Urban Planning Perspective Research Articles

The Study of Historical Progression in the Distribution of Urban Commercial Space Locations—Example of Paris

Commercial space locations are a long-term investment for developers, and they are crucial for sustainable profitability. The distribution of commercial spaces in Paris has undergone a constant evolutionary process over the past few centuries, influenced by various socioeconomic factors. This study investigates the evolution of commercial space locations in Paris over three historical stages—1690, 1860, and 2023, using Space Syntax and Cluster Analysis. By examining the historical progression of Parisian commercial spaces from an urban planning perspective, this article aims to provide insights for urban developers to strategically plan for commercial spaces. The first part of the study is an analysis of the centrality and accessibility of commercial space locations within the urban street network using Space Syntax. Next, Cluster Analysis is employed to further examine the distribution patterns of commercial spaces with high centrality. By comparing the results from three different historical stages, the study reveals two major patterns. One is a full-scale optimization of commercial space centrality within the historical core of Paris. Another one is the fission and consolidation of commercial spaces into multi-centric clusters and a geographical dispersal from central Paris. Finally, a multi-disciplinary discussion is conducted to decode the socioeconomic motivations behind these patterns and provide guidance for future commercial planning.

Determination and Evaluation of Landslide-Prone Regions of Isparta (Turkey): An Urban Planning View

Landslides represent a significant hazard affecting human life and property and threaten the sustainability of human settlements. They are among the most critical threats after earthquakes in Turkey. In 2020, 107 landslide events occurred in Turkey. Implementing proper policies, strategies, and tools for landslide risk mitigation remains challenging for urban planning institutions. In the plan preparation phase, urban planners and plan-making authorities, agencies, or institutions may overlook landslide risks due to a lack of data or related studies. Therefore, this article aims to develop a novel spatial analysis for identifying landslide-prone areas at the provincial level from an urban planning perspective. The analysis is compared to the approved upper-scale plan, and the results are used to build a more robust understanding of landslide risks for sustainable urban development. Isparta Province is selected as the study area, as it has active landslide areas. The methods used include a literature survey including internet sources, newspapers, plans, articles, and other research projects and a case study utilizing a GIS spatial analysis. The spatial analysis using GIS is based on three landslide inventories currently available in Turkey. This spatial analysis is developed to determine landslide-prone regions by considering thematic layers, triggering factors, and vulnerability inputs. As a result of this analysis, five landslide-prone areas in Isparta Province are determined. When these regions are compared to the upper-scale plan that covers the province, it is found that land use and planning decisions have neglected landslide risks, and urban areas are at high landslide risk. Several specific principles and strategies, such as a spatial inventory database and an integrated planning approach including landslide-prone areas, are stated with a reliable spatial analysis to assess landslide-prone areas on a regional scale, which can be applied later in any city and region of Turkey.

Trees, Climate Change, and Health: An Urban Planning, Greening and Implementation Perspective.

The In Conversation: Boundary, Spanners, Thinkers and Policy Actors Round Table Series provides a platform for researchers, policy actors, and implementation experts to elevate discussion on emerging issues, present new and upcoming research, and facilitate conversations around impacts and possible solutions. This brief report, on trees, climate change, and health, reflects a conversation between the authors of this paper, along with supporting literature. It explores the potential of green spaces and trees as a viable strategy to address climate change challenges and simultaneously improve population health, well-being, and health equity. In particular, it highlights the public health benefits of trees and green space, the challenges faced in urban areas, and opportunities for the protection, maintenance and regeneration of urban green space.

Is a Smart City Framework the Key to Disaster Resilience? A Systematic Review

Despite a growing body of research on the smart city framework for disaster resilience, a comprehensive systematic literature review from urban planning perspectives has never been attempted. In this review of smart and resilient cities, we distill vital learning and shared concepts, identify research trends and limitations, and suggest avenues for future research. The results reveal that reviewed articles primarily focused on methodological approaches addressing how to adapt technologies for disaster resilience, yet rarely discussed the sociological approaches to environment, economy, and governance. This study will provide a reference to trace existing research and suggest equitable smart resilience.

