Urban Attractiveness Research Articles

Cultural creative economy and urban competitiveness: How one matters to the other

ABSTRACT This article has built a two-way analytical framework to investigate the interrelationship between the cultural creative economy (CCE) and urban competitiveness. Through operationalizing urban competitiveness into urban economic performance, urban development capacity, and urban attractiveness, this article reviews different CCE-based urban development strategies. The empirical results indicate that CCE development is related to all three aspects of urban competitiveness variables, while human capital has the largest explanatory power on both the cultural creative occupations’ concentration and cultural creative industries (CCI) output. The sectoral structure (arts, media, and design) matters in the analysis, implying that scholars should further focus on sub-CCIs in the future research. The variables have different extents of influence on the occupational concentration and industrial output data, which implies that these two different approaches should be considered distinctly.

Analyzing Urban Attraction Nodes by using GIS and Space Syntax (case study-Al-Adhamiya)

For the redevelopment of urban form and structure for any city, we should search for agent’s movement attraction places to identify their predilection to these places that can be called urban attraction nodes, these nodes has the most important and effective role in rearranging the urban structure and how to invest it in the right direction, by using spatial analysis methods (i.e. space syntax and geographic information system (GIS) tools) we can identify these attraction nodes and use them in the urban structure redevelopment process. As a case study, Al-Adhamiya urban structure is analyzed using these methods. From the analysis steps we can conclude that (Antar bin shaddad square (no.1), The Royal Cemetery (no.2), Abu Hanifa mosque (no.4), Corniche (no.7), Al delal square (no.9)) are the most significant features which are considered as important attraction nodes, so these features aid to organize the urban structure of Al-Adhamiya district, and the streets that lead to these attraction nodes are the most important participants in the reforming process of these attraction nodes.

The role of edible cities supporting sustainability transformation – A conceptual multi-dimensional framework tested on a case study in Germany

Cities have become major contributors to sustainability problems and, in the meantime, seedbeds for sustainability transformation. Urban nature-based solutions, such as greening strategies that foster urban food production as a cross-cutting issue, promise to have multidimensional benefits for sustainable urban development. However, a conceptual understanding of interlinkages between nature-based solutions and their contribution to sustainability transformation is lacking. The goals of this study are twofold. First, to develop a conceptual model for testing multi-dimensional impacts of urban nature-based solutions supporting social-spatial, social-ecological and individual sustainable transformation. The model has been developed based on the concepts of place attachment, human-food connection and pro-environmental food behaviour. Second, the conceptual model is applied to the example of edible cities. Edible cities can be considered an innovative nature-based solution that provides multiple co-benefits by offering (free) food for urban residents in public spaces. A Principal Component Analysis of a survey among residents of Andernach (N = 380), one of the first edible cities in Germany revealed, in contrast to the conceptual three-dimensional model, a four-dimensional model with high construct validity and reliability. The model comprises a) place attachment, b) experiential and c) material human-food connection as well as d) pro-environmental food consumption. Items of internal emotional and philosophical human-food connection included within the pro-environmental food consumption scale suggested their important role in fostering sustainability. Results suggest that the edible city can be considered a strategy for increasing urban attractiveness and place identity, supporting social bonding and experiential human-food connection by using the edible areas for nature observation and recreation. However, although the residents are well informed about the edible city concept, most residents are not actively involved and rarely use the food provided by the edible city. Thus, they also could not answer questions related to cognitive human-food connection such as estimating the food’s taste and health quality. To strengthen material and cognitive human-food connection, policy implications of the results propose the implementation of accompanying information and participation activities. By linking nature-based solutions with sustainability transformation, this study provides conceptual and practical implications for the multidimensional benefits of innovative urban greening strategies such as edible cities.

