Journal Description
Urban Science
Urban Science
is an international, scientific, peer-reviewed, open access journal of urban and regional studies, published quarterly online by MDPI. The European Cool Roofs Council (ECRC) and Society for Urban Ecology (SURE) are affiliated with the journal.
- Open Access— free for readers, with article processing charges (APC) paid by authors or their institutions.
- High Visibility: indexed within ESCI (Web of Science) and many other databases.
- Rapid Publication: manuscripts are peer-reviewed and a first decision provided to authors approximately 18.2 days after submission; acceptance to publication is undertaken in 3.9 days (median values for papers published in this journal in the first half of 2021).
- Recognition of Reviewers: reviewers who provide timely, thorough peer-review reports receive vouchers entitling them to a discount on the APC of their next publication in any MDPI journal, in appreciation of the work done.
Latest Articles
Biological Effects of Air Pollution on Sensitive Bioindicators: A Case Study from Milan, Italy
Urban Sci. 2021, 5(3), 64; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci5030064 - 26 Aug 2021
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In this study, the physiological response of a sensitive lichen species (Evernia prunastri) exposed for three months in a complex urban area (Milan, Italy) was evaluated in order to verify if the air pollution abatement measures adopted over the years resulted
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In this study, the physiological response of a sensitive lichen species (Evernia prunastri) exposed for three months in a complex urban area (Milan, Italy) was evaluated in order to verify if the air pollution abatement measures adopted over the years resulted in a suitable air quality for the survival of this sensitive species. Parameters investigated rely on the photosynthetic activity of the photobiont (Fv/Fm, PIabs, and OJIP curves), damage to mycobiont (membrane damage and antiradical activity), and the production of secondary metabolites involved in the protective functions of the organisms. Results showed that although air quality in Milan still suffers from heavy pollution from PM and NOx, the overall situation is not as severe as to induce the death of this sensitive biomonitor, at least in the short term. Nevertheless, the vital status of the samples exposed in the study area showed a significant impairment compared to that of samples exposed in a control area, indicating that the current air quality in Milan still prevents the optimal survival of E. prunastri.
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Open AccessArticle
Accessibility Barriers and Perceived Accessibility: Implications for Public Transport
Urban Sci. 2021, 5(3), 63; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci5030063 - 25 Aug 2021
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The ability to live the life one wants with public transport is one of the key factors of sustainable and inclusive societies. Given the current trend in the transport domain, providing accessible public transport is necessary in order to allow people to participate
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The ability to live the life one wants with public transport is one of the key factors of sustainable and inclusive societies. Given the current trend in the transport domain, providing accessible public transport is necessary in order to allow people to participate in their day-to-day activities without using a car. Using survey data obtained from Sweden, this study investigates factors that may have a negative effect on the perceived accessibility of public transportation in major city areas and other areas. Overall, regression analyses show that time and economic resources, organizational and temporal functions, frequent travel by public transport, and geographical context all act as accessibility barriers. These findings highlight the need not only to target increased mobility in urban environments, but also to turn the focus to the citizenry’s perceived accessibility. These findings point to implications for policies, planning and interventions targeted at accessible public transport. Adopting an accessibility-oriented approach to urban development, including the individual perspective, could be a pathway for creating a socially sustainable transport system.
