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

From the point when it was noted for the first time, gentrification has changed, and so has the role of the State, as public intervention has become central to urban upgrading. A popular model of this development describes three waves of gentrification for the U.S. Whether or not these experiences are indeed global, however, remains under discussion – and this is particularly the case for post-socialist cities. Against this background, the paper wishes to contribute to the ongoing debate about "state-led gentrification" and test the applicability of a widely used model of gentrification in a different context than it was developed. The guiding questions of the paper are the following: 1) What is the significance of institutions/policies in shaping the onset and trajectory of gentrification in Łódź (Poland), and what are the contributing factors behind it? 2) What are the underlying similarities and distinctions between the case of state-led gentrification in Łódź, and the general features of this phenomenon observed in the Global North? • Public housing's prevalence chiefly determines the extent of state-led gentrification in the inner-city of Łódź. • In Łódź the waves of gentrification overlap rather than follow one another. • State-led gentrification in Lodz stems from executing local development strategy provisions and corresponding housing policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak of COVID-19 raised critical questions about the functionalities of urban infrastructures, and in particular, practices of food provision, consumption and distribution. This paper focuses on the actions of non-commercial collaborative food sharing practices in Dublin city, incorporating surplus food redistribution initiatives, community kitchens, and community gardens, during the first wave of the pandemic in 2020. Whilst initially curtailed under conditions of strict lockdowns, many of these food sharing initiatives became characterised as essential services as the crisis unfolded, offering infrastructures of mobility, accessibility and care. Focusing on urban food infrastructures, qualitative content analysis of online media debates around food sharing in Dublin during this period was conducted to explore how non-commercial food sharing initiatives have been affected by, and responded to, the COVID-19 outbreak in Dublin. The paper analyses forms of improvisation, institionalisation and impact that emerged through food sharing actions and reflects on whether food sharing initiatives prefigure more sustainable urban food systems. • Demonstrates how food sharing initiatives have been affected by, and responded to, the COVID-19 outbreak in Dublin, Ireland • Contributes to the research on critical urban infrastructures and food infrastructures in cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transit Oriented Development (TOD) within existing urban areas often confronts entrenched community resistance. This paper documents the results of an Australian survey systematically evaluating the level of community support of densification strategies around a central train station in a greyfield suburban setting – based on theories in planning such as TOD (Pedestrian Pockets and Transit Boulevardes), Greenspace-Oriented Development (GOD) and 'hidden density' approaches. This paper's original contribution stems from using a hypothetical site which obviates localised issues and interests and allows for a comparatively neutral assessment of different densification approaches. The results are instructive and unanticipated. Support was highest for precinct-scale approaches to densification (TOD and GOD), while antipathy remains towards 'hidden density,' dispersed, single-storey background infill. The results also reveal significant and essential differences in support for densification models based on gender, with females more supportive of GOD approaches than conventional TOD. The paper highlights the need for revised policies to deliver alternative urban densification approaches, such as GOD, ensure the liveability of densification along Transit Boulevardes, and impede deeply unpopular 'hidden density' or background infill. • Resistance to urban densification arises from an often-noisy minority while a majority are quietly supportive. • The paper reveals general community support for precinct-scale approaches to densification. • The paper reveals general community antipathy towards dispersed background infill. • Policies enabling ad hoc background infill should be tightened to build impetus behind precinct-led urban densification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is known that natural products can be used to strengthen and minimise stress of the gardening and sportive lawns, thus reducing the required inputs. In this paper, a trial is designed that allows for the study of the effect of a combination of two biostimulants and water-retaining agent products on different types of lawns. During 6 months, including the summer, soil and plant parameters are evaluated to compare the effects of treatments on soil temperature, humidity, and electrical conductivity, along with the NDVI of the grasslands. Treatment with the water-retaining agent and the second tested biostimulants has increased soil moisture by 10 %, with a greater effect on ornamental grasslands with lower maintenance requirements than sports lawns. The treatments with the two biostimulants without the water retaining agent do not lead to a significant variation in the aspect of the lawn. Marginal increases in the NDVI have been observed in all the treatments, which include the biostimulants. According to these results, it is possible to achieve better water efficiency in managing urban lawns by using natural products, which leads to a more sustainable use of hydric resources. • We assessed the synergies among natural products, biostimulants and water-retaining agent in gardening and sports lawns. • The study shows that it is possible to achieve better water efficiency in managing urban lawns by using natural products • Our study demonstrates that the applied methods lead to a more sustainable use of hydric resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

This paper explores the concept of density rent gaps in verticalizing cities, with relation to Peter Marcuse's displacement categories. The study highlights a commonly uncritical relation with the rent gap that both defenders and critics of gentrification usually assume in the literature. Results from a quantitative analysis of a Displacement Index suggest that the largest rent gaps do not always correlate with the highest displacement rates because, in verticalizing cities, the most significant rent gaps come from 'density rent' and not necessarily the most expensive new housing. The study focuses on Chile's second-tier towns of Iquique and Antofagasta (seldom seen in the international literature). It uses real estate and population data and fieldwork analysis to fill data voids and caps the rent gap to estimate the amount of land value capture possible to implement to reduce Chile's highly exclusionary housing environment. We believe this analysis helps to conceptually separate the rent gap from gentrification for a more precise urban analysis of vertical cities. • The study contests the automatic association between rent gap and gentrification. • Residential density increases rent gaps; developers capitalize on more substantially than landholders. • Census data from 2002 and 2017 shows no statistical correlation between the largest rent gaps and displacement. • Displacement correlates with more expensive, low-density areas with lower rent gaps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on energy poverty dynamics by answering one question: Does energy poverty trap exist in Chinese cities? For this purpose, we examine the co-evolution between per capita energy consumption and income for 286 