Explore the vast range of titles available.

With the increasing online exposure of urban public spaces, the new concept of “internet-famous sites” has emerged in China. Social media users are the main contributors to this new phenomenon. To fully understand social media users’ preferences in such kinds of public spaces, this article took 27 typical riverfront internet-famous sites (RIFSs) in Changsha City (China) as an example. Through social media platform selection, keyword research, text and image data extraction, visual and emotional symbol coding, and manual calculations of coding frequency, this study investigated social media users’ perception of RIFSs, especially on visual and emotional preferences. The online images and review comments were extracted from the popular Chinese social media platform “Xiaohongshu”. We found that (1) the popularity of each RIFS had a significant head effect and there were far more positive emotions than neutral and negative emotions in review comments. (2) RIFSs in Changsha were divided into five categories: commercial RIFSs, art exhibition RIFSs, historical and cultural RIFSs, ecological recreational RIFSs, and uncultivated RIFSs. Social media users had different visual focuses on each kind of RIFS. (3) Social media users provided specific reasons for their emotional preferences towards different types of RIFSs. This study can provide a new perspective on improving waterfront vitality and offer a targeted and attractive method for waterfront regeneration that is different from traditional methods.

This article takes representative uncultivated riverfront internet-famous sites (uncultivated RIFSs) in Changsha city, China, as an example to explore the internal mechanism of their formation and finds that they are closely related to the “urban subculture” and the “informality of urban public space”. In terms of methodology, through questionnaire surveys and in-depth interviews, this study investigates the behavioral characteristics of onsite visitors, the overall perceptions and satisfaction of public spaces, and the perceptions of spatial and humanistic elements of visitors. The main findings are as follows: ① Onsite visitors are mainly male, with local tourists and nearby residents accounting for over 80%. Furthermore, over half of the visitors have limited understanding of the uncultivated RIFSs. ② People’s overall attitudes towards the uncultivated RIFSs are positive. And the ability to carry out meaningful activities and find comfort and safety are of the greatest concern to onsite tourists. ③ Among the visiting reasons, leisure stays accounted for the highest proportion, followed by sightseeing, sports stays and social stays. ④ The onsite visitors’ main focus of spatial elements and humanistic elements is different according to the different sites. However, visitors’ dissatisfaction is mainly reflected in poor site safety and sanitation conditions, inadequate facilities and poor surrounding environments. This paper also compares the online–offline differences in the spatial perceptions of the uncultivated RIFSs between this study and previous research; instead of focusing on the urban physical spaces, online social media users pay more attention to their self-presentation. Meanwhile, the visitors place greater emphasis on the functionality, practicality and experiential activities of the urban physical spaces. Finally, this article proposes optimization strategies for uncultivated RIFSs from planning and governance and public space design aspects to protect and strengthen the composite utilization of space, therefore enhancing diverse vitality.

Urban waterfronts have evolved into vibrant centres of recreation, tourism, and economic activities, becoming focal points for social, cultural, and religious gatherings in modern cities. The historical development of riverfronts sought to elevate the economic status and image of neighbouring cities during the industrial era. However, with the growing emphasis on riverfront revitalization projects in recent times, it has become imperative to prioritize environmental sustainability and ecological considerations in the planning and execution of these initiatives. This paper delves into the revitalization plans of the Sabarmati and Patna riverfronts in India, undertaking a comparative assessment of their development strategies and challenges encountered in ecological preservation. The study seeks to explore the interplay between the river and environmental concerns and analyse the positive impacts of ecological improvements on the social and economic dimensions of these urban waterfronts. Additionally, the research scrutinizes the alignment of these various aspects with the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, presenting an integrated approach towards fostering holistic and sustainable urban riverfront development. The study on riverfront development projects revealed that successful projects prioritize social inclusivity, economic vitality, and environmental sustainability, contributing to the long-term success and well-being of both communities and ecosystems. The research demonstrates the potential for holistic and sustainable urban development through riverfront revitalization, offering valuable insights and case studies for future urban redevelopment projects.

The COVID-19 lockdown has been reported as a “ventilator” for the reinstatement of natural resources across the globe. Hence, the present study attempts to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 lockdown on the water quality of River Gomti across its stretch of ~960 km through the assessment of ‘Water Quality Index’ (WQI). The study also highlights the potential risk of faecal-oral transmission of COVID-19 through intake of river water facing the issue of direct discharge of domestic sewage. A deterioration in the water quality was witnessed at ~69% sampling locations during the lockdown period (May 2020). Interestingly, none of the water samples during the pre-lockdown, lockdown, and post-lockdown periods across the whole stretch belonged to the “excellent” category (WQI<25). The DO levels fell across ~69% and ~88% of the sites during the lockdown and post-lockdown periods, respectively. Moreover, there was an increase in the BOD 5 levels across ~69% and 75% of the sites during lockdown and post-lockdown periods, respectively. These findings indicate that the release of sewage without or with partial treatment is a chief contributor of water pollution in the groundwater fed River Gomti. Thereby, highlighting the possible risk of faecal-oral transmission of the corona virus, and creating a major concern for the residents across its stretch. The urban sprawl and riverfront development in Lucknow city also emerge as potential causes of water quality deterioration in River Gomti, considering that the water quality at five sites within the city was under the “unfit” category regardless of the lockdown situation. Thus, the urgent need of management of domestic sewage release into the river and further research on the potential risk of faecal-oral transmission of COVID-19 have been suggested in the study.

