Traditional City Research Articles

The Role of the Internet of Things in Enhancing Sustainable Urban Energy Systems: A Review of Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic

ABSTRACT The Internet of Things (IoT) has emerged as an indispensable technology enabling the efficient management of energy consumption and deployment of renewable energy solutions within urban energy systems. While urban energy systems can be made sustainable in both smart cities (SC) and traditional cities, the former provide a more advantageous environment for achieving sustainability thanks to advanced technology integration, data-driven decision-making, integration of renewable energy, as well as policy and infrastructure support. Across the globe, cities are evolving into SCs through the implementation of sustainable urban energy systems and adaptation to the latest IoT technologies. For them, advanced cutting-edge technologies such as digital twins, artificial intelligence (AI), Big Data, and IoT are all positioned to underpin the civic platform for new forms of a city that is simultaneously sustainable and prosperous. The COVID-19 pandemic brought about significant challenges, emphasizing the need for resilient and sustainable urban environments and demonstrating that IoT became a must for the modern cities in energy generation, transmission, and the efficient use of energy sources by cities. This bibliometric review focuses on the new role of IoT in the development of post-COVID sustainable urban energy systems. It demonstrates how IoT can help to efficiently manage energy consumption and to deploy novel renewable energy solutions in the cities using the experience from the two years of the COVID-19 pandemic. The article explores the role of IoT in the post-COVID urban energy development highlighting how the technology can contribute to sustainable urbanization. It employs the extended literature review including both 151 publications retrieved from the Web of Science (WoS) database selected based on the relevant keywords and the analytical tools based on Google Trends as well as the enhanced network dynamics VOSviewer v.1.6.15 software (the latter being frequently used for identifying the dominant trends in intersectoral bibliometric research). The findings stemming from this research can contribute to the clustering of the discussion of the strategies required for boosting SCs’ development and growth. Therefore, the results and outcomes can provide many useful insights for academics and stakeholders alike on the role of the IoT in the development of sustainable urban energy in post-pandemic cities.

Analysis of the Harmonious Development Path of Urban Management and Internet Celebrity Cities under Digital Perspective

Technological advances and the Internet's rapid development have fueled the rapid rise of Internet celebrity cities, providing a unique impetus to urban development (mainly tourism) and economic vitality. However, the ensuing controversies have been persistent. In order to promote a thriving urban tourism industry and alleviate urban economic and employment pressures, it is essential to address the issue of Internet celebrity cities and fully realize their economic and social potential. This study summarizes the multiple problems in the operation of traditional Internet celebrity cities, reveals their challenges to urban management, and proposes ways to build a digital Internet celebrity city system using "digital" technologies. These digital tools can effectively overcome the difficulties faced by traditional Internet celebrity cities and provide strategic guidance for the long-term and healthy development of the Internet celebrity city economy.

The proposal of a 15-minute city composite index through integrating GPS trajectory data-inferred urban function attraction based on the Bayesian framework

The chrono-urbanism framework suggests that urban life quality decreases with increased time spent in transportation, particularly motorized modes. The 15-min city concept, aligned with chrono-urbanism, emphasizes the importance of reaching essential urban functions within a short active travel time and has gained global attention. This study aims to develop a 15-min city composite index score (CIS) using the chrono-urbanism framework. The CIS integrates spatial accessibility to six key urban functions, providing a holistic assessment of the 15-min city status in Wuhan, China. Urban function accessibility is computed based on visitor volume inferred from GPS trajectory data using the Bayesian framework. Results reveal CIS hotspots in Hongshan, Wuchang, Jiangan, and Qingshan districts, with Hongshan having the highest concentration. However, Wuhan faces challenges in achieving comprehensive 15-min city status, as hotspots are mainly concentrated in specific areas like university towns and traditional city centers. The proposed assessment approach is applicable to accurately evaluate the 15-min status in other urban contexts using GPS trajectory data. The study's findings can assist policymakers in understanding CIS hotspot distribution and developing future planning policies to enhance the overall 15-min city status.

