Attractiveness Of Cities Research Articles

Intellectual property rights policy and foreign direct investment: A quasi‐natural experiment from China

AbstractOver the past 40 years of reform and opening up, China has attracted a large number of foreign investment. However, because of China's weak intellectual property protection environment, it is difficult to protect the intellectual assets of transnational enterprises, which will affect their investment decisions to some extent. In order to optimize the intellectual property system and improve the intellectual property environment, national intellectual property demonstration city policy was proposed in 2012 to improve the institutional environment. To explore the impact of national intellectual property demonstration city policy on foreign capital inflow, we explore the relationship between national intellectual property demonstration city and foreign direct investment (FDI) using the multi‐period differences‐in‐differences (DID) method based on city panel data of China from 2003 to 2019. Results shows the following: (1) Compared with non‐demonstration cities, national intellectual property demonstration cities are profit to FDI promotion. If a city is rated as a national intellectual property demonstration city, local FDI will increase by 5% on average. After a series of robustness tests, the conclusion is still tenable. (2) We find that the national intellectual property demonstration city policy has obvious urban heterogeneity. The effect of national intellectual property demonstration city policy on the increase in FDI is more significant in central cities, western cities, and key cities. (3) The mechanism test shows that national intellectual property demonstration city policies have a positive effect on FDI through increasing the government's strategic expenditure on intellectual property, improving urban technology innovation capacity, optimizing human capital structure, and promoting the marketization of cities. Therefore, China should continue to implement the policy of national intellectual property demonstration city, especially increasing the number of national intellectual property demonstration city in key cities, central cities, and western cities. On the one hand, these findings can help government evaluate the attractiveness of demonstration cities for FDI. On the other hand, it also provides relevant policy enlightenment for the Chinese government to select appropriate demonstration cities and further refine and implement the national intellectual property demonstration city policies.

Subjective social status in places that don’t matter: geographical inequalities in France and Germany

ABSTRACT In recent decades, the rise of the service economy and the growing attractiveness of large cities have created new social inequalities within countries, which have been seen as a source of resentment for people living in the “places that don’t matter”. We study spatial inequalities in terms of subjective social status using a measure of the place in the social hierarchy that individuals believe they occupy in France (1999-2017) and Germany (1992-2021) on the basis of data from the International Social Survey Program. In France we find important and persistent inequalities between urban and rural areas, as well as between the capital region and all the other regions, partially mediated by income differences. However, the time trend does not show any consistent increase in the geographical differences in subjective status apart from a possible negative trend in rural areas from 2006 to 2010 and in rural places and the outskirts of large cities after 2013 compared to large cities. In Germany, our analysis shows weak differences in subjective social status between urban and rural areas, but large inequalities between the West and East. While this gap is still relevant today, it has partially decreased over the past decades.

Cities’ attractiveness factors from the perspective of digital nomads

Purpose: This paper aims to identify the factors of destination attractiveness in the opinion of the digital nomads. The data was obtained through a quantitative research process. Design/methodology/approach: The study uses a quantitative approach. The author used a method in the form of a diagnostic survey using a questionnaire tool with a proprietary scale provided to respondents on-line (CAWI). A deliberate sample selection was used based on the self-identification criterion of the respondent as a digital nomad with experience or planning a trip in this capacity soon. Findings: In order to choose a city as a destination, digital nomads are most often guided by the price level prevailing in a given place, the level of safety, and the interesting culture and identity presented by the city. Among the factors influencing the city's attractiveness, the most important were the technological facilities, accessibility, the presence of recreational areas and facilities, and the local community's attitude towards visitors. Originality/value: This paper focuses on analyzing the specificity and features of cities from the perspective of a relatively new, dynamically growing group of external recipients - digital nomads. The developed conclusions may contribute to formulating the city's marketing messages appropriately and adapting the city's offer to the digital nomad community. In addition, this paper contains the issue of preferences regarding the size of the city and the intention to use coworking spaces. 24 Keywords: digital nomads, place marketing, cities' attractiveness factors. Category of the paper: Research paper.

