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While the 'compact city' can provide environmental benefits, densification can result in negative trade-offs at the local scale – e.g. through increases in density and the removal of urban green space – and densification projects are often rejected by locals. This paper explores examples of densification in a compact European city, integrating different stakeholder perspectives from planners as well as neighbours of densification projects. Neighbours do not reject densification per se, but evaluate the individual projects and their contexts. Evaluation depended mostly on how the projects impacted urban green space, social mix and available parking spaces. Implications are discussed and 'good practice' criteria that could reduce the trade-offs of densification are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Densification has become a dominant strategy for sustainable urban development in recent decades, viewed as a main antidote to urban sprawl and essential for achieving a range of urban qualities from economic to ecological. Despite its prominence as an indicator and driver of sustainable development, measuring density in a meaningful way poses significant challenges. Arbitrary metrics often overlook the complexity of density and its associations, leading to potential unintended outcomes in density-driven planning. Using the Helsinki region as a case study, this article demonstrates the sensitivity of density measurements to minor changes in reference areas and calculation units, highlighting how different types of density can loosely relate to each other. Our findings underscore the importance of precise methodological choices in avoiding misguided planning decisions and policy advice that could compromise sustainability goals, revealing the complex dynamics of infill and edge growth often obscured in regional density measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Residential mobility, the movement of households within urban areas, is an important issue for urban planning and development. However, little is known on how residential mobility intentions are shaped in densifying cities. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative survey material from the densifying inner city of Oslo, Norway, we investigate potential drivers of intentions to live longer in a neighbourhood of a densifying inner city. Findings show that dwelling ownership, dwelling size, perceived neighbourhood safety, and socializing with friends and neighbours locally are all associated with intentions to live longer in a neighbourhood. Residents of older compact neighbourhoods are found to participate more frequently in activities locally and seem to have stronger local social ties than residents of newly densified neighbourhoods. Moreover, residents' insights suggest that newly densified neighbourhoods are often inadequately designed or developed in terms of physical attributes, and this may contribute to possible moving intentions. These findings shed further light on the challenging path towards liveable urban densification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This systematic review aims to illustrate the state of the art of walkability indices and future research directions. A comprehensive search in the general Google database and Google Scholar identified a total of 45 records published between 2005 and 2023. Using a selection process based on the PRISMA model, 32 records were identified as meeting the inclusion criteria. These are organized incrementally, highlighting their novelty relative to preceding studies, and divided into sectors of prevalent application. The 5Ds theory provides a first contribution by identifying walkability metrics based on proximity to amenities, land use diversity, and density. Recent advancements, leveraging GIS systems and open data, have expanded such metrics to include green spaces, footpath design, and noise pollution. However, these developments remain largely tied to the catchment area logic and offer coarse descriptions of the built environment's morphological structure, often lacking justification for metric selection and weighting. To address these shortcomings, future research should use more detailed descriptions of urban form, balance metric comprehensiveness with data availability, employ robust methods for metric selection, and explore alternative weighting techniques based on cognitive and emotional responses to urban settings. These efforts are crucial for advancing the understanding and measurement of walkability in the context of the compact city and place-making paradigms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is critical that urban densification is accepted as a planning strategy for enhanced, sustainable urban development, especially considering the compacting of urban areas, integrated land uses, reduced land take and the need to conserve urban green spaces. Nevertheless, its implementation has challenged the management of urban green spaces. Densification has created a dilemma in planning as planners battle to provide better green spaces, while simultaneously implementing urban densification projects. This study explores the persistent challenges and opportunities of urban densification in intermediate African cities, using a case study of Umhlanga in the eThekwini Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The study used a mixed method approach, using questionnaires, unstructured interviews and field observations. The results indicated that urban growth in intermediate towns is dominated by horizontal expansion, despite introducing urban densification policies, which has proved detrimental to ecological conservation. Furthermore, embarking on growth that integrates various land uses is increasingly enhancing those towns' resilience and slowing down urban sprawl. This study shows that transformation in urban planning is essential in integrating ecological conservation in densification projects. Urban densification should not be treated in isolation but involve multiple city stakeholders in several city departments to achieve a broad range of goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on compact cities repeatedly reveals inadequate amounts of land for outdoor recreational activities. However, few studies examine the practices of planning outdoor recreation in the compact city. This study explores the integration of sites for outdoor recreation into the compact city using a Swedish municipality as a case study. The paper draws on material semiotics to show the existence of several parallel planning trajectories, of which only certain adhere to the compact rationale. Results indicate a need to overcome administrative silos and suggest the potential of engaging with past planning for addressing the multifaceted topic of outdoor recreation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Architectus is the property of Oficyna Wydawnicza Politechniki Wroclawskiej 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.)

