In search of a stable urban regime for Montreal: issues and challenges in metropolitan development

As with many major North American urban areas since the 1960s, Montreal has faced contextual changes that have brought to the fore the question of its development. However, because of its history and the uncertainties linked with Quebec's constitutional future, attempts to stimulate its development have required certain compromises, often with unexpected results. In order to evaluate the performance of coalitions formed with the objective of meeting the challenges associated with urban and metropolitan development, we have drawn upon the concept of urban regimes. Focusing specifically on Montreal, we ask whether it is possible to transpose urban regime analyses that consider both structural and cultural factors specific to local organized forces. Revealing though they might be, these analyses nevertheless possess certain limitations, notably the underestimation of the weight and increasing importance of players and forces occurring on a metropolitan scale. This is particularly true in the case of Montreal.     

Rescaling metropolitan governance: examining discourses and conflicts in two Swiss metropolitan areas

Due to their nodal position in economic and social development, metropolitan areas give impetus to globalization. In turn, they are themselves transformed by this process. However, the question of how metropolitan areas transform by participating in the process of globalization is subject to debate. Based on case studies of two Swiss metropolitan areas (Berne and Zurich) and two policy domains (public transport and urban foreign policy), we argue that the rescaling process in metropolitan areas depends on the global competitiveness pressure the cities face and on the meaning that political actors give to these global pressures.     

我国目前城市地下空间开发中的问题及对策

简单介绍了我国城市地下空间发展历程,针对当前城市地下基础开发中存在的忽视地下基础设施建设、防灾设施重视不够、公共建筑地下室缺乏统一规划三类问题进行了探讨,并提出了相应的对策及措施,对促进城市地下空间开发利用具有指导意义。     

Scaling-down and scaling-up processes of territorial governance: cities and regions facing institutional reform and planning challenges

The process of territorial governance rescaling now ongoing in European countries concerns not only the devolution of competencies from central states to regional politico-administrative levels (towards federalism) but also a new role of institutions, agencies and companies operating in well-defined sectors. A complex – downward and upward – transfer of competencies, powers and resources is taking place. In particular, cities belong to specific territories, but are increasingly involved in large-scale processes as far as services and infrastructure construction and management are concerned, as well as economic and cooperation initiatives. This often requires the creation of regional or upper-scale agencies and companies.

The article focuses – within an analytical framework concerning the dynamics of regions and cities in the European space – on three cities in Northern Italy (Bolzano-Bozen, Trento and Verona) undergoing contradictory trends towards federalism, on the one hand, and policy integration at variable scales on specific issues – in a multi-level governance perspective – on the other hand. Finally, the role of strategic, spatial and urban planning processes and tools are analysed, drawing some conclusions of general interest.     

Varieties of city regionalism and the quest for political cooperation: a comparative perspective

Urban theorists forecast greater political cooperation within city regions in response to globalization, yet signs of this remain relatively scant in Western Europe and North America. This article helps to explain the gap between theory and reality, as well as suggesting another way of looking at the comparative politics of city regions. The central argument: theorists are correct about the renewed importance of regional politics, but wrong about the importance of intergovernmental political cooperation. Local governments have other ways of pulling together for compelling metropolitan-wide objectives. This is done through processes of political coordination???institutionalized systems of mutual adjustment. Pluralist, associational and macropolitical varieties of political coordination among cities and suburbs empower them to act regionally without much governmental innovation. Each process has specific political limitations, however. They also influence the prospects for political cooperation among governments. Cases in New York, north-central Italy and Holland illustrate this perspective.     

以规划手段促进中国城市雕塑可持续发展的关键问题探讨

当前中国多座城市编制的城市雕塑规划在提升城市雕塑建设质量,改善城市环境方面发挥着重要的功能,但从长远看存在一系列需要高度关注的问题。本文基于城市规划与城市雕塑的跨学科视角,以提升空间品质和生活质量为导向,运用定性分析法,全面归纳今后一段时间城市雕塑规划应当重点考虑城乡统筹、区域统筹、代际公平等可持续发展的关键问题,以期更好地利用城市雕塑规划实现提升中国城市雕塑建设水平,达到营造健康城市的最终目的。     

全球化理论的实证研究：上海城市土地开发空间布局的特征

“大都市全球化理论”在其全球化进程中大城市土地利用的变化研究中,提出了发达工业化国家和新兴工业国家大城市各自不同,又存在相互之间的内在联系的城市空间发展形态模式。这一论断的科学性如何,本文以实证研究的方法对其进行了检验。     

Land readjustment and metropolitan growth: an examination of suburban land development and urban sprawl in the Tokyo metropolitan area

