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Pocket parks are considered valuable tools for supporting green space provision in high-density environments. As the factors affecting pocket parks vary in fine-grained granularity, analyzing them efficiently on a large scale using traditional methods is challenging. Therefore, considering Nanjing as the study site, a potential identification framework was established, which includes categories of space, vitality, facility, and pleasurability for pocket park installation (PPI) based on visual information from street view images (SVIs). Then, the TrueSkill algorithm was employed to construct four parallel-task training sets according to the four categories and a convolutional neural network (CNN) and active learning (AL) approaches were applied to establish four parallel-task models of deep learning (DL). A two-phase grading score method was designed to integrate the identification results of the four DL models into a comprehensive potential score to determine priority sites for PPI. Lastly, the attributes of the potential sites and corresponding planning strategies in different scenarios were analyzed. The results showed that this modelling approach can integrally assess multiple factors on PPI within an enormous scope, overcoming traditional methods’ spatial and dimensional constraint in high-density environments. Our method and results can inform future pocket park planning and design in Nanjing and similar cities worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study contributes to design studies by offering a novel approach to understanding the spatial layout of Jiangnan gardens through the lens of fractal geometry. Analyzing 106 gardens, we found that the ideal fractal dimension range for Jiangnan gardens is 1.148 ~ 1.276, with gardens in the 2500 ~ 7200 m2 range exhibiting the highest complexity (1.238 ~ 1.276). Additionally, for gardens ranging from 2500 ~ 20,000 m2, the maximum spacious space area stabilizes, no longer expanding indefinitely with overall area. This suggests a design principle of spatial proportion and balance. By quantifying spatial complexity and the contrast between spacious and profund spaces, the study provides a new method for evaluating garden design and can help students and designers better apply the principles of Jiangnan garden design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism demand projection is paramount for both corporate operations and destination management, facilitating tourists in crafting bespoke, multifaceted itineraries and enriching their vacation experiences. This study proposes a multi-layer self attention mechanism recommendation algorithm based on dynamic spatial perception, with the aim of refining the analysis of tourists' emotional inclinations and providing precise estimates of tourism demand. Initially, the model is constructed upon a foundation of multi-layer attention modules, enabling the semantic discovery of proximate entities to the focal scenic locale and employing attention layers to consolidate akin positions, epitomizing them through contiguous vectors. Subsequently, leveraging tourist preferences, the model forecasts the likelihood of analogous attractions as a cornerstone for the recommendation system. Furthermore, an attention mechanism is employed to refine the spatial layout, utilizing the forecasted passenger flow grid to infer tourism demand across multiple scenic locales in forthcoming periods. Ultimately, through scrutiny of data pertaining to renowned tourist destinations in Beijing, the model exhibits an average MAPE of 8.11%, markedly surpassing benchmarks set by alternative deep learning models, thereby underscoring its precision and efficacy. The spatial layout optimization methodology predicated on a multi-layer attention mechanism propounded herein confers substantive benefits to tourism demand prognostication and recommendation systems, promising to elevate the operational standards and customer contentment within the tourism sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Urban Mass Transit is the property of Urban Mass Transit Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Due to their independent structure, piping, and access, townhouses offer great flexibility in floor plan changes and high spatial autonomy, making them the mainstream housing type in Taiwan. This study focuses on row houses and examines 2022 completion cases in Kaohsiung City. It collects floor plans from 14 newly constructed buildings, totaling 227 units, and analyzes spatial dimensions including the facade width, depth, habitable room, staircases, bathrooms, and total floor area for each case. The objective of this study is to examine the spatial layout of row houses in Kaohsiung City, with the aim of providing a reference for the future planning and design of such structures. The study results showed that 81.8% of the row houses analyzed have a total floor area per unit ranging from 136 to 192 m2, a facade width between 4.1 and 6.38 m, and a building depth from 7.67 to 12.68 m. In addition, they showed a low negative correlation between the facade width and total floor area, a high positive correlation between the building depth and total floor area, and a moderate negative correlation between the facade width and building depth. The spatial distribution within these houses includes 78% allocated to habitable room, 13.1% to staircases, and 8.7% to bathrooms. The total area of habitable rooms and bathrooms increases with the total floor area of the building. However, the total area of staircases remains almost constant as the area of habitable rooms increases. Furthermore, the most common location for staircase planning is the rear-right (RB) position, while the least common is the rear-left (LB) position. Among various staircase types, the C-shaped staircase has the largest average area per floor and the highest average proportion. Conversely, the I-shaped staircase has the smallest average area and the lowest average proportion. The U-shaped staircase is the most frequently planned, whereas the C-shaped staircase is the least frequently used. This means that planning of staircase location and type significantly affects the size and layout of habitable rooms and bathrooms in townhouses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The multi-modal two-step floating catchment area (MM-2SFCA) method is an extension of the two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method that incorporates the impact of different transportation modes, thereby facilitating more accurate calculations of the spatial accessibility of public facilities in urban areas. However, the MM-2SFCA method does not account for the impact of distance within the search radius on supply–demand capacities, and it assumes an idealized