Pub Date : 2026-02-06DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103926
Ming Yan , Cong Fu , Xiao Huang , Siqin Wang , Yuchen Li , Lambed Tatah , Rui Zhu , Yanqing Xu
A robust population health and healthcare security infrastructure is fundamental to fostering a prosperous and equitable society. When policymakers seek to reduce asthma burdens, analyzing the impact of social determinants of health on the U.S. population's asthma prevalence at a micro-geographic scale is indispensable. This research introduces a spatial framework at the census tract level to predict asthma prevalence, using county- and census tract–level demographic indicators collected from 2017 to 2020. We incorporate 48 unique factors associated with asthma risk and endeavor to generate highly accurate estimates across all U.S. census tracts while shedding light on the synergistic effects of these predictors. The results reveal that elevation and smoking rates within a census tract are especially influential, whereas county-level climate variables and political affiliation emerge as critical moderators of these nonlinear dynamics. Specifically, the distinct mountain climate of high-altitude areas is associated with lower predicted asthma prevalence. Although regions with higher smoking prevalence are generally associated with higher asthma prevalence, this positive association appears weaker in politically Republican-leaning regions. This study demonstrates the potential of theoretically informed models to predict and explain population health burdens, providing an effective way to create healthy cities.
{"title":"Unpacking asthma risks: A multi-level spatial analysis of social determinants of health in the U.S.","authors":"Ming Yan , Cong Fu , Xiao Huang , Siqin Wang , Yuchen Li , Lambed Tatah , Rui Zhu , Yanqing Xu","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103926","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103926","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A robust population health and healthcare security infrastructure is fundamental to fostering a prosperous and equitable society. When policymakers seek to reduce asthma burdens, analyzing the impact of social determinants of health on the U.S. population's asthma prevalence at a micro-geographic scale is indispensable. This research introduces a spatial framework at the census tract level to predict asthma prevalence, using county- and census tract–level demographic indicators collected from 2017 to 2020. We incorporate 48 unique factors associated with asthma risk and endeavor to generate highly accurate estimates across all U.S. census tracts while shedding light on the synergistic effects of these predictors. The results reveal that elevation and smoking rates within a census tract are especially influential, whereas county-level climate variables and political affiliation emerge as critical moderators of these nonlinear dynamics. Specifically, the distinct mountain climate of high-altitude areas is associated with lower predicted asthma prevalence. Although regions with higher smoking prevalence are generally associated with higher asthma prevalence, this positive association appears weaker in politically Republican-leaning regions. This study demonstrates the potential of theoretically informed models to predict and explain population health burdens, providing an effective way to create healthy cities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"189 ","pages":"Article 103926"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146122685","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}
Pub Date : 2026-02-04DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103923
Wenliang Jia, Yiming He
Assessing the walkability of urban street environments is crucial for promoting social equity, inclusiveness, and sustainable urban development. However, existing studies often focus on adults or rely on vehicular street view imagery, failing to reflect children's unique perceptual experiences and mobility needs. This study developed a visual data-driven framework that integrates children's eye-level street view imagery, semantic segmentation, and machine learning techniques to quantify children's walkability across four dimensions: accessibility, safety, comfort, and pleasurability. Taking Shinan District in Qingdao, China, as a case study, street view images were collected from two sources: 1-m height images representing children's viewpoints and Baidu Street View images representing vehicular viewpoints. Comparative analysis reveals systematic perceptual differences: vehicular imagery often provides a more open visual field, whereas children's eye-level imagery better captures pedestrian-scale, near-ground features such as sidewalks, fences and grass. A Random Forest model was trained on features extracted from Baidu Street View images to predict child-centered walkability scores, enabling district-wide mapping and scalable application of the framework. Spatial analysis further indicates that all four dimensions of walkability exhibit varying degrees of spatial clustering. These findings provide evidence-based insights for improving child-friendly street design and promoting social equity in urban planning.
