Search Results (1,188)

As China’s urbanization shifts toward quality-oriented development, urban regeneration increasingly prioritizes the perceived quality of public spaces to enhance urban vitality and advance sustainable urban living. This study takes Zhengzhou’s Dongfeng Canal, a revitalized urban core waterfront, as a case to develop a human–machine collaborative analytical framework for exploring nonlinear relationships between visual environmental features and human spatial quality perception. By integrating 779 geolocated panoramic images with volunteers’ subjective rating data, this study adopts deep learning-based semantic segmentation to quantify eight objective visual indicators (e.g., greenness, color diversity, spatial structure). A random forest (RF) model links these indicators to three perceptual dimensions: scenic beauty, safety, and recreational value. Adopting explainable artificial intelligence (SHAP and PDPs), the results indicate that: (1) greenness is positively associated with positive perceptions but exhibits a significant threshold effect; (2) color diversity and waterfront accessibility substantially improve user experience, while excessive uniformity and extreme openness negatively affect perceived spatial quality. These findings challenge the simplistic linear “more-is-better” assumption in urban design and highlight the value of balanced, context-sensitive spatial interventions. This study provides evidence-based, segment-specific strategies for urban waterfront regeneration, advancing people-centered planning that integrates ecological functionality, social inclusivity, and long-term sustainability via Geospatial Artificial Intelligence (GeoAI) and geospatial analytics. Full article

Sustainable historic-town conservation requires preserving historical patterns and cultural memory while understanding how spatial environments shape everyday perception. Using Yun’an Ancient Salt Town in Chongqing, China, this study develops a three-layer framework of spatial topology, scene interfaces, and historical semantic elements. Space syntax, deep-learning image recognition, rule-based coding, image-based questionnaires, Spearman correlation, random forest regression, and SHAP were used to examine perceived historicity, safety, attractiveness, and comfort. The analysis combined axial models for 1985, 2004, and 2024 with 140 images—55 human view and 85 aerial view—each evaluated by 264 valid respondents. Yun’an’s street network shifted from a salt-production and transport structure toward modern traffic corridors; integration declined in the historic core, and intelligibility fell from 0.13 in 2004 to 0.07 in 2024. At the human-view scale, modern interference was negatively associated with historicity and attractiveness, whereas stairs, traditional components, and micro-historical objects were positively associated with historicity. At the aerial-view scale, historical visibility, character integrity, and blue-green-space indicators were associated with historicity, attractiveness, and comfort. Cross-validated random forest performance was strongest for aerial-view historicity and limited for other outcomes. The findings support a human-centered, culturally sustainable renewal pathway linking historical-street continuity, townscape integration, blue-green quality, and heritage-node activation. Full article

Urban park green spaces are key infrastructure for improving the quality of the living environment, enhancing residents’ well-being, and strengthening ecological resilience. Targeting 1760 county seats in China, this study combines the stock and incremental synergy analysis matrix, exploratory spatial data analysis, and explainable machine learning (EML) methods (SHAP) to systematically reveal the spatiotemporal patterns, spatial association characteristics, and nonlinear paths of influencing factors regarding the spatial configuration of park green spaces in county seats from 2015 to 2024. The low-stock expansion zone is dominant and concentrated in the western region and non-core urban agglomerations. The high-stock expansion zone is of the dominant type, concentrated in the eastern coastal areas and core urban agglomerations. The low-stock contraction zone and high-stock contraction zone are, respectively, marginalized lock-in and degradation risk types, requiring priority intervention. The dynamics of the park green space configuration, including the stock, increment, and their synergy, all exhibit significant positive spatial autocorrelation. The influences of the nine factors exhibit four major characteristics: directional mixing, intensity gradation, path nonlinearity, and regional heterogeneity. The threshold effect is widespread, and the inflection point value varies depending on the factor and region type. This study constructs a nonlinear and interpretable analytical paradigm and, based on empirical results, proposes a new governance framework of “zoning–grading–staging–synergy”. It provides large-sample empirical evidence and theoretical support for the transformation of small-town park green spaces from “sectoral management” to “spatial governance”, offering significant policy value toward achieving the precise distribution and equitable sharing of regional green space resources. Full article

