Green Square Research Articles

The Participation of Street Food Sellers in Formulating the Policy of Revitalizing the Tegal’s Town Square Area as the Effort to Improve the Opened Green Zone

This research determined the participation of street food sellers in formulating and issuing the policy and determined the hindering factors of revitalization policy in the town square area of Tegal as the effort to improve the opened green zone. This descriptive qualitative research describes a variable in the form of spoken data from the informants and the observed behaviors of the informants. The researchers collected the data by interviewing the civil service police officers, the public work service and spatial planning, the cooperation of SME and trading, the housing and residential department, and the association of street food sellers; documenting; and studying the works of literature. The results found many regional government organizations participated in the formulation of revitalization policy. Then, they took the responsibility directly to the major of Tegal as the policy- maker of revitalizing the town square area of Tegal. The revitalization ran successfully. The government socialized the policy systematically and involved various actors including the street food sellers. However, from the eight socialization stage meetings for the street food sellers, only three socialization stages involved and coordinated with the street food sellers. The three meetings shared the divisions and relocation sites of the sellers, instruction, and empowerment. The revitalization of the green town square area also encountered some hindrances, such as limited socialization, lack of street seller confidence, and less representative relocated sites.

Refined Land Use Classification for Urban Core Area from Remote Sensing Imagery by the EfficientNetV2 Model

In the context of accelerated urbanization, assessing the quality of the existing built environment plays a crucial role in urban renewal. In the existing research and use of deep learning models, most categories are urban construction areas, forest land, farmland, and other categories. These categories are not conducive to a more accurate analysis of the spatial distribution characteristics of urban green space, parking space, blue space, and square. A small sample of refined land use classification data for urban built-up areas was produced using remote sensing images. The large-scale remote sensing images were classified using deep learning models, with the objective of inferring the fine land category of each tile image. In this study, satellite remote sensing images of four cities, Handan, Shijiazhuang, Xingtai, and Tangshan, were acquired by Google Class 19 RGB three-channel satellite remote sensing images to establish a data set containing fourteen urban land use classifications. The convolutional neural network model EfficientNetV2 is used to train and validate the network framework that performs well on computer vision tasks and enables intelligent image classification of urban remote sensing images. The model classification effect is compared and analyzed through accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score. The results show that the EfficientNetV2 model has a classification recognition accuracy of 84.56% on the constructed data set. The testing set accuracy increases sequentially after transfer learning. This paper verifies that the proposed research framework has good practicality and that the results of the land use classification are conducive to the fine-grained quantitative analysis of built-up environmental quality.

Testing Strategies for Planting Design in Urban Squares to Improve Human Comfort throughout the Seasons

Green urban squares are essential in densely built neighborhoods and enhance their quality of life. Investment in the greening of urban areas will have a beneficial impact, particularly regarding human thermal comfort. Smaller than parks, squares can be easily spread over the cities and should be part of any neighborhood. While the cooling effect of green squares during hot summer days is increasingly well established, microclimatic assessments during all seasons are still missing. This study aimed to determine whether it is possible to identify an optimal greenery design that maximizes human thermal comfort, as indexed by physiological equivalent temperature (PET), in temperate climates across all seasons. This study employed a “research by design” methodology, utilizing the micrometeorological simulation model ENVI-met to analyze the impact of greenery on PET improvement across different seasons. The objective was to identify the most effective combination of greenery for PET improvement. To achieve these objectives, two urban squares in Munich, Germany were selected. This selection was based on the assumption that typical greening practices, exemplified by the presence of trees, shrubs, and grass, would significantly impact urban squares and their microclimatic effects on human thermal comfort. The small square with a grass surface underneath trees, Alpenplatz, is highly influenced by the surrounding buildings, affecting the sky view factor (SVF), a crucial aspect of the urban environment. Marstallplatz, an open, large square that is not highly affected by urban morphology, was analyzed through simulation scenarios combining grass, shrubs, and trees. The results demonstrate that hot summer days are of primary concern for climate-sensitive urban square design in order to avoid health risks and thus need to be prioritized without compromising comfort for cold days. To attend to both needs, increasing the number of deciduous trees for shading during the day and the amount of grass to enhance air cooling at night are particularly effective. Nevertheless, microclimate design for the spring and autumn periods must also be considered, with the provision of adaptable opportunities for sheltered and sun-exposed spaces.

