Talal Obaid Alshammari

Examining pedestrian crossing violations at high-risk road midblock crossings has become essential, particularly in high-speed corridors, as a result of accidents at crossings resulting in fatalities. Hence, this article investigates such behavior in Alexandria, Egypt, as a credible case study in a developing country. According to our research methodology, a comprehensive dataset of over 2400 field-observed video recordings was used for real-life data collection. Machine learning (ML) models, such as CatBoost and gradient boosting (GB), were employed to predict crossing decisions. The models showed that risky behavior is strongly influenced by waiting time, crossing time, and the number of crossing attempts. The highest predictive performance was achieved by CatBoost and gradient boosting, indicating strong interpersonal influence within small groups engaging in unsafe road-crossing behavior. In the same context, the Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) values for these variables were 3, 2, and 0.60, respectively. Subsequently, based on SHAP sensitivity analysis, the results show that the total time (s) and age group (40–60 Y) had a significant negative influence on model prediction converging to class 0 (e.g., crossing illegally). The results also showed that shorter exposure times increase the likelihood of crossing illegally. This research work is among the few studies that employ a behavior-based approach to understanding pedestrian behavior at midblock crossings. This study offers actionable insights and valuable information for urban designers and transportation planners when considering the design of midblock crossings.

Urban areas now constitute the primary habitat for most of the global population, a demographic shift that has exacerbated longstanding urban challenges. In response, cities are increasingly turning to emerging information and communication technologies and artificial intelligence (AI) as potential solutions. This study provides a critical review of the predominant urban issues and examines their interconnection with contemporary smart city initiatives worldwide. Through an analysis of international case studies from Singapore, Spain, the Netherlands, and Copenhagen, this research aims to derive valuable insights and lessons to inform the development of scenarios for future sustainable urban models. The study highlights that while AI and smart technologies hold significant promise for advancing urban sustainability, their implementation faces considerable challenges. These include critical social implications, such as the erosion of privacy, alongside economic constraints and heterogeneous regulatory landscapes across national contexts. Furthermore, the analysis identifies Dutch smart urbanism initiatives as particularly noteworthy. Among the cases examined, the Dutch approach is distinguished by its pronounced emphasis on mitigating social issues and fostering public participation in the co-creation of future urban frameworks.

Determining the type and properties of saturated groundwater for complex sedimentary facies, as well as the various properties of these sedimentary facies, requires extensive geological, hydrogeological, and geophysical studies. Therefore, identifying the different types of subsurface deposits and their physical properties as well as their geological, hydrogeological, and structural settings are the interesting features in this study which play an important role in achieving its objectives. To achieve these objectives, the Direct Current (DC) resistivity method and the Direct Current Time-Domain Induced Polarization (DC-TDIP) method were used. These two methods were applied because they are complementary methods, one of which is more accurate in sediments saturated with fresh water (the DC resistivity method) and the other in sediments saturated with salt water (DC-TDIP method). Also, the DC-TDIP method was applied to avoid ambiguity in the resistivity results, as well as their results were compared with the available geological and hydrogeological field data. Accordingly, 2D and 3D resistivity values were designed to describe the hydro-lithological environment of the recorded sediments, and their hydrogeoelectric properties and groundwater zones were also identified and divided. Also, 2D and 3D chargeability values were designed to distinguish between sediments, their depositional facies, and their saturated water properties. These values also succeeded in separating clay from non-clay layers, and clay layers from layers containing salt water. Therefore, it was found that the integration between the two methods helped in identifying and visualizing the characteristics of the sediments and determining their facies and their water content, which helped in understanding the complex sedimentary facies recorded in the study area as well as identifying the types and characteristics of groundwater contained in these facies. Therefore, it can be recommended to apply the previous methodology and include the two geophysical methods and their results to study complex facies deposits and determine their water content and type, especially in similar depositional environments that are located next to a source of salt water mixed with other types of water.

Electric vehicles (EVs) have emerged as a transformative solution for reducing carbon emissions and promoting environmental sustainability in the automotive industry. However, the widespread adoption of EVs in the United States faces challenges, including high costs and unequal access to charging infrastructure. To overcome these barriers and ensure equitable EV usage, a comprehensive understanding of the intricate interplay among social, economic, and environmental factors influencing the placement of charging stations is crucial. This study investigates the key variables that contribute to demographic disparities in the accessibility of EV charging stations (EVCSs). We analyze the impact of various factors, including EV percentage, geographic area, population density, available electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) ports, electricity sources, energy costs, per capita and average family income, traffic patterns, and climate, on the placement of EVCSs in nine selected US states. Furthermore, we employ predictive modeling techniques, such as linear regression and support vector machine, to explore unique nuances in EVCS installation. By leveraging real-world data from these states and the identified variables, we forecast the future distribution of EVCSs using machine learning. The linear regression model demonstrates exceptional effectiveness, achieving 90% accuracy, 94% precision, 89% recall, and a 91% F1 score. Both graphical analysis and machine learning converge on a significant finding: Texas emerges as the most favorable state for optimal EVCS placement among the studied areas. This research enhances our understanding of the multifaceted dynamics that govern the accessibility of EVCSs, thereby informing the development of policies and strategies to accelerate EV adoption, reduce emissions, and promote social inclusivity.

