Search Results (37)

Historical towns embody the origins and continuity of urban civilization, preserving distinctive spatial fabrics, cultural lineages, and latent economic value within contemporary metropolitan systems. Their integrated conservation directly aligns with SDG 11.4, and advances the holistic preservation objectives of historic urban landscapes (HULs). However, achieving these objectives cannot be solely dependent on modern remote sensing technologies; it necessitates the integration of historical geographic information system (HGIS) theoretical frameworks and methodological approaches. Leveraging HGIS and multisource data—including SDGSAT-1 nighttime light imagery, textual documents, and historical maps—this study reconstructed the spatial extent of historical towns in suburban Shanghai and assessed their present-day economic vitality through light-based spatial proxies. Key results comprised the following. (1) Most suburban historical towns are small, yet nighttime light intensity varies markedly. Jiading County, Songjiang Prefecture, and Jinshan Wei rank highest in both spatial extent and brightness. (2) Town area exhibits a strong positive relationship (R² > 0.80) with the total nighttime light index, indicating that larger settlements generally sustain higher economic activity. (3) Clusters of “low area–low light” towns showed pronounced intra-regional disparities in economic vitality, underscoring the need for targeted revitalization. (4) Natural setting, historical legacy, policy interventions, and transport accessibility jointly shape development trajectories, with policy emerging as the dominant driver. This work demonstrates a transferable framework for multidimensional assessment of historical towns, supports differentiated conservation strategies, and aids the synergistic integration of heritage preservation with regional sustainable development. Full article

Reducing fertilizer and pesticide use is a crucial path for the green transformation of agricultural production, which has garnered sustained attention in research on sustainable agricultural development. Based on the theoretical analysis, this article analyzes the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics of fertilizer and pesticide usage intensity (FUI and PUI) in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) over the past 20 years and uses a Two-Way Fixed Effects Model to test their impacts and mechanisms. Findings show that agricultural development in the YRD shows a pattern of specialization and intensification with a significant north–south divide, with zero growth and reduction in fertilizer and pesticide use across the region from 2010 to 2015, but the current FUI and PUI are still nearly three and five times higher than the global average. Over the past 20 years, the FUI is high in the north and low in the south, high in the plains and low in mountainous-hilly areas, and high in suburban areas and low in remote counties. Adversely, the PUI is high in the south and low in the north, high in mountainous-hilly areas and low in plains, and high in suburban areas and low in remote counties. The FUI and PUI of characteristic agricultural areas of fruit, tea, and forestry in southern Anhui and southwestern Zhejiang, as well as the agroecological and facility agriculture clusters in southern Jiangsu and the suburbs of Shanghai, have approached the peak and successfully moved into the new green development stage earlier compared to other areas. In contrast, the grain and oil production plains areas along the Yangtze River, the coast, in northern Anhui, and in northern Jiangsu are relatively lagging behind. The combination of soil, water, light, and heat resource conditions and modes of agriculture production shape the absolute figures of FUI and PUI, and factors such as the level of local economic development and public fiscal expenditure significantly influence the trajectories of spatiotemporal differentiation in the progress of reducing fertilizer and pesticide in the YRD. Full article

Accurately assessing the accessibility and equity of urban public sports facilities is essential for improving public service provision and enhancing residents’ well-being. However, most existing studies rely on administrative units such as subdistricts and communities, often overlooking the multi-level structure of such facilities and failing to reflect their distribution within the spatial scope of residents’ daily activities. To address this gap, this study adopted the residential neighborhood as the basic unit of analysis and developed an integrated methodological framework combining the average nearest neighbor index, kernel density estimation, a Gaussian-based two-step floating catchment area method, the Gini coefficient, and location quotient analysis. When applied to Shanghai, the framework revealed distinct spatial patterns across facility levels, exhibiting scale-dependent characteristics. Community-level and residential-level sports facilities were found to be relatively accessible, whereas city-level and subdistrict-level sports facilities showed limited accessibility, particularly in peripheral suburbs. All facility levels exhibited varying degrees of spatial inequality, highlighting persistent issues of spatial justice. These findings provide empirical evidence to inform the spatial optimization of public sports facilities and to promote more equitable access to urban public services. Full article

Urban soundscapes are valuable indicators of urban biodiversity and ecosystem health. This study investigated the spatial and temporal characteristics of soundscapes in megacity green spaces and their relationship with the urban environment. An acoustic index was formulated and calculated using long-term data from Shanghai’s urban green spaces. The results show a significant increase in the acoustic index during spring and summer, peaking during these periods, while a decrease was observed from December to February, dominated by abiotic sounds. Diurnal variations indicate a rapid increase in the acoustic index at sunrise, reflecting heightened avian activity during the dawn chorus. Human interference in the urban center limited acoustic activity, whereas the outer suburbs, with their more natural environments, supported greater acoustic richness. Full article

