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In the context of a secular decline in internal migration across more developed nations, this paper examines the degree of counterurbanisation in New South Wales – Australia's most populous state – for 2016-21, a period that included the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a nuanced demarcation of 'metropolitan' and 'non-metropolitan', the paper investigates how genuinely counter-urban and pro-rural these movements are. The paper also explores the role of rural amenity as a 'pull' factor on city populations, using the most influential elements of the rural environment that best predict in-, out-migration and net-migration flows as separate measures rather than combine them into an index of composite variables. The results suggest that counterurbanisation exists as a particular migration current in NSW, though the spatial patterning of in- and net migration rates suggests that exurbanisation and displaced urbanisation more accurately describe and explain the vast majority of moves. Relatively high in- and net migration rates recorded in the most remote local government areas also suggest an element of anti-urbanisation, perhaps in response to the COVID-19 public health measures. Spatial regression modelling of selected amenity indicators against in-, out- and net migration produced high coefficients (Spearman's rho) for the in- and out-migration models, while the net migration model registered coefficients about half the size of the other two models. Two indicators – median slope and tourism employment – were strong and statistically significant influences over the in- and net migration models, and in the direction hypothesised. These results suggest that counterurbanisation is substantially influenced by the presence of landscapes of varied relief and with some tourism attraction potential. • The spatial patterning of in- and net migration rates between the New South Wales metro region and non-metro regions suggest that exurbanisation and displaced urbanisation more accurately explain the vast majority of moves. • Relatively high in- and net migration rates recorded in the most remote local government areas of NSW also suggest an element of anti-urbanisation, perhaps in response to the COVID-19 public health measures. • Two indicators – median slope and tourism employment – had statistically significant influences over the in- and net migration models in spatial regression modelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Through a study of the behaviour of already debt-ridden local governments in response to the Made in China 2025 policy, this paper explores whether local governments prioritized State interests over local interests, when their financial involvement was required. Deploying a panel data analysis for more than 280 prefectural-level cities, this paper finds that, despite having been subject to an "Administrative Subcontract" arrangement under which the Central Government appoints top local officials, local economic/debt interests were prioritized over national policy implementation under fiscal decentralization. Instead of promoting infrastructure development, the Made in China 2025 policy provided an opportunity for local governments to raise capital via Local Government Financing Vehicles (LGFV) primarily for debt refinancing, despite the State's numerous attempts to control the growth of local government/LGFV debt. Some policy implications concerning i) the effectiveness of national policy implementation on local levels under "Administrative Subcontract" and ii) the debt situations of prefectural-level Chinese cities and their effects on China's economy in general are then discussed. • National policy required local government investment under fiscal decentralization. • Local leadership faced with dilemma between career prospects and mounting debt. • Prefectural-level cities prioritized local interests over State interests. • The Made in China 2025 policy triggered further accumulation of local debt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the series of works that Brian Linden, an American citizen and the founding president of the cultural tourism brand the Linden Centre (LC), has undertaken in Xizhou, a rural township in Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, Southwest China. Drawing on the counterurbanisation scholarship, this study recognises the place-based and endogenous qualities and assets of rural place that motivate the migration of Linden and the LC staff to Xizhou. However, we concurrently argue that the counterurbanisation thesis needs to be enriched through a conversation with the ascendancy of relational rurality and the global countryside, as counterurbanisation inevitably entail rich circularities of discourses, meanings, materials, and cultural knowledge. This has resulted in new ways that rural places are valued and appropriated by different actors on the move. Probing into a miscellany of cultural practices and educational programmes masterminded by the LC, this paper analyses how they deviate from the "authentic" meanings and uses of the heritage buildings but respond to broader visions and aspirations for a more fulfilling life vis-à-vis modernity. This study contributes to the counterurbanisation debate by revealing how counterurban movements can be mobilised to provide cultural, discursive, and material resources that address cultural sensibilities, aspirations, and projects articulated at broader scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The countryside is again becoming a 'popular' destination for many as they seek to find residence away from the urban. Within this narrative of counterurbanisation village services, and interactions within them are often seen as being attractive and integral to the 'dream' of rural living. Yet the realties are often very different, as can be seen through the village pub. Whilst the village pub for many represents a space which goes beyond the consumption of alcohol and offers economic, social, and cultural importance, it can also be a space of difference and inequality. However, there remains a gap in our knowledge regarding the different narratives ascribed to the village pub from those who have moved or want to move to the rural. And how these narratives are often interwoven with the 'rural idyll' leading to inaccurate representations and unrealistic expectations of the village pub. The importance of this paper resides addressing some of the above gaps by looking at the village pub, its meaning and importance to individuals and communities in the context of counterurbanisation. By looking at the village pub through, an English rural county, and a cultural lens this paper highlights that the village pub is seen and experienced as adding value of different kinds – economic, social, and cultural, and that different groups attach different levels of importance to these kinds of value. Through drawing on Bourdieu's concept of capitals to explore these values it is shown that the different kinds of value attached to village pubs can work in the Bourdieusian interpretation as capital and be self-expanding and inter-convertible but can also work to undermine one another. Thus, impacting on how village pubs are seen and experienced within the context of counterurbanisation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Marketplaces are regarded as essential public spaces, providing not only access to fresh produce but also functioning as important social infrastructures. Marketplaces also strengthen urban-rural linkages, and their functioning is important for the livelihoods of urban and rural dwellers. However, many marketplaces closed down or had to adhere to various restrictions in response to the COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak. This paper provides an assessment of the impacts and perspectives of the COVID-19 pandemic on urban-rural linkages in the Musanze District in Rwanda. In addition, the study presents policy measures in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic that the Government of Rwanda put in place in 2020 that impacted the urban-rural flow of people and goods, with severe implications for market vendors' livelihoods. This paper also answers on how have COVID-19 related policy reactions in Rwanda influenced urban-rural linkages, learning from Musanze District. Combining research conducted at markets in the Musanze District before and during the COVID-19 pandemic movement restrictions, this paper provides recommendations on market infrastructure upgrades necessary for markets to become more resilient and better functioning in preparation for any new public health crisis occurring. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Property valuation research, evolving with Automated Valuation Models (AVMs) using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), encounters challenges in handling dynamic market conditions. While the market approach is a practical solution to complement the AVMs, it also suffers from different deficiencies, particularly in relying on subjective valuer judgment. In Australia's diverse real estate market, complete and up-to-date market data derived from recent transactions of the different property types within various suburbs can be crucial for valuers. However, accessing such data often comes at a high cost, and the availability of transaction data is limited, mainly when market analysis necessitates the consideration of property valuation across various property types and bedroom counts. Accordingly, this paper presents a novel multi-step method to estimate the median prices of different property types considering their bedroom counts at the suburban level in the Melbourne Metropolitan area to benefit valuers when adopting the market approach. Nine distinct and ensembled spatially-based imputation techniques of K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Inverse Distance Weighted (IDW), Weighted KNN, Weighted IDW, Weighted KNN-IDW, Random Forest (RF), eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), RF-IDW-KNN and XGBoost-IDW-KNN are first employed to impute missing data on six market-related parameters obtained from the Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV). These parameters include median price (with no consideration of bedroom counts), price change, median rent, rental yield, clearance rate and days on market for houses and units. Next, based on these parameters, three ML algorithms—RF, Support Vector Regression (SVR) and XGBoost—are developed to estimate the median prices. Subsequently, the Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) technique is employed for Deep Learning (DL)-based spatiotemporal analysis, clustering suburbs based on property value fluctuations. Finally, these clusters are integrated into the ML models developed in the previous step as an auxiliary feature to assess their potential impact on enhancing price estimation accuracy. The results demonstrate promising accuracies for different property types based on different performance assessment metrics. The paper also underscores improved estimation accuracy by incorporating time series-based clustering as a supplementary parameter through transfer learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the importance of glocalisation for developing tourism destinations has long been recognised, there needs to be more research on the dynamics of its emergence and developmental changes. Taking Wuzhen, a historical village in China, as an example, using semi-structured interviews from three field surveys and historical archives as data sources and combining tourism history and the critical event technique method, this paper applies qualitative research to analyse the process of glocalisation practice in Wuzhen. It is found that glocalisation is a basic fact that objectively exists in the development process of Wuzhen. At different stages of development, Wuzhen has actively faced the influence of globalisation in different attitudes. Organising and hosting international conferences and exhibitions has been a guide for Wuzhen to overcome the homogenisation crisis. The theoretical research contribution of this paper is to provide an example to test the applicability of the glocalisation theory in the field of tourism destination evolution research and to expand the theoretical boundaries of tourism destination evolution research further. The practical research contribution is to help people understand and know Wuzhen comprehensively, thus providing a reference for the transformation and development of historic villages and towns in globalisation. • Glocalisation in Tourism Destination Evolution (TDE). • Global ties key for historic village revival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "conflict-coordination" theoretical model of regional land use transitions put forward by Long (2022) offers a fresh perspective for understanding the process of regional land use and the decision-making dynamics involved. However, being a novel theory, empirical evidence supporting this theoretical model is currently lacking. Consequently, this paper aims to validate the theoretical model using the lower Yellow River basin in China as a case study, focusing on the interconversion between cropland and rural settlements. The findings reveal that the rural land use transitions primarily manifest as an initial conversion of cropland to rural settlements, followed gradually by the reverse conversion of rural settlements back to cropland. The conversion of cropland to rural settlements prior to 2015 are regarded as the land use conflict phase, resulting in conflicts between construction departments and cropland protection departments, and deviation from national cropland protection goals. The conversion of rural settlements to cropland between 2015 and 2020 is regarded as the land use conflict-coordination phase, which mitigated pressure on cropland protection and resolved conflicts between the above-mentioned departments. The land use conflict phase was driven by socio-economic factors such as urbanization and rural economic development, whereas the land use conflict-coordination phase was primarily driven by cropland protection policies. This paper effectively elucidates the "conflict-coordination" theoretical model of regional land use transitions and provides a framework for evaluating rural land management policies in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Off-grid, decentralised water infrastructures are increasingly being promoted to help cities meet their water delivery targets and build resilient water systems in the face of changing water availability. Against this background, this paper examines how integrating off-grid, decentralised groundwater systems with centralized piped supply helps water utilities and urbanites achieve transformative resilience under conditions of chronic water scarcity in the secondary city of Tiruppur, India. Empirical findings on users' water access practices from off-grid systems like municipal or private borewells to remain resilient, their role in the everyday governance of these systems, and the costs of building resilience through borewells—obtained through a participatory action research project where 94 households recorded month-long water access using a 'water and waste calendar'—reveal that Tiruppur's public borewells are an affordable and mostly inclusive resilience building measure but are far from being transformative. Moreover, diverse arrangements for their everyday governance unevenly enable user participation, impose invisible costs on female members of borewell-reliant households, and create differentiation in service quality across the city. The paper argues that the potential to achieve transformative resilience through off-grid sources like borewells remains untapped in Tiruppur and concludes with some reflections to pursue