prefectural-and-above level cities in China over the period 2002 to 2014. A nonparametric joint-distribution dynamics approach is employed in the analysis. Both static and dynamic distribution analyses demonstrate significant evidence of club convergence in energy consumption across Chinese cities, and there are multiple equilibria between per capita energy consumption and income in the long-run distribution. The results also suggest that considerable cities fall into energy poverty trap, a chronic state with low income and low energy consumption. Therefore, we can argue that energy poverty is not a transitory state for those cities and support the existence of energy poverty trap in China. Our findings highlight the need to tailor policies aimed at reducing energy poverty in low-income cities. • We examine the co-evolution between per capita energy consumption and income in China. • A dataset of China's 286 prefecture-level cities during 2002–2014 is explored. • The results argue club convergence in energy consumption across Chinese cities. • Considerable cities fall into energy poverty trap. • The study supports the existence of energy poverty trap in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study seeks to explain the Chinese conception of city branding. Given the intricate and multidisciplinary nature of city branding, the article aims to address a gap in the literature and provide a direction to a deeper understanding of city branding from the Chinese socialism context. Taking a case study approach, the article analyses a significant body of discussion resulting from in-depth interviews with branding experts and government officials in Chongqing, the case study city. The analysis focuses on the role of the government and reveals that city branding in China is influenced, and largely controlled, by the national government. The discussion of the agents of Chinese city branding, city branding as a government tool, and the tendency towards policization, which means that city branding is implemented as part of urban policy, contributes to the theoretical growth of current city branding beyond a neoliberal perspective. • This paper sheds light on the understanding of city branding from the novel angle of government management • Government departments initiate and oversee branding initiatives and facilitate cross-stakeholder cooperation. • How government departments effectively manage city branding by combining it with urban policy was investigated. • The importance of political influence in city branding is highlighted. • A review of city branding within socialist contexts guides city governments to participate in branding endeavors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the stochastic properties of the US real estate market in the long term (1987–2023). For this purpose, we rely on fractionally integrated methods to fill the gap left by studies focusing on possible cointegration that use linear unit root tests. Both original and log transformed data of house price indices have been used with and without taking inflation into account. Even though several studies mentioned mean reversion in the short term, in the long term the real estate market shows a clear pattern of high persistence and no reversion to the mean. The effect of inflation seems to add correlation to real prices and conversely, an increase in the integration factor. Structural breaks reveal that recent values of this integration factor are greater, thus prices are becoming more persistent. • Analysis of the stochastic properties of the US real estate market (1987-2023) with fractionally integrated methods • The real estate market prices shows a clear pattern of high persistence and no reversion to the mean • Inflation seems to add correlation to real prices and conversely, an increase in the integration factor • Structural breaks reveal that recent values of the integration factor are becoming explosive (d>2) in nominal price series • Recent values of real time series show are d<2, but the I(2) null hypothesis cannot be rejected in the confidence interval [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The renewal of old communities (OCR) is a crucial component of China's urban renewal strategy. However, the huge funding gap, coupled with the unwillingness of enterprises to participate, has impeded the sustainable development of OCR in China. This issue has become a major practical challenge for the government. This study employed the modified theory of planned behavior (M-TPB) to examine enterprise behavior, focusing on how internal capabilities and external conditions influence their participation. Data was collected from 261 questionnaire surveys, and structured equation modeling was used to analyze the data. Further in-depth interviews were conducted to explain and validate the results from the SEM. The findings illustrate that: (1) the M-TPB offers a more detailed and nuanced explanation of the mechanisms influencing participation behavior; (2) the attitude towards participation is an important factor in shaping the intention to participate; (3) there is a significant negative correlation between perceived behavioral control, which is based on external conditions, and the participation intention; and (4) different types of enterprises show differences in attitude and perceived behavioral control. These findings provide new insights and perspectives on the OCR dilemma in China, highlighting some important practical implications for fostering various forms of enterprise participation in OCR projects. • This paper analyzes enterprises' participation in OCR from a new perspective - the behavioral intention of managers. • The modified theory of planned behavior can better explain the influence mechanism. • Government should focus on improving the enterprises' attitude and the effectiveness of external conditions. • Propose strategies to promote participation for different types of enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper develops an operational approach, adapting elements of Multi-Level Perspective (MLP), Technological Innovation System (TIS) and Social Practice Theory (SPT), to examine the influence of key factors driving and hindering the transition to an alternative-protein food system in Singapore. The results of the analysis are that landscape factors such as climate change, food security and COVID-19 are exerting pressure on the food production regime, creating opportunities for alternative-protein niches to break through. Political actors in Singapore respond favourably through establishing the target to produce 30 % of Singapore's food needs locally by 2030. Governmental strategies are targeted at nurturing the niches, protecting them from the selection pressures embedded in the regime. As an agricultural-neutral city-state, local meat producers possess little power to resist. However, governmental strategies exhibit insufficient attention paid to the intersection between regime and consumer practices. Subsequently, regime rules remain largely intact, providing little impetus for local food processing companies or consumers to adopt alternative proteins. Moreover, legitimation bestowed by the political actors is nascent and hence, the strength of the innovation system, while demonstrating huge growth potential, is in its infancy stage. Consequently, the niches are underdeveloped to destabilise the regime or close the gaps in the regime created by landscape factors. Hence, a 'Transformation Pathway' is currently happening as moderate landscape pressure is occurring at a time when niche innovations are underdeveloped with little adjustments observed in the regime. Niches are exhibiting symbiotic relationships with the regime as they are increasingly adopted into the regime. • In Singapore, governmental strategies are targeted at nurturing niches in the food transition. • Moderate landscape pressure is occurring when niche innovations are underdeveloped. • Niches