Modern City Research Articles

AI-Driven Predictive Analysis for Urban Traffic Management: A Novel Approach

Urban traffic management remains one of the most complex challenges of modern cities, with congestion, inefficiencies, and accidents costing billions of dollars annually and contributing significantly to pollution and stress. Current traffic management systems are often reactive rather than predictive, responding to congestion and incidents after they occur. This paper introduces a novel AI-driven predictive analysis framework for urban traffic management that leverages advanced machine learning (ML) algorithms and real-time data inputs. The system aims to not only manage existing traffic efficiently but to predict congestion, optimize traffic flows, and enhance computer safety proactively. We explore the integration of multiple data sources—such as GPS data, traffic cameras, IoT sensors, and social media feeds—into a cohesive AI model that learns and evolves. The goal is to create a fully autonomous traffic management system that adjusts dynamically to urban changes, improving overall city mobility, sustainability, and quality of life.

Index for Assessing the Performance Level of Vehicular Traffic on Urban Streets

Vehicular transportation is one of the most widely used modes in modern cities for reaching key destinations such as workplaces, healthcare facilities, recreational areas, and educational institutions, among others. However, the performance of vehicular traffic on these roads can vary significantly due to the influence of different environmental variables. In the literature, factors such as traffic incidents, weather conditions, road infrastructure, and driving habits, among others, have been identified as impacting vehicular traffic performance. In this context, predictive models have been developed to anticipate congestion at specific points in cities based on statistics, machine learning, simulation, and complex networks. This study proposes a novel index aimed at assessing the level of performance of vehicular traffic on streets based on the relationship among relevant urban environmental variables. This index is generated through Genetic Programming, considering a set of variables related to traffic, incidents, and services. The case study will focus on the streets of the Tlalpan Municipality in Mexico City.

The Role of the Internet of Things in Enhancing Sustainable Urban Energy Systems: A Review of Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT The Internet of Things (IoT) has emerged as an indispensable technology enabling the efficient management of energy consumption and deployment of renewable energy solutions within urban energy systems. While urban energy systems can be made sustainable in both smart cities (SC) and traditional cities, the former provide a more advantageous environment for achieving sustainability thanks to advanced technology integration, data-driven decision-making, integration of renewable energy, as well as policy and infrastructure support. Across the globe, cities are evolving into SCs through the implementation of sustainable urban energy systems and adaptation to the latest IoT technologies. For them, advanced cutting-edge technologies such as digital twins, artificial intelligence (AI), Big Data, and IoT are all positioned to underpin the civic platform for new forms of a city that is simultaneously sustainable and prosperous. The COVID-19 pandemic brought about significant challenges, emphasizing the need for resilient and sustainable urban environments and demonstrating that IoT became a must for the modern cities in energy generation, transmission, and the efficient use of energy sources by cities. This bibliometric review focuses on the new role of IoT in the development of post-COVID sustainable urban energy systems. It demonstrates how IoT can help to efficiently manage energy consumption and to deploy novel renewable energy solutions in the cities using the experience from the two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The article explores the role of IoT in the post-COVID urban energy development highlighting how the technology can contribute to sustainable urbanization. It employs the extended literature review including both 151 publications retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) database selected based on the relevant keywords and the analytical tools based on Google Trends as well as the enhanced network dynamics VOSviewer v.1.6.15 software (the latter being frequently used for identifying the dominant trends in intersectoral bibliometric research). The findings stemming from this research can contribute to the clustering of the discussion of the strategies required for boosting SCs’ development and growth. Therefore, the results and outcomes can provide many useful insights for academics and stakeholders alike on the role of the IoT in the development of sustainable urban energy in post-pandemic cities.

Quality of Life in the City of Trikala (Greece): Attitudes and Opinions of Residents on Green Spaces and Cycling Paths

Over recent decades, intense urbanization, city expansion, and unregulated construction have led to a scarcity of green spaces and environmental degradation. Green spaces significantly enhance residents’ quality of life by supporting mental and physical health, improving environmental conditions, and benefiting the local microclimate. However, adding green spaces alone is insufficient for modern cities. Increasing population mobility and demand for sustainable transportation modes highlight the role of bicycles and safe bike lane networks in urban development. This study focuses on the perspectives of Trikala’s citizens regarding the contributions of green spaces to their quality of life and cycling habits, and to the effectiveness of current cycling infrastructure. Using a structured questionnaire, data were analyzed with SPSS through descriptive and multivariate analysis. The results demonstrate a strong public acknowledgment of green spaces and bicycles as essential components for sustainable urban planning. Nevertheless, challenges with bike lane safety and network continuity were evident. This study concludes that enhancing both green spaces and cycling infrastructure is crucial for fostering a more environmentally friendly and healthy urban environment. Policy recommendations include improving bike lane safety and expanding green space access, creating a foundation for sustainable, resilient urban living.

