Urban Growth Control Research Articles

Expanded Dengue Syndrome with Pulmonary Manifestations: A Case Report

Dengue fever is a vector-borne disease that is spread by mosquito called Aedes-egypti. It belongs to Flavivirus family, of which 4 serotypes have been identified. Its incubation period ranges from 7 to 10 days. Currently, dengue fever causes more illness and death than any other arbovirus disease of humans Dengue viruses are distributed world wide in tropical regions. It is currently endemic in 128 countries, mostly developing countries, putting an estimated 3.97 billion people at risk each year. Changing and increasing incidences are associated with rapid urban population growth, overcrowding, and lax mosquito control measures.

Identifying the key drivers in retrieving blue sky during rapid urbanization in Shenzhen, China

Determining the relationship between air quality and economic development can help develop effective strategies for environmental sustainability. However, such analyses have scarcely been performed due to a lack of reliable methods, especially at the urban scale. Shenzhen, an epitome of China's reform and opening-up, has experienced rapid urbanization from a fishing village to a megacity in only 40 years. Here, we observed great historical changes in air quality that deteriorated first and then improved in Shenzhen and successfully quantified key socioeconomic drivers of the reduction in PM2.5 in the last ten years using a macrolevel economic decomposition model, which was strongly supported by microlevel evidence from source apportionment modelling based on the long-term PM2.5 component observation. We found that the benefits from energy and industrial structure adjustments were not necessarily enough to offset the adverse effects of rapid urban economic growth, while proactive and powerful emission control of extensive pollution sources, especially those for gaseous precursors of secondary PM2.5 components (e.g., SO2 and VOCs), was indispensable to drive the continuous decline in PM2.5. The success in retrieving blue sky in Shenzhen provides unique insights for the sustainable development of global megacities.

Assessing Land Cover Transformation for Urban Environmental Sustainability through Satellite Sensing

Rapid urbanization in Pakistan is triggering regulated and unregulated land cover changes in planned and semiplanned urban areas. The key objective of this study is to assess the spatial–temporal fluctuations in the land use/land cover (LULC) transformations in planned (Islamabad) and semiplanned (Rawalpindi) urban areas over the last forty years (1976–2016). The study focuses on the orientation of LULC modifications and analyzes concomitant impacts on urban environmental sustainability. Therefore, remotely sensed data were retrieved and processed through Google Earth Engine (GEE) by applying supervised classifier algorithms on each of the five chosen Landsat images. The trajectory of LULC changes for each of the four periods 1976–1988, 1988–1995, 1995–2006 and 2006–2016 was critically scrutinized. The observations revealed massive physical expansions and LULC convergences during these timeframes. The proportionate share of built-up surfaces in this contextual setting substantially stretched from 0.83% in 1976 to 23.23% in 2016, while the shares of cropland and shrubberies significantly reduced. The orientation and magnitude of such changes were observed asymmetrically in the adjoining urban settlements. The assessments formulate that availability of land for urban growth, urban planning and regulatory control significantly determines the speed, scale and orientation of urbanization in planned and semiplanned areas. The study substantiates the notions that the efficient use of cost-effective remotely sensed data offers a pragmatic and reliable tool for assessing, evaluating and monitoring urban land resources. The inferences and insights are relevant for urban and regional planners as well as for other scientific communities.

Unintended Effects of Environmental Policies: The Case of Urban Growth Controls and Agricultural Intensification

Unintended Effects of Environmental Policies: The Case of Urban Growth Controls and Agricultural Intensification

Analysis of an Urban Development Boundary Policy in China Based on the IAD Framework

Although urban growth control policies are widely adopted to help sustainable development in various countries, including China, few studies have been conducted to investigate the effectiveness and optimization of such policies in Chinese cities. Hangzhou, China, was chosen for this study as the research object, where the local authorities manage the urban sprawl via an urban development boundary policy. The institutional analysis and development (IAD) framework was employed to identify the conflicts between the central government and the local government as well as the developers and homebuyers in the formal/informal stage. The analysis shows that, with the implementation of the policy, problems such as fiscal crises, property inflation, and illegal construction will appear as a result of actors’ interactions. The study also highlights that industrial land transfer inside the boundary should be controlled in a reasonable range and that a land value tax should be introduced during the implementation of the urban development boundary policy.

