City Scale Research Articles

Evaluation of Living Environment Quality in Urban Residential Areas under the Concept of Urban Renewal—A Case Study of Binjiang District, Hangzhou, China

As urbanization continues to advance globally, the issue of “urban ailments” has become increasingly prominent. To promptly identify problems arising from urban development, it is crucial to investigate not only the quality of human habitats at the city and regional scales but also the micro-level living environments. Indeed, studying residential living conditions enables the specific problems within urban planning to be unearthed, facilitating timely adjustments for the improvement of urban habitation. However, a precise and objective methodology for accurately measuring the quality of residential living environments is still lacking. In recent years, the urban renewal concept has proven to be proactive in enhancing the living environment quality of residential areas. In this study, we focus on residential areas within Hangzhou’s Binjiang District, China, and integrate diverse datasets including real estate websites, digital mapping platforms, remote sensing imagery, points of interest (POIs), and land-use planning data. By examining and analyzing the urban renewal concept, we establish a comprehensive set of evaluation indicators for the living environment quality in residential areas, including five aspects: residential and environmental factors; transportation and communication; education and culture; lifestyle and leisure; and healthcare and well-being. Subsequently, a holistic assessment of the Binjiang District is conducted. Our research findings demonstrate that in the context of urban renewal, the proposed living environment quality evaluation method, based on multi-source data, exhibits significantly higher practicality and effectiveness. The residential environment in Binjiang District exhibits a spatial pattern with higher quality in the northern regions and lower quality in the southern regions. Across different dimensional layers, the residential and environmental quality shows a higher trend along the river areas and a lower trend in the internal areas, as well as higher quality in newly developed sections compared to older ones. The transportation and communication quality exhibits a decreasing trend radiating from multiple core areas. In other dimensions, there is a concentration of high-quality residential areas in the administrative vicinity and surrounding Binjiang University Town. Hotspot analysis further substantiates a significant spatial correlation between the quality of the living environment and the degree of agglomeration, highlighting a positive relationship between the two factors. This study provides a solid basis for the spatial planning of urban public service facilities and holds significant research and practical value.

Augmenting EV charging infrastructure towards transformative sustainable cities: An equity-based approach

An increasing number of studies have reported on the need to augment public electric vehicle (EV) charging points (E-CPs) in areas with growing demand for parking. However, the focus on E-CP infrastructure equity has largely been ignored. For increased uptake of EVs, we argue that future E-CP infrastructure augmentation (EIA) will necessitate the identification of the optimal locations based on a need-focused strategic approach. Our work utilises open datasets and presents a generic multicriteria-based modelling framework for EIA framework. The E-CP Infrastructure Framework a two-stage framework. The first stage assesses the existing infrastructure gap and spatial disparity of E-CP allocation at the city scale. Next, guided by the information from stage one, stage two identifies the optimal E-CP candidate locations for future EIA expansion. The locations are determined using a parametric scoring approach that includes ease of access, available bays for parked vehicles, and potential congestion risk. We take the example of Dresden city to demonstrate the applicability of the EIA framework. Our findings show the wide prevalence of spatial disparities in E-CPs across nine of the ten wards in the city. Our proposed city-scale approach for identifying candidate locations could help policymakers decide on the augmentation strategies of E-CP infrastructure in a spatially equitable and cost-effective manner.

From pets to plates: network analysis of trafficking in tortoises and freshwater turtles representing different types of demand

AbstractDespite being protected under the law, illegal trade in tortoises and freshwater turtles is common in India, with different species being trafficked for different markets. Indian species of tortoises and hard-shell turtles are predominantly trafficked for the pet trade and soft-shell turtles for the meat trade. Given their distinct markets, the operation of trade may vary between these different groups of tortoises and freshwater turtles, thereby necessitating different types of interventions. However, a systematic examination of illegal trade in tortoises and freshwater turtles that takes into account the differences between these markets is currently lacking. Here we compare the supply networks of tortoises/hard-shell turtles (in demand for pet trade) vs soft-shell turtles (meat trade), using information from 78 and 64 seizures, respectively, that were reported in the media during 2013–2019. We used social network analysis to compare the two networks and the role of individual nodes (defined as locations at the district or city scale) within these networks. We found that the tortoise/hard-shell turtle network had a larger geographical scale, with more international trafficking links, than the soft-shell turtle network. We recorded convoluted smuggling routes in tortoise/hard-shell turtle trafficking, whereas soft-shell turtle trafficking was uni-directional from source to destination. Within both networks, we found that a few nodes played disproportionately important roles as key exporting, importing or transit nodes. Our study provides insights into the similarities and differences in the illegal supply networks of different groups of tortoises and freshwater turtles, in demand for different markets. We highlight the need for intervention strategies tailored to address the illegal trade in each of these groups.

