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Urban Research Abstracts SEPTEMBER 2019

Theme: Urban Planning and Design

MyCityForecast:Urbanplanningcommunicationtoolforcitizenwithnationalopendata

Date September 2019

Source Science Direct

Original Language English

Link https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0198971517305689

Summary

In urban management, the importance of citizen participation isbeing emphasized more than ever before. This is especially true incountries where depopulation has become a major concern for urbanmanagers and many local authorities are working on revising citymasterplans,oftenincorporatingtheconceptofthe“compactcity.”InJapan, for example, the implementation of compact city plans meansthat each local government decides on how to designate residential areas and promotes citizens moving to the sea reasin order to improve budget effectiveness and the vitality of the city. However, im-plementing acompact city ispossible in various ways.Given that there can be some designated withdrawal areas for budget savings,compact city policies can include disadvantages for citizens. At this turning point for urban structures, citizen–government mutual understanding and cooperation is necessary for every stepofurban management,includingplanning

Theme: Urban Planning and DesignChanging the urban design of cities for health: The superblock modelDate September 2019




Summary Background

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0160412019315223


Car-dependent city planning has resulted in high levels of environmental pollution, sedentary lifestyles and increased vulnerability to the effects of climate change. The Barcelona Superblock model is an innovative urban and transport planning strategy that aims to reclaim public space for people, reduce motorized transport, promote sustainable mobility and active lifestyles, provide urban greening and mitigate effects of climate change. We estimated the health impacts of implementing this urban model across Barcelona.

Methods

We carried out a quantitative health impact assessment (HIA) study for Barcelona residents ≥20 years (N = 1,301,827) on the projected Superblock area level (N = 503), following the comparative risk assessment methodology. We 1) estimated expected changes in (a) transport-related physical activity (PA), (b) air pollution (NO2), (c) road traffic noise, (d) green space, and (e) reduction of the urban heat island (UHI) effect through heat reductions; 2) scaled available risk estimates; and 3) calculated attributable health impact fractions. Estimated endpoints were preventable premature mortality, changes in life expectancy and economic impacts.

Results

We estimated that 667 premature deaths (95% CI: 235–1,098) could be prevented annually through implementing the 503 Superblocks. The greatest number of preventable deaths could be attributed to reductions in NO2 (291, 95% PI: 0–838), followed by noise (163, 95% CI: 83–246), heat (117, 95% CI: 101–137), and green space development (60, 95% CI: 0–119). Increased PA for an estimated 65,000 persons shifting car/motorcycle trips to public and active transport resulted in 36 preventable deaths (95% CI: 26–50). The Superblocks were estimated to result in an average increase in life expectancy for the Barcelona adult population of almost 200 days (95% CI: 99–297), and result in an annual economic impact of 1.7 billion EUR (95% CI: 0.6–2.8).

Discussion

The Barcelona Superblocks were estimated to help reduce harmful environmental exposures (i.e. air pollution, noise, and heat) while simultaneously increase PA levels and access to green space, and thereby

provide substantial health benefits. For an equitable distribution of health benefits, the Superblocks should be implemented consistently across the entire city. Similar health benefits are expected for other cities that face similar challenges of environmental pollution, climate change vulnerability and low PA levels, by adopting the Barcelona Superblock model.

Theme: Urban Planning and DesignAreview of assessment methods for the urban environment and its energy sustainability to guarantee climate adaptation of future citiesDate September 2019




Summary The current climate change is calling for a drastic reduction of energy demand as well as of greenhouse gases. Besides this, cities also need to adapt to face the challenges related to climate change. Cities, with their complex urban texture and fabric, can be represented as a diverse ecosystem that does not have a clear and defined boundary. Multiple software tools that have been developed, in recent years, for assessment of urban climate, building energy demand, the outdoor thermal comfort and the energy systems. In this review, we, however, noted that these tools often address only one or two of these urban planning aspects. There is nonetheless an intricate link between them. For instance, the outdoor comfort assessment has shown that there is a strong link between biometeorology and architecture and urban climate. Additionally, to address the challenges of the energy transition, there will be a convergence of the energy needs in the future with an energy nexus regrouping the energy demand of urban areas. It is also highlighted that the uncertainty related to future climatic data makes urban adaptation and mitigation strategies complex to implement and to design given the lack of a comprehensive framework. We thus conclude by suggesting the


need for a holistic interface to take into account this multi-dimensional problem. With the help of such a platform, a positive loop in urban design can be initiated leading to the development of low carbon cities and/or with the use of blue and green infrastructure to have a positive impact on the mitigation and adaptation strategies.


Place making as an approach to revitalize Neglected Urban Open Spaces (NUOS): A case study on Rod El Farag Flyover in Shoubra, CairoDate September 2019




Summary In recent decades, urban renewal policies and continuous economic demand have caused the urban fabric of cities to become disorganized and detached, thus creating socially and economically inefficient spaces. These spaces are increasing, unoccupied, and purposeless, although they have so many potentials in terms of location, size, and history. They are military sites, vacant plots, industrial sites, deteriorated waterfronts, leftover space, oversized streets, and socially inefficient green spaces. All of the aforementioned spaces are called “Neglected Urban Open Spaces” (NUOS). This paper places emphasis on using a place-making approach to revitalize the NUOS, particularly “Leftover Space (LS)”. Such revitalization shall be accomplished through following the principles and forms of Place-Making,


which proved that the integration of more than one form of place-making can achieve intertwined multiple social, economic, and environmental benefits. Besides, it highlighted that each section of place-making criteria does not have an equal interconnectedness with the main objective of Place-making, which is to “create successful spaces”. Thus, this result is considered as a methodological way to be generalized on the whole Egyptian community to develop NUOS particularly “Leftover Space, no matter how different the properties, characteristics, and circumstances of its population were. Finally, to demonstrate the validity of this approach, the paper applies it to Rod El Farag Flyover in Egypt, Cairo, Shoubra district as a case study of Leftover Space.


Environmental, health, wellbeing, social and equity effects of urban green space interventions: A meta-narrative evidence synthesisDate September 2019




Summary Background

As populations become increasingly urbanised, the preservation of urban green space (UGS) becomes paramount. UGS is not just dedicated recreational space such as public parks, but other types of informal green space are important, for example, street trees and roof gardens. Despite the potential from cross-sectional evidence, we know little about how to design new, or improve or promote existing


UGS for health, wellbeing, social and environmental benefits, or known influencing factors such as physical activity.

Objectives

To perform a meta-narrative review of the evidence regarding the health, wellbeing, social, environmental and equity effects, or known influencing factors of these outcomes, of UGS interventions.

Data sources

Eight electronic databases were searched ((Medline, PsycINFO, Web of Science (Science and Social Science Citation Indices), PADDI (Planning Architecture Design Database Ireland), Zetoc, Scopus, Greenfiles, SIGLE (System for Information on Grey Literature in Europe)), and reference lists of included studies and relevant reviews were hand searched for further relevant studies.

Study eligibility criteria, participants, and interventions

Eligibility criteria included: (i) evaluation of an UGS intervention; and (ii) health, wellbeing, social or environmental outcome(s), or known influencing factors of these outcomes, measured. Interventions involving any age group were included. Interventions must have involved: (a) physical change to green space in an urban-context including improvements to existing UGS or development of new UGS, or (b) combination of physical change to UGS supplemented by a specific UGS awareness, marketing or promotion programme to encourage

use of UGS.

Study appraisal and synthesis methods

Following a meta-narrative approach, evidence was synthesised by main intervention approach, including: (i) park-based; (ii) greenways/trails; (iii) urban greening; (iv) large green built projects for environmental purposes. Outcomes such as economic (e.g. cost effectiveness and cost–benefit analyses), adverse effects and unintended consequences were also extracted. Evidence was synthesised following the RAMESES guidelines and publication standards, the PROGRESS-plus tool was used to explore equity impact, and risk of bias/study quality was assessed. The findings from the evidence review were presented at an expert panel representing various disciplines in a workshop and these discussions framed the findings of the review and provide recommendations that are relevant to policy, practice and research.

