Search Results (2,020)

Continuous progress in the sector of additive manufacturing has drastically aided the design and fabrication of urban furniture, offering high levels of customization and adaptability. This work looks into the potential of 3D printing to transform urban public spaces by allowing for the creation of functional, aesthetically pleasing, and user-centered furniture solutions. Through additive manufacturing processes, urban furniture can be tailored to meet the unique needs of diverse communities, allowing for the extended usage of sustainable materials, modular designs, and smart technologies. The flexibility of 3D printing also promotes the fabrication of complex, intricate designs that would be difficult or cost-prohibitive using traditional methods. Additionally, 3D-printed furniture can be optimized for specific environmental conditions, providing solutions that enhance accessibility, improve comfort, and promote inclusivity. The various advantages of 3D-printed urban furniture are examined, including reduced material waste and the ability to rapidly prototype and iterate designs alongside the potential for on-demand, local production. By embedding sensors and IoT devices, 3D-printed furniture can also contribute to the development of smart cities, providing real-time data for urban management and improving the overall user experience. As cities continue to encourage and adopt sustainable and innovative solutions, 3D printing is believed to play a crucial role in future urban infrastructure planning. Full article

The changing global climate and rapid urbanization make extreme rainstorm events frequent, and the flood disaster caused by rainstorm has become a prominent problem of urban public safety in China, which severely restricts the healthy and sustainable development of social economy. The weight calculation method of traditional risk assessment model is single and ignores the difference of multi-dimensional information space involved in risk analysis. This study constructs a flood risk assessment model by incorporating natural, social, and economic factors into an indicator system structured around four dimensions: hazard, exposure, vulnerability, and disaster prevention and mitigation capacity. A combination of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and the entropy weight method is employed to optimize both subjective and objective weights. Taking the central urban area of Wuhan with a high flood risk as an example, based on the risk assessment values, spatial autocorrelation analysis, cluster analysis, outlier analysis, and hotspot analysis are applied to explore the spatial clustering characteristics of risks. The results show that the overall assessment level of flood hazard in central urban area of Wuhan is medium, the overall assessment level of exposure and vulnerability is low, and the overall disaster prevention and mitigation capability is medium. The overall flood risk levels in Wuchang and Jianghan are the highest, while some areas in Qingshan and Hanyang have the lowest levels. The spatial characteristics of each dimension evaluation index show obvious autocorrelation and spatial differentiation. These findings aim to provide valuable suggestions and references for reducing urban disaster risks and achieving sustainable urban development. Full article

As part of contemporary urban culture, murals support place making and city identity. While much attention has been paid to their role in activating public space during daylight hours, their presence after dark remains largely unexamined. This paper analyzes how mural content interacts with night-time illumination. The research draws on case studies, photographs, luminance measurements, and lighting simulations. It evaluates how existing lighting systems support or undermine the legibility and impact of commercial murals in urban environments. It explores whether standardized architectural lighting guidelines suit murals, how color and surface affect visibility, and which practices improve night-time legibility. The study identifies a gap in existing lighting strategies, noting that uneven lighting distorts intent and reduces public engagement. In response, a new design tool—the Floodlighting Content Readability Map—is proposed to support artists and planners in creating night-visible murals. This paper situates mural illumination within broader debates on creative urbanism and argues that lighting is not just infrastructure, but a cultural and aesthetic tool that extends the reach and resonance of public art in the 24 h city. It further emphasizes the need for interdisciplinary collaboration and a multi-contextual perspective—encompassing visual, social, environmental, and regulatory dimensions—when designing murals in cities. Full article

This article explores the concept of textuality as embedded within contemporary architecture, understood as the capacity of buildings to generate meanings, narratives, and interpretations that transcend their physical and functional dimensions. An interdisciplinary approach is adopted, integrating architectural theory, semiotics, hermeneutics, and cultural studies, positioning architecture as a form of symbolic production deeply intertwined with current social and technological contexts. The primary aim is to demonstrate how certain paradigmatic buildings operate as open texts that engage in dialogue with their users, urban surroundings, and cultural frameworks. The methodology combines theoretical analysis with an in-depth study of three emblematic cases: the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the Seattle Public Library. The findings reveal that these buildings articulate multiple layers of meaning, fostering rich and participatory interpretive experiences that influence both the perception and construction of public space. The study concludes that contemporary architecture functions as a narrative and symbolic device that actively contributes to the shaping of collective imaginaries. The article also identifies the study’s limitations and proposes future research directions concerning architectural textuality within the context of emerging digital technologies. Full article

