An Unlikely Urban Symbiosis: Urban Intensification and Neighbourhood Character in Collingwood,Vancouver

Urban intensification is a key planning strategy for all major Australian cities, but proposals for higher density buildings in established neighbourhoods are frequently opposed by local residents on the basis that they would be ‘out of character’. In this article, the opportunities for urban intensification to reinforce and enhance the existing character of a place are explored through a case study of a Vancouver neighbourhood where a proposed high-rise project was initially resisted by community members, but has subsequently been embraced by them. It is argued that in this case, through a participatory and debate-centred planning process, urban intensification and neighbourhood character became mutually dependent in an unlikely form of urban symbiosis.     

‘Everybody's Different’: Struggles to Find Community on the Suburban Frontier

The pace of suburban development on the growth frontiers of Australian cities raises urgent urban planning and resourcing issues regarding the physical and social infrastructure that are required to support this growth. These pressures are contributing to the popularity of capital-led master-planning approaches among governments and homebuyers because of its potential to deliver urban planning and infrastructure resources to new suburbs. Master-planning approaches have largely been used to create prestige estates attracting upper-middle-class residents; however, they are increasingly being adapted for wider markets. This paper explores how these contexts are important for understanding ongoing and emerging tensions among residents living in two socio-economically and culturally diverse suburbs on the peri-urban fringe of Melbourne, Australia. The findings question the potential of capital-led master-planning approaches to deliver sound urban and social planning outcomes for socially complex suburban settings.     

“A tapestry without instructions.” Lived experiences of community in an outer suburb of Melbourne,Australia

The suburbs located on the metropolitan edges of Australian cities are popular residential locations, but concerns have been raised about social isolation in these developing communities. This paper explores residents’ lived experiences of community in an outer-suburb of Melbourne using a phenomenological approach and photo-elicited interviews. Nine participants photographed positive and less favourable aspects of their suburb and these images were used to guide in-depth interviews. Findings indicated that participants’ views on what it meant to be a community and how they went about making social connections did not align exclusively with concepts of community saved, lost or liberated, but included broad aspirations around community building, helping and being helped by strangers and online place-based relationships. Overall, residents’ experiences were complex suggesting researchers, government and developers alike need to pay closer attention to how residents themselves create community in new and evolving suburbs.     

Speculation and Resistance: Constraints on Compact City Policy Implementation in Melbourne

Compact city policies such as Melbourne 2030 have been established in Australia for a range of reasons including climate change. It is now clear that the Melbourne 2030 policy has not been effective—with new development mostly on the urban fringe. This policy failure has often been sheeted home to resident and local government resistance to densification. This article suggests this narrative is insufficient to explain this failure at a metropolitan-wide scale and is clearly mistaken in one suburb, where aspects of the planning system appear to thwart the aims of strategic policy by encouraging speculation and producing vacant sites. Brunswick is an inner-city suburb with good opportunities for intensification adjacent to transit lines and on former industrial sites. In spite of resident resistance, 80 per cent of new dwellings proposed between 2002 and 2007 were approved for construction, and would have increased housing stock by 13 per cent. However, by 2009 just under half of all approved dwellings had been completed or commenced on site, while construction of the taller and higher density projects tended to stall, the sites having been on-sold and permits extended. We suggest developers anticipate that the planning system will ultimately approve significant increases in height and density, using Melbourne 2030 to over-ride local policy via appeals to the Planning Tribunal. Such permits produce significant capital gains that can be cashed without construction. We argue that elements of the Victorian planning system encourage ambit claims, contestation, cynicism and speculation, thwarting negotiations between residents, councils and developers towards a more compact city. The focus on the idea that resident resistance is the problem obscures the role the planning system itself plays in frustrating the goals of compact city policy.     

Learning from lost landscapes: a role for local history in suburban infill strategies

Infill development in inner suburbs is key to achieving greater urban sustainability. Where developers see opportunities in inner suburbs, there is the challenge of integrating denser construction into landscapes valued for their distinctness from central cities. This paper argues that planners and designers can create strategies for achieving context-sensitive infill by studying the historic form of older suburban downtowns. It considers a historically inspired approach to infill development in the Watertown Square area of Watertown, Massachusetts. It also discusses the area’s evolution through a review of Sanborn maps and historical planning documents, and proposes a design strategy for infill there.     

