Traditional City Research Articles

5G, Big Data, and AI for Smart City and Prevention of Virus Infection.

With the development of urbanization, artificial intelligence, communication technology, and the Internet of Things, cities have evolved a new ecology from traditional city structures, that is, smart city. Combining 5G and big data, the applications of smart cities have been extended to every aspect of residents' lives. Based on the popularization of communication equipment and sensors, the great improvement in data transmission and processing technology, the production efficiency in medical field, industrial field, and security field has been improved. This chapter introduces the current research related to smart cities, including its architecture, technologies, and equipment involved. Then it discussed the challenges and opportunities of explainable artificial intelligence (XAI), which is the next important development direction of AI, especially in the medical field, where patients and medical personnel have non-negligible needs for the interpretability of AI models. Then, taking COVID-19 as an example, it discussed how smart cities play a role during virus infection and introduced the specific applications designed so far. Finally, it discussed the shortcomings of the current situation and the aspects that can be improved in the future.

Old Semarang City: The Sustainability of Traditional City Patterns in Java

Research on old city patterns in the world has become an area for archeologists. Historians and archeologists in Java, Indonesia, discovered a city center with a North-South axis, alun-alun (open space) surrounding by the government and religious building. This concept continued from the Majapahit Kingdom (12-15 centuries) to the Islamic Sultanate (15th century) and stopped in the Islamic Mataram Sultanate (17th century). However, Semarang City, as a city subordinate to the Islamic sultanate, has the same city center pattern, but the North-South axis is blurred. This research used data from several old maps, sketch drawings, photographs, and traditional city patterns in Java to find out the whole model of old Semarang City. Semarang also had a North-South axis that was no longer visible due to constructing the great pos road, railroad line, and city development. The sustainability of traditional city patterns in Java has not stopped in Mataram Islam sultanate city. This pattern also applied to the city as a sub-ordinate Islamic sultanate. The sustainability of the urban pattern, starting from the influencing power, shifted to the spreading of religion. The traditional city pattern can be a reference in city design based on the city’s history.

전통도시 읍치(邑治)의 풍수경관 복원 —조선후기 부평도호부를 사례로—

Eupchi as the Korean traditional city was the administrative center of region as well as a transportation node during the Joseon Dynasty. In this paper, with the case of Bupyeong-dohobu in the late Joseon Dynasty, I tried to explore the meaning and direction of the restoration of the characteristic fengshui-related landscapes. First, I paid attention to Jinsan and Jusan as the foundation and starting point for the spatial construction of eupchi as the central territory of fengshui. In relation to the restoration of eupchi, the meaning of Jinsan and Jusan could be not simply one of the surrounding natural environments constituting eupchi territory, but could be a kind of main ground for the construction of the historical place-meaning of eupchi or the arrangement of the eupchi landscapes. Next, it could be possible to establish the spatial relationship between Jinsan, Jusan and Dongheon, Gaeksa which was the central landscape in eupchi, and that is, the ‘central axis for spatial construction of eupchi’. In the spatial composition of fengshui, the central axis from Jinsan and Jusan to Dongheon had great implications in determining the importance or priority of various landscapes in relation to the restoration of eupchi landscape and determining its location or direction. Lastly, it is necessary to pay attention to fengshui 'bibo' in relation to the need for an integrated awareness of the regional ecological environment and a long-term approach to the regional historical contents. Fengshui bibo could be a traditional version of the eco-centric environmental view that assumes the regional ecological environment represented by mountains and water as a living organism, and approaches it in a coexistent relationship with human and nature.

Kędzierzyn-Koźle – dziedzictwo przeszłości w kulturze miasta przemysłowego na pograniczu etniczno-kulturowym

Kędzierzyn-Koźle – The Heritage of the Past in the Culture of the Industrial City Functioning in the Ethnic and Cultural Frontier The article draws attention to the issues of symbolic functioning of the city which was formed of two different entities as a result of political and economic decisions. In the 20th century, the history of a traditional city got entwined with a modernistic industrial city which was taking shape. As a result, ideologies and politics impacted on the newly-established conurbation. The city denotes not only the material sphere, but also its urban community, which, in the case of the places under study, was basically historically complicated. The method of description is the ‘culturalistic’ orientation in the study of the city and also the (emotional) sociology of Silesia of the Rev. Emil Szramek. The author’s reflections touch upon ideas, facts as well as the real city’s organism shaped in its longterm and short-term perspective.

