Urban Development Strategies Research Articles

Environmental Effects of City–County Mergers in China: Strengthening Governance or Aggravating Pollution?

Green and high-quality development is the focus of China’s urban development strategy in the new era. The city–county merger policy has been one of several powerful tools used by the Chinese government to promote urbanization in recent decades, but whether and how it influences the environment has been rarely discussed. Using the multi-period difference-in-differences method and urban panel datasets, we investigated the environmental effects of the city–county merger policy in China from 2000–2016 and obtained the following results. First, the city–county mergers significantly reduce the environmental pollution of merged cities. The robustness tests support this conclusion. Second, the effects of city–county mergers on environmental pollution control decrease with the increase in geographical distance between the merged cities and counties; the smaller the differences in economic strength of merged cities and counties, the better the coordinated control of environmental pollution; the environmental governance effects of merged cities in the eastern region are lower than those in the central and western regions. Third, by intensifying the vertical management of urban environmental protection agencies, unified urban planning and fiscal centralization, the city–county mergers can strengthen the overall environmental governance capabilities of merged cities, reduce the negative effects of urbanization, and ultimately improve the environmental quality.

Integrated and coherent urban planning based on regional development strategies

Any modern urban community has to overview the development strategy regarding the future development. The lack of such a vision may lead to missed development opportunities, resources which are irrationally consumed, urban chaotic development. The study has been conducted with the focus on the city of Cluj, Romania but the findings are very much applicable to developing city like Riyadh. A harmonious urban development can be achieved only through an integrated approach of all the factors that influence the dynamics of the urban life: economic, environmental, social, cultural etc. This type of approach is crucial in urban design considering the problems facing cities nowadays regarding demographic variations, various economic fluctuations, lack of jobs, climate changes. According to the design regulations, sustainable planning should be based on four principles: global, functional, prospective and democratic. Urban design at regional level means practically a close collaboration at the level of sectorial policies between all municipalities in order to function as a whole. The paper discusses the urban development strategies of the Cluj-Napoca metropolitan area (sectorial strategies, strategic directions, operational programs). The project focuses on the main development problems that have arisen in Cluj-Napoca in the past decades, trying to find solutions in order to improve the quality of life; such as different infrastructure projects, redesign of urban spaces, refurbishing old building situated in historical centre etc. One of the main focuses of the paper regards is the expansion of public transportation, special attention being paid to the persons with disabilities and elderly; development of reliable and sustainable infrastructure at regional level, urban, periurban and rural areas in order to support economic development of Cluj-Napoca city. Another focus of the paper discusses the design and renovation of green spaces around the city. The research aims to be a guideline offering valuable suggestions for further urban development guides in terms of sustainable design for cities that are rapidly developing. Furthermore, it is of great relevance for the Saudi Vision 2030 regarding the sustainable cities and communities, building resilient and sustainable infrastructure in order to support economic growth, focusing on retrofitting industry and increasing resource-use efficiency.

Mersin City-Lab: Co-creative and participatory design approach for a circular neighbourhood

While environmental, economical and social challenges that the world has been facing recently are increasing dramatically; cities have played critical role in generation many of these problems like negative impacts on environment and overconsumption of resources. Most of the cities today face severe sustainability challenges including sanitation, air pollution, environmental degradation, over population and lack of livability. However, cities may also raise answers to find solutions against many of such complex urban problems, since they are assumed as creative and innovative platforms for social ecosystem of ideas. In this sense, there is increasing interest in ‘City Laboratories’ or ‘Urban Living Labs’, which are established to provide creative experimental platforms with participation of city actors to discuss urban sustainability issues before implementation of deep and structural urban changes for citizens. They provide participatory, co-creative and experimental platforms for self-organizing cities. The aim of this paper is to discuss a collaborative City Laboratory approach -Mersin City Lab- to achieve sustainability principles during urban regeneration process for the selected case-study area located in Mersin. Mersin City Lab focuses on two aspects: Firstly, ‘City Lab’ approach, involves citizens and stakeholders into decision-making process. Secondly, it focuses on urban transformation process with circularity principles including water, mobility, energy, waste management, food and circular economy to achieve sustainable neighborhood development. The paper starts with introduction of ‘city-gaming’ methodology which has been adopted as the main structure of participation of multi-stakeholders. It continues with discussions on stages of the case-study project through implementation of workshops and game sessions by participation of multi stake-holders. Following, the results gathered from overall evaluations of participants’ proposals regarding land-use, mobility and urban water management, local economy, urban development, urban agriculture and food strategies in neighborhood level are discussed. Finally, the paper concludes with impacts of City Labs approach and city-gaming methodology on decision-making process for real urban problems and urban settings.

