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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]

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

During the urbanization process in China, issues such as the widening wealth gap, class stratification, and social exclusion influenced residents' decisions to pursue entrepreneurship. Inclusiveness is an inevitable trend in new urbanization, and it is also a key factor in promoting residents' entrepreneurship and stimulating the potential for social innovation. Based on three key principles, "fairness, openness, and sharing, " this paper assesses the relationship, and the internal mechanism driving the relationship, between urban social inclusiveness and resident entrepreneurship. This includes constructing an urban social inclusiveness index, and analyzing data from the 2018 China General Social Survey (CGSS). The key results indicate that urban social inclusiveness has a significant positive effect on resident entrepreneurship. The mechanism analysis shows that urban social inclusiveness can improve the probability of residents being entrepreneurial, by improving risk attitude, promoting class mobility, and expanding social networks. Heterogeneity analysis shows that urban social inclusiveness has a significant impact on the entrepreneurial of local residents, and low-class and high-class residents; urban social inclusiveness has no significant impact on the entrepreneurial choice of transient residents and middle-class residents. Besides, urban social inclusiveness plays a more significant role in promoting residents' choice of survival entrepreneurship, compared with opportunistic entrepreneurship. • Explore the relationship between urban social inclusiveness and resident entrepreneurship in China. • A new method for assessing the social inclusion of cities, which considers "fairness, openness, and sharing." • Examine the mediating role of risk attitudes, class mobility, and social networks. • Understand the heterogeneity of social classes, household registrations, and entrepreneurial types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities today are confronted with pressing issues of mobilities - not only concerning greener movement but also more just movement. This article explores the physical and imaginary aspects of urban mobility injustice and its (re)production through a study of two neighbourhoods in Copenhagen. It examines the interplay between city dwellers' experiences of (im)mobility and the social and spatial structure of neighbourhoods that shape and are simultaneously shaped by images of these places. Through interviews and focus groups, residents' mobility capacity and mobility providers' decision-making are scrutinised. The study demonstrates that residents' experiences of mobility vary remarkably between places in a relatively equal city, and this is intensified by territorial images of being deprived. The paper argues that paying attention to neighbourhoods' sociospatial composition in relation to their internal and external reputation helps to understand experiences of mobility injustice and how such injustice is reproduced in planning decisions. • The paper examines residents' experiences of (im)mobility in socioeconomically different neighbourhoods in Copenhagen. • Investigating experiences of mobility helps to understand sociospatial and imagined inequalities in cities. • The study demonstrates that residents' experiences of mobility vary remarkably between places in a relatively equal city. • Uneven urban mobilities are related to the physical and imagined landscape and is perpetuated in planning decisions. • Knowledge about residents' mobility in different socioeconomic contexts can inform more just sustainable planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are championed for providing co-benefits to cities and residents, yet their environmental justice impacts are increasingly debated. In this paper, we explore whether and how hybrid governance approaches, such as Mosaic Governance, may contribute to just transformations and sustainable cities through fostering long-term collaborations between local governments, local communities, and grassroots initiatives. Based on case studies in three major European cities, we propose and then exemplify six possible pathways to increase environmental justice: greening the neighborhood, diversifying values and practices, empowering people, bridging across communities, linking to institutions, and scaling of inclusive discourses and practices. Despite the diversity of environmental justice outcomes across cases, our results consistently show that Mosaic Governance particularly contributes to recognition justice through diversifying NBS practices in alignment with community values and aspirations. The results demonstrate the importance of a wider framing of justice in the development of NBS, sensitive to social, cultural, economic and political inequities as well understanding potential pathways to enhance not only environmental justice, but also social justice at large. Especially in marginalised communities, Mosaic Governance holds much potential to advance social justice by enabling empowering, bridging, and linking pathways across diverse communities and NBS practices. [Display omitted] • Mosaic Governance strengthens collaborations between civil society and governments. • Procedural justice may be better served by participation than by plural valuation. • Case studies illustrate impacts depend on enactment of Mosaic Governance approaches. • Grassroots contribute to empowerment, bridging and linking marginalised communities. • Environmental justice cannot be separated from social justice issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Linking the urban spatial structure with residential mobility is a vital yet challenging mission. With a unique