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

Changing consumer trends, waves of retail decentralisation, and various socio-economic and environmental shocks have exacerbated the well-recognised challenges of retail-dominant English high streets in recent years. The decline and 'death' of the high street has been the subject of many policy responses aiming at transforming high streets as viable multifunctional hubs and local community anchors. However, this vision implies a narrative change of high street viability beyond established economic and property-oriented interpretations, which is presently unclear in conceptual and operational terms. This paper identifies the conceptual ambiguities and tensions evident in English policy and reframes high street viability at the confluence of other 'loose concepts' (sustainability, resilience, adaptability, liveability). Through a scoping review, this paper synthesises studies discussing these interrelated concepts, and presents their development since the influential URBED Vital and Viable Town Centres report. We argue that the factors contributing to the interrelated concepts form a joint effort towards achieving high street viability, but can also be distinguished by temporal variations and areas of concentration. • A renewed interest in high street viability necessitates a reframing of the concept • We address the conceptual and operational ambiguity of high street viability in English policies over the past 30 years • We illustrate the confluence of viability in relation to sustainability, resilience, liveability and adaptability • High street viability is a dynamic concept that corresponds to the long-term, changing challenges and needs of communities [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

Intercity patient mobility reflects the geographic mismatch between healthcare resources and the population, and has rarely been studied with big data at large spatial scales. In this paper, we investigated the patterns of intercity patient mobility and factors influencing this behavior based on >4 million hospitalization records of patients with chronic kidney disease in China. To provide practical policy recommendations, a role identification framework informed by complex network theory was proposed considering the strength and distribution of connections of cities in mobility networks. Such a mobility network features multiscale community structure with "universal administrative constraints and a few boundary breaches". We discovered that cross-module visits which accounted for only 20 % of total visits, accounted for >50 % of the total travel distance. The explainable machine learning modeling results revealed that distance has a power-law-like effect on flow volume, and high-quality healthcare resources are an important driving factor. This paper provides not only a methodological reference for patient mobility studies but also valuable insights into public health policies. • More than 4 million multi-year mobility records from a national database were investigated. • The distribution of travel distance of patients differs from the results of general human mobility studies. • The network features multiscale community structure with "universal administrative constraints and a few boundary breaches". • An identification framework was proposed to understand cities' roles in the mobility network. • The explainable AI model revealed that distance and high-quality healthcare resources are two critical factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Landscape Convention urges countries to involve stakeholders including citizens in the governance of ordinary (urban) landscapes. This paper studies conflicting stakeholder perspectives on urban landscape quality in the context of urban sustainability transitions in six European urban regions in the Netherlands, Italy, France, Croatia, Belarus and the Russian Federation. Repertory grid technique helped to identify the dimensions through which persons evaluate urban landscape quality. Ninety-three (93) interviewees elicited 1400 bipolar constructs, such as "Edible green – Concrete" or "Community, group – Loneliness". They then selected two constructs they consider most relevant in the context of urban sustainability transitions, and ranked all pictures on a 10-points scale. The rankings were analyzed using Multiple Correspondence Analysis. We find that, in spite of the many social and cultural differences between the regions, stakeholders largely agree on the preferred direction of urban transitions; more green and blue spots where people can meet and undertake joint (leisure) activities. The main conflict is between, on the one hand, a preference for organized development and beautification and, on the other hand, naturalness (permeability of soil) and organic development. The paper considers several challenges for transition governance. • Landscape transitions come with conflicting perspectives on urban landscape quality. • Citizens need to participate in the governance of ordinary urban landscapes. • Stakeholders largely agree on the preferred direction of urban transitions. • Landscape development tend to conflict with climate change resilience. • Urban escape poses a threat to the bottom-up governance of urban landscapes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public spaces are being increasingly controlled and managed by non-government agencies, and their publicness is shifting constantly, prompting concerns about the nature of the public realm in contemporary cities. Using a qualitative single case study analysis with the data collected from observations and interviews, this paper examines how control has been employed as a regulatory mechanism to manage neighbourhood open spaces in Kathmandu by a local community group, which has emerged as a formally responsible body for public space management. Our findings suggest that excessive control of public space is problematic as it diminishes a user's ability to access open spaces. We analysed this