Inclusive Urban Development Research Articles

Unraveling energy justice in NYC urban buildings through social media sentiment analysis and transformer deep learning

This study explores the intricate relationship between human sentiment on social media data, herein tweet posts on X platform, urban building characteristics, and the socio-spatial dynamics of New York City (NYC) boroughs. Leveraging Natural Language Processing (NLP) techniques, particularly sentiment analysis, augmented by the capabilities of transformer deep learning models, RoBERTa, the study places particular emphasis on the term ‘Stay-at-Home’ to encapsulate the pronounced shift in building occupancy during the pandemic's inaugural year. This focus intertwines with pivotal terms like ‘Energy Bill’ and ‘HVAC’, shedding light on their interconnected implications. The sentiment analysis leverages data from New York City's PLUTO and the Department of Energy's LEAD databases to emotional disparities connected to urban building characteristics as well as demographic and socioeconomic factors. This analytical approach unravels prevailing public emotions and extends the discussion to include energy justice concerns, viewing them through the lens of the city's built infrastructure. The research uncovers profound disparities in the built environment and the allocation of resources in NYC, highlighting the critical need to embrace a spatial justice framework for a sustainable future. This research can aid designers, planners, and policymakers in their efforts to promote equitable and inclusive urban development.

The Impact of Interactions between Resources, Technology, and Technical Aspects of Autonomous Vehicles on Urban Smart Spaces

Objective: As urban populations grow, the demand for smarter and more efficient urban spaces becomes increasingly critical. The advent of autonomous vehicles also presents opportunities and challenges in shaping the future of smart cities. This article examines the complex interactions between resources, technology, and technical aspects of autonomous vehicles and their impact on urban spaces. Methodology: A comprehensive research methodology was employed to assess the impact of interactions between resources, technology, and technical aspects of autonomous vehicles on smart urban spaces. This included a review of the literature, data analysis, case studies, and simulations. By integrating findings from various sources and methods, a complete understanding of the subject was achieved. Findings: The findings of this study highlight the multifaceted impact of interactions between resources, technology, and technical aspects of autonomous vehicles on smart urban spaces. Despite their enormous potential to reduce traffic, enhance safety, and improve urban mobility, these interactions raise concerns about privacy, infrastructure compatibility, and equitable access. Conclusion: Therefore, it is essential for policymakers, urban planners, and technologists to collaborate in developing strong frameworks and regulations to harness the benefits of autonomous vehicle technology while mitigating potential challenges. By promoting innovation and inclusive urban development, cities can leverage the transformative power of autonomous vehicle technology to create smarter, more sustainable, and livable urban environments for all citizens.

Incorporating Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into Building Environment-Related Business Models: A Comprehensive Review

This work investigates the incorporation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into business models (BM) associated to Building Environment (BEs) in order to promote sustainable development, innovation, and resilient infrastructure. Through an analysis of business models released from 2016 to 2019, we explore the integration of important Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as affordable, green energy (SDG 7), sustainable growth (SDG 8), industrialization and innovation (SDG 9), and resilient cities (SDG 11) into the operational and strategic frameworks of various business designs. Evidence from case studies conducted in different nations demonstrates how business models may be modified to include sustainable practices and frameworks motivated by values. Furthermore, this text presents guidelines for integrating Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) into upcoming Blue Models (BMs), emphasizing their significance in circular economies, green energy projects, and socially inclusive urban development. This paper provides important information to the stakeholders in the constructed environment as the legislators, developers, and academics who would wish to align their business agendas with the global sustainability goals. The research evidence suggests that business models associated with the SDGs allow for the management of modern sustainability challenges together with encouraging innovation and economic growth.

Sociological Perspectives on Urban Gentrification and Its Societal Implications

This paper provides a sociological perspective on urban gentrification and its societal implications, employing a research method that primarily involves an extensive literature study. Gentrification, characterized by the influx of more affluent residents into previously disadvantaged urban neighborhoods, is a multifaceted phenomenon with significant social, economic, and cultural consequences. Drawing on sociological theories and empirical research from existing literature, the study examines the drivers and consequences of gentrification, exploring issues such as housing affordability, displacement, social demographics, and the dynamics of urban change. It also considers how gentrification both perpetuates and alleviates social inequalities, emphasizing the importance of inclusive urban development policies and community-based initiatives to address the challenges and opportunities that gentrification presents in contemporary cities.

