Integrating linear and nonlinear models to assess the built environment’s impact on older adults’behaviors in China

China is experiencing rapid population aging.The one contributing factor affecting senior citizens’lives is the disconnect between the built environment in urban and rural areas and the behavioral preferences of older adults.However,research on the relation between the built environment and the behavior of older individuals has been limited.Thus,this paper uses the most recent health tracking data on factors influencing aging in China released in 2020(China Senior Health Survey Tracking Survey).Applying traditional regression,least absolute shrinkage and selection operator regression,and two decision tree optimization models from machine learning,a comprehensive comparative study is carried out to investigate the correlation between the built environment and the physical activity,dietary habits,and social interactions of older age groups.The findings reveal that built environment variables most significantly impact physical activity,accounting for 52.525%,followed by social interaction behaviors at 50.202%and dietary intake at 47.991%.Furthermore,the authors identify population density and greenness rate as the built environment factors having considerable effects on the behavior of older adults.Thus,this study establishes a theoretical foundation for developing age-friendly community environments for older adults.

Impact of Street Built Environment on Human Thermal Comfort in Summer

With the continuous intensification of the global greenhouse effect,thermal comfort has become a highly concerned issue in the living environment.The study explores the influencing factors and improvement strategies of urban street thermal comfort.The urban heat island effect,environmental parameters,building layout,and green planting all have a significant impact on the thermal comfort of streets.Improvement strategies include optimizing cultivating pattern of plants,adjusting street layout,and improving paving materials of road.The multi-layer vegetation structure provides green shade,reduces local temperature,and humidifies the surrounding environment.It should adjust the street orientation and aspect ratio to provide sunlight and ventilation,and reduce ambient temperature.Paving materials with low reflectivity and light color and permeable underlying surface should be chosen to reduce heat absorption,increase shading and greenery,and improve thermal comfort.

Searching Ways of Accelerating the Necessary Changes in the Production Process of the Built Environment for a Sustainable Future

This paper has the goal of presenting the main characteristics and challenges of the process of developing and disseminating solutions which aim to minimize the environmental impacts and improve the environmental performance of the CIPC(Construction Industry Productive Chain)in the mid-west region of Brazil.Over the past eight years many applied research projects have shown that the bottleneck slowing or preventing the evolution of CIPC in Brazil is the lack of political will,be it at the municipality,state or federal level and a desintegrated agenda.Exacerbated political interests added to a lack of capacity for integrated and efficient management of available resources and programs implementation curtail the continued and integrated technological development and as consequence it has delayed the effective evolution towards sustainable technological paradigms.With no political will,the steps toward change are slow,inefficient and dispersed,as demonstrated by an analysis of the development,implementation and diffusion of four projects which focus on the sustainability of processes and products of the built environment.

Impact of the Built Environment on the Spatial Heterogeneity of Regional Innovation Productivity:Evidence from the Pearl River Delta,China

With the global economy increasingly dependent on innovation,urban discourse has shifted to consider what kinds of spatial designs may best nurture innovation.We examined the relationship between the built environment and the spatial heterogeneity of regional innovation productivity(RIP)using the example of China's Pearl River Delta(PRD).Based on a spatial database of 522546 patent data from 2017,this study proposed an innovation-based built environment framework with the following five aspects:healthy en-vironment,daily interaction,mixed land use,commuting convenience,and technology atmosphere.Combining negative binomial regression and Geodetector to examine the impact of the built environment on RIP,the results show that the spatial distribution of innovation productivity in the PRD region is extremely uneven.The negative binomial regression results show that the built environment has a significant impact on the spatial differentiation of RIP,and,specifically,that healthy environment,mixed land use,commuting convenience,and technology atmosphere all demonstrate significant positive impacts.Meanwhile,the Geodetector results show that the built environment factor impacts the spatial heterogeneity of RIP to varying degrees,with technology atmosphere demonstrating the greatest impact intensity.We conclude that as regional development discourse shifts focus to the knowledge and innovation economy,the innovation-oriented design and updating of built environments will become extremely important to policymakers.

