Search Results (1,520)

This study developed a Visitor Attraction Quality Checklist to evaluate amenity infrastructure. Seoullo 7017, an elevated linear park located in the Seoul Station area, is the study region. Drawing on the literature on urban regeneration and tourism, as well as amenity-based approaches and the quality evaluation of elevated linear parks, this study develops evaluation criteria that incorporate the physical environment and safety, accessibility and convenience, landscape and identity, and social usage and experience. By applying a longitudinal analysis, on-site qualitative evaluations were conducted between August 2017 and January 2026. The findings show that Seoullo 7017 functions well as a visitor attraction, offering high-standard safety infrastructure, cleanliness, and good esthetic value to accommodate diverse visitors. However, there is a seasonal disparity in cultural programming and limited connections to the surrounding local economy. This study also reveals that rigid planter designs, a lack of tree maintenance, and insufficient shaded areas limit spatial flexibility and visitor comfort. For Seoullo 7017 to pursue sustainability, it must refine its horticultural management, integrate with local businesses, and improve its design. The Visitor Attraction Quality Checklist serves as a longitudinal diagnostic tool for managing elevated urban linear parks as an outcome of global regeneration projects. Full article

Urban trees are increasingly deployed as nature-based infrastructure to mitigate heat and manage stormwater, yet quantitative guidance on how species traits and site context shape transpiration remains fragmented. We conducted a systematic metadata analysis of seven field studies that measured daily transpiration rate in urban settings using heat-pulse methods. The units and spatial scales reported were harmonized with the sap flow density across active sapwood (J_s, g H₂O/${\mathrm{cm}}^2$/day) by converting reported stand transpiration and the outer 2 cm of sapwood sap flux using established Gaussian radial distribution functions for angiosperms and gymnosperms, which account for the non-linear decline in sap flux from the vascular cambium to the heartwood boundary. We then summarized distributions and tested group differences with Kruskal–Wallis and Dunn post hoc comparisons across wood anatomy, climate, soil texture, and planting configuration. Conifers exhibited significantly lower median $J_s$ (39.76 g/${\mathrm{cm}}^2$/day) than angiosperms, while the ring-porous group (median $J_s$ = 92.25 g/${\mathrm{cm}}^2$/day) and diffuse-porous groups (median $J_s$ = 96.70 g/${\mathrm{cm}}^2$/day) had similar distributions overall. Climate-modulated responses within wood anatomy groups differed, with diffuse-porous species exhibiting the highest median $J_s$ (152.59 g/${\mathrm{cm}}^2$/day) in semi-arid regions, ring-porous species maintaining comparatively stable median $J_s$ across climates (varying slightly between 80.72 and 99.32 g/${\mathrm{cm}}^2$/day), and conifers reaching their highest median $J_s$ (69.90 g/${\mathrm{cm}}^2$/day) in humid continental sites. Soil texture effects were consistent with moisture availability: sandy loam generally reduced $J_s$ relative to loam or silt loam for conifers and diffuse-porous species. Across anatomies, single trees transpired more than clustered trees or closed canopies. For example, planting as single trees increased median $J_s$ by 86% in conifers (from 33.01 to 61.37 g/${\mathrm{cm}}^2$/day) and by 45% in diffuse-porous species (from 81.31 to 118.25 g/${\mathrm{cm}}^2$/day). These results provide actionable ranges and contrasts to inform species selection and planting design for urban greening and runoff reduction, while highlighting data gaps for future research. Ultimately, by matching specific wood anatomies and planting configurations to local soil and climatic conditions, urban planners and ecohydrologists can strategically optimize urban forests to maximize targeted ecosystem services. Full article

