Habitat International最新文献

{"title":"Memory-led sensory gentrification: Sensory governance in the micro-renewal of Minzhu Village, Chongqing","authors":"Li Wang ,&nbsp;Yunlei Yang,&nbsp;Tao Liu,&nbsp;Bingbing Liao","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2026.103763","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2026.103763","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper explores the role of sensory urbanism in community governance within the micro-renewal of Chinese danwei (work-unit) neighborhoods. Drawing upon qualitative methodologies encompassing participatory observation, semi-structured interviews, online data collection, and textual analysis, this paper proposes the concept of ‘sensory gentrification’ to elucidate the operational mechanisms of sensory politics through which memory participates in the reshaping and revitalization of the danwei neighborhood. It represents a governmental mode of gentrification that temporarily suspends the class-displacement outcomes typically associated with spatial upgrading. Unlike classical gentrification, it does not entail social displacement; rather, it operates through spatial governance at the sensory level—visual, auditory, and olfactory—thereby constructing and renewing a sense of order while maintaining the relative stability of the residential structure. Danwei memory functions as a mediator in micro-renewal, legitimizing upgrades to sensory aesthetics while simultaneously generating sensory divergences and existing latent social exclusion. On the premise of not touching upon danwei's memory narratives, conditional inclusion and negotiation are achieved through sensory governance. Through this finding, we seek to contribute to the literature on gentrification and urban governance, while highlighting that memory intervention in post-socialist Chinese danwei neighborhoods is emerging as an effective means of micro-renewal and governance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 103763"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147387957","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Stakeholder perspectives on sustainable city solutions in London: A thematic analysis","authors":"Xu Zhao ,&nbsp;Wenbo Guo ,&nbsp;Mengqiu Cao ,&nbsp;Ning Lyu ,&nbsp;Ruonan Wang ,&nbsp;Rongyu Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2026.103761","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2026.103761","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Stakeholder participation has become increasingly important to urban transport planning, particularly in shaping policies that address commuting pressures in large metropolitan areas. Initiatives such as congestion pricing schemes, public transport reforms and active travel strategies have emphasised efficiency, emissions reduction and modal shifts. However, these strategies have often overlooked commuters’ psychological well-being and daily experiences. While infrastructure and emissions targets are central to sustainable transport planning, the social dimensions of commuting, including stress, discomfort, and perceived exclusion from decision-making, have received limited attention. This study addresses these gaps by examining how stakeholder perspectives can inform more socially responsive solutions to sustainable commuting within the broader context of urban transport planning. This study adopts two primary qualitative methods, namely semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. Thematic analysis is applied to identify core themes related to sustainable commuting, with particular attention to the psychological and social impacts of daily travel, the role of public participation in transport planning and the importance of coordination between stakeholders in the formulation of transport policy. The findings indicate that the physical and psychological burden of travel is the primary concern for commuters, characterised by long journey times, overcrowding and lack of cleanliness on transport systems. These concerns reflect how transport planning often fails to fully address the daily realities of commuters, where public participation remains largely consultative and does not effectively shape policy outcomes. The study recommends an integrated approach to sustainable commuting that addresses environmental concerns while prioritising commuter well-being. It shows that commuter well-being remains marginal in current transport planning. By gathering user experience, it offers practical insights for building transport systems that are both sustainable and responsive to everyday needs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 103761"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147388066","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Merging to equalize: How village and town bank M&A narrows the urban–rural income gap","authors":"Xiaoli Yang,&nbsp;Kun Fang,&nbsp;Yufei Xia,&nbsp;Yutong Wei,&nbsp;Yan Ren","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2026.103764","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2026.103764","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Raising rural household income and narrowing the urban–rural income gap (URIG) have become a central policy concern. As the primary source of financial intermediation in rural areas, rural financial institutions play a pivotal role. China's ongoing, policy-driven village and town bank mergers and acquisitions (M&amp;A) is reshaping county-level intermediation, while few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of the consolidation or linked it to the narrowness of the URIG. To bridge the research gap, we develop a conceptual framework and a novel mathematical model to theoretically analyze the nexus between village and town bank M&amp;A and the URIG. To empirically confirm the relationship, we employ a difference-in-difference