Urban Planning Strategies Research Articles

Keynote 2

Title of HEPA 2022 Keynote presentationPhysical activity, air pollution, and much more: the case for systems thinking in urban policies.Description of HEPA 2022 Keynote presentationPhysical activity may be one of greatest benefits of active travel -however there are many more, and in some cases there could be some trade-offs too. Yet, we create disjointed targets, campaigns and regulations to tackle in siloed and often piecemeal approaches major urban health and environmental challenges such as climate change, physical inactivity, air pollution, traffic injuries, social isolation, stress, inequalities, etc. The way we address these problems matters, and this lack of joined up thinking is a wasted opportunity. If we let the promotion of a healthier, more sustainable and resilient society be the goal of our policies rather than merely compliance with singularly focused standards and targets, we will find different types of solutions emerge as most advantageous. For example, in addition to providing a seamless way to integrate physical activity into daily routines, walking and cycling can be a convenient and low-cost alternatives to driving, thus reducing air pollution, green house gas emissions and noise; the infrastructure and urban design features conducive to walking and cycling may in turn have further benefits, such as traffic safety and greenspace exposure; etc. Evidence on benefits, co-benefits, and trade-offs of different types of urban policies that tackle some of our greatest urban health challenges jointly will be presented, making the case for holistic approaches to urban policy decision making, particularly through urban planning and design strategies. We will end by discussing avenues for greater integration of health in urban decision making.

Energy Conservation Optimization and Numerical Simulation of Urban Green Space Landscape Pattern

In order to alleviate the urban heat island effect, absorb harmful gases, reduce temperature, and increase humidity, a method of energy conservation optimization and numerical simulation of urban green space landscape pattern is proposed. Based on the theory of landscape ecology, green wedge, green belt, green road, park, and other types of green space with different ecological functions are designed in Shenyang, and an optimization scheme of urban green space network spatial structure of “four belts, three rings, seven wedges, and network connection” is formed. Combined with remote sensing (RS) and geographic information system (GIS) spatial analysis technology, the atmospheric environment effect under the influence of green space landscape optimization pattern in summer based on computational fluid dynamics (CFD) numerical simulation technology is analyzed, and the corresponding optimization strategies of urban green space planning are put forward. The simulation results show that in the bottom wind speed field of 1.5 m, the area ratio of 0∼0.375 m/s wind speed is 15.87%, and the area ratio of 2.625∼3 m/s wind speed is 32.06%. In the bottom concentration field of 1.5 m, the spatial diffusion capacity of SO2 pollutants is enhanced, and the concentration of pollutants is relatively low. The area ratio of SO2 concentration is 10.06% in the range of 0.1292∼0.1551 mg/m3, and the area ratio of SO2 concentration is 68.08% in the range of 0∼0.05169 mg/m3. It is concluded that the spatial diffusion of wind speed, SO2, and temperature is closely related to the urban spatial layout. The optimal spatial layout of urban green space can effectively alleviate the urban heat island effect, promote the spatial diffusion of SO2, and better form the urban ventilation corridor. The research on atmospheric environmental effects of urban green space based on CFD can effectively simulate and evaluate the optimization measures and conceptual design of urban green space system planning, and also provide new ideas for the quantitative planning of urban green space system.

A Study of Urban Planning in Tsunami-Prone Areas of Sri Lanka

Tsunamis pose significant challenges for disaster reduction efforts due to the multi-hazard, cascading nature of these events, including a range of different potential triggering and consequential hazards. Although infrequent, they have the potential to cause devastating human and economic losses. Effective urban planning has been recognised as an important strategy for reducing disaster risk in cities. However, there have been limited studies on urban planning for tsunami-prone areas, and there have been wide ranging strategies adopted globally. This is an international study aimed at exploring the status of urban planning in tsunami areas and better understanding potential urban planning strategies to reduce disaster risk in coastal regions. Drawing upon the work of an international collaborative research team, in this article, we present the findings of a systematic review of the urban planning literature. Using the PRISMA guidelines, 56 papers were selected, and three guiding questions informed the review. Further empirical investigations were carried out in Sri Lanka by a local research team, including twelve semi-structured interviews with representatives from agencies in urban planning, construction, and disaster management, and a focus group representing town and country planning, architecture, structural engineering, disaster management, landscape and geospatial planning, building services, green buildings and infrastructure and environmental management fields. The combined analysis reveals insights into the characteristics of the literature, as well as the nature of existing strategies for urban planning in tsunami-prone areas, grouped into six broad themes: community participation, spatial planning, soft and hard engineering;,evacuation planning, and resilience thinking. The findings also reveal limitations in existing strategies, including their failure to address multi-hazard threats and systemic risk, as well as inadequate community participation, and limited access to timely disaster risk information. The findings are used to inform an initial model of urban planning strategies in tsunami-prone areas that can be used before a hazard event occurs, during and in the immediate response to a hazard event, and during recovery and reconstruction following a disaster.

