Specific Urban Context Research Articles

Who Controls the City in the Global Urban Era? Mapping the Dimensions of Urban Geopolitics in Beira City, Mozambique

In recent years, a new era of interventionism has emerged targeting the development of African cities, manifested in ‘fantasy’ urban plans, surging infrastructure investments and global policy agendas. What the implications of this new era will be for specific urban contexts is still poorly understood however. Taking this research agenda as a starting point, this article presents findings of in-depth empirical research on urban development in Beira city, Mozambique, which has recently become the recipient of massive donor investments targeting the built environment. Informed by current debates on urban geopolitics, the article unpacks these mounting global flows while locating them alongside pre-existing struggles over urban space. By doing so three distinct yet inter-related dimensions of urban geopolitics are identified, relating to the workings of the state, so-called ‘informality’ and international donors. Far from representing homogeneous categories, these dimensions each represent contradictory practices and interests which are shaping Beira’s urban trajectory. The article concludes by arguing that the inflow of donor resources has exacerbated pre-existing struggles over urban space while contributing to new contentions in ways which have undermined social equity targets of contemporary global development agendas. In doing so it provides important contributions to current debates on urban development in Africa

Social Innovation as a Driver of Urban Transformation? The Case of Planning Approaches in the Dominican Republic

This article assesses the role of social innovation (SI) as a driver of urban transformation through the case-based analysis of an ambitious social housing urban project in the Dominican Republic, specifically in the emblematic slum La Barquita, in the heart of northern Santo Domingo. This project was led by a dedicated public body, URBE, which is in charge of the coordination of several institutions and the management of the community participation. Since La Nueva Barquita integrates dimensions regarding the satisfaction of human needs, change in social relations, and increase of citizens’ sociopolitical capabilities, it may be considered a socially innovative initiative in the territorial development discussion. The article builds first on the literature on SI by drawing attention on governance and institutional structures in specific urban contexts. Based on a series of semi-direct interviews, it then focuses on the analysis of key moments regarding the definition, implementation and evaluation of the institutional dimension of the project from its launching in 2013.

Applying the SDGs to Cities: Business as Usual or a New Dawn?

With growing urbanisation the sustainability of cities has become increasingly important. Although cities have been using indicators for a long time it is only in the last decades that attempts have been made to collate indicators into sets that reflect the many different aspects required to assess the sustainability of a city. The aim of this paper is to review the evolution of indicators for monitoring sustainable urban development in order to understand how ‘new’ the indicators suggested by the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are for cities and the challenges they may face in using them. The review reveals that previous indicator sets emphasised environmental sustainability, health and economic growth. It is also shown that indicator sets that pre-date the SDGs lacked dimensions such as gender equality and reduced inequalities. In all, the SDG indicators provide the possibility of a more balanced and integrated approach to urban sustainability monitoring. At the same time, further research is needed to understand how to adapt the SDGs, targets and indicators to specific urban contexts. Challenges of local application include their large number, their generic characteristics and the need to complement them with specific indicators that are more relevant at the city level.

The role of laws and regulations in shaping gentrification

The prominent role of government agencies and other public authorities in stewarding gentrification has been highlighted by a significant number of studies. The intervention of public authorities in this context can take various forms; chief among them, laws and regulations that sustain, support and promote gentrification. Moreover, these laws and regulations play a key role in steering the ways in which gentrification develops in specific urban contexts, and thus constitute a key element for understanding different modalities of ‘gentrification’ around the world. Within this framework, this article addresses processes of gentrification in Beirut through the angle of the joint effects of several laws. Laws that are considered the main normative and regulatory mechanisms for current forms of urban renewal in the city. It examines key legal frameworks, including laws governing construction, rent and built heritage. It also uses the rent gap theory as an analytical tool to assess their impact. The current legal settlement is best viewed from the angle of entanglement between capital and politicians and legislators, as well, the prominent role of capital as a driving force in the modern development of Beirut. The paper seeks to place law—legal provisions, prohibitions and permissions—at the centre of a critical approach to urban change, appropriation and dispossession, as unequal legal rights, claims and constraints empower certain legal subjects (including corporations) over certain others (especially commercial and residential renters). Drawing on a case in the global south, the paper stresses a global approach to gentrification which seeks to transcend north–south divisions.

