Urban Planning Policies Research Articles

Parcel‐level evaluation of urban land use efficiency based on multisource spatiotemporal data: A case study of Ningbo City, China

AbstractParcel‐level evaluation of urban land use efficiency is necessary for city administrations to understand land use status and problems, and to further optimize land use pattern and policy. However, existing research on urban land use efficiency is mainly carried out at city level or block level, and it is difficult to meet the demand for rapid access to fine‐grained land use efficiency across the entire city. In view of this problem, this article proposes a parcel‐level evaluation method of urban land use efficiency based on multisource spatiotemporal data, including an evaluation index system for parcel‐level land use efficiency, quantitative representation of evaluation indexes based on multisource spatiotemporal data, and a land use efficiency calculation model. The proposed method is then applied to China's Ningbo City, and the evaluation accuracy is 78% compared with the officially reported data and on‐site investigation. Experimental results also show that urban land use efficiency is strongly spatially autocorrelated in Ningbo City, and reveal the impact patterns of factors such as planning policy, facilities, traffic conditions and environmental conditions on the utilization efficiency of different types of land. This research has proved able to accurately evaluate the utilization efficiency of all land parcels across a city in a rapid manner, and to obtain their distribution characteristics and correlation factors. It can further provide data and technical support for formulating targeted urban planning policies and implementing scientific land development.

Cellular Automata Based Land-Use Change Simulation Considering Spatio-Temporal Influence Heterogeneity of Light Rail Transit Construction: A Case in Nanjing, China

Light rail transit (LRT), an essential urban public transport system in China, significantly reshaped the urban land-use (LU) pattern. Although the LRT impact and land-use change (LUC) analysis plays an essential role in urban planning policy, the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of LRT impacts have not been considered in LUC simulation studies. This study simulates the urban LU change, considering the spatiotemporal heterogeneity of LRT construction impacts on urban LUC. LUC from 1995 to 2005 in Nanjing, China, is chosen as a case study. At first, the distance decay function is employed to verify the quantitative impact of LRT construction on LU change. Accordingly, the variation trends of each LU type during different stages are described in time and space. A cellular automata model incorporated by the generated LRT impact is established and then implemented for simulation. According to model performance assessment results, the proposed model can produce a realistic urban pattern with Freedom of Movement (FoM) exceeding 24% and a significantly lower relative error than the CA simulation without considering LRT influence.

Legacy participation and the buried history of racialised spaces: Hypermodern revitalisation in Rio de Janeiro’s port area

Scholars have documented how financial capital has produced displacement driven by hypermodern urban spaces characterised by luxury and exclusivity. In this article we highlight how hypermodern public–private partnerships (PPPs) often re-write history, creating a futuristic global city image. Our case study of Porto Maravilha’s PPP reviews a dualistic narrative in the context of changes in Rio de Janeiro in preparation for the 2014 World Cup and 2016 Olympics. Porto Maravilha aimed to position Rio de Janeiro as a centre of global competition and capital. However, this narrative re-framed the history of the transatlantic slave trade through discursive tactics that diluted and undermined the brutality of slavery in Rio’s port. Furthermore, this hypermodern PPP reinforced the post-abolition discriminatory urban planning policies that dislodged Africans and Afro-Brazilians from their places of residence, work and culture in the port district. The result is the erasure of the experiences of Black Brazilians in the port area for touristic consumption, selling the city on the world stage. Given this contradiction, we develop the concept of ‘legacy participation’ to secure the rights of Afro-Brazilians and their organisations to make decisions about their own territory.