supply–demand relationship. This paper introduces the gravity model into the MM-2SFCA method, proposing a multi-modal gravity-based 2SFCA (MM-G2SFCA) method to better account for distance decay and supply–demand relationships. Furthermore, a standardized gravity model is proposed based on the traditional gravity model. This model imposes constraints on upper and lower limits for distance decay weights without compromising the fundamental curve characteristics of the gravity model, thereby avoiding extreme weight scenarios. The accessibility of public hospitals in Shenzhen is evaluated through the integration of basic geographic information data, resident travel data, and official statistical data. The findings demonstrate that the standardized gravity model effectively addresses the issue of excessively high local distance weights in the traditional gravity model, making it more suitable as a distance decay function. The MM-G2SFCA method improves the consideration of distance and supply–demand relationships, thereby facilitating a more rational distribution of accessibility on a global scale. This study discovers differences in the spatial allocation of public hospital resources across the Shenzhen's districts. Accessibility within the metropolitan core is significantly higher than that outside the core. Additionally, there is a notable difference in the level of accessibility among the districts. Accessibility is found to be better in district centers and along the main traffic arteries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, the "land-restructuring" policy provides balanced land for urban settlements that is strictly limited in expansion. Therefore, reassessing and adjusting the layout of rural settlements is of great practical significance for promoting rural revitalization. In this paper, taking Xian'an district in Hubei Province as an example, we use the weighted rank-sum ratio comprehensive evaluation method and spatial association analysis method to analyze the development level and spatial pattern of settlements. The results show that: (1) The development level of settlements in Xian'an shows obvious spatial differences, with a spatial pattern of 'high in the core–low in the periphery' and 'high in the northwest–low in the southeast', which is the result of the combined effect of natural geographical conditions and socioeconomic conditions; (2) The comprehensive development level of settlements, evaluated based on four major indicators—population size, resource endowment, spatial characteristics, and material construction—reveals the presence of cluster effects, distance decay effects, administrative hierarchy effects, and "long board" effects; (3) Within village communities, settlements with significantly high levels and settlements with significantly low levels have a similar geographic distribution and mosaic spatial patterns. Lastly, based on the overall development level and spatial association patterns of settlements, this article presents possible options for governmental settlement governance from the standpoint of rural building management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The differentiated physical environment requirements within the internal space of ice rinks in cold regions result in a complex heat exchange process, which becomes the primary cause of high energy consumption. Therefore, analyzing the impact mechanisms of spatial layout parameters on the energy consumption of ice rinks is crucial during the early design stages. This study employed the Delphi method to identify the key parameters affecting the total energy consumption of ice rinks. It conducted single-factor experiments using building performance simulations to quantify the relationship between each layout parameter and the energy consumption. Based on the single-factor experiment results, orthogonal experiments were conducted to develop an energy-efficient spatial layout combination. The study indicates that the height-to-width ratio and the mixed area width are the most significant parameters. By adjusting the values of these parameters, the total energy consumption can be reduced by approximately 18% to 31%. The spatial layout strategy for ice rinks in cold regions proposed in this study will help architects make more effective decisions during the early design stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective In recent years, China actively promotes the development of air-rail intermodal transportation. However, as a complex system with aviation and high-speed rail two major external transportation modes meeting, the construction and management of air-rail integrated comprehensive transport hub are extremely challenging. In view of the fact that China is still in the initial stage of exploration in this field, it is particularly important to conduct in-depth research on the planning and construction strategy of air-rail intermodal integrated comprehensive transportation hub. Method Taking Shenzhen Airport East Hub as a specific case, focusing on the common problems prevailing in the planning stage, such as the spatial layout optimization of hub facilities and the improvement of traffic organization efficiency, corresponding planning strategies and implementation schemes are proposed. Result & Conclusion The planning of air-rail intermodal integrated comprehensive transportation hub should take the port-city integration, seamless air-rail connection, and convenient-efficient transportation as the core objectives. Specifically, the integrated development of hub and urban space shall be coordinated through the concept of port-city integration; Guided by the integration of air-rail intermodal transportation, the overall spatial layout of the hub shall be scientifically planned; At the same time, relying on the transportation integration strategy, the transportation system within the hub shall be efficiently organized to ensure smooth conversion and efficient operation of various transportation modes.

Abstract This study contributes to design studies by offering a novel approach to understanding the spatial layout of Jiangnan gardens through the lens of fractal geometry. Analyzing 106 gardens, we found that the ideal fractal dimension range for Jiangnan gardens is 1.148 ~ 1.276, with gardens in the 2500 ~ 7200 m2 range exhibiting the highest complexity (1.238 ~ 1.276). Additionally, for gardens ranging from 2500 ~ 20,000 m2, the maximum spacious space area stabilizes, no longer expanding indefinitely with overall area. This suggests a design principle of spatial proportion and balance. By quantifying spatial complexity and the contrast between spacious and profund spaces, the study provides a new method for evaluating garden design and can help students and designers better apply the principles of Jiangnan garden design.

