Subsurface multi-physical characterization of mountain excavation and city construction in loess plateau with a fiber-optic sensing system

Mountain excavation and city construction(MECC)projects being launched in the Loess Plateau in China involve the creation of large-scale artificial land.Understanding the subsurface evolution characteristics of the artificial land is essential,yet challenging.Here,we use an improved fiber-optic monitoring system for its subsurface multi-physical characterization.The system enables us to gather spatiotemporal distribution of various parameters,including strata deformation,temperature,and moisture.Yan’an New District was selected as a case study to conduct refined in-situ monitoring through a 77 m-deep borehole and a 30 m-long trench.Findings reveal that the ground settlement involves both the deformation of the filling loess and the underlying intact loess.Notably,the filling loess exhibits a stronger creep capability compared to underlying intact loess.The deformation along the profile is unevenly distributed,with a positive correlation with soil moisture.Water accumulation has been observed at the interface between the filling loess and the underlying intact loess,leading to a significant deformation.Moreover,the temperature and moisture in the filling loess have reached a new equilibrium state,with their depths influenced by atmospheric conditions measuring at 31 m and 26 m,respectively.The refined investigation allows us to identify critical layers that matter the sustainable development of newly created urban areas,and provide improved insights into the evolution mechanisms of land creation.

Constructing a standard system of city sustainable development assessment technology based on the SDGs

Given the rapid development of China’s new urbanization,cities with different locations and varying functional positioning,resource endowments,and development stages have insufficient scientific and applicable technical tools for implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).City managers and policymakers must urgently establish SDG benchmarks to diagnose city development.Moreover,successful experiences from similar cities regarding sustainable development and self-improvement must be learned from to promote diversified,sustainable development across the country.Furthermore,emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence,the Internet of Things,big data and 5G are widely used in smart cities.Therefore,there is a growing need for“knowledge-based,personalized and intelligent”technologies to support monitoring,evaluation,and decision-making processes facilitating sustainable development in cities.This paper uses standardization as the theoretical support and technical basis.This approach can help clarify the sustainable development processes in China and clarify the evaluation results of and provide data on horizontal city comparisons,which can be used to develop evaluation technology for sustainable development in cities and construct a standardized system.The results provide a standard framework for intelligent assessment and decision-making regarding cities’sustainable development capabilities in China.Evaluating major international standardization institutions reveals that the practices of Chinese national standards should be fully absorbed and integrated to guide the evaluation of smart,resilient,and low-carbon cities.To this end,an indicator library of city sustainable development is proposed to provide standard evaluation technology methods.Finally,analyzing the response relationship of the indicator library to SDGs reveals the need for a standardized knowledge map of sustainable development assessment techniques and methods from the perspective of integrated management for sustainable development in cities.

Ensemble Deep Learning Based Air Pollution Prediction for Sustainable Smart Cities

Big data and information and communication technologies can be important to the effectiveness of smart cities.Based on the maximal attention on smart city sustainability,developing data-driven smart cities is newly obtained attention as a vital technology for addressing sustainability problems.Real-time monitoring of pollution allows local authorities to analyze the present traffic condition of cities and make decisions.Relating to air pollution occurs a main environmental problem in smart city environments.The effect of the deep learning(DL)approach quickly increased and penetrated almost every domain,comprising air pollution forecast.Therefore,this article develops a new Coot Optimization Algorithm with an Ensemble Deep Learning based Air Pollution Prediction(COAEDL-APP)system for Sustainable Smart Cities.The projected COAEDL-APP algorithm accurately forecasts the presence of air quality in the sustainable smart city environment.To achieve this,the COAEDL-APP technique initially performs a linear scaling normalization(LSN)approach to pre-process the input data.For air quality prediction,an ensemble of three DL models has been involved,namely autoencoder(AE),long short-term memory(LSTM),and deep belief network(DBN).Furthermore,the COA-based hyperparameter tuning procedure can be designed to adjust the hyperparameter values of the DL models.The simulation outcome of the COAEDL-APP algorithm was tested on the air quality database,and the outcomes stated the improved performance of the COAEDL-APP algorithm over other existing systems with maximum accuracy of 98.34%.