{"title":"Evaluating child-friendly walkability using eye-level street view imagery and machine learning: A case study in Qingdao, China","authors":"Wenliang Jia, Yiming He","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103923","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103923","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Assessing the walkability of urban street environments is crucial for promoting social equity, inclusiveness, and sustainable urban development. However, existing studies often focus on adults or rely on vehicular street view imagery, failing to reflect children's unique perceptual experiences and mobility needs. This study developed a visual data-driven framework that integrates children's eye-level street view imagery, semantic segmentation, and machine learning techniques to quantify children's walkability across four dimensions: accessibility, safety, comfort, and pleasurability. Taking Shinan District in Qingdao, China, as a case study, street view images were collected from two sources: 1-m height images representing children's viewpoints and Baidu Street View images representing vehicular viewpoints. Comparative analysis reveals systematic perceptual differences: vehicular imagery often provides a more open visual field, whereas children's eye-level imagery better captures pedestrian-scale, near-ground features such as sidewalks, fences and grass. A Random Forest model was trained on features extracted from Baidu Street View images to predict child-centered walkability scores, enabling district-wide mapping and scalable application of the framework. Spatial analysis further indicates that all four dimensions of walkability exhibit varying degrees of spatial clustering. These findings provide evidence-based insights for improving child-friendly street design and promoting social equity in urban planning.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"188 ","pages":"Article 103923"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146189519","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}
Pub Date : 2026-02-04DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103919
Sangwan Lee , Chisun Yoo , Sugie Lee
This study investigates the spatio-temporal evolution of spatial structure in South Korea, with the aim of understanding how spatial polarization and regional restructuring have unfolded over the past three decades. To achieve this, we apply Contour Tree Mapping and Emerging Hot Spot Analysis to Nighttime Light data. This study reveals three major findings. First, metropolitan areas such as Seoul and Busan continue to dominate the national urban hierarchy, demonstrating strong path-dependent development. Second, the expansion of cold-spot clusters in provinces including Gangwon-do and Jeollabuk-do highlights the growing marginalization of peripheral regions, signaling intensified spatial polarization. Third, a structural shift is underway as metropolitan areas increasingly conurbate, with corridors such as Seoul–Daejeon and Daegu–Busan forming megaregional configurations. This study contributes to offering empirical evidence of ongoing spatial transformation in South Korea and expands the theoretical discussion on spatial restructuring and regional development.
{"title":"Emerging megaregions and intensifying spatial polarization in South Korea: Evidence from nighttime light data (1992–2020)","authors":"Sangwan Lee , Chisun Yoo , Sugie Lee","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103919","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103919","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study investigates the spatio-temporal evolution of spatial structure in South Korea, with the aim of understanding how spatial polarization and regional restructuring have unfolded over the past three decades. To achieve this, we apply Contour Tree Mapping and Emerging Hot Spot Analysis to Nighttime Light data. This study reveals three major findings. First, metropolitan areas such as Seoul and Busan continue to dominate the national urban hierarchy, demonstrating strong path-dependent development. Second, the expansion of cold-spot clusters in provinces including Gangwon-do and Jeollabuk-do highlights the growing marginalization of peripheral regions, signaling intensified spatial polarization. Third, a structural shift is underway as metropolitan areas increasingly conurbate, with corridors such as Seoul–Daejeon and Daegu–Busan forming megaregional configurations. This study contributes to offering empirical evidence of ongoing spatial transformation in South Korea and expands the theoretical discussion on spatial restructuring and regional development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"188 ","pages":"Article 103919"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146189518","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}
Pub Date : 2026-02-03DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103915
Alicia Dotson, Carter Kelly, Mackenzie Irelan, Amy Richmond
This study explores women's roles in peacebuilding and resilience within conflict-affected areas, using the Niger Delta as a case study. It builds a Women's Peace and Security Vulnerability Index (WPS-VI) that adapts principles from earlier composite indices, including the Social Vulnerability Index (Cutter et al., 2003) and the African Women Vulnerability Index (Tchamyou et al., 2024), to fit the Nigerian context. Using principal component analysis, the research highlights overlooked dimensions of female vulnerability influenced by proximity to conflict. Literature underscores the limitations of male-centric post-conflict programs and advocates for gender-sensitive frameworks that address women's socio-economic contributions, vulnerabilities, and potential as peacebuilders for sustainable recovery and stability. Drawing on Demographic and Health Surveys (2018), MODIS Enhanced Vegetation Index (2003–2018), and ACLED conflict event data (2008–2018), this study employs principal component analysis to create index maps and quantify localized gendered insecurity through four dimensions: autonomy, environmental security, economic inclusion, and exposure to violence. This study defines autonomy as a woman's ability to make choices or decisions within her household (Anderson & Eswaran, 2009) and environmental security is defined as the ability of individuals, groups, or states to adapt to, mitigate, or avoid environmental change without critical adverse effects, which significantly degrade the integrity, values, or well-being of states, communities, or individuals (Read, 2024). Findings reveal that vulnerability is highly uneven across regions, with the lowest WPS-VI scores (greatest vulnerability) concentrated in the north and Niger Delta, where environmental degradation and institutional neglect converge. Among the four dimensions, environmental security and autonomy were the strongest predictors of vulnerability, underscoring the need to look beyond violence-centered frameworks. The WPS-VI offers a replicable approach for identifying high-risk areas and tailoring gender-sensitive interventions in fragile settings, providing both a diagnostic tool and a foundation for more inclusive peacebuilding strategies.