Abstract Background In China, retail pharmacies are critical sources for obtaining medications and play a vital role in residents’ daily access to drugs and treatment of common illnesses. Effectively guiding the placement of these pharmacies in areas of need through government regulation is crucial for enhancing medication access. In this study, we used population and retail pharmacy spatial distribution data from Shanghai to design guidance and supplementary methods for optimizing the spatial layout of retail pharmacies and medical insurance designated pharmacies based on regional characteristics. Methods Population distribution, road traffic network, administrative division and retail pharmacy data from Shanghai in 2018 were collected from relevant government departments. ArcGIS 10.3 was used to map the retail pharmacies and population distribution. Based on the spatial distribution of population and the service standards of pharmacies, service circles with insufficient pharmacies were identified, and supplementary methods for retail pharmacies and medical insurance designated pharmacies were developed. Results In 2018, Shanghai had 3009 retail pharmacies, each serving an average of 6412 residents. The city was divided into 2188 basic pharmaceutical service circles, each within a 15-minute walking distance. The results indicated that there were 1387 service circles without any pharmacies, 151 of which had populations exceeding 5000. Additionally, 356 service circles had pharmacies but lacked medical insurance designated ones. After supplementation, 841 retail pharmacies were planned to be added in residential areas. Compared with before, the coverage area and population served of the pharmacies increased significantly. Conclusions This study mapped the spatial distribution of population and retail pharmacies in Shanghai, and designed government guidance and supplementary methods for optimizing the layout of retail pharmacies. The findings offer valuable insights for government agencies in low- and middle-income countries to improve the spatial distribution of retail pharmacies.

Background: In China, retail pharmacies are critical sources for obtaining medications and play a vital role in residents' daily access to drugs and treatment of common illnesses. Effectively guiding the placement of these pharmacies in areas of need through government regulation is crucial for enhancing medication access. In this study, we used population and retail pharmacy spatial distribution data from Shanghai to design guidance and supplementary methods for optimizing the spatial layout of retail pharmacies and medical insurance designated pharmacies based on regional characteristics. Methods: Population distribution, road traffic network, administrative division and retail pharmacy data from Shanghai in 2018 were collected from relevant government departments. ArcGIS 10.3 was used to map the retail pharmacies and population distribution. Based on the spatial distribution of population and the service standards of pharmacies, service circles with insufficient pharmacies were identified, and supplementary methods for retail pharmacies and medical insurance designated pharmacies were developed. Results: In 2018, Shanghai had 3009 retail pharmacies, each serving an average of 6412 residents. The city was divided into 2188 basic pharmaceutical service circles, each within a 15-minute walking distance. The results indicated that there were 1387 service circles without any pharmacies, 151 of which had populations exceeding 5000. Additionally, 356 service circles had pharmacies but lacked medical insurance designated ones. After supplementation, 841 retail pharmacies were planned to be added in residential areas. Compared with before, the coverage area and population served of the pharmacies increased significantly. Conclusions: This study mapped the spatial distribution of population and retail pharmacies in Shanghai, and designed government guidance and supplementary methods for optimizing the layout of retail pharmacies. The findings offer valuable insights for government agencies in low- and middle-income countries to improve the spatial distribution of retail pharmacies. Highlights: 1. Analysis of the spatial distribution of retail pharmacies. 2. Development of supplementary methods for optimizing the distribution of retail pharmacies and medical insurance designated pharmacies based on population density and geographical accessibility. 3. After supplementation, the service areas and the service population of retail pharmacies and medical insurance designated pharmacies increased compared to before. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reasonably allocating medical resources can effsectively optimize the utilization efficiency of such resources. This paper took Taiyuan City as an example and established a model to evaluate the rationality of medical resource spatial allocation, incorporating two key dimensions: the spatial layout and the supply and demand of medical resources. In terms of the spatial layout, three indexes were included: Firstly, the service coverage rates of different levels of medical institutions, based on residents' medical orientations, were calculated using network analysis methods. Secondly, the Huff-2SFCA method was improved to calculate the accessibility of medical resources for four different modes of transportation. Then, the Health Resource Agglomeration Degree (HRAD) and Population Agglomeration Degree (PAD) were used to quantify the equity of medical resources. In terms of the supply and demand of medical resources, one index was included: the supply–demand ratio of medical resources during sudden public health events, which was calculated using the number of beds per thousand people as an indicator. These four indexes were weighted using the entropy weight method to obtain the rationality grade of medical resource spatial allocation in Taiyuan City. The study found that the rationality evaluation level of medical resource allocation in the central urban area of Taiyuan City followed a "concentrically decreasing" pattern. The rating ranged from "very reasonable" to "less reasonable", with the area of each level expanding gradually. The areas rated within the top two categories only accounted for 19.92% of the study area, while the area rated as "less reasonable" occupied 38.73% of the total area. These results indicate that the model accounted for residents' travel for various medical orientations and the availability of resources during public health emergencies. It considered both the spatial layout and supply and demand of medical resources, offering recommendations for the precise allocation of urban medical resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Graphics is the property of Journal of Graphics Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of South Architecture / Nanfang Jianzhu is the property of South Architecture Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

To enhance the interactivity of spatial design, this study proposes an indoor spatial layout design method based on differential evolution algorithm, which combines backtracking strategy and reverse learning strategy to improve the interactive differential evolution algorithm. The experimental data demonstrated that the proposed method for indoor space layout design achieved an average user satisfaction of 81.7%, which increased by 16.8% compared with traditional interactive genetic algorithms. In addition, the improved human-computer interaction interface scored higher than 0.8 in terms of usability, reliability, customizability, and interactive feedback. This means that the improved interface can better meet user needs and provide a better user experience. This study shows that the indoor space layout design method ground on differential evolution algorithm and the improved human-computer interaction interface can significantly improve user satisfaction and user experience. This has brought more efficient and convenient solutions to the field of spatial design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the transformative potential of contemporary museum architecture, emphasizing the intricate relationship between management requirements and spatial design. Contemporary museum practice must adapt to diverse visitor preferences and secure