Impact of coupling coordination development of port and city environments on urban economic competitiveness:Evidence from the coastal port cities in eastern China

Promoting the coupling coordination development of port and its hinterland city environments is an important way to improve urban economic competitiveness.Based on relevant data of 13 coastal port cities in eastern China from 2000 to 2018,this study explores the coupling coordination development of port and city environments and its impact on urban economic competitiveness by constructing the coupling coordination degree model and the panel threshold model.The research results show that:(1)In terms of the coupling coordination development of port and city environments,most coastal ports and their hinterland cities are in a state of moderate or serious disorder.Overall,the degree of coupling coordination of port and city environments needs to be further improved;(2)The coupling coordination degree of port and city environments has a significant impact on urban economic competitiveness,and this effect gradually increases with the development of the ports and the urban economy.Among the variables that impact the urban economic competitiveness,fixed assets investment and foreign trade are significant factors that can enhance urban economic competitiveness.(3)At present,there is a“U-shaped”relationship between the coupling coordination degree of port-city environments and the urban economic competitiveness.This relationship lies on the right side of the inflection point of the“U-shaped”curve.Therefore,following the concept of assigning priority to ecological development,expanding fixed assets investment and actively developing foreign trade can further enhance the urban economic competitiveness.

Application Strategies of Spatial Refinement Design in Ancient Cities Supported by Digital Te-Zhaoyu Ancient City in Qixian County as an Example

Digital technology provides a method of quantitative investigation and data analysis for contemporary landscape spatial analysis,and related research is moving from image recognition to digital algorithmic analysis,providing a more scientific and macroscopic way of research.The key to refinement design is to refine the spatial design process and the spatial improvement strategy system.Taking the ancient city of Zhaoyu in Qixian County,Shanxi Province as an example,(1)based on obtaining the integrated data of the ancient city through the drone tilt photography,the style and landscape of the ancient city are modeled;(2)the point cloud data with spatial information is imported into the point cloud analysis platform and the data analysis is carried out from the overall macroscopic style of the ancient city to the refinement level,which results in the formation of a more intuitive landscape design scheme,thus improving the precision and practicability of the landscape design;(3)Based on spatial big data,it starts from the spatial aggregation level,spatial distribution characteristics and other evaluation index system to achieve the refinement analysis of the site.Digital technology and methods are used throughout the process to explore the refined design path.

Designing an Elderly-Friendly City in Cardiff: Cultivating Sense of Security for the Aging Population: Transforming Butetown for the Entertainment, Health, and Diversification of the Elderly

As an important part of urban construction,elderly-friendly construction is crucial to the formation of an elderly-friendly society,which has been widely recognized internationally.Especially after the COVID-19 pandemic,various organizations around the world have called for changes in public space and urban building planning,with an emphasis on the accessibility of green spaces.This underscores the complexity and difficulty of integrating vulnerable groups of the elderly into cities and using infrastructure and public space.

文旅融合:“Citywalk”热潮下的冷思考

“Citywalk”(城市漫步)强调慢节奏和沉浸式体验,是深受年轻人追捧的文旅消费新范式。“Citywalk”火爆出圈的背后,也存在着产品辨识度不高、利润低、专业性不强、产品更迭慢等问题。“文旅融合”的有效健康发展,需要在资源供给、产品创新、服务品质等方面开展全方位、多领域的合作联动,成果共享才能形成互利共赢新格局。

Development of Experiential Live-action Performance Products in Tai’an City:A Case Study of“Chinese Taishan·Fengshan Grand Ceremony”

Live-action performances are a new form of performances that combine culture and tourism.The rise of live-action performance products has brought new vitality to the development of tourism,has strong development potential,can better meet the needs of tourists for immersive experience,and maintain long-term development of tourism in a region.In this paper,a live-action tourism performance product“Chinese Taishan·Fengshan Grand Ceremony”was studied to discuss the development of experiential live-action tourism performance products in Tai’an City.Through the investigation and data statistics of tourists,by using the experience economy theory,tourist experience theory,statistical analysis and other means,some strategies for the development of live-action tourism performance products in Tai’an City were proposed to promote the development of tourism performance products in Tai’an City.

