Urban Design Approach Research Articles

Back and Forth from Urban Renewal: The Spatial Parameters of Affordable Housing in Two Cities

This study examines the impact of spatial parameters on urban well-being by comparing the urban design and housing policies of Roosevelt Island in New York City and Bat Yam in the Tel Aviv metropolitan area, Israel. Despite their distinct political and cultural contexts, these cities exhibit similar urban design approaches that integrate physical well-being parameters—such as density, building height, open spaces, and walkability—alongside social well-being parameters including age distribution, income levels, and ethnic diversity. The research traces the evolution of affordable housing through various historical phases, including Urban Renewal, Community Development, and Neoliberal Urbanism, and explores how different residential ownership structures have influenced demographic shifts, gentrification, and neighborhood transformation over the past decades. Using a mixed-methods approach that combines historical analysis with spatial and demographic data, this study highlights the contrasting impacts of Roosevelt Island’s affordable housing program and Bat Yam’s state-led urban renewal policies. The results illustrate how distinct housing models affect community resilience, social stability, and overall urban well-being. By uncovering parallel narratives and extracting valuable insights, this analysis offers lessons for other cities navigating similar market-led pressures and policy shifts. The findings underscore the importance of understanding the interplay between spatial design, housing policies, and ownership structures in shaping the long-term sustainability and quality of life in urban neighborhoods.

People, Places, and Perceptions: Assessing Spatial Quality Attributes of Urban Third-place With Projective Survey

Urban third places, such as cafes, parks, and plazas, are integral to the social fabric of urban environments, providing spaces for informal social interaction outside of home and work. This study explores the spatial quality attributes that define these third places and their influence on user perceptions and experiences. By employing a projective survey, a qualitative research method utilizing ambiguous stimuli to reveal deeper user sentiments, the research identifies key characteristics that contribute to the desirability of these spaces. Findings highlight the significance of physical, functional, and social dimensions, including furniture design, spatial layout, and opportunities for social interaction. These attributes are shown to vary significantly across different age groups, with notable differences in preferences between younger and older participants. The study's insights inform urban designers and architects on creating inclusive, vibrant third places that enhance urban livability and economic vitality. The research underscores the need for a human-centric approach in urban design, emphasizing the importance of accommodating diverse user needs and preferences to foster a sense of community and well-being in urban settings. By understanding the nuanced relationships between spatial attributes and user perceptions, the study contributes to the development of more effective urban design strategies.

Research-by-design for nature-based riverfronts in socially complex urban areas: rethinking Liffey Boardwalk in Dublin

ABSTRACT Integrating nature-based and ecological approaches in urban design is called for in the literature, while there is a considerable gap between academic research and practice on the applicability and effectiveness of related strategies. We define a research-by-design process and discuss relevant approaches for riverfronts in dense urban fabric, taking Liffey Boardwalk in Dublin, Ireland, as a case study. The methods employed include a desk study of academic literature and urban policies, site analyses (site observations, footfall counting, photographic documentation), and urban design scenario development. Biophilic urbanism was determined as the most pliable vision for addressing socio-ecological issues in a complex and problematic area, from which implications are further derived.

A psychoanalytical approach in urban design: exploring dynamics of co-creation through theme-centred interaction

ABSTRACT Urban design practices are shifting towards inclusive co-creation processes to engage diverse stakeholders and create sustainable spaces. This paper explores co-creation dynamics in urban design using the theme-centred interaction (TCI) model from the field of psychoanalysis. Through a single-case study, qualitative and quantitative methods, balanced co-creation strategies are highlighted, empowering individuals, facilitating open dialogue, defining shared objectives, and considering external factors. This research extends literature by applying the TCI model, offering a novel lens and insights for effective co-creation practices in urban design. It informs future investigations and enhances stakeholder engagement, emphasizing a holistic approach.

