City Strategies Research Articles

District-level analysis for household-related energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions: A case study in Lima, Peru

• Household energy use and GHG emissions in the city of Lima were estimated. • Per capita emissions linked to energy use are 305 kg CO 2 eq in 2015. • Most GHG contributions linked to the use of natural gas (direct use and electricity). • Main drivers of energy use and emissions are population growth and affluence. Given the significant contribution of households in terms of energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, in addition to the increasing rate of urbanization and growth in developing countries, urban dwellings need to be analyzed in greater depth in order to implement sound policy-making based on informed decisions. Thus, the aim of this study is to quantify the household-related energy use and associated GHG emissions in the city of Lima, Peru, between 2007 and 2015. In order to understand the emission patterns within the city, a further analysis on smaller spatial scales (i.e., districts) has been performed using multiple regression analyses. Results show that household-related energy consumption and emissions, excluding those related to private vehicles, ranged from 2.92 to 3.22 GJ/cap/year and 187 to 249 kg CO 2 eq/cap/year, respectively. Overall, there is a transition in the use of energy and emissions, sustained by an increase in population and a change in the economic status of part of the population. Moreover, liquefied petroleum gas, rather than electricity, was found to be the main energy source in lower-income households. This study aims to help integrate household energy behavior with strategies for sustainable cities and provide a starting point to connect with climate policies.

APPROACHES TO THE REVITALIZATION OF DEGRADED INDUSTRIAL ZONES IN CITIES OF UKRAINE

The subject of the study is organizational and economic relations arising in the process of revitalization of degraded industrial zones in Ukraine. The cities face the problems of the degradation of territories caused by the decline of facilities of the local economy, low living standards and low level of residents’ social capital, social exclusion, migration of economically active population, unsatisfactory environmental conditions, etc. Methodology. The study used a set of general scientific and specialized methods that are based on interdisciplinary and systematic approaches. The research envisaged a semantic analysis of the content of the key regulatory and legal acts in the field of the state regional policy of Ukraine, as well as urban strategic planning. In the course of the study the following methods were also used: selective observation, analogy, comparative analysis, expert assessments to identify the features of the implementation of projects on the revitalization of degraded industrial zones in the cities of Ukraine; abstract-logical, grouping, generalization to reveal the main characteristics of revitalization of degraded industrial zones in Ukraine. Purpose of the study is to identify strategic priorities, focus areas and targets of the policy on the revitalization of degraded industrial zones on the basis of analysis of the existing projects in the cities of Ukraine. Results of the study. By relying on the analysis of the development strategies of the Ukrainian cities of regional significance, the following revitalization directions are established: degraded industrial zones; parks, recreation zones and other public spaces; objects of culture and historical and architectural heritage. The prerequisites, goals and tasks of revitalizing inactive industrial zones are highlighted. The article analyzes the implementation of specific projects aimed at: development of creative industries in reconstructed post-industrial premises, arrangement of coworking, support of entrepreneurial and social initiatives (Ivano-Frankivsk, Lviv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Kyiv); creation of unique platforms for various cultural events, communication of representatives of the creative sector and quality recreation (Lviv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv); formation of an environment for restaurant activity, wholesale and retail trade (Kyiv, Kherson); construction of innovative infrastructure, providing support for high-tech industries (Kyiv, Dnipro). Conclusion. Based on the generalization of experience, the characteristic features of the revitalization of degraded industrial zones in Ukraine are outlined. It is noted that projects on city revitalization focuses on giving new features to territories and facilities and emphasizing their uniqueness; most projects on the revitalization of degraded industrial zones in the cities of Ukraine are grounded on creative ideas, the embodiment of which often requires large investment.

