Conceptualizing the pedestrian mall in post-war North America and understanding its transatlantic transfer through the work and influence of Victor Gruen

Pedestrianization was an established concept among modernist architects and planners long before the first post-war pedestrian malls were built in North American downtowns. Post-war pedestrian-oriented suburban shopping malls, such as Northland near Detroit, MI and Northgate in Seattle, WA, linked retail success to the pedestrian shopping experience. This propelled the existing but then-untested assumption that planning downtowns to mimic suburban shopping centres by pedestrianizing main streets would revitalize downtown retail districts. Despite the modern origins of the pedestrianization concept, the rhetorical cues of post-war architects and planners in North America mask its modern roots and employ nostalgic imagery of pre-industrial European urbanism, implying European origin of the concept. Although imagery of European charm became a means of packaging modernist ideas of pedestrianization, the design proposals rarely referenced or replicated actual European precedents. Furthermore, while much research implies a linear transfer of pedestrianization ideas from Europe to North America, professionals in Europe also looked to North American shopping malls and pedestrian streets for guidance in addressing their own challenges with accommodating automobiles in downtowns.     

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.     

From mise en valeur to cooperation – Ponts-et-Chaussées engineers overseas and the rise of planning expertise in the twentieth century

By shedding light on the overseas branch of the Corps des Ponts-et-Chaussées (CPC), this article analyses the scientific and technical contribution of this sub-group of engineers in the post-Second World War era. After introducing the historical background of the early involvement of the CPC in the French colonies, this paper concentrates on the late colonial period. Details of the strong interconnectedness of metropolitan and overseas technical expertise are provided. It is shown that civil engineering practised overseas not only enhanced many technical fields within the traditional preserve of the Corps but also facilitated the rapid expansion of the Corps out of this very preserve. Engineers were prompt in including urban expertise and town planning, rural hydraulic and hydrogeology within their current field of activities. Consequences were highly significant not only for overseas urban and rural milieu, but also for metropolitan territories undergoing post-war redevelopment. The last section of this article shows how the techno-scientific practice acquired overseas was instrumental in the post-colonial years to foster the redeployment of the CPC as a whole in the different fields of civil engineering on an international scale.     

Comprehensive planning in Japanese large cities

Comprehensive planning has been a key activity of local governments in Japan. This paper discusses the history of the comprehensive planning concept and argues that the purpose of comprehensive planning in large Japanese cities (dai-toshi) differs from that in Western cities. Specifically, Japanese comprehensive plans reflect Japan’s distinctive planning and political culture, such as the country’s history of granting gradually increased local autonomy to its cities under the Local Government Act, and the implementation of top-down plans prepared and implemented by powerful mayors and bureaucracies. Since year 2000 comprehensive plans for Japanese large cities have begun to change due to lower rates of economic growth, population stability, and ageing, alongside the challenges of introducing more efficiency and effectiveness into the planning process.     

从珠江三角洲到粤港澳大湾区演变看规划响应

采用实证研究方法,以规划响应的演变印证规划的本质。前半部分对珠江三角洲乃至粤港澳大湾区的历版规划进行高度概括梳理凝练,解读了规划演变历史背景,揭示规划响应是一个由局部到整体、层级由低到高的演变过程,既是国家意志体现,亦是经济规律使然,此观点具首创性。后半部分主要阐述《粤港澳大湾区发展规划纲要》的出台及粤港澳三地聚焦科技创新走廊的规划响应,通过描述粤港澳三地在空间上和政策上各自作出的规划响应,以地区的特殊性再次重申“体现国家意志,顺应社会经济发展规律”的规划本质。     

英国乡村规划空间尺度的经验与启示

英国拥有完善的城乡规划体系,关于乡村规划空间尺度的研究成果与实践经验非常丰富。文章从英国乡村问题与规划尺度之关系出发,系统梳理了英国乡村规划发展演变的几个阶段和几种类型,总结了英国乡村规划空间尺度的特征,一是乡村问题有多个层次,二是乡村问题的空间尺度决定了规划尺度,三是英国乡村规划已经形成体系。通过分析中英乡村问题的共同特征,得出英国经验对我国乡村规划的参考和启示,建议扩大乡村规划的对象,扩大乡村规划作为区域规划的特征,深入分解乡村问题、制定规划目标,以及依据乡村问题尺度选择合适的规划尺度,以解决目前我国乡村规划的困境。     

从新农村建设到乡村振兴的广东省实践探索

乡村的规划建设在我国具有重要的政治、经济、社会、文化、生态意义,是全面建成小康社会、美丽中国的关键一环。通过对乡村政策的梳理,整体分析了国家从“社会主义新农村建设”到“乡村振兴”政策演进的脉络和要求,从广东省的层面剖析了乡村规划建设政策推进的全过程,重点分析了从乡村规划编制到乡村振兴实施路径的实践探索。提出,广东省的乡村建设实践在村庄规划编制、乡村特色挖掘与塑造,以及共建共享共治机制等方面都有重要经验,形成了一系列可推广的新农村“组合抱团”规划建设、规划设计建设运营一体化建设、以“道”兴村的模式。同时指出,未来乡村振兴应该结合文化、产业进行更多的思考和总结,实现真正的城乡融合和美丽乡村。     

考古遗址公园研究进展与趋势

有关考古遗址公园的研究理论和实践日趋成熟。利用文献统计方法,对中国考古遗址公园相关文献进行梳理,分析其发展脉络与动态,并通过热点主题词分析及相关文献综述,重点从理论发展、保护展示、规划、管理运营及使用评价5个方面阐述其研究趋势:理论发展表明考古遗址公园的名实问题关系到其准确定位及可持续发展;保护与展示应加强新技术、新理念的研究应用;规划应针对环境区位特点提出相应策略;管理要适应遗址旅游发展的需要;使用评价应建构系统的评价体系。最后提出研究展望。     

中等城市地下空间规划编制方法初探

伴随城市的快速发展及土地的集约利用,我国城市地下空间资源开发进入综合发展时期。然而,目前规划编制体系还不尽成熟,未形成不同等级规模城市的地下空间规划编制方法。中等城市的发展存在广阔的空间和可塑性,其地下空间规划的编制对我国未来城市化发展具有重要战略意义。本文结合新沂市中心城区地下空间的规划实践,探索适用于中等城市的地下空间编制方法,引导规划管理。①总规层面:对接上位规划,定性与定量分析相结合,挖掘城市特色,创造地下空间公共价值,合理进行分区引导,实现“刚弹结合”; ②控规层面:衔接规划管理,形成“文字+管控导则”的管控体系。     

Robots in machining

Robotic machining centers offer diverse advantages: large operation reach with large reorientation capability, and a low cost, to name a few. Many challenges have slowed down the adoption or sometimes inhibited the use of robots for machining tasks. This paper deals with the current usage and status of robots in machining, as well as the necessary modelling and identification for enabling optimization, process planning and process control. Recent research addressing deburring, milling, incremental forming, polishing or thin wall machining is presented. We discuss various processes in which robots need to deal with significant process forces while fulfilling their machining task.