Urban Studies Research Articles

Conjunctural municipalism and the struggle for Zagreb: Hegemony, crisis, articulation, praxis

There is renewed interest in conjunctural approaches within urban studies, human geography and beyond to help interpret the troubles of the political present. Moves have been made to specify and systematise a methodological remit for conjunctural analysis, yet there is a risk of losing the political impulse motivating such approaches. As such, this article brings together different intellectual and political currents informing conjunctural analysis to posit an alternative heuristic attuned towards social and political intervention. We frame this through four key concepts – hegemony, crisis, articulation and praxis – each explored as the ‘causes’ of conjunctural thinking, understood capaciously as purpose, nature, method and form, and not only origin and explanation. In doing so, we offer a practical framework for a conjunctural action-research agenda refocused on generating theory that is useful for place-based struggles. Focusing on how new municipalist politics are transforming the urban political economy of Zagreb, Croatia, we demonstrate how this framing by hegemony, crisis, articulation and praxis can illuminate the shifting balance of forces faced by activists – and how these may be turned to tactical advantage – to, in turn, shed light on conjunctural thinking as a promising theory and method for praxis. Analysing the new municipalist movement, in Zagreb and beyond, as both a product of the current conjuncture – as conjunctural municipalism – and as a deeply conjunctural strategy made in response to crisis conditions and opportunities – as municipalist conjuncturalism – we conclude by suggesting possible ways forward for the kinds of conjunctural methods and politics so urgently needed.

The impact of platform affordance on the representation of iconic architecture: a case study of Markthal across visual social media

PurposeThis paper explores how platforms shape the representation of iconic architecture across visual social media platforms, particularly how their unique features and affordances impact these representations.Design/methodology/approachThis paper develops an integrated framework connecting iconic architecture representation, platform affordance and triadic spatial theory. Taking Rotterdam’s Markthal as a case study and collecting multimodal data from TikTok, Instagram and Google Maps, the paper uses a mixed-methods approach that integrates content analysis with qualitative coding and quantitative image/video label detection and image clustering.FindingsTikTok is more associated with enriching lived space by enabling users to share vibrant, personal experiences and activities. Instagram influences perceived space more by shaping how users view and experience the physical environment through curated visual content. Meanwhile, Google Maps effectively shapes conceived and perceived space by users’ feedback of place ratings and reviews.Research limitations/implicationsUnderstanding how platform affordances influence the representation of iconic architecture helps designers and researchers generate design strategies and guides marketers in strategically selecting effective social media platforms for architecture promotion.Originality/valueThis research addresses the gap in understanding the impact of platform affordances on social media representations, especially through comparisons across multiple visual social media platforms. Its novel contribution is introducing the concept of affordance from media studies to architecture and urban studies while enhancing traditional text analysis with computational methods for analysing videos and images.

Simulation of the heat mitigation potential of unsealing measures in cities by parameterizing grass grid pavers for urban microclimate modelling with ENVI-met (V5)

Abstract. Many urban areas are characterized by both a growing population and an intensification of summer heat events in the context of climate change. Thus, more and more people are exposed to heat stress and corresponding health consequences. Measures for climate change adaptation, such as unsealing strategies, are needed in the existing urban fabric to reduce sensible heat flux by increasing latent heat flux to cool down the urban environment without requiring additional space or changing the basic function of the area. Unsealing measures like grass grid pavers (GGPs) can also help to reduce flooding risks due to increased infiltration and water storage capacities. Up to now, a parameterization of GGPs for microclimatic simulations is not available. To fill this research gap, we present a new GGP model parameterization developed for the fluid dynamics microclimate ENVI-met model based on field measurements with double-ring infiltrometers, etc., which can also be implemented in other microscale models in the field of urban climatology. To analyse the microclimatic effects and the cooling potential of this GGP parameterization, scenario analyses were performed using a validated ENVI-met model setup for an urban high-density study area in Cologne, Germany. An extreme scenario was designed to address the maximum cooling potential of the GGPs in comparison to the dominant sealed asphalt surfaces in the study area, along with a more realistic scenario with a usage-compatible installation of GGPs in the model domain only in side streets and inner courtyards while main streets remain sealed. We found a maximum cooling potential of up to −20.1 K for ground surface temperature and up to −7.1 K for air temperature at 1 m above ground level for the hottest hour of a simulated 3 d heat wave in summer 2022, which represents a 20-year heat event in Cologne. On spatial average, a decrease of up to −11.1 K for surface temperature and up to −2.9 K for air temperature was determined. On temporal average for the 3 d heat event, statistically significant mean temperature differences of −5.8 K for surface temperature and −1.1 K for air temperature were simulated. Cooling effects are more pronounced during the daytime for surface temperature, especially in unshaded areas, while cooling effects for air temperature are strongest during the nighttime. Model results also show that the entire air volume in the study area is cooled down due to this adaptation measure, even in areas of the domain where no surfaces have been unsealed in the scenario design. The more realistic GGP scenario shows cooling effects of a comparable magnitude to the extreme GGP scenario. Thus, even partial GGP unsealing is an effective adaptation measure for reducing extreme temperatures in cities if water availability is not limited.