The tourism attractiveness of the Russian city: case of Kazan

The COVID-19 pandemic and forthcoming geopolitical situation significantly affected the development of the Russian domestic tourism. Russian tourism destinations obtained a new stimulus for their development, however, attracting new tourists issues the challenge for the regions to strengthen their competitive position. Kazan is one of the traditional tourism destinations that targets increasing the tourism flows in the coming years. The study aims at identifying the target audience, its segmentation and determining of the destination attractiveness for each segment. To reach this goal the empirical research was carries out by questioning the target audience. The questionnaire included questions on the evaluation of the destination attractiveness attributes and on the social and demographic characteristics of the respondents. The factors and cluster analysis was carried out. The data was analyzed with the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). This allowed segmenting the target audience, outlining four main segments among the Kazan tourists (Comfort lovers, Communicators, Gourmets, and Active tourists) that prioritize different destination’s attributes. The obtained results can be useful for the regions’ tourism decision makers in marketing and communication strategies correction in accordance with the target audience needs.

Место европейских городов Средиземноморья в сфере туризма Европейского союза

The purpose of the study is to determine the position of Mediterranean cities in the European tourism system. For this purpose, the tourist attractiveness and tourism development of the Mediterranean region and the EU countries are analyzed. The place of the most attractive tourist cities of the Mediterranean in the EU market has been determined. Their strengths and weaknesses in the development of tourism are highlighted and opportunities and threats are considered. The methods of comparative, cluster, SWOT analysis were used in the work, a classification and a series of tables and maps were created. As a result of cluster analysis of a dozen indicators, groups of countries by tourist attractiveness and groups of cities of the European Union by the level of tourism development were identified. The study showed that the cities of the Mediterranean have different degrees of tourism development, while the level of tourism development in the cities of the western part of the region is higher than in the eastern. The largest of them have a diversified tourist offer and attract tourists as centers of resort, cultural and educational, business, event and religious tourism. They are a popular destination for citizens of Germany, Great Britain, Austria and the Scandinavian countries. There is also an interchange of tourists from the Mediterranean countries: France and Italy. Mediterranean cities have different and, in some cases, significantly different values of tourism development indicators. Higher rates of tourism development are observed in cities in the western part of the Mediterranean, while lower rates are observed in cities in the eastern part (cities of Greece, Croatia, Slovenia, Cyprus). The predominant number of Mediterranean cities, which are included in the list of the most popular destinations, demonstrate indicators of tourism development closer to the minimum values: economy and business, tourist activity, tourist policy and attractiveness, tourist infrastructure. In terms of characteristics, they are similar to cities in Portugal, as well as cities in Eastern Europe. The weak side of the development of tourism in Mediterranean cities is the indicators of sustainable development (the increase in average air temperature, the content of PM2.5 particles in the air), which affects the index of sustainable tourism. After the lifting of all coronavirus restrictions, Mediterranean cities are capable of rapid recovery due to the fact that they provide a familiar tourist product of good quality, which is important in conditions of uncertainty. Also, a plus is the proximity to the countries-the main suppliers of tourists and a long travel ban, which stimulated the desire to travel.

PROSPECTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SETTLEMENT SYSTEM IN THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION

The article deals with the assessment of the attractiveness of the cities of the Russian Federation for the population and changes in the existing system of settlement. A brief review of strategic planning documents and scientific works in this area is given. In the framework of the study the methods of grouping and comparative analysis are used. The results of the assessment show that in the vast majority of cases the growth of urban population is provided at the expense of the migration component on the background of the natural population decline. Most of the cities with a high level of this indicator are concentrated in the central and southern parts of the country. The territorial location of the cities and proximity to the key economic centers of the country have a significant impact. In absolute terms, the largest population growth was recorded in Balashikha, Krasnodar, Sochi and Tyumen. There is an increasing polarization in the development of the Russian Federation. Changes in the age structure of the country's population will contribute to an increase in the demographic burden in the near future. The issue of competition of cities for labor resources and, in a broader sense, for human capital becomes more acute. In this regard, it is necessary to develop a methodology for identifying the factors that increase the attractiveness of cities and assess their impact on the demographic and migration behavior of different population groups.

