Urban Form Determinants Research Articles

Cultural Tradition as a Local Context for Sustainable of Urban Identity in Gianyar City Case Study

This study explores the role of cultural traditions in maintaining identity for the city’s sustainability by looking at the relationship between cultural traditions, conservation, and urban design. Local culture, customs, and traditions are recognized as forming the character of space that gives identity. So cultural sustainability becomes a higher emphasis in sustainable development activities. Tradition can be understood and even creates a sense of place for local communities towards their environment in globalization if the principle of cultural essence is not threatened. Gianyar City, Bali, was chosen as a case study representing other cities with possibly similar characteristics. This area has the potential to fulfill a sustainable urban revitalization initiative. The study shows three urban form determinants, the dominant characteristics that project the attributes of fixedness and permanence: (1) Desa Adat, (2) pempatan agung (catuspatha), and (3) spatial division based on direction orientation (mandala and luan teben). It proves that tradition can bridge the change and development of community culture by ensuring that the basic beliefs of a group can be expressed and maintained in a residential environment.

Individual, household, and urban form determinants of trip chaining of non-work travel in México City

This project studies the driving factors of non-work travel trip chaining in the México City Metropolitan Area (MCMA). It has been argued that urban traveling is increasingly becoming more intricate given that travelers pursue more than one activity in their daily travel. Unlike commuting, non-work travel has been less studied, the literature being even scarcer if we consider the Latin American context as well. Non-work travel is represented by travel to study and other variety of destinations. Thus, using the 2017 Household Origin-Destination Survey (HODS17), this paper analyzes separately the groups of “Students” and the rest of travelers called “Others” in terms of patterns of trip chaining among three modes choices: Transit, Car, and Mixed transportation. Two regression models were applied to study the determinants of 1) number of stops in the daily travel (trip chaining) and 2) tour categories in increasing degree of complexity. A descriptive analysis identified that Car users and Mixed transportation had the highest shares of complex tours together with those in the “Others” group. The associations found between some socioeconomic variables (gender, age, and household size) with trip chaining and tour complexity were different among Students and Others, and discussed in relation to the existing literature. Moreover, most urban form variables supported the hypothesis that dense and diverse urban environments are associated with more trip chaining and tour complexity. These results were discussed in light of the implications to understand the transport disadvantage condition of peripheral low-income neighborhoods typical of big cities in the developing context.

The urban form and the social dimension of commuting in México City. An individual trip-level analysis

This article analyzes the urban form and socioeconomic determinants of commute time at the individual trip level in México City. Average commute times were mapped and regression models were applied for four groups of workers according to transportation mode and educational attainment: Car-College, Car-Non College, Transit-College, and Transit-Non College. The most evident pattern of lower commute times in the inner city corresponded to college workers using transit. Regression results showed a complex interplay between socioeconomic variables, the urban form, and commute time. Overall, for car commuters there was limited and weak evidence of differential commutes among socioeconomic classes. However, for transit users, there was a trend of longer commutes for lower socioeconomic categories. Other socioeconomic factors associated with lower commute times were female, spouse, less educational attainment, the young, and the elderly. Important urban form determinants were the jobs-housing ratio at the destination associated with increased travel times and mixed-land use at the origin associated with a decrease in travel times.

Urban and air pollution: a multi-city study of long-term effects of urban landscape patterns on air quality trends

Most air pollution research has focused on assessing the urban landscape effects of pollutants in megacities, little is known about their associations in small- to mid-sized cities. Considering that the biggest urban growth is projected to occur in these smaller-scale cities, this empirical study identifies the key urban form determinants of decadal-long fine particulate matter (PM2.5) trends in all 626 Chinese cities at the county level and above. As the first study of its kind, this study comprehensively examines the urban form effects on air quality in cities of different population sizes, at different development levels, and in different spatial-autocorrelation positions. Results demonstrate that the urban form evolution has long-term effects on PM2.5 level, but the dominant factors shift over the urbanization stages: area metrics play a role in PM2.5 trends of small-sized cities at the early urban development stage, whereas aggregation metrics determine such trends mostly in mid-sized cities. For large cities exhibiting a higher degree of urbanization, the spatial connectedness of urban patches is positively associated with long-term PM2.5 level increases. We suggest that, depending on the city’s developmental stage, different aspects of the urban form should be emphasized to achieve long-term clean air goals.

