The study addresses the issue of monotonous and lengthy corridors with a single spatial form commonly found in Chinese elderly facilities. We aim to assess the influence of the built spatial environment on the emotions of the elderly quantitatively. To do this, Virtual Reality (VR) technology was employed to construct a digital twin model featuring three corridor forms: straight, arc, and folded, respectively. Forty participants experienced walking in each corridor form for 144 s, while electroencephalogram (EEG) data and subjective questionnaires were collected to explore the psychological and physiological effects caused by different corridors. The results of the questionnaire indicate that arc corridor yielded the highest satisfaction, followed by straight corridor, and the satisfaction for folded corridor is the lowest. EEG results show that folded corridor has 26.0% higher average power than arc corridor and 6.6% higher than straight corridor. The participants consume less energy and are more satisfied in arc corridor, compared to straight and folded corridors. The results establish a correlation between spatial form and occupant perception, suggesting that moderate spatial variations contribute to a better experience of the elderly. Moreover, this study provides quantitative cross-referencing information to optimize the design methods of public space in elderly facilities.

The urban cemetery is the material carrier of citizens’ view of life and death, and it also evolves with time as a special part of the urban form. Since the reform of the housing system in the 1990s, China has entered a period of rapid urbanization, and the urban cemeteries has entered a cycle of shock and accelerated transformation. The cemeteries originally located on the urban fringe were gradually surrounded by new built-up areas as the city sprawled, and then most of them inevitably migrated outward under the pressure of urban population explosion and land shortage. Taking Nanjing as an example, this paper presents the morphological evolution of Nanjing’s urban cemetery since the early 20th century, discusses the relationship between the evolution of the cemetery and the urban fringe belt, and analyzes the reasons for its evolution. The different types of morphological evolution of Nanjing cemetery are further summarized, revealing the general law and its Chinese particularity. The article concludes with a discussion of the value and significance of morphological research on urban cemeteries in China.

Walking, as the main mode of soft mobility, has become an integral aspect of urban tourism. The development of pedestrian tourist routes plays a crucial role in enhancing the positive walking experience in urban tourist destinations. This research employs a hybrid multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) with GIS to rank street segments, establishing walking-oriented tourist paths in Shiraz’s historic district, Iran. The initial steps involve identifying pivotal criteria through literature reviews and expert surveys. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) establishes criteria and sub-criteria weights using input from 30 experts. The Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) then prioritizes street segments based on sub-criteria such as traffic safety, image ability and heritage assets, security, land use and activity, accessibility, comfort and convenience, and human scale. Further-more, a Space Syntax analysis (SSA) is conducted to evaluate the morphology of the street network in the study area and identify streets with potential for pedestrian movement. By integrating these analyses, a prime corridor for a pedestrian tourist route is identified. This study offers planners and policymakers a valuable tool for pre-investment decision-making, aiding the promotion of walkability in tourist-centric areas.

This study develops a holistic approach that underlines the effect of spatial, behavioral, and perceptional dimensions on walkability at the neighborhood scale. The study recognizes quantitatively measured tangible factors and qualitatively assessed intangible values to evaluate the level of walkability in Besiktas, Istanbul (Turkey). The research explores the independent and combined effects of physical characteristics, individual perceptions, and walking behavior on walkability. Geographic Information Systems urban analyses, space syntax analysis, and observation to establish an analytical framework for spatial and behavioral dimensions of walkability in Besiktas central district are used as a methodology. Additionally, perceptional data is gathered through an experimental approach, which involves participants walking along pre-determined routes using cartography techniques and employing “shared walks” as a mobile method. The results of study confirmed previous findings from studies that the physical, social, and typological attributes of the built environment have a significant correlation between walking behavior and the physical and social aspects of the built environment. This study provides a comprehensive walkability assessment framework, encompassing quantitative and qualitative dimensions. By incorporating spatial, behavioral, and perceptual dimensions, this approach provides an efficient and integrated analytical methodology for evaluating walkability, distinguishing itself with its originality in the field of walkability research.

This article proposes a 35D form index system to quantitatively describe the 3D form of urban blocks. Utilizing the T-distributed stochastic neighbor (TSNE) embedding algorithm for cluster analysis, the visually complex and disordered urban 3D texture is translated into distinct form clusters, enabling the recognition of the overall urban form structure from the block perspective. The research methodology includes experiments conducted in the central area of Nanjing and comparative analysis in three neighboring cities: Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Suzhou. Results demonstrate the efficacy of form parameters and cluster analysis in achieving sound recognition. The four cities differ remarkably in the number and distribution structure of clusters. Shanghai has the fewest types of clusters with a compact distribution, Suzhou has the most types with a dispersed distribution, and Hangzhou and Nanjing exhibit similar characteristics, located between Shanghai and Suzhou. Correlation analysis reveals a negative relationship between the number of cluster types and the level of urban socioeconomic development in similar areas. This research implies that governments and urban planners can exploit neighborhood morphological types to devise customized spatial management and renewal strategies. The overall urban structure can be improved by strategically minimizing the quantity and distribution of neighborhood morphological types, fostering socioeconomic development.

