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Since the Paris Agreement, European member countries have been committed to mitigating climate change and adapting to its effects. Climate action planning allows cities to organize their approach. It is critical to ensure that investments in infrastructure and services have a low-carbon impact and consider likely climate change perspectives. The output of this process is the climate action plan (CAP): one or more documents where a city sets out its roadmap to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen climate resilience throughout the community. Many cities have already developed and published a Paris Agreement-compatible CAP. The quality and compliance of these plans will also influence the achievement of the goals of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC, 2015). Thus, cities are crucial players in global climate change mitigation and adaptation efforts, and how they engage in climate policy is currently under debate. The paper is intended to support technological design, selecting good practices from the latest and most complete ones for climate mitigation and adaptation in urban settings. In particular, the paper focuses on public space and built environment regeneration actions that can tangibly contribute to the global climate resilience movement. Considering the operational difficulty that could arise in planning climate adaptation measures in historical urban contexts, the study critically analyzes current strategies in sedimented landscape realities of high cultural-historical value. The goal is to draw from them a cognitive and expeditious method of intervention that can be reiterated for similar contexts and is compatible with the consistency and value of urban and built heritage. The theme is timely and falls into Sustainable Development Goals No. 11 (sustainable cities and communities) and No. 13 (climate action). • The paper analyses the most recent studies and scientific papers on climate action plans. • Good practices for climate mitigation and adaptation in urban settings are critically investigated. • The study analyses current strategies in sedimented landscape realities of high historical and cultural value. • A toolkit is proposed that can be repurposed for similar contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual characteristics of the built environment affect how people perceive and experience cities. For a long time, many studies have examined visual perception in cities. Such efforts have accelerated in recent years due to advancements in technologies and the proliferation of relevant data (e.g., street view imagery, geo-tagged photos, videos, virtual reality, and aerial imagery). There has not been a comprehensive systematic review paper on this topic to reveal an overarching set of research trends, limitations, and future research opportunities. Such omission is plausibly due to the difficulty in reviewing a large number of relevant papers on this popular topic. In this study, we utilized machine learning techniques (i.e., natural language processing and large language models) to semi-automate the review process and reviewed 393 relevant papers. Through the review, we found that these papers can be categorized into the physical aspects of cities: greenery and water, street design, building design, landscape, public space, and the city as a whole. We also revealed that many studies conducted quantitative analyses with a recent trend of increasingly utilizing big data and advanced technologies, such as combinations of street view imagery and deep learning models. Limitations and research gaps were also identified as follows: (1) a limited scope in terms of study areas, sample size, and attributes; (2) low quality of subjective and visual data; and (3) the need for more controlled and sophisticated methods to infer more closely examined impacts of visual features on human perceptions. We suggest that future studies utilize and contribute to open data and take advantage of existing data and technologies to examine the causality of visual features on human perception. The approach developed to accelerate this review proved to be accurate, efficient, and insightful. Considering its novelty, we also describe it to enable replications in the future. • Comprehensive and overarching review on 393 urban visual perception studies • Novel approach to semi-automate the systematic review with NLP and LLM models • Identified six dominant categories (e.g., greenery and water and street design) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the notion of the 'counter-city', which has emerged through processes of 'countering' within the framework of 'third space', in Durban, South Africa. Countering represents alternate conceptualizations and practices of urban processes to those of dominant northern discourse. Durban transitioned from a colonial and apartheid city, based on social separation, inequality, and differential service provision in the 20th century, to one that is now grappling with its apartheid legacy, informality and poverty, contested governance, environmental risk, and civil unrest, whilst simultaneously negotiating its way as an incipient global city. Durban's municipal, research, civic and NGO actions challenge urban scholars to rethink the notion of the post-metropolis and what the counter-city means in this context. This rethinking is reflected in counter moves, that not only resist hegemonic formations, but seek to blend policy and programme development to provide voice to the poor, address precarity, and ensure climate resilience and economic competitiveness. Drawing on the analysis of selected interventions, we argue that the experience of Durban provides insight into the complex nature of urban development. It outlines how a city is attempting to negotiate its future, through processes of countering, which sheds light on alternate conceptualisations of what 'urban' life, well-being, and governance mean in a 'counter-city'. • This paper seeks to advance the case to de-centre hegemonic urban theory arguments. • Durban, South Africa, through its hybridity, is presented as an evolving 'counter-city'. • Processes of 'countering' shape development engagement and outcomes to produce new conceptualisations of the urban. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban morphology and spatial forms shape a city's character and user behavior, often embracing a particular type of people and unwelcoming other kinds of gender. City design policies and legislation have favored men since its beginning, affecting overall urban planning and design. While the world is delving into new techniques and methods to empower women, constraints in public space activities remain prevalent. This paper explores the scope of urban design strategies to catalyze women's social and physical inclusion in these spaces. It presents a systematic approach to identifying women's social roles during the use of public spaces and introduces the 'GenUrban: Shaping Cities for All Genders' framework to guide researchers and designers alike promote inclusive urban design and planning. The investigation, in the central area of Hong Kong, focuses on the cultural landscape created by the women-centric 'Foreign Domestic Helpers' community. A desktop literature review, direct observation of public spaces, and in-depth interviews with a focus group of women in the city's heart established and mapped the marginalized users' collective viewpoint and their appropriation of space. The framework can be used by professionals to transform urban spaces through a gender lens to improve the overall quality of public spaces and make them more inclusive and accessible. The paper generates gender-sensitive urban design principles that can be translated for planners to use for various user groups and contexts. When women become key drivers in activating public space, they are given back their right to the city. • Women's traveling patterns are frequent due to their caregiving responsibilities. • The unique cultural landscape of a city creates gender-centered activities. • Integrating gender-specific features ensures urban spaces cater to women's needs. • Reliable public transport is vital for women's mobility and engagement in city life. • A city catering to women tends to accommodate those they care for. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses urban walking during the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 as an object of urban planning in Helsinki. The paper investigates planners' experiences of planning for temporary spatial solutions during a time of exceptionality in urban life. The paper is motivated by the wish to determine the influence of residents' environmental critique on official urban planning processes. Analysis is primarily based on walk-along interviews with urban planners and residents in the densest eastern downtown neighbourhoods of Helsinki. Supplemental data, including a survey, chat group discussions and planning documents, are used to deepen analysis. Results discuss the politicisation of planning and the delicate relationship between public planners and the political steering of planning in a Nordic welfare planning system. The paper discusses how the politicisation of planning imposes barriers to participatory planning by tying planners' time and attention to organisational tensions, but also by not being able to direct public attention to contentious planning topics. To analyse the role of planners in advocating for pedestrian planning and citizen participation, the study incorporates concepts from organisational communication and urban governance: tensions, rational ignorance and guerrilla governance. • Temporary pedestrian planning in Helsinki became a politicised planning topic amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. • An approach of rapid qualitative research utilised multi-method data gathering. • Urban planners experienced tensions in planning which impeded participatory planning processes. • Residents themselves portrayed rational ignorance and scepticism towards their participatory agency. • Planners used hidden tactics of guerrilla governance to advance the pedestrian agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When relating to build environments, porosity refers to soft transitions across geographies and to the interpenetration between spaces of a different character. While its importance is recognised, its absence in post-modern urban fabrics has become evident. Therefore, this paper's primary objective is to contribute to the resettling of porosity in its various dimensions. To that end, it questions the circumstances that led to the erosion of porosity in urban environments and how that erosion is visible. To answer, the paper (1) establishes concepts for urban and architectural porosity, the criteria that determine each of those and parameters to evaluate it; (2) revisits modernist principles, indicating those that contradicted porosity; and (3) demonstrates how porosity evolved