Results

Of the 6997 studies identified, 38 were included. There was strong evidence to support park-based (7/7 studies) and greenway/trail (3/3 studies) interventions employing a dual-approach (i.e. a physical change to the UGS and promotion/marketing programmes) particularly for park use and physical activity; strong evidence for the greening of vacant lots (4/4 studies) for health, wellbeing (e.g. reduction in stress) and social (e.g. reduction in crime, increased perceptions of safety) outcomes; strong evidence for the provision of urban street trees (3/4 studies) and green built interventions for storm water management (6/7 studies) for environmental outcomes (e.g. increased

biodiversity, reduction in illegal dumping). Park-based or greenway/trail interventions that did not employ a dual-approach were largely ineffective (7/12 studies showed no significant intervention effect). Overall, the included studies have inherent biases owing to the largely non-randomized study designs employed. There was too little evidence to draw firm conclusions regarding the impact of UGS interventions on a range of equity indicators.

Limitations; conclusions and implications of key findings

UGS has an important role to play in creating a culture of health and wellbeing. Results from this study provide supportive evidence regarding the use of certain UGS interventions for health, social and environmental benefits. These findings should be interpreted in light of the heterogeneous nature of the evidence base, including diverging methods, target populations, settings and outcomes. We could draw little conclusions regarding the equity impact of UGS interventions. However, the true potential of UGS has not been realised as studies have typically under-evaluated UGS interventions by not taking account of the multifunctional nature of UGS. The findings have implications for policymakers, practitioners and researchers. For example, for policymakers the trajectory of evidence is generally towards a positive association between UGS and health, wellbeing, social and environmental outcomes, but any intervention must ensure that negative consequences of gentrification and unequal access are minimised.


Exploring the space use mechanism of high-density campus in urban BeijingDate September 2019




Summary

Despite the scarcity of city space and the transformation and disappearance of many work-units, campuses with enclosed and gated system remained its robust and sustainable development in urban Beijing. Hence, it is essential to trace back to their spatial strategy of maintaining its self-governance as well as benefiting from the new development of the city in a market economy.

This study firstly applies a regression model to reveal the key spatial traits that influence the daily balanced use of campus space. Furthermore, the spatial interaction with the adjacent urban areas has also been analyzed. Lastly, an in-depth institutional interpretation of its self-governance (vertically independent governance with the state) as well as its enclosure and gating system (horizontally independent governance with the city) is also combined.

Major conclusions are drawn. (1) Land use mix is determinant in the balanced use of campus space, while physical enclosure and gating further enhances this stability. (2) Campuses in Beijing relief their high-density burden through flexibly interacting with the adjacent urban areas, owing to its proximity to TOD nodes. We confirm that both the support from the state and local strategy of innovation industry and highly dense population inside the campus constitute the new driving forces to maintain the collective social and functional mix within the enclosed campuses in Beijing. This study contributes additional empirical evidences of spatial use strategy embedded in Chinese specific socio-cultural context to the stream of urban theories.


Urban agriculture in Kathmandu as a catalyst for the civic inclusion of migrants and the making of a greener cityDate September 2019





Summary

This research explores the opportunities offered for the creation of a green city on the recently secured Bagmati riverbanks in Kathmandu, which is subject to rapid inward migration from landless rural farmers. The research asks what architectural theory and practice can contribute to this setting to support the fit between emergent bottom-up initiatives and top-down city investments. To this end, it deepens and extends loose fit theory, research methods, and reflective practices to investigate latent possibilities, assemble a narrative of embedded change, and create spatial imaginaries of topographical change on the Bagmati riverbanks. Moreover, it argues that architectural theory and practice can play a vital role in integrating migrants into civic institutions and helping generate a highly green city by making the relationships between setting and occupant explicit, stimulating and representing alternative imaginaries, and framing a civic discourse.


Using GIS-linked Bayesian Belief Networks as a tool for modelling urban biodiversityDate September 2019




Summary The ability to predict spatial variation in biodiversity is a long-standing but elusive objective of landscape ecology. It depends on a detailed understanding of relationships between landscape and patch structure and taxonomic richness, and accurate spatial modelling. Complex heterogeneous environments such as cities pose particular challenges, as well as heightened relevance, given the increasing rate of urbanisation globally. Here we use a GIS-linked Bayesian Belief Network approach to test whether landscape and patch structural characteristics (including vegetation height, green-space patch size and their connectivity) drive measured taxonomic richness of numerous invertebrate, plant, and avian groups. We find that modelled richness is typically higher in larger and better-connected green-spaces with taller vegetation, indicative of more complex vegetation structure and consistent with the principle of ‘bigger,



better, and more joined up’. Assessing the relative importance of these variables indicates that vegetation height is the most influential in determining richness for a majority of taxa. There is variation, however, between taxonomic groups in the relationships between richness and landscape structural characteristics, and the sensitivity of these relationships to particular predictors. Consequently, despite some broad commonalities, there will be trade-offs between different taxonomic groups when designing urban landscapes to maximise biodiversity. This research demonstrates the feasibility of using a GIS-coupled Bayesian Belief Network approach to model biodiversity at fine spatial scales in complex landscapes where current data and appropriate modelling approaches are lacking, and our findings have important implications for ecologists, conservationists and planners.


Mapping (for) resilience across city scales: An opportunity to open-up conversations for more inclusive resilience policy?Date September 2019




Summary There are growing calls, across a continuum from international agreements to social movements, for strengthening urban resilience alongside reductions in inequality and poverty. Although there is broad agreement on what the term resilience means in general, different perspectives exist on how the concept should be implemented locally and controversies around its transformative potential continue. While differing social and institutional factors are important, the ways in which knowledge practices produce these diverse perspectives have been overlooked. To address this gap, this paper focuses on the role of spatial knowledge and mapping practices for resilience and disaster risk reduction. Traditionally, much of the spatial data used for planning has been quantitative and at broad, city-level scales. However, although experiential understandings of resilience have been widely identified, there have been few attempts to integrate these perspectives, often relying on qualitative andexperiential knowledge, into city-level resilience


planning.

Bringing together insights from Science and Technology Studies and Human Geography, this paper explores the opportunities that different mapping techniques provide for resilience thinking and planning. Our starting point is that science and technology are not neutral for governance and can both open up or close down governance options. Using case studies from Nairobi and Cape Town, our findings show that mapping practices are heterogeneous and produce diverse understandings of resilience. Although traditional methods dominate city mapping in these case studies, we find innovation at both the city and finer spatial scales. Maps and mapping offer opportunities for resilience via connecting diverse actors, scales and forms of knowledge. We suggest that more work is needed on how to include non-traditional methods, from those that value local experience and the voice of the marginalized to more quantitative mapping methods. While fully integrating diverse approaches may not be possible, nor desirable, bringing them into conversation helps open-up deliberative spaces for resilience.


