Urban Planning Paradigm Research Articles

Renewed Theories and Discourses of 21st Century; City Planning and Housing Design COVID-19 and Beyond, Sustainable, and Green Design

This research delves into the future housing theories of the 21st century, focusing on recent transformations in both urban planning and housing projects and models. Despite the world's anticipation of a vast sustainable transformation since the late 20th century, the first quarter of the 21st century was confronted with an unexpected event: humanity found itself amidst a pandemic that significantly transformed the world. The post-COVID-19 era has guided significant and enduring changes in various aspects from urban planning to living styles, working patterns, housing models, and typologies. This research presents renewed perspectives, based on theoretical dialogues, and discourses that aim to understand the transformation period with recent events specifically housing. The research also includes the perspective of housing in the past aims to contribute to comprehension of this new era and aid in shaping future urban and housing planning strategies. The theoretical basis is to investigate new methods and techniques in urban, and housing planning that have addressed climate-related issues since the 1980s and the subsequent pandemic period. According to the findings obtained in the research, COVID-19 and sustainability initially considered different phenomena, pandemic is essentially triggered and contributed to sustainable city planning, and housing design. While the public perception often distinguishes between COVID-19 and drivability as distinct design concepts, the research reveals a nuanced reality. Despite apparent differences, it is discerning that similar ideas and design principles aim for a healthier housing concept in airier, and greener areas both in terms of housing planning, and models. This intricates a close conceptual relationship between pandemic-induced design adaptations and sustainable concepts underscores the complexity of contemporary urban and housing planning paradigms.

Shifts in the urban planning paradigm following the COVID-19 pandemic

The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has prompted significant transformations in several facets of human existence as it has disseminated over the globe, hence instigating extensive investigations into urban environments and public health. Recent research has investigated the correlation between cities, urban planning, and COVID-19. This signifies a shift in the urban planning paradigm. Resume focusing on and giving priority to health, particularly in relation to infectious diseases. This article seeks to elucidate the paradigm shift in cities and health as a result of due to the COVID-19 pandemic by employing a Systematic Literature Review. The research findings demonstrate a significant change in how health and cities are perceived due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This research also contributes novel insights into the significance of urban design that prioritises public health, particularly in relation to infectious diseases.

Does Reduced Space Result in Fewer Rights? Controlled Shrinking in the Urban Renewal of Genoa

This article explores three examples of urban design initiatives in Genoa in an attempt to highlight the potential and possible contradictions that controlled shrinking projects pose for the future of contemporary cities. Genoa, a symbol of Italian shrinking cities, has been strongly defined over the years by post-industrialisation transformations and by long-standing conditions of urban shrinkage. Despite facing continuous shrinkage, local urban development policies have historically focused exclusively on urban growth and expansion. Only recently have some areas in Genoa started to adopt spatial planning experiences that actively pursue degrowth policies, aiming to reduce existing urban fabric and decrease urban density. These initiatives are adopted in specific areas affected by demographic decline, hydrogeological risks, pollution, or catastrophic events. These spatial strategies justify their existence by invoking concepts like smart shrinkage and degrowth, promising improvements in both environmental and social conditions. However, this article notes how these concepts in Genoa are not aligned with the actual social and environmental challenges that these considerations and positions pose. In fact, the urban renewal initiatives introduced by institutions, in reality, lean towards a strategy of shrinkage and demolition of residential complexes, transportation infrastructure, and productive spaces, with diverse and conflicting results. The observed controlled shrinking projects neglect the synthesis of the territory as a palimpsest, ignore new ecological sensitivities, and lack awareness of the social implications associated with the concepts of smart shrinkage and degrowth. Instead, the three instances introduce a spatial project that still adheres to the underlying principles of growth and exploitation, presenting a shrinkage of the existing urban fabric that is mere illusion. It involves clearing out the deteriorated spaces only to fill them with capitalist rhetoric and models that, instead of creating space, undermine fundamental rights. Nonetheless, a closer examination of these three missed opportunities sheds light on the necessary knowledge, actions, and design approaches for a city to navigate urban shrinkage adeptly. This exploration also reveals the potential for the city to transform into a framework and platform, inspiring and guiding new urban planning paradigms for sustainable development.