The primary aim of this study is to validate the utility of Social Media Data (SMD) as a scientifically grounded tool for quantifying the spatial mismatch between objective ecological supply and subjective social demand. Assessing the spatial coupling and mismatch between Habitat Quality (HQ)—representing objective ecological supply—and Ecological Perception (EP)—representing subjective social demand—is essential for developing targeted urban management and development strategies. Focusing on the core urban area of Hangzhou, this study quantified ecological supply using the InVEST HQ model. To reflect social demand, 4958 geolocated Weibo posts were processed using contextual sentiment analysis. A Coupling Coordination Degree model served as a diagnostic tool to evaluate the synergy between these two dimensions. Additionally, a Geodetector model was employed to investigate the factors driving spatial differentiation in this coupling. The findings indicate that: (1) The regional average HQ is 0.56, reflecting a moderate overall level of degradation, while EP shows a preference for natural environments and exhibits a distinct “strip-like” spatial distribution. (2) The overall CCD value is 0.384; high-coupling areas are primarily concentrated in regions with superior natural conditions and dense vegetation, whereas low-coupling areas correspond to zones with intensive urban functions. (3) Driving factor analysis reveals that land-use type exerts the most significant influence on the overall degree of coupling. This study demonstrates that the HQ-EP coupling framework provides a reliable spatial diagnostic tool for urban planners to identify socio-ecological vulnerabilities. The results suggest that an appropriate integration of natural elements enhances coupling outcomes, with the highest synergy observed in environments characterized by high HQ and minimal anthropogenic disturbance. Full article

Aquaculture sustainability in rapidly urbanizing regions is increasingly threatened by heavy metal contamination originating from complex anthropogenic land-use patterns. This study used an integrated model to evaluate the molecular-to-human health continuum in hybrid catfish (Clarias gariepinus × Clarias macrocephalus) sourced from Pathum Thani, Thailand’s primary aquaculture hub. We integrated geospatial land-use data with heavy-metal quantification, oxidative-stress biomarkers, and transcriptional profiling to assess how canal-specific water quality modulates fish health and consumer risk. The results revealed significant spatial heterogeneity in metal concentrations, corresponding to the province’s 27% urban–industrial land-use footprint. While water quality generally met regulatory limits, a pronounced aqueous–biotic discrepancy, “bioaccumulation paradox” was identified at certain sites, where muscle and hepatic tissues exhibited lead (Pb), chromium (Cr), and nickel (Ni) levels that substantially exceeded international safety standards. Biochemical and molecular analyses provided functional evidence of physiological distress, specifically significantly elevated malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and the transcriptional modulation of cat, cyp1a, gpx, met, tnf, and star genes indicated that chronic metal exposure overwhelmed antioxidant defenses and induced potential endocrine disruption. Moreover, human health risk assessments revealed that the hazard index (HI) and target cancer risk (TR) exceeded unacceptable thresholds at multiple hotspots, indicating that Cr is a primary carcinogenic driver. These findings highlight a “GAP Paradox,” where farm-level certifications are insufficient to mitigate risks posed by the surrounding canal network. This study presents vital evidence-based risk profiles that necessitate a transition to a spatially based regulatory framework, incorporating geospatial land-use monitoring into national food safety policies to protect both aquaculture viability and public health. Full article

The Linpan in western Sichuan is a composite rural landscape of “household-water-forest-field” on the Chengdu Plain. Under the interference of human activities, problems such as landscape fragmentation and ecological function degradation have become increasingly serious, threatening regional ecological security. The specific components involved in the “study on ecological risk sequence” include landscape disturbance degree, landscape vulnerability degree, landscape connectivity, and human activity intensity. Given the lack of long-term ecological risk research on the Linpan landscape in Chongzhou City to support conservation decisions, this study takes it as the object. Based on five phases of land use data from 2003 to 2023, a landscape ecological risk assessment model was constructed. This model is a deterministic and nonlinear comprehensive evaluation model. The determinism is reflected in the fact that, based on specific influencing factors, a unique and definite result can be obtained through a fixed indicator system and calculation method. The nonlinearity is reflected in the fact that the comprehensive risk index does not involve a simple linear superposition of the various factors; instead, the evaluation result is obtained by integrating the factors through nonlinear approaches such as weighted coupling. Using ArcGIS and spatial analysis methods, based on a temporal resolution of 5 years and a spatial resolution of 30 m, the spatiotemporal evolution characteristics were revealed. The results show that: (1) From 2003 to 2023, the Linpan landscape pattern in Chongzhou City underwent significant evolution, characterized by “reduction in agricultural land, expansion of construction land, and slight recovery of ecological land”. Landscape fragmentation intensified, connectivity decreased, but overall aggregation remained stable. (2) The evolution of the landscape pattern drove the ecological risk to show a stable pattern of “low in the northwest and high in the southeast”. The global Moran’s I value decreased from 0.887 to 0.832, indicating that risk aggregation intensified in the early period and was alleviated in the later period. (3) Landscape disturbance degree is the key factor dominating the change in the comprehensive ecological risk index. Compared with similar studies, this research shares the commonality of urbanization-driven fragmentation exacerbation risk, but also exhibits the uniqueness of Linpan structural resilience and conservation policies promoting a reduction in high-risk areas. This study can provide a scientific basis for Linpan protection, land use optimization, and ecological security pattern construction in Chongzhou City. Full article

