Blue and Green Spaces as Therapeutic Landscapes: Health Effects of Urban Water Canal Areas of Isfahan

A systematic review of audit tools for evaluating the quality of green spaces in mental health research

Research showing the relationship between exposure to green space and health has yielded conflicting results, possibly due to the oversight of green space quality in quantitative studies. This systematic review, guided by the PRISMA framework (registered under Prospero ID CRD42023279720), focused on audit tools for green space quality in mental health research. From 4028 studies, 13 were reviewed, with 77 % linking better mental health outcomes to higher green space quality. Eight tools, especially Public Open Space and Dillen et al. tools demonstrated strong correlations with mental health. Certain green space qualities like grass, pathways, and water elements showed positive health associations. Future research should aim for standardized quality metrics and robust methodologies to support causal inferences and efficient assessments.

Exposure to blue space surroundings and depressive symptoms in young Chinese adults: The mediating role of sleep

OBJECTIVE

Existing evidence suggests that the natural environment can influence mental health. However, limited research has focused on the relationship between blue space and depressive symptoms in young adults. To investigate the association between blue space surroundings and depressive symptoms in young adults in China and explore the underlying mechanisms.

METHODS

The study was conducted between September and November 2019, including 2,743 young adults from China. We assessed the exposure to blue space around participants' living environments during June, July, and August 2019 using the Modified Normalized Difference Water Index (MNDWI). Blue indexes were calculated for 300 m, 1000 m, and 3000 m circular buffer zones near residential environments. Logistic regression models were employed to explore the associations between blue space exposures (quartiles) and depressive symptoms, exploring potential mechanisms through structural equation modeling (SEM), while accounting for potential confounders. Stratification analysis was used to identify sensitive populations.

RESULTS

Depressive symptoms were found in 148 (5.3%) of the 2,743 young adults in the study. We observed a negative correlation between depressive symptoms and average MNDWIs at participants' addresses (OR: 0.84; 95%CI: 0.72-0.98), within 300m (OR: 0.81; 95%CI: 0.70-0.95), 1000m (OR: 0.80; 95%CI: 0.69-0.93), and 3000m (OR:0.77; 95%CI: 0.66-0.89) buffer zones. Within the 1000m buffer zone, sleep was found to mediate 21% of the relationship between the presence of blue space and depressive symptoms. The stratified analysis revealed a stronger association between low MNDWI levels within the 1000m buffer zone and depressive symptoms in females (P < 0.05). Additionally, average MNDWI levels within the 3000m buffer zone were associated with depressive symptoms in both females and males.

CONCLUSIONS

Blue space could improve depressive symptoms, particularly in females, with sleep playing a mediating role. Incorporating blue spaces into environmental planning is important for improving mental health.

Perceived urban green spaces and youth mental health in the post-COVID-19 era

Introduction

The urban green space (UGS) is one of the most significant urban spaces with unique visual and social features, including pleasant air, low noise, and vitality, making it a recreational place for citizens, especially the youth. According to previous studies, perceived green space and the interaction with it is associated with mental health and lower symptoms of anxiety and depression. Although the presence of urban and blue-green spaces in Isfahan has a long history, the UGSs have been out of reach, causing a significant impact on youth mental health due to the spread of COVID-19 and the forcing of the Iranian government to severe and long-term lockdown. This study investigates the relationship between the long-term isolation of youth and being away from UGSs on their mental health in Isfahan city.

Methods

In September 2022, the youth (n = 273) in 12 neighborhoods with similar socio-economic status were asked to answer the online questionnaire. To investigate the correlation between perceived UGS and the mental health of the youth, Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) is done.

Results

The results show that the perceived UGSs negatively relate to the youth's fear of the reoccurrence of COVID-19 infection, anxiety, and depression. Moreover, the model shows that perceived UGS has an inverse correlation with anxiety (β = -0.24, p = 0.00), and no meaningful correlation exists with depression.

Discussion

These results point to a practical solution for designing UDGs in residential areas for youth according to their benefits for mental health during the epidemic era.

