In Japan, high economic growth after the war brought about disorderly urban sprawl. The government then enforced an “area division system,” which divided city planning areas into “urbanization promotion areas” (UPA) and “urbanization control areas” (UCA). This system maintains the existing UPA size almost unconditionally and, in addition, aims to incorporate parts of UCA into UPA by the size corresponding

Promoting active travel is a public health priority. However, existing studies on active travel tend to focus on major cities: little is known about travel in regional cities. This study examined differences in the prevalence of walking, cycling, public transport use, and car use among adult residents of major, satellite, and regional cities in Queensland, Australia. Logistic regression analyses were

The main objective of this study is to analyze the perceived barriers and opportunities with regard to the implementation of urban agri-green roofs (UAGR) in cities. The case study was conducted in Barcelona, a Mediterranean compact city. The World Café method was used in this work. Five categories of barriers and opportunities were discussed (social, environmental, legal/administrative, technological/architectural

Smart governance varies considerably across cities, allegedly due to the influence of the institutional setting. Nevertheless, the institutional factors influencing smart governance have yet to be systematically examined. This research proposes to remedy this by exploring the role of the institutional context in shaping the configuration of smart governance. For this purpose, this study, drawing on

This paper joins the growing scholarly concern for the sharpening of social and environmental inequalities in European cities, particularly those generated in Eastern Europe by evictions of poor Roma from inner-city areas and by the invisibilization of their extreme conditions. We argue that these processes – evictions and invisibilizations – create a heightened vulnerability to climate change impacts

Urban waterfront open spaces are important gateways that reflect the image and characteristics of the city, and assessing their vitality has become a priority of studies in recent years. However, the data traditionally used to quantify the vitality of waterfront open spaces are often subjective and costly and laborious to procure. A method involving big data - real-time Tencent user density - has been

Paris' successful bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics arises in the midst of a grand rethinking of the politics of regional and local development in the Île-de-France region. Paris 2024 also emerges at a time when the International Olympic Committee (IOC) is struggling to find cities willing to host the Olympics and has introduced a series of reforms to help recruit and motivate potential bid cities to

The objective of this study is to critically review the smart city research paradigm and to find possible pitfalls, conflicting results and topics for further study and improvement. A qualitative comparison of the smart city initiatives in selected target countries and cities were done. The research strategy in this study approximates the grounded theory, utilising inductive reasoning to generate arguments

The concept of smart city has been studied in a variety of forms and contexts. While previous studies highlight the extensive use of indicators of smartness, another stream of literature advocates the role of citizens in city transformations. In this viewpoint, we call for an extension of this dichotomous understanding and highlight the cross-sectoral collaborative nature of smart city; we also draw

Scholars examining racial residential segregation1 in South Africa have paid little attention to the racialised settlement patterns and lived experiences of Black African migrants in post-apartheid South Africa. Even though immigration to South Africa from the African continent has increased for over two decades, their racially segregated lived world in inner-cities is scarcely investigated. Using

Automated vehicles (AVs) represent a socio-technical transition of the mobility system. Thus far, research has focused predominantly on the technical dimension (i.e. technology development and operation, short-term impacts) of this transition. This paper presents a research agenda that contributes in rebalancing the focus from the technical to the societal dimension of the AVs transition. We adopt

Based on an understanding of automation as various technological and organisational configurations in the making, this article aims to deepen insights into the governance arrangements shaping how automation is being introduced in public transport. Using a qualitative case study, we analyse the introduction of automated shuttle buses in Barkarbystaden, in the north-west of the Stockholm region, Sweden

Land consumption delineates how effectively we use our living space - whether wastefully in area or efficiently. As the United Nations (UN) projects 5.1 billion population will live in urban areas in 2030, it is crucial to measure, compare, and understand land consumption for our cities across the globe. Currently global approaches for land consumption analysis rely on settlement layers produced by

The theory of spatial mismatch states that the physical separation of people from their employment contributes to persistent unemployment and poverty. Although early research on spatial mismatch related more to housing discrimination, transit has long been considered a way to alleviate this issue by providing access to opportunity for disadvantaged populations. In this paper, we test the theory that

