Urban Island Research Articles

Towards A City of Good Dwelling

One of the main issues in contemporary urban planning is the fragmentation of urban spaces (Batty 2009) due to the relentless processes of land transformation. This phenomenon can lead to the creation of isolated urban islands and a lack of high-quality public areas. Such weaknesses particularly affect the socio-economic conditions of marginal areas within the existing city, especially those on the outskirts near rural areas. Public spaces (Low et al 2006) are essential for social interaction, community building, and improving the overall quality of urban life. They are spaces where cultural, economic, and social activities converge, contributing to the city's vibrancy and inclusiveness. Are considered the key of the new processes of urban regeneration and it contributes significantly to the making of the city of "good dwelling" (Beauregard 2020). To obtain the conditions for a good dwelling, it is proposed to apply the seven principles contained in the "Manifesto della Città del Buon Abitare"(Colarossi et al 2023): the city of good dwelling must assume the general principles of hospitality, urbanity and beauty of its public spaces. The paper proposes as innovative approach, the use of an urban planning tool with which it is possible to apply the principles of the Manifesto of the city of good living and which is called "Plan-program of public space planning and public and private services" (P.A.S.S.i.). The effort of this research is to identify a general planning tool for the redevelopment to the existing city. The multi-scalar approach of the research tool simultaneously allows an overall vision of the program and a qualitative control of each individual project.

The urban island: climatic suitability of Linepithema humile (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) and the role of cities in the invasion of the Western Palearctic

AbstractUrban environments often present environmental conditions that facilitate the introduction and establishment of nonnative and invasive species. These can expand their range into areas with unfavorable climates by taking advantage of the ecological and climatic homogenization of cities, bypassing the ecological barriers presented by the surrounding environment. One way to monitor the expansion of these species is using potential distribution models. We used as a model species the Argentine ant, Linepithema humile (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) whose invasion has caused serious consequences for biodiversity and economic losses worldwide. We used the average result of six different algorithms and used climatic variables and population density as a proxy for the urbanization level in the Western Palearctic to build the predictive model. The model indicates this ant prefers to inhabit areas with Mediterranean and Temperate Oceanic climates and that its suitability depends on two main factors: the continentality (temperature annual range) and the degree of urbanization. The species is predicted to be absent in areas with large temperature contrasts throughout the year, particularly in rural and peri‐urban areas (i.e. adjacent to urban areas) of inland regions. Conversely, the species has a predilection for coastal and urban areas where environmental conditions are attenuated by the influence of the sea or the “urban heat island” effect in the case of inland cities. In this sense, cities act as “bioclimatic islands” facilitating the establishment of the Argentine ant as a reservoir, enlarging its distribution into climatically nonoptimal areas, and promoting its future expansion in a scenario of global warming and socioeconomic change.

From energy efficiency to 100% renewable energy in urban island communities

From energy efficiency to 100% renewable energy in urban island communities

Leaping on urban islands: further summer and winter range expansion of European bat species

Cities or urban areas are the new types of landscapes that have rapidly developed in the Anthropocene and generally mimic mountains and rock habitats. Such areas attract different vertebrate species that naturally prefer rocky habitats, for example, bats, which are common animal inhabitants of the cities in the Northern Hemisphere. Here we review records of four bat species (Hypsugo savii, Plecotus austriacus, Pipistrellus nathusii and P. pygmaeus) inhabiting human settlements in Ukraine, encompassing the period from 2011 to 2022. Over the last 20 to 30 years, the winter range of P. nathusii has shifted 200-300 km north, and now covers all Black Sea coast steppe regions of continental Ukraine. The Pl. austiacus range most likely covers the whole territory of Ukraine. We documented the first factual records of H. savii in continental Ukraine and the first winter records of P. pygmaeus for the country. Our observations clearly demonstrate colonization of newly formed urban landscapes by bats species from different ecological groups. Therefore, bats, same as some other mammalian species, can be considered beneficiaries of urbanization and urban heat islands.