Income estimation based on human mobility patterns and machine learning models

Sustainable and inclusive urban development requires a thorough understanding of income distribution and poverty. Recent related research has extensively explored the use of automatically generated sensor data to proxy economic activities. Notably, human mobility patterns have been found to exhibit strong associations with socioeconomic attributes and great potential for income estimation. However, the representation of complex human mobility patterns and their effectiveness in income estimation needs further investigation. To address this, we propose three representations of human mobility: mobility indicators, activity footprints, and travel graphs. These representations feed into various models, including XGBoost, a traditional machine learning model, a convolutional neural network (CNN), and a time-series graph neural network (GCRN). By leveraging public transit data from Shenzhen, our study demonstrates that graph-based representations and deep learning models outperform other approaches in income estimation. They excel in minimising information loss and handling complex data structures. Spatial contextual attributes, such as transport accessibility, are the most influential factors, while indicators related to activity extent, temporal rhythm, and intensity contribute comparatively less. In summary, this study highlights the potential of cutting-edge artificial intelligence tools and emerging human mobility data as an alternative approach to estimating income distribution and addressing poverty-related concerns.

Intensified discrimination against tenants and its health effects during the COVID-19 pandemic in large Chinese cities

The COVID-19 pandemic in many senses reconstructs social norms and reshapes social behaviour, which typically assumes a close correlation between mobility with a higher risk of COVID-19 infection. This may intensify the pre-existing discrimination against tenants and widen tenure-based health inequalities. Drawing on an online questionnaire survey conducted in five major cities in China in 2020, we employ multi-level regression models to examine the intensified discrimination against tenants during COVID-19 and its impacts on residents’ physical and mental health inequalities. Results show that the pre-existing inequalities have been intensified during COVID-19 and the perceived discrimination has rendered worsened self-rated health and mental health and enlarged health inequalities. The discrimination particularly affected tenants with better economic profiles or worse health conditions; by contrast, despite being exposed to more tenant-related discriminatory experiences, rural hukou holders suffered from less severe health inequalities. A clear linkage is found between renting in poorly-managed and larger health gaps generated by discrimination. The negative health impact of intensified discrimination is found to be more significant in communities with lower infection risk, which points to the necessity of understanding the long-term health impact of discrimination against tenants in a more holistic way. In terms of community environment, we discover a positive effect of community social capital, i.e., higher level social capital helps mitigate the health threat of discrimination against tenants during COVID-19. Besides, public housing tenants reported better health outcomes and were less exposed to intensified discrimination during COVID-19 than private housing tenants. These findings provide a nuanced understanding of variations determined by individual and territorial factors, thus present timely policy implications for promoting healthy and inclusive urban development in the post-pandemic era.

The Space Between Us: Questioning Multi-Spatial Justice in the Upcoming Indonesia’s Capital

Land is not only defined as an object of ownership by certain community groups, especially indigenous communities. Land has intrinsic value inherent in the way of life and culture, thus affecting the quality of life. This article examines the potential implications of the land acquisiton process in the prospected Nusantara Capital in regards to the fulfillment of the right to an adequate standard of living. It is reviewed by engaging multi-spatial justice within the context of city development and urban transformation with learning lessons from Brasilia and Jakarta. Utilizing a qualitative socio-legal approach, the research employs systematic and structural interpretation of various legal instruments. It incorporates the concept of multi-spatial justice as part of a critical legal geography and urban sociology theory to understand the potential of segregation and gentrification in the Nusantara Capital. The results highlight three key aspects. Firstly, the concept of multi-spatial justice underscores the need to consider diverse spatial entities and their equitable treatment. Secondly, analyzing the State Capital Law reveals both promising and concerning aspects of spatial justice. While it aims to balance development and inclusivity, inconsistencies within the law's provisions raise concerns about potential injustices. Lastly, the study anticipates future inequities between local and urban spatials due to unequal land compensation. These findings emphasize the importance of addressing procedural and substantive fairness in land acquisition, fostering inclusive urban development, and aligning legal instruments with principles of multi-spatial justice.

