Urban Land Development Research Articles

Establishment of an Improved Floor Area Ratio with High-Resolution Satellite Imagery

An Improved Floor Area Ratio (IFAR) which can describe the intensity of urban land development was proposed and estimated by means of remote sensing technique. The paper intent to conduct a quick and high-precision estimation of the index based on building shadows in high-resolution images. Firstly, the spectral characteristics of shadows were analyzed to establish a ratio band SR which would enhance shadow information. The object-oriented method was used to achieve the extraction of shaded areas. Secondly, GIS method was used to estimate the shadow length and building height. The inspection of the building height between the estimation result and the filed measured data showed an accuracy of 90%. Finally, the gross floor area of each building was calculated by multiplying the storeys with the basement area. Thiessen polygons were built by assuming the centroid of the basement area as a point. The IFAR of each building was the ratio of the gross floor area to the corresponding polygon. The IFAR have more abundant connotations by taking more information into consideration. The remote sensing tool can well extract the proposed index accurately on a very large scale.

Study of the Simulated Expansion Boundary of Construction Land in Shanghai Based on a SLEUTH Model

The SLEUTH model is one of the recent methodological advances, but its data sources are mainly interpreted from remote sensing images. It doesn’t cover the whole urban area and exhibits technical errors. Moreover, the relationships between land use and land cover change (LUCC) and sustainability have seldom been discussed. Aimed at addressing these shortcomings, we focus on a wider range and use different data sources to simulate and predict the boundary of urban construction land expansion, and analyze the relationship between the expansion style of urban land and the change of ecological service value. Based on Shanghai land use map data, which covers the whole city scope and eliminates the error in data processing, we use a SLEUTH model to simulate the urban growth mode in Shanghai in 2020 under two scenarios, i.e., the natural growth mode and ecological priority mode, which are different from the previous scenario modes such as unprotected, light protected, moderately protected, and heavily protected modes. The results are as follows: (1) The development of urban land in Shanghai is most reasonable under the ecological priority mode as its ecological service value is higher than that of the natural growth mode; (2) Construction land expansion in Shanghai is very slow under the ecological priority mode, wherein construction land growth mainly occurs in the northwest, southwest, and southeast of Shanghai, and the northwest part of Chongming Island; (3) The surrounding area of the central city is given priority over edge growth, where the growth range is small. The outer suburbs are given priority for widespread growth, which is synchronous with the slow growth of roads.

Zero increase in peak discharge for sustainable development

For urban land development, some or all natural land uses (primarily pervious) are converted into impervious areas which lead to increases of runoff volume and peak discharge. Most of the developed countries require a zero increase in peak discharge for any land development, and the policy has been implemented for several decades. The policy of zero increase in peak discharge can be considered as historical and early stage for the low impact development (LID) and sustainable development, which is to maintain natural hydrological conditions by storing a part or all of additional runoff due to the development on site. The paper will discuss the policy, the policy implementation for individual projects and their impact on regional hydrology. The design rainfalls for sizing LID facilities that are determined in 206 weather stations in USA are smaller than design rainfalls for sizing detention basins. The zero-increase policy links to financial responsibility and sustainability for construction of urban stormwater infrastructures and for reducing urban flooding. The policy was compared with current practices of urban development in China to shine the light for solving urban stormwater problems. The connections and differences among LID practices, the zero-increase policy, and the flood control infrastructure were discussed.We promote and advocate the zero-increase policy on peak discharge for comprehensive stormwater management in China in addition to LID.