Most of the global population lives and/or works in urban areas with limited access to green spaces. Integrating nature-based solutions (NBS) into indoor environments has emerged as a promising intervention strategy for enhancing indoor environmental quality (IEQ) and promoting human health and well-being. This randomized controlled trial evaluated the impact of introducing indoor plants of Sansevieria trifasciata, Dracaena fragrans, and Chlorophytum comosum, into urban office spaces on workers’ well-being, health, and productivity. The results indicated that reductions in volatile organic compound concentrations were associated with a 20.6% improvement in self-perceived well-being in offices with indoor plants. Notably, a significant decrease in pupil diameter (mean reduction: 0.3 mm) and an increase in pupil constriction amplitude (from 30.8% to 32.1%) were observed in the intervention group, suggesting enhanced parasympathetic activity. Although productivity remained unchanged, satisfaction with IEQ was significantly higher among office workers of the intervention group than among those in the control group (mean scores: 3.4 vs. 3.1). Overall, the findings suggest that indoor plants may represent a practical and scalable NBS associated with greater IEQ satisfaction and physiological responses consistent with a more relaxed state in office environments. Full article

The design of urban pedestrian–cycling routes is of great importance for the sustainable development of cities. Properly designed routes encourage the use of sustainable modes of transport. They also bring numerous environmental and social benefits. The study examines how greenery and spatial characteristics influence citizens’ aesthetic perception of pedestrian and cycling corridors. The Scenic Beauty Estimation (SBE) method was used to assess visual landscape quality based on users’ subjective evaluations. A total of 301 participants evaluated 20 photographs taken in Lublin, Poland, depicting different types of urban routes, including sidewalks, cycling paths, and park pathways, using a five-point rating scale. Statistical analyses (ANOVA, post hoc tests, and composite and differential variable analyses) were conducted to identify patterns in preferences. The results indicate that greenery is the dominant factor shaping landscape preferences across all age and gender groups. Age plays a stronger role than gender in differentiating evaluations: younger participants prefer more natural and greener environments, whereas older participants favor more ordered and less green spaces. Gender effects are limited and primarily relate to preferences for natural landscapes. An additional finding concerns the role of benches, which were most preferred by younger and middle-aged women, suggesting a broader social and functional interpretation of this element. Overall, the results highlight the importance of greenery in shaping the perceived attractiveness of urban routes. They also indicate the key spatial features that encourage people to use these routes, which affects the use of sustainable modes of transport as well as residents’ health. They also demonstrate the usefulness of the SBE method in planning, design and managing user-friendly and sustainable urban routes. Full article

Green-building research has examined energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality in depth, whereas site-related strategies are often represented through aggregate certification outcomes with limited visibility into criterion-level evidence and weighting assumptions. This study develops the Climate-Referenced SS–LT Site-Performance Assessment Framework (CR-SSAF) for an exploratory documentation-based comparison of a combined Sustainable Sites, Location, and Transportation (SS–LT) construct across five green-certified smart office buildings in three Köppen climate zones. Six SS–LT criteria were assessed using a four-level operational rubric, an exact-normalized weighted Site-Performance Index (SSPI), a descriptive Technology Enablement Factor (TEF), ordinal inter-rater agreement analysis, three weighting schemes, and a TOPSIS ranking-concordance check. SSPI values ranged from 2.00 to 2.65. The Af case recorded the highest SSPI in this sample, while the lowest scores occurred where no qualifying project-specific heat-mitigation or green-/open-space evidence could be verified. The first, second, and last ranks remained unchanged across the three weighting schemes, while The Edge and Shanghai Tower were tied under the equal and ecology-sensitive schemes. Because the sample is small and heterogeneous, and does not control for urban form, building scale, infrastructure, certification system, or documentation availability, differences cannot be attributed independently to climate. CR-SSAF is therefore presented as a transparent exploratory workflow, not as a validated climate effects model or as evidence of transferability. Full article