Compact city policies have gained global attention for their potential to combat urban sprawl, conserve suburban open spaces, reduce energy consumption, and cultivate vibrant urban living environments. While these policies are widely believed to contribute to urban low-carbon objectives, empirical evidence has been lacking. This study focuses on the pivotal elements of compact city development, investigating impacts on sectoral urban carbon emissions and uncovering spatial heterogeneity. The research outcomes affirm that density and accessibility indicators exert significant negative influences on carbon intensity for the energy, industrial, household, and transportation sectors. While public transport, despite its fundamental role in compact city theory, does not show effectiveness in reducing urban carbon emissions as expected. The study highlights that as an approach toward achieving urban sustainability under the scope of climate change adaptation, compact city development strategies necessitate a careful balance in their application. Further, we underscore the importance of complementing compact city policies with greener energy strategies to effectively realize low-carbon urban transportation goals.

In depopulating cities, vacant houses and lots are common throughout the urban area, creating low-density urban areas that can lead to inefficiencies in public services and financial deterioration for municipalities. However, despite some studies demonstrating the relationship between population density and public expenditure, no generalized conclusion regarding the essential effect of reducing public expenditure has been reached. Consequently, no method for rationally setting a population density as a performance target for municipalities when developing compact city planning has been established. Thus, this study used the cross-sectional data from Japanese municipalities and the exponentiation regression equation, to determine the strong relationship between population density and per-person public expenditure (PPPE). The findings are particularly noteworthy for municipalities that grew under a nationwide uniform city planning and accounting system, as they provide valuable insights into the generalization of the public expenditure reduction effect. Furthermore, this study developed a method using the exponentiation regression equation, which demonstrated an L-shaped trajectory indicating that PPPE increases at an accelerating rate when population density falls below a certain threshold. Municipalities can evaluate the efficiency of public expenditure simply by applying their population density to the regression equation. They can also verify population density as a performance target. Furthermore, this study revealed the turning point of population density at which the acceleration in the increase in PPPE begins, implying that municipalities can expect a grace period until the turning point.

Urban structure conceptualisation using compact and polycentric city narratives is often performed separately. However, although both are based on different spatial grammars, they are inextricably linked. The spatially equitable distribution and accessibility of urban functions are often seen as their main contributions. This paper uses the unprecedented circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic to further analyse the relationship between the two narratives, using the radical transformation of a retail network in a post-socialist city (Brno, Czech Republic) as an example. Based on an in-depth analysis of government measures aimed at preventing the spread of the coronavirus and their coverage in the media, operational changes among all stores in the city are quantified. A comparative spatial analysis then shows that, in addition to economic inequalities, spatial injustice was exacerbated by the position of the central government, with varying degrees of intensity depending on the type of urban structure. It is argued that the resilience potential of polycentric and compact structures is very low, especially in the absence of retail planning and reflection upon spatiality in ensuring social equity.

Modern cities require urban compact development to be sustainable. The evaluation of urban compact development may help create more accurate and realistic policies. The spatio-temporal dynamic evolution of urban compact development efficiency and its regional differences in China are examined in this study. This paper analysis uses 282 cities from 2005 to 2021. The unexpected output super-efficiency SBM model measures urban compact development efficiency. In this study, the urban compact development efficiency's spatial and temporal patterns are also examined using kernel density estimation (KDE) and the Theil index (TI). The average efficiency of urban compact development in China has decreased slightly. However, compact efficiency disparities are decreasing. Eastern cities have a relatively stable compact efficiency, while central and western cities vary more. The compact efficiency polarisation has not changed fundamentally. The compact city growth model's spatial agglomeration is poor, limiting its spatial spillover impact. Thus, compact urban development is necessary to speed up planning, facilitate inter-city production factor movement by creating a comprehensive transport network, and maximise co-location benefits with the regional integration strategy. This method will gradually reduce regional urban development disparities and push Chinese cities towards more refined and sustainable compact development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Space & Form / Przestrzeń i FORMA is the property of West Pomeranian University of Technology, Department of Architecture & Urban Planning 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.)