Towards the experiential meaning of milieu for neighbourhood regeneration: discussions on the institutional designation of milieu-valued areas in Tallinn, Estonia

This article analyses the constructive and strategic character of the milieu discourse in the planning of urban neighbourhoods in Tallinn, Estonia, that has an influence on neighbourhood regeneration. In the institutional designation of milieu areas, the concept of milieu area means the coherent historical housing environment as assessed by planning experts. The article argues that this milieu discourse has strategic aims in terms of preserving architectural housing heritage and acknowledging the traditional understanding of the heritage value. This has influenced, in the collective knowledge, the specific perception of the term ‘milieu’ that will in turn influence the change of a neighbourhood’s social structure and of its placemaking. For example, the concept of milieu area is used by real estate agents for selling and renting apartments in deprived neighbourhoods that are institutionally acknowledged as the neighbourhoods with the milieu value. The study concludes that the expert-based milieu discourse does not consider the socio-spatial neighbourhoods’ everyday life, which is significant in terms of viable neighbourhood regeneration. The reconstruction of the milieu term towards an experiential milieu approach is suggested, as the involvement of residents in neighbourhood regeneration is especially essential in the neighbourhoods of the dispossessed.     

GENTRIFICATION AND THE GRASSROOTS: POPULAR SUPPORT IN THE REVANCHIST SUBURB

Abstract: Most existing research on neighborhoods facing gentrification has portrayed residents as resistant or politically quiescent. Drawing from a year of fieldwork in Dundalk, MD, I argue that developers and the neoliberal state will probably find popular support for gentrification as they reinvest in the politically divided industrial suburbs of the United States. Local homeowners and community associations have emerged as gentrification supporters for three interrelated reasons. First, many of them have drawn from a resurgent national conservatism to explain decline as an effect of government subsidies and “people from the city;” their desire to reclaim suburban space—a “suburban revanchism”—although avoiding accusations of racism makes gentrification‐induced displacement appealing. Second, the rebirth of urban neighborhoods and other industrial suburbs provides visual evidence of gentrification's success. Third, the neoliberal state's retreat from social programs and its emphasis on private‐sector redevelopment allay suspicion of government and enable collaboration between the local state, developers, and homeowners. The redevelopment efforts of two local organizations illustrate how residents have become indispensable partners in Dundalk's emergent pro‐gentrification coalition.     

Producing space: post-war redevelopment as big business,Utrecht and Hannover 1962–1975

This contribution opens a new perspective on the politics of urban redevelopment in Dutch and German cities during the 1960s and early 1970s. More specifically, it examines the post-war expansion of Bredero, a Dutch private developer that forged public–private partnerships with the city councils of Utrecht and Hannover to get local urban redevelopment agendas of the ground. Within the period covered by this article, the political consensus was that the post-war economy, which was dominated by rising car ownership, business and consumerism, had to find its place and thrive in central urban areas. Developers such as Bredero were thought to dispose over the expertise and financial means to swiftly execute redevelopment schemes. Up until now, planning historians have largely neglected the role played by private developers in post-war urban redevelopment efforts. This contribution investigates how and why local administrators and private developers decided to work together in the first place, and how the expertise of Bredero in particular was translated into the development of Utrecht’s Hoog Catharijne and Hannover’s Raschplatz schemes. Through the innovate use of hitherto under-examined primary sources, this contribution sheds a new light on the allegedly recent phenomena of the internationalization and outsourcing of urban planning efforts.     

Participation in neighbourhood regeneration: achievements of residents in a Dutch disadvantaged neighbourhood

Despite the fact that resident participation has become central to the Dutch policy discourse on ‘good’ urban planning, it is unclear to what degree new participation mechanisms have created opportunities for residents to actually influence neighbourhood governance and contribute to the improvement of their neighbourhood. This paper explores how residents in the neighbourhood of Transvaal (Amsterdam) have been involved in regeneration since 1999. Although residents have been successful in putting everyday concerns about safety on the agenda and contributed to small-scale improvements of public space, they were unable to contribute to regeneration plans at the scale of the neighbourhood, in particular strategic decisions about state-led gentrification.     