Historic urban areas are a crucial component of urban heritage, embodying the collective memory of urban development and possessing distinctive urban textures and cultural attributes. However, the growing impact of globalization on the urban environment poses challenges to historic urban areas, including diminishing social recognition, aging infrastructure, loss of vitality, and cultural erosion. To address these challenges, this study proposes a novel approach to revitalizing historic urban areas by employing space syntax methodology. The study focuses on Yushan Historic District in China as a case study and uses spatial models within space syntax to describe, analyze, and interpret its urban morphology. The objective is to enhance urban vitality while preserving the heritage fabric of historic urban areas. Additionally, it aims to contribute to the advancement of space syntax research, specifically in the context of urban renewal and revitalization of historic districts. The findings reveal the spatial factors that contribute to the generation of vitality within the district, identify areas requiring intervention, and provide strategies for revitalizing historic urban areas. This study demonstrates the potential of utilizing a space syntax approach in urban revitalization, providing valuable guidance for effectively conserving urban heritage within the context of urban renewal.

Tourist preferences are important for the high-quality planning and design of recreation spaces. The famous scenic locale of West Lake in Hangzhou, China, is used as an example in this study. Based on multi-source data (e.g., online comments, and tourist photographs), we used content analysis, kernel density estimation, and image semantic segmentation technology to determine the spatial distribution of tourists’ landscape preferences. We analyzed these spatial sight characteristics from the viewpoint, sight distance, and perspectives. The results show that tourists’ landscape preferences are mainly concentrated on landscape architecture for recreation. The viewpoints of these preferences are concentrated in the north-south embankment—far beyond that of the east-west embankment. The preferences also show a spatial sequence in terms of sight distance, and the best visual effect is the open platform at the north and south islands of Xiaoyingzhou. From the perspective of vision, the degree of spatial openness in the tourists’ landscape preferences is proportional to the distance of vision; the two factors have a convergent relationship. The discussion of the characteristics of tourists’ landscape preference and space sight creation in Xiaoyingzhou provides a reference for the quality improvement of island recreation space.

Makkah has developed unique architectural vocabularies for centuries. The Roushan, Qalalib, Kharja, and Shwabir responded to topography, climate conditions, and socio-cultural aspects. However, demolishing heritagebuildings to expand theHolyMosque has led to thedisappearance of many traditional architectural vocabularies. Then, the imposition ofmodern architectural elements bymodernity increased a feeling of discontinuitywith the past. In addition, globalization has branded Makkah as a city of skyscrapers and high-rise buildings. Megaprojects have emerged since Saudi Arabia announced its Vision 2030, necessitating creative architectural solutions.

Although the literature on the architecture of Makkah introduced varied approaches to developing traditional architectural vocabularies, the results were far from anticipated. Most studies assumed that traditional elements should shape the future of architecture in Makkah. The field of architecture suggests analyzing physical forms in reality, while the philosophical attempt proposes exploring them in virtuality. Reality and virtuality must be dynamic in space as methods for innovation; this space should be detached from architecture to challenge physical norms and separated from philosophy to promote practicality. This paper maps the literature to evaluate the approaches that examine the architecture of Makkah. It suggests a third space, outside architecture, and philosophy, utilizing AI to generate Makkah’s architectural elements. The aim is to employ technology, i.e., AI, not to document but to generate architectural vocabulary based on rising potentials and differentiations,which are the bases of innovation, hence establishing continuity with the past to shape the future.

In 1951, the Organization of American States established the Centro Interamericano de Vivienda y Planeamiento (CINVA) to provide specialized training to tackle the housing problem. Based on archival documentation examined at the Rockefeller Archive Center and the Central and Historical Archive of the National University of Colombia, this article explores two significant episodes in which the story of one of the Center’s most successful outputs connects to the history of the Cold War. It thus contributes to the literature investigating the architecture and related technologies of development aid in the historical context of the Cold War with a precise focus on the role of non-governmental actors. After detailing the history of the CINVA-Rammachine, the pressing machine to produce rammed-earth blocks developed at the Center and later exported to America, Europe, Africa, and Asia, the article explores its deployment in two different fronts of the Cold War: Ghana and South Vietnam. As highlighted in the conclusions, the significance of CINVA-Ram use in these contexts is manyfold. Firstly, its diffusion, although appearing as a successful case of south-to-south cooperation, was in fact possible because of the Rockefeller family-controlled IBEC’s involvement. Secondly, it shows the global outreach of the intertwined action of governmental agencies, private companies, and NGOs, when fighting poverty and housing shortage via aided self-help initiatives were complementary strategies to the armed containment of Communism. Finally, it discusses the role played by US governmental and non-governmental actors in advancing US interests through technoscience, highlighting how the battle against poverty in the so-called “Third World” was in this case fought with one of the oldest andsimplest construction techniques in the ideological framework of self-help.