Estimating Land-Use Change Using Machine Learning: A Case Study on Five Central Coastal Provinces of Vietnam

Population growth is one factor relevant to land-use transformation and expansion in urban areas. This creates a regular mission for local governments in evaluating land resources and proposing plans based on various scenarios. This paper discussed the future trend of three kinds of land-use in the five central coast provinces. Afterwards, the paper deployed machine learning such as Multivariate Adaptive Regression Splines (MARS), Random Forest Regression (RFR), and Lasso Linear Regression (LLR) to analyze the trend of rural land use and industrial land-use to urban land-use in the Central Coast Region of Vietnam. The input variables of land-use from 2010 to 2020 were obtained by the five provinces of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DONRE). The results showed that these models provided pieces of information about the relationship between urban, rural, and industrial land-use change data. Furthermore, the MARS model proved to be accurate in the Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Quang Nam provinces, whereas RFR demonstrated efficiency in the Thua Thien-Hue province and Da Nang city in the fields of land change prediction. Furthermore, the result enables to support land-use planners and decision-makers to propose strategies for urban development.

How Should We Measure? A Review of Circular Cities Indicators.

As the world continues to urbanize, it is necessary to identify and implement new urban development models and strategies in order to meet the challenges of sustainable development. As cities continue to face challenges in becoming fully circular, the need to establish a framework to measure the circular economy in urban areas grows. Many definitions for circular cities have been developed and addressed in recent years, as have numerous indicators. To make the transition to a circular city, we must integrate the findings and develop a general definition and measurement framework. This article aims at outlining a framework for circular cities indicators based on their key characteristics, as well providing directions for fostering circularity at the city level. To accomplish this goal, we conducted a systematic review and analyzed key papers published in the field of circular economy to determine how circular cities are measured. Choosing the right indicators to use for developing, monitoring, and evaluating circular cities is a difficult task for urban policymakers, managers, and planners. This highlights the significance of standardized frameworks for urban indicators. As a result, the authors propose a framework and highlight some key points about circular cities and smart urban metabolism.

IMPLEMENTATION OF SMART CITY POLICY TO ADVANCE THE ECONOMY IN BANDA ACEH CITY (CASE STUDY: URT CINTA KASIH HOUSING, PANTERIEK VILLAGE) ACEH PROVINCE

A smart city is an urban development and management strategy designed to assist various activities and provide easy information to the public. Since 2017, the Banda Aceh City Government has adopted an electronic-based planning system to encourage policymakers and create a transparent and participatory bureaucracy. In addition, Banda Aceh is a trading and service city that has significant micro-economic potential with the growth of the MSME sector reaching 25% per year and is the backbone of the city's economy (Bappeda Banda Aceh City, 2019). This potential must be encouraged by the use of technology and information as well as digital means to achieve better economies of scale. Therefore, the implementation of the smart city in Banda Aceh is expected to continue to grow to improve the economy and quality of life of the community. The focus of the research is the implementation of a smart city in Banda Aceh City and the role of the smart economy in improving the community's economy, especially HBE in Panteriek Village. By using a qualitative method involving the government, 23 household business actors, and digital marketing practitioners, the results show that the development and management of smart cities have been carried out optimally from a government perspective. However, the implementation is still not optimal due to the limited human resources from the government and users. On the other hand, the growth of business groups and the support of internet facilities provide great opportunities for the development of a smart economy by optimizing financial support to develop a marketplace to improve the economy and people's welfare.

