Resilient urban drainage – Options of an optimized area-management

There is a need for an integrated approach for all involved stakeholders to adapt urban infrastructures to climate change effects and to take into account uncertainties of future developments. By integrating all relevant planning disciplines, a first step towards implementation of resilient technical and social infrastructures can be achieved. With the major goal of optimizing area-management as part of water sensitive urban design, the water sector and its area requirements build the main focus of this study. After identifying local flood hazards and potential surficial retention areas, the additional usage of decentralized stormwater management facilities for flood protection is tested in selected sectors. The results of the study confirm that the combined usage of decentralized facilities for pluvial flooding is a first step to protect urban infrastructure. It shows that decentralized facilities are more flexible than centralized facilities and, thus, have a higher adaptation capacity which is needed considering the various effects of climate change.     

Transnational urban policies: ‘relocating’ Spanish and Brazilian models of urban planning in Buenos Aires

This article examines the transnationalization of urban policies by analysing the adoption of two ‘foreign’ models of participatory urban planning in the city of Buenos Aires. Both schemes are modelled on internationally acclaimed experiments: Barcelona's Strategic Plan and Porto Alegre's Participatory Budget. In Buenos Aires, however, these policy transfers have failed to produce the remarkable results for which their Spanish and Brazilian exemplars have been internationally praised. Traditional accounts of policy transfers ponder on the institutional compatibility between imported schemes and host environments. The author argues that these works tend to overlook the significance of the stochastic conditions presiding over the adoption of particular policy models in different cities. She proposes to deviate from traditional approaches by seeking an explanation for the poor results of the schemes in Buenos Aires in (a) the contextual conditions framing their adoption in the Argentine capital, and (b) the circumstances surrounding their emergence in Barcelona and Porto Alegre.     

Transnational urban spaces and urban environmental reforms: analyzing Beijing’s environmental restructuring in the light of globalization

In this era of globalization, ‘transnational spaces’ are being created within urban settings, providing a direct connection between the ‘local’ and the ‘global’. Corporate headquarters, hotels, shopping malls, and airports are typical examples of such spaces, which while located within an urban territory, are often conceived by foreign designers, developers, and manufacturers, as well as maintained by multinational companies and banks. Such local–global interconnection is giving urban management a new shape, as urban management practices are now frequently intertwining with global construction and property management approaches. This paper argues that, at the same time, a set of new mechanisms that may help to tackle problems related to the urban environment and infrastructure is unfolding. Starting with a conceptual discussion of the role of globalization in urban environmental restructuring, this paper subsequently explores the context of Beijing and the environmental management possibilities introduced in this city by global actors (through the examples of World Tower, IBM Tower, and ABN AMRO and ING head offices). Beijing, due to China’s recent economic opening process, provides an intriguing backcloth to demonstrate how transnational urban spaces—standing in-between the local and the global—may canalize environmental innovations from the ‘global’, putting globalization at work for a better urban environment.     

Exploring the urban system of von Thünen's isolated state

Although von Thünen is probably best known for his model of agricultural location, he also provided a tantalizingly brief account of an urban system. After outlining his system, it is shown that this can be broadened in several important directions. Such an elaboration of the von Thünen urban system is extended with the introduction of a hierarchy. The spatial structure of this extended system is then examined in terms of the locational arrangement of centres as well as their frequency, trade-area characteristics, spacing, and size (population). The paper concludes with a discussion of the historical context of von Thünen's work and its wider significance in urban and regional analysis.     

From Architecture to City——On architects'''' awareness of urban environment

This article puts forward four aspects for moving to-wards the city:Moving towards compositional frame—respect,ad-just,safeguard and create cities and group structures:moving to-wards the future—this requires“looking back”and“looking for-ward.”to form diversified and harmonious groups;moving to-wards the engineering svstem—becoming an organic componentpart of city road traffic,topographical readjustment,preventing andfighting natural disaster systematic projects;moving to the soft envi-ronment—satisfying the demands of urban economic and social de-velopment,history and culture,and customs and habits.     