evidence from two lenses. We first considered the transfer of management responsibilities to the community to argue that it has added new challenges to public space management by compromising the public realm. Secondly, from the point of view of the tendency of controlling public space, we maintain that public space managers have to ensure a balance between the need to control the space and making it accessible to the users. Contemporary approaches to public space management should aim for maintaining the public character of an urban place regardless of who owns or controls it. • This paper provides important insights into the changing nature of public space management in contemporary cities. • The management of public space has emerged as a complex and challenging task in contemporary cities. • Public spaces are increasingly being controlled by non-government agencies. • Finding the right balance between the need to control the space and making it accessible to the users is important. • There is a need to maintain the public character of an urban place regardless of who owns or controls it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neighborhood infrastructure, such as sidewalks, medical facilities, public transit, community gathering places, and tree canopy, provides essential support for safe, healthy, and resilient communities. This paper examines the presence and condition of neighborhood infrastructure and shows that "infrastructure deserts" exist, which are low-income neighborhoods with significantly more deficient infrastructure. A generalized data-driven framework is developed and implemented at the street-level for 12 types of neighborhood infrastructure in Dallas, Texas. The results show significant infrastructure inequities across income levels for most types of infrastructure. Statistical inference predicts (with 95 % confidence) that low-income neighborhoods are 2.0 to 3.5 times more likely to have highly deficient infrastructure (8 or more deficient infrastructure types) than high-income areas and 1.4 to 2.4 times more likely to have highly deficient infrastructure than middle-income neighborhoods. This paper addresses the methodological challenge of considering multiple infrastructure types and provides a guide for infrastructure investment prioritization. • A generalized data-driven framework that assesses 12 neighborhood infrastructure types and identifies"infrastructure deserts" • Infrastructure inequities across income levels for most types of infrastructure discovered in Dallas, Texas, USA • Low-income neighborhoods are 2 to 3.5 times likelier to have highly deficient infrastructure than high-income neighborhoods [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to broaden knowledge on policy governance of cultural districts, particularly those utilizing artist communities for urban revitalization. With the rise of the cultural economy in post-industrial cities in South Korea, cultural strategies have become key components in almost every urban regeneration project. The tactic of encouraging groups of community artists to work and live in distressed neighborhoods has been regarded as a low-budget and easy-to-implement tool for urban revitalization. Over the past few years, however, these strategies have failed to meet expectations and have often resulted in conflicts between artists and the government. To understand the factors behind the strategies' positive and negative consequences, this paper examines three projects with different degrees of government intervention: the Totatoga project in Busan City, the Daein Art Market project in Gwangju City, and the Changdong Art Village project in Changwon City. The analysis focuses on the mode of government intervention in the relationships among the government, artists, intermediary agencies, and local citizens. By putting the mode of government intervention in the context of social relations of related players in the cultural districts, this paper tries to understand how similar policy schemes created different consequences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inter-firm linkages have been commonly applied to measure urban relations. However, this is believed to be less suited to the study of today's project-based and people-centred production network of creative sectors. This paper aims to re-delineate creative city networks by highlighting the role of social relations in representing the inter-city links in cultural production. Using a large number of interpersonal connections extracted from a virtual community of designers in China (Zcool), we demonstrate the architectural features of this specialised urban network and probe for explanatory factors with regard to its centrality and connectivity. Our findings suggest that the structure of urban networks in design communities in China is polycentric, with a few large cities dominating the network. The centrality of cities is highly dependent on their economic and political power but does not necessarily follow the existing urban hierarchy. The presence of super celebrities plays a more important role than the size of the population. Moreover, it is the real-world communications arising from transport connectivity, cultural homogeneity, and economic closeness rather than geographical proximity that determines the strength of inter-city connectivity in virtual communities of designers. The paper contributes to current scholarship about urban networks in cultural production by adding a 'socialised' account in the conceptualisation of creative city networks and a better understanding of the formation mechanism of such networks. • Creative city networks are re-conceptualized with a socialised account • The structure of urban networks in design communities of China is different from the existing urban hierarchy • The centrality of cities in virtual communities of designers is dependent on their economic and political power • The connectivity of creative cities is determined by social interactions rather than geographical proximity [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The emergence of gated communities for foreign residents in large Chinese cities is the result of economic globalisation, local institutional changes, social relations and cultural globalisation. Using a case study performed in Beijing, this paper seeks to analyse the complex dynamics of foreign gated communities through a critical examination of their key actors. The history of the gated community studied here is divided into two phases: development and localisation. During the development phase, the property developer not only attracted foreign residents through building an international community but also lured Hong Kong investors through the promise of soaring rental returns fuelled by strong demand. During the localisation phase, Chinese residents gradually replaced the developer as the project’s key actors. While the Chinese residents were attracted by the idea of international community, their arrival significantly transformed the community. This paper demonstrates how the survival, character and appearance of a foreign gated community was influenced by temporally and geographically dispersed actors who were subjected to a number of economic, social and cultural forces on a global and a local scale. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract Sea-level rise (SLR) has drawn unprecedented attention from coastal communities around the world. In fact, many are already being affected and, in response, SLR vulnerability assessments have increasingly emerged in the US as the local communities' first attempt on the adaptation planning agenda. However, to date, little is known about these early planning endeavors in terms of how vulnerability is conceptualized and operationalized. By reviewing the current local SLR vulnerability assessments in the US, we find that most are only focusing on their biophysical exposure to SLR overlooking other important vulnerability factors including sensitivity and adaptive capacity. The limited number of SLR scenarios and the lack of consideration for extreme events are also considered as the major deficiencies. To fill these gaps, we propose a conceptual vulnerability assessment framework to operationalize the full concept of vulnerability and test it through a case study in the Tampa Bay region, Florida. By comparing the vulnerability results of the common practice with our proposed framework, we find large variances in the resulting findings stressing the importance of selecting the proper assessment approach. This paper finally concludes with urban planning and governance implications and future research directions. Coastal planner and managers wanting to improve their understanding of the communities' vulnerability to SLR will benefit from this study. Highlights • How coastal localities conceptualize and assess vulnerability varies. • Most of the existing sea-level rise vulnerability assessments only consider exposure. • A conceptual sea-level rise vulnerability assessment framework is developed. • The assessment approach can significantly affect vulnerability findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a model for understanding how private-sector transport operators make individual and collective decisions on the change and expansion of transport networks, based on a comparison of Lilongwe, Malawi; Kampala, Uganda; and Nairobi, Kenya. This network geography underpins accessibility, including the equity, affordability and usefulness of mass transportation services available to different people across the space of cities. Governance of informal transport remains disjointed, and planning processes within the sector itself are rarely engaged with. Neither top-down nor bottom-up, this study finds that different forms of internal organization, the role and power of workers, and the geographic scope and level of organization in the industry affect the planning practices of operators and the ways and locations to which they expand their services. Where there is little route-level organization, independent vehicles have difficulty creating services to new destinations. Where route-level organizations take the initiative and invest capital to start new services, whether vehicle owners or frontline workers such as drivers and conductors are more involved leads to different levels of dialogue with communities and different willingness to tolerate internal conflict, creating different types of transport networks and different mobility patterns. • How are new informal routes formed in informal transport systems, and by who? • Research in three African cities of different sizes and forms of organizations in the transport sector • Route formations can be difficult, requiring capacity for carefully managing time, labour and capital investments. • Pure Free-market competition leads to coordination failures and limited growth. • Associations are key in creating new routes, which are affected by the role of workers and tolerance for conflict. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces a principal-agent analysis of the public sector decisions made by a non-democratic planning body under public scrutiny. The central idea is that divergence between the interests of the principal (citizens), whose objective is to maximize the total value of the land in Hong Kong, and the agent (planning approval authority), whose concern is about Approval Risk, which is the agent's risk of being accused of collusion or even bribery. This principal-agent analysis can be applied to any public-sector decision-making process in a society with the rule of law and freedom of speech. It was found by a logit analysis of 1440 sets of disaggregate data that planning applications by non-profit applicants for uses in Government/Institution/Community (GIC) zones were more likely to be approved than those by for-profit private organizations, in line with the idea of a lower perceived Approval Risk. Amongst the applications by private organizations, proposed high-value land uses were less likely to be approved