Urban Planning Practice Research Articles

МОДЕЛИРОВАНИЕ УРБАНИСТИЧЕСКОГО ПРОСТРАНСТВА ПУТЕМ ДИЗАЙН-КОДА ЦВЕТА

The article is devoted to the methodology of modeling in the design of the urban environment based on the identification of the uniqueness and identity of the territory. Rules and changes in the design code of the city, unnoticeable at first glance, contribute to the creation of a comfortable, harmonious urban environment. This article contains information about artistic and professional skills that form the idea of color harmony, the influence of color on the psychophysiological state of a person as one of the key tools for creating a balanced environment, as well as harmony, territoriality and environmental friendliness. For the administrative center of the Belgorod region – Belgorod, modeling the issue of the design code of urban space should be based on three basic principles: harmony, territoriality and environmental friendliness. The correct design of the design code includes several directions: color solutions of facades (the main color scheme of buildings is brown-beige. The color was not chosen by chance because it has a symbolic meaning in this context), the decoration of the first floors, the placement of signage, colors-lighting of buildings, festive decoration of buildings, as well as the formation of a unique architectural and landscape environment. The opportunity to use landscaping and features of the natural landscape, as well as local natural materials for construction will emphasize the naturalness of the coloristic solution returns material colors to the palette of the designer and architect. The formation of the design code of the urban environment through the semiotization of color provides for the formulation of research tasks, which consist in the analysis of modern urban planning theory and practice in order to improve the urban environment at the regional level

The Ecological Perspective in Nowadays’ Urban Landscape Planning in Transylvania

Abstract Nowadays’ (Transylvanian) urban landscape as a complex, built and natural, social and economic environment is undergoing a sudden and accelarated transformation. Urbanization is a defining feature of current spatial/urban metamorphosis in Transylvania, too, yet the current model of urban development profoundly alters the natural environment, often reducing biodiversity and ultimately threatening human wellbeing. Present not only in academic theory, but in a broader sense in the daily public debate for the past decades, ecological perspective has become one of the leading design principles in nowadays’ professional practice and theory in urban and spatial planning, a compulsory attribute of the contemporary mindset and (urban) landscape. Proposed research on ecological perspective in current urban (landscape) planning in Transylvania, Romania is focusing specifically on the role ecological perspective can play in understanding, the applying the more general and complex phenomenon of sustainability in the planning and management of landscapes. The idea of sustainability, the ecoregional approach are not only traditional attributes of the historical landscape, but also generators in present day development of cities around Transylvania, Romania. The ecological approach can enhance finding solutions in urgent social and environmental challanges regarding efficient management of resources, sustainable urban and spatial planning.

Transferring sound-related expertise into urban planning and design practice on a project-by-project basis

This article explores the transfer of sound-related expertise from academic and research contexts into urban design and planning practice. This is a complex task, and even in projects with a specific focus on sound and noise, good design intentions are difficult to sustain through multiple project stages, from strategic definition and master planning through to the building permit. Planners and developers must adhere to their interpretation of best practice, while such knowledge is rarely on hand. Similarly, noise regulations provide little assurance that unfavourable decisions made in early planning stages can be rectified later on. Accordingly, the acoustic environment remains a fragmented topic, and achieving sound- and health-related objectives is challenging. This article outlines appropriate formats through which urban sound planners can support planners and developers using an approach of communication, analysis, walking, and securing value and legibility. Drawing from the authors' experience, this approach can support various urban practitioners in becoming aware of how their work both consciously and unconsciously shapes the urban acoustic environment and determines how people engage within public spaces. The article questions how to curate sound-related knowledge transfer on a contextual, project-by-project basis and illustrates what such a procedure might look like for projects that evolve over several years.

Street Trading and Urban Distortion: Rethinking Impacts and Management Approaches from Urban Planners’ Perspective in Enugu City, Nigeria

This study investigates the relationship between street trading and urban planning in Enugu City, Nigeria, within the expanding informal economy of the global South. It particularly focuses on the perspectives of urban planners regarding the impacts and management of street trading. The research employed a mixed-method approach, including personal observation, questionnaires, and in-depth interviews, analyzed through basic statistical methods. Findings reveal that urban planners recognize the socio-economic importance and cultural relevance of street trading, despite its negative spatial externalities. Contrary to prevailing assumptions, planners favour negotiated solutions over forced evictions. This study highlights the need for inclusive urban planning practices that accommodate the socio-economic benefits of street trading while addressing its challenges, contributing to the discourse on sustainable urban development.

