Search Results (14)

Drosicha corpulenta (Hemiptera: Monophlebidae) is a major polyphagous pest affecting street and garden trees in arid regions of northern China, causing increasing damage in newly developed cities like Cocodala, Xinjiang. This study was conducted from 2024 to 2025 to investigate this pest’s life cycle, key damage periods, and spatial distribution in seven host plants, focusing on nymph emergence, female soil entry, and overwintering egg distribution. The results show that D. corpulenta has one generation per year, which overwinters as eggs. Nymphs emerge in early March, and male pupation occurs from mid-April to early May. Females mate after the third molt in early to mid-May and enter the soil to lay eggs from late May to early June, with consistent timing over two years. The suitability of the host varied significantly: Platanus × hispanica was the most preferred, with the highest daily nymph emergence of 840.8 individuals in 2024 and 1196.0 in 2025, followed by Prunus padus and five other plant species (Populus spp., Fraxinus chinensis, Styphnolobium japonicum, Pinus spp., and Malus spectabilis). Female soil entry reached a maximum on 23 May (979.8 individuals⁻¹ day⁻¹) and gradually decreased with increasing distance from the trunk. Overwintering eggs showed no obvious azimuthal bias, but were mainly concentrated near the trunk (0–30 cm) and in shallow soil (0–10 cm; 179.8 eggs per 100 g composite soil sample per sampling point), decreasing sharply in number with distance and depth. Both Taylor’s power law and Iwao’s regression confirmed the aggregated distribution. This study identifies key phenological stages, highly susceptible hosts, and the near-trunk shallow soil layer as critical for oviposition and overwintering and provides a basis for precise monitoring and targeted control in urban green spaces. Full article

As universities become increasingly open, campuses are no longer only places for study and daily life for students and faculty, but also essential spaces for public visits and cultural identity. Traditional perception evaluation methods that rely on manual surveys are limited by sample size and subjective bias, making it challenging to reveal differences in experiences between groups (students/visitors) and the complex relationships between spatial elements and perceptions. This study uses a comprehensive open university in China as a case study to address this. It proposes a research framework that combines street-view image semantic segmentation, perception survey scores, and interpretable machine learning with sample augmentation. First, full-sample modeling is used to identify key image semantic features influencing perception indicators (nature, culture, aesthetics), and then to compare how students and visitors differ in their perceptions and preferences across campus spaces. To overcome the imbalance in survey data caused by group–space interactions, the study applies the CTGAN method, which expands minority samples through conditional generation while preserving distribution authenticity, thereby improving the robustness and interpretability of the model. Based on this, attribution analysis with an interpretable decision tree algorithm further quantifies semantic features’ contribution, direction, and thresholds to perceptions, uncovering heterogeneity in perception mechanisms across groups. The results provide methodological support for perception evaluation of campus functional zones and offer data-driven, human-centered references for campus planning and design optimization. Full article

Efficient pedestrian detection plays an important role in many practical daily life applications, such as autonomous cars, video surveillance, and intelligent driving assistance systems. The main goal of pedestrian detection systems, especially in vehicles, is to prevent accidents. By recognizing pedestrians in real time, these systems can alert drivers or even autonomously apply brakes, minimizing the possibility of collisions. However, occlusion is a major obstacle to pedestrian detection. Pedestrians are typically occluded by trees, street poles, cars, and other pedestrians. State-of-the-art detection methods are based on fully visible or little-occluded pedestrians; hence, their performance declines with increasing occlusion level. To meet this challenge, a pedestrian detector capable of handling occlusion is preferred. To increase the detection accuracy for occluded pedestrians, we propose a new method called the Discriminative Deformable Part Model (DDPM), which uses the concept of breaking human image into deformable parts via machine learning. In existing works, human image breaking into deformable parts has been performed by human intuition. In our novel approach, machine learning is used for deformable objects such as humans, combining the benefits and removing the drawbacks of the previous works. We also propose a new pedestrian dataset based on Eastern clothes to accommodate the detector’s evaluation under different intra-class variations of pedestrians. The proposed method achieves a higher detection accuracy on Pascal VOC and VisDrone Detection datasets when compared with other popular detection methods. Full article