are exhibiting symbiotic relationships with the regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban housing demolition has been a core Chinese policy to deal with poor quality and substantial residential units in cities in China. The policy operated to compensate individuals who were displaced when demolition projects were undertaken. Now the compensation for demolition in the shanty towns may be the largest transfer payment to households in the history of China. However, the large amount of compensation for demolition has also aroused social concerns that demolition will exacerbate wealth inequality. This study uses data from the China Household Finance Survey (CHFS) data in 2013 and 2019 to analyze the impact of urban housing demolition on wealth inequality within cities. The results show that for cities with relatively lower levels of initial wealth inequality, the relatively wealthier households who experienced demolition had a rapid increase in their wealth. Thus, demolition increased the intra-city wealth inequality. In contrast, for cities with relatively higher levels of initial wealth inequality, demolition reduced the intra-city wealth inequality by removing low value housing units. Significantly, with the majority of tier 3 and tier 4 cities exhibiting greater initial wealth inequality compared to their tier 1 and tier 2 counterparts, the demolition policy has, in essence, curbed wealth disparities in these smaller urban areas. The paper also suggests how transfer payment policies can be used to realize the goal of common prosperity. • Individual housing demolition data provides greater clarity on effects of demolition on wealth inequality. • The effects of demolition on intra city inequality vary by locations of the demolished houses within city. • Demolition reduces intra city variation in wealth in most cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article seeks to estimate various centrality indices based on spatial big data in terms of urban form, function, and location potential within a metropolitan area; it also comparatively analyzes the morphological differences in urban spatial structure between the centrality indices. As a result of estimating the centrality index for each dimension related to the urban spatial structure of the Seoul metropolitan region based on big data, the differentiated distribution patterns of urban centers were confirmed according to the characteristics of available big data by a quantitative and three-dimension morphological comparison methodology. The Mantel tests showed statistically significant mutual correlations between all centrality indices; however, the Passing–Bablok regressions revealed that the location potential centrality defined as Hansen-type accessibility was significantly different from the two centrality indices of the as urban form and function dimensions. The centrality of various dimensions in this paper includes not only the spatial characteristics of detailed spatial units but also the temporal characteristics theoretically. These results imply the need for comprehensive research to be carried out on urban spatial structure and centrality in accordance with the polycentric pattern of spatial structure in metropolitan areas. • Centralities in various dimensions were estimated based on spatial big data. • Centrality estimation methods are spatial convolution and accessibility calculation. • Distribution of city centers was different by urban form, function, and potential. • Pattern of location potential centrality was differentiated from other centralities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The widely recognized rank-size law is being questioned as the single best rule for city size distribution by an increasing number of studies. However, these studies suffer from inconsistent findings and some deficiencies, including differing definitions of a city across countries, samples with few countries, less systematic examination of socioeconomic influencing factors and no attention being given to the dynamic changes in best-fit city size distribution types for a given country. With a larger sample of countries and a more comparable and consistent definition of cities, our empirical analysis supports two findings from the existing literature. First, there is no single, universal distribution but rather a plurality of national city sizes. Second, the main body of a country's city size distribution is generally characterized by a lognormal distribution, while the upper tail tends to follow a Pareto distribution. Furthermore, our exploratory analyses reveal that specific city size distributions are associated with nations' socioeconomic development and urbanization levels. Finally, this paper presents the changes in the best-fit city size distribution type of a country across different periods and proposes a hypothesis on the general evolutionary trend. • There is no single universal type of city size distribution at the national level. • Varied distribution types are related to the socioeconomic factors. • Evolutionary nature of the optimal city size distribution of a country • A hypothesis on the general evolutionary trend of city size distribution types [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vacant land can provide social and ecological benefits to cities as they are informally used by people and spontaneously populated by animals and plant-life. However, planners and policy makers often frame vacant land as 'empty', 'blank' spaces, making it difficult to acknowledge informal and more-than-human shaping of these places. This paper demonstrates how a reconceptualization of vacant land through a relational lens enables the inclusion of informal and more-than-human placemaking in planning policy. Analysing the recent Scottish planning policy debate on vacant land through the analysis of policy documents and key informant interviews, we demonstrate that the inclusion of informal and more-than-human placemaking in the Scottish planning policy is fostered by growing recognition of concepts such as urban biodiversity, but hindered by persistent nature-culture divisions. Waymarkers for future policy making are, firstly, strengthening the presence of informal and more-than-human actors in policy debates by seeking representatives who can speak on their behalf and, secondly, supporting new placemaking traditions specifically for vacant land that are incremental and collaborative. • Concepts such as urban biodiversity support inclusion for more-than-human placemaking. • Persistent nature-culture divisions overlook interdependencies, constraining planning debates. • Inclusive planning for vacant land must counter reductivist placemaking perspectives. • Relational placemaking for vacant land should be regenerative, incremental and collaborative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

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