Rural settlements serve as the core spatial carriers of rural living space, and their spatial evolution and functional transformation reflect the dynamic restructuring of human–land relationships. In karst mountainous areas, complex topography, fragmented land resources, and uneven distribution of public facilities significantly influence settlement patterns and residents’ living spaces. This study aims to quantify the relationship between settlement clustering characteristics and living-space demand and to construct a spatially explicit framework for rural settlement restructuring from a living-space perspective. Taking the Qixingguan District of Bijie City, Guizhou Province—a representative karst mountainous area in Southwest China—as a case study, we develop an integrated analytical framework encompassing spatial identification, demand measurement, and zoning optimization. Settlement clusters were identified using the Nearest Neighbor Index and Kernel Density Analysis, while accessibility to essential services—including education, healthcare, and shopping—was quantified via a Gaussian-based two-step floating catchment area method. Living-space demand was further assessed by integrating accessibility gradients with residential conditions, and restructuring types were classified based on the Living Space Index and the distance from settlements to town centers. The results indicate that (1) rural settlements in Qixingguan District exhibit significant clustering, with high-density zones concentrated around urban peripheries and along transportation corridors; (2) accessibility to living services follows a distance-decay pattern modulated by transportation networks, forming hotspots in suburban and town-center areas and cold spots in peripheral karst mountainous areas; and (3) based on the comprehensive assessment, settlements are categorized into four types—urbanizing villages, central villages, preserved villages, and relocation villages—with corresponding targeted spatial restructuring strategies proposed. This study advances the geographical understanding of rural settlement restructuring in karst mountainous areas and provides empirical evidence for optimizing human–land relationships and promoting more equitable and sustainable spatial development in mountainous regions. Full article

In urban traffic systems, traditional signal control can no longer meet the increasing traffic demand, and local congestion is severe during peak hours. Fixed detector data is characterized by high deployment density, full sample detection and restorable vehicle paths, providing new data support for coordinated signal control. We propose an optimization method for regional coordinated control, with the Changsha road network as the study area. Firstly, based on License Plate Recognition (LPR) data, the road network is divided into sub-networks and combined with the boundary control for regional coordinated control. Then, the critical path is taken as the control object, and the phase coordination rate is introduced as the optimization objective. The particle swarm optimization algorithm improved by the logistic chaotic map is used as the global searcher, and sequential quadratic programming is adopted as the local searcher to solve the optimization strategy for the objective function. Finally, a simulated road network is constructed in VISSIM 6.0 simulation software to verify the effectiveness of the strategy. The results show that the optimization strategy reduces intersection delay and saturation by 20.3% and 19.3% in the critical path coverage area. Road travel time and the average number of vehicle stops are reduced by 21% and 22.1%. This indicates that the regional coordinated control based on the improved particle swarm algorithm can better alleviate the peak hour traffic congestion. Full article