Architecture of transit spaces

The problem of modern cities is considered - the need to ensure efficient and comfortable movement of people and goods. With the development of transport, the issue of maintaining an attractive pedestrian environment arises. The concept of “architecture of transit spaces” and the role of transit routes in the planning structure of the city are revealed, and their diversity is examined. These spaces include various elements of urban infrastructure, pedestrian streets, boulevards, squares, underground passages, passages that provide connections between different parts of the city. The study identified four main groups of transit spaces: streets, bridges, covered walkways and temporary structures. Using the example of real objects, factors influencing the formation of transit routes, their scale and geometry, functional content and, as a result, the architecture itself are studied.

Review: A Connected Metropolis: Los Angeles Elites and the Making of a Modern City, 1890–1965, by Maxwell Johnson

Review: <i>A Connected Metropolis: Los Angeles Elites and the Making of a Modern City, 1890–1965</i>, by Maxwell Johnson

The Charm of Transcending Times: Aesthetic Value Trends and Current Significance of Early Chinese Film Classics ——Taking 'Street Angel' as an example

Against the historical background of internal and external difficulties, early Chinese films did not give up exploration and growth, but instead emerged a batch of masterpieces that combine ideological connotation and artistic expression, demonstrating the charm of crossing the times. This article takes "Street Angel" as an example to explore the aesthetic tendencies of early Chinese film classics and their implications for contemporary cinema. By analyzing the film's grasp of the dual structure of reality, critical examination of modern cities, and display of humanistic care, its unique artistic charm is revealed. The film not only represents the peak of early Chinese film creation, but its aesthetic tendency also transcends the times and has a profound impact on contemporary film creation and social culture.

Review of the application of drones for smart cities

AbstractIn an area of increasing digitalisation and rapid technological development, information management is becoming essential for the effective functioning of modern organisations and cities. One of the new trends is the gradual expansion and use of drones in parts of the smart cities concept. In security, drones are used to protect public order, monitor traffic in cities and municipalities, and control sub‐activities falling under the competence of police forces. In rescue work, drones allow us to efficiently and quickly manage accidental emergencies in hard‐to‐reach areas. At the same time, in the transport sector, drones have become an important component for the efficient delivery of parcels, reducing overall costs and time savings. This paper systematically overviews the importance of drones in various fields such as security, transportation, rescue operations or parcel delivery. Drones are becoming key elements for public order, crisis management and enhancing the quality of life of citizens in smart cities due to their capabilities of rapid response, monitoring hard‐to‐reach locations and autonomous data collection. Particular attention is then paid to comparing the use of drones in the Czech Republic and abroad and their benefits in the field of innovative technologies that help improve the safety and efficiency of urban services. The article also analyses the technical specifications of drones and their role in the public and private sectors, considering the legislative framework for their use. Overall, the article offers an overview of how drones contribute to integrating modern technologies into the daily functioning of smart cities and improving residents' quality of life.

Research on the Strategy for Constructing a Green and Low-Carbon Urban Ecosystem under the Dual-Carbon Strategy: A Case Study of Wenzhou, Zhejiang

Against the backdrop of global climate change and increasing environmental pressures, the dual-carbon strategy has become a significant national policy driving China's green transformation. This paper begins by emphasizing the importance of building a green and low-carbon urban ecosystem under the dual-carbon strategy and addresses key challenges such as immature green and low-carbon technologies, underdeveloped policies and legal frameworks, and a lack of human resources. Strategies proposed include strengthening the research and innovation of green and low-carbon technologies, improving relevant policies and regulations, and accelerating talent cultivation and recruitment. These strategies are validated through the case study of the urban ecosystem construction in Wenzhou, Zhejiang, providing a reference for the low-carbon transition of modern cities in China.