The compact city paradigm is an influential but debatable school of thought. In the current literature, the empirical findings of both sides of the debate are sometimes based on inapplicable types of cities, which leads to opposing perspectives and pieces of advice. Instead of judging whether a compact city is good or bad, this theoretical article focuses on the suitability of the compact city paradigm. It employs a counterfactual approach instead of analyzing the compact status quo. Through a qualitative content analysis, this article develops indicators of the form change rationales from 150 frequently cited academic works. Then, it develops a five-section framework that guides planners in organizing their thinking when they need to examine the suitability of a compact city approach to local contexts. It will help scholars and decision makers apply the real content of the paradigm but without considering it absolute. Not all cities are comparable with the cases of successful compact cities. If a city has different basic conditions, industrial conditions, and social conditions, it may not be able to achieve the same benefits by employing the same principles. The suitability of the compact city paradigm depends on the appropriate timing for the policy window, the region for compactness, and the degree of compactness for the trade-offs among goals. The problem of city limits, especially the exogenous and governmental conditions, should also be considered as a social context for choosing an urban form. When planners attempt to apply the compact form of previous successful cases to their cities, they may examine whether their cities have similar suburbanization rationales as these cases following the indicators summarized in this article. This will help planners to organize the related contextual conditions in a more systematic way, as well as better respond to the challenges of the compact city paradox. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of accelerating the development of modern urban agglomerations and improving the spatial governance system in China, high-density cities with a continuously growing population concentration will become an important subject in the future urban design theory and practice. This paper, from the perspective of morphology, reviews the initial causes of high-density cities in urban development history and summarizes the design theory and practice exploration in order to address the challenges of high-density cities. Utilizing CiteSpace knowledge map analysis, this study examines the latest research progress on the morphology of high-density cities internationally over the past 30 years. Based on the clustering structure and context spectrum of their related fields, three mainstream research categories are summarized, corresponding to the social, economic, and ecological systems. Finally, in response to the practical issues faced by urban development in China, the paper proposes urban design strategies and technological innovation mechanisms, exploring the implementation way for improving the quality and the refined operation of future high-density city morphologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Responsible and rational urban planning is reflected in an integral and multidimensional approach to city development. Contemporary theories of sustainable and resilient urban planning support a clear vision and strategy for city development, emphasizing its identity, specifics, and values. Through its vision and action plans, the city of Banja Luka protects its default identity as a green city while recognizing the current development trend toward a compact city. The paper deals with two theories: green and compact cities, both motivated by ecological and energy planning. The paper aims to show the importance of the green dimension of a compact city and the adoption of the principles of compactness in the green city in order to examine its contribution through synergistic action. Through the comparative analysis of the green structure change toward a compact urban area and temperature rise in the last fifty years and on different scales, it is possible to question the set green goals and effects of environmental urban (non) planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Cars are dominating urban traffic in cities around the world, even though daily trips in many cities are often realized with active modes of transportation or public transport. Urban transport planning processes need to adapt to this reality and the necessity of climate change mitigation. Against this background, the research project “Mobility Reporting”, a joint undertaking of the district Pankow in Berlin and researchers from TU Berlin and TU Dresden, established a new, goal-driven, and participative planning process. The process identified local mobility as one of the central planning goals. The 15-min city (FMC) was thus adduced as a benchmark to analyze the district’s current mobility system and development potential. We conducted extensive accessibility analyses to examine the status quo concerning the FMC. We calculated travel times to essential destinations in daily life by foot, public transport, and car. This analysis was accompanied by a mixed online and paper–pencil survey conducted to evaluate the perceived accessibility of people in Pankow. The survey results shed light on the question of which walking time thresholds constitute a “very good” or “good” accessibility. Further analyses included environmental and social variables, allowing us to check whether areas with different accessibility levels also differ regarding the socio-economic characteristics of their inhabitants. For example, do socially advantaged neighborhoods have better local accessibility? Is there a trade-off between exposure to environmental pollution and good accessibility? With this contribution, we shed light on what an FMC is and ought to be. Results from the survey support the normative and political vision of the FMC. Pankow generally offers the merits of a walkable city, showing the expected travel time differences between the dense inner city and the outskirts. Socially disadvantaged neighborhoods are not consistently less accessible. However, there seems to be a trade-off between good accessibility (especially PT accessibility) and correlated externalities of transport, namely air pollution and noise.