How Does the Intelligent Transportation System Promote the Globalization and Digitalization of Cities: Take Tesla Autopilot System as an Example

The globalization and digitization of smart transportation and cities are facilitated by advancements like Teslas autonomous driving technology, which revolutionizes urban mobility. This article explores their interconnection through the example of Teslas system. Teslas Autopilot, based on deep neural networks, utilizes cameras and ultrasonic sensors to perceive the world around vehicles, encouraging data sharing between vehicles and driving global development of smart cities. It employs artificial intelligence to assess terrain and conditions, fostering a transportation revolution in traditional cities and advancing the evolution of smart cities. Moreover, Teslas digital impact is altering transportation solutions, increasing visibility in development, and driving global technological progress. Teslas unique autonomous driving technology, leveraging data from nearly one million Tesla vehicles worldwide, enhances global intelligent transportation systems, promoting global sharing among Tesla users, and facilitating the convenience of autonomous driving and the flow of global traffic information. Teslas autonomous driving mode and intelligent traffic system promote the development of smart cities, although a comprehensive analysis of its global political, economic, and legislative impacts is needed.

Research on multi-energy coupled preheating system of city gate station based on Modelica simulation

Natural gas depressurization at city gate stations can cause hydrate formation, necessitating preheating before pressure regulation. To reduce the high energy consumption of traditional city gate station preheating processes, this study introduces four novel multi-energy coupled systems: photovoltaic-air source heat pump (PV-ASHP), solar thermal-combined heat and power-ASHP (ST-CHP-ASHP), CHP-ASHP, and ASHP system, with a typical city gate station in Shanghai taken as the research case. Dynamic energy simulation systems were developed in Dymola software to evaluate the proposed systems from energy, environmental, and economic perspectives, conducting a comparison with conventional boiler preheating systems, including sensitivity analysis of energy prices on system economics. Results indicate PV-ASHP has the lowest annual total cost (ATC) and shortest discounted payback period, while ATC values for ST-CHP-ASHP, CHP-ASHP, and ASHP increase by 6.4 %, 9.6 %, and 12.6 %, respectively. ST-CHP-ASHP and PV-ASHP demonstrate advantages in primary energy rate and carbon emissions, with ST-CHP-ASHP performing slightly better than PV-ASHP. Currently, PV-ASHP demonstrates the highest development potential. If photovoltaic feed-in tariffs remain constant, and natural gas prices decrease by over 12.5 % or CHP feed-in tariffs increase by over 38.4 %, ST-CHP-ASHP becomes more economically viable. This research provides valuable insights for retrofitting China's existing city gate station preheating systems.

Conservation and regeneration of architectural and urban heritage: The case of the Xinmalu historical site, Ningbo, Zhejiang, China

The current discourse about contemporary cities emphasizes the notion of heritage conservation and preservation as a catalyst for expressing local identity and accomplishing community development. This article uses the case of Ningbo City (Zhejiang, China) to interrogate different approaches to preserve and rehabilitate architectural and urban heritage. Over the past two decades, the identification, documentation, and preservation of deteriorating dwellings and the urban context of traditional cities have undergone an unprecedented cycle of transformation. The article explores the economic, social, and cultural practices that inform strategies for heritage conservation, with a particular focus on Ningbo’s experiences. The selected projects from the city’s context range from independent house restoration and rehabilitation to traditional markets and the preservation of its urban heritage core. In addition, the article provides insights into the complexities of the ongoing discourse surrounding the interpretation, evaluation, protection, and augmentation of heritage territories. It confronts questions such as how to encourage inclusivity and diversity in cities’ heritage zones and urban spaces, and how specific chapters of the past are chosen and reintroduced for suggested contemporary functions. The article also examines the cooperation between international organizations and local planning entities in shaping a vision for Ningbo’s heritage conservation and rehabilitation. The study concludes by summarizing the successes of projects in the Xinmalu Heritage District in Ningbo, which foster growth and community development without compromising the value of its heritage.