than those proposed for low-value uses, probably because the former results in potentially higher economic gain for the applicants. The legislative change that took effect in July 2005 has allowed a wider public participation in the planning application process. This policy change was used in this study as a test condition for the effect on planning approvals of an increase in the principal's involvement in the decision-making process. It was found that the policy change did increase the success rate of planning applications made by private organizations, though the impact was mainly on the applications for low-value land uses only. The empirical result shows that the perceived Approval Risk for high-value land uses was too high to be affected by the policy change. • A principal-agent framework is used to analyse the decisions of the planning authority in Hong Kong. • The agent (planning authority) aims to minimize the "Approval Risk" which diverge from the principal's (citizens) interests. • The applications for conversion of land zoned for GIC use to for-profit private uses is less likely to be approved. • High-value for-profit private land use applications are less likely to be approved compared to the low-value counterparts. • Increase in public participation has increased the success rate of low-value for-profit private land use applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the determinants of subjective wellbeing in rural communities in Ghana. Using data collected from 310 households from ten rural communities in the Juaben Municipality in Ghana, we investigate the factors that influence subjective wellbeing among residents as well as formulate a model to measure happiness using the OLS and ordinal probit regression models. The study shows that happiness for rural residents, just like in urban areas, is multidimensional and depends on household characteristics. The findings indicate that self-reported happiness varied significantly with gender, marital status, religious background, occupation and source of employment as well as settlement type. Based on the model formulated, the study further found that the average level of happiness in the study communities was 4.79 on a scale of 0–10. The results of the ordinal regression indicate that respondents employed in the public service are happier than those who are self-employed. The transportation dimension was ranked as the most significant dimension basically because of the poor condition of the roads to these villages. The paper therefore recommends the improvement of the major roads in rural areas as good roads tend to contribute substantially to the overall wellbeing of rural dwellers in Ghana. • Subjective wellbeing is multidimensional and depends on household characteristics in rural communities in Ghana. • Average level of happiness in the study communities was 4.79 on a scale of 0 -10. • The transportation dimension ranks as the most significant dimension for accessing rural households wellbeing in Ghana • Religion plays an important role in the happiness of rural households in Ghana. • Access to water has been seen to have a greater impact on wellbeing in Ghana [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social disorganization theory has significantly contributed to understanding the relationship between community characteristics and crime. It is based on the assumption that the residents of a community define the characteristics of the community. In particular, Shaw and McKay discover that racial heterogeneity could disrupt the local community's social organization and account for crime and delinquency. While residents play the most important role in defining the characteristics of a community, non-residents who frequent a community could also affect the community. The perceived racial composition is likely to be different from the makeup of the residential population. Drawing from the recent big data which could capture residents and non-residents, this paper proposes an innovative racial heterogeneity index based on the ambient population. The effectiveness of the new index is illustrated by using negative binomial models, to explain street crime. The findings show that the ambient population-based racial heterogeneity index outperforms the traditional one in explaining street robbery. Further, the new index positively impacts street robbery in a statistically significant fashion. Conversely, the traditional index shows no statistically significant influence. The study also reveals that the racial heterogeneity of ambient population in an area is mostly contributed by the visitors from the neighboring areas. Overall, the proposed ambient population-based racial heterogeneity is theoretically sound and effective in explaining street crimes such as street robbery. The novel approach and findings add new contributions to social disorganization and routine activity theories. • Proposed a new racial heterogeneity index based on ambient population • Illustrated the calculation and implication of the new index • Examined the effectiveness of the new index in explaining street robbery • Revealed that the visitors to an area are mainly from the neighboring areas • Discussed the broader application of this index [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The implementation of large-scale projects including road infrastructures is often seen as the driver of socio-economic growth and development of countries. Interestingly, in the Global South, road infrastructures trigger various socio-spatial impacts, including fragmentations and changes in the quality of life in cities, however, little attention is given to that. This paper addresses the question: how does socio-spatial fragmentation triggered by road expansion connect to different domains of peri-urban life in Accra, Ghana? The research employed a case study approach using qualitative, quantitative and spatial methods to examine how socio-spatial fragmentations triggered by road expansion affect different domains of Accra peri-urban