Alun-Alun Lama dan Wilhelmina Plein Ruang Terbuka kota di Pusat Pemerintahan Lokal dan Kolonial di Semarang

Design of the government city center in the traditional period has proven to reveal the richness of Indonesian culture. One of them is evidenced by the values of local wisdom that still maintained from generations even though various challenges have been faced, including the penetration of foreign influences. The traditional center of government is reflected in Semarang's Old City Square [Alun-Alun Semarang]. Its existence coincided with the center of colonial administration (Kantor Gouverneur van Java's Noord-Oostkust, 1754–1761) on Jalan Bojong (now Jalan Pemuda Semarang) which lasted until the 1970s. Unfortunately, after the 1970s, the alun-alun and the traditional government center (Kanjengan) disappeared and only left a cultural heritage in the form of mosque buildings and the dhugderan tradition mostly became an icon of the identity of traditional cities in Java. By using the historical method in relation to the use of contemporary sources, this study reveals the existence of the alun-alun as an open space for the traditional rulers and Taman Wilhelmina Plein as an open space for the colonial government, both of them were located in the same city corridor. The Jalan Bojong Corridor is part of de Groote Postweg, Jalan Raya Pos stretched from Anyer to Panarukan. In Semarang, this road connects the fort area which is now the Old City and Alun-Alun Semarang. The interesting issue is the dualism of road section in colonial government is reflected and it is side by side with the traditional center of government.

“The contribution of double skin roof coupled with thermo reflective paint to improve thermal and energy performance for the ‘Mozabit’ houses: Case of Beni Isguen’s Ksar in southern Algeria”

In traditional cities of hot and arid climate regions, roofs are usually the surfaces most exposed to intense sunlight in summer. This leads to high temperatures inside the houses and forces the inhabitants to escape to the terraces at night. On the other hand, some residents use air conditioning and therefore increase energy consumption. This work aims to study the contribution of a double skin roof coupled with a thermo-reflective paint on the reduction of indoor temperature and energy consumption in house located in the Ksar of Beni Isguen in southern Algeria. Firstly, the problem of overheating was identified through temperature and humidity measurements for traditional dwelling in hot season. Secondly, a model of double skin roof coupled with thermo-reflective paint was developed and numerically simulated using TRNSYS software. The obtained results showed that in summer, the temperatures in traditional houses are high compared to the comfort zone. The average indoor operating temperatures exceeded 37 °C during different hours of the day, over the investigation period of three representative days of hot season. Nevertheless, the proposed model reduces the indoor operative temperature by 5 °C. Also, the model was validated against in situ measurements, whose results showed a consistency between the measured and simulated temperature values. In addition, thermal simulation results performed over a period of one year indicate that the overall energy consumption required for cooling loads is reduced by 572 kWh i.e. 66% when optimizing the roof thermal performance.

Aesthetic quality of the historic urban landscape Historic city image and Townscape tradition

A pleasing experience related to the city perception is one of the most important qualities of the urban environment. Since antiquity, this element of appeal and appreciation of the city was considered as crucial in city and architecture treatises. Aristotle sustained that the city should be built in a way to transmit happiness. This atmosphere is evident in the traditional cities, in which monuments, residential buildings, squares and roads make up together a harmonious whole. Referring to the visual quality of traditional cities, in his influential book “The Art of Building Cities” (1889, 1945) Camillo Sitte states that they transmit a sense of nostalgia that remind us of happy times and argues that this feeling of nostalgia is perceived due to the artistic harmony of the city image. The art of building discussed by Sitte includes the idea of the city as an arrangement of its parts into a harmonious whole. This design unity that characterizes traditional ensembles is the key element of visual appeal. Unity happens at different scales. Elements composing the urban structure must be interrelated visually and contribute to reliving the overall image as a whole.

Innovative Urban Design Strategies for a Traditional City. The Case of Gjirokastra

Innovative Urban Design Strategies for a Traditional City. The Case of Gjirokastra

The Role of the Virtual City in Urban Development

The virtual reality of cities is the current historical period of urban progress and a kind of interconnected co-activity between innovative virtual elements, elements of the city and its urban parts according to the affected relationships of social, financial, cultural, spatial, political and local features. Where contemporary concepts of virtual reality were presented by the philosophical corps without clarifying their role comprehensively in the urban development processes of cities, so the research aimed to determine the roles of the ideas of the virtual world and the virtual city in the work of both specialists and decision makers, and the urban development processes of traditional and historical cities, where the research information methodology compares theoretical architectural and urban models to intersect with the basic concepts related to the virtual city, the research reached multi-level roles in terms of impact and degrees of complexity, which contribute to an innovative reproduction of urban development processes.