Research on Urban Renewal Design in the Context of the Future Community Concept

As urbanization accelerates, traditional cities face numerous challenges such as aging infrastructure, limited community functions, and inadequate environmental sustainability. The concept of the "future community," as an innovative approach to urban development, emphasizes the application of smart technologies, enhanced community participation, eco-friendly designs, and diversified economic growth, providing a new direction for urban renewal. This study aims to explore the application of the future community concept in urban renewal design through a combination of literature review, case studies, and data analysis, systematically analyzing the core characteristics of future communities and their impact on urban renewal. The research selects typical urban renewal cases from both domestic and international contexts, constructs a relationship model between future communities and urban renewal, and proposes a series of design strategies such as participatory design, smart technology integration, sustainable green design, and mixed-use development. Comparative analysis reveals that the future community concept significantly improves social inclusiveness, technological application levels, and environmental sustainability, while also boosting economic vitality. The use of data tables further validates the effectiveness of these design strategies, providing empirical support for urban planning and design. The study concludes that while the future community concept offers important guidance for urban renewal, challenges such as technological, financial, and policy issues must still be overcome during implementation. Finally, the paper offers relevant policy recommendations and future research directions to provide theoretical and practical references for building more livable, intelligent, and sustainable urban communities.

The Role of Soundscape on Urban Attractiveness in Traditional Cities

The soundscape is an immanent part of the open spaces in historical cities. This study aims to investigate the role of soundscape in enhancing urban attraction and its effect on intentional behavior. This is based on a questionnaire survey, which is conducted in compliance with ISO/TS 12913-2:2018, of 31 visitors in the Almutanabi and Almurad (alkadhmya) streets in historical blocks in Baghdad city. SPSS software is used to analyze the data. The results indicate that soundscape has a positive significance on urban attraction and the overall response to the sound source identification shows that the sound of human beings is dominant strongly while the sound of technology comes in second place and the sounds of nature are limited. In general, positive soundscape perception may contribute to the urban attraction of open spaces in historical cities.

VOC dan Dinamika Kekuasaan di Sumenep Abad XVIII

The city of Sumenep is a traditional palace city which is located on the outskirts of the city and also close to the beach. The Palace City has the function of being the residence of kings and their families, and has a role as a place for cultural activities, government activities and the economy. Since 1705, after Sumenep came under the auspices of the VOC, elements of foreign culture began to enter into the formation of the city of Sumenep. The general aim of this research is to describe incidents or events in the past, and then use them for the learning process in the present. The research method used in this research is the historical research method which consists of five stages, first topic selection, second heuristics, third source criticism, fourth interpretation, and fifth historiography. Sumenep is located at the tip of Madura Island and occupies a strategic position that supports Sumenep as a stopping area which is often visited by ships and boats from the archipelago or from abroad. In 1705, when Mataram entered into an agreement, Sumenep as a whole became colonial territory and Sumenep was a busy trade center in the 18th century because it had a port as a stopping area for ships connecting with islands in the eastern region and had an important port for trade over long distances. Thus, the release of the Sumenep area from Mataram's control would certainly go through a long process. One of the influencing factors is the existence of an element of interest in maintaining the power that has mastered this issue.

Current Situation and Development Measurements on Health Industry in Panzhihua City — A Research on data of the Fourth National Economic Census

Health care industry is an important part of the modern service industry, and it is a new point for enhancing economic growth. Moreover, it is of great significance for Panzhihua city in successfully transforming from the traditional resource-based city. However, the statistical investigation methods and index system in the industry are not perfect, which seriously restricts the investigation and research of the health care industry. This paper uses the data of the fourth economic census combined with the standard system established for the health industry released by the Panzhihua Bureau of Statistics to analyze the current situation and problems of the health industry in the city, and discusses the development measurements on the industry, so as to help and promote the development of the health industry in the city.

Retrospect on the Ground Deformation Process and Potential Triggering Mechanism of the Traditional Steel Production Base in Laiwu with ALOS PALSAR and Sentinel-1 SAR Sensors.

