Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-01-17DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.106756
Christian Lamour
The European radical right (RR), including parties such as the Alternative for Germany (AfD), promotes a cultural war against liberal elites, minorities, the European Union, and extra-European migrants. This political positioning has attracted a growing share of citizens residing in urban areas affected by uneven development. However, little is known about whether and how the RR's cultural stance is addressed by representatives of the liberal elite when they define culture-driven regeneration policies in deprived areas increasingly voting for the RR. This article explores that phenomenon by analyzing the dialogic imagination produced by German cities competing for the 2025 European Capital of Culture title and engaging with a panel of experts evaluating their candidacies. Using an enunciative polyphony approach to discourse analysis, the study reveals that the cultural war advanced by the AfD infiltrates the dialogic imagination of the liberal elite responsible for shaping urban cultural policies. For the RR, winning this cultural war is not limited to gaining executive power; rather, it entails exerting influence over the reflexivity of the liberal elite.
{"title":"Polyphony for a City in Germany: Actors and enunciators of a European capital of culture in the trenches of the radical right's Kulturkampf","authors":"Christian Lamour","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106756","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106756","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The European radical right (RR), including parties such as the Alternative for Germany (AfD), promotes a cultural war against liberal elites, minorities, the European Union, and extra-European migrants. This political positioning has attracted a growing share of citizens residing in urban areas affected by uneven development. However, little is known about whether and how the RR's cultural stance is addressed by representatives of the liberal elite when they define culture-driven regeneration policies in deprived areas increasingly voting for the RR. This article explores that phenomenon by analyzing the dialogic imagination produced by German cities competing for the 2025 European Capital of Culture title and engaging with a panel of experts evaluating their candidacies. Using an enunciative polyphony approach to discourse analysis, the study reveals that the cultural war advanced by the AfD infiltrates the dialogic imagination of the liberal elite responsible for shaping urban cultural policies. For the RR, winning this cultural war is not limited to gaining executive power; rather, it entails exerting influence over the reflexivity of the liberal elite.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 106756"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146037990","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}
Residential spatial differentiation is a long-standing issue in the study of social space. Previous research has predominantly emphasized measurement techniques and phenomenal analyses, with explanatory models often restricted to spatial factors or subjective experiences. This study examines residential spatial differentiation between migrants and local residents through a macro-scale, large-scale analysis of spatio-temporal big data and assesses how spatial factors drive these patterns. A complementary small-sample social survey then integrates individual socioeconomic attributes and subjective perceptions, adopting a bottom-up perspective to uncover the decision-making processes that underpin residential choices. Our findings demonstrate that residential spatial differentiation emerges from two intertwined dimensions. In the spatial dimension, housing characteristics, location, price, and other housing attributes are differentiated as urban space expands, creating a competitive context that manifests as migrants and locals engaging in a strategic game for high-quality housing resources. In the social dimension, households negotiate trade-offs among heterogeneous housing options based on their income and residence preferences; meanwhile, the government guides and regulates the creation of urban spaces and the resettlement of communities. This paper advances a genuinely integrated socio-spatial framework, one that enriches the research on social segregation in the era of big data and social surveys. The insights offer actionable guidance for urban planners aiming to synchronize urban regeneration efforts with equitable mobility and housing policies, thereby promoting more inclusive and sustainable urban futures.