Cities and rural transformation: A spatial analysis of rural livelihoods in GhanaDate September 2019



Link https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X19301159

Summary Recent growth in many African countries has been accompanied by rapid urbanization, which could have major impacts on rural livelihoods. This paper examines patterns of rural livelihoods and poverty in Ghana based on the proximity of rural areas to cities of different sizes. The paper finds that many rural households in the areas close to cities have shifted their primary employment from agriculture to nonagriculture, especially in the more urbanized

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0305750X19301159

South. This trend strengthens over time. This appears to take place in contrast to the traditional model of rural livelihood diversification, with some family members working in agriculture and some in nonagriculture. Although cities have created market demand for agriculture, proximity to cities does not seem to influence agricultural intensification in terms of modern input use, possibly due to agricultural markets being relatively integrated in Ghana. Proximity to cities has implications for rural households being less poor and becoming middle class even after controlling for being a nonfarm household in rural areas


Urban planning historical review of masterplans and the way towards a sustainable city:Dar es Salaam, TanzaniaDate September 2019




Summary Urban planning in Tanzania has focused mainly on economic development. The Tanzanian government prioritizes large-scale modern projects to increase national income and propel world-class urban settlements. Dar es Salaam, Tanzania׳s largest city and main commercial center has experienced remarkable urban development. Unfortunately, its growth has not been consistent with the master plans, which also overlook sustainable urban development aspects. The high urbanization rate has exacerbated the degradation of the city׳s environment, including roadside air quality, solid waste, and water quality. The city׳s ongoing


environmental dilapidation has led to a call for a sustainable urbanization to curb past urbanization problems and implement a sustainable future. This work reviews Dar es Salaam׳s available planning documents and examines how master plans can stimulate sustainable urban development. Findings suggest that master plans should not be used as a mere urban growth control tool. Master plans that are designed and conceptualized as a comprehensive strategy and integrated with different aspects of urban development can play a key role in enforcing sustainable urban development for the city.

Theme: Urban Basic Services

A spatiotemporal and graph-based analysis of dockless bike sharing patternsto understand urban flows over the last mileDate September 2019




Summary The recent emergence of dockless bike sharing systems has resulted in new patterns of urban transport. Users can begin and end trips from their origin and destination locations rather than docking stations. Analysis of changes in the spatiotemporal availability of such bikes has the ability to provide insights into urban dynamics at a finer granularity than is possible through analysis of travel card or dock-based bike scheme data. This study analyses dockless bike sharing in Nanchang, China over a period when a new metro line came into operation. It uses spatial statistics and graph-based approaches to quantify changes in travel behaviours and generates previously unobtainable insights about urban flow structures. Geostatistical analyses


support understanding of large-scale changes in spatiotemporal travel behaviours and graph-based approaches allow changes in local travel flows between individual locations to be quantified and characterized. The results show how the new metro service boosted nearby bike demand, but with considerable spatial variation, and changed the spatiotemporal patterns of bike travel behaviour. The analysis also quantifies the evolution of travel flow structures, indicating the resilience of dockless bike schemes and their ability to adapt to changes in travel behaviours. More widely, this study demonstrates how an enhanced understanding of urban dynamics over the “last-mile” is supported by the analyses of dockless bike data. These allow changes in local spatiotemporal interdependencies between different transport systems to be evaluated, and support spatially detailed urban and transport planning. A number of areas of further work are identified to better to understand interdependencies between different transit system components.


Optimization method to construct micro-anaerobic digesters networks for decentralized biowaste treatment in urban and peri-urban areasDate September 2019




Summary Innovative small scale treatments solutions are currently proposed to handle the growing need of biowaste valorization through a more circular economy. These new approaches are designed to be embedded in a decentralized treatment scheme which raises new challenges for the biowaste management at the territorial scale. This study, aimed at developing a method to design decentralized and micro-scale Anaerobic Digestion


(mAD) networks in urban and peri-urban areas. A mixed integer linear program (MILP) was set up to identify the number of mAD, their sites and their capacities in order to minimize the payload-distances of biowaste and digestate transportation while taking into account the technical constraints of the system. A Geographic Information System (GIS) methodology was developed to feed the MILP model with very fine-scale data about (1) the location and the characterization of the biowaste sources and of the digestate outlets (agricultural areas), and (2) the location of the potential sites for mAD based on a multi-criteria analysis that includes environmental regulations, urban planning rules, site accessibility and heat outlets for valorization. The method was applied to the territory of The Grand Lyon Metropole (534 km2) in France. Optimized mAD networks were identified through the MILP according to different scenarios tested.


Towards urban water sustainability: Analyzing management transitions in Miami, Las Vegas, and Los AngelesDate September 2019




Summary As climate change challenges the sustainability of existing water supplies, many cities must transition toward more sustainable water management practices to meet demand. However, scholarly knowledge of the factors that drive such transitions is lacking, in part due to the dearth of comparative analyses in the existing transitions literature. This study seeks to identify common factors associated with transitions toward sustainability in urban water systems by comparing transitions in three cases: Miami, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. For each case, we develop a data-driven narrative that integrates case-specific contextual data with standardized, longitudinal metrics of exposures theorized to drive


transition. We then compare transitions across cases, focusing on periods of accelerated change (PoACs), to decouple generic factors associated with transition from those unique to individual case contexts. From this, we develop four propositions about transitions toward sustainable urban water management. We find that concurrent exposure to water stress and heightened public attention increases the probability of a PoAC (1), while other factors commonly expected to drive transition (e.g. financial stress) are unrelated (2). Moreover, the timing of exposure alignment (3) and the relationship between exposures and transition (4) may vary according to elements of the system’s unique context, including the institutional and infrastructure design and hydro-climatic setting. These propositions, as well as the methodology used to derive them, provide a new model for future research on how cities respond to climate-driven water challenges.


Comparative evaluation of measures for urban highway network resilience due to traffic incidentsDate September 2019




Summary The resilience of an urban highway network may be described as the ability for a highway network’s operation to adapt and rapidly recover from a disruptive event. Although the concept of resilience has been studied in the past decades, researchers have yet to agree on common measures of quantifying urban highway network resilience. This paper proposed five candidate measures of urban highway network resilience that are consistent with the concept of resilience triangle. They are derived from queue length, link speed, link travel time, frontage road delay and detour route delay, respectively. These measures were calculated from outputs of a mesoscopic traffic simulation model that mimicked the highway network in the El Paso, Texas region. Thirty scenarios were simulated, each with a complete link closure at a selected major highway location caused by a traffic incident. The results have shown that the five measures are not statistically correlated with each other, and the different measures produced different ranked lists in


decreasing order of the impacts of the links closure locations. This means that using different resilience measures will lead to different conclusions in the order of disruption caused by the link closures. The outcomes supports the notion that a common measure of transportation highway resilience may not be necessary, and researchers may define their own resilience measures to meet individual project’s need.


Towards a cycling-friendly city: An updated review of the associations between built environment and cycling behaviors (2007–2017)Date September 2019




Summary Introduction

Cycling behavior has recently attracted great research attention as an important type of physical activity and sustainable mode of transportation. In addition, cycling provides other environmental benefits, such as reducing air pollution and traffic congestion. Various built environment factors have been demonstrated to be associated with the popularity of cycling behaviors. However, the most recent built environment cycling reviews were conducted nearly 10 years ago, and these reviews reached no clear consensus on which built environment factors are associated with which domain of cycling behaviors. To determine the crucial features of a cycling-friendly city, it is therefore necessary to conduct a review based on empirical studies from the last decade (2007–2017).

Methods

Thirty-nine empirical studies published in peer-reviewed journals between 2007 and 2017 were retrieved and reviewed. The results were summarized based on built environment factors and four domains of cycling behaviors (transport, commuting, recreation, and general). Weighted elasticity values for built environment factors were calculated to estimate effect sizes.


Results

We found consistent associations with large effect sizes between street connectivity and cycling for commuting and transport. The presence of cycling paths and facilities was found to be positively associated with both commuting cycling and general cycling. However, the effects of land-use mix, availability of cycling paths to non-residential destinations, and terrain slope on cycling behaviors remained weak. The effects of urban density and other built environment factors are mixed.

Conclusions

This review has demonstrated that street connectivity and the presence of cycling paths and facilities are the two most significant built environment factors that may promote cycling behaviors. With the emergence of advanced measurement methods for both the built environment and cycling behaviors, further studies may overcome current research limitations and provide robust evidence to support urban planning and public-health practice.