Green infrastructure (GI) provides considerable benefits, including stormwater runoff management, biodiversity conservation, and urban sustainability promotion, and thus has garnered widespread attention. However, the limited research on residents’ preferences for GI constrains further promotion in China. To address this issue, data were collected from 436 residents in Wuhan, China, through an online survey. This study employed a comprehensive analytical framework that integrates best–worst scaling (BWS) with the contingent valuation method (CVM) to assess the preferences of residents in Wuhan, China, for six types of GI and estimate their willingness to pay (WTP) for GI enhancements. The conditional model and mixed logit model results indicated that residents preferred GI facilities that offer direct benefits, such as street trees and permeable pavements, and showed a lower preference for structures less suited to a Chinese context, such as eco-roofs. Regarding heterogeneity, only permeable pavements showed significant variation in preferences. Furthermore, the average WTP for GI enhancement was 142.28 RMB/household/year. Factors including familiarity with GI, information sources, and air quality improvement perceptions positively influenced the WTP, while low income negatively impacted the WTP. These findings offer insights for urban planners to develop effective policies to enhance public support for GI and promote urban sustainability. Full article

The intensification of the urban heat island effect, characterized by persistent high temperatures in Chinese cities during summer, has led to notable shifts in urban residents’ activity patterns and travel preferences. Given that street trees, as fundamental components of urban road networks, have significant interaction with residents, it is imperative to investigate their thermal comfort impact. This study aims to enhance the comfortable summer travel experience for urban dwellers. Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU) was selected as the case study site, with eight street tree species identified as measurement points. The summer solstice (21 June 2023) served as the representative weather condition. Through monitoring temperature and humidity, the study explored the correlation between street tree species, their characteristic factors, and thermal comfort. Utilizing ENVI-met and ArcGIS, the thermal comfort of campus travel routes was assessed, leading to the development of a summer travel guide based on thermal comfort considerations. The research novelty lies in applying a combined ENVI-met 5.0.2 and ArcGIS 10.8 software approach for modelling and visualizing the microclimate, which enables a more precise analysis of the thermal comfort variations of different campus paths, thus improving the accuracy and applicability of the results in urban planning. The findings reveal several points. (1) Different street trees possess varying capacities to enhance human comfort, with Falcataria falcata and Mangifera indica exhibiting the strongest cooling and humidifying effects, whereas Bauhinia purpurea and Amygdalus persica perform the poorest. Additionally, the research confirms ENVI-met’s scientific accuracy and practicality for microclimate studies. (2) The contribution of street trees to the comfort of campus road travel is primarily determined by the Sky View Factor (SVF), which negatively correlates with cooling and humidifying intensity and positively with thermal comfort. (3) During midday, travel comfort conditions on campus roads are better. Based on the thermal comfort assessment, a summer roadmap was created for the campus. In this case, the campus roads indicated by road A are considered the best travel routes in summer, and the roads indicated by roads B and C are considered alternatives for travelling. This practical application demonstrates how theoretical research results can be translated into practical tools for daily commuting and urban planning. It provides data references and empirical cases for the scientific optimization and enhancement of urban roads. Full article

Byblos, designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site, stands as one of Lebanon’s most ancient urban centers, known for its expansive green spaces. However, ongoing urbanization threatens these valuable areas. This study uses a multi-faceted approach to evaluate the structure and landscape attributes of Byblos’ urban and peri-urban forests (UPFs). Landscape canopy cover, diversity indices, forest structure, and a silhouette perceptual test were assessed across 24 streets in the city center, residential zones, and areas with heavy vehicular traffic. Findings reveal that 28% of Byblos’ canopy cover is concentrated mostly in the northeastern region. Native tree species account for 30% of the total, and a notable variation in tree diversity exists among different land-use types (Shannon diversity index (H) was 1.02 for the city center, 1.35 for residential streets, and 0.64 for vehicular areas). Additionally, a normal J-shaped distribution of tree diameters was identified across all street types. This study highlights a correlation between tree silhouettes and visual preferences, with densely spreading canopies being favored. Residential trees demonstrate the highest structural diversity and varied blossoming seasons. This research represents the first investigation into the current state of urban forestry in Byblos and offers recommendations for sustainable management and planning strategies. Full article

