Urbanization Flagship

A four-hour commute through gridlocked downtown Luanda used to be the most frustrating part of Alexandre＇s daily life. But now the resident of the new city project named Kilamba Kiaxi, located some 30 km south of Angola＇s capital Luanda. is enjoying the peace and order of a well-planned satellite city. ＂With complete infrastructure and public utilities, there is not much worry about electricity or water [supply dis- ruptions] that often happen in downtown Luanda,＂ he told ChinAfrica. There are no congestions and Alexandre also has the convenience of sending his children to schools in the city.

The Thai GoodWalk Index and the Thai Walkability Index:their application to urban regeneration exemplified by a historic riverside neighbourhood in Bangkok,Thailand

The urban heritage regeneration strategy through walkability is widely accepted.However,in the context of a developing country,the tools to measure walkability,which are crucial for urban planning and development,still need to be improved.This article investigates ways to revitalise a run-down historic riverside area in Bangkok.It develops two indices,the Thai GoodWalk Index(TGWI)and the Thai Walkability Index(TWI).A hybrid of both indices is based on geospatial techniques and technology to optimise problem analysis processes,create problem-solving options,enhance spatial site selection decision capabilities,and assist urban planners in carrying out spatial scenario planning processes.It demonstrates how the GoodWalk Index has been employed to plan and prioritise urban development projects.This is exemplified by the Master Plan for the Regeneration of Kadeejeen-Klongsan,a historic riverside neighbourhood in Bangkok with limitations in density,functional mix of spaces,and access networks,especially in riverfront areas.The TGWI and TWI can be applied to the regeneration of other historic districts throughout Thailand.

Spatiotemporal Evolution Characteristics and Influencing Factors of China’s Automobile Market since Joining the WTO

Since joining the WTO, China’s automobile market has shown a rapid development trend, and the automobile market is becoming more and more important to China’s economic recovery and high-quality development. The automobile manufacturing industry is one of the pillar industries of China, but facing downward pressure since 2018. The paper studies spatiotemporal evolution characteristics and influencing factors of automobile market since WTO Accession using methods including ESDA, DTW cluster analysis and Spatial panel Dubin model. The result shows that: 1) China’s automobile sales have grown rapidly and three development stages have occurred since WTO Accession;2) Four types of China’s automobile markets have significant spatial differentiation, while the same pattern present spatial agglomeration characteristics;3) The crucial reasons for spatial separation of production and sales in China’s automobile market include implementation of purchase restrictions in more and more cities, gradual consolidation of spatial pattern of automobile production, and the fact that some automobile production areas are far away from consumer market;4) The provincial spatial weighted average centers of automobile sales are mainly distributed in southeast Henan, and show a trend of moving to the southwest;5) The estimated coefficients of factors such as GDP, financial added value, the proportion of highway, the volume of highway freight, and implementation of automobile consumption incentive policies are all significantly positive, and some factors have positive spatial spillover effects. Existing research on the automobile market lacks analysis based on long-time series data. This study uses long-time series data to provide a certain reference for future research in related directions.

Cross-Regional Collective Response Mechanism for Major Epidemic Control and Treatment

It is essential for cross-regional control and treatment of major epidemics to establish a collaborative,efficient,and precise collective response mechanism.Based on the observation of the COVID-19 epidemic,this paper concludes major measures and experience of cross-regional collective response for epidemic control and treatment,compares the difference between localities at home and abroad,and puts forwards major strategies for a cross-regional collective response,hoping to provide policy-making references to improve the modernization level of public health,epidemic prevention,and emergency management in China.

‘You withhold what you are feeling so you can have a family’:Latinas’perceptions on community values and postpartum depression

Objective The purpose of this study was to explore the postpartum depression(PPD)beliefs and experiences of mothers who access local community faith-based organisations providing family services to low-income,predominantly immigrant Latino populations.Design Using a qualitative research design,we conducted 18 focus groups with Latina mothers to inquire about their community values and beliefs of PPD.All groups were conducted in Spanish.setting An academic research team located in Houston,Texas,USA,partnered with six faith-based organisations in five cities to recruit and host focus groups at the site of the organisation.Participants One hundred and thirty-three women participated in the focus groups across all sites.Thirty-seven of them(27.8%)had given birth to a child in less than 1 year.Inclusion criteria included mothers 18 years and older and Latino ethnicity.results A six-step process was used to apply thematic analysis to sort data into the themes.All mothers had heard of depression after childbirth,some had experienced it and most remarked that the personal experience and community acceptance of it vary by family.The main findings suggest that mothers take pride in parenting by instilling values to support family and the value of relying on family for emotional support.Findings reveal that many mothers suffer and sacrifice for their children,they feel judged and feel they must hide their emotions.Factors such as birth and postpartum customs from a native country,gender roles and beliefs of what a good mother shape their beliefs and messages about PPD.Conclusion Our findings indicate that programme developers should consider family and community focused education and intervention efforts to help decrease stigma and increase understanding of PPD.