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Open AccessArticle
Environmental Justice and Urban Parks. A Case Study Applied to Tarragona (Spain)
Urban Sci. 2021, 5(3), 62; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci5030062 - 19 Aug 2021
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There is consensus regarding the fact that urban green areas contribute to the quality of life of their inhabitants. Therefore, efficient city management must assess whether the population has access to green areas and the areas’ quality in relation to, for example, vegetation,
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There is consensus regarding the fact that urban green areas contribute to the quality of life of their inhabitants. Therefore, efficient city management must assess whether the population has access to green areas and the areas’ quality in relation to, for example, vegetation, facilities or furnishings. Therefore, the objective is to establish environmental justice of urban parks in Tarragona (Spain) by developing a Park Quality Index (PQI) and the sociodemographic characteristics (level of studies, Human Development Index –HDI–, home sale and rental prices) of the population living within 300 m of a park. To prepare this, a GIS-integrated Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) was produced. The results show that the green areas have low accessibility and availability and that most parks obtain an average-low PQI, with the best-valued aspect being the vegetation and the worst being the facilities. Regarding the degree of environmental justice, a causal relationship between the PQI and the indicators used emerges. The average value of the home sale prices is the one that shows the greatest correlation. These results can be used together with participatory procedures as a basis for identifying places with greater inequality, and for selecting the more effective actions that enable increasing environmental justice with respect to green areas.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fragmented City: International Mobility and Housing in Spain)
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Organizing Theories for Disasters into a Complex Adaptive System Framework
Urban Sci. 2021, 5(3), 61; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci5030061 - 16 Aug 2021
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Increasingly urbanized populations and climate change have shifted the focus of decision makers from economic growth to the sustainability and resilience of urban infrastructure and communities, especially when communities face multiple hazards and need to recover from recurring disasters. Understanding human behavior and
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Increasingly urbanized populations and climate change have shifted the focus of decision makers from economic growth to the sustainability and resilience of urban infrastructure and communities, especially when communities face multiple hazards and need to recover from recurring disasters. Understanding human behavior and its interactions with built environments in disasters requires disciplinary crossover to explain its complexity, therefore we apply the lens of complex adaptive systems (CAS) to review disaster studies across disciplines. Disasters can be understood to consist of three interacting systems: (1) the physical system, consisting of geological, ecological, and human-built systems; (2) the social system, consisting of informal and formal human collective behavior; and (3) the individual actor system. Exploration of human behavior in these systems shows that CAS properties of heterogeneity, interacting subsystems, emergence, adaptation, and learning are integral, not just to cities, but to disaster studies and connecting them in the CAS framework provides us with a new lens to study disasters across disciplines. This paper explores the theories and models used in disaster studies, provides a framework to study and explain disasters, and discusses how complex adaptive systems can support theory building in disaster science for promoting more sustainable and resilient cities.
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5G and 6G Broadband Cellular Network Technologies as Enablers of New Avenues for Behavioral Influence with Examples from Reduced Rural-Urban Digital Divide
Urban Sci. 2021, 5(3), 60; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci5030060 - 12 Aug 2021
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Two of the key information technologies with very high expectations to change our contemporary society are the fifth generation broadband cellular network technologies, which are already emerging to markets, and the foreseen sixth generation broadband cellular network technologies currently under research and development.
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Two of the key information technologies with very high expectations to change our contemporary society are the fifth generation broadband cellular network technologies, which are already emerging to markets, and the foreseen sixth generation broadband cellular network technologies currently under research and development. The core promise of these next generation technologies lies especially in lower latency for providing users feedback on their behavior; thus, growing opportunities for influencing users in their everyday contexts. This viewpoint article seeks to discuss how these opportunities may impact future information technology in general and especially persuasive design and research before 2030. In addition, we will address challenges regarding the promise of 5G and 6G technologies. Information and communication technology can support individuals’ behavioral change only if they can access the technology. In this article, we will exemplify this by presenting possible ways to minimize the digital divide between rural and urban areas, wherein lies a general danger that the divide would increase further.
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Open AccessArticle
The Impact of Textile Waste on the Features of High-Density Polyethylene (HDPE) Composites
Urban Sci. 2021, 5(3), 59; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci5030059 - 12 Aug 2021
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An increased amount of textile waste will be available in the future, and its utilization requires attention from various perspectives. The re-utilization of textile waste in a second material cycle is an option for dealing with a global problem that puts stress on
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An increased amount of textile waste will be available in the future, and its utilization requires attention from various perspectives. The re-utilization of textile waste in a second material cycle is an option for dealing with a global problem that puts stress on the urban environment. In this study, almost 30 kg of clothing were recycled as a raw material in the structure of a composite, whose structural properties were analyzed. The studied materials were made from high-density polyethylene (HDPE), anhydride modified polyethylene, lubricant, and either polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or rayon fibers from recycled clothes. The recycled clothes were identified by a near-infrared (NIR) analyzer, followed by treatment of size reduction and materials compounding by agglomeration and compression molding technologies. The material properties were characterized by thickness swelling, water absorption, impact, and tensile testing. The recycled clothes fibers, acting as a filler component in the structure of the composite, could maintain the properties of the material at the same level as the reference material. PET fibers being used as a component resulted in a significant improvement in impact strength. The study showed that recycled clothes can be re-utilized as a substitute for raw materials, and can be part of a solution for future challenges involving textile waste, following the principles of the circular economy. Textile recycling create opportunities to improve the quality of urban life.