Following the discovery of coal at Udi hill in 1909 by two itinerant English geologists, A. E. Kitson and E.O. Thiele, Enugu was born as an urban town. The colonial government recognizing the discovered large coal field as a treasure of inestimable economic value commenced mining operations immediately. With the mining, the emergent coal city welcomed local and international immigrants. Before long

This paper investigates the manufacturing firm competitiveness in the megacity. Presently, studies on firms in the megacity recognizes the importance of firms as drivers of megacity by examines industrial types, spatial distributions, political and governance. The paper fills the research gap by looking at firm competitiveness in the Jakarta Metropolitan Area (JMA) using econometrics model in three

Liveability is a term widely used in literature, but there does not appear to be a consensus around its definition. This is a problem for the water management sector who are increasingly extending the articulation of their services to capture the liveability value of water in the urban landscape. Recognising that liveability is a dynamic and multi-dimensional concept, this paper seeks to explore the

Various slum upgrading interventions have been implemented by numerous institutions to improve conditions of slum residents. It however remains unclear the extent to which the social diversity of slum residents is integrated in slum interventions. This paper thus assesses different slum upgrading approaches and methodologies to ascertain the extent to which they consider residents' diversity. Undertaking

This paper addresses the governance of the ‘live-work mix’. This concept refers to the renewed intertwining of living and working activities in new housing and urban development in the context of welfare state restructuring, development of the knowledge economy and globalisation. Implementing live-work goals can be difficult because a consensus between public and private actors is usually needed to

As a powerful tool for assessing cities development, the emergy synthesis considers the energy quality concept, which allows it to quantify all the effort provided by nature in providing resources, however, it usually demands a huge amount of data and still lacks a complete and updated database for long-term studies. Cities seem to develop according to fractals, building up parts that resemble the

This paper explores the determinants of subjective wellbeing in rural communities in Ghana. Using data collected from 310 households from ten rural communities in the Juaben Municipality in Ghana, we investigate the factors that influence subjective wellbeing among residents as well as formulate a model to measure happiness using the OLS and ordinal probit regression models. The study shows that happiness

Nestling in the South American Andes, the Peruvian city of Cusco is one of the most emblematic metropolises of the continent. An impressive example of pre-Columbian urbanism, the capital of the former Inca empire developed into one of the most representative cities of the Spanish colonial realm—today a UNESCO World Heritage Site—and, since the 1920s, into the “tourist capital” of Peru. This article

Cities are touted as leaders and innovators in sustainability policy, but face significant challenges with its implementation. Because sustainability objectives are multifaceted they often do not align with local governments' typical organizational structures, which compartmentalize expertise around core service functions. This mismatch lies at the heart of many cities' implementation struggles; broad

Along with the rising space-of-flow, non-local functions are identified as a comparable force to local urban-hinterland relations that determine urban development. However, little evidence and explanation have been presented for how urban centers (UCs) are made of local and non-local functions. By examining the case of Shanghai, this paper endeavors to fill the gap with multiple big/open datasets.

City populations are shrinking all over the world, and this subject has gained attention in recent years. In Japan, policies for addressing population decline in regional areas have focused on prefectural capitals. This study analyzes the relationships between the densely inhabited districts (DIDs) of central cities (prefectural capitals) and the DIDs of their surrounding areas from 1960 to 2015, in

This paper explores the mental-models of Swedish planners in order to understand the extent to which they support the ideals of sustainable transport. Focussing on three critical challenges: forecast-led versus vision-led planning; tackling congestion; and, public acceptability; the findings, drawn from in-depth interviews, demonstrate mostly advanced thinking. However, implementation can be at odds

This paper uses recently newly available datasets to construct a typology of commercial patches reflecting the attraction that specific places hold for individuals and groups and corresponding to the non-work activities that they choose to engage in. For this study, a space-time pattern-detection algorithm was applied to six months of cellphone traces which identified 93 (precise but fluctuating) locations