Reimagining urban waste management: Addressing social, climate, and resource challenges in modern cities

Governments worldwide are seeking better solutions for solid waste management. Thermal treatment projects are presented as quick fixes for rising waste challenges, without addressing the limitations of incineration. Currently, there is a rise in proposals for thermal treatment technologies in developing countries. Scrutiny of the risks and impacts of these alternatives is necessary due to social, climate, and resource considerations. Energy from waste incineration is considered fossil energy since about half of the CO2 emissions come from fossil polymers in the waste. From a sustainability perspective, landfilling is a short-term option for materials currently unsuitable for recycling. Landfills act as bioreactors, producing valuable biogas, and serve as “resource banks,” storing unrecyclable resources until better recycling techniques are developed. In developing countries manual labor is abundant and material sorting and landfilling are more valuable and have a lower climate and resource footprint. This paper offers a novel, integrated perspective of waste management in view of poverty reduction, climate change and resource conservation.

Cyber-Physical Systems and IoT: Transforming Smart Cities for Sustainable Development

Smart cities CPS/ IoT are impacting sustainable development in modern cities. This research explore how CPS and IoT integration into infrastructure systems in cities can improve sustainability in aspects such as energy, waste, and environment. Finally, taking quantitative data on energy and pollution saving and resource utilization from the smart cities around the world, the paper quantifies the case analysis. The research method entails retrieving data from existing smart city projects and then using statistical tools to evaluate the differences in sustainability targets with and without CPS and IoT integration. The main discoveries indicate that places implementing CPS and IoT technologies have recorded reduction in energy use by up to 25 % and enhanced waste management by up to 30% thus exhibiting a reduced carbon footprint. The originality of this research is based on the application of CPS- IoT in analysing their practical implications for urban sustainability with relevant recommendations for policymakers, urban planners and technologists. This study not only serves as the research for the academic literature but also advises cities into how they would be able to build upon their sustainable initiatives through the adoption of advanced technology. The outcomes underscore the possibility of the strategic application of CPS and IoT to enhance the creation of smarter urban contexts.

Exploring the interplay of urban form and greenery in residents’ affective and cognitive responses

Stress is a prevalent issue in modern cities, exacerbated by urban development and significantly affecting urban dwellers. While it is known that greenery can contribute to people’s wellbeing, it is unclear if it can mitigate the negative effects of urban development. In this study, we aim to explore the intricate dynamics between urban form and greenery to dissect their collective effect on human wellbeing, operationalized through physiological relaxation, preference, and emotional responses. The study employs an experimental study design using virtual reality technology to immerse participants (n=156) into residential neighborhood scenes, and measures affective and cognitive responses using skin conductance measures and a survey, respectively. In general, the findings confirm the critical role of urban greenery on affective and cognitive responses. Interestingly, we observe that this effect is highly dependent on the context and shows diverging patterns between different neighborhood types. In particular, in certain neighborhoods (popular, 60 s, and cooperative), greenery, no matter if species-poor or biodiverse, consistently improves preference and physiological relaxation. In contrast, urban centers and single-family residential areas may accommodate more biodiverse green spaces without compromising their existing high preference levels when compared to less affluent neighborhoods. The study concludes with a call for urban planning to cultivate equitable, green, and distinctively designed urban environments. This shift underscores the critical role of innovative urban design in improving the wellbeing of urban dwellers.

New museum construction in Irkutsk

The article presents an analysis of the city museum policy used as a basis for a proposal for the construction of modern museums in Irkutsk. The article provides the results of the research activity of the working group “Architecture of new museums in the modern city” at INRTU and the conclusions about the expediency of building new museums in the centre of Irkutsk. The following projects made by students of Irkutsk architectural school as final qualifying works are considered: the project of reconstruction and expansion of the museum of regional studies on the basis of the historical building of the VSORGO Museum (Artem Zyubr), the project of the museum building for the geographical and historical collection related to the North American discoveries of travellers and merchants from Irkutsk (Nikita Sobolevsky), and the project of the new building for the Museum of Asian Art (Alisa Valeeva).

