City Life Research Articles

Meeting place

What is the essence and content of a modern city? Not buildings, not engineering networks and not roads. People, citizens, relationships and meetings between them are the central purpose of city life. The city is a space riddled with meetings. The news section of the current issue is devoted to meetings of architects. The anniversary of the oldest centre of theoretical architectural and town-planning thought and the Festival “Zodchestvo in Siberia” (ZVS) in Krasnoyarsk have become occasions for many heated discussions and celebratory meetings. This time the main exposition of the ZVS literally went out to meet the city – it was displayed on the museum avant-plaza above the Yenisei (11-44). The main theme of the festival – PERSONALITY – was developed in this issue of PB (45-92). Meetings can be constructive, and they can be conflictive. To prevent meetings from turning into conflicts, some flows need to be separated (e.g. pedestrian and car flows). A compulsory program of comfort growth is supposed to develop pedestrian zones in a modern city, as well as to make the embankments free from transport and industrial enterprises. To what extent is a contemporary citizen ready and eager for meetings? Has loneliness become a norm of life? Konstantin Lidin is discussing this issue in the leading article (94). The city’s public spaces can also be introverted and extroverted: Andrei Bokov introduces the concepts of INTRA and EXTRA in relation to different spaces – open and closed, which encourage people’s meetings in a different way (108). Who wins in the competition for full-fledged communication – social networks or open public spaces? This and many other questions were discussed in the PB Discussion Club dedicated to the theme of this issue: MEETING PLACE.

Multicriteria analysis as a method for engaging stakeholders and citizens in activities aimed at supporting climate resilience and adaptation to climate change – Gdansk Coastal City Living Lab case study

<b>Multicriteria analysis as a method</b> for engaging stakeholders and citizens in activities aimed at supporting climate resilience and adaptation to climate change – Gdansk Coastal City Living Lab case study

Futuristic Urban Images in Dystopian Science Fiction Movies “Space Sweepers” And “Elysium”

The cinematographic narrative method presents the changes and transformations in urban life with a critical approach, and solutions to the future urban problems are investigated in a different discipline. Thus, the present study aimed to compare and analyze Space Sweepers and Elysium based on urban and social elements included in these movies to reflect on futuristic urban representations in movies. The two films share a future where the consequences of the climate crisis is experienced in societies with a wide gap between the social classes. Based on the visual narrative employed in the movies, the concept of livable city was redefined, and future problems were investigated based on the relationship between the human and life. In the paper, futuristic urban representations were analyzed based on the transformations in the dystopian narrative. It was determined that while the transformation could lead to positive outcomes in human life, it could render the cities less livable, lead to social distances, isolate individuals, alter and transform the concept of urban spaces, which would be dominated by digital technologies.

Drone fleet noise impact calculation - a methodology

The introduction of drones into an already dense urban infrastructure is expected to have an important impact on the population. The goal of the SESAR MUSE project, " Measuring U-Space Social and Environmental Impact ", is to develop a set of key performance indicators, methods and tools for the comprehensive and rigorous assessment of the impact of UAM operations on the liveability and quality of life in European cities. One focus domain is drone-generated noise. In the frame of this project, a number of ONERA tools is chained in order to create noise maps, from scratch, for realistic drone fleet scenarios. Hence, in this paper a methodology is presented where a flight mechanics tool, noise source models, an en-route tool and an open-source urban noise propagation tool are chained, allowing complete freedom with regard to choice and number of drones, concept of operations and type of urban environment.

Noise hindering sound complexity in urban environments: Towards a novel evaluation criterion for urban sustainability

Urban environments are complex adaptive systems, wherein changes in one area can lead to unforeseen consequences in others. Environmental noise emerges as a multifaced issue influencing various receivers across different spatial and temporal scales. The perception of noise as a high-intensity or unwanted sound has defined the concept of quietness accordingly overlooking sustainability co-benefits. This study proposes an alternative evaluation criterion for urban planning and design, focusing on the sound complexity of public spaces that are vulnerable to environmental noise fluctuations. To determine the sensitivity of sound complexity to environmental noise, sound level measurements and sound recordings were conducted along the waterfront of a Mediterranean metropolis during the pandemic lockdowns (April 2021). Additionally, the bird dawn chorus phenomenon was studied. The analysis of collected data revealed an inverse relationship between complexity and noise, highlighting an additional impact on the urban sound environment. The promotion of sound complexity as a strategy for livable and sustainable cities can guide urban planners and designers in developing quiet and ecologically resilient urban environments.