In the context of escalating global temperatures and intensified heat waves, the Mediterranean region emerges as a noteworthy hotspot, experiencing a surge in the frequency and intensity of these extreme heat events. Nature-based solutions, particularly management of urban green infrastructure (UGI) areas, have shown promising outcomes in adapting urban areas to the challenges posed by heat waves. The objective of the current study is twofold: firstly, to identify the compositional patterns of strategically distributed small public green spaces, demonstrating their enhanced capacity to mitigate the impact of heat waves in the Mediterranean region; secondly, to assess the association, direction, and explanatory strength of the relationship between the composition elements of the UGI areas and area typology, specifically focusing on the variation in land surface temperature (LST) values during heat wave episodes spanning from 2017 to 2023. The methodology involved obtaining land surface temperature (LST) values from satellite images and classifying green areas based on composition, orientation, and typology. Ordinal multiple regressions were conducted to analyze the relationship between the considered variables and LST ranges during heat wave episodes that occurred from 2017 to 2023. The findings indicate an increase in LST ranges across many areas, emphasizing heightened thermal stress in a Mediterranean medium-sized compact city, Granada (in the southeast of the Iberian Peninsula). Traditional squares, pocket parks and gardens, and pedestrian areas with trees and impervious surfaces performed better in reducing the probability of exceeding LST values above 41 °C compared to other vegetated patches mainly occupied by herbaceous vegetation and grass. The study concludes by advocating for the strategic incorporation of vegetation, especially trees, along with traditional squares featuring semipermeable pavement with trees and shrubbery, as a potential effective strategy for enhancing resilience against extreme heat events. Overall, this research enhances our understanding of LST dynamics during heat waves and offers guidance for bolstering the resilience of urban green spaces in the Mediterranean region.

The historical phenomenon of peri-urban construction of Latin American cities has been aggravated in the contemporary condition, where overaccumulation has widened inequalities and "globalized" urban structural models, making their urban structure not very systemic, very fragmented and spread. Which, in turn, created greater difficulties for social inclusion, due to the channeling of investments to the high-income suburbs, causing greater shortages in the provision of low-income. The objective of this article is to discuss the process of metropolization in the city of Goiânia, capital of the State of Goiás, from the perspective of the dichotomy between center and periphery, with a focus on the spread of its urban fabric. The methodology consists of carrying out the preliminary mapping of the Goianiense housing production, both for low-income and high-income enterprises in the 2000-2020 time frame. As a result of this study, it was found that the highest concentration of social housing related developments coincides with the periphery of the city, whereas the enterprises related to the higher income classes are located in the capital's suburb. It is concluded that the model that is being adopted is not adequate, because the sprawling urban structure contributes to inequality and social exclusion. Goiânia clearly demonstrates the negative influence of urban sprawl to the detriment of the concrete possibilities of compacting its current structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The compact city has garnered significant attention from researchers in academia, particularly in recent years, due to its relevance to various global challenges, such as climate change, COVID-19, economic crises, and urbanization. Given the vast knowledge represented in the compact city literature and its diverse perspectives, this study aims is a comprehensive literature review through bibliometric analysis. Following the PRISMA protocol, a total of 570 articles from the Scopus database published in English between 1973 and 2022 underwent screening at two main levels of bibliometric analysis: performance analysis and science mapping. The findings of this study reveal a substantial increase in scientific production related to the compact city over the years. Furthermore, the concept of the compact city encompasses multiple dimensions, with a significant emphasis on the urban dimension. Remarkably, Asian countries (regions), particularly mainland China and China-Hong Kong, demonstrate a notable interest in the compact city concept. In conclusion, this study provides valuable insights into the scientific production of compact city literature, highlighting its growth, multidimensionality, and geographic focus, which can inform future research and policymaking efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heat wave episodes are becoming more frequent and severe worldwide, especially in areas such as the Mediterranean region. This study is aimed at assessing the impact of heat waves in an urban environment and the ways areas of urban green infrastructure (UGI) can play key roles in moderating the impacts of these high-temperature events. We analyzed land surface temperature (LST) and normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) data retrieved from Landsat 8/9 satellite images. These data were recorded during heat wave episodes from 2017 to 2022 in a representative Mediterranean medium-sized compact city. We carried out a correlation analysis between LST and NDVI per area type and as individual units to assess how UGI elements can contribute to the cooling of the urban matrix during heat wave episodes. Those small green spaces distributed throughout the city, defined as "Other" areas, showed stronger negative correlation. These spaces are particularly relevant for Mediterranean cities, where highly limited space in city centers hinders the possibility of having larger-surface UGI elements. The study highlights the need for further research into the composition of those small public green spaces to understand how their components enhance the city's cooling capacity given the climate conditions and water scarcity in the Mediterranean region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discussions on the relationship between urban form and social capital have garnered attention for a long time as they are well documented in the literature. However, the empirical analysis regarding these two issues is still limited. This study proposes a new perspective on the link between the 3Ds (Density, Diversity, and Design) element of urban form and social capital in the global south using the Indonesian context. Using the linear multilevel regression, this study consistently revealed a contradicting result according to which greater residential density is negatively associated with several social capital factors. Surprisingly, more retail areas in cities are adversely associated with some social capital indicators. High connectivity did not necessarily encourage the development of social capital for small-medium cities. This study showed varied associations between density and social capital in small-medium, and large cities, with consistent results regarding land use mix.