quality of life, Ghana, at the community level. The study found that with the road infrastructure, gated housing types emerged, and low-income residents were displaced into the hinterlands, leading to residential segregation, which negatively affected social interactions in peri-urban Accra. Moreover, though the road infrastructure improved the connectivity of physical infrastructure services, which attracted more people to the studied communities, informal settlements emerged within certain parts of them due to the non-enforcement of planning regulations, creating some fragmentation processes. The findings of the study suggest that fragmentation is due to policy shortcomings and improvements in housing and services domains. • Road infrastructure improves the connectivity of physical infrastructure services in peri-urban communities. • Road infrastructure attract middle-and high-income people to peri-urban communities to enjoy those physical infrastructure services. • Low-income people tend to be displaced by those high-income people attracted by the improved road infrastructures. • The movement of low-income into hinterlands creates fragmentation processes within peri-urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores women's perceptions of sources of vulnerability to Violence Against Women (VAW) in urban public spaces and their response to this violence. The urban space of Corregidora municipality in Querétaro, Mexico was used as a case study. First-hand data on different types of VAW was gathered through 7 focus group discussions held with 50 women. The Socio-Ecological Framework (SEF) was used to analyse VAW at different levels, using a Social Construction of Space lens as a supportive conceptual framework to explore women's experience of VAW in public spaces. A Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design approach was used to develop targeted recommendations at each level of the SEF. The results show that improvements in infrastructure could be a way forward to prevent VAW in public spaces, such as the provision of lighting, reducing narrow access routes, sidewalks improvement and prioritisation of pedestrian mobility, rather than leaving the burden of responsibility of personal safety and protection to women. • Women's vulnerability sources can be categorised into personal, socio-cultural or situational • Women adopt different coping mechanisms to increase personal protection • Coping strategies include time-space avoidance, physical defence, environmental responses and other active measures • Violence Against Women is under-reported and invisibilised by official figures • There is potential to address Violence Against Women at community and social levels through urban improvement [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the blooming of invented traditions in the city of Surakarta, Indonesia after decentralisation. Decentralisation has brought a daunting task to the local level of government in that municipal governments are now obliged to try to boost their financial capacity. One such popular enterprise to meet this need is boosting the tourism sector. People are encouraged to invent new cultural events. More encouragement was shown in 2013 by providing funds for organising cultural events at the neighbourhood level. This initiative has resulted in increasing numbers of events held each year. The events are mostly based on the imagination of the hosting community, relating to their neighbourhood. What develops depends on what the community has in its neighbourhood. Some neighbourhoods with artefacts related to the royal court attach themselves to the royal court by involving royal court members and associates in the activities. Others, who do not have an artefact, create narratives that relate the neighbourhood to something bigger, such as the royal court or national history. These invented traditions, while community-based in nature, have some unintended consequences. The involvement of the royal courts in the procession will highlight those courts so that they might gain more power and authority. • Decentralization increased community-based tourism development in Surakarta in the form of cultural events. • The cultural events need authentication from cultural authorities which happen to be the royal and minor courts who lost their political role. • The newly invented cultural events use physical heritage, narratives, and cultural attributes to connect to the royal and minor courts, as well as inviting the royal-related people. • The involvement of the royal and minor courts in the new cultural events can be a reproduction of structure where the courts can gain more power. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Following an earthquake, urban agriculture has been shown to improve recovery by increasing food security and providing numerous community and social benefits. However, many communities often do not consider urban agriculture within their earthquake or disaster preparedness programs. This work explores the intersection between those two realms, considering how their integration may increase food security and improve resilience following an earthquake. Through a case study focusing on the City of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, this research involved a four-step strategic scan of planning and earthquake management documents to determine whether Vancouver has captured the benefit of urban agriculture for earthquake recovery. Results revealed that this benefit has yet to be realized, however there is ample opportunity to do so given the City's advances in urban agriculture. This research seeks to provide planners, city officials and emergency management with insight into the potential of urban agriculture for earthquake preparedness. More broadly, this work seeks to add to the discussion by exploring a tangible integration of two realms that are often planned in isolation, yet could have positive impacts if combined. This paper concludes with specific interventions for how urban agriculture can be utilized for earthquake recovery in order to build resilience. • Food security and malnutrition are pervasive issues following an earthquake. • Urban agriculture can improve food security during earthquake recovery. • Urban agriculture provides social and community benefits during recovery. • Earthquake-prone areas should consider urban agriculture in preparedness programs. • Considering urban agriculture within earthquake management can increase resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