{"title":"Mapping the Margins: A spatial vulnerability index of Women's Peace and security in Nigeria","authors":"Alicia Dotson, Carter Kelly, Mackenzie Irelan, Amy Richmond","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103915","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103915","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study explores women's roles in peacebuilding and resilience within conflict-affected areas, using the Niger Delta as a case study. It builds a Women's Peace and Security Vulnerability Index (WPS-VI) that adapts principles from earlier composite indices, including the Social Vulnerability Index (Cutter et al., 2003) and the African Women Vulnerability Index (Tchamyou et al., 2024), to fit the Nigerian context. Using principal component analysis, the research highlights overlooked dimensions of female vulnerability influenced by proximity to conflict. Literature underscores the limitations of male-centric post-conflict programs and advocates for gender-sensitive frameworks that address women's socio-economic contributions, vulnerabilities, and potential as peacebuilders for sustainable recovery and stability. Drawing on Demographic and Health Surveys (2018), MODIS Enhanced Vegetation Index (2003–2018), and ACLED conflict event data (2008–2018), this study employs principal component analysis to create index maps and quantify localized gendered insecurity through four dimensions: autonomy, environmental security, economic inclusion, and exposure to violence. This study defines autonomy as a woman's ability to make choices or decisions within her household (Anderson & Eswaran, 2009) and environmental security is defined as the ability of individuals, groups, or states to adapt to, mitigate, or avoid environmental change without critical adverse effects, which significantly degrade the integrity, values, or well-being of states, communities, or individuals (Read, 2024). Findings reveal that vulnerability is highly uneven across regions, with the lowest WPS-VI scores (greatest vulnerability) concentrated in the north and Niger Delta, where environmental degradation and institutional neglect converge. Among the four dimensions, environmental security and autonomy were the strongest predictors of vulnerability, underscoring the need to look beyond violence-centered frameworks. The WPS-VI offers a replicable approach for identifying high-risk areas and tailoring gender-sensitive interventions in fragile settings, providing both a diagnostic tool and a foundation for more inclusive peacebuilding strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"188 ","pages":"Article 103915"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146189517","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}
Pub Date : 2026-02-03DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103913
Huan Qin, Yi Yang
The effective allocation of government attention is crucial for advancing urban carbon reduction and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The study analyzes 286 Chinese cities using machine learning and spatial econometric analysis. It examines how government attention allocation affects collaborative governance and its mechanisms. During 2021–2022, the launch of the carbon neutrality” led to increases in both collaborative attention intensity and the number of collaborative goals. However, the marginal effects of attention intensity diminish, suggesting trade-offs in balancing priorities. Regional differences appear: Western cities improved from weak to strong positive impacts by accelerating policy integration. Eastern cities, despite early advantages, now show weakening effects from saturated interactions. Central and northeastern cities display moderate or constrained impacts, limited by industrial inertia and resource dependence. Clustering of local governance effects reveals that regions differ in their configurations of collaborative attention. The northeast region has potential for agricultural green transition and industrial innovation governance, addressing SDG2, SDG8, and SDG9. It requires government-enterprise collaboration platforms and quantitative assessment systems. The eastern and central regions are shifting to an inclusive carbon reduction pathway (SDG1, SDG11, and SDG16), emphasizing benefit alignment and cost-sharing. The western region should shift focus from economic growth to social and environmental goals, strengthening policy learning and tool innovation for balanced governance. These regional pathways show a stage-specific adaptation mechanism, providing theoretical guidance for designing context-specific strategies for carbon reduction and multi-objective governance.