ABSTRACTCities worldwide have introduced or revived light rail transit (LRT) to develop compact city strategies and help address environmental issues, such as increasing CO2 emissions or air pollution. Toyama is such a city that has addressed these issues by establishing a compact city rooted in transportation policies, notably the LRT established in 2006. Although there appears to be a consensus that the LRT contributes to establishing a compact city, contributing factors to ridership remain unclear. This study attempts to identify these factors, using the norm-activation model and theory of planned behaviour as a theoretical grounding, questionnaires for a data collection method and structural equation modelling for data analysis. The findings suggest that attitudes, perceived behavioural control and behavioural norms are significantly associated with the intention to use the LRT, which is, along with age, associated with its actual use. Based on these findings, this study provides theoretical and practical insights for cities wanting to pursue establishing or developing an LRT system.

City densification and greening are two priority urban-policy objectives, for the coming years, aimed at making cities more resilient to climate change, slowing the spread of urbanization and improving the quality of life in cities. These are sometimes contradictory objectives that require fine and deep analysis to create approaches and methods that combine them. The most recent research has presented so-called small urban green spaces (SUGSs) as a viable alternative to achieve this double objective. This was the starting point of this research, which used GIS digital analysis and microscale fieldwork to study the possibilities of greening an excessively dense and low-quality urban space in the city of Pamplona (Spain). The results thereof showed that the urban structure of this neighbourhood contains a large number of small spaces with no specific use or function—residual, surface and vertical spaces—and that are simply undefined remnants between buildings and streets, or party walls that were never built. Only these surface spaces occupy a total area that is twice the size of the existing green spaces. Based on these results, this work explores the possibility of increasing the green areas of the neighbourhood through new SUGSs and the creation of a green corridor that increases environmental and social connectivity and the quality of life in the studied space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cars are dominating urban traffic in cities around the world, even though daily trips in many cities are often realized with active modes of transportation or public transport. Urban transport planning processes need to adapt to this reality and the necessity of climate change mitigation. Against this background, the research project "Mobility Reporting", a joint undertaking of the district Pankow in Berlin and researchers from TU Berlin and TU Dresden, established a new, goal-driven, and participative planning process. The process identified local mobility as one of the central planning goals. The 15-min city (FMC) was thus adduced as a benchmark to analyze the district's current mobility system and development potential. We conducted extensive accessibility analyses to examine the status quo concerning the FMC. We calculated travel times to essential destinations in daily life by foot, public transport, and car. This analysis was accompanied by a mixed online and paper–pencil survey conducted to evaluate the perceived accessibility of people in Pankow. The survey results shed light on the question of which walking time thresholds constitute a "very good" or "good" accessibility. Further analyses included environmental and social variables, allowing us to check whether areas with different accessibility levels also differ regarding the socio-economic characteristics of their inhabitants. For example, do socially advantaged neighborhoods have better local accessibility? Is there a trade-off between exposure to environmental pollution and good accessibility? With this contribution, we shed light on what an FMC is and ought to be. Results from the survey support the normative and political vision of the FMC. Pankow generally offers the merits of a walkable city, showing the expected travel time differences between the dense inner city and the outskirts. Socially disadvantaged neighborhoods are not consistently less accessible. However, there seems to be a trade-off between good accessibility (especially PT accessibility) and correlated externalities of transport, namely air pollution and noise. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The search for sustainable cities has seen the Compact City as a better way to structure urban areas. This statement is corroborated by the fact that, among the guidelines proposed by the United Nations on the last Habitat Conference, there are several compact city principles. Given the importance of this model, this article presented an overview of its development, its main thinkers, the most relevant publications and the context in which the Compact City concept was developed, focusing on the importance of the thought and activity of the Townscape movement in the consolidation of the model since the end of the 1940’s. From the publications analyzed, one can recognize two phases in the concept’s evolution: a formative period (1940-1970), characterized by the search for an alternative to the postwar urban models; and a second moment (since the 1980’s), when the concept took its current form and started to be proposed as an answer to environmental problems and, secondarily, to other challenges of contemporary urbanization.

