Urban Development Trends Research Articles

Assessing the coastal vs hinterland divide by use of multitemporal data: Case study in Corinthia, Greece

Escalating urban development in coastal zones is currently noticed in many regions around the globe, leading to unsustainable future pathways. This, among others, accounts for: land and marine ecosystems’ degradation; higher vulnerability to Climate Change impacts; and a largely uneven urban network pattern, raising issues of the ‘coastal vs mainland’ divide that hampers a balanced regional development. This holds true in the case study explored in this work, namely Regional Unit of Corinthia, Region of Peloponnese, Greece. This area, despite its natural and cultural assets and critical location as a transportation node in close proximity to Athens, displays certain spatial imbalances as to the coastal and hinterland urban expansion pattern that are linked also to developmental ones. Monitoring urban development by use of multi-temporal data for built-up areas can advocate the identification/assessment of important spatial dimensions of the aforementioned problems; and guide evidence-based policy decisions. Along these lines, this paper elaborates on the development of a methodology in response to the research question of quantifying urban development trends and assessing the “coastal vs hinterland” divide. This methodology is grounded in high-resolution multi-temporal data processing for built-up areas, provided by the Global Human Settlement Layer (GHSL); and the estimation of a Coastal vs Hinterland divide Index (CHI). Results highlight the criticality of coastal urban development and the need for an integrated policy, re-directing developmental impulses towards the less privileged hinterland urban constellations; while supporting endogenous development of territorial assets, in order for a more balanced and sustainable urban settlements’ model to emerge.

The Effect of Land-Use Changes on the Amount of Heavy Metal Pollution in Urban Runoff in Tehran

Background & Aims of the Study: Urban development trends and land-use changes harm the quality of urban runoff. Heavy metals are one of the most important pollutants in urban runoff. This study aimed to investigate the amount of heavy metal pollutants (Zn, Pb, Cu, As, Hg, and Cd) in different land uses in a densely populated urban area of Tehran. Materials and Methods: Six stations were selected for urban runoff sampling in five land uses. Land uses were residential, commercial, industrial, traffic, and outdoor. A station (sixth station) with mixed land use was selected, which included the runoff of all uses. The event mean concentration (EMC) model was used to estimate this study’s heavy metal pollution load. Results: The amount of all heavy metals except Arsenic in fields with industrial use was higher than other land uses (Cu=0.292 mg/l), (Pb=0.6166 mg/l), (Zn=1.36 mg/l), (Cd=0.0114 mg/l), and (Hg=0.1332 mg/l). While the amount of Arsenic metal in the station with outdoor land use (AS=0.111 mg/l) was the highest. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the risk of metals on long dry days without precipitation is very high. Uncertainties related to the accumulation of pollution and various human activities can be attributed to the high amount of heavy metals in the mixed land use compared to land use alone

History of Seoul’s Parks and Green Space Policies: Focusing on Policy Changes in Urban Development

Globally, urban areas have been expanding rapidly since industrialization. In South Korea, urban policy has evolved according to urban development, but the change in parks and green spaces policy for a pleasant urban environment is insignificant. The purpose of this study is to present the direction of the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s parks and green spaces policy in terms of green infrastructure, by examining urban policies and changes in the parks and green spaces policy of the Seoul Metropolitan Government. The research method established the concepts of urbanization, green park areas, and green infrastructure, focusing on a literature review. The trends in urban development in South Korea and abroad, the correlation between urban development and green park areas, and changes in the parks and green spaces policy of Seoul are examined. The study found that urbanization in South Korea has augmented since 1960, and the parks and green spaces policy has also focused on quantitative expansion. As the era of local autonomy passed, there were remarkable policy changes tailored to citizens’ needs, and major policy directions were determined according to the political inclinations of policymakers. The era of low growth adopted the policy of introducing green park areas as green infrastructure to solve urban environmental problems, and parks and green spaces policies as strategic plans to re-naturalize smart green cities and urban infrastructure, and to increase urban resilience using advanced technology. Future research is expected regarding consistent policy implementation measures linked to the state-regions, such as analyzing citizens’ perceptions of policies to solve urban problems and taking practical measures for the implementation of parks and green spaces policies to expand green infrastructure. The implication of the study is that the green infrastructure strategy is important as a solution to urban environmental issues such as climate change. Therefore, there should be a will of policymakers and strong institutional support for continuous policy promotion.