NEW URBANISM IN CONTEXT TO MOBILITY

In recent years, the concept of New Urbanism has gained significant attention as a means of addressing the challenges of urban development and mobility. There has been a growing interest in understanding how new urbanism principles impact mobility patterns and behaviours. The New Urbanism, initially conceived as an anti – sprawl reform movement, New Urbanism is an urban planning and design approach that emphasizes walkability, mixed land uses, and connectivity. In new urbanism, there is a strong emphasis on promoting alternative modes of transportation to reduce car dependency and create more sustainable and liveable communities. These abstract aims to explore the relationship between new urbanism and mobility, focusing on the various factors that influence transportation. This paper aims to explore the key principles of New Urbanism that enhance mobility and examine the ways in which it promotes the use of alternative modes of transportation. Through this research, we hope to provide insights into the potential benefits and challenges of New Urbanism as a means of improving mobility in urban areas. Some common modes of transportation in new urbanist developments include walking, cycling, and public transit by examining the role of street design, infrastructure, and transportation demand management strategies. This not only helps to reduce traffic congestion and air pollution but also promotes a healthier and more active lifestyle. The goal is to encourage alternative transportation options. This research seeks to provide insights into creating more sustainable and accessible urban environments. This research will contribute to the ongoing dialogue on how to design cities that prioritize mobility, promote alternative transportation options, and reduce car dependency. Key Words: New urbanism, Sustainable mobility, Transit-oriented development (TOD), Walkable communities, Active transportation, public space, public transit.

Review for Urban Plazas design approach

Review for Urban Plazas design approach

Water sensitive urban design approach for flood prone area (Study case: Kauman Riverfront Area, Semarang)

Kauman Semarang Riverfront Area is the center of the trade and services area in Semarang, especially for traditional trade. This area is located between three ethnic villages and is adjacent to Kali Semarang, a river that has an important meaning and historical value for the city’s development. Kauman Area is located in Central Semarang District, Semarang City, and is within a 1 km radius of the Semarang Old Town, a tourist attraction in the cultural heritage field, which is known as the priority of socio-cultural development on the city and province scale. However, with this type of potential, Kauman Riverfront Area has a medium-high flooding threat. In 2021, the number of flood incidents was the highest within five years (88 incidents). This study aims to examine the WSUD approach for the study area that focuses on the urban water system to decrease flooding risk and its correlation with urban design elements. The chosen method for this research is a fragmental method that consists of four steps, which begin with collecting data until producing the WSUD component approach, which is likely to be implied. The results show that the WSUD components and water system for Kauman Riverfront Area to increase the stormwater infiltration and storage.

A conceptual framework to mitigate the adverse effects of surface urban heat islands through urban acupuncture: a two-phase scenario of diagnosis and prescription at the neighborhood scale

Rising temperatures, a major global environmental challenge, negatively impact health, the environment, society, and the economy. Surface Urban Heat Islands (SUHI), exacerbated by urbanization and climate change, intensify vulnerabilities for urban areas and residents. Urban planning and design aime to reduce these vulnerabilities through large-scale and small-scale interventions. However, addressing the significance of the capillary effects resulting from small-scale interventions and bottom-up community engagement is important. Urban acupuncture (UA) is an emerging approach in contemporary urban planning and design that focuses on small-scale interventions to mitigate the effects of SUHIs at the community level. This study develops a framework for mitigating the impacts of SUHIs through UA implementation in urban design. The proposed framework consists of two key phases: diagnosis and prescription. During the diagnosis phase, we analyzed heat-vulnerable points to identify indicators contributing to the development and exacerbation of the SUHIs. Then, we employed the Matrix of Cross Impact Multiplications Applied to a Classification (MICMAC) technique to comprehensively assess 75 influential indicators related to urban structure across various aspects and scales, focusing on the mesoscale. Among them, 30 leading indicators were identified, of which environmental and morphological indicators emerged as significant catalysts. Moving on to the prescription phase, we developed a UA-based framework called the “5 Wh Question” which addresses five fundamental questions: why, who, what, how, and where. Our findings can provide comprehensive solutions for policymakers and urban planners to address the identified heat-vulnerable points.

