Applied GeographyPub Date : 2025-05-15DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103651
Justin H. White , Steven M. Radil , Collin S. Philipps , Ian J. Irmischer
{"title":"Using terrain-derived indices and environmental components to examine the spatial context of undocumented immigrant mortality along the USA–MEX border","authors":"Justin H. White , Steven M. Radil , Collin S. Philipps , Ian J. Irmischer","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103651","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103651","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Environmental exposure is the leading identifiable cause of mortality for undocumented immigrants the Tucson Sector of the USA–Mexico border. This paper investigates the role of environmental components in predicting immigrant mortality sites between 1981 and 2023 (n = 3427). Using a high-resolution terrain surface and geospatial techniques to derive a suite of environmental metrics for a panel linear modeling framework, we found that potential evapotranspiration was the strongest predictor of mortality location. Since 2011, for every 1 mm/day increase in potential evapotranspiration, the probability of predicting a mortality site was 14.85 % higher than a random location. A 1-hr increase in direct solar radiation decreased the chance of predicting a mortality site by 2 % and slope followed the same trend at 1.094 % decrease per degree. Overall, mortality sites were situated in areas that were drier (p < 0.001), received direct solar radiation for less time (p < 0.001), were flatter (p < 0.001), and were nearer the USA–MEX border (p < 0.001) than random. These findings suggest that exposure to severe aridity for prolonged periods, rather than time spent in direct solar radiation, most influences where mortality is likely to occur.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 103651"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144069482","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 : 2025-05-15DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103662
Yanxiao Liu , Jingjing Li , Wei Yang
{"title":"Nonlinear interactive associations between built environments and adults’ mental health in China using a longitudinal design","authors":"Yanxiao Liu , Jingjing Li , Wei Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103662","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103662","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We attempted to investigate longitudinal nonlinear and interactive associations between built environments and mental health in China, using data from China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) in 2010 and 2014. We employed the XGBoost model to examine how changes in built environments were related to changes in mental health. We observed longitudinal nonlinear threshold effects of built environments on mental health: participants living in neighborhoods with the increase in neighborhood attractiveness reaching to 4-unit and the increase in the quantity of medical facilities reaching to 10 were more likely to have better mental health. In contrast, a substantial increase (between 8 and 12) in the quantity of early education facilities was negatively associated with mental health. Further, improvement in neighborhood attractiveness and increase in the quantity of medical facilities together strengthened mental health benefits. The implications of these findings include that it is critical to identify the threshold for built environment features to achieve optimal mental health benefits. Besides, it is important to integrate multiple built environment features together to amplify the mental health benefits. Intervention strategies should be tailored to specific geographic contexts to prioritize improving built environment features.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 103662"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144069479","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 : 2025-05-15DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103661
Bing Bu , Man Chen , Lixian Huang , Yongtao Yan , Jiangchun Yao , Guang-Hui Dong , Ye Liu
{"title":"Effects of air pollution and greenspace exposure on cause-specific mortality among older adults in Guangzhou, China","authors":"Bing Bu , Man Chen , Lixian Huang , Yongtao Yan , Jiangchun Yao , Guang-Hui Dong , Ye Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103661","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103661","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In light of increasing recognition of the detrimental impacts of air pollution and beneficial impacts of greenspace on public health, limited research has examined how greenspace modifies air pollution-related mortality risks in high-density urban contexts in China. This study utilized Guangzhou death registration data (2017–2019) and negative binomial regression models to evaluate the effects of PM<sub>2.5</sub>, PM<sub>10</sub>, and NO<sub>2</sub> concentrations and NDVI on non-accidental, cardiovascular, and respiratory mortality among adults aged 60 and over across 2774 neighborhoods. Results indicate that non-accidental mortality risk rose by 5.6 % (95 % CI: 3.5 %, 7.6 %), 2.7 % (95 % CI: 1.8 %, 3.5 %), and 14.7 % (95 % CI: 9.6 %, 20 %) for every 1 μg/m<sup>3</sup> increase in PM<sub>2.5</sub> and PM<sub>10</sub> concentrations and 1 ppbv increase in NO<sub>2 concentration</sub>, respectively. Similar trends were found for cardiovascular and respiratory mortality, with the strongest effects observed for respiratory mortality. Higher greenness mitigated the impact of PM on respiratory mortality but exacerbated the adverse effects of NO<sub>2</sub> on cardiovascular mortality. Stratified analyses showed stronger effects of air pollution and greenspace among females and disadvantaged neighborhoods. These findings highlight the need to integrate air pollution control and greenspace system planning into urban environmental health interventions to reduce mortality risk, particularly in high-density urban areas and among vulnerable populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 103661"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144069481","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 : 2025-05-14DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103664
Yuzhou Chen , Ran Tao , Qiwei Ma , Mingshu Wang
