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Land vacancy is a persistent phenomenon leading to various socioeconomic issues in postindustrial cities. We examine the relationship between the timing of vacant lot investment and land options and compare two investment options using a quasi‐experimental design: housing investment that develops vacant lots into housing, and greening investment that converts vacant lots into gardens and reserves redevelopment options. By compiling a unique lot‐level time‐to‐event dataset based on a large‐scale vacant lot greening program in Philadelphia, we address the questions of whether and how introducing the option of greening investment to vacant lots can expedite initial investment and reduce vacancy. With the greening option, initial investment on vacant lots becomes less irreversible, thus reducing time in vacancy by 50% and elevating the hazard rate of investment by 80%. We test for the presence of the real options channel, identifying a decelerating (accelerating) effect of price uncertainty (price growth rate) on the timing of housing investment and insignificant effects of the factors on the timing of greening investment. Our findings suggest that vacant lot greening as an anti‐blight strategy is more effective to expedite investment in neighborhoods with elevated uncertainty, subdued growth rate, moderately lower income, and heightened vacancy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban design and planning require collaborative processes that integrate diverse user perspectives. Tactical urbanism involves small, temporary interventions in public spaces to meet daily needs through the collaboration of various stakeholders. This paper aims to foster tactical urbanism in vacant lots, emphasising the significance of incorporating diverse perspectives. The study, based on participatory action research, discusses the individual viewpoints of young city planner candidates assuming diverse roles across three themes: belonging, aesthetics, and usefulness, and to evaluate the results of two-method exercises applied in the Karşıyaka case study in İzmir. Participants, consisting of students from various universities in Türkiye, expressed their individual opinions and collective viewpoints through the techniques of photovoice and six thinking hats, respectively. Comparing two methods for evaluating vacant lots within three themes of tactical urbanism demonstrated that the photovoice technique enabled students to search for meanings of spaces and express their thoughts through photos. Meanwhile, the six thinking hats technique facilitated empathy towards diverse perspectives. The findings underscore the essentiality of adopting a holistic approach to urban design that encompasses aesthetics, functionality, and inclusivity, integrating diverse opinions. Young planner candidates in this study acknowledged the importance of collaboration and diverse perspectives in urban design and planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study explores street sexual harassment in the Riberas del Bravo case, Ciudad Juárez, Mexico. Riberas del Bravo is one of the areas with the highest incidence of sexual violence in the Chihuahua State. We worked with seven women who live in the area and travel alone to different places of work, school and recreation. Core densities were used as a cartographic tool to identify the spaces represented by the participants as dangerous and of incidence of sexual street harassment, as well as existing equipment. Based on this, and the construction of theoretical categories of urban sociology, gender studies and territorial perspective, we found that spaces close to the home, semi-walled vacant lots, and convenience stores have the highest incidence of events such as sexual comments and persecution. The frequency ranges from often to very often, with Thursdays and weekends at night being times of higher incidence. The main reaction of the victims is to walk quickly and avoid confrontation. Therefore, harassment reconfigures women's public spatial interaction and generates segregation in scales of differentiation of spatial use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Initiatives to repurpose vacant lots to improve people's well-being are increasing worldwide. Still, little is known about how distinct plant communities influence the provision of ecosystem services in vacant lots. To bridge this gap, we investigated associations in vacant lots between land-cover type, plant diversity (both taxonomic and functional), and composition with soil organic carbon and hydraulic conductivity which are indicators of carbon storage and stormwater runoff control. We sampled plant communities, soil organic carbon, and hydraulic conductivity across 50 sites, three plots per site, in the Greater Quebec City Area, Canada. The sites comprised five land-cover types: lawn, bare soil, low- and high-density herbaceous vegetation, and sparse trees. Soil organic carbon was lowest in bare soil lots, while the lowest hydraulic conductivity was found in lots with sparse trees and high-density herbaceous vegetation. Soil organic carbon was positively correlated with forb and total plant cover, but negatively correlated with functional dispersion. Hydraulic conductivity was positively correlated with taproot frequency and functional dispersion of three traits (lifespan, specific leaf area, and reproductive modes), but negatively correlated with grass and total plant cover. This research highlights the associations between plant functional traits and groups with soil characteristics, uncovering patterns that might be overlooked if only land-cover was considered, such as higher carbon storage and hydraulic conductivity associated with forb-rich meadows with high taproot frequency. We advocate for a trait-focused approach in vacant lot revitalization, particularly when the goal is to enhance local levels of soil-based ecosystem services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People's reduced connection with nature has led to many health problems. In the NBS framework, urban wildscapes (UWSs) are considered an important solution. They can contribute to improving the health of residents and ecosystems within the city. However, overly wild green spaces may also be offensive to residents. It is necessary to understand the public's acceptance of UWSs. Current studies on the acceptance of UWSs have used vague terms to generalize the "wildness degree". In this study, we attempted to quantify the degree of wildness using plant height and plant abundance in Japan and analyzed the results through mediated effect analysis. We discovered the following: 1. Japanese residents have low acceptance of UWSs in vacant lots. 2. The use of "height" and "abundance" may be a more objective way to quantify wildness. 