The Power of Group Stigmatization: Wealthy Roma, Urban Space and Strategies of Defence in Post‐socialist Romania

AbstractRecent research on Roma stigmatization has tended to focus on the marginal socio‐economic and spatial position of Roma people within European societies, with poverty, persistent inequalities and substandard housing conditions (for example, ghettoization) highlighting their differential treatment. Central to such accounts are group images and stereotypes of Roma as ‘benefit scroungers’ and/or ‘beggars’ lacking notions of self‐restraint and social responsibility. This body of research is hugely important in terms of its contribution to an understanding of the complex dynamics of marginalization and stigmatization of poor Roma households. Yet not all Roma are characterized by poverty and economic hardship. This article explores the neglected experiences of wealthy Roma within urban spaces in Romania. It draws on empirical evidence from interviews with Roma families, leaders and local authorities. Our analysis exposes the way in which Roma are vehemently stigmatized regardless of their economic position or housing circumstances and highlights deep underlying sentiments towards them within Romanian society. We critique Wacquant's concept of territorial stigmatization by applying it to wealthy groups outwith typical areas of relegation (for example, Roma ghettos) within the specific urban context of post‐socialist Romania. While our analysis points to the internalization of stigma, we also identify distinct defensive strategies wealthy Roma employ to counter and avoid stigmatization. We suggest that a focus on the neglected spaces of wealthy Roma groups can facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of the distinct urban power relations that shape Roma stigmatization, reveal how this long‐term process has recently been accentuated within Europe alongside a more overt populist and anti‐Roma political agenda, and contribute to the development and refinement of Wacquant's thesis.

'The Lungs of the City': Green Space, Public Health and Bodily Metaphor in the Landscape of Urban Park History

Abstract New machinery, factory systems and a burgeoning population made the nineteenth century the era of the city. It also represented the coming of age of the city park. Across Europe and North America, elite spaces were opened to public access and new areas dedicated as 'parks for the people.' This paper offers a brief tour of green spaces across three iconic metropolitan sites - London, Paris and New York - to consider how the axioms of recreation, industrial modernity and public health operated in specific urban contexts. Of particular note is the fact that park planners embraced an holistic vision, often articulated via bodily metaphors, that incorporated both social and environmental aspects: thus behind apparently nostalgic visions for a pre-industrial bucolic greenery lay irrefutably modern approaches to urban planning that presaged twenty and twenty-first century holistic experiments in garden cities and 'living homes.' Also central to this study is the idea of the park as a liminal space and an eminently readable landscape: an evolving site of translation, negotiation and transformation that highlights the fertile ground of cross-disciplinary study and the benefits of a complex ecological history that involves close examination of place, action and imagery.

Mobility Gardens within Urban Footpaths and Cycling Itineraries. A Landscape Planning Experience for the Roundabouts System of Imola, Bologna Metropolitan Area, Italy ( breakout presentation )

The sprawl of roads networks and the evolution of their typologies have gradually gone creating new types of mobility-related public open spaces which, despite their small individual extension or fragmentation, on the whole could play a significant role in implementing more sustainable built environment, vibrant connections and biodiversity in urban habitats. In particular, considering in an integrated way green spaces along vehicular circulation and walkable pathways, cycling itineraries, urban parks and facilities, can offer opportunities to define a distinctive feature of the city and provide important social and psychological benefits. The work presents a multi-criteria method for a unitary planning and design on green areas along urban road networks, conceiving them as “gardens”, to improve both environmental quality and scenic values within circulation systems, and contribute to increase human well-being, urban environment resilience, and imageability of the city. Our methodology has been calibrated through a case-study on public open spaces at roundabouts intersections, in the Imola urban territory, within the Bologna Metropolitan Area (Italy), which include pedestrian or bicycle crossings as well as residual green areas, and are spread in various relevant contexts, i.e. along historical roads, in the main entrances to the City Center, in natural areas near the river, in everyday communities environments, etc. The study addresses a combination of multiple design issues (visual perception, landscape ecology, socio-economic sustainability) and interprets each specific urban context, identifying civic functions (residential, commercial, industrial, cultural, recreational, etc.) and landscape-potential, evaluating also the need for sustainable construction and management solutions. The work proposes a cross-scale approach, defining an overall Masterplan at the urban landscape level, spatial composition criteria for distinctive roundabouts systems, vegetation abacus and maintenance plans, articulated also considering strategic greening categories, such as Wild Flowers areas, Urban Groves, Rain Gardens, Dry Gardens. We hope to provide a useful contribution to the construction of walkable urban places in which for people it is easy to orient and to have comfortable and pleasant experience, so to improve circulation liveability, by means the environmental and aesthetic benefits historically associated to the “garden” concept.