Variation in Pheidole nodus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) functional morphology across urban parks.

Habitat fragmentation and consequent population isolation in urban areas can impose significant selection pressures on individuals and species confined to urban islands, such as parks. Despite many comparative studies on the diversity and structure of ant community living in urban areas, studies on ants' responses to these highly variable ecosystems are often based on assemblage composition and interspecific mean trait values, which ignore the potential for high intraspecific functional trait variation among individuals. Here, we examined differences in functional traits among populations of the generalist ant Pheidole nodus fragmented between urban parks. We used pitfall trapping, which is more random and objective than sampling colonies directly, despite a trade-off against sample size. We then tested whether trait-filtering could explain phenotypic differences among urban park ant populations, and whether ant populations in different parks exhibited different phenotypic optima, leading to positional shifts in anatomical morphospace through the regional ant meta-population. Intraspecific morphological differentiation was evident across this urban region. Populations had different convex hull volumes, positioned differently over the morphospace. Fragmentation and habitat degradation reduced phenotypic diversity and, ultimately, changed the morphological optima of populations in this urban landscape. Considering ants' broad taxonomic and functional diversity and their important role in ecosystems, further work over a variety of ant taxa is necessary to ascertain those varied morphological response pathways operating in response to population segregation in urban environments.

Impact of land use change on urban heat island in Etsoko West, Southern Nigeria

The phenomenon of urbanization and population growth is a major global concern, as both emerging and old cities continue to expand, particularly in developing countries. Nigeria's urban population has grown dramatically over the last five decades, resulting in shrinking green spaces and urban forest, as well as increased urban island heat. As a result, this study looked into the existing and predicted land use and land cover (LULC), as well as land surface temperature change in Etsako West LGA of Edo State, Nigeria. The supervised maximum likelihood classification method was used to classify the town into four classes using Landsat data from 1987, 2001, and 2020. Similarly, LULC for the year 2040 was predicted using the Markov and CA-markov models. The Landsat Project manual was used to extract the land surface temperature. It was discovered that the built-up area increased over time, from 28.1 km2 in 2001 to 103.07 km2 in 2020, with a projected 166.93 km2 in 2040. Furthermore, forestland decreased throughout time, but the decline was more pronounced in 2020, with decline of twice that of 2001. Cultivated/grassland land has increased over time and is expected to continue to do so in 2040, but surface water hasn't changed significantly. The average land surface temperature climbed from 25.67 °C in 1987 to 32.39 °C in 2020. The environmental impact of urban sprawl and rising urban heat cannot be overstated, as it includes both direct and indirect human and environmental consequences. As a result, eco-friendly strategies were recommended in ensuring sustainable urban growth and reducing urban island heat.

Pathways to sustain atolls under rising sea levels through land claim and island raising

Low-lying atoll nations (e.g. the Maldives, Kiribati, Tuvalu, Marshall Islands) are highly vulnerable to climate change, especially sea-level rise (SLR). Stringent climate change mitigation will slow but not stop SLR, which will continue for centuries, mandating additional long-term adaptation. At the same time, urbanisation is concentrating population in a few centres, especially around capital islands which creates additional pressure as most atoll nations are ‘land-poor’. This paper demonstrates how structural adaptation using land claim and island raising can be utilised within an adaptation pathway approach to sustain enough islands and land area above rising sea levels to satisfy societal and economic needs over multiple centuries.This approach is illustrated using the Maldives, especially around the capital and its environs (Greater Malé). Raising, expanding and connecting ‘urban’ islands can provide multiple benefits. Significant developments have already occurred in Greater Malé and further developments there and for other urban centres in the Maldives are expected. Migration to urban centres, especially Malé, is widespread and this adaptation approach assumes this trend continues, implying many other islands are depopulated or abandoned. Tourism is core to the Maldives economy and tourist islands require a different ambience to urban islands. They could be sustained with sympathetic soft engineering reinforcing the natural processes that produce atolls. While land advance and island raising provides a technical solution for SLR, any application must also address the additional policy, human, physical, engineering and economic/financial challenges that are raised. Nonetheless, by aligning adaptation through land advance/raising with existing development trends, atoll nations have the potential to persist and prosper for many centuries even as sea levels inevitably rise. This provides a realistic alternative to widespread assumptions about forced migration and ultimate national abandonment. The lessons here may find wider application to other small island settings and even mainland coasts.

