City Space Research Articles

How property relations shape experiences and transformative potential of urban growing spaces: Connecting land, food, and Earth justice perspectives

This study uses both socio-legal and theoretical methods to examine the ambivalent role of property regimes in food system transformation. Combining an Earth justice perspective with a small-scale empirical study of how property and land-use laws affected experiences of growing spaces in an English city that included some element of collective ownership or management, we argue for greater diversity in formal legal structures (e.g., tenancy models), but also in concepts of land relationships. Our discussion diverts attention from individual entitlements to allocation of responsibilities and opportunities for human and interspecies collaboration. Growers’ experiences were shaped by productivist property narratives but provide a material basis to think beyond individual entitlement, reframing issues of security of tenure and public access in terms of responsibility and connection.

Assembling Cities in Contemporary Discursive Practices

The article presents issues that reflect modern strategies and tactics for constructing a holistic image of a city. The so-called assembly (reassembly) is executed in response to the challenges of a scattered, fragmented, decentralized, hybrid city, but a developing city nonetheless. We reveal several types of “assembly”, depending on who the “outlook collectors” are: each time these are either those who generally approve of the policies of the powers that be, or opposition-minded bloggers, popular leaders of urban communities; or members of research groups. The authors consider the city as a dynamic system that forms many vectors of development and makes for diversity of urban discourse. The article proves that in the media three types of discourse compete in the city space: the discourse of sustainable development, critical urbanism, as well as a softer version referred to as the discourse of new urbanism. We conduct subject analysis of texts and statements made by members of social media communities (from three Siberian cities: Novosibirsk, Barnaul, Tomsk), who conduct spatial development audits and offer their own scenarios for putting together a city. The role and the importance are shown of virtual assemblies, which, if social media communities are anything to go by, can lead to creating actual assemblies and to the interaction of all city actors in the process of transforming space, to revising the modes of involvement of citizens in process of designing urban life. Discussions related to putting together a city may also slow down the process of implementing urban projects and hamper practices of further developing cities that are considered historical settlements. Moreover, citizens’ demands for an authentic urban space that can be called genuine and historic are often neglected by government officials. Each of the analyzed cities demonstrates its own unique set of institutional mechanisms and interactions of participants in decision-making arenas that are a product of a certain unique cultural, social, political and historical context.

Enriching Real-Estate Through Sustainable Public Spaces: The case of Dubai- UAE

In the process of the ongoing urban planning strategies for developing smart cities, the concept of urban public square has not yet been given the attention of urbanists and city planners in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. More focus was given by architects and developers on saturating the market with iconic smart buildings rather than developing more livable communities with public spaces and plazas for people to connect. The overall aim of this paper is to highlight the key role that the real state sector can play to foster developing public spaces and squares as an integral part of smart urbanism. The issue of developing urban public squares in Dubai new communities and formulating policies for including such spaces in new districts and cities should be closely examined. The focus should be on enriching the real estate sector by regulating a concept of injecting urban public squares in the new smart and sustainable urbanism in Dubai to perform as a sociocultural entity within the fabric of new communities for the sake of improving social life and developing vibrant environment. With keywords such as smart city, public squares, social, urban design, livability; and sustainability, this write up makes the case of sustainable urbanization.

Universal and Inclusive Design in Public Open Spaces for Wellbeing-Oriented Cities: Design Strategies for the Case of Alexandria Public Beach

Universal and Inclusive Design in Public Open Spaces for Wellbeing-Oriented Cities: Design Strategies for the Case of Alexandria Public Beach

Numerical modelling of pore water pressure response beneath a raft foundation during real river floods