Addressing the global urgency for improved sustainable cities and communities, as per the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11, requires innovative and disruptive approaches, which also include applying artificial intelligence (AI). While AI holds significant potential to address complex socio-economic and environmental challenges in cities, a comprehensive analysis of its applications and implications, particularly in urban contexts, is required to address the research gap in understanding how AI can be effectively deployed to meet the challenges. This paper reports on a study that evaluates how AI may facilitate achieving SDG 11. This assessment includes an expert-driven literature review, drawing insights from authoritative sources. In addition, a set of case studies illustrate practical applications of AI to improve urban sustainability. The combination of these approaches led to findings that underscore the pivotal role of AI in optimizing energy use, streamlining waste management, enhancing traffic flow, and contributing to environmental sustainability. However, according to the findings, AI implementation needs oversight to ensure it is ethical, inclusive, and privacy-respecting as an effective tool to aid decision-making. By fostering collaboration among planners, policymakers, and AI experts, the full potential of AI may be unlocked to shape sustainable urban environments and realize SDG 11. • Artificial Intelligence may assist in implementing sustainable development. • Cities and communities can become more sustainable with the use of AI. • There is a research gap on using AI to promote sustainable cities. • Some AI technologies may be used in urban contexts. • Various social, and environmental issues and obstacles need to be overcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the fact that more and more women are gaining access to important policy-making positions, they do not usually receive salaries as high as those of men. Furthermore, women attaining top-tier positions frequently have fewer possibilities of exercising any significant authority, providing a potential explanation for gender pay disparities. The previous literature on the public sector pay gap has mainly focused on public sector workers, but we have not found any empirical analyses of the pay gap for mayors. In this context, our paper aims to analyse whether there is a gender pay gap among local mayors. We also examine whether this pay gap is affected by the percentage of women in the local council, not solely by the mayor's gender. We use a sample of 140 Spanish municipalities for 2014–2022. After estimating with GMM, our results show that female mayors receive lower salaries than their male counterparts, confirming a pay gap. Nevertheless, we find that this gap is narrower when the proportion of women in the council increases, which is a powerful argument for demanding the presence of more women in public institutions. • Female mayors receive lower salaries than their male counterparts, confirming a pay gap. • Pay differences between male and female mayors decrease as the proportion of female councillors increases. • Increasing the proportion of women in public organisations would help to reduce the current gender pay gap. • Actions and legislation should be implemented to further promote women's participation in public administrations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Streamlining urban areas to appropriate sizes based on the current population structure is an important and urgent issue. Therefore, Japan enacted the Location Normalization Plan in 2014, and a shift toward a more compact regional structure is underway. However, this plan cannot force people to migrate to the target area. Consequently, the formation of a compact regional structure is expected to persist for several decades. It consequently is crucial to shortly convert to a compact regional structure based on the voluntary migration of residents before the living environment outside residential zones deteriorates. This study analyzed the time required for the population to reach zero in urbanization-promoting areas excluded from residential attraction, using spatial statistical analysis. We assumed that multiple generations were the targets of the migration promotion policy, and considered the differences in each scenario. The results demonstrate that >100 years would be required before the natural withdrawal of target areas, and that migration policies targeting pre- and post-retirement generations were the most effective. This paper's contribution is valuable in that it discusses the importance of promoting relocation based on the viewpoint of the shortest possible shrinkage to the compacting measures currently being undertaken worldwide in matured cities. • Targets of the migration promotion policy • Importance of promoting relocation based on the shortest possible shrinkage • Policies appropriate for specific time periods and age groups should be implemented. • Migration policies targeting pre- and post-retirement generations [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an ethnographic study of the Changsin-dong neighbourhood in Seoul, specifically focusing on urban development issues in the area, in which small-scale sewing workshops are agglomerated in the heart of the city. Under the names 'community alive' and 'existing urban manufacturing area,' Changsin-dong was designated as a leading area for urban regeneration in Seoul, and urban regeneration was implemented in 2014. Consequently, urban regeneration has now become an indispensable moniker for Changsin-dong, and conflicts related to various interests and political interference have arisen. Despite urban regeneration's emphasis on bottom-up approaches to overcome the limitations of developmentalism, hierarchical power relationships between governmental administrations and local cooperatives still persist over the entire course of the project. In this research, I critically examine the background surrounding how urban regeneration was fuelled and what consequences have been identified to date, and ultimately look at the subtle complexities and practical constraints of urban regeneration. Through macroscopic review of urban regeneration as well as microscopic anthropological observations, I seek to reveal the multi-layered socio-political contexts surrounding urban regeneration in Changsin-dong and unpack the nature of inevitable conflicts and contrasting interests among residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

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

The urgent decline of global progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the post-COVID-19 era necessitates immediate action in the field of smart cities. This paper proposes a new framework to assess the performance of global smart cities, emphasizing the vitality and potential of sustainability-oriented smartness for global smart cities, as well as the role of benchmarking cities on a global scale. The framework centered around the principles of "humanity-technology-sustainability" tackles critical challenges related to feasibility, interoperability, and flexibility in smart city assessments. By integrating academic perceptions with quantitative performance results, the proposed framework aims to facilitate the advancement of sustainable smart city through urban comparisons and the expansion of global visions within the smart city ecosystem in a post-pandemic future. In each of the past three years, twenty globally renowned cities for smart city development are assessed under this framework and published on UNPAN (United Nations Public Administration Network) website. These assessments aim to draw the attention of more cities to the factors that contribute to advancing smart cities under the new world development goals, to identify benchmark cities across different dimensions, and to assist decision-makers in prioritizing future smart city development initiatives. • SDGs call for urgent responses in the field of smart cities in the Post-pandemic era • The multivocal in sustainability makes the goal of sustainable smart city ambiguous • Bridge the gap between sustainability vision and sustainability goal in smart city • The new smart city assessment framework based on "humanity-technology-sustainability" • 20 global metropolia as smart city benchmarks are assessed under the framework [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's urban economic transition since the 2000s has garnered considerable scholarly interest. Two distinct bodies of scholarship, namely urban governance and global production networks, have investigated this phenomenon, each offering unique insights either from an endogenous state-centric or exogenous firm-centric approach. The former has justifiably accentuated the centrality of the state in shaping Chinas urban-regional economic reconfiguration but lacks exploration of the multifaceted ways in which state apparatus engages