Carbon flow tracking and spatial pattern optimization at the scale of urban functional zones are key scientific challenges in achieving carbon neutrality. However, due to the complexity of carbon metabolism processes within urban functional zones, related studies remain limited. To address these scientific challenges, this study, based on the “source–sink–flow” ecosystem services framework, develops an integrated analytical approach at the scale of urban functional zones. The carbon balance is quantified using the CASA model in combination with multi-source data. A network model is employed to trace carbon flow pathways, identify critical nodes and interruption points, and optimize the urban spatial pattern through a low-carbon land use structure model. The research results indicate that the overall carbon balance in Hangzhou exhibits a spatial pattern of “deficit in the center and surplus in the periphery.” The main urban area shows a significant carbon deficit and relatively poor connectivity in the carbon flow network. Carbon sequestration services primarily flow from peripheral areas (such as Fuyang and Yuhang) with green spaces and agricultural functional zones toward high-emission residential–commercial and commercial–public functional zones in the central area. However, due to the interruption of multiple carbon flow paths, the overall carbon flow transmission capacity is significantly constrained. Through spatial optimization, some carbon deficit nodes were successfully converted into carbon surplus nodes, and disrupted carbon flow edges were repaired, particularly in the main urban area, where 369 carbon flow edges were restored, resulting in a significant improvement in the overall transmission efficiency of the carbon flow network. The carbon flow visualization and spatial optimization methods proposed in this paper provide a new perspective for urban carbon metabolism analysis and offer theoretical support for low-carbon city planning practices. Full article

With the global aging population on the rise, identifying environmental factors that modulate immunosenescence is critical for health interventions. While urban green spaces are known to confer health benefits, the long-term effects of forest exposure on immunosenescence remain unclear. This study investigated the differential impacts of urban forest versus urban environments on immunosenescence using a D-galactose-induced murine model. Mice were assigned to urban or forest environments for 8 weeks, with serum cytokines (IL-2, IL-6, TNF-α, IFN-γ), T-cell subsets, and organ indices analyzed. Forest environments exhibited significantly higher humidity and negative air ion concentrations alongside lower noise levels compared to urban settings. Aged forest-exposed mice showed attenuated immunosenescence markers, including significantly lower IL-6 levels (p < 0.01) and improved thymic indices, suggesting urban forest environments may mitigate immune decline. These findings highlight the potential of urban forests in promoting healthy aging, advocating for their integration into urban planning. Further human studies are warranted to translate these findings into public health strategies. Full article

Urban green infrastructure plays a vital role in the sustainable development of cities. As urban areas expand, green spaces are increasingly affected. The pressure from new developments leads to a reduction in vegetation and raises new public health risks. Addressing this challenge requires effective planning, maintenance, and continuous monitoring. To enhance traditional approaches, remote sensing is becoming a vital tool for city-wide observations. Publicly available large-scale data, combined with machine learning models, can improve our understanding. We explore the potential of Sentinel-2 to classify and extract meaningful features from urban landscapes. Using advanced machine learning techniques, we aim to develop a robust and scalable framework for classifying urban environments. The proposed models will assist in monitoring changes in green spaces across diverse urban settings, enabling timely and informed decisions to foster sustainable urban growth. Full article

Smart cities are technologically advanced urban environments where interconnected systems and data-driven technologies enhance public service delivery and quality of life. These cities rely on information and communication technologies, the Internet of Things, big data, cloud computing, and other Industry 4.0 tools to support efficient city management and foster citizen engagement. Often referred to as digital cities, they integrate intelligent infrastructures and real-time data analytics to improve mobility, security, and sustainability. Ubiquitous sensors, paired with Artificial Intelligence, enable cities to monitor infrastructure, respond to residents’ needs, and optimize urban conditions dynamically. Given the increasing significance of Industry 4.0 in urban development, this study adopts a bibliometric approach to systematically review the application of these technologies within smart cities. Utilizing major academic databases such as Scopus and Web of Science the research aims to identify the primary Industry 4.0 technologies implemented in smart cities, assess their impact on infrastructure, economic systems, and urban communities, and explore the challenges and benefits associated with their integration. The bibliometric analysis included publications from 2016 to 2023, since the emergence of urban researchers’ interest in the technologies of the new industrial revolution. The task is to contribute to a deeper understanding of how smart cities evolve through the adoption of advanced technological frameworks. Research indicates that IoT and AI are the most commonly used tools in urban spaces, particularly in smart mobility and smart environments. Full article

