Urban Design Projects Research Articles

Capturing the transition of historic urban landscapes using scores from Hanoi’s ancient quarter

ABSTRACT Asian cities are exposed to dynamic changes in their historic urban landscapes (HULs). However, the ways in which to quantify the degree of landscape change to guide spatial management have remained underexplored. Taking rapidly changing Hàng Buồm Street, Hanoi, Vietnam, as case study, we developed a numerical score for HULs to capture change tendencies. From onsite surveys, we defined the intensity and speed of change in trade and façades and identified vulnerable spots by mapping the scores for 131 units in 2015, 2017, and 2019. Our results showed that superficial façade changes happened regardless of the degree of trade change, and that the intense façade and trade changes happened around junctions with heavily touristified streets. We also found that aside from conventional tourism, newly emerging nighttime economies, wellness tourism, and multifunctional complexes had more intense façade changes. Based on these findings, we propose refining current management strategies by preparing stricter guidelines to control the aforementioned highly influential trades, establishing urban design project for old street to improve management of junctions especially with heavily touristified streets, and providing detailed examples of appropriate signboards that can easily be referenced by merchants and investors.

The Impact of Virtual Immersive Public Art on the Restorative Experience of Urban Residents

This study explores the role of virtual immersive public art in improving the psychological well-being of urban residents. The research is set in the context of urban environments, where virtual immersive public art has the potential to foster innovation, integrate technology, and organically blend into public spaces. The study evaluates the impact of such art on psychological restoration by focusing on three key dimensions: interactive themes, interactive mechanisms, and artistic characteristics. A questionnaire survey was conducted to collect participants’ real-life experiences and reactions to these art installations. The results show that virtual immersive public art significantly contributes to the restorative experience of urban residents, offering valuable insights into how these installations can promote mental health. Based on the findings, the study provides practical design recommendations for incorporating virtual immersive public art into future urban planning and design projects to enhance urban living conditions and support psychological recovery.

A case study on renewal strategies for industrial communities in urban fringe area

AbstractIn China, the decline of industrial communities suffering from both the aging of physical space and the breakdown of social relations. How to make marginalized and closed industrial communities actively integrate into the development of urban renewal has gradually become an issue of concern.The paper takes the “Jingzhou New Town Industrial Park Urban Design Project” as an opportunity to explore a transformation path suitable for China's national conditions through the study of the history, culture, current problems, and renewal strategies of this heritage-type industrial community.The study finally proposes three renewal strategies for industrial communities, which provide samples with certain reference value for the renewal of old industrial communities.

Eco-friendly urban design: An analysis of sustainable building practices and their community impact

Eco-friendly urban design is essential in tackling the challenges arising from rapid urban growth and the increasing pressure on natural resources. This paper offers a thorough examination of sustainable building practices and their effects on communities within the framework of urban design. The initial section discusses various sustainable building methods that contribute to eco-friendly urban design, including renewable energy utilization, green materials, and energy-efficient technologies. Implementing these practices not only minimizes the environmental impact of urban developments but also strengthens the resilience of the constructed environment. The second part of the paper investigates the impact of sustainable urban design on communities. It highlights how these practices can enhance community spirit, elevate residents' quality of life, and support social equity. Sustainable urban design extends beyond environmental concerns to adopt a comprehensive approach that prioritizes inhabitants' well-being. The paper also includes case studies and examples of effective sustainable urban design projects worldwide, demonstrating the benefits of eco-friendly practices such as improved air and water quality, reduced energy use, and the development of vibrant, walkable neighborhoods. In summary, this paper underscores the significance of sustainable urban design in addressing the environmental and social issues linked to urbanization. By embracing eco-friendly building practices, communities can lessen their environmental footprint and foster healthier, more resilient, and inclusive urban spaces. This review is a valuable resource for urban planners, architects, and policymakers dedicated to advancing sustainable development and improving urban community well-being.

