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20 pages, 4992 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Towards a Retailess City? A Comparative Analysis of the Retail Desertification between a Global and a Local Commercial Strips in Barcelona

by Lluis Frago, Alejandro Morcuende and David Lloberas

Urban Sci. 2024, 8(3), 126; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci8030126 - 27 Aug 2024

Viewed by 961

Abstract

The relationships between the circuits of the urban economy and retail desertification are analysed based on two retail strips in Barcelona: Passeig de Gràcia, a central hub with global reach, and the Sants-Creu Coberta strip, which responds to the demand for consumption on [...] Read more.

The relationships between the circuits of the urban economy and retail desertification are analysed based on two retail strips in Barcelona: Passeig de Gràcia, a central hub with global reach, and the Sants-Creu Coberta strip, which responds to the demand for consumption on a local, everyday scale. The hypothesis is that the relationships between these circuits and retail desertification behave differently depending on their relative position in the city with respect to consumption flows. This is tested with a one-to-one analysis of the uses of ground floor premises in both strips for 2016 and 2021, using data from the Commercial Censuses of the Barcelona City Council and Barcelona Provincial Council, respectively. Each ground floor premises is classified as superior, lower or vacant, which allows the process to be mapped from 2016 to 2021 for each of the premises. The article provides, first and foremost, an original systematisation of the behaviour, relationships, and observed forms between the circuits and desertification, and secondly, it demonstrates the differential behaviour of these relationships and forms through case studies, indicating that retail desertification is the main cause of economic and landscape change. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Study of Urban Geography and City Planning)

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23 pages, 1880 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Complicating ‘Suburbanization’ and Spatial Assimilation: The Complex Residential Patterns of Southeast Asian Americans in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Area from 1990 to 2010

by Yang Sao Xiong and Mark E. Pfeifer

Urban Sci. 2023, 7(4), 110; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci7040110 - 19 Oct 2023

Viewed by 2277

Abstract

Although spatial assimilation has often been defined as the process whereby a group attains residential propinquity with majority members of a host society, we argue that for certain immigrant groups, substantial suburbanization does not necessarily lead to racial integration. Our analysis using data [...] Read more.

Although spatial assimilation has often been defined as the process whereby a group attains residential propinquity with majority members of a host society, we argue that for certain immigrant groups, substantial suburbanization does not necessarily lead to racial integration. Our analysis using data from the U.S. Census Bureau reveals that between 1990 and 2010, Southeast Asian former refugees in the Minneapolis-St. Paul Metropolitan Statistical Area experienced substantial suburbanization, which is expected given their improved socioeconomic status. However, Southeast Asians’ suburbanization has not led to residential propinquity with non-Hispanic Whites. Despite a small decline in Southeast Asians’ overall segregation at the metropolitan area level during the previous two decades, their segregation levels, as measured by the dissimilarity index, remained unchanged or increased in the central city and the suburbs. Furthermore, our findings reveal different ethnic concentration and segregation patterns among four Southeast Asian subgroups, complicating the meaning of ‘suburbanization’ as simply a process in which people move from the inner city to its less urban outskirts. The finding that substantial suburbanization coexists with high levels of segregation and ethnic concentration raises questions about the assumptions of both the spatial assimilation and place stratification models of immigrant residential processes and outcomes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Study of Urban Geography and City Planning)

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21 pages, 4829 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Economic Analysis of Manufacturing Firms Located in the Vicinity of Cape Town International Airport

by Masilonyane Mokhele and Fradreck Garatsa

Urban Sci. 2023, 7(2), 35; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci7020035 - 29 Mar 2023

Viewed by 2314

Abstract

Manufacturing activities are at the heart of contemporary capitalist economies, with observable geographical patterns of production. Debates about the interconnections between transportation technology advancements and land use acknowledge that airports can influence the spatial distribution of firms, including those involved in manufacturing. However, [...] Read more.