Fine-scale site selection of urban parks serves as a core measure to guarantee spatial equity of public service spaces for residents and advance the sustainable development of urban ecological spaces. Among relevant tasks, balancing the supply and demand of green spaces stands out as an essential foundation for maintaining long-term stability of urban human well-being and ecosystems. Green-space supply is defined as the stock of various existing urban parks within the city, while green-space demand is quantified via grids generated based on residential communities in Changsha. Existing research on urban park site selection lacks a full-process coupled framework, fails to accommodate differentiated layout demands for multi-level parks, and struggles to reconcile the sustainable operation and long-term ecological empowerment of urban green-space systems. Taking the main urban area of Changsha as the research scope, this study divides the study area into grid units to analyze the spatial differentiation of green-space accessibility and identify service blind zones. The XGBoost model is adopted to predict areas suitable for green-space construction, and the NSGA-III algorithm is applied to realize collaborative multi-objective optimization covering service efficiency, ecological benefits, and land development costs. The results reveal that the 15-min walking coverage of community parks in central Changsha only reaches 57.29%. Respectively, 34.52% and 41.04% of residential communities record accessibility levels below the municipal average of urban parks and forest parks, with prominent shortages of green-space supply in peripheral urban areas. This study optimizes and screens twenty-eight candidate sites for community parks, twelve candidate sites for urban parks, and eight candidate sites for forest parks. The proposed scheme effectively narrows the gap in green-space accessibility across the whole city and coordinates ecological conservation with land development costs. Compared with research relying on a single model or two-stage coupling frameworks, this paper constructs a systematic workflow spanning supply–demand status assessment to multi-objective layout decision-making, enabling differentiated optimized layout of multi-tiered parks. The integrated framework effectively enhances the spatial resilience and resource utilization efficiency of urban green-space systems, facilitates high-quality and sustainable upgrading of urban living environments, and provides a referable innovative approach for multi-level urban park arrangement and refined multi-objective planning. Full article

European urban policy increasingly requires city benchmarks that are people-centred, multidimensional and methodologically defensible, yet perception-based environmental evidence is rarely aggregated without arbitrary weighting. Accordingly, this paper develops and justifies a synthetic index of perceived urban environmental performance (UEP) for European cities. Specifically, using the environmental module of the 2023 Eurostat Urban Audit Perception Survey (UAPS) for 83 Functional Urban Areas (FUAs), four satisfaction indicators (air quality, noise, cleanliness and green spaces) are aggregated with a benefit-of-the-doubt (BoD) composite indicator that assigns each city endogenous, self-favouring weights. Standard, weight-restricted and cross-efficiency variants are estimated, benchmarked against an equal-weight comparator, and embedded in an exploratory spatial data analysis. The results demonstrate that nine cities form the efficient frontier, led by Oulu, Luxembourg and Zurich, while Skopje, Naples and Athens anchor the lower tail. Additionally, a robust North–South gradient emerges, and green space satisfaction is the dominant structural driver of composite scores, partially compensating weak air quality in many cities. The study addresses perception-based BoD benchmarking—uncovering dimension-specific environmental governance deficits masked by national indicators—and complements objective environmental monitoring for European Union (EU) cohesion and climate-neutrality policy. Full article

International oil price volatility poses severe risks to macroeconomic stability and energy security, presenting complex policy challenges for China as it simultaneously pursues economic growth and a low-carbon transition. To bridge the gap between general equilibrium reallocation and transition quality, this study couples an 18-sector recursive dynamic computable general equilibrium (CGE) model with a super-efficiency slacks-based measure (SBM) model to evaluate China’s macroeconomic path and green total factor productivity (GTFP) from 2023 to 2045. We simulate a permanent 200% international oil price shock starting from 2026—conceived as a tail-risk stress test—together with alternative shock scenarios of varying magnitude and persistence (P50, P100, and a five-year temporary variant of P200_5Y), and evaluate four counterfactual policies under the P200 stress-test condition: household transfers (Tran_HG), price regulation (P_REG), structural tax reduction (T_RED), and energy-transition acceleration (Delta_ENE). The shock triggers imported cost-push inflation and a regressive shift toward coal, with the long-run damage governed jointly by shock magnitude and persistence; since GTFP deteriorates monotonically with shock size, the apparent emission reductions under extreme shocks suggest a contraction-driven “efficiency illusion” rather than genuine green improvements. Individually, P_REG and T_RED are effective only as temporary shields, Tran_HG provides the strongest welfare protection but amplifies the high-carbon rebound, and Delta_ENE uniquely improves resilience and green efficiency simultaneously. Building on these results, a combined policy package (COM) is further designed and simulated, which exhibits positive complementarities; it cuts the 2026 GDP loss by about 70%, turns GDP and welfare losses into net gains by 2043 and 2040, respectively, and delivers favorable green-transition outcomes. These findings call for coordinated, phased policy packages in which fiscal space rotates from emergency shields to demand-side repair and, ultimately, to electrification-led structural transformation. Full article

