With the goal of ameliorating the urban heat island effect and haze, the wind environment of urban residential areas has been studied using software simulations, field tests, wind tunnel tests, and questionnaire surveys. To provide a guide for future research on the wind environment of urban residential blocks, this paper summarizes the findings of studies on wind environment-related policies, methods to improve the wind environment in residential blocks, simulation of the wind environment in residential blocks, and coupling between the wind environment and spatial form in residential blocks.

The Grand Canal of China, as a traffic artery in ancient China, has exerted profound influence on the development of the cities, towns and rural settlements along it. Now, with China’s rapid urbanization, numerous settlements along the canal are confronted with problems like slow cognition of the cultural heritage, loss of the local culture and damage of historical relics. Hence, research on the protection and updating of the settlement space along the canal is in urgent need. This paper, targeting the settlement space along the Grand Canal Tianjin Section, adopts such research methods as the Historical GIS analytical method, the kernel density estimation method and the average nearest-neighbor method to quantitatively analyze the evolution stage and distribution characteristics of the settlement space along the Grand Canal Tianjin Section from the perspective of cultural relics to reveal the in-situ rules of evolution of the settlement space. The research result indicates that the spatial-temporal evolution of the settlement space can be divided into five such periods of the settlements along the canal as the pre-canal period, the rudimentary period, the development period, the mature period and the transformation period. Each period features different cultural relics and settlement distribution patterns. The research shows that the natural geographical environment, the grain transportation projects and management systems, the wasteland opening, grain growing and military defense policies, the agricultural, commercial and economic growth and the migration and folk culture are the influencing factors of the spatial evolution of the settlement space along the Grand Canal Tianjin Section.

The settlement space along China’s Grand Canal composes an important part of the Canal heritage, has a close bearing on the production and life of the residents there, nourishes rich culture and wisdom and boasts vital value of conservation and inheritance. Due to China’s rapid urbanization and industrialization, the settlements along the canal have been destroyed to some extent and their in-site characteristics urgently need excavation and conservation. Through field investigation, space syntax and GIS analysis, this paper performs quantitative analysis of the in-site characteristics of 18 typical rural settlements there. The findings show that: (1) The settlement space of industry dominant type for commerce and trade is comparatively dynamic and the capacity of topology and integration and the attractive force of the settlement center are stronger. (2) The dynamic scope of the citizens’ everyday traveling in the settlements has the closest correlation with the data of public-service facilities. (3) The settlements along the canal boast multiple, causal and blended in-site phenotype. The research findings provide new standards to categorize the settlements along China’s Grand Canal, paths and methods to explore the characteristics of the settlements and new cognitive perspectives to conserve and renew the settlements along China’s Grand Canal Tianjin Section.

In the field of indoor thermal comfort research, there has been relatively little focus on the thermal comfort of orthopedic patients in indoor diagnostic and treatment spaces. To effectively improve the microclimate of orthopedic indoor treatment spaces in hospitals and provide a comfortable environment for orthopedic patients. This study focused on the thermal comfort of orthopedic patients. Meteorological measurements and questionnaires were conducted in six typical indoor treatment spaces selected from the orthopedic waiting area and ward area of the Northern Campus of Xi’an Honghui Hospital. Based on the survey data, optimization strategies for orthopedic indoor diagnostic and treatment spaces were proposed. Through the analysis of subjective responses from orthopedic patients and measured indoor thermal conditions, it was found that the thermal environment of orthopedic indoor diagnostic and treatment spaces in hospitals could meet the needs of most people (92.3%) in spring. At a Thermal Sensation Vote (TSV) of + 0.21, the occupants in these spaces exhibited the most comfortable state, with a neutral Standard Effective Temperature (SET) range of 13.0 to 22.73 °C and a 90% thermally acceptable SET range of 15.8 to 27.4 °C. Orthopedic patients were more sensitive to changes in the thermal environment compared to healthy individuals, with a neutral SET* of 17.7 °C for orthopedic patients and 21.7 °C for healthy individuals. This study addresses the subjective responses and meteorological factor preferences of orthopedic patients, proposing targeted measures and suggestions for orthopedic treatment spaces in hospitals. Additionally, it provides scientific evidence and practical guidance for the rehabilitation of orthopedic patients and indoor treatment environments in regions of the same latitude.