China's changing city-level greenhouse gas emissions from municipal solid waste treatment and driving factors

With cities’ intertwined challenges of garbage siege and climate change, it is imperative to explore the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from municipal solid waste (MSW) treatment and the determinants of the emissions change. However, related quantitative analysis with high spatial resolution in China has been lacking, which hinder tailored policymaking. To fill the gap, this study develops a long time-series inventory of GHG emissions (including CH4, CO2 and N2O) from MSW for 294 Chinese prefecture-level cities. The temporal and spatial logarithmic mean divisia index (LMDI) model is further used to reveal the drivers behind the emissions change and difference. Results showed that domestic GHG emissions from MSW treatment increased from 39.24 Mt CO2e in 2006 to 128.81 Mt CO2e in 2019, 63.41%-88.95% of which were CH4 emissions accounting for 8.13%-10.22% of China's total CH4 emissions. First-tier cities and new first-tier cities (6.44%) contributed 35.44% to the national emissions in 2019. Furthermore, the national increased emissions were primarily driven by economic output (66.09%), while the MSW treatment intensity per GDP caused emissions reduction by 5.23%. The spatial decomposition verified that the population size was the dominant driving factor for differences between the national average and city-level emissions. Improvements in MSW treatment structure may be the effective abatement strategy for cities in Northwestern China (e.g., Yinchuan, Xining and Lanzhou). These findings could provide insights into the GHG emission mitigation of cities’ MSW sector for a future carbon-neutral society.

Park and neighbourhood environmental characteristics associated with park-based physical activity among children in a high-density city

Constructing and renovating urban parks is an effective strategy for high-density cities to satisfy residents’ needs for recreation in nature. Using Hong Kong as an example of a high-density city, the purpose of this study was to examine the associations of park and neighbourhood environments with park-based physical activity (PA) among children and examine the moderating effect of neighbourhood income in their relationships. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 32 urban parks in Hong Kong. Park-based PA and the park and neighbourhood environments were measured using systematic observation tools and the geographic information system. Neighbourhood income was extracted from the 2011 Hong Kong Population Census data on median household income. A total of 7,753 children were observed using urban parks for PA during the study. Children’s park-based PA was positively associated with the quality of supporting amenities, park safety, neighbourhood walkability, and neighbourhood quality, while the associations of park-based PA with the diversity of active facilities and park size were not significant. In addition, neighbourhood income moderated the associations of park-based PA with the diversity of active facilities, the quality of supporting amenities, neighbourhood walkability, and neighbourhood quality. These findings provide empirical evidence on the moderating role of neighbourhood socioeconomic status on the associations between park and neighbourhood environments and children’s park-based PA in a high-density city. With children’s needs for using parks for PA, our findings are beneficial for urban planners to renovate existing urban parks to enhance their utility for children living in high-density cities.

Learning from the biology of evolution: exaptation as a design strategy for future cities

PurposeThis paper highlights the importance of transdisciplinary studies in times of crisis. In the first part, the study shows the benefits of the introduction of literature on biology to better understand the evolutionary dynamics of architecture.Design/methodology/approachThe focus of the research concerns architectural exaptation. In biology, exaptation is a functional shift of a structure that already had a prior but different function. We will also learn that, in biology, all creative systems are redundant and involve variability and diversity.FindingsAs a conclusion, through the comparison between biology and architecture, we will, therefore, try to build an architectural taxonomy that demonstrates how indeterminism is not a subcategory of design. Instead, design paradigms in which redundancy and variable diversity of structures reflect functionalism constitute an equivalent and essential complement with respect to design determinism.Originality/valueIt demonstrates how architectural exaptation, intended as an indeterministic and radical mode of design, can contribute to overcoming the current global crisis because structural redundancy is frequently functional, mostly in ever-changing and unstable environments. For instance, the failure of a planned function of a city can be an opportunity to re-use a structure designed for an obsolete function to respond to unexpected constraints.