Probabilistic volcanic hazard assessment at an active but under-monitored volcano: Ceboruco, Mexico

A probabilistic volcanic hazard assessment (PVHA) for Ceboruco volcano (Mexico) is reported using PyBetVH, an e-tool based on the Bayesian Event Tree (BET) methodology. Like many volcanoes, Ceboruco is under-monitored. Despite several eruptions in the late Holocene and efforts by several university and government groups to create and sustain a monitoring network, this active volcano is monitored intermittently rather than continuously by dedicated groups. With no consistent monitoring data available, we look at the geology and the eruptive history to inform prior models used in the PVHA. We estimate the probability of a magmatic eruption within the next time window (1 year) of ~ 0.002. We show how the BET creates higher probabilities in the absence of monitoring data, which if available would better inform the prior distribution. That is, there is a cost in terms of higher probabilities and higher uncertainties for having not yet developed a sustained volcano monitoring network. Next, three scenarios are developed for magmatic eruptions: i) small magnitude (effusive/explosive), ii) medium magnitude (Vulcanian/sub-Plinian) and iii) large magnitude (Plinian). These scenarios are inferred from the Holocene history of the volcano, with their related hazardous phenomena: ballistics, tephra fallout, pyroclastic density currents, lahars and lava flows. We present absolute probability maps (unconditional in terms of eruption size and vent location) for a magmatic eruption at Ceboruco volcano. With PyBetVH we estimate and visualize the uncertainties associated with each probability map. Our intent is that probability maps and uncertainties will be useful to local authorities who need to understand the hazard when considering the development of long-term urban and land-use planning and short-term crisis management strategies, and to the scientific community in their efforts to sustain monitoring of this active volcano.

How effective are greenbelts at mitigating urban sprawl? A comparative study of 60 European cities

As Europe takes continuous steps towards urbanization, many cities in this continent are affected by the negative repercussions caused by urban sprawl. Among the efforts adopted to overcome urban sprawl and its adverse impacts is the greenbelt policy which is highly popular in several European countries. However, the actual effectiveness of this urban growth management strategy has been disputed. Using a sample of 60 European cities, 30 of which have greenbelts, this study compares (1) changes in urban sprawl in a 9-year time period (2006–2015), and (2) the level of sprawl between the cities with and without greenbelt in 2006 and 2015 separately, to investigate the performance of the greenbelts, applying the metrics of Weighted Urban Proliferation (WUP) and Weighted Sprawl per Capita (WSPC). The results show that (1) greenbelts have been largely effective at slowing down urban sprawl; and in most cases, they have helped reduce sprawl; (2) while urban sprawl decreased also in some cities without greenbelt, the average relative decrease in sprawl was much stronger in cities with greenbelts; (3) greenbelts were somewhat more beneficial in limiting urban sprawl in cities with larger population sizes; (4) the effectiveness of greenbelts was mainly due to the reduction of land uptake per person, i.e., through densification of the built-up areas. These findings are useful to inform future de-sprawling strategies in urban and regional planning as well as the formulation of new scenarios and of targets and limits to urban sprawl in support of more sustainable forms of urban development.