Understanding the Relationship Between Shrinking Cities and Land Prices:Spatial Pattern,Effectiveness,and Policy Implications

Urban shrinkage has emerged as a widespread phenomenon globally and has a significant impact on land,particularly in terms of land use and price.This study focuses on 2851 county-level cities in China in 2005–2018(excluding Hong Kong,Macao,Taiwan,and‘no data’areas in Qinhai-Tibet Plateau)as the fundamental units of analysis.By employing nighttime light(NTL)data to identify shrinking cities,the propensity score matching(PSM)model was used to quantitatively examine the impact of shrinking cities on land prices,and evaluate the magnitude of this influence.The findings demonstrate the following:1)there were 613 shrinking cities in China,with moderate shrinkage being the most prevalent and severe shrinkage being the least.2)Regional disparities are evident in the spatial distribution of shrinking cities,especially in areas with diverse terrain.3)The spatial pattern of land price exhibits a significant correlated to the economic and administrative levels.4)Shrinking cities significantly negatively impact on the overall land price(ATT=–0.1241,P<0.05).However,the extent of the effect varies significantly among different spatial regions.This study contributes novel insights into the investigation of land prices and shrinking cities,ultimately serving as a foundation for government efforts to promote the sustainable development of urban areas.

Spatial Development Explorations of Middle- and Small-sized Mountainous Cities: A Case Study of Shangluo City, China

Spatial structural features of middle- and small-sized mountainous cities in China were analyzed. Taking Shangluo City for example, problems in the spatial planning of middle- and small-sized mountainous cities were explored, it was stressed that local characteristics should be respected to make plans reasonably, and handle the spatial transition between urban and rural areas properly, so as not to lose the originality of rural areas during the urbanization. The study aimed at providing useful experience for the urbanization.

Comprehensive Review on Air Pollution Control Measures for Non-Attainment Cities of Uttar Pradesh, India

Introduction: The Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) for the past many years has been reported to have many cities with highly polluted air quality. The state has been taking meticulous steps in combating air pollution in the form of action plans, introduced especially in its 17 non-attainment cities (NAC). To assess the progress and development of these action plans in UP, the present study has done an in-depth analysis and review of the state’s action plans and city micro action plans. Materials and Methods: In this research study, the analysis of the latest action plan reports, micro action plan reports as well as the recommendations for combating air pollution-related issues in the 17 NAC of the UP state has been well documented. Uttar Pradesh Pollution Control Board (UPPCB) has prepared these reports to highlight the progress of the plans in response to the growing air pollution in these cities. The information present in the reports has been used to further study sector-specific, category-specific action plans, institutional responsibility, and the present status of the action plans. Results: On average, the highest weightage in action plans was given to sector-specific categories such as Road dust and construction activities (24%). It was also observed that Urban local bodies (~50%) were majorly responsible to implement the action points and 56% of the action points were jointly implemented by multiple agencies.

Construction land expansion and influencing factors of typical river valley cities in Northeast China: Taking Jilin City as an example

Jilin City is a typical river valley city in Northeast China.In this paper,the authors studied the spatial and temporal expansion characteristics of the built-up areas in Jilin City from 1990 to 2020 using the analysis of expansion speed and strength,fractal dimension,barycenter coordinate transfer index and sector analysis.The ultimate-goal is to analyze the driving and restrictive factors that affect the spatial expansion of river valley cities.The results indicate that(1)the expansion speed of urban land in Jilin City has been re-latively slow in the past 30 years,while only slightly faster in 2010–2020;(2)in the spatial dimension,Jilin City mainly expanded to the south,then to the west,and extensive expansion has resulted in complex mor-phology with little stability and compactness;(3)the expansion is affected by multiple factors,of which the positive factor is industrial development,while the restrictive factors include natural factors,population loss,etc.This study provides a case for the formulation of land use policies and land space planning in river valley cities.

