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.

Factors Influencing the Spatial Variability of Air Temperature Urban Heat Island Intensity in Chinese Cities

Few studies have investigated the spatial patterns of the air temperature urban heat island(AUHI)and its controlling factors.In this study,the data generated by an urban climate model were used to investigate the spatial variations of the AUHI across China and the underlying climate and ecological drivers.A total of 355 urban clusters were used.We performed an attribution analysis of the AUHI to elucidate the mechanisms underlying its formation.The results show that the midday AUHI is negatively correlated with climate wetness(humid:0.34 K;semi-humid:0.50 K;semi-arid:0.73 K).The annual mean midnight AUHI does not show discernible spatial patterns,but is generally stronger than the midday AUHI.The urban–rural difference in convection efficiency is the largest contributor to the midday AUHI in the humid(0.32±0.09 K)and the semi-arid(0.36±0.11 K)climate zones.The release of anthropogenic heat from urban land is the dominant contributor to the midnight AUHI in all three climate zones.The rural vegetation density is the most important driver of the daytime and nighttime AUHI spatial variations.A spatial covariance analysis revealed that this vegetation influence is manifested mainly through its regulation of heat storage in rural land.

Temporal and spatial differences in human activities performed in Urban Green Spaces of Vilnius(Lithuania)

Urban green spaces(UGS)are relevant to city well-being,as recognized by the United Nations’Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).However,few studies have studied the temporal use of UGS.This work assessed the seasonal,weekly,and daily use of three urban green spaces(Vingis Park,Bernardino Garden,and Jomantas Park)in Vilnius(Lithuania).The study is based on an on-site observation-based survey,which recorded users’characteristics,activities,and weather conditions during summer and winter.The results showed that UGS’s seasonal,weekly,and daily use differed according to park and users’characteristics.Parks with a higher diversity of facilities had a high seasonal difference in the number of observed activities.User numbers were higher in the summer for activities with children,social activities,sports,and water activities than in the winter.Jomantas Park had the lowest variability in user characteristics.Weather variables were linked to changes in users’activities.Higher precipitation and lower temperature were associated with reducing the number of users and the diversity of registered activities.Most of the stationary activities were observed during summer.The diversity of the observed activities was associated with the available facilities rather than the park size.The distribution of stationary activities was spatially correlated with facility/equipment(benches,playgrounds,sports,and fitness equipment)and proximity to water features.The results of this study are relevant for UGS design,planning,and management.

Urban Spatial Form Optimization Strategies Based on the Principle of Climate Adaptability of Regional Architecture: A Case Study of Traditional Cave Dwelling Villages in Northern Shaanxi Province

A multitude of climate-adaptive design approaches are embedded in regional architecture,which have a positive impact on addressing the deformed development of urban spatial patterns and the dual challenges of climate and resources.This paper examines the principles of climate adaptability embedded in the site layout and spatial organization characteristics of traditional cave dwelling villages in northern Shaanxi Province.The extracted climate adaptability principles are summarized,and the resulting design strategies that are well-suited to the contemporary urban space form are presented.Through analysis,it can be observed that traditional cave dwelling villages in northern Shaanxi are predominantly situated on south-facing slopes in proximity to water at low altitudes.These villages are characterized by compact building groups and east-west development,which is constrained by the elements of mountains and rivers.A two-level street system is generated,comprising streets parallel to the contour line and roadways perpendicular to the contour line.This results in the formation of a courtyard form enclosed by mountains.Such site layout and spatial organization exhibit excellent climate adaptability with regard to heat,ventilation,and wind storage.In light of the aforementioned considerations,the following urban spatial form design strategies are put forth:①the topographic height difference can be exploited to obtain sufficient sunshine;②the group shape can be optimized in order to reduce building energy consumption;③the best orientation of the building can be chosen to take account of both winter and summer conditions;④the height and length can be combined in order to form natural masking;⑤the D/H ratio of streets and roadways should be controlled to achieve a balance between heat gain and cooling of groups;⑥vents should be set appropriately to optimize group ventilation;⑦climate buffers should be established to increase the level of climate response.

