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• There are different spatial characteristics between adaptability and other two dimensions. • More than 90 % areas of LCZ1 and LCZ2 are exposed to high heat vulnerability. • Optimization methods can be applied to reduce the urban heat vulnerability from the LCZ perspective. • The optimized urban population mainly increases towards LCZ4. Global climate change presents considerable heating risks to cities, necessitating the assessment of heat vulnerability characteristics in urban areas for the advancement of human settlements and socioeconomic progress. Nevertheless, there has been a lack of extensive research regarding heat vulnerability when considering local climate zones (LCZs). In this study, we utilized data from multiple sources to construct a model for evaluating heat vulnerability along three dimensions: Exposure, Sensitivity, and Adaptability. We analyzed the spatial characteristics of heat vulnerability in the LCZs and employed a linear weighted multi-objective optimization method to reconfigure the LCZs and mitigate the Urban Heat Vulnerability Index (HVI). The findings revealed that (1) The spatial characteristics of exposure and sensitivity were similar, with high values observed in the city center and low values at the periphery. Adaptability exhibited a high–low–high pattern from the center to the edge due to the combined influence of the economy and natural factors. (2) The HVI of the built environment (building LCZ) surpassed that of the natural environment (natural LCZ) within the research area. Specifically, compact high-rise buildings (LCZ1) and compact midrise buildings (LCZ2) accounted for over 90% of the area with extremely high and high HVI values, necessitating immediate optimization efforts. (3) By considering the area and population size of the research area, we achieved an optimal heat vulnerability plan by increasing the areas of LCZ4 and LCZA while reducing the areas of LCZ8 and LCZ1, among others. Therefore, the overall HVI of the study area decreased from 49,034.67 to 41,772.37, representing a reduction of 14.81 %. This study presents an innovative approach to mitigating urban heat vulnerability, providing valuable planning references and scientific guidance to assist cities in addressing high-temperature risks. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights • Visual-motor coordination (VMC) at intersections is challenging for older drivers. • VMC was modelled with multiple parameters of visual search and vehicle control. • Participants performed a battery of neuropsychological tests related to driving. • 38 older drivers were ranked in the performance of VMC at intersection manoeuvre. • Selective attention, spatial ability and executive function predicted well for VMC. Abstract Background Negotiating intersections is one of the principal concerns for older drivers as it requires precision and efficiency in visual-motor coordination (VMC). The complex intersection manoeuvre places high demands on visual perception, attention, motor control and executive functioning. Understanding the relationship between VMC and cognitive abilities in older drivers is important, but yet to be systematically explored. Methods We recorded 38 older adults’ driving manoeuvre at intersections using eye tracking and advanced surveying positioning technologies. VCM performance of the participants were indexed using multiple parameters of visual and motor behaviors with a Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model. Participants also performed a battery of cognitive tests of visual attention, spatial abilities, visual-motor speed and executive functions. Results Significant correlations were identified between VMC performance and eight cognitive measurements: UFOV 2 and 3, Block Design, Benton’s JLO, D-KEFS TMT 1, 2, 3 and 4. Cognitive tests measuring selective attention, spatial ability and executive function were found to be the best predictors for VMC performance. Conclusions Specific cognitive abilities in older drivers were associated with poorer VMC at intersections. VMC assessment can be used to identify risky older drivers and their problematic behaviors. In the future, tailored VMC evaluations and intervention programs may be developed to improve older drivers’ safety behind the wheel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aviation industry in Western Australia (WA) plays a vital role in the economic and social development of the state. However, accurate forecasts for passenger movements are not available to policy makers due to lack of relevant air travel demand information. The objective of this study is to estimate the domestic air passenger seat numbers between airport-pairs based on online flight information in regional WA based on a gravity model using Poisson pseudo-maximum likelihood estimation (PPML). Particularly, we aim to investigate the impact of distance, airfare, catchment areas, population, tourism and mining sector on forecasting air passenger seat numbers in order to inform and guide policy making. This research collected appropriate data and produced valid models that represent air passenger seat numbers offered on regular public transport (RPT) air services in regional WA. The models consider both geographic and service-related variables, such as the catchment area of airports, population and number of tourists in the airport's catchment area. Two kinds of airport catchment areas are generated in this study, based on Thiessen polygon and two and half hours' driving distance. The Thiessen polygon catchment areas cover the whole WA regions, while the 2.5 h's driving catchment area covers only 32 percent of the WA region. The size of the catchment area can affect the magnitude of factors, and therefore influence the modelling results. When