Meeting place

What is the essence and content of a modern city? Not buildings, not engineering networks and not roads. People, citizens, relationships and meetings between them are the central purpose of city life. The city is a space riddled with meetings. The news section of the current issue is devoted to meetings of architects. The anniversary of the oldest centre of theoretical architectural and town-planning thought and the Festival “Zodchestvo in Siberia” (ZVS) in Krasnoyarsk have become occasions for many heated discussions and celebratory meetings. This time the main exposition of the ZVS literally went out to meet the city – it was displayed on the museum avant-plaza above the Yenisei (11-44). The main theme of the festival – PERSONALITY – was developed in this issue of PB (45-92). Meetings can be constructive, and they can be conflictive. To prevent meetings from turning into conflicts, some flows need to be separated (e.g. pedestrian and car flows). A compulsory program of comfort growth is supposed to develop pedestrian zones in a modern city, as well as to make the embankments free from transport and industrial enterprises. To what extent is a contemporary citizen ready and eager for meetings? Has loneliness become a norm of life? Konstantin Lidin is discussing this issue in the leading article (94). The city’s public spaces can also be introverted and extroverted: Andrei Bokov introduces the concepts of INTRA and EXTRA in relation to different spaces – open and closed, which encourage people’s meetings in a different way (108). Who wins in the competition for full-fledged communication – social networks or open public spaces? This and many other questions were discussed in the PB Discussion Club dedicated to the theme of this issue: MEETING PLACE.

Prayer 24/7: The Mountain of Fire and Miracles Prayer City and Urban Invigoration in Nigeria

ABSTRACT The idea of a modern city is hardly construed from the prism of religion, even though the Tower of Babel has been discursively engaged as an agenda of building a megacity with an interplanetary goal. During the development and expansion of Christianity, cathedrals, with their elaborate architectural aesthetics and frequently as the only spectacular buildings in the provinces, became sites of ecclesiastical and political power. In Nigeria, although the mainline churches followed the cathedralization pattern of Western Christianity, the Pentecostal churches preferred the establishment or construction of prayer camps as the earliest mode of development and sacralization of space. However, there is a transition from prayer camps to prayer cities, with the latter conceived as a deliberate urbanization policy that embraces modern facilities. Using ethnographic and analytical methods, I study the Mountain of Fire and Miracles Ministries’ Prayer City near Lagos, Nigeria, a “city” built on and sustained by prayer culture, and a “city” that invigorates urban life.

Reconstructing the environment of historic cities. Methods of incorporating new objects into the historic urban fabric

The presented study is aimed at identifying factors that significantly influence the patterns of designed development in the existing historical urban environment. The paper reviews theoretical grounds and design methods of architects and urban designers exploring the practice of incorporating new architectural objects into a semiotic, morphological and functional context. The time frame of the study was determined due to the relevance of the issue. Actually, cities built before the 20th century are characterized by the cohesion of urban fabric, hierarchy of elements, calibrated silhouette and perception angles of the environment, while modern cities or modern inclusions lack these properties and look scattered and sporadic. The paper suggests two possible reasons behind that: the architects from before the 20th century appeared much skillful than their followers; or the professional architects and urban designers are consciously inclined to the separateness of buildings and their incoherence with the environment. The analysis revealed a number of approaches: three-part construction of architectural form, space as a structure of relations, formalization of the object to structural content, spatial structure of residential environment as socio-spatial bodies, spatial grids, continuity, coherence of the building fabric, navigation factor, formal similarity, relation to the urban framework.

Data science basis and influencing factors for the evaluation of environmental safety perception in Macau parishes

In the context of rapid urbanization, accurately identifying the visual factors that influence environmental safety perception is crucial for improving urban transportation environments and enhancing pedestrian safety. With the increase in urban population density and traffic flow, optimizing urban environmental design to elevate residents’ sense of safety has become a key issue in urban planning and management. However, the existing studies face numerous challenges in conducting large-scale quantitative analysis of environmental safety perception in complex scenarios, such as difficulties in data acquisition and limitations in analytical methods. This study addresses these challenges by applying image semantic segmentation and object detection techniques to extract key visual elements from street view images, combined with manual scoring and deep learning methods, to construct a road safety perception dataset. Using a LightGBM model and the SHAP interpretation framework, in this study, we identify the critical visual factors influencing environmental safety perception. An empirical study was conducted in Macau, a modern city where Eastern and Western cultures intersect, and tourism thrives. The findings reveal that: ① The overall environmental safety perception in the eight parishes and surrounding roads of Macau is relatively high, with significant regional differences in safety perception scores around Macau’s parish roads; ② The proportions of buildings, sidewalks, roads, and trees in images are the four primary factors influencing environmental safety perception; ③ The proportions and quantities of visual elements interact with each other, and their reasonable distribution helps form clear spatial visibility and creates conducive activity spaces, thereby enhancing the perception of environmental safety. Through empirical analysis, this study uncovers the mechanisms by which visual elements in urban street scenes affect environmental safety perception, providing scientific evidence for urban planning and transportation environment improvement. The research holds theoretical significance and offers practical references for urban design and management, demonstrating broad application value.