Public-Private Partnership for Smarter Cities

The paper focuses on the role of public-private partnership as a tool that can facilitate smart transformation of cities and regions ensuring wider range of opportunities for various stakeholders including citizens, business actors, authorities, educational institutions, NGOs and so on, as well as create a more sustainable economic and social environment. Particular attention is paid to the experience of the leading smart communities in different countries, in terms of the applied models of private-public cooperation. The SWOT-analysis of the PPP concept in smart cities is conducted based on which the conclusions regarding its impacts and potential are made. Based on the recent trends in urban development the importance of searching for new approaches to the city governance, in order to deal with the challenges more efficiently and provide better services for the citizens, is highlighted. The concepts of Smart Cities are viewed as powerful vehicles for fostering urban prosperity.

Spatio-Temporal Evolution and Driving Mechanism of Urbanization in Small Cities: Case Study from Guangxi

Urbanization has an abundant connotation in dimensions such as population, economy, land, and society and is an important sign to measure regional economic development and social progress. The use of Night Light Data from remote sensing satellites as a proxy variable can significantly improve the accuracy and comprehensiveness of the measurement of urbanization development dynamics. Based on the Night Light Data and statistical data from 2015 to 2019, this paper quantitatively analyzes the spatio-temporal evolution pattern of urbanization in Guangxi and its driving mechanism using exploratory time-space data analysis, GeoDetector and Matrix: Boston Consulting Group, providing an important basis for sustainable urban development planning and scientific decision-making by the government. The findings show that (1) there is a high level of spatial heterogeneity and spatial autocorrelation of urbanization in Guangxi, with the Gini index of urban night light index and urban night light expansion vitality index always greater than 0.5, the global Moran’s I greater than 0.17, the spatial differentiation converging but the spatial correlation increasing. (2) The spatial pattern of urbanization in Guangxi has long been solidified, but there is a differentiation in urban development trend, with the coexistence of urban expansion and shrinkage, requiring differentiated policy design for urban governance. (3) The development and evolution of urbanization in Guangxi present a complex intertwined dynamic mechanism of action, with interaction effects of bifactor enhancement and non-linear enhancement among factors. It should be noted that the influence of factors varies greatly, with the added value of the tertiary industry, gross domestic product, total retail sales of social consumer goods having the strongest direct effect on the urban night light index, while the added value of secondary industry, per capita GDP, gross domestic product having the strongest direct effect on the urban night light expansion vitality index. All of them are key factors, followed by some significant influence factors such as government revenue, population urbanization rate, per government revenue, population urbanization rate, per capita disposable income of urban and rural residents that should not be ignored, and the rest that play indirect roles mainly by interaction.

A Review of Key Technologies Development of Super High‐Rise Building Construction in China

Super high‐rise building is a typical architectural form of urban modernization, and it is also the trend of urban architectural development. This paper reviews the development history of super high‐rise buildings in China combined with the engineering practice of representative super high‐rise buildings since the 1980s, such as the Shanghai Center, Shanghai Oriental Pearl Tower, Jinmao Tower, Shanghai World Financial Center, Canton Tower, and Shanghai Tower. The development process of the key technologies of super high‐rise projects from the aspects of several technologies, such as soft soil pile foundation and foundation pit technology, concrete structure construction technology, integral formwork equipment technology, and steel structure comprehensive installation technology, is also elaborated. At the same time, the Shanghai Tower is selected as a typical case to share the innovative technology of China’s tallest building. Finally, prospects for development of super high‐rise construction technology are presented.