An Emotion Detection GIS-Based Framework for Evaluating Exposure to Heatwave Scenarios in Urban Settlements During a Pandemic

The study of impacts on and risks to citizens generated by climatic or environmental phenomena in urban settlements is made complex by the coexistence of events that can affect the risk assessment. In this work, a model for the assessment of impacts on and risks to the population generated by heatwaves in urban settlements in the presence of pandemic periods is proposed. The presence of epidemics is treated as a stressor that contributes to altering exposure. To assess the prevalence of this stressor, a fuzzy-based emotion detection method is utilized, which uses the FREDoC framework to categorize the subzones that comprise the urban study area according to the relevance of the pleasant and unpleasant emotions of the citizens, identified based on the examination of posts that have been published on social networks. The proposed model was tested on the urban area of study of the city of Naples in Italy, taking into consideration a heatwave scenario that occurred in the summer of 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic and analyzing the variation in exposure in the thirty districts into which the city is partitioned. The findings demonstrate that the model can accurately represent the range of impacts and hazards associated with the heatwave brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Психологические аспекты восприятия человеком городской среды в контексте устойчивого развития

The aim of this study is to examine the theoretical concepts of research on the formation of urban environment perception psychology. The study employs an interdisciplinary approach that combines theoretical developments in environmental psychology, urban psychology, architectural psychology, and urban studies. The primary research methods include the analysis and systematization of scientific literature, comparative analysis, and synthesis. The study demonstrates the relationship between urban environment characteristics, psychological mechanisms of human adaptation to these characteristics, and the level of psychological well-being of urban residents. The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the impact of various urban environment factors on human psyche and offers practical recommendations for applying knowledge about the peculiarities of human spatial perception to create a more comfortable and psychologically favorable urban environment. The research results can be used to develop theoretical concepts on the interaction between humans and the urban environment, particularly to refine and develop the concept of psychological resilience and adaptation in urbanization conditions, as well as to develop new methods and approaches to studying urban space perception. Conclusions are drawn that human perception of the urban environment is complex and multifactorial, determined by both the objective characteristics of the city and the individual psychological characteristics of the person. Furthermore, there is a need to develop new approaches to urban environment design and development, based on considering human psychological needs and aimed at improving their well-being.

Fine-Grained Building Classification in Rural Areas Based on GF-7 Data

Building type information is widely used in various fields, such as disaster management, urbanization studies, and population modelling. Few studies have been conducted on fine-grained building classification in rural areas using China’s Gaofen-7 (GF-7) high-resolution stereo mapping satellite data. In this study, we employed a two-stage method combining supervised classification and unsupervised clustering to classify buildings in the rural area of Pingquan, northern China, based on building footprints, building heights, and multispectral information extracted from GF-7 data. In the supervised classification stage, we compared different classification models, including Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) and Random Forest classifiers. The best-performing XGBoost model achieved an overall roof type classification accuracy of 88.89%. Additionally, we proposed a template-based building height correction method for pitched roof buildings, which combined geometric features of the building footprint, street view photos, and height information extracted from the GF-7 stereo image. This method reduced the RMSE of the pitched roof building heights from 2.28 m to 1.20 m. In the cluster analysis stage, buildings with different roof types were further classified in the color and shape feature spaces and combined with the building height information to produce fine-grained building type codes. The results of the roof type classification and fine-grained building classification reveal the physical and geometric characteristics of buildings and the spatial distribution of different building types in the study area. The building classification method proposed in this study has broad application prospects for disaster management in rural areas.

