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What characterizes the ideal urban futures that are envisioned and promulgated within smart city initiatives today? This paper argues for the usefulness of utopia as a lens to examine contemporary urban development projects, specifically smart cities. Drawing on scholars upholding utopianism as key for critical scholarship, the paper explores narratives around smartness in Stockholm, Sweden, and the utopian logics embedded within these narratives. Based on an in-depth case study in Stockholm, the research points to utopian logics of visibility , predictability and controllability within smart city initiatives. These further point to a common tendency where planning is sought perfected–and believed to approach perfection through the supplantation of human planners by smart technologies. As urban planning is faced with pressing urban challenges and dwindling resources, "mere" brain capacity largely appears as too limited and as necessary to compliment with computerized intelligence. • Using utopia as a lens, this paper explores the smart city initiative in Stockholm and the idealized futures it promotes. • Methodologically, the paper draws on extensive empirical research conducted using "Utopia as Method." • The paper points to "smart Stockholm" being characterized by utopian logics of visibility , predictability and controllability. • Together, these point to a tendency where planning is sought perfected through the integration of computerized intelligence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the Lifestyle for Environment (LiFE) initiative, a pioneering approach initiated by India to propel sustainable urban development through targeted behavioural change. Positioned at the nexus of individual action and urban sustainability, LiFE underscores the potential of integrating lifestyle adjustments into the broader urban planning and policy-making framework. By examining the initiative's evolution from a grassroots movement to a key element of government policy, this paper highlights its innovative strategies aimed at promoting eco-friendly living and its significant impact on urban environments. Through case studies and an analysis of the initiative's alignment with global sustainability goals, we reveal how LiFE complements existing urban agendas by focusing on the micro-level actions of individuals and communities. This paper contributes to the discourse on sustainable urbanization by showcasing the critical role of behavioural change in achieving urban sustainability goals, thereby offering insights into the formulation of more holistic and effective urban policies. Significantly the paper articulates how LiFE's principles, through enhancing global policies and harnessing the power of technological advancements within the Smart Cities agenda, herald a new paradigm in urban sustainability efforts. • The LiFE initiative emphasizes individual behavioral changes over infrastructural reforms to promote urban sustainability. • The concept originated as a grassroots movement in India and has evolved into a significant element of governmental policy on environmental sustainability. • Case studies, such as the eco-village of Piplantri, demonstrate how individual and community actions can significantly contribute to sustainability goals. • LiFE strategically complements Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG 11) and the New Urban Agenda by focusing on micro-level actions that bridge the gap between policy intentions and tangible outcomes. [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]

The acceleration of urban imagery data analysis, driven by computer vision (CV), has created noteworthy opportunities for urban studies and planning. Data on street environments with high granularity derived from geo-tagged street views allow urban researchers to obtain geospatial data on greenery, pavement materials, and dimensions, building facades, urban furniture, lighting, vehicle presence, etc. However, how such attributes have been classified and used to address urban studies, planning, or mobility questions remains relatively poorly understood among non-technical researchers. Targeting urban planning and design researchers who do not have a background in CV, this paper reviews planning-relevant attributes that CV approaches of urban streetscapes have delivered to date and examines some of their research applications. We present a systematic analysis of 146 papers scrutinizing 104 street attributes in four groups. By exploring a subcollection of 24 papers, we discuss the effectiveness of those attributes being incorporated into current quantitative urban studies. This study's primary contribution lies in providing a comprehensive summary of CV-driven street attributes, their applications, and the algorithms used, serving as a valuable resource for future urban research. Additionally, we identify key challenges in this field, such as unclear definitions of attributes, a disproportionate emphasis on selecting models and features, and the absence of standardized measurement and definition methods. Furthermore, we offer recommendations for future research directions in this area. • We review 104 street attributes collected with computer vision in urban studies • We summarize 23 chosen attributes' correlations with known urban design measures • We provide a table of CV-driven street attributes with model details, references, and impacts • We highlight challenges in attribute definitions, research focus, and impact clarity • We provide recommendations for standardizing data and future research [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over recent years, and as a result of the recent global health pandemic, resilience has become increasingly central to contemporary policy discourses in urban planning and development in both the Global North and Global South. Drawing from ongoing empirical studies of community resilience and everyday practices that have been co-designed and co-produced alongside Brazilian marginalised communities which are highly vulnerable to a range of natural hazards, this paper highlights the growing importance of dialogical stakeholder engagement methodologies in designing alternative urban visions – so-called resilience imaginaries or counter-cities - across the Global South based on social diversity, equity and spatial justice. More specifically, the dialogical participatory mapping approach outlined in this paper utilises citizen science approaches to develop local resilience imaginaries, building on the pedagogical work of Brazilian educator Paulo Freire and the conceptualisation of dialogue as a comprehensive and progressively unfolding methodological approach. Practically, we adopted a range of community engagement approaches that allowed local citizens to become more aware of their own risk context and embed this tacit knowledge into the operation of civil protection programmes. Our empirical results highlight the potential of such dialogical participatory approaches to capture lay knowledge from local citizens and contribute to the development of enhanced resilience approaches. The paper concludes by reflecting on the role of formerly marginalised voices in the advancement of local urban policy and on the novelty and promise of critical pedagogical approaches to co-production within existing regimes of urban governance and the imagining of radically independent counter-cities. • Novel community engagement approaches based on dialogue allow local citizens to become more aware of their own risk context. • The process of geospatial data production can be a transformative moment capable of nurturing enhanced community resilience. • Dialogical participatory mapping is a method for re-imagining future city-visions. • Western resilience scholarship needs learn from emerging resilience building grounded practices in the Global South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an urbanized world, the challenges posed by climate change need to be met through innovative planning for cities and regions. Urban resilience demands that cities adopt new models centered on carbon neutrality, ecosystem services and biodiversity enhancement, circularity, and social inclusion. In light of the multiple interdependencies of metropolitan systems and the natural and territorial potentialities present on their fringes, this paper discusses the metropolitan fringes as strategic for urban resilience and sustainable transitions. By combining a mixed-method analysis of adaptation and urban plans with semi-structured interviews performed with key technicians, the analysis is focused on an inter-municipal fringe zone within the Barcelona Metropolitan Area - the Besòs territory. Aiming to contribute to the discussions related to Territorial innovation for cities and regions, the paper offers a multi-scale perspective and illustrates innovative urban transformation strategies across scales. The results highlight that governance and multiple planning and participation instances together with technical and financial support are essential for consensus building in an incremental process. Furthermore, the planning strategies of the case study sought to integrate and enhance the green and blue infrastructures and transform consolidated urban areas with a focus on energy transition, sustainable mobility, circularity, and social inclusion. In conclusion, it is argued that resilience has a multi-scalar perspective within the metropolitan context and should be integrated with planning policies at different scales from a coordinated vision. Although adaptation and urban projects have a critical local element, a broader and more strategic vision is necessary, especially in metropolitan fringe areas. • Although adaptation and resilience have an essential local element, a broader and more strategic vision is necessary. • Metropolitan planning and governance towards urban resilience must have a multi-scalar perspective. • Metropolitan fringes are key to urban resilience and sustainable transitions due to their environmental and urban attributes. • A coordinated metropolitan vision with technical and financial support is vital for sustainable urban transitions in fringe areas. • The intermediate scale is critical since it represents a bridge between supra-municipal instances and municipalities. [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]

