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The Interactions between Urban Populations and Their Environments

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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 (1 May 2023) | Viewed by 21932

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Hongsheng Chen

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Guest Editor

School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Shenzhen University, Shenzhen 518060, China
Interests: urbanization; migration; urban planning
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Prof. Dr. Yang Xiao

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Guest Editor

College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China
Interests: built environment; spatial assessment; social health;community governance
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Dr. Sainan Lin

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Guest Editor

School of Urban Design, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
Interests: migration and social integration; urban socio-spatial transformation; China
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The environment is an important factor affecting the life quality of urban population. Green spaces, parks, rivers, sunlight, natural disasters, and other natural environmental factors have direct or indirect effects on people’s perception, satisfaction, happiness, health, etc. Architecture, public facilities, roads, lighting, landscape, and other built environment factors also affect people’s living conditions. The environment makes people live happier, but environmental pollution and environmental disasters also force families to leave their homes. The impact of the environment on people is not unidirectional, and people are also adapting the environment. We need to pay attention to people’s adaptability to the environment. Based on the backgrounds of different countries and regions, research and policies on environmental governance and environmental justice has promoted the fair development of human society. The understanding of the relationship between people and the environment is still deepening. Now, we must not only explore the static relationship between people and the environment, but also conduct research on the dynamic relationship between people and the environment. For instance, with the overcrowding in the central area of the metropolitan area, people move from the central area of the metropolitan area to the fringe area of the metropolitan area, which has caused a profound change in the environment of the urban fringe area. At the same time, large-scale inter-city commuting has also emerged, which has also changed the regional environment. The relationship between people and the environment is actually two-way. The environment affects people’s perception and health, but people are also changing and even creating new environments. Especially in metropolitan areas with high population density, people’s lifestyle has a profound impact on the environment. There is also a multi-scale relationship between population and environment. For example, on a macro scale, from suburbanization to renewal of urban central areas, urban population mobility and socioeconomic activities change the environment. On the microscopic scale, planners integrate environmental elements into the design of human settlements, allowing daily family life to be closer to nature.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following:

The impact of the environment on the physical and psychological of different social groups;
Population mobility and environmental effects;
The impact of human settlements planning/design on people’s life style;
Theory and practice of urban planning to address environmental issues;
The impact of suburbanization and urban renewal on the environment.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Hongsheng Chen
Dr. Yang Xiao
Dr. Sainan Lin
Guest Editors

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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. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

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Keywords

environmental effects
population mobility
environmental adaptability
urban areas
resilient cities
disadvantaged groups
suburbanization
commuting
lifestyle
human settlements

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 2766 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research of Metro Stations with Varying Patterns of Ridership and Their Relationship with Built Environment, on the Example of Tianjin, China

by Lei Pang, Yuxiao Jiang, Jingjing Wang, Ning Qiu, Xiang Xu, Lijian Ren and Xinyu Han

Sustainability 2023, 15(12), 9533; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15129533 - 14 Jun 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2384

Abstract

The metro station ridership features are associated significantly with the built environment factors of the pedestrian catchment area surrounding metro stations. The existing studies have focused on the impact on total ridership at metro stations, ignoring the impact on varying patterns of metro station ridership. Therefore, the reasonable identification of metro station categories and built environment factors affecting the varying patterns of ridership in different categories of stations is very important for metro construction. In this study, we developed a data-driven framework to examine the relationship between varying patterns of metro station ridership and built environment factors in these areas. By leveraging smart card data, we extracted the dynamic characteristics of ridership and utilized hierarchical clustering and K-means clustering to identify diverse patterns of metro station ridership, and we finally identified six main ridership patterns. We then developed a newly built environment measurement framework and adopted multinomial logistic regression analysis to explore the association between ridership patterns and built environment factors. (1) The clustering analysis results revealed that six station types were classified based on varying patterns of passenger flow, representing distinct functional characteristics. (2) The regression analysis indicated that diversity, density, and location factors were significantly associated with most station function types, while destination accessibility was only positively associated with employment-oriented type stations, and centrality was only associated with employment-oriented hybrid type station. The research results could inform the spatial planning and design around metro stations and the planning and design of metro systems. The built environment of pedestrian catchment areas surrounding metro stations can be enhanced through rational land use planning and the appropriate allocation of urban infrastructure and public service facilities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interactions between Urban Populations and Their Environments)

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18 pages, 1538 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Can New Urbanization Construction Improve Ecological Welfare Performance in the Yangtze River Economic Belt?

by Lingyan Bao, Xuhui Ding, Jingxian Zhang and Dingyi Ma

Sustainability 2023, 15(11), 8758; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118758 - 29 May 2023