The motivations of urban agriculture practitioners in deprived neighborhoods: A comparative study of Montreal and Quito

Urban agriculture (UA) is increasingly used as a strategy to improve food environments and the aesthetic of urban areas in different socioeconomic contexts. However, little is known about the characteristics and motivations of UA practitioners and how socioeconomic contexts may shape their motivations. This study provides an empirically-grounded understanding of the characteristics and motivations of UA practitioners, as well as the challenges they face, in deprived neighborhoods of two cities with different socioeconomic contexts: Montreal, Canada and Quito, Ecuador. A total of n=36 UA practitioners and n=8 UA promotors were purposively interviewed. The interview guides included open-ended questions in order to capture relevant information and nuances of the participants regarding the origin of their interest, their perceptions, and motivations related to UA. Individuals’ discourses were analyzed to identify similarities and differences between the two cities, through which we developed a typology based on the motivations of UA practitioners. We found that practitioners categorized as the Eco-engaged and Socio-engaged types are more predominant in Montreal, whereas the Econo-expert and Versatile-caretaker types characterized the practitioners in Quito. The findings also indicate that the motivations for participating in UA in both cities are related to the self-provision of healthy food, health and wellbeing, empowerment, social capital, and economic rewards. We argue that these motivations represent health-related outcomes that should influence urban planning policies, so as to encourage UA in deprived neighborhoods.

Obesity and Natural Spaces in Adults and Older People: A Systematic Review.

Obesity is an important public health issue that has increased globally in the last decade and continues to be one of the main causes of morbidity and premature mortality. An accumulating body of evidence suggests that contact with nature is a valuable resource for the promotion of a more active lifestyle and seems to have a central role in maintaining a healthy weight. The authors conducted a systematic review to summarize the findings of studies that investigated the relationship between natural spaces and obesity. Following Primary Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, a literature search was conducted using 11 databases for studies fully available in English and published between 2010 and 2020, with adults (18-64y) and/or older people (≥65y). Fifty studies were found that met all the inclusion criteria. The majority (68%) of papers found that higher availability and less distance to green and blue spaces are associated with lower levels of adiposity. These associations were positive, even after adjusting for the demographic and socioeconomic factors. Exploring the characteristics of green and blue spaces seems to be a promising tool for urban planning and health policies. The authors suggest the implementation of exercise programs in contact with nature for future interventions.

‘Not Going to Plan’: Urban Planning, Flooding, and Sustainability in Port Harcourt City, Nigeria

Flooding is the most widespread environmental disaster in Nigeria and flooding impacts are exacerbated by poor urban planning. Flooding is a direct impediment to Nigeria achieving its sustainable development goals (SDGs). While urban planners are responsible for implementing policy changes to address the issue of flooding, there is very little research that explores their views on the linkages between urban planning, flooding, and public policy. Using the city of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, as a case study, this paper presents data from interviews with practicing urban planning professionals. It argues that Port Harcourt’s urban planners have a sound understanding of principles of sustainability and are fully aware of the connections between poor urban planning and flooding. They do however see widespread public non-compliance with planning laws and improper building approvals, rather than systemic failures of governance, as the main issues that undermine the city’s legal and planning architecture put in place to control floods.

La distribution géographique des allergies respiratoires polliniques, un ordre naturel en bouleversement

The plants responsible for respiratory allergies are mainly located in temperate and Mediterranean climates. They are anemophilous plants whose pollen is carried by the wind. Climate change, especially in cities where more than 2/3 of the population will live by 2050, is likely to change this distribution, to reinforce allergies and to create new ones. Allergies must be taken into account in urban planning policies.

СПЕЦИФИКА ГРАДОСТРОИТЕЛЬНОГО ПЛАНИРОВАНИЯ КРУПНЫХ УРБАНИЗИРОВАННЫХ ТЕРРИТОРИЙ В СКАНДИНАВСКИХ СТРАНАХ. ЧАСТЬ II: ПАРИТЕТНОСТЬ РЕГИОНАЛЬНОГО И МУНИЦИПАЛЬНОГО ГРАДОСТРОИТЕЛЬНОГО ПЛАНИРОВАНИЯ В НОРВЕГИИ