3. The negative effects of abundance can be minimized. The negative effect of height cannot be controlled. This study addresses a gap in the study of Asian cities and proposes a novel approach to quantifying "wildness." It improves the health benefits of UWSs. Furthermore, it can offer guidance on the management and construction of urban green spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon is negatively impacted by rapid urbanization, which significantly affects people's everyday lives, socioeconomic activities, and the urban thermal environment. This study focuses on the impact of composition, configuration, and landscape patterns on land surface temperature (LST) in Lahore, Pakistan. The study uses Landsat 5-TM and Landsat 8-OLI/TIRS data acquired over the years 2000, 2010 and 2020 to derive detailed information on land use, normalized difference vegetation index, LST, urban cooling islands (UCI), green cooling islands (GCI) and landscape metrics at the class and landscape level such as percentage of the landscape (PLAND), patch density (PD), class area (CA), largest patch index (LPI), number of patches (NP), aggregation index (AI), Landscape Shape Index (LSI), patch richness (PR), and mean patch shape index (SHAPE_MN). The study's results show that from the years 2000 to 2020, the built-up area increased by 17.57%, whereas vacant land, vegetation, and water bodies declined by 03.79%, 13.32% and 0.4% respectively. Furthermore, landscape metrics at the class level (PLAND, LSI, LPI, PD, AI, and NP) show that the landscape of Lahore is becoming increasingly heterogeneous and fragmented over time. The mean LST in the study area exhibited an increasing trend i.e. 18.87°C in 2000, 20.93°C in 2010, and 22.54°C in 2020. The significant contribution of green spaces is vital for reducing the effects of UHI and is highlighted by the fact that the mean LST of impervious surfaces is, on average, roughly 3°C higher than that of urban green spaces. The findings also demonstrate that there is a strong correlation between mean LST and both the amount of green space (which is negative) and impermeable surface (which is positive). The increasing trend of fragmentation and shape complexity highlighted a positive correlation with LST, while all area-related matrices including PLAND, CA and LPI displayed a negative correlation with LST. The mean LST was significantly correlated with the size, complexity of the shape, and aggregation of the patches of impervious surface and green space, although aggregation demonstrated the most constant and robust correlation. The results indicate that to create healthier and more comfortable environments in cities, the configuration and composition of urban impermeable surfaces and green spaces should be important considerations during the landscape planning and urban design processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neighborhoods are one of the key determinants of health disparities among young people in the United States. While neighborhood deprivation can exacerbate health disparities, amenities such as quality parks and greenspace can support adolescent health. Existing conceptual frameworks of greening‐health largely focus on greenspace exposures, rather than greening interventions. In this paper, we develop and propose a Greening Theory of Change that explains how greening initiatives might affect adolescent health in deprived neighborhoods. The theory situates greening activities and possible mechanisms of change in the context of their ability to modify distal social determinants of health factors, stemming from macrostructural and historical processes that lead to resource inequalities, affecting both the social and built environment in which adolescents live and develop. The framework illustrates both short‐ and long‐term health, economic, and security effects of greening. We also describe how the theory informed the development of Project VITAL (Vacant lot Improvement to Transform Adolescent Lives) in Baltimore, MD, which aims to (1) build a citywide sharable database on vacant lot restoration activities, (2) evaluate the impact of greening initiatives on adolescent health outcomes, (3) conduct cost‐effectiveness analyses, and (4) develop best practices for greening programs for improved adolescent health. Highlights: Current greenspace‐health frameworks largely address greenspace instead of greening.Greening activities that engage social determinants of health might reduce adolescent health disparities.Our Greening Theory of Change informed study design for Project VITAL (Vacant lot Improvement to Transform Adolescent Lives). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reversing physical disinvestment, e.g., by remediating abandoned buildings and vacant lots, is an evidence-based strategy to reduce urban firearm violence. However, adoption of this strategy has been inconsistent across US cities. Our community-academic partnership sought to support adoption in Toledo, OH, USA, by generating locally relevant analyses on physical disinvestment and firearm violence. We used a spatial case–control design with matching. Physical disinvestment measures were derived from a citywide parcel foot audit conducted by the Lucas County Land Bank in summer 2021. Firearm violence outcomes were incident-level shootings data from the Toledo Police Department from October 2021 through February 2023. Shooting locations were matched to controls 1:4 on poverty rate, roadway characteristics, and zoning type. Exposures were calculated by aggregating parcels within 5-min walking buffers of each case and control point. We tested multiple disinvestment measures, including a composite index. Models were logistic regressions that adjusted for the