Monitoring Study of Long-Term Land Subsidence during Subway Operation in High-Density Urban Areas Based on DInSAR-GPS-GIS Technology and Numerical Simulation

During subway operation,various factors will cause long-term land subsidence,such as the vibration subsidence of foundation soil caused by train vibration load,incomplete consolidation deformation of foundation soil during tunnel construction,dense buildings and structures in the vicinity of the tunnel,and changes in water level in the stratum where the tunnel is located.The monitoring of long-term land subsidence during subway operation in high-density urban areas differs from that in low-density urban construction areas.The former is the gathering point of the entire urban population.There are many complex buildings around the project,busy road traffic,high pedestrian flow,and less vegetation cover.Several existing items requiremonitoring.However,monitoring distance is long,and providing early warning is difficult.This study uses the 2.8 km operation line between Wulin Square station and Ding’an Road station of Hangzhou Subway Line 1 as an example to propose the integrated method of DInSAR-GPS-GIS technology and the key algorithm for long-term land subsidence deformation.Then,it selects multiscene image data to analyze long-termland subsidence of high-density urban areas during subway operation.Results show that long-term land subsidence caused by the operation of Wulin Square station to Ding’an Road station of Hangzhou Subway Line 1 is small,with maximumsubsidence of 30.64 mm,and minimumsubsidence of 11.45 mm,and average subsidence ranging from 19.27 to 21.33 mm.And FLAC3D software was used to verify the monitoring situation,using the geological conditions of the soil in the study area and the tunnel profile to simulate the settlement under vehicle load,and the simulation results tended to be consistent with the monitoring situation.

Fundamental Ideas and Basic Concepts of HSR Route Selection in Complicated Urban Areas

Up till now,no systematic studies on railway route selection in urban areas,HSR route selection in particular,have been taken in China.Based on the Shenzhen Railway Terminal Project and the Shenzhen-Shanwei Railway Project,research on HSR route selection in complicated urban areas has been conducted.An optimal route selection plan is determined after studying the local geological and environmental conditions and the complexity of tunnel construction.The research concludes that there are four major concerns in HSR route selection:the match between the new route and the urban planning,the potential economic return for the massive investment,the likely impacts of land expropriation on social stability,and the best synthesis of multiple controlling factors to meet the HSR standard.Moreover,six principles should be followed in railway route selection in complicated urban areas:the new route should be in alignment with the railway deployment;the route should align with the existing passage as much as possible;extensive analysis and in-depth demonstrations should be done to find the most appropriate combination of open and hidden excavation in tunnel construction;geological conditions and tunnel construction complexities are among the priorities;environmental sensitive sites and environmental vibration noise should be avoided as much as possible;special attention should be paid to the relocation of the power supply,television and communication facilities and the rearrangement of tubes and wires.

Classification of Emergency Responses to Fatal Traffic Accidents in Chinese Urban Areas

Fatal traffic accidents in urban areas can adversely affect the urban road traffic system and pose many challenges for urban traffic management.Therefore,it is necessary to first classify emergency responses to such accidents and then handle them quickly and correctly.The aim of this paper is to develop an evaluation index system and to use appropriate methods to investigate emergency-response classifications to fatal traffic accidents in Chinese urban areas.This study used a multilevel hierarchical structural model to determine emergency-response classification.In the model,accident attributes,urban road network vulnerability,and institutional resilience were used as classification criteria.Each evaluation indicator was selected according to importance ranking and independence screening and was given an interpretation and a quantitative criterion.The Fuzzy Delphi Method was used to rank the importance of the evaluation indices and the combined weight of each index was calculated using the G1 method.Finally,the case of a fatal traffic accident was used to validate the model.The results showed that the multilevel hierarchical structural model,Fuzzy Delphi Method,and G1 method can effectively address the problem of emergency-response classification.Because of its simplicity and adaptability,the approach presented here could be useful for decisionmakers and practitioners for determining emergency-response classifications.

WCDMA Outdoor Antenna Selection for Dense Urban Areas

Interference control can be realized by selecting the antenna’ s electrical and engineering parameters such as gain and radiation pattern, height, azimuth and downtilt to directly influence the field intensity distribution of radio signals and effectively and reasonably distribute the electro-magnetic energy. This paper discusses how to select an antenna for a densely populated urban area. The discussion is based on the simulation platform of ZTE ’ s WCDMA planning system.

