Period Of Rapid Urbanization Research Articles

Rapid urbanization, land pooling policies & the concentration of wealth

The research discusses how land pooling policies can become part of predisposed institutional frameworks that support processes of land ownership concentration when embedded in the complex, multilayered context of governmental coordination. Land pooling policies are being promoted by international organizations, the New Urban Agenda (NUA) and other best-practice literature for their potential to supply urban land and utilize part of the land value increment from urbanization to cover the costs for infrastructure, public facilities and construction. In this literature land pooling policies are characterized as equitable land policies because they proportionally distribute the development gain back to the original landowners. However, land pooling policies are no ‘silver bullet’ for an equitable urbanization. Depending on the institutionalization in the larger framework of national policies, land pooling policies might become included into processes of ground rent dispossession when embedded in the context of overlaying policies with contradictory objectives on diverse governance levels. This can support land transactions that in sum lead to a concentration of land ownership. The research analyses the case of the Republic of Korea, where land pooling policies have been the dominating land policies during the period of rapid urbanization in order to reveal new knowledge on the distributional characteristics of those policies in practice. The study makes clear how government coordination in the narrow perspective (land pooling policies) and in the wide perspective (national planning policies) affects the key transaction dimensions (land values, information impactedness and financing) which causes the diffusion of the equitable character of land pooling policies. The findings are valuable for the academic discourse as well as the best practice literature. Based on the findings the study closes with a set of recommendations for a more equitable implementation of land pooling policies that might be valuable for policy makers, planners, and academics especially in countries that are confronted with the challenges of rapid urbanization.

A Method to Identify Urban Fringe Area Based on the Industry Density of POI

During the period of rapid urbanization, the urban fringe area is the area where urban expansion occurs first, and land use change is the most active. Studying its evolution laws and characteristics is of great significance to urban planning and urban expansion, and the primary task of fringe area research is the spatial recognition and boundary division of urban fringe area. The previous methods for defining urban fringe areas are mainly divided into qualitative division based on experience and quantitative division based on indicators constructing. This research avoids the construction of index systems and the selection of mathematical models and improves the objectivity of the experiment. Based on the existing methods, this research considers the correlation between the difference of industrial distribution within cities and the urban spatial structure and spatial distribution of urban elements and considers the distance decay law of urban density. The urban fringe area in this research is defined as the distinction region of the service and manufacturing industry extending outward from the inside of the city. First, calculate the POI density of service industry and manufacturing industry. Then look for the inflection point where its density value drops sharply and get the isoline of that point. The range within the isoline is that the industry extends outward from the inner city and has reached the saturation state. Two types of industries can determine two isolines, and the belt region between those isolines is the urban fringe area. We use the urban fringe area identified from the impervious surface data to verify the result. The comparative results show that the identification method of urban fringe area based on POI works effectively, and it can successfully identify the multi-center urban core area. The method mentioned in this paper provides a new idea from the perspective of industrial activities in identifying and defining the belt region of urban fringe area.

Spatial pattern and changing trend of population inflow in China’s five major urban agglomerations

Urban agglomeration plays an important role in China’s urbanization pattern, and it is also the main population inflow place in the period of rapid urbanization. This paper focuses on the five urban agglomerations of Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei, the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta, the middle reaches of the Yangtze River and Chengdu-Chongqing. Using the census and dynamic monitoring survey data of floating population, this paper analyzes the spatial pattern of population inflow in urban agglomerations from the multi-dimensional aspects of inflow population distribution pattern, flow range and source, and discusses the development trend of spatial pattern and its impact on inflow and outflow from the perspective of spatial differences in residence and settlement willingness. The study found that the inflow population of urban agglomerations continued to concentrate in the key cities, and the level and spatial distribution pattern were generally stable; the scope of flow has been expanded, and the growth rate of flow within the province is generally higher than that between provinces; the population attraction range of coastal urban agglomeration is large, but it still obeys the law of distance attenuation. There are differences in the preference of urban agglomeration from different oringins. In the inflow area, the key cities of coastal urban agglomerations face the continuous challenge of floating population management services, and the attraction of key cities and general cities of inland urban agglomerations coexist; in the outflow areas, the equal and open supply of high-quality public services is an important way to attract population return, and the population loss in a few areas may become a long-term phenomenon.

