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The residents of Baghdad city has been suffering from various issues, including poor social relations, low quality of life, as well as neglect of many public spaces and small parks. Therefore, there is a need to devise effective alternatives to compensate for the loss of large public open spaces so as to enhance the residents’ social interactions and other social activities. Having that said, this study identified the types and characteristics of public open spaces to enhance residents’ social activities in Baghdad city.

This study adopted the questionnaire survey method to gather quantitative data from 306 respondents based on the single-stage random procedure. The targeted population of this study refers to the residents of the Karkh district, the western part of Baghdad.

The study outcomes highlight the need to provide pocket parks with adequate characteristics to promote the residents’ social interactions in Baghdad city.

This study contributes by emphasizing the significance of establishing pocket parks for social interaction in Baghdad City.

The study shows a number of solutions related to pocket parks by studying the critical actionable attributes that can be embedded into new development, land-use policies, or to upgrade existing parks. The study may serve as a useful reference for urban and landscape planners, architects, social psychologists, the Municipal of Baghdad, and other interested researchers in this field.

In urban planning, sustainability is closely linked to the quality of urban public spaces (UPS). However, some UPS encounter issues of low attractiveness and underutilisation. Vitality serves as a crucial measure in this context. The research perspective on the vitality of UPS centres on the balance between human activities and the built environment. Therefore, this article aims to systematically review critical aspects of UPS vitality evaluation system, including research objects, vitality components and research methods, from the dimensions of crowd activity and the built environment.

A systematic literature review using PRISMA analysed English-language publications from 2008 to 2023 in Scopus and Web of Science (WOS) databases, employing keywords related to UPS and vitality, with defined inclusion and exclusion criteria.

(1) Research objects, including parks, squares, waterfronts, blocks and streets. (2) The factors contributing to crowd activity characteristics originate from five dimensions, namely spatial, temporal, visitor, activity and feedback. Environmental factors, both external (accessibility, surrounding function mix and population density) and internal (service facility mix and water presence), significantly impact vitality. (3) The study primarily relies on quantitative data, including traditional surveys and emerging significant data sources like dynamic location and traffic, social media, geospatial and point of interest (POI) data. Data analysis methods commonly used include correlation analysis and comprehensive evaluation techniques.

The findings contribute to a comprehensive understanding of the vitality evaluation system for UPS from multiple perspectives for urban planners, aiding in identifying key factors and research methods in the vitality evaluation of various types of UPS.

With rapid urbanization, cities are facing various ecological and environmental problems. Living in harmony with nature is more important than ever. This paper aims to evaluate the ecosystem and ecological features of Azheke village, a key component of the Hani Rice Terraces World Cultural Heritage in China. The focus is on exploring effective ways to improve the relationship between humans and the natural environment through urban design in order to create a livable and sustainable city that can promote the development of sustainable smart urban ecology design.

This study conducted a systematic literature review to answer the following research questions: (1) How does Azheke design achieve harmony between humans and nature? (2) What are the effective approaches to improve the relationship between humans and nature within urban ecosystems? (3) How can urban design learn and integrate from Azheke’s ecological features to improve the relationship between humans and nature?

Azheke sustains long-term human-nature harmony through traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) and efficient natural resource use. By incorporating biophilic design and nature-based solutions from Azheke, along with biodiversity-friendly urban planning, we can boost urban ecosystem health and create unique Azheke-inspired urban designs.

This research primarily focuses on the human-nature relationship, exploring design strategies based on biodiversity without delving into the interactions between other components of urban ecosystems, such as social-cultural and economic components.

This paper provides a new perspective and strategies for developing sustainable and smart urban ecology design. These findings can provide theoretical references for urban planners, designers and decision-makers.