Mobile urbanism from below: Afro-Christian churches as place-makers and scale-makers in European midsized cities

This article conceptualises Afro-Christian churches as vectors for the circulation of spatial knowledge. Scholarship on the ‘reverse mission’ of Afro-Christian churches to Europe emphasises their emplacement in global cities. Yet, during the last decades, new religious geographies have been produced, resulting in a dense, trans-urban network of Afro-Christian churches in Europe, covering not only global cities but also – and more dominantly – midsized cities. This article argues that along this emerging polycentric, trans-urban network of Afro-Christian churches place-making practices are exchanged that impact on and interconnect urban landscapes globally. Referring to recent advances in policy transfer literature, this phenomenon is conceptualised as a ‘mobile urbanism from below’. Apart from discussing the Afro-Christian place-making practices that are circulated by mundane transfer agents and the emergence of a ‘transnational vernacular’ that (invisibly) regenerates ‘the surrounds’ of cities worldwide from below, the article demonstrates how this ‘mobile urbanism from below’ has significant implications for the (subjective) scalar repositioning of cities. By developing the notion ‘mobile urbanism from below’, this article illustrates how (the spatialities and materialities of) European cities are made in relation to cities elsewhere and questions Eurocentric views within urban studies from within Europe itself.

Co-occurrence of bronchiectasis, airway wall thickening, and emphysema in Chinese low-dose CT screening.

To assess the co-occurrence of incidental CT lung findings (emphysema, bronchiectasis, and airway wall thickening) as well as associated risk factors in low-dose CT (LDCT) lung cancer screening in a Chinese urban population. Data from 978 participants aged 40-74 years from the Chinese NELCIN-B3 urban population study who underwent LDCT screening were selected. CT scans were reviewed for incidental lung findings: emphysema, bronchiectasis and airway wall thickness. Emphysema was defined in three ways (≥ trace, ≥ mild, or ≥ moderate) depending on severity. Participants were described and stratified by presence or absence of incidental lung findings. Logistic regression analyses were performed to examine the relationship between participant characteristics and CT findings. Mean age was 61.3 years ± 6.8 and 533 (54.6%) were female. 48% of participants had incidental lung findings: 19.9% had emphysema (≥ mild), 9.2% had bronchiectasis, and 35.7% had airway wall thickening. Among 978 participants, 2.1% showed all three findings. Multivariable analysis showed that higher age (OR: 1.06; 95% CI: 1.04-1.08; p < 0.001), male sex (OR: 1.68; 95% CI: 1.14-2.47; p = 0.008) smoking history (OR: 1.76; 95% CI: 1.02-3.03; p = 0.04 for former smokers; OR: 2.45; 95% CI: 1.59-3.78; p < 0.001 for current smokers), and the presence of respiratory symptoms (OR: 1.42; 95% CI: 1.01-2.00; p = 0.04) were associated with the risk of having at least one incidental lung findings. When different definitions of emphysema were used, the results remained consistent. In a Chinese urban population undergoing LDCT lung cancer screening, 48% had at least one incidental CT lung finding, which was associated with higher age, male sex, questionnaire-based respiratory symptoms and smoking history. Question Reporting of incidental lung findings that indicate lung disease risk lacks consensus in the cancer screening setting and needs evidence of co-occurrence in general populations. Findings Almost half of the 978 participants had at least one incidental lung CT finding; these were associated with older age, male sex, respiratory symptoms, and smoking history. Clinical relevance Incidental lung findings and related risk factors are often observed in low-dose CT lung cancer screening, and careful consideration of their relevance should be given to their inclusion in future screenings.

