Search Results (153)

As the cradle of Jiangnan culture, Suzhou is home to a dense concentration of historical architectural heritage that is currently facing existential threats from rapid urbanization. This study aims to develop a spatial heritage corridor network for conservation and sustainable utilization. Using kernel density estimation, this study identifies 15 kernel density groups, along with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), to pinpoint clusters of historical architectural heritage and assess the involved resistance factors. Current Effective Conductance (CEC) theory is further applied to model spatial flow relationships among heritage nodes, leading to the delineation of 27 heritage corridors and revealing a spatial structure characterized by one primary core, one secondary core, and multiple peripheral zones. Based on 15 source points, six cultural relics-themed routes are proposed—three land-based and three waterfront routes—connecting historical sites, towns, and ecological areas. The study further recommends a resource management strategy centered on departmental collaboration, digital integration, and community co-governance. By integrating historical architectural types, settlement forms, and ecological patterns, the research builds a multi-scale narrative and experience system that addresses fragmentation while improving coordination and sustainability. This framework delivers practical advice on heritage conservation and cultural tourism development in Suzhou and the broader Jiangnan region. Full article

The sharp decline in the population along the northeastern border poses a significant threat to the security of the region, the prosperity of border areas, and the stability of the social economy in our country. Effective management of human and land resources is crucial for the high-quality development of border areas. Taking Changbai County on the northeastern border as an example, based on multi-source data such as land use, the natural environment, climate conditions, transportation location, and social economy from 2000 to 2020, the land use transfer matrix, spatial kernel density, and PLUS model were used to analyze the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics of land use and explore simulation scenarios and optimization strategies under different planning concepts. This study reveals the following: (1) During the study period, the construction land continued to increase, but the growth rate slowed down, mainly transferred from cultivated land and forest land, and the spatial structure evolved from a single center to a double center, with the core always concentrated along the border. (2) The distance to the port (transportation location), night light (social economy), slope (natural environment), and average annual temperature (climate conditions) are the main driving factors for the change in construction land, and the PLUS model can effectively simulate the land use trend under population contraction. (3) In the reduction scenario, the construction land decreased by 1.67 km², the scale of Changbai Town slightly reduced, and the contraction around Malugou Town and Badagou Town was more significant. The study shows that the reduction scenario is more conducive to the population aggregation and industrial carrying capacity improvement of shrinking county towns, which is in line with the high-quality development needs of border areas in our country. Full article

The integration of shared autonomous vehicles into historic urban areas presents both opportunities and challenges. In heritage-rich environments like very old Asian (such as Suzhou old town, which serves as a use case example) or European (especially Mediterranean coastal cities) areas—characterized by narrow alleys, dense development, and sensitive cultural landscapes—shared autonomous vehicle adoption raises critical spatial and social questions. This study employs a qualitative, user-centered approach based on the ripple model to examine residents’ perceptions across four dimensions: residential patterns, parking land use, regional accessibility, and street-level infrastructure. Semi-structured interviews with 27 participants reveal five key findings: (1) public trust depends on transparent decision-making and safety guarantees; (2) shared autonomous vehicles may reshape generational residential clustering; (3) the short-term parking demand remains stable, but the long-term reuse of space is feasible; (4) shared autonomous vehicles could enhance accessibility in historic cores; (5) transport systems may evolve toward intelligent, human-centered designs. Based on these insights, the study proposes three strategies: (1) transparent risk assessment using explainable artificial intelligence and digital twins; (2) polycentric development to diversify land use; (3) hierarchical street retrofitting to balance mobility and preservation. While this study is limited by its qualitative scope and absence of simulation, it offers a framework for culturally sensitive, small-scale interventions supporting sustainable mobility transitions in historic urban contexts. Full article