Streetscape can be considered as a term “which can be used to clarify and explain the street's built-in and the basic structure, also it is known as the design of the visual appeal and quality of the street effect. A good tool for improving urban quality and establishing a feeling of place is design of streetscape. People's re-quirements for public areas have changed as internet usage has continued to expand. The numbers of people who use cars has increased a lot in Riyadh city. This leads to some problems in a direct and an indirect way, such as car accidents, traffic overcrowding, lack of services for bicyclists and pedestrians, weak social rela-tionships between the people, and high obesity levels. Reconsider design of streetscape in Riyadh city espe-cially in the era of digital information technology will revitalize regions by providing reshaping the urban experience toward higher livability that respond to and connect with onlookers in order to increase under-standing of onlookers' activities in the streets, promote their sense of place, and improve safety and livabil-ity in urban areas.. The presented study focuses on the qualitative approach that is according to the related theoretical exploration and research; so, this paper combines the design of streetscape with digital infor-mation technology, with new ideas of intelligent streetscape’s design for enhancing Riyadh city to make the user's life livable. The current paper ended with proposed strategic approaches and suggestions to enhance the city of Riyadh's streetscape style as an outcome of the theoretical research. Results indicated that streets, which contain a close combination with the resident’s daily life activities and the important consequences on their mental comfort, have not attracted any care in terms of academic research. This resulted in a failure in providing solid strategic approaches for intelligent design of streetscape in Riyadh city.

This paper challenges the fact that the absolute freedom for residents to locate themselves wherever they want can lead to sustainable cities. Urban sprawl is the corollary to this freedom. Urban sprawl has become a controversial issue. Lines of thought among academics, practitioners, and local authorities have been diverse. Some academics advocate the compact city as an antidote to urban sprawl, some scholars doubt the ability of conventional notions of containments to create sustainability, and others are fascinated by urban technologies and believe in the feasibility of these technologies, whereas local authorities impose policies, one after the other, without effective results. The problematic point is the absence of a comprehensive approach to undermining the urban sprawl sustainably. On the other hand, the physical urban compactness alone cannot meet containment aims. The study therefore study poses a question: Is there a theory or policy that can accommodate all of these ideas? This study attempts to find a sustainable compromise through a critical review of the impact of auto-mobility on urban affairs and to solve the dialectical contradictions between the protagonists of compactness and their counterparts who advocate urban sprawl. The review ends with a comparison between urban initiatives and theories related to auto-mobilities, and highlights the approaches to sustainable urbanism. The conclusion is that all classic planning theories have neglected the sociocultural impact on the urban realm, and that the current initiatives and mutual debates consider the resident just as a physical object who cannot contribute effectively to sustainable urban syntax. The study concludes that urban sprawl can also be a compacted zone if authorities ensure the equity of loci-services. Then, the preference for housing locations will not be a challenge to urban residents’ movements to settle closer to their work. In the end, the inhabitants will share in making an integrated and real urban containment.

SPN is an important aspect of smart and sustainable mobility in cities that promote walkability (SPN) walking is becoming an important component of transportation and urban policies to achieve more sustainable development. Riyadh's rapid urban expansion and population growth have increased pedestrian accidents and damaged people's daily walking conditions during the last four decades. As a result, implementing the Smart Pedestrian Network has the potential to significantly increase walkability and create more sustainable urban spaces. The research technique is deductive, with modern technology playing a significant part in introducing new ways to pedestrian path planning and design, ultimately improving this form of transportation in Riyadh. The current paper concluded with proposed guidelines for strategic implementation using the Smart Pedestrian Network system and a conceptual framework for smart pedestrian networks, both of which could add value to exploring the pedestrian network in more advanced ways in Riyadh. The application of a smart network for pedestrians resulted in increased walkability and satisfaction with walking in Riyadh city, according to the findings.

Urban Studies is an interdisciplinary and rapidly evolving field. The aim of this study is to assess the development of Urban Studies as an academic field from 2011 to 2019, by focusing on number of journals and articles, their openness, and their respective bibliometric indicators. A Scopus-based journal-level analysis and a Web of Science-based article-level analysis were performed. Publications from 2011 to 2019 were filtered for ‘Urban Studies’. In 2019, there were 193 Urban Studies journals compared to 83 journals in 2011. The percentage of open access publications increased from 25.6% in 2011 to 45% in 2019. The number of yearly publications was 13,007 in 2011 and expanded to 36,805 in 2019. The number of open access journals significantly increased from 18 (22%) in 2011 to 69 (35.9%) in 2019 (p = 0.005). Institution-based and small publishers are leading the way toward open access journals; the number of open access journals are significantly greater than the number put out by mainstream large publishers. Urban studies is a rapidly evolving interdisciplinary field with different related fields contributing to its development.