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Promoting Bicycling in Car-Oriented Cities: Lessons from Washington, DC and Frankfurt Am Main, Germany
Urban Sci. 2021, 5(3), 58; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci5030058 - 11 Aug 2021
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This paper compares bicycling in Washington, DC and Frankfurt am Main, Germany, two car-oriented cities that had adapted their urban transport system to car travel during the 20th century. Our comparative case study shows that both cities have been successful in increasing the
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This paper compares bicycling in Washington, DC and Frankfurt am Main, Germany, two car-oriented cities that had adapted their urban transport system to car travel during the 20th century. Our comparative case study shows that both cities have been successful in increasing the percentage of trips made by bicycle between the late 1990s and 2018: Washington, DC from 1% to 5% and Frankfurt from 6% to 20% of trips. Both cities had detailed bike plans and specific mode share goals for bicycling. However, those plans were only used as guideposts for a step-by-step approach to bicycle promotion that focused on integrating bicycling into everyday decision making in transport, traffic engineering, and urban development. This step-by-step approach successfully garnered political, public, and administrative support over time. The downside of this incrementalist approach is that bike route networks in both cities still have many gaps because bikeway infrastructure was built when individual opportunities arose and not as part of an integrated network. Bicycle promotion in both cities used a combination of bikeway infrastructure and soft policy, including marketing measures. In both cities, the quality of newly installed bikeway infrastructure increased over time from simple bike lanes to protected bike lanes separating cyclists from traffic. In contrast to Washington, DC, Frankfurt has a longer history of car-restrictive policies and overall has been more strict in limiting car use.
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Spatial Analysis of Intra-Urban Land Use Dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Case of Addis Ababa (Ethiopia)
Urban Sci. 2021, 5(3), 57; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci5030057 - 06 Aug 2021
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Currently, circa 30% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa resides in cities, and this figure is expected to double in 2040. The recent literature describes the urban expansion processes of African cities in much detail. However, the urbanization wave in Africa also leads
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Currently, circa 30% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa resides in cities, and this figure is expected to double in 2040. The recent literature describes the urban expansion processes of African cities in much detail. However, the urbanization wave in Africa also leads to important intra-urban land use dynamics, which have important consequences on the quality of life within existing cities, which has received less attention. This study aims to contribute to these information gaps by (1) analyzing the extent of the urban land use conversion in contrasting urban locations using satellite images for physical criteria-based classifications and (2) assessing the potential consequences of these intra-urban conversions on the quality of life. Intra-urban land use changes were documented based on satellite imagery for the period 2002–2020. Based on some representative attributes, Addis Ababa city was selected for the case study. Urban land use dynamics and population density changes were examined based on the selected case study neighborhoods and randomly identified land parcels in the city, respectively. Urban development strategies and programs that emerged over recent decades had caused intra-urban land use dynamics, which brought significant population density changes. Moreover, these changes have caused an unbalanced distribution of socio-economic amenities across the city.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Transformation in the Global South: Context-Driven Urban Design, Livelihoods and Development Challenges)
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Street Trees for Bicyclists, Pedestrians, and Vehicle Drivers: A Systematic Multimodal Review
Urban Sci. 2021, 5(3), 56; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci5030056 - 02 Aug 2021
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Multimodal Complete Streets have emerged as a prominent aspiration of urban planning to ensure safe access for all users of streets including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit users. Concurrently, municipal leaders are pursuing ambitious tree planting initiatives. These co-arising trends are potentially good
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Multimodal Complete Streets have emerged as a prominent aspiration of urban planning to ensure safe access for all users of streets including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit users. Concurrently, municipal leaders are pursuing ambitious tree planting initiatives. These co-arising trends are potentially good news, as trees are important elements of livable cities and Complete Streets. Yet, street trees may have different health and safety benefits and disbenefits for various circulation modes. To advance a multimodal approach to research and practice, we undertook a systematic literature review with goals to (1) identify the scholarly literature addressing links between street trees, human health, and safety for pedestrians, bicyclists, and vehicle drivers; (2) depict the principal disciplines, themes, and conceptual scope of this research; and (3) discuss the implications for urban planning and design practice and research. This review drew upon 13 scholarly databases and yielded 63 relevant articles spanning 15 countries, of which 49 constituted original research. The systematic analysis covers eight research categories. Findings show exponential growth in related scholarship over the past two decades, especially for pedestrians. Journals oriented toward interdisciplinary planning and public health and safety are leading this rise, and benefits far outweigh disbenefits. Yet, there are multimodal tensions especially as it relates to the role of street trees in relationship to drivers and pedestrians. Implications for research and practice are discussed, with an eye towards governance, design, and equity.