Multi-scale analysis of surface thermal environment in relation to urban form: A case study of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area

With the expansion of cities and urban agglomerations, the impact of urban form on the urban thermal environment exhibits notable scale variations. Moreover, the synergistic effect between land surface temperature (LST) and urban heat island intensity (UHII) in urban areas with strong spatial heterogeneity is unclear. Here we explored the spatiotemporal variations of LST and surface UHII (SUHII) over the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) that includes cities of various urban form settings manifested by the local climate zone (LCZ) at multi-scale. The results confirm the LST and LCZ data obtained can effectively capture detailed thermal environment and urban form characteristics for large urban agglomeration (i.e., GBA). Our findings revealed the interactions of LST and SUHII have significant scale disparities. Regionally, the LST and SUHII exhibited strong spatial correlation in built-up area, but showed opposite variation trend in natural areas. At the city scale, the consistency of LST and SUHII is weak in cities with higher vegetation coverage, while strong in cities with lower vegetation coverage. Locally, LST and SUHII exhibited varied interactions in different LCZs. Finally, we proposed corresponding planning recommendations oriented by thermal environment optimization and sustainable development for GBA based on the conclusions.

Examining the Overall and Heterogeneous Impacts of Urban Spatial Structure on Carbon Emissions: A Case Study of Guangdong Province, China

The variation in the urban spatial structure (USS) has profound impacts on carbon emissions. Studying the relationship between the two can provide guidance for carbon neutrality strategies and the construction of low-carbon cities in China. However, there is currently a lack of comparative research on the different regions within a province. In this paper, the spatiotemporal evolution of the USS and carbon emissions, at five-year intervals from 2000 to 2020, is investigated in 21 prefecture-level cities in Guangdong Province, China, and the overall relationship of the USS to carbon emissions and their spatiotemporal variations are analyzed by using a two-way fixed-effects model and a geographically and temporally weighted regression model, respectively. The results show that, first, over the past twenty years, the scale of cities has continued to expand, with increasing continuity and aggregation in the built-up areas, while the complexity and fragmentation of their shapes have gradually decreased. Second, the gap in carbon emissions between the Pearl River Delta and other regions in Guangdong shows a trend of first decreasing and then increasing, with high values concentrated in the Pearl River Delta region and the city of Shantou in the east. Third, compared to socio-economic factors, the USS has a more direct and pronounced impact on carbon emissions. Urban expansion and the increased complexity of land patches promote carbon emissions, whereas improving urban spatial continuity and compactness can reduce carbon emissions. Fourth, the dominant spatial structure indicators of carbon emissions differ among the regions of eastern, western, and northern Guangdong and the Pearl River Delta. This study proposes spatial optimization strategies for the low-carbon development of cities in Guangdong Province, providing a new perspective for integrating urban layout and emission reduction policies.

Experimental and Numerical Analysis on a Thermal Barrier Coating with Nano-Ceramic Base: A Potential Solution to Reduce Urban Heat Islands?

Adopting a multiscale approach is crucial for optimizing urban and building performance, prompting inquiries about the link between a technology’s local efficiency (building scale) and its broader impact (city-wide). To investigate this correlation and devise effective strategies for enhancing building and city energy performance, we experimentally examined a commercial nano-ceramic Thermal Barrier Coating (TBC) on a small-scale building and assessed numerically its influence on mitigating Urban Heat Islands (UHIs) at a city scale, translated in our case by the use of the thermal comfort index: the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). Our results reveal that the coating significantly curbs heat transfer locally, reducing surface temperatures by over 50 ∘C compared to traditional roofs and attenuating more than 70% of heat flux, potentially alleviating air conditioning demands and associated urban heat effects. However, implementing such coatings across a city does not notably advance overall efficiency and might trigger minor overheating on thermal perception. Hence, while nano-ceramic coatings indirectly aid UHI mitigation, they are not a standalone fix; instead, an integrated strategy involving efficient coatings, sustainable urban planning, and increased vegetation emerges as the optimal path toward creating enduringly sustainable, pleasant, and efficient urban environments to counter urban heat challenges effectively.