Research on the influence mechanism of park landscape characteristics on psychological perception around expressway based on soundscape theory: a case study of Chengdu Bailuwan Wetland Park

With the continuous development of China's transportation infrastructure strategies and urbanization, urban road networks have seen ongoing improvement. Yet noise pollution along expressways is gradually becoming a prominent issue within the broader challenge of urban noise. Noise control has recently emerged as a bottleneck for building livable cities, while well-designed landscapes can improve the quality of psychological perception. By precisely quantifying the multi-sensory composite perception characteristics of urban green space landscapes, this research explores the mechanism through which such landscapes influence psychological perception. The study site was selected in Bailuwan Wetland Park, Chengdu. Objective and subjective environmental data and questionnaire feedback were collected through sound walks and big data analysis based on the geographic information system, after which quantitative analysis was conducted on how landscape environmental characteristics influence environmental experiential perception. The research explores the mechanism of the influence of the regulation of landscape environment characteristic elements on psychological perception and constructs a visual prediction model to provide a universal theoretical basis and methodological support for the planning and regulation of urban green space landscape along expressways, which is of positive significance in guiding the regulation of landscape space.

A novel multi-hazard risk assessment framework for coastal cities under climate change

Coastal cities, as centres of human habitation, economic activity and biodiversity, are confronting the ever-escalating challenges posed by climate change. In this work, a novel Multi-Hazard Risk Assessment framework is presented with the focus on Coastal City Living Labs. The methodology provides a comprehensive assessment of climate-related hazards, including sea-level rise, coastal flooding, coastal erosion, land flooding, heavy precipitation, extreme temperatures, heatwaves, cold spells, landslides and strong winds. Its application is illustrated through a case study: the Coastal City Living Lab of Benidorm, Spain. The methodology incorporates remote sensing data from various satellite sources, such as ERA5, Urban Atlas and MERIT DEM, to evaluate multiple hazards through a systematic and standardized indicator-based approach, offering a holistic risk profile that allows for comparison with other European coastal cities. The integration of remote sensing data enhances the accuracy and resolution of hazard indicators, providing detailed insights into the spatiotemporal dynamics of climate risks. The incorporation of local expertise through the Coastal City Living Lab concept enriches data collection and ensures context-specific adequacy. The integration of local studies and historical extreme climate events enhances the validity and context of the risk indicators. The findings align with regional trends and reveal specific vulnerabilities, particularly related to heatwaves, heavy rainfall, and coastal flooding. Despite its strengths, the MHRA methodology faces limitations, including reliance on outdated datasets and the complexity of integrating multiple hazards. Continuous updates and adaptive management strategies are essential to maintain the accuracy and relevance of risk assessments. The broader implications of the methodology for global coastal cities highlight its potential as a model for developing targeted adaptation strategies.

Urban Dynamics in Semarang City: A Study of Livable Cities

This study explores sanitation issues in urban Semarang in the context of achieving a Livable City, particularly concerning sanitation waste directly discharged into drains and rivers. In collaboration with the Semarang City Government, this research piloted the Livable City Framework (LCF) as a rapid assessment methodology for city suitability. The research aims to identify livable areas that are performing well, which will be developed into sanitation investments, especially in neighborhoods traversed by the SPALD-T route. A mixed-method research approach was employed, utilizing two main instruments: web surveys and in-depth interviews. Research findings indicate strong social capital in Semarang, yet the ability to influence decisions remains low, indicating the need for increased education and community empowerment. Physical capital scores vary, with investments in public spaces needing attention to distribute development benefits evenly. Human and natural capital show potential for improvement, while some neighborhoods such as Kudu, Kalibanteng Kidul, and Kalipancur receive low scores and require further analysis and community engagement. This research provides a deep understanding of the complexity of urban development processes and emphasizes the need for cross-sector collaboration to achieve a Livable City

Expanding the associations between built environment characteristics and residential mobility in high-density neighborhood unit

Global trend of urbanization has led to frequent residential mobility and urban shrinkage issues. Planners and policy makers advocate for enhancing built environment quality of neighbourhood units to address these issues. Although the impact factors and degree of the influence of the built environment on residential mobility have been studied, the nonlinear effects at the neighbourhood level, and the relative importance when considered alongside other factors, remain unclear. In this study, the central area of Nanjing using mobile phone signalling data, the 5Ds framework, machine learning algorithms, and interpretable model Shapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) are examined. The finding shows that (1) economy and neighbourhood ties are still key drivers of relocation. (2) Optimizing highly accessible road network for short-distance travel and developing low-density urban mode has become significant methods to attract relocators, interacting with other factors to influence residential mobility. (3) High-quality neighbourhood design, diverse amenities, and proximity to natural landscapes increase willingness to relocate, (4) while religion, socio-demographics, and large-scale transportation accessibility have minimal impact. The study offers four urban development recommendations to help municipal planners and policy makers create liveable cities and cohesive communities, providing essential insights for early or renewal stage urban planning stages.

