Cities最新文献

{"title":"Urban morphology and energy self-sufficiency: A comparative study of residential blocks in eight global cities","authors":"Xuetong Li,&nbsp;Zhonghua Gou","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106240","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106240","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As global climate change intensifies and energy resources dwindle, residential energy consumption becomes a critical challenge. While progress has been made in understanding urban morphology and climate factors in zero-energy residential block design, comprehensive cross-contextual analysis across diverse cultural, geographical, and climatic regions remains limited. This study examines residential blocks in eight cities—The Hague, Singapore, Tallinn, Berlin, Montreal, Vienna, Vantaa, and Zurich—spanning temperate oceanic, tropical rainforest, and humid continental climates. Using modeling translation tools such as Urban Modeling Interface and Rhino, alongside methods like multiple regression analysis, recursive feature elimination (RFE), and random forest algorithms, the study analyzes 12 morphological indicators from 240 districts in these eight cities. Morphological indicators serve as independent variables, while energy self-sufficiency rates are the dependent variable, with geographical and climate factors also considered. The results reveal that building height and volume are pivotal in determining energy self-sufficiency, particularly in northern cities like Tallinn and Vantaa, where optimized urban morphology can substantially enhance energy efficiency. In contrast, despite favorable photovoltaic conditions in Central European cities such as Berlin, Vienna, and Zurich, lower energy self-sufficiency rates are observed, mainly due to the constraints imposed by current urban morphology. For Singapore, optimizing the building shape coefficients and occupancy rates is essential for improving energy self-sufficiency. This study introduces a novel evaluation framework to assess and optimize the global potential of residential districts for achieving near-zero energy consumption, emphasizing the complex interplay between urban morphology and climate.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"166 ","pages":"Article 106240"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144633833","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 framework for integrated assessment of blue-green infrastructure: A decision support tool for evaluating climate adaptation and social benefits in relation to construction and maintenance costs","authors":"Sofia Thorsson ,&nbsp;Oskar Bäcklin ,&nbsp;Joanna Friberg ,&nbsp;Sofia Frisell Eriksson ,&nbsp;Salar Haghighatafshar ,&nbsp;Janina Konarska ,&nbsp;Shelly Kotze ,&nbsp;Fredrik Lindberg ,&nbsp;Claes-Anders Malmberg ,&nbsp;David Rayner ,&nbsp;Jutta Schade ,&nbsp;Lisa Ström ,&nbsp;Björn Sundén ,&nbsp;Barbro Sundström ,&nbsp;Nils Wallenberg ,&nbsp;Peter Ylmén","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106239","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106239","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In an era of changing climate, rapid urbanization, and densification there is a need for spaces that can manage extreme weather events, such as heat waves and heavy precipitation, whilst simultaneously be attractive for the urban citizens, i.e., multifunctional spaces. In this paper a framework for integrated assessment of the potential of multiple urban blue-green infrastructure (BGI) elements to provide climate regulating and social functions, i.e. multifunctionality potential, based on best research available, in relation to cost for construction and maintenance to be used in planning is presented. The assessment of functions and costs is done on a nominal scale from 1 to 5 using a mixed-method approach (systematic literature review, model simulations and workshops). The integrated assessment is presented in a multifunctionality potential and cost matrix and allows for weighting of each function and cost, as their relative importance is context dependent. It is shown that the majority of BGI elements have a relatively low potential to provide multifunctionality in terms of urban stormwater management, heat stress reduction and recreation. Some of them to a low cost (e.g., road verges, ditches, permeable pavements) others to a high cost (e.g., green roofs and walls). The highest multifunctionality potential is found in large parks, but to a high cost. The most favourable element, i.e., high potential in relation to costs is urban forests. The matrix presented here is considered usable for making general well informed integrated decisions in planning and to enhance the awareness of single and multiple functions of BGI elements.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"166 ","pages":"Article 106239"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144633093","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":"Gendered urban spaces: Unveiling gender segregation through time, space, and behavior - A case study of Zhuhai, China","authors":"Yilei Chen ,&nbsp;Haiping Zhang ,&nbsp;Guanghui Wang ,&nbsp;Shangjing Jiang ,&nbsp;Lijun Chen ,&nbsp;Lu Zhang ,&nbsp;Guo'’An Tang","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106241","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106241","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The differing activities of men and women shape the gendered characteristics of urban environments, leading to segregation that reveals spatial inequalities. Recent studies on gendered activity patterns often rely on statistical or residential data and lack a spatiotemporal perspective. To address these gaps, this study analyzes gender segregation in Zhuhai, China by integrating spatial, temporal, and behavioral dimensions. First, gender composition is assessed at the parcel level using the relative proportion method. Next, weekday-weekend variations and regional disparities are examined through geographical regionalization. A genetic algorithm is employed to analyze residents' travel networks, revealing gender-specific mobility patterns. The results highlight significant spatial differentiation in gender structure, with a center-periphery segregation pattern that mobility further accentuates. Gender composition in transitional zones and specific land-use areas evolves over time, influenced by the social division of labor and employment preferences. This study offers a dynamic model of urban gender segregation, providing new insights into gender inequality through the integration of time, space, and behavior. The findings inform urban planning and sustainable development strategies aimed at fostering gender-equitable cities, deepening the understanding of spatial power imbalances from a gender perspective, and contributing to the discourse on gender issues within the framework of spatial justice theory.