{"title":"Space–society dynamics of residential differentiation: An integrated big data and interview study of migrants and locals in Hangzhou","authors":"Liang Ding , Ziqian Huang , Elisabete Silva , Chaowei Xiao , Chengyang Yu , Junshen Zhang , Yuexin You , Yongheng Feng","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2026.106778","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2026.106778","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Residential spatial differentiation is a long-standing issue in the study of social space. Previous research has predominantly emphasized measurement techniques and phenomenal analyses, with explanatory models often restricted to spatial factors or subjective experiences. This study examines residential spatial differentiation between migrants and local residents through a macro-scale, large-scale analysis of spatio-temporal big data and assesses how spatial factors drive these patterns. A complementary small-sample social survey then integrates individual socioeconomic attributes and subjective perceptions, adopting a bottom-up perspective to uncover the decision-making processes that underpin residential choices. Our findings demonstrate that residential spatial differentiation emerges from two intertwined dimensions. In the spatial dimension, housing characteristics, location, price, and other housing attributes are differentiated as urban space expands, creating a competitive context that manifests as migrants and locals engaging in a strategic game for high-quality housing resources. In the social dimension, households negotiate trade-offs among heterogeneous housing options based on their income and residence preferences; meanwhile, the government guides and regulates the creation of urban spaces and the resettlement of communities. This paper advances a genuinely integrated socio-spatial framework, one that enriches the research on social segregation in the era of big data and social surveys. The insights offer actionable guidance for urban planners aiming to synchronize urban regeneration efforts with equitable mobility and housing policies, thereby promoting more inclusive and sustainable urban futures.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 106778"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146090548","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}
Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-24DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.106752
Fahad Albahlal, Dimitris Potoglou
The built environment significantly influences individuals' propensity to walk, prompting local authorities to allocate financial resources for its improvement. Organisations overseeing the built environment have developed audit tools as standards to evaluate pathways and highlight developments to facilitate active travel. Using these audit tools as a foundation, this study developed 21 walking investment-relevant factors that were embedded into a preference-based elicitation approach known as Best-Worst Scaling (BWS). We report findings from a UK-wide sample of 364 adults aged 18 years or older. Data were analysed using aggregate (counting) and disaggregated (regression) approaches. Both approaches confirmed that footpath provision, footpath condition, lighting, footpath width, and buffer zone were the top-five priority areas for investment. The instrument is transferable across diverse cultural and country contexts, enabling international comparisons and further refinements by academics as well as policy makers.
{"title":"Identifying individual priorities for walking infrastructure investments: A Best-Worst Scaling approach","authors":"Fahad Albahlal, Dimitris Potoglou","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106752","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106752","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The built environment significantly influences individuals' propensity to walk, prompting local authorities to allocate financial resources for its improvement. Organisations overseeing the built environment have developed audit tools as standards to evaluate pathways and highlight developments to facilitate active travel. Using these audit tools as a foundation, this study developed 21 walking investment-relevant factors that were embedded into a preference-based elicitation approach known as Best-Worst Scaling (BWS). We report findings from a UK-wide sample of 364 adults aged 18 years or older. Data were analysed using aggregate (counting) and disaggregated (regression) approaches. Both approaches confirmed that footpath provision, footpath condition, lighting, footpath width, and buffer zone were the top-five priority areas for investment. The instrument is transferable across diverse cultural and country contexts, enabling international comparisons and further refinements by academics as well as policy makers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 106752"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145841896","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}
Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-01-12DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2026.106775
Chenfan Cai , Zixuan Hu , Jin Rui
As global urbanization enters the post-growth era, urban shrinkage has become increasingly prevalent, yet existing research often oversimplifies it as urban decline, overlooking the complexity and diversity of shrinkage processes. This study aims to systematically review global progress in shrinking cities research and reinterpret the essential characteristics and evolutionary patterns of urban shrinkage. The research employs a systematic literature review methodology, utilizing the ChatGPT-4o large language model to extract and analyze data from 183 articles, constructing an analytical framework across five dimensions: demographic-social, economic-industrial, spatial-land use, ecological-environmental, and governance-policy. The findings revealed: (1) Shrinking cities possess unique developmental logic, manifesting as complex evolutionary patterns where localized population return coexists with overall shrinkage; (2) Population flows demonstrate differentiated characteristics with out-migration of young, highly educated groups and retention of elderly, low-income populations, while some cities experience population decline coupled with sustained economic vitality; (3) Urban spatial restructuring manifests as simultaneous core decline and peripheral expansion instead of centripetal contraction alone, while abundant vacant land provides new opportunities for ecological restoration; (4) Future research should transcend simple binary frameworks, focusing on revealing the intrinsic mechanisms of localized revival, ecological equity, and multi-collaborative governance. This study unveils the knowledge structure and theoretical blind spots in shrinking cities research, providing evidence for developing more effective governance strategies for shrinking cities.
