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In this programmatic paper, we approach #wordswewear, referring to the wide range of linguistic inscriptions on clothing and accessories, as part of the embodied, mobile semiotic landscape of the city. Our main objective is to reflect on (1) the conditions that gave rise to the apparent pervasiveness of #wordswewear in urban spaces, and (2) the extent to which they constitute a form of public, urban discourse. Drawing on an emergent collection of over 500 images photographed in situ, mainly in three global cities – Hong Kong, London, and Shanghai – the paper situates #wordswewear in everyday mobilities and moorings and considers their wearers as expressive persons. We contend that #wordswewear encapsulate the contemporary, paradoxical urban condition among city dwellers, whereby they seek a sense of involvement with one another while being "on the move" and maintaining their respective, individual comfort zones. Fleeting and ephemeral as they may be, such acts of momentary engagement (or avoidance thereof) are some of the most minimal, analyzable acts of performing identities in public discourse. Finally, we suggest that #wordswewear can be considered as manifestations of urban conviviality understood as a space for the negotiation of diversity, inclusion and exclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The global market for forest-risk commodities has become the major driver of deforestation across the tropics, threatening the survival of many forest-dependent primates. To combat deforestation and extinction, conservation interventions should include both supply- and demand-side measures, targeting the commodity producers and consumers respectively. We evaluated the impact of an open-air exhibition, 'The Gibbon’s Life in the Treetops', which was held on a prime shopping street in Hong Kong. The aim of the exhibition was to raise public awareness of the plight of gibbons and encourage consumers to switch to palm-oil-free and forest-friendly certified products. Visitors who were about to enter the exhibition (pre-visit group) and visitors who had just left the exhibition (post-visit group) were intercepted and invited to complete a questionnaire regarding their knowledge of gibbons, knowledge of forest-friendly purchasing, awareness of the impacts of human behavior on forests, efficacy belief (an individual’s confidence in his/her ability to contribute to forest conservation), moral obligation (an individual’s sense of moral responsibility to protect forests) and their behavioral intention to purchase forest-friendly products (N = 105). The results revealed that their knowledge of gibbons and of forest-friendly purchasing were significantly higher (p < 0.05) in the post-visit group than in the pre-visit group, while the remaining variables did not show any significant difference. Specifically, we did not observe a distinctly higher intention to buy palm-oil-free and forest-friendly certified products in the coming months among participants in the post-visit group. Our findings further contribute to the literature suggesting knowledge enhancement alone does not necessarily prompt behavior change. Conservation scientists and educators should also consider psychological and contextual factors when designing behavior-change interventions. We suggest that the exhibition interpreters should deliver information tailored to the visitors’ needs and provide post-visit action resources to extend the visitors’ experience and repeat their exposure to the campaign. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing literature on the relationship between urban green space (UGS) use and mental health of older people was mainly conducted before the widespread adoption of digital technologies in daily life. In particular, the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has fostered the use of mobile applications (apps) at a time city dwellers, including older people, were required to stay home. Drawing upon the insights from emerging literature on the changing relationship between UGS use and mental health of older people in the digital era in urban and gerontological studies, this paper offers a vivid mixed-method to investigate whether mobile app use has supplemented or substituted UGS visits and activities that further influence on the mental health of older people. This is achieved by conducting 360 questionnaire surveys in elderly community centers amid the pandemic and 23 semi-structured interviews in local neighbourhood parks after the pandemic by the authors. Results demonstrates mobile app use frequency may moderate the proximity-mental health relationship, but only among the older people with lower mental health levels. Among this sub-group, digital consumption app use frequency weakens the proximity-mental health relationship on marginal significance, which illustrates digital consumption apps may substitute the role of urban parks on improving older people's mental health. Furthermore, digital communication and recreation mobile app use frequency strengthens the proximity-mental health relationship on marginal significance, which suggests these mobile apps may supplement the role of urban parks on improving older people's mental health, particularly during the pandemic. The research pleas for more research on how digitalization of everyday activities is transforming the use of UGS such as neighbourhood parks and subsequent impact on the mental health of older people in the widespread adoption of digital technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines attitudes to tourism and climate change among residents of Hong Kong and evaluates their willingness to voluntarily modify travel behaviours to reduce environmental impacts. Previous studies on environmental behavioural change identified a significant gap between awareness and action, with some studies even suggesting that the most aware individuals are unlikely to change their behaviours. Similar findings were noted in this study. Cluster analysis identified four cohorts of tourists, ranging from the regular international tourist to the least travel active. The regular international tourist group was most aware of global warming and climate change, but least willing to alter its travel behaviour. By contrast, less travel active tourists seem most willing to travel less. The paper concludes that government intervention may be required to create meaningful behavioural change in travel patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "mobility turn" in environmental health studies promoted the integrated 3S (GIS, GPS, and remote sensing) approach in the study of urban residents' exposure to green space and corresponding health outcomes. However, few studies have examined the uncertainty induced by contextual settings when measuring