The spatiotemporal evolution of ecosystem services and the elucidation of their driving mechanisms constitute a central scientific issue in territorial spatial optimization and regional sustainable development. Taking Gansu Province, a core area of the ecological security barrier in northwestern China, as the study area, this study integrates land-use, natural geographic, and socioeconomic data from 2000 to 2020. Using a land-use transfer matrix, the InVEST model, the Geographical Detector, and the PLUS model, we constructed a comprehensive analytical framework that combines historical evolution analysis, spatial differentiation identification, and multi-scenario simulation and prediction. The framework was used to systematically reveal the spatiotemporal dynamics of four core ecosystem services, namely carbon storage (CS), water yield (WY), habitat quality (HQ), and soil retention service (SDR), and to analyze their natural and socioeconomic driving mechanisms, while also simulating land-use change and ecosystem-service responses under the natural development, ecological protection, and urban expansion scenarios in 2030. The results show that, from 2000 to 2020, land use in Gansu Province was dominated by grassland (average proportion: 33.34%) and unused land (average proportion: 41.35%). Urban land expanded from 660.52 km² to 2227.36 km², with its share increasing from 0.15% to 0.50%, mainly through the conversion of cropland and grassland. Ecosystem services exhibited marked spatial differentiation: CS increased from east to west; WY showed an increasing pattern from northwest to southeast; HQ was lower in the central and southeastern regions and higher in the western and southern regions; and SDR was dominated by low-value areas in the northwest (average proportion: 84.81%). Driving-mechanism analysis indicated that slope was the core natural factor affecting CS, HQ, and SDR (q = 0.18–0.45), while mean annual precipitation dominated the variation in WY (q = 0.31–0.35). The influence of socioeconomic factors such as GDP increased gradually over time, showing an evolutionary trend from natural dominance to coordinated natural–socioeconomic regulation. Multi-scenario simulation further showed that, under the ecological protection scenario, grassland area increased significantly (+0.60%), the proportions of medium-value CS zones and high-value WY zones increased, and ecosystem services were optimized overall; under the urban expansion scenario, cropland and urban land expanded (+0.87% and +0.23%, respectively), imposing potential pressure on part of the ecosystem-service functions. These findings provide a scientific basis for optimizing territorial spatial planning, strengthening the ecological security barrier, and promoting regional sustainable development in Gansu Province. The methodological framework also offers a broadly applicable reference for ecologically sensitive arid and semi-arid regions in northwestern China. Full article

Managing soil heavy metal pollution is pivotal for the sustainable development of the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei (BTH) urban agglomeration. This study integrated geostatistical methods, Principal Component Analysis, and Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) to characterize “source–sink” dynamics across diverse Main Functional Zones. Results revealed distinct pollution landscapes: Key Development Zones exhibited high-risk accumulation driven by multi-source superposition, while Ecological-restricted Zones, despite overall low pollution levels, faced significant anomalous enrichment of Cadmium (Cd). Source apportionment confirmed that this spatial differentiation stems from the coexistence of “in situ accumulation” and “source–sink misalignment” mechanisms. The former is driven by high-intensity industrial agglomeration, whereas the latter is governed by cross-boundary atmospheric transport and the topographic blocking of emissions from the plains. This research demonstrates for the first time the joint shaping effect of national spatial planning and natural geographical processes on regional pollution patterns. Accordingly, a precise management framework incorporating source reduction, cross-boundary synergy, and spatial reorganization is proposed, providing a new paradigm for addressing environmental risks caused by unbalanced development in rapidly urbanizing regions. Full article

Wetlands are ecosystems with critical functions. However, the accelerated progression of global urbanization and human activities, including agricultural encroachment, has resulted in a notable decline in wetland areas and the degradation of wetland quality worldwide. Consequently, wetland restoration has become a central focus of wetland research. Plant community characteristics are among the simplest and most frequently used indicators for evaluating wetland restoration progress and are a crucial factor in maintaining the health and stability of wetland ecosystems. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the plant community characteristics of restored wetlands with different durations of abandonment in the lower Tumen River Basin, which is expected to provide guidance for promoting the restoration of abandoned farmlands in this region. We hypothesize that species diversity decreases with increasing abandonment age, plant community composition converges toward that of natural wetlands over time, and beta diversity declines due to increasing biotic homogenization during succession. We established a chronosequence of abandoned wetlands in the lower Tumen River Basin, with sites abandoned for approximately 5, 15, and 30 years. And we use natural wetlands and paddy fields as references. With natural succession, the dominant plant species in the restored wetlands transitioned from annuals/biennials to perennials. The aboveground biomass initially increased and subsequently decreased. A gradual decline in species diversity was observed along with a further reduction in beta diversity, and the species turnover component consistently exceeded the richness difference component. The pronounced biotic homogenization among communities indicates that achieving a stable state comparable to that of natural wetlands may require considerably more time or may not be attainable solely through natural succession. Full article