{"title":"Effective allocation of government attention: A regional analysis of urban carbon reduction and SDGs collaborative governance in China","authors":"Huan Qin, Yi Yang","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103913","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103913","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The effective allocation of government attention is crucial for advancing urban carbon reduction and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The study analyzes 286 Chinese cities using machine learning and spatial econometric analysis. It examines how government attention allocation affects collaborative governance and its mechanisms. During 2021–2022, the launch of the carbon neutrality” led to increases in both collaborative attention intensity and the number of collaborative goals. However, the marginal effects of attention intensity diminish, suggesting trade-offs in balancing priorities. Regional differences appear: Western cities improved from weak to strong positive impacts by accelerating policy integration. Eastern cities, despite early advantages, now show weakening effects from saturated interactions. Central and northeastern cities display moderate or constrained impacts, limited by industrial inertia and resource dependence. Clustering of local governance effects reveals that regions differ in their configurations of collaborative attention. The northeast region has potential for agricultural green transition and industrial innovation governance, addressing SDG2, SDG8, and SDG9. It requires government-enterprise collaboration platforms and quantitative assessment systems. The eastern and central regions are shifting to an inclusive carbon reduction pathway (SDG1, SDG11, and SDG16), emphasizing benefit alignment and cost-sharing. The western region should shift focus from economic growth to social and environmental goals, strengthening policy learning and tool innovation for balanced governance. These regional pathways show a stage-specific adaptation mechanism, providing theoretical guidance for designing context-specific strategies for carbon reduction and multi-objective governance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"188 ","pages":"Article 103913"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146189516","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}
Pub Date : 2026-02-03DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103924
Jingling Su, Gang Xu, Limin Jiao
Compound heat and ozone pollution (HOC) events pose a severe health threat, yet the role of urban form in driving these joint extremes remains unclear at the national scale. Here, we analyze high-resolution data across 246 Chinese cities (2003–2022). We find that compound events have tripled in duration and increased in frequency (+4.0 days/decade), now comprising over 55% of all extreme heat days. Using the Local Climate Zone (LCZ) framework, we reveal that this risk is disproportionately concentrated in dense, high-rise urban centers, which also face the fastest acceleration of events, notably in North China (+10 days/decade). Our results show that while intense human activities amplify risk, higher vegetation coverage provides effective mitigation. This study validates climate resilient urban planning as a critical strategy to mitigate the accelerating threat of compound climate extremes.
{"title":"High-density urban forms amplify accelerating heat-ozone compound risks in China","authors":"Jingling Su, Gang Xu, Limin Jiao","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103924","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103924","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Compound heat and ozone pollution (HOC) events pose a severe health threat, yet the role of urban form in driving these joint extremes remains unclear at the national scale. Here, we analyze high-resolution data across 246 Chinese cities (2003–2022). We find that compound events have tripled in duration and increased in frequency (+4.0 days/decade), now comprising over 55% of all extreme heat days. Using the Local Climate Zone (LCZ) framework, we reveal that this risk is disproportionately concentrated in dense, high-rise urban centers, which also face the fastest acceleration of events, notably in North China (+10 days/decade). Our results show that while intense human activities amplify risk, higher vegetation coverage provides effective mitigation. This study validates climate resilient urban planning as a critical strategy to mitigate the accelerating threat of compound climate extremes.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"188 ","pages":"Article 103924"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146189522","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}
Pub Date : 2026-02-03DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103917
Pengyan Zhang , Jinbing Zhang , Dan Yang , Yu Liu , Zhenyue Liu , Zhuo Chen , Xiangzheng Deng
Regional carbon compensation faces the challenge of being more difficult to implement "one policy for one area" at the optimal scale, and current methods for monitoring of the spatial dimension of carbon effects are often imprecise. This study seeks to systematically reveal the spatiotemporal scale-dependent characteristics of land-use carbon sources and sinks in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region from 2000 to 2020, based on a multi-scale analysis framework. Furthermore, we aims to propose a spatial carbon compensation zoning scheme—designating payment, balance, and compensation zones—using a SOM-K-Means hybrid clustering model. This approach effectively enhances the robustness and geographical identification accuracy of the carbon compensation zoning results. We attempt to address these limitations by exploring new approaches based on land use data, carbon emission data and various ancillary data. Our findings reveal significant spatio-temporal heterogeneity in carbon sources and sinks during 2000–2020. Carbon sinks increased to 354.89 million tonnes, while carbon sources initially rose and then declined. Spatially, the south-central region exhibited an expanding carbon sink area, while the northern and southwestern boundaries play more of a carbon source role. The 18 × 18 km grid scale was identified as optimal for studying land use-related carbon sinks in the region. The land-use carbon compensation payment area is concentrated in the southern region, with its share decreasing over time. Conversely, the received area have expanded towards the northern mountains and other areas; while the balanced area have gradually contracted from the northwest to the south-central part of the region. These findings suggest that land use management has significant potential for optimizing carbon compensation. The proposed approach offers valuable insights for developing spatially optimized carbon compensation policies, promoting low-carbon land use, and facilitating the practical application of these policies at the regional level.
