Social Sciences

Abstract: This research aims to help design artifacts that better fit their users, to promote their well-being. In urban spaces, well-being is affected by physical factors (such as the air quality) and by mental factors (the feeling the space affords its users). Focusing on mental well-being, a growing body of research focuses on the visual experience of urban spaces, and specifically on the aspect of visual impression. Studies of visual impression seek to link visual features of spaces to linguistic descriptions used by their users (e.g., referring to a space as “inviting”). Such works can be used to identify relations between visual features and our experience of space that are potentially generalizable, and thus useful for designing. However, as an emerging subfield, the study of visual impression of urban spaces is currently fragmented and would benefit from syntheses of the work done to date. Here, we systematically review studies of visual impression in urban settings, and or-ganize these across three dimensions: (1) purpose, (2) method and (3) findings. We identify research gaps in the field, challenges, and potential paths for moving forward.

Abstract: Urban regeneration has become a central focus in global urban studies, increasingly linked to the dual imperatives of sustainability and urban resilience. According to Christopher Alexander's theories of living structure and pattern language, traditional built environments emerge through progressive adaptation rather than top-down design. Moreover, historic urban fabrics evolve through continuous refinement of spatial solutions that simultaneously respond to environmental, functional, and social needs. Therefore, this study situates urban regeneration within a theoretical framework that recognizes traditional settlements as complex adaptive systems rather than static heritage.Chinese urban villages (Chengzhongcun) and Spanish Suelo Urbano no Consolidado (SUNC, Unconsolidated Urban Land) areas represent two contrasting forms of urban socio-spatial systems engulfed by urban expansion—both characterized by dense, historically rooted morphologies and incomplete infrastructure. Whereas Chinese urban villages transition from a demolition–reconstruction model, which Alexander would critique as disrupting the evolutionary processes that generate coherent urban fabrics, to more sustainable regeneration approaches, this study compares Beijing's Cuigezhuang with Málaga's El Perchel through spatial analysis and stakeholder surveys.The research evaluates how differing planning systems foster or constrain sustainable development and social, spatial, and institutional resilience in regeneration processes. Findings demonstrate that Spain's incremental, participatory approach—anchored in Planes Especiales de Reforma Interior (PERI, special plans for inner urban renewal) and land readjustment (equitable distribution of costs and benefits) mechanisms—significantly outperforms China's state-led demolition-based model in supporting long-term sustainability, heritage integrity, community cohesion, and spatial continuity. Spain's legally embedded participation and in situ rehabilitation strategies offer transferable lessons for China's evolving sustainable and resilience-oriented regeneration paradigm.

Abstract: The physical environment of a neighborhood and its ambient population density appears to be closely related, but this relationship is difficult to measure quantitatively. A previous study addressed this challenge by developing a baseline machine learning model capable of estimating Average Hourly Ambient Population Density (AHAPD) from neighborhood physical environment features, achieving 75.9% accuracy. This study compares the performance of the baseline model with collective human intuition and AI models in estimating AHAPD at the neighborhood level. A 29-section questionnaire was used to evaluate the performance of the three respondent types across three metrics: accuracy, reasoning, and confidence. In total, 100 response sets were analysed, comprising 94 human responses, five responses from vision-capable AI models, and one output from the previously trained XGBoost baseline model. The results show that the ML baseline model, trained on a relatively small dataset using 16 input features, outperformed the average human score and the average score of five selected commercially available AI models, while achieving accuracy comparable to the average human with domain expertise. The study concludes with case studies and discussion of differences in reasoning behavior, confidence levels, and the strengths and weaknesses of each respondent type.

Abstract: The large-scale withdrawal of military forces from urban areas represents one of the most significant drivers of land-use change in post-socialist Central and Eastern Europe. Based on a national database of former military sites in Hungary, this study investigates the changes in the residential population and social environment of these sites as an outcome of brownfield regeneration. The research combines statistical data analysis of occupational status for the census years 2001, 2011, and 2022 with qualitative methods, including semi-structured in-depth interviews conducted across four case study locations in three Hungarian second-tier cities. The findings reveal three active governance configurations producing distinct social trajectories: social exclusion under market dominance, social mix under sustained municipal involvement, and gentrification in a transitional model where the state eventually withdraws. Ultimately, the study concludes that the social outcomes of military brownfield regeneration are primarily determined by the governance dynamic between municipal authorities and private market actors rather than site attributes alone. Consequently, early and sustained municipal engagement remains the key factor for achieving socially balanced regeneration outcomes.

