Applied GeographyPub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2024.103503
Han Yue, Jianguo Chen
{"title":"Interpretable spatial machine learning for understanding spatial heterogeneity in factors affecting street theft crime","authors":"Han Yue, Jianguo Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2024.103503","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2024.103503","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Machine learning techniques, such as random forest (RF), are increasingly utilized in geographical studies, including crime analysis. While RF excels in predictive accuracy and reduces overfitting, it does not account for spatial heterogeneity, where relationships between crime and its determinants vary by location. To address this limitation, this study utilizes a geographically weighted random forest (GWRF), which breaks down RF into local sub-models. A comprehensive set of variables is integrated to provide a thorough understanding of the factors influencing street theft crimes, including risk populations, streetscape environments, social disorganization, crime attractors and generators, and transportation accessibility. The results of the machine learning analysis are interpreted through an interpretability framework. Findings indicate that GWRF achieves greater predictive accuracy than traditional methods, reaching up to 80% accuracy on unseen data. Notably, the on-street population, derived from street view images, is the most significant contributor to street theft. Additionally, the results facilitate the examination of spatial non-stationarity concerning the importance of explanatory variables. GWRF effectively bridges machine learning and geographical models, enhancing our understanding of street theft occurrences. The local importance results enable the development of targeted safety interventions, rather than relying on general guidelines applicable to the entire region.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 103503"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143229830","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Applied GeographyPub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2024.103504
Min Su, Wenze Zou, Bingru zhao, Wenhang Fan
{"title":"The impact of high-speed railways on urban spatial evolution: A case study of China's coastal areas","authors":"Min Su, Wenze Zou, Bingru zhao, Wenhang Fan","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2024.103504","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2024.103504","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>High-speed railways (HSR) are integral to modern transport systems and significantly influence urban spatial structures and land use. This study examines 54 newly constructed HSR stations in China's coastal areas by analyzing surrounding spatial expansion and urban evolution using Landsat TM remote sensing images and standardized urban built-up area datasets from 2005 to 2020. We also investigate the varying impacts of HSR stations based on location. First, marginal HSR stations comprise the largest proportion of new stations; a negative correlation exists between the distance index of HSR stations and city scale. Second, the HSR station's effect on the surrounding construction land is concentrated around 4 km, with the most significant contribution during the construction stage, yielding a spatial expansion rate of 180.41%, compared to 27.13% and 30.89% in the planning and operational stages, respectively. Marginal HSR stations contribute most significantly to spatial expansion within station areas, while suburban HSR stations exhibit a lagging effect. Third, new HSR stations facilitate an urban built-up area's spatial expansion, subsequently shifting the spatial center-of-gravity toward the station. This occurs particularly for marginal and suburban HSR stations, with less impact for central stations. This study enriches existing research and offers valuable insights into the relationship between HSR station construction and urban spatial development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 103504"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143229281","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Applied GeographyPub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103543
Daniela-Luminia Constantin , Irina-Alina Popescu
{"title":"Traditions and entrepreneurial spirit: The evolving geography of craft brewing in Romania and dynamic interactions with the local development environment","authors":"Daniela-Luminia Constantin , Irina-Alina Popescu","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103543","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103543","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the complex image of the craft beer movement in Central and Eastern Europe, this paper proposes an exploration of the craft beer phenomenon in Romania by means of a mixture of macro and local-level approaches, which bring into the spotlight the location patterns of craft breweries, followed by the contribution of this industry to local growth and its integration into the local ecosystem. The former component is explored mainly by means of statistical data processing and static data visualisation techniques, including geographic mapping to represent spatial distributions, while the latter follows a qualitative interview-based investigation. The main results of the research show that Romanian craft breweries capitalise on geographical, cultural, and historical symbols, strengthening local identity, and creating an emotional connection with consumers through evocative branding. In addition, craft breweries focus on short supply chains and local markets, education for healthy consumption, and sustainability. The challenges entailed by production and distribution, changing consumer behaviour, the need to promote sustainable practices for eco-friendly brewing, and the adaptation to polycrisis-related shocks are particularly addressed. Finally, reflections are made on public policies capable of supporting this sector.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"176 ","pages":"Article 103543"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143346341","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Applied GeographyPub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103533
Tao Li , Fanrong Jiang , Yelu Tu , Jiyuan Li
