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To achieve complete urbanization in developing countries, it is essential for many farmers to leave rural areas and withdraw from farmland as they enter urban employment. The Chinese government offers economic incentives to encourage households to relinquish their land rights. Based on a survey data in rural China, this paper examines the impact of land transfers and urban housing on the withdrawal of contractual rights of farm households. Econometric analyses reveal that rural households with urban housing are 6.4 % less likely to choose to withdraw from land, whereas those involved in land transfers are 3.8 % more likely to do so. The study's findings suggest that a uniform policy, like nationwide land withdrawal reforms accompanied by economic compensation, might lead to outcomes where the poor lose land and the rich retain theirs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Housing commons are imperfect, hybrid social processes embedded in contingent politico-economic contexts. • The commons is a 'relational triad' involving a common resource, a community and a form of self-organisation/management/governance. • My approach assumes that most housing commons are surrounded by exclusionary boundaries and aims to understand how they can be softened. • Horizontal self-management is a contradictory process in the context of a social reproduction crisis. • Certain forms of public-common partnerships can make housing commons more inclusive. The current crisis of housing affordability in urban environments has drawn the attention of geographers to housing commons. This paper provides a conceptual and operational framework for an empirical study of housing commons. In thinking about the commons as a 'relational triad' involving a resource (the object), and community (the actors) and a form of organisation (the activity), I argue that housing commons are hybrid, imperfect social processes that escape binary scrutiny. Drawing on the findings of a research project that took place between 2017 and 2021, I focus on an emerging form of self-managed cooperative housing in the city of Barcelona, known as the 'grant of use model'. I dwell on the contradictory nature of self-management in the context of a social reproduction crisis. Housing commons can be conducive to solidaristic communities and non-individualist subjectivities outside the financialisation of everyday life via mortgaged homeownership. However, the time and emotional investment required to self-develop housing projects in highly regulated, neoliberal urban spaces are not available for everyone. Housing commons require a favourable political context, economic resources, social connections and technical knowledge, which prevent democratic access. I analyse the origin and causes of exclusionary boundaries surrounding these housing commons to understand how these boundaries can be softened. Departing from disembedded conceptualisations of the commons, I show what type of public-common partnerships and innovative policies can make housing commons more inclusive without renouncing principles such as self-organisation and autonomy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban housing is crucial for understanding socioeconomic inequality in transitional economies. In China, since the massive housing privatization, there has been a significant improvement in various aspects of urban housing. Official data and research articles report a substantial increase in urban homeownership rates. However, prevailing studies and media reports also reveal the growing difficulty for young people to attain homeownership. Hence, it is unclear whether it has become easier or harder for Chinese urban residents to become homeowners, and why. We propose differentiating between two types of homeownership: (1) ownership of an urban housing unit (broadly-defined homeownership), and (2) ownership of the housing unit in which one currently lives (narrowly-defined homeownership). The trends of these two types of homeownership rates have diverged since 2008. While the former rose because housing units were increasingly viewed as investment goods, the latter declined, which suggests that for new entrants into the housing market, it has become harder to own their residences. We draw on six waves of the Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) between 2003 and 2018 for our empirical investigation. The findings substantiate our propositions. They reveal that young people's disadvantage is more salient in living in self-owned housing units than owning a housing unit , and this disadvantage has grown significantly since 2008. This study contributes to the emerging literature on housing inequality in transitional economies, particularly the housing disadvantages among young adults. • Two homeownership rates: broadly-defined (owning any unit) and narrowly-defined (owning current residence) • Divergence between two rates in urban China post-2008: broad rates up, narrow rates down • High prices, slower income, restrictions made it harder to own current residence • Housing increasingly seen as investment, not home, disproportionately affecting new entrants • Differentiating the two rates is crucial for accurately studying housing inequality [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residential developments in African cities such as Kumasi, should proceed based on approved subdivisions. However, it is now common for land owners and residents to tweak approved layouts by creating additional unapproved plots to sell to the urban poor without the knowledge of planning authorities. There is dearth of research about the experiences, attitudes and perceptions of half plot developers and urban planning responses as well as the implications of this phenomenon. Using in-depth interviews of city officials and homeowners in the south-eastern part of Kumasi, the research sought to address this gap. The findings suggested that the urban poor opt to acquire half plots for housing development mainly because of the informal nature of the rental housing market and high rent charges. The challenges associated with the increasing phenomenon of acquiring