Anthropogenic impacts on urban blue space and its reciprocal effect on human and socio-ecological health

Quantifying anthropogenic impacts on blue space (BS) and its effect on human and socio-ecological health was least explored. The present study aimed to do this in reference to the urban BS transformation scenario of Eastern India. To measure BS transformation, Landsat image-based water indices were run from 1990 to 2021. Anthropogenic impact score (AIS) and 7 components scores of 78 selected BS on 70 parameters related data driven from the field. Total 345 respondents were taken for human and socio-ecological health assessment. For this, depression (DEP), anxiety (ANX), stress (STR), physical activities (PA), social capital (SC), therapeutic landscape (TL) and environment building (EB) parameters were taken. The result exhibited that BS was reduced. About 50% of urban core BS was reported highly impacted. Human and socio-ecological health was identified as good in proximity to BS, but it was observed better in the cases of larger peripheral BS. AIS on BS was found to be positively associated with mental health (0.47-0.63) and negatively associated with PA, SC, TL and EB (-0.50 to -0.90). Standard residual in ordinary least square was reported low (-1.5 to 1.5) in 95% BS. Therefore, BS health restoration and management is crucial for sustaining the living environment.

How do weather conditions and environmental characteristics influence aesthetic preferences of freshwater environments?

Freshwater (inland) blue space environments provide a range of public health benefits to visitors. However, health related exposure outcomes are dynamic and can vary depending on several factors, including the environmental characteristics of freshwater environments and their surroundings. Developing and managing inland blue spaces to promote health and wellbeing therefore requires an understanding of whether specific freshwater attributes, and prevailing weather conditions, enhance or devalue landscape aesthetics. The aim of this study was to utilise a mixed-methods research approach to investigate aesthetic preferences of inland blue spaces. A three-phase data collection method was adopted involving (i) analysis of a national-scale landscape image dataset; in combination with (ii) a national-scale online survey; and (iii) a series of in-person focus groups. We found environmental characteristics associated with the waterbody itself, as well as the characteristics of the nearby green space, to have a significant impact on the overall aesthetic appeal of inland blue spaces. Strong preference was demonstrated for inland blue spaces perceived to be of a high environmental quality and which have a natural, rather than human-modified, appearance. The findings highlight the need to conserve the quality of both the waterbody and waterside environment to encourage frequent recreational use and maintain the beneficial public health outcomes associated with inland blue spaces.

Water quality characteristics and reuse potential using adsorption as a post-treatment option for a full-scale hydrocyclone, coagulation, flocculation, and dissolved air flotation system

This study established a full-scale hybrid water treatment system combining a hydrocyclone, coagulation, flocculation, and dissolved air flotation unit (HCFD) and evaluated its performance in treating anthropogenically impacted lake water. The HCFD system offered the stable and efficient treatment of fluctuating influent loadings, meeting most of the highest water reclamation quality criteria except for that of organic matter. Adsorption was subsequently examined as a post-treatment process for the HCFD effluent, which has not been examined in many previous studies. As the adsorbent for the post-treatment, pine bark, a locally available agricultural waste feedstock, was modified using H2O2 to maximize its adsorption capacity. The surface modification increased its adsorption capacity for organic matter by 53-112%. The HCFD system in conjunction with the synthesized adsorbent thus demonstrated the ability to meet the highest standards for all water quality parameters, highlighting their synergistic potential for enhancement of water treatment. Liquid chromatography-organic carbon detection and Fourier transform infrared analysis were then employed to determine the mechanisms involved in the removal of specific contaminants using the HCFD system and post-adsorption unit. While the HCFD system successfully eliminated particulate and colloidal matter (e.g., phosphorous and biopolymers with a high molecular weight) using centrifugal and floating separation with the aid of two complementary polymers, the post-adsorption unit effectively adsorbed small-sized dissolved substances (e.g., low molecular weight acids and building blocks) via surface functional groups (-CH, -OH, -CH2, C=O, C=C, and C=O) using van der Waals forces, hydrogen bonding, and π-π or n-π interactions.

Effects of perceived physical and aesthetic quality of urban blue spaces on user preferences–A case study of three urban blue spaces in Japan

Blue spaces, especially as important urban natural environments, provide various benefits. Despite the increasing number of relevant papers, most recent studies have focused on the association between blue space environmental quality and health, with limited research assessing the environmental quality and user preferences of urban blue spaces. This study establishes a relationship between preference and environmental quality by investigating visitors' perception of the environmental quality of urban blue spaces (physical and aesthetic). For this purpose, 296 questionnaires were collected from three urban blue spaces and a multiple linear regression analysis was executed. Model results indicated that six of nine environmental quality components had a significant effect on preference scores, with "harmony" demonstrating the highest and "visual spaciousness & diversity" the lowest effect. The current study shown that two scales provided were used to measure users' perceived levels of the physical and aesthetic quality of the Urban Blue Spaces were acceptable. These results can help in the effective use of these natural capitals in cities and provide guidance for the environmental design of blue spaces.

