Habitat International最新文献

{"title":"Trust and land Lease: The role of informal institutions in land market in rural China","authors":"Mingzhe Wang ,&nbsp;Houqi Shen ,&nbsp;Zinan Xin ,&nbsp;Yinghao Pan","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2025.103521","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2025.103521","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While formal institutions have been extensively studied in land markets, the role of informal institutions, particularly interpersonal trust, remains underexplored. This study examines the impact of trust on land lease behavior, using large-scale survey data from 2012 to 2022. The findings indicate that farmers with greater trust in strangers are more likely to lease land, with this effect being particularly pronounced among men, less-educated individuals, and low-income households. Additionally, higher trust in strangers increases the likelihood of leasing land to non-acquaintances rather than to acquaintances or relatives, promoting broader market participation. However, market factors and clan networks can substitute for trust, leading to similar leasing patterns. These substitution effects exhibit variability by region, with southern and northern China demonstrating markedly divergent effects. These findings highlight the importance of trust in shaping smallholder land use and the complex interplay between formal and informal institutions, offering insights for land policy design and rural development strategies in emerging economies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 103521"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144703284","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":"Exploring China's venture capital investment dynamics and influencing factors: a perspective of intercity flow","authors":"Delin Du ,&nbsp;Jiaoe Wang ,&nbsp;Jianjun Li","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2025.103528","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2025.103528","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Venture capital (VC) investment process involves the movement of capital, information, and knowledge, influencing the city network. China's intercity VC investments have progressively expanded, giving rise to a large and complex network. The Yangtze River Delta (YRD), Pearl River Delta (PRD), and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei (BTH) regions have emerged as the core regions of the network. Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Hangzhou hold significant positions as VC centers in the country. As western cities like Chengdu have gained prominence, the network has gradually evolved into a diamond structure. Based on the XGBoost and SHAP algorithms, this study explored the importance of socioeconomic factors, geographical location and transportation, and administrative factors in the network evolution. Local financial markets and innovation potential, particularly the number of local VC firms, are pivotal in shaping the network evolution of intercity VC investments. The impact of transportation exhibits an initial increase, followed by a decline. In comparison to socioeconomic factors, geographical location and transportation as well as urban administrative governance, appear to have relatively limited influence. The findings contribute to a more profound understanding of the dynamics behind the evolution of financial capital flows among cities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 103528"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144696399","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":"Unraveling drivers of land use efficiency in rapidly urbanizing areas: A hybrid SBM-DDF and explainable machine learning framework","authors":"Jialv Zhu ,&nbsp;Wenxin Liu ,&nbsp;Shixin Zheng ,&nbsp;Yingyue Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2025.103518","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2025.103518","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With the acceleration of urbanization in China, improving land use efficiency has become a key priority for sustainable development. This study, based on a multi-source panel dataset covering 35 representative rapidly expanding cities from 2007 to 2022, proposes a hybrid analytical framework that integrates a Slack-Based Measure Directional Distance Function (SBM-DDF) model for measuring urban land use efficiency (ULUE) with an explainable machine learning pipeline combining CatBoost, SHAP, and Generalized Additive Models (GAM) to identify and interpret its key drivers. The results show that ULUE has generally increased over time, with more rapid improvements observed after 2015, particularly in eastern cities. Nevertheless, significant regional disparities persist: the eastern region has the highest average efficiency (0.749), followed by the central (0.737), western (0.727), and northeastern regions (0.691). Some developed cities have seen declines in efficiency, while several less-developed ones are approaching the efficiency frontier. Based on the average SHAP contributions, economic level (38 %), social development (23 %), and environmental conditions (18 %) emerge as the dominant drivers, all exhibiting strong threshold effects. ULUE in eastern cities is mainly driven by economic and industrial growth, while other regions rely more on improved public services and environmental management. Land policies and market openness show a negative impact