{"title":"The dynamic effects of regional public transport connectivity on intercity mobility from a dyadic flow perspective","authors":"Tao Li , Fanrong Jiang , Yelu Tu , Jiyuan Li","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103533","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103533","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The advancement of high-speed transport and communication technologies is making intercity mobility a key factor driving socio-economic development. However, systematic analysis of how high-speed rail (HSR) and air transport connectivity impact intercity mobility is still limited. To fill this gap, this paper conducted an empirical analysis of the intercity mobility impact - and its spatiotemporal heterogeneity - of HSR and air transport. Baidu migration and transport services data for holidays and weekdays in 2023 were collected as a sample. The results indicated that short and medium distance travel was more prominent on holidays, while long-distance travel predominated on weekdays. The impact on intercity mobility of HSR and air transport was more related to improving connectivity rather than a simple opening of HSR and air transport. Connectivity increase by HSR resulted in a larger increase in intercity mobility than that of air transport during both holidays and weekdays. HSR and air transport connectivity has generated uneven intercity mobility effects concerning the city-pairs in different regions and distance ranges. The benefits of HSR extend beyond short and medium distances to include longer distances of 1000–1500 km. These implications are useful for high-speed transport planning to improve the adaptability between transport supply and demand.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"176 ","pages":"Article 103533"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143346338","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Applied GeographyPub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2024.103488
Yan Jiang , Jianxin Qin , Tao Wu
{"title":"Understanding the spatiotemporal response of dockless bike-sharing travel behavior to the small outbreaks of COVID-19","authors":"Yan Jiang , Jianxin Qin , Tao Wu","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2024.103488","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2024.103488","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on human mobility is widely studied, the effects of small outbreaks remain underexplored. This study addresses this gap by investigating spatiotemporal behaviors of dockless bike-sharing (DBS) over small outbreaks. First, descriptive statistics and network theory are applied to identify the spatiotemporal evolution across different outbreak phases. The Prophet model is then introduced to evaluate short-term responses, and the copula theory to analyze behavioral preferences. Results indicate increased count and decreased duration during small outbreaks, contrasting with broader pandemic observations. Although DBS activity is most localized during the outbreaks, it expands eastwards into wider urban peripheries, showing community merger and growth. Notably, network communities reveal distinct spatiotemporal behaviors compared to grid-based analysis, offering new perspectives for targeted strategies. Travel behaviors vary with rising cases within a week: trip count initially increases, then declines in the urban core, while trip distance and duration shorten in over half of the region. Probabilistic modeling, however, suggests that greater distances are more likely on days following new cases in western Shenzhen, highlighting the need for comprehensive analysis. This research provides multi-level spatiotemporal insights into bike-sharing behavior for stakeholders in urban and transport planning.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 103488"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143229629","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Applied GeographyPub Date : 2025-02-01DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2024.103490
Yiwei Geng , Xiaoshun Li , Jiangquan Chen
{"title":"Integration of land use resilience and efficiency in China: Analysis of spatial patterns, differential impacts on SDGs, and adaptive management strategies","authors":"Yiwei Geng , Xiaoshun Li , Jiangquan Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2024.103490","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2024.103490","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Given the increasing internal and external risks, as well as the conflicting supply-demand dynamics of land resources, focusing solely on resilience or efficiency proved insufficient. To adapt to complex changes and address resource surpluses, this study quantified land use resilience (LUR) and land use efficiency (LUE) across 31 provinces in China. Their interconnected relationship was explored using the coupling coordination model. The analysis also assessed their varied responses to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) using the Pearson correlation coefficient model. Results showed that LUR in China increased from 0.2656 in 2000 to 0.3901 in 2022, while LUE rose from 0.7510 to 1.0845 during the same period. A positive correlation was observed between functional resistance and flow transformation in LUR and LUE. Furthermore, the LUR-LUE coupling coordination aligned more closely with the SDGs than models focusing solely on resilience or efficiency. LUR-LUE adaptive management optimization zones were categorized into six types: high-level synergy, high-level centrality, radiation-driven, radiation stagnation, radiation depression, and low-level solidification. These findings enhance our understanding of the dynamic nature of land use systems and support efforts toward high-quality, secure, and synergistic development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"175 ","pages":"Article 103490"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-02-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143229832","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Applied GeographyPub Date : 2025-01-31DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103514
Congrui Yi , Xia Li , Yuanzhi Yao , Xiaocong Xu , Han Zhang , Yuxia Wang
{"title":"Interplay between aridity changes and urban expansion across Chinese cities","authors":"Congrui Yi , Xia Li , Yuanzhi Yao , Xiaocong Xu , Han Zhang , Yuxia Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103514","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103514","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Urban aridification has emerged as a significant challenge to the sustainable development of cities. Although China has experienced rapid urbanization and dryland expansion in recent decades, their relationship and potential challenges remains underexplored. To fill this gap, we conducted a national-scale analysis of spatiotemporal changes in dryland boundaries and urbanization patterns in Chinese cities between 1985 and 2022. Our findings reveal a significant eastward expansion of dryland boundaries beyond the Hu-Huanyong line, increasing the number of cities within dryland regions, particularly large urban agglomerations. Notably, urban growth in dryland areas has outpaced that in more humid regions, especially in cities located in the driest subtypes of these regions. Overall, a significant drying trend has been widely observed in about one-third of Chinese cities, impacting over 100 million people. These findings highlight the increasing vulnerability of urban populations to a drying climate, underscoring the need for climate-adaptive urban policies. Our results contribute to a deeper understanding of the interplay between urbanization and dryland expansion and offer critical insights for developing climate-resilient policies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"176 ","pages":"Article 103514"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143346335","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Applied GeographyPub Date : 2025-01-31DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103535