Understanding the role of housing in rural migrants’ intention to settle in cities: Evidence from China

Rural migrants have difficulty obtaining decent housing in destinations, which has a profound impact on their quality of life and settlement intentions. Previous studies on rural migrants' settlement intention roughly care more about individuals and family, hometown connection, and economic status, paying less attention to the analysis of urban housing. The city attraction is also not fully considered in impact model. This paper discusses a hierarchical impact model of rural migrants' settlement intentions based on probability choice theory, focusing on the impact of housing conditions, including housing type, housing burden, live-in family members, and housing pressure, and urban house prices on rural migrants’ intention to settle in cities. The finding is that reliable and high-quality housing, housing expenditure ratio, number of live-in family members, and a sense of housing pressure are positively correlated with the settlement intentions of rural migrants. The odds ratio of the settlement intention of them who own houses, rent public houses, and borrow houses is 3.70x, 1.93x, and 1.82x, respectively, when using rental housing as the reference. The odds ratio of those living in shared rental house and housing provided by employers is lower. If the housing expenditure ratio increases by 1 unit from the average value, then the probability of settlement intention in the city is 1.737 times the probability that rural migrants will not settle. If the number of live-in family members increases by 1 person, then the probability of settlement intention in the city increases by 19.6%. The odds ratio of the settlement intentions under housing pressure is 1.04 times that of the opposite scenario. The impact of house price on the settlement intentions turns out to be nonlinear, showing an inverted “U” shape, that is, when a house price beyond a specific range has a negative effect. In addition, the urban economic level and administrative level have an important positive effect, and province-level municipality has a significantly positive effect. The results will help formulate targeted population and housing policies to serve new urbanization.

Relationship between Urban Three-Dimensional Spatial Structure and Population Distribution: A Case Study of Kunming’s Main Urban District, China

The three-dimensional (3D) spatial structure within cities can reveal more information about land development than the two-dimensional spatial structure. Studying the relationship between the urban 3D spatial structure and the population distribution is a crucial aspect of the relationship between people and land within cities. However, a few relevant studies focus on the differences between employment population and night population distribution in relation to urban 3D spatial structure. Therefore, this study proposes a new concept of 3D space-filling degree (3DSFD), which is applicable to evaluate the city’s 3D spatial structure. We took 439 blocks in Kunming’s Main Urban District as a sample and analyzed the 3D spatial structure based on geographic information data at the scale of a single building. The characteristics and differences of the daytime and night population distribution in Kunming’s Main Urban District were identified using cell phone signaling big data. Accordingly, a cross-sectional dataset of the relationship between the city’s 3D spatial structure and the population distribution was constructed, with the 3D space-filling degree of the block as the dependent variable, two indicators of population distribution (daytime and night population density) as the explanatory variables, and seven indicators of distance from the city center, and building, road, and functional place densities, proportion of undevelopable land area, housing prices, and land use type as the control variables. We used spatial regression models to explore the significance, strength, and direction of the relationship between urban 3D spatial structure and population distribution. We found that the spatial error model (SEM) was the most effective. The results show that only night population distribution is significantly and positively related to 3DSFD. Every 1% increase in night population density in a block will increase the value of 3DSFD by 2.8307%. The night population distribution is the core factor affecting the 3D spatial structure of Kunming’s Main Urban District. The correlation between daytime population distribution and 3DSFD is not significant. This variability has been ignored in previous studies. The findings are informative for further understanding of the relationship between urban 3D space and population distribution, especially the difference between night and daytime populations. This study can help city managers reasonably plan urban land development intensity and construction height, guide the population layout and formulate management policies to improve urban population and space matching, enhancing the livability and attractiveness of cities.

Identifying sensitive population associated with summer extreme heat in Beijing

Severe high-temperature leads significant risks of human health under the highly population concentration and climate change. The thermal sensitivity to high temperature is needed to be quantified associated with different population characteristics. Thermal condition was quantified by universal thermal climate index (UTCI) and thermal sensitivity was identified by thermal sensation votes (TSV), thermal comfort votes, and thermal unacceptability votes based on 667 questionnaires in Beijing, China. This study designated four indicators, i.e., neutral temperature, neutral temperature range, tolerance temperature, and tolerance temperature range to analyze the effects of individual characteristics on thermal sensitivity. A one-way ANOVA was used to identify the effects of long-term adaptation and psychological factors. Results showed that: (1) Older residents had a higher neutral temperature, narrow tolerance temperature range, and lower tolerance temperature of 1.2 °C UTCI than younger residents. (2) People with chronic disease had a narrow tolerance temperature range and lower tolerance temperature of 1.3 °C UTCI than healthy ones; (3) The proportion of people who voted strong thermal sensation (TSV≥2) rated the highest in building areas, while the proportion decreased 31.6% in spaces with dense trees; (4) Residential history and city attractiveness had significant impacts on mean thermal sensation votes and mean thermal comfort votes, excluding the effect of thermal stress level. This study provided useful implications of specific adaption for summer extreme heat according to different population characteristics.

