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This paper reports findings from a survey of public-sector urban planners in India. The survey attempts to gauge planners' opinions on the importance of planning values in everyday decisions and the degree to which these values are delivered in practice. In-depth interviews were used to validate the survey results and investigate themes further. The study presents a nuanced and contextualized analysis of the attitudes and mindsets of planners. It is expected that the study will initiate a discourse on planning values in India and encourage planners to confront the full implications of their decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban planners must adapt to changing social needs as the profession evolves. Planning students' views on the profession during COVID-19 are examined in this paper. This study collected discussions from students on a virtual bulletin board. Students were asked how planners support public health protocols, what planning products need updating, and how planners can meet future challenges. Students believe urban planners are crucial for public health and safety and that infrastructure planning and development should anticipate uncertainties. This study shows how early tertiary students view their future careers and that planners must anticipate planning and development uncertainties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the impact of changes in planning practices in the UK, particularly with the introduction of "localism" in 2010. The focus on meeting housing targets has shifted the role of planners, making them more risk-averse and focused on numbers rather than creativity. This has led to a decline in trust and a perception that planning is solely about housing. Austerity measures have also affected planning departments, reducing resources and increasing expectations. To address these challenges, the article suggests the need for strong leadership, education, and a return to a vision-led system. [Extracted from the article]

As the process of urbanization intensifies, a city expands from its center to its periphery. Due to the rise in human activities and population of a city, the physical limit gets stretched to provide housing along its periphery, resulting in extensive irreversible land cover alteration in the peri-urban areas. This chaotic and extensive urbanization in a peri-urban environment drives up the concerns about assessing and encouraging urban growth in a planned manner. The paper in a similar vein aims to determine peri-urban area and examine land cover change in and around the Hisar, an Indian city, between 2001 and 2021 by using geospatial techniques. The peri-urban zone of the hisar city has been delineated by applying the vector-based overlay analysis of different variables. The urban expansion was analysed with the help of the data acquired from image classification and by applying Shannon entropy model. The overall pattern of change in land uses shows that the area under built-up has increased by 99.17 percent by leaps and bounds. On the other hand, farmland, vegetation, water bodies and open spaces, are witnessing a sharp decline of 6.38 percent. The findings suggest that the built-up areas have substantially doubled from 4,965.12 ha to 9,889.2 ha throughout the study period. The scattered and random urbanization on the city outskirts is confirmed by the value of Shannon's entropy which increased from 1.93 in 2001 to 1.98 in 2021. The findings of the study would assist the administration and town planners in recognising the massive urban sprawl in the city and enable them to execute more effective approach to develop the peri-urban area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the transformation of Birjand from a historic city to a rapidly developing urban centre, with a focus on the effects of infrastructure and architectural development initiatives in the context of urban planning history. These processes are spearheaded by governmental entities, urban planners, and development agencies, use urban design, construction, and financial resources to fundamentally transform the urban landscape. The study employs a descriptive-analytical framework and spatial analysis tools such as ENVI and TerrSet software to investigate the historical social transformations in Birjand. The primary objective is to analyse the impact of these changes on the city's structure, cultural components, and spatial dynamics. This study aims to investigate the effects of development initiatives on the historic areas of Birjand, with a specific focus on the influence of newly constructed streets on the preservation of the city's historical fabric. The study's insights are enhanced through the implementation of a more robust analytical framework, which includes the utilization of statistical analysis and comparison studies. The results indicate that there are negative consequences on the historical regions, resulting in changes to their distinctive qualities, cultural importance, and overall atmosphere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In mid-1972, the World Bank approved its first loan for a sites and services project, selecting Senegal for the location based on the country's prior experience with similar schemes. Through a close reading of documents in the Bank archive, this article explores the serious differences that emerged between the Bank and Senegal in shaping the project, focusing on three issues: determining whether slum clearance or upgrading should be used to manage existing unregulated urban settlements; eliminating government subsidies for moderate-income housing schemes in order to shift investment to sites and services; and setting appropriate standards for the new Bank-sponsored neighbourhood. Moreover, the partners conceived the project quite differently: while the Bank was fixed on the successful implementation of its first sites and services scheme, for Senegal, this project was only one element of a larger vision for Dakar, which reflected the ambitions of the country's first postcolonial president, Léopold Senghor, and was given shape in the 1967 master plan developed by French urban planner Michel Écochard. The article examines the completed project through the contrasting evaluations produced by the project partners, and considers the complex power dynamics of the relationship between the Bank and Senegal as aid lender and recipient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predicting citizens' visiting behaviors to urban facilities is instrumental for city governors and planners to detect inequalities in urban opportunities and optimize the distribution of facilities and resources. Previous works predict facility visits simply using observed visit behavior, yet citizens' intrinsic demands for facilities are not characterized explicitly, causing potential incorrect learned relations in the prediction results. In this article, to make up for this deficiency, we present a demand-driven urban facility visit prediction method that decomposes citizens' visits to facilities into their unobservable demands and their capability to fulfill them. Demands are expressed as the function of regional demographic attributes by a neural network, and the fulfillment capability is determined by the urban region's spatial accessibility to facilities. Extensive evaluations of datasets of three large cities confirm the efficiency and rationality of our model. Our method outperforms the best state-of-the-art model by 8.28% on average in facility visit prediction tasks. Further analyses demonstrate the reasonableness of recovered facility demands and their relationship with citizen demographics. For instance, senior citizens tend to have higher medical demands but lower shopping demands. Meanwhile, estimated capabilities and accessibilities provide deeper insights