dataset tracking changes in individual residential locations in Shanghai from 2014 to 2015, this paper portrays the directional trajectories of Shanghai's spatial structure and rigorously examines the motivations of residents for different spatial preferences with the approach of propensity score matching. By classifying the spatial structure into four typologies, polycentricity, sprawl, dispersed-monocentricity and compact-monocentricity, we find that relocated residents push Shanghai's spatial structure in greater favor of sprawl or compact-monocentricity. Furthermore, the movers towards sprawl, decentralized-monocentricity and compact-monocentricity mainly benefit from housing, jobs, and neighborhood amenities, respectively; and the movers towards the polycentric spatial structure can take the advantage of favorable house prices. These results shed light on the process of shaping the urban spatial structure and offer valuable insights into residents' spatial preferences. • It contributes by linking the urban spatial structure with residential mobility. • Relocated residents push Shanghai's spatial structure in greater favor of sprawl or compact-monocentricity. • The movers that contribute to the shaping of different urban spatial structures can take advantage of various advantages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informal settlements constitute a prominent form of urbanization across the world. The rapid growth of Yazd presents an example of informal urbanization in Iran at the nexus of development, poverty, and inequality. While scholarship on urban informality is abundant, a lacuna exists in the literature on systematic quantitative research on informality among urban residents. The present study investigates residents' perceptions regarding informality and captures their responses before and after the expansion of an informal settlement in Yazd. Through this quantitative research, we aim to articulate and highlight specific domains of informality, offering a framework assessing the complexities of informality that extend beyond only Iranian informal settlements. This paper analyzes the status of urban informality and migration in terms of their social, economic, physical, environmental, and urban management characteristics in "Airport Neighborhood", a prominent Yazd neighborhood. This paper seeks to add theoretical and empirical depth to the categorization of distinct yet overlapping domains of informality. Our quantitative approach to migration and informality informs our central research question: How does the complexity of informality affect different groups of people living in one informal settlement? We find that recent migrants to the settlement are less involved in urban governance, women experience improved work opportunities after moving to the informal settlement but remain marginalized, and insufficient and poorly maintained infrastructure operates as a significant barrier to socio-economic stability and mobility. We also find that urban settlement results in increased debt among residents in Airport Neighborhood, and that youth unemployment is a significant issue that did not improve for recent migrants to the neighborhood despite young people citing employment as a key motivating factor for migration. Our empirical work highlights the theoretical complexity of informality, as subgroups of people face varying challenges that correlate with their age, gender, and time spent in a particular informal settlement. • Living in an informal settlement affects Iranian residents differently, depending on their age, gender, and time spent in the neighborhood. • We highlight residents' most pressing concerns associated with living in Yazd's informal settlement known as the "Airport Neighborhood." • High-impact interventions would include a focus on gender equality, improved urban infrastructure and governance, and youth employment. • Our quantitative approach highlights the local and global complexity and heterogeneity of informality and urban life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

This paper presents a shift in attention from urban vitality to urban vitalisation as a process that reflects ongoing interactions between residents, communities, and urban government agencies. To explore urban vitalisation, we offer a conceptual framework connecting two theoretical terms, trust/distrust and citizenship regimes, and we ask in what ways relations between trust/distrust (of residents in their municipality) and citizenship regimes explain residents' engagement in smart urban vitalisation. To answer this question, we present a case study of a group of Haifa residents who used a digital platform to push for improvement in the ways the local government accommodated their needs. Based on our analysis, we make two arguments of potential interest to scholars and stakeholders involved in smart city initiatives. First, both trust and distrust can motivate residents' involvement in smart city initiatives. Second, examining trust and distrust in light of the relevant citizenship regime (individual-liberal and civic-republican) sheds light on relational and dynamic configurations of residents' involvement in the process of smart urban vitalisation. • The paper presents a shift from urban vitality to urban vitalisation as a process of ongoing interactions between residents and urban government. • We offer a conceptualization connecting trust/distrust and citizenship regimes to explain residents' engagement in urban vitalisation. • Both trust and distrust can motivate residents' involvement in smart city initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although studies have explored the travel behavior of residents in informal housing communities in recent years, few have been conducted in the context of a time series before and after the outbreak of COVID-19. This