The realization of a harmonious relationship between the natural environment and economic development has always been the unremitting pursuit of traditional mineral resource-based cities. With rich reserves of iron and coal ore resources, Laiwu has become an important steel production base in Shandong Province in China, after several decades of industrial development. However, some serious environmental problems have occurred with the quick development of local steel industries, with ground subsidence and consequent secondary disasters as the most representative ones. To better evaluate possible ground collapse risk, comprehensive approaches incorporating the common deformation monitoring with small-baseline subset (SBAS)-synthetic aperture radar interferometry (InSAR) technique, environmental factors analysis, and risk evaluation are designed here with ALOS PALSAR and Sentinel-1 SAR observations. A retrospect on the ground deformation process indicates that ground deformation has largely decreased by around 51.57% in area but increased on average by around -5.4 mm/year in magnitude over the observation period of Sentinel-1 (30 July 2015 to 22 August 2022), compared to that of ALOS PALSAR (17 January 2007 to 28 October 2010). To better reveal the potential triggering mechanism, environmental factors are also utilized and conjointly analyzed with the ground deformation time series. These analysis results indicate that the ground deformation signals are highly correlated with human industrial activities, such underground mining, and the operation of manual infrastructures (landfill, tailing pond, and so on). In addition, the evaluation demonstrates that the area with potential collapse risk (levels of medium, high, and extremely high) occupies around 8.19 km2, approximately 0.86% of the whole study region. This study sheds a bright light on the safety guarantee for the industrial operation and the ecologically friendly urban development of traditional steel production industrial cities in China.

Reducing residential cooling demand in a sprawling desert city through vertical urban densification

Traditional desert cities used a compact urban form since it provides benefits in terms of thermal comfort both in urban and interior spaces. However, many current desert cities have shifted to a sprawling model with isolated low-rise buildings, leading to longer travel distances, increased land use, inadequate public space, and higher demand for building cooling. Our study aims to investigate how vertical urban densification can reduce residential cooling demand in hot-dry regions. To achieve this, we compared single-family houses with high-rise multi-family houses in Hermosillo, Mexico. Eight case studies of real houses were selected, representing the city's building stock, including one- and two-story single-family houses, and high-rise multi-family houses. We use dynamic energy simulations to assess the effectiveness of changing building's shape against improving its insulation. Our results indicate that increasing vertical density leads to a reduction in the envelope-to-volume ratio, resulting in a significant decrease in cooling demand. Moving from a one-story single-family house to a high-rise multi-family house can lead to a 72 % reduction in annual cooling demand. Matching the façade material properties of single-family houses and multi-family houses reduces the cooling demands of the single-family houses by 16 %–31 %. However, they still have higher cooling demands compared to high-rise multi-family houses, suggesting that building form has a greater impact on cooling than thermal insulation. Our findings highlight the substantial energy savings achievable by transitioning from detached single-family houses to high-rise multi-family developments in desert cities.

Kryteria projektowania sieci dróg rowerowych z wykorzystaniem GIS, niwelacji topograficznej i analizy przestrzennej

The current need for the creation of cycleways in traditional cities often presents problems. Converting existing roads into cycleways frequently creates serious traffic issues without leading to the expected increase in bicycle use. In order to overcome some of these problems, this paper presents a composite methodology using GIS, topographic levelling and spatial analysis. Upon application of this methodology in a case study in the city of Patras, Greece, problems with the city’s existing, recently-constructed cycleway are identified. After applying topographical, qualitative and population criteria, an alternative network of cycleways is proposed. This proposed new network does not create traffic congestion, as the basic criterion for selecting roads is their low traffic load. At the same time, topographic leveling is employed to select routes with a very low gradient (<2%), which is a determining factor in making the network attractive to users. Using spatial analysis, the network is spread in order to serve all areas of the city, making it available to the vast majority of residents. Finally, the findings of a social research poll (through the use of a questionnaire) indicate that the creation of such a network could increase bicycle use by a factor of up to18, which would make bicycles the main mode of transport for 22% of residents.