Semiotics of a Covid landscape

Abstract This paper brings together urban planning and linguistic perspectives to examine the semiotic landscape of a Washington, DC ‘streatery’ in the context of the intersecting public health- and place-based economic crises unleashed by the Covid-19 pandemic. Drawing from Garay-Huamán and Irazábal-Zurita’s (2021) work on neoliberal Social Structures of Accumulation (SSA), we examine how different layers of Adams Morgan’s emergent Covid landscape are rooted in the dynamics of capitalist accumulation through urban placemaking strategies. We focus on signs put up by the Business Improvement District (BID) that explain the public health regulations applicable to the area through discourse that playfully encourages people to social distance and wear masks. These signs utilize three linguistic or semiotic discourses: hygiene, humor and play, and anti-Trump politics. The signs serve as a bona fide effort to both halt the spread of the coronavirus and take a political stance. At the same time as the signs promote public health, their commodified aestheticization of hygiene and politics also serves commercial interests.

Complexity, Responsibility and Care: An Intertwined Perspective on Planning

The search for a good planning theory to underpin just and effective practice, and thereby narrow the growing gap between theory and practice, has been central to literature on planning since the mid-twentieth century. This paper brings together three seemingly unrelated urban planning perspectives and shows that combining them could provide a complete, feasible approach to planning. Complexity theory offers code-based planning regulations appropriate for multi-agent urban dynamics. The responsibility model contributes negotiation-based decision-making suitable for situations with multiple agents. Ethics of care outlines how to evaluate planning tools and policies in ways that dignify all human agents.

Evaluation of the Zero Waste Project in Istanbul District Municipalities from the Perspective of Sustainable Urban Planning

Rapid migration towards cities is occurring due to economic and social reasons. Industrialization, urbanization, and changes in consumption habits are creating environmental problems. Sustainable urban planning is necessary to ensure people’s quality of life in future cities. The establishment of strategic waste management processes is crucial. This topic encompasses the awareness, education, adaptation, and implementation of them by urban residents. The “Zero Waste Project” was initiated in Türkiye in 2017, and local governments have a significant responsibility for its implementation. City administrations strive to create clean, healthy, contemporary, and livable environmental conditions for their stakeholders. The aim of this study was to examine the Zero Waste Project system, an important approach for planning sustainable cities. Istanbul has 39 district municipalities. In this study, the amount of waste collected by the municipalities affiliated with Istanbul within the scope of the “Zero Waste Project” in 2022 was determined. Data were obtained from the “Zero Waste Project Implementation” sections of the 2022 activity reports of the 39 district municipalities. Data on the quantities in the categories of packaging, glass, clothing and textiles, electronics, batteries, vegetable oil, pharmaceuticals, tires, motor oil, and wood waste were obtained. This help us understand, the implementation of waste management systems in Istanbul district municipalities. In addition, the “Zero Waste Awareness and Incentive” activities carried out in Istanbul district municipalities are emphasized. The Zero Waste Project has the potential to improve the sustainability of urban living. It can be evaluated as a participatory environmental policy in terms of sustainable urban planning.

Can rapid urbanization be sustainable? The case of Saudi Arabian cities

This paper inquires: can sustainable urbanization be realized in Saudi Arabian cities? It addresses this question by (i) analyzing the relationship between sustainable development and urbanization in the Global South, (ii) examining the urbanization–urban planning collision in Saudi Arabian cities, and (iii) assessing the situational impediments to and enablers of sustainable urbanization in Saudi Arabia. Using critical literature review, findings show that rapid urbanization, amidst urban planning inadequacy, fundamentally remains a threat to sustainable urbanization in Global South countries. In addition, urbanization in Saudi Arabian cities is characterized by socio-spatial, land use planning and environmental vulnerabilities, producing more costs than benefits. A key contribution from this paper relates to the embeddedness of socio-spatial factors and land use planning systems in the production of environmental vulnerabilities. The paper deeply engaged with sustainable urbanization from an urban planning perspective in the Arabian context to demonstrate the limited framing of sustainable development. Recommendations to strengthen resilience, inclusiveness, and sustainable development are proffered.

Trees in planters – Growth, structure and ecosystem services of Platanus x hispanica and Tilia cordata and their reaction to soil drought