deciding the catchment area for the study, it is important to take the spatial distribution of factors into considerations. For both Thiessen polygon and two and half hours' driving distance catchment area, the model results illustrate that distance between airports, airfare of the flight, population of the origin airport's catchment area and the number of operating mine sites of the destination airport's catchment area are significantly correlated with domestic air travel seat capacity provided. Given the guidance from policy documents and policy makers, the results will improve the understanding of the key parameters of regional passenger aviation services and help to guide policy makers considering regional passenger aviation issues. The outcome of this study would be useful for and guide policy development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual information for a driver is predominant during driving. Linking drivers’ visual search patterns with motor behaviour helps understand how drivers perceived spatial and hazardous information to regulate their physical movements. Visual-motor coordination performance can be a sensitive indicator for driver competency assessment. Due to age-related cognitive decline, older drivers are likely inefficient in visual-motor coordination. While poor visual-motor coordination can cause risky behaviour behind the wheel, it is yet challenging to examine it owing to the complexity of driving behaviour. By reviewing how vision guides driving, we proposed a gaze-based integrated driving assessment approach. The empirical data were from 38 older drivers aged 60 to 81 years, who completed an on-road driving assessment recorded by eye tracking and vehicle movement tracking. Their visual search attributes were extracted from eye tracking video frames and linked to vehicle positions. Driving data, drivers’ cognitive condition and driving section were encapsulated into an integrated database, allowing interrogating multi-faceted driver-vehicle-environment interactions. Exploratory analysis results show that older drivers’ performed different visual search patterns at roundabout and intersection manoeuvres. Older drivers with better executive function skills performed more frequent eye fixations on the curves and inside vehicle features. The investigation of visual-motor coordination performance demonstrated the feasibility and effectiveness of using the integrated approach in assessing older drivers’ performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older drivers experience difficulties in lane maintenance under challenging driving sections due to age-related cognitive declines, yet there is little comprehensive evidence on associations between cognitive functions and the lane maintenance in this population. In this study, fifty older drivers completed an on-road driving assessment and a battery of standard neuropsychological tests. Mean Lane Position (MLP), Standard Deviation of Lane Position (SDLP) and manoeuvre time calculated from precise vehicle movement trajectories were used as the lane maintenance parameters. The GNSS tracking vehicle movement presents comprehensive and reliable vehicle position data, which is more sensitive for detecting subtle variations of lane maintenance in older drivers. Statistical analysis results show that lower visual attention (selective and divided attention) was associated with higher MLP and SDLP; MLP was also correlated to spatial abilities, executive function, and motor speed; manoeuvre time was negatively correlated with drivers’ risk-taking personality (all p < .01). Selective attention was found to be the best predictor of MLP in lane maintenance. A combined eight variables from three neuropsychological tests, UFOV 2 and 3, BD and BJLO, D-KEFS TMT 1, 2, 3, and 4, correctly classified 80.4% of participants with good versus low-performing lane maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

· Land surface temperature (LST) was similar in spring and autumn and was significantly lower in winter. · Urban spatial form (USF) indicators influence seasonal LST, and their correlation is significantly lower in autumn. · The three most important USF indicators for LST in spring and winter were SHDI, NL, and BMH, and their importance changed according to different scales. · By controlling urban building morphology of USF could effectively improve the urban thermal environment. The urban heat island (UHI) effect is intensifying with increasing urbanization. As an important representation of the UHI effect and the urban thermal environment, it is critical to investigate the importance of evaluating urban spatial form (USF) indicators on land surface temperature (LST) to alleviate urban thermal environment problems. Therefore, in this study, we evaluated the importance of USF indicators from three perspectives: landscape pattern, building morphology, and social development, on LST at 10 grid scales in the main area of Xi'an City, using the XGBoost model. The results showed that: (1) LST was similar in spring and autumn, but significantly lower in winter. The distribution of high-temperature areas in the four seasons has its own characteristics, but the low-temperature areas are mainly distributed in the water bodies and parks in the north and south of the middle of the study area, which are less affected by the seasons. (2) Mean architecture height (MAH) is a seasonal stable factor with a cooling effect. The relationship between patch density (PD), landscape shape index (LSI), Shannon's diversity index (SHDI), contagion index (CONTAG), people density (POD), floor area ratio (FAR) and LST varies with seasons. The correlation between building density (BD) and LST is complex. (3) The degree of influence of the USF indicators on seasonal LST could be ranked in the following