Global Connectivity, Spatial Proximity, Multimodal Transport, and Polycentric Urban Regions: UAE Urban Development 2020 - 2030

At a current world city scale, conurbations interweave complex multimodal systems of logistics, transport, and communications. As this process evolves into a global network of interconnected urban nodes. While diffusing globally, China’s One Belt One Road (OBOR) proposal creates an infrastructural framework for global exchange, analogous to the Ancient TransAsian links of Silk Road and Indian Ocean. Linked spatial dimensions and functional regions have always existed at different scales without any synchronized nomenclature for a grid with exact dimensional measurements. The global surface exists as a topological phenomenon of multi scalar dimensions covered by varied surface phenomena from earth to vegetation with fluid elements alternating in liquidity and flows. increasingly the world cities trend divides more advanced urban regions from less well viably connected territories, governments, industries, and commerce. Thus, the world has been experiencing an unequal distribution of trade and associated transport, logistics and handling facilities. In relation to global trade and transport tends to focus on the post-industrialized West and East and so underplays the role of other parts of the world system, including the MENASA (Middle East–North Africa–South Asia) region. In doing so, scholars discount a variety of spatial, morphological, environmental, historical, and socio-political urban patterns particular to these other regions and cities. This article addresses this oversight by examining the United Arab Emirates coastal conurbation (U.A.E.–CC, including Dubai–Abu Dhabi–Sharjah–Ajman), with its unique global positioning and political and economic conditions. The U.A.E.–CC is explored in relation to theories of the world/global city, the airport city or aerotropolis, and the polycentric urban region (PUR). The article demonstrates the emerging formation and potential of the U.A.E.–CC PUR, a member of a world-city network specializing as a transport hub and tourist destination and a global logistics center.

Simulating the dynamics of urban land quantity in China from 2020 to 2070 under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways

Rapid expansion of urban land areas in the past few decades has exerted great pressure on regional environment, and simulating urban land dynamics is of great significance for sustainable urban development. However, the differences in driving forces of urban land among cities were not fully considered in previous simulations. Here, we adopted a data-driven approach combined with Monte Carlo method to simulate future urban land quantity in China at the city scale under the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs). The results show that the total urban land area of China will reach 154,105 to 289,932 km2 by 2070 under different scenarios, 1.8 to 3.4 times that of 2020. Compared with the traditional methods at the national or regional scale, the clustering method used to classify urban land expansion types can better fit the urban land change of each city. Meanwhile, the iterative simuation of future urban land quantity can depict the slowing down trend of urban land expansion. This study provides the amount of urban land from 2020 to 2070 at the city scale, confirming a close relationship between urban development and selection of urbanization pathway. Choosing a more sustainable path of social and economic development is conducive to restraining the rapid expansion of urban land in China. It is particularly important to formulate city-specific sustainable development strategies according to the trend of urban land dynamics over time.

Aerial urban observation to enhance energy assessment and planning towards climate-neutrality: A pilot application to the city of Turin

Based on the central role of cities in the decarbonisation process, this study aims at providing a novel methodology to assess and optimize the building energy demand and photovoltaic producibility at city scale. This is done by exploring the potential of aerial acquisition of local-scale thermographic data to integrate the existing database on building Energy Performance Certificates, on which the EU energy assessment and retrofit policies are based, on a dedicated GIS platform. Once the method is validated through testing the reliability of the resulting energy classification of buildings, the approach is used to esteem the energy demand and potential energy production in the current state and two alternative retrofit scenarios for a large district in Turin, Italy. For the analysed scenarios, potential savings are quantified up to 20 GWh and 5000 tCO2 yearly, decreasing by more than 70 % primary energy and CO2 emissions when photovoltaic panels and heat pumps are optimally used and integrated to the existing district heating system. Conclusions remark the potential of this tool to support urban policy making and governance, also with the future perspective of a thematic urban digital twin for planning energy retrofit intervention and large scale implementation of Renewable Energy Communities.

University-Campus-Based Zero-Carbon Action Plans for Accelerating the Zero-Carbon City Transition

