Slow City Research Articles

Slow City development in China: process, approaches and acceptability

The Slow City concept advocates the development of cities by combining modern technologies and traditional lifestyles to provide efficient transportation and communication and high quality of life for the residents. This study investigates the present situation, development approach and public acceptability of the Slow City concept in China. Based on the theory and the practical application of the Slow City concept in major member countries, the development process of Slow City can be divided into three stages: the origin stage, the development stage and the promotion stage. This study shows that the Slow City development in China is at the third stage. Due to diverse economic foundations, cultural traditions and the sociopolitical environment, the Slow City in China represents different features compared to the Slow City in Europe. A systematic analysis provides a better understanding of the situation of the Chinese Slow City. Then, the authors evaluate the degree of acceptability of the Slow City concept in China based on three aspects: the understanding, the awareness, and the popularity of the Slow City. Based on the results, this paper suggests optimistic growth opportunities for the Slow City in China and provides several strategies with regard to diverse perspectives.

Visitor and resident perceptions of the slow city movement: the case of Japan

The concept of Slow Tourism has evolved in recent years, and while the literature discussion about the Cittaslow (Slow City) movement has been increasing, little is known about its application in destinations outside of Europe where it originated. Through a survey of visitors and residents, this study examined the awareness level of the movement in the pioneer case of Japan. The discussion of this paper sought to investigate the movement, as a way to understand the interest in, and appropriateness of increased visibility for Kesennuma Cittaslow, located in the northeast corner of Miyagi prefecture, Japan. The study provides new insights into the Cittaslow phenomenon that has been gaining attention within the academic discourse.

A Measure Against Unemployment Problem Expected to Occur by Industry 4.0: Cittaslow

Industry 4.0, or with the other name the 4th industrial revolution, is composed of integratedly with components like data exchange and related manufacturing technology thanks to automatic control systems and internet. Due to Industry 4.0, it is expected that smart factories where productivity is at the top and each data can be viewed simultaneously will become popular. Smart factories are becoming current issues as activities where machine-robots do almost impeccable manufacturing and the human factor is minimized in production. Due to the increase in the number of smart factories in the forthcoming period, it is thought that unskilled labourers will be unemployed. At this point, Cittaslow may be one of solutions to reduce unemployment as a local development model. This study has been conducted for emphasizing that, local production, sales and other similar activitities can create employment opportunities for women and unskilled labor in cittaslow cities. This study was prepared by using the literature review of qualitative research methods and some concepts in tourism literature were explained and the concepts such as Industry 4.0, unemployment and employment were emphasized. Within the scope of Cittaslow, a number of interviews were held with the authorities of the municipalities of cities with slow cities. Therefore, interview method was also used. In the conclusion of the study, the activities of Cittaslow led to an increase in employment and public income, and in the recommendations section the activities that Cittaslow cities could implement for employment and income growth.

슬로시티 담론을 통한 지역의 ‘차이 존재론’적 이해

슬로시티 담론을 통한 지역의 ‘차이 존재론’적 이해

Environmental Management Practices in Hospitality Establishments in Slow Cities: Akyaka Example

It is easy to see that tendency to environmentally-conscious practices is gradually increasing all around the world. Tourism sector inherently involves activities that develop and grow in conjunction with natural environment. As the criteria for Slow Cities are based on the principles of sustainability, they would provide convenience to carry out sustainable tourism activities in these cities. This study is aimed at investigating the current status of accommodation establishments in Cittaslow Akyaka in Ula county of Muğla province within the scope of environmental management practices. For this purpose, face-to-face interviews have been made with executives of 6 accommodation establishments in Akyaka. As a result of the research, it is determined that the participants don’t have sufficient knowledge regarding environmental management practices and their benefits. Another finding of the research is that the accommodation establishments in Akyaka don’t differ from each other with regard to their environmentally sensitive practices in terms of their types. Training programs organized for the executives of accommodation establishments within the scope of environmental management and practices may support Akyaka to pursue the path of being sensitive to environment.