Determining the effects of green space usage on health inequalities among residents of shrinking cities based on a social capital perspective

Long-term population loss and economic downturns have led to shrinking cities generally lacking social vitality and losing public spaces, such as green spaces. Previous studies have demonstrated the importance of green spaces for the social capital and health of residents, but the impacts of green space usage on health inequalities in the context of urban shrinkage have not been fully explored. In addition, residents who live in shrinking cities in northeastern China are more likely to suffer health problems due to their location in a severely cold region. Therefore, we selected 17 urban green spaces in Hegang, a typical shrinking city, as the research objects. We collected a total of 544 valid questionnaires through random distribution. These data were used to evaluate four green space usage characteristics of residents comprising transportation costs, usage frequency, usage duration, and participation in activities, as well as two social capital dimensions that are directly related to health comprising social networks and reciprocity and trust. We conducted correlation analysis, multivariate analysis of variance, and analysis of covariance to explore the impacts of green space usage on two categories of social capital for residents with different attributes and the consequences of health inequalities. The results showed that: (1) women, middle-aged and elderly people, and the low- and middle-income classes were less able to access social capital through the usage of green spaces; (2) the frequency of green space usage and intensity of participation in social activities were key dimensions that affected inequality; and (3) the usage of green spaces reinforced inequalities in the level of reciprocity and trust among residents. Based on our findings, we recommend that local governments in shrinking cities pay more attention to green spaces and squares in inner city areas to improve the accessibility and usability of these open spaces. Governments should focus on regenerating green spaces located near older neighborhoods to increase opportunities for residents to make new social connections and reduce inequalities in public services and health, especially for improving the social well-being of older populations with a lower socioeconomic status.

“Reagent-free determination of γ-butyrolactone in beverages”

A green partial least square (PLS) attenuated total reflectance infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) method has been developed for the prediction of the γ-butyrolactone (GBL) in all type of soft and alcoholic beverages. The method involves the use of a drop (less than 5 µL) of sample and a single calibration model based on aqueous and alcoholic solutions of GBL and beverages free from GBL. A selected wavenumber range from 1225 to 1171 cm−1 and from 999 to 972 cm−1 of the second derivative (SD) spectra of samples and standards were employed. The validation set provided root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) of the order of 300 µg g−1 GBL with a ratio of standard error of performance to standard deviation value (RPD) of 13.4. The prediction of unknown samples not considered in the calibration nor in the validation sets offered accuracy relative errors between −1.0 and 2.9 % GBL. The proposed PLS-FTIR based method allows a fast and direct determination of GBL in all type of beverages, in less than 2 min and avoiding the use of neither reagents nor solvents, without any sample treatment required, being in agreement with the principles of Green Analytical Chemistry.

Cost Efficiency of Retrofitting Green Chemical Industrial Buildings

Climate change is a threat and crisis that hit the world today. The green industry is widely implemented in the manufacturing sector as an effort to reduce negative impacts on the environment. The implementation of the green industry is influenced by various factors. The Chemical Industry is one sector that faces challenges in implementing green industry practices. The objective of this paper is to create an innovative conceptual framework that combines blockchain technology and building information modeling. This research examines the concept of green retrofitting in the chemical industry using an assessment based on the Ministry of Public Works and Housing Regulation No. 21 of 2021. The study was conducted in a chemical industry located in Cilegon, Banten, Indonesia. The research method combines Blockchain-Building Information Modeling (BIM) to analyze the cost efficiency of green retrofitting and Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) as a tool to process data from questionnaires and identify influential factors. The results indicate that the use of Blockchain-BIM can reduce retrofitting costs by 4.42% for low-level, 4.45% for medium-level, and 4.40% for high-level categories. This demonstrates that Blockchain-BIM has a significant impact on improving cost performance in the retrofitting process. Doi: 10.28991/CEJ-2024-010-03-04 Full Text: PDF

The effect of deicing reagents on soil properties of the roadside lawns in Novosibirsk