Persistence of walking in Chile: lessons for urban sustainability

ABSTRACTAn extensive body of work from the urban planning, health, and other disciplines has documented the importance of walking to urban sustainability from health, safety, security, environmental and other perspectives. These studies come mainly from countries in North America and Europe, where the majority of the population relies on cars for transportation. Notwithstanding, in many countries in the Global South, walking remains a majority transport mode, while cars increasingly dominate the urban streetscape, but are accessible only to a minority of the population. Chile provides fertile terrain for studying this phenomenon. This article reviews current practice and recent research of walking in Chile, in light of international findings regarding walkability, equity and urban sustainability. To elaborate an overview of the depth and breadth of walking in Chile, an interdisciplinary team conducted a literature review, examined relevant case study material from experience from Chile and in particular from Santiago, and triangulated this mainly qualitative data with results from the origin-destination survey applied in Chile’s main cities, Chilean traffic safety data) and results from official transport reports of other Latin American cities [Tirachini, A. (2019). South America: The challenge of transition. In J. Stanley & D. Hensher (Eds.), A research agenda for transport policy. Northampton, MA: Edward Elgar Publishing]. Findings show that despite priority public investments that have largely prioritised infrastructure for cars, walking in Chile has remained as the majority transport mode up until today, especially for lower-middle income groups, and particularly for care-related tasks performed mainly by women. In this sense, walking in Chile has proven remarkably persistent. The importance of walking as the main transport mode, against the odds, reflects economic, cultural, and urban form determinants, which are explored in this article. Furthermore, a recent upsurge in public interest and community design initiatives to improve walking, particularly the generation of a Chilean approach to “complete streets” has emerged, opening up opportunities to challenge Chile’s version of automobility in favour of more equitable, active and public transportation modes. There is, therefore, in Chile an opportunity to prioritise the walking mode, improve infrastructure for walkers and build from preserving current high pedestrian modal shares, rather than having to reverse widespread car use, as occurs in many countries in Europe and North America. This potential is highly relevant as these conditions are similar to those in other Latin American cities and, potentially, other cities elsewhere in the Global South.

Assessing the Evolution of Human Settlements with ‘Energy’ as a Determinant

Human settlements have evolved from caves in thePaleolithic Ageto high rise buildings and cities in the modern era. Energy is one of the major driving forces in shaping the settlements of today. It is a fundamental of our everyday life and will continue to influence the future generations. It is also responsible for the many major looming threats faced by the world today, like climate change, ozone layer depletion, acid rains and global warming. Hence it is essential to investigate the influence of energy in shaping the settlements of the past, to understand the present, and to develop a vision for the future settlements. This paper is an attempt to study the evolution of human settlements based on the ‘urban form determinants’framework developed by A.E.J. Morris with ‘energy’ as an additional determinant. The investigation proposes how energy has influenced in shaping the settlements of the past, and the correlation between energy and other urban form determinants. This study will help various stakeholders in developing an understanding on how energy can play a role in shaping a sustainable future, and also in identifying the parameters which influence them.

Spatial Heterogeneity in the Determinants of Urban Form: An Analysis of Chinese Cities with a GWR Approach

It is of great significance to investigate the determinants of urban form for shaping sustainable urban form. Previous studies generally assumed the determinants of urban form did not vary across spatial units, without taking spatial heterogeneity into account. In order to advance the theoretical understanding of the determinants of urban form, this study attempted to examine the spatial heterogeneity in the determinants of urban form for 289 Chinese prefecture-level cities using a geographically weighted regression (GWR) method. The results revealed the spatially varying relationship between urban form and its underlying factors. Population growth was found to promote urban expansion in most Chinese cities, and decrease urban compactness in part of the Chinese cities. Cities with larger administrative areas were more likely to have dispersed urban form. Industrialization was demonstrated to have no impact on urban expansion in cities located in the eastern coastal region of China, which constitutes the country’s most developed regions. Local financial revenue was found to accelerate urban expansion and increase urban shape irregularity in many Chines cities. It was found that fixed investment exerted a bidirectional impact on urban expansion. In addition, urban road networks and public transit were also identified as the determinants of urban form for some cities, which supported the complex urban systems (CUS) theory. The policy implications emerging from this study lies in shaping sustainable urban form for China’s decision makers and urban planners.

Exploring Determinants of Urban Form in China through an Empirical Study among 115 Cities

This study aims to analyze and explain the factors that influence the urban form of Chinese cities through an empirical analysis of a cross-sectional dataset of 115 cities in 2000 and 2010. Four spatial metrics, including population density, a contiguity index, a fractal dimension index, and a shape index, are used to quantify urban form. The paper compares urban form across four economic zones and across cities of different sizes. Ordinary least square and first-difference regression models are used to analyze the determinants of urban form. The results show that urban sprawl in China is characterized by decreased population density and greater irregularity and complexity of urban built-up areas. Metrics, such as Gross Domestic Product, population, transportation costs, and economical structure are associated with urban form in different ways, and urban expansion based on large-scale industrialization and real estate development is unsustainable in the new era.