Spatiotemporal Differentiation of Urban Spatial Form and Carbon Emissions in Poyang Lake City Group

In response to the inherent requirements of low-carbon land spatial planning in Jiangxi Province and the lack of existing research,this paper explored the mechanism of spatial form elements of Poyang Lake urban agglomeration on urban carbon emissions.Based on generalized linear regression and geographically weighted regression models,this paper analyzed the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of carbon emissions,the spatiotemporal relationship between urban form index and carbon emissions,and the spatial differentiation of the intensity of dominant factors from 63 county-level administrative units in the Poyang Lake city group from 2005 to 2020.The results showed that:①The carbon emissions of urban agglomerations around Poyang Lake are generally increasing,and the spatial distribution of carbon emissions is characterized by high-value concentration in the middle and low-value agglomeration in pieces;②The main driving factor for the spatial heterogeneity of carbon emissions was the expansion of built-up area;③Improving urban compactness and optimizing urban form could effectively reduce urban carbon emissions.The results showcased the correlation between urban spatial landscape pattern and the spatiotemporal distribution of carbon emissions,which could make the low-carbon land spatial planning in the Poyang Lake city group more reasonable and practical.

The Study on the Evolution of Urban Spatial Structure in Zhuhai City Based on Spatial Syntax

With the deepening of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area strategy and the accelerated integration and development of the east and west sides of the Pearl River Estuary,Zhuhai’s hub position is becoming more and more prominent.The city of Zhuhai has a dense water network and is divided into two urban areas,the east and the west,under the influence of the Mordor Gate waterway.Based on the theory of spatial syntax,this paper carries out an analytical study on the urban spatial structure of Zhuhai,identifies the distribution characteristics of urban POIs,and provides theoretical support for the urban development of Zhuhai.

Geospatial Analysis of Urban Heat Island Effects and Tree Equity

In recent decades, Urban Heat Island Effects have become more pronounced and more widely examined. Despite great technological advances, our current societies still experience great spatial disparity in urban forest access. Urban Heat Island Effects are measurable phenomenon that are being experienced by the world’s most urbanized areas, including increased summer high temperatures and lower evapotranspiration from having impervious surfaces instead of vegetation and trees. Tree canopy cover is our natural mitigation tool that absorbs sunlight for photosynthesis, protects humans from incoming radiation, and releases cooling moisture into the air. Unfortunately, urban areas typically have low levels of vegetation. Vulnerable urban communities are lower-income areas of inner cities with less access to heat protection like air conditioners. This study uses mean evapotranspiration levels to assess the variability of urban heat island effects across the state of Tennessee. Results show that increased developed land surface cover in Tennessee creates measurable changes in atmospheric evapotranspiration. As a result, the mean evapotranspiration levels in areas with less tree vegetation are significantly lower than the surrounding forested areas. Central areas of urban cities in Tennessee had lower mean evapotranspiration recordings than surrounding areas with less development. This work demonstrates the need for increased tree canopy coverage.

Spatial restructuring and the logic of industrial land redevelopment in urban China: Ⅳ. A case study of jointly redevelopment by multi-actors

Within the inventory era, urban shrinkage characterized by economic decline and space decay has been widely witnessed in China. The modes and trajectories of urban redevelopment have thus become areas of major concern for both policymakers and scholars. Taking the multi-actor participation nature of redevelopment, this paper stemming from the game-theoretical approach demonstrates in empirical terms on two major fronts. First, the redevelopment of industrial land without the transfer of land use right is shown to be deadlocked by the incapacitation of the original land-user and unlocked with the participation of the new developer. Second, the preference of the original land-user to maximize its interests by operating by itself rather than continue to cooperate with the new developer is observed in the post-redevelopment stage. Therein, the entrepreneurial local government acts only as a “mediator” between the two market entities and tends not to directly intervene in their cooperation. Thus that, it is the reasonable distribution of potential benefits or the pricing of different rights in the land property right bundle rather than their definition that matters more for land redevelopment. Because the delineation of land property rights has never been a problem in a mature land market, particularly for stock industrial land.

Delineation of urban growth boundary based on FLUS model under the perspective of land use evaluation in hilly mountainous areas

With rapid economic development,the size of urban land in China is expanding dramatically.The Urban Growth Boundary(UGB)is an expandable spatial boundary for urban construction in a certain period in order to control the urban sprawl.Reasonable delineation of UGB can inhibit the disorderly spread of urban space and guide the normal development of the city.It is of practical significance for the construction of green urban space.The study utilizes GIS technology to establish a land construction suitability evaluation system for Nankang city,which is experiencing rapid urban expansion,and outlines the preliminary UGB under the future land use simulation(FLUS)model.At the same time,considering the coupled coordination of"Production-Living-Ecological Space",and based on the suitability evaluation,we revised the preliminary UGB by combining the advantages of the patch-generating land use simulation(PLUS)model and the convex hull model to delineate the final UGB.The results show that:1)the comprehensive score of the evaluation of the suitability of the construction of land from high to low shows the distribution of the center of the city to the surrounding circle type spread,the center of the city has the highest suitability score.The results of convex hull model show that the urban expansion type of Nankang is epitaxial.In the future,the urban expansion will mainly occur in the northern part of the city.The PLUS model predicts an increase of 3359.97 hm^(2)of construction land in Nankang by 2035,of which 2022.97 hm^(2)is urban construction land.2)The FLUS model has a prediction accuracy of 86.3%and delineates a preliminary UGB area of 9215.07 hm^(2).3)We used the results of the construction suitability evaluation,PLUS model simulation results,and convex hull model predictions to revise the originally delineated UGB.The final delineated UGB area is 8895.67 hm^(2)and it is capable of meeting the future development of the study area.The results of the delineation can promote sustainable urban development,and the delineation methodology can provide a reference basis for the preparation of territorial spatial planning.