Study on Site Selection and Network Optimization of Charging Pile of New Energy Logistics Vehicle

New energy logistics vehicles have become the general trend of urban distribution development. However, in the actual operation and self-development process of domestic new energy logistics vehicles, there have been many new problems, such as the matching degree of the number of new energy logistics vehicles and charging piles is not high, and some regions can not meet the needs of vehicle charging. Therefore, it is of great significance to study the rationalization of charging facility layout and vehicle distribution path planning. After combing and summarizing the existing literature on the layout of charging facilities and vehicle distribution path planning at home and abroad, this paper proposes to consider the location of charging pile and the optimization of distribution path.

ПОДХОДЫ К ЦИФРОВОЙ ТРАНСФОРМАЦИИ СИСТЕМЫ УПРАВЛЕНИЯ ГОРОДОВ В КОНЦЕПЦИИ SMART CITY

The concept of a Smart City in the world practice of cities is currently gaining more and more popularity since it is based on the most modern trends in sustainable urban development. World cities with high standing in international rankings openly present their development programs and projects within the framework of this concept, which is based on the partnership of government, business, educational and research institutions,public organizations and city residents. The world experience in using the Smart City concept shows that stakeholders are included in the management systems of the Smart Cities. An important role in ensuring the effectiveness of these management systems, their flexible response to ongoing changes and the introduction of innovations is played by digital technologies, which are also implemented in partnership, taking into account the interests of all stakeholders.

Transport System and Infrastructure

Transportation systems face ever-increasing challenges due to escalating urbanization. Ageing transportation infrastructure struggles to meet today’s needs while personal choices related to urban transportation have evolved in a way that car-oriented transport policies of the past are no longer adequate. As a result, a paradigm shift supporting public transport and active travel modes is becoming increasingly dominant. The objective of this research is to highlight key trends in urban transport infrastructure development and operation needed for the new sustainable mobility policies. On that purpose, a review of contemporary practices concerning network hierarchy, public transport, urban streets, and mobility as a service was carried out, followed by a critical synthesis. A clearly defined transport network hierarchy and a well-designed road network accommodating all modes of transport will continue playing an important role in efficient transport operations, however the importance of the development of public transport infrastructure (physical and digital) and implementing bold schemes (such as free public transport) is even more crucial to bolster city sustainability and livability. To that end, the support of active travel modes through additional infrastructure, the integration of services through MaaS schemes and the prioritization of accessibility over mobility are also seen as prerequisites for the smart city of the future. Finally, the reduction of traffic speeds in urban streets can increase the balance between motorized and active travel modes while increasing safety and sustainability in cities.

Airport passenger flow, urban development and nearby airport capacity dynamic correlation: 2006-2019 time-series data analysis for Tianjin city, China

<abstract> <p>Airports, as integral components of the global aviation industry, experience dynamic changes in air passenger traffic load, which are also related to the trends of local urban development and airspace restrictions of nearby airports. Using time-series data from 2006 to 2019, this study comprehensively applied the autoregressive distributed lag and vector auto-regression mode approaches to identify causal relationships between the urban development factors, including GDP, population, tourism industry, industrial structure, etc., of Tianjin city (China); the Tianjin airport passenger flow; and the Beijing Capital airport's airspace restriction factor, namely, airport aircraft sorties. The results show that the growth of Tianjin city's GDP, primary industry and disposable income per capita was accompanied by a long-term decline in the passenger flow at the Tianjin airport. In addition, increased aircraft sorties of Tianjin airport, as well as the growth of primary, secondary and tertiary industries in Tianjin city, led to a short-term decline in passenger flow at the Tianjin airport. In general, there is variability in the long- and short-term impacts of urban economic structure on airport passenger flow, and this variability applies to other airports. The increased aircraft sorties at the Beijing Capital airport had a short-term positive impact on passenger flow at the Tianjin airport but resulted in a long-term decline of the latter's aircraft sorties. This phenomenon indicates that there is interaction between airports and that this influence varies depending on the competition and cooperation mechanisms between airports. The findings of this study are considered instrumental in guiding the competitive and cooperative strategies of nearby airports and predicting the coupled trends of the airport and urban development.</p> </abstract>

Legal Guarantee of Smart City Pilot and Green and Low-Carbon Development.