Land Readjustment (LR) is a land development technique used in many countries around the world including Germany, Sweden, Japan, Taiwan and Korea. In essence it is a method whereby an irregular pattern of agricultural land holdings is re-arranged into regular building plots and equipped with basic urban infrastructure such as roads and drains. A percentage of each landowner’s holding is contributed to provide land for roads and parks, and for some plots to sell to pay the costs of the project. Its use has been particularly widespread in Japan where it is responsible for some 30% of the existing urban area, and is commonly referred to as ‘The Mother of City Planning’ (Toshi Keikaku no Haha). LR has for 20 years also been the focus of an international effort to introduce the technique to the developing countries of South East Asia. Although there is now a large literature on Japanese LR as a result of that project, however, virtually all of that literature focusses on practical aspects of how to implement projects, and on case studies of individual projects. Little attention has been paid to the role of LR in Japanese urban growth and urban planning at a city or regional scale, although such an examination is necessary to understanding LR in Japan, and Japanese urbanisation and urban planning more generally. The present research examines the role of LR in shaping patterns of urban development in the rapidly growing northern suburbs of Tokyo in Saitama prefecture. In particular, the claim commonly made by Japanese writers that LR prevents urban sprawl is examined. Sprawl and its prevention have long been a preoccupation of both Western and Japanese urban planners for aesthetic and efficiency reasons. However, it has recently gained importance as the critical interconnections between urban form and urban travel patterns, and greenhouse gas emissions and global warming have become more widely recognised. The case studies examine the role of LR in land development and urban growth at the regional scale (Saitama prefecture) and at the local scale (Urawa, Omiya and Ageo cities). GIS mapping and analysis of the case study areas, and interviews with planners and participants are used to examine the role and impacts of LR projects in suburban land development in Japan. The research suggests that while there are various impacts of LR projects because they are so widely used, in a range of different contexts, it is fair to say that LR projects contribute to increased sprawl at the regional scale, while largely failing to prevent it at the local scale.     

当前我国城市发展的形势与判断

在分析我国宏观经济特征后 ,提出城市建设已经成为影响我国经济发展的关键性因素 ,作出了 :(1)加速城市化发展是我国目前经济发展阶段的需要和必然 ;(2 )目前城市加速发展的趋势是主流 ,对于泡沫经济需要尽快未雨绸缪两个基本判断。认为在我国的经济发展新阶段里 ,城市发展扮演着决定性的角色 ,必须尽快将城市化提升到我国的经济发展战略的核心位置。在目前的阶段 ,城市发展的任何减速 ,对于国家整体发展目标的实现都将是极为有害的     

European urban development: Sustainability and the role of housing

In the new Millennium, sustainable urbandevelopment is becoming a fashionable topic,almost as popular as globalization or citycompetition. European countries differ widelyfrom each other on whether they have a nationalpolicy for urban development or not, and if so,on the emphasis of such a policy. Pan Europeanorganizations are reluctant to establish aclear vision of a desirable European pathtoward urban development. This is even true forthe European Union: although the EU is runningextensive systems of support policies, it hasno clear expectation of how European citiesshould develop or what they should look like inthe future. (The European Spatial DevelopmentPerspective, ESDP, contains some statementsabout desirable urban development, but this isfar from being a binding document or havingsubstantial influence on the allocation ofmeans of support.)The criticism leveled at the EU for having nocommon policy for the future of its citiesshould be seen in perspective, as the lack ofideas/patterns for sustainable urbandevelopment is even more visible in theaccession countries and in Eastern Europe. Thedramatic changes in the cities of thepost-socialist countries even appear to bemoving in the opposite direction – away fromsustainability.Sustainability is a complex phenomenon, havingeconomic, environmental and social aspects. Anyconcept of sustainable urban development mustincorporate sectoral concepts; these must bewell integrated in the overarching urban,regional and governance policies.One sectoral policy of great importance tosustainable development is housing. Withoutsuitable suggestions for housing policies, noconcept of sustainable development can besuccessful (and vice versa). Yet, housing isone of the less frequently discussed aspects ofsustainability. This might be explained by theway housing research has developed; economicand social aspects have taken precedence overenvironmental effects and externalities. Ofcourse, the fact that housing is not part ofthe common policies of the EU also helpsexplain the present situation.This paper elaborates on the link betweenhousing and urban development. Using examplesof good and not so good practices, we considerwhy housing experts should investigate theenvironmental and spatial externalities ofhousing policies and why experts working onurban development policies should take theresults of such analyses into account. Suchcollaboration could raise the status ofsustainable urban policies supported bysuitable housing policies.The analysis presented here pertains to theWestern and Central parts of Europe, roughly tothe area of the soon-to-be-enlarged EuropeanUnion.The structure of the paper is as follows. Thefirst chapter discusses models and trends ofurban development. The second chapter gives anoverview of policies with the potential toinfluence urban development, followed by goodand not so good examples for such policiestaken from both Western and Eastern Europe. Thethird and fourth chapters concentrate on largehousing estates, where interventions wereneeded to ensure the sustainability ofdevelopment. Finally, chapter five offers someconcluding remarks.     