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of deicing reagents on soil properties of the roadside lawns in Novosibirsk. Location and time of the study. Roadside lawns and a public green square in the central part of the Novosibirsk city. Field and laboratory work was performed in late 2023–early 2024. Methods. Soil samples were analyzed according to the following methods: preparation of aqueous extract was done at the ratio of soil:solution of 1:5; determination of specific electrical conductivity and water pH was performed using the electrodes HI763123 and ESC-10603, respectively; the content of water-soluble sulfates was measured with precipitation of sulfate ions by barium chloride and determination of barium sulfate by turbidimetric method; water-soluble sodium was measured by atomic absorption spectrometer with flame atomization Kvant-2A; water-soluble chlorides were measured by ion-selective electrode Econix ECOM-Cl; and water-soluble phosphates were measured by molybdenum-blue spectrophotometric method. The statistical processing of the data was carried out using the principal components analyzis, as well as by variation, regression, correlation and variance analyses. Results. Application of deicing reagents (DR) altered most significantly the content of water-soluble sodium and chlorine in the urban soils of roadside lawns, the values of which reached as high as 443 mg Na/kg and 511 mg Cl/kg. Sulfate and phosphate concentrations depended on the DR application to a much lesser extent. The relationship of chlorine content with the sodium one was described by a simple linear regression equation with a coefficient of determination (R2) equal to 0,92: Cl = 1,503 × Na – 34,655, where Cl and Na concentrations are presented in mg/kg. A close positive relationship (R2 = 0,87) was also found between the sum of all four analyzed ions (SI) and specific electrical conductivity (EC), described by the linear equation SI = 0,0078 × EC – 0,985, where SI (sum of Na+, Cl–, SO42–, and PO42– ions) is represented in cmol(eq)/kg, and EC in μS/cm. Conclusions. In the urban soils of roadside lawns, as compared to the central part of the public square, a significant increase in the content of water-soluble sodium and chlorine was found: 7–24 times and 30–80 times, respectively. The increase in the concentration of these elements was associated with a 3,3-fold increase in the value of specific electrical conductivity (which characterizes the general level of soil salinization with easily soluble salts) and a change in the reaction from "slightly alkaline" to "moderately alkaline". Such significant changes in the chemical properties of the urban roadside soils are caused by the DR use, which may result in the suppression of growth and development of plants, especially tree species less adapted to salt pollution, eventually leading to their dying-off.

The role of Eco-Urbanism studies in creating a comfortable and favorable urban environment

The article deals with decisions on eco-urbanism for residential buildings abroad, given the advantages and disadvantages of these solutions. The concept of “comfortable environment” is considered, its composition and the necessity to increase the urban environment comfort is shown, ways for creating a comfortable environment are considered. An analysis of the connectivity of quality of life indicators - ecology, housing conditions and public health, which showed their close relationship, was presented. Improving the environment and housing conditions directly affects human health. Safe and healthy living and urban environment conditions are one of the main requirements in any society. Analysis of surveys on problems related to environmental pollution revealed the concern of residents about environmental issues and the need to take into account their opinions when choosing measures to improve the comfort of the urban environment. The calculation of indicators of the quality index of the urban environment showed that the use of environmental elements (vertical “green” walls) gives an increase in indicators by 9 points, which demonstrates an improvement in the quality of the urban environment. The proposed solution for creating a comfortable urban environment using elements of eco-urbanism (vertical “green” walls) can be adapted in Russia under existing climatic conditions and will save recreational space and increase the total area of green squares amid dense urban building.

Building a “reservoir of social resilience:” A strategy for social infrastructure regeneration in shrinking cities based on social network analysis

Northeast China is generally experiencing a shrinkage phenomenon similar to that in other old industrial regions worldwide. Large-scale growth-oriented regeneration programs by the government over the long term have led to the decline of social infrastructure in inner cities, thereby causing a structural crisis at the social level, and exacerbating the negative effects of shrinkage. This study investigated Hegang as a typical shrinking city in northeastern China. Coupling analysis was conducted based on network indexes and two categories of social resilience indexes to identify the key social infrastructure that provides residents with resilience to help cope with shrinkage. Our results demonstrate the centralizing effect of large-scale retail sites, and large green spaces and squares on social resilience. We also found that these categories of social infrastructure had effects across different areas of the city, which then provided social resilience to a wider range of residents. Our results also provide evidence for inequalities in the ability of residents to cope with shrinkage. Based on these findings, we characterize China's urban shrinkage and future development trends, and discuss the limitations of the regeneration model that has long been adopted by local governments. We suggest that local governments should consider incorporating investment in resilience to shrinkage into regeneration policies. They should also consider regenerating social infrastructure and deploying funds to a holistic network to build “reservoirs” of social resilience in shrinking cities. In addition, we highlight our methodological contributions and argue that social resilience monitoring should be integrated into China's urban physical examination framework to enhance dynamic planning and the sustainable regeneration capacity of shrinking urban local governments.