operational funding beyond public sources by increasing ticket sales through personalized visitor pathways. This necessity has led to a growing trend of reconfiguring permanent collections via temporary exhibitions to enhance performance and revenue. The study aims to demonstrate the strategic utilization of material and technical opportunities within museum structures, underscoring the critical role of spatial organization in optimizing functional arrangements and enriching the visitor experience. Methodologies include integrating museum management needs into architectural design and employing revised spatial configurations to improve accessibility and connectivity. A case study of the City Museum of Belgrade's central building illustrates these methodologies' application, enhancing direct access to galleries and expanding potential walking routes. Detailed analysis reveals that redesigned museum layouts can significantly boost efficiency, performance, and visitor satisfaction, thereby supporting the overall sustainability of cultural institutions. This approach enables traditionally resistant public museums to adapt to modern challenges by developing services and programs that attract diverse audiences and enhance visitor experiences, ultimately contributing to their economic, environmental, social, and cultural sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Australia's major cities the new apartment approvals and number of apartment residents has increased over recent years. However, there remain concerns regarding the poor design quality of apartments and the living experiences of families with children. This paper examines the floor plan of 368 apartments in Sydney, including floor areas and number of bedrooms. Different typologies of spatial layout were determined using space syntax. Separate interviews were undertaken with (1) architects and developers to explore their strategies for apartment development and (2) families with children to examine their needs and whether these are met in recently delivered apartment layouts. Results show that two-bedroom apartments dominate the Sydney market, as do layouts without a hall/corridor. The reason is developers are focussed on meeting the needs of investor-purchasers, as opposed to the desires of families with children. This results in developers preferring one-and-two-bedroom apartments and standardised layouts. In contrast, parents desired a more diverse range of apartment layouts, in terms of privacy, supervision and shared spaces, notably influenced by the age of children. The paper concludes by examining the opportunities for flexible layouts as a mechanism to both meet developers' needs, whilst also addressing the diverse desires of families with children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The quality of urban green space has an impact on the health and well-being of populations. Previous studies have shown that consideration of crowd activity characteristics is the key premise of landscape space design and planning. However, there is limited research on the correlation between features of the spatial layout of Mini Urban Green Spaces (MUGS) and the behavior of people, and it is difficult to take into account the possible distribution of people and their activity characteristics during the design phase of MUGS. This study aims to construct a technical workflow utilizing the AnyLogic platform and agent-based simulation methods for analyzing the characteristics of landscape spatial layouts considering dynamic human behavior. One MUGS, named 511 Park in Nanjing, China, was selected as the case for the application of the method and exploration of the impacts of spatial elements and layout on crowd activity types and density. We investigated the impact of four types of spatial elements—paths, facilities, nodes, and entrances—on human activities in MUGS. The results showed that path layout emerged as the most significant influencing factor. Changes in nodes and the number of facilities have a relatively minor impact on people's activities. There was an apparent impact of changes in path orientation around nodes on the dynamics of the flow of people. This study could provide valuable insights for landscape designers, aiding informed decision-making during the construction, renovation, and management of MUGS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the acknowledged connection between physical environment and human behavior, the literature often underestimates the crucial role of hotel spatial layout and its relation to other factors in shaping customer loyalty. The layout of theme hotels is often simply considered a general environmental consideration, ignoring its far-reaching impact. This research proposes that guests staying at theme hotels will perceive value when utilizing the layout and appreciate all aspects of hotel facilities. This, in turn, influences their value perception and loyalty to the hotel. To analyze the data, confirmatory factor analysis and path analysis were employed on a sample of 298 individuals who stayed in theme hotels. The findings from these analyses reveal that both the hotel layout and the external environment positively influence guests' evaluations of the internal environment (R2 = 0.640). Furthermore, the evaluation of the internal environment and layout significantly impacts guests' perceived values (R2 = 0.517), subsequently shaping their loyalty to the hotel (R2 = 0.370). Perceived value emerges as a vital mediating factor between the layout and customer loyalty. This study presents compelling evidence that spatial layout significantly influences customer loyalty in theme hotels through perceived value, transcending internal and external environmental boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Guangdong historical trail comprises two ancient trails, known as Yile (宜乐) and Xijing (西京); can be found within the borders of Lechang (乐昌); and is an integral part of the northern section of the Guangdong historical trail, connecting Hunan and Guangdong. Along these routes, there are various types of ancestral halls. The objectives of this study include analyzing various levels of information about ancestral hall architecture, determining their respective importance through AHP hierarchical analysis, classifying architectural features via cluster analysis using SPSS, and exploring the geographical distribution trajectories of ancestral halls along the ancient paths using GIS technology. Ultimately, this study seeks to shed light on the influence of different cultures brought by the ancient road on the distribution of architectural types and identify three distinct types of ancestral halls. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Tourism demand projection is paramount for both corporate operations and destination management, facilitating tourists in crafting bespoke, multifaceted itineraries and enriching their vacation experiences. This study proposes a multi-layer self attention mechanism recommendation algorithm based on dynamic spatial perception, with the aim of refining the analysis of tourists’ emotional inclinations and providing precise estimates of tourism demand. Initially, the model is constructed upon a foundation of multi-layer attention modules, enabling the semantic discovery of proximate entities to the focal scenic locale and employing attention layers to consolidate akin positions, epitomizing them through contiguous vectors. Subsequently, leveraging tourist preferences, the model forecasts the likelihood of analogous attractions as a cornerstone for the recommendation system. Furthermore, an attention mechanism is employed to refine the spatial layout, utilizing the forecasted passenger flow grid to infer tourism demand across multiple scenic locales in forthcoming periods. Ultimately, through scrutiny of data pertaining to renowned tourist destinations in Beijing, the model exhibits an average MAPE of 8.11%, markedly surpassing benchmarks set by alternative deep learning models, thereby underscoring its precision and efficacy. The spatial layout optimization methodology predicated on a multi-layer attention mechanism propounded herein confers substantive benefits to tourism demand prognostication and recommendation systems, promising to elevate the operational standards and customer contentment within the tourism sector.

