Urban Waterfront Research Articles

Study On Urban Waterfront Public Space Renewal Along the Grand Canal in Beijing's Urban Sub Center from The Perspective of Place Attachment

Urban renewal is a policy hot spot and a focus of work in the field of urban construction, which is realizing a major transformation from rough development to quality enhancement and organic renewal at the current stage. As an important waterfront space in Beijing, the Grand Canal is the memory and soul of Beijing’s development. The renewal of the public space along the canal play an important role for the overall renewal and development of the urban sub center. ‘Place attachment’ is an important theory to discover the emotional connection between people and places in the discipline of recreation geography. It has been used by relevant scholars at home and abroad to study human-land interaction in communities, urban parks and other places. Based on the problems of the public space such as inefficient use of residents and lack of emotional indentity and the growing needs of people for a better life, this study carries out the research on the renewal of urban waterfront public space along the grand canal based on place attachment, with the hope of addressing the lack of a sense of belonging and identity in the use of waterfront public space and supplement the updated method of public space in human-land interaction.

Ecological health evaluation of an urban riverside greenway based on the AHP-EWM-TOPSIS model: a case study of Hangzhou, China

Abstract Riverside greenways are complex artificial–natural composite ecosystems that occupy significant linear open spaces in urban areas. Healthy riverside greenways promote public health and improve urban environmental quality. This study developed an evaluation system with four criteria layers and 31 indicators, using a comprehensive method that combines the analytical hierarchy process (AHP), entropy weight method (EWM), and technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS) to assess the ecological health of the Shangtang River greenway in Hangzhou, China. Additionally, structural equation modeling analyzed key factors influencing riverside greenway health and their pathways. Redundancy analysis (RDA) was used to explore how design and non–design factors affect the ecological health of riverside greenways. The results showed health values for different sections of the riverside greenway ranging from 0.16 to 0.69. The use of ecological design techniques was the main factor causing significant variations in health values across sampling plots. Specifically, ecological revetments, the slope of terrain at water entry, and ecological conservation measures positively impacted the ecological health of the riverside greenway, while non–native invasive plants and building density had negative effects. Non–design factors, such as physical states, also play an equally important role in the ecological health of urban riverside greenways. Effectively assessing the ecological health of these greenways is essential for developing management strategies. This study presents a novel framework for evaluating the ecological health of urban riverside greenways by quantifying indicators related to the regional environment, physical conditions, management practices, and design techniques. It quantitatively analyzes how landscape design techniques contribute to ecological health and serves as an empirical tool for improving urban waterfront environments and advancing riverside greenway construction and management.

Microclimate analysis of Ganga riverfront in Patna: spatial form perspective

ABSTRACT The investigation in this research scrutinizes the influence of spatial form factors on thermal comfort along the Ganga riverfront trail during the spring season. Understanding how spatial form factors impact local climate parameters and PET values is crucial for optimizing thermal comfort in urban waterfronts. The research addresses the need to improve thermal comfort in rapidly urbanizing areas through strategic urban design. Data were collected from eight measurement points along the riverfront, analyzing Air Temperature (Ta), Relative Humidity (RH), Wind Velocity (v), Surface Temperature (Ts), Global Radiation (G) and Mean Radiant Temperature (Tmrt). The study employs a combination of field measurements and statistical analysis to assess the correlation between spatial form factors and thermal comfort indicators. Findings reveal that lower building height (Hb) values are associated with more favorable thermal comfort conditions, while higher Hb negatively impacts thermal comfort. The study also highlights that building spacing (ADb) influences thermal comfort, with findings contrasting those from composite climates, suggesting a need for context-specific design strategies. The research underscores the significant role of Ta and v in shaping Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET), aligning with previous studies in diverse urban contexts. The results emphasize the critical impact of spatial form on microclimate and thermal comfort, informing urban design and planning to enhance livability along the Ganga riverfront. This study contributes to the field by providing empirical evidence and practical insights for developing thermally comfortable walking trails.