with a spectrum of quotidian firm-level activities and the negotiation power these firms wield. The latter embraces an exogenous firm-centric perspective on the economic transition in East Asia latecomer regions, stressing forces of globalisation, foreign investment, and intra/inter/extra-firm networks, but tends to bracket the state into the institutional background and, therefore, downplays its agentic role. By initiating a dialogue between these two theoretical frameworks, this paper formulates a dialectical state-firm relational approach, offering a revitalised, integrative comprehension of China's urban economic transformation. Employing Dongguan - a globally recognised hub for ICT manufacturing - as an empirical focal point, it elucidates how the relational state-firm dynamics evolve temporally, differ spatially across territories and scales, and display distinct contrasts between high-value-added and labour-intensive sectors within the ICT industry. • Sets a research agenda which promotes theoretical dialogues between urban governance and global production networks • Develops a state-firm dialectical approach to urban economic transition, combining endogenous and exogenous perspectives • Offers an integrative comprehension of China's urban economic transformation through symbiotic state-firm dynamics • Reveals that state-firm relations vary across time and space and differ between high-value-added and labour-intensive sectors [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As pointed out by some scholars, the public response to homelessness and poverty changed dramatically with the pandemic (Parsell et al., 2020) as public stakeholders decided to spend additional fundings for homelessness and poverty policies. However, these interventions were often thought of as a means to reduce the threat to the health of the non-homeless population (Parsell et al., 2020) and were led by local governments which remain reluctant to provide the necessary resources for ending homelessness (Evans et al., 2021). As these public interventions were insufficient and took a long time to be implemented, grassroots organizations were often at the forefront of the crisis for providing resources to the most marginalized people. Drawing on this basis, this paper aims at understanding the role taken by a grassroots organization in Rennes (a medium-sized city in France) during the pandemic. I focus on a local grassroots organization which worked independently of the state and developed informal practices to deliver food to people experiencing homelessness and food insecure households. In this perspective, they managed to compete with professional and state-funded service providers and the pandemic shed light on the efficiency of their practices, based on unconditionality and empowerment. Through observant participation and interviews with the grassroots organization's managers, volunteers and public stakeholders, I argue that, during the pandemic, this grassroots organization was not only a "buffer to state absence and neglect" (De Verteuil, 2017, p.1518), but it also managed to put forward some of their claims, hence challenging the "reticent state" (Evans et al., 2021) and steering public policies into more compassionate ways to address food insecurity. • Coeurs Résistants , a grassroots organization located in Rennes (France), managed to subvert neoliberal welfare practices based on imposing access conditions, by itself providing food without conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic. • The crisis was an opportunity for this organization to influence the municipal government and local stakeholders to move away from national government requirements, for promoting unconditionality in food provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an in-depth city profile analyzing Martil—an emerging coastal satellite urban center in northern Morocco. Situated within a rapidly urbanizing context, Martil exemplifies organic satellite city dynamics in the Global South. The analysis tracks Martil's demographic, spatial, economic, social, environmental, and planning transformations since the 1970s. Accelerated rural-urban migration fueled unstructured peripheral expansion, straining infrastructure and producing socioeconomic disparities. Unregulated construction encroached on floodplains and coastal habitats, increasing climate risks and environmental degradation. Recent urban development plans aim to balance growth priorities with sustainability concerns through zoning, partnerships, and critical projects. However, persisting governance gaps between ambitions and on-ground outcomes continue to hinder equitable development and ecological resilience. The study situates Martil locally and comparatively, underscoring mismatches between prevailing models and satellites' distinct realities. Satellite urbanism's complexities validate calls for fundamental paradigm shifts prioritizing social welfare, climate adaptation, economic diversity, and participatory planning essential for sustainable urban development. This multi-dimensional analysis of a rapidly evolving coastal satellite city on the Mediterranean contributes an original perspective to urban studies scholarship while offering integrated recommendations for practitioners and policymakers. • Rapid coastal satellite urbanization trends unpacked through Martil city case profile • Population influx and unstructured peripheral expansion fuel socioeconomic and ecological pressures • Environmental hazards and groundwater risks analyzed vis-à-vis uncontrolled construction • Intent and implementation gaps in balancing urban growth with sustainability surface • Comparative insights on coastal satellites inform adaptive planning and policy pathways [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]

Vector cellular automata (VCA) are effective models for cadastral-scale land use change modeling, leveraging fine spatial granularity information from cadastral plot data. The temporal dimension has the potential to improve the performance of VCA further. However, it is challenging to precisely capture long sequence information of cadastral plot temporal data for VCA while ensuring accurate capture of fine granularity information simultaneously. Our paper introduces the Temporal-VCA framework, which fully utilizes fine spatial and temporal granularity information of cadastral plot temporal data to enhance the accuracy of VCA. Applying Shenzhen's annual cadastral plot data from 2009 to 2014, this study shows how deep learning techniques can elucidate the temporal aspects of VCA models. Temporal-VCA notably improves precision by up to 22.12 %, outperforming the regular VCA models and traditional raster CA models. It reveals the complex nonlinear temporal patterns within cadastral-scale urban development processes. Designed simulations for 2030, including scenarios of disordered development and ecological protection, highlight the benefits of fully leveraging fine temporal granularity information of temporal data into urban planning, potentially reducing ecological damage by 70 %. Our findings offer a novel methodology for urban land use simulation, with significant implications for urban planning and the advancement of sustainable cities. • Temporal-VCA enhances cadastral land use modelling by improving VCA's long sequence data acquisition • Our model simultaneously utilizes the fine spatial granularity and time series data of cadastral data • Policy scenarios are designed to optimize future land resources use by evaluating policy impacts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Models of residential location choice suggest that the decision where to live depends on various economic, social, and environmental factors, including housing prices, lifecycle stage, household structure, job accessibility, and commuting time. By focusing on the motivational dimension of choice, and by linking the concept of regulatory focus to residential