through a comparative of five Lisbon neighbourhoods. The study attests that the implementation of ideas from the modernist movement resulted in a radical loss of porosity, concluding that, in maintaining modernist principles, Portuguese regulation keeps encouraging impermeable cityscapes. The research withdraws the term porosity from ambiguity. And presents concepts, criteria and evaluation parameters that are applicable in various contexts. Through an understanding of the problem, it also points towards a solution, highlighting the need for a further investigation to improve legal frameworks. • A porous built environment depends on porosity at two scales: urban and architectural. • Urban porosity refers to the easy flow of people across geographies, being related with continuous urban fabrics. • Architectural porosity refers to the gradual transition between spaces of different characters (e.g. between inside and outside, between privade and public) resulting in the natural appropriation of places. • Together, urban and architectural porosity contribute to walkability and increased informal contacts, resulting in better health outcomes, stronger communities and vivid streets. • Current regulation is still trapped in modernists principles that promoted abrupt transitions, segregation and the fragmentation of cities encouraging unporous urban environments; and should, therefore, be amended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses the opportunities and challenges of public space management (PSM) in the Mexican context by analysing the perspectives of different governance actors. Issues in the PSM literature include ineffective political decisions, prevalence of the private sector, lack of coordination between government institutions, and a need for more effective social participation. While most PSM studies focus on European cities, empirical PSM knowledge in the Latin American context is scarce. To address this gap, this research elucidates the Mexican context by investigating and adapting a PSM framework in Mexico City and Puebla. The case study research is based on qualitative document research and interview analysis from four groups of governance actors: government officials, academics, NGOs, and architecture/urban planning firms. We found multiple PSM challenges: uncoordinated efforts in the maintenance of public space, lack of and polarisation of investment, and privatisation of public space. At the intra-governmental level, the research identified a lack of coordination between government institutions, increasing reliance on the private sector, and limited opportunities for residents to participate in PSM processes. The paper highlights missing links between existing governance actors involved in PSM and wider residents, in the pursuit of the ambitious role of achieving public space quality. • Public Space Management theory contrasts with the reality in the Mexican context. • Governments rely on the private sector for the development of public spaces. • Limited opportunities for local residents to participate in Public Space Management processes • Awareness is needed among governance actors on the management of public spaces. • Lack of transparency in publicly available data affects how public spaces are managed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teachers are busy people. How do we, as researchers, address the challenges of doing research with busy people—especially if we wish to enact ethical, more radical futures? How do we adhere to the pressures of fast-paced urban life when research, especially interviews, takes away people's time? This paper presents a novel method for doing research with busy people, combining the 'walking interview' method with a 'free listing technique.' The interviews were carried out with teachers at a north Queensland primary school in a rapidly urbanising neighbourhood, and formed part of a larger project exploring the barriers and opportunities of incorporating community gardens (as important green spaces) into schools. The method itself yielded important findings and this paper is a reflective analysis of how simple factors such as the weather, noise, and interruptions shaped 20 min of a teacher's day. We extend these ideas to explore how conditioned and situational temporalities, along with more-than-human influences, affect the knowledge produced in rapid walking interviews. Keeping track of these affections can yield important data relevant to the project. The research will be invaluable for other researchers struggling with ethical and other issues shaping access to stakeholders in a diverse range of urban environments. • The methodology presented in this paper is valuable for researchers facing ethical and access challenges in diverse urban settings • Counter-cities require radically different research • Temporalities, including conditioned and situational and non-human influences, shapes knowledge production during rapid walking interviews • Factors like weather, noise, and interruptions during interviews can significantly impact the research process and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban green spaces in the city of Niamey are under the threat of rapid urbanization in the context of climate change. The urban green space management becomes paramount and solicits the stakeholders' participation. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the determinants of the urban green space management practiced by the dwellers in Niamey City. Based on the questionnaire, the multinomial logistic model was applied to the primary data collected from close to 390 randomly selected households. The results show that the variables shade from urban green spaces, gender, household size, education level, monthly income, work status, length of time living in the districts, the status of peripheral areas, status of transitional areas, cost of the management, and plant market are the determinants of the urban green space management practices. These results give a signal to urban managers, and decision-makers on the factors to be addressed for better delivering urban green spaces likely to enhance urban climate resilience. • This paper analyze the determinants of urban green space management practices in the City of Niamey as insight of West African cities, • This paper applied the econometrical modeling namely multinomial logistic model as tool to estimate the determinants of the urban green space management practices; • The analysis shown that the urban green spaces benefits especially shade, gender, household size, education level, monthly income, length of time living in the districts, status of peripheral areas, and plant market are the main drivers of the urban green space management practices in the city of Niamey; • This paper calls for the city authorities to establish and implement a program that facilitates the dwellers' access to plants for their private green that can enhance their climate resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The introduction of Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) into cities may fundamentally transform the design and use of cities. On one hand, AVs offer the potential to reduce the urban space requirements for roads and parking, creating more space for high-quality, liveable areas. On the other hand, greater motorisation and the availability to perform leisure or work activities while travelling in AVs could increase the number of trips and travel distances, encouraging urban traffic congestion and sprawl. These diverse, and sometimes conflicting, estimates and opinions give rise to considerable uncertainty among urban policy decision-makers, sometimes leading to planning inaction. This paper aims to shed light on the opportunities that AVs offer in delivering attractive, healthy and sustainable urbanisation patterns. This paper employs a backcasting approach to investigate whether and how the potential impacts of AV implementation can support or threaten a range of urban development policy goals. This approach enables conflicts between policy goals to be identified. The findings point to the need for mixed-use development policy, the clustering of urban facilities and services, the restriction of motorized access in cities and the adoption of shared high-quality multimodal transport. • AVs offer the potential to create more space for high-quality, liveable urban areas. • Mixed land-use policy and restriction of vehicle access are critical policy goals. • Shared & high-quality multimodal mobility as the backbone of the driverless city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wayfinding is one of the most daily activities of peoples in urban spaces which could be facilitated by a set of landmarks to provide a mental map of the environment. Landmark detection in urban spaces is yet one of the great challenges in landmark-based wayfinding. This paper aims to apply new sources of geo-tagged photos derived from social media like Telegram for landmark extraction. This paper proposed a method to extract landmarks automatically through clustering of geo-tagged photos by Density Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise (DBSCAN) method and object detection by deep artificial neural network (deep belief network) algorithm. The proposed method is implemented in 48 different routes of 3 districts of Tehran, Iran. The accuracy assessment demonstrated the efficiency of the algorithms for landmark extraction from huge geo-tagged photographs. Furthermore, the extracted landmarks are evaluated by 120 wayfinders. The experimental results demonstrated the usability of the proposed landmarks in wayfinding process with 87% of user satisfaction. • This paper introduces a method for automatic landmark extraction from geotagged photos. • The proposed model uses DBSCAN and DNN. • The model is evaluated with regard to accuracy and user satisfaction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessibility is a relevant condition for social inclusion, depending on both context (transport system, land use patterns, temporal availability) and individual features. Based on this, it may be used for measuring people's ability to participate in social life and activities that contribute to their well-being. With the aim of dealing with the accessibility by proximity concept, this paper proposes an Inclusive Accessibility by Proximity Index (IAPI), conceived as a tool for assessing accessibility levels to services and activities deemed essential for local inhabitants, while recognizing the impact of the physical and perceptual characteristics of urban spaces and paths on active mobility. By considering the needs and habits of different mobility profiles in relation to the spaces and paths they live and cross daily, IAPI can help direct the construction of planning and urban design measures aimed at promoting walkability and cyclability and improving accessibility via active modes, thus envisioning a more sustainable and inclusive city. Taking a cue from the experience conducted in the testbed of Bologna (Italy), this paper describes the methodology for constructing and applying the index, presents the results obtained, and outlines the steps to make the tool scalable and sensitive to the different contexts. • An Inclusive Accessibility by Proximity Index is proposed at the district scale. • IAPI measures the accessibility by active modes to essential daily services. • IAPI is based on the physical and perceived features of urban spaces and paths. • IAPI supports the design of policy measures devote to accessibility by proximity. • An application of IAPI in Bologna (Italy) is offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the impact of neoliberal urban planning on urban governance, using Dar es Salam as a case study. Drawing on planning literature and the concepts of 'state-capitalist,' 'coercive monopoly,' and 'de jure collusion', the paper examines how the desire to spur economic growth has undermined planning practice and city management. By combining literature, observations and interviews with practitioners and academics, the paper reveals that neoliberal planning promotes elite interests, over the needs of the poor, limiting their right to the city. Planning is reduced to a mere exercise of market facilitation, with little to no social impact. Lack of social resonance, the paper notes, suggests a misplaced priority and a parochial preoccupation among city authorities. To create equitable urban spaces and development, the paper argues for a shift toward inclusive planning approaches in the cities of the Global South. • State capitalist, coercive monopoly and de jure collusion are employed to analyse neoliberal planning and urban governance. • Neoliberal urban planning promotes elite interests, leaving little room for inclusive governance. • Planning is reduced to a mere exercise of facilitation, with little to no social impact. • Inclusive planning approaches are needed for local needs contextualization and effective project management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While urban redevelopment has been a global phenomenon for many decades, the redevelopment of urban villages (villages-in-the-city or c hengzhongcun) in China has attracted increasing scholarly attention in recent years. However, few studies focus on urban planning forces and their impacts on the redevelopment of urban villages, especially the transformation of open spaces. This paper therefore examines how urban planning transforms the space of urban villages through a case study of Yangji Village in Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province. The large increase in public spaces related to the transformation of Yangji results from collaborative governance driven by trends in urbanization and the work of urban planners. The latter are empowered by their strategic use of state support, professional knowledge and public interest incentives. However, in the Yangji redevelopment, as a state-hegemonic project, such planner-led collaborative governance remains limited in scope amid the exclusion of migrant tenants from decision-making. Although rarely regarded in the literature as playing a key role in redeveloping urban villages, this paper highlights urban planners as a salient force in the morphology of urban villages. Without challenging the hegemonic substance of urban village redevelopment, planners can coordinate with and occasionally manipulate other stakeholders to legitimate and facilitate negotiation during physical planning. Hence, redeveloped urban forms, rather than stakeholders' economic profits in short-term redevelopment, may influence urban lives in the long term due to planners' efforts. • Multiple stakeholders form collaborative governance in the physical planning of Yangji Village redevelopment to increase much open space. • The collaborative dynamics in the physical planning are built upon stakeholders' trust, fostered through informal meetings, led by planners, and fundamentally driven by urbanization. • Such collaborative governance is limited, largely due to the exclusion of migrant tenants. • Planners define the field of urban form beyond economic profit to improve redevelopment without challenging neoliberal and authoritarian hegemony. • State support, professional knowledge, and public interest ensure planners' leading role in collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There exists a deep and inherent linkage between the urban residential environment and perceived safety. Nonetheless, evidence on how outdoor play spaces in urban residential areas affect children's perceived safety is scarce. The main objective of this paper is to investigate the impact of urban residential built environments on children's perceived safety, particularly by examining the characteristics of play spaces and their potential influences. Employing multiple regression and mediation analysis, we constructed a model to understand how these characteristics impact children's perceived safety. The findings reveal a significant positive effect of plot ratio on children's perceived safety, surpassing the influence of green space ratios. The abundance of natural materials was identified as the most influential spatial characteristic, followed by different sizes and types of spaces. Contrastingly, vegetation surprisingly showed a negative impact. Furthermore, visual stimulation from environmental characteristics are found to have a more significant influence on perceived safety than challenging aspects of the environment. Notably, the number of playmates plays a crucial mediating role in this relationship. Our research aims to enhance children's free play in urban outdoor spaces, offering evidence-based solutions and interventions for child-friendly urban design and policy regulation. [Display omitted] • Ensuring the safety of children playing outdoors is essential for developing child-friendly cities. • The spatial form and greenery levels in urban residential areas significantly affect children's perceived safety. • Richness in natural materials is a key factor influencing children's perceived safety. • The number of playmates mediates the impact of outdoor play spaces on perceived safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to analyze how the associations of built environment and usage of urban space changed due to the social restrictions during COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. A total of 57,185 census block groups (CBGs) in 459 cities were analyzed. Built environment elements including road network, green space, and land use associated with usage of urban space (measured by over two billion mobile phone data) before/during COVID-19 were evaluated at both CBG and city level. Our results showed drastic decreases of urban space usage, ranging from 0.25 % to 76.35 %, among cities during COVID-19 social restriction. Specifically, CBG-level road length-node ratio, road intersection index and land use densities contributed less to usage of urban space during COVID-19. Meanwhile, the heterogeneity of city-level road network, commercial, public places, as well as hospitals and health cares exhibited stronger relationship with usage of urban space. The heterogeneity of green space at both CBG and city level showed less associations with usage of urban space during COVID-19. The discrepancies of the built environment effects on usage of urban space between CBG and city level suggest the importance of varying-scale analysis. Future interventions should consider space usages and health inequality from a space-varying perspective for post-pandemic period. • The changing associations of built environment with usage of urban space during COVID-19 were investigated • The changing associations were evaluated based on the census-block-group (CBG) level and city level in 459 U.S. cities • CBG-level road complexity and urban facility density contributed less on the usage of urban space during social restriction • City-level built environment exhibited stronger relationship with usage of urban space during social restriction [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical activity offers significant mental health and social wellbeing benefits but social distancing and quarantine requirements during the pandemic along with disparities in access to parks and other urban green spaces limited the ability of some to pursue outdoor activities like recreational walking, jogging, or hiking. This paper asks: (1) how access to different types of urban green space varies by race and income , (2) how green space usage changed, and (3) how greenspace usage impacted mental health during the early phase of the pandemic. Using data from a household survey as well as anonymized GPS data generated by mobile devices, we explore these question in Richmond, Virginia. At the pandemic's onset, visits to green spaces declined regionally, but increased for low-income groups as a proportion of all visits. Structural equation modeling results suggest that mental health was directly influenced by social cohesion and race, with evidence of an indirect effect of greenspace usage on mental health through its impact on social cohesion. Social cohesion's effect on mental health was positive while respondents who identified as White were less likely to report positive mental health. We also find a strong, positive effect of greenspace use and satisfaction on social cohesion. • Lower income groups had greatest local access to green space. • Green space visits for low-income groups increased as a proportion of all visits. • Walkable green space matters more for building social connections. • Mental health was directly influenced by social cohesion and race during pandemic. • Green space usage affected mental health indirectly through social cohesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban segregation can happen in many dimensions. Its study reveals city inequalities to inform urban planning policies; access to green and leisure spaces can contribute to well-being and social mixing. Different studies underline different characteristics. However, studies in Latin America, especially north-east Brazil, explore few segregation dimensions. This paper investigates multi-dimensional socio-spatial patterns in a broader urban area of João Pessoa city, relating residential census information - as income, race/colour, literacy and types of dwellings -, space syntax street network centralities, and public leisure spaces access. Variables were correlated and characterized k-means groups for sectors and neighbourhoods. Results indicate spatial wealth patterns with more whites and literates living in more apartments in areas stemming from the city expansion to the coast beyond municipal boundaries. Impoverished areas concentrate further from the sea, with barely any access to large leisure areas, transitioned by the city centre and Bancários neighbourhoods. Income was related more to access to large leisure areas than city-scale street network centralities. K-means clustering indicated heterogeneous profiles as poorer clusters, despite