overall. These findings underscore the need to incorporate non-linear thresholds into policy design, promote regionally differentiated land use strategies, and align spatial planning with both economic development and environmental sustainability goals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 103518"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144696398","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":"The innovation effects of local talent competition: The case of China's municipal “Vying for Talent” policies","authors":"Qingfeng Cai ,&nbsp;Hao Liu ,&nbsp;Yinghao Pan ,&nbsp;Jingxian Zou","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2025.103523","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2025.103523","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This paper examines how place-based talent policies shape innovation dynamics across Chinese cities. Drawing on municipal “Vying for Talent” initiatives (2009–2019), we analyze how these strategies reconfigure firms’ innovation incentives through interactions with local institutions. Our mechanism analysis reveals that these interventions enhance corporate R&amp;D intensity primarily by amplifying expected returns through increased direct government subsidies, and by reducing innovation costs via lower effective tax rates and the enhancement of firm-level human capital. Policy effectiveness demonstrates strong complementarity with local economic conditions, generating a “Matthew effect” whereby advantaged cities achieve greater returns. This spatial differentiation, particularly pronounced among private and high-tech firms, suggests talent policies may reinforce existing geographical hierarchies of innovation capacity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 103523"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144687284","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":"Unifying static and dynamic perspectives to assess spatial mismatch in polycentricity: Evidence from Beijing, China","authors":"Feilong Yang ,&nbsp;Hongyang Chen ,&nbsp;Li Chen ,&nbsp;Wenzhong Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2025.103520","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2025.103520","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Polycentric development is widely recognized as an ideal spatial model for megacities, yet its implementation often falls short in the contexts of rapid expansion and suburbanization. Addressing this discrepancy demands a critical examination of urban form and inter-centre relationships. By leveraging large-scale mobile phone data, this study integrates static density distributions with dynamic mobility patterns to establish a conceptual framework for examining the internal structure and functional interdependencies within both cores and peripheries. We propose a novel methodology that combines spatial autocorrelation and the Leiden algorithm to identify Urban Employment Centres (UECs) across weekdays and weekends. The findings reveal a dual reconfiguration of the urban system: (1) the fragmentation of a historically contiguous core into large, distinct UECs, and (2) the integration of dispersed suburban settlements into small, individual UECs. While rank-size distributions indicate balanced employment and flow densities, network analysis reveals a pronounced capability hierarchy: a minority of UECs control resource agglomeration and diffusion, confining others to peripheral roles. This indicates that the nominal polycentric strategy has not developed as anticipated, but instead perpetuates monocentric path dependence. Moreover, geographical constraints and core-city dominance continue to impede cooperative networks between centres, thereby exacerbating core-periphery disparities in evolving megacities. This study advances a scalable diagnostic framework, enabling consistent assessment of polycentricity across institutional, cultural, and developmental contexts. Its findings provide policymakers with actionable strategies to reconcile polycentric goals with compact development, fostering equitable and sustainable transitions in megacities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 103520"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144679968","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":"Delivering affordable housing through public-private partnerships: ambiguity, complexity and uncertain technology","authors":"Patricia Canelas","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2025.103517","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2025.103517","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The sharp rise in housing prices and rents observed in numerous cities worldwide over the past decade has generated considerable debate on housing affordability. While housing affordability now holds a prominent position on political agendas, governments are grappling with the challenge of identifying suitable processes and participants to address this problem. Recognising that relying solely on private or public sector approaches is proving insufficient, there is increasing interest in partnership arrangements. This includes utilising public-private partnerships (PPPs), which have been extensively employed in other sectors but are still in their early stages for affordable housing. There have been some experiments with PPPs for housing, typically focusing on retrofitting or regenerating public or social housing estates, but their