Role of place attachment dimensions in tourists’ decision-making process in Cittáslow

Abstract Cittaslow (i.e. slow city) is a social movement and organization that conveys cultural values at the local level and promotes slowness in lifestyle. Cittaslow destinations aim to preserve their unique characteristics and foster the quality of lives of locals and visitors by promoting interactions among people, places, and resources. Owing to such advocacy, participating destinations have attracted growing attention. This movement parallels the increased attention toward place attachment in tourism studies. The purpose of this study is to examine the role of place attachment in the decision-making process of tourists in the context of Cittaslow. This study augments place attachment with four sub-dimensions in the theory of planned behavior (TPB) and develops an extended TPB to predict tourists’ revisit intention. Data were collected from tourists in Cheongsando, a Cittaslow destination in South Korea. The results confirm the multi-dimensionality of place attachment with the four sub-dimensions of place identity, place dependence, place affect, and place social bonding. The results reveal that place attachment has a significant effect on attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behavioral control, which influence behavioral intention. Place attachment has an indirect effect on behavioral intention via the antecedents of TPB.

Türkiye’de Cittaslow (Yavaş Şehir) Hareketi ve Bir Öneri: Gümüşhane Merkez İlçesi

Küreselleşmenin etkisi ile kentlerde yaşanan değişim ve dönüşüm, kentleri aynılaştırmakta ve yaşamı hızlandırmaktadır. Bu hızlı yaşam tarzı yerelliği ekonomik, toplumsal, politik ve kültürel açılardan etkilemektedir. Yerel kültürün ve bu kültürün ürettiği somut ürünlerin küreselleşmenin etkisiyle yok olması, asimile olması, yerli üretimin kitlesel üretime oranla daha maliyetli olması gibi nedenlerle yerel ürünlerin üretiminin azalması, el yapımı ve yapılması uzun ve zahmetli olan ürünlerin yerini makinalarla seri bir şekilde üretilen ürünlere bırakması, yöresel yemeklerin, el sanatlarının, doğal güzelliklerin ve tarihi dokuların korunmasına daha az önem verilmesi, yerelliğinin ön plana çıkarılması ihtiyacını doğurmuştur. Küreselleşmeyi önlemek imkan dahilinde olmasa da yerel ögeleri korumak; küreselleşmenin olumsuz etkilerinden bir nebze korunabilmek anlamına gelmektedir. Bu nedenle doğal ve yerel bir yaşamı teşvik etmek ve küreselleşmenin getirdiği hızın etkilerini yavaşlatabilmek için İtalya’da yerel bir direniş olan “Cittaslow” (Yavaş Şehir) hareketi ortaya çıkmıştır. İtalya’da ortaya çıkan bu hareket, dört İtalyan Belediyesi’nin oluşturduğu bir birlik olarak oluşturulmuştur. İtalya’da ve diğer 29 ülkede bu birliğe üye olan ve “cittaslow” olan toplam 252 tane şehir bulunmaktadır. Bugün, Türkiye’de kriterleri karşılayarak birliğe üye olan on beş adet “Cittaslow” bulunmaktadır. Bu çalışmada Cittaslow’un kriterleri dahilinde Gümüşhane Merkez İlçesi’nin bu birliğe üye olabilmek için, Cittaslow üyelik kriterlerini karşılayıp karşılamadığı, yani Gümüşhane Merkez İlçesi’nin Yavaş Şehir olma potansiyeli case study (örnek olay) yöntemi ile değerlendirilmiş ve bu konuda öneriler sunulmuştur.

The Impact of Tourism Professionals' Selection Attributes and Perception on Recommodation -focused on Slow City-

The Impact of Tourism Professionals' Selection Attributes and Perception on Recommodation -focused on Slow City-

A Slow City Movement: The Case of Halfeti in Turkey

In today's world where globalization is increasing, many cities cannot ada pt to rapid changes. The changing lifestyles of the inhabitants of the city cause a rapid loss of urban differences and originalities. Several movements have emerged to solve these problems. One of these movements is the slow city movement proposed for a better environment and social life. The slow city movement sets out the parameters that ensure the viability of cities, which give importance to the continuity of the improvement of social, economic, cultural and environmental qualities. This movement, which strives for the preservation of originality against the impact of globalization, has a great importance in order to increase the quality of urban life. The aim of this work is to identify the strengths and weaknesses of sustainable development of the slow city declared places, and to identify the threats and opportunities that can be faced. In this way, targets and strategies for the sustainability of the desired criteria for cities declared as slow cities can be determined. In the study, environmental analysis and situation analysis were carried out by observation and inventory collection method in Halfeti province of Urfa declared as slow city. The local people and tourists who visited the area were interviewed and SWOT analysis was conducted by brainstorming method. The district of Halfeti consists of two regions. The old Halfeti area is a very old settlement; some of the buildings it contains are under the waters of the Euphrates, in the appearance of an open-air museum. The new Halfeti is a region formed with non-specific regulations and illegal and distorted building is seen intensively. With the declaration of Halfeti as a slow city, the tourism movements have begun to accelerate. As a result of this study, it has been determined that this region with historical and natural beauty has been caught unprepared for tourism development. For this reason, it is necessary to prioritize rehabilitation efforts in the region and prepare action plans for the new Halfeti settlement. The conclusion is that Halfeti's unique identity values should be promoted on a global scale and protected as cultural heritage. It is expected that the results obtained in the study will also be a road map for other slow cities similar to Halfeti.

