Submit to Special Issue Submit Abstract to Special Issue Review for Sustainability Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

Human Behavior, Urban Health and Sustainability

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainability in Geographic Science".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 15 June 2024 | Viewed by 14578

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Hao Wu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Urban Design, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Interests: urban planning; urban sustainability; urban geography; big data; agent-based model

Dr. Lingbo Liu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

1. Center for Geographic Analysis, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
2. School of Urban Design, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Interests: quantitative spatial analysis; big data; health geography; entropy in urban system; sustainable urban planning and design

Dr. Yang Yu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Urban Design, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Interests: ecological urban planning and design; urban ecological remediation; urban water environment; urban sustainability; big data

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Even if the ongoing, two-year COVID-19 pandemic were to suddenly come to an end, it is expected that similar infectious disease outbreaks may occur again as viruses adapt to the environment and spread across species, especially due to increased human mobility around the world. Therefore, from the perspective of global sustainability, more focus should be given to urban health infrastructure and community resilience in future urban development. In this vein, human behavior data can offer an approach to studying the interaction between urban residents and urban spaces and their mechanisms, thus providing a basis for achieving the above goals.

Contributions to this Special Issue may include (but are not limited to) the following topics:

(1) Planning and spatial layout of urban medical and health facilities.

(2) Public space optimization based on human behavior.

(3) Modeling and simulation of infectious disease spread in urban space.

(4) Community resilience for disease prevention and control.

(5) Architectural design for healthcare against infectious diseases and epidemics.

(6) Analysis of the spatiotemporal behavior of residents under epidemic transmission.

Dr. Hao Wu
Dr. Lingbo Liu
Dr. Yang Yu
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 and sustainability
human behavior
community resilience
urban health
infectious disease modeling and simulation
architectural design for healthcare

Published Papers (7 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Review

18 pages, 784 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluation of the Usage Requirements of Hospital Signage Systems Based on the Kano Model

by Lujie Deng, Nurul Hanim Romainoor and Bolun Zhang

Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 4972; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15064972 - 10 Mar 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1992

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the quality type and importance ranking of hospital signage systems’ usage requirements using the Kano model. This study collected data from 300 users in three hospitals in Guangzhou and evaluated 32 metrics of hospital signage systems. The Kano model questionnaire was used to analyze the quality type of each demand indicator, and the better–worse coefficient was used to calculate the sensitivity and importance ranking of the demand. Of the 32 attributes evaluated by participants, 4 are must-be quality (M), 4 are one-dimensional quality (O), 12 are attractive quality (A), and 12 are indifferent quality (I). The results of this study suggest that the presence of most of the evaluated attributes is associated with maintaining a level of user satisfaction, and the lack of these attributes causes user dissatisfaction. There is a strong demand for basic usage functions and an easy-to-use hospital signage system. In addition, users often wish to add and improve signage functions and have greater expectations for the inclusion of features such as digital intelligence and regional culture in this study. The results of this study show that the Kano model can better derive the user requirements for hospital signage systems and can promote the improvement of hospital signage systems in a more targeted manner, according to the quality type and importance of requirements, providing a research basis for the sustainable development of healthcare services. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Behavior, Urban Health and Sustainability)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 29554 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ecological Compensation in Zhijiang City Based on Ecosystem Service Value and Ecological Risk

by Xuexian Xu and Yuling Peng

Sustainability 2023, 15(6), 4783; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15064783 - 8 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1201

Abstract

Using Zhijiang City, Hubei Province as an example, this study constructed an ecological risk assessment model based on land use data from the three phases of 2000, 2010, and 2020. We then determined the ecological compensation priority sequence based on the ecosystem services value (ESV) and the economic status of the research area. The findings revealed that there was a significant spatial differentiation in ESV during the study period, with the ESV being higher south of the Yangtze River than north. Overall, in Zhijiang City, the ESV generally decreased over the course of the study period, with a decrease of CNY 812 million in 20 years. The loss of wetland and grassland was the greatest, and was most obvious between 2010 and 2020, whereas the loss of construction land was the lowest among the different types of landscapes. The ecological risk index of Zhijiang City showed a declining trend between 2000 and 2020. The extent of high-ecological risk areas shrank by 55.83 km², and their predominant landscape types were grassland and forest land. The low-ecological risk area expanded by 340.50 km² and was primarily distributed in construction land along the Yangtze River Basin. The ecological compensation priority sequence was divided into five levels in each town in Zhijiang City, with Gujiadian Town and Baiyang Town receiving the highest grades and being designated as priority compensation areas. The study intends to serve as a model for the construction of ecological cities, ecological environmental protection, and sustainable development in the Yangtze River Basin. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Behavior, Urban Health and Sustainability)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 1557 KiB