Urban attractiveness in public squares: the mutual influence of the urban environment and the social activities in Batna

Abstract This study examines how the components of the urban environment and its functionalities influence the attractiveness of public squares (PSs), and how they affect daily activities. This research is based on direct observations and surveys questionnaires. Data were collected from two PSs: May1st1945 square (MS, N=173) and Mohamed Harsous square (HS, N=97), located in Batna city centre (Algeria). The inquiry first includes an evaluation of urban environment layouts; a second evaluation to determine variables linked to environmental functionalities and utilization, and a third evaluation to assess social activities through characteristics of practices. The findings reveal that the components of the urban environment and its functionalities directly influence the attractiveness of PSs, mainly through proximity and comfort, and that shopping and leisure activities are also important for their attractiveness, but remain insufficient. This shows that attractiveness depends on the duration and variety of activities, including the interaction of people with these components to foster sociability. In addition, the use of these squares as a function of age and gender, and their appropriations are dealt with, since they have a direct effect on their uses and people’s preferences.

«У ЖИТТІ ПОКИ “ЩАСТИТЬ”»: ОСВІТНЯ ТРАЄКТОРІЯ ПЕРЕСІЧНОЇ КИЯНКИ МОДЕРНОЇ ДОБИ ЗА АВТОБІОГРАФІЄЮ

To this day, the opinion that is widespread in the scientific literature about the accessibility of secondary and higher women’s education in the imperial era mainly for daughters of wealthy people, has led to the expediency of studying the problem. The autobiography of the average Kyivan burgher woman Dashko from a low-income family of traders has become the empirical material of the study. The chronological framework of the study, represented in the autobiography, includes the late imperial era: late 19th century — year 1913. The methodological basis of the study is the microhistory, which focuses on the development of history “from below” and “from within”, the study of living conditions, educational needs, motivations and forms of behaviour of the individual. As a result of the study it has been proven that at the late 19th and early 20th century the urban attractiveness of Kyiv prompted the city authorities to ensure the accessibility of school education for children of city residents. The autobiography of the average Kyivan woman Dashko demonstrates a specific educational trajectory of the daughter of Orthodox low-income burghers. The circumstances of life of the Kyivan woman show a clear connection between the wealth of the burgher family and plans for the future of the children. The low income of the family of traders resulted in the utilitarianism of the initial training of the daughter, as well as breaks in education, studying in various types of lower educational institutions in Kyiv. An innate curiosity, a formed desire for further development and going beyond the everyday life of the burgher family, combined with persistent training, ensured the girl’s admission to the Kyiv-Podilsky Women Gymnasium. Obtaining a secondary education became a significant achievement in the educational trajectory of the daughter of low-income Kyivan residents. Having tried the effectiveness of education as a channel of social mobility, the graduate of the gymnasium dreams of further education at the medical department of the Kyiv Higher Courses for Women.

Co-creative place innovation in an arctic town

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to shed light on co-creative approaches for place innovation in an Arctic town, based on the relocation of Kiruna’s city center in northern Sweden. Three cases of co-creative innovation processes in Kiruna are investigated and compared: an R&D project about local perceptions and visions of attractive urban environments; an R&D project about norm-creative design principles for inclusive and attractive urban design; and an R&D project about cross-industrial synergies for city center attractiveness.Design/methodology/approachThe study’s research design encompasses a comparative and participatory approach. The comparative approach implies investigation and comparison of three cases of co-creative innovation processes in Kiruna. The participatory approach implies joint development of new knowledge by researchers and local actors. The data consists of participatory observations of workshops and qualitative interviews with local actors.FindingsThe study reveals that the studied processes have harnessed the city center relocation as an opportunity to make Kiruna more attractive to residents and visitors, by using the co-creative approaches of Living Lab, Now-Wow-How and Norm-creative design. These approaches have enabled experts and local actors to jointly identify excluding patterns and norms in the relocation process and to envision inclusive and attractive (re-)configurations and (re-)conceptualizations of the future Kiruna.Research limitations/implicationsThe results add to the academic strand of inclusive urban transformation, by providing insights into co-creative approaches for re-imagining an Arctic town in times of industrial and social change. New insights are provided regarding how the geographical, industrial and cultural identity of an Arctic town can be harnessed to envision new configuration, content and communication that is attractive and accessible for a diversity of residents and visitors.Practical implicationsThe results highlight the potential to harness Arctic and rural characteristics in the promotion of urban attractiveness and public well-being, especially when combined with co-creative identification and transformation of excluding norms and patterns.Originality/valueThe results provide new insights into how co-creative approaches may facilitate innovative and inclusive renewal of towns and cities in the Arctic and beyond.