Tall buildings with basement levels are increasingly being built due to need for space in large cities. Frequently, such structures are built involving a raft foundation and diaphragm walls below the water table. In addition, sometimes such buildings are located on floodplains. Therefore, if a river flood event occurs, the building can be exposed to pore water pressure (due to the fluctuation of water table) acting beneath its raft foundation. The generated subpressures will depend on the water table changes with time, and on the way such pressures are transmitted through the ground. Previous works have studied this behavior through laboratory and small-scale tests or numerically; however, many of them have used a constant hydraulic gradient and the water table fluctuations with time have been ignored. In this work, the evolution of pore water pressures with time mobilized beneath a raft foundation of a building built in a floodplain is studied. To do that, full-scale numerical models capable of simulate a river flooding and its corresponding overflow are developed. Such models incorporate data from water table change–time curves recorded during real river floods associated with a set of river regimes. Additionally, the effect of factors such as the soil permeability, the diaphragm wall length, and the soil thicknesses on water pore pressures beneath a raft foundation are also analyzed. Results suggest numerical models developed herein are capable of reproducing pore pressures induced beneath a raft foundation during river flooding. Furthermore, it was found that the above-mentioned factors could impact the percentage of pore water pressure mobilized beneath the raft foundation with respect to the maximum pore water pressure that could be induced during river flooding, and that the principal risk arises in buildings near large catchments where the flow increases over an extended period. Finally, practical implications and recommendations to practitioners are provided.

The City as an Object of Legal Science: Problems and Prospects of Legal Regulation

One of the modern trends in the development of society and the State is total urbanization, which is embodied in the withering away of the rural way of life and the concentration of population and capital in megacities and surrounding agglomerations. The paper examines the historical patterns of urbanization, investigates the place of the city in the system of humanitarian knowledge, and explains the emergence of a new interdisciplinary field of urban research, namely, legal urbanology, the subject of which is the legal space of a modern city. Historically, cities have been centers of politics, trade, and education, and the spread of urban life has become one of the integral features of the capitalist mode of production that is the dominant economic system of production and distribution at the present stage. Nevertheless, the legal regulation of urban relations is associated with a number of problems that require resolution both at the theoretical level and at the legislative level. In this regard, the paper analyzes current Russian legislation, as well as subordinate and departmental rulemaking for compliance with the requirements of the time and evaluation of the effectiveness of regulating the foundations of the legal space of the city. To resolve the identified problems, it is proposed to adopt a systematic program act, the preparation of which can take into account the experience of foreign regulation of the sphere of urban relations.

Larger cities host richer bee faunas, but are no refuge for species with concerning conservation status: Empirical evidence from Western Europe

In the context of worldwide biodiversity and wild bee decline, it is increasingly important to better understand the effect of land-use changes on wild bee communities at a global scale. To do so, we studied the effect of city area and urban green spaces layout on wild bee species richness and community composition, as well as on wild bee species with an unfavorable UICN conservation status. This study was based on a large European dataset encompassing 20 cities from France, Belgium and Switzerland. We found a mean wild bee species richness in cities of 96 ± 48 (SD), showing that this species richness was highly variable among cities. The main factor positively influencing wild bee species richness in cities was the area of the city. Conversely, species richness was not significantly related to the total area of urban green spaces in a given city, measured as the spatial extent of urban parks, wastelands and other semi-natural habitats, excluding urban private gardens. Species with conservation status were quite scarce in urban environments, especially when compared to the European Red List of Bees, and we could not link their presence to either city or urban green space area. Dissimilarities in wild bee species community compositions were not associated with any of the studied characteristics of cities. We found that the dissimilarity of wild bee community composition among cities was mainly driven by the rarest species, as the most common ones were found in a majority of the cities sampled. Overall, these results emphasize that larger cities host more wild bee species, but are no refuge for the ones with concerning conservation status. Thus, stakeholders are encouraged to design their cities in favor of biodiversity to better support wild bee communities, and perhaps mitigate the established effect of the urban ecological filter.

Mnemotechnics and Other Psychogeographies of Flying

This meditation on how the spaces of cities can carry and activate cultural and political memories was inspired by the memory of Zak Kostopoulos, a queer activist who was murdered in Athens in 2018.

Use of GLCM Entropy Parameter in the Analysis of Urban Function Spaces; Antalya City Example

Urban spaces are concentrated in certain functions to meet the needs and desires of the urbanites. However, for each city, different functions and the value of the space to meet these functions are different. In this study, spatial entropy analysis of Antalya, the most important tourism city of our country, was carried out through GLCM Entropy analysis, one of the texture parameter methods. In the study, firstly, function areas and function spaces were determined. A 5-meter resolution satellite image for 2022 was obtained to perform texture parameter analyses. The satellite image was scaled to include the whole city and urban spaces with QGIS software, and then the general entropy values of the city were calculated with Definies software. Then, selected urban spaces with different functions were extracted from the satellite image and subjected to entropy analyses. According to the results obtained, the areas with the highest entropy difference for Antalya city were determined as airport and harbour, which are transportation and trade places. For Antalya, which has poor road access to the world due to geographical reasons, it is seen as an important determination in terms of analysis that the places representing air and sea connection come to the fore.

