Inner-city Development Research Articles

Potentials for Optimizing Roadside Greenery to Improve the Quality of Life in Cities

Trees and plants at the roadside or on median strips are called roadside greenery. These are not only beautiful in our environment but are also an important component of the biological system of a city. In addition, roadside greenery provides a variety of design, structural, traffic and ecological functions. These include shading and aesthetics, but also the sense of security and as a measure against the consequences of climate change. Worldwide, more and more people are living in cities and urbanization is steadily increasing. As a result, inner-city development is becoming increasingly dense, and the air is getting worse. In order to make people’s living environments as pleasant and healthy as possible, more greenery is needed in cities. In this research work, the relationship between quality of life and street greenery is investigated. The aim is to analyze the different needs and wishes of citizens and to identify and compile positive consequential effects of street greenery on people and the environment, as well as possible deficits in urban areas. A guideline for action with recommendations will support municipalities in upgrading and expanding street greenery in cities. The empirical study shows that street greenery is enormously important for the general and subjective quality of life for every age group. The perception of the population shows different assessments and ideals regarding street greenery. Overall, there is a desire among the population to maintain and optimize street greenery in the city.

Inner-city development experiences of Germany: Lessons for Pakistan, Ghana, Kenya, and Rwanda in urban development

Inner-city development experiences of Germany: Lessons for Pakistan, Ghana, Kenya, and Rwanda in urban development

ARTISTS AGAINST GENTRIFICATION: COORDINATORS OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE IN AN INNER-CITY AREA OF OSAKA, JAPAN

Gentrification, often characterised by an influx of new residents who displace established locals, has impacted cities across the world and is accelerated by the growth of global capital and the development of neoliberal governments. Artists can counter the process by using their art to promote justice and community development. This paper explores the influence of artists on the community of Baika-Shikanjima, an inner-city area of Osaka, where many creative individuals have aggregated for more than a decade. At present, the area seems to be untouched by gentrification. The findings of this field study indicate that most artists earn an income through other part-time jobs or by managing small businesses. Despite their meagre earnings, these artists live comfortably thanks to affordable housing, products, and services in the area. The artists exhibit or perform their work for other artists, tourists, and residents. The audience members or participants interact with each other during these performances. The study suggests that artists in this area counter the course of gentrification simply by pursuing their activities and rooting them in the community and daily life of the area. Furthermore, their activities seem to create public spaces through which marginalised groups and individuals are provided the opportunity to engage with other residents. The artists could be regarded as outsiders or authentic tourists who integrate into the local community. Although globalisation accelerates gentrification in many areas of Osaka city, this case study shows that a more sustainable inner-city development is possible if artists are involved in community life.

Spatial Justice and Inner-City Development in Secondary Cities of Ghana: Implications for New Urban Agenda in the Global South

The process of urban change does not only occur on the outskirts of the city but also in the inner cities in the form of infilling and alterations to existing housing. An observed trend in most cities of the Global South is the concentration and development within the city centres. Using the Wa Municipality as case study, this study seeks to examine the dynamics of inner-city developments. The data was collected through a questionnaire survey and key informant interviews using questionnaires and interview guides, respectively. The findings indicate that inner-city congestion goes through a series of informal processes that lead to alterations of formal urban land plans without statutory approvals. The nature of expansion varies among buildings but largely takes the form of re-engineering of existing houses to create sanitary areas through self-help initiatives that have the potential of creating social and spatial injustices through encroachment in public spaces within the inner cities. A greater extent of this encroachment is led by the emerging upper- and middle-class households in this neighbourhood and subsequently create problems in the use of public spaces as the urban poor are deprived. As the New Urban Agenda has signified a profound opportunity for the planning profession, the results therefore suggest that there is the need for concerted efforts by city planners to prioritise inner cities in their quest to manage urban development.