application remains limited. This paper employs Kingdon's agenda-setting and alternative-setting theory to explore this emerging issue, using a case study of a municipal-led PPP aimed at providing affordable housing on municipal land. Key findings indicate consensus in framing the current housing crisis as an <em>affordable housing crisis</em>. Second, they suggest a conducive environment for a continued increase in private sector involvement in affordable housing. Finally, they suggest that agenda setting and alternative setting are entangled in ambiguity, complexity, and unclear technology, with conflict resolution, hinging on arguments of inevitability. In essence, the paper argues that the use of public-private partnerships for affordable housing embodies a significant change in the orientation of public housing policies and calls for a continued examination of the power dynamics underlying these reorientation processes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 103517"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144670327","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 to achieve adaptive optimization of cultivated land multifunctionality? Insights from coupled supply-utilization-demand interactions","authors":"Shilei Wang ,&nbsp;Xiaobin Jin ,&nbsp;Yanbo Qu ,&nbsp;Junjun Zhu ,&nbsp;Yeting Fan ,&nbsp;Jing Liu ,&nbsp;Yinkang Zhou","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2025.103524","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2025.103524","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The adaptive optimization of cultivated land multifunctionality (CLM) is essential for ensuring its sustainable contribution to human well-being. However, the lack of integrated consideration of utilization, supply, and demand hampers the overall performance of CLM. To bridge this research gap, this study develops a theoretical framework for the adaptive optimization of CLM. Using quantitative evaluation, spatial analysis, threshold analysis, and composite zoning methods supported by multi-source data, it explores the spatial differentiation patterns, utilization characteristics, and zoning optimization strategies of CLM in the Yangtze River Delta (YRD). The results show that CLM in the YRD is marked by uneven utilization levels, robust supply capacity, and a relatively lagging demand. Influenced by spatial heterogeneity in utilization, supply, and demand, the utilization characteristics—using the supply–demand matching relationship as a threshold—accurately reveal the practical challenges of CLM. Notably, the agricultural production function highlights the unfavorable coexistence of surpass and potential types. Furthermore, the surpass type of the ecological maintenance function accounts for 32.1 % of the YRD. As a result, a multi-level composite zoning approach facilitates developing pathways for upgrading or controlling and identifying types of obstacle functions. Overall, this study proposes an adaptive optimization logic system for CLM, advancing from supply-demand matching to utilization feature identification and composite zoning management. This approach provides valuable decision-making insights for harmonizing cultivated land use with resource endowments and human needs in the YRD and globally.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 103524"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144670328","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":"AI, machine learning and BIM for enhanced property valuation: Integration of cost and market approaches through a hybrid model","authors":"Peyman Jafary ,&nbsp;Davood Shojaei ,&nbsp;Abbas Rajabifard ,&nbsp;Tuan Ngo","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2025.103515","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2025.103515","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Accurate property valuation is essential for real estate market stability, housing affordability and financial decision-making. However, traditional valuation methods face key limitations. The market approach, reliant on comparable sales data, is prone to subjectivity and data availability constraints. The income approach relies on stable rental income streams, which are often unavailable for newly built dwellings in volatile rental markets. And, the cost approach, based on the Depreciated Replacement Cost (DRC) method, neglects broader market influences by focusing solely on property characteristics. Despite advancements in Automated Valuation Models (AVMs) using Machine Learning (ML), these models remain sensitive to market fluctuations and lack integration with 3D property characteristics. To address these challenges, this study proposes a hybrid Artificial intelligence (AI) and Building Information Modeling (BIM)-driven property valuation model, integrating the DRC method with market-based valuation adjustments using ML, Natural Language Processing (NLP) and BIM 3D models. The framework consists of several key stages, including mass land valuation using ML techniques, automated construction cost estimation through BIM-based Quantity Take-Off (QTO) and NLP-based cost-matching, dynamic depreciation assessment via BIM-integrated maintenance management, entitlement calculation using optimization techniques, and market impact assessment through ML-driven modeling. The methodology was tested on a high-rise residential building in Melbourne, Australia, and the results demonstrated high accuracy, with estimated property values closely aligning with recent market transactions. The estimated values for one-bedroom and two-bedroom units were 100 % within the range of recent market transactions, and the estimate for the three-bedroom units showed only a 0.057 % deviation from the actual market value. The study advances the digital transformation of property valuation, showcasing how AI, ML and BIM enhance automation, accuracy and efficiency. These findings hold significant implications for the real estate sector, offering a scalable and adaptable framework for industry adoption.