PROSPECTIVE DIRECTIONS OF URBAN CONCEPTS TRANSFORMATION IN THE CONTEXT OF THE IMMERSIVE PRESENCE ENVIRONMENTS DEVELOPMENT

The proliferation of immersive presence environments (an artificially created multimedia environment of an alternative reality) is evolving into a widespread social phenomenon that gradually influences how people live and interact. As a result, it has the potential to reshape expectations and demands regarding living spaces and their arrangement. While numerous studies have explored the impact of virtual and augmented reality technologies on urban planning, relatively little attention has been given to the possibility that the behavioral changes brought about by these technologies could prompt a reevaluation of the fundamental principles underlying urban planning. Previously, immersive environments were primarily seen as tools for a limited group of individuals to enhance their problem-solving capabilities within the existing framework of urban planning. However, with the widespread adoption of virtual presence tools, there is a potential for a significant shift in this paradigm. The exact nature and implications of these changes are still not well understood and remain uncertain. However, through the method of behavioral interpolation, we can begin to model the key aspects and potential outcomes of this paradigm shift. The object of this article is to present a theoretical framework for potential transformations in the contemporary urban planning paradigm resulting from the widespread adoption of personalized virtual reality technologies. Through analysis, five key categories within modern post-industrial urban planning are identified as likely to undergo changes: a) residential areas; b) accessibility radius; c) social cohesion; d) transportation requirements, and e) optimal density. Residential units will necessitate additional opportunities and spaces, altering living requirements and lifestyles. The significance of the accessibility radius, particularly for pedestrians, may diminish as a considerable number of desirable locations become accessible directly from individuals' homes. Reducing strain on transportation networks will enhance cities' environmental sustainability and create new opportunities for green spaces. The concept of social cohesion will experience stratified transformations, as differences related to ethnicity, religion, gender, race, age, social status, etc., become neutralized through the development of shifting virtual personas and non-deterministic identities. These interrelated changes will also diminish the weight of the optimal density category. Collectively, these transformations form a comprehensive conceptual framework that reimagines the city. This article outlines two potential directions of change in the urban paradigm that could arise from the proliferation of personalized metaverse communication technologies. The first direction pertains to the contemporary interpretation of deurbanistic concepts, incorporating elements of self-sufficiency, stability, security, and communication infrastructure characteristic of the information age. The second direction is likely to focus on various approaches to transforming the existing urban environment. This transformation will occur through the involvement of market regulatory mechanisms and the development and implementation of specialized municipal programs aimed at modernization and stimulating population growth.

Reinterpreting “Sustainability” and “Resilience” in the post-pandemic urban planning paradigm

In the past three years, there has been no crisis more "unexpected" than the COVID-19 epidemic, which was deemed as pandemic by WHO on March 11, 2020. Indeed, urban planning must play a significant role in resolving the pandemic dilemma. So, given that pandemics are natural disasters and environmental factors are their primary cause, how is it possible we are still experiencing this outbreak even though “resilience” and “sustainability” principles are ingrained in urban planning paradigms? Accordingly, it is essential to grasp how to incorporate “sustainability” and “resilience” ideas into urban planning processes and to develop the institutional capability to manage and monitor these procedures. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to clarify how sustainability and resilience principles might help to define the essential elements of the "post-pandemic" urban planning paradigm through conceptual analysis and a thorough assessment as the methodology. The first section discusses the necessity of the two most relevant concepts of urban planning paradigms; “sustainability” and “resilience” to tackle with pandemics, followed by the discussion of the “pandemic city” and “post-pandemic city” concepts. Finally, the last chapter explores how the attributes of resilience and sustainability can contribute to “post-pandemic urban planning” paradigm.

Putting theory into practice: A novel methodological framework for assessing cities' compliance with the 15-min city concept

Despite being the places where most people prefer to live and work, cities face significant challenges. Triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, the 15-min city concept has emerged as the new urban planning paradigm that aims to cope with intense urban challenges by bringing the idea of living locally to the forefront. Although the concept of the 15-min city has a great potential to enhance the quality of life, its implementation could never be realised unless its theoretical principles are translated into measurable and evaluable dimensions. Thus, the current paper introduces a methodological framework that quantitatively assesses cities' compliance with the 15-min city concept through a sophisticated, holistic fuzzy index, the 15-MCiX. The proposed methodological framework was applied in the city of Thessaloniki, Greece, and highlighted that Thessaloniki largely embraces the concept of the 15-min city, achieving an average 15-MCiX score of 0.85 out of 1.0. Thus, a more ambitious yet meaningful target, such as the 10 or 5-min threshold, should be considered in dense urban environments like those in Europe. Finally, the pilot implementation underlined the great reliability, usability, and transparency of the proposed methodological framework, as well as its high transferability that could make it a valuable tool worldwide.