lower street network centrality and little sanitation, were either the densest or sparsest. Meanwhile, areas with higher street network access exhibited intermediate-to-high rather than highest-income inhabitants. Findings indicate a need to look over municipal boundaries and distribute better city amenities. • Findings indicate a tendency of white, literate, and wealthy living in apartments • Low income, particularly very low, have barely any reach to large leisure areas • Very high-income groups have access to large leisure areas, most close to the sea • K-means shows two poorest areas profiles: sparsest or densest, located differently • Intermediate income clusters exhibit higher street integration than higher income [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Overcrowding has been recognised as a common issue in urban schools and a major barrier to children's outdoor activities in their school environments. Many urban schools draw on their neighbourhood open space yet associated governance issues have not been sufficiently analysed. This qualitative study explored key stakeholders' perspectives on various governance topics that supported or discouraged sharing neighbourhood open spaces with schools. We involved school principals, local council officers, state government representatives, urban design experts, and primary school students aged 8–12 from across four Australian metropolitan areas. The findings reveal the relationship between the stakeholders at various governance levels; their capacities, power and interests in managing shared use of public space; as well as essential governing tasks and tools. The paper argues for governance through networks, in which power is dynamic and distributed among a range of stakeholders. This will require the development of mutually agreed guidelines to bridge gaps in the coordination of design, implementation and management of public open spaces. The governing tasks include planning schools close to public open spaces, establishing safe urban corridors between schools and public open spaces, designing essential amenities in public open spaces, and adapting school curricula for outdoor learning. • Shared use necessitates a cooperative relationship between multiple services. • Shared use requires stakeholder collaboration at both policy and operational levels. • Stakeholder power and capacity are dynamic as patterns of open space use change. • Development of mutually agreed guidelines can leverage the capacity of actors. • Shared use requires co-design of shared spaces with key stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Existing literature has overemphasized the power of state in the theorization of China's urbanization and transition, and after the reform and opening-up, substantial attention has been given to the interaction between state and market. Comparatively, the role of society has been vastly underestimated. The paper selects housing planting in Hohhot to explain how local villagers contended actively with local states for and over space to increase compensation for land requisition. The contention has caused severe social conflicts, high compensation cost, and forced demolition, thereby threatening local states' land finance and development. Essentially, space has become a useful tool for citizens to preserve their interests. This implies that with the rise of society, China's urbanization is transitioning from a high-speed and low-cost stage to a high-quality and high-cost stage. Due to the changing relation between state, capital, and society, many pertinent institutions need to be adjusted as well. The paper calls for additional attention to the state-society-relation perspective when theorizing China's urban development. • Apply housing planting in Hohhot to understand the new urban space landscape in China via the state-society-relation perspective. • Reveal the process of how villagers contend for and over space with local state to analyze the spatial power relation. • Offer political-economic implications of the rise of society in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Accra, the capital of Ghana, has been experiencing severe flood events since 1939, with the most affected often being the people living in vulnerable communities. Unfortunately, the flood management regimes by state agencies 2 2 National government decentralized agencies working at the city level have been limited to weak urban planning response in terms of demolition exercises, forced evictions or distribution of relief items. How successful have these regimes been? How have affected communities responded? What should be the urban planning response? These questions remain unanswered. This paper responds to these questions using cities as complex systems theory, and Agbogbloshie and Old Fadama communities in Accra as case studies. This study used a qualitative research approach comprising agency and community interviews, and document reviews. Findings indicate that flood management regimes have been ineffective due to city planning authorities 3 3 City level planning and management agencies and state agencies' limited recognition of the urban space as a complex system. As a result, constructs, responses and contexts of urban floods are determined based on land use legality and acknowledgment of urban communities by city planning authorities, evidence of urban planning, and community initiatives. Recommendations to improve the situation are proffered. Highlights • This paper examines the geopolitics of flood management responses in Accra. • It discusses residents responses to flood management regimes in vulnerable communities. • Flood responses are ineffective due to urban planning neglect and lack of participation. • Flood responses are shaped by the legitimacy and recognition of the communities by city authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Factors such as air and sound quality are important aspects of the urban environment with potential impacts on public health, especially in walkable areas where the public is constantly using the public space for their daily activities, accessibility, leisure and recreation. Knowing which are user's preferences regarding acoustic and air quality environments is a big advantage for public spaces management. This paper aims at investigating the correlation between air quality and sound perception in walkable areas, through subjective evaluations and on-site measurements of particulate matter, acoustic and psychoacoustic data. For this purpose, a Canonical Correlation Analysis was carried out. This paper found out correlations regarding background sound qualities and air quality perception (Rc = 0.485), as well as correlations between background sound acceptance & cognitive aspects and air quality perception (Rc = 0.532), on data collected at urban parks. The involved objective parameters which led to those results are sharpness, roughness, hearing model roughness ½ Bark, PM 1 , PM 2.5 and PM 10. In busy street areas there are correlations between background sound qualities and air quality perception (Rc = 0.450). For this correlation the correlated objective parameters are sound pressure level (SPL), sharpness, tonality, PM 1 , PM 2.5 and PM 10. Highlights • Canonical Correlation Analysis on perceptual studies about air quality and sound. • Perceptual studies on urban walks. • Particulate matter and psychoacoustic perception in urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public spaces are the loci of complex interactions among multiple stakeholders whose decisions and activities affect places' qualities. The paper builds upon governance theory to provide a holistic in-depth approach in understanding the complexity and quality of the place-shaping processes in public spaces. In the absence of adequate conception of governance in urban design and public spaces, the paper introduces a framework for analysing governance capacity of public spaces and applies the framework to a flagship but highly contested public space in Brisbane, Australia namely South Bank Parklands. The proposed framework encompasses four major components of 1) actors and stakeholders, 2) governance structure, 3) governing tools, and 4) governing tasks. The framework puts special emphasis on the contextual factors, the way public spaces are shaped and governed, and political economy of the space. The case study application showcases the applicability of the PSGF which helps holistically analyse the trends in public space governance structure accounting for the diversity and complexity of all elements involved. The findings reveal that South Bank Parklands governance is mix-structured, hierarchical, and highly political. It is, however, a likeable public space for which civic engagement in the decision-making processes is notably limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines collaboration between artists and social scientists in urban studies. The author was a participant in experimental research commissioned by a new cultural institution, which examined how this institution might participate in the making of a public space. In this paper she analyses the methodologies of investigation and the discussions about forms and representations, and shows the difficulties and rewards of this type of collaboration. To what extent may research based on art and social sciences, and rooted in references to the methodologies and theories of both, be a relevant and alternative way to explore, investigate and represent an urban issue? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the development of Hong Kong's cultural economy and its translation into urban space. On the one hand it focuses on recent economic development and planning strategies to develop a post-colonial identity based on the international cachet of attracting creative industries. On the other hand, it considers the development of grassroots initiatives that herald the potential articulation of Hong Kong as a culturally dense global city. These grassroots initiatives are analyzed from the perspective of their problematic relationship with urban space, and how urban planning both supports and hinders cultural development. The paper argues that top-down planning is in large part catalytic, yet at the same time can run counter to the development of genuine artistic expression. It stresses the importance of ‘middleground’ actors in facilitating the development of spaces for artistic creation, particularly in their productive interlocking with different forms of artistic expression and public policy initiatives. The middleground can be conceived of as a relational space produced by various processes, actors and structures operating at different scales between institutional actors and the interests of ‘underground’ creativity. The article concludes by problematizing the role of middleground actors and underlines the value of ‘unpacking’ the middleground in order to account for the contested and negotiated processes it embodies. Renewed attention to these processes will contribute to enhancing the development of sites of artistic expression in Hong Kong and other emergent contemporary contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population aging poses a central challenge to human society in the 21st century, and a notable correlation has been found between loneliness and age, particularly old age. Loneliness not only substantially impacts the physical and mental well-being of elderly residents but also escalates the burden of old-age care and medical services. As the global trend of aging continues to intensify, tackling population aging and its associated problems has become a common strategic choice of nations worldwide. Grounded in the mediating effect of social capital, this paper explores both the impact and mechanism by which the use of neighborhood green spaces mitigates loneliness among elderly residents. The findings show that, in terms of overall effects, the use of neighborhood green spaces effectively mitigates negative living conditions and psychological problems, thereby fostering the alleviation of loneliness in elderly residents. From a mediating effects perspective, relationship networks, interpersonal trust, and reciprocity norms within social capital play distinct roles in the relationship between the use of neighborhood green spaces and the reduction of loneliness in elderly residents. The direct effect is not statistically significant, which implies a comprehensive mediating role of social capital. In aging neighborhoods, it is imperative to recognize the role of green spaces in promoting elderly well-being and to ensure ample provision of such spaces. Additionally, considering the decline in physical functions among elderly residents, it is crucial to acknowledge their unique sensory thresholds and usage characteristics and compare these to other age groups. Thus, implementing appropriate aging-friendly reforms in green space planning becomes essential to align the allocation of green space resources with the specific needs of elderly residents while catering to the broader population. • The use of neighborhood green spaces effectively alleviates the loneliness among elderly residents. • Social capital promotes social contact and strengthens social cohesion among elderly neighbors. • Most of elderly residents are more likely to experience a shrinking of social capital and networks. • It is crucial to implement appropriate aging-friendly reforms in neighborhood green spaces in old age. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last three decades, the most populated Spanish cities have experienced significant spatial, social, and economic changes. The new urban economies have played an essential role in the acceleration of such transformations, entailing a range of both positive and negative impacts at the spatial, social, economic, and environmental levels. This paper presents a quantitative analysis of how the advancement of the globalization and deindustrialization processes has encouraged social polarization in the cities of Madrid, Barcelona, and Valencia, as well as a significant increase in intra-urban socioeconomic residential segregation. The article concludes by arguing that the increase in levels of social inequality and residential segregation reflects the trend towards polarized urban models, which reproduce in urban space the differences observed in the social structure. • Large Spanish cities have experienced significant changes due to globalization and deindustrialization processes. • The advancement of structural processes has led the emergence of a polarized occupational that tends towards greater wage inequality. • Social inequality has become a structural phenomenon in Spanish global cities • Residential segregation has increased due to the gentrification and touristification of urban centres and the suburbanization of poverty. • This dynamic indicates the emergence of polarized urban spaces, which reproduce in the territory the differences observed in the social structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to structural demographic shifts, declining population, economic restructuring and deindustrialization, the number of shrinking cities has been increasing in South Korea. To tackle these challenges, policy makers have promoted entrepreneurial environments, largely absent in such cities, to accelerate rates of revitalization by attracting talented young knowledge workers. The creation of collaborative coworking spaces is one of these policy responses. However, there have been rising concerns over whether such coworking spaces are producing the expected outcomes. It is uncertain whether policy makers are encouraging the development of coworking spaces without strong evidence of their effectiveness. The purpose of this paper is to find out what roles coworking spaces play in small and medium sized shrinking cities. A five-month study was conducted in 12 small and medium sized cities (<500,000 population) using two interrelated methods: 1) an online survey with users of coworking spaces in their 20s and 30s and 2) semi-structured interviews with the managing staff/owners of 4 coworking spaces. Based on the study, the research concludes that the coworking spaces played a key role in bringing young people together and helping them to start new businesses by providing proper hard and soft infrastructure, hosting events and sharing information and knowledge. • The emergence, concept and expected outcomes of coworking spaces in relation to urban revitalization. • The demographic changes, economic restructuring and the increasing number of shrinking cities in Korea. • An online survey with users of coworking spaces in their 20s and 30s. • Semi-structured interviews with managing staff/owners of coworking spaces. • The roles and limitations of coworking spaces in shrinking cities in Korea. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) is crucial for socio-ecological systems that tackle urbanisation challenges. Participatory approaches involve the public in local environmental decision-making, and they are receiving renewed attention from academics, policymakers, and design professionals to achieve more inclusive urban development practices. This paper examines public participation in UGI delivery in the UK by evaluating the relationship between policy and practice. The study uses a mixed-methods approach, including expert interviews and a nationwide survey, to explore financing, governance, perceptions of participation, and public willingness to engage in UGI delivery. The data reveals factors that influence people's inclination to participate in UGI delivery. Attitudes toward UGI and nature are favourable, but not the primary motivators for participation in UGI-related community or conservation activities. The research highlights the potential of deliberative public participation with the right policy instruments and support infrastructure to deliver effective UGI addressing ecological and socio-cultural priorities. The research emphasises the importance of public involvement in achieving sustainable urban development and the critical role of UGI in developing socio-ecological systems that address urbanisation challenges. It also highlights differences between rhetoric and practice in inclusive urban planning discourse. • This study provides empirical data indicating the factors which affect people's inclination participate in UGI delivery. • The majority of UGI strategies in the UK still adopt a top-down and expert-driven approach. • We examined the overarching motivations and barriers to the adoption of participatory approaches toward UGI development. • Most respondents agreed community greening projects would enhance social interactions amongst residents. • Awareness of UGI benefits may foster interest in participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Covid-19 has wreaked havoc worldwide. To mitigate the spread of the virus, societies around the world implemented various social control measures and restrictions on mobility. Traditional work practices were upended, leading to a widespread adoption of telecommuting in many cities, effectively turning urban spaces into expansive work-from-home laboratories. The exchange of digitized documents, virtual conversations, and online transactions replaced physical movements and face-to-face communication, allowing for the continuation of productive activities. This shift to telecommuting raises important questions about the impact on traditional business practices and power dynamics in the workplace. It also prompts us to examine how new communication and surveillance tools facilitate collaboration and enhance worker productivity. Furthermore, it is essential to understand how employees navigate and adapt to the opportunities and limitations presented in a teleworking environment. To gain insights into these issues, this paper focuses on the experiences of work-from-home employees in the community of Tin Shui Wai in Hong Kong, using the concept of governmobility as an analytical framework. The findings reveal that telecommuting is enabled by innovative social interaction mechanisms, changes in power dynamics, and the implementation of new discourse and surveillance methods, all of which are contingent on specific work and life conditions. The various experiences of telecommuting, such as working in a home office, in virtual workspaces, and using on-body devices, demonstrate adaptable responses to the emerging opportunities and constraints of telecommuting. These experiences illuminate the intricate ways in which work and life intertwine in both physical and temporal dimensions. • Exploring the mechanisms of governmobility in telecommuting during the Covid-19 pandemic. • Theorizing diverse telecommuting practices and experiences. • Discussing the prospects of telecommuting in the post-Covid world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urban theorist Jane Jacobs related the presence of people with street safety, coining the expression "eyes on the street" and connecting it with morphological characteristics of architecture and urban space. However, urban studies have usually focused on people's perceptions of fear and social features rather than establishing a connection between where violence takes place and how the built environment looks like. This paper aims to estimate a potential relationship between street safety and urban morphology in a neighborhood of Quito, Ecuador, called la Mariscal. Crime Data was provided by the competent local government and morphological indicators were taken from a recent study of the neighborhood. Both categories were tested using the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) econometric model. Results show that five morphological indicators related with the presence of people, non-basic commercial and facility balance, street area, distance to squares and pocket parks, distance to public transport stations, and distance to border vacuums, referring to big urban areas abandoned or with massive single uses, are strongly correlated with the