A study on landscape feature and emotional perception evaluation of waterfront greenway

Waterfront greenway is important spatial carriers for urban residents to engage in walking tours and fitness activities. Improving the quality of its walking spaces can have a positive impact on the mental well-being of pedestrians. This enhancement is a crucial aspect of building healthy cities. This study focused on urban waterfront greenway landscapes. Field surveys combined with questionnaire scales were used to assess pedestrians’ emotional perceptions, while concurrently collecting image data of waterfront greenway walking spaces. Semantic segmentation was employed to identify elements, and landscape metrics were calculated using relevant formulas. Correlation analysis was used to investigate the relationship between landscape metric features and emotional perceptions. And established a multiple regression model of pedestrian spatial perception on waterfront greenways to investigate the influence mechanisms of emotional perception and landscape metrics. The study indicates that greenness, proportion of water area, and vegetation diversity positively impact emotional perception of waterfront leisure greenway walking spaces, whereas path width negatively affects emotional perception. Specifically, the magnitude of influence is ranked as follows: greenness (0.491), proportion of water area (0.356), proportion of trails (−0.272), and vegetation diversity (0.130). The design guidelines for urban waterfront greenway spaces were proposed, guided by quantitative studies on landscape elements of waterfront greenway spaces and based on the measurement features of these elements. Moreover, the environmental experience of the waterfront green walking spaces was further enhanced, satisfying the public’s visual perception and psychological needs. The contribution of this study is to lay the foundation for the development of spatial control items for urban waterfront greenway.

Application of artificial intelligence sensor and visual image technology in the analysis of hydrophilic space landscape characteristics

With the continuous development of intelligent sensor technology and artificial intelligence, the application of artificial intelligence feature recognition at the level of intelligent sensor information acquisition to urban landscape analysis has become a current research trend and hot spot, but also brings us new research directions and challenges. In this paper, the multi-sensor collaborative filtering algorithm is optimized, and a method based on evidence theory is proposed to deal with the fuzzy and unclear information generated in the process of multi-sensor collaboration. Then, the analysis and recognition of multi-sensor fusion information using AI technology are analyzed in detail. This paper discusses the problems in multi-sensor information fusion and related solutions. Combined with the key nodes of 3D object AI feature recognition, multi-sensor collaborative Dempster Shafer evidence theory and 3D convolutional neural network waterfront space landscape feature recognition sub-model are constructed, and the waterfront space landscape recognition analysis model is tested and analyzed. The results show that the multi-sensor information collection Kalman filtering fusion algorithm effectively realizes the recognition of landscape feature information and the filtering of irrelevant interference information combined with an artificial intelligence algorithm to build a landscape feature recognition model. Among all kinds of landscape recognition, the recognition effect of beach inflow is the best, and the recognition accuracy, recall, and F1 value are all above 95. However, the identification effect of hydrophilic plank roads and underwater breakwater is relatively poor. The recognition accuracy of the hydrophilic platform is the lowest at 83.16 % among the eight landscape types, and the recall rate of underwater breakwater is the lowest at 79.96 % among the eight landscape types. In general, the multi-sensor Kalman filtering algorithm information fusion model designed in this paper has higher recognition accuracy and better classification performance for the collection and classification of the entire landscape dataset. The work of this paper provides a new idea and direction for the design and application of waterfront landscape identification and analysis systems based on intelligent sensors and artificial intelligence technology and lays a certain foundation for the intelligent design of urban waterfront landscapes.

Assessing urban waterfront public space service quality using importance performance analysis (IPA)

The urge for urban public space evolved in increasingly dense cities. Tirtonadi Dam Park is a waterfront-designed urban park located on Bengawan Solo riverbank area. To support the activities, adequate infrastructure must be provided. The objective of this study was to assess Tirtonadi Dam Park's service quality as an urban public space and suggest methods to improve it to promote local communities' economic development. The variables—infrastructure, access & linkage, comfort & images, use & activity—were evaluated and compiled into 16 indicators. Based on user perceptions, Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) was employed to determine the performance and importance levels of predetermined variables. The findings demonstrated that vegetation, infrastructure for the disabled, and drainage and water systems all dropped into the "concentrate here" quadrant, necessitating further development to enhance quality and add more supporting facilities. Furthermore, the quality of security, environmental cleanliness, pedestrian paths, recreational facilities, informal sectors, lighting facilities, and transportation lies in the “keep up the good work” quadrant so that they should be maintained. Enhancing waterfront facilities with leisurely and recreational features can increase the number of visitors. Improving urban areas and incorporating the surrounding communities in all phases of development will be crucial, with the potential to enhance their economic circumstances.