Emissions from urban bus fleets running on biodiesel blends under real-world operating conditions: Implications for designing future case studiesDate September 2019




Summary The present study provides firstly a comprehensive review of studies on measuring the impacts of different biodiesel blends on exhaust emissions characteristics of urban busses under real-world operating conditions. Secondly, this paper discusses the errors that can be made in conducting case studies. Thirdly and finally, it shows lessons learned and provides guidelines to setup case studies, conduct the measurements, perform the statistical analysis and report the results to policy makers and the wider audience. To achieve climate change mitigation targets, using alternative fuels, e.g., biodiesel, hydrogen or electricity for the urban fleets requires


an in-depth analysis of the impacts under real-world operating conditions. Such experiments are generally very complex as numerous factors could directly or indirectly interfere with the results produced and potentially jeopardize the integrity of the research and the conclusions drawn. Results of the present research show that some vital parameters were ignored by many of the studies performed including the statistical uncertainties, driving cycle uncertainties and fuel uncertainties. Lack of appropriate experimental designs or clear assertions about the level of significance for differences in emissions/fuel consumption between alternative fuels (i.e. biodiesel) and the reference fuel used (i.e., diesel) could be regarded as the main weaknesses. Moreover, many other overarching and very influential factors (e.g., covariates/confounders) can interfere with the research outcomes as these were mostly overlooked by the reviewed studies. A careful and complete experimental design for assessments of alternative fueled vehicles are critical when conducting real-world operating condition tests. The study findings help to formulate the guidelines for assessing real-world operating condition experiments to achieve the most feasibly and meaningful research outcomes that will have significant implication for local and global policy makers. The guidelines are of use for all types of research studies that want to evaluate the effects of alternative fuels for any transportation fleet.


National goals and tools to fulfil them: A study of opportunities and pitfalls in Norwegian metagovernance of urban mobilityDate September 2019



Link https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X18306255

Summary Cities are important in the governance of environmental politics ingeneral, as well as for the accomplishment of goals of low-emissionmobility (Betsill and Bulkeley, 2007;Banister, 2008;European Union,2016). However, despite the increased attention to the issue of sus-tainable urban mobility, transport policy research is criticised for itslack of attention to power,

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0967070X18306255

context, resources and legitimacy (Marsdenand Reardon, 2017). This paper addresses these issues, by examining acurrent example of governance for sustainable transport, namely theNorwegian goals and strategies for zero growth of car traffic, im-plemented through multilevel urban contracts. The latter are the so-called ‘urban-growth agreements’ (UGAs),1being incentive arrange-ments involving network cooperation between national, county andmunicipal authorities on transport and land-use policies for the largerurban regions


Drawing topological properties from a multi-layered network: The case of an air transport network in “the Belt and Road” regionDate September 2019




Summary In the last few years, theoretical studies have examined a variety of topological properties in single-layered transport systems. One outstanding question concerns how topological properties would be presented in a multi-layered network. This paper aims to address this issue with the help of real data from “the Belt and Road” (the B&R) region. The air transport network in this region was selected as a case study because of its associated demand for, and cooperation with, air transportation. Algorithms for the analysis of complex networks have enabled us to quantify the complexity and understand the rationale behind topological and multi-layered structures. The multi-layered network in the B&R region is divided into core, bridge and periphery layers, with the application of k-core decomposition. The results show that: (1) the air transport network in the B&R region involves small-world network features; (2) the multi-layered network has strong


connectivity within and between the core and bridge layers, with the core layer containing most of the cities in eastern China, Bangkok and Seoul; and (3) the topological features that are present in the air transport network mainly result from the connections within and between the core and bridge layer, rather than the connections within the periphery layer and between the other layers. Displaying the topological properties in multi-layered networks is of great importance in obtaining a greater understanding of the interactions of nodes and connections between the layers. In considering the existing lay-out of routes, this paper also suggests appropriate policies by presenting future airline strategies for the B&R region.


Challenges and perspectives of greenhouse gases emissions frommunicipal solid waste management in AngolaDate September 2019




Summary Municipal solid waste (MSW) management contributes substantially to climate change. The greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions from waste collection and landfill activities have a significant contribution. The carbon footprint is an important environmental indicator to express GHG emissions. Nowadays in Luanda, the capital and largest city of Angola, more than 2 million tonnes per year of unselected MSW are sent to landfill. The aim of this work is to evaluate the carbon footprint related to MSW in Luanda. The methodologies used to quantify the carbon footprint were based on the guidelines of the IPCC and the GHG Protocol of greenhouse gases emissions associated with MSW anaerobic decomposition, from the daily operations of the landfill site. The


results show that direct landfill emissions are the major contributions to GHG accounting.

Theme: Urban Economy

AdvancestowardscirculareconomypoliciesintheEU:ThenewEcodesignregulationofenterpriseserversDate September 2019




Summary

The concept of a circular economy has been widely accepted by governments and industries. In Europe, the European Commission adopted the Circular Economy package in 2015. The Ecodesign Directive has been identified as one of the most suitable legislative tools for achieving some of the objectives in the package because it has the potential to translate the circular economy principles into specific product material efficiency requirements. This paper applies the Ecodesign policy process to “enterprise servers” to illustrate how circular economy strategies can be implemented by European product policies. Indeed, the paper introduces a potential novel approach to “operationalize” circular economy principles in product policies. The evolution of the material efficiency requirements for a more circular economy is described up to their final formulation, which is the one in the published Ecodesign regulation. This legal act includes requirements on design for disassembly, firmware availability, data deletion, and presence of critical raw materials. The process for enterprise servers has been successful as the early discussions between stakeholders, policymakers and experts, supported by appropriate metrics along an iterative debate, comes to the publications of material efficiency requirements in a regulation. This study represents a 'first-of-a-kind' experience, and sets precedents for the development of similar requirements for other product groups.


Including Future Climate Induced Cost when Assessing Building Refurbishment PerformanceDate September 2019





Summary

Improving energy efficiency in the existing buildings stock is essential to limit climate change and the economic assessment of measures are traditionally only based on the reduction of energy costs. However, future financial benefits of limiting climate change are rarely included in the evaluation of refurbishment investments. Although, the costs associated with global warming are expected to be extensive. This study introduces a method for the financial evaluation of energy efficiency investments that merge the reduction of life cycle energy costs with the reduction of future climate induced costs. A case study is used to exemplify the method. The case study shows that when reduced future costs due to mitigated life cycle greenhouse gas emissions are included in the analysis, the ranking between different measures can change and traditionally non-profitable measures may become financially sound investments. The introduced Economy+ indicator is shown to be an accessible performance measure to assess building refurbishment and may also be used in the design stage of new construction.


Conflicting values in the smart electricity grid a comprehensive overviewDate September 2019




Summary This paper aims to anticipate social acceptance issues related to the deployment of the smart electricity grid by identifying underlying value conflicts. The smart electricity grid is a key enabler of the energy transition. Its successful deployment is however jeopardized by social acceptance issues, such as concerns related to privacy and fairness. Social acceptance issues may be explained by value conflicts, i.e. the impossibility for a technological or regulatory design to simultaneously satisfy multiple societal expectations. Due to unsatisfied expectations concerning values, social discontent may arise. This paper identifies five



groups of value conflicts in the smart electricity grid: consumer values versus competitiveness, IT enabled systems versus data protection, fair spatial distributions of energy systems versus system performance, market performance versus local trading, and individual access versus economies of scale. This is important for policy-makers and industry to increase the chances that the technology gains acceptance. As resolving value conflicts requires resources, this paper suggests three factors to prioritize their resolution: severity of resulting acceptance issues, resolvability of conflicts, and the level of resources required. The analysis shows that particularly the socio-economic disparities caused by the deployment of the smart electricity grid are alarming. Affordable policies are currently limited, but the impact in terms of social acceptance may be large.


Digital entrepreneurship and field conditions for institutional change–Investigating the enabling role of citiesDate September 2019




Summary

Digital entrepreneurship may result in institutional turbulence and new initiatives are frequently blocked by vested interest groups who posit superior financial and relational resources. In this paper, we explore the role of cities in facilitating digital entrepreneurship and overcoming institutional resistance to innovation. Drawing upon two historical case studies of digital entrepreneurship in the city of Stockholm along with an extensive material on the sharing economy in Sweden, our results suggest that cities offer an environment that is critical for digital entrepreneurship. The economic and technological diversity of a city may provide the field conditions required for institutional change to take place and to avoid regulatory capture.