Changes in Urban Growth Patterns in Busan Metropolitan City, Korea: Population and Urbanized Areas

Cities have exhibited spatial patterns of expansion or compacting in the process of economic and population growth. South Korea is a well-known example of a country that has experienced rapid economic growth and urbanization. This study’s target area, Busan Metropolitan City (BMC), experienced urban growth but, over the past 20 years, underwent economic and population stagnation. How will urban growth patterns change if economic and population growth stagnates? This study aimed to identify changes in urban growth patterns using population and urbanized areas in BMC, South Korea, from 1980 to 2020. It uses Exploratory Spatial Data Analysis, Bachi’s Index and the Standard Deviational Ellipse, and Social Network Analysis to identify population concentration, changes in centrality, inland expansion of urbanized land, and centrality of migration. The results showed that (1) BMC’s urban growth pattern extended outward, despite population and economic stagnation since 2000; (2) population and economic stagnation over the next 20 years expanded population polarization in the city’s urban center and outskirts; (3) the built-up area expanded in all directions for 40 years—the centrality of the urbanized area was seen in and around the urban center in 1980 but moved northeast in 2020; and (4) since 2000, when population stagnation first emerged, the centrality of the population in migration has been more evident in the outskirts. These results suggest that if there is no sustainable urban planning and development strategy when growth is stagnant, expansionary urban growth will continue, and cities will reach the growth limit.

Equitable City in an Aging Society: Public Transportation-Based Primary Care Accessibility in Seoul, Korea

The development of an equitable city has been the primary goal of recent urban planning. Whereas previous urban planning has addressed problems caused by urbanization and population growth, current urban planning must closely consider demographic changes such as an aging society. An aging population, characterized by an increased need for regular healthcare and a growing reliance on public transport, can pose a major challenge to equitable cities. Thus, it is necessary to scrutinize the medical and public transportation links in urban planning strategies to create a more equitable city in an aging society. This study analyzed primary care accessibility for older adults using public transportation in Seoul and considered whether it is socially and economically equitable. Primary care accessibility was derived using the modified 2SFCA model and the Seoul Public Transportation API and social equity was analyzed using the concentration index and concentration curve. The results showed that primary care accessibility of the elderly is related to public transportation mobility, medical facilities and the distribution of elderly populations, revealing both social and economic inequality. This analysis suggests the need for integrated urban planning for an equitable city in an aging society, with implications for efficient resource distribution.

Urban form centrality and thermal environment: An empirical study of Chinese megacities

• Concentric urban form leads to the monocentric urban thermal environment. • Intensively concentric urban form has cooling potential on the built-up area. • Stability of urban form centrality significantly impacts LST aggregation. • Restraining urban sprawl could improve urban thermal environment. This paper examines the response of the urban thermal environment to the centrality of urban spatial development. By investigating 27 cases of Chinese megacities, the study quantified the urban form centrality and the spatial pattern of land surface temperature (LST) within built-up areas. Specifically, urban form centrality was measured using the concentric-ring partitioning model, and the landscape metrics and Moran's I were employed to characterize the LST pattern. Then, the correlation between urban form centrality and the LST pattern was examined through ordinary least squares models and global and local bivariate Moran's I. There are three significant findings. First, the urban form centrality dominates the LST centrality along the urban-rural gradient. Second, stably concentric urban forms were inclined toward shape agglomerative and autocorrelated hot areas. Third, enhancing the intensity and reducing the stability of the urban form centrality are preferable to mitigate the urban thermal environment. Fourth, the green space should be embedded around the edge of the built-up area to increase the energy exchange surface. In general, this study has developed a nuanced understanding of the urban form and urban thermal environment and provide climate change adoption strategies for urban planning and public health policies.

Build Healthier: Post-COVID-19 Urban Requirements for Healthy and Sustainable Living

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought a renewed interest in urban environment and healthy living and the changes in urban environments which can make for a healthier living. Today, more than 50% of the global population lives in urban areas, and in Europe the number is 75%. We present a narrative review to explore considerations and necessary requirements to achieve health and well-being within strategies for healthy design and urban planning whilst rethinking urban spaces for a post-COVID-19 and carbon-neutral future. The achievement of health and well-being demands healthy design strategies, namely, (1) moving from the concept of infrastructure for processes to the infrastructure for healthy living—requirements for healthy places, cycling, walking, disintegrating the role of polluting traffic from the urban environments, social vulnerability and equality; (2) physical space that will achieve standards of ‘liveable communities’—open, green space requirements and standards for any built environment; (3) mainstreaming ‘in-the-walking distance’ cities and neighbourhoods for healthy physical activities for daily living; (4) exploring any of the new concepts that connect the nexus of urban spaces and public health and improving of the population’s well-being. Public health needs to be prioritised systematically in planning of built environments, energy generations, sustainable food production, and nutrition.