Methodological approaches of the pedestrian network landscape planning organization in the largest cities of Ukraine

The article highlights the structural-logical model of the study of the landscape-planning organization of the "green" pedestrian network and the corresponding formation of the conceptual and terminological apparatus. The landscape-planning organization of "green" pedestrian networks requires a change in the urban planning paradigm, and therefore a change in the way of thinking of architects responsible for the development and implementation of urban programs. The results of the landscape-planning organization of green pedestrian networks must meet the environmental standards of world urban planning, as well as the expectations and needs of city residents, ensuring the preservation of the environment and improving the health of the population. The process associated with the growth of human mobility and the variety of motivations for its movement in the modern city leads to the inevitable functional transformation of pedestrian streets of cities, changes the nature of their use. As of 2022, taking into account the need to restore many cities of Ukraine, even small ones, it is urgent to create "green" pedestrian routes and spaces along which communications are carried out. The "green" pedestrian network, "green" spaces and "green" routes are becoming an integral part of the modern city. In order to implement "green" pedestrian routes and spaces in the cities of Ukraine, it is necessary to determine the methodical foundations of this process and the corresponding methods of their landscape planning organization. The purpose of the publication is to determine the methodological foundations of the landscape planning organization of "green" routes and the expedient application of landscape object research methods in order to ensure the sustainability of the recreational function of "green" pedestrian networks in the structure of cities during their formation.

Temporary use of urban vacant spaces: A pro-poor land use strategy in the Global South

ABSTRACT This paper examines temporary use of urban vacant spaces (UVS) as everyday activity by disparate groups of entrepreneurs largely in the informal sector of the urban economy. It extends the academic discussions of temporary use as a component of the development processes of cities in developing countries rather as opportunity for urban regeneration and innovative urbanism in the Global North. Using Benin City as a case study, the paper employs snowball sampling and semi-structured interviews of participant temporary users to explain the grassroots mobilization of UVS for temporary use within the context of the opportunities, vulnerabilities, and precarities associated with the use of vacant spaces. The paper revealed that temporary use of UVS in Benin City is dominated by informal economic activities. Availability of vacant spaces enables temporary use to thrive. The everyday use of vacant spaces challenges the powers of formal place-making decision-makers who decide whether temporary use of UVS can be accepted, not accepted, or tolerated. The paper recommends that space users should be at the center of temporary use research and policy debates, and tactical urbanism should be adopted as the new urban planning paradigm rather than the bulldozer approach to urban renovation in the developing countries.

Paradigm shift in sustainable urban planning for Thailand's provincial cities from the perspective of urban development stages during the 2010s

Thailand’s urban planning was stuck in a growth paradigm that concentrated on land-use management to respond to the population and economic growth since 1975. However, most provincial cities have experienced a population decline. As a result, many of the provincial cities’ comprehensive plans are unable to foster sustainable development in their respective cities. Meanwhile, little attention has been paid to this topic. Consequently, this study attempts to emphasize the existence of shrinking cities in the Thai urban system alongside the neglect of the government to manage this phenomenon by assessing the urban planning policies from the last and penultimate comprehensive plans and analyzing the provincial cities’ urban development stages using population data from the 2010s. This study selected 20 provincial cities in Thailand’s northeastern region as a case study. The results reveal that all urban planning policies concentrate on expanding built-up land to support the growth paradigm. Regarding the urban development stages, only four provincial cities encountered urbanization. The majority of the provincial cities are in the suburbanization and de-urbanization stages because their populations in the core areas have declined. Thus, most urban planning policies appear mismatched with the status of their cities’ urban development. As such, continuing to implement comprehensive plans under the growth paradigm risks leading cities in the wrong direction and jeopardizing the long-term sustainability. The paradigm of urban planning must immediately shift from the growth paradigm to become consistent with the stages of urban development, so as to shape sustainable cities in the long term.

From genplan to master plan: the changing urban planning paradigm in Russia

ABSTRACT This paper discusses the recent introduction of master plans in the Russian system of urban planning which signals the emergence of a new urban planning paradigm. An ongoing paradigm shift is traced through the evolution of three major planning instruments: the socialist genplan, the post-socialist genplan and the contemporary masterplan. The results show that the inefficiencies of post-socialist urban planning were due to the deliberate actions of elites, whose rent-seeking goals required the possibility of direct intervention, more centralised decision-making and direct translation of government priorities into the spatial development of cities. The post-socialist genplan fails to address changing policy goals, while the spectacular and non-binding master plan better suits the authoritarian model of governance in Russia.