Reorganizing public value for city life in the Anthropocene

Public value and city governance are fundamental notions in contemporary settings, but, currently conceived, they are not fit for the challenges presented by the proposed new epoch of geological time—the Anthropocene. Walking through the locked-down streets or calle of Venice, we face the sudden emptiness that starkly reveals the impact of human activity on the city and its waterways. Reflecting on the walk, our starting point is to problematize how a city organizes and manages public value and what actually constitutes public value. In this, we develop a new definition, “New Public Value for the Anthropocene Epoch” (NPVA), which expands the notion of public value through the questions: “who” is it valuable to do things for, beyond humans and economic actors, building on a relational epistemology to incorporate the planet and its biosphere; and “what” is valuable to do, in order to ensure the inclusion of social, environmental, and cultural values alongside economic values. We conclude by arguing that NPVA is organized across scales in a manner that embeds global attentiveness toward local ecosystems solutions to drive the global response to the environmental crisis we all face.

Urban green space in transition: A cross-continental perspective from eight Global North and South cities

Urban green space (UGS) plays a vital role in enhancing the resilience and livability of cities. However, the distribution and accessibility of these spaces often vary significantly within and between cities, raising concerns about environmental justice and social equity. This study aims to analyze the spatiotemporal dynamics of UGS and assess population exposure and equality implications across eight diverse cities from the Global North (GN) and Global South (GS) over the past three decades. Employing a multimethod approach combining geospatial analysis, remote sensing, and statistical techniques, this study reveals an alarming global trend of decreasing UGS, with GS cities experiencing more rapid decline than GN cities. The analysis of UGS exposure uncovers distinct trends and variations across cities, with GN cities generally having higher exposure but showing a concerning decline over time, while GS cities display mixed patterns. Arid-climate cities Phoenix and Riyadh have managed to maintain low but stable UGS levels despite their unique climatic challenges. Urbanization emerges as a dominant force driving the decline in UGS, with GS cities facing significantly higher pressures than GN cities. The findings highlight the urgent need for comprehensive urban greening strategies that prioritize UGS protection and expansion, innovative policies, community engagement, and data-driven decision-making to promote equitable and sustainable urban environments. This study contributes to the growing research on urban greening by providing a comparative analysis of UGS trajectories and exposure equality implications across diverse cities, underscoring the importance of context-specific approaches and inclusive planning processes.

Growing liveable cities: an indicators study of Melbourne’s fast-growing metropolitan area

Building liveable cities is challenging; ensuring we keep building liveable cities with growing populations is more difficult, but it's a task that we can tackle together. The Metropolitan Growth Area Councils (MGACs) in Greater Melbourne are experiencing rapid growth, which presents development opportunities and challenges for building liveable communities. This article examines the correlations between MGACs and other metropolitan councils on key indicators such as population, council representation, household characters, education, employment, transport, and safety. It concludes that MGACs tend to have larger populations, more children, younger communities, and lower mortgage payments but are less likely to own their homes outright, more commuters by car and large gaps in community infrastructure such as schools and libraries. Crimes such as burglaries, housebreaking, and arson are also problems. As decision-makers, urban planners, community stakeholders, and researchers involved in urban development and community planning, it is crucial to target resources at these challenges to make communities in growth areas more liveable.

A Study on the English Translation of Fu Ping from the Perspective of Translator Behavior Criticism

Fu Ping is a Chinese novel written by Wang Anyi. It’s a story of the country girl named Fu Ping, who settled down in Shanghai and found her true self. Taking Fu Ping’s life as the perspective, the novel depicts a series of characters who have endured the hardships and yearned for the city life, thus painting a vivid picture of the mundane, delicate, and down-to-earth life of the lower class people in Shanghai. Using Translation Behavior Criticism as the tool, this paper analyses the translator behavior reflected in the English translation of Fu Ping. The translation maintains the Chinese culture of the source language and respects the writing style of the original. At the same time, it considers the readers of the target language, producing a translation which is in accordance with the poetics of the target language.The translation methods, translation strategies and translator behavior of Howard Goldblatt are described and presented on a whole by utilizing the theoretical framework of Zhou Lingshun’ s Translator Behavior Criticism.