number of robberies. This outcome provides evidence to support that urban planning and design principles may incorporate safety considerations. • The presence of people helps to reduce the number of street robberies. • Morphological urban indicators related to the presence of people are strongly correlated with the number of street robberies. • Jane Jacobs's postulate regarding eyes on the street is still valid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major problem for policymakers is to ensure that levels of citizen participation reflect the society in its diversity, but they must also ensure that those citizens who want to get involved have the means to do so. Despite empirical evidence of the role of urban planning in health, well-being, and livability, studies have not delved into the implications of how low-density sprawled urban forms influence civic involvement. This paper adds new evidence regarding the significance of urban form, built environment characteristics and more in general city planning, as intermediary factors between public and private life connected to civic engagement and public space use. Based on surveys and geographic data from the Greater Metropolitan Area of San José, in Costa Rica, the article investigates how the results of citizen participation change depending on whether residents are from a compact or dispersed study area, relating to urban rhythms and mobility metrics. Findings suggest that inhabitants of group A (lower-density neighborhoods) differ significantly from group B (compact-city areas) in four variables: means of mobility, commuting time, public space use, and civic activism, while having similar sociodemographic composition. Compared with residents of group A, group B report higher levels of use and knowledge of public spaces and civic participation. These two aspects constitute, the Urban Civic Participation Index, which, related to self-reported free time, forms what we define as Public Time. The main characteristics of the compact city (higher population and building density, high street connectivity, grid presence and proximity of services, mixed land use) were found to be positively related to the outcomes of accessibility to public space and community participation. In contrast, there are no significant differences in the availability of free time between the two groups. This study, along with others on the compact city, shows that there are other reasons to reduce daily commuting distances in cities and the need of urban time policies to redesign urban society's temporal dimension besides the known environmental impacts. It also raises the question of how low urban density affects people's time and disposition to participate in public life. • The physical environment can affect public participation in urban life. • There are significant differences between lower-density and compact-city areas in urban rhythms. • Compact cities have more citizen activism and public time. • Results concern how low urban density affects civic engagement and time availability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I argue that intersectionality can benefit the study of migrant urban citizenship and that migrants' legal status affects their potential for urban citizenships. These arguments are based on life story interviews I conducted with Mongolian labour migrant women (both documented and undocumented) living and working in Seoul during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing from this data, I first discuss the mutual relationship between COVID-19 regulations and the specific urban spaces they affected, and second, how migrant women navigated this relationship. In practice, I categorise these pandemic-driven experiences into three specific types of spaces – spaces of escape , spaces of fear , and spaces of (potential) discrimination – which I analyse through the lenses of gender, class, and racialisation. In conclusion, I call for future research on migrant urban citizenship to critically consider the role of legal status in migrants' embodied processes of urban citizenship-making and investigate how underlying structural social and power relations shape these embodied processes. Reformulating the concept of urban citizenship in a way that explicitly informs policy making and fosters migrants' embodied experiences of urban citizenship is also needed. • Intersectionality can benefit the study of migrant urban citizenship. • Migrants' legal status affects their potential for urban citizenship. • COVID-19 regulations transformed urban spaces in Seoul into spaces of escape, fear, or discrimination. • Migrant urban citizenship needs to be reconceptualised into a policy-oriented approach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid urbanization in the 21st century has led to the growth and expansion of cities, especially metropolises, resulting in increased demand for land and housing. This process often gives rise to informal or unplanned tenure patterns, commonly referred to as gray spaces. These transformations create the potential for conflicts over land ownership in cities, particularly in these gray areas, which are often complex and lead to diverse approaches, resulting in inconsistent development of urban spaces. Despite numerous studies on land tenure approaches, a significant gap persists in understanding and interpreting conflicts in these urban spaces. This paper aims to provide a comprehensive and systematic investigation of the underlying issues related to land tenure and ownership patterns in gray spaces. The findings reveal that the conflict pattern in gray spaces has three dimensions: (1) land governance, (2) the pattern of real estate tenure and ownership, and (3) the pattern of land and housing supply and demand. Furthermore, based on the number of studies, conflicts in gray spaces can be categorized into four main groups: interest conflicts (28 %), power relation conflicts (51 %), legal framework conflicts (16 %), and normative conflicts (5 %). Considering these factors, it becomes evident that comprehensively explaining conflicts in gray spaces from various perspectives is crucial for achieving planned and guided urban development. [Display omitted] • This study presents a groundbreaking framework delineating conflicts in gray spaces across three dimensions. • The key conflicts in gray spaces are Land Governance, Tenure/Ownership Patterns, and Land/Housing Supply and Demand Patterns. • A spatial typology, includes Interest Conflicts, Power Relation Conflicts, Legal Framework Conflicts, and Normative Conflicts. • The prevalent conflict pattern is deeply rooted in power dynamics. • Policy-making and planning should be guided by conflict patterns and the nature of the gray space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is situated amidst concerns that public spaces are diminishing in both quantity and quality (Low & Smith, 2006), with this trend exacerbated by the excising of state budgets for their provision, maintenance or development, their privatisation and/or devolution of their management to corporate interests. Here we interrogate what ‘public space’ is using the lens of temporary use projects undertaken on privately-owned land. As a distinct form of DIY urbanism, it could be argued that temporary use projects might be least likely to promote enduring change but, in this paper, we demonstrate that it is their very transience that enables the interstices between the actual and the possible to be exploited in innovative ways. We explore how a distinctive methodology associated with temporary use projects, and a reconceptualisation of what public space is, creates new opportunities to restore the emancipatory potential of (increasingly) emaciated public places. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on return migration has tended to focus their analyses on two imagined places: a host country where they used to live, and an origin country where they must reintegrate after a long period of being away. This paper reveals how spaces within the city can undermine the reintegration of former migrants seeking to reestablish themselves in their home countries. Based on in-depth interviews with 25 Singaporean academics, we discuss how the priorities of globally oriented universities can impact the reintegration of highly skilled returnees within their home city. Specifically, this paper reveals how returnees face the challenge of negotiating two conflicting demands upon their return home. As academics, they must adhere to the needs of their fast-changing universities, where the pressures of world rankings demand "global impact" through research and publications. Yet, as Singaporean citizens, they also face expectations to fulfill the responsibilities of being "home" in their city, juggling calls for national service and community outreach among local university faculty. We examine the conflict between these two demands as an understudied factor that shapes migration flows into Asia's global cities. • Spaces within the city can undermine the reintegration of highly skilled returnees. • Singaporean returnees must perform in line with their global universities • They also face expectations to contribute to their home city as returning citizens • Such conflicting demands push them to either remigrate to other countries or leave academia for other careers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, makerspaces and FabLabs have proliferated in urban settings. Such venues provide shared workspace, (digital fabrication) tools, and knowledge, lowering the barriers for citizens to engage in DIY (Do It Yourself), and the design and building of artefacts. In recent years, scholars have hailed the return of small-scale manufacturing, independent craft production and making practices to cities. This shift is by some seen as pre-figuring a more progressive and inclusive discourse on urban development, one that is attentive to local communities' productive needs and opportunities, and that moves us away from the hitherto dominant consumption-centred paradigm of the creative city (Carr & Gibson, 2016; Grodach, 2017; Grodach et al., 2017). Drawing on empirical data collected in Turin in 2021, the paper investigates how and under what conditions community-led spaces centred on making may hold potential as sites of urban vitalism, reconfiguring production and consumption in more democratic, inclusive and sustainable ways. The findings consider a number of emerging tensions, relating to questions of regulating open access, managing community participation, and negotiating project-based versus changing habitual practices. • The paper considers the potential and limitations for sustainability transitions in open community-based spaces of making • It offers insights into how these spaces effect positive societal impacts through making • The paper considers a number of emerging tensions, relating to questions of open access regulation, community participation management, and project-based negotiation versus habitual practices change [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work rethinks the notion of urban vitalism—viewing cities as a collection of interwoven relationships constantly in flux—from children's perspectives. This is accomplished by firstly empirically examining children's perceptions of the changes in their urban slum environments and secondly, by theoretically enriching our understanding of urban vitalism by linking urban transitions to the discourses that inform urban vitalism—smart, inclusive, resilient, and sustainable cities. The paper focuses on the perspectives of slum-dwelling children (9–12 years old) in San Jose del Monte City (Philippines), a city subject for conversion towards being "highly-urbanised". Through remote semi-structured conversations, children shared insights about the transformations of their urban spaces. Two key discussion points emerged from this study: firstly, urban transitions do not necessarily translate to vitalism for children as spaces important to children become subjects of displacement in urban transition; secondly, that the potentials of urban vitalism can be hampered if transitions detach young members of society from planning. Insights from this work suggest that children create their own urban imaginaries of a vital city, which contribute to a kaleidoscope of sources of urban vitalism. The paper concludes by reflecting on the implications of child-oriented urban vitalism for urban studies. • There is much to be understood about urban vitalism, transitions, and children when these three are examined together. • Urban transitions may not necessarily align with urban vitalism for a child-oriented perspective • The potentials of urban vitalism can be hampered if transitions detach young members of society from planning • Urban transitions can displace spaces important to children, hindering the visions of vitalism for them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informed by economic concepts of product competition, this paper uses publicly available and accurate business information on establishment names and addresses obtained from the Yellow Pages of the contemporary Hong Kong telephone book and census socio-economic data backed by oral testimonies, to dispel the myth that the "Kowloon Walled City" was an incarcerated ghetto. The use of this imagery in the title for this City as a built up, politically sensitive zone levelled to the ground to make way for a public Chinese garden shortly before Hong Kong was returned to China, is treated as a form of 'product differentiation' in the academic research marketplace. As a contribution to planning theory, the paper uses the City as a show case of how academic branding, through descriptors, creates images of places and offers a countervailing image. Technically, it demonstrates the immense archival value of telephone directories and business chronicles apart from census data as sources of socially significant data for urban studies and informed re-interpretation of subjective imageries of an urban place. • Challenge dark views of Kowloon Walled City with socio-economic statistics & oral testimonies • Refute representation of Kowloon Walled City as a dark prison • Project a bright picture of Kowloon Walled City [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many cities worldwide are making efforts to revitalize their downtowns. However, limited attention seems to be given to the evaluation of these redevelopment processes. The objective of this paper is to analyze the main impacts of downtown revitalization on urban spatial structure. Our case study is Bryan and College Station, two small-cities comprising a continuous urban area in central-east Texas, and we focus on downtown Bryan revitalization process. The evaluation is addressed from socio-economic and spatial perspectives, and the methodology is based on a comparative analysis of some key indicators. The performance of the indicators is compared in time (before and after the beginning of revitalization efforts) and also in different spatial scales. The results show an increase in land values, reversing the depreciation of downtown properties; however the effects on population and local economic activity indicators showed mixed results. After 15 years of efforts, downtown Bryan is undergoing a process of recovering its centrality but the resulting development pattern is spatially uneven until now. The paper ends with some recommendations regarding the evaluation of the revitalization efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that the Kwun Tong Promenade in Hong Kong is an exemplary case of government-driven commodification of public space. The waterfront public space was an integral part of the government's plan to redevelop the former industrial center into a new premier business district. Through document analysis, site observations and interviews, this paper seeks to examine how the government has driven commodification of the Promenade and to illustrate how the process was manifested both socially and spatially. It is clear from the findings that the Kwun Tong Promenade was developed and managed by the government primarily to attract investment and drive growth in the area, and, as a result, the voices and needs of the local communities were largely neglected. In addition to the decline in publicness of the public space, the government-driven commodification of the Promenade also led to the exacerbation of uneven development across the rapidly transforming district. By examining the commodification of the Kwun Tong Promenade and highlighting its link to spatial injustice, this paper represents a call for more critical attention to government-driven public spaces as public space developments become increasingly complex and contested in different social, economic, and political contexts. • The Kwun Tong Promenade was largely developed by the government to drive urban redevelopment and attract investment. • Marginalized groups such as the residents and the creative community were neglected and excluded in the development process. • Government-driven commodification of the Promenade has led to its decline in publicness and exacerbated spatial injustice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban stakeholders have divergent interests in the use of public space in cities and should be considered in city-planning of urban freight. This paper explores Swedish urban stakeholder's interests in the use of public space. A literature review on Urban Freight Stakeholders (UFSs) with direct impact on city-planning, and their interest' in the use of public space was conducted and used as a theoretical foundation in a cross-case analysis of two Swedish cities. Forty-five semi-structured interviews, and forty-one answers from a multiple-choice question were used as empirical data in the evaluation of UFSs' interests. The paper shows that interests' of UFSs which contribute to attractive urban environment should be considered in city-planning of urban freight. In addition, policies on road safety, decoration of the city environment and pricing the use of public space in cities need to be developed at local authorities. The paper confirms property owners as UFSs with similar accessibility and service interests as local authorities in the city-planning of urban freight. The literature review of published research and a cross-case analysis of Swedish UFSs' interests in public space in two cities provides insights for further development of research to enrich theory and city-planning of urban freight. • UFS with service and economic interests that contribute to an attractive city environment should be prioritized in city-planning of urban freight. • Local authorities should develop policies on pricing-out the use of public space, and about the use of public space for decoration. • Carriers and food-trucks should be assigned fixed spaces, and considered in city-planning of urban freight. • Property owners are UFS due to economic and accessibility interests, considered in city-planning of urban freight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Positive sentiments towards urban green spaces (UGS) unequivocally increased worldwide amid COVID-19. In contrast, this paper documents that views on mobility restrictions applicable to UGS are of a contested nature. That is, while residents unambiguously report positive sentiments towards UGS, they do not share views on how to administer access to UGS—which is a matter of public policy. These contesting views reflect opposite demands that managers of UGS had to balance during the pandemic as they faced the challenge of reducing risk of spread while providing services that support physical and mental health of residents. The empirical analysis in this paper relies on views inferred through a text classification algorithm implemented on Twitter messages posted from January to October 2020, by urban residents in three Latin American countries—Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico—and Spain. The focus on Latin America is motivated by the documented lack of compliance with mobility restrictions; Spain works as a comparison point to learn differences with respect to other regions. Understanding and following in real-time the evolution of contesting views amid a pandemic is useful for managers and city planners to inform adaptation measures—e.g. communication strategies can be tailored to residents with specific views. • Amid COVID-19, social media showcased contesting views on mobility restrictions applicable to UGS. • Contesting views on regulation of access hold together with unambiguous increase in positive sentiments towards UGS. • These views reflect residents' stands with respect to how UGS should be used during a pandemic event. • Social media provides unstructured information to design and communicate adaptation measures in real-time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban mobility plays a key role in any modern society. The advent of digital platforms and dedicated mobile apps, as well as new business models based on the concept of access over ownership and sharing economy (sharing mobility and Mobility as a Service), promises to reshape this sector. It will facilitate and speed up the diffusion of more sustainable and efficient means of transportation based on an intermodal mobility management perspective. The main goal of this paper is to examine the current state of smart mobility together with those factors that may influence the extent of modern sharing mobility proliferation and penetration through ICT applications and social media. The authors applied the content analysis using a sample of more than 1000 citizens' and visitors' reviews published on the official digital platforms of the smart city of Milan. The paper includes a comparison with data drawn from the public urban mobility services users. Based on the nodes resulting from the content analysis, the STEEP method was adopted in order to apply a more complex perspective concerning social, technological, environmental, economic and political issues. This