An Improved Publicness Assessment Tool Based on a Combined Spatial Model: Case Study of Guangzhou, China

By 2021, the urbanization rate of China had reached as high as 64.72%. At the same time, the efficiency-driven urban planning paradigm had shifted to that of an efficiency-and-fairness intent. Fairness refers to the publicness of public open spaces (POS) as an indicator of an inclusive and fair city. The authors are interested in the measure of POS. However, few studies evaluated POS by effective assessment frameworks and tools. Based on this critique, the authors propose to integrate a qualitative assessment tool—the Star Model, with that of a quantitative assessment tool—the Space Syntax, for assessing publicness and enhancing the understanding of POS (streets and squares). There are two conclusions: (1) The combined use of the quantitative and qualitative tools provides accuracy and enables a comprehensive understanding of public spaces, namely, the mechanism of publicness—of both bottom-up POS and top-down POS. On the one hand, bottom-up POS is an outcome of the spatial system enabled by a networked structure of space. On the other, the publicness of top-down POS can be largely twisted by the government and urban designers rather than the residents. (2) This research has introduced an improved combined tool for the benefits of both policymakers and planners.

Compact Development Policy and Urban Resilience: A Critical Review

Sustainable development and urban resilience are dominant urban planning paradigms that have become buzzwords in urban planning and policy domains over the past 2–3 decades. While these two paradigms have been analyzed and scrutinized in different studies, the interconnection between them in policy realms is understudied. Compact development policy is expected to contribute to a variety of sustainability goals. However, these goals’ alignment with the principles and goals of urban resilience is under question. This research tries to shed some light on this issue. A critical review method is employed to understand how compactness as a sustainable urban development policy relates to different principles and dimensions of urban resilience. First, the conceptual and theoretical relationship between urban resilience and compact city is established. Next, the resulting framework is used to critically analyze 124 articles to understand how the compact city policy relates to urban resilience from different dimensions and principles. Densification and intensification, mixed land use and diversity, and spatial connectivity and public transportation are identified as principles of the compact city. Finally, the interconnection between compact city policy and urban resilience dimensions and principles is explored and assessed through examining the selected literature. The results of the review show some alignments between compact city policy outcomes and urban resilience. However, the level of alignment may vary depending on the context, scale, or dimension. In other words, while compact city in one scale/dimension can increase urban resilience to a specific adverse event or stressor, it might increase vulnerability to others in another scale/dimension. From the policy perspective, compact development policy and urban resilience principles should clearly be defined a priori to reach favorable outcomes.

Planning instruments enhance the acceptance of urban densification.

Dense and compact cities yield several benefits for both the population and the environment, including the containment of urban sprawl, reduced carbon emissions, and increased housing supply. Densification of the built environment is thus a key contemporary urban planning paradigm worldwide. However, local residents often oppose urban densification, motivating a need to understand their underlying concerns. In order to do so, we examined different factors driving public acceptance of housing densification projects through a combination of a conjoint survey experiment and different proximity frames among 12,402 participants across Berlin, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York, and Paris. Respondents compared housing densification projects with varying attributes, including their geographic proximity, project-related factors, and accompanying planning instruments. The results indicate that the acceptance of such projects decreases with project proximity and that project-related factors, such as the type of investor, usage, and climate goals, impact densification project acceptance. More specifically, we see a negative effect on acceptance levels for projects with for-profit investors and a positive effect when the suggested developments are mixed use or climate neutral. In addition, planning instruments, such as rent control, inclusionary zoning, and participatory planning, appear to positively influence acceptance. Interestingly, a cross-continental comparison shows overall higher acceptance levels of densification by US respondents. These multifaceted results allow us to better understand what drives people's acceptance of housing projects and how projects and planning processes can be designed to increase democratic acceptance of urban densification.