Impact of different roofing mitigation strategies on near-surface temperature and energy consumption over the Chicago metropolitan area during a heatwave event

This study examined the impact of cool roofs, green roofs, and solar panel roofs on near-surface temperature and cooling energy demand through regional modeling in the Chicago metropolitan area (CMA). The new parameterization of green roofs and solar panel roofs based on model physics has recently been developed, updated, and coupled to a multilayer building energy model that is fully integrated with the Weather Research and Forecasting model. We evaluate the model performance against with observation measurements to show that our model is capable of being a suited tool to simulate the heatwave event. Next, we examine the impact by characterizing the near-surface air temperature and its diurnal cycle from experiments with and without the different rooftops. We also estimate the impact of the rooftop on the urban island intensity (UHII), surface heat flux, and the boundary layer. Finally, we measure the impact of the different rooftops on citywide air-conditioning consumption. Results show that the deployment of the cool roof can reduce the near-surface temperature most over urban areas, followed by green roof and solar panel roof. The cool roof experiment was the only one where the near-surface temperature trended down as the urban fraction increased, indicating the cool roof is the most effective mitigation strategy among these three rooftop options. For cooling energy consumption, it can be reduced by 16.6 %, 14.0 %, and 7.6 %, when cool roofs, green roofs, and solar panel roofs are deployed, respectively. Although solar panel roofs show the smallest reduction in energy consumption, if we assume that all electricity production can be applied to cooling demand, we can expect almost a savings of almost half (46.7 %) on cooling energy demand.

Correction: Yosef et al. Land Surface Temperature Regulation Ecosystem Service: A Case Study of Jaipur, India, and the Urban Island of Jhalana Reserve Forest. Forests 2022, 13, 1101

The authors wish to make the following corrections to their paper [...]

INDIA'S HEAT WAVE MAY BE DEFEATED BY SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE

This paper emphasizes on constructional sustainability and will also acknowledge its misconceptions which will help in focusing on the fundamental ideas and values of sustainability. The country has to pay a huge price for these sophisticated structures. Currently this April, sweltering heatwaves have affected numerous areas of India, with New Delhi seeing temperatures as high as over 120 degrees Fahrenheit. This occurs before the nation'ssummer season officially begins in a few weeks. The usage of air conditioning to beat the heat feeds the vicious cycle since it uses more energy and generates more heat while doing so. Numerous blackouts during the day and night have occurred in numerous Indian cities as a result of using more electricity. An urban island heat effect is produced by the excess heat the AC units emit. According to experts, India's contemporary architecture would make it more difficult for citizens to adjust to heatwaves that may become more frequent and prolonged. A rising number of environmentalists and young architects who are concerned with sustainability are urging a return to traditional design in response to the warning signs.

