sustainability-logo

Journal Browser

Journal Browser

Methods and Applications of GIS and Spatial Analysis towards a Sustainable, Resilient and Safer Urban Environment

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2023) | Viewed by 5500

Special Issue Editors


E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geography, Geology and the Environment, Kingston University, Kingston Upon Thames KT1 2EE, UK
Interests: urban analysis; developing methods of spatial analysis; spatial statistics; network analysis; geo-surveillance and hotspot detection; data analysis and geo-visualisation for interpreting urban crime; security; epidemiology; public health and other social-science data

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Geography, Birkbeck, University of London, London WC1E 7HX, UK
Interests: spatial analysis and modelling; spatiotemporal analytics; geo-surveillance; medical and health geography; spatial epidemiology; geo-computation; visual data analytics; traffic data analysis; urban and regional analysis; quantitative criminology; archaeological GIS; environmental GIS

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The use of urban and regional spatial–analytical approaches dates back to at least the quantitative revolution in the 1960s, and its roots can be traced as far back as environmental determinism and city planning in the classic and medieval periods. These time periods saw considerable changes over time, which initially arose from the need to ensure people’s safety and survival, and then, to improve the efficiency of resource management. More recently, due to COVID-19 and the many uncertainties surrounding us, increasing focus has been placed on developing a sustainable, resilient and safer environment. The methods used in pursuing these topics have also changed from classic descriptive models to GIS-oriented data handling; moreover, they are becoming increasingly exploratory, data-driven and dependent on machine learning, sometimes involving AI.

From an academic standpoint, it is interesting that these changes in context and the approaches employed are not necessarily evolutional steps, but are often outcomes of an increase in specific demand and a shift in methodological trends. We invite authors to contribute methodological and substantive papers on quantitative interpretations of events and patterns, as well as changes observed in urban and regional settings. The focus of this Special Issue will be on sustainability, resilience and safe and secure environments, embracing the idea of improving urban spaces through planning, design and interpretation. Exploratory approaches such as GIS and spatial analysis may be used to enable quantitative interpretation of the spatial, temporal or spatial-temporal patterns hidden in urban data.

Dr. Narushige Shiode
Dr. Shino Shiode
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

  • GIS modelling
  • spatial analysis
  • temporal analysis
  • resilient society
  • sustainable urban environment
  • urban and regional sustainability
  • urban risks

Published Papers (3 papers)

Order results
Result details
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

28 pages, 4712 KiB  
Article
Mapping the Multi-Vulnerabilities of Outdoor Places to Enhance the Resilience of Historic Urban Districts: The Case of the Apulian Region Exposed to Slow and Rapid-Onset Disasters
by Elena Cantatore, Dario Esposito and Alberico Sonnessa
Sustainability 2023, 15(19), 14248; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151914248 - 26 Sep 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1251
Abstract
Recent critical events brought attention to the increasing exposure of urban environments to both slow and rapid onset disasters, which arise from both anthropogenic and natural causes. These events have particularly severe effects on historic centres, which are characterized by high levels of [...] Read more.
Recent critical events brought attention to the increasing exposure of urban environments to both slow and rapid onset disasters, which arise from both anthropogenic and natural causes. These events have particularly severe effects on historic centres, which are characterized by high levels of vulnerability and valuable assets exposed to risk. To minimize the impact on tangible and intangible cultural heritage values, especially in outdoor public areas such as squares and streets, it is crucial to establish coherent mitigative and adaptive solutions for different types of hazards. This research presents a methodology aimed at defining levels of multi-vulnerabilities in historic districts in the Apulia Region (Italy), considering the recurrent hazards to which the latter is prone. It uses a multi-step process based on structured and non-structured methodologies and tools for single risks, examined in combination, to determine the main properties characterizing the vulnerability assessment. The dataset was analyzed in a GIS environment to evaluate the selected Apulian case study (Molfetta) in Multi-Asynchronous Hazard scenarios, showing the compounded levels of criticalities for open areas and streets. This information is intended to support authority and emergency managers in identifying priority interventions and increasing the resilience of the outdoor public places. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

17 pages, 5572 KiB  
Article
Geographical Exploration of the Underrepresentation of Ethnic Minority Cyclists in England
by Afua Kokayi, Shino Shiode and Narushige Shiode
Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 5677; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15075677 - 24 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1327
Abstract
Cycling is encouraged as a means of sustainable urban transport, yet its uptake rate is uneven between different ethnic groups. The ethnic minority population in England is underrepresented as cyclists, but the reasons for this are unclear. Through linear regression and Geographically Weighted [...] Read more.
Cycling is encouraged as a means of sustainable urban transport, yet its uptake rate is uneven between different ethnic groups. The ethnic minority population in England is underrepresented as cyclists, but the reasons for this are unclear. Through linear regression and Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR), this research investigates the spatial distribution of the propensity to cycling among the ethnic minority population and the white population across England with the aim to identify the contributing factors toward the discrepancy of cycling rates between both groups and how these factors vary geographically. Results from OLS regression suggest that cycle rates are generally affected most by hilliness, the presence of school-age children, and income, with the presence of school-age children affecting the ethnic minority group and hilliness affecting the white group the most. The use of GWR revealed that income generally reduces cycle rates but has a positive impact in London for both groups. The length of cycleways and the length of 20 mph speed limit roads per unit area were statistically insignificant, but their local coefficients in GWR showed strong regional variations for both groups. The study also found that, with the exception of the level of income, ethnic minority cyclists are less sensitive to contributing factors than the white cyclists. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

16 pages, 3592 KiB  
Article
Biodiversity and the Recreational Value of Green Infrastructure in England
by Katherine Murkin, Narushige Shiode, Shino Shiode and David Kidd
Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 2915; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15042915 - 6 Feb 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2297
Abstract
Green infrastructure refers to connected corridors of greenspaces within and beyond urban areas. It provides sustainable ecosystem goods and services for people and wildlife, enhancing their wellbeing and protecting them against climatic extremes. However, the exact contributing factors to the betterment of green [...] Read more.
Green infrastructure refers to connected corridors of greenspaces within and beyond urban areas. It provides sustainable ecosystem goods and services for people and wildlife, enhancing their wellbeing and protecting them against climatic extremes. However, the exact contributing factors to the betterment of green infrastructure are not systematically examined at a national level. This study aims to identify what helps improve biodiversity and the recreational value of green infrastructure. The study uses hotspot analysis, ordinary least squares (OLS) regression and geographically weighted regression (GWR) to understand the spatial patterns of the relevant variables and outcomes. Findings suggest that high wildlife species richness was reported in Forestry Commission woodlands and country parks, whilst doorstep greens and village greens returned poor species richness. The recreational value of greenspace was affected the most by certain types of greenspace (e.g., woodlands) as well as the percentage of urban cover. They indicate that biodiversity is generally high in areas away from urban centres, while access to greenspace in an urban space brings us high recreational value. These results indicate that green infrastructure is a complex system that requires the right balance between different priorities and services. Full article
Show Figures

Figure 1

Back to TopTop