into the decaying accessibility with respect to spatial distance and facilities' diverse functions in the urban environment. Our findings shed light on demand-driven urban data mining and demand-based urban facility planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying and implementing equitable participatory planning processes is challenging for city planners. Through a qualitative analysis of the Families and Educators for Safe Cycling Project (FESC), an active school travel (AST) project in Toronto (Canada), we identify a potential new path to increase the range of voices heard by planners and decision makers. Specifically, we present community animation and animators as an effective approach for community engagement in AST planning through analyzing 27 semistructured interviews, reviewing key project documents, and coding key themes. We showcase how community animation can play a key role in the meaningful engagement of school communities by deepening and enriching the participatory planning process. We conclude by suggesting that community animators can foster more equitable participatory planning processes by working to include historically marginalized communities within urban planning. Specific groups of people, such as school communities, continue to be excluded from participatory planning processes. By providing insights into the value of community animators, this research allows planners to understand, conceptualize, and apply more equitable participatory planning processes during infrastructure development. Though the case is based on a specific program related to AST in Toronto, the results can assist planners in other communities in enriching their local engagement processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The frequency and severity of traffic accidents are causing growing concern. This study aims to develop a tool to improve the traffic safety level on roundabouts and identify the influence of traffic operations, geometric parameters, weather, and time of day on improving roundabout traffic safety. It is the first study to evaluate the performance of the integrated Median Ranked Set Sample (MRSS) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) with statistical analysis. A hierarchy tree of accident causes has been developed using data gathered from accident reports and relevant authorities. Then, the selected stakeholders’ professionals prioritized the traffic accident causes using a MRSS and AHP. Moreover, traffic microsimulation software VISSIM was also used to extract traffic operation parameters for the analysis. Afterwards, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to validate the causes of traffic accidents. The results show that geometric design accounts for 36% of accidents at roundabouts, followed by traffic operation (22%). However, conflicting and queuing lengths are responsible for about 20% of traffic accidents. The tools developed, and the causes of accidents determined in this study will help geometric designers and city planners to take the necessary measures to minimize accidents and enhance traffic safety levels in urban areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aftermath of World War II (WWII) left numerous European cities devastated, necessitating extensive reconstruction efforts to restore their urban fabric. The city of Poznań, located in western Poland, was no exception, as it bore witness to widespread destruction during the war. In this abstract, we delve into the role of photography in documenting the ruins of Poznań after WWII and how these visual records have contributed to the city's subsequent reconstruction. This research explores the visual representations of post-war ruins in Poznań through the lens of documentary photography. By examining archival photographs, contemporary accounts, and historical narratives, we aim to analyse the significance of these images in understanding the extent of the destruction and the subsequent efforts to rebuild the city. The abstract highlights the inherent power of photography to capture the raw reality of urban devastation, conveying the magnitude of the challenges faced by the city's inhabitants in the aftermath of war. Furthermore, it sheds light on the ways in which photographic documentation played a crucial role in informing reconstruction initiatives, acting as a visual guide for architects, urban planners and policymakers. Drawing from the rich visual archive of post-war Poznań, this study showcases how photographs served as a valuable resource for documenting architectural losses, mapping destroyed areas and preserving cultural heritage. By juxtaposing historical photographs with contemporary images, we examine how the city's landscape has evolved over time, tracing the progression from ruins to reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study is the first-ever attempt to relate the tools of development control like Floor Space Index (FSI/FAR), ground area covered by building footprints (BFs), and proportions/configurations of open areas, with their impact on the surface urban heat island (SUHI) which modulates the air temperatures. In the case of the Indian megacity Mumbai, statistical analysis of the land surface temperatures (LST) and its correlation with the selected development indicators, reveals that for an FSI increase of 1.0 to 1.8 the SUHI is found to be -2.5 °C less and when BFs reduced from 90% to 42% SUHI was also reduced by -2.5 °C. Highrise development with a large plot size is desirable whereas low-rise development with FSI 1.0 on small plot sizes exhibits the highest SUHI. Open spaces without vegetation do not reduce SUHI. The correlation of development regulations with SUHI intensity will help urban planners to make more informed decisions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current research analyzes the efficacy of several green infrastructure components in reducing the urban heat island effect in Peshawar city, KPK. It focuses on three public squares that have different forms of GI. Lack of planning for urban open and green spaces have negatively impacted cities and resulted in poor life quality, hence these must be evaluated for intervention planning. By integrating Land Surface Temperature information with on-site observations, simulations, and vegetation maps, overall research direction was established. Research highlighted intricate interactions among many GI characteristics. The study enlightened that while grass alone provides only marginal cooling effects (0.4-0.8°C), strategically combining trees with creative fountain design may dramatically lower urban temperatures (up to 6°C) relative to neighboring regions. GI's contribution to UHI mitigation is enhanced by these research findings, which offer useful resources for urban planners and designers. Simulations and further evaluations are proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