Spatiotemporal patterns and inequity of urban green space accessibility and its relationship with urban spatial expansion in China during rapid urbanization period

Equitable access to urban green spaces (UGS) is an important component of social justice and can be quantified using indices such as urban green space accessibility (UGSA). However, the spatiotemporal patterns and inequity of UGSA among cities with different developments during rapid urbanization are unclear, especially lack evidence at a macroscopic national scale during rapid urbanization. Therefore, we evaluated the UGSA in 366 cities of China during 1990–2015 by the Gaussian-based two-step floating catchment area method (Gaussian-based 2SFCA). Then, the inequity pattern of UGSA among cities with different economic developments was analyzed by the concentration curve and concentration index. Finally, the relationship between UGSA and urban spatial expansion was explored quantitatively by the spatial econometric model. The results showed that: (1) The overall UGSA in China declined significantly by nearly 57.23% during 1990–2015. From the regional perspective, the UGSA in the southeastern region was always lower than that in the northwestern region, the Eastern zone presented a downward trend. From the perspective of different sizes cities, the UGSA of the megacities kept decreasing during 1990–2015, while UGSA of the large, medium, and small cities had turned to increase since 2010. (2) During rapid urbanization, the equity of UGSA among the cities gradually improved, while the cities with low economic developments tended to have higher UGSA. (3) Urban spatial expansion led to the decrease of UGSA during 1990–2015, while the impact had spatiotemporal heterogeneity, and UGSA had a positive spatial spillover effect. Our research provides a comparative baseline for the improvement of UGSA from a macroscopic perspective for China's urbanization policy in the future and novel insights into the green justice issue. The results can be compared with the development of UGS in other countries at different urbanization stages to promote UGS design and policy.

Advanced statistical analyses of urbanization impacts on heavy rainfall in the Beijing metropolitan area

To identify the rainfall changes induced by urbanization, the spatiotemporal patterns of L-Moment statistics, homogeneous regions, design rainfall and heavy rainfall were investigated in different stages of urbanization. The results suggested that L-Cv, L-Skewness, and L-Kurtosis were higher in the urban region than in the surrounding suburbs (averages of 0.69, 0.54, and 0.29 vs 0.66, 0.51, and 0.27, respectively). This indicated that more frequent extreme rainfall occurred in the urban region with higher variability. Moreover, the number of hydrologically homogeneous regions in Beijing increased from two to three after the rapid urbanization since 1998. The increasing rainfall intensities for different return periods with accelerated urbanization were observed. For a 50-year return period, the increased intensities ranged from 9 to 41%, with more substantial increase over the western urban region. Notably, the center of annual days of heavy rainfall has moved towards the built-up area during the rapid urbanization period. The spatial patterns of rainfall intensity showed variations in another way: the center moved to the urban area adjacent to the western mountain. A possible interpretation of these findings was that the area influenced by the urban heat island expanded considerably in Beijing. This study suggested that the engineering design should consider not only the change of impervious areas, but also the urbanization impacts on rainfall in order to combat the flooding risks.

Global Cities in Analog: Modernism and Intercity Relations, 1900-1940

This article reflects on modernism from 1900 to 1940 on globalist terms. The turn of the twentieth century was a period of rapid urbanization, pronounced intellectual foment, labor politics, and severe colonial relations. Its upheavals formed the context for modernist approaches to city building. It was also a period of unprecedented interconnectedness where modernisms coalesced under a series of transnational movements. The Werkbund, Bauhaus, and Congrés Internationaux d’Architecture Moderne (CIAM) gained international recognition, influencing the creation of whole cities. Global cities studies, the research program most responsible for conceptualizing urban networks, have oddly little to say about the modernist period that prefigured the global city. This article breaks this arbitrary barrier in global cities studies, which equate global cities with the advent of digital linkages. By doing so, it recognizes the international city as its immediate precursor, fostering remarkable political, economic, and social changes under the heading of modernism. The twenty-first century neoliberal city archetype looks politically limited by comparison, its ossified institutions in need of reinvigoration.

