Analyze the usage of urban greenways through social media images and computer vision

Urban greenway is an emerging form of urban landscape offering multifaceted benefits to public health, economy, and ecology. However, the usage and user experiences of greenways are often challenging to measure because it is costly to survey such large areas. Based on the online postings from Instagram in 2017, this paper used Computer Vision (CV) technology to analyze and compare how the general public uses two typical greenway parks, The High Line in New York City and the Atlanta Beltline in Atlanta. Face and object detection analysis were conducted to infer user composition, activities, and key experiences. We presented the temporal patterns of Instagram postings as well as the group gatherings, smiling, and representative objects detected from photos. Our results have shown high user engagement levels for both parks while teens are significantly underrepresented. The High Line had more group activities and was more active during weekdays than the Atlanta Beltline. Stronger sense of escape and physical activities can be found in Atlanta Beltline. In summary, social media images like Instagram can provide strong empirical evidence for urban greenway usage when combined with artificial intelligence technologies, which can support the future practice of landscape architecture and urban design.

Simulation and Formation Mechanisms of Urban Landscape Design Based on Discrete Dynamic Models Driven by Big Data

Urban landscape design as a contemporary art embodies postmodernist philosophical thinking, aesthetic thinking, and breaking the traditional concept of art, and it is a new way of creating and presenting art. Big data technology characterized by large scale, speed, variety, value, and uncertainty of data is used to achieve urban landscape design. In this article, during the research process, we strive to raise the revelation of the design layer rather than the brand new level of cross-fertilization and interaction between big data-driven discrete dynamic model and urban landscape design; we also reveal how the benefits of promoting urban development and harmonious life are achieved in the interactive expression of the urban landscape after the application of the big data-driven discrete dynamic model, which provides designers and related professionals with more detailed and novel design ideas at the theoretical level and makes the theory of big data-driven discrete dynamic models in landscape design interactive methods more enriched. Finally, this article puts forward its thinking and outlook on the design of the big data-driven discrete dynamic model in the interactivity of urban landscape design, hoping that artists will strengthen its functional and material design elements when creating performance. Moreover, more design means of emerging technologies of modern science and technology should be integrated so that modern urban landscape can achieve ordinary and uncommon benefits and promote the rapid development of the big data-driven discrete dynamic model in urban landscape design development.

Training habits and lower limb injury prevention in parkour practitioners

Parkour consists of overcoming obstacles mostly in an urban landscape. Little is known regarding usual training habits and injury risks of traceurs, i.e., parkour practitioners. In this study, a 20-min survey have been fulfilled by a population of traceurs regarding training load, habits (type of warm up, physical conditioning, stretching), type of footwear, and number and type of ankle- and knee-injuries during their career. A total of 180 responses were analyzed (24.4 ± 5.9 years old, 21.7% female, 6.0 ± 3.9 years of experience). Participants reported to train 1 to 7 times per week for a mean duration of 2.2 h. 76% practiced stretching exercises. 75.6% practiced physical conditioning in addition to their parkour training (weightlifting, functional exercises). Injury rate was 1.7 per 1000 h of training, mostly ankle sprains and knee contusions. Number of injury and training load were positively correlated. The lack of physical conditioning was also a factor of injury. Knee injuries have been more frequent on participants wearing minimalist shoes. Although training appears well auto-organized and the injury rate quite low some pitfalls require attention, notably in training planning, warm-up, stretching and conditioning. Building training and coaching methods specific to parkour appears essential.

The Nature of Chinese and Russian Subcultures in Urban Discourse

The paper seeks to examine the communicative aspect of modern Chinese and Russian urban subcultures. The nominations of urban social groups representing young people in Russia and China and their connection to modern communication practices are viewed from the perspective of urban communication studies, which provides an opportunity for a new comprehension of issues connected with verbal and nonverbal constituents of urban discourse. The indicates that the subcultures in the Russian urban landscape are reflected in such nominations as фрики (freaki), мажоры (majory), хипстеры (hipstery), брейк-дансеры (break-dancery), байкеры (bikery), etc. The Chinese subcultures are known under such names as shamate, xiaoqingxin, tuyayawenhua, erciyuanyawenhua, egaoyawenhua and many others. We argue that in both countries the unity of social subgroups is based not so much on ideological preferences, but rather on lifestyles, hobbies and interests, many of them formed under the Western influence. The subcultures discussed in the research represent a broad panorama of Chinese and Russian social life. They reflect the sociocultural dynamics of attitudes, values and lifestyles influenced by globalization but acquiring nationally specific features, which transform them into unique sociocultural phenomena.