Pengendalian Lingkungan: Pengaruh Edukasi Pengolahan Sampah Organik Rumah Tangga Menggunakan Metode TAKAKURA

The amount of food waste and leaves generated in the city of Bandung in 2021 was 1,430.04 tons per day and will continue to increase in 2024 by 1,796.51 tons per day. This condition needs to be controlled, so that it does not cause waste problems in the city of Bandung. In light of these conditions, a team of lecturers from the Urban and Regional Planning Study Program at the Universitas Islam Bandung educated the community on the processing of food and household waste, aiming to enable the community to convert organic waste into a more beneficial resource while preventing environmental pollution, including its potential reuse as fertilizer. In order to achieve the goal of educating the community, the team conducted education on organic waste processing using the Takakura method, together with 29 women of the Ta'lim Abu Bakar Assembly at RT 001 RW 012 Sekejati Village - Buahbatu District. Service activities include 7 (seven) stages, namely planning, coordination, socialization, Pre-Test, education about waste, assistance in making products and evaluation of activities (Post-Test). In the core activity, before the presentation on the understanding of waste management using the Takakura Method, PkM participants were given a questionnaire to find out their understanding of waste and its processing system. Subsequently, the presentation of material and compost making practices using the Takakura Method was carried out, and ended with an evaluation of activities (Post-Test) with the distribution of questionnaires. The results of the PkM activity include an increase in the understanding of PkM participants from 60% to 77% after education. The highest understanding of participants in the types of organic waste and 3R waste sorting was 93%. In addition, PkM participants were also very active during the activity and continued the activity of making kompok (waste processing) using the Takakura Method in their respective homes. So it is hoped that PkM activities can help the community better understand waste sorting, the importance of sorting organic waste, a cleaner environment, and the realization of sustainability.

Identifying urban land use through higher-order spatial interactions

ABSTRACT Crowd flow connects various geographic spaces in cities, revealing inter-regional associations that are crucial for urban land – use identification. Existing research mainly focuses on binary connections between pairs of regions, overlooking associations among multiple regions. Addressing this gap, we propose a network model that uses a hypergraph neural network to extract key features of higher-order connections for urban land – use classification. Additionally, a similarity enhancement module is incorporated to augment the recognition capabilities of the model. Compared with graph neural networks, incorporating higher-order connections among multiple regions improves urban land – use identification. Metrics show a decrease of 0.4 in L1 distance, 2.35 in KL divergence, and 0.14 in Chebyshev distance, while cosine similarity increased by 0.25, particularly in areas with high crowd mobility. The similarity enhancement module further refines the ability of the model to capture regional similarities, particularly effective in large contiguous areas or regions with extreme points of interest distributions. Additionally, the degree of land – use mixing and inter-regional movement influences the effectiveness of higher-order connections in recognizing land use, with noticeable negative and positive impacts, respectively. This study provides methods and insights for the utilization of higher-order associations in land-use identification and urban studies on crowd flow.

Hierarchical accompanying and inhibiting patterns on the spatial arrangement of taxi local hotspots

ABSTRACT The spatial arrangement of taxi hotspots indicates their inherent distribution relationships, reflecting their spatial organization structure, and has received attention in urban studies. Previous studies have primarily explored large-scale hotspots through visual analysis or simple indices, which typically spans hundreds or even thousands of meters. However, the spatial arrangement patterns of small-scale hotspots representing specific popular pick-up and drop-off locations have been largely overlooked. In this study, we quantitatively examine the spatial arrangement of local hotspots in Wuhan and Beijing, China, using taxi trajectory data. Local hotspots are small-scale hotspots with the highest density near the center. Their optimal radius is adaptively calculated based on the data, which is 90 m × 90 m and 110 m × 110 m in Wuhan and Beijing, respectively. Popular hotspots are typically surrounded by less popular ones, although regions with many popular hotspots inhibit the presence of less popular ones. These configurations are termed as hierarchical accompanying and inhibiting patterns. Finally, inspired by both patterns, a KNN-based model is developed to describe these relationships and successfully reproduce the spatial distribution of less popular hotspots based on the most popular ones. These insights enhance our understanding of local urban structures and support urban planning.