The article substantiates the relevance and expediency of prolonging the study of the processes of strategic, detailed and current planning of large, typologically differentiated forms of urbanization, as well as the implementation of urban planning documentation in the most developed countries of Northern Europe. The article presents the results of studying the specifics and trends of the formation, development and functioning of the system of spatial strategizing and urban planning and design in the Kingdom of Norway: its institutional, paradigm, technological and organizational components. It is shown that the significant differences between the Norwegian system of urban planning of large urbanized territories and its Danish, Swedish, and Finnish counterparts are due, on the one hand, to the national specifics of urban planning, and, on the other, to the relative independence of the spatial organization of the environment of Norway, a partner of the European Union, from the urban planning standards established for its members. It is noted that the basic trend of improving the system of long-term, medium-term, short-term and current planning in the Kingdom of Norway today is the achievement and approval of the parity of regional and municipal planning. It contributes to the "transparency"; predictability, humanistic socio-environmental orientation of urban planning policy implemented in this country, as well as initiates the search for various forms and increases the effectiveness of public participation in the processes of formation and implementation of urban planning decisions. The results of the study can serve as information-theoretical and methodological support for spatial strategizing and urban planning of priority and border geostrategic territories of Russia, which have long been part of the "Baltic Sea Civilization".

Políticas de Planejamento Urbano em Campinas: um estudo de caso sobre o bairro Cidade Satélite Íris

A cidade é um espaço marcado pela luta de classes, onde o Poder Público Municipal atua como regulador ou mediador dessa disputa. O trabalho aqui proposto faz uso da abordagem dialética marxista como ferramenta para interpretar a realidade urbana local, considerando-se sempre o espaço urbano como um meio em constante transformação. O objetivo é entender de que maneira as principais Políticas de Planejamento Urbano engendradas pelo Poder Público Municipal de Campinas contribuíram e contribuem para a produção do espaço urbano. Toma-se como base para este estudo o caso do bairro Cidade Satélite Íris, localizado na região noroeste do município de Campinas e que apresenta um dos piores índices de desenvolvimento humano.

A Framework for Enhancing the Spatial Urban Form of Informal Economies in India: The Case of Krishna Rajendra Market, Bangalore

The International Monetary Fund estimates that the Indian economy contributes over 8% to the global gross domestic product (GDP), making India the fifth largest economy in the world. However, the formal and informal sectors do not contribute equally to the national GDP, with over 80% of this total originating from the informal sector. Street vending, among other informal activities in India, is a vital contributor to the informal economy. Many scholars argue that despite the critical influence of physical urban patterns on the practicability and viability of informal activities, urban planners are not providing adequate urban planning policies. Bangalore, the third largest Indian city by population, is the subject of the present case study. Although this city hosts a wide variety of cultures, economies, and lifestyles, 74% of its population can be categorized as working in the informal sector. The goals of this research study are (a) to explore spatial planning in relation to the urban informal sector in Central Bangalore, (b) to identify the physical urban challenges experienced by the city’s street vendors, and (c) to examine the implications of these challenges for the city’s master plan. Through interviews, surveys, and site analysis (mapping), This study elucidates (a) the challenges experienced by the area’s stakeholders (i.e., vendors and buyers), (b) the limited planning of the spatial urban form by urban planners with regard to the accommodation of informal economic activities, and accordingly, (c) the need to implement spatial planning policies and design regulations appropriate to Bangalore’s high-density marketplace.

Problems urban planning policy implemented in Russia

Problems urban planning policy implemented in Russia

Урбанизация российских городов в контексте миграционных процессов

The article reveals the relationship between migration processes and the state of social and engineering infrastructure in the cities of modern Russia. It is noted that the continuing outflow of the population from the regions of the Far North, Siberia and the Far East to the central and southern European parts of Russia creates very serious problems both for the cities where migrants move and for those places from where they leave. The necessity of a radical change in the migration and urban planning policy is substantiated.