After three decades of global climate initiatives, local governments’ capabilities to implement policies and solutions have not always been effective in making the urban environment more resilient and adaptive to climate change. All the previous climatic initiatives and decisions were mostly carried out by governments or affiliated actors on global or regional scales. However, the lack of notable climate actions at the community level is evident in the current crisis of urban sustainability. To drive a radical change toward a zero-carbon transition at the city scale, massive decarbonization is required at the institutional level (academic/nonacademic campus) of a city. Among all the nongovernmental actors, it is always expected that Higher Education Institutes (HEIs) would take the lead in promoting a resilient and sustainable future for the cities through their education, research, and innovation. HEIs’ multidimensional activity resembles the “small scale model of a city” interacting with different subsystems like education, administration, transport, housing, health, etc. However, the present studies were found to be mostly based on specific regions and developed countries. In addition, the previously developed methods of assessing energy consumption and CO2 emissions at the university level lack adaptability for other countries and urban settings. Following the need for a comprehensive method of evaluating energy consumption and accelerating the zero-carbon practice to a broader scale, a new framework is proposed here for a university campus. It can be implemented regardless of the campus type and geographic and weather conditions. After implementing the evaluation methods on a 753-acre campus of Rajshahi University, the campus typology and natural resources were identified. Following that, the behavior patterns of the users in terms of energy usage and waste generation were also determined. Finally, the results show that 1900.71 tons of CO2 was emitted in the academic year 2022. The per-capita CO2 emission was 0.041 tons of CO2. To boost the zero-carbon city transition, three core parameters of scaling-up methods were taken into consideration to evaluate the benefits of zero-carbon campuses. The scalability of the zero-carbon practices was evaluated based on the ideas of (1) expansion—how educating future generations about the environment can have a long-lasting impact, (2) demonstration—adopting innovative practical and technological solutions to exhibit the benefits of zero-carbon practices to society, and (3) collaboration—building strong alliances with state and nonstate actors of the city to promote sustainability through sharing knowledge, innovation, and technology.

Soil Conservation Service-Curve Number method-based historical analysis of long-term (1936-2016) temporal evolution of city-scale potential natural groundwater recharge from precipitation: case study Algiers (Algeria).

Managing groundwater resources in urban areas requires an adequate understanding and assessment of urban hydrogeological systems (structure, components, connections, and imposed conditions) as a part of a larger, dynamically evolving environment. Urbanization and climate change are amongst the widely recognized signs of such a continuous evolution. Within this context, the present study gives a quantitative assessment of the impact of these two factors threatening water resources in urban environments. The Soil Conservation Service-Curve Number (SCS-CN) method is used to conduct a long-term quantitative analysis of the temporal evolution of the potential natural groundwater recharge from precipitation at the scale of Algiers city for an 80-year-long period (1936-2016). The length of the study period allowed us to account for and analyze important changes in urban settings and climatic conditions within the study zone. Overall, two trend shifts over three distinct periods were found to characterize the temporal evolution of precipitation, several climate change indicators defined for the study, and the potential natural aquifer recharge. A strong, approximately 1:4, linear correlation between the estimated city-scale potential natural aquifer recharge and precipitation was observed for the studied period (R2 = 0.748). Moreover, even though the urban area has known a rapid (2nd order polynomial) increase from 1936 to 2016, climate change (accounted for via the changes in precipitation regime) impacted the city-scale potential natural groundwater recharge with higher magnitudes than urbanization. Finally, the computed climate change indicators show that starting in the mid-1980s, Algiers has started receiving less precipitations, with fewer heavy rain events and longer dry condition periods.

From political pledges to quantitative mapping of climate mitigation plans: Comparison of two European cities

BackgroundUrban agglomerates play a crucial role in reaching global climate objectives. Many cities have committed to reducing their greenhouse gas emissions, but current emission trends remain unverifiable. Atmospheric monitoring of greenhouse gases offers an independent and transparent strategy to measure urban emissions. However, careful design of the monitoring network is crucial to be able to monitor the most important sectors as well as adjust to rapidly changing urban landscapes.ResultsOur study of Paris and Munich demonstrates how climate action plans, carbon emission inventories, and urban development plans can help design optimal atmospheric monitoring networks. We show that these two European cities display widely different trajectories in space and time, reflecting different emission reduction strategies and constraints due to administrative boundaries. The projected carbon emissions rely on future actions, hence uncertain, and we demonstrate how emission reductions vary significantly at the sub-city level.ConclusionsWe conclude that quantified individual cities’ climate actions are essential to construct more robust emissions trajectories at the city scale. Also, harmonization and compatibility of plans from various cities are necessary to make inter-comparisons of city climate targets possible. Furthermore, dense atmospheric networks extending beyond the city limits are needed to track emission trends over the coming decades.