paper tracks individual-level daily mobility response for three months, using an interrupted time series (ITS) quasi-experimental design to infer daily causal effects of COVID-19 and community close-off management on individuals' daily travel distances. This study compares the mobility response to COVID-19 between people living in urban villages and commodity housing communities in Shenzhen, China. The results reveal that urban village residents reduced their travel less, with slower response and recovery rates after the COVID-19 outbreak. The community close-off management was less effective for urban village residents, with a smaller abrupt reduction in mobility and their recovery rate increasing faster during the post-lockdown period. Therefore, urban village residents may have experienced greater limitations in adjusting travel with higher exposure risks during the pandemic, compared with commodity housing residents. The variations in mobility change are significantly affected by some inherent differences between these two groups, even after controlling for their socioeconomic and built environment features. These results provide important insights for designing mobility restriction policies for different housing groups and planning more resilient neighborhoods in the post-COVID era. • Adopting an interrupted time series quasi-experimental design to infer daily causal effects of COVID-19 • Comparing mobility effects of COVID-19 in urban villages and commodity housing communities • Urban village residents reduced their travel less, with slower response and recovery rates. • The community close-off management was less effective for urban village residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 50 % of the world's population lives in cities. Since this proportion is expected to increase enormously, especially in African and Asian cities, the question of the impact on the development of a city arises. This paper proposes a method for determining the net mobility of slum dwellers within cities and examines it in inter- and intra-urban settings on three continents. The derived metrics are defined by taking into account the current insufficient availability of uniform slum data in cities of the Global South. The study shows differences in the mobility of slum populations in diverse cities on the different continents, as well as intra-urban differences. These could provide a building block for infrastructure planning. Thus, the suitability of the approach for estimating the future infrastructure needs of the slum population is discussed as an example application. [Display omitted] • Deriving a uniform method to analyse slum population mobility • Providing robust mobility metrics for the analysis of spatio-temporal mobility • Applying these methods reveals different slum population mobilities in the inter-urban and intra-urban space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the strategies of resistance articulated by residents of informal settlements response to urban exclusion. Building upon resistance and urban social movements literature the paper is informed by the case of the Villa Rodrigo Bueno in Buenos Aires, a self-constructed villa miseria , and its residents' stories of resistance to attempts of evictions and upgrading programs. In the paper we show how resistance is mobilized, first through its simultaneous disconnection, due to its remoteness and isolation; and reconnection to local and global supportive networks. While disconnection facilitated self-construction, densification and the blooming of informal entrepreneurship; reconnection through relational and multiscalar sites enabled unexpected encounters with distant actors that contributed to resist evictions. Second, the long-term learning and development of self-knowledge (i.e. construction, or housing law), embedded in the remoteness of the informal settlement, contributed to shift expertise from city officers to residents; redefining the role of informal residents into active citizens and experts in policy making, and turning informal settlements into settings of wider social change. • The paper examines the collective resistance of residents of informal settlements to evictions. • Densification and urban compactness supported quiet encroachment strategies to resist. • Isolation facilitated spaces for experimentation, knowledge and innovation and thus resistance. • Reconnection to local and global actors and networks also enabled resistance. • Long-term self-learning contributed to expertise shift from city officers to residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the impact of city shape variation on residents' happiness in Chinese cities. We first measure the city shape index of Chinese cities between 2000 and 2015 using matched data from the European Space Agency Global Land Cover dataset and the Chinese administrative map to delineate the changes in city shape in China's urbanization. Then we use a reduced-form estimation strategy to examine the causality between city shape variation and urban residents' happiness using our city shape dataset and the microsurvey data of CHIP (Chinese Household Income Project). We find that city shape exerts a negative influence on the happiness of urban residents. Such an effect is more pronounced in large cities. However, well-developed public transportation infrastructure can mitigate the negative impact of a non-compact city shape. Turning to the mechanism, commute time to the workplace and amenities is the main channel through which city shape works. We find that bad shape significantly increases the commute time between residential, workplace, and commercial amenities and therefore makes urban residents unhappy. • Non-compact city shape has significant negative effects on the subjective happiness of residents. • The impacts of city shape has a greater