In rapidly urbanizing environments, environmental stressors—such as air pollution, noise, heat, and green space depletion—substantially exacerbate public health burdens, contributing to the global rise of non-communicable diseases, particularly hypertension, cardiovascular disorders, and mental health conditions. Despite expanding research on green spaces and health (+76.9%, 2019–2025) and optimization and algorithmic approaches (+63.7%), the compounded and synergistic impacts of these stressors remain inadequately explored or addressed within current urban planning frameworks. This study presents a Mixed Methods Systematic Review (MMSR) to investigate the potential of AI-driven urban design optimizations in mitigating these multi-scalar environmental health risks. Specifically, it explores the complex interactions between urbanization, traffic-related pollutants, green infrastructure, and architectural intelligence, identifying critical gaps in the integration of computational optimization with nature-based solutions (NBS). To empirically substantiate these theoretical insights, this study draws on longitudinal 24 h dynamic blood pressure (BP) monitoring (3–9 months), revealing that chronic exposure to environmental noise (mean 79.84 dB) increases cardiovascular risk by approximately 1.8-fold. BP data (average 132/76 mmHg), along with observed hypertensive spikes (systolic > 172 mmHg, diastolic ≤ 101 mmHg), underscore the inadequacy of current urban design strategies in mitigating health risks. Based on these findings, this paper advocates for the integration of AI-driven approaches to optimize urban environments, offering actionable recommendations for developing adaptive, human-centric, and health-responsive urban planning frameworks that enhance resilience and public health in the face of accelerating urbanization. Full article

The intersection of sports and natural forests and green spaces represents an emerging interdisciplinary field with implications for public health, environmental science, and sustainable land management and refers to the variety of cultural ecosystem services demanded by people from ecosystems. This manuscript presents a systematic bibliometric and thematic analysis of 148 publications for the period 1993–2024 identified through Web of Science and Scopus, aiming to evaluate the current state of research on sports activities conducted in natural forest environments. Findings indicated a marked increase in scientific interest of this topic over the past two decades, with key contributions from countries such as England, Germany, China, and the United States. Researchers most frequently examined sports such as hiking, trail running, mountain biking, and orienteering for their capacity to provide physiological and psychological benefits, reduce stress, and enhance mental well-being. The literature analysis highlights ecological concerns, particularly those associated with habitat disturbance, biodiversity loss, and conflicts between recreation and conservation. Six principal research themes were identified: sports in urban forests, sports tourism, hunting and fishing, recreational sports, health benefits, and environmental impacts. Keyword and co-authorship analyses revealed a multidisciplinary knowledge base with evolving thematic focuses. In conclusion, the need for integrated approaches that incorporate ecological impact assessment, stakeholder perspectives, and adaptive forest governance to ensure sustainable recreational use of natural forest ecosystems is underlined. Full article

The global rise in urban-related health issues poses significant challenges to public health, particularly in cities facing socio-economic crises. In Lebanon, 70% of the population is experiencing financial hardship, and healthcare costs have surged by 172%, exacerbating the strain on medical services. Given these conditions, improving the quality and accessibility of green spaces offers a promising avenue for alleviating mental health issues in urban areas. This study investigates the psychological impact of nine urban public spaces in Beirut through a comprehensive survey methodology, involving 297 participants (locals and tourists) who rated these spaces using Likert-scale measures. The findings reveal location-specific barriers, with Saanayeh Park rated highest in quality and Martyr’s Square rated lowest. The analysis identifies facility quality as the most significant factor influencing space quality, contributing 73.6% to the overall assessment, while activity factors have a lesser impact. The study further highlights a moderate positive association (Spearman’s rho = 0.30) between public space quality and mental well-being in Beirut. This study employs a hybrid methodology combining Research for Design (RfD) and Research Through Designing (RTD). Empirical data informed spatial strategies, while iterative design served as a tool for generating context-specific knowledge. Design enhancements—such as sensory plantings, shading systems, and social nodes—aim to improve well-being through better public space quality. The proposed interventions support mental health, life satisfaction, climate resilience, and urban inclusivity. The findings offer actionable insights for cities facing public health and spatial equity challenges in crisis contexts. Full article

While the explosive growth in e-commerce stresses urban logistics systems, city planners lack of fine-grained data in order to anticipate and manage the resulting freight flows. Using a three-stage analytical approach combining descriptive zonal statistics, hotspot analysis and different regression modeling from univariate to geographically weighted regression, this study integrates one year of parcel deliveries from a leading courier with open spatial layers of land-use zoning, census population, mobile-signal activity and household income to model last-mile demand across different land use types. A baseline linear regression shows that residential population alone accounts for roughly 30% of the variance in annual parcel volumes (2.5–3.0 deliveries per resident) while adding daytime workforce and income increases the prediction accuracy to 39%. In a similar approach where coefficients vary geographically with Geographically Weighted Regression to capture the local heterogeneity achieves a significant raise of the overall R² to 0.54 and surpassing 0.70 in residential and institutional districts. Hot-spot analysis reveals a highly fragmented pattern where fewer than 5% of blocks generate more than 8.5% of all deliveries with no apparent correlation to the broaden land-use classes. Commercial and administrative areas exhibit the greatest intensity (1149 deliveries per ha) yet remain the hardest to explain (global R² = 0.21) underscoring the importance of additional variables such as retail mix, street-network design and tourism flows. Through this approach, the calibrated models can be used to predict city-wide last-mile demand using only public inputs and offers a transferable, privacy-preserving template for evidence-based freight planning. By pinpointing the location and the land uses where demand concentrates, it supports targeted interventions such as micro-depots, locker allocation and dynamic curb-space management towards more sustainable and resilient urban-logistics networks. Full article