and developing on half plots were revealed to be high densities, inability to secure mortgages, conflicts with neighbours and the fear of eviction due to lack of security of tenure as well as lack of legal documentation. Urban planning responses to this phenomenon appear weak and inefficient. The study concludes that the urban poor, considering the benefits of acquiring and developing on half plots might continue with the practice; hence, the need to find pragmatic ways of dealing with the rapid occurrence of the half plot phenomenon. • Calls for incremental housing have intensified over the years to address housing challenges in cities. • Incremental housing development does not conform to standards. • Perception and awareness on development control influence attitudes toward compliance. • Non-compliance results in unguarded developments which threaten city sustainability. • Integrating perception into urban planning efforts is crucial to safeguard the urban landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Buildings are responsible for 40% of total final energy consumptions in Europe. Numerous bottom-up models were recently developed to support local authorities in assessing the energy consumption of large building stocks and reduction potentials. However, current models rarely consider uncertainty associated to building usage and characteristics within the stock, resulting in potentially biased results. This study presents a generic model simplification approach using uncertainty propagation and stochastic sensitivity analysis to derive fast simplified (surrogate) models to estimate the current building stock energy use for improved urban planning. The methodology includes an engineering-based energy model as input to global sensitivity analysis (GSA) using the elementary effects (EE) screening and Sobol’ method for key parameters identification and regression analysis to derive simplified models for entire building stocks. The application to the housing stock of Esch-sur-Alzette (Luxembourg) showed that the parameters explaining most of the variability in final energy use for heating and domestic hot water are floor area, set-point temperature, external walls U-values, windows and heating system type. Results of the simplified models were validated against measured data and confirmed the validity of the approach for a simple yet robust assessment of the building stock energy use considering uncertainty and variability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ongoing confinement for millions of urban citizens due to the Covid-19 pandemic has raised ecological consciousness, changed food habits and questioned the relationship urban dwellers have with nature. There is more interest in bringing plants into urban homes and in sustainable food sources, but no research have studied the relationships between food behaviours and plant-care activities. To address this gap and explore urban citizens' nature relatedness through the greening of private areas, we conducted a national survey of French, young urban citizens (n = 1000), who are more committed to 'edible' cities than older generations but have the lowest rate of plant purchasers. A quantitative approach reveals the prevalence of aesthetic/hedonistic expectations for plants in private housing but also demonstrates contrasting perceptions of tasks for plant maintaining and unequal valuation of social issues around plants. We discuss continuities between environmental awareness, commitment to sustainable food and natural/social uses of plants and argue that urban planning processes should address potential synergies for more integrative resilience. Community building around green areas, urban agriculture or collective gardens, in cities, can have ripple effects towards the greening of private housing. Lastly, the multi-disciplinary approach bridging psychosociology and urban studies can inspire multi-scalar urban planning. • Prevalence of aesthetic and hedonistic expectations for plants in private urban housing among younger generation • Enjoyment with technical/social aspects of plants caring relies on environmental concern and commitment to sustainable food • Synergies between environmental concern, eating habits and plants caring can enhance urban dwellers' nature relatedness • Promoting edible cities can have ripple effects on the greening of private housing • Porosity between the greening of public spaces vs private spaces can serve multi-scalar urban planning [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rural migrants have difficulty obtaining decent housing in destinations, which has a profound impact on their quality of life and settlement intentions. Previous studies on rural migrants' settlement intention roughly care more about individuals and family, hometown connection, and economic status, paying less attention to the analysis of urban housing. The city attraction is also not fully considered in impact model. This paper discusses a hierarchical impact model of rural migrants' settlement intentions based on probability choice theory, focusing on the impact of housing conditions, including housing type, housing burden, live-in family members, and housing pressure, and urban house prices on rural migrants' intention to settle in cities. The finding is that reliable and high-quality housing, housing expenditure ratio, number of live-in family members, and a sense of housing pressure are positively correlated with the settlement intentions of rural migrants. The odds ratio of the settlement intention of them who own houses, rent public houses, and borrow houses is 3.70x, 1.93x, and 1.82x, respectively, when using rental housing as the reference. The odds ratio of those living in shared rental house and housing provided by employers is lower. If the housing expenditure ratio increases by 1 unit from the average value, then the probability of settlement intention in the city is 1.737 times the probability that rural migrants will not settle. If the number of live-in family members increases by 1 person, then the probability of settlement intention in the city increases by 19.6%. The odds ratio of the settlement intentions under housing pressure is 1.04 