strategic analytical tool was combined with the SWOT analysis dimensions to provide a comprehensive practical contribution to modern municipal smart mobility management systems. The results highlight the need for both smart mobility solutions suppliers and institutions to properly understand and communicate how digital services can be implemented across different users' touchpoints and communication channels to increase the value-added provided to citizens and visitors alike. • Urban mobility services assessment in a smart city context • Analyses of digital platforms and mobile apps for sharing mobility services • Content analysis and Network analysis of the reviews of mobility services' users • Multilevel approach based on the integration of STEEP and SWOT analyses • Theoretical contribution and strategic insights for policy-makers [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban streets, especially curbside spaces, are increasingly complex and often contested. The Coronavirus pandemic created a new demand for street space to enable physical distancing. The urgency of the pandemic and the fear of covid exposure suspended traditional community engagement opportunities, opposition from residents and business owners, and considerations over the privatization of public street space. This exploratory paper uses the case studies of Toronto and Chicago to trace the past and present regulations and programs affecting curbside parking spaces. Through these cases, this paper addresses larger questions that relate the historical conceptions around curbside parking use with those put forward in response to the pandemic. Given the popularity of pandemic-related curbside space programs and their potential to become long-term interventions, this paper also raises several questions around privatization, access and social equity that must be addressed in future iterations of programs affecting curbside space. • Cities are rapidly reimagining curbside space as a result of the pandemic. • Cities are reducing barriers to accessing curbside parking space by eateries. • Shifts in curb space use raise questions around privatization, access and social equity. • Long-term curb space interventions need to be more equitable and public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The public participation process in the renovation of urban villages should not only ensure procedural justice but also guide the affective integration of residents. This paper explores the public's perception of the participation space and the process of affective construction based on a visual study of the Luofeng village renovation in Guangzhou. The aim is to elucidate how the space can be employed to create an affective atmosphere as a strategy for the renovation. The study reveals that participants focused on visual symbols carrying the narrative of daily life, evoking a positive emotional response to these elements. The public participation space successfully establishes a homey atmosphere and achieves the affective reproduction of residents through the creation of its physical environment, residents' embodied practices within it, and negotiated interactions among different subjects. Drawing on the case study, we advocate for the public participation process in urban village renovation to consider residents' embodied affective experiences. It provides a practical model that surpasses mere representation, with the intention of offering a reference for sustainable urban renewal. • The renovation of urban villages needs the affective integration of the residents. • Affective atmosphere creation provides a strategy for public participation. • Residents focus on the visual symbols that carry the narrative of everyday life. • To provide a practical pattern of public participation for urban renewal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With a global commitment to leave no one behind, cities can design and execute programs and plans aimed at enhancing the rights of all to the city. Yet, the vulnerable, including low-income migrants are subject to socioeconomic marginalization. Based on interviews with 38 head porters and their translocal networks, this study examined the influence of translocality on migrant's female head porters' "right to the city" using the Central Business Area of Kumasi as a case study. The paper found that female head porters leveraged their translocal relations to produce and enjoy the benefits of the city. Translocal networks enhanced their right to create and be employed, rights against abuse, civic participation, creation and access to public spaces, and healthy and sustainable urban environment. This is far from exhaustive, but it thus demonstrates how translocal networks enhance access to the "right to the city" among the vulnerable. It is suggested that migrants' fruitful translocal linkages may be further promoted by city authorities as resources for migrants' integration and rights to the city. While this may facilitate synergy effects and collaboration between citizens such as migrants and authorities, it does not exempt city authorities from actively supporting migrants through specifically designed policies and actions. • The vulnerabilities of migrant female head porters hinder their inclusion in cities. • Through solidarity, they leverage on their translocal ties to participate in cities. • Translocal networks gave head porters clout to be inclusive in the city. • Translocal networks provide the migrants' access to essential services • Effective collaboration is necessary to promote migrants "right to the city". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green space accessibility affects housing prices, which is an issue that has been underappreciated. This paper takes Beijing's central urban area as an example. First, the Gaussian-based two-step floating catchment area (G2SFCA) method is used to measure four levels (community green space, subdistrict green space, district green space, and municipal green space) of green space accessibility by multiple travel modes (walking, cycling and driving). Second, the spatial error model (SEM) is used to examine the factors influencing housing prices. Finally, the geographically weighted regression (GWR) model is introduced to explore the spatial relationship between green space accessibility by walking, cycling and driving and housing prices. The results show the following: (1) The SEM shows that only driving accessibility has a positive spatial spillover effect on housing prices, indicating that the spatial inequity of local community green spaces by driving will exacerbate surrounding spatial inequity. (2) The GWR model shows that from the perspective of walking and driving accessibility, most areas within the Second Ring Road show spatial equity in green spaces, while cycling accessibility shows that the spatial inequity of green space exists only outside the Second Ring Road. (3) We find that municipal green space and subdistrict green space most affect the spatial equity of green spaces. Community green space, which is not open to the public, plays a minimal role. Regarding walking and driving accessibility, municipal green space increases the spatial equity of green spaces. In contrast, this type of green space can promote the spatial equity of green spaces regarding cycling accessibility. This study can significantly improve the quality of urban settlements in the Global South and has important implications for policy-makers, planners, and stakeholders in other large cities worldwide to create green and liveable cities. • We investigated green space accessibility impact on housing prices • G2SFCA was used to measure green space accessibility for multiple travel modes • Driving accessibility had positive spatial spillover effect on housing prices • Driving and cycling green space accessibility had opposite effect on housing prices • Our results provided guidance and example for other developing countries megacities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Colonialism's lasting impact on contemporary African cities has been firmly established – yet the ways in which colonial planning practices affected walkability, in particular urban permeability in contemporary morphologies, have been largely unexplored. High urban permeability supports livelihoods, particularly for the urban poor, and is needed for a transition towards more walkable cities. Through the mapping of three cities in East Africa, this paper demonstrates that cities in which indigenous planning practices were able to resist colonial planning practices, the emergent urban form has smaller urban blocks and higher urban permeability. As existing policy measures on walkability largely avert improvement of urban permeability, this study suggest a reassessment of those policies. • The area weighted average block perimeters for Kampala, Mombasa Nairobi are 1680 m, 1908 m and 2742 m; • The overall urban permeability in Mombasa, Nairobi and Kampala is low in a global comparison; • Indigenous spatial planning practices had a positive impact on contemporary walkability; • Colonial spatial practices persist in contemporary cities and continue to segregate neighbourhoods; • Curiously, cities with less public space correlated to a higher degree of permeability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper makes tourism an optic to explore intricacies of production of space and how it shapes and provides a form to a city. Taking the case of Dharamshala, a small town in the state of Himachal Pradesh, this city profile discusses how administrative decisions have focused on transforming the city and imagines morphing it into a global tourist destination. This paper draws attention toward how cities thrust on certain areas as unique selling points through place branding, destination marketing and management to mark their presence on the global map as well as hope to improve economic potentialities to steer urbanization. Such imaginations not only galvanize new areas of economic activities but also change social, economic and political geography of a city. Myopic planning propels immense construction, often 'unauthorized' and 'illegal' in the absence of adequate policy and estimation of required resources. On the other side, citizens aspire to enhance employment opportunities and create a business ecosystem. Such aspirations and projections knit and cast dual-interfaced tourism urbanization that co-produce space in cities. Amidst all these activities, the city acquires a form which is antithetical to the imaginations of a vibrant and sustainable tourist city. • Tourism an optics to explore intricacies of the production of space • Small towns develop their unique selling points to promote economies. • Cities and towns grow in-between state initiatives and aspirations of citizens. • Uncontrolled and unregulated growth places enormous strain on municipal amenities. • Practices of citizens and inability of state produce an urban form i.e. , growing haphazardly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]