Alternative Approaches to Urban Regeneration and Infill Planning

In Finland, cities consider infill development as a means for urban regeneration in existing suburbs. However, the preconditions for development may vary: some areas are more attractive for infill development projects than others. Therefore, cities must align their urban regeneration approaches with the specifics of the context.
 This paper builds on the notions that the prevailing growth-dependent urban planning paradigm is not functional in areas demarcated by low growth or stagnation. Planning that seeks to bring value for the localities by appreciating their strengths and non-monetary assets might provide grounds for alternative planning approaches. From these starting points, we explore how Finnish urban planners align their urban regeneration approaches with different contexts. We aim at identifying when the growth-dependent approach is used, whether alternative approaches are deployed, and what are their underlying logics. Our analytical framework originates from organizational learning theory of action inquiry. It explains how urban regeneration visions, strategies and actions are adjusted to low growth contexts. The empirical material consists of three urban regeneration cases in the Finnish City of Turku.
 As a result, three approaches to urban regeneration with different emphases on infill development are depicted and discussed. The growth-dependent approach is used in areas with strategic importance for the City, and possibilities for urban growth. Alternative approaches seek to support local development initiatives or inspire development in areas where it does not yet exist. The contribution of this exploratory paper is to demonstrate that urban planners in Finland deploy alternatives to growth-dependent planning and provide conceptualizations of alternative planning approaches.

СПЕЦИФИКА ГРАДОСТРОИТЕЛЬНОГО ПЛАНИРОВАНИЯ КРУПНЫХ УРБАНИЗИРОВАННЫХ ТЕРРИТОРИЙ В СКАНДИНАВСКИХ СТРАНАХ. ЧАСТЬ III: CОПОДЧИНЕННОСТЬ «НОВОГО ЛОКАЛИЗМА» ДИРЕКТИВНОМУ ГРАДОСТРОИТЕЛЬНОМУ ПЛАНИРОВАНИЮ В ДАНИИ

The article substantiates the relevance and expediency of studying the urban planning system of large urbanized territories of the Kingdom of Denmark. The European and world communities have long recognized its high efficiency. Today, Denmark has a three-level planning system covering the national, regional (sub-regional) and municipal levels of habitat development. At each level macro-regional and national features of the spatial organization of life processes are clearly manifested: paradigmatic, institutional, technological, typological and organizational-managerial. It is established that over the last century, the paradigm of flexible urban planning of typologically differentiated systemic forms of urbanization has been consistently implemented in the Kingdom of Denmark. It is proved that today, within the substantial framework of this paradigm, due to the coevolutionary reform of the elements of the administrative-territorial structure of the Scandinavian state, a consistent replacement of the trend of “planning regionalism” that prevailed at the turn of the XX-XXI centuries in the Danish urban formation with the trend of “new localism” took place. It is indicated that the identified paradigm transformation involves the transfer of authority in the field of planning, forecasting, design and regulation of urbanization processes from the national level. Thus, it bypasses the regional level, to the level of municipalities, implements, based on the principle of subordination to the trend of “new localism”, the trend of directive planning in relation to large urbanized territories. The results of the study can serve as information, theoretical and methodological support for the rationalization of the urban planning system of large forms of urbanized settlement within the boundaries of geostrategic and border territories of the Northwestern Federal District of Russia: the federal city of St. Petersburg and the agglomeration of the same name.

Context and continuity. Shifting paradigms in East German urban planning and architecture in the city of Halle (Saale)

The paper gives an insight into the change of urban planning paradigms in the late GDR. In 1982, the "Principles for the Socialist Development of Urban Development and Architecture in the German Democratic Republic" formed a long-awaited update of the "Sixteen Principles of Urban Design" dated 1950. Taking the developments in the city of Halle (Saale) as a case study, the inner-city renewal areas are explored. It is argued that the urban design and the architecture of the projects of the 1980-s can best be explained with the two concepts of context and continuity. Thus, the new structures are linked to the past but constructed and designed with contemporary means.

Saudi Vision 2030: a New Mind-set of City future Moving from Strategic Planning to Sustainable Development based vision

