Search Results (7,705)

Environmental education is one of the main functions of China’s national parks, and it also plays a crucial role in the construction of an ecological civilization. Compared with the rest of Asia, the inception of national parks in China occurred relatively late, and fostering tourists’ pro-environmental behavior is a challenging endeavor. According to the theoretical paradigm of stimulus–organism–response (SOR), in this study, we selected place attachment, environmental attitude, and environmental quality to construct a theoretical model of the relationship between the perception of environmental education and pro-environmental behavior. We conducted a sample survey of 728 tourists who had been to Wuyishan National Park and constructed a structural equation model. Our findings indicate the following: (1) pro-environmental behavior is directly and significantly promoted by one’s perception of environmental education, place attachment, and environmental attitude; (2) place attachment and environmental attitude play an intermediary role between one’s perception of environmental education and pro-environmental behavior; and (3) the quality of the external environment positively influences the correlation between one’s perception of environmental education and place attachment. This study provides solutions and suggestions for Wuyishan National Park to improve the effectiveness of environmental education regarding tourists’ pro-environmental behavior. Full article

Nowadays, enhancing campus environments through mitigations of air pollutions is an essential endeavor to support academic achievements, health, and safety of students and staffs in higher educational institutes. In laboratories, pollutants from welding, auto repairs, or chemical experiments can drastically degrade the air quality in the campus, endangering the respiratory and cognitive health of students and staffs. Besides, in universities in Indonesia, automobile emissions of harmful substances such as carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), and hydrocarbon (HC) have been a serious problem for a long time. Almost everybody is using a motorbike or a car every day in daily life, while the number of students is continuously increasing. However, people in many campuses including managements do not be aware these problems, since air quality is not monitored. In this paper, we present a real-time air quality monitoring system utilizing Internet of Things (IoT) integrated sensors capable of detecting pollutants and measuring environmental conditions to visualize them. By transmitting data to the SEMAR IoT application server platform via an ESP32 microcontroller, this system provides instant alerts through a web application and Telegram notifications when pollutant levels exceed safe thresholds. For evaluations of the proposed system, we adopted three sensors to measure the levels of CO, NO₂, and HC and conducted experiments in three sites, namely, Mechatronics Laboratory, Power and Emission Laboratory, and Parking Lot, at the State Polytechnic of Malang, Indonesia. Then, the results reveal Good, Unhealthy, and Dangerous for them, respectively, among the five categories defined by the Indonesian government. The system highlighted its ability to monitor air quality fluctuations, trigger warnings of hazardous conditions, and inform the campus community. The correlation of the sensor levels can identify the relationship of each pollutant, which provides insight into the characteristics of pollutants in a particular scenario. Full article

Urban parks have become more important in residents’ daily lives owing to both rapid urbanization and increasing environmental pressures. Globally, there is growing concern regarding equitable access to urban parks, particularly in densely populated countries such as China. This study focuses on the accessibility and equity of urban parks in Jiujiang using walking route data obtained from an open-source platform through an application programming interface to assess park accessibility. We explored the equity of park accessibility from three perspectives: spatial, opportunity, and group equity. The results indicated that urban parks in central Jiujiang have significantly better accessibility than those in suburban areas. Less than half of the study area was covered within a 1500 m walking distance. There is a large service blind catchment in park accessibility. Similarly, disparities in the equity of park accessibility were observed. The Penpu sub-district has the best accessibility; in contrast, the Qili Lake sub-district benefits from less than 10% of park accessibility. Wealthier communities benefit more from park accessibility than disadvantaged communities. Our study aims to provide strategies for urban planning for policymakers. Strategies such as increasing park entrances, opening gated communities, and creating shared green spaces may help ensure environmental equity. Full article