Phase Evolution and Thermodynamics of Al-Doped Cubic LLZO Studied by High-Temperature X-Ray Diffraction

Li7La3Zr2O12 (LLZO) is a promising solid-state electrolyte for advanced Li-ion batteries due to its high ionic conductivity, non-flammability and high electrochemical stability against Li anodes and high voltage cathodes. However, synthesis of phase pure LLZO is challenging due to easy formation of secondary phases, such as the pyrochlore La2Zr2O7, that are detrimental to the performance of a LLZO electrolyte. Although many studies have been performed on the electrochemical performance of LLZO, the understanding of the thermodynamics of the synthesis of LLZO is still lacking.Here we report on high-temperature X-ray diffraction (HTXRD) following the crystallization of a gel of Al-doped LLZO. Gels with 0, 10 and 20 mol% excess Li were prepared and calcined at 500 °C to remove the volatile components before HTXRD. The powders calcined at 500 °C consisted primarily of La2Zr2O7 with trace amounts of Li2CO3 and La2O2CO3 and were used as starting materials to study the formation of the cubic LLZO phase. During HTXRD the samples were heated from 500 °C to 700 °C in steps of 20 °C, and further to 1000 °C in steps of 50 °C. Upon heating the pyrochlore phase gradually transforms to cubic LLZO. In all samples, cubic LLZO first appears around 600 °C and the pyrochlore phase disappears around 750 °C in the samples with 0 % and 20 % excess Li. We performed two analyses of the sample with 10 % excess Li by HTXRD, one with normal deposition thickness (Figure a) and another with thinner deposition thickness (Figure b), see attached Figures. In the thin sample, cubic LLZO appears at a lower temperature of 560 °C compared to the other experiments. The pyrochlore phase does not fully disappear but instead reappears and crystallizes at the highest temperatures investigated, indicating extensive Li loss from the thin sample. These observations suggest that atmospheric exposure and the relative surface area of powder are important factors for LLZO formation.To understand the thermodynamics of LLZO formation, we propose the following reaction to take place based on the identified reactants and products:6.25 Li2CO3 + 0.25 Al2O3 + 2 La2Zr2O7 + La2O2CO3 → 2 Li6.25−xAl0.25La3Zr2O12−0.5x + 7.25 CO2(g) + x Li2O(g).The enthalpy, entropy and Gibbs energy of the reaction were calculated from literature values and DFT calculations and agree with the experimental observations. Finally, we discuss the significance of the highly disordered Li sublattice for the entropy of cubic LLZO. We believe our findings will contribute to improved understanding of LLZO formation and facilitate the synthesis of high-performance phase pure LLZO electrolytes.Figure captions:HTXRD patterns of powder with 10 % Li excess from 500 to 1000 °C. (a) Normal deposition thickness. (b) Deposited as a thin layer on the Pt strip. The red asterisk and green square denote La2Zr2O7 and La2O3 (PDF no. 04-005-6788) impurity phases, respectively. The blue triangle denotes a Pt peak, visible due to the thin deposition. The XRD patterns obtained at 30 °C after the HTXRD are shown at the top of the plots. Figure 1

On public participation in efforts to beautify the towns and cities of Galicia in times of its autonomy. Prolegomenon

This paper is an introduction to studies of Urban Beautification Societies (“UBSs” in the plural) active in times of Galicia’s autonomy (1867–1914). The Societies were community organisations set up in many cities and towns across Galicia from the 1880s onwards with a view to improve the aesthetic in public urban space. To Galicia, years of its autonomy yielded years of considerable expansion of civic freedoms, including the re-enacted right to association. Formed by individuals with university education, UBSs were popular throughout Galicia, their structure frequently reflecting the local cross-section and specificity of social strata. Established in large, medium-sized, and small cities and towns (such as Cracow and Lviv; Przemyśl; Wadowice and Wieliczka), they attempted to reach their goals chiefly through establishing urban parks and green squares (often as not with accompanying infrastructure, such as tennis courts or bowling alleys); planting trees in market and other public squares and along communication routes; developing aesthetically pleasing small architecture; and taking initiative to erect monuments and install commemorative plaques, usually commissioned with eminent artists. The latter – in large cities in particular, where art communities were large and powerful – were occasionally UBS co-organisers and members, and thus capable of considerable influence over any Society activities, potentially including publishing, graphic artists and painters especially prominent therein.