Abstract: Dense urban settlements often depend on streets, thresholds, and residual spaces to support mobility, livelihoods, social interaction, and environmental adaptation. This study examines how street morphology, everyday public-space use, and climatic conditions interact within a compact urban settlement. An integrated single-case research design combined urban-context mapping, land-use analysis, historical building-footprint comparison, hourly activity mapping, social-interaction mapping, architectural sections, field observation, photographic documentation, and seasonal environmental interpretation. The findings show that the settlement benefits from proximity to major transport routes and urban services, but internal accessibility is constrained by narrow lanes, limited outward connections, fragmented pedestrian conditions, and uneven building–street interfaces. Incremental consolidation between 2000 and 2022 reduced open space and increased reliance on streets, thresholds, courtyards, and rooftops for movement, domestic activities, livelihood practices, and social interaction. Activity concentrations were strongest near mixed-use frontages, intersections, public facilities, and visible thresholds. Dense building arrangements provided useful shade but also restricted ventilation and intensified moisture retention. Standing water, inadequate drainage, exposed utilities, and waste accumulation further reduced environmental quality. The study concludes that context-sensitive upgrading should prioritize pedestrian continuity, drainage improvement, safer utilities, shaded social nodes, and protection of mixed-use livelihoods while retaining the settlement’s established socio-spatial structure.

Abstract: Aggregate livability indices consistently rank Fargo, North Dakota among the most livable small-to-mid-sized U.S. cities, yet city-level scores obscure whether favorable average performance reflects equitable neighborhood-level access to essential amenities. This study conducts the first tract-level spatial accessibility analysis in Fargo, examining road network-based access to grocery stores, healthcare facilities, and parks across all 38 census tracts using road network-based nearest-facility assignment, a Composite Accessibility Index (CAI), and Gini coefficients. Results reveal that despite strong aggregate rankings, approximately 9,700 residents (8.0% of the study-area population of 121,219) reside in the bottom composite accessibility quartile. Healthcare exhibits the greatest inequality (Gini = 0.093); the worst-served peripheral tract records a CAI of 0, with network distances ranging from 6.9 to 7.8 miles across all three amenity types simultaneously. A sensitivity analysis confirms robustness across threshold choices. These findings indicate that substantial intra-urban disparities can persist within highly ranked cities, arguing for spatially disaggregated, equity-oriented livability scoring.

Abstract: FOREST is thus not only a research-through-design prototype for organizing courtyard-scale heat experience into public evidence, but a hazard-governance interface framework as well. Working with a small set of anonymized resident- contributed prototype materials, supplemented by illustrative scenario materials where needed, FOREST specifies how courtyard-scale heat experience can be organized into evidence cards with time windows, location anchors, trigger conditions, experienced consequences, and uncertainty tags. FOREST is the prototype figure in this paper through which courtyard heat experience can be taken seriously as public evidence. I do not claim that the paper reports a completed long-term deployment, much less that it proves improved community-scale heat adaptation outcomes. Its contribution lies in formalizing an evidentiary grammar that combines small-scale anonymized prototype materials with a Freiburg/Vauban-related contextual design scenario derived from public and secondary sources, while specifying a deployment-and-evaluation pathway for future community testing. The prototype keeps everyday exposure, microclimate difference, care labor, and disagreement available for screening, review, citation, and feedback, while avoiding the claim that these materials already demonstrate completed community deployment, governance uptake, or improved adaptation outcomes.

Abstract: This study examines correlates of preferred future work arrangements among adult residents of the Roanoke Metropolitan Statistical Area, Virginia, a mid-sized U.S. metropolitan region. It focuses on whether remote-work preference varies by sociodemographic characteristics, pandemic-era work-from-home experience, occupational perceptions, and attitudes toward physical interaction. Data were collected through a cross-sectional online survey administered in 2023, during the post-acute pandemic period. After excluding incomplete responses, duplicates, respondents younger than 18 years, cases without verifiable adult eligibility, and cases without verified residence in the study area, the final analytical sample included 636 respondents. Analyses included chi-square tests, Spearman rank correlations, a Stuart–Maxwell test of marginal homogeneity, and an adjusted multinomial logistic regression model. Among respondents with valid preference data, 63.8% preferred fully remote work. Among paired current-preferred cases, preferred arrangements differed significantly from current arrangements, with 87.0% of respondents reporting a directional change preferring movement toward a more remote arrangement. Preferred future work arrangement was significantly associated with age, education, earnings, marital status, housing tenure, perceived work-from-home efficiency, occupational remote-work perceptions, and physical-interaction importance; gender was not significant. Findings indicate substantial but socially differentiated remote-work preference, with implications for workforce planning in mid-sized metropolitan regions.