matching variables and for potential spatial autocorrelation. Our sample included N = 281 shooting locations and N = 1124 matched controls. A 1-unit increase in the disinvestment score, equal to approximately 1 additional disrepair condition for the average parcel within the walking buffer, was associated with 1.68 times (95% CI: 1.36, 2.07) higher odds of shooting incidence. Across all other measures, greater disinvestment was associated with higher odds of shooting incidence. Our finding of a strong association between physical disinvestment and firearm violence in Toledo can inform local action. Community-academic partnership could help increase adoption of violence prevention strategies focused on reversing physical disinvestment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background:Ehrlichia canis has been the main hemopathogen affecting domestic dogs in Brazil. Even though tick-infested dogs may lead to household infestation and predispose human exposure and public health concern, no comprehensive study has surveyed humans, dogs, and environmental ticks altogether. Materials and Methods: Accordingly, the present study aimed to assess tick-infested households, identify tick species, perform serological (immunofluorescence assay) and molecular (PCR and q-PCR) detection of Ehrlichia in ticks, in the eighth biggest metropolitan area of Brazil. Results: Between 2007 and 2020, 233/5973 (3.9%) out of all complaints were from tick-infested households of 200 different addresses. Overall, 370/552 (67.0%) ticks were collected and identified as adult and 182/552 (33.0%) as immature forms of Rhipicephalus sanguineus s.l. complex; a single tick from one owner, a female tick of Amblyomma sculptum; and 395 ticks from dogs, 319/395 (80.8%) adult and 72/395 (18.2%) immature forms of Rhipicephalus spp., and 4/395 (1.01%) female Amblyomma aureolatum. Overall, 2/135 (1.5%) owners and 13/136 (9.6%) dogs were seropositive for E. canis. The DNA of Anaplasmataceae family was molecularly detected in 16/50 (32.0%) R. sanguineus s.l. As expected, the number of monthly tick infestation complaints were directly associated, and mean (p = 0.01), maximum (p = 0.011), and minimum (p = 0.008) temperature were statistically significant and had a low positive correlation (0.24, 0.23, and 0.24, respectively). In addition, complaints were highly associated to all socioeconomic variables (p < 0.001), with the exception of the presence of vacant lots. Conclusions: Despite low samplings and human negative results, areas with low-income with adequate temperature and urban agglomerations have been shown to be associated risks for tick infestations, predisposing tick-borne diseases. In conclusion, monitoring should always be conducted in such areas, including One Health approach with serosurvey of owners and dogs, along with identification and molecular screening of ticks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As land use leaves massive tracts of land vacant for recovery, restoration must undergo a substantial shift to incorporate a complexity perspective beyond the traditional community, biodiversity or functional views. With an interaction–function perspective, we may be able to achieve ecosystems with better chances to adapt to current environmental changes and, especially, to climate change. We explore combined approaches that include still unused and underexplored techniques that will soon go mainstream and produce massive amounts of information to address the complexity gap. As we understand how complexity reassembles after the end of agriculture, we will be able to design actions to restore or enhance it at unprecedented spatial scales while increasing its adaptability to environmental changes. Moreno and Bhatnagar argue in favor of using an 'interaction–function' perspective to understand the dynamics of ecosystem recovery after land-use change, especially in the light of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Questions: Numerous studies on community assembly processes have been conducted in natural ecosystems. However, we know little about community assembly processes in human‐dominated urban ecosystems. Here, we asked: (1) how are the composition and functional diversity of native and exotic plant species shaped by local environment and landscape factors across urban vacant lots; and (2) how is microbial (bacterial and fungal) community composition influenced by the local environment, landscape factors, and plant species composition across urban vacant lots? Location: We investigated 69 urban vacant lots in Yokohama, Japan. Methods: By using a variation partitioning approach, we examined the relative importance of local environmental and landscape factors (including land use and spatial structure) in explaining variation in plant species composition and functional diversity of native or exotic species. We also explored the relative importance of local environmental and landscape factors, and plant species composition in explaining variation in microbial community composition. Results: The spatial structure of vacant lots determined the species composition and functional diversity of plant communities, suggesting that plant community assembly is determined by dispersal limitation. However, the functional diversity of the exotic species varied randomly, which reduced the relative importance of the spatial structure of vacant lots. Plant species composition as well as the spatial structure of vacant lots were the important drivers of the composition of soil microbial communities, despite a higher proportion of unexplained variation in their composition. Finally, we found an essential contribution of earthmoving methods in explaining the variations in both plant and microbial community composition. Conclusion: Plant and microbial community composition would be largely determined by dispersal limitation across urban vacant lots. Understanding urban community assembly is critical for predicting plant and microbial communities that play an essential role in regulating urban ecosystem functioning and services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Latinoamericana de Estudios Urbano Regionales is the property of Pontificia Universidad Catolica de Chile 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.)