order: building morphology > landscape pattern > social development. (4) The appropriate size to study the relationship between USF and seasonal LST is 60 m. The highest contribution of USF to LST is building morphology, three indicators affect 43%–55% of LST. The findings of this study provide useful information for urban land-use planning and building layout, to mitigate the UHI effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transport-related social exclusion is a complex issue. It can be studied from a variety of angles, be influenced by a number of factors, and affect diverse population groups. This study investigates transport-related social exclusion from a multi-dimensional view. Transport inequity was measured based on different development stages of a region using the Lorenz Curve and Gini index, and compared socio-economic characteristics, such as housing affordability, employment self-sufficiency, urban sprawl, and transport-mode share at different degrees of spatial aggregation. Two hierarchical spatial aggregation levels are used: (1) Sydney – Perth; (2) Inner – Middle – Outer sectors. Spatial gaps of transport-related social exclusion are identified for both cities and a number of policy implications are considered to provide suggestions to improve transport-related social inclusion in both cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A train station catchment area delineates the spatial territory from which the users of a train station are drawn. The size and shape of this catchment can be influenced by a variety of factors, such as the transport network, the location of stations and the service quality they offer, as well as the land use density and diversity in the transport corridor. Although numerous studies have been conducted to understand the size of catchment areas, limited research has focused on determining the spatial boundary (shape) of train station catchments. This paper develops a framework for deriving a spatial boundary of a Park and Ride (PnR) catchment area by incorporating the Huff model and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technologies. The approach is staged, firstly determining the PnR station choice as a function of the attractiveness of a train station and the cost of access between the origin (such as a suburb) and the destination of a trip (such as the Perth CBD). Linear referencing method is then applied to re-define the origins to train stations based on the derived station choice probability. Finally, the spatial boundary of a catchment area is determined according to the adjusted origins, using GIS technologies. The model outputs were evaluated against licence plate survey of station users, where the Kappa coefficient (0.74) and overall accuracy (0.88) statistic suggested that the model's results are robust. The paper then shows how catchment area data can be used to better manage travel demand and plan design solutions aimed at increased accessibility to train stations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a conceptual framework for determining individual differences of accessibility to tourist attractions. The framework includes three components: factors affecting accessibility to tourist attractions; the individual characteristics of tourists, such as age, gender; and other explanatory variables that assist in explaining why accessibility to tourist attractions varies. This research indicates that measures of accessibility should include not only commonly used factors such as socio-demographic variables and distance, but also the facilities available at various attractions, management and operational aspects relating to the attraction (what we term “functions”), and the infrastructure used to move between specific attractions (what we term “connectivity of networks”). A case study of the Ningaloo Coast region was conducted to identify individual difference in evaluation of accessibility to tourist attractions. We show that the evaluation of accessibility varies among tourist groups due to their spatial abilities, individual values and needs, and preparatory set. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the equity distribution of public transport for three separate disadvantaged cohorts including elderly residents, low-income households and no-car households for Perth, Western Australia. It also undertakes a city-wide equity analysis of Perth and compares this with a published analysis for Melbourne. Overall the public transport distribution of the three socially disadvantaged groups was identified to be less equitable when compared to the population as a whole. The elderly had the most inequitable distribution of population relative to other cohorts. Perth’s population exhibits a 0.52 Gini coefficient suggesting a relatively unequal spatial distribution of services to the population. However, this is much better than Melbourne (at 0.68). Results imply that 70% of Perth’s population have only 33% of services supplied, whilst in Melbourne this figure was 19%. Policy implications and areas for future research in this field were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More and more commuters are beginning to favour public transportation. Fast and convenient park and ride (PnR) services provided by public transportation authorities are the result of changes of household demographics and household, increasing fuel prices and a focus on environmental sustainability. However, lack of parking spaces in PnR facilities creates a major bottleneck to this service. The aim of this research is to develop a location-based service (LBS) application to help PnR users choose the best train station to use to reach their destination using a multicriteria decision making model. A fuzzy logic method is used to estimate parking availability when a user is estimated to arrive at a PnR facility. Two surveys are conducted to collect traffic flow, travel behaviour and service quality data at four selected Perth Western Australia train stations. With the proposed approach and survey data, a prototype of LBS application, Station Finder, was developed using the Android SDK 4.0 and Google API 16. This application is a useful and practical tool to save travel cost and time of PnR users’. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the accelerated rate of urbanization, reasonable identification of urban functional zones has been increasingly important to urban development. In this study, we used OpenStreetMap and point of interest data combined with the classification standard of urban construction land, to identify the urban functional zones. In addition, Landsat 8 remote sensing images were utilized to retrieve land surface temperature, and the random forest algorithm was used to evaluate the contribution of different types of urban functional zones to the urban thermal environment. The results showed that the land surface temperature along Hunhe River in the central area of Shenyang gradually decreased. The temperature was high in the center of the experimental area and low in the north and south. Furthermore, in the main city zone of Shenyang, single functional zones accounted for 65.71% of the total study area, whereas mixed functional zones accounted for 34.29%. Among the various types of urban land, public service facility land contributed the most to the urban thermal environment with an impact of 21.65%, followed by residential, industrial, and commercial service facility lands, with impacts of 19.89%, 18.44%, and 17.58%, respectively. Additionally, the impact of road traffic land was 14.92%, whereas that of green square land was the lowest at 7.51%, 14.14% lower than that of public service facility land. [Display omitted] • Analyzes the spatial distribution heterogeneity of the surface thermal environment in the main area of Shenyang. • Analyzes the spatial structure of the main area of Shenyang based on functional zoning. • Analyzes the spatial interaction between various urban spatial activities and the surface thermal environment. • Calculates the contribution of different types of urban functions to the urban thermal environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents two new methods for significant wave height interpolation, and compares the results from them with the cubic spline method for different durations of wave record gaps. Information about wave height is important for planning and design applications in both coastal and offshore engineering. However many gaps exist in the records and they are not necessarily small. Although a number of previous studies have attempted to fill the gaps in wave height records, most of the interpreted results are not satisfactory. In this paper, the wavelet refined cubic spline method and fractal method are applied to improve interpolation accuracy. Results indicate that both methods show advantages over the cubic spline method, on the average, for the whole dataset. However, further analysis reveals that the methods introduced in this paper are not as effective as the cubic spline method for all gap sizes. The methods are implemented and compared at two study areas having quite different patterns of wave height. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Approximately one-fifth of Perth’s population is aged 60 or older. Projections suggest that this proportion will continue to increase as a result of the large number of children born after the World War II (1946–1964). Access to and accessibility around train stations for the aging population is and will become a more important issue as the elderly population continues to grow. The aim of the paper is to develop and apply a new measure of accessibility to train stations at a fine spatial scale, justified by the special circumstance of the elderly using a case study in Perth, Western Australia. Intercept surveys are used to collect data on factors affecting train station accessibility for patrons aged 60 years or older, at seven highly dispersed train stations. Overall accessibility is measured separately using a composite index based on three travel modes (walk-and-ride, park-and-ride and bus-and-ride). The results illustrate that key variables, such as distance from an origin to a station, walking or driving route directness, land-use diversity, service and facility quality, bus connection to train stations, all affect the accessibility to train stations for the elderly. This implies that improvements to these factors will improve accessibility for this population group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The high water mark (HWM) is commonly used as a boundary for coastal management and planning. Due to the dynamic nature of the coastal environment, the determination of HWM can be difficult and may vary based on the indicators unique to the location. Using remote-sensing image analysis techniques, this study evaluates the spatial and temporal variation of HWM based on several indicators. These include vegetation lines, frontal dune toe, mean high water spring (MHWS)/mean higher high water (MHHW), and high water lines (HWL). Other linear boundaries defined by agencies for various applications are also used as indicators. For improved coastal property management, this study also uses an enhanced Spatial Continuity of the Swash Probability (SCSP) model as a HWM indicator by excluding the runup parameter regarding the Spatial Continuity of Tide Probability (SCTP). In order to better account for sudden shape changes, the extended instead of the simple Hausdorff distance has been used to measure the seasonal variation of HWM position. Monte Carlo simulation of DEM data and