Examining the Spatiotemporal Dynamics and Determinants of Land Urbanization in Prefecture-level Cities,China

Examining the spatiotemporal dynamics and determinants of land urbanization is critical for promoting healthy urban development and the rational use of land resources.Based on the dataset consisting of land use change data and selected factors in 2010 and2020,this study used visual analysis to reveal the spatiotemporal dynamics of land urbanization across prefecture-level cities in China.Meanwhile,the driving forces underlying land urbanization were examined by using geographical detector technique.Following are the findings:1)we find that there exist notable spatial variances in land urbanization across prefecture-level cities.Currently,the differentiation in land urbanization between the northern and southern cities is more pronounced than that between the coastal and inland cities,or between the eastern and western cities.Prefecture-level cities located in central and western China have experienced the most rapid growth in land urbanization.Conversely,the growth rate in northeastern China is the lowest,while the velocity in eastern China remains relatively stable.By using spatial autocorrelation analysis,this study reveals that the land urbanization level in prefecture-level cities has significant spatial agglomeration.2)We further find that land urbanization in China is influenced by factors related to urban land supply and demand,and urban population growth,economic growth,land financial and political incentive have greater impact on land urbanization than other factors.3)We also find that the impacts of determinants on China’s land urbanization vary over time,the explanatory power of economic development increased,while the explanatory power of state forces declined.We argue that integrating the supply and demand factors of land urbanization can provide a more comprehensive understanding of the driving mechanisms underlying land urbanization in China and other transitional countries,and help decision-makers in these countries formulate more detailed and specific land urbanization policies.

Study on the spatial and temporal evolutionary characteristics of ozone concentration and the impact of human activities in China in 2019

Ozone(O_(3))pollution has a profound impact on human health,vegetation development,and the ecological environment,making it a critical focus of global academic research.In recent years,O_(3)pollution in China has been on a steady rise,with ozone emerging as the sole conventional pollutant to consistently increase in concentration without any decline.This study conducted a quantitative analysis of O_(3)concentrations across 367 Chinese cities in 2019,examining spatial autocorrelation and local clustering of O_(3)levels,and investigated the diverse relationships between human activity factors and O_(3)concentration.The seasonal fluctuation of O_(3)exhibited the“M-type”pattern,with peak concentrations in winter and the lowest levels in summer.The center of O_(3)pollution migrated southeastward,with the area of highest concentration progressively shifting south along the eastern coast.Moreover,O_(3)concentration showed a strong positive correlation with population density,road freight volume,and industrial emissions,suggesting that human activities,vehicle emissions,and industrial operations are significant contributors to O_(3)production.The results provide comprehensive information on the characteristics,causes,and occurrence mechanism of O_(3)in Chinese cities that can be utilized by global government departments to formulate strategies to prevent and control O_(3)pollution.

Real-Time Prediction of Urban Traffic Problems Based on Artificial Intelligence-Enhanced Mobile Ad Hoc Networks(MANETS)

Traffic in today’s cities is a serious problem that increases travel times,negatively affects the environment,and drains financial resources.This study presents an Artificial Intelligence(AI)augmentedMobile Ad Hoc Networks(MANETs)based real-time prediction paradigm for urban traffic challenges.MANETs are wireless networks that are based on mobile devices and may self-organize.The distributed nature of MANETs and the power of AI approaches are leveraged in this framework to provide reliable and timely traffic congestion forecasts.This study suggests a unique Chaotic Spatial Fuzzy Polynomial Neural Network(CSFPNN)technique to assess real-time data acquired from various sources within theMANETs.The framework uses the proposed approach to learn from the data and create predictionmodels to detect possible traffic problems and their severity in real time.Real-time traffic prediction allows for proactive actions like resource allocation,dynamic route advice,and traffic signal optimization to reduce congestion.The framework supports effective decision-making,decreases travel time,lowers fuel use,and enhances overall urban mobility by giving timely information to pedestrians,drivers,and urban planners.Extensive simulations and real-world datasets are used to test the proposed framework’s prediction accuracy,responsiveness,and scalability.Experimental results show that the suggested framework successfully anticipates urban traffic issues in real-time,enables proactive traffic management,and aids in creating smarter,more sustainable cities.