Shopping centers are among the major economic and commercial places in cities in terms of social function, urban sustainability, environment, etc. Therefore, it is crucial to determine suitable locations for building new shopping centers. In this regard, urban vacant lands can be considered as high-potential locations to transform the urban landscape and enhance socio-economic development. The main purpose of this study is to assess the potential of urban vacant lands based on a spatial multi-criteria decision-making (SMCDM) system for building shopping centers in 22 districts of Tehran. In this study, first, 16 effective spatial criteria for locating the new shopping centers were identified using expert opinions and a literature review. The best-worst method (BWM) and the Min/Max method were used to calculate the weight and standardized values of each criterion. Then, the ordered weighted averaging (OWA) method was used to prepare a potential map of urban vacant lands for the construction of a shopping center under different decision-making scenarios, including very optimistic, optimistic, intermediate, pessimistic, and very pessimistic. Finally, the spatial distribution of potential locations in the 22 districts of Tehran was investigated. The results showed that among the different criteria, the distance from the highway networks and distance from public transportation stations had the most weight, whereas the distance from fault and distance from stream networks had the least weight. The number of vacant lands with a very high potential for building a shopping center in Tehran based on very pessimistic, pessimistic, intermediate, optimistic and very optimistic scenarios was obtained at 29, 95, 105, 122, and 224, respectively. An increase in the degree of optimism in the attitude of decision-makers or investors increased the number of available options in the very high potential category. Under all scenarios, all vacant lands in 10 of Tehran's 22 districts with very high potential for building shopping centers. The results of the proposed model in this study can be useful and practical for a wide range of planners, decision-makers, and investors with different mental attitudes and risk tolerance. Close attention to these results can contribute to achieving sustainable urban development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decades of decline, disinvestment, and racism have left Detroit with an abundance of abandoned buildings, ruins, vacant lots, and illicit trash dumps. Though these structures and materials might have forfeited their previous purposes, they can act as catalysts, substances, and co-creators of artworks. The paper is thus interested in examining the intricate interplay between art, space, and materiality in Detroit further. Drawing from the practices of local artists Olayami Dabls and Scott Hocking, the paper adopts a new materialist framework to investigate the dynamic agency of matter in the artistic process. By considering materials as active participants in the production of art and space, the paper seeks to add to the emerging interest in the emancipation and meaning making of material in art as well as cultural geography's engagements with new materialism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities are complex systems requiring urban design models that balance order and disorder. Collective creativity initiatives engage citizens in these processes, empowering bottom-up approaches that prioritize people and social well-being within urban development. This paper investigates an 'Urban Laboratory' as a case study, examining the potential of collective creativity to address urban complexity. The successful and ongoing project 'El Campo de Cebada' in Madrid, Spain, demonstrates how a community transformed a vacant lot into a vibrant social hub. The phases of this study include case selection, data collection, data analysis, and presentation of the results. This study identifies key enabling factors, including agents, management, social dynamics, infrastructure, and actions. These insights offer a methodological framework for designing future collaborative, resilient, and inclusive urban spaces, addressing the complex needs of communities within our cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current information on urban land use and surface cover is derived from the land classification of cities, facilitating accurate future urban planning. Key insights are driven by multi-year remote sensing data. These data, when analyzed, produce high-resolution changes on the Earth's surface. In this context, publicly accessible Urban Atlas data are employed for the high-precision and high-resolution classification and monitoring of terrestrial surfaces. These datasets, which are useful for preserving natural resources, guiding spatial developments, and mitigating pollution, are crucial for monitoring changes and managing cities. This research aims to analyze and contrast land use and land cover (LULC) changes in Gaziantep (Turkey) between 2010 and 2018 using Urban Atlas data, and to investigate correlations between the city's statistical data and LULC changes. Gaziantep's urban dynamics were analyzed using Urban Atlas datasets from 2010 to 2015 and 2012 to 2018, the latter part of Copernicus, the European Earth Observation Programme. To understand the impact of LULC changes on urban landscapes, people, and the environment, official environmental and demographic statistics spanning four years were sourced and studied. The findings reveal a trend of agricultural and vacant lands evolving into residential and industrial zones, with such changes likely to increase in the near future, given the growth of building zones. While some land classes have shown consistent area values annually, residential and industrial zones have expanded in response to housing and employment demands. The most significant alterations have occurred in the last three years. Shifts in urban configurations align closely with migratory patterns, reflecting notable variations in factors like population, consumption, and pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Non‐depreciation gives to land a central role in the credit expansion process of the modern economy and constitutes the foundation of the relationship between finance and real estate. To understand the process by which land becomes an underlying asset in the financial market, this paper's theoretical model formalises a set of propositions derived from asset price theory and real options theory. Theoretically, vacant land speculation results from rational behaviour; thus, land becomes valued as a real investment option. This real option can later operate as an underlying asset for credits and financial options, which explains the financialisation of vacant land. This work evidences the process of formation of landbanks by insurance companies in Santiago, Chile, showing that their acquisitions are, partly, carried out via Lease‐Purchase Contracts. Besides, it is demonstrated that Lease‐Purchase Contracts tend to locate in geographical areas with greater growth rate in land price and deviations in this rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, smart parking systems (SPS) represent one of the active research areas of