Developing a Subjective Evaluation Scale for Assessing the Built Environments of China’s Hygienic City Initiative

Objective To develop a preliminary subjective evaluation scale for assessing the built environments of China’s Hygienic City Initiative and to evaluate its reliability and validity.Methods The initial items of the scale were determined based on a review of policy documents and consultations with experts. The final items of the scale were confirmed through individual interviews with residents combined with the discretetrend method, critical ratio method, correlation coefficient method, and factor analysis method. Then, the dimensions of the scale were determined using exploratory factor analysis(EFA). The Cronbach’s α coefficient, split-half reliability coefficient, and confirmatory factor analysis(CFA) were used to assess the reliability and validity of the scale.Results A scale containing five dimensions with 22 items was established, including urban lifestyle,governance, basic functions, environmental sanitation, and amenities. The Cronbach’s α coefficient of the scale was 0.876, and the split-half reliability coefficient was 0.796. The CFA results indicate that each inspection level was within the standard limit.Conclusion The preliminarily subjective evaluation scale for assessing the built environments of China’s Hygienic City Initiative demonstrates a high level of reliability and validity. Additional empirical studies should be carried out to further verify the value of the scale in terms of practical application.

Elaborating Spatiotemporal Associations Between the Built Environment and Urban Vibrancy:A Case of Guangzhou City,China

This study applies multi-source datasets(i.e.,Baidu Heat Map data,points of interest(POIs)data,and floor area and land use data)and geographically and temporally weighted regression(GTWR)models to elaborate the spatiotemporal relationships between the built environment and urban vibrancy on both weekdays and weekends,using Guangzhou City as a case.First,we verified the spatially and temporally nonstationary nature of the built environment correlates,which have been largely ignored in previous studies based on local regression techniques.The spatially and temporally heterogeneous effects of the built environment on urban vibrancy are then presented and visualized,based on the GTWR results.We found that the elasticity of location(i.e.,distance),land use mix(i.e.,diversity),building intensity and numbers of POIs with various functions(i.e.,density)are different across time(2-h intervals within a day)and space(grids),due to people’s everyday lifestyle,time-space constraints,and geographical context(e.g.,spatial structure).The findings highlight the importance of a better understanding of the local geography on the spatiotemporal relationships for urban planners and local governments so as to put forward decision-making support for fostering and maintaining urban vibrancy.

The built environment correlates of objectively measured physical activity in Norwegian adults:A cross-sectional study

Background: Built environments that are designed to provide accessible, attractive, and convenient locales promote regular physical activity(PA).Norway has great variability in its geographic, natural, and built environment features. Urban areas have well-developed built environment features, whereas the rural areas are less walkable and this may influence the mode of transport. In general, active transport is more common in urban centers. Further, public transportation is more developed in urban areas, whereas motorized transport may be more widespread in the rural areas. Despite this, in Sogn & Fjordane, a rural county in western Norway, high PA levels are frequently observed. Thus, the aims of this study were to(1) explore perceived built environment features and characterize their associations with objectively measured PA levels in Norwegian adults and(2) explore the differences in these correlates between Sogn & Fjordane and the rest of Norway.Methods: In this cross-sectional study, participants used questionnaires to rate perceptions of their built environments, and their PA was objectively measured for 7 consecutive days using the Acti Graph GT1 M accelerometer. There were 972 Norwegian adults who were included in the study. The average age was 46.9 ± 6.5 years and 43.8% of participants were men. Data were analyzed using multiple linear regression.Results: Total PA and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity(MVPA) were both associated with perceived walkability, the community perception score, and active transport for commuting(all p ≤ 0.004). We also observed geographic-area-specific associations: the community perception score was negatively associated with total PA and MVPA in the rest of Norway(p ≤ 0.012) but not in Sogn & Fjordane. Public transport for commuting was positively associated with MVPA in Sogn & Fjordane(p = 0.03) but not in the rest of Norway.Conclusion: Total PA level and MVPA were associated with built environment factors, such as perceptions of community, perceived walkability,and engaging in active transport for commuting. Geographic differences in the PA correlates were observed, and thus, locally customized environmental population approaches aimed at increasing PA levels may be essential complements to individual behavior and lifestyle strategies.Further, objective measures of Norwegian built environments, such as geographic information system data, and validated walk-and bike-scores would advance the field.