Indigenous entrepreneurship in Aotearoa New Zealand

PurposeExploring the links between resilience, sustainability and entrepreneurship from an indigenous perspective means exploring the historic and socio-cultural context out of which a community originates. From this perspective, informed insight into a community’s ability to adapt and to transform without major structural collapse when confronted with exogenous challenges or crises can be gained. This paper explores the interplay between resilience and entrepreneurship in a New Zealand indigenous setting.Design/methodology/approachThe authors provide a theoretical and case study approach, exploring four intersecting leadership roles, their guiding value system and application at a micro kin family level through a tourism venture and at a macro kin tribal level through an urban land development venture.FindingsThe findings demonstrate the importance of historical precedent and socio-cultural values in shaping the leadership matrix that addresses exogenous challenges and crises in an entrepreneurship context.Research limitations/implicationsThe research is limited to New Zealand, but the findings have synergies with other indigenous entrepreneurship elsewhere. Further cross-cultural research in this field includes examining the interplay between rights and duties within indigenous communities as contributing facets to indigenous resilience and entrepreneurship.Originality/valueThis research is a contribution to theory and to indigenous community entrepreneurship in demonstrating what values and behaviours are assistive in confronting shocks, crises and challenges. Its originality is in the multi-disciplinary approach, combining economic and social anthropological, indigenous and non-indigenous perspectives. The originality of this paper also includes an analysis of contexts that appear to fall outside contemporary entrepreneurship, but are in fact directly linked.

Environmental damage and public health threat caused by cemeteries: a proposal of ideal cemeteries for the growing urban sprawl

Abstract Growing urban land development has led to a reduction in the space available for cemeteries and the juxtaposition of residential and cemeterial areas, further raising the polluting potential of the latter. The present case study sought to assess levels of physicochemical and microbiological contamination in the Central Cemetery of Marau (RS/Brazil), and propose vertical cemetery deployment as a way to reduce necroleachate-linked pollution impacts. The following information was collected from 43 additional rural cemeteries: number of tombs, graves, chapels, and small vertical constructions with drawers, state of conservation and cleanliness and total area and perimeter of the cemetery. Eighty professionals of environmentally sustainable urban planning from four countries (20 Brazilians, 20 American, 20 Portuguese and 20 Japanese) were interviewed regarding the ‘ideal cemetery’. Various risks of cemetery soil contamination were identified, particularly high amounts of heterotrophic microorganisms, especially fecal coliforms associated with burial sites. In order to avoid contamination risks to environment and population, the mplemention of a vertical model of cemetery is proposed.

To Build Outward or Upward? The Spatial Pattern of Urban Land Development in China

This paper studies the determinants of the spatial pattern of urban land development. Our study is motivated by an interesting fact observed in the past decade, the fact that the fastest-growing Chinese cities have undergone outward expansion of urban land development with relatively low use intensity. We link this pattern with the career concerns of local leaders who act as city developers. We first develop a theoretical model to demonstrate how a city leader whose career advancement depends on city economic growth chooses the spatial pattern of urban land development. Two major testable predications are derived. First, city leaders with high career incentives are more likely to expand the city outward in order to boost land sale revenues for financing public infrastructure and enhancing economic growth. Second, the average use intensity of newly developed land is lower for city leaders with stronger career incentives due to the trade-off between a city’s upward and outward expansion. We test the theory using a large dataset of residential land transactions matched with city leaders from 2000 to 2012. We find robust evidence consistent with the predictions of our model.

Sustainable Agriculture for Sustaining Mankind – A Review of International Literature

The requirement of land for urban development is increasing whereas for agriculture, forests and grazing, land availability is shrinking. Population rise also resulted in increasing pollution, deforestation, loss of biodiversity, uncontrolled resources consumption and exploitation. Food prices are increasing, fuel, transportation and processing costs are also increasing. Soils are declining in nutrient content, desertification is occurring rapidly in dry land areas. Eroding soils, increasing resistance in insects and pests, agro-chemical pollution and persistence, decreasing yields and poverty clearly indicated that conventional agriculture is no longer suitable to meet current demands of increasing population without causing adverse effects to the environment and exploiting the resources. Keeping present scenario into consideration an alternative system of agriculture must be adopted that integrates social, biological, economical, environmental, and developmental aspects in a comprehensive manner that could develop a new farming practice. A farming practice that should not be based solely on productivity and profit rather based on principles of sustainability. All the above stated considerations to achieve sustainability in agriculture production system are carefully studied in various national and international literatures and reviewed in the present article which will give the comprehensive idea regarding the present scenario of Indian agriculture and what needs to be done for sustainable agriculture.

