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Spatial Analysis for the Sustainable City
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Spatial Analysis for the Sustainable City

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Urban and Rural Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 April 2024) | Viewed by 5110

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Sumeeta Srinivasan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
Interests: transportation; health; spatial models; geographic information systems
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Rebecca Shakespeare

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
Interests: housing; geographic information systems (GISs); cities; qualitative GIS

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Urban sustainability requires interaction between the eco-physical, social, and economic environments [1]. City planners and policy makers must closely examine several aspects of urban sustainability, including land use and the built environment, energy conservation, recycling and reuse, communication, and transport [2].  There are neighborhoods in cities all over the world that are vulnerable to climate change based on where they are located, or because of the socioeconomic characteristics of the residents [3,4]. The use of geographic information systems (GISs) has also contributed to a better understanding of the spatial differences within cities. City and regional planning agencies routinely collect data and make it available; thus, spatial analysis is increasingly selected as a tool of choice for planners and policy makers. Spatial data can be acquired in a variety of ways, including surveys, remote sensing through satellite or drones, and apps that urban residents can install on their phones or wear.

This Special Issue of Sustainability is for researchers who want to publish innovative high-quality research papers, reviews, case studies, or position papers focusing on the use of spatial data analyses in planning for sustainable cities. A nonexhaustive list of potential topics is provided below:

  • Spatial data analysis for transportation, health, energy, and land use studies in urban areas;
  • Spatiotemporal simulation or modelling of data in urban planning for sustainablity;
  • Spatial methods for statistical and qualitative analysis impacting urban planning;
  • Data ethics in spatial studies of cities;
  • Case studies of qualitative or quantitative GIS-based urban and regional planning;
  • Spatial data quality, and processing for urban planning;
  • Applications for spatiotemporal data mining, geovisualization, or spatial decision-support systems for urban planning.

References:

  1. Hassan, A.M.; Lee, H. The paradox of the sustainable city: Definitions and examples. Environ. Dev. Sustain. 2015, 17, 1267–1285.
  2. Jenks, M.; Jones, C. Dimensions of the sustainable city. Stice 2009, 14, 87–97.
  3. Cassarino, M.; Shahab, S.; Biscaya, S. Envisioning happy places for all: A systematic review of the impact of transformations in the urban environment on the wellbeing of vulnerable groups. Sustainability 2021, 13, 8086.
  4. Hendricks, M.D.; Van Zandt, S. Unequal protection revisited: Planning for environmental justice, hazard vulnerability, and critical infrastructure in communities of color. Environ. Justice 2021, 14, 87–97.

Dr. Sumeeta Srinivasan
Dr. Rebecca Shakespeare
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • urban planning
  • spatial analysis
  • spatial decision support systems
  • spatial indicators
  • geovisualization
  • sustainability assessment
  • spatial statistics
  • GIS (geographic information systems)
  • sustainable development goals
  • qualitative GIS
  • big data
  • remote sensing

