Suburban Patterns Research Articles

Institutional Blendscapes: The Suburban Governance Role of the Diputación de Barcelona

The analysis of suburbanization patterns and processes necessarily implies looking beyond towns and cities. Suburbanization is a blendscape because it occurs within the transition zone between urban and rural areas surrounding urban centres. Therefore, a tension emerges between the growth expectations of small- and medium-sized municipalities and the supra-local authorities (e.g. metropolitan, provincial or regional public bodies) that provide essential (mostly financial) support to those municipalities. Supra-local authorities hence perform the governance role of institutional blendscapes because they can mediate between those growth expectations and more efficient, area-wide land management. By using the Barcelona Province as a case study, this paper examines three inter-related issues in suburbanization processes: (i) the question of land transformation; (ii) the relation between municipal size and suburban pa erns; and (iii) the role of supra-local authorities in the management of suburban areas in the city outskirts. Findings show that, overall, while municipalities up to 9,999 inhabitants have a housing stock that is predominantly suburban in character (i.e. 76.5 per cent single-family dwellings), it is small-/mid-sized municipalities between 10,000 and 49,999 inhabitants that have the highest proportion (31.2 per cent) of suburban residential areas within the Barcelona province. These small- and mid-sized, often rural, municipalities tend to rely on financial and technical support from the supra-local authority of the Barcelona Diputación – a key governance actor in suburbanization processes. As an institutional blendscape, on the one hand, the Barcelona Diputación can steer a more efficient land allocation and management through environmental protection and assistance in developing (supra-)local spatial plans. On the other hand, by distributing essential financial help to provide basic public services in small- and mid-size suburban municipalities, it also partially mitigates the planning, construction, and maintenance of suburbanity in (very) small- and medium-size municipalities 'far from the city' and rural areas.

Summer suburbanization in Moscow Region: Investigation with nighttime lights satellite imagery

In the summertime, many Moscow residents move to second homes in the countryside, which causes strong seasonal fluxes in the population size of the Russian capital, its surroundings, and more remote rural areas. To better understand the spatial scale and patterns of seasonal suburbanization, we tracked the changes in average monthly nighttime light radiance between August and October 2018 at 1 km resolution. Our results revealed a significant, 1.5 times increase of the summer nighttime lighting in the surroundings of Moscow and a more than 2 times increase in the rural areas to the West and North of the capital. This study illustrates the seasonal character of suburbanization in the Moscow agglomeration and raises the question of its effects on both urban and rural development of the area.

Supra-local spatial planning practices and suburban patterns in the Barcelona and Milan urban regions

Despite metropolitan authorities and regional governments might not have direct spatial planning competencies on local land-use transformations, they can intervene (control and steer) on planned local development by means of their ‘intermediating capacity’. In the effort to relate supra-local governance and spatial planning factors with localised urban sprawl, I examined supra-local spatial planning practices and suburban patterns in the Barcelona and Milan urban regions by using a comparative, case-based, multi-data and multi-method research strategy. The analysis of soil sealing data shows that the Barcelona case presents a lower proportion of high and medium suburban areas (16–64% soil sealing) and less land consumption than the case of Milan, as well as a higher population density and land-use efficiency. The analysis of the supra-local spatial planning practices at the regional, metropolitan and provincial level (22 expert interviews) suggests that these different spatial patterns can be partially explained by different types of intermediating capacity. Findings show that more compact and less suburban spatial patterns are found when supra-local (regional) actors assess land-use plans by using both quantitative (control) and qualitative (steering) criteria and when binding area-wide (metropolitan) plans are present. In turn, political alignment across municipalities appears to be in itself not sufficient to limit suburban territorial expansion.

New Housing Developments in the City Center of Guadalajara (Mexico): An Analysis from the Perspective of Collective and Sustainable Dwelling

New vertical housing developments in Guadalajara (Mexico) are reaching the city center as a response for redensification after many years of expansion of the urban area characterized by a suburban, low density and fragmented pattern. This horizontal growth, dominated by use of the automobile as prevailing mode of transport, has proven to be unsustainable not only from an environmental point of view, but also from a social perspective where the “human scale” of the city has been affected, same as the daily life of its inhabitants. On the other hand, vertical housing proposals are by their very nature associated with concepts of redensification, compact city and collective living; the aim of this article is to analyze some new housing developments in Guadalajara downtown in order to evaluate to what extent the new buildings embody a more sustainable, livable and collective dwelling, to discuss findings, successes and failures and thus be able to contribute some conclusions and open a broader reflection about contemporary housing, urban density and downtown redevelopment in Latin America cities through collective and sustainable dwelling.