Urban environments are often characterized by extensive paved surfaces, exacerbating the urban heat island effect. At the same time, limited root space due to underground infrastructure poses a challenge for planting new trees in these areas. Trees in planters have emerged as popular design elements, offering innovative and sustainable greening solutions, particularly in urban environments with limited rooting space. However, growing conditions in planters may strongly impact tree growth and the provision of environmental ecosystem services (ES). In this 3-year study, we analyzed tree growth and ecosystem services (cooling by shading, CO2-fixation) of London plane (Platanus x hispanicaMünchh.) and small-leaved lime (Tilia cordataMill.) in four planting treatments: in-ground (G), planters in the ground (PG), non-insulated plastic planters (P), and insulated planters (PI). We also recorded soil temperature throughout the experiment and implemented soil drought conditions by reducing soil irrigation for half of the trees after one year. Our findings revealed higher thermal fluctuations in soil temperature within non-insulated plastic planters (P), reaching a maximum of 45 °C, surpassing the critical temperature threshold for plant growth (>38 °C). In contrast, insulated planters (PI) effectively mitigated soil temperatures, staying below 33.8 °C. When planted in the ground (G), P. x hispanica exhibited a significantly higher stem diameter increment (52–66%) compared to other planting treatments, aligning with the provision of ecosystem services. However, T. cordata trees showed a more moderate response to planting treatments in terms of growth and ecosystem service provision. Furthermore, the implementation of soil drought conditions resulted in a reduction of up to 34% in stem diameter increment for P. x hispanica and up to 25% for T. cordata. Our results underscore the necessity of tree species-specific knowledge about growth responses to different planting treatments for effective urban planning perspectives, as the provision of ecosystem services may be influenced differently.

Spatial interventions and built environment features in developing age-friendly communities from the perspective of urban planning and design

Population ageing is creating opportunities and challenges for many communities across the globe, as one in six people is expected to be older than 65 by 2050. Initiatives to develop age-friendly communities (AFC) have increased in popularity for more than two decades. While the physical environment and outdoor spaces are recognized as the core domain of the concept of AFC in the literature, most articles are published in the journals of ageing, gerontology, health and social policy and not in mainstream urban planning or design journals. The aim of the paper is to examine the spatial interventions and built-environment related discussions in the scholarly literature in the realm of AFC in the fields of landscape architecture and urban planning and identify gaps in the literature with the focus on spatial interventions. In addition, this paper aims to call urban planners and designers to action to be more engaged in the discussions and implementation of age-friendliness of communities. Findings suggest that urban planners and designers have the ability and power to contribute to the implementation of AFCs by raising awareness, changing attitude towards ageing issues, develop networks and collaboration, increase empathy, initiate and change policies, and put policies into action.

Types of Small Elementary Schools in Gwangju Metropolitan City from an Urban Planning Perspective

Types of Small Elementary Schools in Gwangju Metropolitan City from an Urban Planning Perspective

Variations in the Spatial Distribution of Smart Parcel Lockers in the Central Metropolitan Region of Tianjin, China: A Comparative Analysis before and after COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant increase in e-commerce, which has prompted residents to shift their purchasing habits from offline to online. As a result, Smart Parcel Lockers (SPLs) have emerged as an accessible end-to-end delivery service that fits into the pandemic strategy of maintaining social distance and no-contact protocols. Although numerous studies have examined SPLs from various perspectives, few have analyzed their spatial distribution from an urban planning perspective, which could enhance the development of other disciplines in this field. To address this gap, we investigate the distribution of SPLs in Tianjin’s central urban area before and after the pandemic (i.e., 2019 and 2022) using kernel density estimation, average nearest neighbor analysis, standard deviation elliptic, and geographical detector. Our results show that, in three years, the number of SPLs has increased from 51 to 479, and a majority were installed in residential communities (i.e., 92.2% in 2019, and 97.7% in 2022). We find that SPLs were distributed randomly before the pandemic, but after the pandemic, SPLs agglomerated and followed Tianjin’s development pattern. We identify eight influential factors on the spatial distribution of SPLs and discuss their individual and compound effects. Our discussion highlights potential spatial distribution analysis, such as dynamic layout planning, to improve the allocation of SPLs in city planning and city logistics.

Neoliberalism, Power, and Right to the City and the Urban Divide in Sydney, Australia

Sydney, the capital of the Australian state of New South Wales, is geographically divided by socio-economic conditions and urban opportunities. However, the division in Sydney has not been investigated from an urban planning perspective. This research hypothesises that the urban planning system and its practice-produced consequences promote inequalities in Sydney. This study conceptualises Sydney’s urban inequality in the context of critical concepts of neoliberalism, the theory of power, and the right to the city. Based on semi-structured interviews, secondary documents, and data analysis, this research claims that residents of lower socio-economic areas lag behind compared to others. The paper emphasises the significance of a just city and strong community engagement to reduce the disparate urban policy practices that influence urban divides in Sydney.