intelligent transport systems (ITS). It is an interesting topic and attractive to researchers due to the difficult challenges that are needed to solve it. It enhances city life and plays an important role in reducing gas emissions, air pollution, and traffic congestion while improving the time override for drivers to easily allocate vacant parking lots. In this paper, we discuss and dedicate a review of how computer visionbased approaches can assist in providing wellness solutions for the occupancy of smart parking lots. In addition, we provide an overview of the most common standard datasets and some well-known applications of vacant smart parking lots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We discuss data quality and modeling issues inherent in the use of nationwide property data to value environmental amenities. By example of Zillow's Transaction and Assessment Database, a real estate database covering the United States, we identify challenges and propose guidance for (1) identifying arm's-length sales; (2) geolocating parcels and buildings; (3) identifying temporal links between transaction, assessor, and parcel data; (4) identifying property types, such as single-family homes and vacant lands; and (5) dealing with missing or mismeasured data for standard housing attributes. We review [End Page 200] current practice and show that how researchers address these issues can meaningfully influence research findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban industrial lands left unmonitored resulted in varying degrees of industrial pollution, constantly showing signs of soil fertility depletion, degraded water quality, depreciated surface conditions, limited plant diversity, and compromised ecosystem functionality. This study presents a novel approach that combines the concepts of Brownfield redevelopment and CNN-based land classification to transform industrial wastelands. The study commences by elaborating on the redevelopment of Industrial wastelands by combining features of Brownfield redevelopment and Convolution Neural Networks (CNN) based land classification model. It uses the CNN approach to classify wasteland datasets acquired from Kaggle into three categories: contaminated land, abandoned land, and vacant land. Second, the ResNet architecture within CNN is harnessed for land transformation. The methodology used enhances the process of identification of wastelands and their classification. Finally, it measures the performance of the classification model using CNN by devising a confusion matrix. The CNN-based land classification model of the study is designed to restore urban industrial wastelands and has yielded promising results. The model achieved a classification accuracy of 69% and a precision rate of 51%. Additionally, it demonstrated notable performance in terms of Sensitivity (70%), Specificity (67%), and overall accuracy (59%). These results underscore the potential of this approach in addressing the multifaceted challenges associated with neglected industrial lands by fostering environmental rejuvenation and promoting community well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The large-scale identification of urban vacant land (UVL) and informal green spaces (IGSs) using conventional identification methods is challenged by the high cost of time and resources as well as inconsistent outcomes. Moreover, the spatial–temporal changes of UVL and IGSs have received limited academic attention. We introduce a methodological framework for the large-scale automatic identification of UVL and IGSs in Hangzhou, China, based on semantic segmentation. We construct and release a large-scale dataset for UVL identification, containing five different UVL categories, and one of them is IGS, with 3096 patches for training and 128 patches for evaluation. We then train five different semantic segmentation networks using the dataset and utilise Segformer to predict UVL and IGSs within the whole urban area of Hangzhou. The presented segmentation model has a hierarchically structured Transformer encoder and a multilayer perceptron decoder, which incorporates local and global information to obtain effective feature representations. Extensive experiments have been conducted to evaluate the segmentation performance of the applied Segformer. Experimental results show the good identification performance of Segformer for UVL and IGSs. Results also verify that the proposed identification framework can be effectively used to analyse the spatial–temporal changes of UVL and IGSs in Hangzhou. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization is the process of increasing the populationmigrating to urban areas, and urban farming is a farming practice carried out within the city. Both concepts have significant impacts on urban life and the environment. This research aims to analyze the interrelation of the positive impacts of urban farming and the negative impacts of urbanization. The analysis focuses on food and environmental aspects as alternative problem-solving methods in the cities of Bandung, Denpasar, and Palembang. This research uses qualitative method. Data collection uses field interview techniques with 30 informants, as well as a review of several scientific articles, previous research results, and reports from data-providing agencies such as the Indonesian Central Bureau of Statistics.Data analysis used the Miles and HubermanModel,with the stages of reduction, display, and conclusion drawing. The results of the analysis show that there is an interrelation between the positive impacts of urban farming and the negative impacts of urbanization in the cities of Bandung, Denpasar, and Palembang. In terms of food aspect, urban farming can provide various types of easily accessible food for urban dwellers, such as vegetables, fruits, fisheries, and small-scale livestock. The food produced is relatively close to residential areas, so the quality is still fresh and healthy and the price is affordable as well. In the environmental aspect, urban farming can optimize the use of limited or vacant land in residential areas into productive land, such as for green spaces, farming activities, gardening, fisheries, and livestock. Other functions include enhancing the beauty of the environment, reducing household waste, and preserving organism biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Limiting housing and infrastructure in flood-prone places has long been recognized as critical to managing long-term risk. However, due to the difficulty of tracking development at small spatial scales, little empirical research has been conducted to explain differences between communities' floodplain development patterns. We analyzed new construction across 5 million parcels in the state of North Carolina to develop standardized measures of floodplain development and evaluated the relationships between flood risk management effort and development outcomes. Statewide, for every property removed through buyouts from 1996 to 2017, more than 10 new residences were built in floodplains. At the community level, indicators of flood risk management effort (participation in the Community Rating System and use of buyouts) did not consistently align with floodplain development outcomes. Based on a sample of urban