impact on highly educated individuals. • Residents in large cities suffer more from bad city shape than anyone else. • Residents in cities constructing subways and dense bus networks are less impacted. • Non-compact city shape significantly extends the commuting time of residents or eliminates their accessibility to amenities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization is an important part of the modernization of traditional societies, and the growth of major cities is a prominent manifestation of urbanization. This paper uses historical maps and demographic data to measure the urban population and construction land growth of 47 major cities in China during 1900–1978, and examines the influence factors with different politic backgrounds. (1) China's cities were generally experiencing rapid growth. The growth rate of urban land was higher and more stable than urban population. (2) The growth rate of city size was negatively correlated with initial sizes, deviating Gibrat's law; the population's rank-size structure converged the Zipf's model during 1910–1949, but deviated during 1949–1978. The spatial pattern of urban system gradually shifted from regionalized core-periphery to a nationally-integrated, regional-egalitarian structures. (3) The patterns and mechanisms of urban population growth and land growth are not identical, reflected in the change of the distribution of urban construction land per capita. Urban land growth is more correlated with capital investment. (4) China was in a typical preconditions for take-off phase before 1949, but did not fit into the take-off phase as Rostow argues in 1949–1978. This period is crucial in comprehending China's rapid take-off after 1978, as it established the industrial foundation at the expense of urbanization. The previous process has left indelible traces and highlights the problem of the abnormal growth of urban land in recent years, thereby prompting a reflection on the role of land finance in China. • The changes of political background significantly influenced the industrialization and urbanization. • The two-dimensional measurements of land and population accurately portray urban growth. • The urban growth rate in China has undergone significant fluctuations. • The urban system shifted from a regionalized core-periphery to nationally-integrated, and regional-egalitarian pattern. • The mechanism of urban population growth and land expansion is not identical. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Planning authorities worldwide are increasingly employing e-participation to facilitate and strengthen public engagement in decision-making processes. However, little is known about the prospects of using Information and Communication Technology to foster public participation in urban planning in conservative Arab societies. This study investigates public willingness to participate in the urban planning process through the Internet and smartphones in Saudi Arabia. Data was collected through a questionnaire survey of residents of Dammam city and analyzed using descriptive (frequency distribution) and inferential statistics (z-tests and Chi-square). The study finds that most participants across all social and demographic groups are aware of e-participation in urban planning and have a significantly positive attitude towards it. Furthermore, they indicate more willingness to e-participate in planning at the local level or on issues that directly affect them. Also, in all stages of preparing urban plans, most participants preferred e-participation over the traditional mode through public hearings and seminars. The paper sheds light on the diffusion of ICT and its potential to facilitate public participation in urban planning in conservative and patriarchal developing countries. Integrating e-participation in urban planning can facilitate public engagement and collaboration with planning authorities to better serve the competing public interests and ensure inclusive urban development. • E-participation can facilitate and strengthen public engagement in decision-making processes • Understanding public willingness to e-participate in urban development is important • There is good prospect of public e-participation in urban planning in Saudi Arabia • The public is more willing to e-participate in planning at local level or issues directly affecting them • E-participation can facilitate public engagement and collaboration with planning authorities to foster inclusive development [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat offers humans several qualities such as comfort, but its qualities can go further. The role of heat has improving human well-being such as thermal pleasure has not been well-discussed and investigated. This paper been merely regarded from a thermal comfort perspective and the other perceptual and qualitative roles, we have studied people's real experiences in urban spaces to discover real outcomes in their social life contexts. We used Grounded Theory as a methodological approach in this study–we interviewed 33 participants and made direct observations to collect data on people's perceptions of thermal-scape. Overall, twelve sub-categories and six main categories were generated. Two categories are rooted in people's urban thermal pleasure perception as the causal and contextual conditions: "thermal sources properties" and "spatial condition." 