Urban waterlogging mitigation based on the concept of sponge city

In recent years, many cities around the world have experienced severe urban waterlogging disasters due to decreasing rainfall infiltration caused by land cover changes with rapid urbanization, and increased frequency of heavy rainfall events, including localized torrential rain. Traditional drainage systems and internal control concepts have failed to meet the requirements of urban safety. To address the challenging problem of urban waterlogging, China proposed the Sponge City in 2014. From the perspective of natural climate and urban construction planning, this paper makes an analysis of the causes of urban waterlogging, points out the limitations of traditional drainage facilities, and discusses the many hazards associated with urban waterlogging. This paper explains the meaning of Sponge City and the basic ideas of Sponge City construction. Based on the discussion of Sponge City development, this paper analyzes the Sponge City construction in Xixian New Area, and explains the significance of Sponge City to solve the problem of urban waterlogging. Through this idea, I would like to explore the common issues in countries suffering from heavy rainfall disasters such as Japan and Malaysia. The study hopes to provide a deeper thinking on ways to use nature to solve the waterlogging.

Considerations on the impact of "source-sink" landscape pattern changes on urban thermal environment and cooling efficiency: a case study of Nanjing, China.

The urban heat island effect caused by rapid urbanization has had a great impact on human health and ecological environment. The evolution of landscape patterns often affects regional thermal characteristics at the local scale. How to rationally allocate land cover types from the perspective of urban planning is a huge challenge. This paper takes Nanjing, a typical "stove city" in China, as an example to study the impact of landscape pattern changes on the urban thermal environment. Firstly, based on the "source" landscape "/sink" landscape identified by the "source-sink" landscape index, on this basis, the contributions of the "source-sink" landscape and its effects are calculated, and the temporal and spatial evolution laws are analyzed. Second, we study the cooling effect of different characteristic landscapes. The results show that the change of landscape pattern is closely related to the urban thermal environment, and the expansion of built-up areas is the main reason for the urban thermal environment. With the development of urbanization, the "source-sink" landscape structure in most districts and counties has aggravated the heat island effect, and the ratios of "sink" and "source" landscape contribution ratios with strong levels are concentrated in the suburban areas. The results of cooling efficiency research show that the cooling range of forest land is larger than that of water bodies. At the same time, we found that the cooling efficiency of the sink landscape is the highest when the area of the sink landscape is 0.18-0.9 hm2 and the shape index is between 1 and 4. The research results can provide feasible and practical scientific suggestions for the planning and ecological construction of Nanjing.

Emotional scapes in Mediterranean port cities: Walking Barcelona, Marseille and Genova

Mediterranean port cities share a number of trajectories that reveal their constitutive interconnectedness. Among the more recent is the process of urban regeneration that many of these cities have undergone over the last two decades. Several studies have analysed the implications of urban renewal from a socio-economic and urban planning perspective. However, the intersection between diverse urban restructuring processes and the emotions that crisscross these cities is still largely underexplored. This article aims to begin filling this gap by identifying possible emotional responses that mirror local concerns in three port cities located on the northern shores of the Mediterranean. More specifically, the article investigates Barcelona in light of the hope that emerges when a city is in crisis, Marseille and the nostalgia that is mobilised to reimagine the city’s national consciousness and Genova with regard to an uncanny feeling when more-than-human balances are altered. Drawing from different disciplines, including ethnography, media, archival and literary analysis, this article argues that emotional trajectories are significant aspects to consider in the urban renewal processes of distinctive spaces like port cities because they allow us to comprehend some of the local reactions to urban transformations and gentrification that go beyond understanding economic and branding strategies in a post-industrial space.

Mobility regulations and urban projects in Mexico City: An accessibility focus on territorial inequalities

Global Cities frequently concentrate their public budgets and private investments in their central, wealthy zones. This article outlines the inequitable distribution of the public budgets, private investments and mixed-use zoning among the municipalities of Mexico City with regard to the provision of accessibility. Global Cities’ perspectives lack acknowledgement of elements of mobilities theory. This paper will discuss how mobility regulations and urban projects involve public space interventions and the shaping of citizens’ (mobile) daily life activities and conditions. The phenomenon is illustrated through two cases: 1) The city’s latest mobility regulations (2014 and 2015) related to its inhabitants’ daily long-distance commuting and air pollution mitigation, and 2) the urban project called Cultural Corridor ‘Chapultepec/Zona Rosa’ (CCC) related to citizens’ urban planning interventions, which was cancelled in 2015. In order to achieve equality between territories, governments should consider citizens’ participation within urban projects and mobility regulations. Governments should also take account of interrelations between urban planning and mobility perspectives.