model to examine the effects of village and town bank M&amp;A on the URIG using panel data for 2684 Chinese county-level administrative divisions from 2013 to 2023. We uncover that village and town bank M&amp;A can significantly narrow the URIG. Concretely, a one standard deviation increase in the village and town bank M&amp;A, the average URIG decreases by 0.243%. The conclusion remains robust after several checks. Second, agricultural productivity and primary sector entrepreneurship are potential channels through which village and town bank M&amp;A narrows the URIG. Third, heterogeneity analysis further reveals that the effect of village and town bank M&amp;A on URIG is more pronounced in regions with higher levels of digital economy, outside the Yangtze River Basin, and where branch density is greater. Finally, further analysis confirms a clear spatial effect of village and town bank M&amp;A, with the merger intensifying the gap in neighboring counties.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 103764"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147387956","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Evolution and driving mechanism of rural settlements in traditional plain agricultural areas from the perspective of migrant workers","authors":"Yaru Sun ,&nbsp;Xiaojian Li ,&nbsp;Jing Luo ,&nbsp;Lingling Tian","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2026.103757","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2026.103757","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the rapid urbanization process, a significant number of rural residents have migrated to urban areas for work, leading to the drastic division and reorganization of rural settlements (RUS). This poses substantial challenges to rural revitalization. The rural restructuring in population outflow areas urgently requires the support of scientific research. Taking Shangcai County, where labor migration is extremely prominent in Huang-Huai-Hai Plain, as an example, we creatively established the relationship between migrant workers and RUS evolution. Taking 405 administrative villages in Shangcai County from 2000 to 2020 as the evaluation unit, we analyzed the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics of RUS and the driving mechanism by comprehensively applying the landscape pattern index, multiple linear regression model, and mediation effect test. It reveals two different value logics for farmers to go out to work, including increasing income, promoting settlement prosperity, and fleeing from villages, resulting in village depression. Affected by this, there are special patterns in the evolution of settlements in high labor migration areas (HLMA). Specifically, compared with low labor migration areas (LLMA) in plain rural areas, HLMA exhibit a larger expansion intensity and a lower degree of fragmentation in scale characteristics. Regarding shape characteristics, the settlement morphology is more irregular. In terms of hierarchical structure characteristics, low-grade settlements have a faster promotion rate, while high-grade settlements occupy a smaller proportion of the total area. The RUS evolution is jointly influenced by the personal characteristics of migrant workers and the socio-economic factors of the outflow and inflow regions, while income plays a mediating role in the mechanism. The mobility of migrant workers and their housing investment behaviors are closely intertwined, reshaping the spatial patterns and evolutionary path of RUS through a comprehensive balance of livelihood security, intergenerational inheritance, and spatial identity. Finally, corresponding rural restructuring strategies are proposed based on the different types of migrant workers. Policymakers should reasonably guide the development of RUS based on the different characteristics of migrant workers. This study contributes to providing a scientific reference for coordinating human-land relationships in outflow areas, promoting the optimal layout and spatial reconstruction of RUS.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 103757"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147387961","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Promoting or inhibiting? Unraveling the nonlinear and spatially heterogeneous effects of land use efficiency on ecological resilience: Evidence from the Taihang Mountains Region, China","authors":"Yanlong Niu,&nbsp;Yi Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2026.103779","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2026.103779","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ecological resilience is fundamental to sustainable urban development, yet how land use efficiency affects ecological resilience remains insufficiently understood. Prior research has rarely accounted for the nonlinear dynamics and spatial heterogeneity embedded in ecological resilience response mechanisms. To address these gaps, this study develops a geospatial explainable artificial intelligence framework that integrates CatBoost, SHAP, and GeoShapley, applying it to 22 cities in the Taihang Mountains Region. Ecological resilience is assessed through the “Scale–Density–Morphology” dimensions. Findings reveal a spatial gradient of “high in the central–north and low in the southeast,” with an overall decline from 2000 to 2020, most pronounced in rapidly urbanizing cities. The CatBoost model achieved strong predictive accuracy (R² = 0.953). COHESION and population efficiency were identified as dominant associated factors, while introducing spatial location enhanced the explanatory power of land use efficiency variables. Nonlinear and spatially heterogeneous responses were evident: GDP efficiency was positively associated with ecological resilience within an moderate range (approximately 0.2–0.9), while exhibiting a U-shaped tendency at higher