Optimizing community green roof spaces in high-density cities: a K-modes clustering algorithm based analysis of resident preferences and spatial configuration

ABSTRACT Green roofs are an important part of the ecological system in high-density cities and a crucial component of community public green spaces. Analyzing preferences of residents during spatial planning can help improve their satisfaction and efficiency in using community rooftop spaces. This study uses K-modes algorithm to perform cluster analysis on questionnaires from 699 residents, and summarizes user profiles with significant characteristics by combing the comprehensive ratings of residents regarding different roof space functions. The study shows that differences in preferences among people are not only related to demographic characteristics but also to their interests and environmental perceptions. For example, low-to-middle-income groups, being price-sensitive, tend to reduce energy consumption expenditure. The highly educated population, driven by social needs, shows a clear preference for activity spaces and sports facilities. The elderly population, emphasizing healthy eating and rural memories, gives higher ratings to agricultural spaces. Finally, this study explores the correlation between certain resident characteristics and their preferences for green roof space functions, and proposes a “1+X” spatial configuration strategy dominated by Landscape Leisure Space, with Ecological Low-carbon Space, Agricultural Production Space, and Activity Gathering Space as options, in order to optimize community green roof spaces guided by resident needs.

Embodied spatiality: mapping gendered exclusion and women’s embodied right to the city in KwaZulu Natal, South Africa

This study addresses the critical research inquiry surrounding the persistence of gendered urban inequalities and the subsequent exclusion of women in urban settings within the broader context of gender, spatiality, and embodiment. Using feminist geographical theory and informed by Henri Lefebvre’s concept of the right to the city, the study investigates how the spatial characteristics of public spaces, along with underlying gendered dynamics, engender discriminatory and exclusionary practices that restrict women’s right to the city and public lived space. The study collected data through a questionnaire, in-depth interviews, and a mapping exercise utilising open-access Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software. The participants were 166 individuals from the historically racially segregated areas of Umlazi, Chatsworth, and Durban Central in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The findings reveal women’s negative experiences and perceptions of the risk of victimisation, which stem from a form of ‘self-imposed exclusion’ from public spaces, thereby limiting their overall right to the city. The study also highlights the intersecting hierarchies of race, gender, age, and nationality that (re)produce intersectional exclusions, contributing to multiple barriers to access. In conclusion, the study demonstrates that women’s exclusion from public spaces and their limited rights to the city results from a complex interplay between embodied ‘self-imposed’ exclusions, intersectional dynamics, and spatial constraints, which collectively infringe their embodied right to the city.

„Der Park als Problemraum“. Regieren städtischer Drogenkulturen am Beispiel des Görlitzer Parks

Abstract. The governing of urban drug use and its economies represents a central aspect of urban governmentality and has played an important role in the production and control of public space in numerous cities of the Global North since the 1970s. Urban drug cultures are often the subject of moral panics and urban policing. At the same time, geographical engagement with the spatial dimensions and effects of governing urban drug cultures is surprisingly rare. Using the example of Görlitzer Park in Berlin's Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg district, this paper examines the spatializing discourses and practices of urban drug policies and shows how looking at the governing of illicit drugs provides a productive lens for analysing forms of urban exclusion, marginalization, and normalization. From a geographical perspective, it is particularly interesting to examine how this form of urban governance mobilizes spatial approaches and representations of space, i.e., how urban drug cultures are spatialized in multiple ways.

Gentrification outcomes of greening in different urbanization stages: A longitudinal analysis of Chinese cities, 2012–2020

Green-space-triggered gentrification, wherein original residents are displaced by wealthier individuals owing to the creation of new green spaces, has been criticized for exacerbating environmental injustice. While previous studies have explored green-space-triggered gentrification in individual cities, few have examined heterogeneities across multiple cities, especially in developing countries where cities are at different stages of expansion. The roles of green space in different stages of urbanization can produce varying outcomes of gentrification. This study investigated the relationship between green space and gentrification in Chinese cities from 2012 to 2020. The normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), distance to adjacent parks, and area of adjacent parks were used as indicators of green space, while nighttime lights and residential land prices were used as proxies for gentrification. Nationwide analyses indicated that both increasing NDVI and building new parks nearby could lead to gentrification, but the park area had a marginal effect. Stratified analyses further showed that the effect of green space on gentrification was related to the different roles of green space associated with the stage of urbanization. Cities with higher urbanization rates were more affected by NDVI but less affected by park distance. Our findings provide insights for urban planners and decision-makers on developing localized strategies that mitigate the varying outcomes of gentrification at different stages of urban development.