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Urban Connectivity: Elements for an Identification of Bir El Bey’s Preferential Landscapes
Urban Sci. 2021, 5(3), 55; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci5030055 - 19 Jul 2021
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An urban landscape can be considered as a background environment that influences humans’ movements at various scales in the city. This research is oriented to the study of the interactions between urban forest patches and their degree of influence and attractions on humans’
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An urban landscape can be considered as a background environment that influences humans’ movements at various scales in the city. This research is oriented to the study of the interactions between urban forest patches and their degree of influence and attractions on humans’ behaviors and interactions. The objective is to evaluate the relations between individuals’ movements and the city space nearby natural landscapes, and also to question spatial practices in the city. Forest patches are modelled according to a structural approach at the city level, while Space syntax principles have been applied and compared to in situ movements as experimentally observed. A statistical analysis complements the configurational analysis by highlighting correlations between structural properties and human movements. The whole approach is applied to the Bir El Bey Forest of the Tunisian city of Hammam Chatt in order to explore the interaction between the built and natural landscapes at different levels of scale. The findings exhibit the respective effects of the urban network and natural landscape on the urban space, and how such spaces are appropriated by Hammam Chatt inhabitants and users. Finally, the results propose a generic framework analysis for the study of the relations between humans and urban structure and landscape preferences and that offers novel perspectives for urban planning.
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Effects of Urbanization on Ecosystem Services in the Shandong Peninsula Urban Agglomeration, in China: The Case of Weifang City
Urban Sci. 2021, 5(3), 54; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci5030054 - 19 Jul 2021
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Ecosystem services are the material basis of economic and social development, and play essential roles in the sustainable development of ecosystems. Urbanization can remarkably alter the provision of ecosystem services. Most studies in this area have focused on densely populated metropolises with poor
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Ecosystem services are the material basis of economic and social development, and play essential roles in the sustainable development of ecosystems. Urbanization can remarkably alter the provision of ecosystem services. Most studies in this area have focused on densely populated metropolises with poor ecological environments, while comparatively few studies have focused on cities with low ecological pressures. Therefore, to avoid continuing to engage in the repetitive pattern of destroying first and rehabilitating later, quantitative analyses of urbanization and ecosystem services should be carried out in representative cities. In this study, based on partial least squares-discriminant analysis, kernel density estimation, and correlation analysis, we quantitatively evaluated the impact of urbanization on ecosystem services in Weifang city. The Data Center for Resources and Environmental Sciences at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Geographic Sciences and Natural Resources Research provided remote sensing data on land use, the gross domestic production (GDP), population data, and ecosystem services. The results were as follows: (1) The variation in population, GDP, and built-up areas consistently increased throughout the study period, whereas the ecosystem service values (ESVs) decreased; (2) food production, raw material production, nutrient cycle maintenance, and soil conservation were decisive ecosystem services that led to vast reductions in ESVs during the process of urbanization; and (3) the negative correlation coefficient between built-up areas and ecosystem services was greater than that between the population or GDP and ecosystem services, which indicated that the impacts of population and economic urbanization on ecosystem services lagged behind the impact of land urbanization. This study provides references for fully recognizing the ecological effects of urbanization, and make suggestions regarding the application of ecosystem services in sustainable development.