TRANSFORMING MEDELLÍN: ARCHITECTURE AND URBAN DESIGN AS AGENTS OF SOCIAL CHANGE

This article examines the transformative impact of Sergio Fajardo’s mayoral administration (2003–2007) in Medellín, Colombia, focusing on architecture and urban design projects that have promoted equity. Central to this urban renaissance was the Proyecto Urbano Integral (PUI) Nororiental, which revitalized informal settlements in the city’s northeastern zone. The initiative leveraged financing from Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM), a city-owned utility company, ensuring sustainable investment in public works without reliance on international loans. This financial model enabled the redistribution of funds to Medellín’s poorest neighborhoods, fostering transparency and combating corruption. Key to this urban strategy was the involvement of the Empresa de Desarrollo Urbano (EDU) which implemented the PUI with an intersectional planning approach combining public transit, education, culture, recreation, health, and safety initiatives. The PUI emphasized community participation through “Imaginary Workshops” promoting ownership and engagement among residents. The PUI Nororiental, enhanced by the Metrocable transit system and associated public spaces, has successfully integrated isolated neighborhoods while reducing violence and fostering social cohesion. Despite critiques of high costs, this article argues that quality public spaces and civic buildings promote community pride and destigmatization. Medellín’s “social urbanism” serves as a model for addressing inequity in Latin America and the broader Global South, demonstrating how architecture and urban design can drive social change.

Development of a Tabletop Hologram for Spatial Visualization: Application in the Field of Architectural and Urban Design

Architects, engineers, and designers normally visualize architectural, urban planning, urban design, or landscape design projects in different ways to present their ideas. At present, the two most widely utilized and accessible methods for spatial visualization are digital 3D modeling and physical 3D modeling. Despite their popularity, both approaches have intrinsic limitations. These shortcomings are progressively being mitigated through advancements in technology and digitalization. In this study, we propose the utilization of hologram technology as an innovative approach to overcome the limitations of both modeling methods mentioned. This research addresses two main points: the seamless integration of hologram production into the standard workflow of architectural and urban design projects, and the experimental creation of a tabletop hologram prototype using the most advanced stereoscopic visualization capabilities—CHIMERA hologram printer. The experiment’s results indicate that tabletop holograms’ visualization quality can potentially replace traditional methods in the near future. The process of creating holograms can be incorporated into the standard workflow of architectural and urban design projects and utilized in specific contexts.

Urban biodiversity and design in time of (post)pandemics: research perspectives from URBIO international network

Reflecting on the insights from research development within Urban Biodiversity and Design Network (URBIO), this paper attempts to link the consequences of current global changes (ongoing urbanization, biodiversity loss, land-use changes, globalization, etc.) to the emergence and outbreaks of the COVID-19 pandemic. It analyses the main outcomes of the URBIO webinar (December 2021) and the URBIO conference (November 2022) and the results of the questionnaire survey among the URBIO experts on the impact of COVID-19 on the biodiversity, design and society in their local contexts as well as on the ongoing and future URBIO research directions. The survey also enabled to explore and assess a wide diversity of human-nature interactions as well as the novel actions and adaptation strategies established to have positive outcomes for both humans and nature. The results revealed the following aspects associated with the COVID-19 pandemic: silence, social distancing, isolation, conflict ideologies, and declined recreational and other human activities. Experts noticed the increase of urban green space visitation and interest in nature. The majority of the experts confirmed the impact (both positive and negative) of the COVID-19 on biodiversity and environment. General positive aspects refer to the value/significance of nature and biodiversity/wildlife and especially the contact with nature (“time outdoor”, “time spent with family”, “inspiration from nature” and “enjoying nature”). The positive consequence of the COVID-19 measures was also the improvement of wildlife habitats and the increase of spontaneous flora as well as fauna species. Experts confirmed the lower/decreased level of pollution, noise, traffic, light, anthropogenic pressure/impact, number of tourists, vehicles as well as less garbage. The analysis of leading research themes among the URBIO conference participants confirmed that the biggest number of presenters and participants were on the topic of biodiversity integration in urban planning, green infrastructure, and landscape design projects. Another popular theme was ecological restoration and urban wildlife and plant biodiversity. One particular research direction that emerged recently and clearly pronounced at URBIO 2022 was urban biodiversity in times of climate change and post-pandemics.