{"title":"Rethinking urban shrinkage: An LLM-enhanced literature review of global landscapes and theoretical reconstruction of shrinking cities","authors":"Chenfan Cai , Zixuan Hu , Jin Rui","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2026.106775","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2026.106775","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As global urbanization enters the post-growth era, urban shrinkage has become increasingly prevalent, yet existing research often oversimplifies it as urban decline, overlooking the complexity and diversity of shrinkage processes. This study aims to systematically review global progress in shrinking cities research and reinterpret the essential characteristics and evolutionary patterns of urban shrinkage. The research employs a systematic literature review methodology, utilizing the ChatGPT-4o large language model to extract and analyze data from 183 articles, constructing an analytical framework across five dimensions: demographic-social, economic-industrial, spatial-land use, ecological-environmental, and governance-policy. The findings revealed: (1) Shrinking cities possess unique developmental logic, manifesting as complex evolutionary patterns where localized population return coexists with overall shrinkage; (2) Population flows demonstrate differentiated characteristics with out-migration of young, highly educated groups and retention of elderly, low-income populations, while some cities experience population decline coupled with sustained economic vitality; (3) Urban spatial restructuring manifests as simultaneous core decline and peripheral expansion instead of centripetal contraction alone, while abundant vacant land provides new opportunities for ecological restoration; (4) Future research should transcend simple binary frameworks, focusing on revealing the intrinsic mechanisms of localized revival, ecological equity, and multi-collaborative governance. This study unveils the knowledge structure and theoretical blind spots in shrinking cities research, providing evidence for developing more effective governance strategies for shrinking cities.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 106775"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145978432","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}
Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-01-12DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2026.106773
Shujiang Xiang , Xianjin Huang , Atingai Ailin , Youming Dong , Meiping Li , Nana Lin , Zeyu Yi
Exploring multi-scale and multi-scenario analysis of carbon metabolism in urban agglomerations is crucial for achieving low-carbon development. However, existing researches mainly focus on single-scale and historical period analysis, lacking of multi-scale and multi-scenario predictions of carbon metabolism based on land use. Therefore, this research focuses on Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration (CCUA) and uses carbon metabolism accounting, ecological network analysis, and Markov-PLUS to construct a multi-scale and multi-scenario analysis framework to analyze carbon metabolism characteristics of CCUA. The findings suggest that: (1) Positive carbon flow of CCUA from 2000 to 2020 is smaller than negative carbon flow, and net carbon flow remains consistently negative (−13.57 ∼ −60.02 Tg). Ecological relationship of carbon metabolism of CCUA is mainly determined with control and exploitation relationships, and the proportion remains stable at about 50 %. Ecological mutual index (EMI) of CCUA showed significant growth, steadily increasing from 0.78 to 1.28. (2) Carbon metabolism has obvious spatial scale effects. EMI at different scales shows different spatial differentiation and diffusion characteristics. In addition, standard deviation ellipse of EMI contracted from large to small at all scales, and gravity center (GC) shows a trend of migrating to western region. (3) From EMI ranking results, low-carbon development scenario (0.730) > natural development scenario (0.684) > high-carbon development scenario (0.600). GC of EMI among different scenarios is relatively close, located in Ziyang and Chongqing. The research findings can offer a scientific foundation for low-carbon development and optimal allocation of land resources in CCUA, and provide a reference for other urban agglomerations.
{"title":"Exploring carbon metabolism from perspective of land use in Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration, China: A multi-scale and multi-scenario analysis framework","authors":"Shujiang Xiang , Xianjin Huang , Atingai Ailin , Youming Dong , Meiping Li , Nana Lin , Zeyu Yi","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2026.106773","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2026.106773","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Exploring multi-scale and multi-scenario analysis of carbon metabolism in urban agglomerations is crucial for achieving low-carbon development. However, existing researches mainly focus on single-scale and historical period analysis, lacking of multi-scale and multi-scenario predictions of carbon metabolism based on land use. Therefore, this research focuses on Chengdu-Chongqing urban agglomeration (CCUA) and uses carbon metabolism accounting, ecological network analysis, and Markov-PLUS to construct a multi-scale and multi-scenario analysis framework to analyze carbon metabolism characteristics of CCUA. The findings suggest that: (1) Positive carbon flow of CCUA from 2000 to 2020 is smaller than negative carbon flow, and net carbon flow remains consistently negative (−13.57 ∼ −60.02 Tg). Ecological relationship of carbon metabolism of CCUA is mainly determined with control and exploitation relationships, and the proportion remains stable at about 50 %. Ecological mutual index (<em>EMI</em>) of CCUA showed significant growth, steadily increasing from 0.78 to 1.28. (2) Carbon metabolism has obvious spatial scale effects. <em>EMI</em> at different scales shows different spatial differentiation and diffusion characteristics. In addition, standard deviation ellipse of <em>EMI</em> contracted from large to small at all scales, and gravity center (GC) shows a trend of migrating to western region. (3) From <em>EMI</em> ranking results, low-carbon development scenario (0.730) > natural development scenario (0.684) > high-carbon development scenario (0.600). GC of <em>EMI</em> among different scenarios is relatively close, located in Ziyang and Chongqing. The research findings can offer a scientific foundation for low-carbon development and optimal allocation of land resources in CCUA, and provide a reference for other urban agglomerations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 106773"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145978428","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}
Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-16DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.106715
Amir Hossein Pakizeh , Nader Naderpajouh , David R. Johnson
Planning urban heat resilience projects inherently involves the distribution of benefits and burdens, which raises concerns about justice. The just outcome of these projects requires clarity on how justice is conceptualized, defined, measured, and translated into practice. Here, we demonstrate how alternative conceptualizations of justice result in significant variations in the distribution of urban heat resilience resources. We analyze these alternatives through the choices of interpretations of justice theories, indicators for resource distribution, the scale of jurisdictional autonomy in urban governance, modeling constraints for urban morphologies, and the granularity of data. We use the case of Greater Sydney to examine the implications of operationalizing justice, including instances where the increased provision of tree canopies as a resource in the face of urban heat has unintentionally increased injustices. Our findings highlight the significance of contextualized strategies and urban governance structures to organize the just outcomes of resilience projects.