A Statistical Analysis of Extreme Hot Characteristics and their Relationships with Urbanization in Southern China during 1971–2020

AbstractIn this study, the total days, mean duration, and intensity of extreme hot events over southern China during the 1971–2020 warm seasons are analyzed, based on daily maximum and minimum temperatures, by comparing the newly proposed independent hot day (IHD), independent warm night (IWN), and compound extreme (CMPD, i.e., the continuous occurrences of hot days and hot nights) to the traditionally defined hot day and warm night. Relationships between the hot extremes and urbanization are explored with 1-km resolution population density data. Results show obvious differences in the spatial distributions between IHD, IWN, and CMPD over southern China. Positive correlations of 0.43, 0.41 and 0.37 are found between the population density and the total days, mean duration and mean intensity of CMPD, respectively, which are qualitatively similar to those using the traditional hot days and warm nights. In contrast, negative correlations between the IHD and IWN indices and the population density are found, as those indices are more apparent over rural areas. Moreover, total days, mean duration and mean intensity of CMPD increase significantly with trends of about 103% decade-1, 21% decade-1 and 38% decade-1, respectively, during the rapid urbanization period from mid-1990s to 2020, which are about 4.9, 2.1 and 2.4 times of their counterparts from 1970 to mid-1990s, while less significant and smaller differences between the two eras are found in IHD and IWN. These results will provide a new scientific basis for evaluating climate models of hot extremes in southern China and have important implications for the other urbanized regions as well.

Dendroarchaeological analysis of the Terminal Warehouse in New York City reveals a history of long-distance timber transport during the Gilded Age

The Gilded Age of the late 19th century marked a period of rapid development and urbanization in New York City, U.S. To accommodate the high demand in wood products during that time, the timbers used for development of the city were increasingly sourced from locations distant from the northeastern United States. The Terminal Warehouse in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City was one of many large buildings erected during this period of city expansion, and is an important symbol of New York City commerce during the late 1800s. To determine the history and provenance of timbers used in the construction of the Terminal Warehouse, we used tree-ring analysis on longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) joists that were original to the building. The ring-width patterns on the joists crossdated well internally, suggesting a common origin of the sampled lumber. Further, our Terminal Warehouse tree-ring chronology (1512–1891 C.E.) correlated strongly with existing tree-ring chronologies from western/central Georgia and eastern Alabama, indicating that the timbers were extracted from this region of the southeastern United States. The provenancing and dating of the Terminal Warehouse timbers underscores the important role that southern pines played in the expansion and development of New York City during the Gilded Age.

A Study on the Relationship between Income Change and the Water Footprint of Food Consumption in Urban China

We use a threshold model to analyze the relationship between per capita income and the per capita water footprint of food consumption in the urban Guangdong Province of China, and further simulate the effect of changes in income distribution on the per capita water footprint of food consumption. The income growth of urban residents has a significant positive effect on the per capita water footprint of food consumption, where the effect varies by income stratum. The income elasticity of the per capita water footprint of food consumption for the total sample is 0.45, where the income elasticity of the low-income group (0.75) is greater than that of the high-income group (0.23), indicating that a change of income in the low-income group has a greater effect on water resources. The simulation results show that increasing the income of residents, especially that of the low-income group, significantly increases the water footprint due to food consumption for the whole society. At present, China is in a period of rapid economic growth and urbanization, comprising a period of profound change and sensitive response to the income level of urban and rural residents. Therefore, in order to reduce the effect of food consumption on the environment, sustainable food consumption management strategies should consider group differences. We should correctly guide all kinds of groups to carry out sustainable consumption, advocate healthy and reasonable diet models, reduce animal food consumption, avoid the excessive consumption of food, and strengthen the management of food waste.

Summary of Domestic Research on the Linkage of Increase and Decrease of Construction Land

With the rapid development of industrialization and urbanization, China has officially entered a period of rapid urbanization. The characteristics of my country’s existing land resources are that there are more people and less land, and the per capita arable land is insufficient. This has made the protection of the red line of 1.8 billion mu of arable land in my country precarious. In the face of this situation, the policy of linking the increase and decrease of urban and rural construction land has emerged. This article summarizes the domestic research and trends on the increase and decrease of urban and rural construction land, aiming to provide a basis for further scientific research.