Low presence of potentially toxic elements in Singapore urban garden soils

BackgroundUrban agriculture is potentially an important piece of the food security puzzle for a rapidly growing urban world population. Community gardening is also promoted as a safe and viable form of exercise for aging populations in crowded settings where opportunities to participate in other action activities may be limited. Knowledge of potential site-specific health risks to environmental contaminants is important in dialogues promoting urban farming.MethodsWe assess the pseudo-total concentrations of selected potentially toxic elements (PTEs) in the soils of community gardens, public parks, and woodlands in the tropical urban island nation of Singapore. We compare concentrations of cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc with amalgamated risk guidelines to form a baseline understanding of the level of contamination in these spaces. We also perform providence tracking with lead isotopes to identify potential sources of contaminants.ResultsAll pseudo-total concentrations of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn in the soil were below threshold concentrations considered to represent substantial risk. Further, PTE concentrations in gardens were largely equivalent to those found in community parks and woodlands, but the geographical distribution varied. Provenance tracking with Pb isotopes indicated Pb in gardens was both anthropogenic and natural, but spatially variable. The lack of strong spatial clustering of areas with the highest PTE concentrations was inconsistent with a common point source of contamination. However, the correlation between Cu and Zn suggest a common source for these elements, such as road/trafficking or atmospheric deposition.ConclusionWe find limited risk of urban gardeners to exposure to Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn—elements that are commonly abundant in urban settings with dense transportation networks and substantial industrial activities. The low levels of PTEs are encouraging for the promotion of urban farming for food production and leisure in this dense urban setting. However, as concentrations were low, we did not assess bioavailability and bioaccessibility of the PTEs. These assessments would need to be determined in cases of with higher levels of contamination to provide a more thorough consideration of actual human risk.

Land Surface Temperature Regulation Ecosystem Service: A Case Study of Jaipur, India, and the Urban Island of Jhalana Reserve Forest

Although Land Surface Temperatures (LSTs) are on the rise globally, the distribution of LSTs varies depending on the land cover type. Urban Heat Island and Urban Cool Island effects act differently, especially in semi-arid regions. Therefore, we identify demi-decadal, seasonal, and zonal differences in LSTs in a semi-arid region in the city of Jaipur, where zones include rural and urban areas that encircle the Jhalana Reserve Forest (JRF). After deriving LSTs from remotely sensed thermal bands of Landsat satellites’ Multi-spectral datasets, we found that there is a significant difference in LST (p < 0.01) among the zones. In addition, LSTs were found to be significantly lower in JRF compared to Urban and Rural areas in all seasons and all study years, which indicates the urban cooling effect due to the presence of the forest. Nevertheless, summer LSTs have warmed with a mean difference of 4.8 °C between 2000 and 2020. Therefore, our study supports the promotion of Urban Forests, especially in semi-arid zones, for inculcating LST regulation ecosystem services to enrich and enhance the standard of living of the human population.

MEASURING TRANSPORT-RELATED SOCIAL EXCLUSION AT THE MESO-LEVEL USING THE CONCEPT OF ISOLATED ISLANDS IN THE BIG CITIES

Using the notion of isolated urban islands, this paper discusses, from a theoretical point of view, three important but controversial issues related to the measurement of social exclusion in the big cities: (i) the extent to which social exclusion is likely to occur, (ii) accessibility indicators that are sensitive and relevant for the evaluation of social exclusion, and (iii) the geographical scale for evaluation. From an urban island point of view, two important issues have been raised: the distribution of jobs, Therefore, basic facilities, and services within an urban island and the travels of people between urban islands. social exclusion can be determined either by the affordability/acceptability of travel time/cost to access the minimum requirement of facilities/services or the number of facilities/services in reach of the individuals within acceptable/affordable travel time and cost. A person will be at risk of social exclusion if they belong to a minority group as opposed to the majority in the same society. Some levels of social exclusion risk have been proposed. The evaluation should be implemented at the meso-level (urban island). From the view of the urban islands, the issues of transportrelated social exclusion are clearly understood, and measurements of social exclusion should be solved. We feel that a detailed survey/interview is needed for areas at high risk of social exclusion, followed by an evaluation at the micro-level to identify excluded people and the causes for their exclusion. It is expected that this paper will attract researchers to pay more attention to this issue.