Public open spaces have recently attracted significant attention in the national development programs aimed at improving urban livability and quality of life in Saudi Arabia. While many studies have examined the design quality of public open spaces in the country, a contextualized evaluation index that takes into account users’ preferences and the nation’s social context is still lacking. This gap calls for additional field studies to better understand users’ needs and their interactions with the current urban design practices of public open spaces. This study provides deeper insights into the design quality of public open spaces in Saudi Arabia. The study first identified 16 attributes of design quality of public open spaces, and then assessed a case study, Alrabie Park in Al-Khobar city, based on field observation and a survey of users’ satisfaction levels in relation to these quality attributes The findings revealed that the average of users’ satisfaction was 3.76 out of 5.0, indicating a neutral to satisfied response. Key strengths were noted in accessibility and users’ comfort, while areas needing improvement included environmental quality and amenities and services. The study recommends the development of a national evaluation index for public open spaces to create inclusive, safe, and vibrant environments that reflect Saudi Arabia’s urban and socio-cultural context. It also emphasizes the importance of community engagement in this regard to ensure that the design of public spaces aligns well with the users’ needs and helps to create sustainable urban spaces in the city. Full article

The Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region faces persistent challenges of inequality, climate change vulnerability, and deteriorating air quality. The Aburrá Valley, where Medellín is located, is a narrow tropical valley with complex topography, strong thermal inversions, and unstable atmospheric conditions, all of which exacerbate the accumulation of pollutants. In Medellín, ${\mathrm{NO}}_2$ concentrations have remained nearly unchanged over the past eight years, consistently approaching critical thresholds, despite the implementation of air quality control strategies. These persistent high concentrations are closely linked to the variability of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) and are often intensified by prolonged dry periods. This study focuses on a representative street canyon in Medellín that has undergone recent urban interventions, including the construction of new public spaces and pedestrian areas, without explicitly considering their impact on ${\mathrm{NO}}_x$ dispersion. Using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, this work evaluates the influence of urban morphology on ${\mathrm{NO}}_x$ accumulation. The results reveal that areas with high Aspect Ratios (AR > 0.65) and dense vegetation exhibit reduced wind speeds at the pedestrian level—up to 40% lower compared to open zones—and higher ${\mathrm{NO}}_2$ concentrations, with maximum simulated values exceeding 50 μg/m³. This study demonstrates that the design of pedestrian corridors in complex urban environments like Medellín can unintentionally create pollutant accumulation zones, underscoring the importance of integrating air quality considerations into urban planning. The findings provide actionable insights for policymakers, emphasizing the need for comprehensive modeling and field validation to ensure healthier urban spaces in cities affected by persistent air quality issues. Full article

Nomadic heritage villages constitute significant material cultural heritage. Under China’s cultural revitalization and rural development strategies, these villages face spatial degradation driven by tourism and urbanization. Current research predominantly employs isolated analytical approaches—space syntax often overlooks social dynamics while social network analysis (SNA) overlooks physical interfaces—hindering the development of holistic solutions for socio-spatial resilience. This study proposes a multi-scale integrated assessment framework combining social network analysis (SNA) and space syntax to systematically evaluate public space structures in traditional nomadic villages of Xinjiang. The framework provides scientific evidence for optimizing public space design in these villages, facilitating harmonious coexistence between spatial functionality and cultural values. Focusing on three heritage villages—representing compact, linear, and dispersed morphologies—the research employs a hierarchical “village-street-node” analytical model to dissect spatial configurations and their socio-functional dynamics. Key findings include the following: Compact villages exhibit high central clustering but excessive concentration, necessitating strategies to enhance network resilience and peripheral connectivity. Linear villages demonstrate weak systemic linkages, requiring “segment-connection point supplementation” interventions to mitigate structural elongation. Dispersed villages maintain moderate network density but face challenges in visual integration and centrality, demanding targeted activation of key intersections to improve regional cohesion. By merging SNA’s social attributes with space syntax’s geometric precision, this framework bridges a methodological gap, offering comprehensive spatial optimization solutions. Practical recommendations include culturally embedded placemaking, adaptive reuse of transitional spaces, and thematic zoning to balance heritage conservation with tourism needs. Analyzing Xinjiang’s unique spatial–social interactions provides innovative insights for sustainable heritage village planning and replicable solutions for comparable global cases. Full article