For many cities around the world, the construction of iconic buildings is a major strategy to improve their urban space and enhance recognition. Yet, newly built iconic buildings usually spark controversy owing to their relationship with the urban context of the city. In this study, revolving around Dongdaemun Design Plaza and Park, we analyze and evaluate the functional influences of its reconstruction on the urban context of Seoul. We found that though the DPP has a positive effect on the city image and cultural exchange of Seoul, it is barely satisfactory for maintaining and extending the urban context. Through the combination of a random sampling questionnaire and triangular fuzzy number analysis, we transfer previous subjective comments about the DPP into an objective evaluation, analyze its influence on the dimension of culture, and call for consideration of the continuity of the urban context in future urban planning. The results of this study provide a new perspective on quantifying the urban contextual influence of iconic buildings, reminding city planners of the balance between the development of business and the sustainability of the urban context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transition ecologies, namely ecotones, are where life started. Deltas, estuaries, bayous, and wetlands are places where different ecosystems merge and evolutionary processes take place. This paper explores three time periods in four coastal cities to look at the relationship between environmental values and urban expansionist paradigms through reclamation projects. It argues that these thresholds, occurring contemporaneously in expanding metropolitan regions, correspond to changing conceptualizations of urban–nature relationships, in other words urban core's changing relationships to fringe ecosystems. The metropolitan regions used as case studies for this piece are Mumbai, Amsterdam, New York, and Tokyo. Each has used reclamation as a grand expansion strategy during political or economic transitions. During each grand alteration attempt in these regions, the developers, reclamation enthusiasts, or urban planners revisited the city's immediate ecological fringe for expansion, and following these revisitations, a new geographical order formed in their subsequent regions. The urban fringe has become the socio-spatial zone where new and experimental ideas about urban development encounter complex natural systems. The land-use negotiations and reclamation's role in shaping the urban–nature relationships are missing pieces of the planning field. Any future looking climate resiliency plan today should build on the reading of this palimpsest and understand how these environmental values were traded and how global expansion narratives transformed the urban–nature gradient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban expansion within Greater Irbid Municipality (GIM) witnessed an extraordinary rise, expanding approximately ninefold between 1967 and 2020. Recent trends revealed a shift in urban growth towards southern and eastern regions. These dynamics carry critical implications for urban planners and environmental managers, urging a comprehensive understanding of the driving factors behind this expansion to anticipate future challenges. Employing logistic regression (LR) and geographically weighted logistic regression (GWLR) analyses using remote sensing data and GIS, spatially variant coefficients for driving factors emerged, illuminating the evolving landscape of urban development drivers within GIM. Yarmouk University historically promoted urban expansion, but recent proximity to Yarmouk University and JUST University, coupled with higher existing building percentages, inhibited further urbanization. The analysis also revealed that elevation and slope had negligible impacts on urban expansion. These findings underline the evolving dynamics of urban development drivers within the study region. The local perspective depicted significant spatial disparities in coefficients, highlighting variations in magnitude and direction. GWLR emerged as a more robust methodology, effectively capturing regional variations and enhancing model reliability. These findings hold immense value for informing current and future urban planning practices in Greater Irbid Municipality. Proactively addressing identified challenges and understanding the intricate dynamics of urban expansion can assist Irbid in shaping a sustainable and resilient future, avoiding potential pitfalls in its urban development endeavors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether the future of transportation is going to be electric or not is no longer a question. Electric vehicles (EVs) offer several benefits toward global sustainability. However, without a variety of charging infrastructures that cover diverse forthcoming charging needs, the speed of vehicle electrification may be slow and limited. In this study, we investigate the synergistic benefits of traditional charging stations and an emerging alternative, i.e., wireless dynamic charging roads, focusing on their impact on the daily commute of EV users. We center our evaluation on quantifiable metrics, chiefly time and convenience, and deploy computer simulations utilizing authentic transportation datasets from New York City, USA. Our findings underscore that integrating both charging stations and charging roads can substantially alleviate detours for EV users and remarkably reduce additional charging time. Our research provides evidence to encourage researchers, EV manufacturers, urban infrastructure planners, and policymakers to explore future charging infrastructures for EVs, with a notable emphasis on wireless dynamic charging roads. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic challenge some established human-landscape interactions notably. In this article, we analyse whether the pandemic had an impact on the perception of urban green spaces (UGS) and usage behaviours in Leipzig, Germany. We use a quantitative survey to understand people's attitudes. Our study is novel in that it firstly explores the relationship between UGS and visitors during the final phase of the COVID-19 pandemic (winter 2022/2023), contrary to the vast majority of already existing studies that relied on digitally distributed surveys due to the lockdown protocols. Secondly our study does not apply exclusively online methods to reach out to the participants. The survey results show that about 40% (of the 115 participants) use parks more frequently during the final phase of the COVID-19 pandemic compared to before 2020. Characteristics such as proximity to home, naturalness and cleanliness have become the most relevant. We see a notable increase in the demand for secure public green spaces, particularly among female visitors. Every second respondent confirmed experiencing considerable difficulties when accessing UGS, revealing the existing (spatial) deficits in environmental justice. These results should be considered by urban planners to adapt UGS to the changing demands of the citizens. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study contributes to narrowing down the research gap in modeling individual door-to-door trips in a superblock scenario and in evaluating the respective impacts in terms of travel times, modal shifts, traffic performance, and environmental benefits. The methods used are a multiple-criteria approach to identify the superblocks and a large-scale, multi-model, activity-based microscopic simulation. These methods were applied to the city of Bologna, Italy, where 49 feasible superblocks were identified. A previous large-scale microscopic traffic model of Bologna is leveraged to build a baseline scenario. A superblock scenario is then created to model five proposed traffic intervention measures. Several mobility benefit indicators at both citywide and superblock levels are compared. The simulation results indicate a significant increase in walking time for car drivers, while the average waiting time of bus users decreases due to the increased frequency of bus services. This leads to a noticeable car-to-bus shift. In addition, absolute traffic volumes and traffic-related emissions decreased significantly. Surprisingly, traffic volumes on the roads around the superblocks did not increase as expected. In general, this research provides scientists and urban and transport planners with insights into how changes in door-to-door travel times of multi-modal trips can impact individual travel behavior and traffic performance at a citywide level. However, the study still has limitations in modeling the long-term effects regarding changing activity locations within the superblocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study assessed the problems and prospects of tree planting in Kano metropolis, employing