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"166 ","pages":"Article 106241"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144613848","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":"Towards creative and smart urban sustainability: Understanding smart cultural data intelligence (the case of Singapore)","authors":"Natalia Grincheva","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106216","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106216","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This article introduces Smart Cultural Data Intelligence, a framework integrating cultural data into smart city ecosystems for sustainable urban development. Addressing the gap in research on creative sector data's role and place in urban data ecology, it applies de Kerckhove's (1998) “Connected Intelligence” theoretical model to propose a three-pillar assessment framework for Smart Cultural Data Intelligence across urban policies, data infrastructure and governance. A Singapore case study, chosen for its dual smart and creative city agendas, employs triangulation methodology: policy analysis, governance mapping, and data infrastructure assessment. Findings reveal a policy disjuncture between Singapore's creative and smart city initiatives, limitations in public participation, and the need for robust, integrative data systems to enable cross-sector data sharing for sustainable urban planning. The Singapore case highlights challenges and opportunities in strategically positioning cultural data within a smart city context to recommend a unified policy framework with inclusive data governance and enhanced infrastructure to facilitate cross-sector collaboration. These recommendations emphasize a holistic approach balancing technology, people, and policies. The proposed intelligence evaluation framework is well placed to identify the best practices and challenges in cultural data integration to foster sustainable urban development across cities. The article contributes to the discourse on creative smart city nexus, advocating for nuanced investigation of collaboration barriers existing in urban data ecosystems on the policy, data infrastructure and governance levels.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"166 ","pages":"Article 106216"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144613944","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 do remaining residents react to urban vacancy in shrinking city: A KAP model analysis of Yichun, China","authors":"Hui Fu ,&nbsp;Guolei Zhou ,&nbsp;Zuopeng Ma ,&nbsp;Yanjun Liu ,&nbsp;Hongri Sun ,&nbsp;Hanchun Wu ,&nbsp;Hongmin Zhou ,&nbsp;Yu Jin","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106244","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106244","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Urban vacancy, including residential and commercial vacancies as well as urban vacant land, is a significant feature of shrinking cities and serves as a key spatial indicator. Residents' perceptions play a critical role in evaluating the effects of urban vacancy. While previous studies have explored urban vacancy objectively, limited research explores residents' subjective perceptions. This study, set in Yichun, China, used questionnaires and interviews to assess residents' perceptions and their effects on relocation, commuting, consumption, and leisure behaviours, and using the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices (KAP) framework for analysis. Findings suggest that disordered spaces reduce satisfaction with urban development, and consumption and leisure opportunities, resulting in avoidance and relocation. High awareness of residential vacancy and urban vacant land is associated with lower urban satisfaction and higher relocation intent, while commercial vacancy reduces consumption and leisure satisfaction, decreasing visitation frequency, and can indirectly affect relocation through consumption and leisure satisfaction and overall urban satisfaction. However, perceptions of urban vacant land do not affect residents' sense of security or commuting behaviour. Socio-economic factors such as age, income, and length of residence, moderate these responses. The study validates and extends the Broken Windows Theory, providing theoretical support for people-centred, smart urban planning in shrinking cities. Measures such as cleaning, renovation, repurposing disordered spaces, providing commercial facilities tailored to residents' needs, and fostering a sense of place are recommended to improve residents' satisfaction.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"166 ","pages":"Article 106244"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144597304","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":"Reducing administrative barriers: Evidence from China's county-to-district reform on export product quality","authors":"Qi Guo ,&nbsp;Jun Liu ,&nbsp;Shengjun Zhu ,&nbsp;Canfei He ,&nbsp;Yi Han","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106233","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106233","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>High administrative barriers can increase the flow costs of factor resources, reduce the efficiency of resource allocation, and potentially impede China's transition towards a high-quality development stage. This paper uses China's county-to-district reform as a quasi-natural experiment to examine how reducing inter-regional administrative barriers influences firms' product quality. Based on panel data from 2000 to 2013, which encompasses Chinese industrial enterprises, customs, and patents, the study finds that the county-to-district reform can significantly improve the quality of export products of firms within the reform counties. Further exploration of the mechanisms reveals that, on the one hand, the reform forces firms to concentrate more on producing competitive, high-quality products due to the tightening of preferential policies and increasing financial constraints. On the other hand, the reform can increase firm agglomeration, which encourages firms to innovate through knowledge spillovers and fiercer competition, thus enhancing the quality of export products. In addition, the reform improves the administrative efficiency of local governments in handling firms' export activities and reduces transaction costs for firms, which improves their export product quality. The results on firm heterogeneity show that the effect of this reform on quality upgrading is particularly evident in non-state-owned enterprises, high-efficiency enterprises, and those in the less marketized regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"166 ","pages":"Article 106233"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144597303","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":"Integrating ecosystem service bundles and scenario predicting for win-win sustainable urban management: A case study of typical arid cities in China","authors":"Yang Gao ,&nbsp;Zhen Shen ,&nbsp;Tian Zhang ,&nbsp;Yongjie Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106248","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106248","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Exploring the ecological effects of urbanization from the perspective of ecosystem service (ES) relationships aids in developing precise spatial decisions for sustainable ecological