Cultural landscape is a social natural process under which people actively participate in thinking, feeling, and acting. On this basis, their connection with a certain part of the environment in turn affects people’s perception of the world and the products of their actions. Trails is a representative and complex practice of integrating nature into society and transforming it into a mixed entity. However, the dynamic and diverse relationships of cultural landscapes represented by this interactive process have not been well interpreted in landscape research. The research first discusses the conceptualization and value theory of cultural landscape, and develops the methodology of cultural landscape interaction process research combining typology and Network theory. Taking the trails spontaneously formed around the Zhengqi Pavilion of Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum in Nanjing as an example, this paper discusses the interaction process of trails as a cultural landscape. Based on the analysis results, we obtained the dynamic characteristics of cultural landscapes by treating trails as a network, while obtaining the value expression created by typology.

The aim of the study is to present a multi-leveled comparative evaluation approach for structural characteristics of historic masonry monuments so that the consciousness in their authentic designs is comprehended, and the optimum structural performance is clarified. A case study approach is preferred by the examination of the Bedesten (15th–16th centuries) located in Bergama, İzmir, Turkey. The structure is documented through tacheometric techniques. The construction techniques of structural elements are mapped. These documented qualities are compared with similar period and/or function structures in order to rank the frequency of construction details. The geometrical factor of safety state is defined theoretically for domes and arches. Finite element macro model of the Bedesten is generated in ANSYS software and overall structural analysis of the structure is made to evaluate the safety level of historic building by the limit states through self-weight analysis. The presented study shows that the rare structural characteristics can both contribute to structural safety and cause vulnerability. Therefore, total consciousness in structural design cannot be stated for the studied Bedesten, but the structural designs that are often preferred in the monuments built at the same period in the proximity to each other have low vulnerability, yielding to conscious preferences.

This paper examines historical urban fabrics’ challenges regarding quality of life and visual disturbances despite their cultural and identity value. Regeneration and socialoriented approaches considering social, economic, and cultural dimensions preserve and enhance these valuable materials. Tactical urbanism, with its people-oriented approach, can address these issues. This study focused on Sarpol in Khomeinishahr County, Isfahan Province of Iran. The city’s urban structure divides into two parts: despite its active social structure and valuable spaces, Sarpol is a historic neighborhood with significant deterioration. We followed Corbin and Strauss’s version of Grounded Theory in the qualitative research methodology. Purposive and snowball sampling methods were employed to select 21 participants from the Sarpol neighborhood for semi-structured interviews. The analysis involved three stages of coding: open, axial, and selective. The themes included religious participation, identity, sustainable social bonds, indigenous dependence, and low environmental quality. The central issue identified was the crucial role of religious and cultural values as a driving force for tactical urbanism, which emerged as the most critical semantic domain related to the research problem.

Aesthetic evaluations, including beauty and attractiveness, have an important role in our lives. Despite its importance in our every-day life, enough attention has not been devoted to the assessment of place attractiveness in previous studies. We assume that changes in elements of square attractiveness are associated with changes in brain functional connectivity patterns. In this study, we have tried to explore the relationship between elements of square attractiveness and individuals’ emotional perception as well as the brain mechanism involved in the process of cognitive development. There has been a focus on using objective measures of physiological rather than using self-reported data of an individual’s emotions because people cannot understand their emotions properly and it is needed to compare self-report emotions with physiological processes. Classification of the five main elements of attractiveness was performed using the Delphi technique. Subsequently, twenty-four healthy young adults were exposed to the visual stimuli consists of five elements. A 32-channel EEG system was used to record the brain activities of participants while watching the stimuli. The subjects’ feelings about valence and arousal levels of the elements were evaluated using the Self-Assessment Manikin (SAM) technique. The findings showed that “visual openness” is the most important element to increase the square attractiveness of everyday landscape in residential areas. The analysis revealed a significant difference (p = 0.048) in arousal ratings between more attractive (more openness) (M = 4.77) and less attractive (less openness) (M = 4.52). Attractiveness elements of the stimuli have a region-specific association with brain functional connectivity networks. This pattern is mainly found in the functional connections between central parts of the brain.

Vertical greening systems (VGS) are promising green infrastructure (GI) techniques for addressing urban resilience issues, like mitigating high temperatures and air pollution. This research aims to develop a conceptual framework to help designers better understand the VGS’ effects on buildings and urban areas, focusing on thermal performance and air quality improvement in hot, humid climates. The framework consists of three steps: (1) Identifying climate problems that hinder the improvement of built environment resilience in hot climates; (2) Selecting VGS as a type of GI that can enhance urban resilience; (3) Identifying the common key factors that impact both thermal performance and air quality while developing VGS at the urban and building scales. The results show that the framework can be customized to suit hot climate conditions. However, when applying VGS in built environment with specified climate conditions, the construction of VGS, greenery coverage ratio, plant species, facade orientation, and VGS formation have the most significant influences on their environmental performance. Additionally, the air gap between VGS and the facade has optimal performance in hot, humid climates. The paper concludes with some recommendations for future research and practice on VGSs in hot and humid climates.