Numerous studies have explored the cooling and energy-saving effects of vegetation and reflective materials under extreme heat conditions in urban residential areas. However, few have explored the synergistic effects of vegetation and albedo, particularly in low-rise, high-density residential areas. Therefore, this study selected six typical low-rise, high-density residential areas in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, based on the neighborhood characteristics. This study investigated the cooling effects and energy-saving potential of vegetation and cooling materials through the development of five simulation scenarios. These included original conditions, the application of highly reflective cooling materials, increased vegetation cover, the removal of vegetation cover, and a comprehensive strategy combining cooling materials with enhanced vegetation. These scenarios were analyzed using ENVI-met and DesignBuilder to evaluate their impact on the microclimate and building energy consumption. The results reveal the following: (1) Cooling materials can lower air temperatures by 1.9 °C, saving 10.37% in energy consumption during the summer, demonstrating a greater efficiency in reducing air temperature and energy use. (2) Vegetation slightly reduces daytime air temperatures but hampers nighttime cooling in dense low-rise areas, increasing energy demand. Shrubs or grass are preferable to tall trees. (3) Cooling materials had a stronger correlation with energy consumption reduction compared to vegetation. Hence, combining cooling materials with strategically placed vegetation and controlling vegetation size maximized cooling and energy-saving benefits. This study provides valuable insights for urban planners and designers, offering guidance for improving urban microclimates, reducing building energy use, and achieving carbon neutrality goals.

Extreme heat events have become more common and more severe during summer than ever before as a result of the warming climate in Australia. The impact of urban morphology and green coverage on outdoor thermal comfort has been the subject of extensive research, however, their link to suburban developments of different historic periods is still underexplored. This paper investigates and compares the outdoor thermal performance of ten suburban areas constructed since the late nineteenth century in Greater Adelaide, which were built to different planning ideals and concepts of their time. Microclimate models of two precedents for five development eras were constructed in ENVI-met, validated with site data related to a recent heatwave event in 2023, and then used to facilitate further investigation of the impact of development patterns on outdoor thermal comfort. This study examines how these urban patterns perform in scenarios of varying development intensity and greenery ratio. In these case studies, the distance between buildings, streets’ spatial ratio and green coverage has a significant impact on the thermal environment. The results underline the impact of solar exposure on outdoor thermal performance even in lower-density suburban areas. Some of the outcomes of the study are counter-intuitive to conventional assumptions about urban design typologies. In this comparison, for example, one of the “green” model garden city developments did not perform as well as denser 19th-century suburbs. The results can support better decision-making for future urban planning in Australia and other regions with similar climate conditions. The study shows that real performance does not always align with stated green ambitions and, urban design should consider and evaluate heat mitigation through evidence-based testing to achieve real green development.

Rapid urbanization has intensified microclimatic deterioration in temperate monsoon cities, directly affecting human thermal comfort. This study investigates the regulatory effects of common street tree species under varying street aspect ratios (H/W) and orientations in Shenyang, China, a representative temperate monsoon city characterized by cold winters. Field surveys and questionnaire data were combined with ENVI-met simulations to quantify thermal comfort responses using the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). Results demonstrate that street geometry strongly constrains microclimate regulation: streets with H/W = 1.2 and a SE–NW orientation achieved the most favorable balance between shading and ventilation, yielding the lowest UTCI values. Significant interspecies variability was observed: Golden Elm and Chinese Willow provided the greatest cooling benefits, whereas Ginkgo exhibited limited adaptability, particularly in enclosed or highly open canyons. A comparison with subjective thermal comfort votes confirmed strong model reliability, though discrepancies emerged in dense commercial areas due to non-meteorological factors. Based on these findings, a spatially driven, species-adaptive, and human-centered framework is proposed to optimize street greening strategies in a temperate monsoon city characterized by cold winters. This research provides quantitative evidence for urban greening design, highlights the necessity of integrating spatial form with tree-species selection, and offers practical guidance for resilient thermal comfort management in rapidly urbanizing cold-region cities.

Traditional alleys in China are mostly characterized by dense population, poor infrastructure, and narrow streets. The general renewal approaches of traditional alleys paid more attention to the physical space while they lack consideration for the thermal comfort of residents, which often results in declines in the rational design of the space and vitality of the community. This research takes Da Long Wang Xiang historical district in Zhenjiang as a case study to investigate the relationship between the morphology of street spaces (Alley Width (W), Sky View Factor (SVF), Height to Width Ratio (H/W), building height on both sides of alley) and microclimatic parameters, such as Potential Air Temperature (Ta), Relative Humidity (RH), Wind Speed (WS), Mean Radiation Temperature (Tmrt) and Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET). The results have shown that: 1) the peak temperature was found at 14:00, and the thermal comfort of all alleys is overheated during this period, particularly NW-SE alleys are hotter than NESW alleys; 2) the deviation of Ta, RH, WS, and Tmrt among the NW-SE alleys during 13:00 to 15:00 are smaller than those among the NE-SW alleys; and 3) set a shading device or higher buildings on the side of the afternoon solar incidence can help to create a more comfortable thermal comfort. The findings of this research will provide a new strategy for the renewal design of traditional alleys.

With the wave of economic globalization, the problem of commercial bribery of multinational companies, who play an important role in the international market, has gradually become a global problem. The commercial bribery of transnational corporations is harmful to the market order of fair competition in China. Therefore, China should severely crack down on the commercial bribery of multinational companies. Judging from the current judicial situation, there are still many shortcomings in anti-commercial bribery of transnational corporations. This paper will use empirical analysis to study these problems. This article will start with the GlaxoSmithKline case, introduce the current judicial interpretation in China, point out the shortcomings of the legal system, the applicable object, the jurisdictional conflict, and the actual situation of law enforcement. Then, the paper will further analyze the reasons for the shortcomings of the applicable object, the jurisdictional conflict, and the intersection of justice and civil justice. Based on this, these measures should be taken including expanding the scope of application and the scope of jurisdiction, adding a civil compensation system, and strengthening international cooperation.