Design a New Model to Evaluate the Ecological Potential Land for Urban Development and Service (City of Zanjan)

This study aimed to design a new ecological model to be used in ecological land evaluation studies, using careful planning and sustainable resource in the region to develop a sustainable and comprehensive guide. The results show that the study area has grade 1 and 2 urban sustainable planning. Capability Grade 1 has area 149,724.25 hectares equal 22.2% that is stretched from East to West Range. Capability Grade2 has area about 18533.28 hectares equal 2.7% that located in the South, East and South-East. The results show that the greater extent of this range is the unsustainable site, which extends over 506,664.81 hectares, equivalent to 75.1% that areas compliance by the Environmental Protection area. Another important result of this study is unsuitable area for urban development and the range of services already seating workshops and industrial units. This is due to the arrival of adverse environmental effects. Therefore, this study has been focusing on reform of the status of land of use and the optimal use of the ecological potential.

Evaluation of Urban Land Development Direction in Kabul City, Afghanistan

Evaluation of Urban Land Development Direction in Kabul City, Afghanistan

Evaluation of Urban Land Development Direction in Kabul City, Afghanistan

Evaluation of Urban Land Development Direction in Kabul City, Afghanistan

Assessing Effects of Public Transport Oriented Development in Cities (Case Study: Chitgar Station of Tehran)

Although transport in cities has long been a concern for urban planners, the unprecedented increase in urbanization and the emergence of numerous means of transportation after the Industrial Revolution has greatly increased its importance. Since then, urban transportation has become one of the greatest challenges in urban planning worldwide. The impact of urban rail networks on urban land development is not linear, but the related structural planning has great influence on population absorption and the potential physical, social and economic development of regions. Therefore, the growth and control of such regions is possible. The objective of this article is to evaluate the effects of public transport system development on the physical, social and economic structures of cities. Information was collected from previous research and documented studies, and from interviews achieved with a designed questionnaire. The studied group consisted of citizens living near the Chitghar subway station in Tehran, station subway in Chitghar station of Tehran. Study participants were asked about the physical, social and economic impact of TOD on their daily lives. This research used a variety of methods to examine the beneficial impacts of Transport Oriented Development (TOD) and development near stations, including qualitative and quantitative approaches and data collection. Questionnaires were distributed between survey distributions to citizens living near the station. The secondary data was analyzed by SPSS22. The results of this study indicated that development surrounding public transport routes and terminals emphasize activities and necessities such as walking, cycling, public lighting, public security on the streets, job creation and other factors which affect life near subway stations. Thus, public transport oriented development can be categorized into physical, social, and economic indicators in cities.

Urban Land Development for Industrial and Commercial Use: A Case Study of Beijing

Since the 20th century, urbanization has been the main characteristic of global land development. If we can reveal and understand the characteristics and underlying mechanisms of urban development, we can then identify a sustainable development pattern for cities. In this paper, we primarily focus on the determinants of two main types of land use in urban development, industrial and commercial, in an empirical study of Beijing. We use a spatial data analysis method to seek and model major determinants of industrial and commercial land growth in the period of 2000–2010 in Beijing. A spatial logistic regression model is used to explore the impact of spatial independent variables on these two types of land use. The study shows that: (1) newly-added industrial land during 2000–2010 received significant contributions from the number of local enterprises engaged in services in 2010, the use of land for agriculture and construction in the neighborhood in 2000 and planning orders; (2) factors contributing to land transferred for commercial use included the number of enterprises, construction land in the neighborhood and accessibility improvement.

Modes of land development in Shanghai

Land development modelling and simulation provides critical information and insights for city land resource planning and management. However, studies on simulating urban land development often treat it as a singular and uniform process and neglect place-based decision-making processes and multiple tracks of how urban land is developed. This study attempts to identify the locally embedded, place-based processes of land conversion and redevelopment during the reform period in Shanghai. In doing so, this study conducts in-depth interviews and collects extensive land use and planning data to examine the land development decision-making processes of the city. In conjunction with the content analysis of government documents and urban planning results, this study proposes to frame the current land development of Shanghai into State-led Market-based Land Development, Informal Land Development, State-led Land Redevelopment, State-approved Independent Development, and Megaproject-based Land Development, according to land use types, property rights, and intermediate agencies. By comparing urban planning and actual land use change data, the study delineates the location and estimate magnitude of each of the land development modes in Shanghai. Different from market-based land development systems, the results show that the state interventions in the land market has been prevalent to create a unique government-led land development system with multiple approaches and land use change trajectories in Shanghai. The result explains why current land development modelling and simulation cannot mimic the actual land development process properly. Furthermore, the study provides the empirical basis for new theorization of land development in China.