a mixed-methods approach utilizing both primary and secondary data sources. Simple random sampling was used in selecting LGAs, 180 questionnaires were administered and retrieved using proportional allocation. Data screening, organization, and analysis, including descriptive statistics and Chi-square test were conducted using SPSS version 23. The result revealed demographic characteristics of the respondents, indicating that the age group between 20-30 years had the highest response rate, with 64% of respondents being male and 36% female. Additionally, singles constituted the majority of respondents (64.91%), while urban dwellers accounted for 76.61%. The occupational distribution showed that 39% were business people, with farming and civil service having the lowest representation at 15%. In terms of educational qualifications, HND/BSc holders comprised 38% of the respondents, while FSCL had the lowest representation at 4.7%. The research also identified challenges in tree planting among urban dwellers, including inadequate land, tendering to maturity, lack of public enlightenment, low private involvement, poor government policy, poverty, and insufficient funding and planting materials. These challenges were emphasized with a Likert mean score of 3.025. Solutions include initiatives such as tax breaks, subsidies, and green space regulations can incentivize tree planting, while collaborative efforts involving public-private partnerships and community-based education campaigns are vital for widespread awareness and active involvement. Adequate funding remains a linchpin, and its securement through diverse channels ensures the long-term success of tree planting programs. Effective land use planning, incorporating zoning regulations and strategic establishment of nurseries, further contributes to a resilient and green urban environment. By addressing these facets comprehensively, cities can navigate challenges and cultivate thriving urban forests that benefit both the environment and the well-being of their residents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global urbanization and heat-related fatalities are rapidly increasing, while the full potential of advanced information technologies to mitigate urban heat has not yet been used by city planners and policymakers. Cognitive computing systems (CCSs), which mimic human information processing and reasoning abilities, can transform how cities strategize and operate. In this commentary, we develop a framework and outline future research directions to understand the disconnect between a strategic and operational CCS, which can facilitate an effective interplay between urban policy (e.g., framing alternative policies) and urban technology (e.g., engaging local communities with data generated by sensor networks). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Planning Education & Research is the property of Sage Publications Inc. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

European urban areas have different practices for the planning of transportation systems, for the decision-making processes of new regulations, the implementation of transportation solutions, and for the cooperation between operators. In this paper, the specific conditions and potential solutions in the field of electric micromobility (e-micromobility) are analyzed. The elaborated method consists of two parts. In the first part, an expert workshop is conducted, where urban mobility experts from different fields share their experience of e-micromobility and its relevance to policy-making. Additionally, an expert survey is developed to set an urban definition of e-micromobility up and to bring its most relevant parameters into focus. In the second part, a framework assessment including planning, regulatory, and practical realizations related to the usage of new mobility services is created. The findings can serve as an input to recommendations, roadmaps, implementation guidelines, and policy documents for urban planners and decision-makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasingly complex dynamics of urban planning require an innovative approach to land use suitability analyses and environmental assessments. Traditionally, these disciplines have provided a critical foundation for sustainable urban development, but the current acceleration of change requires renewed attention to technology and innovation. The integration of advanced territorial data is emerging as a key element to enrich the analysis and mapping of the landscape. This type of data allows for an updated and objective view of reality, providing urban planners and decision makers with a dynamic tool to quickly adapt to evolving urban needs. The use of new technologies increases the accuracy and effectiveness of these analyses, enabling more efficient and sustainable urban planning. This article explores how innovation and technology are transforming the field of land use suitability analyses and environmental assessments and provides real-life examples of how advanced territorial data can be used to model the landscape more accurately in the case of Umbria, a region in Italy characterised by a rich cultural history and picturesque landscapes. Umbria, with its unique geography and delicate environmental balance, provides a fertile ground for exploring how the implementation of territorial databases can contribute to the responsible management of industrial activities. This case study represents an important first step in applying a QGIS and Python geoprocessing approach to these issues. The methodology starts with the creation of territorial data and includes a post-processing phase using Python. This integrated approach not only provides an updated and objective view of the landscape but also represents the first instance in the literature of a study applied to such a small and environmentally rich region as Umbria. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of REMAH Journal is the property of Research & Development of Human Recourses Center (REMAH) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study tries to review and focus developing a computational model to simulate the behavior of individuals in flood-prone areas, taking into account some factors such as water depth, flow velocity, and building structures. By incorporating these variables into the model, the study seeks to assess the stability of people in different flood scenarios and identify potential risk factors. The findings of this research will provide valuable insights for urban planners and emergency management authorities to improve flood preparedness and response strategies. Additionally, the study aims to contribute to the development of more effective early warning systems and evacuation plans for urban flood events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thailand has established a target of carbon neutrality by 2050. Reaching this goal will require coordination and collaboration between stakeholders spanning sectors and scales, including energy system decision makers, land managers, and city planners. Robust decarbonization scenarios incorporating current plans and targets, additional measures needed, and trade-offs between strategies can help stakeholders make informed decisions in the face of uncertainty. Through iterative engagement with decision makers at the city and national levels, we develop and analyze carbon neutral scenarios for Thailand that incorporate Bangkok's role using a global integrated assessment model. We find that Thailand can reach carbon neutrality through power sector decarbonization, energy efficiency improvements, widespread electrification, and advanced technologies including carbon capture and storage and hydrogen. Negative emissions technologies will also be needed to offset Thailand and Bangkok's hardest-to-abate CO2 emissions. Bangkok, as a major