Through the Looking Glass: Windows to ‘Cities in the Luso-Hispanic World’

Abstract This editorial opens the special issue of the Journal of Urban Cultural Studies titled ‘Cities in the Luso-Hispanic World’ by suggesting that these introductory pages are transparent panes of glass on a vehicle of transportation passing through and linking the research articles that make up this special volume. The editorial’s narrative movement is not unlike that of a car driving through the urban spaces of a city, and the eight authors’ analyses are not unlike the moving images of cityscapes flashing before the car’s windows. The above metaphor of the narration as a ride through urban space serves to situate a variety of topics (movement, visibility, images, representations, rhythms, noise, heritage, reified capital in the form of buildings, and circulation of people and cultural products) as part and parcel of specific urban contexts, including Lisbon (Portugal), Belo Horizonte, Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo (Brazil), Mexico City (Mexico), and Madrid and Córdoba (Spain) through poetry, novels, film, sound and architecture. Running through each contribution is the ongoing enquiry on how urban processes manifest culturally in Luso-Hispanic regions, and at a variety of scales, with special attention to bodies moving in, through, and around specific urban centres.

Mapping the Field of Social Businesses in Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Social businesses are organizations aimed at addressing social problems through business and marketing strategies. Of particular concern are issues connected to poverty, social inclusion among emerging consumers and sustainable development (Travagline, Bandini, Mancinione, 2009; Márquez et al. 2010). However, due to its hybrid nature that pulls from different sectors, the notion of social businesses is generating significant debate among scholars and practitioners regarding its purpose, approaches, and identity. In an effort to shine a light on how the concept of social business is developing and playing out in a particular city in South America, this study examines the ecosystem of social businesses in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. Using qualitative methods, the study offers an in‐depth look at the central actors, how they conceptualize social businesses, and the discourse around approaches they use to overcome these social issues. The findings reveal that social business actors are particularly concerned about impact and participatory action that ensures enterprises work with and not for marginalized populations. Of particular relevance to the EPIC audience, the paper adds insight into how inclusive practices, grounded traditionally in Brazil's third sector and solidarity economy movements, shape the conceptualization and operationalization of social enterprises, which aim to instigate new product and consumption patterns and inclusive capitalist trends. Being the first study in Brazil to examine how social business is framed within a specific urban context, the findings reveal new insights and old views on topics such as poverty, development, emerging consumers and emancipatory ways of overcoming problems caused by socioeconomic dynamics.

Developing strategic planning schemes for urban regeneration through mixed-use development in Seoul

ABSTRACTWhilst the generic visions and directions of urban regeneration in cites are well documented, far less is understood about the strategic approaches to this issue which are being used in specific urban contexts. This paper investigates strategic planning schemes (SPSs) and visions for mixed-use development to support urban regeneration in Seoul (South Korea), using a combination of a literature review and a survey. The results contribute to understanding the construction of SPSs for future urban development as well as to improving strategic planning for urban regeneration on a wider scale.

Context as Content in Urban Teacher Education

Urban teacher residencies have emerged as an innovation for recruiting, preparing, and retaining teachers for high-need urban schools. Though residencies aim to prepare teachers for specific urban contexts, we know little about how context is conceptualized in the teacher education curriculum or what teachers learn about it. This study finds that participants in one residency in San Francisco came to see context as complex and layered, interrupting stigmas often associated with urban schools. Participants felt well prepared to teach in particular high-need settings, but their knowledge and skills did not necessarily transfer to other urban settings in the same city.