Стратегический подход к развитию туризма в малых городах

The article analyzes the problems and directions of implementing a strategic approach to the development of tourism in small towns. In the context of the development of the supporting spatial frame of the country, an objective need arose to study the tourism sector as a tool for economic growth and improving the well-being of the population of small towns. The aim of the work is to identify the features of applying a strategic approach to the development of the tourism sector in small towns by assessing their current state in Russia, as well as developing ways to improve the process of strategizing the tourism sector. General scientific methods of synthesis, analysis, systematization, statistical data processing are applied. The most successful urban practices of strategic development of tourism are considered: Ples, Suzdal, Torzhok. It is shown that in order to achieve economic growth, it is possible to turn the city into a tourist destination. Based on the study of scientific and expert opinions, as well as an analysis of the actual strategies of cities, the authors proposed a model to ensure the sustainable development of tourism in small towns, which includes the following strategic factors: strategy or master plan of the city; comfortable urban environment; project and cluster approach; territory brand; involvement of government, business and local community; socially responsible tourism and ecology. The types of tourism are summarized, and recommendations are developed for the formation of strategic factors for ensuring the sustainable development of the tourism sector. An important direction should be a strategic approach to the development of small towns in order to ensure the interconnection and interconnection of the main documents of strategic planning and socio-economic development at all levels. The practical value of the study is that the developed recommendations can be used by local governments at the stages of development and implementation of urban tourism development strategies.

Sustainable urban development observatory of Thessaloniki - lessons learnt from the first year of operation

Abstract Sustainable Urban Development Observatory of Thessaloniki (SUDOTh) started operating in the first semester of 2020 with the objective to promote territorial evidence in policy making in urban governance. SUDOTh was developed as part of the Sustainable Urban Development Strategy 2016-2023 of Thessaloniki Metropolitan Area to address the need to obtain, observe and monitor how complex urban functions interact, at a territorial level, with product development (or lagging) effects. In the first year of operation, the Observatory had to set, test and evaluate the system of indicators and indexes it uses. Initially the system was formed in 4 basic sections: 1. Territorial Development and Urban renewal, 2. Urban Mobility, 3. Environmental Conditions and 4. Social Conditions. An extra set of indicators for Urban Governance was also developed. The process of data collection, test and evaluation of indicators was eventually coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic. This situation influenced deeply several urban functions as well as the data collection methodology. The first results and conclusions from the first year of the operation of SUDOTh are presented and discussed further in this paper.

Spatio-temporal variation and coupling coordination relationship between urbanisation and habitat quality in the Grand Canal, China

Urbanisation leads to dramatic changes in regional land use, which significantly affects habitat quality. Research on the coupling coordination relationship between urbanisation and habitat quality is conducive to promoting regional ecological environment improvement and urban sustainable development. In this article, we adopted the InVEST model and linear weighted sum method separately to evaluate the spatio-temporal variation characteristics of habitat quality and urbanisation level of the Grand Canal. Then, we used the coupling coordination degree model (CCDM) to investigate the interactive coercing relationship between urbanisation and habitat quality. The purpose was to provide reference for future implementation of ecological conservation work along the Grand Canal and formulation of sustainable urban development strategies. The results showed that habitat quality has continued to decline from 1990 to 2018. After becoming a world cultural heritage site, the habitat quality of the partial reaches has improved. The comprehensive urbanisation level and the four subsystem urbanisation levels, including demographic urbanisation, spatial urbanisation, economic urbanisation, and social urbanisation, of 35 cities along the Grand Canal have all steadily increased from 1990 to 2018. The social urbanisation level was obviously lower than the urbanisation levels of the other three dimensions in most cities along the Grand Canal, indicating that the quality of urbanisation seriously lags behind the speed. The coupling coordination degree (CCD) between the urbanisation level of each city and the habitat quality of the reaches in the corresponding city exhibited a fluctuating but increasing relationship. Most cities have developed in a more coordinated direction and very few cities have deteriorated. Meanwhile, the coupling coordination characteristics between urbanisation level and habitat quality have constantly changed, from the urbanisation lagged type to the urbanisation-habitat synchronised type and the habitat quality lagged type. This article has important value for implementing the ecological conservation and restoration projects of the Grand Canal, optimizing land management policies, and improving the sustainable development level of cities along the Grand Canal.