population and economic center, contributes significantly to Thailand's energy demand and emissions and can therefore play an important role in climate change mitigation. Accordingly, our results underscore the importance of subnational climate action in meeting Thailand's carbon neutral goal. Our analysis also indicates that without sustained land-based carbon sequestration, much more mitigation effort will be needed in Thailand's energy sector, including at the subnational scale, to reach carbon neutrality. These insights can help stakeholders identify priorities, consider tradeoffs, and make decisions that will impact Bangkok and Thailand's long-term climate change mitigation potential. This analysis demonstrates how stakeholder engagement in integrated assessment modeling can facilitate and inform multilevel climate governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent years, the Egyptian demographic has changed with an increasing number of older citizens who require special attention. The World Health Organization (WHO) identified 2020–2030 as the "Decade of Healthy Ageing" in response to the worldwide demographic changes. Many international organizations have identified the built environment features of age‐friendly communities, yet they have not been thoroughly analyzed in the Egyptian context. Today, urban designers and city planners have to establish age-friendly communities that can facilitate well-being in old age. The paper aims to provide "Egyptian framework for an age-friendly built environment E-FAB", that can help architects, urban designers, and decision-makers evaluate Egyptian urban communities towards being age-friendly. The E-FAB is created and designed based on an analytical theoretical approach focused on active older people's definitions, needs, their relation to the built and social environments, and previous practices of age-friendly cities and communities. In addition, a comparative analysis between previous studies in age-friendly communities. Then, the paper conducted semi-structured interviews targeting active older people, aiming to refine and rank the built environment features of the E-FAB by using SPSS. The findings revealed that the E-FAB is expected to be an initial simple evaluating framework that could contribute positively to improving Egyptian urban areas to be more friendly to older people and address their needs in the built environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public-sector urban planners are essential role-players in the development of sustainable cities. However, there is relatively little understanding of their perceptions of sustainability generally and how or where they obtain information and knowledge around urban sustainability, especially in the Global South. This study, therefore, adopted a mixed-methods approach, employing both an online survey (34 valid respondents) and eight in-depth interviews (together spanning 31 different municipalities), to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and worldviews (based on the New Ecological Paradigm scale) of public-sector planners in South Africa. Generally, the planners held ecocentric worldviews and acknowledged the importance of sustainable urban development and the need to understand urban ecological dynamics and principles in planning and urban greening. However, they also identified a range of factors that hinder their ability to plan for sustainable futures, including institutional flaws, politics and misaligned development goals. Most felt that the extent and distribution of urban green infrastructure in their municipality was below what they deemed as ideal, although the majority were unaware of national guidelines in this respect. Consequently, perceptions and worldviews appeared to bemisaligned with what is prioritized and implemented. Therefore, environmental issues and ecological principles need to be better communicated to public-sector urban planners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A metropolitan area comprises a collection of cities and counties bound by strong socioeconomic ties. Despite the pivotal role that metropolitan areas play in regional economics, their delineation remains a challenging task for researchers and urban planners. Current threshold-based delineation methods select counties based on their connection strength with prespecified core counties. Such an approach often neglects potential interactions among outlying counties and fails to identify polycentric urban structures. The delineation of a metropolitan area is fundamentally a spatial optimization problem, whose objective is to identify a set of counties with high interconnectivity while also meeting specific constraints, such as area, contiguity, and shape. In this study, we present a novel spatial optimization model designed for metropolitan area delineation. This model aims to maximize intercounty connection strength in terms of both industry and daily life. This approach ensures a more accurate representation of the multicore structure that is commonly seen in developed metropolitan areas. Additionally, our model avoids the possibility of holes in metropolitan area delineation, leading to more coherent and logical metropolitan boundaries. We provide a mixed-integer programming formulation for the proposed model. Its efficacy is demonstrated by delineating the boundaries of the Nanjing and Lhasa metropolitan areas. This study also delves into discussions and policy implications pertinent to both of these metropolitan areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The correct estimation of seismic hazards is a touchstone of seismic risk assessments. However, there is no quantitative or standard methodology to include the impacts of geological (i.e., seismo-tectonic) features of active faults or fault zones, and current classification schemes are not useful in hazard evaluations. Therefore, an attempt has been made to develop a methodology that integrates seismo-tectonic parameters of active faults to better inform urban and regional planning decisions. Fault rating system (FRS) provides a comparative review of faults/fault zones using a rating-based approach. In this approach, seven seismo-tectonic parameters are used to classify the fault/fault zone. Each of the seven parameters is assigned a value corresponding to the seismo-tectonic characteristics. The sum of the seven seismo-tectonic parameters is the fault index (FI) value, which lies in the range 0–100. A total of 64 important faults/fault zones were statistically analyzed to determine the best correlations with FI and moment magnitude (Mw) and peak ground acceleration (PGA). It was found that the FI values provide strong correlations with maximum Mw and PGA. It is proposed urban and regional planners use FRS to ensure a consistent approach in characterizing key aspects of active faults in earthquake-prone regions and in estimating ground motion parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many parts of the world, students face problems, such as the education system, services offered in education, educational programmes, etc. According to previous studies, some of these issues are related to inequalities caused by difficulties in accessing schools. Some of these problems for students are related to commuting distance to school. Past studies have shown that commute trouble and commute distance can cause problems in academic achievement of students, social and physical development. Therefore, this research aims to apply the Spatial Plans Construction Regulation (SPCR) to the Salihli District to test issues with pedestrian transportation to public schools. The results demonstrate a problem of pedestrian access of kindergartens and primary school. When the school locations are examined by network analysis via ArcGIS 10.2 software, it has been determined that the inadequacy of these