Developing a Criteria Framework for Evaluation of the Urban Development Plans in Iran: Bridging the Gap between Knowledge and Action

This article discusses the conceptual requirements in preparing an evaluation framework for the urban development plans in Iran as well as modifies the evaluation criteria proposed in previous studies. Although applying a highly refined evaluation framework for assessing the quality of urban development plans can increase the efficiency of the development process, employing an unmodified framework in a specific urban context may negatively affect the development process because of exclusive conditions. An evaluation framework based on the worldwide experiences cannot normally be employed in the evaluation of the urban development plans of Iran. Hence, this research contributes to the advancement of a more adaptable evaluation framework for evaluation in four parts. These parts include (i) the examination of the urban development process of Iran; (ii) the extraction of a general evaluation framework from different studies and worldwide experiences; (iii) the analysis of the effective elements for the urban development plans of Iran through SWOT analysis; and (iv) the generation of an evaluation framework based on a preliminary analysis of the specific situation of the urban development plans of Iran.

DEVELOPING A CRITERIA FRAMEWORK FOR EVALUATION OF THE URBAN DEVELOPMENT PLANS IN IRAN: BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN KNOWLEDGE AND ACTION

This article discusses the conceptual requirements in preparing an evaluation framework for the urban development plans in Iran as well as modifies the evaluation criteria proposed in previous studies. Although applying a highly refined evaluation framework for assessing the quality of urban development plans can increase the efficiency of the development process, employing an unmodified framework in a specific urban context may negatively affect the development process because of exclusive conditions. An evaluation framework based on the worldwide experiences cannot normally be employed in the evaluation of the urban development plans of Iran. Hence, this research contributes to the advancement of a more adaptable evaluation framework for evaluation in four parts. These parts include (i) the examination of the urban development process of Iran; (ii) the extraction of a general evaluation framework from different studies and worldwide experiences; (iii) the analysis of the effective elements for the urban development plans of Iran through SWOT analysis; and (iv) the generation of an evaluation framework based on a preliminary analysis of the specific situation of the urban development plans of Iran.

Developing a Criteria Framework for Evaluation of the Urban Development Plans in Iran: Bridging the Gap between Knowledge and Action

This article discusses the conceptual requirements in preparing an evaluation framework for the urban development plans in Iran as well as modifies the evaluation criteria proposed in previous studies. Although applying a highly refined evaluation framework for assessing the quality of urban development plans can increase the efficiency of the development process, employing an unmodified framework in a specific urban context may negatively affect the development process because of exclusive conditions. An evaluation framework based on the worldwide experiences cannot normally be employed in the evaluation of the urban development plans of Iran. Hence, this research contributes to the advancement of a more adaptable evaluation framework for evaluation in four parts. These parts include (i) the examination of the urban development process of Iran; (ii) the extraction of a general evaluation framework from different studies and worldwide experiences; (iii) the analysis of the effective elements for the urban development plans of Iran through SWOT analysis; and (iv) the generation of an evaluation framework based on a preliminary analysis of the specific situation of the urban development plans of Iran.

Convergence and divergence in conceptualising and planning the sustainable city: an introduction

This special section navigates the contested terrain of the sustainable city and aims to develop new entry points for interdisciplinary dialogue and research. Six contributions from geography and planning critically engage with the simultaneous convergence of sustainable city visions and universal models of ‘best practice’ and the demonstrable divergence in how these visions and models are conceptualised and adopted in specific urban contexts. The papers unpack the implications of an emphasis on models and modelling of the sustainable city in relation to masterplanning, building assessment, governance, green urbanism, pedagogy and critical urban enquiry.

The Role of Public–Third Sector Relationships in Solving Social Issues: the Case of One-Stop-Shop Service for the Promotion of Female Immigrant Entrepreneurship in Montreal

Objective: The objective of this paper is to review the most relevant literature on the relationship between the State and the third sector in the development of responses to important social issues. This exploratory paper specifically examines a case of public third sector relationships, Montreal CEMFII, within the most consolidated relation types to highlight what characteristics match with it and what do not match. Research Design & Methods: An extensive review of the literature on the relationship between the State and the third sector was performed in order to develop a model of such relationships and stress their principal characteristics. A conceptual effort was made to situate the CEMFII within the more consolidated relation forms, in order to provide evidence of their pros and cons in such specific case. Findings: It is suggested that the development of a One-Stop-Shop service could remedy some of the difficulties female immigrants face when attempting to develop businesses. The paper also argues that the CEMFII, as a product of the State - third sector interactions, has been risky and complicated. However, while there is no evidence that its public funds dependency constitutes a threat to the mission and autonomy of the not-for-profit organisations involved, there exists a sustainability issue linked to political leadership changes. Implications & Recommendations: While the effectiveness of the CEMFII to solve female immigrant entrepreneurs difficulties, which should be furthermore ascertained with data in a future research, is generally acknowledged, it might be useful that the third sector organisations acquire a financial autonomy to diminish their dependency on the public funds, which is subject to political leadership changes, and to guarantee the sustainability of the project. Contribution & Value Added: The uniqueness of this work lies in applying general frameworks of public- third sector relations to a specific case within a specific urban socioeconomic context, where the effects of political leadership changes can be clearly viewed.