МОДЕРНІЗАЦІЯ ДВОРІВ БАГАТОКВАРТИРНОЇ ЖИТЛОВОЇ ЗАБУДОВИ В УКРАЇНІ: ПЕРЕДУМОВИ ТА ЗАВДАННЯ

The article considers the main approaches and means of urban planning optimization of courtyard spaces of residential apartment buildings in the late twentieth century in various areas of urban planning theory and practice. The purpose of the article is to substantiate them for implementation in Ukraine. The research is based on a comparison of the technical indicators of residential groups in Lviv (Ukraine), Leinefelde (Germany) and Kielce (Poland). The considered theoretical works and practical approaches are grouped by conceptual approaches and means of their realization: - renovation, reconstruction and construction of new buildings (in the context of sustainable development and energy efficiency); - previous point with a significant emphasis on the development of existing and saturation of spaces with new functions necessary to fully provide for the residents of the residential area; - a complex strategy for the development of the territory. The success or appropriateness of these approaches should be considered on a case-by-case basis, taking into account all available factors. The method of systematizing the available knowledge about the object of research and substantiating the needs for the object based on the development of quantitative indicators is used in the work. For the detailed analysis, we chose an area in the northern part of Lviv in the area of I. Mazepa Street, I. Mykolaychuk Street, and M. Khvylovoho Street, which is currently being intensively urbanized. The level of comfort and technical condition of housing built in Ukraine at the end of the twentieth century no longer meets the requirements of the present. This also applies to the courtyard space of these houses. Based on the authors' previous experience on this topic, the authors propose the next - the main method of modernizing the courtyards of residential apartment buildings is to reduce the area of functionally inefficient territories by introducing new functions - commercial and non-commercial, as a means of revitalizing the area.

Estimating urban noise along road network from street view imagery

Estimating road traffic noise is essential for examining the quality of sounding environment and mitigating such a non-negligible pollutant in urban areas. However, existing estimated models often have limited applicability to specific traffic conditions, while the required parameters may not be readily available for city-wide collection. This paper proposes a data-driven approach for measuring road-level acoustic information of traffic with street view imagery. Specifically, we utilize portable vehicle-equipped hardware for in-situ noise acquisition and employ a deep learning model ResNet to learn high-level visual features from street view images that are closely associated with road traffic noise. The ResNet captures meaningful patterns from the input data, and the output probability vectors are then fed into a Random-Forest regression algorithm to quantitatively estimate the noise in decibels for different road segments. The MAE and RMSE of the DCNN-RF model are 2.01 and 2.71, respectively. Additionally, we employ a gradient-weighted Class Active Mapping approach to visually interpret our deep learning model and explore the significant elements in streetscapes that contribute to the model's estimations. Our proposed framework facilitates low-cost and fine-scale road traffic noise estimations and sheds light on how auditory information could be inferred from street imagery, which may benefit practices in geography and urban planning.

Beyond streets: The role of alleys in Abu Dhabi's and Dubai's network systems

The network system is defined as the combination of streets and alleys. Although the potential of alleys in complementing street networks is acknowledged, the topic has not received a considerable attention in urban planning practice and scholarship. This paper evaluates alleys’ role in the combined street-alley networks by calculating Information Centrality, a metric in Multiple Centrality Assessment (MCA). The combined network of streets and alleys in thirteen neighborhoods of Abu Dhabi and Dubai have been studied. Findings indicate that alleys may or may not contribute to increment of network efficiency. Generally, the contribution of alleys to efficiency is more significant if the corresponding street network has low efficiency.

The concept of “gated community” and its explication in the theory and practice of urban planning: A literature review

The research relevance is determined by expanding the meaningful boundaries of the concepts that are actively used in modern urban planning theory and practice. The study aims to reveal and understand the essence of the concept of “gated community”, identify its interrelationships with urban concepts and establish its role in the context of urban planning theory and practice. A comprehensive methodological approach based on a logical and philosophical approach and combining terminological and spatial analyses was used. The study identified the essential features of the concepts of “community” and “gated community”, as well as their relationship with other concepts related to the organisation of the living environment at the territorial level. The definition of the concept of “gated community” is expanded to include the urban planning component. The results of the study indicate that the formation of gated communities can have both a positive and negative impact on urban development. A gated community is proposed to be regarded as a group of objects characterised by a pronounced focus on internal interaction and mutual assistance between its members. Such a definition was preceded by the results of revealing the place and role of “gated communities” in the city structure, identifying the essential features of the initial concepts of “community” and “gated community”, establishing the relationship with the concepts that take place when describing the peculiarities of the organisation of the living environment at the territorial level, as well as the correspondence of the definition of a gated community to its specifics of functioning at the territorial level. It is determined that in urban planning its characteristic features are physical isolation and controlled access. It is clarified that this type of community can lead to the fragmentation of the city into smaller, separate territorial units. The practical value of this work is the possibility of considering its results in the process of developing a city development strategy for the rational organisation of the living environment. In addition, the results can help governing institutions identify the best ways to cooperate with gated communities, ensuring a balance between their needs and the requirements for preserving urban identity and sustainability