THE STUDY OF CULTURAL AND NATURAL SIGHTS OF THE NORTH-WEST BLACK SEA REGION OF UKRAINE

The article is devoted to the study of the cultural and natural sights of the North-Western Black Sea region of Ukraine, the identification of their historical significance, unique architectural and urban planning decisions, and a favorable location. The main emphasis of scientific work is on the study of suburban areas, the preservation of unique historical palaces and manors, and the creation of new interesting tourist routes on their basis.The modern North-Western Black Sea region of Ukraine unites the Black Sea strip of Odessa, Nikolaev and Kherson regions. It has a rich history, unique nature and cultural heritage, and is also known for its tourist attraction. The geographical location in the basins of large rivers (Dnieper, Dniester, Southern Bug) and access to the Azov-Black Sea basin and the Dnieper waterway provides a unique opportunity to create large water tourist routes.A feature of the Odessa region is the presence of many architectural and natural attractions, which are located both in large tourist centers (Odessa, Izmail, Belgorod-Dniester, Vilkovo, etc.), and are scattered throughout the region. The most attractive objects are the preserved palaces and manors, their successful naturalgeographical and town-planning location makes their territory favorable for recreational use - all the estates are located in the natural landscape (near water bodies) and on the main transport routes (road, rail, water), which makes it possible to create new interesting tourist routes throughout the Odessa region.Nikolaev and Kherson regions do not have a huge number of architectural and urban attractions, despite the rich history and large cities (Nikolaev, Voznesensk, Ochakov, Pervomaisk, Kherson, etc.). The main feature of these areas is the presence of natural and historical-archaeological reserves, landscape parks that extend throughout the regions. Their unique natural and historical features (forests, canyons, ruins of fortresses) are complemented by preserved

Why do Skilled People Migrate to Cities? A Spatial Econometric Analysis for Understanding the Impact of the Social Environment on the Attraction of Human Capital to Cities in Turkey

The main focus of this study is on understanding the importance of social dynamics of cities for attracting human capital to urban regions. The principal research question of the article is “if there is a spatial dependency on neighbouring provinces’ social environmental qualities in human capital at­traction for Turkey.” It is believed that developmental disparities among regions can be overcome with a balanced distribution of human capital. In this article, first the concept and importance of human capital and its evolution throughout economic history are explained in order to emphasize the relationship between development and human capital for urban regions. The literature review consists of migration models developed and used in previous studies and recent literature that together consider human capital and its flow with spatial analysis. A review of migration models helps structure the quantitative models’ building blocks, or the concepts to be quantified. Literature that discusses human capital and spatial analysis, at the same time, guides the study in implementing the most appropriate analysis technique. The literature discussed in the paper is focused on human capital migration and urban attractiveness. Its similarity with the current study work is the focus on the relationship between urban environment components and human capital. However, the cited studies lack the “spatial/relational” approach to urban regions which means that the effects of developments in settlements neighbouring the region were ignored. The contribution which we intend to make with the current study is to adapt the spatial econometric analysis to the problem of human capital attraction. Literature review is followed by data used in the empirical part of the study, and brief information on spatial econometric analysis. Next, findings of the empirical spatial econometric analysis of Turkey’s 81 urban regions are provided. Overall, the analysis indicated that undergraduate and post-graduate migrants care about the social prosperity of the neighbouring environment of destination province. The last part concludes with an interpretation of empirical study findings and discusses relevant urban and regional policy instruments.

Geography of fear: fright tourism in urban revitalization

ABSTRACT Urban centres encompass a variety of tourist attractions. To expand these offerings, the opportunities must recognize the temporal and spatial constraints of travel. Temporally a night-time economy can fuel visitation and has traditionally been centered on entertainment, food and drinking establishments. The former has broad appeal to all visitors while the latter are more attractive options for the young and fearless. Spatially, to attract a broader audience of visitors, one most overcome the fear of the night so important in family friendly opportunities. Following the examples in several cities, the commodification of dark tourism themes has been shown to encourage family visitation, despite the macabre theme of the attractions. For the purpose of this study, an assessment of common fears is asked of night-time tourists as they prepare to enter an urban haunted attraction. The attraction is promoted to scare the guest but at the same time, expected to be safe. In this manner we begin to understand the dual nature of fear (i.e. repel vs attract) evident in night-time tourism experiences.