Ease of mobility within a city is one of the essential aspects of urban planning. Quality of pedestrian mobility is the key to attain liveability and inclusivity in a city. However, the gender lens towards understanding the mobility patterns of women and young girls is largely missing from the urban planning process. Due to this exclusion, the majority of Indian cities are not gender friendly. To address this issue, this study tried to propose a 3 step framework for mitigating gender safety issues while a woman walks in a city. The 3 steps involve identifying the key elements of pedestrian mobility; quantitatively evaluating the qualitative parameters; and visual analysis for validating the major issues. This paper presents a pilot study conducted in the city of Kanpur, India. The research was initiated by conducting focus group discussions among 23 participants to map their typical movement patterns and identify 6 key elements of pedestrian mobility. Subsequently, the study conducted a net promoter score (NPS) survey among 423 participants to gauge the safety perception levels on each of the 6 key elements against 5 deduced qualitative parameters via literature review. NPS is a user satisfaction measurement tool which is based on the user perception used by companies and brands. Since urban safety is largely to do with perception, a NPS metric is employed. Further, the paper employed heatmap analysis and derived 3 critical areas based on gender safety perception to deep dive i.e. accessibility and lighting at sidewalks; lack of lighting at underpass; and absence of street furniture at bus stops. Visual analysis was undertaken to understand and validate the respective safety perceptions. The NPS score and visual analysis helped to generate actionable recommendations to enhance the safety perception of women in the city, especially pertaining to pedestrian mobility. • Mobility and pedestrian movement pattern helps to identify gaps in gender sensitive urban planning. • Net Promoter Score (NPS) can also be applied to gauge the safety perception levels in urban areas. • Etic and emic visual analysis can help in diagnosing the issues better than armchair research. • Gender concerns in urban areas can be dealt both qualitatively and quantitatively using mixed methods. • Participatory approach is key to attain social sustainability in urban areas wrt gender safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding the evolution of the urban spatial structure is of great significance for clarifying the stage and trajectory of urban development and formulating future urban development plans. Given that previous studies have marginally explored the long-term evolution of the urban employment spatial structure, this paper proposes a theoretical model hypothesizing five sequential stages of a complete evolution cycle from the perspective of mono- and polycentricity: mono-centralization, main-centralization, multi-centralization, de-centralization and re-centralization. Further empirical results based on 292 prefecture-level cities in China from 1997 to 2017 support the model and demonstrate that most cities present an evolution in line with the hypothesis, except a few cities experiencing short-term fluctuations, and approximately 60 % of cities are in the stage of multi-centralization, where subcenters have a growth advantage, and the main center has a scale advantage. Additionally, this paper reveals two characteristics of the evolution of the urban employment spatial structure in China: spatiotemporal compression and government intervention. • Propose a theoretical evolutionary model of urban employment spatial structure. • Empirically test the theoretical model based on a sample of 292 prefecture-level cities in China from 1997-2017. • The evolution of the urban employment spatial structure in China gradually tends to be polycentric. • Spatiotemporal compression and government intervention are features of China's urban employment spatial structure evolution. [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]

Ecological Urbanism and Water Sensitive Urban Design have a central contribution to make in protecting and caring for people, nature and water in cities but readings of Urban Political Ecology evidence how ecological metaphors in urban design can easily translate into discriminatory urban development processes. This paper posits that for UPE to become meaningful for urban design practice, it is necessary to move beyond a critique. Instead, the insights of UPE should be pro-actively mobilized to develop a new vision of water sensitivity. The paper therefore identifies ways in which the key learnings of the critical social sciences, namely UPE, can be mobilized to support Water Sensitive Urban Design practice. How can ecological urbanists imagine new, more politically astute, forms of water sensitive living, charting design processes that not just recognize but also actively question and challenge uneven socio-ecological dynamics? In answering this question, the goal of this article is to make use of critique from UPE to influence Ecological Urbanists' goals and activate their political alignment with agendas that prioritize social equity. In imagining a new form of WSUD, we tried as much as possible not to over-instrumentalize UPE by rejecting the suggestion that some UPE 'lessons' or 'insights' could simply be inserted into ecological urbanism. On a different direction, we argue for a different emphasis in WSUD that does not deny the causes of current environmental degradation, pollution and depletion but, on the contrary, actively takes issue with and challenges the extractive and exploitative roots of contemporary urbanization processes. • Re-composition of Ecological Urbanism and WSUD is needed. • WSUD needs to actively challenge the extractive and exploitative roots of urbanization. • Critical designs will become more controversial and contested. • Designers are/should be mediators and activists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Fifth Session of the UNEA-5 defines Nature-based Solutions (NbS) as "actions to protect, conserve, restore, sustainably use and manage natural or modified terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine ecosystems, which address social, economic and environmental challenges effectively and adaptively, while simultaneously providing human well-being, ecosystem services and resilience and biodiversity benefits". A large number of the EU HORIZON 2020 research program projects include the implementation of NbS in urban settings. The proGIreg project implemented several NbS for urban regeneration with and for citizens in its Living Lab in the city of Turin (Italy), among others. Focusing on the NbS of urban forestry, this paper addresses the following question: where can NbS be implemented within the city, in order to maximize their social impact? To achieve this goal, by identifying neighborhoods in need of NbS implementation, the 3–30-300 rule proposed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) was adopted and implemented, taking greater account of environmental and social characteristics. The paper also proposes an index to identify neighborhoods of the city that could have precedence in the implementation of NbS. The results highlight 10 neighborhoods where there is a high need of NbS implementation. • Nature-based Solutions (NBS) can contribute significantly in adapting urban environments to climate change. • Where to localize the implementation of NBS in cities is a highly political process, which requires a critical perspective. • A multidimensional and multiscalar context-based approach is required in identifying areas that need precedence in NbS implementation. [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]