just and inclusive resilience. • Off-grid decentralised water infrastructures help cities meet water delivery targets. • Decentralised water infrastructures like borewells make users resilient. • Resilient water systems with decentralised infrastructures are not always transformative. • Users' resilience comes at a cost for female and low-income water users. • Everyday governance of public borewells creates variations in service quality and inequalities in water access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on urbanization and counter-urbanization dialogues, this paper analyzes how urbanization shapes urban policy and economic opportunities as a way of understanding the ontological pluralism characterizing urban development in Saudi Arabia. Recent debates on urbanization in the global south frequently overlook the potential contribution of counter-urbanization narrative as many countries are undergoing an unprecedented level of urbanization. We use Saudi Arabian cities as a case study to illustrate how rapid urbanization can occur in an Arabian context without accompanying economic growth by analyzing population census data from 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2020. By looking at urbanization and counter-urbanization processes, the paper shows that these processes are already influencing and shaping urban policy in Saudi Arabia. It then discusses the implications of the urbanization and counter-urbanization processes as defining traits of urban policy, and thereby consolidating theoretic and agentic understandings of urban sustainability. • Urbanization and counter-urbanization dialogue is presented. • It analyzes economic growth and migration influence on urbanization in Saudi Arabia. • Findings indicate that urbanization and counter-urbanization are central to urban policy. • Sustainable futures depend on managing urbanization and counter-urbanization concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has led to a discursive change in the representation of urban-rural mobilities in the Austrian public media. Before the pandemic, a narrative of 'rural decline' had dominated the media discourse. Media have since changed this narrative to one of counterurbanisation as a result of the (perceived) effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on residential location choices. However, in contrast to media perceptions, scientific debates were more reluctant to identify a Covid-induced counterurban movement. In this paper, we take the opposition between the media representation and the scientific evidence as a starting point for a critical investigation of the media representation of counterurbanisation in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Following the approach of discourse coalitions, we investigated the actors and the coalitions they had formed to promote a Covid-induced 'counterurbanisation story'. We could identify two coalitions that created two variations of the Covid-induced 'counterurbanisation story': a prudent and an idealised discourse. These two discourses were promoted by different actors with different interests. Through our findings, the paper adds another layer to study of the construction of a 'counterurbanisation story'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effective allocation of rural development rights is crucial for achieving the ambitious goal of rural revitalization. However, China's current urban-rural spatial development rights system, with its differentiated allocation logic, has suppressed rural development rights, hindering the successful implementation of rural revitalization policies. In response to these challenges, there is a pressing need to innovate the rural spatial governance model. This paper aims to construct a comprehensive framework for analyzing rural development rights, grounded in the spatial governance concept of "matter-organization-ownership". It explores the implementation path for rural development rights, encompassing spatial development and utilization rights, spatial value dominance rights, and spatial self-development rights. To illuminate the internal mechanisms driving the realization of rural development rights within a rural spatial governance context, this study focuses on empirical research conducted in Houwei village, Nanjing, China. The findings reveal that Houwei village has effectively mobilized diverse stakeholders, encouraging their active participation in the rural spatial governance system, particularly through the promotion of rural tourism. This innovative approach has integrated "top-down" spatial control transmission with a "bottom-up" spatial innovation model, catalyzing rural spatial development and utilization rights. Furthermore, the comprehensive governance of multidimensional space in Houwei village has clarified property rights over space, fostering the appreciation, realization, and circulation of rural space values, thus enhancing rural spatial value dominance rights. Additionally, the strengthened spatial relationship system has empowered local farmers to engage in self-organized learning, innovation, and development. By advocating for a comprehensive approach to rural spatial governance, this paper outlines an implementation path towards realizing rural development rights. It aims to provide valuable insights for refining rural revitalization strategies and practices, contributing to the overarching goal of sustainable rural development. • A conceptual framework for rural spatial development rights is formulated based on spatial governance principles. • Examining the trajectory of rural development rights through the lens of rural spatial governance. • Harmonizing land space utilization regulation with the underlying spatial governance imperatives in China. • Integrating both "bottom-up" and "top-down" approaches represents a contemporary pathway for rural development. • Facilitating the effective functioning of rural collective rights in China holds promise for rural development rights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing number of cities are turning to green infrastructure as a way to manage climate change, nature recovery and unsustainable development. Although such an approach has been at the centre of thinking about development in many cities in the global North, there have been few interventions in cities of the global South. Only recently have scholars paid attention to how uneven land-use regulations in greening approaches toward informal settlements can exacerbate inequalities and result in green gentrification, residents' displacement and the relocation of informal communities. Eviction policies and the relocation of informal settlements have been justified by planning authorities under the banner of ecological improvement and climate adaptation. However, the eviction and replacement policies are often resisted by the residents of informal settlements. This paper builds upon and extends this nascent bank of knowledge by mobilising the conflicting rationalities framework to illustrate how green interventions conventionally are framed as a 'win-win' can exacerbate inequitable urban redevelopments, leading to exclusion and conflict. The paper qualitatively examines a case of greening plans in an informal settlement in Tehran metropolitan area, Iran. Thus, it also provides knowledge on a context that has received comparatively scant coverage in the academic literature on urban greening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A growing body of literature demonstrates that the accessibility of urban green spaces may differ across ethnic, minority, racial, and socioeconomic groups. In post-socialist Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, income has become the most critical factor influencing where people may reside in a city, as well as to the extent to which they can access city services. This paper investigates socioeconomic disparities in access to green areas in Budapest, Hungary, taking