Impact of built environment on urban surface temperature based on multi-source data at the community level in Beilin District, Xi'an, China.

With the global warming and rapid urbanization in China, the urban built environment has undergone rapid changes, and the land surface temperatures (LSTs) of urban communities have obvious spatial heterogeneity. To explore the key driving factors of community LSTs, the multi-source data and spatial statistical methods being jointly used to analyze the spatial characteristics and main influencing factors of LST at the community level in the Beilin District of Xi'an City, China. The results are as follows: (1) Compared with communities dominated by construction land, communities with large area of green space and water bodies have lower LST. (2) According to the Akaike's information criterion (AICc) and maximum of adjusted R2, and other parameters, the No.1236 model was selected as the optimal model to analyze the influencing factors of community LST by exploratory data analysis, including building density (BD), building height standard deviation (BHS), percentage of public administration and public services land (PASL), percentage of green space and square land (PGSL), population density (POPD), normalized difference impervious surface index (NDISI), and perimeter-area fractal dimension (PAFRAC). (3) For each increase of one unit in NDISI and BHS when other factors remain unchanged, the LST will increase by 0.569°C and decrease by 0.478°C, respectively. (4) From the spatial stability and distribution of Local-R2, the warming factors of community LST are mainly NDISI, PAFRAC, BD, and PASL, while the cooling factors are BHS and PGSL. The spatial heterogeneity of community LST is not only related to the change of underlying surface properties but is also affected by intra-urban architectural morphology. Therefore, reasonable planning of urban built environment is of great significance for mitigating heat islands.

The ‘perimeter’ prisoners of Russian secret cities: the case of ZATO Krasnoyarsk-26

Since the 1930s, the Gulag system of labour camps was a driving force behind the main geopolitical projects of the Soviet Union, playing a critical role in mega-infrastructural projects to colonise hitherto unexploited territories. Among these was the network of secret cities built at the dawn of the Cold War. Whilst outwardly appearing like ordinary cities — with their green boulevards, central squares, and civic facilities — they were fully controlled and managed by the state; over decades elite scientists and technicians were brought together in these new settlements to work and live in total dedication to the Soviet atomic bomb project. These secret cities were known as Zakrytoye Administrativno-Territorial’noye Obrazovaniye [Closed Administrative-Territorial Formations], abbreviated as ZATOs. The research campuses, production and test zones, and civic and residential districts of the ZATOs were secured with walls, fences, watchtowers, and checkpoints. Beyond the secured perimeters, which still exist to regulate access to and from the outside world, lies the governmental and legislative apparatus which shaped the ZATOs’ economic, social, and psychological characteristics. For the inhabitants of ZATOs, the perimeter symbolised their connection to a higher purpose and would later evoke feelings of nostalgia and a sense of protection. Focusing primarily on one of these settlements, namely ZATO Krasnoyarsk-26, this paper links the story of the imprisoned labourers who constructed the ZATOs to that of the civilians who surrendered their liberty for a loftier cause. It will reveal a tight correlation between the Gulag infrastructure and the spatial arrangement of ZATOs showing how, in many aspects, ZATOs took on characteristics of carceral isolation, coercion, and immobility that are still relevant when addressing their contemporary condition.

To what extent do developers capitalise on urban green assets?