Impacted by the compounding effects of climate change and urbanization, cities are facing a panoply of risks that threaten their sustainability. Recognizing the potentially catastrophic ramifications of inaction, local governments are increasingly involved in resilience-building activities that are informed by a vast body of research related to different socio-economic, environmental, and institutional aspects of urban planning and design. However, despite its significant impacts on growth and evolution of cities, limited research exists on how urban form can enhance resilience by increasing the abilities to plan for, absorb, recover from, and adapt to adverse events. As a step towards filling this gap, this paper explores how meso-scale urban form elements can affect urban resilience. This is done through synthesizing theoretical and empirical evidence reported in the literature. The focus is on morphological parameters related to the following urban form elements: neighborhoods, blocks, lots, and open spaces. Results show that existing evidence is mainly related to the associations between 'neighborhood density, size and configuration of open spaces, and land use mix' and resilience to 'climate change impacts', 'earthquakes', 'social issues', and 'resource scarcity'. There is also considerable evidence on the association between design of blocks/lots and resilience in terms of climate change adaptation/mitigation and adaptability to changing circumstances. The analysis also shows that each element influences and is influenced by other elements in the urban system and different elements should not be studied in isolation and the interplay between them should be considered. Existing evidence on conflicts is mainly related to density, but measures related to other elements may also involve conflicts. The paper concludes with a set of recommendations for future research towards improving resilience of urban form at the meso-scale. • The linkages between meso-scale urban form and resilience are explored. • Studied elements are neighborhoods, blocks, lots, and open spaces. • Existing evidence is mainly related to density, land use mix, and open spaces. • To develop optimal urban forms, synergies and trade-offs between different elements should be considered. • Further empirical evidence on the links between meso-scale urban form and resilience is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Different types of high-rise residential buildings have proliferated in different countries at least since the 1940s, for a range of reasons. This paper aims to provide an overview of the current state of evidence on how planning, urban design and architectural aspects of high-rise residential buildings may influence social well-being and mental health. A systematic review following the PRISMA guidelines was conducted. Searches for peer-reviewed papers were conducted in MEDLINE, Embase, PsycInfo, Scopus, SciELO, and Web of Science; 4100 papers were assessed. 23 empirical studies published between 1971 and 2016 were included. The review found that house type, floor level, as well as spaces intrinsic to high-rise residential buildings (e.g. shared stairwells) are associated with social well-being and mental health. However, conceptual gaps and methodological inconsistencies still characterise most of the research in this field. We expect that research about and policy attention to this subject may intensify due to its strategic relevance in the face of global challenges such as increasing urbanization and loneliness. This paper concludes by highlighting a number of recommendations for future research. • House type, floor level, and spaces intrinsic to high-rises are associated with social well-being and mental health. • Most research shows methodological problems and lack of conceptual consensus. • Cross-national research and studies in cities in the Global South are needed. • There is a lack of studies on positive mental health. • Mediators, moderators and confounding variables need to be studied conjointly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The debate on the role of urban agriculture in the sustainable city discourse remains unresolved in the conventional literature. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to review relevant literature to clarify the role of urban agriculture in sustainable cities. The search for literature was guided by themes such as: a) urban agricultural practices, b) indicators for the measurement of sustainable cities, c) economic, social and environmental benefits of urban agriculture, and d) negative effects of urban agriculture on the city. The results from a synthesis of the literature indicate that urban agriculture supports the economic, social and environmental sustainability of cities. However, if the discussion gives credence to only the economic dimension of sustainability, then urban agriculture loses the debate. This is because the economic benefits of prime city land that is used used for non-agricultural purposes (such as commercial or industrial) is profound. However, the social and environmental functions of responsible urban agriculture, particularly in reducing the rift between urbanisation and nature, may be difficult to quantify. These social and environmental functions underscore the importance of urban agriculture in the city landscape. The paper concludes by arguing that focussing on only economic sustainability in the urban agriculture-sustainable city discourse is a travesty of the idea of sustainable development. The paper presents practical steps that can be taken to preserve agriculture in cities towards their sustainability. • The role of urban agriculture in the sustainable city discourse is unresolved. • The paper aims to clarify this through a review of literature across the globe. • The paper's conceptual framework is based on the tripartite view of sustainable development. • The roles are profound if the discussion focusses on the tripartite dimension of sustainable development. • The paper outlines measures that can ensure the sustenance of urban agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The policy assemblage approaches offer productive ways to understand how actors, institutions, and discourses interact to steer policies in different directions and produce new meanings and relations in society. However, they are disadvantaged by the lack of productive methodologies. This study addresses this gap by introducing the method of 'constructive juxtaposition' and engaging with an interdisciplinary approach to studying policy assemblages. This method facilitates a critical engagement in a single study, with, on the one hand, intended or unintended outcomes of policies or related instruments and, on the other hand, the understanding of the ways in which those outcomes are (re)produced in interplays between actors, institutions, and discourses in given contexts. The method of 'constructive juxtaposition' brings these two, often separate, research agendas into a productive dialogue. Building on the approaches and techniques of 'studying through' or 'following' policies, this method is based on the assumption that researching and exploring both sides of juxtaposition simultaneously bring a more comprehensive understanding of policy assemblages. By applying this method, this paper demonstrates how 'European city' ideals are produced in the interplay between actors, institutions, and discourses in the processes of implementation of the European Union's initiatives for designating common European heritage. • The policy assemblage approaches lack productive methodologies. • This paper introduces 'constructive juxtaposition' as a new policy assemblage method. • This paper unpacks policy assemblages related to the European Union's heritage agendas. • The European Union's initiatives for common European heritage make 'European city' ideals. • 'European city' ideals play important roles in urban planning and reconstruction projects. [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]