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 1535

Abstract

New urbanization construction can effectively improve resource allocation efficiency and promote high-quality development, so there is practical significance to exploring the relationship between new urbanization construction and ecological welfare performance in order to achieve a win-win situation of ecological environmental protection and high-quality development in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. This paper innovatively, from the perspective of input-output, constructs a framework for analyzing the ecological welfare performance, measures the ecological welfare performance of Yangtze River Economic Belt with SE-SBM model, and empirically analyzes the impact of new urbanization on ecological welfare performance using the fixed-effect model. The results showed that: (1). the ecological welfare performance of the Yangtze River Economic Belt showed a U-shaped trend of decreasing and then increasing as a whole. There were significant regional differences in the east, middle, and west of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, especially in the eastern region, a region that has shown an obvious growth trend. (2). Population and land urbanization had a significant negative inhibitory effect on improving ecological welfare performance. On the contrary, economic urbanization and social urbanization had significant positive effects on improving ecological welfare performance. (3). Adopting and implementing policies such as the National New Urbanization Plan (2021–2035) encouraged the co-development of new urbanization and ecological civilizations, promoting new urbanization construction and playing a beneficial role in transforming ecological welfare. So, the Yangtze River Economic Belt should promote a new type of urbanization going forward, promoting green transformation and the upgrading of industries, standardizing the utilization of land resources, improving the well-being of urban residents, and effectively governing urban environmental pollution. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interactions between Urban Populations and Their Environments)

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22 pages, 844 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

Economic Potential Gain, Income Uncertainty, and Rural Migrants’ Urban Homeownership: Evidence from China

by Jie Chen, Wei Wang and Yan Song

Sustainability 2023, 15(9), 7407; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15097407 - 29 Apr 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 5142

Abstract

Citizenization of rural migrants is considered as a labeling urbanization goal in developing countries. Homeownership has always been regarded as the most important cornerstone of citizenization for individuals and families in China. Despite the existence of plenty of literature on migrants’ homeownership, some critical influencing factors are still under-investigated. On the basis of the large nation-wide micro data of the China Migrant Dynamic Survey (CMDS), this study investigates the correlations among economic potential gain, income uncertainty, and rural migrants’ homeownership propensity in their host cities. The empirical results suggest that economic potential gain is positively correlated with the likelihood of rural migrants’ homeownership in their host cities, whereas there is negative association between income uncertainty and urban homeownership propensity among rural migrant households. In addition, we found that larger income uncertainty lowers the positive association between economic potential gain and rural migrants’ homeownership propensity in their host cities. Furthermore, the heterogeneity of these correlations across demographic characteristics and regions were investigated. We conclude this paper by making several suggestions, including offering a level playing field for rewarding migrants’ human capital endowment reasonably in terms of income, accelerating the hukou system reform, and eliminating institutional discrimination imposed on rural migrants to increase income stability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interactions between Urban Populations and Their Environments)

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22 pages, 13580 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatiotemporal Evolution of the Coupling Coordination Relationship of “Population–Environment” Development in the Xi’an Metropolitan Area

by Wen Qu, Hao Lian, Yao Wang and Yan Ma

Sustainability 2023, 15(5), 4533; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15054533 - 3 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1679

Abstract

In China, the metropolitan area is an important spatial carrier to promote high-quality urbanization as well as the coordinated development of large, medium, and small cities and regions. The environment is an important factor affecting the quality of life among urban populations, and anthropogenic activity significantly impacts the natural and built environments. Considering the Xi’an metropolitan area as a case study, we selected three subsystems across three cross-sections in 2000, 2010, and 2020: population agglomeration, natural ecological development, and urban environmental development. We used the entropy weight method, coupling the coordination model and correlation analysis to analyze the spatiotemporal patterns, coupling coordination relationship, and related development factors of the “population–environment” system. The results showed that the development of the “population–environment” system in Xi’an exhibits stratification and differentiation between the center, core, and periphery circles. The coupling coordination level of “population–environment” is slowly improving, while most districts and counties have been on the verge of incoordination. Furthermore, the coupling coordination relationship of each district and county could be further classified into five types. Accordingly, this paper discusses corresponding and differentiated strategies to promote the healthy and sustainable development of regional populations and the environment for districts and counties. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interactions between Urban Populations and Their Environments)

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19 pages, 327 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Why Did Urban Exodus Occur during the COVID-19 Pandemic from the Perspective of Residential Preference of Each Type of Household? Case of Japanese Metropolitan Areas

by Miyu Komaki, Haruka Kato and Daisuke Matsushita

Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3315; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043315 - 10 Feb 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2007

Abstract

The background of this study is the urban exodus that occurred in Japanese metropolitan areas. The research question of this study is about the reasons why the urban exodus occurred in Japanese metropolitan areas. For the analysis, the objective of this study is to clarify the residential preferences of each household type in relation to the urban exodus during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japanese metropolitan areas. The method of this study is a web questionnaire survey. The sample comprised 593 respondents who migrated from ordinance-designed cities to other municipalities in metropolitan areas between April 2020 and March 2022. In conclusion, this study elucidates that migrant household type as urban exodus is households whose eldest child had enrolled in elementary school or above. Regarding residential preferences, the household type changes the importance of community and environment, rather than the working arrangement. This result is novel and essential because it clarifies that the household type tends to place more importance on the quality of childcare environment, ties to communities, the presence of a large garden/balcony, and utilizing opportunities to experience the community, such as via trial migration support programs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interactions between Urban Populations and Their Environments)