The natural focus: Combining deep learning and eye-tracking to understand public perceptions of urban ecosystem aesthetics

Public perceptions of ecological aesthetics are a crucial component in evaluations of the quality of urban green spaces (UGSs) and in guiding urban planning, design and renewal practices. In this paper, we propose a novel methodological framework that combines deep learning and eye-tracking to investigate the relationships between landscape elements, features, visual focus and public ecosystem aesthetic perceptions of UGSs. Our Public Ecosystem Aesthetic Perceptions (PEAP) model emphasises interactions between ecosystem quality and landscape aesthetic quality. To validate the model, we conducted a study in Shanghai, China, where we selected 54 representative UGSs for photography, perception surveys, and image processing. The results demonstrated that visual focus acts as a mediator between landscape stimuli (landscape elements and features) and perceptions of ecosystem aesthetics. Notably, we found that natural elements elicited significantly stronger visual focus than artificial elements. Thus, our PEAP approach can enhance understanding of aesthetic qualities of landscapes and ecological qualities of urban ecosystems, enabling creation of more aesthetically pleasing and ecologically sustainable UGSs.

The urban burden of disease estimation for policy-making in 1000 European cities

Abstract In Europe, over 70% of the population lives in urban areas. Cities promote innovation and wealth creation; however, they are also a main source of pollution, disease and mortality, to some extent linked with suboptimal urban and transport planning practices. The aim of the project is to improve the estimation of health impacts and socioeconomic costs of environmental stressors related to urban and transport planning, advance modelling approaches and strengthen evidence-based policy-making. The analyses focus on air pollution, noise, temperature/heat and lack of green spaces for nearly 1000 European cities. We are (1) developing an overall urban burden of disease impact assessment framework; (2) identifying health and wellbeing indicators; (3) obtaining exposure-response relationships for environmental stressors and health outcomes of interest; (4) developing tools and guidelines for cost-benefit analyses; (5) obtaining health and environmental stressors data for cities for 2015, 2018, 2021 and 2024 and (6) calculating health and socioeconomic impacts and monitor trends. Specific urban and transport planning scenarios will be developed for case-studies cities (Barcelona, Brussels, Manchester, Munich, Utrecht, Sofia, Warsaw and Zagreb) and include additional aspects such as mobility, physical activity and inequities. The science-to-policy translation is a strong component of this research project where we are conducting consultation with and providing knowledge translation to cities and stakeholders, and sharing good practices, for greater science-policy impact. We strive to make the change on city-level policy and action plans, as well as on national and EU level policy making. By improving health impact and socioeconomic costs estimations and engaging with stakeholders we expect to generate impact and promote healthier urban and transport planning practices in European cities.

Toward smart sustainable cities: assessment of stakeholders' readiness for digital participatory planning