City size distribution and its spatiotemporal evolution in China

Based on the National Land Use/Cover Database of China (NLUD-C) in the end of the 1980s (the 1980s, hereafter), 1995, 2000, 2005, and 2010, 665 cities were selected to study the size distribution and its changes of urban lands in China. In this study, the spatiotemporal evolutions of urban land size distribution as well as the influence of administrative-level on these cities were explored by combining urban spatial positions and administrative-levels. Results indicate that: 1) City size distribution using urban lands was more practical and reasonable than using non-agricultural population. 2) In the 1980s, cities with ascending urban land rank were centralized in Eastern China, specially the Changjiang (Yangtze) River Delta, the Zhujiang (Pearl) River Delta, and Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region. Cities in Central, Western, and Northeast China mainly indicated descending urban land rank. 3) The transfer of national development focus resulted in cities with ascending urban land rank becoming evenly distributed nationwide; however, this trend was slightly centralized around Chengdu, Chongqing, and Wuhan in different periods. 4) During the 1980s to 2010, the proportion of cities with ascending urban land rank in provincial capitals, municipalities, and special administrative regions (high-level cities, hereafter) was consistently higher than those in prefecture- and county-level cities except for 2005–2010. The ranks of the majority of the prefecture- and county-level cities were mainly descending, supported by ascending; the proportion of cities with unchanged rank is small. This study breaks through the bottleneck of traditional research in the area of city size distribution by examining urban land replacing the non-agricultural population. The current study also provides scientific explanation for the healthy and reasonable development of urban land as well as the coordinated development of population urbanization and land urbanization.

Pseudo use value and output legitimacy of local growth coalitions in China: A case study of the Liede redevelopment project in Guangzhou

Existing research on the growth coalition of China mainly focuses on the process of urban land development and concludes that the strategic alliance of local states and market gradually emerged with the exclusion of communities in the course of development. Empirical evidence on whether or not a coalition can involve the villagers and how a coalition capacity is delivered with legitimacy is lacking. This research revisits the growth machine thesis in the redevelopment of an urban village in Guangzhou where pseudo use value is examined. Pseudo use value reflects a hybrid of the appreciation of land, which incorporates the nostalgia for the rural past and the desire for improvement. Results show that complementary expectations in the redevelopment of urban village formed an ad hoc growth coalition that incorporates the municipal government, private developers, and villagers. The generation of output legitimacy is grounded on frequent exchange of resources (i.e., land, private capital, manpower, and regulatory capacities), which also relies on empowerment and an intermediary made of the rural collective to stimulate coalition capacity. Pseudo use value makes indigenous villagers a part of the growth machine. Although the formation of local growth coalition acknowledges the role of private developers and villagers, a counterpart emerged in which the development became a political rhetoric for achieving recentralized land governance.

Restoring hydrologic function in urban landscapes with suburban subsoiling

Dramatic persistent hydrologic changes accompany urban land development, most commonly attributed to increased impervious area and drainage infrastructure. Modern land development and mass grading practices also result in the routine development of urban landscapes with highly disturbed compacted soil profiles. The common predictable result is an urban pervious landscape with greatly diminished infiltration capacity in greenspace that might best be described as grass growing in a thin veneer of topsoil on compacted fill. This paper describes the use of soil decompaction and amendment to restore hydrologic function following the removal of an impervious asphalt playground at a public school in Baltimore, MD, USA. The combination of soil decompaction with deep ripping and compost amendment is referred to as suburban subsoiling, alluding to the adaptation of agricultural subsoiling practices to restore hydrologic function in disturbed compacted urban soils. In this field-scale comparison with standard grading and landscaping practices, suburban subsoiling supported the highest infiltration rates, with the densest turf cover, highest soil organic matter and root zone soil moisture, and the lowest soil bulk density. As a sustainable alternative to traditional grading and topsoiling practices, suburban subsoiling offers a proverbial win-win solution, providing superior landscaping and restored hydrologic services with lower life-cycle costs. Though significantly different than current grading and landscaping practices, suburban subsoiling can be readily integrated in modern land development with only minor incremental changes in standard practices. Suburban subsoiling can transform the built environment through superior sustainable landscaping that restores the hydrologic function of urban pervious landscapes.