Towards sustainable cities: Evaluating the distribution and functionality of green spaces in Atakum

The rapid increase in urbanization has led to a concentration of population and buildings, resulting in reduced green spaces and disrupted ecological balance. This trend negatively affects the well-being and quality of life in cities. Designing green spaces according to planning standards and protecting these areas is crucial for the sustainability of urban environments and the preservation of livable spaces for future generations. In light of these challenges, it is vital to preserve and expand green spaces for both environmental and social reasons. This study aims to evaluate the spatial distribution, size, and adequacy of existing green spaces in 16 neighborhoods of Atakum, a district in Samsun that has recently undergone intense urbanization. It also assesses the accessibility of these spaces using Geographic Information Systems (GIS). The analysis of urban green spaces in Atakum was conducted through spatial and buffer zone analyses using the Spatial Analyst tool in ARCGIS 10.7, revealing the current situation of these vital areas. The findings highlight the significance of green spaces in ensuring livable and sustainable urban development, especially in rapidly urbanizing areas. The research identifies substantial disparities in the distribution and accessibility of open and green spaces in Atakum, indicating an urgent need for improved urban planning. Using GIS analysis, the study compares the availability of green spaces against the World Health Organization’s recommended standard of 10 m² per person. Results show that many neighborhoods fall short of this benchmark, a situation exacerbated by rapid urbanization and population growth. This deficit adversely impacts residents' physical and mental well-being, as adequate green space is essential for public health, social cohesion, and environmental sustainability. Additionally, the analysis reveals that existing green spaces primarily serve recreational purposes and lack multifunctionality, limiting their usability for diverse community needs. To address these deficiencies, the study recommends a multi-faceted urban planning approach, emphasizing the equitable distribution of green spaces, the design of multifunctional areas, and robust community engagement in the planning process. It also stresses the need for stronger legal frameworks to preserve and create green spaces, advocating for the integration of research and data analysis to inform evidence-based policies. In conclusion, this research contributes to understanding how urban green spaces can enhance livability, particularly in the context of climate resilience. The findings underscore the importance of strategic planning in fostering sustainable and inclusive urban environments in Atakum, offering valuable insights for future urban studies in similar contexts.

Innovations and Challenges in the Preservation of the Batak Language by the Protestant Batak Christian Huria Church (HKBP) among Youth in the Context of Urbanization in Jakarta

In the dynamic urban context of Jakarta, the preservation of regional languages faces significant challenges, especially among the younger generation. This study examines the role of the Huria Christian Batak Protestant Church (HKBP, a Protestant Batak Christian Church) in maintaining the existence of the Batak language in the midst of urbanization, by applying social identity theory to understand the dynamics of language preservation and cultural identity. Using a qualitative approach, the study involved in-depth interviews with 30 young congregations and 10 key HKBP figures, as well as participatory observation of church activities over a six-month period. The results of the analysis revealed that HKBP's main efforts in preserving the Batak language are centered on the use of the language in worship, with 75% of respondents stating the importance of this practice. The study also identified several additional initiatives, such as cultural seminars, cultural performances, and the use of traditional musical instruments in worship. The main challenges faced include the low enthusiasm of the younger generation (60% of respondents), the pressure of assimilation of metropolitan culture, and the limitations of effective preservation programs outside the context of worship. The findings emphasized the importance of developing more comprehensive and innovative strategies, including the potential use of digital technology and social media, to increase the appeal of the Batak language among urban youth. This research results in a religious community-based language preservation model that can be applied in urban contexts, offering a new perspective in urban sociolinguistic studies and cultural diversity management. The strategic recommendations are prepared to maximize the role of religious institutions as agents of cultural preservation, with a focus on synergy between churches, families, and urban Batak communities. This study highlights the potential and challenges of religious institutions in bridging tradition and modernity, as well as maintaining cultural identity amid urban social complexity. Although limited to the context of HKBP in Jakarta, these findings provide valuable insights for the study of minority language preservation in urban environments more broadly