Fractal Dimension (FD) techniques were used to examine spatial uncertainties due to both the precision of input data and the processing techniques used. Two case study areas in Western Australia with varying coastal conditions have been selected to evaluate the approach. These are Coogee Beach in South Fremantle and Cooke Point in Port Hedland. Results for both study areas indicate that spatial variations of HWM due to seasonal changes are about one order of magnitude larger than variations due to uncertainties in the input data. This behaviour, while present at both study areas, is more significant at Coogee Beach having a sandy beach with high wave energy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Understanding the underlying structure of single vehicle crashes (SVCs) is essential for improving safety on the roads. Past research has found that SVCs tend to cluster both spatially and temporally. However, limited research has been conducted to investigate the interaction between the location of SVCs and the time they occur, especially at different levels of scales or spatial extents. This paper applied spatial, temporal and spatio-temporal techniques to investigate patterns of SVCs in Western Australia between 1999 and 2008, at different levels of scale. Spider graphs were adapted to identify temporal patterns of vehicle crashes at two different levels of scales: daily and weekly with respect to their causes. The spatial structures of vehicle crashes were analysed using Kernel Density Estimation analysis at three different scales: West Australia, Metropolitan area, and Perth Local Government Area (LGA). These are illustrated using spatial zooming theory. Comap was then used to demonstrate the spatio-temporal interaction effect on vehicle crashes. The results show significant differences in spatio-temporal patterns of SVCs for various crash causes. The techniques used here have the potential to help decision makers in developing effective road safety strategies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Tourist movement is a complex process. It can be modelled from a number of different perspectives; for example, Tourism, Geography, Economics, Mathematics, Computer Sciences and Psychology. This paper aims to establish a sound methodology, using Semi-Markov processes to model the spatial and temporal movement of tourists. The objective is to understand, predict, control for, and optimise the decisions made by tourists in their choice of attractions. Semi-Markov processes have a Markov chain and a renewal process embedded within their structure, and as such, can be used to provide a wide variety of practical models. One of the outcomes of this approach is the introduction of a measure to assess the attractiveness of particular tourist attractions based on spatial and temporal interactions between the attractions. A case study conducted at Phillip Island Nature Park, Victoria, Australia is used to validate the model. The study’s results support the proposed model’s efficiency. The results are also practical and useful for assisting park managers and tourist operators with park planning and marketing decisions: for example, knowing which attractions are the most popular, how long tourists will spend at any one site; and what the likely routes are that they will follow. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper presents an innovative method for tourist market segmentation-based on dominant movement patterns of tourists; that is, the travel sequences or patterns used by tourists most frequently. There were three steps to achieve this goal. In the first step, general log-linear models were adopted to identify the dominant movement patterns, while the second step was to discover the characteristics of the groups of tourists who travelled with these patterns. The Expectation–Maximisation algorithm was then used to partition tourist segments in terms of socio-demographic and travel behavioural variables. The third step was to select target markets based upon the earlier analysis. These methods were applied to a sample of tourists, over the period of a week, on Phillip Island, Victoria, Australia. A significant outcome of this research is that it will assist tourism organisations to identify tourism market segments and develop better tour packages and more efficient marketing strategies aligned to the characteristics of the tourists. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Wayfinding is an important aspect that should be considered by tourist park managers when allocating resources and facilities to aid tourists navigating their way through a park. This paper discusses wayfinding as a cognitive psychological process. It presents four models of the wayfinding process based on visitor levels of familiarity with the physical environment, whether the expected itinerary was pre-planned or unplanned and the spatial and temporal scales encountered in the tourist visit. The relationship between wayfinding decision-making and the roles of landmarks and cognitive map generation for each type of wayfinding process are analysed and summarised. A case study is conducted to test these four models. Wayfinding where travellers are unfamiliar with the environment but wayfinding aids are offered to travellers for a small area is the most popular type encountered in the case study. This paper highlights the need for tourist managers to understand that tourists use different methods of wayfinding and that management should provide complementary materials to assist in wayfinding. The next stage in this research will be to focus on the relationship between individual differences and wayfinding. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Land surface temperature (LST) related factors in Shenyang were studied. • LST gradually decreases from central urban area to the surrounding areas. • Significant temperature differences occur between local climate zones (LCZs). • 3-D urban space significantly impacts LCZs horizontally and vertically. • LST is always positively correlated with the floor area ratio. The local climate zone (LCZ) and land surface temperature (LST) have gained considerable attention as urbanization continues to increase. However, the study of LSTs lacks a regional complexity perspective. In order to explore the law of urban thermal environment, impact factors of LSTs are identified using GIS spatial analysis and statistical analysis methods in conjunction with parameter models that reflect urban spatial morphologies on the LCZ scale. The research results show that the LST ranges from 24.90 °C (LCZA) to 33.26 °C (LCZ2) in the summer of 2017 and from 2.53 °C (LCZ7) to 2.89 °C (LCZ3) in winter; LST ranged from 22.00 °C (LCZ2) to 28.19 °C (LCZE) in summer 2019, and from -4.79 °C (LCZ10) to -2.12 °C (LCZ3) in winter. Different LCZs had different impacts on LSTs. LST is always positively correlated with the floor area ratio, with a maximum correlation coefficient of 0.682 in LCZ2. It exhibits the highest positive correlation (correlation coefficient = 0.421) with average building height in LCZ3 and the highest negative correlation (correlation coefficient = -0.706) in LCZ7; vegetation and water bodies have a cooling effect. These results can serve as a valuable reference for building cool communities and improving the living environment of residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Urban-rural phenological variations may be distinct for coastal cities. • Changes in vegetation phenology over time and space for the sub-province of Dalian, China. • There was a strong relationship between vegetation phenology and land surface temperature. • Other coastal regions should be assessed to better determine localized patterns. Most studies on vegetation phenology along the urban–rural gradient (URG) have focused on inland cities, with a comparative lack of research on coastal cities despite their different climatic background. We used the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), land surface temperature (LST), and land cover data to determine spatiotemporal patterns in vegetation phenology with respect to LST along the URG in China's coastal ​​Dalian sub-province, with a focus on the main city of Dalian and three sub-cities (Pulandian, Wafangdian, and Zhuanghe). Our results were well-correlated with MODIS Land Cover Dynamics Product (MCD12Q2) reference data and matched patterns found in previous studies, indicating that the amplitude method of TIMESAT for obtaining vegetation phenology is practical. Start of growing season (SOS) and end of growing season (EOS) of urban areas were earlier and later than rural areas, respectively. The four urban areas had dissimilar vegetation types and urbanization levels leading to different changes in SOS and EOS along the URG; the average △SOS (the difference in SOS along the URG) and △EOS (the difference in EOS along the URG) of the main and sub-cities were 7.4 and 5.0 d, respectively. Changes in LST along the URG exhibited a non-linear relationship, with the maximum usually appearing 6–8 km from the urban areas. There was a strong linear relationship between vegetation phenology and LST along the URG. The winter–spring and yearly LSTs were negatively correlated with SOS, with both having roughly similar effects. The fall and yearly LSTs had significantly positive correlations with EOS, with the latter having a stronger effect. This study will be helpful for understanding climatic changes arising from urbanization in coastal areas and improving the management and productivity of the ecological environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Multi-type local climate in megacities. • Building height and density contribute to land surface temperature. • The urban frontal area density is positively correlated with the land surface temperature. • Attention should be paid to the influence of urban ventilation on urban environment in urban planning. Performance-based planning (PBP) is designed to determine city planning standards based on local activity characteristics; however, there have been few practical applications of this method. This study applied PBP to assess the impact of urban building morphology on local climate surface temperatures under different wind conditions during 2017 in Shanghai, China using multi-source data, such as frontal area density (FAD), local climatic zone classification, land surface temperature (LST) data, and geographic information. The results showed that urban architectural patterns were one of the important drivers of climate change. High-density high-rise buildings can increase surface temperatures, which were evidenced in Local Climate Zone 4 (LCZ4), LCZ7, and LCZ8 in the city center. A correlation between building FAD and local climate surface temperature was 0.44 during the winter. Also, we found that although seasonal differences affected by wind direction were small, the same wind had different effects on the surface of urban buildings in different climate zones. These findings provide a reference for urban architecture planning and can help to develop urban heat island adaptation strategies based on local conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Estimating travel mode and airline choice using air and non-air passengers' stated preference data. • Accommodating passengers' preference heterogeneity using latent class models. • Investigating the differences in travel mode choice, socio-demographics and trip characteristics among passenger segments. • Examining willingness to pay (WTP) of the travellers. This paper investigates travel mode and airline choice using