multiple types of green areas into account, such as urban green spaces (e.g., urban parks and gardens), urban forests, and residential greenery (e.g., private gardens and street trees). People's incomes were considered a proxy measure for socioeconomic status, and the spatial distribution of green areas were analyzed with geographic information system (GIS) tools. The results show that the advantage of wealthier people in terms of urban green space provision is not so pronounced, which is the outcome of a multi-layered historical urban development. However, considering the accessibility of urban forests and residential greenery, high-income people are in a more favorable position than those from other socioeconomic groups. In addition, geography seems to be a crucial constraint for high- and upper-middle income inner-city residents to access urban forests and residential greenery, indicating that factors outside of socioeconomic status influence access to green areas. Future planning policies should attempt to alleviate inequalities in green area provision; however, some inherited and recent issues may jeopardize municipalities' ability to achieve this goal. • This paper investigates socioeconomic disparities in access to green areas in Budapest. • We demonstrated that wealthy people are somewhat privileged in terms of access to green areas. • We found that previous planning regimes have impacted the current spatial patterns of green areas. • Three risk factors were detected that can jeopardize the improvement of urban green space provision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In sub-Saharan African cities, community-driven development has emerged as a collective response to entrenched socio-spatial inequalities and inappropriate local development planning responses to the challenges of informal settlements. Social capital is considered to stimulate such community-driven initiatives. There are also claims that social capital can impede the sustainable development of informal settlements. Yet, none of these streams pay due attention to what forms of social capital and what urban social context social capital influences community-led informal settlement improvement. This paper sought to examine the influential role of bonding and bridging social capital on community-driven development (CDD) by comparing indigenous and migrant urban informal settlements in Accra, Ghana. Drawing on a quantitative study with 300 participants in two informal settlements and using a robust multi-group analysis, the findings revealed that bonding social capital had a positive effect on CDD (β = 0.27, p = 0.05) in the indigenous informal settlement (Abese Quarter) but insignificant relationship (β = -0.33, p = 0.36) in the migrant informal settlement (Old-Tulaku). Contrarily, bridging social capital had a positive effect on the migrant (β = 0.87, p = 0.05) but not on indigenous informal settlements (β = 0.07, p = 0.09). The paper concludes that the exploitation of social capital in bottom-up informal settlement improvement is more nuanced, and context-specific applications are imperative for research and practice. For policymakers and built environment professionals, the paper suggests leveraging social capital as a means (not ends) for building formal-informal collaborations through the co-production of bottom-up initiatives for inclusive and sustainable improvements to maximize the positives and minimize the negatives. • Social capital's role in community-driven development (CDD) is inconclusive and fragmented. • We examine the influence of bonding and bridging social capital in two contrasting urban informal settlements. • Bonding social capital positively affected CDD in the indigenous informal settlement but was insignificant in the migrant one. • Bridging social capital positively influenced CDD in the migrant informal settlement but not in the indigenous one. • Formal-informal collaborations are essential to maximize the positives of social capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban green spaces (UGS) are a central part of cities and offer multiple ecological and social benefits necessary for a higher quality of life of inhabitants. However, rapid unguided urban growth together with planning policies on rezoning can lead to transformation of UGS to commercial, residential, and other uses. These processes of land use change result in inequities in the distribution of UGS in the city. Yet, data and metrics that capture changes in the geography of UGS is scarce within African cities. This paper addresses this need by examining the spatio-temporal geography of UGS at the neighborhood-scale in Kumasi, the next biggest city in Ghana. Five (5) UGS distribution indicators were computed from remote sensing data for 2013 and 2020 and compared across neighborhoods. Further, a GIS network analysis method was deployed to analyse access to parks in Kumasi. The results showed that between 2013 and 2020, green spaces in Kumasi became fragmented and disconnected despite a slight increase in quantity. The level of UGS fragmentation was found to significantly vary among the neighborhoods. Fragmentation and depletion in UGS were profound at the outskirts of Kumasi while majority of the population cannot access the nearest park under 30-min' walk. These findings contribute to a complete and holistic understanding of the distribution and accessibility of UGS at the neighborhood level in cities and disparities in UGS exposure in the Global South. The findings provide important insights for urban policies while the data and methods serve as blueprints for local authorities, particularly in Ghana to track their progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 11, target 7. • This paper deploys remote sensing and network analysis to explore the changing geography of, and accessibility to, urban green spaces (UGS) in Kumasi. • Green spaces in Kumasi became fragmented and disconnected between 2013 and 2020. • Fragmentation and depletion in UGS were profound at the outskirts of Kumasi. • Most (58%) of the inhabitants in Kumasi are without access to parks within 30 min' walk range. • Recommendations to improve UGS provision and preservation are proffered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pandemic, public crises, ageing, and social fragmentation have exposed the fragility of community systems. This paper proposes the hypothesis that governance structure and institution affect the functional system and adaptability of the community, and forms a framework of structural-institutional-functional adaptation. Using comparative analysis of cases from different governance structures and self-organizing foundations. The government governance structure and weak self-organization foundation of Hongmei community form the dependence on the government to improve the functional system. Qicai Community is a market governance structure, which realizes multi-functional adaptability in design, but the weak self-organization foundation increases the cost of operation and institution. Hemu Community is a multi-agent structure based on the self-organization institution, which improves the multi-functional adaptability under the cooperation of self-organization and the government. The case comparison shows that the governance structure and institutional adaptability are the basis of functional adaptation, which together constitute the system adaptability. From the perspective of CAS, the bottom-up self-organization structure has more flexible adaptability. The multi-agent governance structure based on the self-organization is more conducive to the improvement of functional adaptability. But market and government mechanisms each have their own irreplaceable roles. This paper proposes that the government and the market embedded in the multi-agent structure and institutional framework of self-organizing governance, and realize the collaborative adaptation of the three dimensions, which is of great