Green and smart cities are based on clean energy and rely on information technology. They are the guarantee for the realization of efficient and intelligent urban development and green ecological transformation, the basis for sustainable social and economic development, and the inevitable trend of urban development. Therefore, the evaluation of the development level of green and smart cities is of great significance to the development of Chinese cities. This paper has aimed to study the issue of smart city pilots and legal guarantees for green and low-carbon development and introduced the concept of smart city line management, as well as the related theory of entropy weight method, cloud model, and support vector machine algorithm. Based on the sustainable development index system, this paper has combined the low-carbon concept to construct the low-carbon city evaluation index system and carried out an empirical analysis. The sustainable development index system, the research results of low-carbon city, and the current situation and characteristics of low-carbon city construction are studied and analyzed. On this premise, a low-carbon city assessment framework in view of reasonable improvement is built, including low-carbon economy, low-carbon society, low-carbon climate, and low-carbon component. The experimental results of this paper show that the low-carbon environment subsystem has the best coordinated development among the four subsystems, and the current state is the best. By 2021, the coordination degree value has reached 0.6656, which is in a relatively coordinated state.

Territorial governance of cultural heritage through spatial planning in Albania and Kosovo

Cultural and historical heritage is inextricably linked to territorial capital. Over the years, the recognition of its importance has increased in the political and policy discourse. This paper examines these challenges considering spatial planning policies and instruments, namely “how effective spatial planning instruments are in addressing the goal of protecting and enhancing cultural heritage.” The research is focused on two Western Balkan cases of Albania and Kosovo, and takes a comparative approach, considering the ever-present conflict between “the old and the new”, and between growth and preservation, in the respective capital cities of Tirana and Pristina. Both countries have gone through drastic transformations in their planning systems over the last two decades, with an attempt to shift from traditional rigid urbanism approaches towards more comprehensive and integrated ones. Additionally, the two countries are in similar stages of socio-economic development, which include a trend of concentration and rapid urban development. The findings suggest that while cultural preservation and valorisation is ranked high in terms of planning policies, both countries fail to preserve these values when it comes to land development practices.

Assessment of spatio-temporal direction of impervious surface area surface temperature in Pretoria, South Africa

Over the years, rapid urban growth has led to the conversion of natural lands into large man-made landscapes due to enhanced political and economic growth. This study assessed the spatio-temporal change characteristics of impervious surface area (ISA) expansion using its surface temperature (LST) at selected administrative subplace units (i.e., local region scale). ISA was estimated for 1995, 2005 and 2015 from Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper (TM) and Landsat-8 OLI (Operational Land Imager) and TIRS (Thermal Infrared Sensor) images using a Random Forest (RF) algorithm. The spatio-temporal trends of ISA were assessed using an optimal analytical scale to aggregate ISA LST coupled with weighted standard deviational ellipse (SDE) method. The ISA was quantified with high predictive accuracy (i.e., AUROC = 0.8572 for 1995, AUROC = 0.8709 for 2005, AUROC = 0.8949 for 2015) using RF classifier. More than 70% of the selected administrative subplaces in Pretoria experienced an increase in growth rate (415.59%) between 1995 and 2015. LST computations from the Landsat TIRS bands yielded good results (RMSE = ∼1.44OC, 1.40OC, ∼0.86OC) for 1995, 2005 and 2015 respectively. Based on the hexagon polygon grid (90x90), the aggregated ISA surface temperature weighted SDE analysis results indicated ISA expansion in different directions at the selected administrative subplace units. Our findings can represent useful information for policymakers in evaluating urban development trends in Pretoria, City of Tshwane (COT).