Jalur Kereta Api dan Perkembangan Kota Lumajang Pada Masa Kolonial Hindia Belanda, 1893-1942

This research aims to examine the changes in the Afdeeling Lumajang area from a traditional city to a modern city marked by the construction of the Klakah-Pasirian railway line, which was intended as a means of transportation for goods and passengers. Historical methods are used to explain this study. The research results show that the development of the Afdeeling Lumajang area into a modern city was initially influenced by the development of railway transportation facilities for plantation purposes and passenger transportation from inland areas. The Klakah-Pasirian Railway began operating on May 16, 1896, with a train track length of 36 km using the standard rail width used in the Dutch East Indies, namely 1,067 mm. There are nine stops and stations on the Klakah-Pasirian railway line, consisting of Klakah Station, Grobogan Stop, Sukodono Stop, Lumajang Station, Labruk Stop, Tempeh Stop, Mujur Stop, Condro Stop, and Pasirian Station.

Can low-carbon cities pilot policy promote enterprise sustainable development? Quasi-experimental evidence from China.

With the predicament of sustainable improvement in traditional cities, the low-carbon city pilot policy (LCCPP), as a novel development mode, provides thinking for resolving the tensions of green development, resource conservation and environmental protection among firms. Using Chinese A-share listed companies panel data during 2007-2019, this study adopts the difference-in-differences model to explore the impact of LCCPP on firm green innovation. Based on theoretical analysis, LCCPP-driven environmental rules have the impact of encouraging business green innovation. The relationship between LCCPP and green innovation is strengthened by external media attention and organizational redundancy resources. The mechanism study shows that the incentive effect of LCCPP on firm green innovation is mainly due to the improvement of enterprises' green total factor productivity and financial stability. In addition, the heterogeneity analysis shows that the LCCPP has significantly positive effects in promoting green innovation in high-carbon industries and state-owned enterprises. This research contributes to the understanding of city-level low-carbon policies as a driving force for corporate green innovation, offering practical implications for policymakers and businesses striving for sustainability.

The Decline and Revival of Traditional Heavy Industrial Cities: The Examples of Detroit in the United States and Shiyan in China

The global economic transformation has led to the gradual decline of many traditional heavy industrial cities, which makes how to revitalize these cities an important issue. This paper takes Shiyan and Detroit as case studies on the decline and revitalization of heavy industrial cities. The research in this paper concludes that the main reason for the decline of industrial cities is stagnant economic development. Both Detroit and Shiyan used to rely on the automobile industry as their mainstay, but this mono-industrial structure made the cities' economies excessively dependent on their industries. Economic stagnation has led Detroit and Shiyan to face declining incomes and lower tax revenues at different times, especially under the impact of the economic crisis. Promoting the economic revival of traditional heavy-industry cities can be done through industrial upgrading, innovation-driven and green transformation. At the same time, the city should also increase the cultivation and introduction of talent, build a talent highland and an innovation highland, and provide strong talent support for industrial transformation and development. In conclusion, the revitalization of traditional heavy industrial cities requires comprehensive economic, cultural, environmental, talent, and other considerations, the research in this paper can further explore the development paths and modes of industrial cities, and contribute to the revival and prosperity of industrial cities.

Evidence from temperature analog for traditional and economic cities in Nigeria: implications for sustainable city-related actions