Factors Influencing Migrant Workers' Urban Labor Patterns: Willing Working Time in Urban Areas as the Mediator

China is witnessing a very complicated economic development environment.Migrant workers'working patterns will directly affect their income level and the realization of many economic and social development goals.This paper collects relevant data from three places:Shanghai,Lanzhou and Chengdu for empirical research whose results show that determinants of migrant worker's willing working time in urban areas mainly include the“income-consumption difference”,“urban-rural consumption difference”and their“urban income and expenditure uncertainty”.These factors directly affect their effective working time in the city,and determine their choice of choosing corresponding work patterns.From the significant differences of these factors,we can see that migrant workers in China is still struggling to solve their material needs under the pressure of livelihood,and less attention is paid to their spiritual needs and the pursuit of quality of life.

Human Rabies Still Exists in Urban and Peri-Urban Areas in Mali—National Data-Base Analysis of the Capital of Mali from 2007 to 2017

From 2007 to 2017 sixty-three (63) new cases of human rabies have been identified in Mali on an estimated total population in 2017 of 17,650,195 inhabitants. This is an incidence of 0.32 cases for 100,000 inhabitants. All these cases occurred in urban areas and involved the two sexes. The age group most affected was the one less than 20 years old. The majority of the victims (73.1%) were pre-schools, school-aged pupils and housewives. In 97% of the cases, the animal in question was a dog and the type of exposure of the bite. Eighty-two percent (82%) of the victims had received no local medical treatment or the post exposure quasi prophylaxis treatment. The median duration between the first symptoms and death among the cases of human rabies was 3 to 7 days. The median duration between the occurrence of the first signs and death was four (4) days. No virological confirmation had been conducted on the patients. The rage disease is retained as a priority disease, since the adoption of the strategy of “integrated monitoring of the disease and response” in 2008. However, in spite of the efforts made, progress still remains to be effected to assess the actual impact of rabies in Mali.

Exploring well-being disparities between urban and rural areas:A case study in the Stavropol Territory,Russia

Rural areas are crucial for a country’s sustainable economy.New strategies are needed to develop rural areas to improve the well-being of rural population and generate new job opportunities.This is especially important in countries where agricultural production accounts for a significant share of the gross product,such as Russia.In this study,we identified the key indicators of satisfaction and differences between rural and urban citizens based on their social,economic,and environmental backgrounds,and determined whether there are well-being disparities between rural and urban areas in the Stavropol Territory,Russia.We collected primary data through a survey based on the European Social Survey framework to investigate the potential differences between rural and urban areas.By computing the regional well-being index using principal component analysis,we found that there was no statistically significant difference in well-being between rural and urban areas.Results of key indicators showed that rural residents felt psychologically more comfortable and safer,assessed their family relationships better,and adhered more to traditions and customs.However,urban residents showed better economic and social conditions(e.g.,infrastructures,medical care,education,and Internet access).The results of this study imply that we can better understand the local needs,advantages,and unique qualities,thereby gaining insight into the effectiveness of government programs.Policy-makers and local authorities can consider targeted interventions based on the findings of this study and strive to enhance the well-being of both urban and rural residents.

Unveiling the potential of space syntax approach for revitalizing historic urban areas:A case study of Yushan Historic District,China

Historic urban areas are a crucial component of urban heritage,embodying the collective memory of urban development and possessing distinctive urban textures and cultural attributes.However,the growing impact of globalization on the urban environment poses challenges to historic urban areas,including diminishing social recognition,aging infrastructure,loss of vitality,and cultural erosion.To address these challenges,this study proposes a novel approach to revitalizing historic urban areas by employing space syntax methodology.The study focuses on Yushan Historic District in China as a case study and uses spatial models within space syntax to describe,analyze,and interpret its urban morphology.The objective is to enhance urban vitality while preserving the heritage fabric of historic urban areas.Additionally,it aims to contribute to the advancement of space syntax research,specifically in the context of urban renewal and revitalization of historic districts.The findings reveal the spatial factors that contribute to the generation of vitality within the district,identify areas requiring intervention,and provide strategies for revitalizing historic urban areas.This study demonstrates the potential of utilizing a space syntax approach in urban revitalization,providing valuable guidance for effectively conserving urban heritage within the context of urban renewal.