Urban Blue Spaces as Therapeutic Landscapes: "A Slice of Nature in the City"

Urban blue spaces are defined as all natural and manmade surface water in urban environments. This paper draws on how the concepts of experienced, symbolic, social, and activity space combine to position urban blue spaces as therapeutic landscapes. We conducted 203 intercept interviews between 12 October 2019 and 10 November 2019. Although safety concerns had health-limiting impacts, interacting with the Glasgow Canal and surrounding landscape was predominantly perceived as health-enhancing. Our findings build on current evidence, which has suggested that urban blue spaces, particularly canals, may foster therapeutic properties, contributing to healthier city environments. Further research is required to understand better the interconnectedness of urban blue spaces and health and how such spaces can be best developed and managed to improve the health outcomes of local populations.

Colour Preference and Healing in Digital Roaming Landscape: A Case Study of Mental Subhealth Populations

From the perspective of emotional preference, studies have been conducted about landscape healing for subhealth people in the National High-Tech Zone (the study area). Combined with a preliminary practice investigation, Unity 2019 was used to make a digital roaming landscape, and 91 subjects with a history of mental subhealth diseases were randomly invited to participate in the immersive experimentation of the Human-Machine Environment Synchronisation (ErgoLAB) platform. After the experiment, the subjects were invited to fill in a Likert scale as the control group. The interest preference, emotion fluctuation, and healing effect of landscape colour were verified. The results show that: (1) The variation trend of interest reflected the concentration of interest in landscape, and the order of degree of interest, ranging from high to low, went Green > Yellow > Blue > Red > Orange > Purple > Cyan. (2) The subjects' interest in landscape colour was correlated with the arousal of positive emotions. The correlation between interest in landscape colour and positive emotions, from high to low, went Blue > Green > Yellow, while the correlation between red, cyan, orange, and purple was not significant. (3) The mean skin conductance (SC) fluctuation variance of subjects was 5.594%, which confirmed that the healing effect of digital roaming landscape scenes was significant under the state of low arousal. According to the Likert scale data, subjects' scores of the healing effect of landscapes, from high to low, went as follows: Green > Yellow > Red > Blue > Cyan > Orange > Purple. The results provide a new method for demonstrating the logical relationship between the digital landscape interest experience-emotional awakening-healing effect and providing a theoretical method and construction scheme for landscape colour configuration in the implementation of landscape healing projects.

Small stream catchments in a developing city context: The importance of land cover changes on the ecological status of streams and the possibilities for providing ecosystem services

Urban expansion and the transformation of rural areas into suburban areas along with increasing human pressure can cause major changes in the environment. Typical effects of urbanization include degradation of aquatic ecosystems. However, urban expansion is often accompanied by an effort to provide residents with some contact with nature in the city. Natural waterbodies are the elements of the environment predestined to ensure appropriate conditions for recreation and other ecosystem services key to human well-being. In this study, the changes in the forms of development of a submontane stream catchment area (Carpathians, Poland) against the background of the gradual extension of city boundaries were analysed. In addition, the impact of urbanization on the ecological conditions of the urban stream, and therefore the potential ecosystem to provide ecosystem services, was assessed. Although the extension of the city entailed the development of settlements, it was accompanied by the expansion of the municipal sewage infrastructure, thus improving sewage management. The disappearance of arable lands from the stream catchment due to the decline in agricultural activities initiated the spontaneous process of buffer restoration along the stream. All the biotic indices such as Shannon diversity index, Margalef species richness index and BMWP-PL index, based on macroinvertebrate communities increased, and the fish were more numerous in the late stage of city development compared with the early (rural) stage. Surprisingly, the system has rehabilitated well with no revitalisation actions. It is necessary, however, to improve morphological in-stream conditions, and to make further efforts to improve water quality for the system to develop a semi-natural state. Only reaching full ecological potential can lead to an increase in the ecosystem capacity to provide ecosystem services. The studied ecosystem may provide many different services simultaneously, but their availability depends on the protection of the ecosystem's functioning as a whole.