The eco-health effects of urban green spaces are playing a vital role in mitigating urban environmental stress and promoting residents’ well-being. However, the specific differences and dominant factors influencing these effects across different green space types and plant community structures have not been fully elucidated. This study selected three typical green spaces in Tianfu New District of Chengdu—regional green space, comprehensive park, and specialized park—and focused on four community structures: tree–shrub–herb, tree–herb, tree-only, and herb-only. Multi-scale in situ monitoring was conducted during summer, and a comprehensive index method was employed for evaluation. The results demonstrated that (1) the tree–shrub–herb multi-layered structure exhibited the optimal eco-health function at the community scale, with a PM_2.5 reduction rate of 73.86%, a noise reduction rate of 25.13%, and a negative air ion supply rate of up to 396%, significantly outperforming other structures. (2) The overall effect of regional green space (composite index 10.41) at the site scale was significantly higher than that of comprehensive parks (6.42) and specialized parks (5.87), respectively. (3) The eco-health effect increased with the complexity of the community structure, ranking as: tree–shrub–herb > tree-only > tree–herb > herb-only, highlighting the prominent contribution of the tree layer. Plant diversity showed a positive but non-significant trend. In conclusion, this multi-scale comparative study clarifies the differential impacts of green space types and community structures on the eco-health effect. It is recommended that urban planning prioritizes the layout of regional green spaces and adopts the tree–shrub–herb multi-layered structure as the dominant configuration in design in order to enhance the eco-health effect. Full article

Automatic building extraction from high-resolution imagery remains constrained by limited training data and domain shifts across geographic regions and spatial resolutions. Although data augmentation is widely applied in semantic segmentation, its capacity to compensate for scarce labeled samples under varying domain conditions remains insufficiently quantified in remotely sensed data. Here, we present a controlled data-centric evaluation to quantify how explicit, label-preserving augmentation influences model generalization under varying domain shifts, rather than proposing a new augmentation algorithm. The experimental design integrates DeepLabV3+ (CNN) and SegFormer (transformer) architectures to assess whether augmentation effects persist across distinct feature-learning paradigms. Four scenarios are constructed, including two intra-domain settings, a resolution shift (0.3 m to 0.1 m), and a geographic shift across heterogeneous urban environments. Training subsets are progressively sampled from 20% to 100% to isolate the interaction between data volume and distributional variability. Geometric, radiometric, and occlusion-based transformations are evaluated individually and in combination. Under cross-domain and low-data regimes, augmentation substantially increases predictive performance. Combined transformations increase mIoU from 0.572 to 0.688 at 20% training data in the resolution shift scenario, while geometric augmentation improves mIoU from 0.444 to 0.533 under geographic transfer. Models trained on 20% augmented data exceed the performance of 100% non-augmented configurations under pronounced domain discrepancies, establishing an operational threshold of data efficiency. Computational analysis indicates negligible overhead (approximately 1 s per epoch) through asynchronous data pipelines. Augmentation functions as a regularization mechanism in intra-domain settings and transitions to a distribution bridging mechanism under cross-domain conditions. Geometric invariance and engineered data diversity partially substitute for manual annotation, enabling improved cross-domain building extraction performance. Full article