Socioeconomic and racial disparities of sidewalk quality in a traditional rust belt city

:Neighborhood walkability is key to promoting health, accessibility, and pedestrian safety. The Accessible, Connected Communities Encouraging Safe Sidewalks (ACCESS) project was developed to assess sidewalks throughout an urban community in Pontiac, Michigan. Data were collected from 2016 to 2018 along eighty miles of sidewalk for tripping hazards, cracking, vegetation, obstructions, overhead coverage, street lighting, buffers, and crosswalks. Data were mapped in ArcGIS with sociodemographic characteristics by U.S. Census block group. The majority of sidewalks had moderate (57.6%) or major (29.4%) sidewalk quality issues, especially maintenance-related impediments (68.6%) and inadequate street lighting or shade coverage (87.2%). The majority of crosswalks had a curb ramp to improve access for people with disabilities (84.4%), however over half lacked a detectable warning strip (55.8%). Degraded sidewalk quality was associated with lower neighborhood socioeconomic status and a higher proportion of Black and Latinx residents. Equity-centered pedestrian infrastructure improvement plans can address these disparities by increasing accessible, safe active transport options that promote physical activity and reduce health disparities. Evaluations like ACCESS can connect public health professionals with municipal planners to advance Complete Streets plans and promote healthy living.

Deep Learning and Internet of Things for Beach Monitoring: An Experimental Study of Beach Attendance Prediction at Castelldefels Beach

Smart seaside cities can fully exploit the capabilities brought by Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence to improve the efficiency of city services in traditional smart city applications: smart home, smart healthcare, smart transportation, smart surveillance, smart environment, cyber security, etc. However, smart coastal cities are characterized by their specific application domain, namely, beach monitoring. Beach attendance prediction is a beach monitoring application of particular importance for coastal managers to successfully plan beach services in terms of security, rescue, health and environmental assistance. In this paper, an experimental study that uses IoT data and deep learning to predict the number of beach visitors at Castelldefels beach (Barcelona, Spain) was developed. Images of Castelldefels beach were captured by a video monitoring system. An image recognition software was used to estimate beach attendance. A deep learning algorithm (deep neural network) to predict beach attendance was developed. The experimental results prove the feasibility of Deep Neural Networks (DNNs) for beach attendance prediction. For each beach, a classification of occupancy was estimated, depending on the number of beach visitors. The proposed model outperforms other machine learning models (decision tree, k-nearest neighbors, and random forest) and can successfully classify seven beach occupancy levels with the Mean Absolute Error (MAE), accuracy, precision, recall and F1-score of 0.03, 92.7%, 92.9%, 92.7%, and 92.7%, respectively.

Towards Climate Adaptation in Cities: Indicators of the Sustainable Climate-Adaptive Urban Fabric of Traditional Cities in West Asia

One of the most important criteria for a city’s sustainability is climate adaptation. Simultaneously, traditional cities in West Asia have achieved harmony between architecture and the environment, depending on the experience and culture of the local community, indicating a fundamental stage of adaptation to the environment and climate. This research attempted to study and examine the traditional urban fabric, in order to diagnose its significance and ability to solve contemporary problems, such as the lack of comfortable and suitable urban housing environments in hot–dry climate areas, which cover most of West Asia. We used two research methods to create an integrated vision to investigate the indicators and their effect on urban form. Four case studies in the urban fabric and housing communities of West Asia’s hot–dry research areas were chosen for the analytical study. Furthermore, inductive analysis was carried out to determine the most critical sustainability parameters in the particular urban fabric. The climate response parameters of the study cities were evaluated using Ecotect simulation tools, and the determinants of sustainability indicators were quantitatively evaluated to assess each indicator’s impact on the sustainability of the urban fabric. Our findings have implications for assessing the relevance of climate adaptation in the sustainability of cities and their effectiveness in combating the impacts of climate change.