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Indoor Thermal Comfort Analysis: A Case Study of Modern and Traditional Buildings in Hot-Arid Climatic Region of Ethiopia
Urban Sci. 2021, 5(3), 53; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci5030053 - 15 Jul 2021
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Indoor thermal comfort is an essential aspect of sustainable architecture and it is critical in maintaining a safe indoor environment. Expectations, acceptability, and preferences of traditional and modern buildings are different in terms of thermal comfort. This study, therefore, attempts to evaluate the
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Indoor thermal comfort is an essential aspect of sustainable architecture and it is critical in maintaining a safe indoor environment. Expectations, acceptability, and preferences of traditional and modern buildings are different in terms of thermal comfort. This study, therefore, attempts to evaluate the indoor thermal comforts of modern and traditional buildings and identify the contributing factors that impede or facilitate indoor thermal comfort in Semera city, Ethiopia. This study employed subjective and objective measurements. The subjective measurement is based on the ASHRAE seven-point thermal sensation scale. An adaptive comfort model was employed according to the ASHRAE standard to evaluate indoor thermal comfort. The results revealed that with regards to thermal sensational votes between −1 and +1, 88% of the respondents are satisfied with the indoor environment in traditional houses, while in modern houses this figure is 22%. Likewise, 83% of occupants in traditional houses expressed a preference for their homes to remain the same or be only slightly cooler or warmer. Traditional houses were, on average, in compliance with the 80% acceptability band of the adaptive comfort standard. The study investigated that traditional building techniques and materials, in combination with consideration of microclimate, were found to play a significant role in regulating the indoor environment.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Net Zero Energy Settlements)
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From TOD to TAC: Why and How Transport and Urban Policy Needs to Shift to Regenerating Main Road Corridors with New Transit Systems
Urban Sci. 2021, 5(3), 52; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci5030052 - 07 Jul 2021
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The need for transit oriented development (TOD) around railway stations has been well accepted and continues to be needed in cities looking to regenerate both transit and urban development. Large parts of suburban areas remain without quality transit down main roads that are
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The need for transit oriented development (TOD) around railway stations has been well accepted and continues to be needed in cities looking to regenerate both transit and urban development. Large parts of suburban areas remain without quality transit down main roads that are usually filled with traffic resulting in reduced urban value. The need to regenerate both the mobility and land development along such roads will likely be the next big agenda in transport and urban policy. This paper learns from century-old experiences in public–private approaches to railway-based urban development from around the world, along with innovative insights from the novel integration of historical perspectives, entrepreneurship theory and urban planning to create the notion of a “Transit Activated Corridor” (TAC). TACs prioritize fast transit and a string of station precincts along urban main roads. The core policy processes for a TAC are outlined with some early case studies. Five design principles for delivering a TAC are presented in this paper, three principles from entrepreneurship theory and two from urban planning. The potential for new mid-tier transit like trackless trams to enable TACs is used to illustrate how these design processes can be an effective approach for designing, financing and delivering a “Transit Activated Corridor”.
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(This article belongs to the Topic Sustainable Real Estate and Resilient Cities: Management, Assessment and Innovations)
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Regional Policy and Greenfield Investments in German Districts
Urban Sci. 2021, 5(3), 51; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci5030051 - 28 Jun 2021
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Using data on greenfield investment in German districts from 2003 to 2010, we examine how regional development policies affect the decision of multinational corporations to locate facilities in Germany. We are interested in whether regional development policies accumulate to increase the attractiveness of
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Using data on greenfield investment in German districts from 2003 to 2010, we examine how regional development policies affect the decision of multinational corporations to locate facilities in Germany. We are interested in whether regional development policies accumulate to increase the attractiveness of a region and whether some policies are necessary to attract foreign investors. Applying count data models and geographic weighted regression, the results indicate that, on average, regional development policies increase the attractiveness of German districts for multinational firms. We find that place-based policies have the strongest effect on investments in the East German lagging regions. However, policies predominantly attract standardised types of investments that require considerable capital investments but not specialised location advantages.
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Planning for Informal Urban Green Spaces in African Cities: Children’s Perception and Use in Peri-Urban Areas of Luanda, Angola
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Urban Sci. 2021, 5(3), 50; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci5030050 - 25 Jun 2021
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Urbanization has placed considerable constraints on the preservation and maintenance of formal green spaces in African cities. This situation has given attention to the potentials of informal green spaces (IGS). While studies on IGS in African cities is only emerging, scholarly and policy
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Urbanization has placed considerable constraints on the preservation and maintenance of formal green spaces in African cities. This situation has given attention to the potentials of informal green spaces (IGS). While studies on IGS in African cities is only emerging, scholarly and policy attention to children’s perceptions and use of IGS within Africa’s spatially expansive urbanism is limited. This study explores children’s perceptions, use, barriers, willingness, and suggestions for improving IGS in the peri-urban area of Funda in Luanda. Based on semi-structured interviews and focused-group discussions, the study revealed that, while IGS offered different ecosystem services, not all IGS were accessible to children, due to safety concerns, maintenance conditions, and parental restrictions. Children’s interest in maintenance activities and suggestions for improving IGS reflected their independent identities, sense of place, and cognitive capacity to contribute to planning their community. The paper submits that the potential role of IGS in Africa’s peri-urban areas can be improved by taking into account children’s agency and experiential knowledge of community spaces. For this reason, there is a need to recognize and engage children as co-producers of community knowledge and interventions.