Social implications of smart citiesDate September 2019





Summary

Smart Cities have become the new talk in the community. Citizens and businesses are engaged in an intelligent and connected ecosystem. Being faced by the challenges to meet objectives regarding the quality of life and social development, cities to cater that need are attempting to transform themselves into smart cities. Thus they are the result of knowledge-comprehensive and creative strategies aiming at reinforcing the socio-economic, ecological and competitive performance of cities. This paper aims to understand the social impact potential and the limits of smart cities. The concept of “Smart City” is adapting to the most powerful economic and social forces of our time to the needs of the places where most of us live and work. Along with the development of smart cities comes a large range of IoT devices which creates cybersecurity and privacy concerns. Hence it is very is important to study the implications of the smart cities on the social life of the people.


Explosive behavior in the real estate market of TurkeyDate September 2019




Summary The aim of this paper is to investigate the potential presence of explosive behavior in the real estate market of Turkey. We apply the methodology developed by Chen et al. (2017) for co-moving systems with explosive processes on the monthly housing price indices and the housing unit prices over the period January 2010–December 2017. The empirical results indicate the existence of explosive behavior in the nationwide price index as well as the regional price indices. Upon analyzing the relationship between nationwide price index and



regional price indices, some regions are found to have more aggressive real estate markets than the whole market.


Date September 2019



Link

Summary

Theme: Housing and Slum Upgrading

Effective management of slums- Case study of Kalaburagi city, Karnataka, IndiaDate September 2019




Summary As urbanization grows, we may expect that slums will tend to grow even

faster. Kalaburagi is a second tier city and an important commercial hub

for the Hyderabad-Karnataka region located in the north eastern part of

Karnataka state. It attracts the rural folk from neighbouring districts and

the city is undergoing rapid changes in terms of population growth as well

as in the degree of urbanization due to which the slum population is

increasing. There are 60 slums that account for 11% of city's population.

This study aims to contribute some sustainable methodologies for better

execution of slum development programs to advance the living conditions

of slum dwellers.

Slum ontology has been built to identify slums from very high-resolution

satellite data that will benefit all stakeholders. The developed ontology

was validated with field survey and the help of field photographs, the


physical and socio-economic conditions were documented. As per the

slum ontology, basic inputs for the Cellular Automata (CA) model were

identified and criteria maps with scores were generated. The suitability

map was created by giving appropriate weight to the factors. When the

slum map prepared based on slum ontology was overlaid on the final

results, the CA model output has given reliable results regarding current

slum distribution and also a hint of the possible occurrence of slums in the

future. Since the proposed land use plan for 2021 has been finalized by

the Urban Local Body (ULB), the suitable area for developing affordable

housing stock was suggested for preventing slums from arising. The Spatial

Decision Support System (SDSS) was built for selecting slum development

options. The design and running of the SDSS model were demonstrated

with one case study – Borabai nagar slum to enable the ULB to apply the

approach to other slum areas for effective implementation of slum

development programs.


Urban migration and housing during resource booms: The case of Sekondi-Takoradi, GhanaDate September 2019



Link https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S019739751930178X

Summary This paper investigates the relationship between urban migration and housing in the context of an emergent oil boom in Sekondi-Takoradi, Ghana. The paper responds to the relative lack of research on resource boom-driven urbanization, particularly in Africa, and on the way in which urban migration shapes, and is shaped by, housing conditions. The paper analyzes the relationship between housing conditions and urban migrants' choice of residential locations. Drawing on both qualitative and quantitative analysis of data from 322 surveys in two neighborhoods of Sekondi-Takoradi, the paper draws three primary conclusions. First, migrants' choices regarding where they live are premised on neighborhood housing conditions. Second, most migrants are urban-urban migrants which means that the predominant theories of urban growth are

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S019739751930178X

poorly equipped to address the urban transformation occurring in Sekondi-Takoradi. Finally, migrants’ housing choices have considerable urban form implications, promoting in different contexts both urban densification and urban sprawl. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of these findings in the Ghanaian and wider African contexts.


How does slum rehabilitation influence appliance ownership? A structural model of non-income driversDate September 2019




Summary This study explores the effect of slum rehabilitation on appliance

ownership and its implications on residential electricity demand. The low-

income scenario makes it unique because the entire proposition is based

on the importance of non-income drivers of appliance ownership that

includes effects of changing the built environment (BE), household

practices (HP) and appliances characteristics (AC). This study

demonstrates quantitatively that non-income factors around energy

practices influence appliance ownership, and therefore electricity

consumption. The methodology consists of questionnaire design across

the dimension of BE, HP and AC based on social practice theory, surveying

of 1224 households and empirical analysis using covariance-based

structural equation modelling. Results show that higher appliance

ownership in the slum rehabilitation housing is due to change in

household practice, built environment and affordability criteria of the

appliances. Change in HP shifts necessary activities like cooking, washing

and cleaning from outdoor to indoor spaces that positively and

significantly influences higher appliance ownership. Poor BE conditions

about indoor air quality, thermal comfort and hygiene; and product cost,

discounts and ease of use of the appliances also triggers higher appliance

ownership. The findings of this study can aid in designing better regulatory


and energy efficiency policies for low-income settlements.


Physical upgrading plan for slum riverside settlement in traditional area: A case study in Kuin Utara, Banjarmasin, IndonesiaDate September 2019




Summary

This study aims to draw basic and global concepts for the physical improvement of slum riverside settlements as a fundamental step toward formalizing and securing tenure. Moreover, this work specifies attempts to arrange an upgrading plan derived from the basic strategy for our target location in the traditional settlement of Kuin Utara without failing to recognize its uniqueness and cultural activities.

This paper discloses that the basic concept for physical upgrading in a slum settlement consists of three elements: (1) arranging street networks as fundamental systems that structure the settlement, (2) constructing public utility systems that are essential for livelihoods, and (3) providing common space and amenities as “external organs” that form identities and reveal the physical beauty of the location.

The proposed infrastructures shall be directed to protect the local cultures and sociocultural activities of the inhabitants. The plan should also be adjusted with respect to the economic constraints in developing countries. Moreover, the improvement strategy for poor housings shall not orientate to modernization merely for beautification without considering the basic aspect: maintaining the dweller's livelihood.


Energy poverty in the Lao PDR and its impacts on education and healthDate September 2019






Summary

The Lao PDR has experienced rapid growth and poverty reduction through its openness to trade, investment, and integration to the regional and world economy. The country has also progressed in providing access to electricity and aims to have a 95% national coverage of electricity by 2020. This paper focuses on assessing the extent of energy poverty, as well as its implications on the well-being of the people, such as in education and health, using the Lao Economic Consumption Survey (LECSs). While access to electricity has dramatically increased, a significant number of households still do not have access to electricity and cannot afford to meet both necessity and energy consumption. Energy-poor households are prevalent among those who have lower income, owning lesser durables, living in rural villages without electricity connection and are far from main roads. This paper also finds that energy poverty negatively impacts households’ average school years and health status. The findings would identify the vulnerable groups of people for targeted support. It argues that while ensuring access to electricity should be prioritised, it should be accompanied by policies promoting opportunities to generate income and reduce all forms of energy poverty.

Theme: Urban Risk Reduction and Rehabilitation

Reachability guarantee based model for pre-positioning of emergency facilities under uncertain disaster damagesDate September 2019




Summary Many practices shown that appropriate locations of emergency facilities play important roles both in pre-disaster service and in post-disaster relief. However, damage to the transport network can adversely affect accessibility between emergency facilities and rescue points, thereby hampering timely rescue operations. To lighten this adversely affection, we proposed a multi-objective optimization model for pre-positioning of emergency facilities based on the concept of the minimum reachability




guarantee. This concept was defined as the maximum damage that the road network can withstanding. One goal of the model is to maximize the minimum reachability guarantee for post-disaster relief and another goal is to minimize the operating cost for normal service. These two goals are modeled as the max-flow problem and the shortest path problem, respectively. We embedded these two problems into the p-center facility location problem to avoid the bi-level structure of the model. The methodology is applied to the Sioux Falls transportation network to illustrate the trade-off between the minimum reachability guarantee and the operating cost. In addition, by comparing the number of unreachable rescue points in the random disaster scenarios, the effect of the minimum reachability guarantee in the optimization model is proved.