and suburban counties, we found more than 75,000 acres of vacant floodplain land currently zoned for development. Although we did not capture the full range of flood risk mitigation practices, results indicate that local development policies often run counter to efforts to limit long-term risk. Land use planning and floodplain management have the potential to play a larger role in flood risk mitigation. Modifying federal programs to more strongly disincentivize floodplain development could enhance local regulation and minimize future flood exposure. Given extensive undeveloped floodplain land and projected climate change, additional effort to manage development is needed to limit increases in flood risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 allowed governors of the 50 states to designate low‐income areas as "qualified opportunity zones" (QOZs). This designation entitled investors in these QOZs to significant tax incentives, with the goal of creating economic opportunities in these areas. In this article, we estimate the impact of QOZ designation on several dimensions of economic development—residential and business real estate prices—using data from Florida for the period 2016–2020 and controlling for endogenous QOZ designation in several estimation approaches. All estimation results indicate little consistent and robust evidence that QOZ designation had a positive impact on sales prices for single‐family homes, commercial lots, or vacant lots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Land use and land cover (LULC) change detection and its subsequent impact on hydrology are of significant importance in the field of urban planning and the sustainable management of water and land resources. The primary objective of this research work is to illustrate LULC map in a specific study area, which encompasses approximately 316.7 km² in the Noakhali region. Additionally, this study tries to examine the enduring impacts of LULC changes on surface runoff within the specified area. In order to achieve this goal, the analysis of LULC change trends in the region was conducted using Landsat OLI/TM data from 2000 to 2020. The analysis focused on five distinct classes: built-up land, vacant land, farmland, vegetation, and waterbodies. The research employs the Soil Conservation Service Curve Number (SCS-CN) model to evaluate the influence of LULC changes on surface runoff. Notably, the findings indicate a substantial increase in built-up areas from 1.05% in 2000 to 11.21% in 2020. This urban expansion is strongly correlated with a notable rise in surface runoff, as evidenced by a high correlation coefficient (R² = 0.98) between urban expansion and modelled runoff depth. The observed increase in impervious urban areas contributes to a 2.65% rise in average runoff from 2000 to 2020, equivalent to an 8.96 mm increment in average runoff. The study underscores the profound implications for managing urban storm floods and designing urban areas, especially in rapidly expanding cities globally, with a focus on developing nations. The insights gained offer valuable information for informed decision-making in sustainable urban development and water resource management, not only in the Noakhali region but also beyond. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The phenomenon of population growth, scramble for employment, congestion in cities coupled with underdevelopment has been a cause for concern over the years. Many solutions, such as aid and conclusion of international investment agreements with a view to attract foreign direct investment, have been explored and tried with no real changes. In recent years, there is a strong movement on charter cities, championed by the former World Bank Chief Economist, Paul Romer. Romer's grand charter city would be developed on a vacant land, offered by the host State, for free, to the developer of the city. The city adopts a constitutive act, spelling out basic rights of the residents and the responsibilities of the city government but then imports functional rules from a developed country/countries being guarantor(s), and the latter ensure(s) enforcement of these rules. This paper explores charter cities as a panacea to poverty and underdevelopment in Africa and it lays bare the problematic conceptual issues on charter cities. Thus, it finds that charter cities could be another vehicle facilitating scramble for land in Africa as seen in Madagascar where the idea was explored. In addition, a need for uninhabited land threatens relocations and removals, which have often been forceful and impacts on the socio-economic conditions of communities as witnessed in Lesotho when the highlands water project, serving South Africa with water, began construction. Relocations are not only economically debilitating; they are highly emotive to many Africans based on the past experiences. Further, substituting the host state's control with that of developed nation/s (sponsor/guarantor) can only be regarded as neo-liberal colonialism. Another problem is in relation to freedom to reside in the city, thereby extending free residency to everyone from anywhere in world, compromising sovereignty for the host and not solving employment crisis. While charter cities can solve poverty and underdevelopment in Africa, these conceptual problems need to be addressed; otherwise, we are facing neoliberal land dispossessions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Americanía. Revista de Estudios Latinoamericanos is the property of Revista Americania - Universidad Pablo de Olavide 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.)

Many cities have addressed urban population shrinkage by adopting strategies to re-purpose vacant lots in ways that leave them beautified and groomed. This study investigates leisure behavior resulting in beautified and groomed vacant lots that resist dominant discourses – referred to as green leisure. We applied a mixed-methods research design with property owners who purchased vacant lots through the Chicago Large Lot Program. Our focus group findings (n = 25) indicated that participants framed their activities as resistance tied to (a) vacant lot beautification, (b) providing places to socialize, (c) efficacy, and (d) neighborhood transformation. Using survey data (n = 197), results from a path model show that behavioral investment in greening – as measured by a Cues to Care Action Scale – is influenced by social normative beliefs, collective-efficacy, self-efficacy, and perception of gardening as leisure. Our findings lend support to policies that encourage resident-based private ownership of vacant land to revitalize urban neighborhoods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An inner-city building construction site for vacant land development or redevelopment of existing property is a site surrounded by buildings, occupants, and busy street(s); its space is the most important but limited resource that needs wisely planned and professionally used. The study aimed to assess the construction site layout planning (CSLP) practice and the classification of space requirement variables for inner-city building sites. Thus, the study adopted a triangulated study approach and the data was collected through a sequential mixed method that includes