Assessing the Transformative Potential: An Examination of the Urban Mobility Impact Based on an Open-Source Microscopic Traffic Simulator for Autonomous Vehicles

Integrating autonomous vehicles (AVs) into urban areas poses challenges for transportation, infrastructure, building, environment, society, and policy. This paper goes beyond the technical intricacies of AVs and takes a holistic, interdisciplinary approach by considering the implications for urban design and transportation infrastructure. Using a complex methodology encompassing various software types such as Simulation of Urban Mobility (SUMO 1.17.0) and STREETMIX, the article explores the results of a simulation that anticipates the implementation of AVs through different market penetration scenarios. We investigate how AVs could enhance the efficiency of transportation networks, reducing congestion and potentially increasing the throughput. However, we also acknowledge the dynamic nature of the scenarios, as new mobility patterns emerge in response to this technological shift. Furthermore, we propose innovative urban design approaches that could harness the full potential of AVs, fostering the development of sustainable and resilient cities. By exploring these design strategies, we hope to provide valuable guidance for urban planners and policymakers as they navigate the challenges and opportunities presented by the integration of these advanced technologies.

UDGAN: A new urban design inspiration approach driven by using generative adversarial networks

Abstract The morphological design of urban space affects the quality of the environment. The traditional experience-based design approach was greatly improved by introducing computational design tools. However, the existing urban design tools are mostly developed on pre-set rules or given targets, which have few contributions to enhance creativity or generate inspiring schemes. Therefore, this paper proposes a new computational urban design approach named UDGAN, integrating generative adversarial networks (GANs) and multi-objective optimization algorithms. This model utilizes urban design scheme plans over the past 20 years from a particular designer as training datasets. Four preference models were trained to autonomously generate stylized urban design schemes. Eight morphological parameters were used to analyze the model performance by comparing generated results with the ground truth. This GAN-based surrogate approach is combined with a morphological indicator alignment process using multi-objective optimization model to obtain better results. The result shows that the R2 predicted by the improved Pix2Pix model reaches 0.798, and the similarity of the generated results can be stably distributed between 0.7 and 0.8, so the design scheme of this preferred style can be effectively learned. At the same time, the pre-trained model greatly reduces the time consumption of the design scheme generation, taking 5 min approximately to complete a generation process. This approach quickly generated the design scheme with preferred features, supporting the designer with creativity and greatly saving the time of design creation, transforming computational design into an inspiration-driven process.

Spatial Transformation—The Importance of a Bottom-Up Approach in Creating Authentic Public Spaces

This study explores the integration of phenomenology in urban placemaking, focusing on the Ghobeiry neighborhood in Beirut. By examining the transformation of a public garden through a phenomenological lens, this research highlights the impact of a bottom-up approach in urban design. The methodology combines a literature review with empirical data gathered from interviews and observations within the community. The findings indicate that the initial top-down development of the public garden failed to resonate with residents, leading to its neglect. However, a shift towards community engagement, initiated by a local social activist, encouraged a sense of ownership and transformed the space into a vibrant, meaningful area. This study contributes to urban planning literature by demonstrating the practical application of phenomenological principles, emphasizing the importance of community involvement in creating authentic urban spaces. It underscores the need for inclusive, participatory approaches in urban development, offering insights into the transformative potential of engaging local narratives and experiences.

The Configurational Structures of Social Spaces: Space Syntax and Urban Morphology in the Context of Analytical, Evidence-Based Design

This article presents an argument for the enhanced utilisation of urban morphology in urban design, drawing inspiration from space syntax theory and methodologies, advocating for the integration of social, economic, and cultural considerations alongside physical structures. This perspective shift entails transitioning from descriptive analysis to quantitative inquiries for the prediction and assessment of urban dynamics. By incorporating spatial analysis and socio-economic factors, urban morphology offers a competent understanding of the complexities inherent to urban environments. This comprehension supports the development of evidence-based designs and predictive models that enable such an approach in urban design. To operationalise this approach, the article introduces a methodology that interlinks urban morphology and design through a cyclic process encompassing analysis, design, evaluation, and further design development. This framework is illustrated through the case study of Jilin City, where an assessment of the public transport system led to a comprehensive urban design strategy. The study demonstrates how urban morphology insights, supported by analytical investigations enabled by space syntax methodology, can actively influence urban design and planning practices. By effectively embedding this morphological approach, urban designers and planners acquire the tools needed to navigate the evolving urban systems while respecting the interplay between physical structures and human existence. The article concludes by highlighting the need for an ongoing evolution of this approach to maintain relevance in shaping future urban settings.