Evaluate Space after Covid-19: Smart City Strategies for Gamification

ABSTRACT Smart cities carry the burden of utilizing technologies to support city life during and beyond the Covid-19 pandemic. More than ever, true smartness needs to address the broader health implications of the shared urban space. Especially highly populated cities tend to suffer more from the consequences of Covid-19 than rural areas. Without a doubt, the pandemic has revealed particular weaknesses of the existing urban environment, in urban space and population demographics, so evident of unprepared city infrastructure systems. The traditional design of public space has created inequalities, and such space design serves the needs of a commercialized urban context and enables public gatherings or private/commercial access. The sudden behavioral shift needed in cities means that smart solutions are also needed for the health and well-being of city populations. This paper examines the impact in the urban environments for London, Manchester, Newcastle, and Liverpool. This paper maps the implications of physical distancing due to Covid-19 using cases studies in three main areas: i) roads, ii) parks, and iii) retail. A matrix of urban, social, and health consequences is suggested, which will shape urban policy. It will focus on terms of access and use of urban space during the pandemic and beyond. The expected outcome of this research is to map some of the metropolitan area to demonstrate restrictions, changes in sharing behavior, and gamification opportunities of urban space. The expected outcomes will provide evidence-based scenarios for gamification technologies (for example, wayfinding, location, and character-based) of the challenged urban space in roads, parks, and retail to support change in future policy. The paper will discuss the implications of behavior change and consider so-called “gamification” practices in the urban space, using examples of social distancing, movement tracing, and techniques that add to a truly smart city. Overall, the aim is to demonstrate the spatial constraints of Covid-19; social distancing as the main challenge and to explore how the design of urban form and smart systems will provide for a healthy and resilient urban environment. This research addresses good urban health and a playful approach to the new way of urban living.

Planning strategy of green economy city from the perspective of low carbon and environmental protection

At the current stage, in order to promote the all-round development of low-carbon economy, the development model of building green industry has been introduced into urban construction and planning. In this context, in order to promote urban construction and development, carry out the research on the planning strategy of green economy city from the perspective of low-carbon environmental protection. On the basis of fully clarifying the practical significance of low-carbon and green economy city planning, clarify the development objectives of low-carbon and environment-friendly cities, from building a comprehensive and intensive city; Build a high-quality low-carbon green transportation system; Put forward relevant planning strategies from the aspects of building green space system and ecological economic unit. It is expected to provide guidance for promoting low-carbon cities into the public vision and provide innovative ideas for the future development and construction of cities.

The Ethiopia Urban Expansion Initiative and knowledge exchange

Rapid urban expansion in Sub-Saharan Africa is a challenging policy problem with few demonstrated solutions. An approach for managing rapid urbanization resulted in considerable changes in planning strategies in cities in Ethiopia. An initiative from 2013 to 2016 created organizational capacities and capabilities. An external consultant facilitated knowledge exchange, but left the major planning activities to the public sector bodies. Local technical staff and political leaders were trained to create and implement plans for the next 30 years of urban growth in their cities. The paper describes the role of knowledge exchange in empowering local government officials to implement the approach. It outlines the approach itself and then describes the process of knowledge exchange and the challenges and successes that resulted. <em><strong>Practice relevance</strong></em> Urban planning and expansion require forethought as well as sustained effort for delivery over time. A successful intervention is presented together with a core factor of knowledge exchange. The role of the external consultant team was unusual: to provide a limited amount of input data and instead focus on guidance and advice. The significance of simple ideas is their ease of sharing amongst policymakers as a strategy for producing local ownership. Diffusion and dissemination of good ideas often stops after a single expensive and time-consuming pilot project, in part because complexity prevents the participants from attaining expertise to spread the idea without external support. Urban expansion planning is framed as an example of a planning approach that emphasized knowledge exchange. The conclusions could also apply to the development of any future planning techniques that depend on local implementation and uptake.