PurposeThis study aims to assess the readiness of both citizens and the government for digital participatory planning (DDP) as a contribution to the undergoing transformative shift toward smart and sustainable cities to address the challenges posed by rapid urbanization. While much attention has been devoted to leveraging technology to mitigate these challenges, there has been a relative lack of emphasis on engaging stakeholders in the planning process in a smart and inclusive manner. DPP stands as a cornerstone for the development of sustainable and smart cities. However, before DPP can be effectively implemented on the ground, it is crucial to assess the city readiness for DPP to ensure its success. This assessment is undertaken as part of Oman's broader initiative to transition into sustainable smart cities in alignment with the goals outlined in Oman Vision 2040.Design/methodology/approachA generic evaluation framework was identified, validated and customized to the local context by experts using the pile sorting technique based on the social constructivism theory. Then, the revised framework was used to evaluate the readiness of a sample of local citizens and government officials in Oman for the DPP concept.FindingsThe inferential statistical analysis revealed that citizens are willing to participate in DPP when trust and transparency with policymakers are enhanced. On the government side, the results showed that there is adequate infrastructure that can enable DPP, and planners have a positive attitude toward DPP provided that trust in citizens' opinions is strengthened. This study concludes with a roadmap for preparation for DPP implementation in smart sustainable cities mandated by Oman Vision 2040. The findings and roadmap can inform policy development, decision-making and urban planning practices toward more inclusive, participatory and technologically enabled urban environments.Originality/valueThe study contributes to the existing body of knowledge by emphasizing the significance of stakeholders' smart involvement in planning processes, social sustainability, evaluating city readiness for DPP and providing practical recommendations for DPP implementation in the context of smart sustainable cities. At a theoretical level, the study contributes a framework for assessing readiness for DPP and emphasizes that mutual trust is not only important for conventional participation practices but it is also essential for smart citizens. This study argues that a building or a city is not sustainable unless it is seen as such by its stakeholders, including the end users. Therefore, effective and smart involvement of the citizens in smart city planning is a precondition for the success of the future cities.

Illuminating policy for health: insights from a decade of researching urban and regional planning

Abstract Background Public health focussed policy analysis focusses on policy making practice and the conditions under which policies are made. The field has great promise for interrogating and creating ‘healthy’ public policy. Engaging with the complex realities of policy with a critical lens using established knowledge from other disciplines, especially political science, is crucial. Objectives This presentation presents a comprehensive framework for public health focussed policy analysis, informed by deep engagement with political science especially new institutionalism. The presentation of the framework is supported by insights from its application to urban and infrastructure policy-making over the past decade. Methods A priori application of theory from political science was mixed with deductive and inductive data collection and critical policy analysis of case studies of urban planning practices and systems in Australia from 2011 to 2020, including 250 policy documents and 92 semi-structured interviews. Results The final framework from the research is presented as a ‘cube’ made up of Institutions (actors, structures, ideas), Action and Evaluation (processes, decisions and choices, and outcomes and events), Governance (constitutive, directive and operational), Power and Time. Essentially the research demonstrated the power of institutional silos and historical ways of working (path dependencies) that are challenging to shift and are underpinned by often unexplored normative values promoting market and economic growth and excluding risks to health and health equity such as climate change and social protections. Change however comes about by creating and ensuring health focussed representation and voices in the governance regimes that define, create and sustain policy-making. Conclusions This comprehensive decade long research demonstrates how to investigate and interrogate healthy public policy that accepts and illuminates complexity to critically unpack policymaking. Key messages • Research that interrogates policy-making as its main object is important in an era of increasing health inequities and the climate emergency. • This presentation demonstrates how to do such research with practical examples and insights from investigating urban and infrastructure policy systems.

SCIENTIFIC APPROACHES TO ORGANIZATION OF "BLUE-GREEN" URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE IN CONDITIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

The study is dedicated to a crucial aspect of the revitalization and ongoing development of Ukrainian cities: addressing environmental challenges through the establishment of "blue-green" urban infrastructure. The overarching objective of this research is to apply current scientific knowledge concerning this matter to local urban planning practices. This is achieved by incorporating ecosystem-based solutions to foster sustainable development within the region. Fundamental concepts essential for shaping the framework of "blue-green" urban infrastructure in the context of climate change are elucidated. The paper introduces a model for a riverside city, emphasizing the integration of a natural water feature - such as a river, including its tides where applicable - and the surrounding coastal areas. It is discerned that a networked structure characterizes settlements along riversides. The role of the city's "blue-green" infrastructure in adapting to climate change is articulated. This includes conserving water resources, averting floods and other natural disasters, preserving biodiversity, mitigating the heat island effect, and enhancing air quality. Furthermore, a tailored adaptation model suitable for riverside settlements is developed, accompanied by the author's recommendations. An analysis of current scientific approaches within the domestic academic and practical sphere is provided, focusing on the integration of green and water elements. These approaches encompass: a) establishing the “water-green diameter” of the city, b) devising plans for water-green zones, and c) organization the “blue-green” urban infrastructure—an idea introduced by the author. The study identifies potential challenges and hurdles in implementing the “blue-green” infrastructure concept along the coastlines of river settlements. These challenges include the environmental aftermath of military aggression, existing development of territories, ecological sustainability, public support, regulatory frameworks, etc. A theoretical examination of the “blue-green” infrastructure underscores its potential as an innovative and crucial instrument in cities' adaptation to climate change. This framework aids in resolving issues associated with escalating temperatures, floods, air pollution, and the decline of biodiversity. Profound comprehension of the constituents and functions of “blue-green” infrastructure empowers us to better tailor our urban environments to climate fluctuations, thus fostering more sustainable and habitable cities.