Determining a Strategy for Sustainable Development of Local Identity: Case of Birgi (İzmir/Turkey)

Today, it is difficult to retain and strengthen local character in the globalizing world. Showing the advantages of small towns and to strengthen their identities with focusing on ‘ small realities in a globalizing world ’’ by increasing the value of local differences is an important subject in the global atmosphere. From this point, taking the advantage of Birgi’s (Izmir/Turkey) having strong natural, man-made and cultural identity, this study aims to find out the most appropriate planning strategy for the sustainability of Birgi’s (Izmir-Turkey) local character and identity which was selected as a case study. This study made some on-site observations for establishing the existing local identity potentials of Birgi. After these observations, within the scope of the study, first of all, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats ( SWOT factors ) of the settlement were identified. Additionally, to determine the most appropriate planning strategy, a numerical SWOT analysis called A’WOT analysis which is the combination of Analytical Hierarchy Process ( AHP ) and SWOT analysis was used. Then, identified SWOT factors prioritized by an expert group ( 35 person ) using A’WOT analysis. After finding general and local priority values of SWOT factors, four planning strategies were displayed by using TOWS matrix. Then, the most appropriate strategy among these planning strategies was chosen according to their priority values. In conclusion, it was found that “ Entering to Slow City Movement ” planning strategy is the most appropriate and important strategy between prioritized planning strategies for the sustainability of Birgi’s local identity.

Yerel Halkın Turizme Olan Desteği: Türkiye’deki Sakin Şehirler Üzerine Bir Araştırma

Bu makalede, Türkiye’deki sakin şehirlerde yerel halkın turizme ve sakin şehir hareketine yönelik algı ve tutumları ile turizme olan desteği arasındaki ilişkinin araştırılması amaçlanmaktadır. Çalışma, sakin şehir uygulamalarındaki aksaklıkların giderilmesinde yerel halkın daha fazla destek olmasına yönelik öneriler geliştirmesi açısından önemlidir. Çalışmanın kapsamını Vize, Taraklı, Yenipazar, Gökçeada, Seferihisar ve Akyaka sakin şehirleri oluşturmaktadır. Araştırma verileri anket tekniği ile toplanmıştır. Anketler, Mart-Temmuz 2017 tarihleri arasında kolayda örnekleme yöntemiyle seçilen 1143 kişiye uygulanmış, 1116 anket analiz edilmiştir. Analiz sonuçlarına göre; yerel halkın sakin şehir algısı ile turizme olan desteği; yaşam kalitesi memnuniyeti ile turizme olan desteği arasında olumlu ilişki olduğu saptanmıştır. Turizmden sağlanan kişisel fayda ile turizmin algılanan olumlu etkileri arasında istatistiksel açıdan anlamlı bir ilişki bulunamamıştır.

Yerel Halkın Yavaş (Sakin) Şehir Hakkındaki Algıları: Seferihisar da Nitel Bir Araştırma (A Study on Local People s Perception About Cittaslow: The Case of Seferihisar)

The Cittaslow is a cities union created to increase the quality of cities life. It is also a sustainable model of local development. Cities are branded as members of this union and thus they make a difference. Being a slow city is not an end, but a beginning of a process. For this reason, it is important to ensure that the local people are conscious and support the Cittaslow occurrence. Seferihisar is the first city in Turkey that is members of this union. In this study, the local people’s perception in Seferihisar, regarding Cittaslow occurrence has been examined. The interview technique was used as a qualitative research techniques and the analysis of the data was done by content analysis. Local people mentioned that the Cittaslow had positive impact on the economy, tourism development, environment, socio cultural structure and the recognition of their city. However, they pointed out that with the Cittaslow, traffic congestion in the city, noise, regional inflation, crowding, non-planned urbanization and environmental pollution problems arise. It has been found that local people expressed their satisfaction by focusing more on the economic consequences of Cittaslow.