'Care' is a keyword for cities and citizens in the 21st century. This paper draws on Emma Power's (2019) notion of 'caring-with' as an ethical and analytical guide for caring action and relational community capacity-building around gambling at the local scale. The focus of analysis is the approval of electronic gaming machines or EGMs colloquially known as 'the Pokies', with particular reference to the Australian context and the experience of Castlemaine - a small town in the south-eastern state of Victoria whose citizens successfully appealed an application for further gambling development. The paper highlights how caring-with re-frames community responses to gambling as an assemblage of localized care practices and relations. This includes, but is not limited to, working to develop a culture of care, challenging systemic injustices, and proactive rather than reactive practices of collective care. • Increasing calls for a care praxis 'caring-with' emphasize the responsibility of a sharing democracy in an unequal world • Caring-with reframes community responses to gambling as social and political, rather than individual and private • This involves the formation of coalitions of strategy, resistance and advocacy for transformative change. • The case study highlights participation and inclusion; transparency and consistency and fairness as key care concepts. • The case also shines a light on gambling in cities and the relational role of communities that seek to resist new development [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Presenting the CIE as method to evaluate urban regeneration projects. • Multiple steps' evaluation integrates the impacts on stakeholders, the time dimension and project's scale of effects. • In the 22@ project the economic impacts were the most significant. Urban regeneration is a complex and multi-faceted process. It can be defined a comprehensive and integrated vision of actions which aims to tackle urban problems and to improve the economic, social and environmental conditions. These strategies also involve several stakeholders which have different powers, interests and objectives in the transformation processes. Integrated evaluation tools are able to consider the multidimensionality of the urban context and the feedback of the different actors involved. These tools are mainly of use for the decision makers. This paper explores the use of Community Impact Evaluation (CIE) which is a multi-actor methodology that aims at defining the convenience of complex projects according to the social preferences expressed by different members of the community. In this paper, the CIE methodology is applied in a peculiar way in order to assess the different impacts generated by the 22@ Barcelona project, considering the effects at the different scales and over time. A synthetic analysis is conducted in order to estimate the nature and the intensity of the impacts among the different stakeholders. The evaluation shows the role of economic interest in urban regeneration processes and how the change in the political local context allowed a review of project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The creative industries and the digital economy have become the drivers for the metropolises of China. Despite the rapid transformation towards knowledge production in China, the understanding of the role of informalities (like urban villages) in creative cities is still lacking. This paper examines the following interrelated questions: a) why have urban villages become the cluster/assemblages for a circuit of knowledge production (e.g. , digital work, media, and arts); and b) how is the assemblage of creative communities created by the growing rent-gap seeking regimes with different agency and everyday practices as shown in Beijing's artist and IT worker villages? Our investigations of the Heiqiao and Shigezhuang Villages in Beijing reveal that the Chinese rural land system has shaped the porous and interstitial spaces (e.g. , urban villages as the " semi-commons " for landowners and migrant tenants) in the regime-specific community-making and is distinctive from Western models of creative cluster formation. This study refines Florida's elitist-oriented analysis where the "creative class" prefers the "quality of place," and the city thus needs to enhance the quality of life to attract creative workers. The artist and IT worker villages, as a microcosm of the like-minded creative worker assemblage, are also sites for establishing contacts and fostering interaction in creative production. It is the quality of the public realm and networking (beyond the quality of the built environment) that shapes the assemblage of creative communities in urban villages. The networking and grass-roots alliance (as " semi-commons ") can help cope with the appropriation and provision problems facing " commons." • Urban village as semi-commons is a floating oasis for low-wage creative workers. • We need a relational and negotiated view on temporary land use in semi-commons. • Creative workers can unleash creativity in the Rent Gap Seeking Stage II . • Artist and IT worker villages take varied spatial forms and neighborhood activity. • Urban planning can become "softer" to allow for temporary uses of space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 has dramatically changed the lifestyle of people, especially in urban environments. This paper investigated the variations of built environments that were measurably associated with the spread of COVID-19 in 150 Wuhan