Exploring the effects of coworking in two European cities: Financialisation flows and consumption patterns in Athens and Berlin

With the continuous deregulation of state functions in processes of neoliberal urban production, coworking spaces have emerged as autonomous actors in processes of urban development, as they appear to conglomerate flows of freelancers, startuppers, remote workers, digital nomads and financial capital from private investors and large corporations. As such, these actors could play an important role in the organisation of urban activities that could have multiple impacts on the urban economy. Tracing the effects of coworking spaces in metropolitan cities, this qualitative analysis is focused on coworking spaces in Athens and Berlin, two cities characterised by different development trajectories, socioeconomic and cultural contexts and positions within the European and global urban hierarchy. The results reveal that coworking spaces demonstrate high levels of adaptability to the specific characteristics of the urban contexts in which they are located and play a dual role by (1) shaping and channelling the consumption patterns of coworkers while also (2) operating as mediators and facilitators of multilevel private investment and financialisation processes.

GIS Application For Mapping and Analyzing Urban Green Open Spaces (Case Study of Sragen City)

Abstract Green open space in cities is one of the environmental controls. In residential spatial planning, green open space is very necessary in the form of green belts and passive or active parks. Sustainable development must be supported by adequate residential green space, which must fulfill the function of absorbing CO2, increasing the volume of groundwater and being useful as a flood controller. The availability of green open space for the community can increase the aesthetic value of a city’s environmental area and can function as an economic value [9]. This research aims to determine the extent of green open space in Sragen City. From this research, we can analyze the development and need for green open space in Sragen City to study and develop a green city and a balanced environment. This research is aimed at understanding the area of green open space in Sragen City. From this research, we can analyze the development and need for green open space in Sragen City to study and develop a green city and a balanced environment. Sufficiency of green open spaces Needs Based on Area and City Area Sragen City’s green open spaces do not meet the minimum requirement of 30%. Of the green open space, the city forest managed by environmental services is included in it with an area of 2,500 m2. However, Sragen City’s green open space looks large because it includes moorlands, residential forests, state forests, and ponds. Meanwhile, 130.17 Ha is land managed by the Sragen City Regency Government. This research uses primary and secondary methods. To obtain a map of the green open space area of the research area, Quickbird image analysis is required. From the results of the research, it was concluded that the management and efforts to provide sufficient green open space were adequate, but in terms of area, the proportion of green open space that was determined was still not sufficient. There are seven types of green open space in Sragen City, namely in the form of urban forest green open space, green lane green open space for roads, pedestrian, open space, river border green open space, cemetery green open space, private and community property building green open space, as well as plantation and resident’s yard green open space.

Identification and Analysis of the Pattern of Landscape and Humanity Space in Ancient Quanzhou City Based on Line-of-Sight Correlation

Identification and Analysis of the Pattern of Landscape and Humanity Space in Ancient Quanzhou City Based on Line-of-Sight Correlation

Breathing space in a compact city: Impacts of urban re-densification on Mumbai's low-income housing environment

Redevelopment of low-income settlements by re-densifying cities is a common approach in the Global South to improve living conditions and tackle the housing shortage. However, the effectiveness of the housing design in redevelopment schemes remains to be questioned. This study evaluates a proposed design of a slum redevelopment project in Mumbai, India, by comparing the environmental performance of three design schemes: the existing low-income housing, the redevelopment scheme proposed by the local government and a hypothetical design (modified scheme) that aligns with positive environmental outcomes identified in the current literature. The environmental factors such as the natural airflow, incident solar radiation and daylighting parameters were assessed by computational simulations and validated by a wind tunnel experiment. These factors were associated with direct and indirect density metrics of the three design schemes to inform better policymaking for slum redevelopment projects that seek to re-densify housing for the urban poor. The results indicated that the design performance of the redeveloped scheme is less preferable due to the unclean indoor air and inadequate daylighting conditions requiring large-scale demolition of the existing buildings. The modified plan requires minimal demolishment and demonstrates relatively better environmental performance. The study revealed that indirect density measures - building geometry factors and urban form parameters - are essential in affecting the ecological performance of housing. Considering these factors in design standards and policymaking for high-density redevelopment schemes can enable the “Goldilocks density” that significantly improves the quality of living while densifying the cities.