The Impact of Financial Aid on Associate Degree Attainment for Rural Community College Students: A Comparison of Rural, Urban, and Suburban Patterns

Objective: Increasing rural community college degree attainment is very important to foster rural areas’ economic and social well-being. Rural community colleges differ greatly from their suburban and urban counterparts in financial aid patterns and student bodies. However, existing literature is vacant with respect to student financial aid and degree attainment in rural community colleges. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between financial aid and associate degree attainment for rural community college students and compare the financing patterns of the three locales. Method: Using data from Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/09), we performed a series of logistic regression models that include financial aid variables and control variables from psychological, sociological, organizational, and internationalist perspectives. Results: We found rural community college students exceeded other locales in degree attainment. Logistic regression results reveal insignificant roles of Pell Grants and Federal Subsidized Loans, and negative role of Federal Unsubsidized Loans in associate degree attainment for rural community college students. Contributions: The results suggest that public subsidies, such as Pell Grants, were not sufficient to cover rural students’ unmet need for financing degree attainment, and that rural students are more cost-conscious in borrowing and spending than their suburban and urban counterparts.

Who sells to whom in the suburbs? Home price inflation and the dynamics of sellers and buyers in the metropolitan region of Paris, 1996-2012.

Price inflation has outbalanced the income of residents and buyers in major post-industrial city-regions, and real estate has become an important driver of these inequalities. In a context of a resilient inflation of home values during the last two decades in the greater Paris Region, it is critical to examine housing price dynamics to get a better understanding of socioeconomic segregation. This paper aims at presenting spatial analysis of the dynamics of segregation pertaining to inflation, analyzing price and sellers and buyers data. Using interpolation techniques and multivariate analysis, the paper presents a spatial analysis of property-level data from the Paris Chamber of Notaries (1996-2012) in a GIS (159,000 transactions in suburban areas, single family homes only). Multivariate analysis capture price change and local trajectories of occupational status, i.e. changes in balance between inward and outward flows of sellers and buyers. We adopt a method that fits the fragmented spatial patterns of suburbanization. To do so, we remove the spatial bias by means of a regular 1-km spatial grid, interpolating the variables within it, using a time-distance matrix. The main results are threefold. We document the spatial patterns of professionalization (a rise of executives, intermediate occupation and employees) to describe the main trends of inward mobility in property ownership in suburbs, offsetting the outward mobility of retired persons. Second, neighborhood trajectories are related the diverging patterns of appreciation, between local contexts of accumulation with a growth of residential prices, and suburbs with declining trends. The maturity of suburbanization yields a diversified structure of segregation between the social groups, that do not simply oppose executives vs. blue collar suburbs. A follow-up research agenda is finally outlined.

Postwar Growth in New Castle County is Defined by Suburban Pattern

America’s settlements have been carefully planned since colonial times. From the 1600s through the early 20th century our cities and towns were designed in compact, interconnected urban patterns modeled after the European cities known to early colonists. This settlement pattern is steeped in urban traditions that go back thousands of years and is very flexible and efficient. However, the rapid industrialization in the 19th century led to serious urban problems including pollution, poor sanitation, and abhorrent housing conditions for working class people. A new, uniquely American, form of development evolved in the early 20th century and greatly accelerated after World War II. This is known as the suburban pattern of development, which is characterized by the segregation of land uses, the dominance of single family detached housing, and nearly exclusive automobile access. While this development pattern has its benefits, and helped ease many of the problems of the previous era, it has created new social and health consequences. New Castle County’s rapid growth since 1950 has followed, and even epitomized, this suburban pattern. Today’s built environment in New Castle County (and indeed throughout the USA) has created several challenges for both planners and health professionals. These are beginning to be addressed in many creative ways to create modern, complete, and healthy communities.

Is New Urbanism changing the suburban development pattern? A case study of the Toronto region

This paper includes a detailed comparison of the design features and urban form characteristics of 10 urban fringe neighbourhoods in the Toronto (Canada) region, and examines the extent to which a new suburban development pattern has been created under the influence of the New Urbanism movement. Results suggest that although considerable variations exist in implementations of New Urbanist design, a new suburban development pattern has been created. This pattern is characterized by increased net density, improved internal street-connectivity, and walkable distances to parks, schools and transit stops. Through a close examination of the varied design outcomes, this paper highlights the trade-offs inherent in implementing New Urbanist design.

