of historical cultural landscapes and eye tracking analysis. The findings of this study not only provide a scientific basis for landscape improvement and optimization in other canal-related historical and cultural cities but also offer new research methods and perspectives for the protection and development of other heritage landscapes. Full article

As a crucial component of the Beijing–Hangzhou Grand Canal’s hydraulic engineering, the Jiangnan Canal has historically played a pivotal role in China’s development as a key hydraulic infrastructure. This water conservancy project, connecting northern and southern water systems, not only facilitated regional economic integration but also nurtured unique cultural landscapes along its course. The Jiangnan Canal and its adjacent cities were selected as the study area to systematically investigate 334 tangible cultural heritage (TCH) sites and 420 intangible cultural heritage (ICH) elements. Through integrated Geographical Information System (GIS) spatial analyses—encompassing nearest neighbor index, kernel density estimation, standard deviation ellipse assessment, multi-ring buffer zoning, and Geodetector modeling, the spatiotemporal distribution features of cultural heritage were quantitatively characterized, with a focus on identifying the underlying driving factors shaping its spatial configuration. The analysis yields four main findings: (1) both TCH and ICH exhibit significant spatial clustering patterns across historical periods, with TCH distribution displaying an axis-core structure centered on the canal, whereas ICH evolved from dispersed to clustered configurations. (2) The center of gravity of TCH is primarily around Taihu Lake, while that of ICH is mainly on the south side of Taihu Lake, and the direction of distribution of both is consistent with the direction of the canal. (3) Multi-ring buffer analysis indicates that 77.2% of TCH and 49.8% of ICH clusters are concentrated within 0–10 km of the canal, demonstrating distinct spatial patterns: TCH exhibits a gradual canal-dependent density decrease with distance, whereas ICH reveals multifactorial spatial dynamics. (4) Human activity factors, particularly nighttime light intensity, are identified as predominant drivers of heritage distribution patterns, with natural environmental factors exerting comparatively weaker influence. These findings provide empirical support for developing differentiated conservation strategies for canal-related cultural heritage. The methodology offers replicable frameworks for analyzing heritage corridors in complex historical landscapes, contributing to both applied conservation practices and theoretical advancements in cultural geography. Full article

Scientific route selection is the premise of constructing the Grand Canal National Trails (GCNTs). How to highlight the historical and cultural characteristics of the cities along the Grand Canal and meet the diverse needs of urban residents and tourists through GCNTs while considering the reality is an important goal of the route selection research. Taking the old town of Jining City as an example, this study proposes a theoretical framework for route selection of the GCNTs based on resource connectivity, spatial continuity, and residents’ promotion, with a realization path of “three sections and six steps”. The results show that the optimal connection path between “canal–resource–community” can be found through systematic methods such as the optimized minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model and space syntax, and the “main route–branch route–connection route” system of the GCNTs can be constructed. The GCNTs closely connect the canals, 59 resources, and 352 communities into an integral spatial network, forming a complete canal cultural narrative system and path. The results offer theoretical and methodological support for the route selection of GCNTs in 35 prefecture-level cities and 150 districts and counties along the Grand Canal, providing reference for route selections of similar related concepts in central urban areas. Full article

Historically, the Wei River has served as part of the Yongji Canal section of the Grand Canal, playing a crucial role in connecting northern and southern China. However, with the acceleration of urbanization in China, issues such as excessive land development and ecological landscape fragmentation have emerged. Exploring the mechanisms of landscape fragmentation evolution in the Wei River basin and proposing optimization strategies is of significant importance for land use and ecological stability within small- to medium-sized river basins. This study selected land use data from the Weihe River basin between 2000 and 2020, using landscape pattern indices to analyze the trend of landscape fragmentation. The principal component analysis (PCA) and geographical detector methods were employed to explore the distribution characteristics and driving factors of landscape fragmentation. The research results indicate that: (1) The degree of landscape fragmentation in the Wei River basin has progressively intensified over time. The edge density index (ED), the landscape division index (DIVISION), the landscape shape index (LSI), and the Shannon diversity index (SHDI) have increased annually, while the contagion index (CONTAG) and area-weighted mean patch size (Area_AM) have continuously decreased; (2) Landscape fragmentation in the Wei River basin is characterized by stable changes in the source and tributary fragmentation areas, a concentrated distribution of fragmentation in the tributaries, and a significant increase in fragmentation in the main stream; (3) The analysis using the geographic detector method indicates that vegetation coverage (FVC), human activity intensity (HAI), and land use/land cover change (LUCC) are the main driving factors of landscape fragmentation in the Wei River basin. The findings explore the mechanisms of landscape fragmentation in the basin and provide a reference for land use planning and ecological restoration in the region. Full article