Wind Turbine Power Output Assessment in Built Environment

In future planning of the city, it is very important to consider the proper intelligent integration of renewable energy sources into the built environment for developing smart cities. Analysis of the wind velocity profile in the built environment is very important for finding out the energy content in the wind and also to analyze the performance of wind turbines in the built environment. In this study, building topologies of smart city are investigated for finding out the wind velocity profile and the wind turbine power output in the built environment. The wind velocity distribution across buildings is numerically simulated by using commercial CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) software CFD-ACE+. Wind turbine power output is estimated by using the power curve of real commercial wind turbine and wind velocity distribution simulated by CFD software. It has been observed that the wind is accelerated in the intervening space between the buildings irrespective of distance between the walls of adjacent buildings under the condition, which are investigated in this study. The wind is accelerated across buildings, and is reduced rapidly after blowing through buildings, and recovered gradually. Since the wind is accelerated in the intervening space between buildings and reduced in the area at the back of buildings, a wind turbine should be installed at the area at the back of the buildings and located on center between the buildings. In this work, it is observed that size dimensions and layout of the building are effective in realizing a smart city for utilizing renewable energy such as wind turbine in the built environment.

Education Training Improvement of Built Environment and Energy Application Engineering in Line with the ABET Criteria

Built Environment and Energy Application Engineering(BEEAE),namely Heating,Ventilating,Air Conditioning and Refrigerating(HVAC&R),is one of the international accreditation programs.Its knowledge system of professional theory and professional education in accredited engineering academic programs must meet the requirements of the relevant international engineering certification.In view of professional engineers and technicians training of BEEAE,the professional training programs and the knowledge system are compared and explored in line with the international certification criteria.This study compares the items and requirements of different international certification criteria,and summarizes the experienced methods of education training.The undergraduate education and training programs are then improved in accordance with the requirements from international certification criteria.The BEEAE education training schemes should combine the knowledge system of the national professional guidance standards with the items from international certification criteria.

Relationship Between Built Environment, Socio-economic Factors and Carbon Emissions from Shopping Trip in Shenyang City, China

Promoting active travel behavior and decreasing transport-related carbon dioxide （CO2） emissions have become a priority in many Chinese cities experiencing rapid urban sprawl and greater automobile dependence. However, there are few studies that holistically examine the physical and social factors associated with travel CO2 emissions. Using a survey of 1525 shoppers conducted in Shenyang, China, this study estimated shopping-related travel CO2 emissions and examined how the built environment and individual socioeconomic characteristics contribute to shopping travel behavior and associated C02 emissions. We found that, firstly, private car trips generate nearly eight times more carbon emissions than shopping trips using public transport, on average. Second, there was sig- nificant spatial autocorrelation with CO2 emissions per trip, and the highest carbon emissions were clustered in the inner suburbs and between the first and second circumferential roads. Third, shopping travel CO2 emissions per trip were negatively correlated with sev- eral built environment features including population density, the quantity of public transport stations, road density, and shop density. They were also found to be significantly related to the individual socio-eeonomic characteristics of car ownership, employment status, and education level using a multinomial logistic regression model. These empirical findings have important policy implications, assisting in the development of measures that contribute to the sustainability of urban transportation and meet carbon mitigation targets.

Influence of Built Environment in Hygienic City in China on Self-rated Health of Residents

Objective To assess the subjective perception of residents on the built environment in hygienic cities and its relation to the self-rated health(SRH)status of residents,providing a basis for a better promotion on construction of health-supportive environments.Methods The online survey was adopted with the respondents recruited from residents living in Chaoyang District of Beijing in January 2021.With SRH level as the dependent variable,two-category logistic regression analysis was conducted to analyze the impact of the built environment in hygienic cities on the SRH status of residents.Results A total of 1,357 respondents were enrolled in this study.After controlling confounding factors,four aspects in the built environment in hygienic cities were detected remarkable influences on the SRH level of residents,including enough green space in the living area[odds ratio(OR)=1.395,95%confidence interval(95%CI):1.055–1.845],clean and hygienic living environment(OR=1.472,95%CI:1.107–1.956),residents’confidence in drinking water safety in the living area(OR=1.856,95%CI:1.354–2.544)and residents’confidence in food safety in the living area(OR=1.405,95%CI:1.027–1.921).Conclusion Regarding city construction,the government should focus more on the subjective perception of residents on built environments to build a supportive environment benefiting the health of residents.