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 7534 KiB  
Article
Towards Resilient Cities: Optimizing Shelter Site Selection and Disaster Prevention Life Circle Construction Using GIS and Supply-Demand Considerations
by Hong Jiao and Shining Feng
Sustainability 2024, 16(6), 2345; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16062345 - 12 Mar 2024
Viewed by 628
Abstract
City health examinations are integral to China’s urban planning, construction, and management. They effectively identify potential risks and vulnerabilities in urban development, ensuring safety resilience—a critical component. This resilience enhances the city’s ability to withstand internal and external shocks, promoting the safety of [...] Read more.
City health examinations are integral to China’s urban planning, construction, and management. They effectively identify potential risks and vulnerabilities in urban development, ensuring safety resilience—a critical component. This resilience enhances the city’s ability to withstand internal and external shocks, promoting the safety of urban residents and fostering sustainable city development. Drawing on the Japanese disaster prevention strategy, the disaster prevention life circle emerges as a rescue and protection system during urban disasters, fortifying urban safety resilience. However, smaller and mid-sized cities, constrained by limited resources, significantly need to catch up in disaster prevention planning. Consequently, bolstering safety resilience in these cities becomes a pressing concern. This study focuses on Lindian County in Heilongjiang Province as the urban area under consideration for resilient city objectives. Leveraging the ArcGIS network analysis tool, we optimize the placement of emergency shelters, aligning with urban disaster assessments and the equilibrium of disaster prevention facility supply and demand. Accessibility analysis of emergency shelters was conducted using the Gaussian two-step floating catchment area method. Ultimately, we integrate the range of demand points assigned to each shelter, along with the effective land area reflecting the supply of shelters, as weights into a weighted Voronoi diagram. This diagram is combined with a reference to the entire region to delineate the disaster prevention life circle. Findings reveal that, under the premise of minimizing government construction costs while maximizing coverage and evacuation utilization rates, the optimal resident emergency congregate shelters in the study area are 8, with 98 emergency evacuation and embarkation shelters. Striking a balance between disaster prevention facility supply and demand and regional accessibility, the urban area of Lindian County is segmented into 3 resident disaster prevention life circles and 24 emergency disaster prevention life circles. The objective of this study is to optimize shelter siting and establish disaster prevention life circles in diverse urban areas. This endeavor aims to bolster urban resilience and foster sustainable urban development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial Analysis for the Sustainable City)
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17 pages, 3857 KiB  
Article
Research on the Public Environment Renewal of Traditional Villages Based on the Social Network Analysis Method
by Qin Li, Shuangning Lv, Jingya Cui, Yijun Liu and Zonghao Chen
Sustainability 2024, 16(3), 1006; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16031006 - 24 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 660
Abstract
Constructing digital models of public spaces of social networks found in traditional villages helps us explore the logic behind the interactions that occur within various relationships as well as achieve the optimization of spatial layouts and the equalization of the different use needs [...] Read more.
Constructing digital models of public spaces of social networks found in traditional villages helps us explore the logic behind the interactions that occur within various relationships as well as achieve the optimization of spatial layouts and the equalization of the different use needs that social groups have. However, this analytical method has not been fully studied in the field focusing on the rationality of public spaces in traditional villages. This paper takes the traditional village protection demonstration area in Mentougou District, Beijing, China, as the object of research and selects three different forms of traditional villages to be analyzed. It tries to excavate the universal laws and unique differences in the models of the different forms of traditional villages and establish models for quantitative research, such as index calculation, so as to increase the depth and accuracy of research and embody the characteristic laws of the spaces studied in terms of the nature of the structures and relationships that are part of these spaces. The results show that the spatial characteristics of the different forms of traditional villages are obviously different from the relevance, equalization, and connectivity of spatial networks. The cluster form of traditional villages tends to focus on the villagers’ use demands and the assessment of the spatial status quo by increasing the number of spatial nodes and transforming spatial functions in order to achieve higher equalization. The dispersed form of traditional villages tends to focus on optimizing the relevance of spatial network structures. The linear form of traditional villages tends to establish public spaces so as to increase the depth and accuracy of research. Villages ought to establish direct links between public spaces in order to increase the connectivity of traditional villages. This study provides a rational basis for the differentiated planning decisions of traditional villages and lays the foundation for the promotion of the smooth and sustainable development of regional villages. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial Analysis for the Sustainable City)
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19 pages, 12715 KiB  
Article
Pro-Social Solutions in Residential Environments Created as a Result of Participatory Design
by Katarzyna Kołacz and Anna Podlasek
Sustainability 2024, 16(2), 510; https://doi.org/10.3390/su16020510 - 06 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 747
Abstract
The pro-social dimension of contemporary housing is one of the main postulates of sustainability. The work aims to draw attention to the residential environment created as a result of participatory design and to examine how and to what extent it supports the creation [...] Read more.