{"title":"Operational definitions of justice produce different outcomes in urban heat resilience projects","authors":"Amir Hossein Pakizeh , Nader Naderpajouh , David R. Johnson","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106715","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106715","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Planning urban heat resilience projects inherently involves the distribution of benefits and burdens, which raises concerns about justice. The just outcome of these projects requires clarity on how justice is conceptualized, defined, measured, and translated into practice. Here, we demonstrate how alternative conceptualizations of justice result in significant variations in the distribution of urban heat resilience resources. We analyze these alternatives through the choices of interpretations of justice theories, indicators for resource distribution, the scale of jurisdictional autonomy in urban governance, modeling constraints for urban morphologies, and the granularity of data. We use the case of Greater Sydney to examine the implications of operationalizing justice, including instances where the increased provision of tree canopies as a resource in the face of urban heat has unintentionally increased injustices. Our findings highlight the significance of contextualized strategies and urban governance structures to organize the just outcomes of resilience projects.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 106715"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145799107","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}
Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-17DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.106746
Xiaodong Liu Ph.d , Xiaohan Wang , Shuming Zhang , Rui Wu , Junqi Yang , Hong Zhang Ph.d , Yao Wang , Zhixin Li , Jianing Wu , Shiyu Cai
The purpose of this paper is to assess Chinese rural infrastructure development by quantitative method in view of multiple official perform indicators. Researches done so far mainly concentrates on microcosmic index and locations. This investigation builds an evaluation system using classical case based reasoning (CBR) method integrated subjective and objective weight values. National official provides the basic database. Combining database and perform indicators, a regression model is built to infer whole country infrastructure condition under high coefficient. Final result shows that the construction of sewage treatment and shower facilities in China's major villages is relatively high, but the use of clean energy and cold chain facilities in rural areas are still relatively poor. The northeast area is the region with the worst infrastructure construction, and the east, midland, southwest and south regions have best infrastructure performance. At last, the conclusions indicate that regions and thermal zones significantly affect the rural construction performance. Future government should pay close attention to comprehensively develop northeast infrastructure and northwest clean energy building.