Demystifying the Chinese local state: Planning and contesting urban growth at Hexi New Town, Nanjing

Taking note of the limitations of previously dominant political economy perspectives on China’s urban transformation, and inspired by recent works calling for “beyond-growth” and “micro-level” studies of the Chinese state, as well as ethnographic approaches to the state, this paper aims to explore the often-untold everyday politics of decision-making processes in China’s state-led urban development. Using an urban design project at Hexi New Town in Nanjing, China, as an empirical lens, the article makes three main contributions. Firstly, it reveals how the Chinese local state is constitutive of and lived through intense negotiations and contestations over urban visions, subjectivities, and rules of practices in everyday life. Secondly, building upon existing ethnographic approaches to the state, which focus primarily on state-society dynamics, this paper develops a framework to re-conceptualize the power topology within the Chinese local state as a field of relational modalities (ruling power relations (re)enacted in everyday practices) and relational embeddedness (situated positionalities and subjectivities of state actors). Thirdly, it further shows how the power modalities (the interplay of political-economy power vs technical-power, territorial power vs trans-territorial power) of the Chinese local state are constantly reworked, sometimes re-enacted, sometimes challenged, through both formal and tacit rules in the state’s everyday life. As such, the article provides a new set of entry points to open the black-box of the Chinese local state and to explore the relational nature and an ethnographic perspective of the local state and urban politics in China and beyond.

Embodied cognition and urban design: Thoughts through epigenetic advances

IntroductionIn the history of urban planning, the cognitive trend has been a well-established entity since the work of the American urban planner during the mid-’90s; Kevin Lynch. However, for a long time, urban planning has been deprived of the contribution of scientific knowledge from cognitive neurosciences, with a lack of operational recommendations for urban projects.ObjectivesThis study aims to reveal the role of embodiment theories in the revolution of urban design and urban projects through emerging findings in epigenetics and post-genomic biology.MethodsWe conducted an exhaustive review of the scientific literature to establish the relationship between embodied cognition and urban design through advances in epigenetics as well as potential applications of such finding. Our inquiry was to find out whether there was a scientific way to measure and quantify the performance of urban spaces.ResultsOur review revealed that, epigenetics and epigenomics have provided new explanations and perspectives to certain debates on the theory of embodied cognition and that of enaction. Epigenetic marks constitute a bodily memory that enables cognition to emerge as a function of the level of adaptation to the environment. In fact, embodiment refers to thoughts, emotions and behaviors based on sensory experiences and bodily positions, while the enaction is a way of conceiving cognition that focuses on the way in which human organisms and minds organize themselves in interaction with the environment.ConclusionsCognition is the result of a level of adaptation to the environment determined by physiological parameters that confer possibilities of action depending on previous interactions with the environment. The regulation of epigenetic marks which are technically quantifiable is now recognized as the fundamental mechanism involved in the brain’s ability to create, dismantle or reorganize neural networks throughout life depending on various experiences including environmental ones.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

SUSTAINABLE URBAN DESIGN: A REVIEW OF ECO-FRIENDLY BUILDING PRACTICES AND COMMUNITY IMPACT

Sustainable urban design is a critical component in addressing the challenges posed by rapid urbanization and the increasing strain on natural resources. This paper provides a comprehensive review of eco-friendly building practices and their impact on communities within the context of sustainable urban design. The first section examines the various eco-friendly building practices that contribute to sustainable urban design. This includes the use of renewable energy sources, green building materials, and energy-efficient technologies. The integration of these practices not only reduces the environmental footprint of urban developments but also enhances the overall resilience of the built environment. The second part of the paper focuses on the community impact of sustainable urban design. It explores how these eco-friendly practices can foster a sense of community, improve residents' quality of life, and promote social equity. Sustainable urban design goes beyond environmental considerations; it embraces a holistic approach that prioritizes the well-being of the inhabitants. Furthermore, the paper delves into case studies and examples of successful sustainable urban design projects from around the world. These examples showcase the positive outcomes of implementing eco-friendly building practices, such as improved air and water quality, reduced energy consumption, and the creation of vibrant, walkable neighborhoods. In conclusion, this paper highlights the importance of sustainable urban design in addressing the environmental and social challenges associated with urbanization. By adopting eco-friendly building practices, communities can not only mitigate the impact on the environment but also create healthier, more resilient, and socially inclusive urban spaces. This review serves as a valuable resource for urban planners, architects, and policymakers seeking to promote sustainable development and enhance the overall well-being of urban communities.
 Keywords: Urban Design, Eco-friendly, Building Practices, Sustainable Design, Review.