Manufacturing activities are at the heart of contemporary capitalist economies, with observable geographical patterns of production. Debates about the interconnections between transportation technology advancements and land use acknowledge that airports can influence the spatial distribution of firms, including those involved in manufacturing. However, the manufacturing-related literature describes the land-use mix of airports and their surroundings without an in-depth spatial economic analysis of the firms positioned near airports. This study aimed to conduct a spatial economic analysis of manufacturing firms positioned in the environs of Cape Town International Airport, South Africa. Primary data were collected through survey interviews conducted with the representatives of 23 manufacturing firms situated in the environs of the airport. The study discovered the potential existence of a spatial cluster of manufacturing firms. This cluster is characterized by dense inter- and intraindustry linkages within the study area. It is recommended that planning authorities and other stakeholders augment the clustering of manufacturing firms in the vicinity of Cape Town International Airport, which comprises firms with direct and indirect linkages with the airport. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Study of Urban Geography and City Planning)

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16 pages, 4380 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A New Top-Down Governance Approach to Community Gardens: A Case Study of the “We Garden” Community Experiment in Shenzhen, China

by Xunyu Zhang, Dongxu Pan, Kapo Wong and Yuanzhi Zhang

Urban Sci. 2022, 6(2), 41; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci6020041 - 11 Jun 2022

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4477

Abstract

Over the past few decades, development in China (including Shenzhen) has been led by the State, meaning that the government has been responsible for major decisions in urban construction and management. However, the current enormous contradiction between people’s demand for livability and Shenzhen’s [...] Read more.

Over the past few decades, development in China (including Shenzhen) has been led by the State, meaning that the government has been responsible for major decisions in urban construction and management. However, the current enormous contradiction between people’s demand for livability and Shenzhen’s unequal and inadequate urban development means that leaving all the administrative work to the government alone has become unsustainable. Since 2020, Shenzhen has introduced a new urban management approach called “We Garden”, in which the government supports public participation aimed to transform idle public lands into green spaces in the form of community gardens. Because this ongoing but novel community garden experiment is a recent development in China, literature investigating the phenomenon context, especially the associated motivations and governance structure, remains scarce. This paper aims to clarify the governance structure and operation mechanism of the Shenzhen community garden program through all stages: from planning and design through construction or implementation to management. Fieldwork with active participation, direct observation, and semi-structured, qualitative interviews as participant in a nonprofit organization revealed that the Shenzhen experiment was driven by urban environmental public governance rather than individual needs. The community garden development approach is a new top-down governance structure that expands on existing governance types in the literature, while emphasizing the key role that nonprofit organizations play in the process. Therefore, this new governance approach expands beyond the environmental improvement of urban communities, serving as a new mechanism for sustainable public participation in urban environmental protection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Study of Urban Geography and City Planning)

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13 pages, 1891 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Recognition and Evaluating the Indicators of Urban Resilient by Using the Network Analysis Process

by Asghar Abedini, Farshid Aram, Amin Khalili and Elham Mirzaei

Urban Sci. 2022, 6(2), 31; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci6020031 - 24 Apr 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 3172

Abstract

Today’s cities are increasing their space zones while becoming more vulnerable to natural disasters and man-made threats. The initial evaluation of the resilience of city systems is of great importance and helps develop policies and measures that would improve resilience. This paper, using [...] Read more.

Today’s cities are increasing their space zones while becoming more vulnerable to natural disasters and man-made threats. The initial evaluation of the resilience of city systems is of great importance and helps develop policies and measures that would improve resilience. This paper, using a descriptive–analytic method, defines the characteristics of a resilient city, and natural disasters are addressed. At the same time, the process of reaching a resilient city is investigated. Then, the indicators of resilience have been defined in pillars of ecologic, physiological, social, economic, and managerial–institutional dimensions for the evaluation of a resilient city in Iran. As the sample of the study, the indicators of the study were evaluated in the city of Sanandaj and prioritized in the network analysis process (ANP). The results of this analysis showed that zones one and two, respectively, were the weakest parts regarding urban resilience. In order to move toward a resilient city, future investments should go beyond financial investment and technical solutions and consider human and community development, as well as institutional capacity and inter-organizational cooperation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Study of Urban Geography and City Planning)

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13 pages, 257 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Relationships between Density and per Capita Municipal Spending in the United States

by Jeremy Mattson

Urban Sci. 2021, 5(3), 69; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci5030069 - 15 Sep 2021

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 5904

Abstract

The objective of this research is to determine the relationship between land use, particularly density, and per capita spending levels in cities across the United States. A model was developed using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of State and Local [...] Read more.