Unintended Effects of Environmental Policies: The Case of Urban Growth Controls and Agricultural Intensification

When environmental policies do not control decision-making on all margins, they can have unintended effects on the environment. We examine effects of urban growth boundaries (UGBs) on agricultural intensification. A primary goal of a UGB is to preserve open space outside the boundary; however, by eliminating the future rent stream from development, UGBs encourage landowners to adopt more capital-intensive agricultural uses. We empirically estimate UGB effects on intensification rates in Ventura County, California. Difference-in-differences estimates reveal that UGBs increased intensification rates by 16–21 percentage points. In Ventura County, policies designed to preserve open space accelerated its loss and increased agricultural externalities

A Study on the Evolution and Optimization of Production–Ecological–Living Space Structure in Chinese Cities

Urban land-use structure is the result of the joint effects of physical geographic environment, economic development level and institutional environment. Cities’ differences in resources endowment, administrative level and scale all exert great influences on their production–ecological–living (PEL) space structure. According to the results of land-use analysis of 661 cities above the county level between 2000 and 2017, the Chinese cities’ PEL spaces suffer an unbalanced structure, mismatches among regions and unreasonable classification of scales. The existing spatial planning system, space-use regulation and urban growth control deviate to some degree from the expected goal, i.e. coordinated development, of PEL spaces. In the future, efforts should be made to accelerate the establishment of a spatial planning system, strengthen the space-use regulation and improve planning regulations and polices of national land, so as to enhance the governance of national land space and facilitate the coordinated development of the PEL spaces in Chinese cities.

Assessment of ecological risks induced by land use and land cover changes in Xiamen City, China

ABSTRACTThe landscape ecological risk (LER) in Xiamen City, China, from 1990 to 2030 was studied using an urban land use and land cover change (LUCC) model and LER analysis. The LUCC model was used to predict the LUCC of Xiamen from 2020 to 2030. We analyzed the characteristics of LUCC and landscape pattern changes and, finally, evaluated the effect of rapid LUCC on LER. Of the six landscape types investigated, built-up land and farmland demonstrated the most significant changes. The area of built-up land increased by 1.5 times in 2010 and is predicted to increase by 2.7 times in 2030 than that in 1990. The area of farmland increased from 34.5% in 1990 to 24.5% in 2010 and is predicted to decrease to 15.1% in 2030. The number of patches (NP) of built-up land decreased with increasing area, which promoted the dominance of built-up land over other landscape types. Five landscape types, those other than built-up land, increased in NP, landscape fragmentation, segmentation, and disturbance but decreased in dominance. The LER of Xiamen in 2010 was slightly lower than that in 1990. However, with the acceleration of urbanization, the LER in 2020 and 2030 will increase by 7.6% and 12.5% than that in 2010. The LER will significantly increase in areas such as the Huandong sea area, the second urban core of Xiamen, and northern Xiang'an. For the areas, some measures (e.g. optimum urban spatial growth patterns and control of coastal reclamation) must inevitably increase to reduce the LER posed by rapid urbanization.

Town mouse and country mouse: Effects of urban growth controls on equilibrium sorting and land prices

Urban growth controls can preserve open space and other amenities, but may come at the expense of higher land and housing prices. Previous studies quantify the benefits and costs of land-use regulations by comparing properties subject to differing degrees of regulatory intensity. A separate, but related, issue is how housing and land markets will evolve over time when a set of regulations remains in place. We examine how the value of developed land changes over time in cities that have adopted urban growth boundaries (UGBs). We present a theoretical model that combines equilibrium sorting, spatially-varying amenities, and urban growth controls. The model is used to examine how prices for developed lands inside and outside the UGB change with growth in the city's population. The UGB is shown to increase relative prices of exurban lands outside the UGB if new residents prefer the amenities in this area. The UGB also affects relative prices by influencing the quality of developed lands. We use a parcel-level panel data set on developed land values to quantify the scarcity and quality effects of UGBs in Oregon. Our results suggest that, overall, UGBs have prevented the development of exurban lands that residents would have preferred over lands closer to the urban center.