Quartering as an aspect of Italy’s post-unification urban development: the case of Milan’s parade ground

ABSTRACT This work addresses the relationship between the Italian city-making process following Unification (1861) and the development of military settlements up to the 1920s. The hypothesis presented here is that the building of military settlements and the redevelopment of spaces with new functions, arguably, shaped Italian cities over this period by implementing urban renewal processes and city expansion. Through my analysis, I claim that defence planning had an amenable effect upon the decision-making process of urban planning schemes. In addition, this paper claims that this process has impacted the location of military settlements in ways that boosted the economic and urban images of the city. I do this through a detailed case study of Milan’s parade ground. Here, I found that the parade ground dismantling and relocation from the urban centre towards the periphery happened twice, relied on a specific narrative, and was catalysed by two mega-events. I demonstrate that defence planning plays a secondary role in boosting these operations aimed both at replacing military settlements with newly emerging functions and displacing the unwanted functions in the periphery.

What would be better for urban mapping in the Klang Valley? SPOT or Sentinel-1

Klang Valley is undergoing rapid urbanization. Many cities in Klang Valley are developing to cope with the trend for migration to more urbanized areas. At the current pace and magnitude of urbanization, land expansion is one of the most visible, irreversible forms of land use and land cover change. Thus, Remote Sensing is regarded as an essential tool in these contexts that are important for urban studies and planning. In the past, many studies have relied on optical Remote Sensing rather than synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data. Some have argued that SAR is a poor choice because of its speckle noise and requires complex pre-processing, but countries in the tropics, where clouds are a big problem, cannot always rely on optical. The present work utilizes the interferometric coherence method with the C-band datasets acquired from the Sentinel-1 and compares it with the vegetation index method on the SPOT datasets for 2016 and 2021. Once adequately processed and classified, the SAR images resulted in significant textures on urban areas with respect to the map generated from vegetation index of SPOT images. Hence, these findings may prove beneficial in developing an effective urban planning strategy and policy formulation for the Klang Valley.

팬데믹 대응형 도시계획의 방향성 및 기법에 관한 연구

This study aims to propose urban planning directions and strategies that enable building urban space safe from transmissive disease like COVID-19. Through reviewing published articles and interviewing experts of various urban fields, this study derived fourteen planning considerations and reassembled them into five urban planning directions: accssibility, self-sustainability, smart technology, health, and prevention. Also, eighteen strategies covering the following seven urban planning areas were proposed: land use, traffic infrastructure, green infrastructure, public facility, medical facility, residential environment, and urban environment. This study contributes to providing comprehensive urban planning directions and strategies necessary for planning resilient cities in POST-COVID-19 era. Specifying the proposed strategies into different approaches, implementing necessary policy improvements, and conducting pilot projects are required to applicate the result of this study into actual urban planning stage.

Identification of Urban Functional Areas and Their Mixing Degree Using Point of Interest Analyses

With the rise of smart cities and geographic big-data applications, the refined identification of urban functional areas is of great significance for decision-makers to formulate scientific and reasonable urban planning. In this paper, a random forest algorithm was adopted to analyze Point of Interest (POI) data, with the aim of identifying the functional zoning of Chongqing’s central urban area and to quantify the functional mixing degree by combining POI data with Open Street Map (OSM) road networks. The main conclusions include: (1) Due to the topography and previous urban planning strategies, the central urban area of Chongqing has a significant cluster development that radiates outward from the center of each district. Mixed functional areas account for about 40% of the total area, excluding non-functional areas. The land-use intensity of the central urban area is significant. (2) The mixing degree of the inner ring is generally high, while the aggregation characteristics of the outer ring are weaker. The functions of catering and transportation are dispersed and are mutually exclusive from other functions. (3) The identification of residential service and green spaces and squares was the best, while the identification of catering service areas was slightly less accurate. The overall identification accuracy of the single-function areas was 82%. The results of functional zoning provide valuable information for understanding the downtown area of Chongqing and represent a new method for the study of urban structures in the future.