官民協働による新たな都市の魅力創出:天王寺公園エントランスエリア" てんしば"

官民協働による新たな都市の魅力創出:天王寺公園エントランスエリア" てんしば"

DRIEDIMENSIONAAL NIEUWS

THREE-DIMENSIONAL NEWS The Amsterdam wax museum as a competitor of the illustrated newspaper, 1882-1919 The nineteenth-century wax museum can be viewed as a contemporary mass medium that showed people scenes from the news. The Nederlandsch Panopticum was the first of its kind in the Netherlands, located in Amsterdam between 1882 and 1919. As an informative visual medium, the Panopticum had to compete with other media, like the illustrated newspaper, for the attention of the public. At the same time, the wax museum also depended on photographs published in these same papers: wax models were often, and in the course of time almost exclusively, modelled after photos. This reciprocal relationship can be seen as an example of ‘intermediality’. In the end, the wax museum lost ground, foremost, to the new mass medium of the time, cinema, which took over both as an urban attraction and as a popular visual medium.

It’s so hot: predicting climate change effects on urban tourists’ time–space experience

Progressive changes in mean annual temperatures are arguably the strongest evidence of ongoing climate change. In destinations with a Mediterranean climate, in contrast to the colder months, during summer, rising air temperatures are believed to inhibit tourist movements and activities, and consequently affect tourists’ evaluation of and satisfaction with their experiences. To the best of our knowledge, no previous study has investigated the potential impact of climate change on tourists’ time–space activity using actual behavioural tracking-based information. Data collected via GPS technology and a post-visit survey of tourists (n = 404) visiting Lisbon during the summer were analysed via structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). The results report empirical evidence of the present impact of (summer) weather on urban tourists’ time–space activity and on their intra-destination experience evaluation. Specifically, maximum air temperature is found to have a significant negative effect on overall satisfaction, while the meteorological conditions of the entire day reveal a significant impact on tourists’ activities and movements. The results are particularly useful for the sustainable adaptive management of urban attractions and destinations that are especially vulnerable to climate change, as well as in managing its adverse impact on tourists’ experiences.

Sustainable Rural Development in Northern China: Caught in a Vice between Poverty, Urban Attractions, and Migration

For a long time, the majority of China, which has the world’s largest population, has been immobile and lived in rural areas. However, over recent decades, with the economic rise of China, rural labor has demonstrated a trend of moving to rapidly industrializing regions in search of higher income and better employment opportunities. Along with the labor cutback, out-migration introduces negatives to the sustainable development of rural areas, i.e., depopulation, the abandonment of rural settlements and agricultural lands, and the aging of the population, among others. Due to the threats of labor outflow to sustainability, studying the causes of China’s rural out-migration can reveal lessons on how state policies can be designed to reduce the negative impacts of out-migration on rural communities. The purpose of this paper is to identify the major causes of migration movements among the rural areas of northern China that are considered to be the best-performing among the provinces of the country in terms of rural development, agricultural production, and the wealth of rural dwellers. A two-stage survey of a panel of experts involved: (1) respondents representing government officials and universities of the Heilongjiang, Jilin, and Liaoning provinces and the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, and (2) regional and district levels of administration, and research and public establishments of Heilongjiang Province. In stage three, drawing on the authors’ own survey of 128 rural households in three counties of Heilongjiang Province, the major migration drivers have been identified, and the portfolio of a typical rural migrant has been developed. Some of the key findings are that migration intentions are fueled by the rural–urban income gap, poverty, a reduction of demand for labor in rural areas, underdeveloped infrastructure, the low quality of social services in rural settlements, and the low social standing of rural dwellers. The approach allows monitoring the dynamics of migration attitudes as responses to the policy interventions that are aimed at the sustainable development of rural areas.