Social and urban form determinants of vehicle ownership; evidence from a developing country

The car is the most preferred mode of travel among middle and high-income urban residents in Iran, where the car ownership has been growing at a rate of 15% per year and the evidence shows that vehicle ownership and use are strongly supported by urban development patterns. However, the specification of this relationship is not the same as western societies. Thus, this paper investigates the vehicle ownership and usage in three residential neighborhoods of Shiraz, a city in the southwest of Iran and its association to urban form characteristics and development pattern. The data on land use and urban form characteristics were primarily extracted from the existing secondary sources and GIS but in a disaggregated fine-grain method, whereas the data on household characteristics and vehicle ownership were purposefully collected through a household questionnaire survey. A nested logit model (NLM) based on the Discrete Choice Theory (DCT) was then applied to explore the impacts of socio-economic status (SES) and urban form factors on the car ownership choices of households. The results and the associated policy implications can be helpful in defining a strategic framework for community planning and design in order to reduce the level of car ownership and usage.

Retail-center viability and urban form: a micro analysis

Location is commonly axiomatically stated as the most important real estate feature. However, little attention is given to the urban system that reveals how location is configured, and how that configuration sustains the viability of site-specific retailing activity in the metropolitan region. In this paper, we use block-level, GIS-aided spatial data that reveal the physical qualities of the retail center’s built environment as well as employment and business activity. Thereby, we examine a hypothesis that retailing viability is linked to urban form and set out to determine a statistical relationship. Retail sales data indicate the viability of businesses in two matched shopping centers, urban and suburban, each anchored by an identical big-box retailer downsized to a neighborhood supermarket, with pedestrian-friendly orientation and proximity to housing. The paper concludes with regression estimates of the urban form determinants of business viability by various distances from the retail center.

City rules: how regulations affect urban form

City Rules offers a challenge to students and professionals in urban planning, design, and policy to change the rules of city-building, using regulations to reinvigorate, rather than stifle, our communities. Emily Talen demonstrates that rules like zoning and subdivision regulation are primary determinants of urban form. While many contemporary codes encourage sprawl and even urban blight, that hasn't always been the case - and it shouldn't be in the future. Talen provides a visually rich history, showing how certain eras used rules to produce beautiful, walkable communities, while others created just the opposite. She makes complex regulations understandable, demystifying zoning and illustrating how written rules translate into real-world consequences. Most importantly, Talen proposes changes to these rules that will actually enhance communities' freedom to develop unique spaces.

«Nature's workshop» industry and urban expansion in Southern California, 1900–1950

Scholars and pundits have cast Los Angeles as a prototype for the twentieth century North American metropolis. Most accounts focus primarily, if not exclusively, on residential development and rely on stock suburban theses for their interpretation. Regional expansion has been presented as a new landscape order where precise location is a secondary concern, development proceeds without planning, and the result is a homogeneous sprawl. Studies of manufacturing and industrial location in southern California often share these conventions. An historical investigation reveals that industry and industrial location have been key determinants of urban form, and that industrial, commercial, and residential development have been co-ordinated, complementary, and highly planned. These coincident enterprises recast the region during the first half of the twentieth century. There were three interrelated but qualitatively distinct types of industrial zones in Los Angeles during this period: a mixed-use, home-market district adjacent to the central business district; an industry-only, mass-production, branch-plant zone in Vernon and the eastside; and a series of oil, film, and aircraft satellites on the urban periphery. This finding challenges the received wisdom regarding industrial geography, a progressive narrative of technological innovation and production regimes that chronicle ascension, transformation, and succession.

Pedestrian Access to Transit: Model of Walk Trips and Their Design and Urban Form Determinants Around Bay Area Rapid Transit Stations

Walking links practically every trip taken, yet it has not been maximized as a primary mode of transportation, and the characteristics of walk trips are little understood. The Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) system has been used for primary analysis of characteristics of pedestrian access to transit. A travel survey of individual riders was used to develop a disaggregate discrete choice logit model of walk access to BART stations. Characteristics with the highest probability of choosing walking over another mode are distance, availability of a car, and gender. Linear regression analysis of aggregate station area characteristics was developed; density, the number of parking spaces at the station, and income and education of the residents were identified as key factors in the decision to walk. When the logit and regression models were combined into a single model, there was a clear shift toward individual characteristics over aggregate station area characteristics that determines access-mode choice. Among physical characteristics, station areas with high levels of retail activity outside downtown areas contain the highest proportion of walk trips, followed by station areas with little or no parking.