stated-preference data. Both air and non-air passengers' data were collected in Western Australia, which allows easier generalisability of the findings to a wider population. A market segmentation approach, using latent class modelling, was applied to identify passenger segments. The results shown a significant difference between identified segments in terms of demographics, economics and trip characteristics. One segment, comprising travellers with higher income and more frequent business travellers, was sensitive to service-factors. The other, comprising personal travellers with lower incomes, placed higher sensitivity on price. The findings highlight the importance of understanding mode choice behaviour based on market segmentation and provides insights to policy-makers and airlines for developing more effective polices and strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is an on-going interest in measuring land use accessibility in urban areas. The transport geography and land use planning literature often tend to focus on job accessibility, and by a specific (usually motorised) travel mode, with little effort being made towards understanding the accessibility of other key destinations and their spatial equity within the urban structure. Furthermore, a lot of these studies use complex measures that are difficult to interpret and incorporate into planning and transport policies. This study employs a simple but powerful, policy friendly 'accessible-opportunities' approach to examine the relative accessibility and spatial equity of five key urban land uses in Perth, Australia. Comparisons are drawn between the accessibility of different land uses, as well as between access by private car and public transport, the two major travel modes in the Perth metropolitan region. The results show that jobs have the highest accessibility compared to other destination types, but poor spatial equity as outer suburbs are very poorly served (low/no job accessibility). Primary & secondary education and shopping are the most spatially equitable destinations. The results also highlight the poor accessibility provided by public transport and its inability to compete with the private car regardless of the trip purpose. Generally, the outer suburbs are under-served as services are concentrated in inner city areas. Given that more new developments have occurred in fringe areas than inner areas in recent years, increasingly more people are being disadvantaged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, a green space classification system for urban fringes was established based on multisource land use data from Ganjingzi District, China (2000–2015). The purpose of this study was to explore the spatiotemporal variation of green space landscapes and ecosystem service values (ESV). During 2006–2015, as urbanization advanced rapidly, the green space area decreased significantly (359.57 to 213.46 km 2 ), the ESV decreased from 397.42 to 124.93 million yuan, and the dynamic degrees of ESV variation were always <0. The green space large plaque index and class area both declined and the number of plaques and plaque density increased, indicating green space landscape fragmentation. The dynamic degrees of ESV variation in western and northern regions (with relatively intensive green space distributions) were higher than in the east. The ESV for closed forestland and sparse woodland had the highest functional values of ecological regulation and support, whereas dry land and irrigated cropland provided the highest functional values of production supply. The findings of this study are expected to provide support for better construction practices in Dalian and for the improvement of the ecological environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the debate around monocentric versus polycentric urban structures persists, a growing number of traditionally monocentric cities are pursuing a transformation agenda towards the polycentric structure. The decisions of locating and prioritising the additional centres is often based on an accessibility score, leaving out other essential factors such as the spatial variations of labour density and agglomeration externalities. This paper conducts an empirical investigation on the suitability of accessibility measures in identifying, evaluating and prioritising metropolitan activity centres (ACs), and proposes an effective density-based measure for the purpose. The proposed effective job/labour density measure integrates both a proximity dimension and a scale/size dimension, and is therefore more comprehensive than the accessibility measure. The two measures (accessibility and effective density) are applied to a case study of strategic-level ACs in the metropolitan region of Perth, Western Australia, and ACs are ranked based on their separate accessibility and effective density scores. Generally, the ACs performed poorly under both measures, with many non-AC zones having much better accessibility and effective job/labour density scores (than those designated as ACs). Nevertheless, the results show that the two measures produce markedly different ranking/prioritisation outcomes, suggesting that studies or policies that merely rely on the accessibility measure to make AC prioritisation (or exclusion) decisions could be misleading. By virtue of being more comprehensive with an integration of proximity and scale dimensions, and the ability to estimate economic agglomeration, the proposed effective density measure is, argued to be better suited and more reliable than a mere accessibility score. • Accessibility indicators are compared with an effective density-based score for the purpose of evaluating activity centres. • Evaluation and prioritisation of development of activity centres based on an accessibility score could be misleading. • A