The Impact of Environmental Regulation on the Upgrading of Urban Industrial Structure: A Quasi-Natural Experiment Based on the Two Control Zones Policy

This paper considers the two control zones policy implemented in 1998 in China as a quasi-natural experiment, examines the impact of environmental regulation on the upgrading of urban industrial structure by constructing a DID model, and tests the heterogeneity of its role at the regional and urban levels. Results have found that: (1) From a national perspective, the two control zones policy has significantly promoted the upgrading of urban industrial structure. In addition, from the perspective of different control zones, the two control zones policy has a positive promoting effect on the upgrading of industrial structure. (2) The two control zones policy has significant long-term effects in promoting industrial structure upgrading, and its impact on industrial structure upgrading shows dynamic effects. (3) The industrial structure upgrading effect of the two control zones policy exhibits significant heterogeneity across different city scales. (4) In terms of regions, the two control zones policy has significant spatial heterogeneity.

Uncovering PM2.5 transport trajectories and sources at district within city scale

To continuously improve air quality, it is necessary to carry out fine management of air pollution prevention and control. However, research into regional transport of PM2.5 at a smaller spatial scale such as district is limited. In this study, a novel combined method was constructed to simulate and identify the regional transport trajectories and potential sources of PM2.5 concentrations at district scale, based on a hybrid model that integrates the Bayesian maximum entropy (BME) model, Weather Research and Forecast (WRF) and backward trajectory model. Take Tianjin as an example, an analysis of the transport trajectories showed that the air masses from northwest and southwest were the dominant atmospheric transport pathway in all seasons except summer. The number of transport trajectories from northwest and southwest accounted for 42.41% and 40.75% of the total number of transport trajectories. Despite the dominant wind direction in winter was northwest, it can be beneficial to atmospheric transport. This was because northwest trajectories were the long-range pathways, corresponding to fast-moving air masses that facilitate the dispersion of pollutants. On contrast, it is noteworthy that the southwest trajectories were the short-range pathways, resulting in limited diffusion and unfavorable conditions. The major potential cities that were likely contributors of PM2.5 (Weighted Concentration-Weighted Trajectory (WCWT) values greater than 40 μg m−3) were situated in the southwest. Furthermore, the inter-district transport results indicated that the primary direction of PM2.5 transport in Tianjin was also from south to north. It is critical that the current layout of Tianjin is adjusted in a timely manner through relocating or phasing out, as the majority of industrial enterprises with severe air pollution in Tianjin are located in the southern districts. This method of combining BME, WRF and backward trajectory can be used for atmospheric environment planning in other similar city and district-scale around the world. It also provides useful insights to policy makers when they formulate pollutants prevention control policies.

Agent-based simulation of seismic crisis including human behavior: application to the city of Beirut, Lebanon

Earthquake simulations at the urban scale usually focus on estimating the damages to the built environment and the consequent losses without fully taking into account human behavior in crisis. Yet, human behavior is a key element for improving crisis disaster management; therefore, it is important to include it in seismic crisis simulations. In this study, an agent-based model for the simulation of pedestrian evacuation during earthquakes at the city scale is developed following an interdisciplinary approach. The model recreates the urban conditions using Geographic Information System (GIS) and a synthetic population, in addition to the earthquake consequences on the urban fabric. Moreover, the model integrates realistic human behaviors calibrated using quantitative survey results. We simulate pedestrian outdoor mobility with the different constraints that affect it such as the topography and the presence of debris. The simulator is applied to the case of Beirut, Lebanon. A what-if approach is adopted to analyze the population’s safety in case of earthquakes in Beirut, particularly the open spaces’ capacity to provide shelters and the effect of debris and realistic human behaviors on people’s safety. The simulation results show that less than 40% of the population is able to arrive at an open space within 15 min after an earthquake. This number is further reduced when some open spaces are locked. Debris and realistic human behaviors significantly delay the arrivals to safe areas and, therefore, should not be neglected in earthquake simulations.

WAVE TRANSFORMATION ON A ROCKY SHORE: FROM FIELD WORK ON RE ISLAND TO 3D MODELING

Improving knowledge of the processes driving coastal flooding is a key issue in the era of climate change, especially for decision support of public policies and operational forecasting. From regional to city scales, different processes interact, such as tide, storm surge, waves, wave setup, or infra-gravity waves, and further depend on the area topography, bathymetry, sedimentology and external forcings. While sandy beaches have been the subject of many studies, rocky beaches are still poorly understood compared to sandy beach context, despite the important part of rocky French and world coasts. In this paper, we investigate the swell transformation on the rocky beach of Ars-en-Ré with an extensive field campaign and a numerical modelling with a 3D non-hydrostatic circulation model Symphonie NH (Marsaleix et al., 2019).