From Transitions to Transformation: A Brief Review of the Potential Impacts of COVID-19 on Boosting Digitization, Digitalization, and Systems Thinking in the Built Environment

In a short time, during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, we managed to shift rapidly to use digital technologies and replace some of our daily operations with virtual modes. This shift happened so instantly and widely that it enables us to argue that the COVID-19 became a valid reason to boost some of the gradual and ongoing transitions towards faster transformations. In this study, we use gray literature to delve into arguments around the boost for digitization, digitalization, and systems thinking in the development of the built environment. This is mostly discussed from the influence of COVID-19 on some of the existing practices or the business-as-usual of the built environment sector. From technological advancement to technology use, these arguments are put forward to discuss what is likely to be the major driver of technological adoption and the shifting paradigms that are yet to be revealed. The study concludes that the current push towards new directions and development pathways are likely to be widely accepted in a shorter time. The findings of this brief study feed into existing arguments on transformative pathways due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Energy and Built Environment

https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/energy-and-built-environment/vol/1/issue/1Volume 1,Issue 1,Pages 1-130(January 2020)(1)Simulation study on performance of a dual-source hybrid heat pump unit with alternative refrigerants,by Chenguang Bai,Zongwei Han,Haotian Wei,Xiaomei Ju,Xinwei Meng,Qi Fu,doi.org/10.1016/j.enbenv.2019.08.004Abstract:To solve the problems of single heat source heat pump systems in severe cold regions,a dual-source hybrid heat pump unit(DSHHPU)is proposed.The mathematical models of the DSHHPU w hen charging R134a or its alternative refrigerants R32,R290 and R600a w ere established respectively.

Optimization of Building Layouts to Increase Wind Turbine Power Output in the Built Environment Assumed to Be Installed at Fukushima City and Tsu City in Japan

It is very important to consider proper intelligent integration and locations of renewable energy sources into the built environment for developing smart cities. Wind speed distribution study in the built environment is very essential for analyzing the wind turbine performance located in the built environment. In this work, the building layout like nozzle is proposed and the objective is to optimize the building layout for increasing electrical energy output of wind turbine, assumed to be installed in actual cities of Japan. The wind speed distribution across buildings is numerically simulated by using CFD-ACE+. Wind turbine power output is estimated using the power curve of a real commercial wind turbine and wind speed distribution is simulated using CFD software. The meteorological data of Fukushima city and Tsu city of Japan are utilized for evaluating the wind speed distribution profile across the building and for finding the electrical energy output from wind turbine. The proposed building models, which have the angle between two buildings like nozzle of 90°, 135° and 180°, can provide the wind acceleration at the back of buildings for the wind blowing from the main wind direction and the angle of 135°is optimum building layout. In the case of installing the proposed building model in Fukushima city and Tsu city, the wind energy output in winter season is higher while that in summer season is lower irrespective of the buildings’ angle. The interaction between the change in frequency distribution of wind speed and direction throughout the year and the location of open tip of building model decides the power generation characteristics of the proposed building model.

A spatial regression modeling framework for examining relationships between the built environment and pedestrian crash occurrences at macroscopic level:A study in a developing country context

Researchers have been trying to identify the contributory factors behind pedestrian crash occurrences through studies at both microscopic and macroscopic levels.However,built environment-related factors have primarily been examined in developed countries,resulting in a limited understanding of the phenomenon in the context of developing countries.Methodologically,these studies mostly used global regression models,which failed to incorporate spatial autocorrelation and spatial heterogeneity.Additionally,some of these studies applied spatial regression models randomly without following a comprehensive logical framework behind their selections.Our study aimed to develop a comprehensive spatial regression modeling framework to examine the relationships between pedestrian crash occurrences and the built environment at the macroscopic level in a megacity,Dhaka,the capital of a developing country:Bangladesh.Using secondary pedestrian crash data,the study applied one global non-spatial model,two global spatial regression models,and two local spatial regression models following a comprehensive spatial regression modeling framework.The factors which significantly contributed to pedestrian crash occurrences in Dhaka were employed person density,mixed and recreational land use density,primary road density,major intersection density,and share of non-motorized modes.Except for the last factor,all the other ones were positively related to pedestrian crash density.Among the five models used in this study,the multiscale geographically weighted regression(MGWR)performed the best as it calibrated each local relationship with a distant spatial scale parameter.The findings and recommendations presented in this study would be useful for reducing pedestrian crashes and choosing the appropriate modeling technique for crash analysis.