people's exposure to green space using the conventional and integrated 3S approaches. In this paper, we compared the differences in green space exposure obtained from different geographic contexts using residence-based and mobility-based methods, multiple spatial resolutions, and buffer zones. We collected 7-day GPS trajectories from 208 participants at the 1-minute temporal resolution in Hong Kong. Entire Hong Kong's green space was delineated using multiple remote sensing data sources at 3 m, 10 m, and 30 m spatial resolutions. Lastly, the residence-based and mobility-based measurements of exposure to green space were calculated for each participant using 100 m, 300 m, and 500 m buffer zones at three spatial resolutions. Descriptive analyses, t-tests, and logistic regression were employed to examine the influence of different contextual settings on different measurements of green space exposure and their health effects. The results indicate multiple significant disparities. The most striking difference is that mobility-based measurements of exposure to green space are significantly higher than those of residence-based measurements, manifesting the uncertain geographic context problem (UGCoP). For future studies, we suggest using mobility-based measurements of exposure to green space, smaller buffer zones, and finer spatial resolutions, which enable more accurate measurements of green space exposure for the study of green space's health effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How to reduce the health risks for commuters, caused by air pollution such as PM2.5 has always been an urgent issue needing to be solved. Proposed in this study, is a novel framework which enables greater avoidance of pollution and hence assists the provision of healthy travel. This framework is based on the estimation of on‐road PM2.5 throughout the whole city. First, the micro‐scale PM2.5 is predicted by land use regression (LUR) modeling enhanced by the use of the Landsat‐8 top‐of‐atmosphere (TOA) data and microscale geographic predictors. In particular, the green view index (GVI) factor derived, the sky view factor, and the index‐based built‐up index, are incorporated within the TOA‐LUR modeling. On‐road PM2.5 distributions are then mapped in high‐spatial‐resolution. The maps obtained can be used to find healthy travel routes with less PM2.5. The proposed framework was applied in high‐density Hong Kong by Landsat 8 images. External testing was based on mobile measurements. The results showed that the estimation performance of the proposed seasonal TOA‐LUR Geographical and Temporal Weighted Regression models is at a high‐level with an R2 of 0.70–0.90. The newly introduced GVI index played an important role in these estimations. The PM2.5 distribution maps at high‐spatial‐resolution were then used to develop an application providing Hong Kong residents with healthy route planning services. The proposed framework can, likewise, be applied in other cities to better ensure people's health when traveling, especially those in high‐density cities. Plain Language Summary: Every year, exposure to outdoor air pollution has caused 7 million premature deaths and resulted in the loss of millions more healthy years of life. Therefore, it's critical to establish planning tools to support people's healthier and cleaner daily travel. By land use regression (LUR) modeling enhanced by the Landsat‐8 top‐of‐atmosphere (TOA) data and microscale geographic predictors, the original framework proposed in this study provides an estimation and a mapping of on‐road PM2.5 at the fine scale, providing people with healthier travel choices. The estimation performance of the proposed seasonal TOA‐LUR Geographical and Temporal Weighted Regression models achieved a high R2 of 0.70–0.90. It may become a reference and guide for high‐density cities, for smart travel planning and refined monitoring of air pollution in urban areas. It is hoped, therefore, that this study assists more people in urban areas to reduce their exposure to outdoor air pollution, both to protect their health, and assist in the construction of healthy cities, especially for the high‐density city. Key Points: A novel framework was proposed for healthy route planning with less PM2.5 exposureEstimation models of fine scale on‐road PM2.5 have been proposed and validatedA mobile application that provides healthy travel route planning has been developed [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This study examines perceived physical and psychological factors that influence relations between people and urban parks. • Facilities and management is the strongest variable within the category of physical influence. • Perceived accessibility is the most robust psychological factor. • Both physical and psychological category of influence should be counted into urban park planning. This paper studied perceived physical and psychological factors that influence relations between people and urban parks. Current literature showed that these factors influence attitudes, behavior, and perceived benefits toward urban parks. While most research focused on either physical factors or psychological determinants, much less grouping them and simultaneously examining their effects on people-environment relations. To study the issue, we collected data by interviewing five hundred park visitors from ten urban parks in Hong Kong. Results showed that both categories of influence are significantly associated with relations between people and urban parks; facilities and management in physical dimension and perceived accessibility in psychological factors are variables most strongly associated with these relations. Besides, psychological factors added explanatory power of regression models. Nevertheless, the inclusion of psychological factors crowded out physical factors as significant variables, and the mediation test suggested that psychological factors play a potential mediating role in the associations between physical factors and the people-environment relations. The findings highlighted the salient factors of urban parks and the effects on health-related benefits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ever since their first establishment in Britain in 1946, new towns have become commonplace globally as a means to accommodate spillover populations from urban areas. Many of the planned new towns have a goal of creating self-contained communities with sufficient local jobs. However, despite over seventy years of new town development, few studies have examined whether and to what extent an intra-urban agglomeration economy has formed within these towns. This paper adds to the literature on new towns' spatial planning and performance by investigating the local agglomeration economy in new towns through employment sub-centres, with Hong Kong as the study