Housing allowances and the fiscal crisis of the welfare state

A rapidly growing public sector borrowing requirement, caused by the longest recession since the second world war, has promted the British Government to carry out a ‘fundamental review’ of state spending programmes. One of the areas on which much attention has been focused is the housing allowance scheme, the cost of which has increased substantially. This article examines the review of housing allowances that is being undertaken as part of the wider review of welfare spending. Some of the key differences between housing allowances in Britain and those in other countries are also discussed. Some of these differences are likely to be removed as a result of the review, thus making the British scheme more like those elsewhere.     

Quality of life in central cities and suburbs

This study shows that there has been a statistically significant shift in the quality of life (QOL) in central cities of the 25 largest metro areas relative to their suburbs since 1980. This follows actual improvement of central cities in the ‘50s, followed by steady degradation in the ‘60s and ‘70s. These conclusions are based on a statistical analysis of key variables derived from a revealed preference conception of QOL. This is an important methodological advance, since relevant variables for directly constructing hedonic measures of QOL normally are unavailable for central cities. The basic Census data used in the analysis also indicate that the observed “turnaround” is evident without respect to size of metro area within the set of 25 largest and without respect to region of the country. Received: May 1996 / Accepted: August 1996     

Women in US cities: urban captives

This article examines the contemporary position of women in US urban areas. It seeks to explain the increasing numbers of service-dependent women residing in urban locations through reference to the historical evolution of the urban political economy as it reflects the national and global political economy. More specifically, it recognizes that policies at the national level influence and change urban form and function, a process which has definite and identifiable consequences for society.     

以北京为例探究卫星城缓解中心城压力问题

介绍了卫星城的起源与发展历程,结合北京新城的建设情况,分析了北京卫星城在发展中面临的问题,预测了卫星城在中国的发展趋势,指出卫星城的建设符合城市健康发展的要求,解决了疏散大城市中心人口问题。     

浅谈滨水城市中心区的生态建设

探讨了滨水城市中心区设计的生态理念、生态建设要点以及城市中心提倡生态建设的意义,并对靖江新港中心区生态建设问题进行了研究,指出滨水城市中心区的设计要与自然环境、人文景观相结合,以期创造出生态的、地域性强的城市中心区景观。     

由历史都城的中轴线设计想到的

一个在历史上长期作为全国都城的城市 (以下姑且称之为X市 )正在组织城市中轴线的研究和设计 ,最近听到一些同志议论此事时 ,有的同志提出中轴线是历史上封建皇权和等级制度的象征 ,现在再来大做文章 ,是否有必要 ,如何以“代表先进文化”的理念来认识 ?而有的同志认为任何大城市特别是首都城市都需要以一个宏大的景观来做空间上的表现 ,见仁见智 ,各有道理。我没有参与X市城市中轴线的研究和设计 ,对其设计意图和具体情况未知其详。但使我感兴趣的是 ,几个同志的一番讨论实际上提出了两个互相关联的问题 ,即如何认识历史上形成的建筑和城…     

城市中心区“安居”——浅谈城市中心区创建“地震安全示范小区”的重要性和必要性

地震是自然灾害之首。汶川大地震惨痛的灾害至今令人悲痛不已。在震前预防,震中抢救和震后重建3个阶段中,最重要而且需要长期不懈努力的工作在于震前预防。预防可以有效的减轻灾害所造成的损失。     

预防基础上的城市公共危机常态化管理

我国正处于社会转型和城市化加速发展时期,公共危机呈现出高发态势,给城市造成了巨大的危害和损失,迫切需要找到更合理、更有效的应对方法,来提高城市公共危     

Research report: Rehabilitation versus regulation in US cities

A central concern of planners and policy makers in older US cities undergoing economic restructuring is the formulation and implementation of development strategies for central business districts. ¹ However, including older and often underutilized commercial and industrial buildings in such strategies often requires changes in regulations, such as building codes, that govern the use of urban space.² Developers and architects claim that full compliance with building codes is often impossible or cost prohibitive, while planners identity such codes as a major obstacle to the full incorporation of rehabilitation in development planning for central business districts.³     

