Cities recovering from land subsidence face a critical water-security dilemma: how to safely use groundwater in emergencies—such as prolonged droughts—without reactivating unrecoverable subsidence. Focusing on post-subsidence Tianjin, we develop a hydro-geomechanical framework that defines subsidence-safe pumping limits. By quantifying a regional-average intrinsic vertical hydraulic gradient (IVHG) in the confined aquifer system, we establish an IVHG-governed continuous aquifer model that replaces the traditional layered model. We then map the new pre-consolidation head (NPCH)—the geomechanical inelastic-elastic threshold—and derive the safe pumping buffer (SPB). By synthesizing these point-based thresholds, we delineate ten management zones, each with a representative set of NPCH and SPB values. For each zone, the SPB is converted to a safe pumping volume (SPV) by multiplying the zone’s areal extent and the aquifer’s elastic storage coefficient (Ske). As of 2025, Tianjin’s city-scale SPV is about 0.16 km³ based on a regional-average Ske of 2.5 × 10⁻³ and is projected to about 0.3 km³ by 2028. The IVHG–NPCH–SPB–SPV framework thus provides post-subsidence cities with a transferable approach to convert recovering aquifers into strategically managed, subsidence-safe reserves for drought resilience.
Urbanization reshapes environmental exposures, lifestyle, and health systems, yet global evidence on how child and adolescent asthma risk factors evolve across development stages remains limited. Using panel data from 149 countries (2000–2020), this study applied clustering and coupling coordination analysis to identify stage-specific pathways of urbanization and air quality transitions. Generalized additive models were subsequently employed to explore the heterogeneity of asthma determinants across these stages. Four evolution stages were identified: Early Urbanization with Emerging Pollution (Cluster 1), Rapid Urbanization with Pollution Accumulation (Cluster 2), Decelerating Urbanization with Pollution Mitigation (Cluster 3), and Mature Urbanization with Pollution Control (Cluster 4). While PM₂.₅ peaked during the rapid stage, asthma incidence reached its maximum during the decelerating stage. Significant heterogeneity in risk factors emerged: Cluster 1 was driven by PM₂.₅ and a large youth population; Cluster 2 was dominated by the impact of PM₂.₅; Cluster 3 was characterized by high temperature and obesity as the primary risk factors; and Cluster 4 remained sensitive to temperature, with green space and wind speed identified as protective factors. These findings suggest that asthma incidence determinants exhibit distinct patterns across urbanization stages, transitioning from pollution-driven to climate and lifestyle-related vulnerabilities, necessitating stage-specific public health interventions.
Abstract Soundscapes can substantially influence human well-being, yet evidence regarding their contributions across different well-being dimensions remains fragmented. In this study, a systematic review of 194 studies and a meta-analysis of 66 studies comprising 1658 effect sizes across 28 sound sources were conducted to evaluate the contributions of soundscapes to environmental experience, health, behavioral responses, and social well-being. Natural sounds consistently showed positive effects for well-being-related outcomes (Hedges’ g range: 0.53–0.59), with particularly strong impacts on human health (Hedges’ g = 0.59, 95% CI [0.42, 0.76]). Human sounds showed more targeted benefits, particularly for behavioral responses (Hedges’ g = 0.60, 95% CI [0.24, 0.97]) and social well-being (Hedges’ g = 0.38, 95% CI [0.08, 0.68]). Contextual factors significantly moderated these relationships: the effects of natural sound remained robust across contexts, whereas those of human sound were more context-dependent. These findings highlight the importance of moving beyond conventional noise mitigation approaches by integrating beneficial soundscape elements into environmental planning. Incorporating soundscape planning and design into environmental development strategies can enhance human well-being, inform public health interventions, and support more sustainable and livable cities.
Modern urban resilience is increasingly challenged by systemic risk in multimodal transport networks, where localized disruptions can spread and impair functionality. Existing studies have advanced pairwise topology, static resilience assessment and higher order modelling, but it remains unclear whether static structure can predict overload driven cascade outcomes. To address this gap, we construct a multilayer model of the Wuhan multimodal public transport network and compare resilience indicators, centrality measures, motif participation scores and dynamic load redistribution simulations. Results show that intermodal integration improves indicators, including connectivity, robustness and relocation opportunities, but does not guarantee lower cascade losses. Degree, betweenness and feed forward loop motif scores are weakly associated with functional recoverability across tolerances. These findings suggest that cascade vulnerability is governed more by dynamic redistribution than by static structural prominence, and that limited motif performance should be treated as model specific evidence rather than a rejection of higher order approaches.
A central challenge for sustainable urban development is balancing the trade-offs of high urban density. We examined whether biodiversity can be supported within dense or compact urban areas by analyzing bird species richness and composition across 30 sites in Gothenburg, Sweden, representing three urban form types (two compact and one dense) and reference areas with abundant vegetation. Results showed that species richness was significantly lower in the three urban form types than in the reference areas, and species composition differed significantly between the two groups. However, there were no significant differences in species richness or composition between the individual urban form types themselves. Across the three urban form types, nevertheless, sites with larger local natural habitat area and/or better connectivity to surrounding natural habitats had higher species richness, whereas variation in species composition was associated primarily with local habitat area. This highlights that increasing habitat area remains the most effective strategy for supporting avian diversity, even in dense or compact urban areas. Species that are less common in urban areas were also recorded at sites within the three urban form types where suitable conditions existed. These results not only suggest that biodiversity can exist within dense or compact urban areas but also that it can be supported through both site-level interventions and broader-scale planning for habitat connectivity.