Towards a combined human-natural system approach in the Northern Red Sea Region: Ecological challenges, sustainable development, and community engagement

The northern Red Sea coastal ecosystem is one of the most diverse coastal ecosystems in the world. Fortunately, it has shown extraordinary resilience against climate change and is predicted to survive global warming during the coming decades. However, with warming waters, increased sediment and pollutants, and other human impacts, the ecosystem and consequently thriving reef tourism which forms a pillar of the ongoing economic diversification policies of the northern Red Sea region are under threat. A variety of evidence indicates significant damage has already been done to terrestrial and ocean ecosystems on both sides of the northern Red Sea. Expenditures on ecosystem protection and research lag behind Egypt’s billions in USD revenue from tourism. Unfortunately, the economic drive to generate profit has resulted in sprawling touristic, industrial, and mixed development without careful planning or assessment of the fragility and sustainability of the natural ecosystem. As a result, the future of coastal urban growth is murky. Given its natural, social, and touristic value, the northern Red Sea system requires a special ecological security system with detailed analysis, inclusive development, and proactive governance across coastal cities and their adjacent inland secondary cities. This study identifies the geological research gaps, human-ecological interactions, inclusive urban development challenges, and related literature pertaining to the northern Red Sea. We propose immediate, targeted, multidisciplinary research trajectories and provide policy recommendations to ensure that the region's existing and future developmental pursuits are undertaken in an environmentally sustainable and inclusive approach.

Will the true inclusive city rise? Mapping the strengths and weaknesses of the city ranking systems

Ranking cities is considered an effective instrument to rate and qualify the specific image of cities and encourage them to define and improve sustainable development strategies, but it has also been criticized for generating biased outcomes. Recently, the number of rankings for inclusive cities is rising, in fact along with growing investments in inclusive city projects and initiatives. The inclusive city rankings have both the strength to enhance lesson-drawing and self-improvement and the weakness to exacerbate competition among un-equals. In this article, nine different ranking systems for assessing urban inclusion are scrutinized and compared. Based on relevant theory regarding inclusive urban development and ranking systems, a methodology to compare and assess ranking systems is established, building on different quality aspects. The findings indicate that although for most ranking systems much essential information to understand how they produce results can be retrieved, motivations for generating these inclusive city rankings can be moral, utilitarian, or a combination of both, and that evaluation methods and dissemination of the results sometimes lack transparency and timeliness. Some metrics are incomplete and/or biased toward specific dimensions and indicators. The consistency across the ranking systems in producing the best-performing cities is much stronger than that of the worst-performing cities. Moreover, an obvious developed-developing gap was observed in the sense that most high performers are in Europe and to a lesser extent Nord-America, while the bottom 25 % are primarily in developing countries. Finally, suggestions are given to make methodologies for inclusive ranking systems more transparent, comprehensive and less biased.

Departures From the Norm: Innovative Planning for Inclusive Manufacturing

For decades, urban development strategies that privilege narrowly defined “creative” sectors, and anachronistic zoning policies have been the norm in US cities, bringing persistent displacement pressures to manufacturing businesses. However, as cities have faced mounting concerns over inequality, affordability, and diversity, recent scholarship has begun to revisit the importance of urban industry, identifying key contributions that industrial enterprises make to cities. The challenge is finding the right strategies that can preserve, enhance, and potentially expand existing urban industrial space. This article takes up that challenge in three ways: (a) by calling attention to long-standing industrial planning norms that have simultaneously disadvantaged communities of color and undermined awareness of and support for urban manufacturing, (b) by exploring “innovations” that depart from those norms by prioritizing “inclusion” and “visibility” in their planning efforts, and (c) by taking an expansive approach to “planning” that seeks lessons from beyond the formal planning establishment. Drawing from emerging scholarship, research and policy reports, program documents, and interviews with key participants, this article gathers lessons from two industrial planning examples—in San Francisco, CA and Buffalo, NY—that help reveal existing barriers to industrial retention, help reimagine the role and place of manufacturing in the city, and ultimately help to foster more inclusive urban development in the US.

Segregación socioespacial en Machala-Ecuador. Un análisis sobre las desigualdades y los posibles desafíos

This study evaluates socio-spatial segregation in Machala, Ecuador, analyzing socioeconomic and demographic factors that impact the quality of life of residents. It focuses on inequalities in access to basic services, urban dynamics, education, health and employment in different neighborhoods. The findings reveal a majority of young people, aged 10 to 39, with a low level of education, with only 10% having completed university studies. School dropout is mainly attributed to the need for employment. There are significant disparities in access to basic services, housing quality and urban infrastructure. These factors are evidence of segregation in social exclusion and lack of social integration. Machala faces challenges in terms of accessibility to quality services, which impacts the living conditions of residents in vulnerable neighborhoods. The study highlights the need to address these inequalities to ensure a more equitable and inclusive urban development, recommending the implementation of public policies to improve the quality of life and encourage social integration.