Different ways of thinking and understanding urban problems and imagining solutions are needed to redress the suite of serious challenges facing cities. Focusing on urban nature, this conceptual paper begins from the standpoint that nature-based solutions (NBS) could help remake cities as places for more than just people; in other words, cities could encourage the flourishing of multiple species and

Contribution of citizens is a key factor in the success of urban development projects and the cornerstone of smart cities in general. The domain researchers have attempted to understand the attributes of a meaningful and effective collaboration with citizens and improve the quality of engagement accordingly. With this aim, a rich and extensive literature has been created, covering different aspects

Cities are continuing to develop and are grappling with uncertainties and difficulties as they do so. It has therefore become essential to understand how urban spatial structure changes, particularly with the increasingly available sources of ‘big data’. However, most studies mainly focus on delineating the spatial structure and its variations. Only a few have investigated the incentives behind the

This paper deals with the challenging issue of illegal building in Italy with a view to clearing up the picture on this subject matter. This phenomenon is scarcely treated from an analytical/scientific point of view, especially in international literature. However, it is very present in the social and journalistic debate. Our research highlights the objective lack of data needed to gauge this offence

With the continuous development of urbanization, and increasing uncertainties and risks, resilience has become an important criterion for urban safety. As a dynamic and open spatial system, the urban system presents typical complex features. Thus, the understanding of urban resilience from the perspective of complex systems theory is helpful to achieve a full understanding of the composition and functioning

Although freight issues are often the subject of controversy within urban communities, urban freight stakeholders rarely participate in local planning processes. This paper studies how different criteria to ensure actor participation in collaborative processes are practised in urban freight planning in seven Norwegian cities. The authors link different criteria of actor participation to Arnstein's

In public or political affairs, civic engagement in transitioning from institutional channels to less formal modes of participation, which have an immediate impact on the local space. For example, greening projects have emerged to address issues such as climate change or to challenge institutional urban planning and practices. These small-scale gardening and greening initiatives can be seen as a way

The metropolitan cities of the world continue to grow rapidly with their dynamic, mostly chaotic features that perpetually contain randomness, notwithstanding their specific differences. These inevitably constantly changing and transforming cities are shaped together with their permanent inhabitants and produce new urban spaces. In this regard, Istanbul has always been a laboratory for architectural

Domestic (home) gardens provide opportunities for psychological and physical health benefits, yet these environments have received less attention in terms of their therapeutic value compared to other urban green spaces. This is despite their ubiquity and the popularity of gardening as a pastime. This research explored why residents engaged with gardening and the extent to which they recognised any

Blockchain is an emerging technology expected to unleash disruptive and transformational forces in many fields. As a decentralized distributed digital ledger, Blockchain technology has the potential to become an underlying operating system that governs the way our cities function in the future. This paper explores the potential of Blockchain as a technology for enabling sustainable future cities and

Creating sustainable urban futures partly requires reducing car-use and transport induced stresses on the environment and society. New transport technologies such as autonomous vehicles are increasingly assuming prominence in debates about the transition toward sustainable urban futures. Yet, enormous uncertainties currently exist on how autonomous vehicles might shape urban mobility. To address this

The expansion of accommodation establishments in an urban area might bring about a transformation to its commercial structure to meet tourists' needs. This can result in the loss of the area's identity, jeopardize its authenticity, and worsen the residents' quality of life. Yet, beyond some anecdotes which currently dominate the policy debate, no empirical evidence exists identifying which specific

There are still misunderstandings and differing opinions about what a smart city (SC) is, and there are only of few publications available on what beneficial outcomes cities are anticipating from SC developments. This paper identifies nine anticipated benefits/value proposition components of smart city activities, based on a literature review. It then uses a comparative multiple case study analysis

This paper considers the relationship between city-size and growth in a UK context. This has a number of elements. Using population data from 62 cities with an extended Turok and Mykhnenko (2007) classification of time paths, aligned ranks of population shares reveals that persistent advantageous or disadvantageous trends are in the majority. These persistent paths are at odds with the proposition