Urban spatiotemporal analysis using mobile phone data: Case study of medium- and large-sized Korean cities

Recent advanced information and communication technologies can provide more accurate and comprehensive information. In particular, mobile phone data provide a new data source for urban structures and mobility. It is important for urban and transportation planners to be able to use data containing valuable location information that is not easily obtainable from traditional datasets, such as expensive household surveys, extensive traffic counts, or aggregated socioeconomic statistics. This study explored the potential of using mobile phone data to characterize and compare urban activity and mobility patterns from daily and hourly mobile phone records across 10 cities in Korea. We compared the internal and external mobility of phone users, and calculated urban attractiveness and home-based trip length frequency distribution for comparisons of different sized cities. The spatiotemporal evolution of urban activity within a day was examined, and the spatiotemporal extension for each city was calculated, showing the degree of spatial dispersion of residences and other activity locations. We also identified urban activity subcenters and hotspots based on density and time persistence criteria, as well as their compactness. Policy makers can expect to see more applications using mobile phone data, and this study helps demonstrate the potential of such data. We hope that spatiotemporal activity analysis can provide a foundation for future research that will help improve urban and transportation policies.

Substantiation of organizational and technological solutions for construction within the “car-free city” concept

In the article, the author developed the classification of the main models of implementation of the “car-free city” concept depending on organizational and technological solutions in the construction and reconstruction of the urban environment. The author determined that the problem of selecting the optimal model should be decided on the basis of a comprehensive analysis of various factors that determine the specific features and problems of a specific urban situation (social, technical, organizational, environmental, cultural, economic, climatic, etc). The developed solution should meet the criteria of ensuring the comfort of the urban environment and investment attractiveness. The author developed the basic algorithm of choosing the optimal organizational and technological solutions for the development of urban development within the “car-free city” concept, the use of which will contribute to maximizing socio-economic, environmental and other effects while ensuring the investment attractiveness and competitiveness of construction project decisions.

Does urban tourism attractiveness affect young adult migration in Germany?

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to analyze whether urban tourism attractiveness affects young adult migration within Germany. Currently, factors like urban attractiveness, environmental qualities or vicinity to amenities play a more important role for the migration of young adults than in the past. This has highly asymmetric implications for the housing (and commercial real estate) markets in cities with an abundance of urban attractiveness, compared to cities without such attractions.Design/methodology/approachThis analysis focuses on the internal migration of young adults (18-30-year-olds). First, some stylized facts regarding migration patterns are presented by means of descriptive and cluster analyses (k-means methodology) with respect to the net immigration rate for the two years, 2004 and 2014. Second, ordinary least squares-regression analyses are used to estimate the connection between urban tourism attractiveness and migration.FindingsYoung adults in Germany predominantly migrate to cities. The authors find typical migration patterns, and the regression results indicate that young adult migration is highly correlated with the indicator measuring urban tourism attractiveness. This means that urban attractions matter for young adults. Finally, the authors also find that housing rents are correlated with urban tourism attractiveness.Practical implicationsGood city planning must not only be concerned with new industrial sites, but also about esthetic neighborhoods and, for example, attractive squares. Moreover, because city structures and urban amenities are both path dependent and expensive to change, it is likely that the winning cities of today will remain winners in the next decade, which is good news for risk-averse investors.Originality/valueTo the best of the authors’ knowledge, the paper provides the first empirical analysis of the connection between urban tourism attractiveness and the migration of young adults, in the context of German cities.

The smart city as a common place for tourists and residents: A structural analysis of the determinants of urban attractiveness

This article presents a structural modeling analysis of the performance determinants of urban attractiveness, in terms of resident population and international tourism demand, in 40 global cities. The analysis focuses on the impacts of a diverse set of innovative drivers of urban value creation and sustainable solutions for city development (urban functions), which are collectively subsumed under the heading of ‘sustainable smart city’. Recognizing that the dynamics and growth processes related to these urban functions may have different impacts on different types of stakeholders, potentially leading to the emergence of serious conflicts between guests/visitors and residents, we aim to derive model-based implications for urban and tourism management in the cities concerned in order to move towards the sustainable future city as ‘a place 4 all’. The results of our latent growth curve model confirm the existence of different impacts of urban functions on visitors' and residents' attractiveness. Cultural dynamics appears to be a major determinant for attracting new residents and supporting a strong international tourism industry. From an economic perspective, purely economic strength (in terms of absolute growth) appears to enhance city attractiveness for residents, while the dynamics observed in research and development activities influences the quality of employment instead of being a direct driver of population growth. While the social aspects of sustainability (framed under the concept of livability) and the urban environment typically exert higher impacts on urban attractiveness, accessibility appears mostly relevant for visitors. Our analysis suggests an uneasy balance between livability, environment, and population and visitor volume and growth.