Urban rail transit (URT) is under accelerated construction worldwide, which exerts important effects on the ridership of existing stations. However, few studies evaluated the determinants of station ridership considering the development of URT system. By employing the spatial difference-in-differences (SDID) model, this paper evaluates the impacts of a new line on the ridership of existing stations and analyzes its spatial heterogeneity. Combined with a geographically weighted regression (GWR) model, an interaction analysis is performed to understand the spatial variations of the impacts of the new line and surrounding land use on the ridership of existing stations. The results show that the operation of a new line can effectively share the ridership of existing stations and has spatial spillover effects. For different lines and different areas, the impacts can be heterogeneous. Additionally, the coordinated development of the new line and residential land accelerates the ridership growth of existing stations. Conversely, business development around the new line can attenuate the ridership of existing stations. The findings of this paper can help to make proactive planning of URT and provide policy implications for the integrated development of URT and surrounding land use. • Evaluates the impacts of a new urban rail transit line on the ridership of existing stations. • Explores the interaction effects of the new line and surrounding land use on the station ridership. • The operation of the new line can share the ridership of existing stations and has spatial spillover effects. • The interaction effects vary across the space. • Provides policy implications for the proactive planning of urban rail transit systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing upon recent post-political critiques on ineffective participation and urban planning, this paper reflects on the challenges facing participatory and collaborative planning in China's latest neighborhood regeneration practices. In 2017, Guangzhou launched a new micro-scale neighborhood regeneration program that shifted the discursive emphasis on participatory planning while China strives to create a new national image of a "people's city". This paper critically examines the implementation of old community renovation policies in 32 Chinese provinces and 776 neighborhood regeneration projects in Guangzhou. By examining the objectives and outcomes of legitimate power over participation, we uncover institutional conditions, implementation issues, and local responses in different participatory planning configurations. We found that a "co-production" model emerged in China, highlighting the role of institutionalized participatory planning activities. The conclusion is threefold: 1) Shared objectives in the emerging neighborhood regeneration discourse constitute legitimate power over participation in China's neighborhood regeneration; 2) The outcomes of legitimate power over participation are reflected in the local responses to the "co-production" activities; and 3) The "co-production" model—to produce planning schemes through co-design and joint-negotiation among multi-scalar actors including planners and residents—performs as an alternative to immature collaborative planning in China. Local governments can skillfully avoid direct confrontations with residents by introducing the function of community planners. These institutional arrangements of "co-production" have profoundly impacted the reshuffling of the state-society relationship in post-political China. While the implementation of China's latest neighborhood regeneration policy shows post-political risks in terms of depoliticized narratives, instrumentalized planning strategies, and technicized planning tools, we find "co-production" to be fruitful in promoting substantive participation and stimulating the accumulation of local knowledge. • An analytical framework to conceptualize the legitimate power of participation in China's emerging small-scale neighborhood regeneration program. • A response to the debate between two currents in the post-political context—consensus-oriented and conflict-based. • Critically examines the implementation of old community renovation policies in 32 Chinese provinces and the participatory planning practices of 776 projects in Guangzhou. • "Co-production" reflects both the objective and the outcome of legitimate power embodied in the neighborhood regeneration process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Population ageing is creating opportunities and challenges for many communities across the globe, as one in six people is expected to be older than 65 by 2050. Initiatives to develop age-friendly communities (AFC) have increased in popularity for more than two decades. While the physical environment and outdoor spaces are recognized as the core domain of the concept of AFC in the literature, most articles are published in the journals of ageing, gerontology, health and social policy and not in mainstream urban planning or design journals. The aim of the paper is to examine the spatial interventions and built-environment related discussions in the scholarly literature in the realm of AFC in the fields of landscape architecture and urban planning and identify gaps in the literature with the focus on spatial interventions. In addition, this paper aims to call urban planners and designers to action to be more engaged in the discussions and implementation of age-friendliness of communities. Findings suggest that urban planners and designers have the ability and power to contribute to the implementation of AFCs by raising awareness, changing attitude towards ageing issues, develop networks and collaboration, increase empathy, initiate and change policies, and put policies into action. [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]

Urban proximity planning is foreseen as a solution to foster a "sustainable" city, including economic viability, environmental soundness and social inclusivity. This paper focuses on the inclusivity aspects by questioning the adoption of urban proximities: how far planning for urban proximities resonates or conflicts with current residential preferences and practices? Based on functional, social, and sensitive attributes, five latent residential preferences have been identified: spatial proximity, tranquility, elitism, social proximity, and conviviality. These aspirations form the basis for a longitudinal, spatial, and clustering analysis. The results of the analysis, conducted on 2200+ respondents in Geneva, reveal characteristics in residential preferences. Firstly, preferences are stable over time, but malleable to changing circumstances. Secondly, some preferences show clear spatial distribution patterns when regressed with residential location choice. Thirdly, the gap between preferences and actual residential practices varies across morphological attributes. As a main result, the clustering analysis shows that 43 % of the population aspire more to tranquility than to functional proximity; and those aspiring for proximities (32 %) are the youngest and wealthiest. This questions the relevance of models of urban proximities as an inclusive solution – raising issues of generational divide, territorial segregation, and injunctive and targeted planning. • 43 % of the population prefers tranquility over functional proximity. • Those aspiring for proximities (32 %) are the youngest and wealthiest. • The preferences for Spatial Proximity and Conviviality are oriented inward. • Elitism and Social Proximity are spread across the territory. • Residential preferences are stable over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Greeneries contribute enormously to the health and physical wellbeing of individuals and sustainability of cities. This notwithstanding, greeneries in African cities have significantly declined over time. There have thus been several calls, notably, to plan for and create green cities by incorporating greeneries in homes and urban neighbourhoods. Achieving this requires local understanding, acceptance and positive attitudes of residents toward planning for and integrating greeneries in homes and the environment. There is however dearth of research in Ghana on the knowledge and willingness of households and city officials to plan for the creation of green cities as well associated barriers. This paper responds to this gap by employing the multi-case approach, comprising of two suburbs (a high- [Nhyiaeso] and low-income [Aboabo] neighbourhoods) in Kumasi, Ghana. A total of 380 households and various relevant city planning agencies were engaged in semi-structured interviews. The findings show considerable but variegate understanding of green cities, which is influenced by several factors such as study community, residency status, housing typology and educational attainment. Most households in both communities indicated their willingness to incorporate greeneries in homes and neighbourhoods. However, resource constraints, nonchalant attitude of some residents and poor maintenance practices, were reported as major barriers that impede the efforts to incorporate greens in homes and communities. Several recommendations are proffered. The study concludes that promoting and achieving the benefits of green cities can be shaped by the knowledge of it; hence, the need to consciously and continually educate households on their importance. • Greeneries contribute enormously to health and physical wellbeing of individuals. • There is considerable but variegate understanding of green cities. • Perception of individuals shape attitudes toward greening homes. • Residents showed willingness to incorporate greens in homes and neighbourhoods. [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]