In recent decades, the increasing frequency of urban fires, driven by urban functional enhancements and climate change, has posed a growing threat to metropolitan sustainability. This study investigates the temporal and spatial characteristics of fire incidents in Shanghai from 2019 to 2023. Using satellite fire point data and official government records, kernel density analysis and wavelet analysis were employed to analyze the time series and spatial distribution of fire data. Subsequently, eleven primary factors influencing urban fire occurrence were identified, encompassing probability, regional characteristics, and hazard sources. A combined methodology of subjective and objective weights with game theory was used to generate a fire risk assessment at a 1 × 1 km² grid scale. Furthermore, the spatial distribution characteristics of the assessments were analyzed. The results reveal that the downtown area exhibits the highest intensity of urban fires in terms of spatial domain, with a decreasing intensity towards the suburbs. Temporally, fire frequency demonstrates significant periodicity at an 18a time scale, while clear seasonal fluctuations and periodicity are observed at a 16-22a time scale, with higher occurrences in spring and winter. The study identifies typical aggregation patterns of urban fires, with high-risk centers in downtown Shanghai. Considering the impact of climate change and human activities, high-risk areas may gradually expand to adjacent urban suburbs, presenting a concerning future scenario. By examining the dual attributes of “combustibles and fireproof space” within urban greening systems, this research offers recommendations for the future strategies of disaster prevention and mitigation of green systems in Shanghai. Full article

Changes in land cover by rapid urbanization have diminished the cooling effect of urban green spaces (UGS), exacerbating the upward trend of land surface temperature (LST). A thorough and precise understanding of the spatio-temporal characteristics of UGS and LST is essential for mitigating localized high temperatures in cities. This study identified the spatio-temporal changes in UGS configuration and LST in Shanghai from 2003 to 2022. The correlation between UGS configuration and LST was explored using spatial autocorrelation analysis and causal inference. The results show that (1) the high-temperature space had grown from 721 km² in 2003 to 3059 km² in 2022; (2) in suburbs, the largest area of UGS tended to decrease, while the number of patches tended to increase, indicating a distinct feature of suburbanization; (3) changes in the largest area of UGS had more significant spatial correlation, indicating that urban sprawl primarily impacts large UGSs; and (4) compared to the number and shape of UGS, changes in the largest area are the key factor influencing regional LST. These findings enrich the knowledge of the spatio−temporal relationship between the UGS configuration and its cooling effect in urbanization, offering valuable insights for building cooler cities. Full article

The main objective of this study was to analyze dietary patterns using data-driven approaches and to explore preventive or risk dietary factors for kidney stone disease (KSD). A case–control matching study was conducted in adults (n = 6396) from a suburb of Shanghai. A food frequency questionnaire was used to assess the consumption of various types of food, and B-ultrasound was used to identify kidney stones. Principal component analysis and regression were used to generate dietary patterns and further explore the relationship between dietary patterns and KSD. LASSO regression and post-selection inference were used to identify food groups most associated with KSD. Among males, the “balanced but no-sugary-beverages pattern” (OR = 0.78, p < 0.05) and the “nuts and pickles pattern” (OR = 0.84, p < 0.05) were protective dietary patterns. Among females, “high vegetables and low-sugary-beverages pattern” (OR = 0.83, p < 0.05) and “high-crustaceans and low-vegetables pattern” (OR = 0.79, p < 0.05) were protective dietary patterns, while the “comprehensive pattern with a preference for meat” (OR = 1.06, p < 0.05) and “sugary beverages pattern” (OR = 1.16, p < 0.05) were risk dietary patterns. We further inferred that sugary beverages (p < 0.05) were risk factors and pickles (p < 0.05) and crustaceans (p < 0.05) were protective factors. Full article

The academic research on the spatial distribution of pension institutions is mostly from the perspective of constructing or improving spatial analysis methods. It is not considered that with the development of social science and technology, the facilities and services of elderly care institutions will develop in the direction of intelligence. Exploring the intelligence level and spatial distribution of Shanghai’s elderly care institutions has important practical significance for improving and optimizing the service facilities and resource allocation of Shanghai’s pension institutions. The spatial scale and cluster distribution of pension institutions in Shanghai are described by means of standard deviation ellipse, kernel density analysis, spatial autocorrelation analysis, and spatial hotspot analysis. The Gini coefficient of intelligent bed is proposed to describe the comprehensive allocation of resources of pension institutions. Additionally, correlation analysis is used to explore the spatial fairness distribution of pension institutions in Shanghai. The results show that the development of pension institutions in various districts of Shanghai is uneven; the distribution of pension institutions is concentrated in the central urban area; the intelligent facilities, service resources, and the number of beds of pension institutions in the suburbs are better than those in the central urban area. Based on the analysis results, policy suggestions are put forward, such as optimizing the allocation of bed resources in pension institutions and focusing on building a more equitable and rationally structured smart pension institution. Full article