The compliance of the regional development strategies and funding with the sustainable development concept: The case of Ukraine

&lt;abstract&gt; &lt;p&gt;In accordance with international agreements, Ukraine has committed to transitioning to the principles of sustainable development and building a green economy. However, Ukraine's strategic regional planning and financing with the aim of achieving its sustainable development goals remain insufficiently analysed. This paper examines the compliance of Ukraine's regional development strategies against the declared sustainable development concept and goals to determine the amount of funding invested in the measures aimed at "greening" these regions' economies and to compare these investments with the declared measures in accordance with the sustainable development concept. To achieve these objectives, we analysed 24 regional strategies and one city's strategy (Kyiv) with respect to strategic and operational goals relating to sustainable development constituents and the achievement of sustainable development goals. To assess Ukraine's commitment to regional public policy in relation to the sustainable development concept, we analysed the revenues and expenditures of the regional budgets for 2018–2020 and defined the amount of investment in the field of environmental protection and ecology. Comparison of these indicators reveals the formal and subject-matter compliance of regional development strategies with the sustainable development concept as well as real financial support for the environmental development of Ukraine's regions. The main findings allowed us to define Ukraine's commitment to its regional public policy regarding sustainable development and the declarativeness of some regions' statements regarding their commitment to sustainable development, to determine which regions are most relevant to sustainable development strategies and expenditures within the regional budget and to develop recommendations for further research.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;/abstract&gt;

Quantifying Socio-Economic and Environmental Impacts of Flood Risk and Management Strategies in Coastal Cities of Africa: A Study of Nigeria and South Africa

Quantifying Socio-Economic and Environmental Impacts of Flood Risk and Management Strategies in Coastal Cities of Africa: A Study of Nigeria and South Africa

Visions of cities beyond the Green Deal: From imagination to reality

Cities face unprecedented challenges and opportunities. The challenges include the need to tackle phenomena from climate change to population growth, as well as how to bring the European Union (EU) closer to the goal of climate neutrality by reducing carbon emissions. The political-institutional focus to resolve these issues is urgently required. The interventions that are needed in cities to meet the Green Deal objectives are numerous and diverse (including energy, transport, nature and biodiversity, food and agriculture, green finance, as well as with respect to the circular economy [CE]). Diverse approaches are justified, to an extent, as the starting point is not the same for all cities involved in the transition (large, medium and small) and reaction capacities are different. Diversity can cause confusion, however, and this has been found in particular with so-called circular cities; the absence of a defined intervention model has caused some cities to adopt both narrow and wider visions, leading to many ‘circular imaginary’ cities. The origins of these visions have stemmed from the industrial rather than the urban context, with several adaptations being made. This paper starts by discussing the journey to sustainable cities — in particular the role of circular cities in the Green Deal — and then explores the existence or lack of strategies for circular cities. Amsterdam and Milan are used as case studies to explore whether and when circular cities can be considered cornerstones of the ecological transition.

Dialogic Formation of Tourism Strategies in Urban Renaissance Cities: Implications from Cases in Berlin, Budapest, and Santa Barbara

Dialogic Formation of Tourism Strategies in Urban Renaissance Cities: Implications from Cases in Berlin, Budapest, and Santa Barbara

Low Hanging Fruit: Low-Cost, High Impact Sustainable Transition Strategies for Small Cities and Towns

Low Hanging Fruit: Low-Cost, High Impact Sustainable Transition Strategies for Small Cities and Towns

Continuum Dynamic Traffic Models with Novel Local Route-Choice Strategies for Urban Cities

Continuum Dynamic Traffic Models with Novel Local Route-Choice Strategies for Urban Cities

Low Hanging Fruit: Low-Cost, High Impact Sustainable Transition Strategies for Small Cities and Towns

Low Hanging Fruit: Low-Cost, High Impact Sustainable Transition Strategies for Small Cities and Towns

МОДЕЛИ РЕАЛИЗАЦИИ КОНЦЕПЦИИ «УМНЫЙ ГОРОД» В СТРАТЕГИЯХ СОЦИАЛЬНО-ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКОГО РАЗВИТИЯ КРУПНЫХ ГОРОДОВ РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ

The concept of "smart city" is one of the most popular in the practice of urban management around the world. It has been adopted at the federal management level as one of the leading ones for Russian cities. The problem lies in the objectification of the concept in the strategies of socio-economic development of cities. In addition, each concept, including the "smart city" has a variety of implementation models. There are technocratic (rating), triple, quarter spiral, etc. The purpose of the work is to determine the types of models for the implementation of the "smart city" concept in the strategies of socio-economic development of large Russian cities. The focus of the research is the model of the quarter spiral, which received its author's continuation and refinement as a subject through the strengthening of the nature of its sociality. To achieve this goal, a content analysis of the strategies of socio-economic development of cities in 20 major cities of the Russian Federation was carried out. As a result, it can be argued that the concept of a "smart city" is not represented in all strategies of large cities. Where it is stated, the prevailing type of model for the implementation of the concept is the triple helix model (consumer model). The presence of elements of the subject model in strategic documents seems promising.