Identification of landscape components for heat mitigation in Bahrain’s arid climate urban waterfront parks

Abstract Heat mitigation became a significant issue in urban spaces because of increased urban temperature due to urban heat phenomena in cities worldwide, particularly in regions with arid climates. This paper discusses the potential of landscape component configurations that mitigate heat in urban parks in arid climate regions. This paper explores the possibility of landscape components in arid climates to mitigate heat in the microthermal areas of urban parks. A case study area and systematic literature review methodology were applied to analyze combining landscape components to generate outdoor heat mitigation in arid climate regions. The study found that combinations of ground asphalt and solid building provide the lowest temperature compared to other configurations in Bahrain’s arid urban waterfront park, which might provide a solid shadow and supported by wind speeds.

User Perceptions on the Urban Waterfront Development in the Kyrenia Ancient Harbour, including the Creative Individuals

User Perceptions on the Urban Waterfront Development in the Kyrenia Ancient Harbour, including the Creative Individuals

Effectively planning waterfront public place affected by the ecological environment

Abstract Urban waterfront area planning is a very important part to improve the quality of the urban ecological environment. Research effective planning paths of urban waterfront guided by ecological environment effect can promote landscape diversity index and other indicators are selected as the relevant indicators of the ecological environment which establish comprehensive evaluation index system of urban waterfront public place planning path. Use the fuzzy statistical path to determine the evaluation index weight, establish the waterfront public place planning path evaluation model according to the waterfront public place planning evaluation index weight, and use the model evaluation results to determine the effective planning paths of urban waterfront guided by the ecological environment effect. The experimental results show that the evaluation score of urban waterfront planning path 2 is the highest, which verifies that planning path 2 is an effective planning path of waterfront public places guided by considering the ecological and environmental effects.

Construction of Evaluation and Analysis Model for Morphology of Urban Waterfront Interface Based on Dynamic Visual Attention of the Crowd: A Case Study of Nanjing Youth Olympic Zone

Construction of Evaluation and Analysis Model for Morphology of Urban Waterfront Interface Based on Dynamic Visual Attention of the Crowd: A Case Study of Nanjing Youth Olympic Zone

The Multiple Dimensions of Water in Regenerating Historic Urban Waterfronts for Sustainable Development

A água, elemento vital para a existência humana, ganha destaque na regeneração de áreas fluviais pós-industriais, emergindo como prioridade nas pesquisas contemporâneas de estudos urbanos voltados ao desenvolvimento sustentável. Este artigo busca explorar o potencial catalisador da água na revitalização de áreas históricas fluviais, fomentando o redirecionamento estratégico para atividades relacionadas ao capitalismo global, como turismo, cultura e comércio, como parte de intervenções urbanas. A metodologia utilizada é uma revisão abrangente da literatura de publicações em bases científicas dos últimos cinco anos. O artigo destaca exemplos de estudos de caso para discutir as vantagens e desvantagens de projetos de revitalização dessas áreas ao redor do mundo. Esses projetos demonstram o potencial da água como uma ferramenta poderosa para a transformação urbana, proporcionando inúmeros benefícios sociais, econômicos e ambientais. O artigo analisa os desafios e oportunidades associadas aos projetos de revitalização baseados em água, incluindo a necessidade de os interessados compreenderem o envolvimento e a colaboração da comunidade para lidar com possíveis impactos ambientais e sociais. Em última análise, o artigo argumenta que a água pode ser uma ferramenta poderosa para revitalizar áreas históricas em busca de desenvolvimento sustentável.

Characteristics and Trends of Urban Waterfront Human Settlements Based on CiteSpace

Urban waterfront human settlements have gradually become a hot topic for research in recent years. Using CiteSpace, 597 publications from 2017 to 2023 that were retrieved from the Web of Science were analyzed and sorted out, and the following characteristics were found: (1) The research hotspots transitioned from thermal comfort evaluation to the functional mechanism of water bodies, and then to the impact on the environment and residents’ behavior. (2) The integration of disciplines has promoted the diversification of perspectives on urban waterfront human settlements, and the content has become more concentrated in interdisciplinary fields. Research on corresponding technology and methods of urban waterfront human settlement has improved, and so has the extensiveness of the experiments. (3) The research on urban waterfront human settlement from the perspective of ecology has been improving. The research focuses more on the harmonious coexistence of ecological and cultural values and human beings.