Open AccessArticle

In Pursuit of Local Solutions for Climate Resilience: Sensing Microspatial Inequities in Heat and Air Pollution within Urban Neighborhoods in Boston, MA

by Daniel T. O’Brien and Amy V. Mueller

Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 2984; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15042984 - 7 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1611

Abstract

Environmental hazards vary locally and even street to street resulting in microspatial inequities, necessitating climate resilience solutions that respond to specific hyperlocal conditions. This study uses remote sensing data to estimate two environmental hazards that are particularly relevant to community health: land surface temperature (LST; from LandSat) and air pollution (AP; from motor vehicle volume via cell phone records). These data are analyzed in conjunction with land use records in Boston, MA to test (1) the extent to which each hazard concentrates on specific streets within neighborhoods, (2) the infrastructural elements that drive variation in the hazards, and (3) how strongly hazards overlap in space. Though these data rely on proxies, they provide preliminary evidence. Substantial variations in LST and AP existed between streets in the same neighborhood (40% and 70–80% of variance, respectively). The former were driven by canopy, impervious surfaces, and albedo. The latter were associated with main streets and zoning with tall buildings. The correlation between LST and AP was moderate across census tracts (r = 0.4) but modest across streets within census tracts (r = 0.16). The combination of results confirms not only the presence of microspatial inequities for both hazards but also their limited coincidence, indicating that some streets suffer from both hazards, some from neither, and others from only one. There is a need for more precise, temporally-dynamic data tracking environmental hazards (e.g., from environmental sensor networks) and strategies for translating them into community-based solutions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Behavior, Urban Health and Sustainability)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

23 pages, 5962 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Association between Street Built Environment and Street Vitality Based on Quantitative Analysis in Historic Areas: A Case Study of Wuhan, China

by Han Zou, Ruichao Liu, Wen Cheng, Jingjing Lei and Jing Ge

Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1732; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021732 - 16 Jan 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2649

Abstract

Over the past decade, enhancing the quality of cities and building vibrant urban streets has become a hot topic in urban planning in China. Although there are many studies on how the built environment affects street vitality, the unique built environment of the street space in historic areas, as the core node of the city, has not been fully explored. This study constructs an association model between the street built environment (SBE) and street vitality in historic areas and evaluates the influence of SBE on street vitality by spatial analysis and statistical analysis methods using POI data, road network data, and Baidu heat map data, taking Wuhan, China, as an example. The results showed that (1) appropriate built environment development intensity, street width-to-height ratio, and facade ratio of historic buildings on the street frontage all can promote street vitality; (2) the spatial distribution of historic buildings converted to commercial functions in historic areas has a high consistency with the spatial distribution of street vitality, and the consistency is significantly higher than that of general urban streets; (3) historic buildings converted to residential functions and those in vacancy or under renovation in historic areas have a significant inhibitory effect on street vitality; and (4) the spatial distribution of transportation facilities and the spatial distribution of street vitality are mutually exclusive in historic areas. This study proposes a method for studying the SBE and street vitality in historic areas and initially explores the relationship between the influences of the SBE on street vitality in historic areas. Since the functional replacement of historic buildings can affect the street vibrancy in historic areas, our findings suggest moderating commercial renovation rather than simply repairing or maintaining the status for enhancing the street vitality. Moreover, the intervention of transportation facilities will reduce the street vitality in historic areas, which provides a basis for the strategy of renewing historic areas into pedestrian street spaces. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Behavior, Urban Health and Sustainability)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 1511 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Building a Low-Carbon Community: Influencing Factors of Residents’ Idle Resource-Sharing Behaviors

by Li Yan and Xiao Dou

Sustainability 2022, 14(23), 16294; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142316294 - 6 Dec 2022