Impact of Land Use Change on Vegetation Carbon Storage During Rapid Urbanization: A Case Study of Hangzhou, China

Land use changes have significant impacts on the carbon balance in an urban ecosystem. When there is rapid development in urbanizing regions, land use changes have a dramatic effect on vegetation carbon storage (VCS). This study investigates the impact of land use change on VCS in a period of rapid urbanization in Hangzhou, China. The results show that: 1) from 2000 to 2015, land use in Hangzhou underwent huge changes, mainly reflected in decrease in cropland and wetland and the increased settlement. More than 34.58% of the land was transformed, and the land use changes are primarily characterized by a significant decrease in cropland due to the occupation by settlement. 2) over the 15 years, changes in land use led to a decrease of 3.93 × 105 t of VCS in the urban ecosystem. The large-scale transformation of cropland and wetland, which have a comparatively high carbon density, into land for settlement exerted a negative impact on VCS. 3) The central city, which with the Circle-E/I/O mode, had the lowest comprehensive land use dynamic degree, leading to moderate land use change and an increase in VCS; Yuhang and Xiaoshan, which with Multicore-E/O/I mode and Fan-E/O/I modes, had a higher comprehensive land use dynamic degree, drastic changes in land use, and a decrease in VCS. This study proposes a reliable method of estimating changes in VCS, clarifies the relationship between land use change and VCS during rapid urbanization, and provides recommendations for sustainable urban development.

Modeling the Effect of Desert Urbanization on Local Climate and Natural Dust Generation: A Case Study for Erbil, Iraq

This study uses a suite of meteorological and land-surface models to quantify the changes in local climate and surface dust fluxes associated with desert urbanization. Formulas connecting friction velocity and soil moisture to dust generation are used to quantify surface fluxes for natural wind-blown dust. The models are used to conduct a series of simulations for the desert city of Erbil across a period of rapid urbanization. The results show significant nighttime warming and weak but robust daytime cooling associated with desert urbanization. A slight reduction in near-surface wind speed is also found in the areas undergoing urbanization. These findings are consistent with previous empirical and modeling studies on other desert cities. Numerical models and empirical formulas are used to produce climatological maps of surface dust fluxes as a function of season, and for the pre- and post-urbanization eras. This framework can potentially be used to bridge the gap in observation on the trends in local dust generation associated with land-use changes and urban expansions.

Impact of rapid urbanization on the threshold effect in the relationship between impervious surfaces and water quality in shanghai, China

The threshold effect in the relationship between impervious surfaces and water quality has been a focus in past decades, but little attention has been paid to how the threshold effect changes during a rapid urbanization period. This study reveals the temporal variation of threshold effect in the relationship between the percentage of total impervious area (PTIA) and water quality indicators in a reticular river network area in Shanghai, China. The PTIA was surveyed and defined using the ISC method (impervious surface coefficients). A segmented regression model was used to disclose the non-linear relationship between PTIA and water quality. It is confirmed that the threshold effect was different in terms of water quality indicators, but the effect size became smaller as the threshold increased with urbanization level during the period of 1989–2010. Meteorological conditions make influence on the threshold effect, it can be found that the effect is more significant under higher air temperature conditions, while in the lower temperature situation, there is no significant threshold effect.

Trust Among Strangers: Friendly Societies in Modern Britain. By Penelope Ismay (New York, Cambridge University Press, 2019) 229 pp. $105.00 cloth $29.99 paper