City urban visions are an increasing concern all over the world and exceptionally for Saudi cities. Saudi Arabia leaders have just launched the Saudi Vision 2030, which is a bold vision for an ambitious country in 2016. At the same time, planners in major cities tend to diversify their economies, improving quality of life, and repositioning their cities in the global context. Notably, Riyadh city, the capital of KSA expected to be not only a great city for its citizens but also a city that symbolizes Saudi urban aspirations. The research aims at investigating Riyadh's urban vision history since the urban city development accumulates different approaches according to the nature of the visioning process. It has changed from urban development decisions made on a case-by-case principle, with no vision, to decisions derived from a vision based on the strategic planning process of MEDSTAR 2003 (The Metropolitan Development Strategy for Ar-Riyadh Region) to more integrated vision based on the sustainable development process of Saudi Vision 2030. The main research argument is that urban planning paradigms affect intense approaches that cities experience when formulating their urban visions. Using an analytical framework, the paper analyses Saudi Vision 2030 and MEDSTAR vision 2003. The aim is not to compare but to investigate Riyadh's vision history that diversifies from strategic planning-based vision to sustainable development tending to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. The framework includes qualitative variables focusing on the process of city vision formulating as the nature of the process, time horizon, and scope of visioning, etc. The research concludes that the nature of the visioning process plays a great role in the vision-formulating process. Especially when it comes to Riyadh city's case since adopting the sustainable development process of Saudi Vision 2030 helps integrating multiple comprehensive development aspects such as (urban, economic, social, etc.) and forms a new mindset of the city's future.

City Water Resilience Framework: A governance based planning tool to enhance urban water resilience

• The ability to manage and build urban water resilience will depend on how the city is managing and governing its water resources and services and how it is addressing the water-related shocks and stresses • There is an increasing demand for innovative tools and guidance to apply water resilience concept in practice. • With empirical evidence, the paper presents a water resilience assessment framework that includes a set of resilience indicators that will guide in building urban water resilience • Critical dimensions to build urban water resilience: infrastructure and ecosystems, health and wellbeing, planning and finance, and leadership and strategy. The resilience model is an increasingly well-established paradigm of urban planning that guides responses to water related shocks and stresses, such as floods, droughts. However, due to limited studies and guidance on how to apply the concept of water resilience in practice, there is a growing demand for innovative tools that can help urban planners make better decisions and investments for a resilient urban water system. This paper presents a governance-based water resilience planning tool called the City Water Resilience Framework (CWRF), which is designed to meet this need. CWRF enables cities to collectively assess and plan for strengthening urban water resilience. It has been co-created through research and a robust peer-review process with eight partner cities and consultation with global experts. Based on this research, different factors of resilience were identified, which informed the development of CWRF, that includes a set of resilience goals, sub-goals and indicators, categorised across four dimensions: infrastructure and ecosystems, health and wellbeing, planning and finance, and leadership and strategy. Evidence is presented from the application of CWRF in Cape Town and Greater Miami and the Beaches (GM&B), which informed the cities' key water planning and strategies by integrating water resilience factors and activities.

GARDEN AND PARK ENSEMBLES IN THE TOWNS’ HISTORY

The narrative motive of the study is the fact of the infl uence of the garden and park ensembles’ construction on the development of cities. The historical periods of the highest fl owering of culture, philosophy, aesthetic ideas, and the development of construction skills have been selected for the work. The authors of the article draw att ention to the theoretical works of the 20th century in Western civilization, considering the city as a natural system. Their connection with the concepts of the 16th- 19th centuries in England, France, Italy, and France is affi rmed. The idea of the city as a natural system is revealed through images and metaphors, which help to understand the place of public landscapes in the history of civilization. The article presents the garden-park complexes, the creation of which changed the urban planning paradigm, initiated the construction of new cities, promoted the replacement of obsolete or lost elements of urban structure. The author suggests the classifi cation of landscape complexes according to their role in the development of urban planning and their infl uence on the artistic culture, architecture and morphology of the city.

Place quality in high-speed rail station areas: Concept definition

High-speed railway (HSR) station areas are expected to benefit urban environments, not simply as transportation or economic hubs but also as urban places contributing to living quality. However, the relationship between HSR and place quality has not received systematic attention, despite the evolution of urban planning paradigms toward a clearer focus on quality of life. We have reviewed 44 academic articles written between 1996 and 2019 and analyzed concepts of place quality spanning the disciplines of urban design, urban planning, and urban economics. We identified three dimensions commonly associated with quality of place: a spatial dimension associated with aesthetic qualities of urban spaces; a socio-cultural dimension associated with experienced “sense of place”; and an economic dimension associated with the agglomeration of economic activities. Then we worked out these three dimensions in the context of HSR station areas and attributed features accordingly. We concluded that the economic dimension far outweighs the others in academic debates, with dominant theories being primarily concerned with land use, accessibility, and economic performance. Studies from the urban design field have tackled the spatial elements of place quality and showed a strong correlation with economic dimension. However, the literature remains insufficiently developed when it comes to addressing user experience and “sense of place.”