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 103515"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144633891","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":"A new coupling evaluation method for human settlement-environment-energy systems: Enhancing residents' happiness","authors":"Weiqi Xiang ,&nbsp;Xiaohua Yang ,&nbsp;Xiangzhao Yan ,&nbsp;Feifei Wu ,&nbsp;Yan Li ,&nbsp;Qingyong Zhang ,&nbsp;Jin Zhang ,&nbsp;Qiyuan Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2025.103502","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2025.103502","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Suitability and coordination of Human Settlements, Environment and Energy (HSEE) system are crucial for regional development and residents' well-being. However, most existing studies have focused on single or dual-coupled systems, neglecting the complex interactions among all three. This study proposes a new evaluation method for coupled system suitability using a more comprehensive HSEE indicator system. The study analyses spatiotemporal evolution and coupling coordination effects based on intelligent algorithms. The results reveal significant geographical and temporal variations in thermal stress levels across China from 2003 to 2023, with cold stress in the west and northeast and increasing thermal stress in the southern and eastern areas. The comprehensive suitability of the HSEE system has improved, with the energy subsystem advancing notably, although the human settlement subsystem still needs attention. Disparities persist, with the eastern coastal regions showing high suitability, whereas the central, western, and northeastern areas require enhanced coordination and policy support. The coupling and coordination between subsystems exhibit spatial gradients, with better coordination in the east and challenges in the northwestern and northeastern regions. This study offers a theoretical foundation for multisystem coupling research. The research findings provide valuable insights for policy-makers to increase regional suitability and improve residents’ well-being.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 103502"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144632640","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":"Assessing the shifts in spatiotemporal ecotourism accessibility driven by high-speed rail development in China","authors":"Feihu Deng ,&nbsp;Qiaoli Tian ,&nbsp;Muhammad Arif","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2025.103514","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2025.103514","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>High-speed rail (HSR) network expansion in China has significantly impacted both the local tourism economy and regional transportation systems. However, there is limited literature regarding the changes in spatiotemporal accessibility to ecotourism in response to HSR development, particularly in key ecotourism hubs in China. This paper aims to fill that gap by using spatial accessibility analysis methods to quantitatively assess the spatial structure of HSR networks surrounding major ecotourism attractions in the tourism corridor in Guangxi, China. The study considered various factors, including HSR station locations, attraction distribution, and road classifications. Utilizing a context-adapted weighted average approach, this research evaluates how accessibility to these attractions has changed before and after HSR introduction. The findings indicate that HSR has significantly enhanced access to major tourist sites in China, revealing patterns of “centrality” and “diffusion”. After the opening, attraction accessibility displayed a distinct geographical orientation in traffic, with the overall network becoming more concentrated. Crucial determinants of accessibility distribution include HSR network configuration, attraction spatial arrangement, and HSR station scale. Overall travel times have drastically decreased, with most areas now accessible within 3.7–6 h, down from the previous 9–10 h. This compression of spatial patterns has improved accessibility, increasing the percentage of scenic spots reachable within 6 h significantly from 31.58 % to 78.95 %. Key transportation hubs, particularly cities with HSR stations, have emerged as strategic nodes that greatly expedite travel times and enhance regional tourism connectivity. This study provides a scientific foundation for government agencies in formulating HSR network plans and regional tourism development strategies. Additionally, it allows tourism managers to optimize site selection and transportation node layouts, ultimately fostering regional tourism development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"164 ","pages":"Article 103514"},"PeriodicalIF":6.5,"publicationDate":"2025-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144605783","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}