Evolution of vulnerability to marine inundation in Caribbean islands of Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy

The islands of Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy in the French West Indies are regularly affected by hurricanes and marine inundations. In this study, we investigated the influence of economic, demographic, and urban planning strategies on the construction of buildings located in areas exposed to coastal flooding, using a quantitative analysis based on satellite images and aerial photos from 1954 to 2017. Our results indicated that the number of buildings in coastal flooding areas is higher in Saint-Martin than in Saint-Barthélemy. The number of buildings constructed in marine inundation risk areas have increased during the last decades, owing to the tax reduction policies implemented for investment in French overseas territories that favor the development of new constructions in these islands and promote demographic growth. Inheritance of economic policy during the 1980–2010 period is responsible for the present state of vulnerability to marine inundation. A recent decrease (by 45%) in the constructions per year in the marine inundation risk areas observed in Saint-Martin from 2011 to 2017 could have been influenced by (1) the approval of the Natural Hazards Prevention Plan in 2011 and (2) population stagnation since 2007. Prevention plan was implemented late, after many buildings had already been built in marine inundation areas. The reduced prevention plan efficiency is due to the difficulty to conciliate risk mitigation, economic interests and political agenda.

LUGARES DO ENVELHECIMENTO CRI-ATIVO

Brazil, like other countries in the world, has been showing an increasingly long-lasting population growth. Over the last decade, much research has focused on understanding the complexity and impacts of aging. However, it is still not clear whether there is any relationship between the specific ways of life of the elderly and the sense of place they experience. We ask: what places and types of activities can contribute to a better quality of life for the elderly in their home, neighborhood, neighborhood and city? In order to analyze how the elderly live with the places they inhabit in contemporary urbanity, in order to provide new strategies for inclusive urban planning, the research used the method of photographic diaries to understand these dynamics. The study was applied in the Brazilian cities of Pelotas/RS, Belo Horizonte/MG and Brasília/DF, each one with three sections of neighborhoods chosen by different income groups (high, medium and low). Even with their great urban, economic and cultural differences, these cities have in common the transformations in the age pyramid, making the study more heterogeneous and diverse. As a result, it was possible to approach the concept of “becoming-child”, bringing together contemporary French philosophy with the sense of "good place" found in the elderly in the research. These coexistences led us to propose the exercise of composition of a “becoming-child-elderly”, towards a will to power and affirmation of architectural and urban life for a “creative-active” elderly person. Keywords: Aging, Photographicdiaries, Becoming-Child-Elderly, Territories, Elderlyfriendlycity,Senseofplace.

Wild bee larval food composition in five European cities.

Urbanization poses threats and opportunities for the biodiversity of wild bees. At the same time, cities can harbor diverse wild bee assemblages, partly due to the unique plant assemblages that provide resources. While bee dietary preferences have been investigated in various studies, bee dietary studies have been conducted mostly in nonurban ecosystems and data based on plant visitation observations or palynological techniques. This data set describes the larval food preferences of four wild bee species (i.e., Chelostoma florisomne, Hylaeus communis, Osmia bicornis, and O. cornuta) common in urban areas in five different European cities (i.e., Antwerp, Belgium; Paris, France; Poznan, Poland; Tartu, Estonia; and Zurich, Switzerland). In addition, the data set describes the larval food preferences of individuals from three wild bee genera (i.e., Chelostoma sp., Hylaeus sp., and Osmia sp.) that could not be identified to the species level. These data were obtained from a Europe‐level study aimed at understanding the effects of urbanization on biodiversity across different cities and cityscapes and a Swiss project aimed at understanding the effects of urban ecosystems in wild bee feeding behavior. Wild bees were sampled using standardized trap nests at 80 sites (32 in Zurich and 12 in each of the remaining cities), selected following a double gradient of available habitat at local and landscape scales. Larval pollen was obtained from the bee nests and identified using DNA metabarcoding. The data provide the plant composition at the species or genus level preferred by each bee. These unique data can be used for a wide array of research questions, including urban ecology (e.g., diversity of food sources along urban gradients), bee ecology (characterization of bee feeding preferences), or comparative studies on the urban evolution of behavioral traits between urban and nonurban sites. In addition, the data can be used to inform urban planning and conservation strategies, particularly concerning flower resources (e.g., importance of exotic species and, thus, management activities). This data set can be freely used for noncommercial purposes, and this data paper should be cited if the data is used; we request that collaboration with the data set contact person to be considered if this data set represents an important part of the data analyzed in a study.