Abstract: Economic development is a multidimensional process influenced by factors such as economic performance, human capital, urbanization, labor market conditions, and the distribution of economic outcomes. This study develops multidimensional rankings of economic prosperity and distributional outcomes for all 77 Thai provinces using the Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). Using 2024 provincial economic statistics from the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) and Thailand’s Labor Force Survey (LFS), the analysis evaluates provincial development across multiple dimensions. The results reveal an exceptionally high degree of urban primacy, with Bangkok substantially outperforming all other provinces. Beyond the capital city itself, high levels of prosperity are concentrated in the neighboring provinces of the Bangkok Metropolitan Region and the Eastern Seaboard industrial corridor, while Phuket represents an alternative tourism-led pathway to prosperity. Favorable distributional outcomes also tend to be concentrated within this metropolitan-industrial corridor, whereas less favorable outcomes are more common in the North and Northeast. Robustness tests indicate that prosperity rankings are highly persistent over time, whereas distributional outcomes exhibit somewhat lower temporal stability. Overall, the study demonstrates the value of multidimensional ranking approaches for understanding urban–regional disparities in Thailand.

Abstract: The World Health Organization (WHO) highlights the need of equitable hospital allocation and accessibility in achieving universal health coverage (WHO, 2023). Nigeria has several healthcare providers, both public and private, who provide healthcare services. As of November 2024, Nigeria had 51022 healthcare facilities spread throughout all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The need for spatial analysis of health care facility location and accessibility has become increasingly important owing to rapid population growth and persistent inequalities in healthcare delivery. This study employs geospatial analysis to assess the distribution, accessibility, and spatial clustering of 51,022 health facilities across Nigeria using the GRID3 National Health Facilities Database. We integrated health facility data with state-level population estimates and administrative boundaries in QGIS. Spatial analyses included choropleth mapping of facility density, calculation of facility-to-population ratios per 100,000 people, 5-kilometer buffer analysis for geographic coverage, and Global Moran's I statistic for spatial autocorrelation assessment. The analysis revealed 88% of facilities are primary level, with only 10.3% secondary and 0.9% tertiary facilities. Facility-to-population ratios ranged from 9 to 59 per 100,000 people across states. States in the South-East (Cross-River, Ebonyi) demonstrated the highest facility to population ratios (37-59 per 100,000), while northwestern and northeastern states showed significantly lower ratios (9-14 per 100,000). Global Moran's I revealed statistically significant positive spatial autocorrelation (I = 0.352, z = 3.63, p = 0.003), confirming non-random geographic clustering of health facility distribution. Buffer analysis identified substantial underserved populations, particularly in northern Nigeria, with pronounced gaps between facility coverage zones.

Abstract: Urban green spaces are increasingly recognized as multifunctional cooling infrastructure for climate resilience, environmental health, and spatial equity. However, the potential contributions of green spaces depends not only on their location, but also on whether their cooling benefits are realized and aligned with heat-sensitive demand. This study develops a spatially explicit cooling-service framework to examine green-space cooling supply, thermal regulation, human-relevant thermal pressure, and cooling-service mismatch across 1,385 census tracts in Maryland, USA. A Landscape Cooling Supply Index (LCSI) was constructed from vegetation coverage, tree canopy, park provision, water-area proportion, impervious surface, and road infrastructure indicators. Fixed-effects regression models were used to test associations between LCSI and multiple thermal outcomes, including land surface temperature, Heat Index, extreme hot days, and an integrated Human-Relevant Thermal Pressure Index (HTPI). XGBoost and SHAP were applied to identify nonlinear contributions of green, blue, and gray components to thermal pressure. A Heat-sensitive Cooling Demand Index was then developed to classify cooling supply-demand mismatch. Results show that stronger cooling supply is significantly associated with lower surface and human-relevant thermal pressure. Explainable GeoAI results identify overall vegetation coverage as the dominant green component, while water-area proportion and road-related gray infrastructure also play important roles. The mismatch analysis identifies 433 census tracts, or 31.3% of all Maryland tracts, as low-supply–high-demand priority areas. This study provides a tract-level framework for targeting green-space cooling interventions where climate exposure, environmental health vulnerability, and cooling-service inequity converge.