Multi-source Data-driven Identification of Urban Functional Areas:A Case of Shenyang,China

Urban functional area(UFA)is a core scientific issue affecting urban sustainability.The current knowledge gap is mainly reflected in the lack of multi-scale quantitative interpretation methods from the perspective of human-land interaction.In this paper,based on multi-source big data include 250 m×250 m resolution cell phone data,1.81×105 Points of Interest(POI)data and administrative boundary data,we built a UFA identification method and demonstrated empirically in Shenyang City,China.We argue that the method we built can effectively identify multi-scale multi-type UFAs based on human activity and further reveal the spatial correlation between urban facilities and human activity.The empirical study suggests that the employment functional zones in Shenyang City are more concentrated in central cities than other single functional zones.There are more mix functional areas in the central city areas,while the planned industrial new cities need to develop comprehensive functions in Shenyang.UFAs have scale effects and human-land interaction patterns.We suggest that city decision makers should apply multi-sources big data to measure urban functional service in a more refined manner from a supply-demand perspective.

Impacts of pollution heterogeneity on population exposure in dense urban areas using ultra-fine resolution air quality data

Traditional air quality data have a spatial resolution of 1 km or above, making it challenging to resolve detailed air pollution exposure in complex urban areas. Combining urban morphology, dynamic traffic emission, regional and local meteorology, physicochemical transformations in air quality models using big data fusion technology, an ultra-fine resolution modeling system was developed to provide air quality data down to street level. Based on one-year ultra-fine resolution data, this study investigated the effects of pollution heterogeneity on the individual and population exposure to particulate matter(PM_(2.5)and PM_(10)),nitrogen dioxide(NO_(2)), and ozone(O_(3)) in Hong Kong, one of the most densely populated and urbanized cities. Sharp fine-scale variabilities in air pollution were revealed within individual city blocks. Using traditional 1 km average to represent individual exposure resulted in a positively skewed deviation of up to 200% for high-end exposure individuals. Citizens were disproportionally affected by air pollution, with annual pollutant concentrations varied by factors of 2 to 5 among 452 District Council Constituency Areas(DCCAs) in Hong Kong, indicating great environmental inequities among the population. Unfavorable city planning resulted in a positive spatial coincidence between pollution and population, which increased public exposure to air pollutants by as large as 46% among districts in Hong Kong. Our results highlight the importance of ultra-fine pollutant data in quantifying the heterogeneity in pollution exposure in the dense urban area and the critical role of smart urban planning in reducing exposure inequities.

Spatio-temporal Evolution Characteristics and Driving Forces of Winter Urban Heat Island:A Case Study of Rapid Urbanization Area of Fuzhou City,China

Under the influence of anthropogenic and climate change,the problems caused by urban heat island(UHI)has become increasingly prominent.In order to promote urban sustainable development and improve the quality of human settlements,it is significant for exploring the evolution characteristics of urban thermal environment and analyzing its driving forces.Taking the Landsat series images as the basic data sources,the winter land surface temperature(LST)of the rapid urbanization area of Fuzhou City in China was quantitatively retrieved from 2001 to 2021.Combing comprehensively the standard deviation ellipse model,profile analysis and GeoDetector model,the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics and influencing factors of the winter urban thermal environment were systematically analyzed.The results showed that the winter LST presented an increasing trend in the study area during 2001–2021,and the winter LST of the central urban regions was significantly higher than the suburbs.There was a strong UHI effect from 2001 to 2021with an expansion trend from the central urban regions to the suburbs and coastal areas in space scale.The LST of green lands and wetlands are significantly lower than croplands,artificial surface and unvegetated lands.Vegetation and water bodies had a significant mitigation effect on UHI,especially in the micro-scale.The winter UHI had been jointly driven by the underlying surface and socio-economic factors in a nonlinear or two-factor interactive enhancement mode,and socio-economic factors had played a leading role.This research could provide data support and decision-making references for rationally planning urban layout and promoting sustainable urban development.