Urban Waterfront Regeneration on Ecological and Historical Dimensions: Insight from a Unique Case in Beijing, China

To address current ecological issues and a lack of historical preservation in Beijing’s waterfront, it has become necessary to establish an urban design project that optimizes these aspects. This study focuses on “Beijing’s Waterfront Overall Urban Design,” a project that integrates government requirements with Beijing’s waterfront urban design characteristics and problems to establish an urban layer system from two dimensions: historical and ecological. It explores how the urban layer system can be applied to Beijing’s overall waterfront urban design, from investigation to evaluation, analysis, visualization, and strategy development. First, an urban layer system for Beijing’s waterfront was established from a historical perspective, based on urban setting and construction stages and space utilization, referring to the literature and field surveys. The evolution of urban layers of waterbodies, the water–city relationship, and water functions was systematically analyzed. Second, an urban layer system was established for the ecological dimension of Beijing’s waterfront based on a literature review, expert interviews, and analytic hierarchy process methods. It included four urban layers: waterbody, greening, shoreline, and ecological function. The quality of the ecological urban design of 54 waterfront reaches in Beijing was evaluated using questionnaires and field surveys. Third, a series of urban layer maps was generated using the mapping method. Finally, urban design strategies were developed based on the combined historical and ecological characteristics and problems of Beijing’s waterfront. The results of this study and the concept of an urban layer system for waterfront urban design can benefit waterfront urban design projects and future studies.

Insights into Girne Ancient Harbor: Analyzing the Landscaping in Historical Coastal Context with Urban Waterfront Development Principles

This article thoroughly analyzes the Girne Ancient Harbor and its coastal landscape, employing urban waterfront development principles. The study aims to provide valuable insights for enhancing the urban landscape and ensuring resilience. The research approach incorporates field surveys, archival data analysis, and urban design principles to assess the current state of Girne Ancient Harbor and identify development opportunities. The study explores public access, connectivity, green spaces, urban furniture, and water and land connections by emphasizing environmental and social considerations. The findings highlight the harbor's potential for improvement by capitalizing on its historical and cultural significance. Urban waterfront development principles can create a vibrant, inclusive, and resilient urban environment for residents and visitors. Balancing historical context with contemporary design elements is crucial for successful development. The implications extend beyond Girne Ancient Harbor, benefiting coastal areas facing similar challenges. This research provides a valuable resource for urban planners, architects, policymakers, and heritage conservationists involved in comprehensive development. Ultimately, this article emphasizes the importance of Girne Ancient Harbor as a cultural asset and presents a framework for analyzing the coastal landscape through urban waterfront development principles. By embracing comprehensive strategies and preserving heritage value, the harbor can transform into a thriving urban space while maintaining its unique character.

Thermal comfort study of urban waterfront spaces in cold regions: Waterfront skyline control based on thermal comfort objectives

In waterfronts, thermal comfort is affected by climate and urban morphology. Existing studies on waterfront thermal comfort have mainly focused on warm and hot regions, focusing on the cooling effects of water and vegetation during the summer. The research methods are mostly questionnaire surveys and simulations, whereas the urban form and climate characteristics of cold regions are rarely considered, and the results of these studies are seldom applied to design practices. This study focused on the thermal comfort of waterfronts in cold regions. Computational Fluid Dynamics, Mean Radiant Temperature, and the Universal Thermal Climatic Index were used to examine the effects of tree–water features (winter river ice and tree defoliation) on thermal comfort in cold regions, and correlation analyses were combined to screen for relevant urban morphology factors for waterfront thermal comfort. Regression analyses were conducted to understand the influence of six factors, namely, building orientation, floor area ratio, open space ratio, building height to distance between river and building ratio, standard deviation of the first building row, and vegetation concentration, on waterfront thermal comfort. After training and comparing the four thermal comfort prediction models, a genetic algorithm combined with an artificial neural network was applied to optimize the design of the urban morphology of the six waterfront blocks. The optimization improved the waterfront thermal comfort performance by 22%, 7%, 77%, 106%, 3%, and 3%, respectively.

Assessing public perceptions of the cultural ecosystem services waterfront spaces provide along the Huangpu River in Shanghai, China, in support of urban waterfront planning and design

Assessing public perceptions of the cultural ecosystem services waterfront spaces provide along the Huangpu River in Shanghai, China, in support of urban waterfront planning and design

Study on the Microclimatic Effects of Plant-Enclosure Conditions and Water–Green Space Ratio on Urban Waterfront Spaces in Summer