Settling the Desert, Unsettling the Mirage: Urban Ecologies of Arab and Gulf Futurisms in Ahmed Naji’s Using Life

ABSTRACT Contemporary Arabic speculative fiction, particularly following the Arab Spring uprisings, is often interpreted as part of an emerging trend of Arab dystopias responding to political upheaval. These texts’ ecological concerns, which produce diverse conceptions of futurity, are understudied. This article examines how urban futures are envisioned in an Egyptian speculative fiction text, Ahmed Naji’s Istikhdām al-ḥayāh (2014; Using Life, 2017). Putting Using Life in dialogue with discussions on Gulf futurism and Arabfuturisms, the article first examines the text’s depiction of hegemonic techno-futurist visions, aimed at manifesting a global utopian future through urban design and development projects. The author argues that this futurist discourse, which has affinities with Gulf futurism, operates through the dual enframing of nature and history, and then demonstrates how the text resists this techno-futurist vision through an assemblage aesthetics that echoes Sulaiman Majali’s Arabfuturism(s) manifesto. The novel’s assemblage aesthetics, which is central to its conception of counter-futures, redefines the human relationship to urban ecologies and to literature through an emphasis on embodiment.

Indicator-based resilience assessment of stormwater infrastructure network structure

ABSTRACT Stormwater management systems rely on an acyclic network structure, making the network more vulnerable to failure. Existing stormwater resilience studies have predominantly focused on hydraulic and hydrological characteristics of the system with no robust frameworks to evaluate the resilience of the stormwater piped network in terms of network connectivity. This paper introduces a new index-based quantitative framework to characterise the resilience of acyclic stormwater network structure using graph theory and resilience theories. This includes an index developed to evaluate the overall independency of a pipe within an acyclic piped network. The framework was applied to various simple network structures, and an existing stormwater network demonstrating the influence of network structure, pipeline connectivity and number of outlets on the network resilience. This framework can be used to test different network layouts and structures in urban design and pipeline renewal projects to maximise the resilience of the structure of stormwater networks.

Co-Design of a Public Space and the Implementation: Atakent (Car) Park

Citizen Design Science is a new co-design strategy for urban and architectural systems that improves the planning, design, management, and renewal of cities, urban habitats, and architectural structures, using active design tools through citizens' observation, experience, and local knowledge. The aim of this study is to describe how Atakent Parking Area is transformed into a public space design and implementation through both digital and analog active design tools in the co-design process that includes citizens' spatial experiences, needs, and desires through the method of citizen design science. The objective indicators and subjective perception applied in the study were combined in the co-design process to implement an urban design project. The experimental collaborative urban design process is realized on a democratic platform based on the tendencies and expectations of the participants. Two conceptual urban design projects were prepared with design science data including citizens' wishes, needs, and suggestions about the area, and participating citizens were asked to vote for the project democratically in the urban space. The selected conceptual design project was transformed into an implementation project in the urban area.

Integrating Wind Flow Analysis in Early Urban Design: Guidelines for Practitioners

The research focused on simulating wind patterns in urban planning design offers substantial contributions to both the social and economic aspects of the urban planning and design field. To begin with, it addresses a critical factor in urban development, especially in Mediterranean climates, where natural ventilation significantly influences summer comfort. By incorporating predictive numerical simulations of urban wind patterns, this study provides valuable insights into improving outdoor thermal comfort within urban areas. This holds particular importance in the context of adapting to climate change, as it equips urban planners and architects with informed decision-making tools to create more sustainable and comfortable urban environments. Additionally, this research makes an economic contribution by presenting guidelines for iterative wind simulations in the early stages of designing medium-scale urban projects. Through the validation of a simulation workflow, it streamlines the design process, potentially reducing the time and resources required for urban planning and architectural design. This enhanced efficiency can result in cost savings during project development. Moreover, the study's recommendations concerning simulation parameters, such as wind tunnel cell size and refinement levels, offer practical insights for optimizing simulation processes, potentially lowering computational expenses and improving the overall economic viability of urban design projects. To summarize, this research effectively addresses climate-related challenges, benefiting both social well-being and economic efficiency in the field of urban planning and design, while also providing guidance for more efficient simulation-driven design procedures.

Tools or Tokenism? Participative Design Strategies in the International Laboratory for Architecture & Urban Design (1976-1978)

This paper compares three projects presented at the International Laboratory for Architecture & Urban Design (ILA&UD, 1976-2015) that focused on increasing user participation. ILA&UD was an experimental educational platform that uniquely operated in the crevices of architecture, urban design, and planning. Established by Giancarlo de Carlo in 1976, it was one of many networks emerging in Europe centered on urban form after the post-war reconstruction period. This paper focuses on the formative ILA&UD years (1976-1978), in which the notions of participation and reuse were central. ILA&UD is a discursive site to study debates on participation before they even involved the “user” and before they were carved in stone. By contrasting De Carlo’s studio briefs with three illustrative urban design projects presented by participants from KU Leuven, MIT and ETH Zürich, this paper aims to highlight that the ongoing search for urban design tools and methodologies was indecisively teetering between autonomous and heteronomous approaches to urban form. The three projects explore a range of attitudes, from confirming the power of inhabitation to designing with users. By focusing on ambivalences in the discourse, the paper hopes to nuance the dominant perception that participation entailed, as Kenny Cupers observed, “a straightforward course of empowerment for those involved.”