从东部沿海和中部内陆小城镇的横向比较中寻找中部小城镇发展的突破点

我国地域广阔,东部、中部、西部不同地区发展条件不同,小城镇有不同的发展模式和发展水平。为因地制宜地搞好小城镇建设,以下选取具体实例,对东部和中部内陆小城镇的发展作比较分析。     

Debt collection in US cities: Weak link in the revenue system

This article reviews the state of the art of municipal debt collection practices in the USA. The results of two surveys and other sources are used to examine the scope of the debt collection problem in cities. Organizational arrangements and other components of city debt collection programmes are discussed. Conventional an unique debt collection techniques are described, including the importance of aging accounts receivables and automated collection systems. Indicators are identified for monitoring and evaluating debt collection programmes and criteria associated with a successful programme are presented.     

Homogeneity versus heterogeneity in household structure: the recent experience of twenty US cities

"This paper is an investigation of the variation in household structure at the census tract level in twenty US cities between 1970 and 1980. Results indicate that households were, in 1980, more likely to reside in proximity to households with different compositions. In 1980 the most genuinely diverse census tracts, in terms of household composition, were in neighborhoods with recently constructed, single-family housing."     

On systems of cities — An approach to central place theory

This is a research on the optimality of the distribution of the cities by their size. The theory of the hierarchical distribution of cities--or central place theory is reviewed from view-point of intercities commodity flows in this paper. Theoretically, the system of cities is expressed as linear transformation, based on the matrix which represents the efficiency of transportation among the cities. By the model, we can prove that the distribution of cities depend not only on the transportation-network, but also on the differences of per capita-income, or of productivity of each city, and on the demand of rural area and foreign trade of the system. Based on this model, by trying simulation on the various city-systems, it is possible to make clearer the nature of the city system.     

区域性中心城市CBD建设的动因及发展策略

结合中央商务区（CBD）的概念,从全球经济一体化的趋势和国家发展战略入手,阐述了大连CBD建设的背景,探讨了适合大连的CBD发展思路,提出了大连CBD建设的目标及策略,为国内其他城市CBD建设提供了指导。     

中部小城市发展条件分析特殊性的探析

对山西省吕梁市文水县的发展条件进行了分析,深入探讨了中部小城市发展条件分析的特殊性,包括强化区域视角、客观分析禀赋和重视外部环境等方面,从而促进城市发展战略规划的研究。     

中西方老城中心区发展及更新理论比较

通过对西方发达国家和我国的老城中心区城市更新演化过程的分析,比较了双方有关老城中心区的城市更新理论产生、发展的背景及实施效果,从而在进行老城中心区更新研究或规划时,能根据具体城市的发展阶段和特征借鉴国外对应的更新理论和规划方法,达到归纳适合自身特点规划方法的效果.     

Housing and neighborhood conditions and exposure to cockroaches in three central and eastern European cities

Structural disrepair and inadequate maintenance of public spaces in multi-family housing have been shown to be associated with cockroach infestations, which in turn have negative consequences for population health and quality of life. In this study, we take advantage of a recent housing and health survey designed and implemented by the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Europe. We focus on three cities: Vilnius, Lithuania; Bratislava, Slovakia; and Budapest, Hungary. For each, we investigate whether housing conditions known to be associated with increased exposure to cockroaches—such as poorly maintained open spaces, kitchen windows that don’t close tightly, waste chutes located in the stairwell, leaky roofs, litter in the housing environment, and problems with the water drainage system are more prevalent in panel block buildings than in other types of multi-family housing. Based on logistic regression analyses, we then investigate whether these housing conditions are associated with higher odds of exposure to cockroaches among residents, and whether cockroach exposure varies by tenure type or responsibility for maintenance. We find that, compared to small multi-family buildings, larger proportions of units in both panel block and large multi-family buildings had conditions that have been associated in other studies with increased exposure to cockroaches. Of these, only kitchen windows that don’t close tightly and housing type were significantly associated with increased exposure to cockroaches in this population. In addition, public-sector responsibility for cleaning was highly associated with cockroach exposure. Housing tenure did not consistently influence the findings.