Developers are interested in the fact that people are keen on living close to urban green spaces – and especially that they are willing to pay for it. This study aims to investigate to what extent developers capitalise on green space proximity, and to what extent they use green space proximity as a selling point in their marketing communications. We investigate developers’ activities around 107 public parks and green squares in Lodz, Poland, between 2011 and 2021. We focus specifically on how many new residential buildings were built within a 500-metre buffer around the parks, divided into an inner buffer (within 100 m) and an outer buffer (within 100–500 m). (Despite being farther, the outer buffer is still considered to be near the park.) Our results show that most new residential developments occurred around large and very large parks, parks characterised by the highest multifunctionality, and – most importantly – parks otherwise known to serve as amenities (positively influencing real estate prices). The most attractive parks tend to attract the most developments. Furthermore, the larger the park, the smaller the share of standard new developments. Additionally, we found that luxury developments were more likely to be advertised as benefiting from green space proximity, even if they were not located within the inner (100 m) buffer. We discuss these results in the context of external benefits reaped by developers as well as various cases of abuse or greenwashing claims in marketing new residential developments. We indicate how developers who build up informal green spaces (most new developments were sited on land that was previously not built up) reap external benefits provided by publicly maintained green spaces, and how this fits into the neoliberal urban green growth machine.

Simulation of urban functional zone air temperature based on urban weather generator (UWG): a case study of Beijing, China

ABSTRACT Rapid urbanization has led to many urban thermal environment problems. Most studies focus on analysing the urban thermal environment from the perspective of land-use type, and often at a large scale. Thus, research of urban spatial thermal environment at a block scale with different urban functional zone (UFZ) becomes the focus of this paper. UFZ refers to urban planning units with similar socio-economic functions, which often have similar energy consumption and outdoor thermal environment. In this paper, the urban weather generator (UWG) model is used to quantitatively analyse the spatial thermal environment of Beijing. To accurately simulate the urban thermal environment, the underlying surface used in the simulation is replaced by the finely classified underlying surface of the urban functional area. In this paper, we first use POI + OSM data to divide the functional areas of Beijing. The recognition accuracy of functional area is 85.6%. Then, the UWG model is used to simulate the temperature and humidity differences in different functional areas, and finally the corresponding urban and rural weather stations were used to validate its accuracy. The results show that the model calibration method can effectively improve the simulation accuracy of UWG thermal environment, the R2 is increased by about 0.12, and the RMSE is reduced by about 0.84. The canopy temperature of different urban functional areas from high to low is: industrial area>commercial area>residential area>public area>road and traffic area>green space and square area. This model is more suitable for areas with relatively homogenous urban morphology and sparse urban vegetation. The thermal environment simulation results of the same urban functional area are basically the same, with slight differences in the temperature peaks, and the average temperature in the city centre is higher than that in the suburbs.

Analysis of Anthropogenic Disturbances of Green Spaces along an Urban–Rural Gradient of the City of Bujumbura (Burundi)

Bujumbura city has diversified but unevenly distributed green spaces. The typology and anthropogenic disturbances of these green spaces are still unknown. This study presents a typology of green spaces along the urban–rural gradient through a literature review. It assesses the presence of anthropogenic disturbances through inventories in 100 m × 100 m grids. Data reveal that Bujumbura’s green spaces are made up of green squares concentrated exclusively in urban areas, cemeteries present in peri-urban areas and sports green spaces observable all along the urbanization gradient. These green spaces are more exposed to trampling, which is more present in administrative entities with a peri-urban morphological status, as opposed to various constructions in administrative entities with an urban status. Finally, significative pairwise associations of anthropogenic disturbances were observed. The results show the need to protect these green spaces from all kinds of anthropogenic disturbances by raising the eco-responsible awareness of the population and the municipal authorities.

Preliminary Analysis of Reclamation Changes in Macao Using Multisource and Multitemporal Remote-Sensing Data

Liu, Z.; Zang, J., and Liu, J., 2023. Preliminary analysis of reclamation changes in Macao using multisource and multitemporal remote-sensing data. Journal of Coastal Research, 39(1), 90–102. Charlotte (North Carolina), ISSN 0749-0208. Macao is a typical reclamation city. A systematic analysis of reclamation changes can be used to relate reclamation to socioeconomic development. In this study, multisource and multitemporal satellite remote-sensing data were used to analyze the temporal and spatial characteristics, driving forces for reclamation, and nearshore water quality of Macao. The results showed that the Macao coastline is moving towards the sea. The total area of Macao increased from 29.19 km2 in 1999 to 35.83 km2 in 2019. The largest proportion of reclamation land-use type was public facilities land, whereas the smallest proportion was green land and square land. The land distribution gradually became more compact up to 2007 and dispersed thereafter. The factors of population, gross domestic product, number of visitors to Macao, and total export trade had different influences on reclamation in Macao during different time periods, where the population factor had the largest overall impact. The concentrations of chlorophyll and suspended sediment in Macao coastal waters were high nearshore and low offshore.