Growing Suburbs, Relocating Churches: The Suburbanization of Protestant Churches in the Chicago Region, 1925–1990

This study examines the locations of Protestant churches in the Chicago region between 1925 and 1990 based on data from the Church Federation of Greater Chicago. The analysis adds two insights to existing explanations of white flight and the corresponding suburbanization of churches: suburbanization patterns were not the same across Protestant groups and churches moving to the suburbs were adding to churches already present in those communities. As the percentage of suburban Protestant churches in the Chicago region started increasing after 1925, the new suburban locations were influenced by settlement patterns in the Chicago region—first along railroad lines and then in between with new sites easier to access by automobile—in addition to racial changes in Chicago neighborhoods and the ethnic composition of denominations. Suggestions for further research include examining the suburbanization of religious groups in more metropolitan regions (particularly beyond the North), comparing the discussions about moving to the suburbs across denominations and congregations, and considering how religious congregations have helped shape suburban communities.

Spatial trends of fertility rates in Finland between 1980 and 2014

Recent research has shown that in many Western countries fertility rates are highest in suburban areas and lower in urban and rural areas. Here, we illustrate the changing patterns of spatial fertility in Finland between 1980 and 2014. Fertility in Finland started conforming the high suburban pattern during the 1990’s. This interestingly predates the first large scale urban sprawl (i.e., positive net migration in suburban areas) in the first decade of the 21st century in Finland.

Utilizing Geospatial Analysis of U.S. Census Data for Studying the Dynamics of Urbanization and Land Consumption

Geographically referenced US census data provide a large amount of information about the extent of urbanization and land consumption. Population count, the number of housing units and their vacancy rates, and demographic and economic parameters such as racial composition and household income, and their change over time, can be examined at different levels of geographic resolution to observe patterns of urban flight, suburbanization, reurbanization, and sprawl. This paper will review the literature on prior application of census data in a geospatial setting. It will identify strengths and weaknesses and address methodological challenges of census-based approaches to the study of urbanization. To this end, a detailed overview of the geographic structure of U.S. Census data and its evolution is provided. Ecological Fallacies and the Modifiable Areal Unit Problem (MAUP) are discussed and the Population Weighted Density as a more robust alternative to crude population density is introduced. Of special interest will be literature comparing and/or integrating census data with alternative methodologies, e.g. based on Remote Sensing. The general purpose of this paper is to lay the groundwork for the optimal use of high resolution census data in studying urbanization in the United States.

Clustering and commuting patterns of knowledge workers. A comparative analysis of Barcelona and Helsinki metropolitan areas

Physical proximity access to amenities and innovative and liveable environments found in metropolitan centres have been highlighted as factors that encourage the clustering of knowledge workers (KWs), that is, workers in knowledge-based industries. This paper studies how proximity to metropolitan cores encourages spatial clustering of KWs and affects their commuting patterns. To do this, we analyse the clustering and commuting patterns of KWs in the Barcelona (BMA) and Helsinki (HMA) metropolitan areas and measure their levels of concentration and polycentrism. Results show that metropolitan core in both metropolitan areas retains a large amount of commuting although the physical proximity to the metropolitan core becomes a key factor for spatial clustering of KWs only in the Barcelona case. In Helsinki, spatial clustering of KWs mainly follows suburban spatial patterns; in that sense, long commutes to the metropolitan core do happen.

Land-use structure, urban growth, and periurban landscape: a multivariate classification of the European cities

Assessment of urbanization and suburbanization patterns and processes in the European Union is becoming increasingly urgent for the formulation of common territorial policies. We hypothesize that the intrinsic characteristics of landscape at the city scale reflect both the local socioeconomic context and the regional trends towards urbanization, possibly representing the contrasting attitude towards suburbanization found in European countries. Using comprehensive information provided by Urban Atlas maps, we propose an exploratory multivariate analysis of eighty-five variables describing land-use composition, landscape structure, and urban form in 283 cities with the aim being to classify the urbanization patterns observed in five European macroregions. Landscape metrics seem to be more powerful in discriminating cities among regions than indicators of land-use composition. The most relevant metrics discriminating among cities are (i) those describing fragmentation processes along the urban gradient and (ii) those evaluating form and patchiness of discontinuous settlements. Landscape and class average patch size and edge density correctly classified cities in more than 80% of cases. In particular, cities in Southern, Eastern, and Northern Europe were identified as three homogeneous groups as far as landscape structure is concerned, confirming the converging urbanization trends in the Mediterranean countries and the peculiar morphological characteristics of post-socialist urban areas