Developing an Approach for Assessing Urban Blue-Green Spaces Towards Sustainable Urban Growth Through Retrospective Cyber Metrics Analysis of Operational Estimations Approaches

Urban blue-green spaces provide us abundant social, environmental, and economic benefits, but the disparities often exist in their distribution and accessibility. Traditionally urban blue-green spaces are a consolidation of “blue-green infrastructure” within urban areas. Several urban features like parks, forests, gardens, visible water, such as parks, rivers, canals, reservoirs, ponds, lakes, fountains, etc. are categorized or considered under the blue-green spaces and these are very much crucial for various urban ecosystem services. These play a significant role for all stakeholders of the urban community. Thus, everyone must ensure the equitable number of blue-green spaces for all. Recently, several rules and regulations towards the safeguarding of urban blue-green spaces have been outlined. The work presents a methodological framework to develop an approach towards sustainable urban growth with the help of urban blue-green spaces assessments. The current work has attempted to examine the linkage between issues of the urban blue-green spaces for restoring the required infrastructures. It can be utilised for all sustainable urban development for urban planning and design projects to play a pivotal role. The work emphasizes more to develop a methodological framework to analyze the urban blue-green spaces for augmentation with a theoretical framework. It is expected that the advancement of a problem cum objectives-driven approach will help to design an impact-driven approach for planned and concrete action.

Waterscapes for Promoting Mental Health in the General Population

The WHO estimates that, with the development of urbanization, 25% of the population is suffering from psychological and mental distress. Preliminary evidence has suggested that aquatic environments and riparian areas, i.e., waterscapes, can benefit psychological and mental wellbeing. The aim of this study was to identify the processes of waterscape psychological and mental health promotion through aliterature review. We propose a design framework of waterscapes for achieving psychological and mental health in the general population that often visits waterscapes, which has the function of therapeutic landscapes through values of accessibility, versatility, habitats, and biodiversity. According to theories, waterscapes can improve psychological and mental health to divert negative emotions through mitigation (e.g., reduced urban heat island), instoration (e.g., physical activity and state of nature connectedness), and restoration (e.g., reduced anxiety/attentional fatigue). By accessing water (e.g., streams, rivers, lakes, wetlands, and the coast) and riparian areas, people can get in close contact with nature and spend more time in activities (e.g., walking, exploring, talking, and relaxing). Waterscapes with healing effects can enhance psychological resilience to promote people's psychological and mental health. Future research should focus on ensuring an adequate supply of waterscapes and promoting the efficiency of waterscape ecosystem services on mental health. Moreover, fora deep understanding of the complexity of nature-human health associations, it is necessary to explore more consistent evidence for therapeutic waterscapes considering the characteristics and functional mechanisms of waterscape quality, in terms of freshness, luminescence, rippling or fluidity, and cultural value, to benefit public health and biodiversity conservation.

Water intake meets the Water from inside the human body – physiological, cultural, and health perspectives - Synthetic and Systematic literature review

Background. The average adult human body of 70 kilograms consists in about 67.85% water distributed evenly to an average of 70 % in all major organs of the body: skin, muscles, brain, spinal cord, liver, heart, lungs, spleen, kidneys, pancreas and gastro-intestinal tract. A smaller percentage is found in the bones (30%), teeth (5%) and fat tissue (50%). Objective. This review article attempts to present different perspectives on the physiological properties of water in the human body. We describe from the ancient Chinese medicine theory about water being one of the 5 elements of nature and its harmonious interrelation with the other elements in order to balance the human body, to the successful experiments of researchers which demonstrated waters’ capability to change its molecular structure based on feelings, intentions and energy it was exposed to. We briefly describe the role of water for the human body and what effects can the lack of it have, especially dehydration with all the phases of severity. Also, we present the health benefits of drinking water and which type of water is best to consume. We shorty review the different types of natural mineral waters in Romania and the importance of the Romanian researches for balneology and how the waters cand be administrated in crenotherapy for different types of pathologies. Methods. To elaborate our systematic review, we have searched for relevant open access articles and review articles in ISI Web of Science, published from January 2017 until August 2021. The terms used were water AND health in the title. Articles were excluded in the second phase if they did not reach the relevance citation criterion. The eligible articles were analyzed in detail regarding water importance for human health. Results. Our search identified, first, 548 articles. After applying a PEDro like selection filter and, we selected 93 articles with a minimum of 8 points on our PEDro like filtering scale (good, very good, and excellent articles with a minimum of 5 citations per year). Detailed analysis of the 93 selected articles has conducted us to the elimination of 33 of them as being on a different subject than that of our article. To the 60 full articles retained for this systematic and synthetic article, we have added 10 articles found through a separate Google search, as being considered of high relevance for our subject and necessary to be included. Conclusions. Water is essential for the entire planet and also indispensable for the survival of the human body. Keywords: water intake, water balance, body water, water molecular structure, dehydration, crenotherapy

Therapeutic landscape experiences of everyday geographies within the wider community: A scoping review