significance for the transformation of community governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has also experienced a phenomenon of counter-urbanisation. Many urban residents have moved to suburban and even remote rural areas for living, establishing and operating businesses over the past decade. However, research is scarce on the counter-urbanisation trend in China. This paper investigates the driving forces behind the migration of China's high-and-middle-income groups to rural areas in the Yangtze River Delta region and their impacts on rural villagers and development. The paper contends that counter-urbanisation serves as an important pathway for rural revitalisation. More significantly, China's rural land ownership system facilitates the migration of urban dwellers to rural areas, thereby promoting rural revitalisation while avoiding the rural gentrification observed in Europe and the United States. In light of this, the authors propose a new term "Rural Middle-class Formation" as a Chinese type of "rural gentrification" to achieve common prosperity in both urban and rural areas and to distinguish it from "rural gentrification." • Counter-urbanisation is emerging in China within the Chinese unique land ownership system. • Urban migrants seek benefits from both the consumption and production sides. • The emergence of counter-urbanisation in China is a spontaneous inclination among high- and middle-income urban groups. • Urban-migration has a significant impact on rural businesses. • Counter-urbanisation may promote rural revitalisation and common prosperity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While research on new cities is emerging across African cities, focusing on housing, infrastructure, and service provision, little is known about walking accessibility for residents within and outside these new cities. Using the national capital of Ghana as a case study, the purpose of this paper is twofold: (a) it measures walking accessibility within and outside new cities in Accra; and (b) it compares walking accessibility to urban amenities between residents in and outside new cities. Publicly available data on the location and distribution of various urban amenities in Accra were obtained, and accumulated distance and spatial autocorrelation statistics were used. Our findings demonstrate that while at the metropolitan level, less than 50% of residents have walking accessibility to the nearest parks, schools, and new job opportunities within 15 min' walk, those in new cities were significantly disadvantaged in terms of walking accessibility to parks, job opportunities, schools, and public transport stops compared to residents outside. The findings show that the location of new cities does not consider walking accessibility in Accra. This finding underscores the uncoordinated and splintering phenomenon that epitomizes the spatial location of new cities and their contribution to unsustainable urban forms. Given that new cities are rapidly emerging in African cities, we recommend a more coordinated and balanced provision of urban amenities within walking distance in new cities and peripheral areas of African cities to generate efficient, livable, and sustainable urban forms. • This paper examines walking accessibility for residents within and outside new cities. • Walking accessibility to six work and non-work activities is computed. • Findings indicate new cities are disadvantaged in terms of walking accessibility to amenities. • It recommends a more coordinated and balanced provision of amenities within walking distance in new cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Around the end of 2019, in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China, the first confirmed cases of COVID-19 were identified, and from then on, the world we were used to knowing changed globally. The role of population density, in relation to the spread of the pandemic, has been widely scrutinised in urban studies, believed to be the triggering variable. However, the results so far are inconclusive. This paper suggests instead to shift the focus to socio-spatial vulnerabilities, as the effects of the pandemic's spread have been more severe in urban units which feature long-standing inequalities. The paper's aim is, therefore, twofold: on the one hand it aims at contributing to the debate on population density and COVID-19 in urban areas, and, on the other hand, to analyse the pandemic's spread in relation to socio-spatial vulnerabilities. Different cities across the globe are drawn into a comparative project, where the pandemic's spread is analysed in relation to variables of Population Density (PD) and a Social Vulnerability Index (SVI), by employing correlation matrices. The results suggest that there is no significant correlation between density and the spread of COVID-19. Instead, a positive correlation is in place when analysing the pandemic's diffusion with socio-spatial inequalities. • COVID-19 spread is not associated with population density while social vulnerability is found to be positively correlated. • The study invites to undertake a more critical understanding of how density and vulnerability are intertwined. • Measures based on physical concentration should be supplemented by topological density, made up of relational factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although mega-city regions have attracted wide attention in China, recent 'metropolitanization' at the multi-city scale is poorly understood. To tackle the void, this paper examines the emergent 'metropolitan plans' (dushiquan guihua) since 2019 and identifies a paradigm shift in metropolitanization from 'territorial urbanization' to 'multi-city regionalism' in China. We find that 1) as a fuzzy and dynamic concept, the metropolitan region has been mainly employed as a policy object for state rationalities and has been upscaled from a city region scale to a multi-city scale; 2) regarding planning practices, the new metropolitan plans function as an overall collaborative framework to support priority tasks for city regionalism in a shorter term rather than formulating long-term spatial strategies; 3) as space of governance, the recent state-orchestrated metropolitan region reflects the newest round of state rescaling process to cope with domestic uneven development and urban issues through 'urban unification', and its materialization heavily relies on concrete cross-boundary projects delivery and coordination through soft governance. These findings not only provide conceptual clarity and relational understandings of the metropolitanization process but also exemplify the distinctiveness of the Chinese metropolitanization approach in terms of scalar logic, planning style, and associated governance mechanisms. This paper furthers the understanding of the divergence and diversity of metropolitan planning and governance practices in different political-economic circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper responds to the emerging concerns of residential dissonance character by examining the position and influence of the "life-course" framework of households on residential mobility decisions and the conjunct attainment of subjective well-being in their current and anticipated residential locations. Using data from a cross-sectional survey design and adopting a multi-stage sampling procedure, a comparative study of 397 households from immigrant communities within the Kumasi metropolis is conceptualized. Results from the study revealed contrasting variabilities in the push and pull factors influencing households' relocation experiences and decisions to move. Also, the likelihood of households relocating over the life course was significantly anchored on the employment stage. Thus, decision-making proxies for households' relocation intentions, preparedness, and realizing actual moves were noticeably rapid decisions during active employment life. The study further found that the associated perception of attaining subjective well-being attached to a household's anticipated residential locations was significantly higher than that of their current residence. On the premise of these empirical contributions, the paper outlines how findings could ultimately inform the development of sustainable urban growth management and shape housing mobility planning policies for rapidly growing regions within the global south. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Smart cities have emerged as a pivotal aspect of urban planning and policy, leveraging technology and data analytics to enhance sustainability and citizens' quality of life. Nonetheless, the focus on residential neighbourhoods, integral components of cities, has been notably lacking in the sphere of smart city planning and policy. This paper endeavours to assess the evolution of smart cities in relation to neighbourhoods, elucidating dimensions and sectors while concentrating on comprehending project applications and their outcomes. This study employs a systematic literature review to ascertain the role of neighbourhoods within smart cities. Using content analysis, this methodology facilitates the accumulation of insights into smart city research and practice at the neighbourhood level. The paper empirically addresses these findings, identifying dimensions and pertinent sectors concerning residential neighbourhoods. Furthermore, it delves into projects and applications, elaborating on their implementation across diverse sectors. The analysis discerns gaps in technology-driven development planning for varying neighbourhood types within smart cities. Introducing technology-driven advancements into existing urban settings presents substantial challenges, particularly for developing nations, primarily due to limitations and constraints imposed by their current built environments. The study further underscores the perils tied to implementing city-level policies at the neighbourhood scale, prompting a query about their inclusivity. The findings imply the imperative of integrating physical planning and technology-driven solutions within smart city development, with a keen focus on neighbourhoods' social and physical characteristics. This approach becomes particularly significant when considering the inherent risks and constraints that accompany technology-based urban enhancements in the context of neighbourhoods. • Neighborhoods are an integral part of cities, but little research has been done on smart city development and assessment or neighborhoods. • The study employs the content analysis method to investigate dimensions, applications, and implementation of smart city development within urban neighbourhoods. • Smart city development in neighbourhoods predominantly centres on digital infrastructure, aligned with city-wide implementation policies. • The ongoing evolution of smart city development is incrementally fostering greater reliance on vehicular transportation within neighbourhoods. • There are limited discussions related to physical and social dimensions of neighbourhoods in the Smart City literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Each city has a unique fabric corresponding to the dominant modes of production, legal control, and guidance systems in which it operates. Any periodic alteration in the settled mode of housing supply, in this sense, potentially results in an intrinsic change in 'typological diversity' and 'spatial continuity' within the collective fabric. If not coordinated by design and development control, the emergent variation in the housing typology may result in spatial fragmentation through the collective urban fabric. To test that point, the paper aims to reveal the subtle relationship between the two phenomena on a morphological basis. Through rapidly changing socio-economic dynamics in the last century, the cities of Turkey are subject to different housing production forms, therefore, offering a relevant context to examine the issue. Along with a planning system without effective development control tools to ensure spatial coherence responding to the dynamic nature of the housing sector, the residential fabric of Ankara comprises all the dominant housing typologies that emerged within different periods in Turkey. Accordingly, following a historical review of the housing supply forms in Turkey, the paper maps the emerging patterns of modern housing typologies through successive development zones of the city. It examines their internal typomorphological characteristics via a series of transects. Utilizing the GIS-based coherency analysis, the level of morphological continuity on each transect is calculated. Consequently, in light of the findings of the analysis, a critical perspective on housing production and development control creating different forms of spatial fragmentation through typological variation is suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community micro-renewal is an important aspect of urban regeneration. Residents, as the primary users of the community, have become a vital component of community micro-renewals. With the advent of participatory design, designers are no longer the dominant constructors of communities. Residents' participation is essential to current community micro-renewals, but the existing resident involvement still reflects a lack of initiative and an underutilization of potential. Instead, co-creation, in which residents can be deeply involved in the community micro-renewals, is becoming the mainstream. This paper categorizes co-creation models in community micro-renewals into three types according to the degree of residents' participation: the co-creation model based on common ideation, the co-creation model for resident participation in the design process, and the co-creation model of resident-led community regeneration. Three corresponding cases in Shanghai, China are analyzed in relation to specific scenarios and typologies. Each case study provides a contextualized interpretation of the characteristics associated with different types of co-creation. Increased residents' participation in the process of co-creation has been found to positively impact residents' identification with community micro-renewals and their intrinsic commitment to sustain them. Furthermore, highly participatory co-creation empowers residents to assume a higher level of responsibility for the project and mitigates the risk of uniformity. The contribution of this paper is to provide a theoretical basis for subsequent practices. Specifically, this research aims to facilitate a comprehensive integration of participatory design methodologies with community micro-renewal initiatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social media platforms have been increasingly used by locals and tourists to express their opinions about buildings, cities, and built heritage in particular. Most recently, scholars have been using social media to conduct innovative research on built heritage and heritage management. Still, the application of artificial intelligence (AI) methods to analyze social media data for heritage management is seldom explored. This paper investigates the potentials of short texts (sentences and hashtags) shared through social media as a data source and artificial intelligence methods for data analysis for revealing the cultural significance (values and attributes) of built heritage. The city of Yazd, Iran was taken as a case study, with the particular focus on windcatchers, key attributes conveying outstanding universal values, as inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This paper has three subsequent phases: 1) state of the art on the intersection of public participation in heritage management and social media research; 2) methodology of data collection and data analysis related to coding people's voices from Instagram and Twitter into values of windcatchers over the last ten-years; 3) preliminary findings on the comparison