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Applied Sciences
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Human Geography in an Uncertain World: Challenges and Solutions
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Human Geography in an Uncertain World: Challenges and Solutions

A special issue of Applied Sciences (ISSN 2076-3417). This special issue belongs to the section "Earth Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2025 | Viewed by 4527

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Jianbo Gao

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Geographical Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Interests: nonlinear dynamics; time series analysis; multiscale modeling; multi-scale analysis of geophysical and geographic data; medical informatics; quantitative research on social, economic and financial complexity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Mengmeng Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Geographical Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Interests: regional development; transport infrastructure; central–local relations in China
Dr. Teqi Dai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Faculty of Geographical Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
Interests: transport geography; spatial optimization

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

With continued global warming, more frequent extreme weather, natural disasters, and international conflicts happening worldwide and amidst widespread economic recession and deglobalization, humankind is entering an era of unprecedented uncertainty. Human geography, which traditionally studies the spatial relationships between human communities, cultures, economies, and their interactions with the environment, is facing emerging challenges. It is pressing for global scholars to provide a deeper understanding of the many problems facing the world today and offer innovative solutions. This Special Issue aims to help achieve this goal. Topics of interest include but are not limited to the following:

  • Interplay between free market competition and urban planning; 
  • Human–environment interactions and sustainability;
  • Transport infrastructure development and spatial impacts;
  • Social segregation and social equity;
  • Transformation of urban structure;
  • Restructuring supply chain of global industrial;
  • Cultural integration and conflict;
  • Environment and health;
  • Innovation geography and regional growth;
  • Geopolitics through the lens of big data.

Prof. Dr. Jianbo Gao
Dr. Mengmeng Zhang
Dr. Teqi Dai
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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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. Applied Sciences 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

  • sustainability
  • urban planning
  • social equity
  • supply chain restructuring
  • innovation geography
  • human-environment interactions
  • spatial impacts
  • cultural integration
  • geopolitics
  • big data