Upscaling cargo bike sharing in cities: A comparative case study

Urban mobility transitions are essential to mitigate climate change and improve the quality of life in cities. Cargo bikes (CBs) show promise in replacing motorised vehicles due to their lower carbon intensity, space efficiency, and ability to reduce air and noise pollution. CB sharing relieves users from purchase and maintenance costs. However, it is mainly adopted by individuals with high environmental awareness. Barriers to CB sharing stem from the urban infrastructure, individual mobility choices, and the design of CB sharing organisations (CBSOs). This article analyses upscaling pathways for CB sharing, i.e., increasing their use by a broader audience and reshaping the urban mobility regime. It delivers a comparative case study analysis of two CBSOs: Grätzlrad, Vienna, and LastenVelo e.V., Freiburg. Data was collected through academic and grey literature review and 15 semi-structured interviews with CB sharing stakeholders and experts. The analytical framework is informed by strategic niche management, viewing CB sharing as a niche innovation in the urban mobility regime. The article enhances understanding of CB sharing, the interaction of CBSOs with key actors, and their scalability. CBSOs should increase the availability of shared CBs while reducing the organisational effort required from users. New ways of CB sharing, e.g., integration in shared mobility hubs, should be explored. Municipal actors play a crucial role in upscaling and ensuring that CB sharing reaches a diverse user base. The findings are useful for academia, practitioners and policymakers working with CB sharing and other sustainable urban mobility solutions.

Making climate finance: toward everyday, historically informed, and reparative understandings

The centering of climate finance around a narrow set of institutions, sites, instruments, practices, and technologies is an achievement made possible by the domination of finance capital and policy elites. In this intervention, we shift the spotlight away from such elite projects and practices in favor of a wider understanding of urban climate finance—one that includes a more diverse set of sites, activities and participants. A wider and more inclusive conceptualization of urban climate finance requires accounting for the historical and ongoing role of finance in the production of climate vulnerability. Reconceptualized in this way, urban climate finance expands to include everyday financial life in cities around the world. Everyday climate finance is thus generated in places where the risks and uncertainties of climate change are currently unrecognized by policy elites as such, yet are being managed through improvised repertoires of financial practices. Additionally, (re)considering past financial practices as climate finance (e.g. historical residential redlining that produces climate vulnerability today), provides a rationale for demanding that past and present financial actors account for today’s climate injustices, and contribute to future reparative and abolitionist climate action.

Exploring patterns of surface urban heat island intensity: a comparative analysis of three Greek urban areas

One of the most pressing issues of our time is the destabilization of the global climate as a result of rapid urbanization. In Europe, according to United Nations reports, almost 73% of the population lives in cities and this percentage is expected to rise to 85% by 2050 (United Nations and Department of Economic and Social Affairs, ‘World Urbanization Prospects 2018 Highlights’, 2018). This observed urban development and its trends pose significant challenges to our urban environments, therefore it is critical to improve our understanding and assess its impact by measuring and analyzing its patterns. This study presents a comprehensive five-year analysis of microclimatic parameters that can contribute to this analysis, such as land surface temperature (LST) and surface urban heat island (SUHI) intensity, using remotely sensed data over three cities in Greece. Specifically, the selected cities are the city of Thessaloniki, which is the second largest city situated in the northern part of Greece, the city of Larissa on the mainland, and finally the city of Tripoli in the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece. Each city represents urban areas with different physical and urban characteristics. For this purpose, the vegetation index-based technique for LST extraction was applied within the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Normalized Difference Water Index (NDWI) calculations were also performed over a five-year period. The results highlighted the spatio-temporal variations and trends that occur in the studied urban areas, providing valuable insights into the annual patterns of the SUHI phenomenon in different geographical contexts within Greece. This is particularly relevant in countries like Greece, where the density of World Meteorological Organization (WMO) stations providing reliable temperature data is low, usually limited to one per city. Consequently, LST derived from satellite data can provide more accurate intra-urban results of the SUHI effect, demonstrating the value of remotely sensed data as a cost effective and supportive tool for decision-making in environmental and urban planning policies.