Understanding changes in urban internal structure and land surface temperature (LST) is essential. The local climate zone (LCZ) scheme has been extensively applied to characterize urban spatial structure, which has potential for urban climate research. We combined optical imagery and synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data (Landsat-5 and PALSAR for 2008; Sentinel-2 and PALSAR-2 for 2020) to map the LCZs in Shanghai, China. The results showed that the areas of open high-rise and open mid-rise buildings significantly increased from 2008 to 2020. Then, we investigated the spatiotemporal variations in LST based on the LCZ data from 2008 to 2020 using the grid method. The mean daytime LST (obtained from Landsat-5 and Landsat-8) was higher in 2020 than in 2008 for each LCZ type in spring. The mean daytime LSTs of compact mid-rise, compact low-rise, large low-rise and heavy industry zones were higher than those of other LCZ types in spring and summer. The mean nighttime LST (obtained from ASTER) in the downtown area was higher than that in the suburbs in summer. Furthermore, the mean nighttime LST of the built types was also generally higher than that of the natural types in summer. A comparison of the mean daytime LSTs in 2008 and 2020 revealed that the expansion trend of the higher LST areas in spring and summer is consistent with the expansion areas of the mid-rise and high-rise built types. Full article

The lockdowns from the coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) have led to a reduction in anthropogenic activities and have hence reduced primary air pollutant emissions, which were reported to have helped air quality improvements. However, air quality expressed by the air quality index (AQI) did not improve in Shanghai, China, during the COVID-19 outbreak in the spring of 2022. To better understand the reason, we investigated the variations of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), ozone (O₃), PM_2.5 (particular matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 2.5 μm), and PM₁₀ (particular matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than 10 μm) by using in situ and satellite measurements from 1 March to 31 June 2022 (pre-, full-, partial-, and post-lockdown periods). The results show that the benefit of the significantly decreased ground-level PM_2.5, PM₁₀, and NO₂ was offset by amplified O₃ pollution, therefore leading to the increased AQI. According to the backward trajectory analyses and multiple linear regression (MLR) model, the anthropogenic emissions dominated the observed changes in air pollutants during the full-lockdown period relative to previous years (2019–2021), whereas the long-range transport and local meteorological parameters (temperature, air pressure, wind speed, relative humidity, and precipitation) influenced little. We further identified the chemical mechanism that caused the increase in O₃ concentration. The amplified O₃ pollution during the full-lockdown period was caused by the reduction in anthropogenic nitrogen oxides (NO_x) under a VOC-limited regime and high background O₃ concentrations owing to seasonal variations. In addition, we found that in the downtown area, ground-level PM_2.5, PM₁₀, and NO₂ more sensitively responded to the changes in lockdown measures than they did in the suburbs. These findings provide new insights into the impact of emission control restrictions on air quality and have implications for air pollution control in the future. Full article

Nowadays, the contradiction between strict construction land supply restriction and excessive construction land demand is extremely prominent. Construction land reduction (CLR) is a policy innovation for economically developed regions designed to solve the tight constraints of the construction land quota as urban development continues in China, however, it leads to a lack of spatial justice. In this study, we address a gap in land use regulation literature regarding regional economic development in fast-developing nations by presenting a quantitative investigation of spatial justice in Shanghai, China. We theoretically analyze the connotation of spatial justice in CLR and its influence on residents’ policy acceptance of CLR. Based on theoretical analysis and using household questionnaires from JJ Town in W District, Shanghai, China, we investigate how spatial justice affects residents’ policy acceptance of CLR through an ordered probit model. The results show that (1) spatial justice strengthens residents’ policy acceptance of CLR; (2) both policy familiarity and participation are important influencing factors that contribute to residents’ policy acceptance of CLR; (3) age, education, household income, the contracting land scale and household population structure also affect residents’ policy acceptance of CLR. (4) Robustness tests support the above findings. Thus, in the process of CLR, it is essential to fully consider the realization of spatial justice to ensure the development of remote suburbs, especially the regions experiencing a net reduction in their construction land. Full article