The pro-social dimension of contemporary housing is one of the main postulates of sustainability. The work aims to draw attention to the residential environment created as a result of participatory design and to examine how and to what extent it supports the creation of social contacts and the identification of inhabitants with their place of residence. The study included three housing projects prepared by the communities: B.R.O.T Aspern, Seestern Aspern, and LiSA. They are part of one urban block located in Aspern, part of the 22nd district of Vienna—Donaudstadt. The case studies were analysed using the same ten evaluation criteria. They were established based on previously developed theories of sociologists, psychologists and architects on the features of architecture and spaces supporting the formation of neighbourly contacts and the identification of users with their place of residence. The research showed that although the same evaluation criteria were used, each design group found an individual way to meet them in their project such as innovative design elements, unique community spaces, or user-driven features. This is proof that not only the place where architecture is created, has its conditions, and the planners and architects creating the project give it an individual, pro-social character, but also the users who create it. However, it is important to create an appropriate organizational, legal architectural and urban framework for the participation process to be successful. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial Analysis for the Sustainable City)
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21 pages, 5626 KiB  
Article
Spatiotemporal Evolution and Driving Factors of Land Development: Evidence from Shandong Province, China
by Chuansong Zhao, Ran Geng, Jianxu Liu, Liuying Peng and Woraphon Yamaka
Sustainability 2023, 15(20), 15069; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152015069 - 19 Oct 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 730
Abstract
As populations and economies have grown rapidly, questions of land development and use have intensified. It has become a major global concern to achieve sustainable land use practices. This study reveals evolution of the spatiotemporal pattern of land development intensity of counties in [...] Read more.
As populations and economies have grown rapidly, questions of land development and use have intensified. It has become a major global concern to achieve sustainable land use practices. This study reveals evolution of the spatiotemporal pattern of land development intensity of counties in Shandong Province by introducing a land development intensity measurement model combined with three-dimensional trend surface and spatial autocorrelation analyses. Geodetector and geographically weighted regression models were employed to demonstrate the interplay and spatiotemporal heterogeneity between development intensity and drivers. The empirical results show that the value of land development intensity of counties in Shandong Province shows a general growth trend, with the number of counties with higher values gradually increasing and the number of counties with lower values gradually decreasing. We also found that the spatial heterogeneity of land development intensity across counties in Shandong Province is significant, and the spatial distribution pattern is basically consistent with the “one group, two centers and three circles” strategy proposed by the Shandong Provincial Government. There is also a positive spatial correlation and clustering effect of land development intensity of counties in Shandong Province. High (low) value clusters are concentrated in core hot (cold) counties, driving some of the surrounding counties towards radial development. The alteration in the intensity of county land development is a complex occurrence that is shaped by numerous factors. Among these, GDP per capita and population density have the primary influence on land development of counties in Shandong Province. To achieve coordinated regional social, economic, and environmental benefits, land development within the county should adhere to the principle of adapting to local conditions and implement differentiated development strategies according to different development intensities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial Analysis for the Sustainable City)
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22 pages, 5150 KiB  
Article
Multi-Scale Geographically Weighted Elasticity Regression Model to Explore the Elastic Effects of the Built Environment on Ride-Hailing Ridership
by Zhenbao Wang, Xin Gong, Yuchen Zhang, Shuyue Liu and Ning Chen
Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 4966; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15064966 - 10 Mar 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1422
Abstract
Understanding the relationship between the built environment and the ride-hailing ridership is crucial to the prediction of the demand for ride-hailing and the formulation of the strategy for upgrading the built environment. However, the existing studies on ride-hailing ignore the scale effect and [...] Read more.
Understanding the relationship between the built environment and the ride-hailing ridership is crucial to the prediction of the demand for ride-hailing and the formulation of the strategy for upgrading the built environment. However, the existing studies on ride-hailing ignore the scale effect and zone effect of the modifiable area unit problem (MAUP), and show a lack of consideration for the elastic relationship with spatial heterogeneity between built environment variables and ride-hailing ridership. Taking Chengdu as an example, this paper selects 12 independent variables based on the “5Ds” (density, diversity, design, destination accessibility and distance to transit) of the built environment, the dependent variables are the density of ride-hailing pick-ups in the morning and evening peak hours, and 11 spatial units are proposed according to different scales and zoning methods for the aggregation of built environment variables and ride-hailing pick-ups. With the goal of global optimal goodness-of-fit, we determined the optimal spatial unit by using the log-linear Ordinary Least-Squares (OLS) model. A multi-scale geographically weighted elastic regression (MGWER) model is formulated to explore the relative effect of the built environment on the ride-hailing ridership and spatial heterogeneity. The average value of positive elastic local regression coefficient of different variables is used to measure the relative positive impact of built environment factors, and the absolute value of the average value of negative elastic local regression coefficient is used to measure the relative negative impact of built environment factors. The results show that: (1) The MGWER model under the community unit division has the best global goodness-of-fit. (2) Different built environment variables have different elastic impacts on the demand for ride-hailing. For the morning peak hours and evening peak hours, the top three built environment factors with positive impacts are ranked as follows: commercial POI density > average house price > population density, and distance to CBD has the highest negative impacts on pick-up ridership. (3) The different local elasticity coefficients of the built environment factors at different stations are discussed, which indicate the spatial heterogeneity of the ride-hailing ridership. The optimal community zoning method can provide a basis for the zoning and scheduling management of ride-hailing. The results of the built environment variables with greater impact are conducive to the formulation of targeted urban renewal strategies in the process of adjusting the ridership of ride-hailing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Spatial Analysis for the Sustainable City)
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