The riverbanks of the Inner Mongolia reach of the Yellow River face persistent risks of deformation and collapse due to freeze-thaw cycles and hydrodynamic forces. However, most existing studies have concentrated on urban land subsidence or the stability of hydraulic structures, while long-term and multi-reach systematic monitoring of this seasonally frozen and meandering section remains scarce. Based on Sentinel-1A satellite data, this study employs the Small Baseline Subset InSAR (SBAS-InSAR) technique to derive the spatiotemporal characteristics of riverbank deformation, integrates channel migration information to examine the spatial relationship between channel evolution and bank deformation, and conducts long-term deformation pattern analyses in representative reaches. The results indicate that the riverbanks in this section are generally stable, with 96.5% of monitoring points showing an average annual deformation rate within ±30 mm/a. Nevertheless, significant deformation was detected in some areas between the Bayangaole and Toudaoguai hydrological stations, dominated by uplift and strongly influenced by river water level fluctuations. Subsidence primarily occurred along the outer banks of meander bends, where loose bank structures pose potential stability risks. Specifically, in the Shisifenzi area, the average annual deformation rate ranged from −20.1 to 24.8 mm/a, with subsidence concentrated at meander crests and cultivated land, potentially affecting levee stability and farmland safety. In the Wenbuhao area, rates ranged from −18.7 to 19.5 mm/a, with subsidence concentrated along the eastern riverbank, indicating localized erosion risks, while uplift mainly occurred in farmland farther from the river. This study reveals the differentiated response characteristics of various reaches under hydrodynamic forces and demonstrates that SBAS-InSAR is effective for monitoring riverbank deformation in complex environments. The findings provide reliable technical support for riverbank hazard prevention and the protection of riverfront infrastructure in seasonally frozen regions.

With the acceleration of urbanization, the heat island effect, as a prominent feature of urban climate, has attracted more attention. Differences in urban landscape patterns have an essential impact on the urban thermal environment. The objective of the study is to examine the impact of urban landscape types and patterns on surface temperature. Taking Zhengzhou City, China, as an example, using Google Earth remote sensing images, an urban landscape type map was created, and landscape indices were calculated. The land surface temperature (LST) of the study area was retrieved by the Landsat-8 thermal infrared band. Correlation analysis indicated that the relationships between urban landscape patterns and the thermal environment were as follows: (i) The scale indices (percentage of landscape (PLAND), largest patch index (LPI), edge density (ED), patch density (PD)) of urban landscape types with cooling effect (water body, riverfront area, park, high-rise building) were significantly negative correlated with mean LST of each partition. (ii) Conversely, there were significant positive correlations between the PLAND and LPI of landscape types with warming effect (block, development land, railway land) and the LST of the partition. (iii) The DIVISION index of the four kinds of landscapes with cooling effect was highly positively correlated with LST, and the DIVISION and SPLIT indices of the three kinds of landscapes with warming effect displayed a remarkable negative relationship with LST. Therefore, under the condition of scale control, integrated distribution of landscape with cooling effect, scattered distribution of landscape with warming effect, and reduced connectivity of landscape with warming effect will contribute to effectively alleviating the formation of urban heat islands.

Green spaces in waterfront residential blocks, where the water landscape and green space intersect, have a special carbon sequestration effect due to the distinct ecological interaction between water bodies and green spaces. Studying the carbon sequestration efficiency of green space patterns is crucial for enhancing urban ecological quality. Herein, 100 residential blocks adjacent to water bodies in Shanghai were selected as case areas, and green space pattern classification, random forest algorithm and spatial configuration quantitative analysis were used to analyse the impact of spatial morphology factors, surrounding building environment and water–green coupling environment on the CS efficiency of the green space in residential blocks. The results showed that the importance of the green space morphology index influencing CS is significantly greater than that of the building environment index. Among the indices, the fraction vegetation coverage, coverage ratio of evergreen broadleaved trees and canopy coverage of the green space have a more significant effect. Moreover, the different types and compositions of tree species in residential green spaces have different impacts on CS. Residential blocks with higher levels of water surface ratio (Wr) have a slightly higher CS of the internal green space. In residential blocks 500 m from water bodies, Wr has a significant impact on the CS capacity of the green space. The blocks with an external greenway pattern and external greenway–green grid pattern provide an advantageous environment for CS. This study provides a reasonable basis for the development of riverfront green spaces to increase carbon sequestrations.

Floods in urban areas have become more frequent globally, with catastrophic impacts. The cause is not only a natural event of extensive rain but is also artificial. The artificial cause of floods in urban areas can be attributed to two main factors – urban flooding and mismanagement of water resources leading to riverine flooding. Urban flooding is characterized by quicker inundation of the developed regions due to faulty city planning and development. Faster run-offs, overwhelmed drainage systems, disregard to topography and hydrology in city development, construction on reclaimed wetlands and flood plains increase urban flood vulnerability. For regular water supply to the cities, many dams and reservoirs are built upstream of the rivers flowing through the cities. With rains in the catchment, the capacities of these dams are surpassed, and water is released into the river. Unplanned water release and ill-treatment of riverfronts that can no longer harmlessly swell in urban areas lead to riverine flooding. Urban flooding and riverine flooding in urban areas could happen simultaneously, disrupting transport, life and economy. This review discusses the causes of flooding in urban areas and how to mitigate and reduce vulnerability using natural elements in urban planning, design and landscaping. Mitigation measures suggested in national and local policies are reviewed. Concepts like more Room for River, Sponge City and Green Rain Infrastructure are presented with relevant case studies. A holistic approach to flood-sensitive GIS-based city planning and design, including critical infrastructure design and flood mitigating landscape is recommended as a strategy for nature-based disaster risk reduction of flooding in urban areas.