Managed Retreat as Adaptation Option: Investigating Different Resettlement Approaches and Their Impacts—Lessons from Metro Manila

Managed retreat has become a recommended adaptation strategy for hazard-prone coastal cities. The study aimed to improve considerations for the contextual factors that influence the success of managed retreat and resettlement projects in Metro Manila. Data were collected through a mixed-method approach consisting of a screening of relevant literature, a qualitative case analysis of resettlement projects, and a workshop series with Philippine stakeholders. It turned out that the resettlement of informal settlers is a central element of urban development. Though in-city resettlement is preferred, the majority of existing and planned projects are developed in off-city locations. The findings present a nuanced view of different retreat approaches. Not all in-city resettlements are successful, and the unpopular off-city projects have a potentially important role for urban and regional development. A strategic planning thread to develop concepts for qualitative off-city settlements that counteract uncontrolled urban sprawl with monofunctional residential areas for urban poor people was deduced. The other thread asks for pathways for inner-city development with innovative, vertical, in-city projects. A final observation was that climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic are worsening the situation in informal settlements, thus strengthening the argument for the planned decentralization of Metro Manila’s congested urban areas.

Impact evaluation of urban sprawl on inland surface waters of Srinagar city in Kashmir valley

The present paper investigates the reviewed patterns of urban sprawl on inland surface waters of Srinagar city, which lies in fragile knoll eco-system of Kashmir valley of Jammu and Kashmir Himalaya. The domino effect points towards unexpected and hit and miss inner-city development and transformation. These transformations have sternly shattered the water bodies both in provisions of area as well as its water quality. The quality of these saintly surface water sources is declining at an alarming rate. The present write up reveals that the scenic beauty of different water bodies such as Dal Lake, Lake Anchar, and river Jhelum which lie in the core area of the Srinagar city are economically degraded and under enormous pollution load. Having ravaged the water bodies, people have happened to be vulnerable to aggravated natural disasters like flooding and water logging in the city. The region experienced a severe flood during September 2014, the most terrible in Kashmir in six decades, which flooded Srinagar city and at slightest 50 villages and killed almost 200 people, and distressed 2 million people across the region. Therefore, it becomes a vital responsibility of the government as well as the local dwelling people or public to preserve the “Paradise on Earth” for coming generations by reducing extra pressure of pollution. Thus, precise management of the main water bodies of Srinagar city is the need of the hour to preserve ecological balance to sustain the Srinagar city.

Spatial Patterns of Urban Expansion in Chinese Cities

Abstract. China has experienced high rate urbanization in recent years, with urban population increased from 460 to 750 million and the built-up area of metropolis expanded by almost 60% since 2000. Urban landscape has been dramatically changed by intensified inner-city development and urban sprawl. In recent years, the changes in urban form has transformed from expansion to restructuring. A good understanding of urban expansion and spatial restructuring as a consequence of urbanization has important policy implications, enhancing the knowledge of spatial variations in urban growth in transitional Chinese cities and assisting with sustainable urban and regional planning.Using the Landsat satellite images from 1995 to 2015, this research explores urban expansion and its spatial patterns in second-tier Chinese cities, taking Tianjin, Hangzhou and Chengdu as examples, which are the leaders in the urbanization in Northern, Eastern and Western China, respectively. The study area includes the city proper in the three case study cities. Figure 1 shows the expansion of urban area in the three cities over the study time period. By visual inspection, it can be observed that the spatial pattern of urban land use growth varies across the three cities. For example, Tianjin has been largely expanding towards the east, particularly the Tianjin Binhai New Area, which has been rapidly developed into a new city core. The city of Chengdu seems having been expanding toward all directions of the surrounding area, integrated with the adjacent towns into a larger urban agglomeration. Further work will focus on quantitative analysis of the spatial patterns of urban expansion using geographical information system (GIS)-based spatial analytics, as well as the association between urban expansion and socioeconomic changes, with a reflection on the role of national/local policies.