Reconsidering the morphological understanding of traditional Chinese cities: a study of the early spatial modernization of Suzhou, 1880–1949

Based on the mapping of nine historical maps of the ancient capital of Suzhou from 1880 to 1949, this paper examines the early spatial modernization of Suzhou in the late-Qing and Republican eras. The mapping is interpreted as four periods to provide a coherent narrative for the spatial transformation of Suzhou, following a discussion of its historico-geographical features and morphological influences that define the course of the city’s modernity by extracting three key components: the modern road network, public building utilizations of significant modernity, and the growth and fringe of built-up areas. To do so the paper draws upon current debates on the feasibility of urban morphological study of Chinese cities in early-modern times, particularly the idea that applications of typical urban morphological approaches are more limited than those of comparable studies in Europe, to provide a new approach to observe the morphological features and spatial cognition of Chinese traditional cities.

Reconsidering the morphological understanding of traditional Chinese cities: a study of the early spatial modernization of Suzhou, 1880–1949

Based on the mapping of nine historical maps of the ancient capital of Suzhou from 1880 to 1949, this paper examines the early spatial modernization of Suzhou in the late-Qing and Republican eras. The mapping is interpreted as four periods to provide a coherent narrative for the spatial transformation of Suzhou, following a discussion of its historico-geographical features and morphological influences that define the course of the city’s modernity by extracting three key components: the modern road network, public building utilizations of significant modernity, and the growth and fringe of built-up areas. To do so the paper draws upon current debates on the feasibility of urban morphological study of Chinese cities in early-modern times, particularly the idea that applications of typical urban morphological approaches are more limited than those of comparable studies in Europe, to provide a new approach to observe the morphological features and spatial cognition of Chinese traditional cities.

Study on Function Transformation and Spatial Reconstructuring of Small Towns in China’s South of the Yangtze River From 1840 to 1949: Case on Changzhou

Taking Changzhou as a case, this paper studies on the functional transformation and spatial reconstructuring of small towns in the south of the Yangtze River in China from 1840 to 1949. Then, the article analyzes its adaptability and mechanism. During this period, there were three significant transformations of urban functions in Changzhou. The political status of Changzhou declined from the Changzhou Prefecture of the Qing Dynasty to the county of the Republic of China; the transportation function reduced from the regional transportation hub city to the local transportation hub city; and the economic function was transformed from the traditional agricultural city to the light industrial city. Functional transformations have driven the spatial reconstructuring. Urban construction has transformed from urban internal transformation to a composite expansion mode, a ring-layer and axial-type composite model. Finally, a lute-shaped urban form was formed, and the internal facilities of the city were more modern.Although there are some regrets, Changzhou's urban spatial reconstructuring has changed the original material framework of the city. This adapted and promoted the transformation of urban functions during this period. In terms of mechanism, first, this is a passive transformation model. Changzhou mainly promotes urban functions through local private forces and relies on the role of the market. Second, industrialization is the fundamental driving force.In the political and economic context of this period, these changes in function and space manifested self-organizing and progressive characteristics.

Urban Planning and Reconstruction of Cities Post-Wars by the Approach of Events and Response Images

The research attempts to shed light on how to invest the philosophical and intellectual concept of the event in preparing the development plans for the city. Based on it, there are three strategies to read the event (Explanation, Interpretation, and Deconstruction) that are regularly responded to it with three strategies represented by (Revitilaization, Renewal, and Reform). Through the use of reading and response strategies, and the corresponding planning policies represented by: preservation, rehabilitation, and redevelopment. The research adopted an analytical and descriptive methodology for some world experiences for the eventful cities, such as Warsaw, which reflects (Explanation - Revitilaization) and used preservation, Bilbao, which reflects (Interpretation - Renewal) and used rehabilitation, and Tianjin, which reflects (Deconstruction - Reform) and used redevelopment. In an attempt to benefit from these experiences and derive some indicators for each strategy. By applying the derived indicators to the traditional Mosul city, it concluded that the most appropriate strategy for the reconstruction of this city is the strategy of Explanation – Revitalization, which represents preservation because the destruction of the city was intending to crush the historical and cultural value of the city and destroy the local and national identity. Doi: 10.28991/cej-2021-03091763 Full Text: PDF

The Crossing as a New Approach for the Urban Transformation of Traditional Cities Towards the Sustainability