Spatial scale,time and process in mega-events: The complexity of host community perspectives on neighbourhood change

A focus on the ‘mega’ aspect of hallmark events can divert attention from the micro – those local communities who are most impacted by the event. Similarly, attention to the ‘event’ aspect underplays the long process of bidding and preparation before any putative legacy of urban transformation for local people. This paper uses qualitative data to unpack the complex and multi-layered views of local residents, living in a deprived neighbourhood beside the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games site in Scotland. They reflect on five years of intensive urban regeneration, evaluate the experience of ‘lockdown’ at Games time, and consider their hopes and fears for the future of the community. Interviewing a mixture of lifelong, established, new and returning residents, we found considerable common ground across the different groups in terms of hopes for a new, mixed community in the area. However, findings also highlight concerns around urban governance practices and the limitations of a market-led approach to regeneration.     

城市街道空间的非正规化演变——武汉市汉正街的个案(1988-2013年)

本研究旨在反思城市更新的模式、参与的主体是否存在更加多元化的选择。研究截取了武汉市汉正街1988年以来街道空间的非正规化演变的空间实践片段,着重分析民众行为如何作用于城市街道,进而洞察与解释我国街道非正规演变的真实运行逻辑。研究认为,地方政府的强权力决策与弱治理绩效暗含了规划蓝图与民众现实生活需求的矛盾性等特征,地方政府、开发商、民众在城市更新过程中复杂的互动结构中处于博弈共生的关系。     

Commercial Gentrification and Entrepreneurial Governance in Shanghai: A Case Study of Taikang Road Creative Cluster

Commercial gentrification—based on the adaptive reuse of historic dwellings for upscale shopping, dining and culture—is emerging as a new model of neighbourhood regeneration in China. Through an analysis of Shanghai's urban restructuring and a case study of Taikang Road Creative Cluster, this article demonstrates that entrepreneurial local government is a key facilitator. Conscious of the synergistic value of restored urban heritage with conspicuous consumption, tourism and even the creative industries, local officials have utilised their urban planning authority to open up urban heritage to a host of gentrifiers including businesses, artists and creative firms. In terms of social outcomes, some local residents have capitalised on inflated property values and gained the opportunity to move out of poverty. Nevertheless, socially exclusive outcomes have also been evident, as commercialisation eroded the living environment of rural migrants and other poor residents.     

精明收缩理念在美国锈带地区规划实践中的新进展:扬斯敦市社区行动规划研究

近年来,尽管以精简建成空间规模从而适应人口收缩为特点的"精明收缩"理念已经得到了越来越多学者的关注,但是其在规划实践领域的进展,尤其是在中微观的社区规划层面,还缺乏足够的研究。在收缩城市中,人口的迅速流失往往伴随着房地产市场的崩溃,大量房产出现空置与废弃的现象,并进一步导致了社区的衰败。如何在规划实践中对此进行积极应对,是目前国际收缩城市研究学者关注的核心议题之一。本文聚焦于全美第一个颁布"精明收缩"总体规划的扬斯敦市,关注其近年来为了应对上述问题颁布的社区行动规划。通过深入剖析社区行动规划的编制过程,以及实施中采用的两种政策性工具--税收止赎与法规实施,及其实施管理机构的运作模式,本文展现了美国收缩城市如何将应对房产空置与废弃的技术工具与社区规划较好地结合在一起,以及面临的困难与挑战。最后,本文就美国经验在我国的适用性与可借鉴性进行探讨,从而提出未来我国收缩城市在应对房产空置与废弃上的相关制度和规划改革建议。     

Private construction as a general indicator of urban development: The case of Israel

The paper argues that the extent to which a particular urban locality is able to attract private developers can be considered as a prominent indicator of its socioeconomic prosperity. A general model of factors determining the location of private construction across urban areas is suggested and tested using the 1992–1994 statistical data available for urban settlements in Israel. In addition, the effect of population size on private construction in urban areas is investigated. In the case of Israel, the highest per‐capita rates of private construction are found in settlements of a particular size (70 000–80 000 residents). Based on this conclusion, a strategy of ‘redirecting priorities’ to developing the peripheral regions of the country is suggested. This strategy proposes the concentration of state and local financial resources on selected development settlements until they reach the above population threshold and become more attractive for private developers, followed by the sequential transfer of this support to other small urban localities in frontier areas. While the present analysis focused on urban settlements in Israel, the mode of analysis and its applications for planning policies may be useful for urban and regional planning elsewhere.     