Planning initiative: Promoting development by the use of options in Amsterdam

The development of existing urban areas is needed to prevent urban sprawl. Several factors, including land assembly holdouts and the option value of land, contribute to landowners’ lack of initiative to develop designated sites. Urban governance measures, however, may provide the necessary solutions. By implementing policies that promote inner-city development, i.e. by providing serviced plots for building development, urban expansion can be controlled to ensure that it does not result in a higher scarcity of land. This paper presents the case of Amsterdam, where policies ensure the timely securing of land appropriate for building and the use of option contracts to promote development. The results are discussed and their relevance to other contexts demonstrated.

Residential self-selection and travel mode use in a new inner-city development neighbourhood in Berlin

The purpose of this study is to analyse the effects of residential and travel preferences on mode use in a new inner-city development in Berlin. In contrast to the majority of related studies, we consider these preferences in a more holistic way by grouping residents into clusters. The kind of inner-city neighbourhood we studied particularly attracts families and couples who are affluent and have high levels of car ownership. However, a comparison of residents' mode choice with that of the general population of inner and outer Berlin shows that this kind of inner-city neighbourhood encourages even those households who are known to prefer driving to use modes other than the car. Moreover, we found variety in mode use which could be traced to the variation in reasons for residential choice (as an outcome of residential and travel preferences). This underlines the fact that preferences have a strong effect on travel behaviour, even in a homogeneous neighbourhood. Overall, the study suggests that new inner-city development neighbourhoods with a variety of housing types provide opportunities for sustainable daily mobility. At the same time the study area could have been better adapted to the various preferences of its future residents – for example, by reducing the number of parking spaces to further stimulate use of sustainable modes of transport.

City Tour Stuttgart: Unspektakuläre Erfolge, spektakuläre Zukunftshoffnungen und grundlegende Konflikte

Stuttgart is located in a natural basin, which both forms the city and challenges it at the same time. Urban developments on green slopes with clear views across a handsome city centre belong to its strong points, whereas windless inversions with smog and a shortage of space belong to the weak points. Stuttgart is well known for its auto industry but is also known for its internationally recognised architecture such as the Weissenhof. With respect to building history, the famous Stuttgart School as well as engineers like Frei Otto have contributed to its reputation. In terms of urban planning, some remarkable decisions have been made that are unspectacular but efficacious in carefully dealing with the peculiarities of the city. They include an 18km-long, U-shaped recreation area within the city (“Green U”), the protection of hillside areas against the pressure of investment, and the transformation of parts of a city highway into a boulevard. Recently the highly controversial project Stuttgart21 and the protest against it received widespread response. The project includes a new underground through station that will yield space for inner-city development. However, citizens were often misinformed and had no real chance to have any decisive influence. Connected with Stuttgart21 is the conversion of an old railway carriage depot into what is now a recognised centre for cultural functions and the creative industry. Planning discourse and practice have gained momentum. The future of Stuttgart will be formed by those perspectives that envisage possible solutions to the development problems in the metropolitan region around the city in the basin.

Kleinräumige Siedlungsanalysen zur Abbildung von Veränderungen: Vom Nutzen baulich-räumlicher Daten für die Planung

In Germany, a rising relevance of adapting the built environment and a rising relevance of GIS-based analyses of the built environment can be observed. But there seems to be a communication or knowledge lack between planners and providers of built environment data. For this reason, this article investigates potentials for using small-scale built environment data and the additional value of it by conducting a literature review. The focus is on literature concerning settlement development, inner-city development and transformation processes of housing. The literature suggests that built environment data opens up effective ways to analyse patterns and transformation of settlement structures as well as population patterns and transformation related to specific housing types. This information can be used for strategic planning, housing policies and evaluation of planning targets. It is also useful for a computer assisted management of cities. As the official data is insufficient and other data sources limited in access, requirements for built environment data are formulated. In conclusion, this article argues for using small-scale built environment data as an essential part of communal monitoring systems and geo data infrastructure.