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

20 pages, 2727 KiB  
Article
Time–Space Analysis of Transport Infrastructures: A Pilot Study of Shibuya-Type Crossings for Signalized Intersections in Developing Cities
by Sebastian Seriani, Ariel Lopez, Nicolas Ogalde, Gerardo Dureo, Bernardo Arredondo, Vicente Aprigliano, Alvaro Peña and Taku Fujiyama
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(3), 1489; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15031489 - 31 Jan 2025
Viewed by 947
Abstract
Cities are growing larger, and congestion is becoming a major issue. Walking is increasingly becoming an important mode of transport in developing cities. One of the reasons for the high death toll is the lack of pedestrian facilities at transport infrastructures such as [...] Read more.
Cities are growing larger, and congestion is becoming a major issue. Walking is increasingly becoming an important mode of transport in developing cities. One of the reasons for the high death toll is the lack of pedestrian facilities at transport infrastructures such as signalized intersections, where a conflict arises between vehicles turning right and pedestrians crossing at different speeds. This conflict, known as the vehicle–pedestrian conflict (in right-driving jurisdictions), occurs when the green light for vehicles is shared with the green pedestrian light. Additionally, if the intersection is congested due to high pedestrian flow, vehicles will turn right only during the yellow light, trying to find a gap in the pedestrian flow. As a result, delays increase for both pedestrians and vehicles, reducing the intersection’s capacity. To reduce the vehicle–pedestrian conflict, various pedestrian facilities can be implemented, such as Shibuya-type crossings, which include an exclusive pedestrian phase and diagonal crossing. When applying this type of solution, vehicle delays are reduced up to 81% on average, increasing the efficiency and safety of the space used at the intersection. However, pedestrian delays might increase up to 5 times, due to the need to wait for the third exclusive phase for them to cross the intersection in all directions. The method is applied in a case of study in Valparaiso, Chile, and therefore can be expanded in further research to other developing cities in Chile and specifically Latin America. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Geography in an Uncertain World: Challenges and Solutions)
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24 pages, 3214 KiB  
Article
Evaluating the Accessibility of Pedestrian Sidewalks to Connect Public Transport: A Pilot Study in Valparaíso, Chile
by Sebastian Seriani, Vicente Aprigliano, Alvaro Peña, Hector Briones, Bernardo Arredondo, Jose Requesens and Taku Fujiyama
Appl. Sci. 2025, 15(3), 1106; https://doi.org/10.3390/app15031106 - 23 Jan 2025
Viewed by 1066
Abstract
The need to assess whether accessibility in urban mobility meets the required standards to provide a satisfactory experience for users is emphasized. The general objective of this research is to evaluate pedestrian accessibility in urban mobility, taking as a case study different access [...] Read more.
The need to assess whether accessibility in urban mobility meets the required standards to provide a satisfactory experience for users is emphasized. The general objective of this research is to evaluate pedestrian accessibility in urban mobility, taking as a case study different access points such as the sidewalks and crossings between the trolleybus system and the EFE metro system in Valparaíso. Specific objectives have been set, including identifying the area to study and the elements to evaluate, designing an evaluation system, and applying descriptive and numerical methods for the assessment. The methodology used includes two approaches: the descriptive, which provides a detailed view of accessibility conditions in each evaluated area, highlighting aspects such as physical condition and compliance with regulations, and the numerical, which assigns quantitative values to the elements being assessed to establish a classification of accessibility levels. Additionally, a survey was conducted to obtain a subjective view of pedestrian preferences. Based on the above, evaluating pedestrian accessibility in urban mobility in Valparaíso allowed for identifying aspects that require improvement to ensure a satisfactory experience for users. Furthermore, it promotes the use of both transportation systems and provides recommendations for future research. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Geography in an Uncertain World: Challenges and Solutions)
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21 pages, 11742 KiB  
Article
A Spatial Accessibility Study of Public Hospitals: A Multi-Mode Gravity-Based Two-Step Floating Catchment Area Method
by Shijie Sun, Qun Sun, Fubing Zhang and Jingzhen Ma
Appl. Sci. 2024, 14(17), 7713; https://doi.org/10.3390/app14177713 - 1 Sep 2024
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1562
Abstract
The multi-modal two-step floating catchment area (MM-2SFCA) method is an extension of the two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method that incorporates the impact of different transportation modes, thereby facilitating more accurate calculations of the spatial accessibility of public facilities in urban areas. However, [...] Read more.
The multi-modal two-step floating catchment area (MM-2SFCA) method is an extension of the two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method that incorporates the impact of different transportation modes, thereby facilitating more accurate calculations of the spatial accessibility of public facilities in urban areas. However, the MM-2SFCA method does not account for the impact of distance within the search radius on supply–demand capacities, and it assumes an idealized supply–demand relationship. This paper introduces the gravity model into the MM-2SFCA method, proposing a multi-modal gravity-based 2SFCA (MM-G2SFCA) method to better account for distance decay and supply–demand relationships. Furthermore, a standardized gravity model is proposed based on the traditional gravity model. This model imposes constraints on upper and lower limits for distance decay weights without compromising the fundamental curve characteristics of the gravity model, thereby avoiding extreme weight scenarios. The accessibility of public hospitals in Shenzhen is evaluated through the integration of basic geographic information data, resident travel data, and official statistical data. The findings demonstrate that the standardized gravity model effectively addresses the issue of excessively high local distance weights in the traditional gravity model, making it more suitable as a distance decay function. The MM-G2SFCA method improves the consideration of distance and supply–demand relationships, thereby facilitating a more rational distribution of accessibility on a global scale. This study discovers differences in the spatial allocation of public hospital resources across the Shenzhen’s districts. Accessibility within the metropolitan core is significantly higher than that outside the core. Additionally, there is a notable difference in the level of accessibility among the districts. Accessibility is found to be better in district centers and along the main traffic arteries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Human Geography in an Uncertain World: Challenges and Solutions)
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