Responding to the threats of climate change by cities requires taking relevant actions that will communicate future conditions in reliable and effective manner for sustainable and transformational climate actions. We used the analog approach to assess the geographical shifts and changes in average temperature conditions for six traditional and economic cities under different climate scenarios (Mitigated and Unmitigated scenarios). We calculated the similarity in temperature between each pixel for the current (2021–2050) and future (2041–2070) conditions of the cities, with every pixel globally in the historical (1971–200) period. Our analysis revealed that; (1) the temperature of the cities in the current and future periods will be similar to conditions of another place on the globe during the historical period; (2) Kano city will experience even more drastic changes because of the low level of similarity to other places; (3) the new places found with similar temperature conditions are generally to the south of the corresponding cities thus indicating warming. The overall results show that the analogues of the cities are within the domain of the global tropical zone which occurs around the equator. Drawing from the interaction between cities and their analogues, we highlighted sustainable city related actions such as the incorporation of urban designs and policies to enhance human thermal comfort as adaptation and solution strategies. While future research might apply qualitative studies and additional data to support the analog results, our findings can guide the understanding and application of the analog approach into environmental issues in Nigeria and other West African countries in accordance to sustainable city goals (SDG 11).

Erosion and Resurgence of Biohiphilia in the Evolution of Yoruba Architecture

The concept of biophilia in architecture promotes features such as plants, water, light, and materials to increase occupant health and well-being while also fostering a connection with nature. In traditional Yoruba architecture, the buildings and cities were a continuum with the environment and all the construction materials completely sourced from the immediate environment. The evolution of Yoruba architecture into more attritive forms and spaces arising from acculturation of foreign architectures gave rise to less biophilic features. This presentation explores the extent to which the indigenous traditions have yielded towards absolute social-cultural functionalism to the detriment of conservation and bio-sustainability in modern environmental development in primarily Yoruba-speaking areas of southwest Nigeria. Information and data for the investigation were obtained from literature on biophilic designs and indigenous Yoruba architecture. The findings from the research indicate that there were no inclinations in the contemporary indigenous architecture of the Yoruba to bring back the elements of the environment into its building forms until the proponents of sustainability and greening gained prominence. The urban forms fare better due to the efforts of landscape and urban designers. The paper concludes that the proponents of indigenous architecture who are presently premising their advocacy on heritage preservation and urban tourism should include the advantages of biophilic architecture which was present in the Yoruba traditional architecture in their discourses.

Quantifying the nonlinear factors of urban shrinkage: A case study in Heilongjiang Province, China

With urbanization, urban shrinkage has become a more prevalent and severe global problem. Although many studies have explored it, most of them lack precision, and the complex nonlinear causal mechanisms of urban shrinkage are still poorly understood. Therefore, based on the background of the transformation of traditional industrial cities in China, this research selects Heilongjiang Province as a typical case study and quantify the spatial pattern of shrinking cities. Furthermore, from a nonlinear relational perspective, the complex mechanism of urban shrinkage is revealed by using LightGBM. The results show that the area experienced a large-scale comprehensive shrinkage and severe shrinkage in some areas, while also generating scattered population clusters. In addition, the economic and industrial structure are still the most influential factors for population change, and the industrial structure transformation is still the main obstacle for its development. The research results are conducive to elevating the awareness of urban shrinkage in industrial cities and providing some theoretical guidance for sustainable development.

Theoretical framework of the Isfahani style: Inspiring sustainable aspects of a vernacular urban development

The Isfahani style represents a method of traditional Iranian architecture and urban development that existed in the early 20th century and is regarded as a leading model in most traditional Iranian cities. It exhibits several vigorous features contributing to its recognition as a traditional approach to sustainable architecture and urban development. This research endeavors to reveal a theoretical framework beneath these inspiring aspects using the typology of sustainable modern forms, including the hierarchy, passive design strategies, compactness, density, diversity, mixed land use, pluralism, balance, good composition, and integration over time. To this end, the study employs qualitative research methods, drawing from traditional samples, to identify innovative, energy and socially efficient, and low-impact strategies implemented in this vernacular architecture of Iran's semi-arid and hot climates. The findings revealed that the neighborhood concept as a local and plural community (Mahalla) was a vital phenomenon in Iran's urban development. Apparently, the demise of this paradigm effectively played an important role in the numerous challenges regarding the social, energy, and economic viability of modern Iranian cities. Hence, this study presented theoretical frameworks—aligned with sustainable concepts—from the Isfahani style through its analysis, classification, and interpretation, which can contribute to modern urban development.