{"title":"Where should rural infrastructure construction focus? An evidence from official grassroots survey","authors":"Xiaodong Liu Ph.d , Xiaohan Wang , Shuming Zhang , Rui Wu , Junqi Yang , Hong Zhang Ph.d , Yao Wang , Zhixin Li , Jianing Wu , Shiyu Cai","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106746","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106746","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The purpose of this paper is to assess Chinese rural infrastructure development by quantitative method in view of multiple official perform indicators. Researches done so far mainly concentrates on microcosmic index and locations. This investigation builds an evaluation system using classical case based reasoning (CBR) method integrated subjective and objective weight values. National official provides the basic database. Combining database and perform indicators, a regression model is built to infer whole country infrastructure condition under high coefficient. Final result shows that the construction of sewage treatment and shower facilities in China's major villages is relatively high, but the use of clean energy and cold chain facilities in rural areas are still relatively poor. The northeast area is the region with the worst infrastructure construction, and the east, midland, southwest and south regions have best infrastructure performance. At last, the conclusions indicate that regions and thermal zones significantly affect the rural construction performance. Future government should pay close attention to comprehensively develop northeast infrastructure and northwest clean energy building.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 106746"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145799138","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}
Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-20DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.106729
Ting Wang , Tingbao Xu , Huimin Wang , Jinle Kang , Lei Qiu , Zhiqiang Wang , Shi Xue , Zhou Fang
Urban high temperatures are increasingly severe, significantly impacting public health and quality of life. Spatial interactions amplify individuals' exposure to high temperatures, thereby heightening the risk of heat-related hazards. Mobile populations, in contrast to static indoor populations, often demand greater attention from urban managers. However, widespread cooling interventions can lead to increased costs and resource inefficiencies. This study addresses these challenges in three key steps. First, we utilize mobile phone data to extract spatial interaction behaviors and mobility intensities of populations at various times. Second, we develop a novel heat exposure risk assessment framework by integrating the concept of crowd activity intensity into the existing heat exposure model. Lastly, we apply this framework to Shenzhen's Futian District to generate heat exposure risk maps for different times of the day. The study reveals the following key findings: (1) Significant variations in land surface temperatures, particularly in urban core areas where high building density and concentrated human activities exacerbate heat island effects. (2) The spatial gravity model quantifies crowd activity intensity, illustrating population movement and activity distribution across Futian District, which is critical for understanding heat exposure risks. The intensity of human activity demonstrates a trend of shifting from north to south, with a primary concentration in the central areas. (3) The heat exposure risk assessment model, based on functional zone delineation, highlights significant differences in risk levels among zones during high-temperature periods. For instance, Zones B and C (Xiangmi Lake New Financial Center and Futian Central District) exhibit higher risks between 12:00 PM and 5:00 PM, whereas Zone A (Meilin Living Circle) shows elevated risks during peak residential activity times, from 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM. These variations are closely related to the functional orientation of each zone. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for decision-makers, enabling more effective and efficient heat risk management through time-segmented strategies tailored to different functional zones and population dynamics.
{"title":"Depicting human mobility across functional zones to elevate urban heat exposure management—A case study of Shenzhen, China","authors":"Ting Wang , Tingbao Xu , Huimin Wang , Jinle Kang , Lei Qiu , Zhiqiang Wang , Shi Xue , Zhou Fang","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106729","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106729","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Urban high temperatures are increasingly severe, significantly impacting public health and quality of life. Spatial interactions amplify individuals' exposure to high temperatures, thereby heightening the risk of heat-related hazards. Mobile populations, in contrast to static indoor populations, often demand greater attention from urban managers. However, widespread cooling interventions can lead to increased costs and resource inefficiencies. This study addresses these challenges in three key steps. First, we utilize mobile phone data to extract spatial interaction behaviors and mobility intensities of populations at various times. Second, we develop a novel heat exposure risk assessment framework by integrating the concept of crowd activity intensity into the existing heat exposure model. Lastly, we apply this framework to Shenzhen's Futian District to generate heat exposure risk maps for different times of the day. The study reveals the following key findings: (1) Significant variations in land surface temperatures, particularly in urban core areas where high building density and concentrated human activities exacerbate heat island effects. (2) The spatial gravity model quantifies crowd activity intensity, illustrating population movement and activity distribution across Futian District, which is critical for understanding heat exposure risks. The intensity of human activity demonstrates a trend of shifting from north to south, with a primary concentration in the central areas. (3) The heat exposure risk assessment model, based on functional zone delineation, highlights significant differences in risk levels among zones during high-temperature periods. For instance, Zones B and C (Xiangmi Lake New Financial Center and Futian Central District) exhibit higher risks between 12:00 PM and 5:00 PM, whereas Zone A (Meilin Living Circle) shows elevated risks during peak residential activity times, from 6:00 AM to 9:00 AM. These variations are closely related to the functional orientation of each zone. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for decision-makers, enabling more effective and efficient heat risk management through time-segmented strategies tailored to different functional zones and population dynamics.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 106729"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145799175","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}
Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-29DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.106768
Lisa Marie Brunner , Pasi Aalto , Helge Hillnhütter , Christian A. Klöckner , Martin Steinert , Henrikke Dybvik
Promoting walking as a mode of transport is crucial to creating healthy, liveable cities. However, little research has examined how the built environment influences people's experiences, partly because of a lack of methods that directly capture this effect. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), an optical brain imaging technique, measures neurological responses by monitoring changes in blood oxygenation. Although fNIRS has been employed to compare built and natural environments, its application to studying built environments remains underexplored. This study addresses this gap by investigating how different built walking environments affect participants' emotional experiences and brain activation. The environments included 1) a mixed-use residential area, 2) a mixed-use old town street, 3) a monotonous residential street, and 4) a city centre environment. An expert panel assessed their quality using urban indicators. In an experiment (N = 51), participants watched four 20-s videos of each environment while we measured prefrontal cortex oxygenated and deoxygenated haemoglobin concentrations and collected data on emotional experiences. Results showed that pleasantly perceived walking environments (1 and 2) decreased prefrontal cortex activation, while unpleasantly perceived environments (3 and 4) produced the opposite effect. While our findings demonstrate cognitive differences between urban scenes, further research is needed to identify which environmental factors drive these effects. Overall, viewing different walking environments elicits measurable cognitive responses, highlighting the potential of fNIRS to study urban experiences. Evidence-based research on neurourbanism can inform the creation of urban spaces that promote walking and enhance emotional well-being and health.