With the continuous increase in car ownership, alleviating traffic congestion and reducing carbon emissions have become key challenges in urban traffic management. This study constructs a multi-agent model to evaluate the impact of various traffic optimization interventions on citizens’ travel behavior and traffic carbon emission levels. Different from previous mathematical models, this model integrates computer technology and geographic information systems, abstracting travelers as agents with self-control capabilities who can make independent decisions based on their own circumstances, thus reflecting individual differences in travel behavior. Using the real geographical and social environment of the high-density travel area in Xiaodian District, Taiyuan City as a case study, this research explores the overall improvement in the urban transportation system through the implementation of multiple traffic optimization interventions, such as a parking reservation system, the promotion of the park-and-ride mode, and the optimization of public transportation services. Studies have demonstrated that, compared to reducing bus fares, travelers exhibit a greater sensitivity to waiting times. Reducing bus departure intervals can increase the proportion of park-and-ride trips to 25.79%, surpassing the 19.19% increase observed with fare adjustments. A moderate increase in the proportion of reserved parking spaces can elevate the public transport load to 49.85%. The synergistic effect of a combined strategy can further boost the public transport share to 50.62%, while increasing the park-and-ride trip proportion to 33.6%, thereby highlighting the comprehensive benefits of implementing multiple strategies in tandem. When the parking reservation system is effectively implemented, carbon dioxide emissions can be reduced from over 800 kg to below 200 kg, and the proportion of vehicle cruising can decrease from over 20% to under 15%. These results underscore the critical role of the parking reservation strategy in optimizing traffic flow and advancing environmental sustainability. Full article

This article introduces a novel smart deployable scissor lift brace system designed to mitigate earthquake risks in buildings prone to the soft-story effect. The system addresses the limitations of traditional retrofitting methods, providing an efficient solution for enhancing the structural integrity of buildings while preserving the functionality of open lower floors, commonly used for car parking or retail spaces. The soft-story effect, characterized by a sudden reduction in lateral stiffness in one or more levels of a building, often leads to catastrophic collapses during large earthquakes, resulting in significant structural damage and loss of life. The proposed system is triggered by signals from the Earthquake Early Warning (EEW) system, advanced technologies capable of detecting and broadcasting earthquake alerts within seconds which are currently implemented in countries and regions such as Japan, parts of the USA, and parts of Europe. The smart deployable system functions by instantly activating upon receiving EEW signals. Unlike traditional retrofitting approaches, such as adding braces or infill walls, which compromise the open layout of lower floors, this innovative device deploys dynamically during seismic events to enhance the building’s stiffness and lateral stability. The article demonstrates the system’s functionality through a conceptual framework supported by proof-of-concept experiments. Historical earthquake time histories are simulated to test its effectiveness. The results reveal that the system significantly improves the stiffness of the structure, reducing displacement responses during events of seismic activity. If properly proportioned and optimized, this system has the potential for widespread commercialization as a seismic risk mitigation solution for buildings vulnerable to the soft-story effect. Full article

A challenge for urban ecology is to reduce biotic homogenisation by promoting plant diversity from local to city scales. As ecological and social components constantly interact in cities, an urban landscape characterisation reflecting socio-spatial functioning seems essential. However, spatially explicit description of cities at a relevant scale for urban planning are uncommon in ecological studies. Here, we explored a new approach based on the city-block scale, common in urban geography and planning, to directly link urban uses and patterns of herbaceous plant communities. We characterised all city blocks of a medium-sized French city (Blois). We inventoried grassland and meadows in 129 city blocks (10% of the whole city) for seven public and private urban uses (collective housing, individual housing, industrial, public service, park, land reserve, and road verge). We measured alpha diversity, community composition, regional originality of urban uses, and beta diversity between them. Urban land reserved for future development and parks harbour unique community composition within the city. Collective and individual housings have the same average alpha diversity, but the variability in community composition was higher for individual housing blocks. School and industrial city blocks have important alpha diversity and regional originality. Road verges have the highest alpha diversity but low regional originality and many common urban and regional species. Large green spaces with original communities should be protected during urban densification. The verticalization of residential housing could be an efficient means of internal urban densification if the lowest level of management intensity is promoted to maintain diversified vegetation. Some little-studied uses (schools, industrial city blocks) present opportunities to impede urban homogenisation. Full article