'Thermal Distinction' was identified to be the core category that influenced urban thermal pleasure. The association between these categories leads to physiological, psychological, and behavioral thermal pleasure as a consequence. This process occurs due to necessity (physiological and behavioral perception) or beyond necessity (psychological and behavioral perception). Experience of urban thermal pleasure can be used by the urban planning and design fields to enhance people's well-being and their social life qualities. • High-quality urban outdoor spaces can improve public thermal pleasure and activities. • The perception of thermal pleasure begins specifically with thermal distinction in a space. • Spatial condition as thermal source properties, provide the premise for the process of perceiving thermal pleasure. • Thermal pleasure occurs at two levels: thermal needs as the necessity and adaptive actions for pleasure beyond the necessity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities worldwide have declared aspirations to become "10, 15, or 20-minute cities." This goal is often part of a strategy to reduce emissions and achieve sustainable and healthy urban design by encouraging walking and cycling. The 10, 15, or 20-minute city or neighbourhood — which, for generality, we refer to as the x-minute city — is a type of design aimed at reducing car dependence by enabling urban residents to walk or cycle to essential amenities within x minutes from their home. Due to the benefits which include sustainability, health, and social cohesion, the concept has been promoted by the international C40 Cities as part of their post-pandemic Green and Just Recovery Agenda. However, missing from the current rhetoric around these "cities of proximity" is clear guidance on evaluating progress towards this goal. In this paper, we contrast measurement approaches and discuss important considerations for planners adopting the x -minute city goal. To do this, we measure the proximity of the 500 largest cities in the USA and 43 urban areas of New Zealand. We also present an interactive tool to visualise and explore proximity within the urban areas. • Compare approaches to measure the 10, 15, 20-minute (aka. x-minute) city • Critical examination of the concept of an x-minute city • Assess 543 urban areas across the USA and New Zealand • Present an interactive visualisation of the x-minute city in NZ urban areas • Instead of setting arbitrary targets, seek to minimise X by improving accessibility [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last three decades, festivals and events staged in public spaces have been an important element in the neoliberal regeneration of cities. However, so-called festivalisation strategies have been subject to criticism for their focus on economic imperatives to the detriment of the lives of urban residents. In many cities of the Global North, in particular, these debates have been accompanied by increasing calls for forms of urban governance that give more weight to local democratic processes and practices. This paper analyses these debates, focusing on the Scottish city of Glasgow, where the staging of festivals and events has long been a key factor in the city's rebranding. In recent years, city leaders have created processes designed to ensure that the voices of local people are heard. We analyse to what extent this turn towards more inclusive rhetoric is translated into practice when policy and planning processes are still governed by economic growth logics. We show how citizen participation and engagement processes to consult residents about the use of public spaces for festivals and events reinforce narratives of neoliberal citizenship, primarily acting to assimilate and neutralize opposition, rather than sharing power and decision-making with local citizens. The implementation of these policies in Glasgow represents an emblematic illustration of the neoliberal governance logics which prevent the local state from granting an increased role to citizens and local organizations, particularly in cities of the Global North. However, we conclude by highlighting some potentially fruitful new avenues to support greater transparency and accountability in public space governance. • In many cities, the use of festivalisation strategies has been criticized for being overly focused on economic imperatives. • As the case of Glasgow illustrates, some cities have reframed their event policies to put more emphasis on local citizens. • Despite a change in rhetoric, new policy commitments merely extend neoliberal urban logics to the realm of citizenship. • To counter neoliberal logics, inclusive urban policies should contain significant reflection on the distribution of power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines how transport access affects the land values in peripheral regions, by exploiting the recent expansion of China's high-speed rail (HSR) network. Based on a nation-wide land transaction dataset and applying a DID-hedonic approach, we find that industrial parcels in distant peripheries benefit from the HSR-induced growth spillover, while residential parcels in the immediate vicinity of a high-tier core experience larger price appreciation after HSR connection. Based on comprehensive firm-level datasets, additional tests of the HSR impact on the location choice and performance of firms in peripheral regions show much similar patterns. These findings add to the understanding of the impact of HSR on the spatial distribution of economic activity. By accelerating the growth spillovers from the highly agglomerated urban core to remote peripheries, transport access can play an essential role in reducing spatial inequality. By contrast, peripheries neighboring highly agglomerated urban cores may benefit more from the relocation of residents from urban core, at the expense of a shrinking manufacturing sector due to agglomeration shadow effect. • We examine how access to high-speed rail affects land values in China's peripheral regions. • Industrial parcels in distant peripheries benefit from the HSR-induced growth spillover. • HSR effect on residential parcel prices diminishes monotonously with the distance to high-tier cores. • The HSR effects on the location choice and the performance of firms in peripheral regions show much