Influence of Transportation Accessibility on Urban-rural Income Disparity and Its Spatial Heterogeneity

Transportation accessibility has been treated as an important means of reducing the urban-rural income disparity.However,only a few studies have examined the effects of different types of transportation accessibility on urban-rural income disparity and their spatial heterogeneity.Based on data from 285 prefecture-level(and above)Chinese cities in 2000,2005,2010,2015,and 2020,this study uses spatial econometric models to examine how highway accessibility and railway accessibility influence the urban-rural income disparity and to identify their spatial heterogeneity.The result reveals that highway accessibility and railway accessibility have‘coreperiphery’ring-like circle structures.The urban-rural income disparity exhibits strong spatial clustering effects.Both highway accessibility and railway accessibility are negatively associated with urban-rural income disparity,and the former having a greater effect size.Moreover,there is a substitution effect between highway accessibility and railway accessibility in the whole sample.Furthermore,these associations differ in geographic regions.In the central region,highway accessibility is more important in reducing the urban-rural income disparity,but its effect is weakened with the increase of railway accessibility.In the western region,railway accessibility has a larger effect on narrowing the urban-rural income disparity,and this effect is strengthened by the increase of highway accessibility.We conclude that improving transportation accessibility is conducive to reducing the urban-rural income disparity but its effect is spatial heterogenetic.Highways and railways should be developed in a coordinated manner to promote an integrated transport network system.

Establishing research priorities in prevention and control of vector-borne diseases in urban areas:a collaborative process

Background:In 2015,following a call for proposals from the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases(TDR),six scoping reviews on the prevention and control of vector-borne diseases in urban areas were conducted.Those reviews provided a clear picture of the available knowledge and highlighted knowledge gaps,as well as needs and opportunities for future research.Based on the research findings of the scoping reviews,a concept mapping exercise was undertaken to produce a list of priority research needs to be addressed.Methods:Members of the six research teams responsible for the“VEctor boRne DiseAses Scoping reviews”(VERDAS)consortium’s scoping reviews met for 2 days with decision-makers from Colombia,Brazil,Peru,Pan-American Health Organization,and World Health Organization.A total of 11 researchers and seven decision-makers(from ministries of health,city and regional vector control departments,and vector control programs)completed the concept mapping,answering the question:“In view of the knowledge synthesis and your own expertise,what do we still need to know about vector-borne diseases and other infectious diseases of poverty in urban areas?”Participants rated each statement on two scales from 1 to 5,one relative to‘priority’and the other to‘policy relevance’,and grouped statements into clusters based on their own individual criteria and expertise.Results:The final map consisted of 12 clusters.Participants considered those entitled“Equity”,“Technology”,and“Surveillance”to have the highest priority.The cluster considered the most important concerns equity issues,confirming that these issues are rarely addressed in research on vector-borne diseases.On the other hand,the“Population mobility”and“Collaboration”clusters were considered to be the lowest priority but remained identified by participants as research priorities.The average policy relevance scores for each of the 12 clusters were roughly the same as the priority scores for all clusters.Some issues were not addressed during the brain-storming.This is the case for governance and for access and quality of care.Conclusions:Based on this work,and adopting a participatory approach,the concept mapping exercise conducted collaboratively with researchers from these teams and high-level decision-makers identified research themes for which studies should be carried out as a priority.

Urban areas are greener

The greening of urban areas is im-proving as more cities step up efforts toplant trees. The average green cover has in-creased to one fifth of the aggregate urbanexpanse, with every urban resident en-

Aedes-borne viral infections and risk of emergence/resurgence in Sub-Saharan African urban areas

The sub-Saharan African region is increasingly becoming urbanized with the creation of an urban ecology that is conducive to the emergence of vector-borne diseases,such as Aedes-borne viral infections.Aedesborne viral infections pose a threat to urban health in sub-Saharan Africa.The major menacing arbovirus diseases in sub-Saharan Africa include dengue,yellow fever,chikungunya,and Zika,since they have shown(re)emergence in the last decades.In this review,we analyzed the risk factors for the resurgence of these arboviral diseases as well as their epidemiology and burden by studying the literature.The results suggested that the risk of emergence of Aedes-borne viral infections was related to the urbanicity and competence of Aedes,the genetics of these viruses,environmental factors,and the socio-economic conditions of the sub-Saharan population in urban areas.Better public health awareness and appropriate epidemiological and vector surveillance are essential.