Abstract: This study examines the StudyFAB, a Third Space project in Schweinfurt, Germany, as a case study for inner-city revitalization through comparative analysis. Facing challenges from declining pedestrian traffic and rising vacancies due to online shopping, the research investigates StudyFAB's measurable impact on marketplace foot traffic, perceived quality of stay, and user engagement, benchmarked against established Third Spaces like Utopiastadt Wuppertal and CityLAB Berlin. The central research question asks whether targeted social innovation hubs foster city revitalization. A mixed-methods approach combines pedestrian counts, standardized PHINEO impact metrics, StudyFAB usage data, and surveys across Users, Non-Aware Users, and the unfamiliar Non-Users to test hypotheses on foot traffic, perceptions, participation, and inclusion effects.Findings reveal that while StudyFAB did not significantly impact overall city-wide pedestrian frequency due to spatial limitations. it generated strong effects within its target groups—increased inner-city visits, improved city image perception, high satisfaction (Net Promoter Score), and measurable participation compared to peer projects' qualitative impact logics. Complementing Utopiastadt's neighborhood activation and CityLAB's governance focus, StudyFAB demonstrates niche efficacy through quantitative user-level evidence.The comparative perspective underscores Third Spaces as complementary urban transformation tools, suggesting integrated strategies combining social, cultural, educational, and commercial revitalization. Future research should address long-term scalability, sustainable funding, and cross-project transfer effects for policymakers and urban planners.

Abstract: Across the post-Soviet space, the disappearance and commercialisation of traditional public realms have shifted everyday social life toward privately owned, publicly used environments. This study examines whether and how contemporary shopping malls function as quasi-public spaces and “third places” in Almaty, Kazakhstan’s largest city. Drawing on Oldenburg’s third-place theory and debates on the privatisation of the public realm, a mixed-methods design combined a visitor questionnaire (n = 412) across five malls, 40 hours of behavioural mapping, and 30 semi-structured interviews with visitors and mall managers. Results indicate that, beyond consumption, malls host substantial non-commercial sociability: 56.4% of respondents reported visiting primarily for dining, leisure, or meeting others rather than shopping, and the majority agreed that malls feel comfortable and broadly accessible. At the same time, only a minority unambiguously regarded the mall as a “public space”, and perceptions of inclusiveness varied significantly with age, income, and mode of arrival. Malls thus operate as conditional and negotiated third places whose publicness is real but managed. The paper argues that recognising malls as de facto social infrastructure has direct implications for socially sustainable urban planning in rapidly transforming Central Asian cities, and outlines design and policy measures to strengthen genuine inclusiveness.

Abstract: The scarcity of resources is a major challenge for the livability of cities and sustainable urbanization. This study explores the socioeconomic dimensions of water scarcity in four low-income neighborhoods of Amman, the capital of Jordan, using a mixed-method approach. The study investigates how water scarcity intersects with socioeconomic vulnerability, spatial injustice, and behavioral adaptation. The main research findings are that income, the quality of the neighborhood, and infrastructure access commonly shape residents’ coping strategies and perceptions of fairness. While households adopt a range of adaptive behaviors, limited affordability and institutional neglect intensify existing inequalities. Temporal shifts in service provision, spatial disparities within and between neighborhoods, and gaps in awareness and governance deepen the sense of water insecurity. The study concludes that water scarcity in Amman is not only a technical or economic challenge but a socially embedded problem that requires equity-oriented policies, participatory planning, and spatially targeted investments.

Abstract: This article examines social vulnerability (SV) as a necessary component of landslide risk assessment in the urban area of Quito, Ecuador. Landslide susceptibility identifies where slope instability is more likely, but it does not explain which populations have fewer resources to anticipate, cope with, or recover from such events. Using 2010 census-tract data, principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to derive interpretable factors of SV. The most robust factor—structural socioeconomic precariousness—combines precarious occupational conditions, lack of access to social security or private insurance, and limited access to new technologies. This factor was combined with a previously developed landslide susceptibility map (LSM) based on events recorded between 2005 and 2017 and aggregated to census tracts. The Comparative Environmental Risk Index (CERI) was then used to interpret whether socially vulnerable groups are disproportionately located in areas of higher landslide susceptibility. Results reveal a comparatively safer and socially advantaged populations axis from the center-north toward the eastern valleys, while high-risk and socially vulnerable areas concentrate in the south and selected peripheral zones. The study provides a historical and methodological baseline and contributes a quantitative, spatial, urban approach to landslide risk inequity in an Andean city.