Lessons Learned From Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico: Practical Measures to Mitigate the Impact of a Catastrophic Natural Disaster on Radiation Oncology PatientsDate September 2019




Summary Purpose

Although the wind, rain, and flooding of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico abated shortly after its landfall on September 20, 2017, the disruption of the electrical, communications, transportation, and medical infrastructure of the island was unprecedented in scope and caused lasting harm for many months afterward. A compilation of recommendations from radiation oncologists who were in Puerto Rico during the disaster, and from a panel of American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) cancer experts was created.

Methods and materials

Radiation oncologists throughout Puerto Rico collaborated and improvised to continue treating patients in the immediate aftermath of the storm and as routine clinical operations were restored gradually. Empirical lessons from the experience of radiation therapy administration in this profoundly


altered context of limited resources, impaired communication, and inadequate transportation were organized into a recommended template, applicable to any radiation oncology practice. ASTRO disease-site experts provided evidence-guidelines for mitigating the impact of a 2- to 3-week interruption in radiation therapy.

Results

Practical measures to mitigate the medical impact of a disaster are summarized within the framework of “Prepare, Communicate, Operate, Compensate.” Specific measures include the development of an emergency operations plan tailored to specific circumstances, prospective coordination with other radiation oncology clinics before a disaster, ongoing communications with emergency management organizations, and routine practice of alternate methods to disseminate information among providers and patients.

Conclusions

These recommendations serve as a starting point to assist any radiation oncology practice in becoming more resiliently prepared for a local or regional disruption from any cause. Disease-site experts provide evidence-based guidelines on how to mitigate the impact of a 2- to 3-week interruption in radiation therapy for lung, head and neck, uterine cervix, breast, and prostate cancers through altered fractionation or dose escalation.


Spatial predication of flood zonation mapping in Kan River Basin, Iran, using artificial neural network algorithmDate September 2019




Summary Flood is one of the significant natural disasters, which is treated as one of the main global concerns which increased occurrence has led to an increase in mortality rates and economic losses. Various methods have


been developed and proposed for the analysis of this natural disaster. Iran is among several countries in the world, which faces severe problems of flood each year particularly in urban catchments. The present study aims to utilize GIS spatial analysis functions, data from Hydrometric and Rain-Gauge stations, satellite images, and thematic data layers in the form of Artificial Neural Network Algorithm for prediction of discharge values and spatial modeling of floods in Kan River Basin located in Tehran province. An optimized artificial neural network of 7 inputs, including slope, slope curvature, flow accumulation, NDVI, geological units, soil type, and rainfall data along with eight, sixteen and one neurons for the first, second and output hidden layers, respectively, were designed and developed. The output of the neural network was discharge values in stations. According to Table .2 in the result section, ANN method has one of the highest correlation and lowest RMSE in flood modeling. Precision parameters such as R2, RMSE and MAE were used to show the efficiency of the proposed model which yielded the values of 0.82, 0.18, and 0.13, respectively. The results obtained by the present study can be employed in future environmental planning at local scale as a means for improving the management of environmental risks and crises. The present study showed that an integrated utilization of GIS spatial analysis function with neural network algorithm is one of the high efficiency methods for predicting the potential of natural disasters such as floods.


Character of community response to volcanic crises at Sinabung and Kelud volcanoesDate September 2019




Summary olcano disaster mitigation is a priority in Indonesia's national development plan due to the large number of active volcanoes, high frequency of eruptions and dense population within volcanic hazards zones. As a consequence of these factors and the many decades of experience in mitigation of volcanic risk, Indonesia demonstrates that effective


community response is critical to avoid disasters.

Understanding of hazards, risks and early-warning systems are the main factors in building an effective community response. The level of understanding of these factors is proportional to a community's independence in taking appropriate actions and is reflected in the community's preparedness. Further, the experience gained from responses to the eruptions of Sinabung and Kelud as well as from other Indonesian volcanoes shows that a local leader plays an important role in mobilizing a community. Such a leader utilizes knowledge of local culture (local wisdom) and an understanding of the community's character to encourage community members to participate and empower themselves. Sharing of information and the formulation of a disaster mitigation plan by government and community also results in a shared commitment to increase participation and community empowerment.

Indonesia uses four volcano alert levels to activate community mitigation plans. In order of increasing criticality, these are: Normal, Advisory (Waspada), Watch (Siaga) and Warning (Awas). Implementation of policies, strategies and actions are tied to each level. In addition, mandatory actions by certain stakeholders are required at certain alert levels. These mandatory actions increase the effectiveness of disaster mitigation by both government and community.

A comparison of the crisis responses of the Sinabung and Kelud communities is carried out here in order to better understand problems, learn lessons and improve the process of Indonesia's community mitigation policies. Local culture, the start time of community involvement (in normal versus crisis time), degree and level of government involvement, roles of local leaders, local perception of hazards, and political intervention are all factors that influence a community's response at the time of eruption. We stress that an understanding of the “community character,” which includes a number of cultural, social and knowledge parameters is essential for effective crisis management. The responses of Sinabung and Kelud illustrate both the key role of community in disaster mitigation and the synergy that can result from close coordination and collaboration between government and community.


Assessing the risk of pre-existing grievances in non-democracies: The conditional effect of natural disasters on repressionDate September 2019




Summary

very disaster carries the risk of destruction but not every disaster prompts

violent political process in a country. This article examines the popular

argument that natural disasters can lead to higher state violence if

resulting shocks caused by a disaster add to pre-existing grievances. If

economic inequality or political instability is prevalent before a disaster

occurs, disasters are expected to exacerbate the perceived threat to

government's survival in office. Consequently, repression is expected to be

higher in the aftermath of a disaster. I test the existence of the expected

conditional effect of pre-disaster stability and disasters using cross-

national data on natural rapid-onset disasters in non-democracies

between 1976 and 2013. As indicators for pre-existing grievances this

article focuses on ex ante economic inequality and political dissent. While

a natural disaster as such is not associated with a violation of human

rights, empirical evidence suggests that the probability of an increase in

post-disaster repression is higher when a country has previously

experienced grievances.


Research and Implementations of Structural Monitoring for Bridges and Buildings in Japan—A ReviewDate September 2019





Summary

This paper provides a review on the development of structural monitoring in Japan, with an emphasis on the type, strategy, and utilization of monitoring systems. The review focuses on bridge and building structures using vibration-based techniques. Structural monitoring systems in Japan historically started with the objective of evaluating structural responses against extreme events. In the development of structural monitoring, monitoring systems and collected data were used to verify design assumptions, update specifications, and facilitate the efficacy of vibration control systems. Strategies and case studies on monitoring for the design verification of long-span bridges and tall buildings, the performance of seismic isolation systems in building and bridges, the verification of structural retrofit, the verification of structural control systems (passive, semi-active, and active), structural assessment, and damage detection are described. More recently, the application of monitoring systems has been extended to facilitate efficient operation and effective maintenance through the rationalization of risk and asset management using monitoring data. This paper also summarizes the lessons learned and feedback obtained from case studies on the structural monitoring of bridges and buildings in Japan.