A method for assessing the vitality potential of urban areas. The case study of the Metropolitan City of Cagliari, Italy

Vitality and Urbanity emerge as key goals of strategies for urban sustainable development as necessary prerequisites for varied and prosperous cities. Vitality and urbanity are characteristics that emerge from the diversity of urban public spaces activities and have an impact on a people's sense of place. The proposed research examines the built environment components that impact urbanity and vitality and develops an analytic method for quantifying the potential of urban form to promote urbanity and vitality. The research investigates four aspects: (i) the conceptualization of urbanity and vitality; (ii) the identification of factors affecting urbanity and vitality; (iii) the definition of indicators and protocols; (iv) the application of the proposed analytic method for measuring the vitality potential of the Metropolitan City of Cagliari (MCC), in Sardinia, Italy. This study underlines the relevance of combining space syntax and spatial analysis techniques in order to address four issues concerning sustainable urban development: quantitative description of urban-friendly conditions, identification of spatial manifestations of social and economic processes, understanding of criticalities, and formulation of policies and strategies for reinforcing vibrant urban spaces. Thus, the proposed analytic method contributes to the application of the Geodesign paradigm to the urban realm by supporting the understanding of the conditions affecting the vitality and urbanity of the built environment.

An overview of effects of COVID-19 on mobility and lifestyle: 18months since the outbreak.

The outbreak of SARS-COV-2 has led to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 and caused over 4.5 million deaths worldwide by September 2021. Besides the public health crisis, COVID-19 affected the global economy and development significantly. It also led to changes in people’s mobility and lifestyle during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to short-term changes, the drastic transformation of the world may account for the potentially disruptive long-term impacts. Recognizing the adverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic is crucial in mitigating the negative behavioral changes that directly relate to people’s psychological and social well-being. It is important to stress that citizens and governments face an uncertain situation since nobody knows exactly how the viruses and cures will develop. Better understanding of uncertainties and evaluating behavioral changes contribute to addressing the future of urban development, public transportation, and behavioral strategies to tackle COVID-19 negative consequences. The major sources of impacts on short-term (route, departure time, mode, teleshopping, and teleworking) and medium and long-term (car ownership, work location, choice of job, and residential location) mobility decisions are mostly reviewed and discussed in this paper.

Multi-objective optimization of urban environmental system design using machine learning

The efficacy of urban mitigation strategies for heat and carbon emissions relies heavily on local urban characteristics. The continuous development and improvement of urban land surface models enable rather accurate assessment of the environmental impact on urban development strategies, whereas physically-based simulations remain computationally costly and time consuming, as a consequence of the increasing complexity of urban system dynamics. Hence it is imperative to develop fast, efficient, and economic operational toolkits for urban planners to foster the design, implementation, and evaluation of urban mitigation strategies, while retaining the accuracy and robustness of physical models. In this study, we adopt a machine learning (ML) algorithm, viz. Gaussian Process Regression, to emulate the physics of heat and biogenic carbon exchange in the built environment. The ML surrogate is trained and validated on the simulation results generated by a state-of-the-art single-layer urban canopy model over a wide range of urban characteristics, showing high accuracy in capturing heat and carbon dynamics. Using the validated surrogate model, we then conduct multi-objective optimization using the genetic algorithm to optimize urban design scenarios for desirable urban mitigation effects. While the use of urban greenery is found effective in mitigating both urban heat and carbon emissions, there is manifest trade-offs among ameliorating diverse urban environmental indicators.

Collective intelligence for more inclusive communities

Urban development strategies are more and more centred on citizens’ needs and requirements. In this regard, collective intelligence can be understood as a fundamental element in enhancing the creation and development of more inclusive communities. This paper aims to present various ways in which collective intelligence can contribute to develop smart urban areas, formed by strong inclusive communities, giving as example different cities that have implemented this concept. The methodology used to carry out this research is both bibliographic – opting here to study the work of specialists in the field, authors from Romania and abroad, and empirical – formed by a case study on various smart cities around the world that use the concept mentioned. This type of intelligence is starting to be a very important issue in smart cities’ evolution, improving the relationship between government and citizens. Even though technology is a significant element, citizens and public institutions’ capability and will to collaborate for finding and implementing the best solutions for communities’ problems should also be considered.