Urban policies financed in the framework of the European Cohesion Policy are a privileged area for the study of the Gender Mainstreaming (GM) due to the gender European rules and to the importance of the European Union in urban development. The aim of this paper is to validate an instrument for the systematic measurement of the application of the GM tool, and to evaluate the implementation of GM in Spanish urban policies financed by the EU. For this purpose, based on previous measurements and analysis, a specific methodological tool has been elaborated and applied to the 89 urban intervention projects implemented in Spanish big cities in the framework of the URBAN I, URBAN II, URBANA, and ISUD (Integral and Sustainable Urban Development) calls for proposals (1994–2020). The results reflect a sectorial orientation in the application of the GM. Moreover, we observed a more significant implementation of the strategy in the direction setting dimensions and a scarcer integration in the actor-oriented dimensions. The dimensions' scores could reflect the classic difficulties for actor-oriented dimensions in urban policy design and the effect of the EU's lack of clarity about gender equality on a multi-level governance policy. • Validates a tool to measure Gender Mainstreaming in urban projects. • Direction-setting and actor-oriented dimensions of urban policies apply to the integration of Gender Mainstreaming. • Limited integration of Gender Mainstreaming in Spanish urban projects (1994-2020) for actor-oriented dimensions. • The European Union and national level play a relevant role in gendering local policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chaotic post-socialist suburbs need retrofitting through planning a system of local centres. The paper is aimed at recognizing the orientation of recent suburban planning in Poland through a focus on centres and identifying conditions for and examples of a proactive approach to planning local centres. The hierarchy of centres and the set of functions assigned to them is important since it could prevent the dispersion of public facilities and strengthen the potential of higher-order centres. Documents subjected to analysis encompassed spatial policies of 27 suburban municipalities included in the Functional Area of Warsaw. The Polish spatial planning system neglects centres as a category of functional, economic, and social space, leaving municipalities complete freedom in planning them. The study proved that a system of local centres should become an urban planning standard since it helps municipalities locate public functions more reasonably. A vision of local centre development is rarely based on rational premises. The Polish case shows that in outer suburbs, a proactive approach to LC planning that involves designing a desired future and then inventing ways to create that future state is still a long way off. • Chaotic post-socialist suburbs need retrofitting through planning a hierarchical system of local centres. • Service hierarchy corresponding to centre levels helps municipalities prevent the dispersion of economic potential. • The best arrangement of suburban local centres is a four-level order with local integration space as the lowest level. • The problem is that in Poland, the arrangement of local centres is rarely based on rational premises. • In post-socialist Poland, a proactive approach to local centre planning is still a long way off. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This review conducts a systematic analysis of a total of 90 Smart City articles from an urban context perspective based on the 'Urban Engagement and Impact Analytical Framework'. Many previous smart city reviews have been conducted through bibliometric analysis from a holistic viewpoint, finding the performance, trend and focused area of smart city research. Therefore, the principal objective of this review is to explore the gap in the adequacy of smart city research engagement with diverse urban contexts, to provide a smart urban environment focusing on Smart Urbanism. This paper highlights three principal aspects of each article; 1) Whose perspective that Smart City research mostly conducted by, 2) The depth of Urban context engagement conducted during Smart City development, 3) Which part of urban development is particularly affected by. These three dimensions are significant factors correlated to each other, that form healthy smart urbanism. By doing so, the findings from this review will lead the smart city research to a practical intervention in urban planning through engagement with the insightful urban contexts. This will offer a positive impact on developing a sustainable urban livelihood for the inhabitants by extending the view of the smart city development towards Smart urbanism within the urban context viewpoint. • In-depth urban contextual engagement is lacking in current Smart City research. • An Extension view of Smart City embracing balanced urban context is essential. • Taxonomy analytical framework is proposed for the review analysis. • The practical intervention urges for Smart City growth as urban planning. • Active engagement of scholars from architecture and urban planning is significant. [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]

Urban inequality is a highly complex and multidimensional phenomenon that involves several aspects, such as education, urban mobility, environment, technological or digital exclusion, food deserts, and inequalities in the distribution of urban facilities. Due to its impact on the living conditions of populations residing in the most deprived and unhealthy areas of cities, inequality in the distribution of urban public services is a particularly relevant issue. The measurement of urban inequality to discuss possible policy implications requires the synthesis of its sub-dimensions. Therefore, this paper applies the multicriteria method called ordered weighted averaging to evaluate the distribution of public goods in census tracts of the city of São Sebastião do Paraíso in Brazil. In particular, ordered weighted averaging, which allows the calibration of different degrees of non-compensability between sub-indicators and considers the heterogeneity of the census tracts, permits the evaluation of both positive and negative aspects of the studied phenomena. Two different composite indicators are calculated: the "Tax Index," which analyses the presence of public goods and the benefits in terms of property value and well-being that their presence generates, and the "Infrastructure Index," which examines the areas with the greatest lack of infrastructure. • Two composite indicators are constructed through ordered weighted averaging • The Infrastructure Index reveals priority areas for investment in public goods • The Tax Index shows which areas of the city benefit most from public goods • The indices form a mechanism for equitable allocation of public goods in the city • Taxes from the Fiscal Index fund public goods allocated by the Infrastructure Index [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a methodology for the development of urban energy balances, which has been applied to the city of Madrid for the last ten years and is consistent with the guidelines of the International Energy Agency. The methodology is structured into three major modules: energy imports into the municipality, energy generation from either internal or external sources, and final energy consumption. The paper shows results for the most recent year for which data are available, as well as historical series for the period 2006–2015. It also includes a comparison of the main energy indicators with the national situation. The experience acquired during the ten years performing the energy balance in Madrid served to improve both the greenhouse gases and the air pollutant emission inventories, keeping their consistent with the energy balance, as well as to diagnose the city's current energy situation. This assessment was used to define a series of policies, energy saving and diversification measures, collected in different municipal plans, with the aim of decreasing the external energy dependence and the energy consumption, thereby lowering greenhouse gases emissions. Maintaining the same methodology and updating the historical series each year also allowed tracking the city's energy policy, as well as the evolution of the main energy indicators (i.e. per capita consumption and energy intensity). The methodology could be replicated in other cities worldwide, yielding improvements in their urban emission inventories. • Methodology to develop municipal energy balances • Ten years of experience in its application to the city of Madrid • Breakdown of final energy consumption by source and activity sector • Importance of being consistent with the municipal atmospheric emission inventory • Municipal energy balance as a useful tool for decision-making [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper builds on two of the author's earlier pieces, and argues that Jane Jacob's most celebrated book was at its roots a form of NIMBYism and was thus regressive—the antithesis of any model of justice. The first half of the paper situates Jacobs in the now-familiar struggle with Robert Moses but also the bigger picture of redevelopment in mid-century Manhattan. The second half revolves around three aspects of Jacobs' approach