Racialized Mobility Transitions in Philadelphia: Connecting Urban Sustainability and Transport Justice

AbstractNational level statistics show a decade‐long decline in the use of cars in the United States as well as other developed countries. This transition has been connected to growth in more sustainable forms of urban transport such as walking, bicycling, and increased use of transit, as well as changes in urban spatial planning. This article examines the recent trends toward more sustainable mobility in Philadelphia, in order to locate these cultural changes in a specific spatial, cultural, and racial context. The article raises the crucial yet often ignored issue of how urban spatial form and mobility regimes in post‐industrial cities like Philadelphia are highly inflected by racial space and racialized mobilities. It suggests that wider trends toward decreasing young white automobility in cities across the U.S. must be situated in relation to changing patterns of suburbanization of poverty, gentrification of city centers, and struggles over public transit access and investment. The specific case is analyzed in relation to multi‐level transition theories, cultural analysis of mobility frames and discourses, and the addition of local observation of everyday transport drawing on perspectives from mobilities research. A focus on racial space and transport inequality adds new insights to understanding the limits of any transition that may be taking place in the American automobility regime, and it expands how such transitions are being culturally framed and promoted.

Urban Core Transit Access to Low-Income Jobs

In many areas in the United States, low-income jobs have followed patterns of suburbanization, with a resulting spatial mismatch between low-income workers residing in dense urban areas and low-income jobs located in suburban areas of the outlying urban periphery. This situation facilitates a need for auto ownership in core urban areas traditionally thought to be rich in transit supply and robust in transit accessibility. The resulting auto dependence is a substantial economic burden for low-income households and detrimental to those who have made residential location choices in an attempt to adopt a lifestyle that relies on public transit. This paper seeks to explain the various levels of households with low incomes and high rates of car ownership (LIHCO households) in the urban core by investigating their accessibility to low-income job locations. Two transit accessibility metrics geared toward low-income populations were derived and were applied. The first metric was based on the number of low-income jobs accessible by transit from the residential location; the second was based on late-night transit frequency at the residential location. These accessibility scores were then correlated with the magnitude of LIHCO households residing in each spatial unit of analysis. The results suggested a link between transit access to low-income jobs, late-night transit frequency, and the number of LIHCO households. It was concluded that improved transit access to low-income jobs and increased late-night transit frequency might reduce auto ownership in LIHCO households, with improved economic welfare as a result.

Suburbanization, the Spread of Suburban Culture: A Residential Mobility Approach to the Post-WW II Suburban Types in American Metropolis

Traditional accounts often have underestimated complexities involved in suburbanization process by assuming direct, linear causality to explain the suburban patterns of metropolitan development. Yet, an explicit explanation that encompasses the complexities of the multitude of flux of causal relationships and feedbacks and incorporates demographic and morphological variations of contemporary suburban types is still not available. In this paper, I apply a complexity approach to provide an inclusive justification for suburbanization that fits more flexible into most patterns of the post-WW II American suburbs. Taking into account intersections of many weaker factors, this paper approaches suburbanization as an intra-metropolitan residential mobility pattern. Over the course of the second half of the 20th century, residential mobility preferences coupled with land market preferences, technological advancement, and political support to escalate rates of city-to-suburb residential mobility and spread this pattern of mobility.

Urban Sprawl and Local Infrastructure in Japan and Germany

Urban dispersion processes in metropolitan areas have led to patterns of suburbanization and urban sprawl. These processes are inseparably connected with the shift of private mobility from green transport modes to cars. Urbanization is always accompanied by the development of physical infrastructure, which requires huge investments and determines the structure of a city over long periods of time. Moreover, it cannot be readily adjusted to changing patterns of the demanded services, e.g., triggered by population shrinking. Thus, the impacts of urban sprawl on the local urban infrastructure asset represent complex and important issues to be considered in this context. This comparative study, conducted for the metropolitan regions of Nagoya in Japan and Munich in Germany, correlated six land-use patterns and two mobility parameters with the complexity of urban infrastructure by multiple regression modeling. The result confirms the impact of density on public infrastructure stock and additionally shows that there are other relevant parameters of urban sprawl beyond density, such as the concentration of urban development. The saving potential, which was calculated as the monetary cost difference between the most infrastructure-efficient and most inefficient municipalities, is 85% on average for Munich and 57% for the Nagoya region for sewage, primary schools, and local roads.

