A diagrammatic method for the identification and resolution of urban spatial conflicts

A Design-Driven Approach Exploring Therapeutic Building-Nature Integration Strategies in Healthcare

Objectives: This paper focuses on the three representative hospital projects conceived by Herzog & de Meuron, which transcend the conventional function of healing facilities by embracing a holistic conception of care. Through a thorough examination, complemented by illustrative drawings, it delves into the design strategies that set these projects apart from conventional practices observed in general hospital settings. Background: In response to the rising concerns about environmental sustainability and human well-being, architects, urban planners, and landscape designers are beginning to realize how crucial it is to use "natural" components in design. Particularly in healthcare institutions, carefully designed healing gardens like courtyards, with their appropriate spatial arrangement and material composition method, aim for high-quality spaces to promote health and well-being. Methodology: A qualitative study was conducted through design-driven evaluation, with photographic documentation, drawings, and sketches to show how these designs achieve therapeutic integration. The strategies were thoroughly analyzed from three main perspectives: context and space, garden and building, and material and environment. Results: The investigation demonstrates that key design elements for improving the healing effect of hospitals include nature integration, spatial sequence, daylight exposure, and material composition. Specifically, it involves incorporating nature through courtyards, allowing daylight to enter indoor spaces, using clear architectural markers for easy wayfinding, and applying tactile timber finishes both inside and outside the building. Conclusions: The research highlights significant strategies and approaches that establish a framework for designers and decision-makers to assess hospital health promotion aspects to guide future design projects.

Identifying and warning against spatial conflicts of land use from an ecological environment perspective: A case study of the Ili River Valley, China

Spatial conflicts of land use (SCLU) arise during land-use change, which causes an imbalance of land-use spatial patterns and negatively affects society, the economy, and ecology. Previous research has focused on identifying and measuring SCLU, with less attention on the negative effects. The incorporation of risk assessment methods to evaluate potential conflict risks has been limited. The current study presents methods for measuring SCLU and assessing potential conflict risks from the ecological environment perspective. The spatial comprehensive conflicts index and potential conflict risk index were used to identify and measure the SCLU and to assess and warn against potential conflict risks, respectively, based on a case study in the Ili River Valley in China. The impacts of terrain restriction and land-use change on the SCLU were explored. Results indicate that (1) the SCLU area in the Ili River Valley decreased by 2,608 km2 from 2010 to 2020, compared to the previous decade, the degree of conflict weakened, and the main body of the SCLU gradually shifted northwest. (2) The potential risk areas cover 20,268 km2 in 2020-2030 and are mainly distributed in the "Khorgas City-Huocheng County-Yining City-Yining County" group of towns, as well as along the Ili-Kunes rivers and in the ecological protection zone in the south of the Ili River Valley, which shows the clustering along the city and distribution along the river in the spatial pattern. (3) Topography had a significant impact on the SCLU, and the main types of land-use change in the severe-conflict zone were the reduction of grassland and the expansion of arable and built-up land. For future conflict mitigation in the Ili River Valley, cautioning against urban sprawl and safeguarding land ecological security is critical. This study systematically investigates and analyzes SCLU across three dimensions: theory, methodology, and application to produce a theoretical and practical framework to identify SCLU and assess potential conflict risks.

Investigation of Spatial Coupling Coordination Development: Identifying Land System States from the Adaptation-Conflict Perspective

With the advancement of global urbanization, ecosystem conservation and sustainable land development have become major issues. In this context, the uncoordinated and imbalanced development of the land-centered human-environment system requires urgent attention, especially in rust belt cities that pose critical challenges to regional land system sustainability. Therefore, taking Changchun City from 1990 to 2020 as an example, we identified and evaluated the ecosystem service (ES) balance and land use conflict from the perspectives of internal support and external development pressure. Based on the land system adaptation and conflict results, a coupling coordination degree model (CCDM) was constructed to investigate the spatio-temporal characteristics of land system development. The results indicated that there was an obvious downward trend in the regional ES balance, while areas with higher ES balance were mainly distributed in the eastern ecologically sound areas, and southern built-up areas presented deficient ES balance levels (i.e., demand exceeding supply), with a significant expansion trend from 1990 to 2020. Land use conflict was especially prominent in areas experiencing rapid rural-urban transformation, and the hot spots expanded noticeably. The spatio-temporal differences in the coupling coordination degree of ES balance and land use conflict were significant, whereas the land system of the study area has always been dominated by a balanced development pattern throughout the research period, except for the urban center, which tended to be in a stage of uncoordinated development, with the ES balance blocked. These findings suggest that it is necessary to coordinate urban and adjacent regions through regionally integrated efforts to alleviate the ES imbalance. This research can provide a scientific reference for analyzing regional land system states, coordinating the sustainable spatial development of ecosystems, and implementing revitalization strategies to achieve win-win land system goals.