Globalization and urbanization have made many Chinese cities lose their distinct characteristics and have led to emotional sense of loss for individuals. Place attachment, as encompassing place dependence and place identity, is the positive emotion that describes the psychological connections between people and a certain place. Many studies have indicated that people develop place attachment toward a certain place by long-term interaction with that place. However, few studies have demonstrated that place attachment might also be evoked by a landscape that looks familiar, but with which a person has not had long-term interactions. It is important to understand the role of place attachment in urban design, as neglecting place attachment can have a negative impact on the outcomes of urban planning and urban design. In this study we explored the contributions of local landscape elements to people’s place attachment to a new physical environment by means of a cross-regional comparative study. Three groups of respondents living in three different areas of China were chosen, and a photo-based approach was used to examine the association between local landscape elements and place attachment. The results indicate, first, that local landscapes positively contribute to residents’ place attachment. Next, an individual’s place attachment to new environments can be enhanced by adding familiar local landscape elements. Findings suggest that planners and designers can build stronger place attachment by integrating landscape elements that are familiar to people. This can have implications, for example, when creating links between newcomers and the new environments to which they have moved.

Visual attributes of greenery strongly affect the attention and preferences of people. We invited 90 volunteers to participate in a study on the subjective rating and eye tracking on the landscape attributes of greenery to determine the relationship between subjective preference and visual attention to the visual attributes of greenery. The results showed that the subjective ratings of Tree + shrub + grass (IV-A), blue flower (II-A), red flower (II-B), pink flower (II-C), broad-leaved tree (I-C), and bamboo (I-E) were relatively high, belonging to the high rating group. The random forest model showed that the fixation count could indicate a subjective preference. People generate visual attention by fixating on attractive visual attributes with high subjective ratings.

Air pollution has become a critical issue in the urban areas of southeastern China in recent years. A complete understanding of the tempo-spatial characteristics of air pollution can help the public and governmental bodies manage their lives and work better. In this study, data for six criteria air pollutants (including particulate matter (PM_2.5, PM₁₀), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and ozone (O₃)) from 37 sites in nine major cities within Fujian Province, China were collected between January 2015 to December 2016, and analyzed. We analyzed the spatial and temporal variations of these six criteria pollutants, as well as the attainment rates, and identified what were the major pollutants. Our results show that: (1) the two-year mean values of PM_2.5 and PM₁₀ exceeded the Chinese National Ambient Air Quality Standard (CAAQS) standard I levels, whereas other air pollutants were below the CAAQS standard I; (2) the six criteria air pollutants show spatial variations (i.e. most air pollutants were higher in the city center areas, followed by suburban areas and exurban areas, except for O₃; and the concentrations of PM₁₀, PM_2.5, NO₂, O₃ were higher in coastal cities than in inland cities); (3) seasonal variations and the no attainment rates of air pollutants were found to be higher in cold seasons and lower in warm seasons, except for O₃; (4) the most frequently present air pollutant was PM₁₀, with PM_2.5 and O₃ being the second and third most frequent, respectively; (5) all the air pollutants, except O₃, showed positive correlations with each other. These results provide additional information for the effective control of air pollution in the province of Fujian.

Millions of pulmonary diseases, respiratory diseases, and premature deaths are caused by poor ambient air quality in developing countries, especially in China. A proven indicator of ambient air quality, atmospheric visibility (AV), has displayed continuous decline in China’s urban areas. A better understanding of the characteristics and the factors affecting AV can help the public and policy makers manage their life and work. In this study, long-term AV trends (from 1957–2016, excluding 1965–1972) and spatial characteristics of 31 provincial capital cities (PCCs) of China (excluding Taipei, Hong Kong, and Macau) were investigated. Seasonal and annual mean values of AV, percentage of ‘good’ (≥20 km) and ‘bad’ AV (<10 km), cumulative percentiles and the correlation between AV, socioeconomic factors, air pollutants and meteorological factors were analyzed in this study. Results showed that annual mean AV of the 31 PCCs in China were 14.30 km, with a declining rate of −1.07 km/decade. The AV of the 31 PCCs declined dramatically between 1973–1986, then plateaued between 1987–2006, and rebounded slightly after 2007. Correlation analysis showed that impact factors (e.g., urban size, industrial activities, residents’ activities, urban greening, air quality, and meteorological factors) contributed to the variation of AV. We also reveal that residents’ activities are the primary direct socioeconomic factors on AV. This study hopes to help the public fully understand the characteristics of AV and make recommendations about improving the air environment in China’s urban areas.