values. K-means clustering distinguished three mechanism patterns, providing the basis for differentiated policy pathways. These insights underscore that land use efficiency and landscape configuration are closely associated with ecological resilience, and demonstrate the potential of the geospatial explainable artificial intelligence framework to support spatial planning, land governance, and targeted regional development strategies toward sustainable urban futures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 103779"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147387964","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"How can residents’ cognitions enrich village tourism planning? Field research in three atypical traditional villages of southern Anhui, China","authors":"Wei Shao ,&nbsp;Zao Li ,&nbsp;Maosheng Ye ,&nbsp;Dashuai Xu ,&nbsp;Mengwei Xu ,&nbsp;Wenqian Jiang","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2026.103762","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2026.103762","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A large number of traditional villages with rich cultural heritage and tourism resources are distributed in southern Anhui. Over historical evolution, atypical traditional villages have gradually formed, characterized by weakened historical culture and declining spatial functions, requiring protection and adaptive reuse. This study employs Lefebvre's spatial triad as its theoretical framework, grounded in the context of tourism development in atypical traditional villages, to examine residents' recognition of village spatial characteristics as shaped by historical evolution. Findings show that historical spaces, though partially damaged, remain central to residents' cognition, while newly built service and industrial facilities provide a complementary function and support residents' daily activities. Awareness of natural spaces and the human-environment principles they embody is limited. By integrating spatial utilization orientations from village tourism planning with residents' cognitions, the study examines the roles of alignment, complementation, and expansion, and proposes spatial typologies, including resident–tourist symbiosis, resident-led, tourist-led, and resident-guided spaces, along with strategies for protection and renewal. Adopting a residents' perspective enriches tourism planning, facilitates adaptive use of space, preserves historical context, and promotes heritage protection, village revitalization, and the symbiosis of residents and tourists.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 103762"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147387966","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Village CEOs as gentrification agents: Gentrification and spatial governance in China's emerging tourism villages","authors":"Ying Wang ,&nbsp;Tin-yuet Ting ,&nbsp;Eddie Chi Man Hui ,&nbsp;Jeff Jianfu Shen","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2026.103760","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2026.103760","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The recent emergence of village CEOs as entrepreneurial cadres provides a valuablevantage point for examining how local innovations in spatial governance drive and condition rural gentrification in China. Using a case study to investigate the transformation of rural villages into tourism villages, in which exclusive spatial rights and protected insularity used to be rendered quid pro quo for villagers’ support and obedience, this article examines how quasi-state agents open access to rural land and property use, particularly through the implementation of new clientelist institutions that reconfigure spatial development rights. Beyond simplistic post-productivist frameworks,the analysis explains how village CEOs serve as pragmatic patronage brokers for the local state, reshaping spatial organisational, planning, and value systems to create favourable conditions for rural tourism and recreational development. Characterised by distinct dynamics of exclusion and marginalisation, an uneven geography of the tourist consumptionscape is orchestrated according to emerging broker–client relationships. Although rural gentrification is often examined as a spontaneous and amenity-driveprocess, this article sheds light on how the intricacies of entrenched institutional frameworks of spatial governance in a post-socialist context give rise to a stateembedded, coordinated form of gentrification with repercussions for local development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 103760"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147387958","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"How different indicators of internal and external greenness impact street crime? A comparative study in high-density urban areas","authors":"Lisha Na,&nbsp;Yuanfan Huang,&nbsp;Shuolei Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2026.103759","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2026.103759","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Urban crime poses an increasing threat to worldwide public safety and urban sustainability, particularly in high-density street environments with concentrated crime risks. Although urban greenness has emerged as a natural solution and promising intervention for crime prevention, limited research has systematically examined the relative effectiveness of different greenness indicators on street crime prevention across internal and external contexts. This study compared the impacts of satellite-derived greenness indicators (NDVI) versus eye-level greenness indicators (GVI) on street crime, considering both immediate crime-incident streets (internal greenness) and the surrounding 500 m street network areas (external greenness). Spatial Autocorrelation Models (SAC) were