Soviet Monuments in Urban Space: Reformatting the Past

The article is devoted to the problem of transformation of the role of Soviet monuments in modern urban space. The author examines the changes in their perception in the context of cultural, social and political processes, and also shows how monuments are used as an arena for memorial conflicts. Special attention is paid to the loss of their memorial significance and their inclusion in individual and folklore practices reflecting changes in the identity of society. The purpose of the study is to analyze the mechanisms of reformatting Soviet monuments, their symbolic significance and influence on collective memory. As a result, the author proves that monuments originally created to promote ideological values acquire new symbolic functions over time. In modern conditions, they often lose their original commemorative role, becoming elements of urban folklore, tourist sites or even the basis for Internet content. In addition, their transformation, associated with physical changes or recoding of meanings, turns monuments into a tool for rethinking the past and expressing modern identity. It is noted that Soviet monuments are becoming objects of memorial conflicts, especially in post-Soviet countries, where changes in memory policy cause discussions in society. The conclusions of the article will be useful to researchers engaged in the study of memory, cultural policy and urbanism, as well as to anyone interested in the history of the Soviet heritage. The article emphasizes the importance of rethinking the past in shaping the modern urban environment and identity.

“Lviv Interactive” and Exploring Artists’ Spaces on a Digital Map

The paper discusses the utilization of digital maps and an encyclopedia platform, hosted by the Center for Urban History in Lviv, to delve into the history of artistic milieus and practices within the spatial context of Lviv during the late 1980s. The digital project’s objective was to present the lives and artistic practices of alternative artists in Lviv through various mediums such as video walks, stories, digitized collections, analytical texts, and a digital map. By combining visual anthropology, art history, urban studies, and oral history through the Lviv Interactive platform and digital storytelling tools like ArcGIS and Storymaps, the project addressed the question: How did the city shape contemporary art in Lviv? The authors argue that integrating digital tools, web interfaces, and established academic concepts in our daily lives represents the emergence of digital history, a convergence that scholars employ to interpret our surroundings. However, the concept of a purely digital history may only materialize when our cognitive abilities are digitized, potentially merging with the domain of artificial intelligence rather than traditional analog historians. The experiences and uncertainties encountered during the City and Art on the Edge project further reinforced the notion of digital hermeneutics as an intermediary state, emphasizing the inherent tensions between the tangible analog world and the digital realm.

Beyond Coordinates: Exploring Street Naming Practices in Contemporary Ukraine

The paper examines street naming practices in contemporary Ukraine, focusing on the complexity and cultural significance of toponymic changes. In the wake of the Revolution of Dignity and the Russo-Ukrainian War, decommunization gained momentum, changing the names of streets from the Soviet period. The study employs a qualitative approach, is based on document analysis, and presents the case study of historical street names in Lviv as an example. Particular attention is given to Lviv, where a comprehensive dataset of historical street names from the 14th to the 18th centuries has been compiled and presented on an interactive web map. This map not only showcases valuable toponymic data but also contributes to public engagement and promotes the city’s heritage. The study highlights the multifaceted consequences of street renaming. By examining theoretical frameworks of onomastics, urban studies, and cultural geography, it contributes to interdisciplinary discourses on naming studies. Ultimately, it advocates for a holistic approach that harmoniously combines modern realities with historical traditions, ensuring the preservation of cultural identity while considering societal transformations.

Moving for mobility? Suburban spatial imaginaries

The critique of urban sprawl and the increased focus on low-carbon transitions have led to changes in urban and regional policies and planning in many city regions. This article examines sociocultural and lived dimensions of suburban sustainable mobility transitions by exploring different spatial imaginaries of suburban towns, mobility systems, and sustainable transitions from the perspectives of new residents, real estate marketing, and regional transport planning in the Greater Oslo Region. Empirically, the article investigates how households who have recently relocated to transit-oriented suburban nodes designed to promote low carbon mobility perceive the role of mobility prospects in their decision to relocate. This exploration is set against other social and material features at their new residential location. The article includes an analysis of the spatial imaginaries of regional transport plans and real estate marketing, as these imaginaries potentially play an important role in the spatial transformation and comprehension of these places and spaces and further households’ decisions to move there. These spatial imaginaries are contrasted with in-movers’ imagination, revealing potential disconnections between planning ideals, marketing strategies, and lived experiences. By shedding light on the interplay between spatial planning, marketing strategies, and lived experiences, this research contributes to broader discussions in mobility, housing, urban studies, and planning, promoting a nuanced understanding of the socio-cultural factors of sustainable suburban transformations.