This research is focused on housing stock rehabilitation and construction in Urban Rehabilitation Areas located in diverse contexts in the Portuguese territory. The main objective of this research is to show how the local actors have managed the ARUs’ opportunities to restore and develop the housing in these areas in the Portuguese territory. An analytical national legal framework is made to show that the diffuse criteria at national and regional levels are reflected in the limited effectiveness of the ARUs’ flexible criteria in local implementation. A national legislative and regulatory framework in Portugal, focusing on urban rehabilitation and housing promotion themes, is discussed to emphasize the potential role of Urban Rehabilitation Area (ARU) particularities and housing provision and preservation in diverse contexts in Portugal. A comparative analysis is conducted of five ARUs—Belmonte, Soure, Penacova, Vila Real, and Devesas—located in Portugal, in the North and Center regions, to highlight the particularities/diversity of urban contexts, including towns, small to medium-sized cities, and historic centres. The analysis assesses the effectiveness of ARU urban rehabilitation strategy implementation over time. The analysis of five ARUs will discuss the following: (i) ARU physical characteristics; (ii) ARU population profile; (iii) ARU urban rehabilitation strategies progress (initial, intermediate, and final); and (iv) ARU alignment with PDM priorities in urban rehabilitation. The findings underscore the pivotal role that ARUs and their actors can have in housing rehabilitation provision and preservation on different scales and contexts within the territory. The outcomes show different strategies that each ARU has used to prioritize building rehabilitation. Full article

In the course of rural spatial transformation in China, the vicissitudes of the traditional built environment have given rise to the deconstruction of locality, whereas place attachment emerges as the crux for addressing this issue. Considering that current research on how the built environment influences place attachment remains deficient in constructing a multi-dimensional and composite analytical framework from a rural perspective, this paper constructs a ”community–individual” nested analytical framework and establishes a five-dimensional system of rural built environment elements covering roads, boundaries, regions, nodes, and landmarks. On this basis, this paper takes 15 village cases in Leiling Town, Guangdong Province, China, as the research object, using a hierarchical linear model (HLM) to systematically analyze the impact of rural built environment elements on residents’ place attachment. The study finds that 1. At the individual level, the average score of place attachment is 0.61, with females showing significantly higher levels than males, and age and length of residence being positively correlated with place attachment. 2. At the community level, the built environment explains about 15% of the variance in attachment, with the distance from villages to town centers being negatively correlated and building compactness, environmental tidiness, and cultural landmark density being positively correlated. 3. Node–landmark elements have a significantly stronger impact on place attachment than road-boundary and functional-area elements. 4. The influence mechanism follows the identity cycle of “memory identity—place identity—social identity”. Full article

Amidst the backdrop of rural population decline and the inefficient expansion of construction land, traditional land management models are confronted with the dual challenges of supply–demand mismatch and low efficiency. This paper constructs a three-dimensional analytical framework based on decoupling types, development potential, and driving mechanisms. Initially, using Tapio’s decoupling theory, the study identifies the population–land decoupling types among 224 villages in Yanggao County, Shanxi Province, Northern China. It then evaluates the development potential of rural construction land using a comprehensive index system, and a linkage analysis between the two is conducted. Finally, the study employs the Logarithmic Mean Divisia Index (LMDI) method to conduct an in-depth analysis of the mechanisms driving changes in rural construction land. The results indicate the following: (1) Between 2010 and 2020, the study area exhibited a reverse evolution characterized by rural population loss and the expansion of construction land, with a significant “population–land decoupling” phenomenon. (2) The development potential for rural construction land shows a pattern of being high in the north and south, low in the middle, high in mountainous and hilly areas, low in plains, and high in peripheral areas but low in town centers. (3) Villages in Yanggao County are predominantly of the resource reserve type (49.11%), indicating relatively abundant land resource reserves. (4) In different population migration patterns, the reduction in land-use efficiency represents similar proportions (38% and 36%), with villages experiencing net population inflow performing better in improving land-use efficiency compared to those with net population outflow. Drawing on international governance experiences, the study proposes classification and phased implementation pathways. By revealing the dynamic patterns of rural population–land relationships—construction land potential and change mechanisms—the logic of regulatory path adaptation, the article provides a methodological paradigm for constructing a precise and differentiated land resource allocation system, promoting the transition of rural spatial governance from expansion in scale to an improvement in quality. Full article