This stimulating history of friendly societies in Britain provides an account of their development from the late sixteenth to the early twentieth century, exploring their role in the cultural and moral dimensions of economic life. Ismay is especially interested in the ways in which mutual-aid societies generated social trust in a period of rapid population growth and urbanization, which ostensibly worked to atomize and isolate the individual.The book consists of a series of chronologically overlapping analytical narratives. Chapter 1, “Friendly Societies before Friendly Societies,” examines the early modern history of the term friendly society. Consulting texts from Myles Coverdale to Daniel Defoe, Ismay demonstrates how the term’s usage exhibited an overlap between a particular kind of organization and a larger moral vision of how societies ought to function through friendly relations among its members.Chapter 2, “Friendly Societies and the Meaning of the New Poor Law,” stresses the importance of contributory schemes and mutual-aid societies in the Poor Law debates at the end of the eighteenth and the beginning of the nineteenth century, arguing that failing to take account of this dimension misses the complexity of these discussions. Chapter 3, “The Battle Between Savings Banks and Friendly Societies,” explores the contrasting individualist rationale for savings banks articulated during the political debate surrounding the passage of the 1817 Savings Bank Act and the emergence of the New Friendly Society in its aftermath, which retooled and preserved the mutually supportive dynamic of mutual aid. Chapter 4, “Trusting Institutions: Making the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, Manchester Unity,” turns to a detailed examination of the history of the Odd Fellows, one of the largest and most important nineteenth-century mutual-aid societies. Ismay traces its emergence as a model for the Affiliated Order, a new type of friendly society that came to dominate after the 1830s, extending the geographical reach of these organizations through multiple branches. Ismay emphasizes how maintaining the original convivial character of the Odd Fellows proved crucial for the maintenance of social ties among the membership, providing the cultural resources for the reciprocity necessary for the success of a mutual aid society.The final chapter, “Trusting Numbers: Sociability and Actuarial Science in the Manchester Unity,” examines the mid-nineteenth-century worries about the solvency of friendly societies and the increasingly sophisticated application of actuarial science that informed the shift from managing “providence” to managing “risk.” Again, mutual-aid societies proved resilient in the face of this challenge. Not until the passage of the 1911 National Insurance Act did they go into a long-term decline.Methodologically, this study depends upon the traditional tools of the historian, utilizing a close attention to printed texts, Parliamentary debates, government reports, and the archival materials preserved by the Odd Fellows. The interdisciplinary dimensions of the study are found in the larger theoretical context of the analysis, which addresses the nature of modernity and the concept of social trust—issues explored from a historian’s persective by Vernon, from a sociologist’s perspective by Giddens and Misztal, and from an anthropologist’s perspective by Scott.1 The footnotes document the range of primary and secondary works that form the foundation for this study, but the lack of a formal bibliography sometimes makes it difficult to keep track of Ismay’s different historiographical strands, especially given the absence in the index of important theoretical and historiographical matters treated in the notes. Ismay’s discussion follows an arc from the sixteenth to the early twentieth centuries, draws out the mutually constitutive roles of contingency and individual agency at important points of departure in the development of friendly societies, and complicates our understanding of the distinction between the modern and the early modern. Ismay’s fine work makes a significant contribution to our understanding of this period and serves as a rich pre-history of the welfare state.

Trends in urban/rural inequalities in physical growth among Chinese children over three decades of urbanization in Guangzhou: 1985\u20132015

BackgroundGreat growth inequalities between urban and rural areas have been reported in China over the past years. By examining urban/rural inequalities in physical growth among children < 7 years old over the past three decades from 1985 to 2015 in Guangzhou, we analyzed altering trends of anthropometric data in children and their association with economic development during the period of rapid urbanization in Guangzhou.MethodsThe height, body weight and nutrition status of children under 7 years old were obtained from two successive cross-sectional surveys and one health surveillance system. Student’s t-test, Spearman’s rank-order correlation and polynomial regression were used to assess the difference in physical growth between children in urban and rural areas and the association between socioeconomic index and secular growth changes.ResultsA height and weight difference was found between urban and rural children aged 0–6 years during the first two decades of our research (1985–2005), which gradually narrowed in both sex groups over time. By the end of 2015, elder boys (age group ≥5 year) and girls (age group ≥4 year) in rural areas were taller than their counterparts in urban areas (p < 0.05).The same trend could be witnessed in the weight of children aged 6 years, with a − 1.30 kg difference (P = 0.03) for boys, and a − 0.05 difference (P = 0.82) for girls. When GDP increased, the gap in boys’ weight-for-age z-score (WAZ from 0.25 to 0.01) and height-for-age z-score (HAZ from 0.55 to 0.03) between urban and rural areas diminished, and disappeared when the GDP per capita (USD) approached 25,000. In either urban or rural areas, the urbanization rate and GDP were positively associated with the prevalence of obesity (all R > 0.90 with P < 0.05) and negatively correlated with the prevalence of stunted growth (all R < -0.87 with P < 0.05).ConclusionGrowth inequalities gradually decreased with economic development and urbanization, while new challenges such as obesity emerged. To eliminate health problems due to catch-up growth among rural children, comprehensive intervention programs for early child growth should be promoted in rural areas.