schools in terms of provision creates a problem. The findings of this study provide useful information for city planners, educators, and school administrators. Knowing which parts of the city are problematic in terms of access and at which school levels there are problems can be used when constructing a new school place and determining the hinterland of the schools and contributes to reducing inequalities in accessibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a new project associated with urban agriculture and community forestry in China, developing community gardens has been a concern of urban planners and managers. However, the response of urban residents to this project is still unknown, creating an awareness gap between communities and policy makers. This gap limits the successful implementation of the project. A combined method of on-site and online questionnaire was performed in eight sample residential areas in Wuhan. Results showed that the majority of the 496 respondents had favorable views, although the specific willingness varied. Lack of awareness about community gardens was considered the biggest obstacle restricting residents' willingness, accounting for 69.15%. Other factors included confused relationships with neighbors (66.13%), imperfect policies (55.44%), and high planting costs (41.94%). The local government was highly expected to plan more land for agriculture use by 76.61% of the respondents. In addition, the respondents desired the government to conduct training on cultivating technologies (58.67%), address possible conflicts (57.46%), supply seeds and fertilizer (54.23%), and provide guidance in processing food products (34.48%). These findings will help local governments and managers draft scientific proposals closely related to the public's perspectives in implementing community gardens in urban areas and provide informative references for other cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous initiatives have been developed to monitor the sustainability performance of cities, with rankings and indicators emerging as crucial tools for understanding complex urban phenomena. However, these indices require deeper analytical methods to fully interpret their results. This study highlights the application of Set-Theory methods, specifically Qualitative Comparative Analysis with process-tracing in analyzing the Urban Mobility Readiness Index (UMR) across 60 cities for 2021 and 2022. Our primary achievement is the demonstration of Set-Theory´s ability to unravel the causal complexity in urban dynamics. We find that urban mobility readiness and its negation are not determined by singular conditions but by a combination of conditions. Necessary conditions such as infrastructure and socioeconomic factors have been identified, which are critical for achieving a higher level of readiness in the UMR, and its negation. Cities lacking these conditions are less likely to reach the desired level for sustainable development. Additionally, we reveal that certain conditions serve beyond scope definitions, actively triggering causal mechanisms for both readiness and its negation. This insight underscores the multifaceted nature of urban sustainability, guiding cities towards effective strategies for sustainable development. Our study thus contributes a nuanced understanding of urban mobility, essential for policymakers and urban planners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous studies have substantiated the substantial impact of COVID-19 on metro travel, which is expected to gradually recover once the pandemic is controlled. Given the potentially more severe repercussions of COVID-19 on vulnerable groups like the elderly and people with disabilities, recovery patterns may differ significantly among various demographic segments. However, limited research has addressed this notable disparity. To address this gap, we collected metro travel data in Wuhan from March 2019 to April 2021. We analyzed changes in travel characteristics among different groups, such as the elderly, people with disabilities, commuters, school students, and others, before and after the pandemic. By employing interrupted time series analysis, we explored the short-term impact of the pandemic on different groups and their long-term recovery trajectories. We also investigated the factors influencing the recovery of metro travel among diverse demographic groups. The findings indicate the following: (1) All groups experienced a sharp decline in travel ridership and frequency in the short term due to the pandemic. (2) There are distinct variations in long-term ridership recovery among different groups, with commuters and school students showing the quickest recovery. However, ridership among people with disabilities remained below pre-pandemic levels even a year after the pandemic. (3) Given the inherent spatiotemporal regularity in residents' daily activities, post-pandemic metro travel patterns closely align with the pre-pandemic patterns. (4) Different built environment factors exert varying degrees of influence on the recovery of metro ridership among different groups, and distinctions are evident between weekdays and weekends. These findings enhance our comprehension of the pandemic's impact on diverse demographic groups, which can guide government agencies and urban planners in formulating more resilient strategies for rail transit operations and land use optimization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precipitation induced by tropical cyclones (TCs) over cities is associated with both TC duration and urbanization; however, observational evidence of the impacts of TC duration and urbanization on precipitation in megalopolises is limited. In this study, the Yangtze River Delta (YRD) of eastern China is taken as a typical region because this region has been experiencing both rapid urbanization processes and frequent TC attacks. During 1979-2018, we find reduced translation speed and increased meandering of TCs over the YRD, resulting in increased TC duration and the proportion of TC stalling in this region. The correlation between TC duration and TC-induced precipitation amount is significant across the YRD region but is relatively weak in areas with faster urbanization expansion rates. Long-term increases in TC-induced precipitation are found in both rural and urban areas but are larger for urban areas. Urbanization plays an important role in enhancing TC-induced precipitation over urban areas of the YRD region. Areas with faster urbanization expansion rates and longer TC durations have larger TC-induced precipitation, suggesting that urban expansion and TC duration jointly amplify TC-induced precipitation. Our findings suggest that urban planners, in areas potentially affected by TCs, should consider adaptation measures to mitigate the impacts of urban rainstorms amplified by the combined effects of TCs and urbanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to an urgent need to reduce the fast-progressing climate changes, a rapid, standardized and replicable solution for the infrastructure restructuring of the heat demand coverage of buildings at the district and city levels must be developed. As more and more communities in Europe, especially in Germany, are obligated to have plans for coverage of the heat demand, city planners and energy agencies seek a tool that will help them to design the first drafts of heating network routes, which can supply whole districts and cities with renewable energy. ArcGIS Pro Tools like Least-Cost-Path Analysis (LCPA) and Closest Facility (CF) allow us to find the shortest and "cheapest" way between the heat source and heat consumers in the analyzed areas. Starting from the community level, through the district, county, voivodeship and whole-country levels, the replication of the methods for generating district heating (DH) network