communities. The incidence rate in each community before and after the lockdown (January 23, 2020), as respective dependent variables, represented the situation under normal circumstances and non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPI). After controlling the population density, floor area ratio (FAR), property age and sociodemographic factors, the built environmental factors in two spatial dimensions, the 15-minute walking life circle and the 10-minute cycling life circle, were brought into the Hierarchical Linear Regression Model and the Ridge Regression Model. The results indicated that before lockdown, the number of markets and schools were positively associated with the incidence rate, while community population density and FAR were negatively associated with COVID-19 transmission. After lockdown, FAR, GDP, the number of hospitals (in the 15-minute walking life circle) and the bus stations (in the 10-minute cycling life circle) became negatively correlated with the incidence rate, while markets remained positive. This study effectively extends the discussions on the association between the urban built environment and the spread of COVID-19. Meanwhile, given the limitations of sociodemographic data sources, the conclusions of this study should be interpreted and applied with caution. • Influence of built environment on COVID-19 at the community level was studied. • Hierarchical Linear Regression Model and Ridge Regression Model were utilized. • Before lockdown, markets and schools were positively associated with COVID-19. • FAR, GDP, hospitals and bus stations were negatively associated with COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of both land banks and community land trusts is increasing, and the two organizations are complementary. In distressed neighborhoods, land banks and community land trusts share the same roles as providers and stewards of affordable housing. However, contact points between land banks and community land trusts are currently scarce. This paper analyzes various combinations of land banks and community land trusts in both weak markets and stable markets. When a misalignment of land banks and community land trusts occurs, business models of land banks and community land trusts as well as public policies need to be adjusted. Utilization of community land trusts is an option to add on the disposition of land banks properties because community land trusts have a potential to create perpetual and diverse communities. In order for community-based organizations including community land trusts to grow in depopulated cities, the government needs to show a clear future perspective to each community. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This paper is an examination of the “discourse of disaster” that has cleared the way for the dismantling of public housing in the US. It is argued that this narrative represents public housing communities as deviant, dysfunctional, or obsolete. In response, residents have generated a discourse of resistance that focuses on dimensions of home and community. The social science evidence that validates the residents’ storyline is summarized. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Historic towns are preserved and given new importance within the new cultural economy. This paper examines the conditions under which built heritage is being preserved in urban regeneration programmes in a Norwegian context. An interesting finding from this study of three towns, Stavanger, Mosjøen and Risør, is that the conservation plan itself was not the most important factor. Part of the answer to the relative success of the conservation of these areas constituted preservation plans combined with management tools adopted locally and practised with flexibility to allow for the changes necessary to modern living. Even more important were the collaborative forms of governance developed over time that managed to anchor the goals and norms of preservation in the population. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The UK government’s framework for regeneration, “Transforming Places, Changing Lives”, seeks to shape the way regeneration is conducted in England. The emphasis on economic transformation should not be unexpected, considering the Index of Multiple Deprivation – a key measure used throughout the UK literature for several years – has an emphasis on economic dimensions of deprivation. The paper critically assesses the manner in which the ‘localism’ of regeneration policy implementation is being promoted in the literature, while simultaneously using a national metric as an evidence base for action. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policymakers are eager to create socially mixed neighbourhoods, even though evidence for the positive impact of social mixing is patchy. In this paper, we examine the relationship between social mixing, social capital, and the lived experience of residents affected by the desegregation of an urban Roma area. Using qualitative data from a participatory action research (PAR) process in Hungary, we explore the two-way relationship between desegregation and bonding, bridging, and linking forms of social capital. Our results suggest that desegregation has complex and contradictory impacts on lived experience, and that these relate to changes in social forms of capital. Our findings speak to the heterogeneity of the Roma segregated community, and to the multifaceted nature of social capital as a resource. We conclude that the presence of strong negative neighbourhood effects, acknowledged by marginalized residents themselves, indicates that social mixing can contribute to the enhancement of wellbeing and social mobility for many segregated Roma families. However, desegregation alone is insufficient, and further policies are required to increase socio-spatial integration and deal with the social, economic, and cultural causes of extreme poverty. • For segregated Roma, social mixing could simply lead to resegregation, as polarised enclaves re-formed