O Estatuto da Cidade e o controle social do solo criado em Goiânia-GO

O solo criado é convencionado pelo Estatuto da Cidade. Seus parâmetros compõem os novos instrumentos de um Plano Diretor. O solo criado, também conhecido como Outorga Onerosa do Direito de Construir (OODC), tem como atributo ser um importante recurso na arrecadação no âmbito do município. A destinação de seus recursos demonstra intenções em prol do desenvolvimento urbanístico da cidade de forma sustentável. As normas regulamentadoras estabelecem as diretrizes desta política pública de ocupação e expansão urbana. Sua origem está nas cláusulas pétreas da Constituição Federal de 1988 e nas regulamentações complementares pelo Estatuto da Cidade em 2011. Ademais, há outras normas específicas e ferramentas apropriadas em prol do controle do crescimento territorial urbano e da função social da propriedade. O solo criado é tratado como uma das normativas legais do solo urbano da cidade de Goiânia desde 1994, antes do Estatuto da Cidade, baseado na implantação do Plano Diretor de 1991. Cidade planejada e construída na década de 1930, ao longo de seus 83 anos, desde o Plano Urbanístico inicial, o planejamento se destaca como um dos eixos de seu crescimento e desenvolvimento.Código JEL | O18; R14; R52.

Agglomeration externalities and urban growth controls

Should constraints on urban expansion be relaxed because of external agglomeration economies? In a system of heterogeneous cities, we demonstrate that second-best land use policy consists of a tax on city creation and a subsidy (tax) on urban development in cities in which the marginal-average productivity gap is above (below) average. However, the implementation of this policy requires coordination at the system level. A tax on city creation does not raise welfare if development taxes are set decentrally by competitive urban developers, nor does correction of these taxes raise welfare if a tax on city creation is unavailable. In the resulting constrained optimal allocation, urban development is subsidized in all cities. The quantitative significance of these findings is explored in an application of our model.

Urban growth and development of contemporary neighbourhood public space in Kathmandu Valley, Nepal

Rapid and unplanned growth of Kathmandu Valley towns over the past decades has resulted in the haphazard development of new neighbourhoods with significant consequences on their public space. This paper examines the development of public space in the valley's new neighbourhoods in the context of the current urban growth. A case study approach of three new neighbourhoods was developed to examine the provision of public space with data collected from site observations, interviews with neighbourhood residents and other secondary sources. The cases studies consist of both planned and unplanned new neighbourhoods. Findings reveal a severe loss of public space in the unplanned new neighbourhoods. In planned new neighbourhoods, the provision of public space remains poor in terms of physical features, and thus, does not support community activities and needs. Several factors, which are an outcome of the lack of proper urban growth initiatives and control measures, such as an overall drawback in the formation of new neighbourhoods, the poor capacity of local community-based organisations and the encroachment of public land are responsible for the present development of neighbourhood public space. The problems with ongoing management of public spaces are a significant issue in both unplanned and planned new neighbourhoods.

Local urban growth controls and regional economic growth

Local land use regulations have been adopted to restrict population growth and urban sprawl in an attempt to prevent future problems like congestion, pollution, and loss of open space. However, when regulations become widespread in a region, it can be difficult for young workers and newcomers to find appropriate housing in the region. Because local governments may neglect the effects of their policies on the rest of the region, the resulting population size can be inefficient. We show that local adoption of housing regulations tends to over-restrict population growth when there are strong agglomeration economies in the regional production. On the other hand, when there is congestion in production, coordination among jurisdictions is undesirable if business interests are neglected.

Effects of Urban Growth Controls on Intercity Commuting

This paper presents an empirical study of the effects of urban growth controls on the intercity commuting of workers. Growth controls (land use regulations that attempt to restrict population growth and urban sprawl) have increased housing prices and diverted population growth to uncontrolled cities. It has been suggested that resulting changes in local labour supply might stimulate intercity commuting from uncontrolled to controlled cities. To test this hypothesis, a gravity model of commuting flows between places in California is estimated using alternative econometric methods (OLS, Heckman selection and count-data). The possibility of spatial dependence in commuting flows is also taken into consideration. Results suggest larger commuting flows to destination places that restrict residential growth.