As community dwelling populations of older people and those living with chronic and life limiting conditions continue to grow, the role of everyday geographies, particularly of community based settings and activities, in supporting health and wellbeing has become a focus in both research and policy development. The therapeutic landscape scholarship provides a holistic view of how place promotes health and wellbeing, and has in recent years expanded its focus from reputable places of healing to everyday geographies. Based on a scoping review of 45 studies on everyday community based therapeutic landscapes, this paper identifies and critically examines the settings, populations and mechanisms of therapeutic experiences. It presents critical summaries of the scales and boundaries of landscapes; the diverse and dichotomous characteristics of places; the therapeutic benefits of proximal and distal socio-spatial interactions; the role of everyday settings and activities as sources of refuge, anchor and resonance and finally the broader social, cultural, political and economic contexts in which everyday therapeutic landscapes are embedded. In so doing the paper highlights the complex nature of everyday therapeutic landscape experiences and how this research can further inform the development of community based settings and activities that promote health and wellbeing. It also identifies areas for future research on everyday therapeutic landscapes.

Exploring uncharted territory: Do urban greenspaces support mental health in low- and middle-income countries?

Exposure to urban greenspaces promotes an array of mental health benefits. Understanding these benefits is of paramount importance, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where cities are expanding at an unprecedented rate. However, the existing evidence-base for the health benefits of greenspaces has a strong bias towards high-income countries. Here we systematically assess the emerging evidence regarding the mental health benefits provided by urban greenspaces in LMICs. We carried out a scoping review to assess the extent, type and quality of evidence investigating the relationship between greenspaces and mental health in LMICs. We systematically searched the literature databases Web of Science, Medline, Embase and CAB Abstracts using key terms related to greenspaces and mental health in LMICs. We analysed the resulting studies using a narrative synthesis approach, taking into account study quality, to assess the overall effects on mental health. 36 studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the narrative synthesis. Studies were heterogeneous in design, study population, greenspace and mental health assessment. While more than 90% of LMICs remain unstudied, we found that eight out of ten studies using validated mental health screening tools detected positive associations between greenspaces and one or more mental health outcomes. These studies mostly took place in upper-middle-income countries. However, there still is a lack of evidence from regions with the highest levels of urbanisation, and only four studies assessed lower-middle and low-income countries. Furthermore, the analysis of mediating and moderating factors indicates that the relationship between greenspaces and mental health in LMICs is context dependent and needs to be assessed in relation to locally relevant environmental and cultural settings. Based on the evidence reviewed here, exposure to urban greenspaces can support multiple mental health outcomes in upper-middle-income countries. However, we still know little about poorer, rapidly urbanising countries. Our findings highlight the need for high-quality, context specific research in those urban areas with the highest levels of urbanisation, and the need to address specific challenges regarding mediating and moderating factors. Future studies should combine robust ecological assessments of greenspaces with validated mental health screening tools.

How can social media analytics assist authorities in pandemic-related policy decisions? Insights from Australian states and territories

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Due to COVID-19, various countries introduced lockdowns and limited citizen movements. These restrictions triggered an increased use of digital technologies and platforms by the public. This provides an opportunity for the authorities to capture public perceptions on COVID-19 from social media channels to make informed decisions. The use of social media analytics during pandemics for decision-making, however, is an understudied area of research. Thus, this study aims to generate insights into how social media analytics can assist authorities in pandemic-related policy decisions.

METHODS

This study involved a social media analysis approach-i.e., systematic geo-Twitter analysis-that contains descriptive, content, sentiment, and spatial analyses. Australian states and territories are selected as the case study context for the empirical investigation. This study collected 96,666 geotagged tweets (originated from Australia between 1 January and 4 May 2020), and analysed 35,969 of them after data cleaning.

RESULTS

The findings disclose that: (a) Social media analytics is an efficient approach to capture the attitudes and perceptions of the public during a pandemic; (b) Crowdsourced social media data can guide interventions and decisions of the authorities during a pandemic, and; (c) Effective use of government social media channels can help the public to follow the introduced measures/restrictions.

CONCLUSION

The findings are invaluable for authorities to understand community perceptions and identify communities in needs and demands in a pandemic situation, where authorities are not in a position to conduct direct and lengthily public consultations.