Do land policies make a difference? A data-driven approach to trace effects on urban form in France and Germany

Against the backdrop of rapidly expanding urban structures, land policies in many countries have been adapted to contain and redirect growth to existing urban structures. However, obstacles remain to measure the effects of policies. In the meantime, geoinformation technologies have given rise to a wide range of approaches to measure and describe urban form. Nevertheless, its application for the assessment of land policy has a high, but not yet fully exploited, potential. It is thus the aim of this research to address and investigate the options of spatial analysis and machine learning in particular to analyse urban form from a land policy perspective. To do so, we develop urban metrics informed by urban planning and land readjustment policies of two countries describing urban form on different spatial levels. We therefore formulate hypotheses on causal relations between policy and form. Based on the metrics, we apply the random forest algorithm to classify the building stock of the region. We then extract the residential areas, those with single-family houses, as this is where the effects of the policy are considered most visible. In a next step, we use random forest to predict the nationality of a building. Through variable importance measures, we identify and discuss urban morphological differences between the two countries and test the hypotheses on effects of land policies. We develop and test the approach for the French-German city-region of Strasbourg using OpenStreetMap data. We identify significant differences in the building coverage ratios, which tend to be higher in Germany. This can be linked to differences in planning regulations. Furthermore, German residential areas appear to be more diverse in urban form. Differences in land readjustment policies have proven to be plausible here, as French policies favour strong actors that develop residential areas more uniformly. In Germany, policies favour fragmented ownership-oriented development of residential areas. The metrics and the applied algorithm for building classification have proven to be robust in terms of data heterogeneity and have shown high levels of accuracy. They could also be successfully used for tracing causal relations.

Health-saving technologies for citizens in the focus of urban planning policy

In the last few years, the approach “Urban Health” is gaining popularity in the world practice of municipal and state administration. Its peculiarity consists in the fact that in structuring any policies and making any decisions, priority is given to health and wellbeing of the population, and the key indicator of effectiveness is life expectancy. There is a range of works dedicated to ratio between physical and mental health of citizens and organization of the urban environment. However, the yet only Russian-language research on the practice of using Urban Health approach in different countries, the Russian experience is presented by Moscow alone and without emphasis on architecture and urban planning. The author systematizes the existing health-saving technologies that can serve as the foundation for environmental development programs; successful urban development programs of other countries are compared with such in Moscow and Russia, which allows revealing the merits and flaws of the latter. The conclusion is made that despite a set of measures presented in multiple programs and documents, which are aimed at improvement of health and well-being of the citizens, life expectancy and mitigation of risk of various diseases, do not appear as the goals of these programs. Therefore, urban planning policy can objectively be much more health-saving; the rhetoric and optics of the Urban Health approach, being articulated by the government,  can be more comprehensible for the population than the environmental agenda, and thus, promote the necessary urban changes.

Achieving Residential Coastal Communities Resilient to Tropical Cyclones and Climate Change

Coastal cities in the Southeast and Gulf Coast of the United States are at an increased risk of tropical cyclones (hurricanes) due to the combined effects of urbanization, rapid economic development, and climate change. Current building codes and standards focus on minimum performance criteria for individual buildings exposed to severe hazard events to ensure occupant safety. However, they do not consider the resilience of buildings and building portfolios, which are key factors in determining whether a community can respond to and recover from a severe natural hazard event. Light-frame wood residential buildings dominate the residential market in the US, represent a significant percentage of the investment in the built environment, and are especially vulnerable to hurricane winds and storm surge in coastal areas. Our study of the impact of various hurricane and climate change scenarios on the performance of coastal residential communities reveals that decision-making at the community level is needed to develop rational engineering and urban planning policies, to mitigate the impact of hurricane wind and storm surge, and to adapt to climate change. The results suggest that fundamental changes in the current building regulatory process may be necessary.

Objective and perceived built environment, sense of community, and mental wellbeing in older adults in Hong Kong: A multilevel structural equation study