{"title":"Re-examining carbon source-sink differentiation and carbon compensation zoning in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region","authors":"Pengyan Zhang , Jinbing Zhang , Dan Yang , Yu Liu , Zhenyue Liu , Zhuo Chen , Xiangzheng Deng","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103917","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103917","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Regional carbon compensation faces the challenge of being more difficult to implement \"one policy for one area\" at the optimal scale, and current methods for monitoring of the spatial dimension of carbon effects are often imprecise. This study seeks to systematically reveal the spatiotemporal scale-dependent characteristics of land-use carbon sources and sinks in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region from 2000 to 2020, based on a multi-scale analysis framework. Furthermore, we aims to propose a spatial carbon compensation zoning scheme—designating payment, balance, and compensation zones—using a SOM-K-Means hybrid clustering model. This approach effectively enhances the robustness and geographical identification accuracy of the carbon compensation zoning results. We attempt to address these limitations by exploring new approaches based on land use data, carbon emission data and various ancillary data. Our findings reveal significant spatio-temporal heterogeneity in carbon sources and sinks during 2000–2020. Carbon sinks increased to 354.89 million tonnes, while carbon sources initially rose and then declined. Spatially, the south-central region exhibited an expanding carbon sink area, while the northern and southwestern boundaries play more of a carbon source role. The 18 × 18 km grid scale was identified as optimal for studying land use-related carbon sinks in the region. The land-use carbon compensation payment area is concentrated in the southern region, with its share decreasing over time. Conversely, the received area have expanded towards the northern mountains and other areas; while the balanced area have gradually contracted from the northwest to the south-central part of the region. These findings suggest that land use management has significant potential for optimizing carbon compensation. The proposed approach offers valuable insights for developing spatially optimized carbon compensation policies, promoting low-carbon land use, and facilitating the practical application of these policies at the regional level.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"188 ","pages":"Article 103917"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146189520","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}
Pub Date : 2026-02-02DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103914
Yeryeong Cho, Jinhyun Hong
{"title":"Can land use policy effectively encourage activity levels among older adults, even during hot seasons?","authors":"Yeryeong Cho, Jinhyun Hong","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103914","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103914","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"188 ","pages":"Article 103914"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146189521","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}
Pub Date : 2026-01-31DOI: 10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103920
Min Yang , Xue Bai , Yuxuan Zou
Spatial disparities in urban resources and health outcomes among older adults are well documented, with growing empirical attention to how absolute levels of accessibility affect health. However, less is known about the implications of intra-area inequality in infrastructure access, which may represent an additional form of environmental disadvantage with mental health consequences.
Using data from 5007 older adults aged 50 and above in Hong Kong, we examined how accessibility and within-district inequality of urban facilities are associated with depressive symptoms. Accessibility indicators for four types of urban facilities were calculated for 1746 Large Subunit Groups using an exponential distance-decay model and aggregated to 18 districts. District-level access inequality was measured by Gini coefficient. Principal component analysis was conducted to reduce multicollinearity, yielding two key factors: resource accessibility and resource inequality.
Results from population-weighted linear regressions with district fixed effects reveal that higher resource inequality was associated with more depressive symptoms, whereas higher resource accessibility was associated with less symptoms. Importantly, neighborhood social capital buffered the negative impact of resource inequality, yet did not modify the effect of accessibility.
Our findings highlight a dual pathway linking the urban built environment to late-life mental health: the absolute level of supportive infrastructure reduces depressive symptoms, whereas inequitable spatial allocation increases them. Strengthening neighborhood social capital can mitigate, but not fully offset the psychological burden of structural resource inequality. Creating age-friendly and mentally healthy cities therefore requires integrating distributional justice into infrastructure planning alongside initiatives that foster neighborhood trust and reciprocity.