The process of navigating through an environment to reach a desired destination is known as wayfinding. It involves understanding one's current location, determining the desired destination and choosing a path to get there. Wayfinding design plays a significant role in enabling users to navigate an environment with ease and reach their desired destinations in a timely manner. However, poorly designed wayfinding systems can lead to confusion, stress and insecurity, which negatively impacts the user experience. This research paper explores the concept of wayfinding in educational buildings limited to universities, and its potential to enhance the user experience of students, faculty and visitors. Wayfinding can be a challenging task in large and complex buildings such as educational institutions. The study investigates the different factors that can affect wayfinding in educational buildings, including signage, lighting, spatial layout and technology. The paper presents case studies of two university buildings to investigate how a wayfinding system can improve user experience. The findings show that efficient wayfinding can improve the user experience greatly by reducing confusion, boosting efficiency and increasing overall happiness. The paper concludes with guidelines for educational institutions to improve wayfinding in their buildings with the help of signages and enhance user experience.

This study examined the effect of servicescape – ambience, spatial layout, social dimension and information dimension on customer satisfaction in fine-dining restaurants. Guided by a cross sectional research design, we obtained primary data from 280 customers using a structured questionnaire. Descriptive statistics sufficed for data analysis, while regression analysis was instrumental in hypotheses testing. The findings revealed that ambience, spatial layout and information dimension had significant positive effects on customer satisfaction in restaurants, while social dimension had a negative and non-significant effect on customer satisfaction. This study demonstrates the predictive power of restaurant servicescape to influence customers’ experiences. The insights generated provide definitive empirical evidence that confirms that customer satisfaction could be improved through deliberate design of restaurant servicescape. As such, the study provides a strategic blueprint for restaurant operators in servicescape design for maximum customer satisfaction. With these insights, this study contributes to restaurant service marketing in African countries by providing empirically-verifiable evidence that a key strategy to improving customer satisfaction is deliberate and strategic servicescape design. It also contributes to the stimulus-organism-response theory by confirming that its basic premise holds true in the restaurant context, thereby furthering the applicability of the theoretical framework in restaurant-based research.

This paper primarily investigates the influence of spatial layout on the safety risks associated with urban natural gas pipelines. Drawing from the actual spatial configuration around the pipeline and local climatic characteristics, the study delves into the distribution patterns of natural gas leakage diffusion and explosion accident consequences, considering various factors such as leakage apertures, soil porosity, and spatial layouts. By integrating the outcomes of the consequence analysis, the quantitative risk of urban natural gas pipelines, accounting for the impact of spatial layout, was computed and juxtaposed with the results of traditional two-dimensional risk analysis. The findings underscore that spatial layout exerts a substantial impact on risk distribution, with significantly elevated risk values in more congested spatial layouts. Additionally, the introduction of a barrier along the pipeline leakage path resulted in a 91.4% reduction in risk compared to scenarios without obstruction. It is evident that the spatial layout surrounding the pipeline plays a pivotal role in influencing the distribution of pipeline failure risks, establishing the spatial environment as a critical factor in risk analysis. This study offers valuable insights for urban land planning, safety control line establishment, and related considerations.