Street trees play a crucial role in improving urban environments, and their management depends on the perceptions and preferences of urban residents. This study surveyed 884 urban residents’ preferences and perceptions towards street trees in a metropolitan area in Korea and proposed guidelines for their sustainable management. Urban residents were aware of the presence of street trees based on visual changes and were generally satisfied with their shape, size, and growth. They preferred trees that provide environmental and ecological services, such as offering shade, purifying the air, and preserving the ecosystem, while viewing the generation of debris from street trees as the most significant problem. Urban residents’ perspectives on street tree preference and issues varied based on age, income, and housing type. Although urban residents acknowledged the need for the maintenance and management of street trees, they believed that this was the responsibility of central and local governments, not local residents. Collectively, the residents had a positive view of urban street trees and believed that maintenance and management are necessary to address problems caused by their presence. Our research findings provide valuable information to help city and landscaping experts select street tree species and establish maintenance and management strategies. Full article

In the context of the global construction of low-carbon cities and residents’ pursuit of healthy living, the improvement in the urban walking environment has gradually been emphasized in the field of planning and transportation research. Using Harbin, China, as an example, this paper combines gradient boosting decision trees (GBDTs) and impact-asymmetry analysis (IAA) methods to explore the differences in residents’ preferences for the pedestrian environment needs in old and new urban areas, analyze the asymmetric relationship between walking environment factors and overall satisfaction, and provide a sound basis for the renewal and reconstruction of the walking environment in old urban areas and the improvement of the walking environment in new urban areas. The factors affecting the pedestrian environment in the old and new urban areas are similar and different, with the aesthetics and safety and the aesthetics and comfort of the pedestrian environment having a greater impact on the old and new urban areas, respectively. According to the results of the IAA, the old city should focus on improving green landscaping, street furniture, the uncivilized behavior of pedestrians, pavement encroachment, barrier-free facilities, and the speed of motor vehicles; the new city should focus on improving the building facade effect, the uncivilized behavior of pedestrians, and green landscaping. Full article

The beneficial effects of green and blue areas on human wellbeing are significant. Physical activity is a crucial factor for the promotion of good human health and wellbeing, and running constitutes one of the most popular forms of outdoor physical activity. This study examines the effect of six urban “route landscapes” with different landscape characters used for outdoor running on the heart rates and speeds of 30 people wearing a smartwatch while running. These routes included: (1) a running track in a stadium; (2) a road without street trees; (3) a road with street trees; (4) an urban park without sea view; (5) an urban park with sea view; and (6) a road by the sea. Additionally, a questionnaire survey was conducted to determine participants’ perceptions and preferred “route landscape” for running. In the study, higher heart rates were recorded on routes without trees, including the stadium. The lowest heart rate was recorded in the park by the sea, followed by the road by the sea, which were at the lowest altitudes amongst the routes studied. Additionally, the highest mean speed of participants was recorded during the run on the road by the sea. The results also showed that irrespectively of the routes, increases in altitude and gradient caused an increase in the heart rates. In the survey, the majority of respondents stated that they would have felt calm and joy during a run either in a park or in a park by the sea. With rising sea levels dictating not to build, carbon capture being necessary in parks, and trees by roads reducing the heat island effect, this study reveals the best “route landscapes” for runners’ health and global warming. Full article

Modern urban lifestyles have most likely generated a loss of awareness of the bio-cultural benefits derived from the presence of trees and forests in cities. The present study aimed at understanding the level of awareness and the ability to express significant relationships, both positive and negative, on ecosystem services and disservices by the citizens of a Mediterranean city where thermal comfort during the summer period can be particularly problematic. A questionnaire consisting of multiple-choice and open-ended questions was disseminated to citizens of Florence, Italy. The open questions allowed respondents space to describe what they perceive are the benefits and disbenefits of urban trees. Meanwhile, geospatial and climate data were processed in order to check the vegetation and microclimate conditions of the city areas where the 592 respondents live. The vast majority of respondents felt Florence is unbearably hot in summer with 93% agreeing the city needs more trees, and shaded places were perceived as the most important feature of urban green space. The results reveal many positive and negative associations to different species of trees and bring out a rich mosaic of perceptions towards urban green spaces and the features they contain. People are generally aware of a wide range of the benefits trees provide to communities and a good knowledge of the microclimate modification properties was revealed. Many of the popular public tree genera in the city, such as Tilia, Platanus and Pinus were favoured by residents however there was some overlap with trees that provoke negative experiences, and this information can be useful to city planners aiming to maximise ecosystem services and minimise ecosystem disservices. Full article