”Slow City” as a Local Development Model

Summary Subject and purpose of work: The goal of the article is to characterize the “slow city” model, its assumptions, conditions and effects of its implementation in Polish conditions. It also aims to present intelligent solutions in using own resources of small cities. Materials and methods: The article was based on the study and synthesis of Polish and foreign literature and a review of strategic documents of Polish cities belonging to Cittaslow. Results: The article fills the existing gap in the area of contemporary strategies for the development of small towns. It describes the “slow city” model, on the basis of which small cities belonging to the Cittaslow city network are developing. Intelligent solutions in the use of endogenous own resources of small cities are also presented. Conclusions: The analysis carried out made it possible to state that the “slow city” model is useful in the development of small towns. It guarantees optimal and intelligent use of endogenous resources of a small town. However, the review of the strategic documents of the cities of “slow city” shows that these cities affect, like most small cities, negative socio-economic phenomena.

A Study on the Analysis of Social Media Reviews of Customers Related to Restaurants in Seferihisar as a Slow City

Son yillarda, dunyanin bircok yerinde “yavas sehir” ve “yavas yemek” kavramlarina yonelik ilgi artisi gozlenmektedir. Ziyaretciler, ziyaret ettikleri yorelerin tarihi, dogasi ve kulturel degerlerinin yani sira yoresel gida urunlerine yonelik deneyim firsati da bulmaktadirlar. Bu deneyimler bir alternatif turizm cesidi olan “Gastronomi Turizmi” kapsaminda gerceklesmekte ve ziyaretcilere dogal, saglikli lezzetler tatma imkâni sunmaktadir. Ozellikle bilgisayarin hayatimiza girmesi ve bilgi teknolojilerindeki degisimler nedeniyle kullanicilar urettikleri bilgiyi ayni surecte tuketir hale gelmislerdir. Amaci : Bir yavas sehir olan Seferihisar’daki yiyecek ve icecek isletmeleriyle ilgili musterilerin sosyal medya yoluyla paylastiklari deneyimlerinin analizi gerceklestirerek bolgedeki isletmelerin yavas sehir konusundaki bilgi birikimine katkida bulunulmaya calisilmistir. Arastirma Yontemi : Seferihisar’daki restoranlarin teknolojik gelismenin sundugu sosyal medya araclarindan tripAdvisor uzerindeki yavas yemek akimina katilanlarin; demografik bulgulari, algiladiklari deger, memnuniyet, davranissal niyetleri ve bolge turizmi uzerindeki etkileri nitel olarak incelenerek restoranlara yonelik yapilan 589 yorumun MAXQDA 12 nitel veri analizi programi yardimi ile analizi gerceklestirilmistir. Bulgular : Isletmeleri genel olarak kismi memnuniyetsizlige karsin olumlu degerlendirdikleri ve pozitif yorumlarin fazla oldugu, ziyaretci yorumlarinin analizinde isletmelerin alt temalarina yonelik 1877 pozitif gorus, 439 negatif goruse rastlanilmistir. Pozitif anlamda en fazla yorum yapilan ana temalar: Yiyecek icecek ozellikleri (n=775), isletmelerin ic ozellikleri (n=260) ve isletmelerin cevresel ozellikleri (n=242). Negatif anlamda en fazla yorumlanan ana temalar: Yiyecek icecek ozellikleri (n=127), personel (n=88) ve fiyatlar(n=70) olmustur. Sonuc ve Oneriler : Sonuc olarak belirtilen hususlar bolge turizmi acisindan dikkat edilmesi ve isletmeler acisindan uzerinde durulmasi gereken konulardir. Gelecek arastirmalarda ise baska bir yavas sehir olarak kabul edilen bolgedeki restoranlar ile karsilastirma yapilabilir.