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Placemaking in Informal Settlements: The Case of France Colony, Islamabad, Pakistan
Urban Sci. 2021, 5(2), 49; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci5020049 - 20 Jun 2021
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This paper provides an alternative perspective on urban informal settlements by analysing them as places of rural remnants, reservoirs of regional cultural heritage, and spaces entailing traditional sustainable elements that are brought to the urban realm by rural migrants. These socio-cultural and spatial
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This paper provides an alternative perspective on urban informal settlements by analysing them as places of rural remnants, reservoirs of regional cultural heritage, and spaces entailing traditional sustainable elements that are brought to the urban realm by rural migrants. These socio-cultural and spatial attributes of a settlement converge under the notion of a “place.” Placemaking analysis is thus contended to be appropriate for comprehensive understanding of an informal settlement. The selected case study of France Colony, Islamabad, employs the placemaking methodology framework to investigate sustainability values and practices from the day-to-day living of its inhabitants. Data collected through on-site interviews during transect walks in France Colony are then translated into four maps as a spatio-cultural documentation of the sustainable elements found in the informal settlement. The four maps relate to form and users, activities and amenities, image and characteristics, and access and linkages. This systematic analysis assisted in categorising the sustainability characteristics of the informal settlements according to the three pillars (social, economic, and environmental) of sustainability. The findings show that the organic placemaking, originating from everyday life, values, behaviour, and lifestyle of the informal dwellers, allows for a strong and vibrant resilient community to emerge.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sustainable Transformation in the Global South: Context-Driven Urban Design, Livelihoods and Development Challenges)
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Evaluating the Accuracy of Gridded Population Estimates in Slums: A Case Study in Nigeria and Kenya
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Urban Sci. 2021, 5(2), 48; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci5020048 - 20 Jun 2021
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Low- and middle-income country cities face unprecedented urbanization and growth in slums. Gridded population data (e.g., ~100 × 100 m) derived from demographic and spatial data are a promising source of population estimates, but face limitations in slums due to the dynamic nature
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Low- and middle-income country cities face unprecedented urbanization and growth in slums. Gridded population data (e.g., ~100 × 100 m) derived from demographic and spatial data are a promising source of population estimates, but face limitations in slums due to the dynamic nature of this population as well as modelling assumptions. In this study, we compared field-referenced boundaries and population counts from Slum Dwellers International in Lagos (Nigeria), Port Harcourt (Nigeria), and Nairobi (Kenya) with nine gridded population datasets to assess their statistical accuracy in slums. We found that all gridded population estimates vastly underestimated population in slums (RMSE: 4958 to 14,422, Bias: −2853 to −7638), with the most accurate dataset (HRSL) estimating just 39 per cent of slum residents. Using a modelled map of all slums in Lagos to compare gridded population datasets in terms of SDG 11.1.1 (percent of population living in deprived areas), all gridded population datasets estimated this indicator at just 1–3 per cent compared to 56 per cent using UN-Habitat’s approach. We outline steps that might improve that accuracy of each gridded population dataset in deprived urban areas. While gridded population estimates are not yet sufficiently accurate to estimate SDG 11.1.1, we are optimistic that some could be used in the future following updates to their modelling approaches.