modified effective density-based measure is proposed, tested against accessibility models. • The proposed measure proves to be better and more suited for evaluation and prioritisation of activity centres. • There are many zones with better potential be activity centres than the currently designated activity centre zones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study proposes a model-based market segmentation approach to identify and investigate existing and potential aviation markets. This is based on a stated preference survey administered in Western Australia, and including both choice data and a range of socio-demographics and information about trip purpose. This stated preference survey balanced behavioural plausibility and statistical efficiency, through an extension of the widely-used Modified Federov Algorithm. Respondents recruited at airports and elsewhere were interviewed, which improves much of the existing literature base which has focused on recruitment through airports. Three distinct segments were identified in both airport and non-airport respondent samples. For the airport respondent sample, one segment was relatively less likely to choose flying over other modalities, and consisted of older males with middle level incomes. Conversely, in the non-airport respondent sample, two of the three segments were less likely to choose aviation, and typically were comprised of relatively younger, lower income and non-business purpose travellers. These findings, showing heterogeneous groups in both populations provides a nuanced view of the broader air travel market than has been developed to date, and allows key players in the aviation sector (including airlines and government) to better predict the consequences of the various policy levers at their disposal. • A mixture model-based market segmentation approach is developed to identify existing and potential aviation markets. • An extension of the Modified Federov Algorithm is proposed to generate a realistic and d-efficient stated preference survey. • Potential aviation market segments are discovered in both airport and non-airport respondent samples. • Characteristics of existing and potential aviation market segments are investigated and compared. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite increasing attention to rising land surface temperatures (LSTs) and other climate changes caused by urbanization, few studies have considered the characteristics of LST or thermal comfort of human settlements from a regional perspective. Therefore, to explore the regional characteristics of LST and thermal comfort in Zhengzhou, China, we calculated the predicted mean vote (PMV) based on local climate zones (LCZs) using ENVI-met and studied correlations between LSTs and vegetation-type LCZs. The total land area under human settlements in Zhengzhou is 316.26 km2, 52.72% of which is accounted by LCZs of buildings. The LSTs of built-up areas in this region were significantly higher than those of natural surfaces, with the highest and lowest LSTs of 37.98 °C (in LCZ3; compact low-rise buildings) and 32.46 °C (in LCZG; water areas), respectively. Under the same conditions, the PMV value was considered near "moderate" in areas with sparsely distributed buildings. LCZ7 (sparse high-rise buildings) always exhibited the lowest PMV, with an average value of −0.16 at 18:00 h. In addition, the correlations between LST and normalized difference vegetation index varied for LCZs with different types of vegetation, with the highest correlation coefficient (−0.80) observed in LCZA and the lowest correlation coefficient (−0.62) observed in LCZB. These results provide a reference for designing an optimal layout of urban facilities to regulate the thermal environment of human settlements and promoting urban sustainable development. [Display omitted] • Thermal comfort index of local climate zones in Zhengzhou, China, was analyzed. • Regional land surface temperature (LST) characteristics were explored. • LST o f built-up areas was significantly higher than that of natural surface. • LCZ7 (sparse high-rise buildings) always exhibits the lowest predicted mean vote (PMV) value. • LCZ of different vegetation types had different effects on LST. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As accessibility becomes an increasingly relevant concept in the analysis of sustainable transport and urban development, the accuracy of accessibility measures becomes increasingly vital. While more complex measures are gradually gaining popularity with increasing data and computational resources, policy makers and planners are still prone to opt for less complex methods that are easy to use and interpret. The cumulative opportunities measure is the most widely applied accessibility measure in planning practice, but it is also among the least accurate due to its lack of consideration of the impact of competition for those opportunities. This study seeks to highlight the impact of addressing competition for different urban services in the cumulative opportunities measure. A competition component is added to the measure, which is applied to a case study of three types of urban services in the Perth metropolitan area; jobs, primary/secondary education and shopping. The results show that considering competition changes the spatial patterns of accessibility and its equity. Since this approach reveals demand-supply imbalances, it can more accurately determine spatial inequalities in accessibility, and hence increases the utility of the cumulative opportunities measure. We also find that the three services had varying levels and spatial patterns of accessibility and spatial equity, thus relying on any single one of them for assessing spatial structural performance can be misleading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]