The objective of this research is to determine the relationship between land use, particularly density, and per capita spending levels in cities across the United States. A model was developed using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances to estimate the impacts of population-weighted density and other factors on per capita municipal spending. This study focused on municipal spending for eight categories that theoretically could be influenced by land use development: fire protection, streets and highways, libraries, parks and recreation, police, sewer, solid waste management, and water. Density was found to be negatively associated with per capita municipal expenditures for the following cost categories: operational costs for fire protection, streets and highways, parks and recreation, sewer, solid waste management, and water; construction costs for streets and highways, parks and recreation, sewer, and water; and land and existing facility costs for police, sewer, and water. Results were insignificant for other cost categories, and a positive relationship was found for police operations costs. In general, results support the conclusion that increased density is associated with reduced per capita municipal spending for several cost categories. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Study of Urban Geography and City Planning)

Review

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23 pages, 346 KiB

Open AccessReview

Place Attachment and Related Aspects in the Urban Setting

by Asal Kamani Fard and Mohammad Paydar

Urban Sci. 2024, 8(3), 135; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci8030135 - 9 Sep 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2337

Abstract

This study reviewed previous studies on place attachment and related factors in the urban setting. Assessments were conducted on over one hundred peer-reviewed journal papers that met the selection criteria. The results were divided into six categories. Place attachment can improve each of [...] Read more.

This study reviewed previous studies on place attachment and related factors in the urban setting. Assessments were conducted on over one hundred peer-reviewed journal papers that met the selection criteria. The results were divided into six categories. Place attachment can improve each of the three dimensions of wellbeing. It can also mitigate the negative impacts of environmental stressors on wellbeing. Furthermore, traditional gardens and local landscape characteristics contribute to a stronger place attachment, depending on the degree to which they present local history and culture. Green landscapes can also help immigrants feel more connected to their community and place of origin. Social interaction has also been linked to the development of place attachment, which is stronger in low-income/deprived neighborhoods. Furthermore, higher place attachment promotes civic engagement and social trust. Place attachment also helps older people cope with aging difficulties in their living environments. Finally, there is a mutually beneficial association between place attachment and perceived neighborhood walkability, as well as a relationship between the scale of the place and the level of attachment. The various research gaps recognized by this study could be addressed in future studies to better understand the role of place attachment in creating sustainable urban environments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Study of Urban Geography and City Planning)

16 pages, 1409 KiB

Open AccessReview

Planning Tools to Revitalise Urban Vacant Land from Ecological Perspectives: A Systematic Review

by Izyan Ayuni Mohamad Selamat, Sreetheran Maruthaveeran, Mohd Johari Mohd Yusof and Mohd Fairuz Shahidan

Urban Sci. 2023, 7(2), 58; https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci7020058 - 1 Jun 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2769

Abstract

Urban vacant land availability offers revitalisation opportunities in the form of improving ecological functions. However, less is known about the available planning tools with which to mobilise this effort. Hence, this systematic review adopts ecological perspectives to explore planning tools to revitalise urban [...] Read more.

Urban vacant land availability offers revitalisation opportunities in the form of improving ecological functions. However, less is known about the available planning tools with which to mobilise this effort. Hence, this systematic review adopts ecological perspectives to explore planning tools to revitalise urban vacant land. The search strategy employs Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines to track original research on vacant urban land from selected electronic databases. The search revealed thirty-six studies focusing on substance-oriented planning tools (indicator systems, Geographic Information System (GIS), models/simulations, field surveys, and experiments) and process-oriented tools (questionnaire surveys, the Delphi method, focus groups, and interviews). This review suggests that future studies adopt hybrid planning tools that combine the essence of substance- and process-oriented tools. Furthermore, as a framework, it recommends taking a stepwise approach at various planning stages to revive vacant land. Additional studies from the perspective of growing cities are necessary to provide insights into urban vacant land revitalisation planning, considering the competing objectives of economic prosperity and green space preservation. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Study of Urban Geography and City Planning)

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