贫困的城市群带如何发展--黄河上游城镇密集区发展透视

黄河上游城市群带是指兰州、西宁两个省会城市及周围的城镇密集区 ,通过分析该城市群带的基本情况和特点 ,对发展中的问题进行透视 ,提出黄河上游城市群带的发展格局 ,探索在国家西部大开发的战略决策指引下 ,城市群带发展的目标、途径和动力机制     

Self-organization in urban development: towards a new perspective on spatial planning

To date, participatory spatial planning has produced disappointing results. We argue that one reason is that time and again participatory planning proposals remain controlled by public government, and that public government seems not to be very adaptive to initiatives that emerge from the dynamics of civil society itself. To find out why and how citizens could and would be motivated to contribute out of their own motivation to urban development, we propose turning the focus outside-in, instead of inside-out. In this article, we therefore introduce the notion of self-organization, referring to initiatives that originate in civil society itself, via autonomous community-based networks of citizens outside government control which participate in developing the ‘urban fabric’ too. We discuss some examples of self-organization and draw preliminary conclusions of the concept's usefulness for the theory and practice of spatial planning.     

广州城市健身游憩空间发展现状调查

通过实地调研、资料收集、文献研究等方法,对广州城市的健身游憩活动及健身游憩空间发展现状进行了分析,为今后广州城市健身游憩空间规划发展提供了现状调查基础。     

浅议西安市城中村居住形态的演变及发展

通过对西安市城中村居住形态现状的分析，从人口构成、空间形态、管理机制等方面进行剖析，进一步探寻其演变过程，分析了影响演变的因素，并提出改造措施及建议，从而推动城市的发展。     

Borrowing from the past to sustain the present and the future: indigenous African urban forms,architecture, and sustainable urban development in contemporary Africa

Urban spatial expansion resulting from urbanization in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is not going to stop or stabilize in the near future. Efforts should therefore be concentrated on accommodating this phenomenon through the promotion of sustainable urban planning and development. Relying on secondary data, this paper examines models of indigenous African urban forms and architecture to understand these forms and their characteristics, and how these models and associated management, design, and planning principles can be adopted in contemporary SSA urban development in the quest to achieve sustainable urban development. This paper argues that planning is culturally and contextually defined and the specificities of a place are critical in planning. Developing strategies based on indigenous urban forms which embody local peoples’ culture, aspirations, experiences, and values is consistent with the concept of sustainable urban development. The article concludes that there exist clear elements of socially, politically, economically, culturally, and environmentally sound and responsive sustainable planning principles to be derived from indigenous urban forms and architecture which can inform current urban development process in SSA.     

关于北京关厢地区复兴发展问题的相关探讨

以北京市安定门与德胜门两处关厢地区为例,分析了北京关厢地区现存优劣势、发展机遇与挑战,并从功能定位、交通组织、城市风貌、商业复兴等方面提出了发展设想,为解决关厢地区复兴发展问题提供了思路。     

城市公园在现代城市发展中存在的问题及更新

以重庆市沙坪坝公园为例,通过调研、分析,认为公园建筑与景观的关系、景点的设置、空间的布局、功能分区等存在着不合理、不规范、设计简单粗暴等问题,若对这些问题加以正视和整改,公园的整体面貌将会大大改善,成为附近居民休闲健身的良好场所。     

关于吕梁市城市公园现状及可持续发展对策

以吕梁城市公园为研究对象,对该市几大重要公园的现状、景观性、功能性进行了分析并提出了合理的建议,最后对吕梁市公园的可持续发展提出了对策,以期使吕梁市公园发展成为吕梁地区一流的生态公园。     

转型期城市空间再开发中非均衡博弈的透视——政治经济学的视角

将制度的转轨与市场社会的形成过程以及与此相伴随的空间的重构.概括为中国当代政治、经济与空间的转型过程.在转型背景下,指出空间再开发已经成为城市空间政治博弈的焦点,并采用"政府、经济精英、市民与城市规划"的政治经济分析框架,解释了中国转型过程中政治博弈权力分配不均衡的现状,这种状况导致了再开发过程中利益分配的不均等.最后针对权力分配与政治博弈的不均衡,提出了基本的治理对策.     

城市级景观项目开发建设管理要点初探

以嘉定新城远香湖项目为例,通过对项目实施现状的分析,总结出项目开发建设施工管理难点和要点,并针对景观项目建设中遇到的问题提出几点实施建议,为城市级景观项目管理提供借鉴。