Slow cities, urban politics and the temporalities of planning: Lessons from London

In the wake of the global financial crash of 2007–2008, many governments have sought to streamline their post-war planning systems and encourage faster project delivery. Expedited decision-making is equated with efficiency and the meeting of broader growth objectives, whereas slower and more complex forms of engagement are presented as an impediment and a governmental problem to be solved through reform. For critical authors such as Weber, such approaches are fraught with danger. The core objective of planning systems should, conversely, be focused on the production of ‘slow cities’, in which decision-making times allow time for proper democratic and judicial-technical oversight of development processes. Slow planning, it is claimed, can limit the negative impacts of rapid development on urban built environments and communities. In this paper, we draw on research in London to examine the relationships between the temporalities of planning, project outcomes and the politics of time. We argue that within urban studies there needs to be a stronger emphasis on the temporal dimensions of governance and the politics of time. We highlight the conditions in and through which temporal resources are deployed strategically in urban planning and assess the ways in which powerful, reflexive and time-resourced developers and investors use planning timeframes to boost returns over the longer term. We conclude by setting out agendas for future research and for more variegated and contextualised explorations of fast and slow planning processes.

Slow smart city, let’s get back to our cities starting from food

Slow smart city, let’s get back to our cities starting from food

Ciljevi potrošača u kontekstu slow turizma

The concept of slow tourism is gaining attention in terms of emphasized need for slowing down the pace of life. This concept is tied to sustainable tourism and linked to social movements such as: 'Slow Food' (authentic, local food), 'Slow Cities' (environmentally responsible and peaceful environment) and 'Slow Transportation' (local buses and trains). This study provides insights into the phenomenon of slow tourism from the perspective of a goal-directed consumption process. The research was based on a model consisting of six slow tourism motivations (relaxation, self-reflection, escape, novelty-seeking, engagement, and discovery), two goals of slow tourism (revitalization and self-enrichment), and travel outcomes (satisfaction, future return intention, and recommendations). The sample included 320 respondents from the territory of the Republic of Serbia who had visited some of the destinations in Vojvodina labeled as 'slow place' in the past two years.

Influence of the ‘slow city’ brand association on the behavioural intention of potential tourists

This study sees the ‘slow city’ idea as a brand, and used an empirical method to examine the influence of its brand association types on the behavioural intentions of potential tourists. The measurement of brand association types was limited to the following 13 variables: slow food, traditional culture, authentic local food, happiness, healthy, organic, peaceful, quality of life, beautiful scenery, comfortable, affectionate, compassion and well-being, elicited from a pre-test. The findings from 485 potential tourists in the 2 largest cities in South Korea show that eliciting positive feelings and brand associations are strong marketing strategies that increase the chance of tourist visits, and therefore could influence the choice of a destination and the chance for revisits in the future. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding of the marketing influence of the slow city brand on the behavioural intentions of potential tourists.

Brussels New Pedestrian Area: The Way Toward a Slow City? ( breakout presentation )

In 2015, Brussels city transformed an important part of the Anspacht Boulevard and some of its nearest streets, in the city center, into a pedestrian area. A temporary spatial arrangement was set up during more than a year in order to test the impact of such a spatial transformation on the urban economic and social dynamics and on the mobility system. After this experimentation period, the results communicated by the city authorities seem to be rather positive. Therefore, the city plans to start the implementation of a new spatial design that will definitely transform the car boulevard into a complete pedestrian street, even if this decision goes against the opinion of some citizens, storekeepers and urban professionals. The presentation that I propose aims to explore the Brussels pedestrian area project as a potential of new urban transformations. I will start with explaining how the train, then the car, have transformed the center of Brussels. Indeed, those fast modes have been driving forces for the transformation of spatial, social and economic structures of Brussels. Starting from the understanding of this evolution, we will explore the potential of the pedestrian area to be a new driving force to transform Brussels, as the train and the car infrastructures were in the past. The hypothesis I propose is that Brussels is at the beginning of a new era, where slowness can be a factor of urban development, like speed was in the past. I will present a short analysis of the pedestrian area project as it was designed and set up. I will show the limits of the projects as it is today by focusing on the tension between the new slowness logics brought up by the project and the speed and cars logics that still influence decision making in the city design field.

Valorizzazione del territorio e delle identità locali. Esempi di crescita ad impronta slow

It is a shared view that development of local communities is also based on the ability to re-cognize the special features and to find its own specificity. More and more local experiences aim to the (re)construction of an identity by means of the recovery of its own culture and the enhancement of territory. In this scenario, the slow city has established itself as one of the most representative models capable of expressing virtuous practices based on the centrality of the territory and the peculiarities of places. The paper examines two experiences of slow cities and it underlines how, in these cases, development has been based on the recovery of the history and the values of tradition, as well as on the protection and enhancement of the resources and local specialities.