A pervasive information approach to urban geography research: the case of Turku

ABSTRACT The article explores the Pervasive Information Architecture (PIA) framework as a theory and set of tools that support the identification of both the multiple physical/digital, spatially oriented elements that make up urban life and, importantly, the obstacles and barriers to information flow between them. As an example, the article presents the application of the framework in studying how first-generation immigrants experience the urban natural environment in Turku, Finland. This research contributes to advancing our understanding of how Pervasive Information Architecture can be effectively used to analyse, design, and optimize urban landscapes, thereby promoting a more inclusive urban development.

Changing Dynamics of Urbanization and Social Inequality: A Case Study of Informal Settlements in Bangkok, Thailand

The research embarked on a journey to unravel the intricate relationship between urbanization dynamics and social inequality within the context of informal settlements in Bangkok. Using a mixed methods approach, this research combines a quantitative survey and qualitative interviews. Demographic data is collected through a survey, which captures a socio-economic profile. Qualitative insights were obtained from in-depth interviews and observations, which provide a different understanding of residents' life experiences. This research not only illuminates the interplay between urbanization and social inequality within Bangkok's informal settlements but also amplifies the call for inclusive urban development that ensures the benefits of progress reach every corner of the city, irrespective of socio-economic background.

Increasing solar panel output with blue-green roofs in water-circular and nature inclusive urban development

With an increasing demand for climate resiliency, water sensitivity, nature inclusiveness and energy efficiency in dense urban environments, the call for layered and multifunctional use of rooftops is rising. Vegetated roofs combined with Photo-Voltaic (PV) installations are an example of multifunctional and more effective use of available space, and well-irrigated systems could have an enhanced cooling effect. This research investigated a blue-green capillary irrigated solar roof with grey (shower-) water suppletion, with a constructed wetroof for grey water purification. Two full-scale commercial PV systems on twin rental apartment blocks in Amsterdam were analyzed, on a blue-green roof (BGR) versus a bitumen roof (BiR). The energy output, PV panel temperature, relative humidity and air temperature under the panels were monitored during 5 warmer months (June–October 2022). On average, a solar panel on the BGR is expected to produce 4.4% more energy than a solar panel on the BiR at similar irradiation. A clear difference in panel temperature on the roofs is only seen when the surface temperature of the roofs differs by at least 4.64 °C. Otherwise, other factors such as wind or albedo have probably more influence on the PV panel temperature and thus on PV power output.

CHARACTERISING THE SLUM ENVIRONMENT FROM SPACE FOR ACHIEVING SDGS

Abstract. With less than eight years left to achieve the Global Goals, nations are accelerating the design and implementation of sustainable solutions to the world’s biggest challenges ranging from poverty to climate change. India has assessed its status in achieving SDGs through SDG Index, an aggregate measure that computes goal-wise scores on the 16 SDGs. For SDG 11, the 2020-21 assessment showed that all other 32 states scored above 65 as front runners except for seven. One such criterion to assess the progress of SDG11 is the “percentage of urban households living in Katcha houses”. In the present study, to understand the slum development activities to attain sustainability at a city level, Chennai has been chosen as a case study. Using VHR data from Google Earth Pro, the slums of Chennai are mapped, and the recent changes in the slum status are identified.The slums are categorised into four categories: existing, emerged, expanded and evicted slums, based on their characteristics. The study shows that between 2001 and 2011 there are 110 new slums emerged in the study area, which accounts for 1.43 sq. km. There are only a few slums that emerged between 2011 and 2022 (0.35 sq. km), but there was a considerable slum expansion (1.07 sq. km.) during that period, and some slums were evicted from their previous locations. The results based on satellite data have been verified and validated at the field level. The ongoing slum development programs in Chennai give optimistic hope for achieving inclusive urban development by 2030.