employed to analyze these comparative relationships at the street segments of high-density regions of Nanjing, while controlling for socio-demographic and built environment variables. Results revealed a clear hierarchy of greenness impacts on street crime whereby internal eye-level greenness demonstrated the strongest and most consistent negative associations, followed by external eye-level greenness, while satellite-derived greenness showed substantially weaker relationships in both contexts. This hierarchy can be explained by differences in how greenness signals risks or opportunities during offender site assessment, with eye-level vertical distribution of greenness at immediate crime-incident streets providing more direct environmental cues, whereas satellite-derived greenness presents greater interpretive challenges and external greenness is spatially separated from crime locations. The findings provide sustainable guidance for street crime prevention in high-density areas by prioritizing pedestrian-visible vertical greenness enhancements at the immediate street environment, while external eye-level improvements and internal greenness condition maintenance can serve as supplementary approaches when spatial constraints limit primary interventions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 103759"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147388067","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Public vs. private sector-led affordable housing: Evaluating implications for commuting length in Shenzhen, China","authors":"Yiting Lin ,&nbsp;Jiawen Yang ,&nbsp;Yuling Yang ,&nbsp;Jiuju Huang","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2026.103765","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2026.103765","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The remote location of affordable housing and the resulting job-housing mismatch are persistent challenges globally. In China, a similar workplace-residence relationship exists, where affordable housing for low-to middle-income households is often associated with long commutes. This research develops an analytical framework to evaluate the commuting costs of public sector-led affordable housing (hereafter referred to as public housing), in comparison with private sector-led affordable housing represented by urban villages. Commodity housing is incorporated as a market benchmark to contextualize their commuting outcomes within the broader urban housing system. Using Shenzhen as a case study, the paper compares commute length across the three housing types to examine how different housing provision models shape commuting patterns. Mobile phone positioning data and online map APIs are used to compute commuting time and distance by car and by public transportation. Results show that urban villages offer better commuting outcomes than most public housing. Public Rental Housing and Economical Affordable Housing, primarily located in peripheral areas, are associated with the longest commutes, while centrally located Talent Housing performs better. In addition, diversified land supply channels, including infill development, urban renewal, and housing stock reuse, help mitigate commuting burdens of residents in public housing. This research reveals the commuting burden associated with the conventional public sector-led approach to affordable housing provision. It advocates for a balanced approach that integrates private sector-led strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 103765"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147387960","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Association of the built environment, demographic and socioeconomic factors with indoor environmental complaints: A community-level study","authors":"Zhao Dong ,&nbsp;Zhonghua Gou ,&nbsp;Isabelle Y.S. Chan","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2026.103773","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2026.103773","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Indoor environmental complaints are indications of indoor environmental issues that affect occupants' comfort and health. Although some research has examined the built environment's effect on objective indoor environmental quality, few have investigated the role of demographic and socioeconomic factors in subjective indoor environmental complaints. Therefore, this study took New York City (NYC) as the case site, aiming to investigate the association between indoor environment complaints and the built environment, demographic factors, and socioeconomic factors. We conducted statistical analyses using government open data on indoor environmental complaints and community district profiles. Descriptive statistics revealed a significant disparity in indoor environmental complaints among different community districts in NYC. Furthermore, correlation and hierarchical regression analyses revealed a significant relationship between demographic and socioeconomic factors and indoor environmental complaints, even when controlling for built environment factors. In detail, individuals under the age of 18 and foreign-born residents reported fewer indoor environmental complaints. Those who self-identified as having limited English proficiency also had fewer indoor environmental complaints. Finally, based on our analysis, we developed a set of strategies to address indoor environmental complaints. This study introduces a novel perspective to indoor environmental research, offering valuable insights for communities, city managers, and related departments in formulating strategies to address indoor environmental complaints.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 103773"},"PeriodicalIF":7.0,"publicationDate":"2026-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147387965","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}