The purpose of this study was: (1) to propose a classification system for the contributory factors behind major coach and bus accidents with mass casualties based on the human factor analysis and classification system (HFACS); and (2) to identify the main contributory factors behind accidents and the main indicators of the causal factors. Based on 56 official investigation reports of major coach and bus accidents with more than 10 fatalities, a qualitative content analysis was conducted to develop a modified classification system for the contributory factors behind these accidents, and a gray correlation analysis was conducted to identify the main causative factors and indicators by calculating the correlation degrees. The results showed that the modified classification system for the contributory factors behind major coach and bus accidents can be divided into seven levels: government regulations, the organizational influence of passenger transportation enterprises, unsafe internal operational supervision, preconditions for drivers’ unsafe acts, drivers’ unsafe acts, proximate causes other than the driver’s act, and moderating factors affecting accident severity and probability. The organizational influence of passenger transportation enterprises is the most significant factor affecting the accidents. Thus, passenger transport enterprises must systematically strengthen their responsibility and safety management to prevent accidents. Accident investigations should begin with the accident process to determine the proximate cause as well as the factors that influence the likelihood and severity of the accident.

Explosion accidents, representing one of the most severe accident types within the chemical industry, pose substantial threats to personnel safety, economic losses, and environmental pollution, among other consequences. This paper constructs a research framework based on the REASON theory, utilizing accident investigation reports of 30 typical chemical enterprise explosion accidents in China from 2013–2022 as research samples. The fsQCA method is employed to deeply explore the influencing factors and causal configuration pathways of chemical explosion accidents from a configurational perspective. The study findings indicate that the occurrence of explosions in chemical enterprises is the result of the coupled effects of multiple factors, with five complex accident causation configurations, which can be summarized into the following three categories: organizational management deficiencies, supervision deficiencies, and behavior–risk linkages. Organizational management and safety supervision have a direct and significant impact on the occurrence of explosions in chemical enterprises and are key factors in the accidents. The research conclusions contribute to a rational understanding of the complex causes of explosions in chemical enterprises and provide practical guidance for the prevention and control of such accidents.

The smart city concept has taken center stage as a paradigm shift in urban governance, promising innovation, sustainability, and strategic upgrades, and drawing the attention of researchers globally. However, existing frameworks for assessing smart cities remain incomplete and simplistic. This paper aims to address the following question: what is the process and current situation of 30 capitals in China after the implementation of smart city construction, especially from the new perspective of social, physical, and informational space development? To this end, we focus on 30 national and provincial capitals in China, proposing a novel, tri-dimensional SPI model—Social, Physical, and Information space—for smart city spatial development assessment. Employing a robust methodological approach, including entropy weighting, coupled coordination degree models, and the Dagum Gini coefficient, we conduct a spatial development and coordination analysis of these cities from 2011 to 2021. In addition, we utilize BP neural networks to evaluate the contribution of each indicator to the spatial coupled coordination. Our findings indicate a steady increase in the spatial coupled coordination development level of smart capitals in China, alongside a narrowing disparity in development speeds across regions, resulting in a staggered spatial distribution pattern. Specifically, the Information space subsystem represents the most influential driver of coupled coordination. The significance of this research lies in its unique tri-dimensional spatial perspective, offering valuable insights into the spatial development and coordination discrepancies in the smart city concept. These insights offer evidence-based support for regional planning and optimization strategies in China.

Clarifying the pathways through which public emergency response capability influences community responsibility holds positive implications for promoting public participation in community disaster prevention and mitigation efforts. Based on a large-scale community survey covering over 70 cities in China, this study obtained a sample of 1753 individuals through random sampling and employed Bootstrap methods for effect testing. Findings reveal the following: ① Public emergency response capability significantly correlates positively with sense of community responsibility, with both intrinsic cognitive emergency response capability and extrinsic skill-based emergency response capability demonstrating strong positive associations with community responsibility. ② Risk perception mediates the relationship between public emergency response capability and community responsibility, forming the associative pathway: “Enhanced public emergency response capability → Reduced risk perception → Strengthened sense of community responsibility”. ③ Community resilience moderates the “public emergency response capability → risk perception” pathway, with high-resilience communities significantly reducing public risk perception levels. Therefore, to fully leverage the role of public emergency response capability in enhancing community responsibility, efforts should focus on cultivating public risk prevention awareness, comprehensively disseminating safety and emergency knowledge, strengthening public emergency skills training, fostering a culture of neighborhood watch within communities, and optimizing public participation mechanisms for community disaster reduction.

Smart City has emerged as the mainstream paradigm for urban governance innovation, sustainable development, and strategy upgrades, which is drawing attention from scholars worldwide. However, current frameworks for Smart City assessment remain incomplete and simplistic. In is paper, 30 national or provincial capitals in China were selected and we designed a tri-dimensional SPI model—Social, Physical, and Information Space—for smart city spatial development assessment. Utilizing methods such as entropy weighting, coupled coordination degree models, and the Dagum Gini coefficient, this study assesses the spatial development and coupled coordination of 30 cities from 2011 to 2019. Finally, by means of BP neural networks, the study examines the contribution of each indicator to the spatial coupled coordination. The results indicated that with a narrowing disparity in development speeds among different regions, the spatial coupled coordination development level of smart capitals in China has steadily increased, presenting a pattern of staggered distribution. Moreover, the IS subsystem plays the most significant role in coupled coordination. The significance of this research lies in its tri-dimensional spatial perspective of the spatial development and coupled coordination differences of the Smart City, providing evidence-based support for the regional layout and optimization in China.