similar patterns to that of land prices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article analyses the politics of shelter provision in three African cities, focusing on the needs of, and provision for, the low- and middle-income residents. The significance of housing to citizen well-being means that governments influence multiple facets of land and shelter, affecting the shelter options realizable for urban residents. The framework of political settlements is increasingly used to understand national political outcomes. In this paper it is used to analyse shelter outcomes at the city scale. In all three cities, national political elites have influenced housing outcomes. In the two capital cities, elites use clientelism (backed up by violence) to advantage themselves and influential local groups. Approaches to housing are used to gain political legitimacy (both through the ideas that the built environment can encapsulate and through improved access to housing). In all three cities, territorial controls are used to influence electoral outcomes (with consequences for housing outcomes). The findings reinforce the importance of understanding the political context within which shelter outcomes emerge. They also highlight that more needs to be understood about the relation of sub-national politics to national-level political settlements. • National elites are a significant influence on shelter outcomes in all three cities. • Shelter offers political elites both rents and legitimacy. • Residential areas are controlled – sometimes violently - by elites to win elections. • Non-elites are able to have some influence and elites have introduced shelter programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Street vending is an important part of the urban informal economy, especially in developing countries. How to control its negative externalities while augmenting its positive roles in the urban socio-economic system poses challenges to urban planning and governance. Existing studies have insufficiently addressed the issue largely due to the lack of high-frequent observation data for street vending events. By introducing socially sensed big data from the smart urban governance platform, as well as records from the "12345" urban problem complaint hotline of Jiangbei District, Ningbo, China, this paper examines and compares the spatiotemporal patterns and occurrence mechanisms of street vending events from both the urban managers' "top-down" and the urban residents' "bottom-up" points of view. Statistical and machine learning models show that the distribution of street vending activities as sensed by the two subjects does not overlap. The former concentrates in central urban areas and work times, while the latter is scattered distributed in everyday life-related places and times. The findings reaffirm the existence of perception bias in social sensing data and show the potential for utilizing such bias to nudge better urban governance practices. Theoretically and empirically, this research has contributed to promoting the people-oriented transformation of urban governance. • Social sensing data are introduced as new sources for street vending observation. • Street vending sensed by authorities and residents do not overlap spatiotemporally. • Different mechanisms of sensing street vending by different subjects are revealed. • Existence and forms of self-sorting bias in social sensing big data are verified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The material fabric of a city is never neutral. It speaks to the opportunities of access and usage that some are given at the exclusion of others. Scholars of the everyday have analyzed how city residents counter oppression by appropriating and transforming spaces. Less attention, however, has been given to how not only people, but also material things have agency in producing opportunities for insurgency. This paper examines how people and materialities imbricate, co-producing geographies of survival on Ponte Sant'Angelo, a bridge in Rome where diverse immigrants eke out a living by selling trinkets. Interviews and observations revealed that both seniority on the street and immigration status divide vendors into three groups, each with a different degree of power over other users of the bridge. At the same time, Ponte Sant'Angelo, a physical entity made by permanent built forms as well as contingent elements such as water levels and car traffic, generate five distinct areas, each with a different degree of attractiveness in the eyes of diverse vendors. Differences across vendors and material elements intertwine with one another. The nitty-gritty of the city, its seemingly banal materialities, partner with vendors as they negotiate power and counter exclusion. These circumstances call for expanding scholarship of the everyday , exploring how multiple, interdependent agencies shape urban patterns of oppression and resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The theories of Jane Jacobs have gained momentum as a framework to address the challenges faced by present-day cities. Of special relevance is the concept of urban vitality as an indicator of street vibrancy and quality of life among city residents. This study aims to revisit her principles from an applied perspective by developing an updated index that measures the conditions for urban vitality as described in her most celebrated book, The Death and Life of Great American Cities (1961), and by also incorporating contemporary contributions made by recent literature on the topic. We develop a composite measure of 22 variables of the built and social environment, and we test it in the urban context of a peripherical and low-income district in Barcelona (Spain). Results show that urban vitality can be found in a wide variety of urban spaces such as compact fabrics and even housing