infrastructure can be achieved. The proposed LCPA- and CF-based methods help to design the most suitable and efficient DH networks in the analyzed areas. As only a few open-source data inputs, like street networks and building footprints, are needed, the methods can be implemented in all communities in the country of Poland. In this paper, one example of one community in Wroclaw county, called Siechnice, and its surroundings is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Walkability has been linked to quality of life in many ways. The Walk Score is one of several methodologies aimed at assisting people in evaluating walkability. Despite the validation of this method, the amenity schedule around the day and the occupancy percentage in each amenity are not included in the calculation of the Walk Score, resulting in reduced accuracy. The research aims to improve the Walk Score methodology by inserting the amenity schedule around the day and the occupancy percentage in each amenity in the calculating method of the walk score, as the amenities do not have the same occupancy throughout the day. The research proposes a new method to calculate the Walk Score according to the time and occupancy for each amenity at the residential neighborhood level in Egypt. The research uses Salam New City as a case study to apply the new method to a residential neighborhood using the Urban Modelling Interference (Umi) plugin. Finally, the research proposes the Walk Score Model of Salam New City to calculate the Walk Score around the day. The new Walk Score model helps urban planners improve urban space design and the distribution of amenities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Within the context of Skopje's urban green infrastructure, this paper investigates the environmental contributions of six strategically positioned roundabouts, called Eco-roundabouts. Emphasizing their pivotal role within the urban green infrastructure network, the study evaluates landscape design, constituent elements and the collective impact on approximately 7000 m² of green space. All roundabouts integrate grass cover, three of them include low vegetation and the remaining three have a combination of low and high vegetation. Noteworthy is the prevalent use of unsustainable annual flowering plants, presenting economic challenges. Ineffectual maintenance practices and plants exposure to automotive emissions further compromise optimal conditions for proper growth. The paper offers recommendations to optimize functionality, sustainability and biodiversity, addressing economic concerns and enhancing aesthetic appeal. The study advocates for a strategic and holistic approach, offering guidance to urban planners and landscape designers in maximizing the environmental benefits of Eco-roundabouts, providing their seamless integration into Skopje's resilient urban green infrastructure network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The concept of habitus, as introduced by Pierre Bourdieu, serves as a lens to understand the subjective dispositions and perceptions that influence decision-making within the social realm. This study delves into the intricate relationship between urban planners' habitus and the commodification processes inherent in a neoliberal society. Through thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 27 Chilean urban planners, this research identifies typologies that capture their disciplinary stances on three pivotal urbanism facets: the city's conceptualization, the nuances of urban practice, and visions of utopia. A salient finding is the palpable tension urban planners experience, torn between the aspiration to foster a well-conceived city and the commodifying forces that shape decision-making. This commodification of the planner's ethos emerges as a byproduct of entrenched neoliberal institutional practices. This study delineates three distinct habitus typologies: the public, private, and academic urban planner, each exhibiting varied perspectives on the commodification of urban planning. Collectively, these insights shed light on the profound ways in which neoliberal paradigms influence urban planning, revealing both its disciplinary boundaries and inherent contradictions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How do the idealised promises and purposes of urban informatics compare to the material politics and practices of their implementation? To answer this question, I ethnographically trace the development of two data dashboards by strategic planners in an Australian city over the course of 2 years. By studying this techno-political process from its origins onward, I uncovered an interesting story of obdurate institutions, bureaucratic momentum, unexpected troubles, and, ultimately, frustration and failure. These kinds of stories, which often go untold in the annals of innovation, contrast starkly with more common framings of technological triumph and transformation. They also, I argue, reveal much more about how techno-political systems are actualised in the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The right to housing is a fundamental human right, but the paucity of context-specific legislation and policies on the right to housing makes housing inaccessible to a significant number of people residing in African cities. This review article explores the challenges of inclusivity and equity in the provision of housing within the framework of the pan-African city to provide legal frameworks for policymakers, urban planners, and stakeholders committed to realising the right to housing and the vision of the pan-African city. Specifically, it focuses on four diverse African nations - South Africa, Uganda, Tanzania, and Nigeria - for insights into the multifaceted nature of housing rights. The article begins with a review of the key concepts (housing, pan-African city, equity, inclusivity, policy planning), followed by a review of the challenges of inclusivity and equity in each of the selected countries within the context of the right to housing and the pan-African city. The article then reviews the selected countries' efforts to address the challenges within the framework of relevant international human rights instruments and the various countries' constitutional, legislative, and policy frameworks. It is concluded that the right to housing in the pan-African city remains an ambitious goal, with numerous challenges in achieving inclusivity and equity. It is recommended that African countries pay more attention to the right to housing within the pan-African city, emphasising the need for collaborative efforts to ensure access to safe, adequate, and affordable housing. This can be done through information and knowledge sharing, joint infrastructure development, cross-border collaborations, technology transfer, and regional financing mechanisms, among others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article analyzes the ideological reasoning, planning rationale, and construction of controlled/satellite neighborhoods (poblados dirigidos) in the metropolitan area of Madrid during the 1950s and 1960s. Poblados dirigidos were compact and minutely planned barrios on which the Franco regime (1939-1975) hinged its hopes for re-directing urban growth and controlling informal urbanization. While the phenomenon of poblados dirigidos was investigated by several Spanish architects and urban planners, their work focused mostly on the design of these neighborhoods, the structure of their housing units, and the innovative construction techniques. The current article suggests that the spatial crisis that drove the dictatorship to embrace the planning module of poblados dirigidos cannot be understood in isolation from the political and economic challenges faced by the regime during its "interim decades." These challenges led to a progressive shift in the regime's