Dutch urban renewal, transformation of the policy discourse 1960–2000

Since the sixties of the twentieth century, thepolicy of the Dutch government on urban renewalhas been subject to three approaches, each onedifferent from the others. Up until thebeginning of the seventies, the accent was onthe expansion of the function of the largercities as economic centers. The expansion ofthe inner city for that purpose proceeded atthe expense of the residential function of thebuilt-up area. Later, the main goal was justthe opposite; attention was turned to thequantitative and qualitative reinforcement ofthe urban residential function of the citycenter and its surrounding urban residentialneighborhoods. Under that approach, the accentwas placed on improving the housing conditionsof the `sitting' residents. Accordingly, theconstruction program consisted for the mostpart of social housing that was extrainexpensive. In the course of the nineties,this so-called classic urban renewal approachwas displaced by urban revitalization. The newapproach placed the accent on strengthening thecompetitive position of cities as locations forpromising economic sectors and households withhigher incomes. This article attempts to characterize these`shifts' in policy on the grounds of a methodderived from discourse theory, which is brieflyexplained in the second section. The thirdsection typifies the policy philosophy of eachof the approaches and attempts to characterizethe changes in the policy discourse in relationto the continually changing combinations ofsocietal events and situations that, from theperspective of the policy sector, were eithernot foreseen or difficult to influence.Looking at the way policy has developed over alonger period, it seems to be less of arational learning process than a`merry-go-round' of fixed themes, visions, andsolutions that jostle for priority and keepcoming back only to disappear again. Furthermore, the logical consistency of apolicy philosophy – for instance, betweennormative and causal assumptions and measures proves to be more the exception than therule.     

The birth of ‘land use planning’ in American urban planning

Although the concept of ‘land use planning’ is now firmly enmeshed in American urban planning, its meaning still remains vague. This paper aims to clarify the meaning by examining the historical development of land use planning in the USA. At the beginning of the twentieth century, city planners viewed a city as an organic unit of public facilities. While city planning thereafter provided potential elements of land use planning, such as zoning, zoning surveys and land use classification systems, the idea of land use planning itself was actually derived from rural county planning and was initially utilized in urban county planning as a guide for zoning in the 1930s. After bringing about a change in the way cities were viewed, that is, as a pattern of land use and population density, land use planning was further employed as a guide for urban redevelopment policies in the 1940s, and finally reaching full integration into city planning in the 1950s and 1960s.     

What may culture contribute to urban sustainability? Critical reflections on the uses of culture in urban development in Oslo and beyond

Culture and capital play vital roles in urban change. This paper provides a discussion of the relation between culture and capital, followed by a discussion of their relation in the urban context, including an empirical example from Oslo, Norway. Emphasis will be put on the role of culture in the creative city thesis and how culture relates to the concept of urban sustainability. A critique of neoliberal and instrumental uses of culture in the creative city thesis is also undertaken. Policies on culture-led urban regeneration often pay more attention to economic motives than to culture itself. The paper calls for establishing a reflective cultural policy that is not subsumed to economic sustainability, and for the need to escape the anthropological conception of culture as a whole way of life.     

Production and transport of urban wet weather pollution in combined sewer systems: the “Marais” experimental urban catchment in Paris

An experimental catchment area was set up in the centre of Paris (France) so as to follow up the quality of wet weather flows from the entry to the exit of a combined sewer network. The distinctive characteristic of this site is its location in a town centre and the extent of the equipment used to monitor the water pollution over the whole length of its course through the catchment area. The results obtained show a change in quality between the runoff entering the sewer network and the combined storm water flow at the sewer's outlet, which cannot be explained only by the mixture with domestic wastewater. In particular, an increase was observed in the concentrations of suspended solids (SS), VSS, COD, BOD and Cu, in the proportion of pollutants linked to particles and in the characteristics of the particles. A calculation of the total masses going in and out of the sewer network during a rainfall event shows that the erosion of in-sewer pollution stocks is the main source of particles and of organic matter in wet weather flows, whereas heavy metals loads originated from roof runoff, due to the corrosion of metallic roofs. Particles eroded from the sewer sediments during rain events were found to be quite different from the particles of type A deposits and organic biofilms. Nevertheless, they have mean organic and metallic loads that are of the same order of magnitude as the particles of the organic layer at water sediment interface. A change in the chemical form of heavy metals was noticed during the transport in the sewer and it is suspected that a fraction of the dissolved metals from the runoff is adsorbed on sewer sediments.     

Post-socialist context of culture-led urban regeneration – Case study of a street in Novi Sad,Serbia

In West European cities, culture has evolved to become a crucial ingredient of regeneration projects, in which stakeholders' cooperation is of utmost importance and economic and social benefits are often well balanced. In contrast, the majority of second-tier Central and East European cities, primarily non-holders of the European Capital of Culture title, still seem to struggle with clearly defining the relationship between culture and urban regeneration, precisely determining the responsibilities of the key actors and making the distinction between social and economic goals in regeneration projects. In this paper, the authors join the emerging discussion on the post-socialist context of culture-led regeneration through a case study of a street in the old core of Novi Sad, Serbia. In an effort to contribute to understanding various challenges that Serbian cities have been facing since the fall of communism, they seek to identify cultural effects of a very distinctive process of transition. They also investigate the interplay between the citizens' cultural preferences, visions of urbanity, private sector's interests and usage of urban space, and discuss the impacts of spontaneous utilization versus exploitation of space and culture. Furthermore, they analyse the outcomes of culture-led transformation conducted in the absence of cultural strategies and in-depth regeneration policies and marked by the laisser-faire attitude of the local authorities. Having completed the analysis, the authors propose the means for redefining the relationship between culture and regeneration in second-tier Serbian cities, yet also in other CEE cities of similar size, emphasizing the role of culture, responsibilities of the local authorities, significance of bottom-up approaches and relevance of place context.     