Innovazione sociale e turismo responsabile a Bologna: pratiche empiriche e prospettive teoriche

In the era of “reflexive modernity”, new forms of mobility and consumption are emerging. This has largely influenced the reconfiguration of traditional forms of tourism into more sustainable and inclusive practices. If on the one hand the tourist plays an active role in “consuming” the leisure experience, on the other hand local community has a growing importance during the decision-making process concerning tourism development. Drawing upon the analysis of five case studies of innovative tourism practices located in Bologna, where the number of tourist has consistently grown (+45,7% in the last decade), this paper focuses on the social innovation perspective applied to tourism to observe the changing processes in local community participation, social relations among actors and the satisfaction of new needs. It concludes with remarks on the potentials of social innovation as a tool for urban attractiveness and for a more inclusive and responsible development.

The Effective Spatial Qualities on Urban Tourism in Iran Focusing on Social Factors

Considering the increasing challenges of the current cities, the urban tourism has been proposed as a solution for solving or minimizing different problems. Including economic, social and environmental aspects, this approach can lead to the fulfillment of sustainable development theory. Accordingly, there is no doubt about the successful results of the urban tourism development and all urban managers and authorities agree on this point. Meanwhile, what threatens the success of the urban tourism development plans is to ignore the all effective factors that make effect on the quality of travel experience. In their best, the cities are projected in their public spaces, and any tourist spent a considerable part of his travel in such spaces. Thus the quality of urban spaces is an important factor on the successfulness of urban tourism development plans and hence their environmental desirability must be studied and evaluated more precise under a comprehensive approach. The main objective of this research is to answer the main question of how the effective spatial qualities on tourism are explain with regard to the social factors. Since the man and his activities are the base of the urban studies, this article uses an urban-strategic approach based on the descriptive-analytical method using library resources to study the social factors that are effective on the qualities of urban spaces. The analytical model of the research will be presented based on the theoretical studies. The results show that some qualities such as flexibility, functional diversity, physical diversity, vegetation, safety, lightening, landscape attractiveness, identity, and memorability in relation to the urban space, and social and arbitrary activities based on Gehl theory can make effect as the complementary factors of the urban tourism attraction and make effect on social factors such as vitality, sense of security, arbitrary activity, social activity and tourists sense of peace. Emphasizing on the social exchange theory, such factors can pave the way for the sustainability of urban tourism industry. The results of this research can be used in identifying and reinforcing the spatial qualities relating to the social factors that are effective on tourism in Iran. Consequently, they can be useful in the tourism development. The essential value of this article is its simultaneous focus on both spatial qualities (physical dimension) and social factors (human dimension) in relation to the tourism development. In this regard, the unidimensional attitude is rejected and the adaptation of a holistic approach to the urban tourism is highlighted.

Rural Migration in the Developing Economy and its Reflection on the Urban Structure (with Reference to Kurdistan Region)

Indeed ,a lot of common lines bringing different experiences of the developing countries (in respect to rural migration) that are closed to each other, however each experience has its special characteristics which are not necessarily congruent to other experiences as has really been taken place during 1980s in Kurdistan region. To deal with practical aspects ofurbanization in Kurdistan region, a simple questionnaire conducted in two urban areas; Sulaimany (city) and Koya (town). The questions were immediately related to the prospected causes and consequences of migration and urban localization. The research directed to test (qualitatively with reference to the questionnaire results) a principal assumption ;( aversion of migration and urban attractions, both of them resulted in a dichotomous process of settlement). In so far this paper concentrated on the following subjects; One – Rural centrifugal forces of migration. Two –Governmental Obligatory and Urban centripetal forcesof migration. Three- Urbanization and immigration consequences. Four – Towards a sound urbanization in the developing economy. Lastly, the paper concluded that after a long and sluggish rural migration in Iraq during 1950s, 1960s and 1970s governmental obligatory forces in the second half of 1980s represented the most decisive and profoundly determinants of the rural migration in the IKRand this , as a basic consequence, entails a chronic restless to reside between the village and the city.