Evolution of cities in Borneo: a kaleidoscope of urban landscapes for planning future resilient cities

PurposeThis study aims to examine the trajectory of the urban growth of Borneo by portraying its resilient settlements in the pre-colonial times, tropical sensitive colonial architecture, the built environment of the post–independence period and finally the contemporary city image. This is followed by a comparative study of its major urban centres and determining how globalisation and neoliberalism impact the traditional urban settlements of this island and poses a threat to its rich biodiversity.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses case study research methodology involving selected cities on the Island of Borneo including Kota Kinabalu, Sandakan, Miri and Kuching (Sabah and Sarawak, Malaysia), Bandar Seri Begawan (Brunei), and major cities of the state of Kalimantan, Indonesia. Data collection includes a literature review, content analysis, field assessment and observations. The major research objectives would address past and current issues in the selected urban environment of Borneo. They address the historical evolution of major cities of Borneo, current urban development trends, the deterioration of the traditional urban fabric as a result of post–independence development and later globalisation.FindingsThis study found that the rich cultural tradition and climate-responsive architecture from the past have been discontinued to pave way for fast track and often speculative development. The results contribute in the convergence of existing shortcomings of cities from three nations on Borneo Island in guiding future sustainable urban planning agenda for achieving a resilient city status while reinstating the character and the sense of place. The study expects the recommendations to become prerequisites for future urban planning in sensitive tropical regions.Originality/valueThis research identified a new “Borneo approach” to urban development. The study strongly recommends top priorities for the central, state and local governments of Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia allowing the planners and decision-makers to establish a new tropical urban planning initiative with the ample design practice for this unique region in Southeast Asia. The results of this study can serve as the guiding principles for other urban environments in fragile and sensitive tropical regions.

Inclusive trends of urban development: Temporalspatial social practices

The article presents the results of a review of the data of Russian and international research of social-urban development as presented at the scientific events in the Saratov region. In contemporary urbanism, there is a number of trends: temporal, of universal design, and social-cultural. The Russian urban development follows agglomeration trends that are increasingly evident in the processes of settlement, which means active development of suburban areas, changes in their landscape characteristics, cultural spaces, and mobility of citizens. The covid-19 pandemic had a complex impact on the social-urban features of cities in Russia and the world by transforming the structure and functionality of many urban locations, creating conditions for the emergence of a post-coronavirus city. The empirical data show that such a city is the most socially sensitive to negative and positive aspects of social life and to manifestations of inclusive practices that unite people. Under the low, fragmented accessibility of social, cultural and other infrastructure of cities that are designed for healthy people, there is a synchronization of urban infrastructure elements in the context of inclusion due to the social demand for a coronavirus transformation of the architectural and urban environment in terms of social distancing. Based on the research data from different regions of Russia, the authors identify priority directions of the inclusive development of social urbanism: models of the inclusive culture of urban communities; monitoring of the city accessible environment for citizens of different age and mobility (in particular, with the tracing and walk along approaches); model of participatory urban planning and social expertise of the inclusiveness of the urban space; educational model of professional training in the field of social urbanism and universal design.

Growth or Shrinkage: Discovering Development Patterns and Planning Strategies for Cross-Border Areas in China

Abstract Exponential growth and shrinkage of cities are two opposing trends in urban development. In this study, we analyze spatial growth and shrinkage at the regional level. We use the Guangzhou–...

The Makerspace Planning for Startup Ecosystem in Dubai, United Arab Emirates

With the advent of the IR 4.0, the manufacturing industry is changing dramatically and in recent global urban development trend, makerspace is the top priority alternative for inner city urban regeneration. Many makerspaces had already been operated all over the world, makerspaces in UAE had not been well-activated comparatively. The objective of this paper is to examine the context, analyse the problems in makerspaces in United Arab Emirates, and to present the planning direction of makerspaces for revitalizing startup ecosystem in UAE. As a methodology, the definition of makerspace the status and main characteristics of U.S. and UAE and makerspaces are analyzed. To derive the direction of makerspace planning, a comparative analysis between three makerspaces in U.S. and three makerspaces in UAE is conducted with literature research and interviews. The comparative analysis result is as follows. First, it is essential to establish the location and space plan in the planning phase. Due to the nature of makerspace's business model, the context of location is extremely crucial. Second, it is essential to establish the plan for equipment. The size of the space and the architectural plan are determined by the type and amount of equipment in the makerspace based on their usages. Third, various programs and contents for education, collaboration and exchange ideas should be provided. Makerspaces are essential not only to provide space, but also to carry out various programs to spread the maker movement and promote startup activities. This study will serve as a basic data to create and enhance a makerspace in United Arab Emirates and if future research will be supplemented, it can be an efficient guide for decision-making process to prepare the design guidelines and operation plans.