management. The objective of this paper is to investigate the impact of urbanization on ES bundles (ESBs) and their internal dynamics through scenario simulations. Future land use changes were modelled under three scenarios, with a particular focus on characteristics of urban expansion. Spatial mapping and statistical analysis were employed to quantify changes in six ESs and their interrelationships. The results confirm that urban expansion is the most significant form of land use change in Hohhot, with a 20.57 % expansion under the natural scenario. Urban land distribution mainly follows an edge expansion pattern, shifting northward with decreasing spatial dispersion. Significant differences in ES losses were observed across scenarios. Nonetheless, all ecosystem combinations produce five types of ESBs, generally with similar structural characteristics. The area of urban expansion bundles under the food security scenario is only 2736.77 km². The conversion of cropland, forest, and grassland by urban expansion has transformed the ecological agriculture, forestry recreation, and comprehensive service bundles into other ESBs. Additionally, all-wins zone, weaknesses zone, ES-enhancing zone, and trade-off mitigating zone during urban expansion are delineated from a two-dimensional assessment of total value and relationships. Combining partition with ESB identification, this study considers both delivery characteristics to enhance ecological supply capacity and dyadic relationships to mitigate trade-offs, which develops more targeted ecosystem management and urban sustainability strategies for other regions.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"166 ","pages":"Article 106248"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144597305","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":"Subsidised private education and public education. A reflex of the neighbourhood inequalities in Seville (Southern Spain)","authors":"Ricardo Iglesias-Pascual ,&nbsp;Carmen Merchán-Hernández ,&nbsp;Federico Benassi","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106246","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106246","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In this research, we analyse whether the commitment to subsidised private education in secondary education is adapted to real educational needs. For this purpose, we carried out a socio-territorial analysis of the distribution of public and subsidised private schools and their school results in the city of Seville by means of a contextual study and the application of a multilevel regression model. Our results show, firstly, the unbalanced distribution of private subsidised schools in the wealthier areas of Seville; they also show how the better results of private subsidised schools are related to the more favourable social contexts in which they are located. Finally, we highlight the better academic results of public schools in less favoured social environments. Based on these results, we make a reflection on where the current models of public funding of the education system should be heading.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"166 ","pages":"Article 106246"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144589151","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 does local education expenditure impact the self-development ability of new citizens? Evidence from China","authors":"Lin Yang ,&nbsp;Fangyi Lin ,&nbsp;Chunlei Shen ,&nbsp;Chuan Guo","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106242","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106242","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>New citizens are migrants who have moved from rural to urban areas for work and settlement. Enhancing the self-development ability of these migrants is an essential element of urbanization. This paper examines the impact of governmental education expenditure on the self-development ability of new citizens, using panel data from China spanning 2010 to 2020. We find that fiscal expenditure on education can promote the self-development ability of new citizens through three primary channels: improving the public education environment, increasing the supply of vocational education opportunities, and promoting the accumulation of human capital among new citizens. Notably, fiscal spending on preschool education, secondary vocational education, and urban education has a more pronounced effect on the self-development ability of new citizens. Furthermore, fiscal education expenditure significantly benefits new citizens who reside in eastern and western regions, are female, have transitioned to urban hukou, or come from families with higher educational backgrounds. This paper demonstrates the critical need to enhance the positive externalities of education by optimizing public education services and empowering new citizens to develop themselves.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"166 ","pages":"Article 106242"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144579901","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":"Air pollution transmission networks in China's urban agglomerations: Drivers and vulnerabilities","authors":"Qingfeng Luo ,&nbsp;Wei Liu ,&nbsp;Can Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106237","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106237","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The cross-regional transmission of air pollution is a complex and urgent environmental challenge. Integrating complex network analysis with Quadratic Assignment Procedure (QAP) analysis and cascade failure theory, we examine the structure, drivers, and vulnerabilities of air pollution transmission networks across 11 Chinese urban agglomerations. We find that each agglomeration demonstrates high regional concentration and functional specialization, with distinct city roles. The Pearl River Delta exhibits strong bidirectional pollution transmission, while the Lanxi and Harbin-Changchun agglomerations show lower network density and reciprocity, mainly featuring unidirectional flows. Developed eastern regions consistently occupy core positions, while central China's network displays a decentralizing trend, shifting the pollution transmission center towards the central and western regions. Key drivers identified via QAP include economic development, vegetation coverage, and environmental regulation. Cascade failure analysis highlights that nodes with high betweenness centrality and high-weight edges are crucial vulnerabilities; targeted interventions at these strategic points can effectively reduce pollutant spread. This study offers integrated theoretical insights into the “structure-driver-vulnerability” mechanism of pollution transmission and provides practical guidance for sustainable regional governance, identifying critical nodes and developing targeted air quality management strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"166 ","pages":"Article 106237"},"PeriodicalIF":6.0,"publicationDate":"2025-07-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144580522","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}