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Open AccessArticle
Near-Collapse Buildings and Unsafe Sidewalks as Neglected Urban & Public Health Issue: A Qualitative Study
Urban Sci. 2021, 5(2), 47; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci5020047 - 07 Jun 2021
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Public health and city planning are highly interconnected; however, the nexus between the urban state of buildings and sidewalks and corresponding public and urban health issues is lacking in Greece. In a case study in Athens, Greece, we evaluated unsafe buildings, facades, balconies,
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Public health and city planning are highly interconnected; however, the nexus between the urban state of buildings and sidewalks and corresponding public and urban health issues is lacking in Greece. In a case study in Athens, Greece, we evaluated unsafe buildings, facades, balconies, and sidewalks during a 15-year follow-up. We manually inspected (a) if the building/location’s condition had worsened and (b) any effective intervention by the state. Of the 400 initially selected buildings, 251 nonoverlapping buildings were analyzed. Overall, ~20% of the buildings posed a subjectively perceived severe risk for collapse, 35% had near-to-fall objects, and 45% had other minor issues. Fifteen years later, ~85% of the buildings were at the same or higher risk of complete or partial fall, and in only 15% had the risk of collapse been reduced or removed by private or public intervention. We detected uneven and dangerous parts of sidewalks hindering walkability and increasing the risk of falling or tipping. Our assessment revealed that Athens’ historical center harbors plausible safety and health risks for pedestrians and dwellers due to entire or partial building collapse and poor-condition sidewalks, which can potentially act as stress factors. Collectively, the issue of near-collapse buildings and risky sidewalks as an urban health determinant appears neglected by municipal authorities in their urban planning priorities; thus, future studies are needed in the field.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Healthy City Science: Citizens, Experts and Urban Governance)
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Parents’ Perceived Neighborhood Safety and Children’s Cognitive Performance: Complexities by Race, Ethnicity, and Cognitive Domain
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Urban Sci. 2021, 5(2), 46; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci5020046 - 01 Jun 2021
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Background:Aim: To examine racial/ethnic variations in the effect of parents’ subjective neighborhood safety on children’s cognitive performance. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 10,027 children from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. The exposure variable was parents’ subjective neighborhood safety. The outcomes
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Background:Aim: To examine racial/ethnic variations in the effect of parents’ subjective neighborhood safety on children’s cognitive performance. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 10,027 children from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. The exposure variable was parents’ subjective neighborhood safety. The outcomes were three domains of children’s cognitive performance: general cognitive performance, executive functioning, and learning/memory. We used mixed-effects regression models for data analysis. Results: Overall, parents’ subjective neighborhood safety was positively associated with children’s executive functioning, but not general cognitive performance or learning/memory. Higher parents’ subjective neighborhood safety had a more positive influence on the executive functioning of non-Hispanic White than Asian American children. Higher parents’ subjective neighborhood safety was associated with higher general cognitive performance and learning/memory for non-White children relative to non-Hispanic White children. Conclusion: The race/ethnicity of children moderates the association between neighborhood safety and cognitive performance. This becomes more complicated, as the patterns seem to differ across ethnicity and cognitive domains. It is unknown whether the observed racial/ethnic variations in the effect of neighborhood safety on cognitive performance are neighborhood characteristics such as residential segregation. Addressing neighborhood inequalities is needed if we wish to reduce racial/ethnic inequities in the cognitive development of children.
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Residential Segregation and Living Conditions. An Analysis of Social Inequalities in Catalonia from Four Spatial Perspectives
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Urban Sci. 2021, 5(2), 45; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci5020045 - 31 May 2021
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Spatial inequalities in living conditions have traditionally been attributed to geographical location, the opposition between urban and rural settings or the size of settlements. Accordingly, the geographical literature has used these oppositions to explain not only differences in access to education, work and
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Spatial inequalities in living conditions have traditionally been attributed to geographical location, the opposition between urban and rural settings or the size of settlements. Accordingly, the geographical literature has used these oppositions to explain not only differences in access to education, work and services but also diversity of lifestyles, beliefs and even political attitudes. In recent decades, however, urban areas have extended their scope, urbanization has become more dispersed, territories have become more interdependent and spatial hierarchies have tended to weaken. At the same time, social inequalities have become more marked, as manifested spatially by residential segregation. This article puts forward the thesis that residential segregation constitutes a considerably better explanatory factor currently for the elucidation of social inequalities and differences in living conditions in regional spaces than geographical location, the urban/rural divide or the size of settlements. A set of key indicators in the population of residents in Catalonia (level of education, socio-economic position, risk of poverty, self-perceived health and life satisfaction) are therefore analyzed from various spatial perspectives to explore this argument and evaluate each indicator’s explanatory potential. The main results seem to confirm the hypothesis that the most striking spatial inequalities are associated with residential segregation.
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(This article belongs to the Special Issue Fragmented City: International Mobility and Housing in Spain)
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