22 pages, 9137 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Human Settlement Resilience Zoning and Optimizing Strategies for River-Network Cities under Flood Risk Management Objectives: Taking Yueyang City as an Example

by Fan Yang, Suwen Xiong, Jiangang Ou, Ziyu Zhao and Ting Lei

Sustainability 2022, 14(15), 9595; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14159595 - 4 Aug 2022

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2343

Abstract

The dense river network and large population in the southern region of China are vulnerable to flooding stress, which challenges the construction of human settlements. This paper analyzes the causes of flood risk and the dilemma of human settlement improvement in river-network cities, introduces the principle of resilience to human settlements, and conducts a quantitative study on the resilience of human settlements in river-network cities with the goal of flood risk management. Taking Yueyang city, a river-network city in the Yangtze River Basin, as the empirical research object, we conduct a flood resilience zoning of the human settlements based on the flood risk assessment model and use the GIS spatial overlay method to correct the resilience of the current human living space against the territorial spatial planning of Yueyang city. Ultimately, we propose a strategy for optimizing human settlements under flood risk management. The results show that (1) the highest-risk and high-risk areas of Yueyang city were mainly located in Dongting Lake and its interconnected water system, the southwest local area and the southeastern fringe, while the low-risk and lowest-risk areas were mainly located in the northeast local area and the northwestern fringe, with low flood stress risk. (2) The spatial system of human settlement resilience was constructed based on the flood risk assessment level. Among them, the human settlement flood resilience zoning of Yueyang city was divided into five categories from low to high: human settlement control zone, restriction zone, buffer zone, construction zone and expansion zone; the flood resilience zoning of Yueyang city’s current living space was divided into three categories from low to high: structure adjustment zone, flood restriction zone and development stability zone. (3) The specific control implementation and execution of the human settlements in Yueyang city mainly focus on the interrelationship between the risk of flooding in the watershed and the development of human activities through zoning regulation and collaborative management to optimize the human settlements. The study results can provide positive intervention and guidance for constructing urban and rural territorial spatial prevention planning and improving human living quality in river-network cities in China. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interactions between Urban Populations and Their Environments)

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24 pages, 4926 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on the Jobs-Housing Balance of Residents in Peri-Urbanization Areas in China: A Case Study of Zoucheng County

by Haonan Zhang, Hu Zhao, Saisai Meng and Yanghua Zhang

Sustainability 2022, 14(13), 7921; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14137921 - 29 Jun 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1900

Abstract

In the process of urbanization, peri-urbanization is a unique phenomenon in China. For residents living in peri-urbanization areas, realizing the balance between workplace and living space is not only a crucial guarantee for them to secure livelihood but also an important criterion to measure the quality of China’s urbanization. Based on the questionnaire data distributed by the research group in Zoucheng County, China, in 2021, this study measures the degree of jobs-housing balance in county area by constructing the benefit index of jobs-housing balance and explores factors affecting the jobs-housing balance in county area by using logistic regression, random forest classification, and regression tree. Results: Firstly, with 57% of the residents have achieved the standard, the level of jobs-housing balance in Zoucheng County is relatively high. Secondly, individual, household and built environment dimensions jointly affect jobs-housing balance of residents. Furthermore, at the current stage of China’s county areas, household is not the core dimension influencing jobs-housing balance. Thirdly, factors that passed the significance test can be divided into three categories: key factors, important factors, and auxiliary factors. Occupation type, commuting way and residential location are the key factors affecting the jobs-housing balance, which deserve our attention. Therefore, according to the above conclusions, relevant suggestions for promoting jobs-housing balance of residents in county area were put forward. For instance, considering the diverse occupation of local residents, employments that match their skills should be offered, and as for peri-urbanization areas, the regulatory of jobs-housing balance should be placed in urban and rural areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interactions between Urban Populations and Their Environments)

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14 pages, 896 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Individual Social Capital and Community Participation: An Empirical Analysis of Guangzhou, China

by Tianlan Fu and Sanqin Mao

Sustainability 2022, 14(12), 6966; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14126966 - 7 Jun 2022

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2970

Abstract

A social capital framework has been widely adopted to interpret participatory behaviors. While there is substantial literature regarding the effects of community-based social capital on grassroots participation, less attention has been paid to the relationship between different sources of social capital and community participation. This is particularly relevant for understanding community development undergone restructuring of individual social capital, such as China. To address this deficiency in the literature, this paper integrates both individual and social capital that is accessed within and outside a community to analyze their relation to different forms of community participation. Multilevel analysis is based on a large-scale community survey conducted in Guangzhou at the end of 2012. The results reveal a shift in social relations such that personal social resources are now mainly accessed outside the community. They further reveal that social resources outside communities are consistently and significantly related to all forms of participation. This implies that although residents’ personal networks have gradually diffused out of their communities, this has not only not reduced their enthusiasm toward the communities themselves but also facilitated participation in community affairs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Interactions between Urban Populations and Their Environments)

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