In order to deal with the special spatio-temporal environmental changes encountered in the process of open-cast mining taking Huolinhe No. 1 Open-cat Mine as the research object, this paper studied its typical problems in river reconstruction and cultural relics protection. The study focused on eight key core aspects, including the design optimization of the spatial layout of the mining area, the accurate estimation of the mineral resources reserves, the scientific theoretical demonstration of the mining scale, the fine analysis and calculation of the stripping ratio, the comprehensive consideration of the transport distance and efficiency, the accurate judgment of the best time for the implementation of the transformation, the analysis and evaluation of the slope stability, and the overall planning of the production system. The results show that the extracted problem-solving strategies and scheme system for special mining conditions can not only provide specific and practical guidance for Huolinhe No. 1 Open-cast Mine but also sere a a valuable reference and practical reference for other open-cast mine enterprises facing similar challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spatial development is ever prominent in the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River in recent years, due mainly to the fragile ecological environment. This article aims to explore the optimization and allocation of land use structure and layout for ecological protection and high-quality development in the Yellow River Basin. The middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River were taken as the research object. The land use, socio-economic, and natural environment datasets were collected from 2010 and 2020. A composite optimization was carried out on the land use structure and layout using multi-objective programming (MOP) and PLUS models. Firstly, a multi-objective model was constructed with three scenarios as objective functions: ecological protection scenario (economic benefit to ecological benefit target ratio of 1:4), economic development priority scenario (economic benefit to ecological benefit target ratio of 4:1), and economic ecological balanced development scenario (economic benefit to ecological benefit target ratio of 1:1). The total land area, cultivated land ownership, and ecological environment protection were used as the constraints, in order to obtain land use structure data under these three scenarios; Secondly, plugin Markov Chain of the PLUS model was utilized to predict the land use structure data for 2030 under the inertial development scenario; Finally, 15 driving factors were selected, including population, vegetation index (NDVI), GDP, distance to railways, distance to highways, distance to main roads, distance to secondary roads, distance to city center, soil type, distance to rivers, annual average temperature, annual average rainfall, DEM, slope, and aspect. High sensitivity areas under national nature reserves and ecological priority scenarios were set as the limiting conversion conditions. The PLUS model was used to spatially position the future land use patterns, and then adjust the trends in the study area under four scenarios. The optimal configuration scheme of regional land use structure and layout was proposed to balance the ecological protection and economic development. The results indicate that: 1) There were significant differences in the proportion structure of land use among the four development scenarios; 2) There was a more reasonable configuration of regional land use structure and spatial layout under the ecological economic equilibrium scenario, compared with the rest scenarios. The overall equilibrium scenario was superior to the rest from the perspectives of land use proportion structure, spatial pattern, and overall benefits. The comprehensive benefit value was 1948.101 billion yuan, and the economic benefit (1 222.388 billion yuan) increased by 4.03%, compared with the ecological protection scenario. The ecological value (7 725.712 billion yuan) also increased by 2.32%, compared with the economic priority scenario; 3) The comprehensive benefit value was 2 027.396 billion yuan under the scenario of prioritizing economic development, indicating the highest among the four. The finding can provide the theoretical basis and decision-making to optimize the land use structure and pattern prediction in the middle and upper reaches of the Yellow River. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social network analysis offers powerful ways to investigate personal relationships, however, to date little work has explored the more routinized, impersonal work processes present in bureaucratic organizations. Asking whether network analysis has insights to offer into routine work, this paper investigates a data set of direct observations of diagnostic care processes in ten outpatient clinics of two different hospitals. Instead of networks of agents, this study constructs so called action networks, tying together sequences of tasks into networks structures. Following the strong social networks tradition of considering contexts, this paper examines the architectural layout of a setting as key variable. Drawing in particular on ecological approaches to the study of networks by focusing on variability, it is hypothesized that the spatial configuration of clinics is associated with performativity, i.e., a more varied set of sequences to emerge within more open-plan layouts. Results indicate that this is the case, showing how different sets of routines emerge in different types of layout depending on their spatial openness. Variability in routinization is also found between doctors, nurses and clerks, highlighting ecological niches. Network density as well as edge-weighted centralization turned out to be useful metrics for performativity. The work presented contributes to the study of bureaucratic organizations, making a case that social network methods can be fruitfully applied to impersonal, routinized and rule-driven relations. • Action networks tie sequences of routine actions into network structures. • Action networks allow studying impersonal relations in bureaucratic organizations. • Physical space of outpatient clinics acts as network context. • Open and highly visible layouts are associated with more variation in routines. • Network density and edge-weighted centralization can capture routine variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of New Architecture is the property of New Architecture Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The overall strategy of the "four major sectors", the regional major strategies and the major functional oriented zoning strategy have strongly supported the regional coordinated development in China. However, it also brings the risk of exacerbating the imbalance and incoordination of regional development due to strategic differences and segmentation. Based on an analysis of the trends in regional coordinated development in China, this study puts forward the layout of China's comprehensive function regions, which divides the mainland of China into 10 regions: the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta region, the middle reaches of Yangtze River basin, the upper reaches of Yangtze River basin, the Southern coastal region, the lower reaches of Yellow River basin, the Ji shaped bay area of the Yellow River basin, the Northeast region, the arid region of Northwest China, and the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, with the functional orientation and recent key tasks of different regions addressed. The layout of comprehensive function regions highlights the full coverage of territorial space, and the guidance of core area and major strategies. Moreover, it is conducive to promoting the convergence and integration of the overall strategy of the "four major sectors", the regional major strategies, and the major functional oriented zoning strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The process of navigating through an environment to reach a desired destination is known as wayfinding. It involves understanding one's current location, determining the desired destination and choosing a path to get there. Wayfinding design plays a significant role in enabling users to navigate an environment with ease and reach their desired destinations in a timely manner. However, poorly designed wayfinding systems can lead to confusion, stress and insecurity, which negatively impacts the user experience. This research paper explores the concept of wayfinding in educational buildings limited to universities, and its potential to enhance the user experience of students, faculty and visitors. Wayfinding can be a challenging task in large and complex buildings such as educational institutions. The study investigates the different factors that can affect wayfinding in educational buildings, including signage, lighting, spatial layout and technology. The paper presents case studies of two university buildings to investigate how a wayfinding system can improve user experience. The findings show that efficient wayfinding can improve the user experience greatly by reducing confusion, boosting efficiency and increasing overall happiness. The paper concludes with guidelines for educational institutions to improve wayfinding in their buildings with the help of signages and enhance user experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Beijing University of Civil Engineering & Architecture is the property of Journal of Beijing University of Civil Engineering & Architecture Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of South Architecture / Nanfang Jianzhu is the property of South Architecture Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article presents a selected base of cartographic sources enabling analyses on Josephine settlements in the Austrian partition from the late 18th century to 1939. The purpose of the article is to present the cartographic source base on Josephine colonization collected in Poland and Ukraine. The research covered all settlements created during the Josephine colonization (1781–1789). The text discusses cartographic source materials (available on-site and online) acquired through queries. The analyses included village plans, large--scale maps of Galicia, the Galician cadastre (Austrian land cadastre) and maps from the interwar period.