Research on Sustainable Development Strategies for Oil-use Peony in Heze City

Oil-use peony is a treasure with broad prospects.Heze City plans to develop oil-use peony as a local key industry.However,there are still many urgent problems that need to be solved for the sustained and healthy development of the oil-use peony industry.This paper delved into the comprehensive benefits of oil-use peony and its industrial development from the aspects of cultivating high-quality germplasm resources,technological innovation,policy support,developing leading enterprises,improving industrialization system,comprehensive promotion,and strengthening storage and transportation technology,aiming to provide some reference for further development of Heze oil-use peony industry.

Pedestrian street and its effect on economic sustainability of a historical Middle Eastern city:The case of Chaharbagh Abbasi in Isfahan,Iran

Pedestrianization is an urban revitalization strategy to enhance sustainability and livability in car-oriented cities.Despite many studies in this research field,the effects of pedestrianization on the economy of cities in developing countries still need further investigation.Additionally,the impact of this strategy on the tenant mix of com-mercial and historical areas in Middle East countries is nebulous.To address these inadequacies,we considered Chaharbagh Abbasi street,located in the heart of Isfahan,Iran,and investigated the impact of a pedestrianization project with particular emphasis on how it affects the economic sustainability of existent commercial fabric.Pre-and post-project data along with field observations and quantifications used to assess structural replacements in trade,were analyzed with SPSS and ArcGIS software.The results revealed unexpected outcomes,such as the closure of some traditional businesses(27.5%),a stagnation in sales(69%)and a decrease in job offers(84%)leading the local economy to a fragile situation.Conversely,it was found that the footfall volume increased by 64% and 73% from the retailers’and pedestrians’viewpoints.This evolution along with a wide opening of food and beverage stores(approximately 60%)makes the post-pedestrianization results more promising than earlier predictions.In conclusion,these findings reinforce the importance of pedestrian streets in revitalizing economic activities in historical and commercial areas from the perspective of economic sustainability.Due to the lack of similar investigations in Middle East countries,these findings can support decision-makers and urban planners to take preventive measures in preserving the diversity of individual small shops for upcoming urban rehabilitation projects in terms of pedestrianization.

Importance of Urban Wetland Parks under the Development of Green Healthy Cities:A Case Study of Nanjing City

Wetlands are widely distributed all over the world,and have many wildlife resources,which are the main pieces of the puzzle for natural resource conservation and sustainable development on earth and have important irreplaceability.In this paper,through questionnaire survey,field research,literature review,etc.,importance weight analysis was conducted by using principal component analysis,and field survey and questionnaire were carried out to collect data on ecological environment function,environmental protection function,landscape beautification function,disaster prevention and mitigation function of urban wetlands.The problems in wetland parks of Nanjing were discussed,such as lack of awareness of landscape planning,deficient late management of wetland parks,weak ability of sustainable development,and unreasonable landscape layout and function.Finally,corresponding solutions were proposed,such as adhering to the planning and design of urban wetland parks with green as the base and health as the basis,persisting in the construction of a wetland system with high biodiversity and near-natural characteristics,adhering to the principle of sustainable development,adopting the construction idea of symbiosis and circulation of urban wetland parks,strengthening education and publicity work,and paying attention to the organic combination of system protection and coordinated construction.The research can build a new development direction for the model of urban wetland parks and green healthy cities,and provide theoretical support for urban sustainable construction.

物质循环视角下的“可持续漂浮城市”解析——以BIG事务所“Oceanix City”方案为例

随着时代发展,现代城市正面临着土地短缺、住房紧张、能源枯竭以及海平面上升等一系列问题。因而探索陆地之外的生存空间,进而缓解多种城市问题是人们长久以来的愿景。近年来,联合国人居署提出可持续发展的漂浮城市概念,并由BIG事务所设计了世界上第一个弹性化和可持续的漂浮城市原型——Oceanix City。该城市通过引入城市农业,配置能量、水分、养分等循环系统实现最大限度自给自足,满足居民日常生活需求,达到可持续发展的目标。文章运用文献研究法梳理了从漂浮建筑、漂浮社区到漂浮城市的发展历程,并以“Oceanix City”方案为案例分析对象,从物质循环视角入手解析方案的规划设计与建造、循环系统的运作等方面,总结得出拓展海上空间、引入城市农业并构建物质循环系统是应对上述城市问题的有效方式,以期为未来城市的可持续发展提供启示。