This study investigates the possible socio-economic impacts of Hyperloop technology on establishing and reshaping EU trade routes. Hyperloop—a novel ultra-high-speed transportation system—demonstrates the capability to achieve supersonic speeds to move cargo and passengers. Delivering goods in a faster and sustainable way could change the existing trade routes and offer new opportunities for the development of international trade. This research focuses on assessing how Hyperloop may influence existing EU trade routes by improving delivery times and reducing energy usage/carbon emissions (these terms will be used interchangeably throughout the paper where both reducing long-terms costs and meeting climate goals are equally impacted by this technology). Further objectives include evaluating potential new trade routes that could emerge due to Hyperloop’s capabilities. In this paper, twelve different scenarios are constructed and compared; these scenarios contain the description of current EU trade routes that could be influenced by Hyperloop and those that could be introduced given the improved delivery times and sustainable business opportunities. The gravity model is proposed and an equation is estimated using the PPML (Poisson Pseudo Maximum Likelihood) method based on Eurostat and IMF open data. Based on the research results, different socio-economic outcomes for different layers of EU trade, including negative and positive impacts, are identified. The findings suggest that deploying Hyperloop technology would result in a 15% increase in exports and a 10% increase in imports for European trade. Both positive and negative socio-economic impacts are identified, highlighting the complexities of adopting such a disruptive technology. The research results could be used in the process of decision-making for estimating risks and performing economic analysis on various aspects of the EU trade policy. The study results could also guide EU decision-makers in assessing the main impacts of Hyperloop technology on the transportation industry, on the environment, and on society, in the context of further developing EU trade routes. Full article

(1) Background: Identifying ecological security patterns and restoring the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal in Shandong is vital for future ecological conservation and maintaining ecosystem sustainability. (2) Methods: The study area was selected, and the InVEST3.9.0 model was used to assess natural-environment ecosystem services. An optimal evaluation approach based on the Minimum Cumulative Resistance model was developed to define the ecological security pattern. (3) Results: There were 20 ecological source areas in the lower and east portions of the study area, mainly grasslands, forests, and water areas. Additionally, 40 ecological corridors, 48 ecological pinch points, and 75 ecological barrier points were generated, densely distributed in the east. The area was divided into five core functional zones. (4) Conclusions: Establishing ecological function zones and considering landscape changes from high-frequency human activities in spatial planning can lead to a more reasonable division of ecological restoration areas. Ecological function zone construction can enhance understanding of implementing ecological security patterns in national land planning and support national ecological security goals. Full article

As an important type of linear cultural heritage and a waterfront landscape that integrates both artificial and natural elements, heritage canals provide the public with a multidimensional perceptual experience encompassing aesthetics, culture, and nature. There remains a lack of refined, micro-level studies on heritage canal landscapes from a multidimensional perspective of visual preference. This study focuses on a typical segment of the Grand Canal in China, specifically the ancient canal section in Yangzhou. We employed SegFormer image semantic segmentation techniques to interpret features from 150 panoramic images, quantitatively identifying the waterfront environmental characteristics of the heritage canal. Four perceptual dimensions were constructed: aesthetic preference, cultural preference, natural preference, and hydrophilic preference. Through a questionnaire survey and various statistical analyses, we revealed the relationships between visual preferences for the waterfront landscape of heritage canals and environmental characteristics. The main findings of the study include the following: (1) Aesthetic preference is positively correlated with cultural, natural, and hydrophilic preferences, while natural preference shows a negative correlation with cultural and hydrophilic preferences. (2) Aesthetic preference is influenced by a combination of blue-green natural elements and artificial factors. Natural preference is primarily affected by increased vegetation visibility, cultural preference is associated with a higher proportion of cultural facilities and high-quality pavements, and hydrophilic preference is linked to larger water surface areas, fewer barriers, and better water quality. (3) There are spatial differences in canal waterfront landscape preferences across different urban areas, with the old city exhibiting higher aesthetic, cultural, and hydrophilic preferences than the new city and suburban areas. Finally, this study proposes strategies for optimising and enhancing the quality of waterfront landscapes of heritage canals, aiming to provide sustainable practical guidance for the future planning and management of these heritage sites. Full article