Spatiotemporal evolution and influencing factors of urban resilience in the Yellow River Basin,China

The Yellow River Basin of China is a key region that contains myriad interactions between human activities and natural environment.Industrialization and urbanization promote social-economic development,but they also have generated a series of environmental and ecological issues in this basin.Previous researches have evaluated urban resilience at the national,regional,urban agglomeration,city,and prefecture levels,but not at the watershed level.To address this research gap and elevate the Yellow River Basin’s urban resilience level,we constructed an urban resilience evaluation index system from five dimensions:industrial resilience,social resilience,environmental resilience,technological resilience,and organizational resilience.The entropy weight method was used to comprehensively evaluate urban resilience in the Yellow River Basin.The exploratory spatial data analysis method was employed to study the spatiotemporal differences in urban resilience in the Yellow River Basin in 2010,2015,and 2020.Furthermore,the grey correlation analysis method was utilized to explore the influencing factors of these differences.The results of this study are as follows:(1)the overall level of urban resilience in the Yellow River Basin was relatively low but showed an increasing trend during 2010–2015,and significant spatial distribution differences were observed,with a higher resilience level in the eastern region and a low-medium resilience level in the western region;(2)the differences in urban resilience were noticeable,with industrial resilience and social resilience being relatively highly developed,whereas organizational resilience and environmental resilience were relatively weak;and(3)the correlation ranking of resilience influencing factors was as follows:science and technology level>administrative power>openness>market forces.This research can provide a basis for improving the resilience level of cities in the Yellow River Basin and contribute to the high-quality development of the region.

Spatiotemporal Characteristics of Typical Ecosystem Services and Their Spatial Responses to Driving Factors in Ecologically Fragile Areas in Upper Yellow River,China

The identification of dominant driving factors for different ecosystem services(ESs)is crucial for ecological conservation and sustainable development.However,the spatial heterogeneity of the dominant driving factors affecting various ESs has not been adequately elucidated,particularly in ecologically fragile regions.This study employed the integrated valuation of ESs and trade-offs(InVEST)model to evaluate four ESs,namely,water yield(WY),soil conservation(SC),habitat quality(HQ),and carbon storage(CS),and then to identify the dominant driving factors of spatiotemporal differentiation of ES and further to characterize the spatial heterogeneity characteristics of the dominant driving factors in the eco-fragile areas of the upper Yellow River,China from 2000 to 2020.The results demonstrated that WY exhibited northeast-high and northwest-low patterns in the upper Yellow River region,while high values of SC and CS were distributed in central forested areas and a high value of HQ was distributed in vast grassland areas.The CS,WY,and SC exhibited decreasing trends over time.The most critical factors affecting WY,SC,HQ,and CS were the actual evapotranspiration,precipitation,slope,and normalized difference vegetation index,respectively.In addition,the effects of different factors on various ESs exhibited spatial heterogeneity.These results could provide spatial decision support for eco-protection and rehabilitation in ecologically fragile areas.

A Survey of Bulgarian(National)Planning and Regulation Acts and Documents Concerning Urban Sprawl

In the last 20 years,the built-up areas of Europe have increased by 20%,while the population increased by 6% only.Given the fact that urban sprawl occurs when the rate of land-use conversion exceeds the rate of population growth,we can now talk about the existence of urban sprawl in Europe.In Bulgaria,during the period 2004-2012,the developers’interest in agricultural and forest lands located outside the development zones of different settlements increased in parallel with the construction development of urban areas,mainly around larger towns,resort and holiday areas.The low price of agricultural lands can be seen as one of the main reasons in this regard.The issues of the utilization of agricultural lands,their conversion into urban(construction)lands,and zoning have been defined by a number of national and local legal acts,which were passed and subsequently renewed/modified in a more recent period.The main act regulating the spatial planning and construction on the territory of the Republic of Bulgaria is the SPA(Spatial Planning Act).The ALPA(Agricultural Land Protection Act)and its corresponding regulations provide an appropriate legal basis for the protection of agricultural lands and their yield.Overall,as different acts and regulations concerning issues related to the conversion of agricultural,forest,and protected areas are not in conflict,they may be said to have been harmonized.There are,however,some points which leave possibilities for uncontrolled urban growth.