Perspectives of informal street waste pickers in Loja-Ecuador

Waste pickers contribute to country environmental and sustainability goals, and yet they are a marginalised and precarious group that requires further research. Using a case study design of informal waste pickers in Loja-Ecuador, representatives from waste picker associations, recycling warehouses, and public agencies were interviewed about the dynamics of informal recycling in this city. In addition, street level waste pickers were interviewed to understand their difficulties. The data obtained were complemented by participant observation of the recycling work on the street. The results show that in the city of Loja, two types of waste pickers coexist —associated and non-associated—, those who are associated obtain higher profits although the main perceived benefit is to carry out the activity under the authority’s consent. Likewise, it was found that waste recovery is the main income source for most of the families engaged in this activity, however, the income generated varies by gender. Furthermore, the majority of waste pickers are women who, along with children and the elderly, are disadvantaged as compared with their male counterparts in performing this activity. Competition for recyclable material among waste pickers was cited as the main problem. The findings provide the basis for constructing an inclusive urban development process that considers the work of waste pickers within the framework of a popular and solidarity economy.

Towards high-quality development: how does digital economy impact low-carbon inclusive development?: mechanism and path.

High-quality development is the primary task of building a modern socialist country in an all-around way. Innovation, coordination, green development, openness, and sharing are the main connotations of high-quality development. Based on panel data from 286 cities in China, this paper empirically analyzes the impact of the digital economy on low-carbon inclusive development (hereinafter referred to as LIG). The results show that the digital economy has a salient promoting effect on LIG, and with the increase of quantile level, the promoting effect shows a marginal decreasing trend. Heterogeneity analysis found that the cities with low resource dependence and marketization of the digital economy and high environmental concern and competition have more salient promoting effects on LIG. The dimensionality reduction analysis shows that the impact of digital economy on economic growth, social inclusion, and low-carbon ecology gradually increases in turn. The mechanism test shows that R&D investment, green innovation, and market integration play a partial mediating role, while entrepreneurial activity, industrial upgrading, and development imbalance play a fully mediating role. Digital economy promotes urban economic growth and low-carbon ecological development through R&D investment and market integration and mainly promotes low-carbon ecological development through green innovation. The digital economy will promote low-carbon and inclusive urban development by stimulating entrepreneurship, promoting industrial upgrading, and alleviating development imbalances.

Investigating the prospect of e-participation in urban planning in Saudi Arabia

Planning authorities worldwide are increasingly employing e-participation to facilitate and strengthen public engagement in decision-making processes. However, little is known about the prospects of using Information and Communication Technology to foster public participation in urban planning in conservative Arab societies. This study investigates public willingness to participate in the urban planning process through the Internet and smartphones in Saudi Arabia. Data was collected through a questionnaire survey of residents of Dammam city and analyzed using descriptive (frequency distribution) and inferential statistics (z-tests and Chi-square). The study finds that most participants across all social and demographic groups are aware of e-participation in urban planning and have a significantly positive attitude towards it. Furthermore, they indicate more willingness to e-participate in planning at the local level or on issues that directly affect them. Also, in all stages of preparing urban plans, most participants preferred e-participation over the traditional mode through public hearings and seminars. The paper sheds light on the diffusion of ICT and its potential to facilitate public participation in urban planning in conservative and patriarchal developing countries. Integrating e-participation in urban planning can facilitate public engagement and collaboration with planning authorities to better serve the competing public interests and ensure inclusive urban development.

Strengthening rural-urban linkages for inclusive urban development

Strengthening rural-urban linkages for inclusive urban development

An Evaluation of Urban Renewal Based on Inclusive Development Theory: The Case of Wuhan, China

After decades of development, China’s urban renewal is facing the problems of inequality and intolerance, neglecting vulnerable groups and triggering gentrification. These problems are rarely quantified and draw limited public concerns. To promote an inclusive urban development, we proposed a framework for the inclusive evaluation of urban renewal spaces, thus increasing the understanding of inclusive urban renewal. An evaluation method based on the theory of inclusive development was proposed, and it includes two steps. First, the evaluation index system of inclusive development at the community scale was created, including 24 indicators from five aspects: cognitive well-being, vulnerable groups, affordable public service facilities, economic agency, and environmental factors. Second, a combination of the CRITIC-TOPSIS method and k-means algorithm was used to grade and classify the inclusive development of the community. In this study, multisource data were used to measure the inclusiveness of communities in the core area of Wuhan’s inner city. The results show that the renewed communities are more inclusive than the unrenewed communities; however, even in the more inclusive and renewed communities, a lack of protection for vulnerable groups and a certain level of gentrification still exists.