Thermal comfort indicates the sensation of humans towards the surrounding environment. This research work proposes a novel method for assessing thermal comfort indices of the Beijing Historical Town Blocks. Motivation. Maintaining a proper thermal comfort is essential for healthy living and promoting the use of low energy strategies; therefore, there is an intense need for research, analysis, and assessment of thermal indices for indoor environments. Objective. The research work intends to present a generalized model for outdoor thermal comfort assessment by investigating thermal comfort evaluation indices of the past ten years through the CiteSpace software and dynamic simulation system. Methodology. Based on a study of 19 streets over 6 blocks in the historical area of Beijing, validity of the four evaluation indices of thermal comfort of the street space is analyzed using real-time data monitoring, questionnaires, regression analysis, and model establishment. Statistical analysis is performed on the basis of the four commonly used thermal comfort evaluation indices along with using universal thermal climate index (UTCI) and the comfort threshold range for evaluation. Findings. Outcomes of the analysis revealed that UTCI thermal neutral value in the historic block was 20.59°C and the comfort range was 1625°C. It was observed that UTCI indices were inversely related to the street vegetation coverage; therefore, unlike street aspect ratio and building shadow, green planting elements had a significant effect on the thermal comfort of outdoor environment. Implication. As applicability extent of the four indices is fairly broad, the proposed method is adaptable for the assessment of indoor and outdoor environments. Thermal comfort index analysis and evaluation are appropriate for advance research in microclimate environment. Application. The research work suggests improvement strategies of microclimate environment in the historical blocks and, therefore, has significant applications in addressing the challenges of outdoor thermal comfort systems.

Global warming, high temperatures, and heatwave weather are some of the factors affecting human settlement environment health. In high-temperature weather, human production and life are seriously threatened, as long-term exposure to high temperatures causes a variety of diseases, and children and elderly, who have poor tolerance, require strengthened protection. From a human perspective, this study calculated the thermal duration distribution of high temperatures based on maximum temperature data in a central urban area of Beijing combined with the results of the sixth population census of Beijing, investigated the population distribution of individuals under 15 years old and over 65 years old, and analyzed the spatial distribution of a thermal exposure space in a central urban area of Beijing with the help of the ArcGIS platform. Based on 130 district districts, streets with high-risk heat exposure spaces in the central urban area of Beijing were reddened to determine the distribution of high-risk grades. Using the semantic segmentation method and a street view map, the high-risk thermal exposure space environment from the humanistic perspective was restored, and the typical characteristics were summarized and analyzed. Finally, the environmental characteristics of the high-risk thermal exposure space were analyzed from the humanistic perspective, and an improvement strategy for thermal exposure spaces was proposed based on the perspective of emotional relief.

Landscape architects have a responsibility to society, the environment, the client, and other professional organizations. Professionals that undertake landscape-led planning projects need to adopt a comprehensive approach in all the associated aspects. This article summarizes a unique experience in landscape-led planning practice in the UK where most projects are either town planning or architect-led: (1) the housing scarcity problem in towns and villages, land within the Green Belt in the UK is in strict governance by planning policies. In this article, a case study of exceptional infilling villages in East Hertfordshire is used to drive a landscape-led, multi-disciplinary planning process and to analyze all expertise assignments involved; (2) materials were sought from a variety of sources including council official online guidance, public open access materials, project team communication, and consultation results which covered local residents engagement and anonymous comments during the publicity period of the planning decision. Desktop studies, site visits, and the expertise of the multi-disciplinary team were applied throughout the case; (3) with a year of planning teamwork, the proposed development of the study site met the local sustainable growth that planning permission for high-quality residential dwellings was granted by the Local Planning Authority; (4) since known landscape-led planning examples are limited in the UK, the case study formed a good example for scholars and researchers who are interested in planning in the Green Belt.

As urbanization increasingly compresses ecological spaces, traditional urban greening faces dual challenges of high maintenance costs and diminished ecological functions. Within this context, urban walls—characterized by their widespread distribution, diverse microhabitats, and relatively low levels of human intervention—are gaining recognition as valuable components of urban green infrastructure. Spontaneous wall vegetation, with its strong local adaptability and ecological functions, aligns well with emerging concepts of low-intervention, nature-based urban restoration. This study investigates the composition and environmental drivers of spontaneous wall plant communities across 321 plots on 100 urban walls in central Nanjing, China. Standardized vegetation surveys recorded species composition, cover, and wall-related environmental variables. Variance partitioning, canonical correspondence analysis, and multiple linear regression were applied to elucidate the relationships between plant diversity patterns and environmental factors. Results revealed high species diversity on urban walls, with 163 vascular plant species across 125 genera and 60 families. Retaining walls and spring plots exhibited more complex community structures. Environmental factors collectively explained 58.1% of the variation in plant communities, with wall inherent attributes contributing 23.1%. Diversity indices indicated a moderate level of richness and evenness, with an average Shannon index of 1.3 (0.6–2.5), Simpson index of 0.6 (0.02–0.9), and Patrick index of 1.9 (0.3–3.8). Microstructural attributes such as joint degradation and surface roughness facilitated colonization, highlighting the critical role of microhabitat heterogeneity in community assembly. As one of the first systematic studies on spontaneous vegetation of urban vertical structures in the Yangtze River Delta, this research provides foundational data on urban wall biodiversity and offers valuable insights for integrating native species into green infrastructure planning.