This paper presents an innovative approach to fast frequency control in electric grids by leveraging parked fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs), especially heavy-duty vehicles such as trucks. Equipped with hydrogen storage tanks and fuel cells, these vehicles can be repurposed as dynamic grid-support assets while parked in designated areas. Using an external cable and inverter system, FCEVs inject power into the grid by converting DC from fuel cells into AC, to be compatible with grid requirements. This functionality addresses sudden power imbalances, providing a rapid and efficient solution for frequency stabilization. The system’s external inverter serves as a central control hub, monitoring real-time grid frequency and directing FCEVs to supply virtual inertia and primary reserves through droop control, as required. Simulation results validate that FCEVs could effectively complement thermal generators, preventing unacceptable frequency drops, load shedding, and network blackouts. A techno-economic analysis demonstrates the economic feasibility of the concept, concluding that each FCEV consumes approximately 0.3 kg of hydrogen per day, incurring a daily cost of around EUR 1.5. For an island grid with a nominal power of 100 MW, maintaining frequency stability requires a fleet of 100 FCEVs, resulting in a total daily cost of EUR 150. Compared to a grid-scale battery system offering equivalent frequency response services, the proposed solution is up to three times more cost-effective, highlighting its economic and technical potential for grid stabilization in renewable-rich, non-interconnected power systems. Full article

Urban biodiversity is crucial for ecological security, balance, and important for fostering awareness on human-nature interconnectedness among the public. The diversity of birds, as an urban ecosystem indicator, reflects ecosystem services and is impacted by urban development. To explore the impacts of urbanization on bird diversity, stratified to songbirds, terrestrial birds, climbers, swimming birds, wading birds, and raptors, we specifically investigated the existing and potential distributions of selected bird species, analyzed different contributions of environmental factors, and compared these with urban biodiversity conservation policies. We used bird records from the China Birdwatching Record Center (over 1400 species of birds for querying) and remotely-sensed landcover data, based on the MaxEnt model, to analyze bird spatial distribution characteristics and potential habitat corridors throughout Beijing. The results showed that: (1) Songbirds and terrestrial birds were predominantly concentrated in water areas in urban areas. Wading birds, climbers, swimming birds, and raptors were gathered in forest-covered areas, near wetlands and farmland in suburban areas. Projections indicated that the raptor species Common Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus) showed a notable shift toward urban cores. (2) Among climbers, Gray-headed Pygmy Woodpecker (Dendrocopos canicapillus) occupied the highest proportion of high-quality habitats (10.34%), contrasting with the representative songbird species Blackbird (Turdus merula) at 1.38%, which demonstrated adaptability to urban environments. Critical habitats were concentrated in shrub forests, supporting habitat connectivity. Proximity to water bodies was critical for raptors, wading, swimming, and climbers, whereas terrestrial birds and songbirds were more affected by artificial lighting. (3) The “urban and suburban park rings” policy has effectively enhanced habitat quality and connectivity, promoting urban biodiversity resilience. This study improves our understanding of how different bird communities adapt to urbanization in terms of habitats and movement corridors, and provides useful information for formulating urban bird biodiversity conservation strategies. Full article