Buddhism and Taoism have enjoyed a flourishing development in Chengdu with many famous Buddhist and Taoist temples. This research takes typical Buddhist temple buildings and Taoist temple buildings in Chengdu as the research object. Through architectural surveying and mapping, the height and area data of temple buildings are quantized and counted, and their components and axial spatial plane and vertical layout characteristics are analyzed and compared. The results show that both Buddhist temples and Taoist temples are composed of two elements, including figure worship and non-figure worship. In the plane layout, they are mostly used in the south and straight line layout. The hierarchy of the halls in Buddhist temples is clear, while Taoist temples are more open. By clarifying their respective characteristics, the study achieved a comprehensive and systematic understanding of the spatial layout of Buddhist and Taoist temples in Chengdu, which is of great significance to enrich the connotation of religious architecture culture and improve the local culture of Sichuan.

Due to their independent structure, piping, and access, townhouses offer great flexibility in floor plan changes and high spatial autonomy, making them the mainstream housing type in Taiwan. This study focuses on row houses and examines 2022 completion cases in Kaohsiung City. It collects floor plans from 14 newly constructed buildings, totaling 227 units, and analyzes spatial dimensions including the facade width, depth, habitable room, staircases, bathrooms, and total floor area for each case. The objective of this study is to examine the spatial layout of row houses in Kaohsiung City, with the aim of providing a reference for the future planning and design of such structures. The study results showed that 81.8% of the row houses analyzed have a total floor area per unit ranging from 136 to 192 m2, a facade width between 4.1 and 6.38 m, and a building depth from 7.67 to 12.68 m. In addition, they showed a low negative correlation between the facade width and total floor area, a high positive correlation between the building depth and total floor area, and a moderate negative correlation between the facade width and building depth. The spatial distribution within these houses includes 78% allocated to habitable room, 13.1% to staircases, and 8.7% to bathrooms. The total area of habitable rooms and bathrooms increases with the total floor area of the building. However, the total area of staircases remains almost constant as the area of habitable rooms increases. Furthermore, the most common location for staircase planning is the rear-right (RB) position, while the least common is the rear-left (LB) position. Among various staircase types, the C-shaped staircase has the largest average area per floor and the highest average proportion. Conversely, the I-shaped staircase has the smallest average area and the lowest average proportion. The U-shaped staircase is the most frequently planned, whereas the C-shaped staircase is the least frequently used. This means that planning of staircase location and type significantly affects the size and layout of habitable rooms and bathrooms in townhouses.

In China, the “land-restructuring” policy provides balanced land for urban settlements that is strictly limited in expansion. Therefore, reassessing and adjusting the layout of rural settlements is of great practical significance for promoting rural revitalization. In this paper, taking Xian’an district in Hubei Province as an example, we use the weighted rank-sum ratio comprehensive evaluation method and spatial association analysis method to analyze the development level and spatial pattern of settlements. The results show that: (1) The development level of settlements in Xian’an shows obvious spatial differences, with a spatial pattern of ‘high in the core–low in the periphery’ and ‘high in the northwest–low in the southeast’, which is the result of the combined effect of natural geographical conditions and socioeconomic conditions; (2) The comprehensive development level of settlements, evaluated based on four major indicators—population size, resource endowment, spatial characteristics, and material construction—reveals the presence of cluster effects, distance decay effects, administrative hierarchy effects, and “long board” effects; (3) Within village communities, settlements with significantly high levels and settlements with significantly low levels have a similar geographic distribution and mosaic spatial patterns. Lastly, based on the overall development level and spatial association patterns of settlements, this article presents possible options for governmental settlement governance from the standpoint of rural building management.