Iterative construction of low-altitude UAV air route network in urban areas:Case planning and assessment

With the rapid increase of Unmanned Aircraft Vehicle(UAV) numbers,the contradiction between extensive flight demands and limited low-altitude airspace resources has become increasingly prominent.To ensure the safety and efficiency of low-altitude UAV operations,the low-altitude UAV public air route creatively proposed by the Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS) and supported by the Civil Aviation Administration of China(CAAC) has been gradually recognized.However,present planning research on UAV low-altitude air route is not enough to explore how to use the ground transportation infrastructure,how to closely combine the surface pattern characteristics,and how to form the mechanism of "network".Based on the solution proposed in the early stage and related researches,this paper further deepens the exploration of the low-altitude public air route network and the implementation of key technologies and steps with an actual case study in Tianjin,China.Firstly,a path-planning environment consisting of favorable spaces,obstacle spaces,and mobile communication spaces for UAV flights was pre-constructed.Subsequently,air routes were planned by using the conflict detection and path re-planning algorithm.Our study also assessed the network by computing the population exposure risk index(PERI) and found that the index value was greatly reduced after the construction of the network,indicating that the network can effectively reduce the operational risk.In this study,a low-altitude UAV air route network in an actual region was constructed using multidisciplinary approaches such as remote sensing,geographic information,aviation,and transportation;it indirectly verified the rationality of the outcomes.This can provide practical solutions to low-altitude traffic problems in urban areas.

Interventions for vector-borne diseases focused on housing and hygiene in urban areas:a scoping review

Background:Over half the world’s human populations are currently at risk from vector-borne diseases(VBDs),and the heaviest burden is borne by the world’s poorest people,communities,and countries.The aim of this study was to conduct a review on VBD interventions relevant to housing and hygiene(including sanitation and waste management)in urban areas.Main body:We conducted a scoping review,which involved systematically searching peer-reviewed and grey literature published between 2000 and 2016 using five scientific databases and one database for grey literature.Different data extraction tools were used for data coding and extraction.We assessed the quality of each study using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool and extracted descriptive characteristics and data about implementation process and transferability from all studies using the Template for Intervention Description and Replication and ASTAIRE(a tool for analyzing the transferability of health promotion interventions)tools.We reviewed 44 studies.Overall,the studies were judged to be of high risk for bias.Our results suggest multifaceted interventions,particularly community-based interventions,have the potential to achieve wider and more sustained effects than do standard vertical single-component programs.The evaluations of multifaceted interventions tend to include integrated evaluations,using not only entomological indicators but also acceptability and sustainability indicators.Conclusions:This review highlighted the important need for higher quality research in VBDs and improved and standardized reporting of interventions.Significant research gaps were found regarding qualitative research and implementation research,and results highlighted the need for more interventions focus on sanitation and hygiene practices.

Research on the Harmonious Development of New Rural Communities under the Perspective of Balancing Urban and Rural Areas

On the basis of offering a definition of New Rural Communities (NRCs), the paper analyzes the values of New Rural Communities and argues that the construction of NRCs is able to contribute to the enhancement of the comprehensive agricultural production capability as well as the development of social productivity. Meanwhile the incomes of the rural residents can be boosted, which denotes the realization of a harmonious society where the achievements of China's reform and development are shared by each citizen. Moreover, the construction of NRCs facilitates the economization of land use and thus improves the overall living standard of the residents, while helping to cut the administrative cost and promote democracy at the primary level. This paper also points out various problems arising during the construction of NRCS in China: blindly following suit in accordance with the modes of the urban communities; lack of funds, which leads to the absence of the supporting mechanisms of NRCs; vague positioning and the ensuing shortage of impetus for continued development. Finally, the paper raises the corresponding measures and suggestions: first, based on reality, make overall planning and scientific arrangement; second, the government should play the dominant role while respecting the principal position of the rural residents and introducing the market mechanism; third, increase science and technology input and attach equal importance to economic and social benefits; fourth, broaden fund-raising channels while completing the supervision mechanism.