Background: Primary plantar hyperhidrosis is a disabling condition characterized by excessive plantar sweating and impaired quality of life. Lumbar sympathectomy is reserved for patients with symptoms refractory to conservative treatment, but minimally invasive techniques remain technically heterogeneous. This study describes a modified retroperitoneoscopic lumbar sympathectomy and reports its preliminary perioperative outcomes. Methods: A single-center case series included consecutive patients who underwent modified retroperitoneoscopic lumbar sympathectomy for primary plantar hyperhidrosis between June 2019 and May 2024. The technique combined ultrasound-guided retroperitoneal access, indocyanine green (ICG)-assisted creation of the retroperitoneal working space, and temporary selective clamping of the lumbar sympathetic trunk with an intraoperative assessment of plantar temperature and perfusion before definitive clipping. Results: Forty-five patients underwent 81 procedures, including 35 bilateral procedures (70 sides), 10 unilateral procedures, and one unilateral reoperation for recurrent symptoms. All patients resumed oral intake and ambulation on the day of surgery and were discharged within 24 h according to institutional protocol. No intraoperative or postoperative complications were observed and resolution of plantar sweating in subsequent follow-ups was achieved. Conclusions: Modified retroperitoneoscopic lumbar Sympathetic Chain Selective Clamping appears to be a feasible and safe technique for the surgical treatment of primary plantar hyperhidrosis. These technical refinements may facilitate retroperitoneal access and intraoperative confirmation of the target sympathetic level. Larger comparative studies with standardized outcomes and longer follow-up are needed to confirm the durability and clinical value of this approach. Full article

Public spaces are essential for urban well-being, social interaction, environmental quality, and territorial equity; however, their presence does not necessarily ensure adequate quality, accessibility, or multifunctionality. Although previous research has emphasized the importance of green and public spaces, fewer studies have integrated multidimensional quality assessment, GIS-based spatial analysis, and multicriteria prioritization in intermediate Latin American cities. This study aimed to evaluate spatial inequalities in the quality of urban public spaces in Loja, Ecuador, through a GIS-based multi-attribute composite index. A total of 183 public spaces were assessed using structured field observation of observable conditions and organized into six dimensions: functional, environmental, cultural, recreational, safety, and economic. The data were cleaned, validated, integrated with spatial layers, and analyzed through descriptive, inferential, multivariate, spatial autocorrelation, and multicriteria procedures. The results showed that public space quality was mainly concentrated at low and medium levels, with functional and safety dimensions playing a stronger role in the global index, while cultural, recreational, and economic components showed weaker performance. Spatial analysis revealed significant territorial differences, local clusters, and spatial outliers. The proposed framework provides a replicable tool to diagnose observable public space quality, identify priority intervention areas, and support evidence-based urban planning in other intermediate cities. Full article

Urban parks contribute to emotional well-being, yet the relationship among park environments, users’ perceptions, recreational activities, and emotions across seasons remains insufficiently understood. Using Jiefang Park in Wuhan, China, as a case study, this study analyzed 2233 valid questionnaires from four-season field surveys across six surveyed spaces, together with measured spatial environmental data. Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was used to examine the associations and interaction effects of landscape perception, thermal perception, recreational activities, and positive and negative emotions. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was used to account for respondents nested within 24 space-season units and examine cross-level statistical indirect associations. Emotional responses varied across seasons and among the six surveyed locations. The surveyed lawn space showed the highest positive-emotion and lowest negative-emotion scores, whereas the surveyed fitness activity space had the highest negative-emotion score. The surveyed fitness activity and waterfront spaces displayed smaller seasonal fluctuations. Thermal and visual perceptions were consistently associated with emotional responses in the season-specific models. Measurement invariance was not established, so path coefficients were not formally compared. Spatial environmental characteristics showed significant indirect associations with emotions mainly through perceptual variables, whereas indirect associations through recreational activities were not significant. Vegetation color richness showed favorable indirect associations, while green view, pavement visibility, and fitness facility quantity showed adverse indirect associations at the surveyed locations. These findings suggest that seasonally responsive park design should emphasize perceptual quality, thermal adaptability, and context-sensitive spatial configuration. Full article