Pedestrian path landscape design concepts on Kyai Tapa Street, Grogol, West Jakarta, through urban landscape design approach

An urban area offers a wide range of indoor and outdoor activities. The pedestrian area on Kyai Tapa Street, Grogol includes a community-used pedestrian path. It can become an open space in the pedestrian area that serves as a means of enhancing and facilitating activities for the community, particularly pedestrians. The phenomenon on the Kyai Tapa Street, Grogol pedestrian path requires a more explicit concept in the design, so the existing pedestrian path cannot improve the visual quality. It cannot be a comfortable place for pedestrians to pass. Therefore, identifying and evaluating the existing pedestrian path design concepts is necessary. This research study aimed to identify and evaluate the concept of pedestrian paths following the existing conditions using primary and secondary data collection methods through observation, surveys, and literature studies. Factors supporting the comfort of pedestrians are related to the suitability of the path’s shape, the dimensionally design concept, and the elements built around the pedestrian path. The pedestrian path on Kyai Tapa Street, Grogol becomes a link between several places around the pedestrian path area. Therefore, it is necessary to make a clear design concept for pedestrian paths so that the pedestrian path area can improve visual quality and become a comfortable facility for pedestrians.

The function of the First Ancient Theatre of Larissa within the soundscape of the contemporary urban fabric

During the process of urban development in Greece a part of the first ancient theatre of Larissa was revealed. Today, after several expropriations and support frameworks, the theatre is fully excavated and partly reconstructed. Recently, an International Open Ideas Competition was launched for the urban regeneration of the surrounding area and the enhancement of the theatre's value and function. This paper presents the historic information of the theatre, it describes its evolution through the centuries, responding to the city's development, it investigates its acoustics based on previous measurements, noise maps, land use and the contemporary soundscape. Moreover, it discusses the competition axes and urban design approaches aiming to identify the effect of the application of design proposals to the theatre's function and future use.

A Review: Eco-Friendly Technologies and Sustainable Development of Urban Friendliness Spaces Toward New Urbanism Design Approach

Ecologically conscious technology is a fast-developing domain centring around novel scientific and technical approaches that bring advantages to the planet. Commonly known as “sustainable technology”, this field is committed to conserving our natural resources. Therefore, urban Friendliness spaces are essential to all users as it stands as a public space which provides a sustainable environment for a more walkable, safe, and green environment.‎The problem statement of this study is imperative to enhance the sustainability and eco-friendliness of urban Friendliness spaces. Thus, this paper aims to incorporate both the development of new technologies and the improvement of existing ones to physically and functionally enhance the Friendliness spaces. The methodology involved a systematic literature review of new urbanism design approaches, which was achieved through a structured review of existing literature. Our results indicate that many key design elements, inventions, improvements, and scientific developments can have an impact on the ecosystem of urban spaces, subsequently affecting the people on an individual level. The findings of this study hope to contribute to the body of knowledge on how to improve urban development toward producing an eco-friendly and sustainable built environment.

Reviewing Historic Urban Water Transitions to Advance Water-Sensitive Urban Design for Bhuj, India

In rapidly growing urban contexts, water plays a pivotal role in the transitions the urban environment goes through to sustain the quality of life of its population. Spatial planning and design are essential for the facilitation and manifestation of such transitions. Focusing on Bhuj, a rapidly growing Indian city in a hot arid desert climate, its crucial yet changing sensitivity to urban water flows over time is assessed. The concept of water sensitivity is coined as a goal to pursue by the Water-Sensitive Urban Design approach. In India, however, much of the urban design and development processes are of an unplanned and informal nature, seemingly inhibiting the water sensitivity of urban transitions. Reviewing spatial planning paradigms and their manifestation in space in Bhuj over time, however, brings to light a pre-existing water sensitivity. Yet it also shows a shift from the supply security-oriented ingenious watershed expansion to catastrophe-steered and urban expansion-driven water system negligence. Review and discussion of past and present urban water transitions and management points out drivers, barriers, and their interrelationships, to enable and advance water-sensitive urban development tied to local history, traditional knowledge, and context specificities.