Cool places, creative places? Community perceptions of cultural vitality in the suburbs

This article stems from a project examining cultural assets in Wollongong – a medium-sized Australian city with a decentralized and linear suburban pattern that challenges orthodox binaries of inner-city bohemia/outer-suburban domesticity. In Wollongong we documented community perceptions of cultural assets across this unusual setting, through a simple public research method. At the city’s largest annual festival we recruited the general public to nominate the city’s most ‘cool’ and ‘creative’ places, by drawing on a map of Wollongong and telling their stories. Hand-drawn maps from 205 participants were combined in a Geographical Information System and 50 hours of stories transcribed for qualitative analysis. Over 2300 places were identified. Among them were some surprising results: although places known for the arts and bohemian creative industries figured prominently, these were not only in the inner-city but in beachside suburbs with unique cultural histories. Also, a range of affective engagements with place, including unconventional forms of creativity, were described in industrial and blue-collar suburbs. Network topology analysis by place of residence also revealed the extent of localism, as well as specializations and aggrandizements among suburbs. Our conclusions are threefold: first, that ‘creativity’ is relationally situated and linked across all parts of the city; second, that decentralized forms of small-scale cultural infrastructure provision are vital for vernacular cultural pursuits; and, third, that ‘creativity’ is a polysemic and contested category – only ever partially revealing the contours of cultural vitality in the suburbs.

Structure of hydrophilic vegetation of a small river in an urban environment

The hydrophilic vegetation of the small Korovka River has been characterized in the urban and suburban zones of the city of Rybinsk (Yaroslavl oblast). The structure and state of the vegetation within the urban territory depends mainly on the anthropogenic load and hydrological factors. The main phytocoenoses of urban and suburban zones are hydrophilic and helophilic complexes, respectively. The level of overgrowth of these zones varies within the range of 30–70% and 5–20%, respectively. The following overgrowth patterns dominate in the urban zone: mosaic thicket, border, and underwater meadow. In the case of the suburban zone, the border and thicket patterns dominate.

The Complexity of Public Attitudes Toward Compact Development

Problem: The future of compact development depends in part on understanding and shaping the public's attitudes toward it. Previous studies have suggested life cycle, socioeconomic, attitudinal, and ideological dimensions to preferences regarding development patterns, but rarely have all of these factors been examined systematically across a broad, generalizable sample of respondents. Purpose: To examine public attitudes toward compact development, we asked survey respondents to weigh four important tradeoffs between compact and sprawling growth. We assess the relative influence of a variety of individual characteristics on these attitudes. Methods: We use results from two large-scale, randomized telephone surveys, one conducted in California in 2002 and the other in four other southwestern states in 2007. Using logistic regression, we assess which personal characteristics are associated with stated preferences regarding compact development, and illustrate their degree of influence. Results and conclusions: Support for the compact development alternatives is significant, in some cases exceeding support for traditional, decentralized suburban patterns. However, question wording appears to matter considerably, and individuals’ beliefs about different facets of compact development are often inconsistent. Although race, income, age, and the presence of children in the household are strongly associated with some views on the four tradeoffs, only political ideology is consistently associated with opposition to compact development. Takeaway for practice: The significant support evident for compact development may not translate into actual housing choices unless local governments and lenders do more to support the production of such housing and neighborhood environments. If, as our results suggest, a major constituency for transit-oriented and mixed-use projects is low income residents, renters, and minorities, then well crafted urban infill projects that take into account the needs of these groups will help fulfill the potential of smart growth. Advocates might also frame compact development to appeal more to political conservatives. Research support: The 2002 survey was conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California, with financial support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, James Irvine Foundation, and David and Lucille Packard Foundation. The 2007 survey was conducted and supported by the Institute for Social Science Research at Arizona State University. All views expressed are solely those of the authors, not these organizations.