From the perspective of social media data, this study investigates the coupling relationship between tourists’ spatial perception and tourism image in traditional old urban areas. Using Nanxun Ancient Town as a case study, this paper reveals the interaction and mutual influence between tourists’ perception of space and tourism image in the development of traditional ancient town tourism. We employed Python 3.13.0 to gather 10,789 valuable comments from tourists from Dianping 11.35.3, Ctrip 8.78.4, and Mafengwo 11.2.6. Mini Tag Cloud software is used to analyze the text data, systematically classify the cognitive image of tourists, and identify negative emotional factors. This paper constructs a four-dimensional landscape spatial perception evaluation system centered on “high-frequency words”, “perceptual dimensions”, “semantic networks”, and “emotional tendencies”. The key findings are as follows: (1) Tourists’ spatial perception exhibits pronounced characteristics of subjective preference and emotional attachment influenced by emotional factors. Overall, tourists exhibited positive emotional perceptions, with 59.51% positive emotions, 21.16% neutral emotions, and 19.33% negative emotions. (2) The perception of Nanxun Ancient Town’s tourism image can be summarized into four dimensions. Here are the dimensions in order of how important they are: historical culture and folk heritage (34.18%), perceptions of natural landscape and architectural style (31.03%), perceptions of tourism services and facilities (18.37%), and psychological identity and emotional interaction (16.42%). (3) Tourism image reciprocally influences tourists’ spatial perception. A positive tourism image is anticipated to encourage tourists to explore the spatial details of the ancient town more deeply, enhancing their positive spatial perception and experience. There exists a coupling relationship between tourists’ spatial perception and tourism image. (4) Key aspects of tourists’ perception of Nanxun Ancient Town include its historical and cultural significance, as well as commercialization. Future studies could focus on tourists’ spatial perception and tourism destination brand image building, and tourism policy makers should pay attention to tourists’ perception of Nanxun Ancient Town’s history, culture and commercialization, and use the coupling of the two to improve development and service policies. Full article

This study presents a comprehensive framework for evaluating urban heat resilience, incorporating urban climatology models, their characteristics, and simulation programs. Utilizing the local climate zone (LCZ) classification method, this research explores how urban geomorphology influences the thermal characteristics of the area. This study integrates spatial data at different “levels of detail” (LOD), from the meso- to building scales, emphasizing the significance of detailed LOD 3 models acquired through 3D laser scanning. The results demonstrate the ability of these models to identify urban heat islands (UHIs) and to simulate urban planning scenarios, such as increasing green spaces and optimizing building density, to mitigate the UHI effect. The ST3D 3D model of the city of Split, represented using an LOD 2 object model, is utilized for meso- and local-scale analyses, while LOD 3 models derived from laser scanning provided in-depth insights at the building scale. The case studies included the Faculty of Civil Engineering, Architecture, and Geodesy building on the University of Split campus and the old town hall in the densely built city center. This framework highlights the advantages of integrating GIS and BIM technology with urban climate analyses, offering tools for data-driven decision-making and fostering sustainable, climate-resilient urban planning. Full article

This article explores the challenge of developing a sustainable cultural brand for cities that are primarily perceived as tourist destinations. While major urban hubs like Berlin (DE), Edinburgh (UK), and Lisbon (PT) have successfully transitioned from being known mainly for tourism to becoming recognized cultural destinations, the process behind this transformation remains underexplored, especially when it comes to mid-sized cities. How does a town move beyond its touristic image to build a lasting cultural identity? What strategies enable this shift, and what role do different stakeholders play? Focusing on the Romanian city of Brașov, a scenic destination in Transylvania mostly known for its natural environment and medieval architecture, the paper addresses this gap by investigating how a cultural brand can be developed through strategic marketing efforts. Using an integrated approach that combines two qualitative studies and one quantitative analysis, the research provides new insights into (i) cultural marketing strategies that can enhance Brașov’s city brand; (ii) stakeholder perspectives on developing Brașov’s cultural identity; and (iii) the role of Generation Z, whose influence on urban cultural branding has, so far, been minimally researched, in shaping the cultural future of cities, particularly Brașov. Some of the findings highlight key areas for developing Brașov’s cultural brand, including expanding nightlife activities, introducing more contemporary and year-round themed festivals, and tailoring promotional efforts to the short attention spans of the “TikTok generation”. Participants emphasized the need for a more diverse range of cultural events, including experimental and niche performances, alongside stronger educational initiatives to encourage long-term engagement by involving schools and universities. The results offer actionable insights for policymakers, urban planners, and cultural leaders seeking to develop a city brand centered around culture, focusing on long-term identity and community engagement rather than solely on tourism. Full article