ПАРАЛЕЛІ В ЕКСПЕРИМЕНТАЛЬНІЙ ПРАКТИЦІ АРХІТЕКТУРІ ЖИТЛА ЗАХІДНОГО ТА УКРАЇНСЬКОГО АВАНГАРДУ

The article is devoted to the parallels in the practice of experiments of the Western and Ukrainian avant-garde in the field of residential architecture of the 1920s and early 1930s, case study is Kharkiv early modernist residential architecture. The article examines the social and residential early modernist architectural concepts of the metropolitan Kharkiv as an example of a combination of avant-garde Soviet concepts of forming a new social consciousness and Western concepts of residential architecture. It was in the early 1920s that the issue of housing began to be included in political discourse. Architecture and urban planning were seen as the main tool for solving social problems, which in the following years would become a trend in Europe and the United States, as well as in Soviet Ukraine. The study identifies the main global trends in residential architecture of the 1920s and 1930s and shows the peculiarities of the implementation of avant-garde concepts inspired by both global trends and Soviet narratives of creating a new person and a new society using architecture as an instrument. In the 1920s. the formation of architectural and urban planning concepts in Soviet Ukraine was in line with the main social ideas of the architectural and urban planning practice of the West in the following sequence uncritical borrowing of Western "bourgeois" models - "garden city"; attempts at social innovation inspired by the classics of utopian socialism - " house-commune" as a reincarnation of the phalanster; designing new functional-spatial models as a means of implementing social doctrine - " residential combines"; socio-economic invention in the context of sectoral planning - "social city". Practical testing of the models created at each stage became an incentive for new searches.

Features of the Planning Structure Development of the Residential Areas of the Southern Cities and Building Thereof (by the Example of Rostov-on-Don)

Introduction. Within the current Russian urban planning practices, there is no any specific criteria for the spatial and environmental characteristics of building or development of the multifunctional urban territory. The lack of methodology for the strategies of urbanistic, ecological and economic development and planning of the urban space leads to deteriorated understanding of the urban environment sustainable development and urbanised space comfort of any climate zone. The aim of this scientific research is to identify the main principles of the residential areas development in the major cities of the south of Russia in the current conditions. So far, these issues have not been studied in relation to the environmental factors and regional features.Materials and Methods. The research included the comparative analysis of the residential areas development in the riverine cities of the south of Russia, the comprehensive system analysis of these areas’ architectural, planning and landscape features evolution along with the approaches to building thereof by applying the graph-analytical methods.Results. The conducted research elucidated the planning structure features of the major riverine cities of the south of Russia (Rostov-on-Don, Volgograd, Krasnodar), as well as the principles of their planning structure development depending on the landscape factors and historical periods specifics. After analysis of the national and foreign experience in designing and building the residential areas, the modern trends inducing thereof have been distinguished, which are not yet theoretically substantiated at present. The research results made it possible to formulate the modern principles of functional and planning organisation of the residential areas in the riverine cities of the south of Russia, taking into account the comfort of the living environment for population.Discussion and Conclusion. Based on the conducted research, a conceptual model of functional and planning organisation and building the residential areas in the riverine cities of the southern region has been proposed for the first time. It can improve the comfort of people’s living and enhance the architectural, artistic and landscape look of the residential areas.

Sensing Urban Manufacturing: From Conspicuous to Sensible Production

Environmental destruction, social inequalities, geopolitical vulnerability—the limits of the long-time praised paradigm of post-industrial cities and globalised value chains are becoming evident, while calls for (re)localising production in cities are getting increasingly vocal. However, the material implications—i.e., where and in which form manufacturing should concretely take place in cities and the consequences on urban space and relations—are rarely addressed in debates on (re)industrialisation. In this article, we engage with the concept of conspicuous production by combining research on mixed-use zones with sensory methodologies. We focus on the multisensory dimension of urban manufacturing to interrogate the spatial possibilities for production in a small town in Switzerland. Together with a group of graduate students, we apply sensory methods to explore how production shapes urban sensescapes and how these sensescapes affect our relation to production. Our exploratory endeavour provides ideas of how sensory methods can be integrated into urban planning research and practice: we suggest that these methods, which necessarily emphasise subjective experience, can constitute powerful tools if they take into attentive consideration the local political and economic context, including the norms and power relations that shape individual perception. Our study sparks critical questions about conspicuous production and mixed-use zoning and tentatively advances the concept of <em>sensible production</em>: a production that not only is perceptible and can actively be engaged with, but that also shows good sense, makes sense, and focuses on what we need rather than on appearance.