Urban shrinkage, driven by demographic and socioeconomic changes, has become a pressing issue across Europe, particularly in small peripheral towns and semi-urban settlements that have historically relied on a single industry or company. This study investigates the demographic and socioeconomic factors contributing to the multi-dimensional decline, encompassing population loss, economic contraction, and deteriorating socioeconomic conditions in Latvian mono-towns, thereby filling a void in empirical research on urban development in post-socialist contexts. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to a set of key demographic and socioeconomic indicators derived from census and administrative data to identify the principal dimensions that drive urban shrinkage. The analysis reveals three principal components explaining 87% of the variance: socioeconomic vitality (57.1%), population change and peripherality (17.2%), and aging society dynamics (12.6%). The results contribute to a nuanced understanding of how mono-functional urban contexts shape the intensity and character of shrinkage. These results establish a basis for specific policy measures designed to promote resilience in small-settlement settings and contribute to the understanding of spatial planning and regional development approaches in the post-socialist urban transition context. This research underscores the need for context-specific approaches to address the multifaceted challenges of urban shrinkage. Full article

Accurate short-term traffic flow prediction in complex urban road networks is of great significance for capacity organization and dispatch optimization in intelligent transportation systems. Using publicly available historical taxi trip records released by the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission from January to June 2016, this study develops a spatiotemporal fusion framework for short-term traffic flow prediction. To address the nonlinearity, sparsity, and complex spatiotemporal dependencies of traffic flow sequences, the raw trajectory data are first cleaned, spatially gridded, and temporally discretized. Based on the spatial adjacency relationships among grid nodes, a graph structure is then constructed, and a serially coupled graph convolutional network and long short-term memory model is developed to capture spatial dependency features and temporal dynamic features, respectively. Experimental results on the New York City taxi dataset show that, compared with baseline models including the historical average model, long short-term memory network, graph convolutional network, and Transformer, the proposed model achieves better performance in terms of mean absolute error, root mean square error, and coefficient of determination. Furthermore, the SHAP (SHapley Additive exPlanations) method is employed to ANALYZE the differences in feature contributions across nodes in different functional zones from both temporal and spatial perspectives. The results indicate that the model exhibits heterogeneous temporal dependency depths and spatial aggregation patterns across different types of regions within the study area. In addition, regions with high feature contributions show a certain degree of spatial correspondence with the major traffic corridors in Manhattan, suggesting that the model is able to capture part of the spatiotemporal correlation structure of traffic flow in this dataset. Finally, the limitations of the proposed method in terms of static graph structure, response to extreme events, and integration of external factors are discussed. It should be noted that these findings are derived from New York City taxi data from the first half of 2016, and their generalizability to other cities, time periods, or traffic scenarios remains to be further validated. Full article

Regional sustainable development requires integrated assessments that capture ecosystem function, risk exposure, and recovery capacity. Conventional two-dimensional frameworks based on ecosystem services (ESs) and landscape ecological risk (ERI) often overlook the self-regulation potential of ecosystems following disturbance. This study proposes that incorporating RES as a third zoning dimension enables functional differentiation between areas that share similar ES–ERI profiles but differ substantially in recovery capacity, thereby revealing management priorities that a conventional two-dimensional framework cannot detect. This study develops a three-dimensional zoning framework integrating ES, ERI, and ecological resilience (RES) in the main urban area of Ganzhou City, a representative hilly city in southern China. Land-use dynamics from 1990 to 2020 and under four 2050 scenarios were simulated using a coupled PLUS-InVEST approach. Differentiated ecological zones were delineated, and the optimal-parameter geographic detector (OPGD) was applied to examine driving factor interactions. Results indicate that cultivated land and forestland dominated the study area throughout the period. ES supply remained favorable with stage-wise fluctuations, while ERI showed progressive convergence of high-risk patches toward the central basin. RES exhibited a sharp decline in higher-resilience areas during 1990–2000 (91.0%), followed by partial recovery during 2010–2020 (47.3%). The three-dimensional zoning delineated 35.9% of the area as Ecological control zones that may require priority intervention. Driver analysis revealed that DEM, precipitation, and river proximity, along with their interactions, strongly influenced regional ecological patterns. The proposed framework extends conventional ES-ERI assessments and provides spatial guidance for differentiated ecological management in hilly regions. Full article