Viewed by 1301

Abstract

Promoting the sharing of idle resources to community residents is a potential means to building a low-carbon community. This study examined three communities with different attributes (college/university, middle and high income, and the elderly). An extended hypothesis model was constructed based on the theory of planned behavior. The influencing factors of community residents facing idle resource-sharing services were explored. Based on the equal sampling method, 100 questionnaires were randomly distributed in each community to verify the validity of the hypothesis model. The results show that residents’ attitudes, subjective behavioral norms, perceived behavioral control, service expectations, and environmental motivations positively influence residents’ behavioral intention to share their idle resources. The residents’ service expectations for idle resource-sharing are the most critical. Moreover, in terms of community attributes, its attitudes, subjective behavioral norms, and perceived behavioral control significantly influence residents’ behavioral intention to share idle resources. Specifically, the attitudes in the middle- and high-income community have opposite effects on residents from the attitudes in the college/university community and the elderly community. The hypothesis model proposed in this study provides a reference for building a low-carbon community from the perspective of residents’ restriction of resource-sharing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Behavior, Urban Health and Sustainability)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

19 pages, 747 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Urban Health Care on Migrants’ Settlement Intention: Evidence from China

by Yidong Wu, Yuanyuan Zha, Mengyuan Ge, Hao Sun and Honghong Gui

Sustainability 2022, 14(22), 15085; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142215085 - 14 Nov 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1398

Abstract

Improving migrants’ settlement intention is of great importance in the process of China’s new urbanization. By exploiting the data from the China Migrants Dynamic Survey conducted by the National Health and Family Planning Commission of China, this study empirically explores the effects of urban health care on migrants’ settlement intentions. Urban health care is measured by the establishment of migrants’ health records in this article. Additionally, marginal effect analysis, propensity score matching, the random sampling method, the placebo test, and the two-stage least squares method are adopted to tackle potential selection bias and endogeneity concerns. As indicated by the empirical results, urban health care could significantly improve the migrants’ settlement intention. After controlling for the influence of individual characteristics, household characteristics, and migration characteristics, urban health care still plays a significant role in promoting settlement intention. As revealed by the heterogeneity analysis, urban healthcare effects are significantly larger for migrants with agricultural hukou registration, a spouse, younger age, higher income level, and moving into the first and second-tier cities. Meanwhile, considering the impact of housing pressure on migrants’ settlement intentions, this study uses household housing expenditure as a moderator to further analyze the relationship between urban health care and settlement intention. It is found that housing pressure can weaken the positive effect of urban health care on migrants’ settlement intention. The research conclusions contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the migrants’ settlement decisions and provide rich implications for city managers and policymakers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Behavior, Urban Health and Sustainability)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

20 pages, 1541 KiB

Open AccessReview

Assessment of Wayfinding Performance in Complex Healthcare Facilities: A Conceptual Framework

by Ammar Al-Sharaa, Mastura Adam, Amer Siddiq Amer Nordin, Riyadh Mundher and Ameer Alhasan

Sustainability 2022, 14(24), 16581; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142416581 - 10 Dec 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3124

Abstract

Wayfinding is considered to be one of the most demanding challenges to be performed by hospitals’ users. Wayfinding has been an interest among researchers from different fields, such as architecture, interior design, cognitive psychology, and facilities management, to name a few. Previous scholars have highlighted the need for a holistic framework taking into consideration both user and environmental factors. A narrative review of the literature was carried out to understand the full extent of the issue and address the ever-increasing demand for a holistic assessment framework. This article attempts to address the underlying gap by proposing a comprehensive framework that takes into account both facets of the issue through a narrative review of the literature to some of the most prominent research attempts to address the problem of wayfinding in complex healthcare settings. Furthermore, the proposed framework can assist both researchers and practicing professionals by providing a comprehensive understanding of the issue of complex wayfinding as well as of the variables to be investigated in the assessment process. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Behavior, Urban Health and Sustainability)

► Show Figures