Megacities: our global urban future

Preface.- Megacities and Global Change.- Megacities and Climate Change: Early Adapters, Mainstream Adapters, and Capacities.- Underground cities.- Water quality and socio-ecological vulnerability regarding urban development in selected case studies of megacity Guangzhou, China.- Rice for the Megacity. Dhaka's food supply between global risks and local vulnerabilities.- Land development strategies in megacities: Guiding land use and land rights in the context of urban sprawl and informality.- The influence of foreign direct investment on land use changes and regional planning in developing- World megacities: a Bangalore case study.- Inner-city development in megacities between degradation and renewal. The case of Sao Paulo case study.- Agile Firm Organisation and Upgrading in the Greater Pearl River Delta.- Linking Global Change, National Development Goals, Urbanization and International Migration in China: The Example of African Migrants in Guangzhou and Foshan.- Phobopolis: Violence, fear and socio-political fragmentation of the space in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.- Dar es Salaam, megacity of tomorrow - informal urban expansion and the provision of technical infrastructure.- Bus Rapid Transit: the answer to transport problems in megacities? The example of TransMilenio (Bogota / Colombia).- Governance in Megacities: Experiences, Challenges, and Implications for International Cooperation.- Managing the Metropolis - Planning in New York City.- E-Governance Initiatives in India Case Studies from Hyderabad and Bangalore.

Private Sector-led Urban Development Projects. Management, Partnerships and Effects in the Netherlands and the UK

Private Sector-led Urban Development Projects. Management, Partnerships and Effects in the Netherlands and the UK

Private Sector-led Urban Development Projects. Management, Partnerships and Effects in the Netherlands and the UK

Private Sector-led Urban Development Projects. Management, Partnerships and Effects in the Netherlands and the UK

Private Sector-led Urban Development Projects. Management, Partnerships and Effects in the Netherlands and the UK

Private Sector-led Urban Development Projects. Management, Partnerships and Effects in the Netherlands and the UK

Private Sector-led Urban Development Projects. Management, Partnerships and Effects in the Netherlands and the UK

Private Sector-led Urban Development Projects. Management, Partnerships and Effects in the Netherlands and the UK

Strata Title: Towards a Research Agenda for Informed Planning Practice

The form of property ownership known as strata title in Australia, and as condominiums in the USA, has flourished in many countries for half a century. In Australia, strata title developments—especially large-scale, higher-density, mixed-use inner-city developments—are thought to be an important approach contributing to the future efficiency and sustainability of metropolitan areas. Yet research into the planning implications of strata title is piecemeal, leading to a situation where future potential issues and problems are being ignored within current metropolitan planning. Informed by a critical evaluation of the Australian situation, we present a research agenda for generating explanatory, normative and procedural knowledge on strata title for planning.

From long-term decline to new diversity: Sociodemographic change in Polish and Czech inner cities

Processes such as declining and low-level birth rates, ageing, changing household compositions and sizes, as well as growing diversity in households, residents and migration have an increasing imprint on almost every aspect of urban development in Poland and the Czech Republic. This is especially true for the housing market, neighbourhood structures and the demand for technical infrastructure, certain social services and amenities. Inner cities are particularly affected by these changes. Most recently, they have been shifting from areas of long-term decline and ageing to places of repopulation, rejuvenation and increasing housing mobility — processes that only partly find their representation in official statistics and consequently in recent research. The paper analyses processes and patterns of sociodemographic change in East Central European inner cities, using the Polish and Czech second-order cities of Łódź and Brno as examples. It looks at quantitative and qualitative evidence using a mixed-method approach and reflecting empirical findings with the perceptions and priorities of urban practitioners. It argues, among other things, that inner cities in East Central Europe currently face a juxtaposition of persistencies (such as decline and ageing) and changes (such as repopulation and diversification) that lead to a complex pattern of sociodemographic 'de-mixing' and 're-mixing'. For the practice of urban regeneration, such evolving processes urge planners to re-think previous agendas and strategies for inner-city development.