location preferences, the present paper extends these classic models. According to regulatory focus theory, goal-pursuit behavior is regulated by two motivational systems – promotion and prevention. Individuals with a promotion focus are motivated by the need for accomplishment, and use eager strategies to attain their goals. They take risks, are creative, and have a preference for a high-speed and fast-paced lifestyle. Individuals with a prevention focus are motivated by the need for safety and security, and use vigilant strategies. They try to avoid risk, attach high importance to stability, and prefer a more relaxed and slow-paced lifestyle. Three studies tested the effect of regulatory focus on residential location choice. Study 1 (n = 85) examined the relationship between promotion focus and the choice to live in fast-paced cities. The participants' regulatory focus was assessed as a chronic disposition using the regulatory focus questionnaire, after which they viewed images of a vibrant city (crowds of people rushing in the streets, heavy vehicle traffic), and were asked whether they would be willing to live in this city (yes/no). Promotion focus positively predicted the probability of 'yes' responses. Study 2 (n = 79) examined the relationship between prevention focus and the choice to live in slow-paced cities. The participants' regulatory focus was first measured using the regulatory focus questionnaire. Then, they viewed images of a relaxed city (people walking slowly from one place to the other, sparse vehicle traffic), after which they were asked whether they would be willing to live in this city (yes/no). There was no direct relationship between prevention focus the probability of 'yes' responses. In Study 3 (n = 102), priming was used to have participants experience either a history of promotion success (vs. promotion failure) or a history of prevention success (vs. prevention failure). Then, the participants viewed images of a fast-paced city and images of a slow-paced city, and were asked to choose in which of the two cities they would prefer to live (fast-paced city/slow-paced city). The experience of promotion success was positively associated with choosing to live in a fast-paced city. The experience of prevention success was not associated with choosing to live in a slow-paced city. Together, these findings suggest that individuals with a promotion focus are attracted to, and prefer to live in, vibrant and fast-paced urban environments. There was no evidence in this research for a direct relationship between prevention focus and the choice to live in slow-paced urban environments. Implications for urban planning and land use management are discussed. • There is a relationship between regulatory focus and residential location choice • Promotion focus is directly and positively associated with a preference to live in fast-paced cities • Prevention focus is not directly associated with a preference to live in slow-paced cities [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

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

Equity and inclusion continue to pose significant challenges for many cities. Disparities in access to resources and facilities among the residents of these areas are often influenced by factors such as geographical location and income level, among others. Therefore, creating a quantitative basis to detect spatial and socio-economic inequities in residents' access to vital infrastructures is crucial for advancing smart cities. This paper introduces a novel measure of Spatial Inequity that is based on 1) computing building-level scores for each building in terms of access to facilities, and 2) comparing the distribution of the scores of these facilities using the Gini coefficient. The proposed building-level scores will enable the identification of GIS hotspots at a high resolution. Then, the Gini-based measure will facilitate a comparison of the distribution of the scores, and determine if they are evenly distributed and equitably accessible. The Gini coefficient was highest (0.89) for waste management and elderly care, and lowest (0.56) for hospitals, reflecting varying levels of inequality. This study applies this Spatial Ineqity methodological framework to Hong Kong, a representative of Highly Dense Cities. The framework benchmarks urban infrastructure, identifies hotspots, and selects interventions for equitable urban development. • Novel approach identifies spatial inequities via building-level scores & Gini coefficient. • Precise hotspot identification enhances targeted interventions in dense urban areas. • Applied methodology in Hong Kong offers insights into urban development complexities. • Gini coefficient unveils varying degrees of inequality across essential services. • Geospatial analysis & quantitative measures support equitable urban resource allocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

The paper argues that sustainable Smart Cities cannot be delivered by profit-driven visions, but through a process that integrates the diverse aptitudes and needs of the city stakeholders. The study uses mixed methods to examine democratic participation in governance and the emerging notion of Smart City Citizenship in the context of India. Benchmarking and assessment of 21 smart cities reveals the existing participatory processes being "tokenistic" and a substantial deficit in democratic stakeholder participation mechanisms. A deeper assessment in Kochi and Nagpur exposes the existing barriers to citizen participation and reveals that the capacities of capable stakeholders and citizen groups can be channelised more effectively. This study promotes advancing the notion of 'citizenship' beyond the market to the commons. It suggests transforming urban governance into a more accountable and collaborative governance model with a stronger role and power to local government, residents, and democratic stakeholders. • Benchmarking and assessment of 21 smart cities and case studies of Kochi and Nagpur reveal that the existing participatory processes being "tokenistic" and a substantial deficit in democratic stakeholder participation mechanisms • The cities need to break the barriers of bureaucracy, corruption, marketisation, and capacity limitations. • This study promotes advancing the notion of 'citizenship' beyond the market to the commons. • The study suggests transforming urban governance into a more accountable and collaborative governance model with a stronger role and power to local government, residents, and democratic stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities and fringes are often characterised by neglected heritages that affect the perceived quality of life in the territories, especially when it comes to industrial sites. Some studies suggest that their regeneration with social innovation fosters a greater feeling of belonging to the place, creates new socio-cultural activities and new jobs, and increases ground rent. Does this create territorial innovation? What are the impacts of S.I. and T.I. generated by regeneration? This paper aims to assess the average social and territorial innovation impacts of industrial heritage regeneration in cities and fringes and to test the hypothesis of a correlation between them. A mixed methods approach has been adopted with semi-structured telephonic interviews, data analysis, and comparison. 