Priority pollutants in urban stormwater: Part 2 – Case of combined sewers

This study has evaluated the quality of combined sewer overflows (CSOs) in an urban watershed, such as Paris, by providing accurate data on the occurrence of priority pollutants (PPs) and additional substances, as well as on the significance of their concentrations in comparison with wastewater and stormwater. Of the 88 substances monitored, 49 PPs were detected, with most of these also being frequently encountered in wastewater and stormwater, thus confirming their ubiquity in urban settings. For the majority of organic substances, concentrations range between 0.01 and 1 μg l^?1, while metals tend to display concentrations above 10 μg l^?1. Despite this ubiquity, CSO, wastewater and stormwater feature a number of differences in both their concentration ranges and pollutant patterns. For most hydrophobic organic pollutants and some particulate-bound metals, CSOs exhibit higher concentrations than those found in stormwater and wastewater, due to the contribution of in-sewer deposit erosion. For pesticides and Zn, CSOs have shown concentrations close to those of stormwater, suggesting runoff as the major contributor, while wastewater appears to be the main source of volatile organic compounds. Surprisingly, similar concentration ranges have been found for DEHP and tributyltin compounds in CSOs, wastewater and stormwater. The last section of this article identifies substances for which CSO discharges might constitute a major risk of exceeding Environmental Quality Standards in receiving waters and moreover indicates a significant risk for PAHs, tributyltin compounds and chloroalkanes. The data generated during this survey can subsequently be used to identify PPs of potential significance that merit further investigation.     

Spatial impact of urban expansion on surface water bodies—A case study of Wuhan,China

This study aims to raise the level of attention paid to surface water management issues in spatial planning and urban development processes. In the case of cities located in alluvial river plains, surface water bodies may occupy large areas but severe ecological and environmental consequences can arise if they are given insufficient weight in the planning and development processes. After discussing in general terms some of the connections between surface water bodies and urban land use we specifically examine the situation in Wuhan, one of the largest cities in China, which has many surface water bodies in its urban region. We measure and analyse land use changes between 1993 and 2004 to lakes and shallow water bodies and their riparian areas using data derived from detailed land use surveys of the city. Our results show that urban expansion has had a significant impact on Wuhan's surface water bodies and their riparian zones. The reduction, disappearance and pollution of surface water may contribute to the undervaluation of water bodies, thereby increasing the likelihood of further impacts taking place. An integrative and proactive land use planning and management system at regional strategic level and local action level is considered to be essential if surface water systems are to be conserved and improved. Increased recognition of their societal and ecological value should be reflected in more detailed attention to the spatial requirements of water bodies and riparian areas in urban planning policies.     

New landscapes of conflict: land-use competition at the urban–rural fringe

Land-use conflict research generally focuses on conflicts where pre-existing opponents respond to the introduction of a new unwanted land-use. We select a 2008 land-use conflict to explore an understudied scenario: urban–rural fringe (URF) expansion can introduce new opposing stakeholders into areas with pre-existing unwanted land-uses. We use spatial analysis methods to measure the rate and direction of URF expansion in relation to a vacated cement facility that had been approved for revitalisation in 2008, motivating a land-use conflict between competing stakeholders. Findings indicate that the cement facility and surrounding land-uses had been continuously used for similar noxious activities since 1964, but URF expansion changed the area’s surrounding landscape from rural-majority to urban-majority prior to the 2008 land-use conflict. The association between URF expansion and space-related drivers of land-use conflict is a necessary consideration when studying increasingly urbanised landscapes.     

Building urban resilience with nature-based solutions: How can urban planning contribute?

Cities face increasing environmental, social and economic challenges that together threaten the resilience of urban areas and the residents who live and work there. These challenges include chronic stresses and acute shocks, amplified by climate change impacts. Nature-based solutions have emerged as a concept for integrating ecosystem-based approaches to address a range of societal challenges. Nature-based solutions directly address and contribute to increased urban resilience. However, implementing nature-based solutions is inherently complex, given the range of ecosystem services, their multi-functionality and the trade-offs between functions, and across temporal and spatial scales. Urban planning can play a substantial role to support the implementation of nature-based solutions and to manage trade-offs and conflicts, as well as how social equity dimensions are considered. This paper presents a framework that guides the application of urban planning to nature-based solutions’ implementation, by addressing key trade-offs across temporal, spatial, functional and social equity aspects. The framework highlights the key questions, and the supporting information required to address these questions, to underpin the inclusion of nature-based solutions for urban resilience. We find that while urban planning can contribute substantially, there are continuing gaps in how the inherently anthropocentric urban planning processes can give voice to non-human nature.     