The multi-modal two-step floating catchment area (MM-2SFCA) method is an extension of the two-step floating catchment area (2SFCA) method that incorporates the impact of different transportation modes, thereby facilitating more accurate calculations of the spatial accessibility of public facilities in urban areas. However, the MM-2SFCA method does not account for the impact of distance within the search radius on supply–demand capacities, and it assumes an idealized supply–demand relationship. This paper introduces the gravity model into the MM-2SFCA method, proposing a multi-modal gravity-based 2SFCA (MM-G2SFCA) method to better account for distance decay and supply–demand relationships. Furthermore, a standardized gravity model is proposed based on the traditional gravity model. This model imposes constraints on upper and lower limits for distance decay weights without compromising the fundamental curve characteristics of the gravity model, thereby avoiding extreme weight scenarios. The accessibility of public hospitals in Shenzhen is evaluated through the integration of basic geographic information data, resident travel data, and official statistical data. The findings demonstrate that the standardized gravity model effectively addresses the issue of excessively high local distance weights in the traditional gravity model, making it more suitable as a distance decay function. The MM-G2SFCA method improves the consideration of distance and supply–demand relationships, thereby facilitating a more rational distribution of accessibility on a global scale. This study discovers differences in the spatial allocation of public hospital resources across the Shenzhen’s districts. Accessibility within the metropolitan core is significantly higher than that outside the core. Additionally, there is a notable difference in the level of accessibility among the districts. Accessibility is found to be better in district centers and along the main traffic arteries.

This paper aims to deeply study the close relationship between architectural image and design intention in the field of architectural art design. Through an in-depth analysis of architectural works from different periods and styles throughout history, we will explore the key role that architectural images play in how they convey the designer's deep intentions, and how they shape the viewer's perceptions and emotions. This paper will make full use of examples to elaborate on how architectural images convey and embody designers' unique ideas and creativity through ingenious visual elements, unique spatial layouts and symbolic symbols. At the same time, we will also study how the audience can gain a deeper understanding and experience of the architectural works through the interpretation of these images. Through this study, we can more thoroughly understand the creative thinking process behind architectural art design, as well as the rich cultural value it contains. Since ancient times, architectural works have not only been practical structures but also carriers of culture, history and human thought. The discussion of this paper will help to reveal the profound meaning behind the architectural images, so as to provide a more comprehensive perspective for us to understand and interpret the multiple levels of architectural art. Finally, this research is expected to provide far-reaching implications for future architectural design and cultural research and promote the continuous innovation and development of the field of architectural art design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of South Architecture / Nanfang Jianzhu is the property of South Architecture Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The optimization of the spatial layout of animal husbandry has great significance for the sustainable development of animal husbandry. However, limited research has focused on the optimization of the spatial layout of animal husbandry based on comprehensive competitive advantage evaluation and nutrient balance between planting and breeding. This study established a comprehensive competitive advantage evaluation model of animal husbandry. Based on this model, we performed comprehensive competitive advantage evaluation of animal husbandry. We further calculated the land-carrying capacity index of animal manure and potential land-carrying capacity of animal according to the principle of nutrient balance. Finally, the spatial layout of animal husbandry was optimized using Geographic Information System spatial analysis. Results showed that Harbin had obvious comprehensive competitive advantage in pig, cattle, sheep, and poultry breeding. Daqing had obvious comprehensive competitive advantage in cattle and sheep breeding. The land-carrying capacity index of animal manure of Daxing'anling constantly exceeded 1. The potential land-carrying capacity of animal in Heilongjiang province was uneven, and most regions in Heilongjiang province had development potential of animal husbandry. The optimized target regions of the spatial layout of pig, cattle, sheep, and poultry breeding were all Harbin. A total of 77 956.03 pig equivalent in Daxing'anling was recommended to be transferred to Harbin. Our results are useful for the spatial layout of animal husbandry, environmental pollution prevention from animal husbandry, and optimization of animal products structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The strength of government environmental concern strength (GECS) and the differential supply of construction land (DSCL) can effectively act as important indicators of regional environmental protection dynamics and economic development pressures. Based on the panel data of Chinese 281 cities, from 2007 to 2018, this study first measures the degree of urban environmental protection pressure (UEPP) by using a game combination assignment method. Then, a fixed effects model is used to quantitatively measure the effects of GECS and DSCL on UEPP from the two perspectives of "urban environmental risk (UER) and urban social response (USR)." The UEPP in China tended to decrease during the study period. For about 52.67% of the urban areas studied, both GECS and DSCL could effectively reduce the UEPP. Moreover, the areas where the DSCL increased the UEPP are mainly located at the border between the eastern and the central regions, and in the northeastern region. In addition, the spatial layout of the impact of GECS and DSCL on USR is similar to the spatial layout of the impact of GECS and DSCL on UEPP. According to different impact mechanisms, the study areas are divided into eight groups, and this study finds that government departments should formulate relevant measures and policies according to local conditions, in order to promote sustainable urban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of South Architecture / Nanfang Jianzhu is the property of South Architecture Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Contemporary university curricula increasingly encourage students to develop peer academic support relationships, especially first-year students who are facing the transition from teacher-oriented to self-directed learning. Previous studies have identified spatial layout as a factor impacting peer relationships by comparing the effects of different spatial layout categories. More insights into the quantitative correlation between spatial layout and peer academic support relationships will meaningfully complement the existing findings. This paper therefore uses spatial configuration and spatial proximity as quantitative measures and adopts a quasi-experimental approach to investigate the effects of spatial layout on peer academic support relationships in first-year university students. Data were collected from a sample of first-year students enrolled in the School of Architecture at South China University of Technology. We use longitudinal data to measure and compare the peer academic support relationships as well as the corresponding spatial layout. The results support the importance of the spatial layout of the learning space for the development of peer academic support relationships. In addition, suggestions for university administrators and architects are proposed.