case studies: semi-structured interviews, document evaluation, and site visits observation followed by a two-round Delphi survey. The study has identified the space requirement variables, classification, and relationship for CSLP of inner-city sites; classified under three categories: Micro-space (four), Macro-space (18), and Paths (five); and have significant to strong associations with each other. The current practice shows the CSLP is overlooked or fragmented which causes a congested site condition. So, the provided insight on the strong relationship between space requirements will be a basis for shifting from the temporary-facility-centered planning methods towards an integrated CSLP approach to overcome contractors' problems in the continued redevelopment demand of the inner city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study employs the MEDALUS model, developed by the European Union, to estimate the degree of desertification in European Mediterranean countries. The model classifies environmental sensitivity to desertification (ESD) to five degrees based on soil, vegetation cover, and climatic conditions. The study area was carefully selected due to its location in the eastern margin of the Delta of the Nile, overlapping between Nile silt and delta sediments and the sands of the eastern desert. The area encompasses various land uses, including ancient agricultural lands, agricultural reclamation, and vacant lands suitable for future agricultural and urban expansion. The study revealed that 76.4% of the area has an average soil quality index, 23.6% has a low one, and 23.9% has a good vegetation cover index, 29.1% is average quality, and 47% has a low one. The study also revealed that 65.1% of the area has an average climate quality index, while 34.9% has a low one. The study concluded that 2.4% of the area has a very high environmental sensitivity index to desertification, 61.2% is environmentally sensitive, 22.8% of its area is medium sensitive, and 13.6% is low (ESD). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Vacant land in residual urban areas is a crucial resource to tackle the current climate and housing crises. In this study, we present the development of a geodatabase to determine the occurrence of vacant land in the urban core of Oklahoma City, USA (OKC), and assess its potential for infill housing. As a starting point, we define urban vacant land through a literature review. We present a description of the case study's social and urbanistic context by highlighting its relevance to this study. We explain the methodology for the development of the geodatabase to quantify residual urban land in OKC's urban core. We examine the spatial distribution and recurring characteristics of vacant parcels using QGIS, Python scripting for Rhinoceros 3D, and aerial imagery. We find that small parcels have higher vacancy rates than average-sized parcels and there is a correlation between higher vacancy rates and proximity to downtown and brownfields. Finally, we discuss the implications of the findings by assessing the urban vacant land potential for residential development and its contribution to OKC's housing provision. Under all the proposed scenarios, the considered developable vacant land in the urban core could entirely fulfill the need for new housing units for the entire city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban green spaces can provide important wildlife habitat and ecosystem services. In legacy cities, built structures are demolished as populations dwindle, resulting in vacant land. Vacant land constitutes an opportunity to establish green infrastructure that provides multiple ecosystem services. Our objective was to determine whether establishing green infrastructure on vacant land to manage stormwater could provide insect habitat in the legacy city of Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A. Two green infrastructure treatments were implemented on vacant land in the historic Slavic Village neighborhood in 2014 and 2015: rain gardens (lower cost) and bioswales (higher cost). We hypothesized that rain gardens and bioswales would support more abundant, species rich insect communities compared to unaltered vacant lots. Wild bees (Hymenoptera: Aculeata) and lady beetles (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), two insect groups of conservation concern, were sampled during the summer (June–August) from 2014 to 2016 using pan traps and yellow sticky card traps. Local vegetation and temporal variables were measured. Generalized linear mixed effects models evaluated whether insect biodiversity varied with treatment, habitat variables, site, and time. We collected 3,004 bees from pan traps and 5,438 lady beetles from yellow sticky card traps during this study. Bee biodiversity was similar among treatments. In 2014, alien Coccinellidae abundance was higher in vacant lots compared to rain gardens. In 2015 and 2016, alien Coccinellidae were marginally more abundant in rain gardens compared to vacant lots and bioswales, while native Coccinellidae abundance was significantly higher in vacant lots. In the short term, establishing green infrastructure on vacant land can improve stormwater management without compromising the quality of vacant land as insect habitat. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban vacancies have been a concern for neighborhood distress and economic decline and have gained more recent attention as potential green infrastructure is known to benefit communities in diverse ways. To investigate this, this study looked into the relationship between land cover, natural environment, and urban vacancies in Austin, Texas. Additionally, we investigated the spatial patterns of green infrastructure and urban vacancies by different income groups to see if low income communities would potentially lack the benefits of green infrastructure. To measure green infrastructure, we used different land covers such as forests and shrublands, as well as natural environments such as tree canopies and vegetation richness, using remote sensing data. Urban vacancy information was retrieved from the USPS vacant addresses and parcel land uses. Through a series of multivariate analyses examining green infrastructure variables one by one, the study results indicate that green infrastructure interacts with residential and business vacancies differently. Additionally, low-income communities lack green infrastructure compared with the rest of the city and are exposed to more urban vacancies in their neighborhoods. Further study is required to understand the dynamics of vacancies in underserved communities and examine how existing vacant land can benefit the communities as ecological resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article shares tax tips on vacant land deductions under the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997 in Australia. Topics discussed include denial of deduction for losses or outgoings relating to holding land on which there is no permanent structure in use or available for use, capital gains tax implications of vacant land deductions, entities affected by vacant land deductions, business exclusion, primary production exclusion, and interest incurred after land is sold or business activity has ceased.