Code of Conduct in Disaster Response Urban and Architectural Planning Perspective in İstanbul

İstanbul is considered one of the most vulnerable metropolitan areas for natural disasters, especially earthquakes. Although, it has taken advanced steps in disaster preparedness and early warning, it still faces many problems related to urban planning, and architectural design of buildings, due to the absence of clear and specific planning control system and design requirements for disaster. From the perspective of urban planning, this study investigates the dominant features shaping the urban planning elements in İstanbul, while focusing on the main factors creating the current situation. In addition, this study focuses on analyzing both the current applications and future strategies, like urban transformation projects, which are being implemented to mitigate the effects of the future disasters. For this purpose, some key parameters such as high population density in some districts, building heights and road width ratios, the close-interference between industrial and residential areas, as well as public and private buildings life cycle are investigated. Moreover, standardization of urban transformation implementations is evaluated. In the study, a mixed analytical method (qualitative and quantitative) is used, including statistics and surveys, to collect and analyze data from different resources. Then a comparative approach is applied to conclude the results. Five case studies; namely main Esenler bus station, and urban planning of Fatih, İkitelli, Zeytinburnu and Başakşehir districts, are presented as pilot projects for better understanding their conditions and generalize the results over the city. The problems in the selected samples lay in the difficulty of evacuating and rescuing the people during and after disasters. The results seek to propose amendments to the existing planning status of the existing areas, as well as to suggest new conditions for future urban planning.

Age-group-based evaluation of residents’ urban green space provision: Szeged, Hungary. A case study

Analysis of urban green space (UGS) provision is becoming increasingly important from an urban-planning perspective, as processes related to climate change tend to worsen the urban heat-island effect. In the present study, we aimed to map the UGS provision of Szeged, Hungary, using a GIS-based complex approach. Different age groups, especially the elderly, have different demands on the ecosystem services and infrastructure of UGSs. To provide an in-depth assessment of UGS provision for planners, we analysed the UGS availability and accessibility, using subblock-level population data, which includes not only the total number of residents but also provides information about the age-group distribution for each building of the city. We delineated areas having different UGS provision levels (called provision zones) and assessed the age distribution of the residents living in each zone. We found that the residents within 2-min walking distance to public green spaces are older than expected by comparison to the age distribution of Szeged. In provision zones with abundant locally available UGSs (measured as UGS per capita within 50-m buffers), we found that the youngest (0–18 years) and oldest (≥ 61 years) inhabitants are overrepresented age groups, while the age group 19–40 has the lowest overall UGS provision within the city of Szeged. Our research, which has the potential to be adapted to other settlements, contributes to the identification of UGS-deficit areas in a city, thereby providing essential information for urban planners about where increases in UGS are most needed and helping to assess infrastructural enhancements that would be adequate for the locally most-dominant age groups.

Exploring differentiated impacts of socioeconomic factors and urban forms on city-level CO2 emissions in China: Spatial heterogeneity and varying importance levels

Excessive anthropogenic carbon emissions due to rapid socioeconomic development and urban expansion have resulted in significant climate change. Different levels of socioeconomic development and urban forms combinedly affecting CO2 emissions at city level is still unclear, specifically considering the temporal and spatial heterogeneity. This study investigated the varying importance, spatial multiscale variation, and spatial heterogeneity of socioeconomic and urban form drivers on CO2 emissions of 275 cities in China for the years 2005, 2012, and 2015, using the eXtreme Gradient Boosting and multiscale geographically weighted regression models. Results showed that while socioeconomic factors (i.e., per capita GDP) had more significant impacts on CO2 emissions than that of urban forms (i.e., urban shape), the contribution from urban forms presented a rapid increase. Technological innovation and high population density reduced CO2 emissions at the national level in China, with accentuated effects in the southeastern coastal region; urban expansion, fragmentation, and shape complexity of urban forms increased CO2 emissions. While urban compactness initially curbed CO2 emissions, beyond a point, it promoted the growth of CO2 emissions. A compact but polycentric urban structure is therefore suggested for cities to achieve emission reduction targets. Results could provide a basis for decision-making on localized and targeted carbon emission reduction at city-level. Based on the analysis of global and local effects, inhibitory drivers should be better considered in policy formulation to provide novel insights for sustainable cities and low-carbon growth in China and other developing countries with similar rapid urban expansion, from the perspective of socioeconomic development and effective urban spatial planning.