SHP2SIM: a python pipeline for Modelica based district and urban scale energy simulations

ABSTRACT Energy simulation models are crucial to estimate the energy demand of buildings, especially for prospective planning on a district or city scale. As required input data is not available in many cases, an automated model generation workflow is needed. Existing workflows have several disadvantages, including: (i) dependence on large input datasets of existing buildings; (ii) no 3D representation to support the planning process; (iii) they are proprietary solutions. The pipeline ‘SHP2SIM’ is an open-source python pipeline enabling enrichment and generation of building energy simulation models based on little input data for district and urban scale. The pipeline is tested by simulating the heat load for a district with 27 buildings and validated for one building: R squared is 0.9825, CV(RMSE) is 22.10%, and NMBE is 4.06% on a monthly basis. To enable reproducibility and encourage open science, input data, output models, and the pipeline are openly available (https://github.com/tug-cps/shp2sim).

Health burden evaluation of industrial parks caused by PM2.5 pollution at city scale.

Industrial park is an important emission sector of PM2.5 pollution. Previous studies have provided valuable information on the impact of PM2.5 from industrial parks on human health, but relevant studies at city scale are limited. In this study, the health burden of industrial parks was evaluated based on PM2.5-related premature deaths and economic contributions. The premature deaths were calculated in terms of a novel research model by integrating the Bayesian maximum entropy (BME) model, weighted concentration-weighted trajectory (WCWT), and integrated exposure-response function (IER). Take Tianjin City for example, it was found that since the main diffusion direction of PM2.5 in Tianjin is from south to north, the industrial parks in the south of Tianjin and close to the central city with high population density have high health burden. These industrial parks need to be focused on or even relocated in the future. The research model can provide scientific basis for the health burden evaluation of industrial parks at city scale, so as to help local governments optimize the layout of industrial parks and formulate environmental responsibility management policies for industrial parks.

Estimating Maize Yield from 2001 to 2019 in the North China Plain Using a Satellite-Based Method

Maize is one of the main food crops and is widely planted in China; however, it is difficult to get timely and precise information on yields. Because of the benefits of remote sensing technology, satellite-based models (e.g., eddy covariance light use efficiency, EC-LUE) have a lot of potential for monitoring crop productivity. In this study, the gross primary productivity (GPP) of maize in the NCP was estimated using the EC-LUE model, and the GPP was subsequently transformed into yield using the harvest index. Specifically accounting for the spatiotemporal variation in the harvest index, the statistical yield and estimated GPP from the previous year were used to generate region-specific harvest indexes at the county scale. The model’s performance was assessed using statistical yield data. The results demonstrate that the increase in the total GPP in the summer maize-growing season in the NCP is directly related to the increase in the planting area, and the harvest index has significant heterogeneity in space, and the fluctuation in time is small, and the estimated yield can simulate 64% and 55%, respectively, of the variability in the yield at the county and city scales. The model also accurately captures the inter-annual changes in yield (the average absolute percentage errors are less than 20% for almost all years), but model performance varies by region. It performs better in continuous areas of maize-growing. The results from this study demonstrate that the EC-LUE model can be applied to estimate the yield from a variety of crops (other than winter wheat) and that it can be used in conjunction with a region-specific harvest index to track the production of large-scale crops.

Smart cities and urban dimensions to ensure sustainable development: a bibliometric analysis

PurposeThe multidimensional complexity of urban settlements is increasing and the problem of spaces and territories brought to the scale of smart cities is a critical global issue. This study aims to analyse the scientific production in the Web of Science (WoS) on the relationship between smart cities and the eight urban dimensions defined by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in the period 1990 to 2021, in order to establish which countries lead the knowledge related to the search for sustainable living conditions for people and how this knowledge contributes to improving stakeholders' decision-making.Design/methodology/approachThe methodological steps followed in the study were: (1) Identification and selection of keywords. (2) Design and application of an algorithm to identify these selected keywords in titles, abstracts and keywords using WoS terms to contrast them. (3) Data processing was performed from Journal Citation Report (JCR) journals during the year 2022.FindingsThis study identified the authors, institutions and countries that publish the most globally on the topic of Smart Cities. The acceleration in the integration of new technologies and their impact on population conglomerates and their relationship with urban dimensions were also analysed. The evidence found indicates that the USA and China are leading in this field.Originality/valueThis bibliometric study was designed to analyse a knowledge space not addressed in the scientific literature referred to the relationship between the concept of smart cities and the urban dimensions established by the WEF, the identification of new technologies that are converging to promote developments of new ways of managing urban dimensions and propose new knowledge spaces.