Construction of the Historical and Cultural Media Landscape in Regional Media

The cultural space of the city is one of the most modern and relevant areas of research into the possibilities of identifying modern cities. Today, the media play a key role in the construction of the cultural media space, which largely determines both the “face” and “soul” of a modern city (both a metropolis and a provincial outback). When designing and implementing regional cultural policy, the central place is given to the unique cultural content of the place. This factor determines the relevance of the work. The object of the study is the media texts of the regional cultural and educational magazine “Omsk Muse”. The purpose of the study is to identify the problematic and thematic originality and historical context of media texts that implement the processes of construction and reproduction of the cultural media space of Omsk. Empirical material is media texts from the magazine “Omsk Muse”. The chronological period of the study is from 2008 to 2020. A total of 30 issues of the journal were analyzed. The following research methods were used in the work: general scientifi c methods of observing the material and describing it, the method of historicism, the method of content analysis, the method of discourse analysis, the cultural method, the method of functional analysis. In the course of the study, the content of the concept “cultural space of the city” was outlined, the specifi cs of the media space and media images as factors of modern cultural identifi cation were considered; the functions of the media are highlighted, with the help of which the cultural “face” of the region is formed. Based on the study of empirical material using content analysis, the problematic and thematic features of publications devoted to the cultural and historical image of the city were identifi ed. The research materials can be used in the development of lectures and practical classes in the disciplines “Regional Media”, “Art Journalism”, “Leisure Journalism”. Keywords: media space, media landscape, cultural memory, cultural and historical values, urban culture, provincial town

Development and evaluation of STRC coating for cooling asphalt pavement and mitigating urban heat island effects

To mitigate the negative impacts of urban heat island (UHI) effects on modern cities, this study developed and evaluated a novel cool coating, solar thermal reflective coatings (STRC), for reducing asphalt pavement temperatures. Firstly, the optical properties were characterized using UV-Vis-NIR spectroscopy, and the thermal performance of eight STRC formulations was assessed using a custom-built testing apparatus. Subsequently, the microstructure and elemental composition were examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS). Finally, the optimized coating was applied to asphalt concrete, and its long-term performance and stability were confirmed through durability tests, including water immersion test, temperature variation endurance test, and radiation cycle test. The results showed that chromium sesquioxide (Cr₂O₃), a critical pigment of STRC, exhibited a high near-infrared reflectance of 54.76 % and a lower visible reflectance of 10.22 %. Among the eight STRC formulations, STRC5 demonstrated balanced performance with a visible reflectance of 35.69 % and a near-infrared reflectance of 71.85 %. The microstructure of STRC5 was uniform with minimal surface defects. When STRC5 was applied to asphalt concrete, it achieved significant cooling effects, maintaining a mean temperature of 49.51 °C compared to 60.07 °C for uncoated samples, resulting in a maximum temperature difference of 10.56 °C after 4 h of light exposure. Durability test results confirmed the long-term performance and stability as the coating withstood extreme temperature fluctuations from −20 °C to 60 °C and 72 h of water immersion. In conclusion, STRC5 demonstrated great potential to effectively cool asphalt pavement and mitigate UHI effects.

Interracial interaction, park ownership, belonging, community asset, and perceived provision of cultural ecosystem services

Public urban parks contribute fundamentally to social and ecological functioning of modern cities, and enhance human wellbeing through associated ecosystem services, including cultural ecosystem services (CES). This study was conducted to understand how components of interactional justice contribute to users’ perceptions of how well CES are provided in public parks. This paper therefore explores the possibility of parks’ contribution to sense of ownership and belonging, and their place as community assets, as potential catalysts for CES. Data came from an online survey distributed to adult residents of St. Louis, Missouri, USA in spring-summer of 2019. Black respondents reported more positive park interactions than white respondents. Positive interactions in parks were positively related to all dependent variables, while negative interactions were negatively related to belonging and community asset, but positively related to perceived provision of CES. Only community asset was positively related to perceived provision of CES. Results suggest that residents perceive the provision of CES differently based on the quality of interactions with others in their community parks. Additionally, feeling that the park is a community asset contributed positively to users’ perceptions of CES associated with it. This finding indicates that the social and cultural components of a community park relate to how well that space is perceived to deliver cultural environmental benefits. As these interactions influence relationships to and use of the park itself, it is implied that interactional justice plays an important role in determining how effective urban parks are in delivering CES.