Street tree species are selected mainly based on functional utility. This selection practice results in effective management. If the value of street trees as perceived by citizens is added to the existing selection criteria, satisfaction will be improved in addition to effective management. This study attempted to find a way to reflect citizens’ values in street tree selection criteria through empirical analysis. A preference survey and the visual and affective evaluation of 12 street tree species in Busan Metropolitan City were conducted. With the collected data, principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to draw common factors of evaluation. Additionally, multidimensional scaling (MDS) was used to group tree species that were considered similar. The study results revealed that citizens prefer species that provide visually positive feelings and intimacy. Some species appropriate for urban greenspaces are not preferred for street trees. Although a low level of nuisance is an important aspect of street trees, citizens do not prefer species that are excessively free from nuisance. When selecting species with a polarized preference, dealing with undesired aspects is required. It is necessary to acknowledge the different preferences of citizens and street tree authorities; reflecting citizens’ values can provide more citizen-friendly street plans. Full article

Rapid urban expansion and population growth in Saudi cities over the past four decades have increased vehicular accidents and traffic congestion and have impacted the daily walking conditions of the residents. Walking has various health and environmental benefits. In North American and European countries, three factors have been found to motivate a resident to walk within their community: their accessibility to community social and business facilities, their perception and willingness, and the safety conditions of the roads and sidewalks within their community for walking. This study examined these factors and their role in the walking habits of the residents in the neighborhoods of Doha and Dana districts in Saudi Arabia’s eastern city of Dhahran. Data were collected through field observations and by randomly sampling and interviewing 200 residents. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and SPSS statistical software were used for data analysis. The results show that most of the community facilities are randomly placed in the districts. Mosques are the closest facility to each resident with an average accessibility distance of 242m. Almost 43% of the respondents prefer daily walking while the rest are hesitant due to hot weather during summer and narrow and poorly designed sidewalks. The sidewalks were also found to be blocked by trees, street signals, and illegally parked vehicles. Future studies should explore the accessibility to facilities, willingness, climate, and health conditions of the residents, and the road and sidewalk conditions for walking in other cities of the Kingdom. Full article

In this work, we present a system that generates customized pedestrian routes entirely based on data from OpenStreetMap (OSM). The system enables users to define to what extent they would like the route to have green areas (e.g., parks, squares, trees), social places (e.g., cafes, restaurants, shops) and quieter streets (i.e., with less road traffic). We present how the greenness, sociability, and quietness factors are defined and extracted from OSM as well as how they are integrated into a routing cost function. We intrinsically evaluate customized routes from one-thousand trips, i.e., origin–destination pairs, and observe that these are, in general, as we intended—slightly longer but significantly more social, greener, and quieter than the respective shortest routes. Based on a survey taken by 156 individuals, we also evaluate the system’s usefulness, usability, controlability, and transparency. The majority of the survey participants agree that the system is useful and easy to use and that it gives them the feeling of being in control regarding the extraction of routes in accordance with their greenness, sociability, and quietness preferences. The survey also provides valuable insights into users requirements and wishes regarding a tool for interactively generating customized pedestrian routes. Full article

Trees in urban landscapes provide a range of ecosystem services, including habitat, refugia, food, and corridors for other fauna and flora. However, there is some debate whether the richness and abundance of other biodiversity supported is influenced by the provenance of trees, i.e., native or non-native. This study assessed the presence of mistletoes and birds (and nests) in 1261 street trees. There were marked differences between native and non-native street trees, with the former having a significantly higher prevalence of birds (and nests) and supporting more species and in greater densities, whilst the latter supported a higher prevalence of mistletoes. Additionally, for birds, the proximity to green space, tree size and species were also important, whilst for mistletoes, the proximity to green space, slope aspect, and tree species were significant. Preference ratios indicated that some tree species had a higher than random occurrence of birds or mistletoes, whilst others had a low abundance. The indigenous tree species, Acacia karroo Hayne was the only reasonably abundant street tree species that was important for birds, nests, and mistletoes. At the street scale, there was a positive relationship between street tree species richness and bird species richness. These results emphasise the importance of selecting appropriate tree species if biodiversity conservation is a core outcome. Full article