居民自建:规划之外的地方实践与地方智慧——以陕西省汉阴老城的更新与发展为例

文章关注了1980年代以来汉阴县老城区的城镇居民自建现象。研究发现,(1)四邻同意、联合建房、后退红线"零"收费是在地方实践过程中形成的规划之外的地方性政策。(2)相邻关系的法律解释是规划之外政策合理化的法律依据。(3)政府对规划制度的选择性使用、与居民实现合作,体现了"地方智慧",以较低成本完成了城市更新。     

Housing at the neighbourhood level: a review of the initial approaches to neighbourhood development plans under the Localism Act 2011 in England

The Localism Act 2011 created an opportunity for local communities to form neighbourhood forums and to prepare their own neighbourhood development plans in urban and rural areas in England. Initial reactions suggested that, rather than leading to the development of more housing, these initiatives would confirm all the stereotypes of local residents blocking unwanted development in their defined neighbourhoods. However, neighbourhood plans need to be in general conformity with the core strategies of higher-tier plans and often make provision for more new homes than planned before 2011. This article discusses the role and purpose of neighbourhood plans, the evidence base on which they are founded and some of the legal challenges which have helped clarify procedures. It then identifies two types of plan based on the ways housing strategies and evidence of need are reflected in a sample of 10 plans which have been made to date. It concludes that the voluntary nature of localism to date tends to favour more rural and affluent areas and ends with an assessment of the impact of neighbourhood plans on the planning process. It suggests that the implications for spatial planning may be far-reaching.     

阿卡迪亚温嫩登气候适应型社区

该项目是一个典型的工业再生项目,其高效的设计元素将社区打造成为一处极具可持续发展潜力的社区,并树立了一个拥有全新视角的、人性化且资源高效利用的社区典范。多样的建筑形式与地中海地区迷人的色彩及符合“花园城市”标准的美丽街景相结合,形成了一个具有凝聚力的社区。水敏性城市设计是该项目与众不同之处。街角的小型广场空间可以为邻里交谈、孩子们踢球玩耍等提供场地。虽然,街景是专为步行者设计的,但该项目中所采用的共享的交通概念意味着机动车驾驶者也完全可以进入场地欣赏街景,     

Planning,Funding and Delivering Social Infrastructure in Australia’s Outer Suburban Growth Areas

The long-term success of Australia’s rapidly growing outer-suburban communities depends to a large extent on the presence of social infrastructure such as schools, libraries, sporting facilities and community centres. This paper briefly surveys and analyses the current frameworks and practices that support the planning, funding and delivery of social infrastructure in three of Australia’s fastest growing regions: Melbourne; Perth; and South Eastern Queensland. It finds that Australian governments have become adept at planning new suburbs, but still face significant challenges securing adequate funding for infrastructure and managing the complexity of infrastructure delivery.     

Stitching the city: continuity,urban renewal and grassroots action in late-twentieth century Glasgow

The renewal of Woodlands, Glasgow, between the 1970s and 2000s was characterised by historicist architecture, seemingly in line with the post-modernist spirit of the age. However, the programme of renewal, which employed neo-historical aesthetics and traditional housing typologies together with a sense of ‘putting back’ what had been lost through dereliction and demolition, can be better understood as an example of a more consciously collaborative development agenda which had its roots in a new, consumer-led democratisation of an architectural ‘product’ towards social development. This agenda was embodied by the Woodlands Residents Association, which reacted to urban decline by organising neighbourhood renewal through the restoration of historic urban fabric, by adapting state policy to local needs and by instigating collaboration with professionals. In this context the renewal of Woodlands typifies the emergence of an ‘ordinariness’ in architectural design that deployed historical pastiche to stitch both new buildings into the urban fabric and the urban fabric back together, thereby generating meaning, social inclusion, sense of place and continuity, projecting cultural narratives that located the neighbourhood within both the broader Glaswegian identity, and within a European story of urban life.     

Delivering Social Housing: Examining the Nexus between Social Housing and Democratic Planning

The construction of social housing in gentrifying neighbourhoods can ignite contestation, revealing tensions between economic imperatives, social policy and neighbourhood change. With a view to understanding how the convergence of these agendas preserve unpopular, but socially critical housing infrastructure, the aim of this paper is to explore how the challenges social housing implementation encounters across these agendas intersect with a broader agenda for local democratic planning. Using social housing as our empirical focus and directing attention to the gentrifying local government area of Port Phillip in Victoria, Australia, this paper reveals how a council’s main asset to support implementation – its policy frameworks – creates an urban narrative of social inclusivity and diversity. Through this case, we illustrate how elected officials and some residents draw from these policies to interject into episodes of community contestation, which we argue presents opportunities to expose and renew commitments to social housing over space and time.