The topic of urban transformations has attracted the attention of researchers as it is one of the basic issues through which cities can be transformed towards sustainability. A specific level of transformation levels according to a philosophical concept known as a crossing. This article has relied on a specific methodology that aims to find a new approach for urban transformation based on the crossing concept. This concept derives from philosophical entrances based on the concepts of (being, process, becoming, and integration). Four levels have been for the crossing are (normal, ascending, leap, and descending). Each of these levels includes specific characteristics that distinguish it. The results showed that there is no descending crossing in the study area and that four indicators that have achieved leap crossing are: (coverage ratio, compactness, Effectiveness of the pedestrian and bicycle movement, and proximity. As for ascending crossing achieved in three indicators are: mix land use, blocks' length, and connectivity, as for normal crossing achieved in three indicators are: diversity of building heights, population density, and housing density. These results help in making the planning decision to transform traditional Karbala city into a sustainable city, by giving priority in development to the indicators that have achieved ascending crossing because it takes less time and effort to reach the leap crossing in comparison with indicators that have achieved normal crossing.

An Intuitionistic Fuzzy Approach for Smart City Development Evaluation for Developing Countries: Moroccan Context

Rapid urbanization to meet the needs of the growing population has led to several challenges such as pollution, increased and congested traffic, poor sustainability, and impact on the ecological environment. The conception of smart cities comprising intelligent convergence systems has been regarded as a potential solution to overcome these problems. Based on the information, communications, and technology (ICT), the idea of a smart city has emerged to decrease the impact of rapid urbanization. In this context, important efforts have been made for making cities smarter and more sustainable. However, the challenges associated with the implementation and evaluation of smart cities in developing countries are not examined appropriately, particularly in the Moroccan context. To analyze the efficacy and success of such efforts, the evaluation and comparisons using common frameworks are significantly important. For this purpose, the present research aims to investigate and evaluate the most influential dimensions and criteria for smart city development (SCD) in the Moroccan context. To reach this goal, this study proposes a new integrated Multi-Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) model based on Intuitionistic Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Process (IF-AHP) and Intuitionistic Fuzzy Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (IF-DEMATEL). In the given context, the IF-AHP is employed to analyze the structure of the problem and calculate the weights of the qualitative and quantitative dimensions/criteria by incorporating the uncertainty values provided by the experts. Later, IF-DEMATEL is used to construct the structural correlation of dimensions/criteria in MCDM. The use of intuitionistic fuzzy set theory helps in dealing with the linguistic imprecision and the ambiguity of experts’ judgment. Results reveal that ‘Smart Living and Governance’ and ‘Smart Economy’ are major dimensions impacting the SCD in the Moroccan context. The proposed model focuses on enhancing the understanding of different dimensions/criteria and situations in smart cities compared to traditional cities and elevates their decision-making capability. Moreover, the results are discussed, as are the managerial implications, conclusions, limitations, and potential opportunities.

A conceptual framework for auditing the physical integrity of historical districts: case studies of Kerman and Shiraz Bazaars in Iran

PurposeThe purpose of this study is to develop a conceptual framework for defining the notion of “physical integration” regarding the Iranian bazaar as the main component in the structure of traditional Iranian cities. Applying this conceptual framework to the historical bazaars in the cities of Kerman and Shiraz, this study seeks to pave the way for restoring the physical integrity of such historical districts.Design/methodology/approachThe research was conducted in two phases. First, there was a review of the theoretical background of physical integration followed by the analysis of the corresponding qualitative contents and the validation of the proposed conceptual framework as confirmed by 15 local experts. The second phase tested the validated framework in two case studies based on maps, historical documents and field observations.FindingsThe findings show that the physical integration of historical bazaars can be undertaken in morphological, visual-aesthetic and functional aspects. The proposed conceptual framework is capable of dealing with the different aspects of physical integration in historical districts on a meso-scale.Research limitations/implicationsThe theoretical implications of this study concerning the physical integration of traditional bazaars address urban design, urban planning and multi-disciplinary historical geography. The study also has practical implications for the integration of bazaars in historical urban regeneration projects via design guidelines.Originality/valueThis study emphasizes the importance of physical integration as a multi-dimensional concept, facilitating it to deal with the physical quality and the characteristics of historical districts, particularly bazaars. It also highlights the role of the Iranian bazaar as a unifying structure in the historical districts.

The Tlemcen (NW-Algeria): Urban Colonial Heritage as a Tourist Attraction

This paper discusses the importance of urban colonial heritage aspects identification in the promotion of tourism in the case of the old city of Tlemcen. The latter was one of the Algerian traditional Arab-Muslim cities occupied during the 19th century by the French colonial armies. According to their