Many cities worldwide have large amounts of industrial vacant land (IVL) due to development and transformation, posing a growing problem. However, the large-scale identification of IVL is hindered by obstacles such as high cost, high variability, and closed-source data. Moreover, it is difficult to distinguish industrial vacant land from operational industrial land based solely upon image features. To address these issues, we propose a method for the large-scale automatic identification of IVL. The framework uses deep learning to train remote-sensing images of potential industrial vacant land to generate a semantic segmentation model and further use population density and surface temperature data to filter model predictions. The feasibility of the proposed methodology was validated through a case study in Tangshan City, Hebei Province, China. The study indicates two major conclusions: (1) The proposed IVL identification framework can efficiently generate industrial vacant land mapping. (2) HRNet exhibits the highest accuracy and strongest robustness after training compared with other semantic segmentation backbone networks, ensuring high-quality performance and stability, as evidenced by a model accuracy of 97.84%. Based on the above advantages, the identification framework provides a reference method for various countries and regions to identify industrial vacant land on a large scale, which is of great significance for advancing the research and transformation of industrial vacant land worldwide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the legacies left by the British when granting independence to Malaysia (then, Malaya) was the authority on certain matters between the Federal and States. The responsibility in managing Islamic matters was given to the States including waqf. Thus, laws and regulations on waqf were promulgated by each State through the establishment of the State Islamic Religious Council (SIRC). It is the duty of the Council to manage and develop waqf assets within their territory. SIRC Penang is the most outstanding Council in managing and developing waqf assets. They managed to develop vacant lands into commercial centres and high-rise residential complexes. These developments were made possible because of the legacy waqf created by the early Muslim migrants from India. This paper examines the migration and contribution of these groups from a historical perspective and the clans that had come to Malaya. We also highlight the intervention by the British on waqf administration during the colonisation period. The development process undertaken by SIRC Penang is also discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Most scholarly attention to vanishing cities is fairly recent so, to guide future research, a comprehensive evaluation of prior findings is required. This study is a network analysis of 333 publications authored in English, published over the last two decades. The findings are as follows: (1) shrinking city research has increased significantly since 2016; (2) the key themes are planning, decline, depopulation, policy, regeneration, vacant land, green infrastructure, and case studies such as Detroit; and (3) major academic groups have not yet collaborated effectively on the subject. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shopping centers are among the major economic and commercial places in cities in terms of social function, urban sustainability, environment, etc. Therefore, it is crucial to determine suitable locations for building new shopping centers. In this regard, urban vacant lands can be considered as high-potential locations to transform the urban landscape and enhance socio-economic development. The main purpose of this study is to assess the potential of urban vacant lands based on a spatial multi-criteria decision-making (SMCDM) system for building shopping centers in 22 districts of Tehran. In this study, first, 16 effective spatial criteria for locating the new shopping centers were identified using expert opinions and a literature review. The best-worst method (BWM) and the Min/Max method were used to calculate the weight and standardized values of each criterion. Then, the ordered weighted averaging (OWA) method was used to prepare a potential map of urban vacant lands for the construction of a shopping center under different decision-making scenarios, including very optimistic, optimistic, intermediate, pessimistic, and very pessimistic. Finally, the spatial distribution of potential locations in the 22 districts of Tehran was investigated. The results showed that among the different criteria, the distance from the highway networks and distance from public transportation stations had the most weight, whereas the distance from fault and distance from stream networks had the least weight. The number of vacant lands with a very high potential for building a shopping center in Tehran based on very pessimistic, pessimistic, intermediate, optimistic and very optimistic scenarios was obtained at 29, 95, 105, 122, and 224, respectively. An increase in the degree of optimism in the attitude of decision-makers or investors increased the number of available options in the very high potential category. Under all scenarios, all vacant lands in 10 of Tehran’s 22 districts with very high potential for building shopping centers. The results of the proposed model in this study can be useful and practical for a wide range of planners, decision-makers, and investors with different mental attitudes and risk tolerance. Close attention to these results can contribute to achieving sustainable urban development.

The study aims to determine the urban agriculture potential of vacant lands in the city center of Usak, Turkey, and to create a GIS-based urban agriculture inventory. Our analysis focuses on available vacant lands of the municipally-owned lands, foundation lands, public properties, forest lands, and pasture lands within the boundaries of the implementary development plan of the city center of Usak. The optimal urban agriculture map was created using GIS and considered different categories of urban agriculture, including small-scale agriculture, large-scale agriculture, community gardens, and impervious surface or poor soil urban agriculture. The study results showed a significant amount of vacant lands in Usak suitable for urban agriculture, with 7.32 ha being highly suitable, 80.58 ha moderately suitable, and 110.94 ha marginally suitable. Results indicate that vacant lands in the city can be utilized for urban agriculture, which can provide numerous benefits to the local food system.

Youth living in areas with high concentrations of vacant properties may be at particular risk for poor health outcomes given the associations between deteriorated vacant properties, poor mental health, and community violence. Vacant lot greening has emerged as a key strategy to mitigate the harms of deteriorated properties. Youth engagement in greening has documented benefits for youth, yet few organizations responsible for managing vacant properties currently engage youth. Further, few researchers have examined the best practices that organizations can employ to effectively engage youth in greening programs. The purpose of this study was to understand how high functioning vacant land management organizations with robust youth engagement capabilities engage youth in their greening work. Based on in‐depth interviews with staff from vacant land management organizations, we explored three research questions: (1) what are their identified best practices for youth engagement?; (2) what are the major challenges that impede their youth engagement work?; (3) what solutions are these organizations employing to address these challenges? Findings from this study emphasize the important themes of engaging youth in vacant lot greening in areas of planning, leadership, and decision‐making. Youth engagement in vacant lot greening may be a key mechanism for preventing violence through cultivating youth empowerment and development. Highlights: Youth engagement in greening may be a key mechanism for preventing violence.Valuing of youth driven spaces and cultivating youth leadership is supported by empowerment theory.Examples of how organizations engage youth to address concentrated vacancy and neighborhood decline are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research article is based mainly on Ottoman archival data of 1845. They are manuscripts, written in Ottoman Turkish. Ottoman government needs cash in the years of 1820s due to wars with Russia and Iran. To achieve this, the state demands extra taxes from all peasants of Anatolia. In this study, the economic situation of 22 small Muslim villages of the district of Kıreli of Konya of Anatolia was examined in outline. Agriculture and livestock were the main means of livelihood for the Muslim peasants. However, with the increase of the population, the economic resources were not enough for the Muslim peasants and the nomads (Yörük) living in this region. Many men had to leave their villages and went to the large cities to earn struggle for life. Ottoman administration founds them there and also taxes the labor. This was a very heavy practice for them. In the region, most villages were abandoned. The peasants had to be content with only rural resources. The vacant agricultural lands were immediately planted by the surrounding peasants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]