times that of the opposite scenario. The impact of house price on the settlement intentions turns out to be nonlinear, showing an inverted "U" shape, that is, when a house price beyond a specific range has a negative effect. In addition, the urban economic level and administrative level have an important positive effect, and province-level municipality has a significantly positive effect. The results will help formulate targeted population and housing policies to serve new urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interactions between megaproject interventions and local communities represents critical subjects of investigation as national and metropolitan governments are using large-scale investments in urban landscapes as pillars of their growth strategies. This article analyses community resistance to the large-scale housing project N2 Gateway in the Joe Slovo informal settlement in Langa township, Cape Town. Since 2004, the inhabitants of Joe Slovo have experienced evictions and relocation, but also the materialisation of new housing opportunities for many community members. Their response to the project has evolved from an initial show of resistance, via a legal process, to a more engagement-oriented strategy during the allocation phase. I argue that the mobilisation of informal settlement dwellers facing megaproject implementation has created disempowerment, social division and a reconfiguration of power relations. It is also proposed that community resistance to megaprojects is best understood when traced over time as a dynamic response to a constantly unfolding project-related intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While a plethora of studies have shown that slum settlements are the commonest choice of residence for low-income migrants in cities, little is known about the peri-urban landscape as host settlements for low-income migrants. This study aims to explore the context, motivation and outcomes of migrant settlements in peri-urban areas in Ghana. Using a qualitative approach through in-depth interviews, the findings suggest that low-income migrants opt for a rent-free stay in uncompleted houses in peri-urban areas. A major reason for this is the affordability challenge low-income migrants face in the rental housing market. Migrants choose to stay in uncompleted houses because they offer more space for both dwelling and storage. The unavailability of services such as electricity and potable water sometimes presented unique challenges for migrants, but this was also found to be a cost-saving mechanism. Employment prospects in peri-urban areas such as housing construction also contribute to the reason for migrant settlement in such areas. • The study focuses on migrant settlements in peri-urban areas. • Low-income migrants opt for a rent-free stay in uncompleted houses in peri-urban areas. • Migrants stay in uncompleted houses for more space for dwelling and storage. • The unavailability of utility services present unique challenges for migrants. • Employment prospects in peri-urban areas are reasons for migrant's settlement in such areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many non-government organisations (NGOs) are involved in the socio-economic and environmental development programmes in Bangladesh, supplementing the government''s effort in these areas. The majority of their target groups, the urban poor, lack proper housing. Though an improved housing situation would have positive effects on other programmes as in income generation and health, the NGOs have not been widely involved in urban housing. Their involvement in the housing programmes was recommended in the recent policy papers, as the government realises the absurdity of solving the enormous housing problem on its own. This paper is based on the author''s research on the Bangladeshi NGOs titled ‘Role of the NGOs in Urban Housing for the Poor in Bangladesh’, funded by The World Bank''s Economic Development Institute under the Robert McNamara Fellowship Program, 1998. It discusses the possible forms of involvement by the NGOs in housing for the urban poor in Bangladesh, and the obstacles and limitations of such an involvement. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• The various spatial significances are considered in housing age-friendliness. • A new multi-level assessment is developed to evaluate housing age-friendliness. • Fuzzy-AHP is adopted to determine the weights of spatial levels and indicators. • BIM is applied in the multi-level assessment to accelerate the computation process. • Housing age-friendliness indexes (HAFIs) are computed to prove the feasibility. The worldwide population of the elderly has increased rapidly. Housing issue is regarded as the main barrier to implementing "aging-in-place", which is a recommended strategy to encourage the elderly to age in their residences. Although many studies have contributed to age-friendly cities and communities, few studies have focused on measuring housing age-friendliness with consideration of urban spatial scales. This study proposes a multiscale spatial framework of housing and develops a multi-level assessment of housing age-friendliness based on literature review and fuzzy-analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The multi-level assessment of age-friendliness takes advantage of building information modeling (BIM) to simplify the computation process of the housing age-friendliness index (HAFI). The feasibility of BIM-enabled multi-level assessment is proved by comparative analysis of two housing examples. Results of HAFI and sub-HAFIs indicate housing may perform variously with spatial levels. This study contributes to developing the age-friendly performance assessment for housing by considering various significances of housing characteristics in multiple spatial levels. The BIM-enabled multi-level assessment is an effective tool to help the elderly choose more appropriate housing, assist the government in allocating suitable public housing for aged applicants, and provide property developers and local governments with additional guidelines for housing design and urban renewal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]