100 examples of industrial heritage regeneration in Europe, equally located in cities and fringes, were analysed. This research offers a novel theoretical contribution to the international literature, corroborating that social innovation plays a vital role in the territorial innovation of cities and fringes. The results show that the greater the social innovation, the higher the level of territorial innovation. Furthermore, this study confirms that innovation depends on location, new uses and regeneration model. These results contribute to the body of knowledge and open new research opportunities in theories and practice for territorial innovation and industrial heritage urban regeneration with social innovation. [Display omitted] • Industrial heritage regeneration with social innovation is a driver for territorial innovation. • Three models of industrial heritage regeneration are identified. • Social innovation and territorial innovation are correlated. • The average impact of social and territorial innovation is higher in ecosystemic models. • The average impact of social and territorial innovation is slightly higher in cities than in fringes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent months, 15-min city policies have faced significant backlash across social media, in opinion pieces, and even through street demonstrations, casting doubt on the future of x-minute city policies as effective tools in the fight against climate change. The protests and backlash not only challenge the effective implementation of x-minute city policies, but also highlight our lack of understanding regarding which acceptability factors affect public reactance to this new kind of urban policy. This paper reviews the existing literature to reveal the four main factors shaping policy acceptability. It then juxtaposes these factors against the common criticisms leveled at the 15-min city model. This comparative analysis not only illuminates the limitations of applying traditional policy frameworks to the x-minute city context, but also identifies critical gaps in the existing literature. By bridging this divide, we aid policymakers in navigating the spectrum of public skepticism of the 15-min city model, from addressing and debunking conspiracy theories to engaging with scientifically-grounded critiques. Our findings offer a roadmap for transforming these innovative urban planning concepts into widely embraced solutions for climate change mitigation. • We identify key factors shaping 15-min city policy acceptability. • Analyzes the role of conspiracy theories in public resistance • Emphasizes participatory co-design to enhance fairness and acceptance • Advocates for flexible, localized 15-min city policy implementation • Calls for future research on environmental justice and gentrification concerns [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The stability of municipal revenues is crucial for long-term socio-economic planning at the city level. This paper presents the impact of changes in legal regulations mandating the transformation of perpetual usufruct into ownership on preferential terms. Using micro-level information on transactions and plots handed over in perpetual usufruct for single-family housing, we determined potential losses in the City of Poznan caused by the new regulations. The research uses mass appraisal models to assess the fees related to the land value of properties affected by the legal transformation, scenario analysis, and Monte-Carlo simulation to evaluate the consequences of the change in the regulation in the long run. The simulation results indicate that the municipalities are deprived of relatively stable revenues after the reform. In Poznan, we assess that the net present value of revenue losses ranged from −327.3 mln PLN to −419.6 mln PLN (74.6 % to 92.9 % reduction of the baseline revenues, respectively). Incorporating provisions allowing the perpetual usufruct of developed land to be converted to housing is less financially beneficial for municipalities than for perpetual usufruct holders. Additionally, it significantly manages municipal strategic control of local development within the city and reduces municipal land resources. The research attempts to narrow the gap in knowledge about the role of land leases in municipal revenues. • The regulations introduced by the Law on Perpetual Usufruct Transformation of 2018 are financially disadvantageous for municipalities. • In the long run, the decrease in revenues will most likely cause a sub-optimal expenditure reduction and, to some extent, will lower the quality of local public utility services. • Reducing municipal land resources significantly limits local development and the scope of public utility services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Imposing minimum green building (GB) standards is a regulatory tool for governments to engage the private sector in building green, but there is little evidence on policy outcomes. This paper looks at the details of minimum GB standards mandated in Singapore in 2008 and critically investigates whether, and to what extent, they affect GB adoption in the private housing market during 2005–2019 using data for 1078 projects and associated transactions. After the mandate, a new type of entry-level, low-performing GB that simply meets the minimum GB standards but is not Green Mark certified prevails in the private housing market. High-performing, certified GBs only slightly increase from 15 % of the market to 23 % in the years after the mandate. Further empirical analysis using logistic and hedonic regression methods shows that small and medium developers tend to build entry-level GBs for tradeoff between GB performance level and cost, while large developers are 7.8 times more likely to build and certify high-performing GBs. These results suggest that mandating minimum GB standards rather than GB certification can stimulate widespread adoption of GB practices in the private sector, but inadequately promotes high-performing GB development and offset the adverse effect of cost on developers' building green. • We examine the policy effects of a mandate of minimum green building (GB) standards during 2005–2019. • Mandating minimum GB standards differs from mandating GB certification. • A new type of entry-level, low-performing, non-certified GBs prevail after mandate. • Small and medium developers lack incentives to build high-performing, certified GBs. • Mandates barely offset the adverse effect of cost on developers' building green. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

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

Emissions from ships stand as one of the principal contributors to air pollution in coastal areas. China has implemented the Domestic Ship Emission Control Area (DECA) policy progressively since 2016 to alleviate sulfur oxide and particulate matter pollution in coastal cities by limiting the sulfur content in marine fuel oil. This study utilizes Synthetic Difference-in-Differences model to construct a counterfactual framework for evaluating the DECA policy effect on air quality of cities in the Yangtze River Delta, the Pearl River Delta, and the Bohai Rim region. Results revealed that DECA policy significantly reduced the urban sulfur dioxide (SO 2) concentrations of YRD, BR, and PRD regions by 9.93 %, 8.64 %, and 7.09 %, respectively. However, the policy's efficacy in restraining fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) concentrations was found to be non-significant. This study further estimated the dynamic changes in SO 2 concentration in coastal cities of different regions in the DECA coverage. The results showed that the DECA policy generally began to significantly reduce SO 2 concentration levels in the second year after implementation, and with the tightening of the DECA policy, the reduction effect followed a growing-and-then-falling trend. Finally, the paper offers policy recommendations to further reduce ship emissions, aligned with recent emission reduction advancements. • Assessing the impact of China's DECA on coastal urban air pollution using a synthetic difference-in-differences model. • DECA effectively reduces SO 2 concentrations in coastal cities, yet its control over PM 2.5 levels is limited. • The impact of DECA varies across regions, with the most significant effects in the YRD, followed by BR and the PRD. • Several policy recommendations are proposed to optimize the effectiveness of DECA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

