Background: With an aging population and the continuous advancement of smart technology, the Chinese government is exploring smart elderly care models to address the challenges posed by aging. Although smart home systems are viewed as a promising solution, their adoption rate among older people remains low. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the factors influencing the behavioral intention to use smart home systems among older people in Linyi City, Shandong Province, China. Methods: A literature review revealed a lack of quantitative research on older people’s behavioral intention toward smart home systems based on the Innovation Diffusion Theory. This study developed an extended model based on the Innovation Diffusion Theory, Technology Acceptance Model, and external variables, incorporating eight variables: intergenerational technical support, perceived cost, self-reported health conditions, compatibility, observability, trialability, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and behavioral intention. Results: Analysis of 387 valid questionnaires showed that compatibility and trialability significantly and positively affect perceived ease of use, while self-reported health conditions, perceived ease of use, and perceived usefulness have significant effects on behavioral intention. In addition, perceived cost had a negative influence on behavioral intention. Contributions/Significance: These findings highlight the importance of considering these factors in the design of smart home systems to improve user experience and provide valuable practical guidance to smart home system developers, R&D institutions, and policymakers.

China is experiencing rapid population aging and is actively promoting smart home–based eldercare. Smart homes offer a promising means of supporting older adults in aging in place. However, low adoption and limited sustained use constrain their potential benefits, thereby exacerbating social, economic, and healthcare burdens. This study examined factors influencing older adults’ continuance intention to use smart homes in Shandong Province, China, by integrating the Expectation–Confirmation Model of Information Systems and the Technology Acceptance Model and incorporating China-specific contextual antecedents, including government policy, intergenerational technical support, compatibility, and cost. Data were collected using an online questionnaire survey of older adults aged 60 years and older with prior smart home experience (n = 421) and analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Results showed that perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, satisfaction, and cost directly affected continuance intention, whereas government policy, compatibility, and intergenerational technical support influenced continuance intention through perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and confirmation. Based on these results, this study proposes a conceptual framework for understanding older adults’ continuance intention toward smart homes. The findings provide implications for inclusive policy, user-centered design, and family-supported digital aging in rapidly aging societies.

Over the last 25 years, from 2000 to 2024, Malaysian home prices have been steadily increasing, raising serious concerns in the real estate industry, especially in urban areas. This problem particularly impacts low-income households (B40) and first-time homebuyers. To improve housing affordability for all societal groups, this issue must be addressed. Analysing Malaysia's rising home prices over the 25 years from 2000 to 2024, and determining the reasons influencing this trend, are the goals of this study. Secondary data is gathered from market reports, the Valuation and Property Services Department (JPPH), and other relevant sources as part of the qualitative technique. To identify trends and causes influencing the increase in home prices, data analysis was conducted. The study's conclusions demonstrate that, over the past 25 years, home prices have increased significantly due to several factors, including rising building costs, urbanisation, demographic shifts, low loan interest rates, and increased demand and supply for homes. In conclusion, this study offers recommendations to the government and real estate developers to stabilise the housing market and advises stakeholders to develop plans to address the issue of rising home prices.

Understanding how the street built environment (SBE) relates to street vitality is critical for promoting livable and sustainable cities, yet its multiscale and spatially heterogeneous patterns remain insufficiently understood, particularly in polycentric urban contexts. Focusing on the core urban area of Chongqing, this study adopts 7951 street segments as the analytical unit to capture street-level spatial processes. A street vitality index was constructed using multi-source data integrating population, social, and economic activities. The SBE was quantified across three dimensions: macroscale street-network structure derived from spatial design network analysis, mesoscale functional characteristics measured using point-of-interest data, and microscale streetscape perception extracted from street-view imagery. The multiscale geographically weighted regression (MGWR) model was employed to examine spatially varying associations between the SBE and street vitality. Results reveal clear spatial non-stationarity in these associations. Closeness, functional density, and functional mix show positive associations with street vitality, whereas connectivity, betweenness, and greenness exhibit mainly negative associations. Transit stop density and enclosure demonstrate bidirectional spatial associations. These findings provide empirical evidence of spatially differentiated associations between the SBE and street vitality in polycentric cities and offer a data-driven basis for differentiated street planning and urban spatial optimization.

1. Aging in place has become a central concern in housing and environmental gerontology because later life is increasingly expected to be supported within familiar residential environments rather t...