Seeing Luanda from Salvador: Lineaments of a Southern Atlantic Urbanism

AbstractThis paper analyses the oceanic character of Luanda’s contemporary urbanism as a way of undoing continental entrapments in the study of cities. Tracing the lineage of an urban development initiative in the Angolan capital back to Brazil’s Salvador da Bahia, the paper provides a look into how a Brazilian construction company turned to real estate to forge, export, and implement a distinctive mode of being and becoming urban across the Southern Atlantic. In doing this, the paper also makes emphatic the critical role played by oil extraction in the devising of urban development strategies on both sides of the Atlantic, which then opens up an enquiry into the direct and profound impact that sugar and slavery had in the making of Salvador. By seeing Luanda from Salvador, the aim of this paper is to flesh out enduring features of what is presented as a form of Southern Atlantic urbanism.

Nonlinear effects of factors on dockless bike-sharing usage considering grid-based spatiotemporal heterogeneity

• Examined the spatiotemporal pattern of BSS using random forest with PDP. • Analyzed the relative importance of influencing factors across different scenarios. • Revealed the nonlinear and threshold effect of built environment factors. • Compared the heterogeneous impact of influencing factors between study areas. To better understand dockless bike-sharing (DBS) usage and advance the knowledge on shared bicycle service, this study empirically investigated the riding behavior in the time and space dimensions based on multisource datasets. Taking Central Business District (CBD) and Beijing West Railway Station (BWRS) as study areas, this study analyzed and compared the DBS usage based on the traffic grid between the two study areas. Furthermore, the random forest (RF) model was applied to investigate the contribution of influencing factors on origin/ destination and origin–destination pair trip volume. Partial Dependence Plots (PDP) analysis was conducted to explore the nonlinear effects of influencing factors. Results show considerable variation across different scenarios. Variables such as government agencies, restaurants, bus stop distance, and metro distance show nonlinear and threshold effects on DBS usage. The findings offer valuable insights for urban infrastructure development and bike rebalancing strategies, and the formulation of green and sustainable transportation policies.

Does Carbon Emissions, and Economic Expansion Induce Health Expenditure in China: Evidence for Sustainability Perspective

The current paper assesses the drivers of health care expenditure such as urbanization, natural resources, economic expansion, and CO2 utilizing quarterly data from 2000Q1 to 2018Q4. The research applied the novel dual adjustment approach to identify the long run association between healthcare expenditure and urbanization, economic growth, natural resource and CO2 emissions. The main novelty of the dual adjustment approach is that the approach offers another way to cointegration analysis by relaxing the implicit assumption of the singular adjustment in cointegration analysis. The outcome of the dual adjustment approach affirmed cointegration among the variables in the long run. Furthermore, we applied fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS), dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS) and canonical cointegrating regression (CCR) estimators and their results disclosed that economic growth, urbanization, and CO2 emissions increase health care expenditure while natural resource rent mitigates healthcare expenditure in China. Moreover, the spectral causality test uncovered that urbanization, economic growth, natural resource, and CO2 emissions can predict healthcare expenditure at various frequencies. Based on these findings, China’s policymakers should establish strategic environmental management policies that improve healthy and clean air to reduce healthcare costs. In addition, policymakers in China should reevaluate their urban development strategies to avoid negative externalities associated with fast urbanization.

Resilience of human settlements to climate change needs the convergence of urban planning and urban climate science

The impact of climate extremes upon human settlements is expected to accelerate. There are distinct global trends for a continued rise in urban dwellers and associated infrastructure. This growth is occurring amidst the increasing risk of extreme heat, rainfall, and flooding. Therefore, it is critical that the urban development and architectural communities recognize climate impacts are expected to be experienced globally, but the cities and urban regions they help create are far more vulnerable to these extremes than nonurban regions. Designing resilient human settlements responding to climate change needs an integrated framework. The critical elements at play are climate extremes, economic growth, human mobility, and livability. Heightened public awareness of extreme weather crises and demands for a more moral climate landscape has promoted the discussion of urban climate change ethics. With the growing urgency for considering environmental justice, we need to consider a transparent, data-driven geospatial design approach that strives to balance environmental justice, climate, and economic development needs. Communities can greatly manage their vulnerabilities under climate extremes and enhance their resilience through appropriate design and planning towards long-term stability. A holistic picture of urban climate science is thus needed to be adopted by urban designers and planners as a principle to guide urban development strategy and environmental regulation in the context of a growingly interdependent world.