area. We identify employment centres from 2000 to 2015 to map changes in the spatio-economic structure. Our results reveal that only a few of these primary employment centres exhibit strong location agglomeration: the proportion of jobs in the long-established urban core remained stable, while the agglomeration economies in new towns have not gained much momentum in attracting a larger proportion of the city's total employment. The new towns' sub-centres also indicate a similar industrial composition, and seemingly fail to foster local specialisation-based economies. • Local agglomeration economies were identified in Hong Kong from 2000 to 2015. • The main employment centres in Hong Kong exhibit strong location agglomeration. • A few relatively small employment sub-centres are located in new town areas. • New towns' employment sub-centres share homogeneous characteristics. • Most new towns have not formed a substantial agglomeration economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban climate models are indispensable tools for the evaluation of climatic risks faced by the growing urban population. In order to accurately simulate the urban surface energy balance at a high spatial resolution, it is important to provide models with detailed input data that can adequately describe the spatial variation of land covers, urban morphology, construction materials, and building functions within an urban area. Using Hong Kong—a city well-known for its complex, high-rise urban environment—as the testing ground, this study aims to present a geographic information system–based workflow for the construction of a refined urban database. Firstly, maps of land cover tiles, pervious and impervious surface fractions, building height, and other input parameters required by mesoscale atmospheric models are derived from multiple data sources including administrative building data, satellite images, and land use surveys. Secondly, a total of 18 representative building archetypes, with their corresponding architectural characteristics and occupant behaviour schedules, are defined. This allows for models to take into account the radiative, thermal, and dynamic interactions between buildings and the atmosphere, as well as the anthropogenic heat fluxes. Finally, locally adapted ranges of urban morphological parameters for the different local climate zones (LCZs) are derived, enabling the expansion of data coverage to neighbouring areas of Hong Kong, where detailed urban data are not readily available. Uncertainties of the refined database and limitations of the LCZ scheme are also discussed so that a similar approach may be adapted and applied to other cities in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visiting tourists and residents of a city interact at various locations at various times. Previous studies paid little attention to comparing the spatio-temporal behaviours of tourists and residents from a long-term perspective. The aim of the present study was to identify and compare the spatio-temporal behaviours of mainland Chinese tourists and residents in Hong Kong over a period of five years. Their behaviours were compared by means of kernel density analysis and temporal statistical analysis, using Weibo geotagged check-in data and geographic information systems (GIS). The results show that the spatial behaviours of mainland Chinese tourists (MCT) are more concentrated than those of residents, especially in central urban areas, whereas residents also visit suburban and exurban areas. Simultaneously, MCTs' temporal behaviours varied significantly, whereas those of residents were relatively stable. From a long-term perspective, we found that in the central urban area, MCTs' preferences for locations tended to be relatively fixed, but their activity in local neighbourhoods and residential quarters decreased. However, residents' interest in typical tourism highlights decreased reflecting potential strategies of avoidance in those areas whereas their activities in other tourism hotspots were more stable. These findings can be applied in urban planning, destination management and sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People use urban public spaces for a variety of reasons: from relaxation and amusement, to commerce, or even protests and celebrations. The Mong Kok Pedestrian Bridge in Hong Kong is a space that successfully sustains all of the above mentioned urban uses, relieving vehicular traffic congestion below by allowing residents to appropriate the space above in numerous ways. The looseness of the bridge space accommodates a high capacity of inclusiveness in people's everyday lives, effectively negating people's differences that come from history, culture, and ethnicities. Following a critical literature review on the concepts of loose space, public space, and everyday life, this research uses Mong Kok Pedestrian Bridge as a case study which centers on the results of intensive field observations and photography of people's everyday activities in the Mong Kok Pedestrian Bridge. This papear examines how different people appropriate the Mong Kok Pedestrian Bridge in their everyday lives, how the bridge works as an inclusive and vibrant urban setting for numerous activities, and how the inclusive public urban life is created and sustained even through the tensions of diverse people and diverse uses. This study elaborates an alternative approach in urban planning in a high-density city. Findings suggests that designers and regulators plan and manage more loose spaces to allow for more inclusive public life in densely populated urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urban design of new towns embodies a movement and exchange system that has been consciously developed in relation to a set of expected human behaviours. In the history of new towns, these expectations have been variously fulfilled, but with rare investigations into the design causes. This study of Hong Kong new towns examines differences in travel behaviour between one early town and two later ones. While the general plans were quite similar and travel was expected to be the same in the towns, considerable differences were observed. Features of the town-centre design, details of the movement system and local environmental design all explain the differences in local behaviour. Differences in the size of the town, distance from the town centre and public transportation alternatives are all relatively unimportant in explaining the differences in local travel behaviour of residents. These findings point to the need for more empirical investigation into the effectiveness of urban design generally, and local environmental design in particular. Such findings could be highly useful in the continuing development of new and satellite towns in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]