Combined effects of urbanization and climate change on watershed evapotranspiration at multiple spatial scales

How urbanization-associated land use/land cover change (LULCC) affects the ecohydrological cycle through altering evapotranspiration (ET) processes is not clear for rice paddy dominated watersheds. The purpose of this study was to understand long-term (2000–2013) spatial and temporal variations of ET over the Qinhuai River Basin in a humid region, southern China. We revised the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) by incorporating new algorithms describing hydrological processes of rice paddies. Using the improved SWAT model driven by remote sensing-derived LULCC and local climatic data, we separated the effects of LULCC on ET from climate at the watershed scale. We showed that the modified SWAT model significantly improved monthly streamflow estimates. The Nash-Sutcliffe model efficiency (NSE) was 0.86 and coefficient of determination (R2) was 0.88 for the calibration period (1990–1994) while the NSE was 0.65 and R2 was 0.71 for the validation period (1995–1999). We also found good agreements between modelled daily ET and lysimeter-based measurements for an experimental rice paddy field (R2 = 0.75, p less than 0.01). For areas with little land cover change, ET rates increased over time due to the increase in potential ET (PET) during 2000–2013. However, the contribution from rice paddy to the watershed-level ET decreased over time coincident with a period of rapid urbanization and loss of rice paddy field. Dynamic attribution analysis indicated that the negative contribution of LULCC to change in ET increased from 53% in 2000 to 61% in 2013 while the positive contribution of climate variability decreased from 47% in 2000 to 39% in 2013. We concluded that factors affecting ET varied with spatial scale. Conversion of rice paddy field to urban use directly resulted in significant ET reduction at the watershed scale despite the rise in the air temperature and potential ET in the study region. The improved SWAT model provides a better integrated method for understanding ET processes and assessing the impacts of environmental change on ecosystem services in a rapidly urbanizing region.

Assessing the Effect of Land Use Change on Surface Runoff in a Rapidly Urbanized City: A Case Study of the Central Area of Beijing

The change in land use during the process of urbanization affects surface runoff and increases flood risk in big cities. This study investigated the impact of land use change on surface runoff in Beijing’s central area during the period of rapid urbanization from 1984 to 2019. Land use maps of 1984, 1999, 2009, and 2019 were generated by image classification of Landsat images. Surface runoffs were calculated with the Soil Conservation Service curve number (SCS-CN) model. Correlation analysis was used to identify the dominant factor of land use change affecting surface runoff. The result showed that the variation trend of surface runoff was consistent with the trend of impervious land in Beijing’s central area, which increased during 1984~2009 and decreased during 2009~2019. Correlation analysis showed that changes in surface runoff were most strongly correlated with changes in impervious surfaces when compared with the correlation of runoff with other types of land use. The results of this study may provide a reference for city flood control and urban planning in fast growing cities worldwide, especially in developing countries.

1889: The Boomer Movement, the Land Run, and Early Oklahoma City by Michael J. Hightower