{"title":"Shrinking cities in China's urban network: a data-driven exploration of migration and investment flows","authors":"Yuzhou Chen , Ran Tao , Qiwei Ma , Mingshu Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103664","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103664","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Shrinking cities in China have garnered growing academic attention. However, most studies analyze these cities independently, overlooking their roles within broader urban networks. This study utilizes intercity migration and investment flow data to explore the roles of shrinking cities in China's urban network, focusing on flow patterns, network connectivity, and spatial interdependencies. The results show that migration outflows from shrinking cities are concentrated in provincial capitals, whereas investment flows predominantly target national economic centers such as Beijing and Shanghai. Shrinking cities demonstrate higher connectivity in migration networks than in investment networks, often functioning as peripheral nodes with constrained influence. Distinct spatial patterns between migration and investment flows reveal significant regional disparities, highlighting uneven economic interdependencies across China's regions. We propose a comprehensive framework integrating flow pattern analysis, network metrics, and spatial association modeling to assess shrinking cities' roles in regional population and capital redistribution. The findings offer critical insights into the network roles of shrinking cities, supporting the formulation of coordinated development strategies across China's regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 103664"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143941944","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 : 2025-05-13DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103650
Can Yang , Geli Zhang , Yuzhe Li , Xi Zhang , Jinwei Dong
{"title":"Differential influence on threatened vertebrates under land use and land cover change in China since the 21st century","authors":"Can Yang , Geli Zhang , Yuzhe Li , Xi Zhang , Jinwei Dong","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103650","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103650","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Land use/land cover change (LUCC) has been considered a primary driver of biodiversity loss. However, since 2000, China has experienced rapid economic growth, leading to significant shifts in land-use patterns. These processes are profoundly impacting the achievement of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, yet their influence remains unclear. Here, we aim to identify the potential biodiversity spots affected by LUCC (particularly cropland expansion, urbanization, and ecological restoration) by integrating the multiple phases of high-resolution land use and land cover datasets and the biodiversity dataset. We found that 445 spots with high species richness of threatened vertebrates are potentially threatened by cropland expansion, mainly in the Northeast China and the Middle-Lower Yangtze Plain, and 421 spots characterized by settlement expansion and high species richness of threatened vertebrates, concentrated in the Middle-Lower Yangtze Plain and the South China. There were also 296 spots, characterized by large-scale ecological restoration projects and high species richness of threatened vertebrates. Due to the spatial distribution of different taxonomic groups, threatened mammals and amphibians have benefited most from ecological restoration projects. Conversely, birds benefited the least from ecological restoration projects. The findings are expected to provide scientific references for China to achieve the goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 103650"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143935592","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 : 2025-05-11DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103658
Feifan Gao, Hao Zheng, Bo Qin
{"title":"Using multi-source big data to identify “double-aging” neighborhoods for urban retrofitting: A case study of Beijing","authors":"Feifan Gao, Hao Zheng, Bo Qin","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103658","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103658","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Building stock aging has long been a major concern in urban retrofitting programs. In particular, as the person-environment (P-E) mismatch becomes increasingly severe for older adults, identifying “double-aging” neighborhoods has become the main challenge for age-friendly city development. Taking Beijing, China as a case study, we used Baidu Map location-based service data and Anjuke imagery data to depict the spatial patterns of the aging population and building stock and applied the competence-press model to measure the degree of double aging in neighborhoods. The results showed that the distribution of the aging population follows a “high-low-high” gradient radiating outward from the urban core. The old and dilapidated building stocks are mainly concentrated within the 2nd Ring Road. Neighborhoods experiencing severe double aging form distinct clusters within the 4th Ring Road. These spatial patterns are shaped by the interplay of historical, economic, and governance-driven factors. Notably, approximately 30 % of neighborhoods severely affected by double aging are currently excluded from municipal retrofitting plans. By using multi-source big data and deep-learning methods, this study provides a timely and innovative approach to identifying double-aging neighborhoods in urgent need of urban retrofitting in currently aging cities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 103658"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143931908","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 : 2025-05-08DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103647
Jessica Kersey , Samuel Miles , Vivek Sakhrani , Bryan Bonsuk Koo , Setu Pelz
{"title":"A geospatial perspective on electrification strategy in urbanizing africa","authors":"Jessica Kersey , Samuel Miles , Vivek Sakhrani , Bryan Bonsuk Koo , Setu Pelz","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103647","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103647","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Efforts to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 7, to ensure modern energy for all, have largely followed models of rural electrification premised on extending the provision of electricity to remote, low-income populations. Yet, urbanization in Africa has produced complex and densifying human settlement patterns with diverse economic and energetic needs. Much of the body of work supporting SDG 7 relies on a binary rural-urban categorization and has yet to engage critically with the increasing spatial, demographic, and economic heterogeneity of these spaces. This analysis uses geospatial techniques to evaluate the distribution of the unelectrified in sub-Saharan Africa along a 30-category spatial framework which describes space along a rural-urban continuum. Our results highlight large concentrations of unelectrified people in the peripheries of small to medium cities, which themselves are often poorly electrified. More sophisticated ways of understanding the spatiality of electrification can provide strategic insights on how we assess the needs and barriers to access for diverse communities, select and innovate appropriate technologies and solutions, and define effective jurisdictions for government institutions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 103647"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143923612","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 : 2025-05-06DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103648