Exploring Climate Emotions in Canada’s Provincial North

The mental and emotional dimensions of climate change are increasingly concerning as extreme events become more frequent and severe, ecosystem destruction advances, and people become more aware of climate impacts and injustices. Research on climate emotions has rapidly advanced over the last decade with growing evidence illustrating that climate emotions can impact health, shape climate action, and ought to be considered in climate change communication, education, and engagement. This paper explores, describes, and discusses climate emotions in the context of Canada’s Provincial North: a vast region characterized by a vulnerability to climate change, remoteness, political marginalization, diverse Indigenous populations, and economies/livelihoods tied to resource extraction. Using postal survey data collected in two Provincial North communities (Thunder Bay, Ontario, and Prince George, British Columbia; N = 627), we aim to (1) describe climate emotions experienced in the context of Canada’s Provincial North, including relationships among specific emotions; and (2) examine if socio-demographic variables (gender, age, and parenthood) show a relationship with climate emotions. Results show high levels of emotional response to climate change overall, with worry and frustration as those emotions reported by the highest percentage of participants. We also find significant difference in climate emotions between men and women. A methodological result was noted in the usefulness of the Climate Emotion Scale (CES), which showed high reliability and high inter-item correlation. A notable limitation of our data is its’ underrepresentation of Indigenous peoples. The findings contribute to a greater understanding of climate emotions with relevance to similar settings characterized by marginalization, vulnerability to climate change, urban islands within vast rural and remote landscapes, and economies and social identities tied to resource extraction. We discuss our findings in relation to the literature and outline future research directions and implications.

Proposed flood evacuation routes for heritage areas based on spatial configuration analysis: a case study of Penang, Malaysia

PurposeBecause of the global increase of climate change effects, floods are becoming more frequent and severer, especially in urban areas of coastal cities and islands where floodplains have turned into buildings because of rapid urbanisation, leading to a higher risk of damages. Urban heritage areas should be highly considered in the time of evacuation because of the vulnerability of streets and buildings and limitations on taking counteractions. Given these limitations, this study aims to propose a network of potential evacuation routes based on spatial configuration analysis of the heritage areas.Design/methodology/approachPenang Island's heritage site, namely, George Town, located on the northwest coast of Malaysia, is chosen as the case study. By using an approach of spatial configuration analysis using space syntax techniques in addition to considering the potential starting points for evacuation and flood risk map of the area, this study analysed the area's street network values for evacuation function during flood crisis time.FindingsPotential evacuation routes were identified for flood disasters in the George Town heritage area. Furthermore, the proposed evacuation routes were evaluated in terms of time for evacuation by metric step-depth analysis of space syntax.Originality/valueA few studies have focused on practical guidelines for evacuation routes based on spatial configuration analysis, an important yet neglected approach in this regard, especially concerning urban island areas. This study can contribute to providing strategies to reduce vulnerability and casualties in urban heritage areas.

Regionmaking and conceptual development in South China: Perceiving islands, the Pearl River Delta, and the Greater Bay Area

The Pearl River Delta in South China is today associated with one of the world's largest megaregions. Even though scholarship often treats the Pearl River Delta as a natural region and unit for analysis, this area has only recently been regionalised. This paper undertakes a critical rewriting and remapping of the Pearl River Delta's history, starting in precolonial times in which the Chinese population saw the area as composed of islands and waterways, moving through the period when colonial powers saw the area as a pathway up from the colonial island enclaves of Hong Kong and Macao and into China's interior, and ending in the Reform and Opening Up era when the modern Chinese state has implemented a succession of planning-oriented conceptions of the region. As the area has moved conceptually from a world of islands to a delta and now to the Greater Bay Area, perceptions about what the area means have changed as well. From a position in urban island studies and critical reflexivity, this paper troubles taken-for-granted colonial, technocratic, and governmental visions and regionalisations, focusing on how physical and cultural geographies develop in tandem. The notion of the interstitial island is used to help understand how the Pearl River Delta's island geography has influenced the area's conceptual development.