Strategie rozwoju miast na prawach powiatu

The article presents the results of research on development strategies of cities with poviat rights. The reason for undertaking the research was the addition of provisions on such development plans to the Act on Self-Government in 2020, and its aim was to determine, in quantitative terms, what number of cities have such plans and whether their adoption is related to the size and number of citizens of the cities. The research was also qualitative in scope and concerned the form and content of development strategies, with the aim of identifying their most important features.

Smart Cities for a Sustainable Social Inclusion Strategy – A Comparative Study between Italy and Malaysia

Background: Recent data from several studies and surveys confirm that our society has entered the digital transformation era. The crucial role of this digital trend is becoming increasingly more evident during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hence, a bunch of technologies, such as artificial intelligence, have the potential to change the present enhancing people’s power to act, to live and to promote equal citizen participation. In this scenario, Smart Cities with its smart technology innovative components are challenging for excluded people. Method: The general objective of this article is to identify and understand the dimensions that must be taken into account to promote the digital participation/inclusion of people with ID. The model is based on a qualitative analysis of people’s perceptions related to how Smart Cities can promote social Inclusion. Results: The challenges associated with social inclusion were identified in the social, economic and political as well as cultural dimensions of the countries investigated: Italy and Malaysia. The results constitute a first step to shape and understand how smart cities can promote social inclusion in different contexts. Conclusion: The outcomes of our research suggest that, starting from standard technologies, smart cities in different countries need tailored solutions. The results reveal that the Smart City strategy is, in general, and in terms of social Inclusion, in particular, a local phenomenon changing in each country. This outcome has important implications for practitioners and future scholarly research alike. The current study contributes to both social inclusion and smart city literature in many ways.

The smart city as a hub for nourishing public-private partnerships

Taking into consideration the complexity of planning and implementing an urban strategy, this paper studies the influence of potential stakeholders on the implementation of smart city projects. As a network of different organizations, a city provides the ground for multidisciplinary actors with different agendas and resources to interact and cooperate. By forming strategic partnerships, municipalities can better design and implement a smart city strategy adjusted to the needs of their community. Along these lines, this research tries to capture the dynamics behind the municipality's role in the formulated partnerships. By using a unique, tailor-made questionnaire and advanced statistical techniques, the paper identifies and analyses the direct and indirect effects of different stakeholders in the strategic design and implementation of smart initiatives. The main findings underline the public and private organizations' critical role in supporting a smart strategy. A systematic analysis of partnerships may help public authorities and citizens to formulate an effective smart city strategy, overcome potential challenges in smart initiatives and achieve sustainability and growth.

Synergy between smart cities and industry 4.0 in public spaces: bibliometric analysis

As part of smart city strategies and to improve their performance, researchers suggest various approaches such as industry 4.0 to help cities manage the constraints and problems they face, especially in public spaces. This paper addresses this research topic through a bibliometric approach based on quantitative analysis methods can be a new and more optimal approach, that have been applied to study the synergy between smart cities and industry 4.0. The Smart City 4.0 concept states that the value of a city is determined by its size, connectedness, and entrepreneurialism, while the construction of Smart Cities 4.0 is in its infancy, and there are currently no empirical analyses, it can be deduced and concluded from network theory that a Smart City will evolve into the 4.0 version if its internal connectivity is strengthened, and open platforms with entrepreneurship based on diversity are built. This research show that the topic is almost totally new and innovative and has not been widely addressed by researchers worldwide, but this paper shows the relevance of the topic and the directions it can take to address heuristics and important issues.