Life cycle assessment study on the public transport bus fleet electrification in the context of sustainable urban development strategy

In this paper, the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method was applied to investigate the environmental impact of the electrification of the urban bus fleet. Public bus transport in large urban agglomerations is one of the main sources of pollution. To reduce the generation of pollution, electrification of the bus fleet is considered as one of the potential solutions. The authors developed three models of buses with different power units: diesel bus, diesel hybrid bus, and electric bus. The impacts of model buses were analysed at the stage of their production and operation in the city, as well as the impact of diesel fuel and electricity production. Furthermore, a case study was conducted based on the example of the Polish city of Krakow, demonstrating three possible scenarios for the electrification of the urban bus fleet. Moreover, an analysis of the environmental impact of the current and future Polish national energy production system until 2040 was carried out. Using the IMPACT 2002+ Life Cycle Impact Assessment (LCIA) method, the results were reported in four damage endpoint categories: human health, ecosystem quality, climate change, and resources. It was shown that increasing the share of electric buses in urban fleets can be highly beneficial in all four categories if the electricity used to power the electric buses is produced from enough low- and zero-emission energy sources. In addition, the level of environmental burden generated by the different phases of the life cycle of the bus was characterised. Overall, the advantages and possible problems of urban bus fleet electrification were highlighted, and recommendations for future sustainable development strategies were suggested. Thus, this study can be useful as an algorithm to support decision-making related to the electrification of city bus fleets.

Understanding the contrasting effects of policy-driven ecosystem conservation projects in northeastern China

Understanding the spatial patterns and temporal dynamics in ecosystem services can provide scientific guidance to promote the sustainable management of ecosystems. Comprehensive and detailed information of ecosystem services response to multiple development and conservation policies is needed for Liaoning. Therefore, this study examined land cover changes and documented ecosystem service dynamics associated with diverse policies in this region. The results revealed that agricultural development was considered to be the most significant factor leading to the degradation of natural vegetation. Moreover, large-area croplands recovered to natural vegetation under the guidance of ecological restoration policies, resulting in a net woodland area increase by 220.45 km2. Built-up land expanded markedly at the expense of cropland, while newly formed cropland was primarily converted from wetland and woodland. Furthermore, ecosystem carbon stock, soil retention and water yield were enhanced at the Liaoning scale, while habitat suitability experienced a slight decline. Ecological rehabilitation programs enhanced synergies between ecosystem services, while urban development strategy may be responsible for the trade-offs between supply services and regulation services. In terms of current policy and ecosystem service dynamics, it is worth considering how to weaken policy-driven natural ecosystem losses and promote the efficacy of ecological rehabilitation programs. The findings in this study are expected to benefit both ecological protection and socio-economic prosperity in Liaoning.

Urbanization and Slum Development with Special Reference to Erode District of Tamilnadu

Abstract: The present study is focusing on urbanisation and slum development with special reference to Erode district, Tamilnadu. The urban population in the world is rising generally. The estimates are that more than 60% of the increase in the world’s urban population over the next three decades will be in Asia, mostly in China and India, but also in Pakistan, Bangladesh, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Nine out of 23 cities with populations of more than 10 million people are in Asia. Similarly, Asia will have many cities projected to have more than a million people each. This is reflected in poor housing, urban infrastructural support, and social and reproductive health services. It could be concluded that the number of children of respondents. Out of the 100 respondents, the highest of 62 respondents have male children and 25 respondents have studied with 112 female child. The status of children range value is found that 49 between 13 and 62. So the 13 respondents are not having any children. No child is one of the drawbacks of in the study area. It is found from the results that 38 of the respondents living in concrete house. The 32 of the respondents are living in Tiled house. The 15 of the respondents were living asbestos house. From the analysis, it is concluded that the similar of 15 of the respondents living in asbestos sheets/any other houses. They must be given the highest priority in all new urban development and urban renewal schemes. This must include a substantial increase in investments in infrastructure, in household connections and in slum targeting Building decision making processes that include representatives from poor communities and wider stakeholders to brokerpro-poor investments and scale up urban water supply and sanitation programs in slums. Urban development and water and sanitation specialists must identify and adopt the political, institutional and policy changes that bring about pro-poor field practices and accelerated slum improvements. Keywords: Urbanization and Slum Development, Socio-Economic conditions and Major Problems faced.