{"title":"Pleasant walking environments enhance emotional experiences and reduce brain activation - an application of fNIRS in urban studies","authors":"Lisa Marie Brunner , Pasi Aalto , Helge Hillnhütter , Christian A. Klöckner , Martin Steinert , Henrikke Dybvik","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106768","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106768","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Promoting walking as a mode of transport is crucial to creating healthy, liveable cities. However, little research has examined how the built environment influences people's experiences, partly because of a lack of methods that directly capture this effect. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), an optical brain imaging technique, measures neurological responses by monitoring changes in blood oxygenation. Although fNIRS has been employed to compare built and natural environments, its application to studying built environments remains underexplored. This study addresses this gap by investigating how different built walking environments affect participants' emotional experiences and brain activation. The environments included 1) a mixed-use residential area, 2) a mixed-use old town street, 3) a monotonous residential street, and 4) a city centre environment. An expert panel assessed their quality using urban indicators. In an experiment (<em>N</em> = 51), participants watched four 20-s videos of each environment while we measured prefrontal cortex oxygenated and deoxygenated haemoglobin concentrations and collected data on emotional experiences. Results showed that pleasantly perceived walking environments (1 and 2) decreased prefrontal cortex activation, while unpleasantly perceived environments (3 and 4) produced the opposite effect. While our findings demonstrate cognitive differences between urban scenes, further research is needed to identify which environmental factors drive these effects. Overall, viewing different walking environments elicits measurable cognitive responses, highlighting the potential of fNIRS to study urban experiences. Evidence-based research on neurourbanism can inform the creation of urban spaces that promote walking and enhance emotional well-being and health.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 106768"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145885109","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}
Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-30DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.106764
Hao Yu , Xuanyu Liu , Chonghao Zhang , Zhe Liu , Peng Cao , Xiao Luo
Ridesharing has gained global attention as a sustainable mobility strategy to reduce congestion, emissions, and vehicle use. However, most existing studies focus on single cities and define ridesharing potential narrowly through the sharing rate, limiting the ability to distinguish universal patterns from city-specific variations. This study redefines ridesharing potential as the theoretical upper bound of a city’s capacity to accommodate shared trips under idealized conditions, reflecting how demand intensity, travel efficiency, and passenger delay jointly determine structural feasibility. Using standardized trip density, we analyze large-scale GPS trajectory and road network data from four Chinese megacities (Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Chengdu), representing diverse urban forms from monocentric to polycentric and corridor-based structures. The results reveal four stable theoretical patterns governing ridesharing systems: temporal regularity with daytime peaks (8:00 to 18:00), spatial concentration around business and transit centers, a Pareto distribution in which 80% of shared trips occur within 20% of grids, and scaling saturation where sharing rate increases logarithmically with trip density (). The multi-city findings also reveal how urban morphology systematically modulates their manifestation. Monocentric and transit-oriented cities exhibit higher and more scalable ridesharing potential, while polycentric and spatially dispersed structures experience early saturation. This morphological dependence underscores that ridesharing efficiency is inherently structural and can be strategically enhanced through fine-grained land use coordination and hub-based urban design. A subset of the dataset is publicly released to support further research: https://anonymous.4open.science/r/multi-city-GPS-trajectory-dataset-3F3D.
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