A Research Design to Build Effective Partnerships between City Planners, Developers, Government and Urban Neighbourhood Communities

Communities of place feature prominently in new urbanism movements and in master-planned inner-city developments that result from urban renewal. This paper’s point of departure is the stark contrast between the widespread use of mobile and ubiquitous media and communications technology by urban dwellers on the one hand and endemic forms of urban alienation and the disappearance or non-existence of urban neighbourhood community identity on the other. Networked individualism introduces challenges to conventional understandings of ‘place’ and ‘public places’. It opens up opportunities to build partnerships between architecture, city planning and urban studies in order to re-conceptualise the understanding of community and neighbourhood planning in the light of new media and network ICTs. However, such a re-conceptualisation has not been achieved yet because of a lack of theoretical and practical understandings of the freedom and constraints and the social and cultural meanings that urban dwellers derive from their use of place-based ICT systems. The paper argues that in order to gain a better understanding of the continued purpose and relevance of urban neighbourhood communities in metropolitan areas and their changing role within a network society, the scope and structure of the communicative ecologies and social networks created and maintained by residents in urban residential real estate needs to be investigated empirically to inform city design and planning. The paper discusses a cross-disciplinary research design to build effective partnerships between city planners, developers, government, education and urban neighbourhood communities.

The University as urban developer: case studies and analysis

List of Tables, Figures, and Maps Foreword, Rosalind Greenstein Preface Part 1. Introduction 1. From Campus to City: The University as Developer, David C. Perry and Wim Wiewel Part 2. The Campus and the City: Neighborhood, Downtown, and Citywide Development Section 1. The Campus and Its Neighborhood 2. The University of Pittsburgh and the Oakland Neighborhood: From Conflict to Cooperation, or How the 800-Pound Gorilla Learned to Sit with - and not on - Its Neighbors, Sabina Deitrick and Tracy Soska 3. Columbia University's Heights: An Ivory Tower and Its Communities, Peter Marcuse and Cuz Potter 4. The University of Chicago and Its Neighbors: A Case Study in Community Development, Henry S. Webber Section 2. The University and the Central City 5. The Urban University as a Vehicle for Inner-City Renewal: The University of Washington, Tacoma, Brian Coffey and Yonn Dierwechter 6. Auraria Higher Education Center and Denver Inner-City Development, Robert Kronewitter 7. The Political Strategies Behind University-Based Development: Two Philadelphia Cases, Elizabeth Strom Section 3. The University as a Collaborator in Urban Development 8. The University as an Engine for Downtown Renewal in Atlanta, Lawrence R. Kelley and Carl V. Patton 9. University Involvement in Downtown Revitalization: Managing Political and Financial Risks, Scott Cummings, Mark Rosentraub, Mary Domahidy, and Sarah Coffin 10. Ryerson University and Toronto's Dundas Square Metropolis Project, David Amborski Part 3. University Development Practices: Acquisition, Finance, Development, and the Deal 11. An Overview of University Real Estate Investment Practices, Ziona Austrian and Jill S. Norton 12. Leasing for Profit and Control: The Case of Victoria University at the University of Toronto, Larry R. Kurtz 13. The Little Fish Swallows the Big Fish: Financing the DePaul Center in Chicago, Kenneth McHugh 14. No Such Thing as Vacant Land: Northeastern University and Davenport Commons, Allegra Calder, Gabriel Grant, and Holly Hart Muson 15. Campus Partners and The Ohio State University: A Case Study in Enlightened Self-Interest, David Dixon and Peter J. Roche Part 4. Lessons Learned 16. Private Choices and Public Obligations: The Ethics of University Real Estate Development, Rachel Weber, Nik Theodore, and Charles Hoch 17. Ivory Towers No More: Academic Bricks and Sticks, Wim Wiewel and David C. Perry About the Editors and Contributors About the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy Index.