A Sustainability Assessment Framework for On-Site and Off-Site Construction Logistics

Urban areas pay increasing attention to new construction and infrastructure works, mainly due to the rapid global rise in urbanisation. In the long run, these works have a positive correlation with the economic and social attractiveness of cities. Construction strongly relies on logistics activities, which cannot be neglected in the environmental equation. An important aspect in tackling the negative effects of construction logistics (CL) lies in understanding the source and mitigation potential of the impacts incurred. However, currently, limited robust impact assessments are available for this sector. Given the lack of these rigorous assessments, it is difficult to evaluate the environmental criteria concerned, especially when comparing innovative CL solutions. In this paper, we present a holistic sustainability assessment framework designed for CL activities based on life cycle approaches, which covers four main iterative steps: (1) goal and scope definition, (2) data identification and availability, (3) scenario and setup evaluation and (4) environmental impact assessment. To measure both the off-site and on-site CL impact, two distinct and complementary methodologies are used: External Cost Calculations and Life Cycle Assessment. The framework was implemented on a pilot case in the Brussels-Capital Region (Belgium). It provides a holistic view of CL impacts for policy evaluations and implementations on the project, portfolio or city level. The results show that off-site zero-emission construction vehicles are the way forward if cities want to achieve environmental goals by 2035. However, market readiness for high-capacity vehicles must be considered. Otherwise, the positive effects on air pollution, climate change and noise are offset by a saturation of the road transport network and its associated congestion and infrastructure damage costs.

Innovation in cities a driving force for knowledge flows: Exploring the relationship between high-tech firms, student mobility, and the role of youth entrepreneurship

Cities have increasingly asserted their central role in the national economy and in developing and promoting knowledge and innovation at local and national levels. Scholars, economists, and policymakers have examined the effects of innovation in this field as well as the resulting impact on the competitiveness and attractiveness of cities, regions, and urban areas. In the knowledge age, the importance of new generations and the trend towards high-skilled human capital are key factors in urban and national development.In this study, we aim to examine the role played by high-tech firms in the city context and its influence on the attraction of knowledge flow and analyse the moderating role of youth entrepreneurship in those relationships. Using the Spatial Panel data model, we evaluated the student flow interconnections in 30 Italian cities for a 10-year period (2009–2019). As a result, we found that the city attractiveness in terms of student mobility is influenced by the capacity of cities to generate and promote innovation in terms of high-tech firms at the local and spatial levels.These findings suggest that local high-tech firms in cities can influence the knowledge inflow and students' mobility while youth entrepreneurship in cities positively affects this relationship. The obtained results could serve as a good basis to enhance the city development policies in terms of innovation and knowledge, as well as the implementation of smart city projects.

What Happens When Data Lies? A Case Study of Measuring City Attractiveness in Romania

The last decades have seen an increse in the number of studies that investigate the factors that make cities attractive. This was also the initial aim of the present study. However, the initial results were striking. Cities that do not possess the characteristics that are usually attributed to attractive cities were ranked among the most attractive ones in Romania. Thus, it became evident that the first step should be to determine which is the most appropriate measure of attractiveness in the Romanian context. The results show that in Romania the historical and legal context, as well as the current way in which official data are provided affect the reliability of well-known measures of city attractiveness. More specifically, international migrants who regain their citizenship artificially inflate the data regarding population growth and migration for cities in the Easter part of the country. The study provides recommendations for improving the capacity of municipalities to take evidence-based decisions.