A research method for locating community healthcare facilities in Italy: how to guarantee healthcare for all

PurposeThe new Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) has prioritised a new healthcare model that will establish the additional community healthcare facilities (CHFs). The paper proposes a methodology for supporting decision-making on location of the future facilities according to new parameters that consider how proximity to healthcare benefits communities. Rethinking the spatial parameters for locating future CHFs, focusing on fragile areas, creates a novel decision support system.Design/methodology/approachThe methodology is based on multifactor analysis and on geographic information system (GIS) mapping to simulate the potential and risks associated with the proposed location of CHFs, focusing on territorial contexts of metropolitan cities, medium-sized cities, and Inner Areas, characterized by different fragilities. This method aims to innovate urban planning practices by updating the practice of per-capita urban planning standards and promoting implementation of the 15-minute city model.FindingsThe method defines new spatial parameters useful to inform the appropriate location of CHFs in Italy's Inner Areas. This offers a new integrated approach to spatial design mixing urban planning and healthcare dimensions.Originality/valueThe methodology will bring about an integrated urban planning approach, which guides both transformative urban choices and health services' implementation according to the needs of communities.

How does population agglomeration influence the adoption of new energy vehicles? Evidence from 290 cities in China

The adoption of new energy vehicles (NEVs) plays a crucial role in achieving zero-emission transportation goals. However, limited attention has been given to the influence of urban spatial structure on NEV adoption. This study aims to fill this research gap by examining the relationship between urban population agglomeration and NEV adoption. Using vehicle sales data from 290 Chinese cities spanning the period from 2016 to 2019, we employ high spatial resolution population distribution data to construct a city-level indicator of population agglomeration and investigate its impact on the sales shares of NEVs. Through Two-stage Least Squares (2SLS) regressions, our findings reveal that a 1 % increase in population agglomeration is associated with an increase of 0.73 % in the sales shares of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and an increase of 0.46 % in the sales shares of hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). Furthermore, we observe that the relationship between agglomeration and NEV sales shares is moderated by urban size and temperature. These results provide valuable insights for policymakers seeking to promote NEV adoption and enhance sustainable urban planning practices.

Colonisation and Its Impacts on Melbourne: A Historical Perspective on Urban Development

Prior to the World Wars, European and American empires implemented a colonial model of urban planning in the colonies and concessions under their control. This approach to urban planning was characterised by an imperialist ideology that sought to impose Western standards and values on the territories they governed. This essay explores the manifestation and impact of colonisation on Melbourne, Australia, from its establishment as a British settlement in 1835 to the present day. The essay focuses on the citys colonial background, the manifestation of colonisation in urban development through urban planning and landmark buildings, and the impact of colonisation on living habits, social structures, and cultural traditions. Melbournes colonial history is marked by the displacement and subjugation of indigenous peoples and the exploitation of natural resources for British economic gain. The enduring influence of colonialism is evident in the urban planning, architectural landmarks, and cultural practices of Melbourne city, and has left an indelible mark on its urban, social, and economic development. The legacy of colonialism is reflected in the enduring patterns of power, inequality, and exclusion that are embedded in the citys physical and social landscape. This legacy has also contributed to the persistence of cultural and social hierarchies, which continue to shape the citys urban fabric and its social and economic relations. Furthermore, the effects of colonialism can be observed in the citys built environment, including its urban morphology, architectural styles, and land use patterns, all of which reflect the values and ideologies of the colonial era.

Post- Pandemic digital space integration in Lezha

This article aims to evaluate the potential for digital space integration in the Lezha region by taking into account Albanian urban planning practice and some Western experiences in the problematic context of the post-pandemic period as well. The digital hybridization of space is a key component of European spatial planning and is one possible way to deal with the criticalities raised by the COVID-19 crisis. The pandemic has deeply changed the European approach to spatial planning, highlighting the necessity to rethink mobility systems, public spaces and the relationship between space and health. The paper proposes to adopt a context-based and small-scale approach to maximize the positive effects of the digitalization of some spaces related to agritourism, mobility and environmental conservation. This approach would allow a regional way to the digitalization of space connected with the local culture and in dialogue with the informal capacities of the territory.