Studies have indicated that a sense of community may be shaped by the built environment and has potential mental wellbeing implications. However, few studies have explored this pathway empirically. Moreover, research has rarely differentiated the role of objective and perceived built environment. Based on a survey of 1,553 older adults undertaken between 2015 and 2017 in Hong Kong, we explored the distal mediation pathway from objective built environment to both mental health and subjective wellbeing through perceived built environment and sense of community, using multilevel structural equation modeling. The results showed that perceived built environment and sense of community can fully explain the residential density and subjective wellbeing relationship. The inverted U-shape relationship between street connectivity and mental health was identified. Park-based green space had a protective role for both mental health and subjective wellbeing and was explained by two mediators, but vegetation-based green space was negatively associated with subjective wellbeing. Land use mix had positive total effects on both mental health and subjective wellbeing and was partially mediated by perceived built environment and sense of community. Recreational services showed a protective effect on both mental health and subjective wellbeing, and both were partially mediated by two mediators. The negative direct effect of health services on subjective wellbeing offsets the positive indirect effect through two mediators. The study findings have implications for landscape and urban planning policy and can provide an empirical contribution to the theoretical foundation of aging in place.

Urban planning and public policy responses to the management of COVID-19 in Ghana

ABSTRACT The global COVID-19 pandemic, with its associated issues of isolation, enhanced hygiene practices and contact tracing brought up a number of issues to the public domain, many of which bordered on the nexus between urban planning and public health. This paper sets out to examine how new ideas concerning the linkages between urban planning and public health revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic can be integrated into practice, moving forward; and how we might leverage on the crisis to build more just, healthier and liveable cities. Through a review of the literature on public policy responses to pandemics, it is observed that the current urban planning system in Ghana leaves so many people behind and exposes the lives of many to current and future disease pandemics. We propose an agenda for transformation which revolves around the co-evolution and co-creation of new forms of societal values that are less materialistic and individualistic but rather more egalitarian.

Ambient fine particulate matter in Latin American cities: Levels, population exposure, and associated urban factors

BackgroundExposure to particulate matter (PM2.5) is a major risk factor for morbidity and mortality. Yet few studies have examined patterns of population exposure and investigated the predictors of PM2.5 across the rapidly growing cities in lower- and middle-income countries. ObjectivesCharacterize PM2.5 levels, describe patterns of population exposure, and investigate urban factors as predictors of PM2.5 levels. MethodsWe used data from the Salud Urbana en America Latina/Urban Health in Latin America (SALURBAL) study, a multi-country assessment of the determinants of urban health in Latin America, to characterize PM2.5 levels in 366 cities comprising over 100,000 residents using satellite-derived estimates. Factors related to urban form and transportation were explored. ResultsWe found that about 172 million or 58% of the population studied lived in areas with air pollution levels above the defined WHO-AQG of 10 μg/m3 annual average. We also found that larger cities, cities with higher GDP, higher motorization rate and higher congestion tended to have higher PM2.5. In contrast cities with higher population density had lower levels of PM2.5. In addition, at the sub-city level, higher intersection density was associated with higher PM2.5 and more green space was associated with lower PM2.5. When all exposures were examined adjusted for each other, higher city per capita GDP and higher sub-city intersection density remained associated with higher PM2.5 levels, while higher city population density remained associated with lower levels. The presence of mass transit was also associated with lower PM2.5 after adjustment. The motorization rate also remained associated with PM2.5 and its inclusion attenuated the effect of population density. DiscussionThese results show that PM2.5 exposures remain a major health risk in Latin American cities and suggest that urban planning and transportation policies could have a major impact on ambient levels.

Predicting the influence of Guangfo Metro on the economic level of Foshan City Based on the GM(1,1) model

Taking Foshan as an example, this paper analyzes the degree of correlation between Guangzhou-Foshan subway construction and the city’s economic level, and establishes a GM (1,1) prediction model by using the gray prediction method to predict the development trend of Foshan’s GDP in the next five years, and concludes that 2024 Foshan’s simulated regional GDP will reach 1507361.527 million yuan. The research results of this article will provide a theoretical basis for the formulation of Foshan’s urban planning and construction policies.

O ordenamento do território e os desafios colocados pelas áreas de baixa densidade: breves anotações sobre a realidade portuguesa

A correção de desequilíbrios territoriais é um dos principais objetivos das políticas de ordenamento do território e do urbanismo. Com o presente texto pretende dar-se a conhecer alguns programas que neste domínio têm sido aprovados em Portugal com vista a garantir a coesão territorial e a valorização das áreas de baixa densidade.