Sustainable Urban Mobility: (A)Synchrony between Subway Systems

The present study analyses the differences between the subways systems of two cities, Lisbon (Portugal) and Brasília (Brazil), verifying the extent to which their subway systems are spatially integrated with the respective urban fabric-which would promote a better synchrony in terms of economy and sustainability. For interpreting the data, the methodology and tools of the Theory of the Social Logic of Space were used, by means of axial maps, researching the relationship between the constructed and empty (public spaces) areas of the urban structures. Based on the findings, meaningful differences between the subway systems and the configuration of urban spaces were observed, as a product of specific design matrixes. In Lisbon, the mobility associated to the subway seems to be encouraged by the integration of the system with the potential for movement provided by the urban tissue (making the secondary centralities articulated with the subway stations more dynamic). In Brasilia, however, there are several difficulties for such mobility, due to the predominant role of the empty spaces in the city which weakens the gathering potential of such areas, despite the fact that such articulation with secondary centralities is also present there.

Spatial Pattern and Process of Urbanization in Karst Area——A Case Study in Guiyang City

ObjectiveKarst area is one of ecological fragile regions in China, where the economic and social development is lagged heavily. In recent years, with the constant development of the west regions, economy and society are developed rapidly and urbanization speed is accelerated. This study aims to investigate the spatial pattern and process of urbanization in karst area of Guiyang City, which has important significance for land management and urban planning in karst area. MethodBased on RS and GIS technologies, TM satellite images in 1986, 1995 and 2000 and CBERS-01 satellite image in 2006 were adopted to obtain the data of urban land utilization in Guiyang City in the four years. The spatial pattern and process of urbanization in Guiyang City were investigated using urbanization proportion index （UPI）, urbanization intensity index （UII） and absolute expansion intensity （AEI）. ResultThe urbanization process in Guiyang City was significant, exhibiting polygon-urbanization, line-urbanization and point-urbanization. From the perspective of spatial pattern, the urbanization in Guiyang City displayed the cluster development; from the perspective of urbanization process, the urbanization speed in some secondary central areas was higher than that of central areas. ConclusionThe spatial pattern and process of urbanization in karst area were unique and were mainly influenced by terrain, transportation, economy, society and so on.

Study on Spatial Heterogeneity of Urban Green Land Based on ETM+ Image in Shenzhen City

[Objective] To discuss the influence of the spatial heterogeneity of different green land types on their corresponding ecological efficiency and functions. [Method] ETM+ Images are utilized to classify urban green land into three categories, i.e. park green land, affiliated green land and other green lands; the principles of geostatistics are adopted to analyze their spatial heterogeneity. [Result] Spatial heterogeneity of different green land types differs greatly, which follows the scale law of 'affiliated green land < other green lands < park green land'. [Conclusion] The ecological functions and process of different green land types are different in scale; and the shapes of semi-variance functions are closely related to the spatial range, size and variety of ground objects, which however differ slightly in different directions, look similar or tend to isotropy.

Analysis of Spatial Configuration of Wenshufang in Chengdu City from the Perspective of Urban Design

Figure-ground theory,linkage theory and place theory of Roger Trancik were applied,field investigation,photo-taking and inductive analysis combined to analyze spatial configuration of urban historic blocks,physical environment,wills of people and also interaction between human behavior and environment in Wenshufang,Chengdu City of Sichuan Province.The results showed that on the basis of a clear bidimensional virtual-real structure,"linear parameters" and "dynamic structures" of spatial connection were established for Wenshufang,environment elements and humanistic needs of the place were respected,connection vitality of lane and yard spaces maintained.In this way,Wenshufang successfully inherited Buddhist cultures and folk cultures,providing a useful reference for the protection and research on historic blocks in other cities.

Study on Spatial Structure of Rural Tourism in Wuhan Urban Agglomerations

Spatial structure of rural tourism in the urban agglomerations of Wuhan was analyzed by comprehensively studying relevant documents about rural tourism,and reviewing previous researches on the concept and spatial structure of rural tourism.Through investigating rural tourist resources in the study area,resource advantages and characteristics of 9 cities were introduced,and the Gini Coefficient was taken to quantitatively analyze spatial patterns of its rural tourist villages,the obviously imbalanced concentration of these villages was pointed out.By measuring connectivity and accessibility of regional spaces in the study area,its traffic connectivity was proved moderate,and accessibility of each tourist village and town was fine.Then an optimized spatial structure was proposed for the rural tourism development in Wuhan Urban Agglomerations,that is,"one core,one belt and three districts".