Students’Feedback on Integrating Engineering Practice Cases into Lecture Task in Course of Built Environment

The improvement of students’abilities is of great significance to discover the relevant scientific problems in daily life,to analyze and solve practical problems,to trigger scientific inspiration,and to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship.Taken the course entitled Built Environment(BE)as an example,this study introduces five lecture cases combining with engineering practices,and examines the evaluation of teaching and learning effect on student outcomes.The cases consider various problems to be solved urgently in an actual project,and evaluate the student outcomes by statistically analyzing the questionnaires.Most of the students actively participate in five cases and cheerfully share their achievements.More than 85%of students are satisfied with the engineering practice and the learning proposal,and convey a little or even significantly change in their understanding of the employment prospects.

Impact of the Built Environment on the Mental Health of the Inhabitants in High-Rise Collective Housing in Algeria

For everybody, the house or the accommodation （and its environment） is a secure place, a haven space, which protects people from constraints of the everyday life. Unfortunately, and more or less everywhere in the third world, accommodation is for a great number of people a source of stress caused by daily obligations that people have to deal with. In Algeria, the majority of the high-rise collective housing estates through the country offers all the ingredients of a constrained urban environment for the inhabitants. For the most of the population, the accommodation appears as a vital need rather than a negotiable good. As a matter of fact, in the third world in general and particularly in Algeria, most of people live in communities where there is a shortage of accommodation and in which the social housing and its environment are often below the standards. Constructed on policies and a conception of housing which does not integrate at all the criteria of the sustainable development, millions of fiats have already been built. Millions are going to be built in the future, and will be of high-rise collective type. As underlined in this paper, it seems reasonable to think that such a degraded built environment will be unfavorable to the inhabitants and will have a negative impact on both their mental and physical health. The attempt is to demonstrate that there are evidences according to which the housing conditions, inside and outside the accommodation, contribute to create psychological distress and physiological diseases.

Understanding the Traditional Saudi Built Environment: The Phenomenon of Dynamic Core Concept and Forms

This study examines the traditional Saudi built environment and culture to uncover its rich architecture and to propose a new way of thinking about how to comprehend and value the past while also rebalancing the Kingdom’s future architectural identity. In that sense, the primary objective of this study is to examine the Core Concepts and Forms of traditional architecture, as well as their cultural connotations, in three regions of Saudi Arabia: the central, eastern, and western regions. Non-participant observation, ethnographic, and descriptive approaches were used in the study, which was based on a multi-dimensional comparative observational model. It was determined that the traditional Saudi built environment relied on forty Core Concepts and Forms that were divided into four categories: constant, semi-constant, semi-flexible, and flexible core forms to regulate the production process and maintain its continuity over centuries.

Diffusion of Solar Energy Use in the Built Environment Supported by New Design

Places of large potentials of sustainable energy production and places of large energy consumption are often very different and separated by large distances across the globe. This paper first discusses potentials of solar technology in terms of global availability using PV （photovoltaic） technology and actual energy production. Solar energy is widely under-used and one way to reduce this is to improve production in low-energy places with high demand： large cities. According to this option, about 40% of the electricity consumption in the built environment could be produced by solar PV systems and energy storage systems. This paper discusses conditions in the built environment and functional and design qualities enabling an increased diffusion of the technologies In a comparative analysis of PV technologies, the criteria taken into account encompass efficiency of the type of solar cell and commercial availability. Special attention is paid to the design features of different PV systems, like flexibility, colour and transparency that might help in their utilization as integrated in building material and ornaments in modem architecture. The same procedure is followed for electricity storage devices. The preliminary conclusion is that at present the freedom of design is largest for a combination of crystalline silicon PV cells and Li-ion batteries.

Assessment Parameters of the Application of Solar Cell Technologies in the Built Environment

This paper presents a comprehensive overview of the different requirements for applications of solar cells in the built environment, particularly for the MENA （Middle East and North Africa） region. The authors emphasize the assessment of parameters additional to the cost and efficiency of the cells to make a more informed choice of the PV technology to use in specific buildings. They also emphasize the need for the wide use ofphotovoltaics in the built environment to produce electricity in the GCC （Gulf Cooperation Council） region and briefly mention the efforts being made in this regard.