Reviewed by: 1889: The Boomer Movement, the Land Run, and Early Oklahoma City by Michael J. Hightower Douglas A. Hurt 1889: The Boomer Movement, the Land Run, and Early Oklahoma City. By Michael J. Hightower. (Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 2018. Pp. xvi, 328. $24.95, ISBN 978-0-8061-6070-2.) The land runs and lotteries that brought thousands of Euro-American settlers into Oklahoma Territory remain in the collective memory of the state’s residents. From monuments and memorials to the use of the term Sooners (individuals who attempted to illegally claim land before the official opening) as the University of Oklahoma’s nickname to yearly elementary school reenactments of land runs, the unique settlement history of Oklahoma is frequently celebrated. Michael J. Hightower adds to our understanding of this period in 1889: The Boomer Movement, the Land Run, and Early Oklahoma City, an account of the decades-long push to open the central part of the state to non-Native settlement that resulted in the Unassigned Lands run and a period of rapid urbanization at the townsite that became Oklahoma City. Hightower divides 1889 into three parts. He first focuses on boomer (advocates for the non-Native settlement of Oklahoma) designs to settle Indian Territory in the 1870s and 1880s, including more than a dozen significant expeditions to homestead in Oklahoma without federal approval. The second [End Page 196] section relates events immediately surrounding the April 22, 1889, Unassigned Lands run that resulted in tens of thousands of people claiming land in central Oklahoma. Finally, Hightower chronicles the urban development of Oklahoma City that followed the run, as the location quickly evolved from a railroad stop into an upstart city. Throughout the book, Hightower links the opening of Oklahoma to non-Native populations to the larger context of American Gilded Age economic inequalities and a political environment that consistently favored the connected few over the majority of less fortunate Americans. Various geopolitical actors, such as the cattle industry, railroad corporations, American Indians, state legislatures, federal government officials, and the boomer movement led by David L. Payne and William L. Couch, played a role in facilitating, or hindering, settlement of public lands in central Oklahoma. Various sources, including archival material from multiple facilities and period newspapers, are used to build Hightower’s historical narrative. Unlike other popular representations of Oklahoma land runs, which focus on rural settlement and agricultural homesteading in the state, Hightower concentrates on townsite development and the rapid evolution of cities. Using Oklahoma City as a case study, he outlines the chaotic political environment after the land run, frequent disputes over property rights, the widespread violence and lawlessness in the city, contacts with nearby Native people, and the competition with Guthrie, Oklahoma, over which town would be the territorial (and later state) capital. The roles of early Oklahoma City leaders like Charles F. Colcord, Henry Overholser, and Angelo C. Scott in shaping the urban area are highlighted. Frequent use of historical images of early Oklahoma scenes and individuals adds to Hightower’s written descriptions. On multiple occasions, historical events are linked to modern locations, businesses, and landmarks in and around Oklahoma City. However, the one original map in the book is not detailed enough to orient readers, particularly those who are unfamiliar with the modern metropolitan area, to these places. A large-scale map of Oklahoma City would have enhanced the written analysis in 1889. Otherwise, 1889 is a welcome addition to the existing literature on the historical development of Oklahoma. Written in an accessible and engaging style, the book will be useful in undergraduate and graduate seminars and should be well received by nonacademics wishing to better understand the political and economic context of opening Oklahoma to non-Native people. Hightower’s account of the contested settlement of the Unassigned Lands within the larger political and economic context of the Gilded Age offers new interpretations of the history of Oklahoma. Douglas A. Hurt University of Missouri Copyright © 2020 The Southern Historical Association

Central urban open space system and green economy planning based on spatial clustering algorithms and AHP model

Urban open space is of great significance to the compact urban center. It is not only a place for people’s public life, but also an ecological regulator in the compact and high-density urban environment. It has important ecological, cultural, economic and other functions for the development of the compact urban center. In this paper, the authors analyze the central urban open space system and green economy planning based on spatial clustering algorithms and ahp model. The results shows that the difference on green open space is much more easily becoming bigger in fast urbanization. This is also the key to improve the quality of regional urban open space at present. By analyzing the spatial pattern of urban open space system at different times by ArcGIS. We found that, in the late period of rapid urbanization, spatial differentiation is more obvious. Under the guidance of landscape, the research on the integration strategy of the open space in the compact urban center will help to establish the integration system of the open space in the compact urban center and enrich the dimension of urban landscape design. At the same time, this research realizes the intensive utilization of the space in the urban center.

LITERARY SOCIETIES AND MODERNISM: THE SOCIAL COMPOSITION OF THE KAZINCZY CIRCLE IN KASSA AT THE TURN OF THE CENTURY

Literary societies are in focus both of literary studies and social history.1 In particular, they played an important role in the modernization of Central Europe in the 19th century. Becoming widespread in this era, they helped develop a democratic2 political culture and disseminated literature to a wider audience. Hungarian historiography has depicted this period as one of large-scale social segregation and a fragmented middle class which refused to have any contact with the bourgeoisie,34 while Slovakian historians have emphasized the exclusion of Slovaks from elite society.5 Kassa (today Košice), which was then situated in northern Hungary and is now the largest city in eastern Slovakia, has, however, been recognized as a more complicated example that challenges these assumptions.6 For instance, the importance of local citizenry was preserved in the first half of the 19th century, in contrary to other cities in Hungary.7 The purpose of this article is to examine the composition of the most prominent social club of the town to provide fresh insights into the social history of Kassa in this period, and the larger processes shaping urban life in Central Europe in the period before the First World War. In particular, this article argues that a culture of both pluralism and exclusion was evident in the membership of Kassa’s Kazinczy Circle, and that their affiliations reveal a more complicated social network in the city, which both preserved communal solidarity during a period of rapid urbanization and encouraged the growth of modern democratic values.