Accurate greenspace quantification underpins sustainable urban greening management. Remote sensing (RS)-derived green quantity is a core urban planning indicator, yet its capability to reflect actual urban green supply lacks systematic verification, inevitably affecting planning formulation and decision-making. Taking Shanghai as the study area, this study integrates remote sensing and Baidu Street View (BSV data) to compare the two-dimensional planar green coverage derived from satellite imagery with pedestrian-level perceived visual green coverage. The Mask2Former model was adopted for high-precision semantic segmentation of BSV images to extract vegetation, building, sky and hard pavement proportions. Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR), hotspot analysis and transition mapping were applied to identify divergent regions, while the XGBoost-SHAP framework was employed to explore deviation mechanisms. The results reveal distinct spatial pattern differences between the two green quantity datasets. RS-derived green quantity exhibits strip-like agglomeration, whereas BSV-perceived green quantity is more fragmented, with a correlation coefficient of only 0.240. Single RS quantification fails to reflect street-level green supply. Divergent areas are classified into accurate, overestimated and underestimated zones. RS underestimates green quantity in central urban areas and overestimates that in northwest suburbs. BSV-based sky ratio, building ratio, hardscape ratio and Road 1 density are core influencing factors with obvious nonlinear threshold effects. This study clarifies the quantitative deviation patterns and mechanisms between RS and BSV green quantity, providing scientific support for precise urban green planning and sustainable perceived visual green construction. Practically, the dual RS–street view assessment framework proposed in this paper can be embedded into routine urban green infrastructure auditing, help planners distinguish systematically overestimated suburban green belts and underestimated central urban micro-green spaces, and deliver targeted optimization strategies for vertical greening, street tree renovation and pocket park construction under high-quality urban renewal demands. Full article

The purpose of this research is to propose a sustainable urban support regeneration system aimed at recovering the historic urban landscape of Rimac, Lima (2024). The Historic Center of Rimac is currently undervalued due to several issues affecting the district, including citizen insecurity, the limited percentage of green areas, excessive and unplanned urban growth, the abandonment of the district’s historic centers, and its disconnection from the surrounding urban environment. The methodology was developed through a review of bibliographic documents, such as scientific publications, together with the use of 2D and 3D software tools, which enabled the collection of environmental, cultural, physical–spatial, and urban information. The implementation of sustainable public spaces within the historic urban landscape of Rimac will transform the area into an attractive tourist and cultural destination. The viewpoints will provide panoramic views, the urban forests will improve air quality and increase green areas, and the site museum will preserve and disseminate the rich local history. Together, these interventions will promote urban regeneration, community wellbeing, and the sustainable development of the area, thereby offering an efficient proposal aimed at optimizing the district’s potential and implementing strategies that contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Full article

Urban park green space (UPGS) accessibility within 15 min is widely used to characterize neighborhood-scale park provision, yet aggregated accessible park supply (APS) does not reveal its hierarchical composition or the additional supply gained as walking thresholds expand. This limitation motivates a park-hierarchy and threshold-transition framework for diagnosing the internal structure of 15 min accessible park supply. In Tianjin’s central urban area, the analysis linked 63 subdistricts to 77 polygon-based UPGS destination records representing 72 park sites through 4851 origin–destination walking-time pairs and compared 10, 15, and 20 min thresholds. Parks were grouped into three analytical service hierarchies: small neighborhood-scale, medium community-scale, and large urban-scale parks. Hierarchical accessible park supply (HAPS) decomposes APS by hierarchy; APS, the Large-Park Dependence Index (LPD), and the Neighborhood Service Support Index (NSS) define four configurations, while the Threshold Gain Index (TGI) interprets threshold transition. Although 41 subdistricts had positive 15 min APS, only 17 were neighborhood-supported; 14 were threshold-compensated, 10 were large-park-dependent, and 22 had accessibility deficits. Positive APS can therefore represent different supply structures without indicating actual service sufficiency. The framework complements demand-sensitive accessibility methods. Future research should integrate population demand, park quality, actual use, population-weighted origins, park entrances, and cross-city validation. Full article