THE MOTIF OF THE URBAN ENVIRONMENT'S INFLUENCE ON THE INDIVIDUAL

The article analyzes the motif of the influence of urban life on the characters (the fate of people) of Tolen Abdikov’s story “The right hand” and Didar Amantay’s story “I miss you”. Also, issues such as loneliness, misunderstanding within the family, lack of time in the city, the density of the life schedule, people’s envy and jealousy, that are part of city life were comprehensively analyzed through examples from the works. The influence of city life on the consciousness, mood and soul of a person, conflict situations in communication between people were revealed based on a psychoanalytic analysis of the heroes’ characters and analyzed with examples of situations which took place in the personal practice of the scientist K. Jung who studied the psychology of creativity. The hermeneutic method is employed for the interpretation of the text of a literary work, while the psychoanalytic method is utilized for discerning the author's unconscious imagination and analyzing the unconscious actions of characters within the literary piece. Furthermore, the article sets forth the task of analyzing changes in the psychology of urban characters in relation to societal transformations. The conclusions drawn from this study can be applied as additional educational material in preparation for lectures and practical classes in the disciplines “Theory of Literature”, “Modern Kazakh Literature”, “Literary Analysis and Literary Creativity” which are taught in universities and also during studying the formation of new directions in literary criticism.

Actors in the spotlight: scrutinising how actors affect strategic environmental assessment towards sustainability in municipal master plans

ABSTRACT Changing the paradigm towards sustainability falls implicitly in transforming the urban systems, as most of the world's population lives in cities. The Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) process is relevant in this context because it supports the evaluation of the sustainability of the plans and promotes open and accountable decision-making. However, SEA processes are embedded in a broader decision-making context, where the different roles of the actors and their impacts on the planning process remain unclear. This study explores the contributions of the SEA actors and how they influence the outcomes of SEA towards sustainability, employing a case study research design and a content analysis on the SEA of 12 Municipal Master Plans (MMP) in Portugal. Results show that public participation tends to be weak and is only sought after all decisions have been made in the planning process. The study revealed that the SEA practitioner’s role is distanced from the MMP planning team, constraining their capacity to influence the plan development. The results highlighted the significance of initiating actors’ involvement at the beginning of the assessment process and improving the knowledge exchange between the actors. These strategies have the potential to foster collaboration, transparency, and a more integrated approach to SEA.

MobFedLS: A framework to provide federated learning for mobile nodes in V2X environments

Federated Learning (FL) is a promising approach for parameter normalisation in Machine Learning (ML) models, especially when data privacy and computing distribution are crucial. However, there are significant constraints in FL solutions, particularly concerning the handling of the mobility of participating nodes in the parameter aggregation processes, with a substantial impact on Vehicle to Everything (V2X) scenarios within the scope of smart cities. To address this challenge, we propose Mobile Federated Learning System (MobFedLS), a lightweight microservices-based framework capable of operating on various types of devices (mobile and non-mobile). MobFedLS features an interface to integrate ML models to cooperate in the FL process without intrusion between the parties. MobFedLS manages the entire federation process, from instantiating services on mobile nodes to the final parameter updates in the involved ML models and the release of resources used in all participating nodes. Additionally, MobFedLS handles node mobility and ensures the proper execution of federated processes, even with nodes entering and leaving at any stage of the aggregation process. To demonstrate the capabilities of MobFedLS, we use data collected through the city-scale infrastructure of Aveiro Tech City Living Lab (ATCLL), specifically the position of vehicles during their movement through the city. In the tests, we evaluate all phases of the aggregation process for mobile nodes. The results show that, even with intermittent connectivity to the city-infrastructure ATCLL, the MobFedLS system manages the node mobility and effectively handles node availability during the aggregation of ML model parameters.

Street photography and the flâneur: reflections on Australian city narratives

This original photographic work investigates the intersection of street photography and the concept of the flâneur within an Australian urban context. By transforming cityscapes into visual texts, the study captures urban narratives through the absence and reflection of inhabitants, rather than their direct representation. The photographic work employs window reflections as a key technique, introducing multiple visual dimensions to enrich street scenes and overall narratives. Drawing on Baudelaire's notion of the flâneur and Tomanić-Trivundža's three-stage journey of the flâneur (perambulating observation, critical reflection, and production of communicable texts), this work synthesises street photography with flâneur-like observation. It employs a multi-layered visual approach to city streets, representing a less-explored facet of lens-based practice in Australia. While the use of window reflections and the flâneur in street photography are well-established in European and North American contexts, their application in Australian settings remains less explored. This work aims to contribute to the street photography canon by translating these established techniques to Australian cities, offering insights into unique local urban characteristics. By exploring the interplay between global photographic traditions and local realities, this work seeks to provide a fresh perspective on Australian city life through the flâneur lens and reflective urban surfaces, thus expanding the geographical and cultural scope of this photographic tradition.