3D Point Cloud Data in Conveying Information for Local Green Factor Assessment

The importance of ensuring the adequacy of urban ecosystem services and green infrastructure has been widely highlighted in multidisciplinary research. Meanwhile, the consolidation of cities has been a dominant trend in urban development and has led to the development and implementation of the green factor tool in cities such as Berlin, Melbourne, and Helsinki. In this study, elements of the green factor tool were monitored with laser-scanned and photogrammetrically derived point cloud datasets encompassing a yard in Espoo, Finland. The results show that with the support of 3D point clouds, it is possible to support the monitoring of the local green infrastructure, including elements of smaller size in green areas and yards. However, point clouds generated by distinct means have differing abilities in conveying information on green elements, and canopy covers, for example, might hinder these abilities. Additionally, some green factor elements are more promising for 3D measurement-based monitoring than others, such as those with clear geometrical form. The results encourage the involvement of 3D measuring technologies for monitoring local urban green infrastructure (UGI), also of small scale.

Heritage making and interpretation in postcolonial Harbin: contemporary urban memory of the Russian-built Harbin Railway Station and beyond

PurposeThis paper critically analyses the urban memory and heritage interpretation of postcolonial Harbin, a city in China that was founded by the Russians in 1898. It investigates the role and making of Russian colonial heritage in contemporary Harbin with a detailed case study of the Harbin Railway StationDesign/methodology/approachResearch methods include archival analysis, observation and semi-structured interview. In-depth interviews were conducted with local people, architect/urban planners and officials.FindingsLocal people of different generations with different backgrounds have different interpretations of the recently made colonial heritage of the Harbin Railway Station. The urban memory of Harbin has been consistently re-forming with both nostalgia and amnesia. Younger generations tend to regard the colonial heritage as their own heritage and a symbol of Harbin's cultural character without considering much about its related colonial history. In today's Harbin, colonial heritage as the “colonial past presencing” is more about a feel of the Europeanised space rather than the actual historical events of the period, and colonial heritage making becomes a tool for urban development and revitalisation at the institutional level. However, due to the paradigm shift in China's urban development, Harbin is facing new challenges in dealing with its colonial heritage.Originality/valueHarbin is an under-researched case in terms of urban heritage studies. This paper offers a new entry point for understanding the westernisation and colonial heritage making in the contemporary China more deeply and thoroughly and helps to see the trend of China's urban development more clearly.

Can economic development policy trigger gentrification? Assessing and anatomising the mechanisms of state-led gentrification

This paper aims to bridge universality – as gentrification stands as a global threat to vulnerable communities – and local circumstances and geographies, by investigating structural factors, such as deindustrialisation and land rent gaps, as well as local political economies and socio-spatial structures, which are all common in the Global South. We conducted research in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, to investigate whether a neoliberal economic development policy acted as a trigger for gentrification, relying on mixed methods research to analyse evidence of economic restructuring, land rent creation, changes in resident profiles and major urban development trends in the region. Findings indicate evidence of economic restructuring and that the policy triggered higher land values. However, we did not observe evidence of gentrification in the area and attribute this to a still-relevant manufacturing sector, the extensive presence of large informal settlements, the growing numbers of suburban gated communities, the low proportion of renters, and the fact that local elites are moving southwards while the policy took place in the northern peripheries of the metropolis. Federal policies such as minimum wage increases and housing programs partially contradicted neoliberal state policies. This case study offers a lens to investigate gentrification in different latitudes and illustrates how social policies may prevent gentrification processes.