between opinions of locals and tourists, sentiment analysis, and its association with the values and attributes of windcatchers. Results indicate that the age value is recognized as the most important value by all interest groups, while the political value is the least acknowledged. Besides, the negative sentiments are scarcely reflected (e.g., critiques) in social media. Results confirm the potential of social media for heritage management in terms of (de)coding and measuring the cultural significance of built heritage for windcatchers and also other attributes in Yazd and other case studies and scales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From the Thika Superhighway to the opening of the Expressway, Nairobi's recent history has been marked by the rapid development of large-scale mobility infrastructures. The paper uses the recently built urban bypass highways that circle the city as a heuristic entry point to theorise the urban and contribute to debates on the nature of the urbanising periphery in Africa. The empirical contribution of the paper is structured into three parts: plans; projects; and plotting. We show how plans operate as performative technologies, manufacturing the imaginary of how places fit into larger systems and relate to imagined cores. We then turn to the patchwork of projects – in particular the bypass roads and related 'new towns' – which reflect vestiges of these planning ideas, but in fact come to be operationalised as incremental expansions. Finally, we show how plotting – the plot-by-plot development driven by small businesses and families – in fact contributes the bulk of development activity. These investments knit urban fringes together in constant conversation with plans, and with the highway infrastructures which reduce the distances between places and spaces. Together, these vectors show the diverse ways in which the periphery is given imagination, substance, and value. • Nairobi's bypass roads can be used to theorise peripheral urbanization. • Road and plans play performative roles, shaping spatial form and institutional design. • With Chinese funding, old highway plans are revived and implemented in complex ways. • Large-scale and plot by plot investments develop relationally on the urban fringes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whilst adaptive reuse is often applied with good outcomes, we are also faced with projects that have not achieved the desired results. There is little insight into why some projects succeed and others fail, or even what constitutes "success" at all – due in part to the intangibility of the word "success" and unsettled definitions and synonyms of "adaptive reuse. Accordingly, this paper seeks to answer the question: What are the factors that can be used to assess the success of heritage adaptive reuse projects? This study is framed as a systematic literature review of relevant articles published or in press. The methodology is based on using a PRISMA diagram to address a number of papers that are screened in each step of the diagram: identification, screening, eligibility and included. The literature review process started with 731 in the first step and ends with the final results of 72 papers. The results are classified into ten categories of success factors: architectural, structural, socio-cultural, economic, environmental, energy, authenticity, legal, management and functional factors. Together, these provide a comprehensive understanding of factors that affect the success of adaptive reuse as a strategy to regenerate heritage buildings. This insight facilitates adaptive reuse strategies for designers, architects and real estate developers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many theories hypothesize that long-term migration is more welfare-enhancing than short-term migration as the benefits from skill acquisition, experience, and labour networks outplay the permanent disutility/cost of migration. This article aims to evaluate the influence of long-term migration on wages and contrast it with the effect of short-term migration on wages. We applied the Endogenous switching regression (ESR) model to measure the treatment effect of long-term migration on wages. The results suggest that religion, marital status, employment sector, experience, and region are significant determinants of long-term migration. We also conclude that short-term migrants are better than long-term migrants in Jammu & Kashmir because the treatment effect negatively affects migrants' daily wages. The paper also directs potential policy implications. • The paper compares the impact of long-term and short-term migration on wages. • ESR model evaluates the wage difference between long-term and short-term migrants. • Households' decisions on migration length affect wages and welfare. • Short-term migrants earn higher wages than long-term migrants in Jammu & Kashmir. • Short-term migration to politically and environmentally volatile places is better. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses a case study of Cornwall to address the question of what new politics of place that counter-urbanisation brings about. Counter-urbanisation to Cornwall in the SW of the UK has been popular for decades. Initially it was perceived as a way to repopulate this remote rural region, and challenge its sparse population distribution. Later it became a neo-endogenous growth tool to attract a creative class of dynamic entrepreneurs, and the population has steadily grown since the 1960s. However, Cornwall remains one of the poorest parts of the UK, and poverty and homelessness are endemic. This paper uses ethnographic data to explore the social and economic impact that this has had on a coastal village, the ways that newer residents are socialized into the community, and how the village has responded to challenges maintaining a vibrant village life. The paper will use the concept of the affective assemblage to explore the different imaginaries that participants hold about Cornwall in general and in the village in particular, as it tries to maintain a cohesive community during processes of rural gentrification. The paper uses the concept of the complex adaptive assemblage to show that although the village will remain over time, the question is about whether the community will be liveable for existing inhabitants, and for those who find themselves vulnerable. Furthermore, although it has raised some economic indicators such as the cost of housing, there has been no subsequent improvement in the economy of Cornwall as a whole, and many of the participants in this study discussed how their move was facilitated by their ability to work remotely, generating productivity elsewhere rather than locally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the importance of legacy as a hidden agenda behind the ambitions and haste attitude of Indonesian state leaders in relocating the capital. It also elucidates the institutional mechanisms employed to achieve this lofty goal. In 2019, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) issued a controversial declaration on the relocation of Indonesia's capital city from Jakarta to Kalimantan Island. Despite the protracted COVID-19 pandemic and the prevailing global economic and geopolitical uncertainties, he marshalled all necessary means and resources under his command to ensure the capital megaproject could commence and the inauguration could be held before his presidential tenure ends in 2024. As formal and technical arguments for Indonesia's capital relocation have been criticised for inconsistencies, a comprehensive understanding of the real phenomenon necessitates an exploration of the hidden agendas behind this unpopular move. The argument posits that the new capital city serves as a megaproject legacy, signified by the construction of monumental and iconic buildings and structures that will reflect the enduring power and memories of the politicians. Furthermore, the