COMPARISON OF THE LEVEL OF DEVELOPMENT OF THE TOURIST INFRASTRUCTURE OF SMALL TOWNS OF GEORGIA

The paper discusses the main types of tourist infrastructure in Akhaltsikhe, Sighnaghi, Mestia and Mtskheta, the level of their development and accessibility in each of the cities, the impact of the presence or absence of one or another type of tourist infrastructure on the tourist attractiveness of cities; an attempt is made to rank cities in terms of the level of development of tourist infrastructure and the general tourist attractiveness of cities, to compare them according to these indicators, and to assess the tourism potential of small towns and their impact on the prospects for tourism development in the country.

What attracts young talents? Understanding the migration intention of university students to first-tier cities in China

In recent years, China has witnessed fierce competition for talents among cities. There is evidence that China's first-tier cities are losing their appeal for young talents due to the soaring housing prices and high living costs in first-tier cities, as well as the catch-up of next-tier cities. Therefore, uncovering what factors drive young talents to develop in first-tier cities is important for policymakers to maintain and enhance the attractiveness of first-tier cities. Most previous research on talent migration has focused on demographic and socioeconomic factors, while little research has examined the influence of psychological factors. By adopting the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB), this paper aims to explore what beliefs and background factors influence university students' intention to develop in first-tier cities after graduation. Using the data we collected from 1242 university students across China, we found that two-thirds of university students have the intention to develop in a first-tier city after graduation. The Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) results show that students' migration intentions were most influenced by their attitudes, followed by subjective norms and perceived behavioral control (PBC). Specifically, beliefs such as realizing future dreams, better job opportunities, and higher wages shape students' positive attitudes towards developing in first-tier cities. The supports from family, friends, teachers, and classmates contribute to positive subjective norms of developing in first-tier cities. In contrast, perceptions of high housing prices, high living costs, and family ties discourage students from developing in first-tier cities. Furthermore, being male, being a non-only child, studying in first-tier cities, and attending higher-ranking universities have positive influences on migration intention through the mediating effects of the TPB constructs. Policy implications were discussed to help first-tier cities attract graduates.

Measuring the Attractiveness of Cities to Receive Investments in Regional Airport Infrastructure

The vast Brazilian territory and the accelerated economic growth of the cities of the country’s interior in recent years have created a favourable environment for the expansion of regional aviation. In 2015, the Brazilian Government launched a program of investments in regional airports equipping them to receive commercial flights. However, the economic crisis and the scarcity of resources drive the prioritisation of projects with a greater economic and social return. This article aims to present a multicriteria decision aid (MCDA) model to measure cities’ attractiveness to receive investments in regional airports. The MCDA approach can deal with multiple indicators and different points of view and provide systematised steps for supporting decision-makers. For this purpose, we selected 12 criteria among the evaluation parameters identified in the literature, which led to the construction of the evaluation model and elaborating the ranking of the localities participating in the investment program. This study can contribute scientifically by proposing the use of an MCDA approach to support decisions related to logistics and infrastructure. It can help managers and practitioners provide a structured and systematised model to address decisions related to airport investments.

Impact of autonomous vehicles on household relocation: An agent-based simulation

The agent-based land use/transport model SILO/MITO/MATSim is adapted to simulate the impact of AVs on household relocation. The revised model accounts for the fact that households who own conventional cars are sensitive to parking availability at their dwelling. As AVs could park themselves anywhere, this sensitivity to parking is reduced for households who own AVs. Distance to work, which serves as a hard constraint for household relocation with conventional cars, becomes less critical for households who use an AV to commute as they may perform other activities while commuting. The induced demand of travel by AV is represented and leads to increased congestion.Several scenarios were designed to analyze the effects of reduced value of time for AV travel, parking restrictions and increase of congestion. The simulation shows that AVs will compete with transit and reduce transit ridership by three quarters. The average commute distance is expected to double, and the vehicle-kilometers traveled will increase by one third. The impact of AVs on the distribution of population, however, is marginal. The urban sprawl caused by less burdensome commuting is largely compensated by the increased attractiveness of core cities in the absence of parking issues for AVs.