Detecting historic informal settlement fires with Sentinel 1 and 2 satellite data - Two case studies in Cape TownDate September 2019




Summary Increasing global urbanisation is leading to a rise in the number of people living in informal settlements, challenging our ability to achieve sustainable development goals. As a consequence of high building density, inadequate building methods and flammable building materials, informal settlements are highly vulnerable to the devastating impacts of fire. Databases on historic fire occurrence, location and extent are scarce,



especially in the Global South. This paper explores the potential for remote sensing technologies to fill this gap. Two case studies in Cape Town representing fire of different extent and build back characteristics, are used to demonstrate that Sentinel-1 and Sentinel-2 data can be used to detect known historic informal settlement fire. A pixel based approach applied to Sentinel-2 band 2 reflectance and Sentinel 1 backscatter and interferometry are highlighted. The concept of spatial autocorrelation is explored with both Sentinel-2 and 1 data showing that a 3 x 3 pixel standard deviation kernel and hotspot analysis can complement the pixel approach. Further research is required to test these methods within a time series change detection algorithm to identify unknown historic informal settlement fires. .

Theme: Urban Land Legislation and Governance

Meeting sustainable development challenges in growing cities: Coupled social-ecological systems modeling of land use and water changesDate September 2019




Summary Ongoing urban expansion may degrade natural resources, ecosystems, and the services they provide to human societies, e.g., through land use and water changes and feedbacks. In order to control and minimize such negative impacts of urbanization, best practices for sustainable urban development must be identified, supported, and reinforced. To accomplish this, assessment methods and tools need to consider the couplings and feedbacks between social and ecological systems, as the basis for improving the planning and management of urban development. Collaborative efforts by academics, urban planners, and other relevant actors are also essential in this context. This will require relevant methods and tools for testing and projecting scenarios of coupled social-ecological system (CSES) behavior, changes, and feedbacks, in support of sustainable development of growing cities. This paper presents a CSES modeling


approach that can provide such support, by coupling socio-economically driven land use changes and associated hydrological changes. The paper exemplifies and tests the applicability of this approach for a concrete case study with relevant data availability, the Tyresån catchment in Stockholm County, Sweden. Results show that model integration in the approach can reveal impacts of urbanization on hydrological and water resource, and the implications and feedbacks for urban societies and ecosystems. The CSES approach introduces new model challenges, but holds promise for improved model support towards sustainable urban development.


Data-driven spatial modeling of global long-term urban land development: The SELECT modelDate September 2019




Summary

Built-up land/impervious surface expansion links urbanization and environmental change. To enable large-scale long-term spatially-explicit studies, we took a data-driven approach exploiting newly-available time series of fine-spatial-resolution remote sensing observations, and developed the Spatially-Explicit, Long-term, Empirical City developmenT (SELECT) model. Closely calibrated to observational data, SELECT functions at several spatial scales, with multiple design traits capturing local variations of urbanization, and ensuring performance for long-term extrapolations in scenario analyses (e.g. the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways). It showed low estimation residuals, explained high fractions of the response's variations, and scored well in all robustness and generalizability tests we ran. When compared with a typical spatial-interaction-based model for projecting global built-up land in 2030, SELECT allocated more new development to areas with similar characteristics to locations that exhibited expansive urban growth historically, while the example spatial-interaction-based model allocated more new development to areas with high amounts of existing built-up land.



Cars. Problematisations, measures and blind spots in local transport and land use policyDate September 2019




Summary

Goals concerning reduced car traffic are found in most European cities, indicating a potential change in local transport policy and land use planning, which have traditionally been very car-centric. This paper analyses goals and measures to reduce car traffic in Swedish municipalities’ long-term transport and land use plans. Theoretically, the paper is based on an understanding of policies as parts of ‘problem representations’ that create particular ways of understanding car traffic as a policy problem, which in turn influence the measures seen as appropriate or inappropriate. The results indicate that changes are underway. At the heart of these changes are narratives about city development in which municipalities understand the ‘attractive city’ as one where cars are defined as a problem to be addressed. However, the dominant policy problematisation produce several ‘blind spots’. Regional car trips, including travel to out-of-town shopping areas, are left unproblematised in this representation of the problem, meaning that measures addressing such trips are ignored in policy making. The paper builds our understanding of how policy practices influence the potential for change towards sustainability by discussing whether municipalities are doing enough to address the big problems with cars.

Theme: Cross-cutting

Complementary land use in the Richmond River catchment: Evaluating economic and environmental benefitsDate September 2019






Summary

Agricultural land uses can contribute to land degradation, water quality

decline, and loss of ecosystem function and biodiversity in the

surrounding catchment. Trees can assist in catchment management, and

re-afforestation strategies have been implemented in an effort to mitigate

agricultural impacts and improve degraded land and waterways

worldwide. Re-afforestation strategies often target private land, and their

success relies on landholder participation. Landholders’ decisions about

land-use allocation are driven primarily by the private financial costs and

benefits associated with different farming strategies. This research

assesses the private on-farm financial impact and the public

environmental benefit of land use transition from beef grazing to a mixed

beef grazing-forestry system in the Richmond River catchment on the east

coast of Australia. GIS analysis identified more than 30% of the catchment

as beef grazing land potentially available for re-afforestation, across a

variety of soil types and geomorphic characteristics. We used a farm-scale

financial model to assess the costs and benefits associated with transition

from grazing to a variety of cattle-forestry mixtures that were determined

on the basis of their suitability to soil type and slope in different parts of a

catchment. We also used a multi-criteria approach to assess the

environmental outcomes associated with each transition. The results

demonstrate that diversification to a mixed beef grazing-forestry system

consistently provides environmental benefit, but the financial impact on

landholders varies depending on soil type. Landholders on ferrosol and

vertosol soils in this catchment have favourable options that can

simultaneously deliver private and public benefits, whereas landholders

on kurosol and dermosol soils are more restricted, with environmental

improvements possible only as a trade-off with farm financial

performance. Based on these results, we suggest that different policy

mechanisms are required to encourage graziers in different parts of the

catchment to shift towards mixed cattle-forestry systems.


Using comparative socio-ecological modeling to support ClimateAction Planning (CAP)

Date September 2019




Summary

We present a comparative socio-ecological modeling approach to identify possible improvement opportunities for Climate Action Plans (CAPs), focusing on two cities, Chicago and Stockholm. The aim is to provide a tool for capturing and addressing deep-rooted behavioral and institutional preferences that may aggravate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in cities. Socio-economic activities, land use change, and future urban forms are considered and forecast to the year 2040 on 30m × 30m spatial grids. GHG emissions associated with these urban development aspects are calculated and compared between the cities. Innovative policy instruments for growth control and zoning (GCZ) are simulated and tested through the socio-ecological model, to determine their effectiveness when added to other interventions included in the CAPs. Our findings show that behavioral/institutional preference for sprawl, its low-density form, and resultant carbon sink losses are main factors driving current and future residential and transportation GHG emissions in Chicago. GCZ policies are shown to counteract and mitigate around 20% of these factors in the form of future GHG emissions


Effectiveness of vegetated patches as Green Infrastructure in mitigating Urban Heat Island effects during a heatwave event in the city of MelbourneDate September 2019




Summary The city of Melbourne in southeast Australia experiences frequent heatwaves and their frequency, intensity and duration are expected to increase in the future. In addition, Melbourne is the fastest growing city in Australia and experiencing rapid urban expansion. Heatwaves and



urbanization contribute in intensifying the Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, i.e., higher temperatures in urban areas as compared to surrounding rural areas. The combined effects of UHI and heatwaves have substantial impacts on the urban environment, meteorology and human health, and there is, therefore, a pressing need to investigate the effectiveness of different mitigation options. This study evaluates the effectiveness of urban vegetation patches such as mixed forest (MF), combination of mixed forest and grasslands (MFAG), and combination of mixed shrublands and grasslands (MSAG) in reducing UHI effects in the city of Melbourne during one of the most severe heatwave events. Simulations are carried out by using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model coupled with the Single Layer Urban Canopy Model (SLUCM). The fractions of vegetated patches per grid cell are increased by 20%, 30%, 40% and 50% using the mosaic method of the WRF model. Results show that by increasing fractions from 20 to 50%, MF reduces near surface (2 m) UHI (UHI2) by 0.6–3.4 °C, MSAG by 0.4–3.0 °C, and MFAG by 0.6–3.7 °C during the night, but there was no cooling effect for near surface temperature during the hottest part of the day. The night-time cooling was driven by a reduction in storage heat. Vegetated patches partitioned more net radiation into latent heat flux via evapotranspiration, with little to no change in sensible heat flux, but rather, a reduction in the storage heat flux during the day. Since the UHI is driven by the release of stored heat during the night, the reduced storage heat flux results in reductions in the UHI. The reductions of the UHI2 varied non-linearly with the increasing vegetated fractions, with lager fractions of up to 50% resulting in substantially larger reductions. MF and MFAG were more effective in reducing UHI2 as compared to MSAG. Vegetated patches were not effective in improving HTC during the day, but a substantial improvement of HTC was obtained between the evening and early morning particularly at 2100 local time, when the thermal stress changes from strong to moderate. Although limited to a single heatwave event and city, this study highlights the maximum potential benefits of using vegetated patches in mitigating the UHI during heatwaves and the overall principles are applicable elsewhere.