projects, only when population density is combined with physical features that promote intense and diverse human activity. The methodological tool developed in this paper is intended to serve as a basis for future research as well as to guide public policies that aim to address some of the key challenges of contemporary urban agenda. • We present an updated version of Jane Jacobs urban vitality index. • Peripheral and low-income enclaves are able to foster the conditions for vitality. • Keys for vitality: population density, everyday facilities, dense network of local business and accessibility. • An index of urban vitality is a useful and replicable tool for urban practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does the structure of a city influence how its residents feel about migrants? Jane Jacobs railed against modernist planners who sought to replace the complex fabric of cities with suburbanized designs that prioritized sunshine and greenery. She theorized that this design trend had resulted in few opportunities for neighbours to interact with each other. In today's diverse cities, neighbourly interaction may be one key to enhancing social cohesion. Intergroup contact has been shown to reduce prejudice, and recent studies have found that even "mere-exposure" may have a positive effect. Taken together, the work of urban theorists and contact theorists implies that residents of compact cities should be more likely to hold positive attitudes toward their neighbours—including migrants. Recent research, however, casts doubt on how well contact theory applies to the lived diversity of modern cities. This paper uses data from 22 European cities to identify a relationship between one's attitude toward migrants and the design of the city in which they live. It finds that, when controlling for individual- and city-level factors, residents of cities high in "continuous urban fabric" are more likely to agree that migrants are good for their city. • Urban theory and contact theory imply a link between urban design and tolerance. • Those living in cities high in continuous urban fabric view migrants more positively. • In this data, the positive influence is particularly strong among manual workers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Onitsha urban was carefully planned with the environment contours in mind. Areas of recreation, schools, hospitals, government offices and residential quarters were well provided. However, after the Nigeria-Biafra war, the urban planning became bastardized. People began to erect shacks in waterways blocking drainage systems with little official rebuke. Gradually, the beautiful city degenerated into big slums. This unchecked "subsequent" development of the city away from its original purview is the crux of this research. This study examines the lived experiences of the people in these slums, the effect on children, the urban city, as well as the challenges posed by climate change. Investigations revealed a paradigm shift in the popular narratives that poverty, cheap house rents, unemployment and low-income earning are the reasons a large number of people live in slums. The findings from the study were drawn through the use of the qualitative and quantitative method of historical inquiry while Onitsha served as the study area, as the study strived to address the unsustainable urban development in Nigeria. Research designs such as case study, cross-sectional design, survey design, experimental and descriptive designs were used for the interpretation of the questionnaires and the findings of the research. The individual/opportunity nexus theory of migration by Shane and Venkataraman complemented by Stokes theory of slums were used in this research. This paper concludes that an effective urban planning and low-cost housing estate should be factored in during constructions in Onitsha Nigeria just like in other parts of Asian and European countries. This is to forestall the environmental degradation that could lead to health crisis and reclaim the city from falling irredeemably into a huge ghetto. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While China's urbanization has been characterized by 'growth-oriented' development models, the recent literature has highlighted the emergence of urban shrinkage in China, i.e., cities and regions that endure sustained population losses. For example, some mining towns in Northeast China have been losing both population and economic growth. Extending from Martinez-Fernandez et al.'s (2012) theoretical conjecture that urban shrinkage is a 'symptom' of the lack of global/external economic connections, this paper assesses whether the loss of investment precedes urban shrinkage. The empirical study draws upon a unique dataset of investment flows between mainland Chinese cities. The analysis shows that the correlation between investment network centrality and urban population changes is positively significant, and this significance is increased after the lag period of investment network centrality is prolonged. Furthermore, when the value of investment network centrality climbs, their effect on urban population changes is going to be enlarged. The results are highly policy-relevant and will inform future policies regarding urban shrinkage management. • Investigate the typology of urban trajectories in China from both population changes and investment connections. • The correlation between investment network centrality and urban population changes is positively significant. • When the value of investment network centrality climbs, their effect on urban population changes is going to be enlarged. • The lack of external economic connections will lead to population shrinkage. • Population shrinkage also has comparatively few effects on the reduction of external investments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]