Improvement of the walkability of the 15-min community life circle can enhance convenience for residents to obtain daily service facilities. In this paper, by obtaining the Point of Interest (POI) data of daily facilities used by Shanghai residents, we calculate the walk scores of community residents within 15-min walking distance using the walkability assessment tool and analyze the results with population density for spatial correlation. The results show that communities with high walk scores are concentrated in central areas, with low walk scores are scattered in the suburbs of the city. Walking scores are high for access from communities to bus stops and commercial services but low for access to parks and primary schools. The formation of a compact and accessible spatial layout can significantly improve the walkability of the community. Walkability is not only related to the construction of facilities in terms of quantity and space but is also influenced by the degree of spatial clustering in the community. It needs to be reasonably configured in conjunction with the spatial distribution of the community in order to effectively improve the utilization of facilities. Finally, community walkability is significantly and positively correlated with population density. Full article

Industrial heritage is one of the most neglected types of cultural heritage and urban landscape, often being vulnerable to rather than blessed by urban (re)development. China is confronting an unprecedentedly intensive challenge of preserving industrial heritage, as the country has rapidly shifted towards post-industrialization only several years after being recognized as the “world’s factory” in the 21st century. However, none of the existing literature has systematically investigated the typology and preservation of China’s post-1949 industrial heritage. This research selects Shanghai—the largest metropolis and a prime industrial hub in China— for the case study, and examines 83 accredited modern industrial heritage sites in the city through typological analysis, descriptive statistical analysis, and GIS spatial analysis. Two principal findings are identified. First, there is a diverse range of the post-1949 industrial heritage in China, by industries, time, and spatial forms. Particularly the industrial block—where industrial development is intermingled with the surrounding urban fabric—is the dominant spatial type. Second, the preservation and regeneration of China’s post-1949 industrial heritage in the suburbs are substantially more complex and more threatened than those in the inner city. This study concludes by providing implications for enhanced management and investigation of China’s post-1949 industrial heritage preservation and regeneration. Full article

The suburbs around Shanghai have a complex river network and a unique Chinese water-town culture. The riparian landscape in the rural Qingxi area has important regional, ecological, and social significance; it serves as an important part of the local bioclimate, but the existing studies on river vegetation did not pay enough attention to the riparian landscape in the countryside around the metropolis. The goal of this study was to examine a comprehensive evaluation model for the river plant landscape in the countryside surrounding a high-density metropolis such as Shanghai in the face of the national policy of rural revitalization and the low-carbon development problem, and to propose optimization strategies accordingly. Therefore, in this study, we selected 91 rivers in the Qingxi area and investigated their plant communities. According to the characteristics of the riparian landscape and its relationship with the river environment and local bioclimate, we classified the 91 riparian landscapes into four types of quadrats: natural landscape, residential recreation, roadside linear landscape, and agricultural landscape. In addition, based on the 13 indicator layers under the categories of ecological carrying capacity, landscape beauty, and social service, we calculated the comprehensive evaluation value (CEV) and comprehensive evaluation index (CEI) of 91 river quadrants using specific formulas to scientifically evaluate the riparian landscape in the rural Qingxi area of Shanghai. Finally, based on the existing problems summarized through data analysis, the researchers proposed five optimization directions: (1) increasing vegetation diversity, (2) choosing native and culturally representative species, (3) improving waterfront planting design, (4) achieving ecological riverbank construction, and (5) building greenway systems and recreational spaces. This study proposed an innovative evaluation model for the riparian vegetation landscape and tested its feasibility by site survey, which provided new visions for future rural landscape research. Full article

The creation of outdoor activity spaces in rural communities is an important indicator to enhance the happiness of villagers and an important means to promote rural revitalization through improving the living environment. However, the urbanization trend of spatial forms has caused problems in the construction of many new rural activity spaces, such as the homogenized design and the lack of attention to the real demands of local residents. In order to understand urban-rural differences as well as inter-rural difference of outdoor activity space preferences in today’s China, so as to optimize the planning and design of public space optimization in rural communities, this study took Puxiu and Yuanyi Village in the suburbs of Shanghai as examples, executed field questionnaire surveys to ascertain villagers’ general preferences for outdoor spaces as well as their personal diversities. The results suggested that urban-rural differences were generally reflected in the practicability, economy, rurality, and diversity of the spaces, and it was found that there are significant relationships between residents’ preferences and their personal attributes, such as gender, age, and occupation. Moreover, the essentials for optimizing community activity space design that reflect urban-rural differences as well as the characteristics of different types of villages were also discussed. Full article