Application of a decision-making framework for multi-objective optimisation of urban heat mitigation strategies

The significant number of urban heat mitigation strategies (UHMSs) and varying mitigation performances across different urban settings are challenging for governments to make decisions. In response to this challenge, we have previously developed an artificial intelligence-based decision-making framework that can provide governments with optimal UHMS in their urban contexts. To support and demonstrate the use of the framework, this study developed a prototype implementation and applied the framework in Leppington and Green Square, Sydney, Australia. The results showed that optimised UHMS combinations and key planning and design variables were automatically identified to achieve optimal multi-objective performances in reducing air temperature (0.7–0.9 °C), land surface temperature (7.5–11.3 °C), heat-related mortality rate (5.5–6.4%), thermal discomfort (0–0.5 °C), economic productivity loss (1.8–3.5%), electricity energy bills (5.2–6.1%), and implementation cost (22.2–42.2%). The successful application of the decision-making framework in two urban development cases demonstrates a novel approach for governments to obtain the optimal solution for urban heat mitigation in their cities.

Species Composition and Diversity of Middle-Aged Trees among Different Urban Green Space Types and Tree Age Classes in Changchun, Northeast China

Middle-aged trees refer to trees aged between 50 and 99 years, which are the reserve resources of old trees (trees ≥ 100 years of age). They are vital parts of the urban ecosystem, with important ecological, landscape, cultural, and historical value. Conservation of middle-aged trees in urban areas is important for the development of large old trees in the future. In this study, we investigated the middle-aged trees in Changchun city and analyzed the species composition and diversity characteristics of different urban green space types and tree age classes. The results showed that there were 72 species and 22,376 plants of middle-aged trees in Changchun city, and the coniferous species prevailed. The top five species with a high importance value (IV) were Pinus tabuliformis var. mukdensis, Lavix olgensis, Salix matsudana, Ulmus pumila, and Abies holophylla. Green space type and tree age were important factors influencing the richness and diversity of middle-aged trees. Tree growth spaces were relatively sufficient, and land use was stable for park green spaces (PGS) and attached green spaces (AGS), which resulted in the abundant, richer, and diverse species richness (SR) of middle-aged trees. Road green spaces (RGS) and square green spaces (SGS) had fewer trees and lower species richness, Margalef richness index (dMa), Shannon–Wiener index (He) and evenness index (Je) which could be attributed to the high intensity of human interference and poor environmental quality. The SR of middle-aged trees decreased with an increase in age class, and the values of SR in Age Class 80–89 years and Age Class 90–99 years were lower than in Age Class 50–59 years. Age Class 70–79 years had the lowest values of dMa, He, and Je, which need to be protected urgently. The results of this study can provide a basis for the conservation and management of middle-aged trees in urban areas and the choice of species for urban greening.

Revealing the Impact of Urban Form on COVID-19 Based on Machine Learning: Taking Macau as an Example

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a re-examination of the urban space, and the field of planning and architecture is no exception. In this study, a conditional generative adversarial network (CGAN) is used to construct a method for deriving the distribution of urban texture through the distribution hotspots of the COVID-19 epidemic. At the same time, the relationship between urban form and the COVID-19 epidemic is established, so that the machine can automatically deduce and calculate the appearance of urban forms that are prone to epidemics and may have high risks, which has application value and potential in the field of planning and design. In this study, taking Macau as an example, this method was used to conduct model training, image generation, and comparison of the derivation results of different assumed epidemic distribution degrees. The implications of this study for urban planning are as follows: (1) there is a correlation between different urban forms and the distribution of epidemics, and CGAN can be used to predict urban forms with high epidemic risk; (2) large-scale buildings and high-density buildings can promote the distribution of the COVID-19 epidemic; (3) green public open spaces and squares have an inhibitory effect on the distribution of the COVID-19 epidemic; and (4) reducing the volume and density of buildings and increasing the area of green public open spaces and squares can help reduce the distribution of the COVID-19 epidemic.