Lei Zhang , Yuwen Wan , Yuanyang Sun , Guoyu He , Xiqiong Lei , Xiaojian Wei , Gui Jin
{"title":"Optimizing ecological security patterns in a megacity by enhancing urban-rural connectivity: Insights from Wuhan, China","authors":"Lei Zhang , Yuwen Wan , Yuanyang Sun , Guoyu He , Xiqiong Lei , Xiaojian Wei , Gui Jin","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103535","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103535","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Traditional approaches to urban ecological networks (ENs) often fail to address the ecological isolation between densely urbanized areas and their adjacent rural regions. To overcome this challenge, this study introduced a novel methodology for establishing urban-rural ENs, with an emphasis on landscape heterogeneity across urban-rural gradients (URGs). The approach distinguished urban and rural ecological sources (ESs) based on the “morphology-quality-scale” framework and simulated distinct urban-rural ecological corridors (ECs) using the minimum cumulative resistance model, incorporating both general and urban-rural specific resistance factors. Additionally, multi-species urban-rural ENs for biodiversity and ecological protection were optimized using graph theory and circuit theory. The results showed that: (1) The optimized urban-rural ecological network encompassed 114 ESs and 288 ECs, which were predominantly clustered in the southern and northern rural regions, whith a more dispersed pattern in suburban and urban areas. Compared to traditional strategies, the proposed network achieved α, β, and γ indices of 0.78, 2.53, and 0.85, respectively, thereby successfully enhancing ecological connectivity between urban and rural areas. (2) The optimization of the multi-species ENs improved their structure and connectivity across URGs, particularly for species with medium or long migration distances (≥10 km). (3) An ecological zoning protection and restoration strategy, comprising key protected areas, priority restoration areas, and ecological upgrading areas, was proposed based on an ecological security pattern of “two cores, six zones, and six straps.” These findings suggest that the proposed strategy can effectively strengthen urban-rural ecological linkages and provide valuable insights for ecological conservation policies in megacities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"176 ","pages":"Article 103535"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143346339","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Applied GeographyPub Date : 2025-01-30DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103540
Yuxin Liang , Jian Hao , Jingwei Shen
{"title":"Impact of environment in built-up areas on depressive mood: Evidence from China","authors":"Yuxin Liang , Jian Hao , Jingwei Shen","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103540","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103540","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The environment in built-up areas has a significant impact on mental health, but the extent of this impact needs to be further quantified. This study is a pioneering article that, from a macro perspective, utilized internet big data platform to obtain continuous data for various cities from 2015 to 2021, and investigated mental health issues at the prefecture-level city scale. This study explored spatiotemporal distribution of depression through GIS analysis methods and impact of environmental indicators in built-up areas on depression through panel regression analysis. The results showed that (1) the areas with a high depression index were mainly concentrated in the eastern region and some first-tier cities in other regions. (2) The depression index increased gradually over time. (3) The effects of gross regional product (GRP), number of students enrolment in regular secondary schools, tertiary industry as percentage to GRP, loans of national banking system, and number of subscribers of Internet services were relatively stable, and the growth of these indicators led to an increase in the depression index. Based on these results, future urban development should adopt region-specific measures to address people's mental health issues and ensure that economic development is accompanied by a focus on mental well-being.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"176 ","pages":"Article 103540"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143346336","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Applied GeographyPub Date : 2025-01-30DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103541
Shenyuan Huang , Yanchuan Shao , Litiao Hu , Jun Bi , Zongwei Ma
{"title":"Unveiling the Spatio-Temporal Patterns and mechanisms of poverty incidence in Southwest China through multi-sourced data and interpretable machine learning","authors":"Shenyuan Huang , Yanchuan Shao , Litiao Hu , Jun Bi , Zongwei Ma","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103541","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103541","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>China's poverty alleviation practice stands out globally, yet illuminatingly decoding its complex process remains challenging due to data and method fragmentation. This study proposed an integrated analytical framework combining multi-source data fusion, ensemble learning, and interpretable machine learning. By integrating multi-dimensional socioeconomic survey (SES) data with spatiotemporally continuous nighttime light (NTL) observations, the framework enables robust poverty prediction and mechanistic insights in data-rich and data-scarce contexts. The method was applied to examine poverty reduction dynamics in Yunnan-Guizhou-Guangxi area (YGGA) of Southwest China. Across 328 county-level units, the average poverty incidence markedly decreased from 33.38% to 12.42% (2000–2019), characterized by three phases: widespread high poverty (2000–2005), uneven regional improvement (2006–2012), and transformative poverty reduction (2013–2019). Spatio-temporal analysis uncovered the transformation from highly clustered poverty to a more dispersed distribution. Through interpretable machine learning, the study analyzed 24 driving factors in three categories. While economic & demographic indicators became increasingly dominant, the persistent influence of geographical & environmental, and social & infrastructure indicators underscored the necessity for an integrated approach to poverty governance. This study provided insights for China's post-poverty alleviation era while contributing towards inclusive growth within global sustainable development framework.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"176 ","pages":"Article 103541"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-01-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143345513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"地球科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}