Effectiveness of urban construction boundaries in Beijing: an assessment

Based on the remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS) analysis of the Landsat multispectral scanner (MSS) and thematic mapper (TM) satellite images of 1983, 1993, and 2005, the present research examined the effectiveness of the urban construction boundaries (UCBs) in containing urban growth within the 6th Ring Road of Beijing Municipality. Three indicators on boundary control were proposed, through which the effectiveness of boundary containment, land inventory sufficiency and illegal adjacent development to the UCBs were explored. The results suggested that, first, the UCBs were limited in effectiveness in containing urban growth; second, the area encompassed by the UCBs might not be designed large enough to accommodate new development. The frustration of the urban growth control through the UCBs mainly resulted from the lack of a transparent system for urban land use planning and control to provide sufficient information, the limitation of the traditional land use prediction method to consider contingencies, and the absence of a mechanism to monitor and adjust the UCBs to respond just in time to urban change.

Growth Controls, Real Options, and Land Development

Abstract Many urban growth controls attempt to check sprawl by restricting allowable new housing densities. However, land may be undeveloped to preserve its real-option value. Real options in land markets arise from uncertainty as to the optimum use of a site. By limiting allowable development choices, growth controls can narrow real options and potentially accelerate investment. This paper examines the effect of price volatility, a generator of option value, on the timing of development after the imposition of an Urban Growth Boundary (UGB) around Seattle. While the net effect of the UGB is to lower the likelihood of new housing outside the boundary by between 28% and 39%, price volatility is no longer a deterrent to development.

Urban growth controls and intercity commuting

This paper incorporates the possibility of intercity commuting (IC) in a growth control model. As controls restrict the labor supply, the wage rate increases in the city. Land rents capitalize the wage differential, but when this differential reaches the IC cost, IC starts to occur, keeping wages constant. Thus, if controls are adopted in the benefit of landowners, IC weakens the incentive for tighter controls compared to case where IC is not possible. However, if firms' profits (which decrease with higher wages) are also taken into consideration in the choice of controls, then the possibility of IC may induce tighter controls.

Urbanization linked with past agricultural landuse patterns in the urban fringe of a deltaic Asian mega-city: a case study in Bangkok

Urban sprawl areas as mixtures of urban and rural landuses are being created increasingly rapidly in the suburbs of the mega-cities located on Asia's river deltas. These landuse changes are causing serious environmental problems and dynamic urban growth controls are urgently needed. We examined landuse changes in the suburbs of Bangkok, and focused on the landform transformation that is inherent on deltas where the landuse is shifting from paddy fields to urban dwellings. The research was conducted through aerial photograph interpretation and field measurements. GIS was used for data analysis. We confirm that the present pattern of urban landuse has been profoundly influenced by past agricultural landuses, which in turn were adapted to the natural local environment. Areas subject to rice plantations with linear canal systems are occupied by townhouses, whereas areas subject to paddy fields with irregular canal systems are occupied by slum-type housing. Transect surveys indicate that the local people have responded to flooding expertly through artificial landform transformation. There was a statistical association between landlevel and landuse type. The volume of landform transformation that has occurred over the last half-century was calculated at 3.2 × 10 7 m 3, equivalent to 64 km 2 of area flooded to an average depth of 50 cm. Thus, landuse change has both horizontal and vertical components, which cannot be separated from each other. From these results, it is clear that past patterns of agricultural landuse and landform transformation are keys to effective landscape planning for mega-cities on the deltas of Asia.

Urban growth controls: transitional dynamics of development fees and growth boundaries

This paper investigates how development fees and urban growth boundaries affect urban development when the short run construction supply function is upward sloped (i.e., convex development costs). Whereas the policies are equivalent in the traditional static model, dynamic analysis reveals important differences out of the steady state. In particular, the development fee that is efficient in the steady state is also dynamically efficient. In contrast, the long run efficient urban growth boundary generates inefficiently fast development out of the steady state. The results are robust with or without location rents and perfect or myopic foresight assumptions.

A view on optimal urban growth controls

Sasaki (1998) generalizes the urban-growth-control model developed by Brueckner and Lai (1996) (B-L, hereafter) and concludes that the optimal urban-growth control is less (more) stringent than the B-L model when an agglomeration effect (public-good-provision effect) is considered. However, this paper here proves that the optimal urban-growth control may or may not be more stringent than the B-L model when the agglomeration effect or (and) the public-good-provision effect is (are) considered. This result sharply differs from that of Sasaki's model. The intuition behind it is that the increase in commuting costs for landowners due to renter-immigration is overlooked in Sasaki's model.