Rapid urbanization has resulted in a series of problems, such as single-type land use, low efficiency, traffic congestion, and environmental degradation. The compact city, a concept that advocates the intensive and efficient use of land, may be considered when planning urban stocks. Grounded in the evaluation of the coordination degree in the coupling between spatial compactness and mixed land use based on compact city theory, this study aimed to provide scientific guidance for sustainability measures to renew the compact urban form. To this end, it analysed an area of 3972 hectares on both sides of the Hunhe River in Shenyang City, identified spatial problems, and put forward governance suggestions through case study methods. In spatiotemporal terms, the distribution characteristics of the coordination between the northern (old district) and southern (new district) banks were significantly different, with the former being better than the latter. In terms of land use type, higher coordination may be implemented in small blocks with predominantly residential functions and central areas for mixed use. The identification results clearly revealed the patches that need to be treated, thereby facilitating the delineation of urban renewal units. Differentiated design and governance measures are needed to address the imbalanced patches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes a new model to optimize the location and size of facilities that serve the public. The objective function is based on the floor area of the facility and the time that individuals spend in the facility. In this model, the area is used to represent the range of services provided by the facility: the larger the area, the more services are available, and thus the greater the utility. Time spent is based on daily time use and represents the degree to which users could enjoy the services provided: If the time spent in the facility is short, users are unable to take full advantage of the services offered. Focusing on the actual time spent makes it possible to avoid an overestimation of the facility's utility. The proposed model is applied to both a virtual city and an actual city. The results indicate that the optimum size of a facility depends on the amount of time that users can spend in the facility without restriction and that the optimum location is influenced by user activity patterns and population distribution. This suggests that planners should survey the daily time use of potential users before integrating facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urbanization is a growing challenge for city planners and policymakers who are continuously focusing on computer-based statistical models, and machine learning for a sustainable and livable city. The main objectives of this article were to develop a robust artificial intelligence-based hybrid geo-simulation model to support multi-scenario urban growth modeling for urban policy improvement. In this study, earth observation datasets, Artificial Neural Network-Multilayer Perceptron coupled with Markov Chain (MLP-Markov) and Cellular Automata and Markov Chain (CAMarkov) were applied and the best performance was measured for urban growth modeling. The result shows that the urban land use was 25.79, 31.40, 45.19, 89.22 and 147.96 square km in 1971, 1981, 1991, 2001 and 2011 which has been predicted for 2021, 2031, 2041 and 2051 based on the planned and unplanned development scenarios. The predicted urban land use of the planned development scenario is 242.10, 312.69, 363.80 and 400.72 square km while 242.91, 314.31, 366.23 and 403.98 square km of the unplanned development scenario during 2021, 2031, 2041 and 2051. The uncertainty result shows that overall agreement (84.99%) and other indices are higher, and disagreement is lower (15.01%) for MLP-Markov than the CA-Markov for the urban land use prediction. The hybrid geo-simulation models were tested over multiple urban planning indicators to understand urban growth patterns and related scenarios. The result shows that the geo-simulation model is extremely sensitive to the complex pattern of urban growth and disperse indicators over space and time. This study provides a promising guideline for urban planners and conservation scientists to implement a robust artificial intelligence-based hybrid geo-simulation model for compact, organized, and integrated land use-transportation development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discussions on the relationship between urban form and social capital have garnered attention for a long time as they are well documented in the literature. However, the empirical analysis regarding these two issues is still limited. This study proposes a new perspective on the link between the 3Ds (Density, Diversity, and Design) element of urban form and social capital in the global south using the Indonesian context. Using the linear multilevel regression, this study consistently revealed a contradicting result according to which greater residential density is negatively associated with several social capital factors. Surprisingly, more retail areas in cities are adversely associated with some social capital indicators. High connectivity did not necessarily encourage the development of social capital for small-medium cities. This study showed varied associations between density and social capital in small-medium, and large cities, with consistent results regarding land use mix. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Strategies applied by urban policy makers in order to achieve sustainable city development may be in conflict with each other because it crosses many disciplines and policy areas. This research focusses on the dilemma between compact city and urban greenspace policies and their influence on actual land-use change in Amsterdam and Brussels. These cases are selected because of their similar urban growth yet diverse policy and governance contexts. We contend that comparing how urban policies try to address this dilemma can provide a deeper understanding of how policy strategies affect land-use change. The results show that densification indeed decreases the quantity (Amsterdam: −4.7% Brussels: −11.9%), average size (A: −3.1% B: −25.6%) and connectivity of urban greenspaces. Observed land-use changes seem disconnected from purported urban greenspace policies, whereas urban development plans seem to dominate changes in greenspace quantity and form. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Structural modeling measurement the social acceptability of compact city (case study: Ahvaz city)AbstractIntroductionThe form of cities in Iran, especially in metropolitan areas, is sprawl. But traditional urban planning in Iran has always been shaped by the compact spatial structure associated with its context (geography, culture). Compactness in urban form and structure is a concept that is used to organize cities from a state of confusion and dispersion and broadly in sustainable urban planning and development, the compact city is seen as a profound interpretation of what a sustainable city should be. In studies related to compact cities, one of the topics that has been considered is the discussion of the acceptability and feasibility of compact cities. Social acceptability is an important factor in feasibility. Due to the importance of studying the acceptability and feasibility of urban forms, especially the compact form from the perspective of the public and residents and due to the lack of investigation of the impact of the compact city on the realization of sustainable urban development This research investigates the social acceptability of compact city in Ahvaz.MethodologyThe present research is applied in terms of purpose which is in the category of descriptive survey research. In terms of philosophy, this research is a deductive research that is based on the paradigm of positivism and quantitative approach and is considered as a cross-sectional research in terms of time index. The data collection tool in the present study is a questionnaire. Thus, to measure the theory of the compact city, four indicators including density, diversity, intensification and transportation and the theory of sustainable urban development, three environmental, economic and social dimensions have been used. The Likert scale was used to answer the questions and the numbers 1 to 5 were used to score the answers. The questionnaire was completed by two groups of citizens, experts and managers. The statistical population is the first group of citizens of Ahvaz who were selected as a sample using Cochran's formula 384 people. And the second statistical population is experts and managers of Ahvaz city, which was purposefully selected 30. The structural equations method in Amos was used to analyze the citizen-related questionnaire and the structural equations in Smart-pls software were used to analyze the questionnaire of experts and managers.Discussion and ResultsCompact city assessment in previous studies has been done retrospectively with methods such as survey method, objective data and interview. In this research, a survey method has been used to investigate the feasibility and social acceptance capacity of the compact city and its impact on sustainable urban development in the city of Ahvaz. The variables and indexes that have been selected for the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable urban development are most evident in the city of Ahvaz, and these indicators are the consequences of sprawl growth and unsustainable development of the city in recent decades. Since the compact city has been proposed as a suitable solution in sprawl studies and urban sustainability, the indicators of the compact city have been selected as an independent variable. From the citizens' point of view, the highest coefficient of the route is related to the effect of transportation on the environmental variable, after that, the effect of the diversity variable on the economic variable has the highest coefficient. The impact coefficients of all hypotheses are higher than 0.60. The results of the experts' research indicate that the effect of density variable on three environmental, economic and social indicators is 0.870, 0.890 and 0.900, respectively. The coefficient of diversity path on environmental, economic and social indicators has been calculated as 0.830, 0.865 and 0.864, respectively. The intensification variable with path coefficients of 0.810, 0.853 and 0.872 has a significant effect on environmental, economic and social indicators, respectively. The coefficients of the variable of transportation on environmental, economic and social indicators are 0.790, 0.837 and 0.880.ConclusionThe results indicate that the indicators of the compact city including density, diversity, intensification and public transport have a positive and significant effect on the indicators of sustainable urban development including environmental, economic and social in Ahvaz city. Therefore, citizens and managers consider the use of the compact city as the basis for the realization of sustainable urban development in Ahvaz.In addition to the fact that all indicators of the compact city must be implemented at the same time, it is necessary to pay attention to the issue of spatial planning and migration control in Khuzestan province and Ahvaz city in order to reduce problems and obstacles in its implementation.Keywords: urban form, compact city, sustainable urban development, Ahvaz, structural modeling.