{"title":"Spatial inequities in urban resource access, neighborhood social capital, and late-life depression: Insights from Hong Kong's aging population","authors":"Min Yang , Xue Bai , Yuxuan Zou","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103920","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103920","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Spatial disparities in urban resources and health outcomes among older adults are well documented, with growing empirical attention to how absolute levels of accessibility affect health. However, less is known about the implications of intra-area inequality in infrastructure access, which may represent an additional form of environmental disadvantage with mental health consequences.</div><div>Using data from 5007 older adults aged 50 and above in Hong Kong, we examined how accessibility and within-district inequality of urban facilities are associated with depressive symptoms. Accessibility indicators for four types of urban facilities were calculated for 1746 Large Subunit Groups using an exponential distance-decay model and aggregated to 18 districts. District-level access inequality was measured by Gini coefficient. Principal component analysis was conducted to reduce multicollinearity, yielding two key factors: resource accessibility and resource inequality.</div><div>Results from population-weighted linear regressions with district fixed effects reveal that higher resource inequality was associated with more depressive symptoms, whereas higher resource accessibility was associated with less symptoms. Importantly, neighborhood social capital buffered the negative impact of resource inequality, yet did not modify the effect of accessibility.</div><div>Our findings highlight a dual pathway linking the urban built environment to late-life mental health: the absolute level of supportive infrastructure reduces depressive symptoms, whereas inequitable spatial allocation increases them. Strengthening neighborhood social capital can mitigate, but not fully offset the psychological burden of structural resource inequality. Creating age-friendly and mentally healthy cities therefore requires integrating distributional justice into infrastructure planning alongside initiatives that foster neighborhood trust and reciprocity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"188 ","pages":"Article 103920"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146090315","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}
In the context of rapid urbanization, understanding how urban growth interacts with infrastructure development, particularly the expansion of road networks, is crucial for sustainable regional planning. Roads are central to supporting urban expansion and achieving the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, notably SDGs 9.1 and 11.2. Addressing a key gap in the literature, which often conceptualizes urbanization solely as population growth, this study constructs a composite index to capture its multidimensional aspects, including geographic, socio-economic, demographic, and infrastructural dimensions, across Moroccan provinces. Unlike most studies that view roads as a driver of urbanization, this research analyzes how urbanization shapes road network development over the 2008–2018 period through regression analysis. Results reveal that provinces with rapid land use change and high population density exhibit significantly higher road network densities. A 10 % increase in land use change is linked to a 4.2 % rise in road density, while a similar rise in population density corresponds to a 3.5 % increase. These results predominantly support the economic theory of urbanization, while the unequal distribution of road networks illustrates pronounced urban-bias effects. Conversely, regions characterized by higher unemployment and lower literacy rates experience infrastructure deficits. Overall, the findings underscore the need to align infrastructure investments with urban pressures to enhance connectivity and reduce spatial inequality. The study highlights marked regional disparities, emphasizing the importance of spatially targeted planning to foster equitable and sustainable urban development.
{"title":"Investigating urbanization dynamics and road infrastructure development in the African context: A case study of Moroccan territory","authors":"Rachida El-Bouayady , Hicham Bahi , Jerome Chenal , Soukaina Tayi , Salwa Bajja","doi":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103916","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.apgeog.2026.103916","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In the context of rapid urbanization, understanding how urban growth interacts with infrastructure development, particularly the expansion of road networks, is crucial for sustainable regional planning. Roads are central to supporting urban expansion and achieving the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, notably SDGs 9.1 and 11.2. Addressing a key gap in the literature, which often conceptualizes urbanization solely as population growth, this study constructs a composite index to capture its multidimensional aspects, including geographic, socio-economic, demographic, and infrastructural dimensions, across Moroccan provinces. Unlike most studies that view roads as a driver of urbanization, this research analyzes how urbanization shapes road network development over the 2008–2018 period through regression analysis. Results reveal that provinces with rapid land use change and high population density exhibit significantly higher road network densities. A 10 % increase in land use change is linked to a 4.2 % rise in road density, while a similar rise in population density corresponds to a 3.5 % increase. These results predominantly support the economic theory of urbanization, while the unequal distribution of road networks illustrates pronounced urban-bias effects. Conversely, regions characterized by higher unemployment and lower literacy rates experience infrastructure deficits. Overall, the findings underscore the need to align infrastructure investments with urban pressures to enhance connectivity and reduce spatial inequality. The study highlights marked regional disparities, emphasizing the importance of spatially targeted planning to foster equitable and sustainable urban development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48396,"journal":{"name":"Applied Geography","volume":"188 ","pages":"Article 103916"},"PeriodicalIF":5.4,"publicationDate":"2026-01-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146090314","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}
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