territorial representations and to a partial shift in its spatial practices, which the article analyzes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article thoroughly analyzes the Girne Ancient Harbor and its coastal landscape, employing urban waterfront development principles. The study aims to provide valuable insights for enhancing the urban landscape and ensuring resilience. The research approach incorporates field surveys, archival data analysis, and urban design principles to assess the current state of Girne Ancient Harbor and identify development opportunities. The study explores public access, connectivity, green spaces, urban furniture, and water and land connections by emphasizing environmental and social considerations. The findings highlight the harbor's potential for improvement by capitalizing on its historical and cultural significance. Urban waterfront development principles can create a vibrant, inclusive, and resilient urban environment for residents and visitors. Balancing historical context with contemporary design elements is crucial for successful development. The implications extend beyond Girne Ancient Harbor, benefiting coastal areas facing similar challenges. This research provides a valuable resource for urban planners, architects, policymakers, and heritage conservationists involved in comprehensive development. Ultimately, this article emphasizes the importance of Girne Ancient Harbor as a cultural asset and presents a framework for analyzing the coastal landscape through urban waterfront development principles. By embracing comprehensive strategies and preserving heritage value, the harbor can transform into a thriving urban space while maintaining its unique character. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The concept of a creative place has been considered by experts, but a review of the research background shows that the definitions provided for creative place are different, and the factors that make an urban space a creative place are not clear. The main purpose of this study is to investigate the concept of creative place and to extract the indicators that make an urban space considered a creative place. Design/methodology/approach: By extensive library studies and using a specialized panel, 59 items in the form of 12 indicators were extracted as identifiers of a creative place and a researcher-made questionnaire was prepared and tested in a case study. Data analysis of this study was performed in two stages by using the factor analysis method in R software. Findings: The factors of "competitive advantage (economically)", "freedom", "attractiveness", "entrepreneurship and professionalism", "culture and art", "vitality", "diversity", "distinction", "participation", "reconstruction, nobility and infrastructure", "meaning" and "creative experiences" are important as identifiers of creative place, respectively. The evaluation of the case study showed that the total score of creative places in this urban space is 69.6 (out of 100) and "meaning" gained the most point in this urban space. Originality/value: The factors of this research can be provided to architects and urban planners as identifiers of a creative place and a case study can be evaluated in terms of the degree of compliance with creative place identifiers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: This study intends to analyze the trend of walkability research over two years (2021–2022) in several aspects, including the research problem, gap and aim underlying walkability issues, research setting, the scale of analysis, the type of data, the data collection tool, the analysis method and contribution. Design/methodology/approach: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) is employed to conduct a systematic literature review from three leading databases including Web of Science (WoS), Scopus and Sage. Findings: From the review, it can be concluded that the research focuses on two aspects, namely, the built environment and people. The studies in this field are conducted at different scales of the built environment, from macroscale to microscale, including region, city, neighborhood and street-level studies that are conducted around the world including Asia, Europe and America which receive high attention from researchers. Meanwhile, the study of walkability in Australia and Africa gains less attention. It is revealed that there are four factors of walkability including land use and accessibility for macroscale which cover region, city and neighborhood, while street network and pedestrian infrastructure and facility are mainly analyzed for street-level. Most of the studies widely utilize a quantitative approach for analyzing physical walkability factors in a measurement-based approach by using certain tools/software, and a perception-based approach by using questionnaires. Research limitations/implications: The findings can assist to keep up with the rapid pace of scientific publications and help accelerate the understanding of particular ideas in the field of walkability for the planning and design practice and policy that can be used by researchers/academia, urban designers, urban planners, architects, engineers and policymakers. Also, this study hopefully could assist further research direction for the future and could add value to a more advanced way of understanding the research on walkability. Originality/value: This research provides a robust framework for walkability trend analysis and a comprehensive understanding of the main ideas from the existing research on walkability worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research aims to explore the capabilities of Artificial Intelligence model applications in sustainable urban planning design, aiming to create an AI-powered model that detects urban sprawl, urban decay, infrastructure deficiencies, and environmental degradation, and generates sustainable solutions. The methodology includes model development, data preprocessing, architecture design, training, and comprehensive questionnaire design and statistical analysis. Insights into the model's performance and perception were gathered from 200 participants, including researchers, developers, architects, and urbanists Results reveal significant variations in perceived model performance across demographic groups. Statistical tests and correlations study showed that participants from urban areas rated the model's effectiveness in detecting urban sprawl significantly higher than those from rural areas, and urban planners found the model's infrastructure deficiency detection less accurate compared to architects. These findings provide valuable guidance for enhancing urban planning strategies and underscore AI's potential in transforming urban planning with more effective and inclusive solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The physical and spatial expansion of cities, which often took place without planning, caused numerous environmental, health, economic, and social problems. This study investigates the physical, spatial, and demographic development and expansion of Ilam city in Iran for over 60 years. To achieve these goals, library studies, data analysis, and field studies were applied. The process of development in Ilam and its demographic changes from 1956 to 2016 have been presented, and then the spatial-physical expansion of the city has been evaluated. The results showed that several factors had impacted the physical development and expansion of Ilam. The highest growth was observed between 1976 and 1986. Also, the development of the city has been more horizontal. The study results show the correlation, intensity, extension, and mechanism of conversion and land-use change in Ilam city and embody its spatial-physical expansion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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