The "15-minute city" concept has been receiving an increasing amount of attention as a model for urban policy as well as a tool for urban spatial analysis. The concept is often considered an urban planning ideal that can effectively contribute to improved accessibility and a more sustainable mobility. Through a sustainability, equity, and livability lens, this paper examines pitfalls of the 15-minute city from a theoretical and spatial analysis perspective and proposes alternative theoretical and methodological directions. The seven pitfalls of the 15-minute city in current literature are summarized as: (1) overstatement of the 15-minute city's originality, (2) strong decentralization proposed by the 15-minute city theory is unrealistic and unsustainable, (3) focusing on quantity of destinations instead of sufficiency, (4) improperly aggregating facilities, (5) neglecting diverse forms of nature and their characteristics, (6) disregarding public transport in 15-minute city theory or spatial analysis, and (7) ignoring interpersonal differences in walking and cycling when conducting analyses based on the 15-minute city. A set of strategies is proposed to address these pitfalls and reorient the 15-minute city towards improved environmental and societal outcomes. • The 15-minute city as theory and spatial analysis approach is scrutinized. • Seven pitfalls have been identified, considering goals of sustainability, equity, and livability. • Theoretical and methodological directions to address pitfalls are proposed. • Call for a new debate on how to reorient the 15-minute city within urban and transport planning and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While cities are embracing nature through urban greening and nature conservation, vegetation in typhoon-prone cities is facing stress from intense typhoon disturbances. Limited studies have investigated vegetation loss and its potential ecosystem disservices in the aftermath of typhoons from a land use zoning perspective. Therefore, we (1) compared vegetation losses from three 2023 category 3–4 typhoons in Hong Kong across all land uses in protected and non-protected areas, (2) identified hot spots and cold spots, and (3) weighed the annual average daily traffic and urban volumetric density with vegetation loss rates to generate a Disservice Risk Index for analysis. Results suggest that vegetation loss rate in non-protected areas was higher (7.23%) than in protected areas (1.57%). Within protected areas, country parks had the lowest loss rate (0.11%) and the highest percentage of cold spots (79.4%). In contrast, transportation land use has the highest loss rate of 18.04% and the highest percentage of hot spots (17.9%) within non-protected areas. Ecosystem disservices are potentially more adverse in the city center, which requires immediate preventive measures. This study provides timely urban greening and conservation implications for typhoon-prone cities to allocate vegetation that maximizes ecosystem services while minimizing disservices under frequent typhoon disturbances. • Typhoon-induced vegetation loss between non-protected and protected land uses is examined. • Areas of hot spots, cold spots, and higher potential ecosystem disservices are identified. • Vegetation in natural and protected areas was more resistant to damage than urban land use. • Vegetation in country parks had the lowest loss rate, whereas transportation had the highest. • The city center is potentially more susceptible to ecosystem disservices from vegetation loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Municipal climate policies tie in closely with sustainable urban development. Land use has far-ranging impacts on carbon emissions from mobility, housing, and consumption; as well as climate resilience, carbon sinks, and biodiversity. While compact city is well-established as the dominant strategy for climate-wise planning, a parallel approach focused on greening and its climate advantages is gaining prominence. However, there is little empirical evidence on how municipal climate policies address the relationship between these often conflicting strategies. This study examines how compacting and greening are motivated and how greening is negotiated in relation to compacting in the six largest cities in Finland. Based on a qualitative content analysis of municipal climate action plans (CAP), we show that the primacy of compacting as a strategy is not questioned, however, the importance of greening is increasingly underlined. We demonstrate that the relationship between compacting and greening policies is framed by three main discourses: 1) compacting while protecting the green, 2) greening the built-up structure for adaptation purposes, and 3) greening as a multifunctional strategy parallel with compacting. The study contributes to the topical debate on the integration of compacting and greening and to the need for cross-sectoral and systemic climate-wise policies in general. • Compacting and greening policies are examined in municipal climate action plans. • Compacting is dominating climate actions, though greening is gaining ground. • The tension between compacting and greening is hidden and specifically reframed. • Three discourses are identified to negotiate greening in relation to compacting. • These are compacting while protecting, adaptive greening and multifunctional greening [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Japan's compact-city policy addresses rapid population decline and aging to ensure sustainable development. However, its implementation requires significant time, financial resources, and complex stakeholder collaborations. Faced with these challenges, we asked: How can the cost-and-effect of planning be simply and automatically recognized by stakeholders? To address this, a simulation model was developed for evaluating urban planning strategies within the compact-city framework. Our model integrates pseudo-people-flow data and includes three fundamental modules and five sub-models to simulate and predict urban metrics, including population, administrative costs, visitors, and traffic volume from 2015 to 2040. Four scenarios-baseline, location optimization, new road and new station installation-were analyzed. Findings suggest that 1) new station project could mitigate population decline, 2) both location optimization and new station projects improve public services efficiency and sustainability, 3) urban vitality could be enhanced by new station construction, generating a new urban core, and 4) compact city policy may also reduce and concentrate traffic volume, shortening car trips. The model's efficiency and uncertainty were examined, and user experiments highlighted the potential of digital tools to democratize urban planning, making it accessible for non-expert stakeholders and fostering informed participation. This research advances the use of technology in participatory urban planning. • A cost-and-effect simulation model is developed for compact city approaches, integrating multiple modules and sub-models. • The model predicts future administrative cost, population, number of visitors, and traffic volume from 2015 to 2040. • Conducted a comparative analysis of four development scenarios under compact city policy framework in Japan. • Demonstrated the model's computational efficiency, integrating into a web application for participatory urban planning. • Highlighted digital tools' role in urban planning, advocating accessible technology for informed decisions for non-experts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]