Zhongqi Zheng, Alan T. Murray, Stuart H. Sweeney, Sophia D. Arabadjis
{"title":"Social vulnerability gaps: Dynamics of the unsheltered homeless and wildfire hazards","authors":"Zhongqi Zheng, Alan T. Murray, Stuart H. Sweeney, Sophia D. Arabadjis","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103648","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103648","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Demographic and socio-economic omissions in social vulnerability assessments are not uncommon. However, conclusions from incomplete population characterization contribute to inequity and marginalization of at-risk segments of society, individuals who require care, resource assistance, and tailored public policy. The unsheltered homeless are considered here as an underrepresented segment of socially vulnerable people in hazard assessment. The unsheltered suffer disproportionately higher levels of direct exposure to natural and human-caused disasters, yet their lack of stable housing and often frequent moves make them both hidden and invisible in traditional census information. An exploratory spatial data analysis framework is developed to combine geographic information systems (GIS), statistics, and geostatistics to assess the implication of this omission. This research treats the integration of annual government counts and continuously updated, community-contributed information as a means of capturing regional spatial patterns of unsheltered homelessness at a fine geographic level. Comparison is then made to approaches based on traditional social vulnerability measures to evaluate consistency and representativeness. The findings suggest a significant gap in existing approaches. This study sheds light on potential avenues for more inclusive and accurate assessments of social vulnerability in the context of hazards.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"180 ","pages":"Article 103648"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143912303","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}
{"title":"Exploring the associations of socioeconomic characteristics and distance decay effects with two-Steps spatial interaction model","authors":"Bowen Zhang , Chen Zhong , Qi-li Gao , Zahratu Shabrina","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103646","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103646","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Spatial Interaction (SI) model is a prominent tool for predicting trip flows based on the distance decay effect. Despite extensive discussions on spatial heterogeneity and spatial structure, existing SI models are still exploring ways to incorporate local distance decay variations within small urban areas. Furthermore, non-spatial factors, such as socioeconomic characteristics, are typically underestimated in SI and other travel flow prediction models. To tackle these issues, this study introduces a novel two-step SI model that enhances travel flow predictions. This study utilises a k-means clustering algorithm to group areas based on residents' socioeconomic characteristics, then calibrates the localised distance-decay parameter in the origin-specific gravity model for each group and predicts the travel flows. Demonstrated by a case study of the Greater London Area (GLA), we uncovered local distance decay patterns in commuting trips and explained their associations with spatial structure and non-spatial factors using census data. Most importantly, the results proved that our two-step SI model could significantly improve the accuracy of flow predictions without considerably increasing computational complexity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"179 ","pages":"Article 103646"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143904066","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 : 2025-05-02DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103643
Lingmin Zhao , Qingshan Yang , Jian Liu , Jie Liu
{"title":"Regional differences and driving factors of population security in China's border areas from the location perspective","authors":"Lingmin Zhao , Qingshan Yang , Jian Liu , Jie Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103643","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2025.103643","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Population security in border areas is the foundation and an important guarantee of national security. Research on its driving mechanisms can provide a reference for promoting sustainable development in border areas and formulating national border security policies. From a locational perspective, this paper divides China's border areas into five regions, constructs a theoretical framework for the connotation and driving factors of population security in border areas, and establishes an indicator system suitable for evaluating the level of population security in border areas. Using the Topsis-entropy method and the geographic detector model, this study analyzes regional differences in population security levels in border areas from 1990 to 2020 and their driving factors. The results show that from 1990 to 2020, the population security level in border areas first increased and then declined, with an overall low level. There are significant variations in population security development types across different border areas, with growth rates gradually slowing and regional disparities narrowing. The population security level in border areas is influenced by various factors and exhibits significant spatial heterogeneity. To promote the coordinated development of border areas and safeguard national security, this paper proposes specific policy recommendations addressing population security issues and their underlying causes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"179 ","pages":"Article 103643"},"PeriodicalIF":4.0,"publicationDate":"2025-05-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"143899096","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}