Urban–rural integration (URI) is essential to achieving sustainable development. However, the rural areas surrounding large cities typically have a large scale and significant differences in development conditions. It is necessary to formulate rural development policies by category to better promote the integrated development between urban and rural areas, stimulate rural vitality, and create more significant opportunities for rural development. This study constructs an evaluation system for rural areas under URI, using the Xi’an metropolitan area as a case study. A clustering algorithm enhanced by the random forest (RF)–principal component analysis (PCA)–partitioning around medoids (PAM) method is applied to evaluate rural integration comprehensively. Key findings in this study include the following: (i) URI should be decoupled from administrative divisions, considering the complex impacts of multi-town functional spillover; (ii) ecological environment, economic development, public service allocation, and construction land supply are key factors influencing URI; (iii) the overall URI index in the Xi’an metropolitan area presents a “high in the center, low in the east and west” pattern. The rural areas with high URI index are around Xi’an and Xianyang, while other cities show insufficient communication with neighboring villages; (iv) rural areas can be categorized into four types of integration: ecological, ecological–economic, ecological–social–spatial, and ecological–economic–social–spatial, which exhibit an outward expansion of layers and extension along the east–west axis in the spatial structure of integration. Finally, differential development policies and suggestions for promoting urban–rural integration are put forward because of the different types of rural villages. This paper provides a framework for formulating rural development policies, significantly deepening urban–rural integration. Full article

Metropolitan areas, as pivotal hubs for global tourism and economic growth, necessitate sustainable spatial planning to balance development with ecological preservation. As critical geospatial datasets, nighttime light (NTL) and point of interest (POI) data enable the robust analysis of urban structural patterns. Building upon coupling coordination theory and polycentric spatial frameworks, this study investigates the spatial interdependencies between tourism POI and NTL data in China’s Changsha–Zhuzhou–Xiangtan Metropolitan Area (CZTMA). Key findings reveal high spatial coupling homogeneity, with three urban cores exhibiting radial value attenuation from city centers toward the tri-city intersection; concentric zonation patterns where NTL-dominant rings encircle high-coupling nuclei, contrasting with sporadic POI-intensive clusters in peri-urban towns; and sector-specific luminosity responses, where sightseeing infrastructure demonstrates the strongest localized NTL impacts through multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR). These findings establish a novel “data fusion-spatial coupling-governance” analytical framework and provide actionable insights for policymakers to harmonize tourism-driven urbanization with ecological resilience, contributing to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11 (Sustainable Cities). Full article

The non-destructive geophysical testing method ground penetrating radar (GPR), along with satellite image and air photo assessment, a review of the existing literature sources, and Holocaust survivor testimony, was used to document the location of potential mass graves in Alytus, Lithuania. In World War II, six million Jews were murdered, as were as many as five million other victims of Nazi Germany’s orchestrated persecution. In the summer of 1941, 8030 Jews (4.70 percent of Lithuania’s Jewish population) lived in Alytus County, where the town of Alytus is located. It is estimated that over 8000 Jews were murdered in Alytus County, including nearly the entire Jewish population of the town of Alytus. The murder of Jews from Alytus County accounts for approximately 4.2% of the total number of Lithuanian Jews killed in the Holocaust. Survivor testimony indicates that several thousand Jews from both the town and county were murdered and buried in the Vidzgiris Forest about 1000 m from the town center. In 2022, field reconnaissance at locations in the forest, which appeared to be disturbed in a 1944 German Luftwaffe air photograph, indicated that these disturbances were associated with natural geomorphic processes and not the Holocaust. Analysis of GPR data that was collected using a pulseEKKO Pro 500-megahertz groundpenetrating radar (GPR) system in 2022 in the vicinity of monuments erected in the forest to memorialize mass graves indicates that no mass graves were directly associated with these monuments. The 1944 air photograph contained two roads that traversed through and abruptly ended in the forest, which was the impetus for detailed field reconnaissance in that area. A segment of a 150 m long linear surface feature found in the forest was assessed using GPR, and based on the profile that was generated, it was determined that this feature is possibly a segment of a much more extensive mass grave. Testimony of a Holocaust survivor stated that as many as three burial trenches exist in this portion of the forest. Additional research using non-destructive GPR technology, air photograph and satellite image assessment, and the existing literature and testimony-based data are required for the Vidzgiris Forest to better define these and other potential mass graves and other Holocaust-related features. Full article