Boston City Hall and Mitchell/Giurgola Architects: Thoughts and Themes on a Competition’s “Runner-Up”

Analysis of the unofficial runner-up in the 1961–62 design competition for Boston City Hall—the scheme by the Philadelphia-based team of Mitchell/Giurgola Architects (MGA) in association with David A. Crane and Thomas R. Vreeland Jr.—reveals not the creation of an isolated monument but a humanist restructuring of a city’s urban spaces at the heart of a modernist-inspired post-war government centre. Unusually for the time, this scheme was developed through deep dialogue with an existing urban morphology, historic buildings, and the literal “ground” of the city. This paper highlights the scheme as the first in a series of significant urban design projects undertaken by MGA in the United States in the 1960s and 1970s. These projects sought to directly engage with the structure, spaces, and artefacts of the historic American city. Further, MGA’s City Hall also crystallised compositional themes that would be pursued and developed by the practice in subsequent decades.

A Review of urban design projects and theories: types and criteria

This article reviews urban design projects in terms of types and criteria. It categorizes urban design projects and identifies the criteria based on which an urban project comes to fruition. Reviewing categories and successful factors for urban design projects may supports urban decision makers and activists to enhance their activities more systematically. In addition to an extensive urban design literature review, the consensus from various professional panels is generated through structured questionnaires. Some groups of urbanists including architects, urban designers, planners, sociologists, and urban managers have continuously taken part in the surveys. In the first stage, proper urban projects are suggested by various groups. After categorizing the suggested projects, next surveys have continued structurally to discover, summarize and evaluate these selections. As a result, four urban project types and three main criteria have been summarized.

Three case studies of landscape design project of Italian marginal areas. An anti-fragile opportunity for an integrated food governance in a post Covid perspective

The recent pandemic has brought marginal territories back to the center of political and academic debates, providing an opportunity to restart territorial projects. Agro-ecosystems and their derivations (Urban gardens, local supply chains, ecosystem services, typical products, rural tourism), which involve very different areas of the territory, could act as activators for a resilient development model for fragile contexts. However, this implies connected and integrated policy and planning tools, envisioning sustainable management methods for production, and integrating them with chains and tourism economy in dialogue with a landscape design vision. Therefore, this paper is aimed to test the urban design project as a tool to integrate interventions, which especially in the rural context are characterized by overlapping objectives. An experimental attempt will be made on three landscape design projects in marginal rural areas with the integration of tangible and intangible actions and a view of a sustainable and resilient restart. The projects analyzed are not so often used as much as static best practices, but in applying the consolidated research-by-design approach. Through it, we suggested four directions to understand and intervene in co-evolutionary processes through mechanisms of composition and decomposition from the urban planning/urban design perspective.

Review: Maadi: The Making and Unmaking of a Cairo Suburb 1878–1962

Review: <i>Maadi: The Making and Unmaking of a Cairo Suburb 1878–1962</i>

Resilience Design in Practice: Future Climate Visions from California’s Bay Area

This study discusses the implications of resilience design for questions of economic and social resilience, and for equity. Resilience design proposals for California’s Bay Area, resulting from the Resilience by Design project and published in 2017, were evaluated through content analysis and interviews with design teams and plan authors. Findings from the study indicate that these proposals offer visions and strategies for large-scale infrastructural projects that rely on a land-as-ecosystem framing to adapt to extreme weather events, but that they also attempt to direct the impact of these ecological processes on surrounding social systems such as planning processes and landscape regenerations for adaptation purposes. However, findings also indicate that the design process does little to address equity beyond proposing access to those new landscapes and green infrastructure spaces, and to a much lesser degree homeownership and labor models for wealth accumulation. Ecology is consistently deployed in the data analyzed to normalize and propose socio-environmental relationships, implicating questions of equity that are often not addressed. These findings matter for urban design projects and processes that are increasingly pursued by municipalities and public agencies in an effort to secure funding and implement strategies for a climate just future.