Recent discussions and empirical studies on civic engagement suggest that participatory planning efforts have to be differentiated at the local level. This paper conforms to the argument of the local context of decision for engaging and focuses on a multi-scale framework relating macro policy decisions and official practices to individual dilemmas. The emphasis is on three elements of the local context:

As the civil war in Syria forced a large part of the population to leave the country, Turkey became one of the countries which were affected most by this migration flow. It is known that the refugees are confronted in Turkey with threats posed by poverty, spatial segregation and social exclusion. However, transportation/accessibility which is a crucial element for promoting economic and socio-cultural

The growing assumption in urban studies literature is that residents of slum communities struggle to find space to live but not a place to recreate and enjoy green space. However, at present no research has explored slum residents' perspectives and attitudes towards urban green spaces. The purpose of this study is threefold: (i) to establish a spatio-temporal analytical evidence of urban green spaces

This study explored whether and how government-led developments influence the formation of employment centers and polycentrification by examining the Seoul metropolitan area (SMA). Using 2000–2015 employment data at the census block level, we longitudinally analyzed the changing forms and functions of employment centers in the SMA and examined whether employment (sub)centers influenced employment distribution

The Dharavi sector of Mumbai, India is constituted as one of the biggest slums of Asia and the world's most populated areas. The COVID-19 outburst is at its peak in May and curve gets flattened within next two months. This article focuses on factors responsible for transmission, prevention and in controlling the COVID-19 spread in Dharavi. The COVID-19 data was interpreted in terms of Case Recovery

While scholarly interest in forced migration has grown in recent years, the analytic focus has primarily been a spatial one. However, there is a growing recognition of the need to incorporate the temporal dimension into analyses of forced migration, in particular concerning the governance of refugee processing, reception and settlement. This recognition is based on a desire to better understand how

Socioeconomic disparities in urban green space (UGS) availability and environmental injustice may occur not only at the scale of whole cities, selected districts/neighbourhoods, but also at lower spatial scales, such as urban blocks or even individual buildings. The latter – microscale UGS disparities – reflect differences in UGS availability among inhabitants who belong to different socioeconomic

Attention Restoration Theory (ART) and Stress Recovery Theory (SRT) highlight the restorative properties of natural or green environments. However, the study of the psychological benefits obtained through contact with built open urban places, such as squares or streets, has received far less attention. In this paper we present a within-subjects pretest-posttest quasi-experimental field study that assessed

Do slum dwellers represent a homogenous group? Are minority groups always at a disadvantageous position in terms of inequality and opportunity gaps? This paper explores underlying inequalities and similarities among two religious' groups in slums in terms of adult employment and child education This paper treats slums non-homogenously and takes Charles Tilly's theory of categorical inequality as the

Calgary offers many public transportation options, including light rail transit (LRT), bus rapid transit (BRT), and local buses as well as facilities for non-motorized travelers. Yet the individual and synergistic effects of these mobility options on residential property values in Calgary have not been clearly understood. By using a multilevel hedonic modeling approach, we examine the independent and

Over the last decades, interim reuse has emerged as a possible solution for vacant land and abandoned spaces in cities. It is presented as an alternative to conventional regeneration projects, opening up new possibilities for the occupation of formerly derelict spaces. However, in addition to such opportunities, it also poses a number of risks which need to be mitigated, calling for new mechanisms

This paper examines the Rockefeller Foundation's 100 Resilient Cities (100RC) initiative in Melbourne and frames this as an experiment in urban resilience governance and planning. We respond to the call from urban resilience scholars to consider the 5Ws (who, what, where, when and why?) of resilience and consider what this means for reframing urban resilience implementation. Melbourne is one of the

Germany looks back at a rapidly changing developmental period in which the western part of the country experienced economic prosperity during the 1950s, whereas the eastern part experienced a different start. This situation persisted till the German reunification in 1989. After reunification, Germany's policies were similar to those of the post-WWII period—it focused on the most important needs such