With the establishment of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality goals in China, developing low-carbon cities has become crucial. Previous studies primarily focus on the quantitative structure of land use to achieve low carbon optimization, while ignoring the spatial integration between urban form and carbon emissions. To fulfill this gap, this paper proposed a dual-scale low carbon oriented multi-objective land use allocation (DOLA) optimization model, utilizing idea-point multi-objective linear programming (IMLP) and non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm II (NSGA-II) to optimize the low-carbon-emission pattern of the city at both the structural and spatial scales respectively. By innovatively linking the urban shape index with carbon emissions, this model aims to minimize urban carbon emissions, while maximizing economic development, urban development suitability, and the compactness of city. The proposed method is applied to Wuhan's main urban area in China, the DOLA model shows significant improvements in target values across all scenarios. Among them, the scenario that prioritized low carbon emissions at both the structural and spatial scales achieved the most significant reduction of 6.43 % in carbon emissions. The DOLA effectively contributes to achieving multiple spatial targets, thereby aiding in reducing carbon emissions. It offers technical support for developing pathways towards China's "dual carbon" target. • A dual-scale low carbon oriented multi-objective land use allocation (DOLA) optimization model is proposed. • The DOLA model innovatively incorporates urban form indices to carbon emissions. • The DOLA model achieves spatial aggregation targets, thereby facilitating significant reductions in carbon emissions. • The DOLA model generates a series of land use optimization scenarios, offering a valuable reference for land use planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An understanding of how modern Open Data Ecosystems (ODEs) work is critical in the context of current trends towards sustainability and smartness, while is seen to be an asset to support urban governance and development, in coordinating actions, and fostering civic engagement. This paper aims to establish such understanding by analyzing the contextual patterns, platforms, and components shaping sustainable ODEs by employing platform theory. This study explores and compares characteristics, similarities, differences, and best approaches in 19 cities across 8 countries. In this study we (1) identify 50 patterns that influence and shape sustainable ODEs and their platforms, i.e., Open Data Platform Ecosystems (ODPEs); (2) explore the relationships between platforms and other ODPEs components by developing a respective model, and identifying internal platforms and other components; (3) empirically validate the conceptual findings of five types of ODPEs presented in the literature, redefining them from the conceptual to real-life implementation of the respective components in sample cities; (4) considering the experience gained during the study with respect to the ODPEs and external pressures and environments that shape or influence them, we define 12 recommendations for policy planning and urban governance of more sustainable ODEs. • Identifies 50 patterns that influence and shape sustainable ODEs in smart cities • Defines the Open Data Platform Ecosystem (ODPE) and its components and relationships • Empirically validates the conceptual findings of five types of smart city ODPEs • Defines 12 recommendations for urban development of more sustainable ODEs [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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

The phenomenon of urban expansion in Southeast Asia has increased since the 1960s due the land development for the capital as well as surrounding cities supporting it. Since the 1970s, private developers in Jabodetabek have transformed rural areas into new cities and connecting them primarily via toll roads. They have developed the suburb aggressively for real estate projects, resulting in rapid urban sprawl. Most of these new cities are outfitted with amenities, including schools, hospitals, sewage systems, medical facilities, security personnel, and public parks. Some were motivated by the need for new settlements, while others were motivated by economic and industrial growth. However, the new cities have become segregated communities because they are heavily guarded, gated, and surrounded by walls. Their existence creates disparities between private cities and surrounding kampongs, which can be problematic for the surrounding society. Through literature review, mapping, interviews, and taking Bintaro Jaya as the case study, this paper analyses the characteristics of the private city in Southeast Asia and the Indonesian context as well as how gentrification resulting from land transformation has become the primary driver of urban expansion. This paper argues that the definition of Private cities cannot be generally adopted to Indonesian context. • Politics, economics, and way of life contribute to urban segregation in the development of private cities. • The primary drivers of private cities are safety and lifestyle. • Private cities have caused urban segregation and gentrification. • Private cities caused disparities between the private developed areas and the surrounding kampong. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Comparison of the Polish and Ukrainian models of metropolis management • Delimitation of the Warsaw metropolis • Problems of the development of the Warsaw metropolis • Historical difficulties in the development of the Lviv metropolis [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ride-hailing services can expand access to opportunities in urban areas, but out-of-pocket costs may limit its benefits for low-income individuals. This paper examines how ride-hailing shapes spatial and socioeconomic differences in access to opportunities while accounting for the trade-off between travel time and monetary costs. Using one year of aggregate Uber trip data for Rio de Janeiro in 2019 and a new multi-objective routing algorithm, we analyze the potential for ride-hailing services to improve employment accessibility when used as a standalone transportation mode and in conjunction with transit as a first-mile connection. We find that, compared to transit, standalone ride-hailing can significantly expand accessibility as a standalone mode for short trips, and as a first-mile feeder to transit in trips longer than 30 min. However, the accessibility benefits of ride-hailing accrue mostly to high-income groups due to affordability barriers. These findings suggest that policy efforts to integrate rideshare with transit are likely not going to benefit low-income communities without some form of subsidized fare discounts to alleviate affordability barriers. The paper also highlights how accounting for trade-offs between travel-time and monetary costs can importantly influence the results of transportation accessibility and equity studies. • We examine how ride-hailing shapes access to opportunities as a standalone mode and when combined with transit as a first-mile feeder service • We use multi-objective optimization routing to calculate accessibility while accounting for the trade-off between travel time and monetary costs • Compared to transit, ride-hailing significantly expands accessibility as a standalone mode for shorter trips (up to 40 min.), and as a first-mile feeder to transit in trips longer than 30 min. • When we account for different affordability thresholds, the accessibility benefits of ride-hailing services accrue mostly to high-income groups • The study shows that accounting for trade-offs between travel-time and monetary costs can importantly influence the results of transportation accessibility and equity studies [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]