Entre o fundamental e o contingente: dimensões da gentrificação contemporânea nas operações urbanas em São Paulo

Opondo-se à importação direta de teorias, este artigo desenvolve um modelo analítico para o estudo da gentrificação que abarca tanto sua generalização como principal política do urbanismo neoliberal quanto sua localização em contextos urbanos específicos. O modelo analítico baseia-se em três dimensões necessárias e definidoras do processo: 1) produção do espaço gentrificável; 2) elitização social com expulsão de grupos vulneráveis; e, 3) transformação da paisagem construída. O estudo das operações urbanas em São Paulo demonstra que estas dimensões fundamentais são mediadas por estruturas locais e, nestes casos, contextualizadas em projetos urbanísticos individuais. Este artigo, portanto, explora as múltiplas escalas de promoção da gentrificação, enfatizando que formas de produção desigual do espaço e resistência às mesmas também são produzidas localmente.

Climate-Energy Policies, Heat Provision, and Urban Planning: A Renewal of Interest in District Heating in France: Insights from National and Local Levels

How do climate and energy objectives influence the renewal of the role of network infrastructures in urban planning and the running of urban systems? The example of the revival of interest in district heating networks provides a few possible answers to this question, which is central to the understanding and characterization of the conditions for carrying out the urban energy transition. In this paper, we study this example by analyzing recent changes in French regulations and the process of creating an intercommunal energy-related competence in the Lyon metropolitan area. Emphasis is placed on the institutional and political conditions surrounding a change in governance as well as the underlying justifications in the reconsideration of an existing infrastructure in view of new energy, climate, and social challenges within a specific urban context. Our study has been carried out in reference to several discussions on urban planning and on institutional, political, and spatial factors that shape urban infrastructure regimes.

Jardines privados y consumo de agua en las periferias urbanas de la comarca de La Selva (Girona)

En los espacios residenciales de baja densidad, la tipología de jardín se convierte en un factor determinante del consumo de agua en el hogar. En este artículo se utiliza el análisis clúster para identificar las diferentes tipologías de jardín privado que se dan en las urbanizaciones del sur de la comarca de La Selva (Girona). La información de base se obtuvo de 240 encuestas realizadas en viviendas unifamiliares de urbanizaciones ubicadas en 9 municipios de la comarca. Los resultados muestran la existencia de 4 tipologías de jardín: ornamental, huerto, césped y arbolado. A continuación se describen las relaciones existentes entre los distintos perfiles sociodemográficos de sus propietarios y las diversas tipologías de jardines identificadas. Por último, un análisis de regresión logística reveló cómo cada patrón de jardín está claramente asociado con unas determinadas características sociodemográficas de las familias, como serían la edad de los residentes, su interés en la jardinería, el tamaño de la familia o el tipo de ocupación (permanente/temporal) de la vivienda.

Maintaining Climate Change Experiments: Urban Political Ecology and the Everyday Reconfiguration of Urban Infrastructure

AbstractClimate change governance is increasingly being conducted through urban climate change experiments, purposive interventions that seek to reconfigure urban sociotechnical systems to achieve low‐carbon and resilient cities. In examining how experiments take effect, we suggest that we need to understand not only how they are made and assembled, but also how they are maintained within specific urban contexts. Drawing on literatures from urban political ecology and the specific debate on urban repair and maintenance, this article examines maintenance in two case studies of climate change experiments in housing in Bangalore (India) and Monterrey (Mexico). We find that maintenance is a crucial process through which not only urban obduracy is preserved, but also the novel and innovative character of the experiment is asserted and reproduced. The process of ‘maintaining’ experiments is a precarious one, which requires a continuous external input in terms of remaking the experiment materially and discursively. This process causes further reconfigurations beyond the experiment, changing the patterns of responsibility attribution and acceptability that configure the urban fabric.