Blue space, health and well-being: A narrative overview and synthesis of potential benefits

Research into the potential health and well-being benefits from exposure to green spaces such as parks and woodlands has led to the development of several frameworks linking the different strands of evidence. The current paper builds on these to provide a model of how exposure to aquatic environments, or blue spaces such as rivers, lakes and the coast, in particular, may benefit health and well-being. Although green and blue spaces share many commonalities, there are also important differences. Given the breadth of the research, spanning multiple disciplines and research methodologies, a narrative review approach was adopted which aimed to highlight key issues and processes rather than provide a definitive balance of evidence summary. Novel aspects of our framework included the inclusion of outcomes that are only indirectly good for health through being good for the environment, the addition of nature connectedness as both a trait and state, and feedback loops where actions/interventions to increase exposure are implemented. Limitations of the review and areas for future work, including the need to integrate potential benefits with potential risks, are discussed.

Interaction Analysis of Urban Blue-Green Space and Built-Up Area Based on Coupling Model—A Case Study of Wuhan Central City

Urban “blue-green” space is the basic element of urban natural ecological space. The rapid urbanization process has a significant impact on the pattern of urban blue-green space and seriously threatens the urban ecological environment. It is of great significance for urban ecological protection and sustainable development to study the change in characteristics of blue and green space during urban expansion. In this paper, a comprehensive method of remote sensing image, landscape pattern analysis, sector analysis, and coupling analysis is applied to analyze the spatio-temporal evolution characteristics and coordinated development level of the blue-green space and built-up area in central Wuhan from 1987 to 2018. The results showed that the land use and landscape pattern in the central city of Wuhan underwent a drastic change process, and the dominant change was the occupation of blue-green space by urban built-up areas, which led to the increase of landscape fragmentation and the decrease of heterogeneity. Urban green space is gradually marginalized and concentrated in local areas. The blue space has an obvious blocking effect on the expansion of the built-up area, and its spatial pattern tends to be stable gradually. In addition, the coupling degree between urban blue-green space and urban built area presents an inverted U-shape, and the coordinated development level among the three has entered a stage of moderate imbalance. It is urgent to strengthen the protection of blue-green space, curb the disorderly expansion of cities, and improve the quality of urban development.

The Role of Urban Morphology Design on Enhancing Physical Activity and Public Health

Along with environmental pollution, urban planning has been connected to public health. The research indicates that the quality of built environments plays an important role in reducing mental disorders and overall health. The structure and shape of the city are considered as one of the factors influencing happiness and health in urban communities and the type of the daily activities of citizens. The aim of this study was to promote physical activity in the main structure of the city via urban design in a way that the main form and morphology of the city can encourage citizens to move around and have physical activity within the city. Functional, physical, cultural-social, and perceptual-visual features are regarded as the most important and effective criteria in increasing physical activities in urban spaces, based on literature review. The environmental quality of urban spaces and their role in the physical activities of citizens in urban spaces were assessed by using the questionnaire tool and analytical network process (ANP) of structural equation modeling. Further, the space syntax method was utilized to evaluate the role of the spatial integration of urban spaces on improving physical activities. Based on the results, consideration of functional diversity, spatial flexibility and integration, security, and the aesthetic and visual quality of urban spaces plays an important role in improving the physical health of citizens in urban spaces. Further, more physical activities, including motivation for walking and the sense of public health and happiness, were observed in the streets having higher linkage and space syntax indexes with their surrounding texture.

Distribution of Urban Blue and Green Space in Beijing and Its Influence Factors

Urban blue and green space is a key element supporting the normal operation of urban landscape ecosystems and guaranteeing and improving people's lives. In this paper, 97.1k photos of Beijing were captured by using web crawler technology, and the blue sky and green vegetation objects in the photos were extracted by using the Image Cascade Network (ICNet) neural network model. We analyzed the distribution characteristics of the blue–green space area proportion index and its relationships with the background economic and social factors. The results showed the following. (1) The spatial distribution of Beijing's blue–green space area proportion index showed a pattern of being higher in the west and lower in the middle and east. (2) There was a positive correlation between the satellite remote sensing normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and the proportion index of green space area, but the fitting degree of geospatial weighted regression decreased with an increasing analysis scale. (3) There were differences in the relationship between the housing prices in different regions and the proportion index of blue–green space, but the spatial fitting degree of the two increased with the increase of study scale. (4) There was a negative correlation between the proportion index of blue–green space and population density, and the low-population areas per unit blue–green space were mainly distributed in the south of the city and the urban fringe areas beyond the Third Ring Road. The urban blue–green space analysis that was constructed by this study provides new aspect for urban landscape ecology study, and the results proposed here also provide support for government decision-makers to optimize urban ecological layouts.