This study focuses on understanding the health impacts of hazardous air pollutant (HAP) emissions from the Kaohsiung Coastal Industrial Park and port areas in southern Taiwan on neighboring communities. Six important HAPs (formaldehyde, benzene, arsenic, vinyl chloride, 1,3-butadiene, and diesel particulate matter (DPM)) were identified in this area. By considering the impact of emissions from stationary sources, mobile sources, and port activities, the relative importance of each emission source was assessed. In addition, the AERMOD (AMS (American Meteorological Society)/EPA (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)) diffusion model was employed to simulate the increases in target pollutant concentrations and to analyze the influence and spatial distribution of various emission sources on atmospheric HAP concentrations in nearby communities. This study further evaluated the exposure risks of composite HAP sources, to understand their impacts and to determine their control priorities. The findings revealed that emissions and carcinogenic weighting from composite sources, particularly DPM emissions from port activities, including from ocean-going vessels and heavy-duty vehicles, had a significant impact. The maximum incremental concentration for DPM in the study area occurred around the port area, whereas the maxima for formaldehyde, benzene, arsenic, vinyl chloride, and 1,3-butadiene were all observed within the industrial complex. DPM emissions from port activities, 1,3-butadiene emissions from mobile sources, and benzene emissions from stationary sources were the composite sources with the greatest potential impacts. Over 90% of health risks were due to DPM, and the remaining health risks were due to 1,3-butadiene (6%), benzene (2%), arsenic (1%), and other species (less than 1%). DPM emissions were primarily influenced by port activities (77%), 1,3-butadiene emissions by mobile sources (45%), and benzene emissions by stationary sources (41%). A total of 25% of the area had risk values greater than 10⁻³, and 75% of the area had risk values between 10⁻³ and 10⁻⁴. The risk values in the densely populated areas were all greater than 10⁻⁴. The potential risk hotspots with risk values greater than 10⁻³ were located on the northwest side of the port and downwind of the industrial park. The key pollutants contributing to these hotspots were, in order, DPM (up to 80% cancer risk), formaldehyde, and 1,3-butadiene, all of which were significantly influenced by port activities. This indicates that the control of, and reduction in, HAP emissions from port activities should be prioritized. Full article

The utilization of contemporary technology enhances the efficiency of parking resource management, contributing to more liveable and sustainable cities. In response to the growing challenges of urbanization, intelligent parking systems have emerged as a crucial solution for optimizing parking management, reducing traffic congestion, and minimizing pollution. The primary aim of this study is to present the concept of the developed web application that supports finding available parking spaces, embodied in the SPARK system (Smart Parking Assistance and Resource Knowledge). The integration of the YOLOv9 (You Only Look Once) segmentation algorithm with Artificial Bee Colony (ABC) optimization, combined with the use of crowdsourced data and deep learning for image analysis, significantly enhances the SPARK system’s operational efficiency. It enables rapid and precise detection of available parking spaces while ensuring robustness and continuous improvement. The accuracy of detecting available parking spaces in the presented system, estimated at 87.33%, is satisfactory compared to similar studies worldwide. Full article

In recent years, rapid urbanization in China has driven cities to expand uncontrollably into surrounding rural areas. Within the global context of ecological restoration, protecting and rehabilitating natural spaces have become key issues in landscape design. The concept of rewilding, rooted in wilderness philosophy, has gained significant attention. This article explores the background, significance, and theoretical foundations of rewilding urban ecological spaces using the woodland area of Heqing Country Park in Shanghai as a case study. It examines the feasibility, methods, and strategies for implementing rewilding in urban settings, considering both natural and human-influenced activities, with a focus on minimizing human intervention. This approach enhances biodiversity, promotes the sustainable development of ecosystems, and helps the park maintain its rural character despite its tourist appeal. Four years after the project’s implementation, research data show that the richness of native plant species, the diversity of bird species, and insect populations have exceeded those of the previously maintained forest. Moreover, the rewilding landscapes have supported the natural succession of habitat communities, leading to a stable and revitalized ecosystem. The landscape improvements and visitor experiences have been highly positive. The reconstruction strategy developed in this project is expected to inform future ecological initiatives, such as country parks, promoting the harmonious development of human and natural environments and serving as a model for creating urban ecosystems where both can coexist sustainably. Full article