to cities; the first is her focus on individual actors, the second a libertarian stance which argues that government was the problem, never the solution, and the third was a claim for universal principles (regarding, for instance, density and land-use), although these were not based upon any empirical evidence. In short, it is argued that while Jacobs was an admirable individual whose struggles have remained inspirational, it is a mistake to attempt to recycle her views in any type of urban design and to use her principles of neighborhood life as a model for how cities should evolve in the future. This is especially true of any considerations of how cities can be transformed into places that are more just. • The paper situated Jane Jacobs key ideas in the context of contemporary urban studies; • While her views seem to be common sense, they lack empirical support and are likely to contribute to gentrification; • The paper concludes that while her work has much to interest the contemporary reader, it is not a blueprint for a just city. [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 Given the ongoing "mobility turn" in social science research, a more comprehensive understanding of segregation is needed. Activity-space-based segregation studies have aroused renewed interests in geography and urban planning research. Most of the existing studies utilized the differences in spatial characteristics of people's actual activity space to identify the segregation among social groups. However, few studies have examined activity-space-based segregation in terms of individuals' potential activity space and the temporal variations in their segregation experiences. This paper aims to help fill these two research gaps by implementing an empirical study in Beijing. We examine the activity-space-based segregation of the residents of different types of housing in a Beijing suburb in terms of both actual activity space and potential activity space. We further investigate the temporal variations of the residents' segregation experiences during a week. A 7-day individual GPS tracking dataset, combined with the activity diary data and the socioeconomic attributes data of 422 participants is used for the study. The major finding is that residents of different types of housing in Beijing do experience activity-space-based segregation, while the characteristics of segregation vary with respect to actual activity space and potential activity space. Also, participants' segregation experiences varies between different days of the week. This paper offers some empirical evidence on enriching the understanding of activity-space-based segregation research as well as improving the understanding about social segregation among the residents of different types of housing in Chinese cities. It also generates some nuanced knowledge for future policy recommendations in a broad context. Highlights • Residents of different housing types in Beijing do experience activity-space-based segregation, while the characters of segregation varies in AAS and PAS. • The residents of affordable housing have both the smallest AAS and PAS on weekdays, which makes them the most isolated group. • With respect to the residents of market housing and institutional housing, they have relatively large AAS on weekdays while having relatively moderate PAS. • As for the residents of resettlement housing, their PAS are relatively large, although their AAS are small. • Significant differences in the extensity of both the AAS and PAS of the residents in different housing types can only be identified on weekdays. In weekends, differences in the extensity of the activity spaces are not significant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract An emerging literature recognizes cities as the optimal scale for food policy innovation, pointing to their pervasive emphasis on the adoption of a systemic approach to address the complex socio-ecological issues that have disrupted the internal metabolism of the food system. To date, however, no empirical effort has been made to identify the meanings and goals attributed to such an approach by municipal actors who are concretely involved with its implementation. To begin to fill this gap, this paper analyzes data (collected through a semi-structured questionnaire and a focus group) from 33 cities across the globe as part of a project that aimed to understand how a systemic approach to food is interpreted and applied in different urban contexts and, more broadly, whether there is a gap between food systems theory and practice. The analysis highlights a widespread emphasis on food policy integration and on the creation of an inclusive governance context but it also uncovers low levels of engagement by city governments with key food system actors operating at higher governance scales. As the paper concludes, there are substantial knowledge gaps that raise the need for a new research and policy agenda focused on the dialectical relationships between ordinary food practices and infrastructural transformations to enhance understanding of the role of food in place-making processes and to meet the challenge of systemic food change. Highlights • Adds empirical weight to ongoing theorizations of systemic approaches to food policy • Identifies tendency by cities to connect food with other complex systems and policy priorities • Examines the nature and functioning of multi-actor urban food governance contexts • Highlights lack of understanding by city food policy actors of the relational character of scale and place-making processes • Raises the need for a new interdisciplinary research agenda that engages planners, urban designers and social scientists [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This paper explores the influence of mining activities on towns in Ghana in order to appreciate their political economy and implications for urban planning. It first provides a historical account of the relations between mining activities and emergence of towns. Second, the legal environment informing the development or otherwise of mining towns is presented. Third, implications of mining induced towns on Ghana's urban planning are discussed. Using documentary review and empirical cases of selected mining towns, findings indicate that the political economic situation of Ghana's mining industry has produced and continues to shape affected intermediate towns in five ways: 1) some mining towns are experiencing relative growth, while others are slowly dying; 2) death or complete collapse of mining communities after mining boom 3) changed functions and local economy after mine operations are closed down; 4) emergence of new mining settlements resulting from new investments; and 5) resettlement communities resulting from displacement from the harmful effects of mine operations. These factors have implications for urban planning, and this paper proposes three entry points with implications for other developing countries: a space in Ghana's urban development policy for mining towns; a re-look at the content and focus of corporate social responsibilities of mining firms; and a functional link between growth of mining and urban planning. Highlights • The paper analyses the political economy of mining towns in Ghana. • It provides a historical account of the relations between mining activities and emergence of towns. • The legal environment for the development or otherwise of mining towns is analysed. • The implications of mining induced towns on Ghana's urban planning are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Cities worldwide are attempting to transform themselves into smart cities. Recent cases and studies show that a key factor in this transformation is the use of urban big data from stakeholders and physical objects in cities. However, the knowledge and framework for data use for smart cities remain relatively unknown. This paper reports findings from an analysis of various use cases of big data in cities worldwide and the authors' four projects with government organizations toward developing smart cities. Specifically, this paper classifies the urban data use cases into four reference models and identifies six challenges in transforming data into information for smart cities. Furthermore, building upon the relevant literature, this paper proposes five considerations for addressing the challenges in implementing the reference models in real-world applications. The reference models, challenges, and considerations collectively form a framework for data use for smart cities. This paper will contribute to urban planning and policy development in the modern data-rich economy. Highlights • We analyze and classify urban data use cases into four reference models. • We identify six challenges in transforming data into information for smart cities. • We give five considerations to address the challenges in implementing the models. • The challenges and considerations are based on four action research projects with government. • Our findings can aid urban planning and policy development in a data-rich economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The problem of employment access for the urban poor is often articulated across the urban-suburban divide in metropolitan areas, such that job opportunities concentrate in suburban areas, at a distance from areas of concentrated, racialized poverty in the inner city. The lack of public transit options that reasonably connect urban workers to suburban job opportunities only furthers this problem. However, transportation scholars have noted that a substantial population of the urban poor take this “reverse” commute. While these studies have grown knowledge on the characteristics of the reverse commuting population and their journey to work, they do not address, to the same extent, the demographic characteristics where reverse commuters live in the city and where they work in the suburbs. To learn more about the equity issues in the reverse commuting problem, this paper uses cluster analysis to develop typologies of commutes based on differences in key socio-demographic indicators between home (origin) and work (destination) geographies. This paper analyzes how commute patterns (intra-urban, suburb-city, etc.) and the number of jobs nested within these commute patterns, concentrate across socio-demographically defined commute typologies. Focus is given to how reverse commutes are distributed across these typologies. Reverse commutes constitute approximately 10% of all commutes in our sample and 10% of all primary jobs (the job that provides a worker the most income of all of their jobs) in the sample are accessed via reverse commute. The paper concludes with a number of transportation and social policy interventions that address issues facing particularly low-income, minority, reverse commuting workers. In light of the literature on metropolitan fragmentation, we recommend redistributive policies that build suburban, municipal accountability to urban, low-income reverse commuters. Highlights • Large numbers of workers take a reverse commute from city to suburb. • Many reverse commuters traverse socio-demographic disparity in the journey to work. • Policy should encourage suburban, municipal accountability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Local governments increasingly justify the hosting of mega-events because of their legacy value, assuming that all local residents benefit from those events. Yet, little attention has been paid to the distributive question of who benefits from the transport legacy left by those events. This paper reflects on the delimitation of transport legacies and its social impacts in terms of how such developments can reshape urban accessibility to opportunities. It analyses the transformation in the transport system of Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) in preparation for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympic Games. That transformation involved substantial expansion in public transport infrastructure, followed by cuts in service levels and a reorganization of many bus lines to streamline the transport system. The paper examines whether those recent changes have increased the number of people from different income levels who could access Olympic sports venues and healthcare facilities by public transport within 15, 30, 60 and 90 min. The analysis uses a before-and-after comparison of Rio's transport network (2014–2017) and a quasi-counterfactual scenario to separate the effects of newly added infrastructure from the reorganization and cuts of transport services. The results show that the infrastructure expansion alone would have increased the number of people who could access the Olympic sports venues, but it would have only marginally improved people's access to healthcare facilities. Nonetheless, the findings indicate that the streamlined bus system have offset the benefits of infrastructure investments in a way that particularly penalizes the poor. The analysis of both the implemented changes to the public transport network and the counterfactual scenario show that the accessibility benefits from the recent cycle of investments and disinvestments in Rio generally accrued to middle- and higher-income groups, reinforcing existing patterns of urban inequality. Highlights • Mega-events have the potential to catalyze substantial changes to the transport system of host cities • The evaluation of transport legacies needs to consider whether their benefits and burdens are distributed equitably • Benefits of transport infrastructure expansion were offset by the reorganization of bus lines in a way that penalizes the poor • Mega-events have brought little improvement to the transport conditions of poor peripheral urban areas in Rio de Janeiro • Transport legacy of Rio’s mega-events involved the violation of basic rights of local communities [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract The main objective of this paper was to examine patterns of growth and change in Sydney over the time period from 1981 to 2006. To achieve this aim, the paper took employment density as a structural dimension, and modelled the linear and interactive effects of this dimension in order to better understand the dynamics of urban spatial structure change in the Sydney metropolitan area. The estimation of the traditional negative exponential models of mono-centricity and poly-centricity indicated a polycentric pattern at the beginning and end of the study period. Employment density distributions, suggest a system of polycentric nodes of varying importance between 1981 and 2006. The legacy of this paper for the planning community is the importance of developing an evidence base, and application of concepts and advanced spatial techniques for urban spatial structure analysis. Highlights • Sydney had a polycentric structure at the beginning and end of the over the 25 year study period. • Employment density was clustered at relatively high levels over the study period, and high density areas were found across the metropolitan area – interspersed with low and medium density employment density. • The concentrations of employment in the core areas over the study period have reinforced the role of the CBD and inner areas to a level never before experienced in the urban history of this city. The key polycentric nodes outside the CBD only exert a minor influence on the employment surface of the Sydney metropolitan area. • Distance from the CBD, remains a key influence on how employment has been structured in the metropolitan area, but there are other metrics that also affect this distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the paper is to investigate how a blockchain-based platform for citizens' participation in urban planning should be developed adopting a Value Sensitive Design approach (VSD). VSD can be considered as an overarching methodological framework for new technologies development which takes into account moral and human values of all the direct and indirect stakeholders which might be impacted by the technology. By considering the perspectives of the different involved stakeholders, the paper specifically addresses the call for more research about blockchain-based services which adopts a human-centred approach instead of technocentric. The paper is based on the empirical analysis of a DApp called BBBlockchain which was specifically created with the purpose to improve citizens participation in urban planning decisions in two major residential development projects in Berlin, Germany. BBBlockchain is a proof of concept which is currently running on its own in-house test network but it can run on every EVM compatible blockchain. From the analysis of the information layer of participation, it can be argued that the most important values include transparency, inclusiveness and confidentiality. • Value Sensitive Design proved to be a good approach to develop a blockchain-based platform for citizens' participation in urban planning. • The most important values include transparency, inclusiveness and confidentiality. • Taking the perspective of the different involved stakeholders, the paper adopts a human-centred approach instead of technocentric. • Stakeholders' values should be incorporated into the design of the platform to enhance stakeholders' adoption. • Conflicts among stakeholders' values have emerged and they have been addressed through platform's design and implementation. [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]