Building more parking at major employment centers: Can full-cost recovery parking charges fund TDM programs?

In dense urban areas, surface parking often poses an opportunity cost, and reuse of the land for urban development with parking relocated to a multi-story structure may be an attractive option. This paper analyzes the cost of replacing surface parking with a parking structure and finds that it may be equally cost effective to pursue travel demand management strategies. The paper analyzes what it costs to build a parking space in a multi-story structure (garage) using US average data as well as data from the case of a typical large US employer, the University of California, Berkeley. The Berkeley case illustrates how replacement of surface parking with structures can substantially escalate costs and necessitate price increases for everyone, unless costs can be offset through more efficient utilization rates (e.g., renting out employee parking for evening and weekend use) or the parking system is credited for the land value of former surface parking (not likely in the situation considered here). A transportation demand management (TDM) program offering incentives for other modes of commuting can reduce the need for new parking, and its annual costs are likely to be lower than the amounts needed to cover new parking construction. Parkers could be better off paying for TDM programs to reduce parking demand rather than paying to build new parking structures. The findings are case specific but are likely to resonate with many employers and institutions that provide parking in high-cost urban areas.

Towards Equitable and Sustainable Urban Space: Introduction to Special Issue on “Urban Land and Sustainable Development”

The unprecedented wave of global urbanization has exerted increased pressure on urban land and made land-use sustainability an urgent concern. This Special Issue examines patterns, structures, and dynamics of urban land use from the economic, social, and, to a lesser extent, environmental standpoints, in light of the goal of equitable and sustainable development. This introduction discusses the background and design of the Special Issue and highlights the contribution of the selected papers.

Analysis of land suitability for urban development in Ahwaz County in southwestern Iran using fuzzy logic and analytic network process (ANP).

The ever-increasing development of cities due to population growth and migration has led to unplanned constructions and great changes in urban spatial structure, especially the physical development of cities in unsuitable places, which requires conscious guidance and fundamental organization. It is therefore necessary to identify suitable sites for future development of cities and prevent urban sprawl as one of the main concerns of urban managers and planners. In this study, to determine the suitable sites for urban development in the county of Ahwaz, the effective biophysical and socioeconomic criteria (including 27 sub-criteria) were initially determined based on literature review and interviews with certified experts. In the next step, a database of criteria and sub-criteria was prepared. Standardization of values and unification of scales in map layers were done using fuzzy logic. The criteria and sub-criteria were weighted by analytic network process (ANP) in the Super Decision software. Next, the map layers were overlaid using weighted linear combination (WLC) in the GIS software. According to the research findings, the final land suitability map was prepared with five suitability classes of very high (5.86%), high (31.93%), medium (38.61%), low (17.65%), and very low (5.95%). Also, in terms of spatial distribution, suitable lands for urban development are mainly located in the central and southern parts of the Ahwaz County. It is expected that integration of fuzzy logic and ANP model will provide a better decision support tool compared with other models. The developed model can also be used in the land suitability analysis of other cities.

Planning for the supply of more affordable housing: the case of the Queensland Urban Land Development Authority

ABSTRACTUrban planning and the development system are mechanisms that can provide affordable housing and alleviate the cost of housing. This paper explores the use of a specific response to housing affordability and delivery of affordable housing in Queensland through the introduction of a statutory land authority, the Urban Land Development Authority (ULDA). It provides a narrative review of an important time in Queensland’s planning and development history. The introduction of the ULDA was significant as it represents the first time that Queensland planning saw the introduction of planning-related legislation that could require affordable housing. Even more extraordinary was that the deliverables (affordable housing) sat outside the mainstream planning legislation of the time. Additionally, the establishment of the ULDA represents the first statutory land authority responsible for planning and development in Queensland. While similar authorities have been operational in many States since at least 1974, this was never the case in Queensland, but the Queensland response of the ULDA was unique in Australia in terms of its powers and structure. This paper considers that despite such extraordinary powers, the outcomes of the ULDA were not as effective as originally anticipated.