In the context of waterfront-space design, this study examines the impact of plant enclosures and the ratio of water bodies to green spaces on the microclimate, aiming to enhance the climate environment and mitigate urban heat. Utilizing Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University as a case study, the research selects the summer solstice as a representative weather condition, conducts field measurements and model validation for four types of waterfront vegetation, and creates 80 scenarios with varying plant enclosures and water to green space ratios using ENVI-met 5.0.2software. This comprehensive analysis seeks to identify the optimal water–green space ratio for waterfront areas. Key findings include: (1) The efficacy and applicability of ENVI-met software for microclimate studies are confirmed. (2) Waterfront plants have cooling and humidifying effects on the microclimate environment. The order of cooling and humidifying effects of different plant community structures was as follows: tree–shrub–grass > tree–grass > shrub–grass > grass. (3) The cooling, humidification, ventilation, and human comfort levels are influenced by the specific enclosure conditions and water to green space ratios; a ratio of 1.8:1 is the most effective for cooling and improving human comfort, while ratios of 4:1 and 1:4 are better for humidification and ventilation. These results offer valuable insights for designing waterfront spaces in hot and humid climates.

Visual impact control of urban waterfront development on the background mountain view: Examining its justifiability through two types of immersive virtual reality experiments

Several cities built along the waterfront are also accompanied by mountainous backgrounds, and thus have characteristic panoramas contributing to their visual image and identity. However, urban waterfronts are also often subject to high-rise development, which may damage that identity by shielding the mountainous background. Building regulations are adopted as visual impact management policies to retain mountain visibility, but it is difficult to find either scientific evidence to support the effectiveness of such private property control or further empirical guidance for its elaboration. Through a case study of Seoul's Han River, this study thus analyzed the actual impact of relevant building characteristics on the visual preference of urban waterfront views with mountainous backgrounds. Immersive virtual reality experiments using both actual and simulated cityscape images were conducted. Hierarchical linear regression and quasi-rank-based conjoint analysis results confirm that controls on buildings to retain background mountain visibility would actually serve as reasonable visual impact management measures. Insights into what kinds of regulation could be desirable in which circumstances were further obtained—excessively high buildings are especially unrecommended when the height of the background mountain is low, and in all cases a combination of view corridors with convex skylines are advisable for mitigating the negative impacts of mid-to-high building heights.

Exploring the Importance of Destination Attributes of Sustainable Urban Waterfronts: Text and Data Mining of Tourists’ Online Reviews

This study identifies the destination attributes of sustainable urban waterfronts that are frequently mentioned in tourists’ online reviews. We analyzed the influence of these attributes on tourists’ ratings based on stimuli–organism–response theory, and the associations between these destination attributes. The online reviews (both text reviews and star ratings) from TripAdvisor and Google Maps of the sustainable waterfront destinations of the Liuchuan and Luchuan rivers in Taichung city (Taiwan) were collected and analyzed through text and data mining. Destination attributes were grouped into two types: sustainable landscapes (aesthetics, water resource rehabilitation, sustainable lighting, emotional experiences, and low-impact development waterfronts) and sustainable recreational spaces (leisure activities, festivals, inclusive destinations, photography, and tourist experiences). Two destination attributes common to-- both types were identified: nightscapes and waterfronts. These attributes predicted tourists’ ratings through support vector machine analysis. Sensitivity analysis revealed that sustainable landscape-type attributes had a greater impact on tourists’ ratings than the sustainable recreational space type. In addition, three important association rules between twelve attributes were identified and these helped provide information pattern combination attributes from tourists’ comments with support and confidence for the destination attributes. These findings will contribute to urban planning and design in relation to sustainable waterfront destinations. They highlight the need for planners to consider both tourists’ landscapes and recreational needs in order to achieve economic and ecological sustainability.

Research on the Development Trend of Urban Waterfront Space Design from The Perspective of Citespace

As a unique regional unit, the vitality of its waterfront space drives urban development to a certain extent. Focusing on the design and construction of urban waterfront spaces at home and abroad, CiteSpace software was used to quantitatively analyze to extract basic information such as regional time zones and hot keywords, construct a co-emergence map of hot research fields, analyze the development pulse of urban waterfront spaces, and elaborate possible future research directions, and strive to provide academic support for future research on the design of waterfront spaces along the waterfront in Macao and the same area. The analysis shows that a research system with urban waterfront space as the theme has been formed, and the research scope is subdivided into conceptual planning, mountain cities, urban renewal, urban double repair, urban vitality, etc., but the research and development in the system are uneven, and the research field continues to expand, and the research around urban double repair and urban vitality will continue to heat up and become the main research direction in the future.