VISUAL COMFORT ASSESSMENT MATRIX LIGHT ENVIRONMENT OPEN PUBLIC SPACE

The visual comfort of artificial lighting of open public spaces is an important factor in the sustainable operation of the city. The rapid development of innovations in the field of lighting of the architectural environment has significantly increased the tourist and recreational attractiveness of many cities around the world. However, along with the positive changes, the phenomenon of “light pollution” is a growing concern, a term used to describe excessive artificial night lighting, especially in large urban areas. The effect of light pollution is very noticeable in densely populated cities in Europe, East Asia and North America. All this can have adverse effects on human health. This problem is mainly related to the excessive and uncontrolled "capture" of city lights, advertising media panels, the work of improperly designed street lighting, lighting of stadiums, construction sites, lighting of facades and public spaces. Until now, there is no really effective policy that would solve the problem of light "pollution" of the city [2]. To date, unfortunately, there are no serious government programs and effective plans aimed at regulating the growing light pressure on urban residents. At the same time, visual culture is today one of the main means of human self-identification, and the architect, given this, must have the maximum means and opportunities to create the most effective and consumer-friendly visual solutions. Given this, the study created a hierarchical structure of factors that form the main parameters of visual comfort associated with artificial lighting of public spaces of the city. The purpose of the article is to systematize the factors related to the visual comfort of artificial lighting of open public spaces (PUBLIC SPACE) of the city, which allow to assess the impact of light characteristics of the visible environment on the assessment of its visual comfort.

Understanding China\u2019s urban system evolution from web search index data

The spatial inequilibrium phenomenon is apparent during China’s rapid urbanization in the past four decades. As the fertility rate decreases and the population ages, this phenomenon will become more critical. To accurately forecast the future economic development of China, it is necessary to quantify the attractiveness of individual cities. This study introduces web search data to quantify the attractiveness of cities with a fine spatial scale (prefecture-level city) and relatively long-term span (nine years). Results confirm that the estimated city attractiveness can unravel a city’s capability to attract labor force, and suggest that tourism and health care functions of a city have a positive effect to the city’s attractiveness. Additionally, China’s north-south gap in economic development has been widened in the past decade, and 11 cities with nationwide influence have prosperous development potential. This study provides a new lens for predicting China’s economic development, as well as its spatial patterns.

How can spatial planning influence housing market dynamics in a pro-growth planning regime? A case study of Shanghai

Against a global backdrop of growing concerns on housing crises, Chinese megacities have earned unwelcome distinction as among the world’s least affordable real estate. In the West, the alleged ‘over-restrictiveness’ of land-use planning has formed a focus of contestation on factors contributing to unduly expensive housing. In the Chinese context, however, it is unclear how spatial planning – arguably far more positively enabling of urban development and expansion – may have shaped housing market dynamics through its influence on city form. The concept of city form, as used here relates to three aspects, centricity, accessibility and development intensity (density). Focusing on Shanghai, the paper investigates city form impacts on residential property markets and explores the logic of plan-making that feeds into city form outcomes. We draw on a mixed-methods approach, including hedonic house price modelling, as well as qualitative interview and official document review. Analytical outcomes confirm the significant impact of city form on property values. However, planning rationales contributing to the outcome are problematic. Local plans are reinforcing Shanghai’s mono-centric structure and having little impact in counteracting the residential attractiveness of the inner city when compared with suburban new towns. Moreover, the zoning restrictions of suburban areas are potentially problematic owing to an arguable over-emphasis on preservation of the natural environment. The failure to realise official poly-centricity aspirations and the enlarged gap in house prices between the inner city and suburbs can reinforce socio-spatial sifting and confine low-income people within disadvantaged locations.

Analysis of the Tambov region’s labor market and factors of it’s transformation in conditions of economy digitalization

A brief analysis of the Tambov region’s labor market and the factors, determining its digital transformation, are presented. The attractiveness of large cities as a destination for labor resources is constantly increasing due to high demand and wages in the labor market. In recent decades, the region has been losing significantly labor resources and worsening its economic situation and competitiveness in the ranking of regions. Qualitative transformation of regional socio-economic development by identifying key conditions for training digital economy personnel in the region, improving the system of investment and innovation activities for the development of labor resources, building a system for monitoring population employment and individual development trajectories and a system for regulating the employment of graduates in order to respond in a timely manner on migration flows, will have prevented migration from the region and will have stimulated economic growth.