The paper focusses on the concept of a smart city and its specific components in relation to size of the city. Smart cities are a topic whose key importance is being increasingly recognised across both academic disciplines and urban planning. The idea of a smart city is a dream of urban planners all over the world, and a subject of many research and business initiatives as well as policy debates. As cities vary considerably in size, it is important to ask if the size influences the level of selected indicators of smart cities. Our main presumption is that the development level of indicators of smart cities varies in cities of different size. Our scientific objective is to find a simple understandable model linking the categorical variable “city size” to a group of smart city indicators. Our data set contains 26 smart city indicators for 158 European smart cities, divided into two sizes: medium-sized cities and larger cities. We draw from the methodology of “European Smart Cities” elaborated by the Vienna University of Technology (Project ID: 314704 ) that classify European smart cities and smart city indicators by considering their size. Analysing the statistics by using decision tree modelling, we identify the most significant indicators of smart cities that can divide smart cities into size categories with impressive 96.2% correct classification. Besides excellent classification result based on real empirical data, several research results overturn common assumptions about smart cities. Based on the research results the paper also highlights intriguing future challenges in smart city research and policy development. Several research results have policy implications and might be useful for urban planners, policy representatives and decision makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current theories on commercial urban development are dominated by the concept of linearity, which does not adequately take into account the demands of adaptation posed by the pace of change in digital developments, a pace that stands in marked contrast to the pace of change in physical developments. In the hi-tech sector, platform ecosystems have been employed to accommodate innovation and change. This paper explores the potential application of platform ecosystem theory to the commercial urban development process, where there is now great uncertainty regarding the future economic implications and societal requirements of physical commercial space. The boundary conditions for value creation in platform ecosystems are as follows: modularity, standardisation, complementarity and connectivity. Each is explored through a survey of key actors in recently completed commercial urban developments. The analysis identifies significant differences in the capacity of public- and private-sector actors to promote the creation of platform ecosystems, particularly in the complementary actions of development participants. Applying an approach to urban development based on a platform ecosystem might offer great opportunities, but will also be limited by the major challenges identified in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 21st century, the urban systems in most countries have undergone constant change, ranging between shrinkage, growth, and non-linear trajectories. All trends have an effect on the hinterland and are discussed in the context of agglomeration effects or hinterland shrinkage due to reurbanization. Thus, cities' population trajectories are not independent but rather is reinforced or runs contrary to the hinterland development. In order to simultaneously capture trends in cities and their hinterlands, urban life-cycle models are used. Using a systematic differentiation between the trend in the core and the hinterland, it is possible to distinguish between a stronger population growth of core cities and a situation in which the hinterland is growing faster – labeled centralization and decentralization, respectively. Developed in the 1980s, the widely used model of van den Berg reveals, however, some major drawbacks. Against this background, the paper will revisit van den Berg's et al. model and test it against the urban conditions in Europe between 1990 and 2010 by asking whether cities are decentralizing or centralizing and whether there are differences between growing and shrinking cities. The paper develops a city delineation, covering large and small cities, uses data about age structure, and applies an adapted model by measuring the intensity of the trends. The rapidly changing population trends since the beginning of the global economic crisis and its effects in Europe since 2008 require that more attention be paid to changing configurations between cities and processes beyond cities' borders, which is essential for both scholars and urban planners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

“Shrinking cities” is a well-established term in academic discourse, describing cities in distress. Using the notion of spatial or territorial stigma (Wacquant, Slater, & Pereira, 2014), this paper raises the question of whether the term “shrinking cities” may be unbefitting to the policy discourse of planning and community development, at least in the American context. The necessity of considering this question is due not only to the traumatic legacy of American planned urban shrinkage and urban renewal in poor, minority communities, but also to the potential ramifications that the social construction of spatial stigma by journalists, politicians, planners and academics may have on these communities in the era of austerity urbanism. The vast symbolic power, due to the symbolic capital that specialists in symbolic production wield, gives reason to ponder whether ‘shrinking cities’ ‘urban shrinkage’ and cognate terms contribute to territorial stigmatization, since in the naming of social groups, cities, or regions to reveal a socio-spatial reality, such reality "begins to exist as such, for those who belong to it as well as for the others" (Bourdieu 1989: 23). Examining images and web content tagged to Detroit, this paper also explores the digital production of territorial stigma through the Internet's social imaginary and aims to raise awareness of the potential ramifications of shrinking city scholarship “for” or “against” austerity urbanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After being known as the ‘murder capital of the world’ in the 1990s, Medellin has pioneered innovative forms of city planning and management and was acclaimed the most innovative city in the world by the Urban Land Institute (ULI) in 2013. Hosting the World Urban Forum in 2014 allowed it to showcase its approach, key elements of which have been: creation of innovative transport infrastructure linking poorer peripheral districts to the city centre; culture-led regeneration; strong support of local development from the local business sector; and a successful municipally-owned utilities company. However, the city is spreading outwards without services and employment being provided; new low-income developments are replicating high-rise models which failed worldwide; there is limited intervention in the existing informal areas, many being in highly vulnerable locations where the level of risk is likely to increase with climate change; development has little regard for topography, ecological and environmental considerations; investment in accessible and good quality public space is restricted to some areas; the quality of the public realm does not always support health and wellbeing of the ageing population. This paper explores the institutional and socio-economic context in which Medellín has achieved the internationally recognized status of an ‘innovative city’. It questions to what extent social equity, environmental sustainability and citizen empowerment have been promoted as per the ULI claims when it conferred the prize. The paper queries the extent to which ‘urban innovation’ is happening in Medellín, which has considerable implications given its recently found role as a ‘model’ city in Latin America and beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the development of a spatial database for an annual energy consumption framework. As the database of the existing building stock is a weak point in most European cities but possible pathways to energy reduction in the building sector have to be found, this paper is of high relevance. Our framework uses a complex multi-source data set and a plethora of statistical methods to merge various large complex data sets and then apply a heat balance model in three sub-city areas in Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. The framework estimates the energy end-use at the single dwelling level on three aggregated scales: district, neighbourhood and communities. We propose a methodology for modelling energy in buildings in different ways depending on the required output scale, the cluster top-down model and the domestic energy model (DEM) bottom-up approaches. The cluster model is a generalization of similar building energy profiles into archetype medoid prototypes in districts and eventually the whole city, whereas the sub-city DEM is a representation of an individual building energy pro- file in neighbourhoods and communities. The framework can be used to test different energy measures (fabric and heating supply systems) for the same property type, and give insights into community energy analysis by aggregating individual building energy consumption. These insights will enable rational and considered responses to be formulated to the problems of integrating renewables into the generation portfolio, that are likely to be faced in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]