Suburb as a socio-spatial phenomenon and post-socialist city

The article analyzes the history of the emergence of the socio-spatial phenomenon of the suburbs in the Western world and in Ukraine. A comparison of suburbs in the Soviet Union (with regard to suburban villages, dachas and microraiony) and suburbs in the United States and Canada is presented. An understanding of the suburbs and its architectural / urban planning environment from the perspective of social theory is presented. It was found that the suburbs and their architectural environment were used in the propaganda of the United States and the Soviet Union to produce certain cultural meanings with economic and political consequences. The subtleties of using the concept of the suburbs in the post-socialist context were considered. Based on the main socio-geographical characteristics of suburban areas of Ukrainian cities, it was found that the use of the concept of suburbs requires theoretical analysis in the post-socialist context and its distinction with the concepts of suburbia (direct imitation, written in Ukrainian as “субурбія”) and suburban space (“prymiskyi prostir”). It is argued that the spatial criterion and the criterion of connection with the city (suitable for the allocation of suburban space and suburban area) are insufficient to define the suburbs and do not reflect the complexity of this phenomenon. Important criteria for the allocation of suburbs are also the social status of residents, their daily practices, place and type of employment and leisure activities, which can be summarized as the identity of residents, as well as the type of residential architecture and character of everyday landscapes. It was found that because Ukrainian suburban spaces are eclectic with a mixture of different social classes and housing, retain their rural face with the presence of farming, the concept of peri-urban or rural-urban fringe is a better term to describe the suburban area of post-socialist cities than the suburbs. Only certain parts of the suburban spaces tend to become American style suburbs with a predominance of single-family houses, one social class and car use. The theoretical features of understanding the phenomenon of the suburbs and more successful concepts for its definition in post-socialist conditions are important for the creation of more socially thought-out urban planning documentation and strategy for their development taking into account local characteristics.

Understanding the Geography of Rape through the Integration of Data: Case Study of a Prolific, Mobile Serial Stranger Rapist Identified through Rape Kits.

Environmental criminological research on rape series is an understudied field due largely to deficiencies in official and publicly available data. Additionally, little is known about the spatial patterns of rapists with a large number of stranger rapes. With a unique integration and application of spatial, temporal, behavioral, forensic, investigative, and personal history data, we explore the geography of rape of a prolific, mobile serial stranger rapist identified through initiatives to address thousands of previously untested rape kits in two U.S. urban, neighboring jurisdictions. Rape kit data provide the opportunity for a more complete and comprehensive understanding of stranger rape series by linking crimes that likely never would have been linked if not for the DNA evidence. This study fills a knowledge gap by exploring the spatial offending patterns of extremely prolific serial stranger rapists. Through the lens of routine activities theory, we explore the motivated offender, the lack of capable guardianship (e.g., built environment), and the targeted victims. The findings have important implications for gaining practical and useful insight into rapists’ use of space and behavioral decision-making processes, effective public health interventions and prevention approaches, and urban planning strategies in communities subjected to repeat targeting by violent offenders.

Diurnal heat exposure risk mapping and related governance zoning: A case study of Beijing, China

Heat exposure risk mapping and governance are necessary due to the negative impact of urban heat hazards on residents’ health. Heat exposure risk is dynamic in time and space due to diurnal temperature variations and population mobility, but has often been ignored in previous studies. This study assessed diurnal heat exposure risk by coupling high-temperature intensity and frequency and population density in Beijing, China, and proposed risk governance zoning based on the association analysis of local climate zone (LCZ) and heat exposure risk. The results indicate that although heat exposure risk is highest in the core functional area during the day and night, the gravity centre of heat exposure risk shifts eastward at night; high-risk patterns at night are similar to the population distribution. Moreover, based on the different LCZs contributing differently to high heat exposure risk, risk governance zoning that is applicable to heat exposure risk governance was developed; urgent priority governance areas account for 22.88% of the total area due to a large number of compact mid-rise and high-rise buildings. These findings could represent an important basis for developing risk mitigation strategies in urban planning, and provide effective guidance for urban residents to improve their risk adaptation capacity.

Review: Tokyo before Tokyo: Power and Magic in the Shogun’s City of Edo

Review: <i>Tokyo before Tokyo: Power and Magic in the Shogun’s City of Edo</i>