Abstract: Urban lighting systems are a key component of urban infrastructure, influencing energy consumption, environmental quality, and the functioning of public spaces. Despite growing interest in artificial light at night (ALAN) and the widespread adoption of LED technologies, existing studies often analyze environmental and energy-related aspects separately, limiting the possibility of comprehensive assessment. This article aims to develop and preliminarily assess the Sustainable Lighting System Index (SLSI), enabling an integrated assessment of street lighting systems from environmental and energy perspectives. The index consists of two components: environmental (En) and energy (Ee), capturing both technical parameters of lighting infrastructure and its impact on ecosystems and public space users. The empirical analysis was conducted in two Polish cities, Rzgów and Zgierz, using field inventories, photographic documentation, and data obtained from municipal offices. The collected data were used to assign sub-index values and calculate the SLSI. The results indicate a similar sustainability level in both cities (SLSI = 2.69 for Rzgów and 2.67 for Zgierz), corresponding to a low or moderate level. However, significant differences were identified in the structure of the index components. The findings suggest that improving energy efficiency alone is insufficient to achieve sustainable urban lighting systems. The SLSI may support integrated local decision-making and lighting assessment processes.

Abstract: This paper makes two contributions. First, it bridges the land use analysis gap by replacing manual methods with a scalable, open-source engine implementing a transparent 'policy-as-code' approach. We applied the Compatibility Audit Tool (CAT) to Qazvin, Iran, analyzing over 65,000 land parcels and revealing that a critical 2.04% of the urban fabric—concentrated at residential-industrial interfaces—was in direct policy conflict. The framework provides planners with a robust instrument for a systematic 'policy audit' to identify contradictions between policy and reality. Second, it proposes a normative framework for urban AI, shifting from optimization-focused models toward forensic instruments that enforce accountability by quantifying the divergence between stated policy and spatial reality. It transforms the planning audit from a bureaucratic formality into a mechanism for liability discovery.

Abstract: As cities assume increasing responsibility for climate mitigation, an important question is whether subnational carbon markets can function as effective instruments of urban decarbonization. This article examines the institutional effectiveness and governance implications of city-level emissions trading systems, using Tokyo’s Cap-and-Trade System (TCTS)—launched in 2010 as the world’s first mandatory urban carbon market—as an empirical case. Drawing on government data, policy documents, academic studies, and media sources, the analysis investigates how emissions trading was adapted to the metropolitan scale through processes of policy mobility and institutional rescaling. Tokyo’s system illustrates how a global policy instrument can be localized within an urban governance framework by incorporating indirect electricity emissions and building-level efficiency standards into a distinctive regulatory design. Over fifteen years, the TCTS produced significant emissions reductions among large commercial and industrial facilities while contributing to the diffusion of corporate environmental norms. At the same time, its experience reveals structural tensions common to market-based climate instruments at the subnational level, including surplus credits and limited trading activity. The article identifies three broader insights: the capacity of cities to generate policy innovation, the importance of institutional learning in stabilizing new regulatory markets, and the limits of technocratic carbon pricing as a pathway toward transformative urban decarbonisation.

Abstract: Due to the rapid rate of urbanisation in African cities, there is a high demand for land in the urban peripheries of cities in the developing world. In the case of Eswatini, many of the peri-urban areas are situated on land predominantly governed by traditional authorities according to customary land management systems. From 1992 to 2005, a leasehold tenure system was implemented through a Swaziland Urban Development Project (SUDP) funded by the World Bank. This paper explores the economic, socio-cultural and spatial impacts of the 99-year leasehold on peri-urban areas under chieftaincy using Mbabane, Eswatini as a case study, using a qualitative study involving field interviews of 45 people and critical analysis. The central argument of the paper is that the establishment of the leasehold tenure system has facilitated the integration of Swazi Nation Land into global economic dynamics of urban change through the hybridisation of statutory and customary practices, with some adverse effects.

Abstract: Urban mobility planning in smart cities requires sophisticated simulation tools, yet their complexity often creates a technical barrier for non-expert stakeholders. This paper presents a novel architecture that integrates generative artificial intelligence with digital twin technology to create an accessible and robust decision-support system. The framework employs a conversational AI agent based on Gemini 2.5 Flash Lite to interpret natural language intentions and translate them into validated simulation parameters. A critical safety layer, built using Pydantic, ensures that the agent’s stochastic outputs adhere to strict technical schemas and urban logic before execution. The underlying digital twin, developed with SimPy, NetworkX, and OSMnx, features a multi-source data integration strategy that includes demographic density (INE), tourism activity (ISTAC), and high-resolution traffic statistics (TomTom) to calibrate vehicle behavior. The architecture was validated through a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 4 proof-of-concept in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, simulating multimodal scenarios including buses, the future MetroGuagua (BRT), and pedestrian flows. Results demonstrate a 95.99% success rate in intent recognition and configuration mapping, with end-to-end execution times under 20 minutes for a 19-hour simulated day. This study demonstrates that LLM-driven orchestration, coupled with automated data pipelines and a decoupled microservice architecture, can democratize access to urban simulation, fostering more inclusive, agile, and evidence-based smart city governance.