The politicisation of suburbanisation in Belgium: towards an urban–suburban divide

The electoral and political consequences of suburbanisation recently regained interest in the Anglo-Saxon literature, pointing to a growing polarisation between city and suburban fringe. This paper analyses these processes in the Antwerp urban region and shows the development of a similar electoral divide that is supported by the political parties involved. These observations add to the existing evidence that city–suburban polarisation in Belgium cannot be simply equated with the Anglo-Saxon experience, where a complete suburban fencing off from the city is observable. Rather, because of the comparatively limited development of functions in the Belgian suburbs, a suburban discourse emerges that focuses on safe and accessible cities for the suburban user, yet without much reference to its present inhabitants.     

Effect of electricity price reform on households’ electricity consumption in urban Ethiopia

Until recently, the price of electricity in Ethiopia was among the lowest in the world. Such low prices have contributed to a substantial financial deficit for the government-owned electric utility and led to a degradation in the quality of electricity services delivered to customers. In December 2018, the utility increased the electricity tariff to help to finance improvements in the quality of electricity services. This paper studies the effect of the revised tariff on urban household electricity consumption and alternative fuel expenditure. The study relied on two rounds of household survey data and six years of electricity consumption data from the utility company. The study finds that prepaid customers reduced their electricity consumption by about 22 kWh per month in the post-tariff-adjustment periods, equivalent to about 10% of electricity expenditure and 14% of daily consumption. In the overall sample, however, consumption slightly increased over time. These results imply that the price elasticity of demand for electricity in urban Ethiopia is highly inelastic. Moreover, households did not shift substantially toward the use of alternative fuels. The findings indicate that governments and utilities in settings where electricity is priced well below cost-covering levels may be able to increase revenues and improve their balance sheets with relatively modest effects on households’ electricity consumption, though effects from more substantial tariff hikes should be examined.     

Priority pollutants in urban stormwater: Part 1 – Case of separate storm sewers

Organic and mineral pollutants have become part of today's urban environment. During a rain event, stormwater quality as well as the corresponding contaminant loads is affected by both atmospheric deposition and the various types of impervious surfaces (roads, rooftops, parking lots etc.) on which runoff occurs. This study provides results on stormwater pollution in Paris and its suburbs from three separate storm sewers (n = 20 samples). These results show that the stormwater had been contaminated by 55 chemical substances out of the 88 investigated. A particular attention was given to stormwater particle contamination. Concentrations are provided for: metals, PAHs, PCBs, organotins, alkylphenols, phthalates, pesticides, and VOCs. Our findings are among the first available in the literature since the relevant analyses were all conducted on both the particulate (P) and dissolved (D) phases. For most substances, particles from the three storm sewers were more heavily contaminated than dredged sediments and settleable particles from the Seine River. As a consequence of this finding, the release of untreated stormwater discharges may impact the receiving waters and contribute to sediment contamination.     

The city of corpses? Contested urban identity and the stigma of crime in Adelaide,South Australia

Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia, has long been referred to as the City of Churches. This moniker denotes Adelaide to be a city of pious refinement and conservatism. Indeed, Adelaide’s landscape is replete with numerous and very beautiful churches. However, urban identities are more complex than simple landscape reflections and are constructed, contested and re-contested by actors both internal and external to a given place. Indicative of this is the alternate moniker for Adelaide as the City of Corpses. The origins of this alternate place identity lie in a series of violent crimes, serial killings and unexplained disappearances over a span of some 40 years. These crimes are said to have shocked Australia and, combined, have come to be construed as ‘signals’ that beneath Adelaide’s genteel surface something sinister lurks.     

‘Clubification’ of urban public spaces? The withdrawal or the re-definition of the role of local government in the management of public spaces

This paper reports on a case study on the forms of urban public spaces governance that are emerging in the UK out of a rearrangement of governance responsibilities between local government, communities and private interests. Based on cases of public spaces in London under a variety of different governance arrangements, the paper critiques the dominant explanations of those processes, and suggests a far more complex picture in which empowerment and disempowerment of stakeholders of various types happen at the same time, along complex lines defined by geography, strength of stake and representation of that stake in a formalized governance transfer contract. As the paper suggests, the resulting ‘localization’ of governance, the devolution of governance responsibilities to those local actors with the stronger stake in them, does not intrinsically reduce the publicness dimension of public space, but it reshapes that notion towards one with a variety of ‘publicnesses’, with their own governance dynamics and positive and negative consequences.