Influence of Urban Street Greening Design under the Concept of Green Healthy Cities:A Case Study of Hefei City

In order to explore the influence of urban street greening,the street landscape of Changjiang West Road and Xiyou Road in Hefei City was selected as the research sample to study the design of urban street landscape under the concept of green healthy cities.The results show that the urban street landscape of Hefei City is single in design and plant type,and plant maintenance management is not good.It is proposed to strengthen the maintenance and management of street greening,increase the types of native plants,and improve cultural connotation,so as to enhance the artistry,regionalism and functionality of urban street landscape in Hefei City.

Influence of seismicity parameter uncertainty on seismic hazard estimation of cities and towns

The influence on seismic hazard estimation for 310 cities and towns in the whole nation are studied in particular,owing to uncertainty of seismicity parameters caused by non-uniqueness in selecting statistical time ranges. Andthe regional sketch maps of the average varying values of intensity and the average relative varying values of peakacceleration with different probability of exceedance in 50 years are drawn in the Chinese mainland.

Between the City and Images:An Analysis of Mainstream Media’s Paths of Constructing the Cultural Memory of a City:Taking Chengdu Radio and Television’s“Hi Chengdu”as an Example

Mainstream media play a crucial role in constructing the cultural memory of a city.This study used 319 short videos released by“Hi Chengdu,”a new media product of Chengdu Radio and Television,as samples.Based on the grounded theory,a research framework encompassing“content,technology,and discourse”was established to explore the paths through which mainstream media construct the cultural memory.Regarding content,this paper emphasized temporal and spatial contexts and urban spaces,delving deep into the themes of the cultural memory and vehicles for it.In terms of technology,this paper discussed the practice of leveraging audio/visual-mode discourse to stitch together the impressions of a city and evoke emotional resonance to create a“flow”of memory.As for discourse,this paper looked at the performance of a communication ritual to frame concepts and shape urban identity.It is essential to break free from conventional thinking and leverage local culture as the primary driving force to further boost a city’s productivity,in order to excel in cultural communication.

Development of a Lightweight Model for Handwritten Dataset Recognition: Bangladeshi City Names in Bangla Script

The context of recognizing handwritten city names,this research addresses the challenges posed by the manual inscription of Bangladeshi city names in the Bangla script.In today’s technology-driven era,where precise tools for reading handwritten text are essential,this study focuses on leveraging deep learning to understand the intricacies of Bangla handwriting.The existing dearth of dedicated datasets has impeded the progress of Bangla handwritten city name recognition systems,particularly in critical areas such as postal automation and document processing.Notably,no prior research has specifically targeted the unique needs of Bangla handwritten city name recognition.To bridge this gap,the study collects real-world images from diverse sources to construct a comprehensive dataset for Bangla Hand Written City name recognition.The emphasis on practical data for system training enhances accuracy.The research further conducts a comparative analysis,pitting state-of-the-art(SOTA)deep learning models,including EfficientNetB0,VGG16,ResNet50,DenseNet201,InceptionV3,and Xception,against a custom Convolutional Neural Networks(CNN)model named“Our CNN.”The results showcase the superior performance of“Our CNN,”with a test accuracy of 99.97% and an outstanding F1 score of 99.95%.These metrics underscore its potential for automating city name recognition,particularly in postal services.The study concludes by highlighting the significance of meticulous dataset curation and the promising outlook for custom CNN architectures.It encourages future research avenues,including dataset expansion,algorithm refinement,exploration of recurrent neural networks and attention mechanisms,real-world deployment of models,and extension to other regional languages and scripts.These recommendations offer exciting possibilities for advancing the field of handwritten recognition technology and hold practical implications for enhancing global postal services.