over time. • Social mixing has complex and contradictory impacts on wellbeing in segregated Roma communities, across material and non-material domains. • New institutions may be needed in order to develop forms of supportive linking capital to ensure that Roma families are able to move to inclusive urban environments. • Evaluation of desegregation policy needs to be institutionalized, using a wider range of indicators of wellbeing than income alone. • For a nuanced position on social mixing, we propose the treatment of the segregated Roma community as heterogeneous towards social mixing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a growing awareness of the benefits of a sense of community (SoC) in the urban context. However, the current conceptual framework primarily focuses on testing the direct effects of individual-level predictors on SoC, while the cross-community variations have not been fully elucidated. Combining the built environment attributes (primarily urban amenities and street greenery) with cross-sectional survey data (n = 786) from 24 communities in Hankow, China, this paper utilizes the two level hierarchical linear model to examine the multivariate effects of the individual-level perceptual factors on SoC and capture the moderating influence of the community-level built environment attributes. According to the result, the three perceptual factors on the individual level were positively associated with SoC. Street greenery presented a direct and positive influence on the average SoC score across communities and reduced the positive effect of perceived environment quality on SoC. Some particular categories of urban amenities appear to enhance the positive effect of perceived environment quality on SoC, while some of them reduce the positive effect of safety on SoC. Our investigation enriches the conceptual framework of the existing literature. Based on the findings, specific policy implications were made accordingly. • The socio-ecological framework is adopted to investigate the multilevel influence factors of SoC. • The individual-level perceptual factors and the community-level environment attributes are combined. • Investigate the novelty of urban amenities and street greenery as predictors to influence SoC. • Validate the direct influence of individual perceptual factors on SoC. • Validate the moderating effects of community-level environment attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In China, self-claimed vegetable lots are emerging in urban communities through the appropriation of public green lands, a paralleled 'guerrilla gardening' phenomenon. However, disputes and conflicts arise due to the contested method of garden acquisition. Moreover, these gardens are rather stigmatised due to the urban-biased regulations embedded in China's aggressive urbanisation agenda, indicating the gap between grassroots spatial demand and top-down regulations. Using the case of Hangzhou, this paper aims to understand the governance challenges of self-claimed gardens in urban China through stakeholder interviews and survey. Findings reveal that the attitudes, interests and influences of gardeners, non-gardeners and community officials contribute to a cyclical spatial transformation between green land and gardens. The stigmatisation of and conflicts around gardens result from both an unfair stereotype of 'uncivilised behaviour' and inconsiderate ways of growing vegetables. The case study has also demonstrated that gardens have provided benefits in setting up social ties and strengthening a sense of community in China's high-density built environment. The governance structure of gardens should be shifted with the help of planning system refinement to de-stigmatise and legitimise gardening and increase the promising possibility of gardens becoming a new dawn for the public realm. • The appropriation of community open spaces by gardening activists in urban China has triggered community conflicts. • Gardens are stigmatised due to an anti-garden bias and disputes mainly resulted from inconsiderate methods of gardening. • Gardens help set up social ties between gardeners within the community. • Non-gardeners do not necessarily object to gardening but instead show strong interest in further participation. • More collaborative and inclusive community governance is advocated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People's perception about innovation districts are widening. They are now seen not only as a hub for commerce, research and education, but also a node for facilitating recreational, cultural and community-based activities. However, the level of integration of local communities with innovation districts is an understudied area. The paper aims to identify the likely features of innovation districts that can enhance public inclusiveness within this new land use type. This study surveys 1040 participants from three major Australian cities to address the research questions—How can an enhanced community engagement with innovation districts be established? The results reveal that: (a) Currently community engagement with innovation districts is limited to occupational and educational activities; (b) Lack of social coherence between knowledge workers and the public limits community engagement with innovation districts; (c) Advanced amenities, authentic scenes and unique experiences from innovation districts would enhance community engagement. The study informs planning and design policies to improve public engagement in innovation districts. • Community engagement with innovation districts is limited to occupational and educational activities. • Lack of social coherence between knowledge workers and the public limits community engagement with innovation districts • Advanced amenities, authentic scenes and unique experiences from innovation districts would enhance community engagement. • Identified features of innovation districts can enhance public inclusiveness within this new land use type. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]