Urban Design Approach to Flood Problem in Palembang City

Flood in city of Palembang caused by many factors. Inadequate and unconnected city drainage channels, as well as the geomorphological condition of the city which is a lowland with rivers and swamps are the causes of flooding that routinely occurs. Various ways to overcome flooding have been done but still not effective, flooding still occurs and the losses incurred are also increasing. This paper took urban design as a tool to tackle flood problems without ignoring other technical aspects. The purpose of this research is to find the main problem of flood and then analyze it with urban context to get the effective solutions. The method which selected are literature and comparative study. The conclusion is the needed of a master plan of flood intervention, re-established green open space until 30% of total area, Fix the drainage system, install storm-water way system and reclaimed river, swamp as flood control.

Circular Water Management in Public Space—Experimental Feasibility Studies in Different Urban Contexts

Several studies highlight the risks related to the growing water crisis, worsened by the effects of pollution, which increasingly make water sources non-potable. The current water-sensitive urban design (WSUD) approach improves resource efficiency and implements urban livability by combining natural water flows with all the scales of the urban landscape. The logistic and operational management of water disposal/treatment and distribution requires performing service design according to cities’ physical and morphological features, starting from their architectural and landscape characteristics. This paper aims to prove that different landscapes can offer different inspirations and possibilities to imagine a WSUD-coherent system, fulfilling the integration requirements with the urban system. For this purpose, three case studies, differing by dimension, morphology, and urban typology, are analyzed, experimenting with circular water usage with no resource waste. This research proposes concrete actions such as conservation, restoration or addition of permeable surfaces, the installation of new accumulation and treatment systems, and the use of water-saving devices. Starting from redesigning the water system, they can also include punctual redevelopment interventions on the urban built environments and opportunities for network development with public administrations, private businesses, third-sector organizations, and end users. This experimentation has led to water savings of up to 80% of the current consumption scenario.

Transit-oriented development using water-sensitive urban design (WSUD) approach

The Tegalluar and Gedebage areas in Rancanumpang Village have been identified as potential transit-oriented development (TOD) sites. However, these areas face challenges due to their low elevation, which leads to ground level reductions and seasonal flooding. To address these issues, it is crucial to incorporate a water-sensitive urban design (WSUD) approach into the development of an interconnected and integrated transit-oriented area. Therefore, this study aims to propose an alternative design for the Tegalluar transit-oriented area, focusing on factors such as density, diversity, design, destination accessibility, distance to transit, and environmental considerations. A fragmental method was applied at different stages of the design and this led to the development of an alternative conceptual design simulation for the transit-oriented area based on the desired factors.

Coping Capacity, Adaptive Capacity, and Transformative Capacity Preliminary Characterization in a “Multi-Hazard” Resilience Perspective: The Soccavo District Case Study (City of Naples, Italy)

An innovative methodology for characterizing Coping Capacity (CC), Adaptive Capacity (AC), and Transformative Capacity (TC) resilience determinants in a multi-hazard territorial context is applied to the Soccavo district (Naples, Italy), located in the Campi Flegrei caldera and exposed to volcanic eruptions, ground deformations (bradyseism), earthquakes, geomorphological processes (landslides, rock falls, erosion), and climate change-related hazards (heat waves, pluvial floods). The method allowed for the identification of the CC, AC, and TC parameters that can be easily converted into qualitative–quantitative variables. Among all parameters, the method focused on multi-stakeholder and civil society engagement, which is representative of TC and variable relating to the risk perception and awareness, the urban space perception, or the people’s ability to activate bottom-up urban transformation processes within resilient development pathways. Therefore, qualitative tools such as collaborative mapping and co-design processes, pertaining to the urban planning and design fields, and quantitative tools such as surveys, from the social science field, were harmonized and combined to collect and analyze data on these site-specific topics. Considering people’s priorities and needs, the study was useful to define shared sustainable and resilient solutions in order to holistically integrate Disaster Risk Reduction/Climate Change Adaptation urban planning and design approaches and simultaneously deliver social, environmental, and economic co-benefits.