institutional mechanisms of the megaproject legacy tend to be pragmatic, whereby quick, concrete and symbolic actions become the top priority at the expense of the quality of the planning process and outcome. • This paper explores megaproject legacy as a hidden agenda behind capital relocation. • Indonesia's capital relocation can manifest a megaproject legacy. • Official motives for capital relocation are criticized for inconsistencies. • Capital cities reflect state leaders' ambitions and enduring power and memories. • Megaproject legacy building involves pragmatic uses of institutional mechanisms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the everyday mobilities of low-income populations during the Covid-19 pandemic through a mixed-methods study in İstanbul. It shows how additional economic burdens brought by the Covid-19 pandemic interplay with low-income residents' attitudes towards using different transport modes, mobility levels, and concerns over public transport use based on socioeconomic and demographic differences. It suggests that household structures, social networks and perceived mobility restrictions tend to be associated with mobility patterns and practices. The paper argues that changes and continuities in mobility trends and practices due to the pandemic should be considered with broader social and economic dynamics at the household and community level. It draws key lessons learned concerning the pandemic mobilities to be transferred to future transport policy and mobility governance so that intragenerational inequalities could be mainstreamed in these policy domains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For many years, researchers have focused on counterurbanisation, with a particular emphasis on the 'representations of rural places'. They have frequently contended that this is a phenomenon mainly expressed by older adults or those from more privileged social backgrounds. However, attention has recently moved away from simply seeing pro-rural migrants as a calculating subject to considering them more as a contextual subject. Concerns have also shifted from 'rural idyll' migration to why migrants stay, despite a significant mismatch between representation and reality. While scholarly investigations on rural migration have drawn attention to how inertia is cumulative, insufficient attention has been paid to what newcomers encounter in their everyday lives and how nonhuman entities shape migrants' calculations and recalibrations. This paper draws on recent scholarship on a more-than-representational approach, developing the idea of rural as the site of eventful encounters, or rural eventful atmospheres , to bridge these conceptual and empirical gaps. Through semi-structured in-depth interviews with young pro-rural migrants, this paper suggests that rural places provide opportunities for young people to experience an eventful life where both humans and nonhumans play important roles. These affective experiences can be unexpected and even painful, challenging the romanticised portrayal of more-than-representational rurality. By focusing on the nonrepresentational dimensions of rural life, the paper emphasises the need to pay closer attention to young migrants' sensory and embodied encounters with the diverse rural environment rather than solely relying on their expressions of rurality from a distance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rise of Urban Heat Island (UHI) is harming people across megacities in the world. In Jakarta, the informal settlements are most affected due to the lack of adequate infrastructure to deal with the heat. The heat problem in the informal settlements was primarily exacerbated by overcrowding and a lack of access to cooling infrastructures. In this paper, we observe how residents of the informal settlements take on a cooling practice collectively. Our study is situated in five urban kampongs located in the most populated sub-districts (kelurahan) in Jakarta. Nine months of ethnographic fieldwork were conducted to unpack the residents' endeavor to mitigate the heat problem. To explicate the process and the role of these cooling facilities, we use the notion of social practice comprising three fundamental elements: competence, material, and meaning. "Social practice" aptly characterizes how the residents in each kampong worked together to build cooling places that also function as communal spaces. Our research discovered that despite limited resources and technical competence, each kampong recognized the necessity of communal spaces to maintain their cooling practices. These measures enabled them to engage in cooling practices while building social relationships through chilling outdoors. By demonstrating the capacity of residents in the informal settlements for constructing vernacular forms of cooling infrastructure, this paper offers a pluralistic view of heat mitigation in megacities of the Global South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper inquires: can sustainable urbanization be realized in Saudi Arabian cities? It addresses this question by (i) analyzing the relationship between sustainable development and urbanization in the Global South, (ii) examining the urbanization–urban planning collision in Saudi Arabian cities, and (iii) assessing the situational impediments to and enablers of sustainable urbanization in Saudi Arabia. Using critical literature review, findings show that rapid urbanization, amidst urban planning inadequacy, fundamentally remains a threat to sustainable urbanization in Global South countries. In addition, urbanization in Saudi Arabian cities is characterized by socio-spatial, land use planning and environmental vulnerabilities, producing more costs than benefits. A key contribution from this paper relates to the embeddedness of socio-spatial factors and land use planning systems in the production of environmental vulnerabilities. The paper deeply engaged with sustainable urbanization from an urban planning perspective in the Arabian context to demonstrate the limited framing of sustainable development. Recommendations to strengthen resilience, inclusiveness, and sustainable development are proffered. [Display omitted] • This article questions sustainable urbanization in Saudi Arabian cities. • It analyzes the relationship between sustainable development and urbanization. • It examines the urbanization–urban planning collision in Saudi Arabian cities. • It assesses the situational impediments to and enablers of sustainable urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Both state-led and market-led institutional arrangements have been experimented in China to form collaborative governance among diverse stakeholders in participatory urban regeneration. Relatively less is known about how institutional arrangements as structural constraints impact the formation of collaborative governance. Building upon Giddens' structuration theory and collaborative governance theory, this paper develops a novel framework that converges on the reciprocity between structural and agency elements and applies it to two residential regeneration cases in Shenzhen. The findings reveal that in residential regeneration, the state-led institutional structure has a greater capacity than the market-led structure to create relational links for community participation. Various factors, including variations in land property rights, path dependencies and institutional certainties, explain the findings. The formation of collaborative governance relies on the shaping effect of structural elements on agents' behaviors in institutional design, including well-designed rules to regulate sanctions, constitute common meaning and premium-allocated resources in accordance with stakeholders' responsibilities. These findings contribute to a better understanding of collaborative governance and help improve participatory urban regeneration policymaking in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]