Over the past decade, China has enacted forward-looking environmental policies that have significantly reduced air pollution. However, while there appears to be a synergy between economic development and improvements in air quality, regional imbalances in development and disparities in health risks underscore systemic challenges in environmental governance. This study employed a population-weighted exposure index to evaluate disparities in PM_2.5 exposure and its temporal and spatial trends, considering multidimensional socio-economic factors such as education, age, gender, occupation, and urban/rural backgrounds across 32 provinces and regions in China. The findings reveal that despite a notable decline in overall PM_2.5 concentrations between 2013 and 2020, improvements in air quality are uneven across regions, with less developed areas bearing a disproportionate burden of emission reductions. Urban centers exhibit lower exposure levels due to resource and industrial advantages, whereas towns experience higher risks of air pollution. Socio-economic disparities are evident, with increased exposure observed in high-pollution industries and among groups with lower educational attainment. Women are more likely to be exposed than men, and both the elderly and children face higher risks. To address these challenges, policies should focus on the economic development of underdeveloped regions, balance environmental protection with growth, prioritize heavily polluted areas and vulnerable populations, and promote the adoption of clean energy to mitigate pollution inequality. Full article

Landslide susceptibility evaluation is an indispensable part of disaster prevention and mitigation work. Selecting effective evaluation methods and models for landslide susceptibility assessment is of significant importance. This study focuses on selected areas in Yunyang County, Chongqing City. By interpreting high-resolution satellite remote sensing images from before and after heavy rainfall on 31 August 2014, the distribution of rainfall-induced accumulation landslides was obtained. To evaluate the susceptibility of accumulation landslides, we have equated evaluation factors to accumulation distribution prediction factors. Eight evaluation factors were extracted using multi-source data, including lithology, elevation, slope, remote sensing image texture features, and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). Various machine learning models, such as Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and BP Neural Network models, were employed to assess the susceptibility of rainfall-induced accumulation landslides in the study area. Subsequently, the accuracy of the evaluation models was compared and verified using the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve, and the evaluation results were analyzed. Finally, the developed Random Forest model was applied to Gongping Town in Fengjie County to verify its applicability in other regions. The findings indicate that the complex geological conditions and the unique tectonic erosion landform patterns in the northeastern region of Chongqing not only make this area a center of heavy rainfall but also lead to frequent and recurrent rainfall-induced landslides. The Random Forest model effectively reflects the development characteristics of accumulation landslides in the study area. High and very high susceptibility zones are concentrated in the northern and central regions of the study area, while low and moderate susceptibility zones predominantly occupy the mountainous and riverside areas. Landslide susceptibility mapping in the study area shows that the Random Forest model yields reasonably graded results. Elevation, remote sensing image texture features, and lithology are highly significant factors in the evaluation system, indicating that the development factors of slope geological disasters in the study area are mainly related to topography, geomorphology, and lithology. The landslide susceptibility evaluation results in Gongping Town, Fengjie County, validate the applicability of the Random Forest model developed in this study to other regions. Full article

With the establishment of the national park system in China, balancing ecological conservation within national parks and development in surrounding areas has become a critical issue. Despite its importance, studies on the scale effects of landscape fragmentation and its relationship with habitat quality (HQ) in these regions remain scarce. Therefore, this study focuses on the Hainan Tropical Rainforest National Park (HTRNP) in China and the surrounding nine cities and counties. The optimal scale for analyzing the spatiotemporal characteristics of landscape patterns, we assessed the best grain size and extent of landscape pattern indices using the regional information loss assessment model, area loss index, and semivariance function analysis. Based on this, the Fragstats and InVEST models analyzed the spatiotemporal evolution of landscape patterns and HQ from 1980 to 2020. Additionally, bivariate spatial autocorrelation theory was applied to examine the spatial correlation between the two. The results show that (1) the landscape indices in the study area vary with grain size and extent. The optimal grain size is 300 m, and the optimal extent is 2 km × 2 km. (2) Over the past 40 years, the landscape pattern of HTRNP has remained stable. In contrast, the surrounding areas exhibit notable spatial differentiation, with landscapes in coastal town centers becoming increasingly fragmented. (3) Over the past 40 years, the overall HQ in the study area has been relatively high, showing a spatial distribution pattern that decreases gradually from the center of HTRNP outward to rural areas, towns, and coastal regions. HTRNP has maintained a high and stable HQ, while the surrounding areas exhibited a decreasing trend in HQ, although the decline was relatively modest. (4) The spatial distribution of HQ aligns closely with landscape patterns, indicating a significant spatial correlation. The landscape connectivity of HTRNP remains high, with consistently superior HQ. In contrast, coastal town centers are characterized by highly fragmented landscapes and poor HQ. This study reveals the spatiotemporal dynamics of landscape patterns and HQ, along with their spatial associations. These findings provide a scientific basis for ecological conservation in national parks and the planning optimization of surrounding areas. Full article