Building urban resilience and knowledge co-production in the face of weather hazards:

flash floods in the Monterrey Metropolitan Area (Mexico)Date September 2019




Summary

In 2010, flash floods triggered by Hurricane Alex caused fifteen fatalities in the Monterrey Metropolitan Area (MMA). In contrast, an estimated 225 people died in the 1988 Hurricane Gilbert disaster and reputedly, over 5,000 in the historical flood of 1909. The magnitude of hurricane-related impacts thus appears to be decreasing, indicating higher resilience to this hazard. This paper analyses the process of building resilience to flash floods in the MMA over the last several decades. Knowledge co-production plays a significant role in that process, particularly through the Nuevo Leon State Reconstruction Council, the multi-institutional, public-private-civil group of stakeholders established to guide and coordinate reconstruction efforts following the Hurricane Alex disaster. Findings reveal a complex, protracted and incremental resilience building process, conditioned by the nature of the hazard (infrequent but liable to cause significant damages) and contingent upon the city’s socioeconomic and institutional local context. This local context is embedded in a highly fragmented national water governance architecture that lacks inter-institutional co-ordination and has limited the city’s adaptive responses. Despite definite gains in building resilience, the city faces challenges notably in terms of the conservation and continuing development of knowledge co-produced in the aftermath of disasters.


Dedicated versus mainstreaming approaches in local climate plans in Europe


Date September 2019




Summary Cities are gaining prominence committing to respond to the threat of climate change, e.g., by developing local climate plans or strategies. However, little is known regarding the approaches and processes of plan development and implementation, or the success and effectiveness of proposed measures. Mainstreaming is regarded as one approach associated with (implementation) success, but the extent of integration of local climate policies and plans in ongoing sectoral and/or development planning is unclear. This paper analyses 885 cities across the 28 European countries to create a first reference baseline on the degree of climate mainstreaming in local climate plans. This will help to compare the benefits of mainstreaming versus dedicated climate plans, looking at policy effectiveness and ultimately delivery of much needed climate change efforts at the city level. All core cities of the European Urban Audit sample were analyzed, and their local climate plans classified as dedicated or mainstreamed in other local policy initiatives. It was found that the degree of mainstreaming is low for mitigation (9% of reviewed cities; 12% of the identified plans) and somewhat higher for adaptation (10% of cities; 29% of plans). In particular horizontal mainstreaming is a major effort for local authorities; an effort that does not necessarily pay off in terms of success of action implementation. This study concludes that climate change issues in local municipalities are best tackled by either, developing a dedicated local climate plan in parallel to a mainstreamed plan or by subsequently developing first the dedicated and later a mainstreaming plan (joint or subsequent “dual track approach”). Cities that currently provide


dedicated local climate plans (66% of cities for mitigation; 26% of cities for adaptation) may follow-up with a mainstreaming approach. This promises effective implementation of tangible climate actions as well as subsequent diffusion of climate issues into other local sector policies. The development of only broad sustainability or resilience strategies is seen as critical.


The influence of context on the use and added value of Planning Support Systems in workshops: An exploratory case study of climate adaptation planning in Guayaquil, EcuadorDate September 2019




Summary Planning Support Systems (PSS) are a promising tool for involving stakeholders in urban adaptation workshops. Past research has focused on the use and added value of PSS. While earlier studies have widely acknowledged the importance of context in determining the effectiveness of PSS, there has so far been no dedicated study of the influence of context on the use and added value of these tools in real planning workshops. To address this gap, we made an in-depth exploratory case study of a PSS, called the Adaptation Support Tool (AST), used in an adaptation planning workshop in Guayaquil, Ecuador. The workshop used the AST to support collaborative spatial planning for urban water management, at the neighbourhood scale. Interviews, questionnaires, observations and document review were used to investigate the influence of three contextual factors on the use and added value of the AST. The studied contextual factors are: 1) the style of tool use, 2) the phase of planning, and 3) the local project setting. Our findings indicate that the style of tool use and the local project setting were the most important contextual factors in determining the use and added value of the AST during the workshop. Meanwhile, the phase of planning appears to be critical for achieving impacts at the project level. This exploratory case study is a modest first contribution to understanding the influence of


context on the use and added value of PSS in practice. Nevertheless, the findings indicate that further exploration of this topic could offer important insights to PSS use in practice.

The influence of context on the use and added value of Planning Support Systems in workshops: an exploratory case study of climate adaptation planning in Guayaquil, Ecuador.


Urbanisation and socio-ecological challenges in high mountain towns: Insights from Leh (Ladakh), IndiaDate September 2019




Summary Rapid urbanisation increasingly affects small and medium-sized towns adversely in high mountain regions, which are especially vulnerable to socioecological challenges like depleting natural resources and increasing risk exposure to natural hazards. The case study of Leh town, located in the Indian Himalaya, reveals an array of diverse patterns, drivers, and challenges that characterise the process of mountain urbanisation. Our study is based on an integrated methodological approach using very high resolution multi-temporal satellite imagery, field mapping and social research data to track socioeconomic and political developments. A rapid spatial expansion of housing settlements on both, former agricultural and barren land along with a densification of built-up areas can be observed. Between 2003 and 2017, 9400 new buildings were constructed whereas in the 34 years before (from 1969 to 2003), approximately the same number of new buildings were constructed. The building area more than quintupled from 36 ha to 196 ha between 1969 and 2017. Consequentially, agricultural land loss through construction activities increased from 1% in 1969 to 8% in 2017. Urban growth in Leh is driven by administrative and infrastructure development, a booming tourism sector, the diffusion of urban lifestyles, and the region’s geopolitical importance. The emerging socio-ecological challenges are tackled by different local


actors. Our findings raise questions on the consequences of such rapid urbanisation on urban and environmental governance, especially with regard to water resources and natural hazards, and we offer practical recommendations for sustainable town planning.


Using comparative socio-ecological modeling to support Climate Action Planning (CAP)Date September 2019




Summary

We present a comparative socio-ecological modeling approach to identify possible improvement opportunities for Climate Action Plans (CAPs), focusing on two cities, Chicago and Stockholm. The aim is to provide a tool for capturing and addressing deep-rooted behavioral and institutional preferences that may aggravate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in cities. Socio-economic activities, land use change, and future urban forms are considered and forecast to the year 2040 on 30m × 30m spatial grids. GHG emissions associated with these urban development aspects are calculated and compared between the cities. Innovative policy instruments for growth control and zoning (GCZ) are simulated and tested through the socio-ecological model, to determine their effectiveness when added to other interventions included in the CAPs. Our findings show that behavioral/institutional preference for sprawl, its low-density form, and resultant carbon sink losses are main factors driving current and future residential and transportation GHG emissions in Chicago. GCZ policies are shown to counteract and mitigate around 20% of these factors in the form of future GHG emissions.


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