The aim of this study is to explore how tourists’ perceived authenticity influences their subjective well-being (SWB) in the context of heritage tourism via the mediating role of place attachment and satisfaction. Taking the tourists of the Palace Museum as an example, the results indicate that: (a) authenticity has a significant positive impact on place attachment and satisfaction; (b) place attachment can significantly enhance satisfaction, but different dimensions of place attachment have different effects on SWB; (c) place attachment and satisfaction play mediating roles in the relationship between authenticity and SWB. The conclusion of this study highlights the significance of authenticity in heritage tourism, and further discusses how to promote tourists’ SWB through the perception of authenticity.

Mountain tourism is an important part of China’s tourism market. Tourist behavior is essential to environmental protection and the sustainability of destinations. This paper takes environmentally responsible behavior (ERB) as an important tourist behavior. It breaks down the dimensions of the traditional tourism experience, such as hedonism, participation, novelty; or hedonism, involvement, novelty, local culture; and analyzes the influence of entertainment, education, aesthetics, and escape on place attachment from the nature of the tourism experience. It then incorporates nature bonding into the system of place attachment and analyzes the relationship with place attachment, tourist experiences, and ERBs in Qianshan Mountain, a 5A scenic spot in China. Partial least squares structural (PLS) equation modeling is used to analyze the data of 410 valid questionnaires. The results found that tourist experiences affect ERBs through place attachment. Nature bonding is the key factor of ERBs. The results are as follows: escape and aesthetics influence ERB through nature bonding; entertainment influences general ERB through place identity and nature bonding; education has a positive impact on general ERB through place identity and place dependence. Entertainment and education experiences partially affect place attachment. Place identity and nature bonding affect general ERB, but particular ERB is related only to nature bonding. The internal psychological mechanism of ERB is identified. In addition, mountain landscapes can be designed from the perspective of entertainment experiences, landscape aesthetic, leisure atmosphere and educational functions, so that tourists can spontaneously pay attention to environmental issues and engage in the practical activities of environmental protection.

Examining the relationship between built environment (BE) and urban vitality (UV) is beneficial for promoting urban planning, as it deepens the understanding of how spatial design shapes urban life and activity patterns. However, the nonlinear effects of BE on UV from a spatiotemporal perspective have not been fully explored. In this study, the central urban area of Chongqing at the block scale is selected as a research case. The Gradient Boosting Decision Tree with SHapley Additive exPlanations (GBDT-SHAP) model is used to examine the nonlinear impacts of BE on UV. The results show the following: (1) The BE has a stronger overall impact on UV during holidays. Road intersection density (RID) has the greatest impact on UV on weekdays and holidays, building density (BD) has the greatest impact on weekend mornings, cultural and leisure accessibility (CLA) has the greatest impact on weekend afternoons, and commercial accessibility (CA) has the most significant impact on weekend evenings; (2) the impacts of the BE on UV exhibit significant nonlinear characteristics, with BD and park and square accessibility (PSA) showing a first increasing and then inhibiting effect on UV; lower CA, CLA, and MSA have inhibitory effects on UV, with higher normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) values similarly demonstrating such effects; building height (BH), bus stop density (BSD), road network density (RD), and RID have enhancing effects on UV; functional mix degree (FMD) and water proximity index (WPI) show different trends in different time periods; (3) there are significant interactive effects among BE such as BD and BH, CA; RD and WPI, MSA; FMD and BH, PSA; PSA and CLA. A comprehensive understanding of these interactive relationships is crucial for optimizing the BE to enhance UV. This study provides a theoretical basis for urban planners to develop more effective, time-sensitive strategies. Future research should explore these nonlinear and interactive effects across different cities and scales to further generalize the findings.

The impact of the built environment (BE) on urban vitality (UV) has become a key issue in the field of urban planning. However, few studies have explored the impact of the BE on UV from the perspective of urban function zones (UFZs). Taking the central urban area of Tianjin as an example, this paper explores the nonlinear influences and threshold effects of the BE on UV using machine learning methods. It also reveals the spatiotemporal variations in UV across different UFZs during the daytime and nighttime on weekdays and weekends. The results show the following: (1) Education and culture zones showed the highest UV during weekday daytime, while commercial zones dominated at other times. Industrial zones remained the least active throughout. Residential zones demonstrated higher nighttime UV than daytime UV on weekdays, with the opposite pattern observed on weekends. Public service zones maintained a comparable level of UV between the daytime and nighttime on weekdays. Other function zones generally displayed higher daytime UV. During the daytime on weekends, all function zones except industrial zones demonstrated higher UV compared to other time periods. (2) In commercial zones, the floor area ratio (FAR) exerted the strongest influence, displaying distinct threshold effects. Residential zones showed dual sensitivity to building height (BH) and the FAR. Public service zones were predominantly influenced by Road Density (RD) and Bus Station Density (BSD). RD exhibited higher marginal utility for enhancing UV during the nighttime. Education and culture zones were significantly influenced by the FAR, RD, and POI Density (POID).

The land surface temperature (LST) in the central urban area has shown a consistent upward trend over the years, exacerbating the surface urban heat island (SUHI) effect. Therefore, this study focuses on the central urban area of Chengdu, using blocks as the research scale. The Gradient Boosting Decision Tree (GBDT) model and SHAP values are employed to explore the nonlinear effects of human settlements (HS) on LST across different seasons. The results show that (1) At the block scale, the overall impact of HS on LST across all four seasons tracks the following order: built environment (BE) > landscape pattern (LP) > socio-economic development (SED). (2) LP is the most important factor affecting LST in summer, while the BE has the greatest influence on LST during spring, autumn, and winter. (3) Most HS indicators exhibit seasonal variations in their impact on LST. The impervious surface area (ISA) exhibits a significant positive impact on LST during spring, summer, and autumn. In contrast, the nighttime light index (NTL) and functional mix degree (FMD) exert a significant negative influence on LST in spring, autumn, and winter. Additionally, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) negatively affects LST in both spring and summer. Moreover, connectivity (CNT) and functional density (FPD) demonstrate notable threshold effects in their influence on LST. (4) Certain HS indicators exhibit interaction effects, and some combinations of these indicators can effectively reduce LST. This study reveals HS–LST interactions through multidimensional analysis, offering block-scale seasonal planning strategies for sustainable urban thermal optimization.

The walking accessibility of primary healthcare institutions (PHCIs) is a pivotal determinant of health equity. However, prior studies often lack a comprehensive assessment that integrates the spatiotemporal dynamics of both multi-faceted supply and multi-scenario demand. To bridge this gap, this study develops an enhanced two-step floating catchment area method (2SFCA-MSD) that concurrently incorporates multiple types of service supply and multiple temporal demand scenarios to quantify PHCI walking accessibility, with equity evaluated using the Gini coefficient and Lorenz curve. The results indicate that: (1) Both supply and demand exhibit pronounced spatiotemporal inequalities. (2) Walking accessibility varies substantially across scenarios; Health services for vulnerable groups (Service B) exhibit the highest walking accessibility across all three supply scenarios, while the morning work scenario demonstrates the best walking accessibility among the four demand scenarios. (3) Gini coefficients exceeding 0.5 across all scenarios reveal severe resource allocation inequity. By establishing a dynamic supply–demand integration framework, this research advances methodological precision in accessibility evaluation, uncovers critical spatiotemporal mismatch patterns, and provides actionable insights for optimizing PHCI planning to promote spatial justice in urban health.