Quantifying Urban Spatial Morphology Indicators on the Green Areas Cooling Effect: The Case of Changsha, China, a Subtropical City

Green city areas are crucial in mitigating the Urban Heat Island Effect (UHI). However, the cooling effect of green city areas can be influenced by the surrounding complex urban spatial environment. This study focuses on Changsha, a subtropical city in China, where 40 green city areas were screened and analyzed. The study aims to quantify the specific impact of urban spatial morphology on the cooling effect of green city areas. Through statistical correlation and regression analysis, this study focused on six urban spatial morphology indicators: building density (BD), building floor area ratio (BFR), building volume density (BVD), building evenness index (BEI), building average height (BH), and building height standard deviation (BSD). The results indicate that the cooling effect of green city areas could be influenced by urban spatial morphology. Factors such as BD, BFR, BH, and BSD were found to be significantly correlated with the cooling effect of green city areas, with BH showing the strongest influence. BD and BFR were negatively correlated, while BH and BSD were positively correlated. The range values of BD, BFR, BH, and BSD were determined to achieve the optimal conditions for the cooling effect of green city areas. Additionally, the relative position of the green city areas in the neighboring urban areas affects the cooling effect of the green city areas. The cooling effect is most pronounced in the urban area situated to the south of the green city areas. These findings provide a solid foundation for urban planning around green city spaces and offer scientifically sound evidence for mitigating the UHI.

Mapping religion, space and economic outcomes in Indian cities

We deploy a socio-spatial approach and use a spatially representative survey that we conducted in the Indian cities of Hyderabad and Mumbai to analyse the relation between city space and religion. There are similarities and differences across these two cities in terms of how religion intersects with city space. While Muslims are much more marginalised in both cities relative to other communities like Hindus or Jains, and live in ghettos/enclaves, their position is relatively better in Mumbai. This is partly reflected in their higher integration with other religious communities in Mumbai and perhaps caused as well by this higher integration. A key finding on the relation between city space and religion is that compared to segregated neighbourhoods, mixed (‘greyer’) neighbourhoods produce better outcomes such as lower poverty and better education. This finding has significance for cities across the world as a way of assessing segregation and its harmful effects on economic development outcomes. We also argue that while Indian cities have become less integrated along religious lines over the last three to four decades, this process is both universal (i.e. relevant beyond the Indian context) and far from complete, and needs to be reversed.

THE NEW URBAN CONCEPT OF HANSEATIC CITIES OF THE RIGA ARCHBISHOPRIC IN THE 13TH–14TH CENTURIES

Bishop of Riga Albert established bishoprics and centers of spiritual life on the Southern Baltic Sea coast to subjugate the local population. Sacred buildings were the main architectural highlights of the urban environment. Later, Riga became the main military base for expansion in the Baltics, the economic base of the Teutonic Order, and the administrative center of the Archbishopric of Riga (1255–1562). On the Baltic Sea coast, new bishoprics began to be established in the lands of the subject Prussians. Important cities were involved in the Hanseatic League. Consequently, the concept of urban planning and construction changed in the 13th– 14th centuries. Research object: urban space of the Hanseatic League cities on the Prussian lands in the 13th–14th centuries. Research problem: sacral buildings changed urban aesthetics and the urban space of the Hanseatic cities, which has not been studied enough to preserve their identity. Research goal: analysis of the impact of churches for the citizenship parishes on the planning, visual image, and architectural-spatial development of the Hanseatic League cities in the lands of the subject Prussians. Novelty: analysis of common and local features of the structural evolution of the Hanseatic cities under the authority of the Archbishopric of Riga during the 13th and 14th centuries. Research methods: analysis of archive documents, projects, cartographic materials, and studies of published literature.