(1) Background: A successful teaching practice and a proper understanding of environmental conservation require developed research abilities and a positive attitude toward nature. Nineteen female students at the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences spent ten days in one national park and participated in project activities related to nature conservation. This study aimed to investigate how the stay in nature and the active involvement of students will contribute to their attitudes and knowledge acquisition. (2) Methods: A questionnaire was used to assess the students’ attitudes and knowledge about protected areas before and after the project activities in the national park. The Wilcoxon test was used to determine the statistical significance of differences in attitudes, while the Chi-square test was used to examine the differences in their acquired knowledge. (3) Results: The research showed that students had positive attitudes towards nature protection before and after the project activities. The positive attitudes were confirmed after the project activities were carried out even among those students who did not have them initially. A significant increase in students’ knowledge after the ten-day stay in the national park was noticed. (4) Conclusions: The study results have provided insight into the ability of future teachers to promote sustainable lifestyles and ecological activities. Hands-on nature-based learning significantly foster future teachers’ ecological awareness, their environmental knowledge, attitudes, and behavior. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic caused unprecedented global disruptions, with the hotel and aviation industries—two critical pillars of tourism—among the hardest hit. This study analyzed 451 hotel-related and 336 aviation-related records from the Web of Science database, applying semantic network analysis to uncover eight clusters of crisis management knowledge: basic functions, crisis response, operational strategies, epidemic prevention and control, crisis perception, innovative services, scope of influence, and internal and external environments. Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling identified distinct thematic strategies for each sector. In hotels, these included Digital Innovation Transformation, Monitoring Management Procedures, Emotional Awareness Incentives, and Resilience Mechanism Establishment. In aviation, strategies focused on Green Economic Transformation, Co-creation Value Realization, Passenger Incentive Mechanisms, and Balancing Health Risks. By visualizing co-occurrence relationships and mapping thematic intersections and divergences, this study provides actionable insights into the recovery strategies of these industries. The findings offer robust support for developing targeted management approaches and decision-making frameworks to ensure the sustainable growth of the tourism sector. Full article

The recent surge in the application of geosciences in forensics has yielded significant insights into taphonomy and decomposition processes, particularly with regard to the identification and interpretation of evidence pertaining to the interaction between the cadaver and the outdoor post-depositional environment. Given that a substantial proportion of current knowledge about decomposition dynamics can be attributed to forensic taphonomy experiments utilizing pigs as human models, a literature review was conducted, focusing on experiments incorporating geosciences into their investigative techniques. The results demonstrated the crucial role of this approach in ensuring accurate interpretation of data, both in the context of forensic cases and in experimental research. Furthermore, this manuscript presents the opening of the first Italian non-human forensic taphonomy facility, which was inaugurated by the LABANOF of the University of Milan in 2009 at the Lombardy Park of the Ticino (PV). The facility strives to integrate the use of non-human animals as human models while upholding a high ethical standard and minimizing the construction of artifacts, thereby striving for forensic realism. Furthermore, the most recent project conducted at the Italian FTF establishes a connection between the outcomes of preceding projects and underscores the significance of a pragmatic and intellectual disposition that embraces interdisciplinary collaboration. Full article

Urban parks are important components of the urban green space system, providing residents with a variety of leisure options. The design’s focal point is the spatial layout of the different use scenarios within these parks. Previous studies have largely concentrated on the scene and macro layout of urban public spaces but have not thoroughly investigated the digital characteristics and corresponding parametric methods for the layout of different internal use scenes in urban green spaces. This research selected 18 urban parks from various global regions as case samples and categorized eight typical park scene space types based on common activity scene requirements in park design using AutoCAD to identify vector boundaries in each sample. To examine the digital characteristics of these scene space types, a quantitative index system was established, including spatial density and scale indicators, spatial connection relationship indicators, and spatial unit morphology indicators. The analysis of these indicators across the samples shows that the number of scene spaces is positively correlated with the total park area, while natural experience scenes constitute the largest proportion of urban parks. Different scene types exhibit distinct spatial layouts; for example, circulation spaces demonstrate high connectivity due to their role in directing visitor flow. Some spaces exhibit a more fixed scale and size, while others vary considerably. Finally, this research develops a parametric design framework using the Grasshopper platform. By taking a park in Nanjing as a case study, this paper illustrates how to utilize digital layout features to generate scene space layouts, offering insights into intelligent generative design. This approach provides a structured method to enhance urban park design through the application of digital and parametric tools, contributing to the broader field of urban park design. Full article