A new smart city index based on urban origin theory

The development of smart cities has consistently drawn the attention of governments, academia, and citizens, especially amid rapid urbanization. As a result, evaluating smart city performance has become increasingly important in urban studies. Such evaluations are crucial for assessing current initiatives and guiding future development. However, the complexity of smart city components and data limitations have hindered the widespread application of these evaluations. This paper proposes a new smart city evaluation system that relies entirely on open data, exploring the elements of modern smart city development from the foundational needs of urban origins. The approach broadens the applicability of traditional subjective weighting methods by employing word frequency analysis for subjective weight determination. The framework was applied to 50 global cities, revealing that cities with mature smart city development tend to prioritize social development.

Urban In/Formalities: How Arrival Infrastructures Shape Newcomers’ Access To Resources

&lt;p&gt;In recent years, scholars in migration, urban studies and urban planning have increasingly focused on the diversity of arrival processes experienced by international newcomers and the variety of spatial settings they involve. Current research on arrival infrastructures focuses on both place-based opportunity structures and newcomers’ agency in shaping arrival processes, illustrating the interconnectedness of formal and informal infrastructures. Arrival infrastructuring can be understood as a mediating process that connects individuals and their social, economic, and cultural capital to places and societal resources. The concept of ‘in/formality,’ which addresses the formal-informal nexus as a continuum rather than in binary terms, offers a valuable yet underexplored perspective to analyse arrival processes and actors involved, including the state, market, and old and new residents. Through the lens of in/formality, this thematic issue aims to explore the practices, negotiations, and interconnections among different (migrant and non-migrant) actors involved in arrival infrastructuring. The contributions highlight four recurring ways in which the interplay between informal and formal practices manifests: unusual alliances, brokering, boundary spanning, and structured workarounds.&lt;/p&gt;

City as a filter: urban density affects taxonomic and functional diversity of foliage dwelling spiders

ContextUrbanization affects landscape structure, functions and local environmental conditions, with major impacts on biodiversity. An evaluation of its effects on biodiversity, including both taxonomic and functional diversity, is thus compelling, with a specific focus on taxonomic groups providing fundamental ecosystem services. Spiders are ideal biological models for urban ecology studies because they are renowned bioindicators and can be found abundantly along urbanization gradients.ObjectivesIn this work, we aim at evaluating the filtering role exerted by urbanization at landscape scale on foliage-dwelling spider communities both at functional and taxonomic level.MethodsWe assessed the response of foliage-dwelling spiders to urbanization in Torino (NW-Italy), by sampling their communities in urban parks along an urbanization gradient and in a control area located in a nearby natural park. We tested their response in terms of taxonomic and functional diversity to urban density and six landscape metrics. Results of statistical models (GLMMs) were used to predict values of the current biodiversity in the city and its values under different future scenarios of urbanization (i.e. 2040, 2050).ResultsSpider abundance and species richness decreased in the city compared to the control area and along the urbanization gradient. Variation in the community composition was mostly due to species replacement (67%) within the control area, and to species loss in the urban area (62%). This pattern was mostly due to the loss of specialized foraging guilds, such as pollinator-feeding spiders. Functional dissimilarity among samples within the urban area was mostly explained by functional loss (69%), suggesting an environmental filter favoring species preadapted to urban conditions. By projecting biodiversity measures in two “greener city” scenarios, we identified 8 priority areas in the city where management actions should be implemented.ConclusionsOur findings underscore the role of urbanization in shaping spider communities, favoring generalist species and specific functional traits. The prediction on future scenarios proved to be useful to identify areas where increasing the surface of urban parks may contribute most effectively to spider biodiversity.