Design in Conversation

This interview was intended to be a conversation between two different experts: the Interviewer, José de la O, designed the questions based on his experience in the relationship and challenges between Design and the Mexican context. The Interviewee, Renata Fenton, co-founder of Isla Urbana, based her answers on her experience in practicing design in diverse rural, peri-urban and urban communities around Mexico. Isla Urbana (Urban Island), is a Mexican company that focuses on designing and installing rainwater harvesting systems. By using participative methods, the company works through the construction of a hybrid work model.

Always Liminal, Always in Transition: Hong Kong as Staircase City

This article analyses the ‘stair culture’ of Hong Kong Island, a place that is constrained by its topography, economic, and social-historical conditions. Staircases are interwoven into an infrastructure of vertical and horizontal pathways. Instead of just being a means of access, staircases play a key role in shaping the urban island. Through a critical examination of these structures and relevant literary and filmic texts (Leung Ping-Kwan’s poems, Wong Kar-wai’s films, and Tsai Ming-liang’s Walker series [2012]), the article provides a way of understanding the extent to which the perception of Hong Kong Island is re-imagined by way of an urbanscape punctuated by staircases. Staircases have the ability to mix up people in different classes in such places as the Central to Mid-Levels area and Sai Ying Pun Centre Street. Both districts are initially connected by staircases and later escalators. By examining the impact of escalators (such as high-speed gentrification, closing down of local stores, and the loss of real public spaces) and the effects of staircases on cultural activities in different areas, this article argues that staircases expose the nature of a classed society in Hong Kong Island – and, by extension, Hong Kong as a whole – and represent a nostalgia that is potentially productive.

Effects of block morphology on the surface thermal environment and the corresponding planning strategy using the geographically weighted regression model

Although an increasing number of studies have explored how spatial morphology influences the urban heat island (UHI) effect in different regions with the spatial regression methods, few studies further explored the potential significance of the identified spatial differences at the block level. In this study, 410 regulatory management units with diverse block features in Xi'an, China were screened as the research samples, and 14 block morphological indicators from three categories of land cover, building group, and distance to cold and heat sources were calculated with multi-source data. The Geographically Weighted Regression (GWR) model combined with spatial autocorrelation analysis was applied to quantitatively explore the spatial heterogeneity of land surface temperature (LST) and its relationship to various morphological factors. Results confirm that the GWR model with the better modeling fit (R2 = 0.836, Adj.R2 = 0.785, AICc = 977.510, RMSE = 0.696, and MAPE = 0.013) is an effective method for addressing the spatial relationship between block morphology and LST. Furthermore, the target control strategy was finally proposed in five zoning blocks according to the contribution of morphological variables. ISR is the most influential factor that intensifies the UHI effect, while GR is a critical factor that form the cool urban island in different blocks. Immediate improvement measures should be taken for Zone 1 with the most severe UHI effect by controlling the key indicators of ISR, BD, and GR. This study sheds new light on the spatial variations of the morphology-LST linkage at the block level and provides heat-mitigation regulation recommendations for urban planners and policy makers.

La ciudad guetoizada: Buenos Aires en la narrativa de Ana María Shua

The article analyzes the image of Buenos Aires in the narrative of Ana María Shua, an Argentine writer of Polish Jewish descent. Urban space plays an important role in her prose described often as apocalyptic or dystopian. Through a historiographical metafiction, the author rewrites the memory of the ancestors in El libro de los recuerdos (2007), a novel that presents the life of Jewish immigrants in the capital of Argentina, divided into neighborhoods marked by their ethnicity. Eroticism and the use of the female body are, on the other hand, the topics that dominate in the author’s collection of micro-stories titled Casa de geishas (2009), where the brothel is described as a singular ghetto, rooted in the city panorama. Finally, the novel La muerte como efecto secundario offers a dystopic description of a future of a ghettoized city, where compulsory geriatric ghettos become a reality. The article, based on the analysis of the aforementioned works, presents a critical look at the use of the concept of “ghetto” or “urban island” in the construction of the narrative structure and space in Ana María Shua’s fiction.