Safety and sustainability in a city in transition: The case of Vilnius, Lithuania

Urban experts have long recognised crime and fear of crime as dominant challenges to sustainable cities. A sustainable community is a place free from the fear of crime, where a feeling of security underpins a wider sense of place attachment and place attractiveness. In this article, we follow the recent strand of Western research and suggest a framework for assessing safety, which includes the analysis of the geography of crime, fear of crime and crime prevention. Empirical evidence is based on Vilnius, Lithuania. Findings show that whilst Vilnius’ geography of crime shows patterns similar to those found in Western cities, fear of crime shows a complex pattern, playing a minor role when citizens judge their residential quality. Crime prevention incorporates top-down features as well as approaches previously adopted by Western cities. The article concludes with an assessment of the proposed framework and directions for future work.     

Residential decision-making and satisfaction among new suburbanites in the Tallinn urban region, Estonia

The prevailing research into suburbanisation in former centrally planned countries explains suburban change by referring to macro-level factors that are evident in the transition from a centrally planned to a market economy. Findings show that in a neo-liberal environment, the public sector plays only a modest role in residential planning; the key players are developers and banks. This study takes a different approach by focusing on the micro-level factors that lead households to move from the city to new, post-Soviet suburban settlements, specifically in the Tallinn urban region of Estonia. A sample of data from the University of Tartu’s 2006 New Residential Areas Survey is herein analysed in order to ascertain the reasons for moving, the criteria used in the selection of a particular suburban settlement, and the subsequent levels of residential satisfaction. The results show that, for the period in question, housing adjustment moves were more prevalent than induced moves triggered by life-course changes. In addition, it was found that, generally, new suburbanites were satisfied with their housing and neighbourhoods. However, they were less satisfied with the provision of local services, especially when their new settlements lay at a distance from pre-transition settlements.     

大城市居住空间扩展研究

居住空间向城市外围扩展,已成为城市住宅建设的必然选择。居住空间扩展必然形成三种建设模式:交通引导发展;服务引导发展;生态环境引导发展。居住空间扩展方式与居住空间扩展战略及居住区建设模式直接相关,具体表现为基于发展便捷交通系统战略连续扩展和基于发展多中心居住空间结构战略跳跃式扩展两种方式,并形成相应的居住区模式。     

近代东北城市居住模式对城市形态的影响

人口的迁徙聚居形成城市.近代东北地区人口大量流动,人的聚居使得东北地区迅速实现城市化,城市形态也随之发生巨大的变化.该文从文化地理学的角度分析从中国传统的居住形式转向现代居住形式的过程中,居住模式变化对传统城市道路结构、空间形态的影响.     

基于向城市景观转化的居住区边界“软化”探究——以北京市石景山区为例

城市化浪潮中,城市快速发展、建设,高层居住区代替了原来的矮房,铁栅栏代替了原来的小街巷。居住区的边界像刀一般将城市切成碎块,城市、记忆连同知觉也都变得支离破碎。该文试图以居住区的边界作为城市冷漠令人不悦等问题的切入点,从居住区边界来分析现今混乱的城市边界问题对于城市体验的影响。通过调研分析,并结合凯文·林奇在《城市意象》中的心智地图的方式,分析总结了若干个居住区边界存在的问题,并试图探寻通过向城市景观转化的重塑居住区边界愉悦感的可能性。     

广州城郊大型住区的形成及其影响

在市场机制下 ,广州近郊住区开发的大型化已演变为突出的城市问题。在界定了大型住区的涵义后 ,从地区政府、开发商、消费者的微观行为层面分析广州城郊大型住区的形成机制 ,以区域性视角审视广州城郊大型住区对城市社会空间结构、城市空间结构和形态发展、城市运行等方面产生的影响 ,并从制度设计和规划控制两方面提出相应的对策。     

传统民居与未来居住建筑的取向

中国的传统民居在21世纪应成为富有生命力的居住形式。传统民居得以存在下去的出路是将其变成有机体 ,它能像世间万物一样为适应环境的变化而进化、改变 ,并在城市和乡村寻找到可以存在的空间     

消费与当代城市空间发展——以欧美城市为例

在消费社会,欧美城市已由生产中心向消费中心转型.在这一过程中,消费逐渐成为促进城市发展的有效工具.在美国,郊区购物中心和节庆消费场所在城市郊区化和内城复兴的过程中起着主导城市发展的作用.而在欧洲,通过"隐藏的购物中心"和文化规划,消费发展与城市认同从冲突走向了融合.     

Reconnecting the disconnected: The politics of infrastructure in the in-between city

This paper explores the politics of infrastructure in the evolving socio-spatial landscape of what we call the “in-between city,” that part of the urban region that is perceived as not quite traditional city and not quite traditional suburb (Sieverts, 2003). We posit that this new urban landscape which surrounds urban regions in many parts of the world is the remarkable new urban morphology where a large part of metropolitan populations live, work and play. While much attention has been on the winning economic clusters of the world economy and the devastated industrial structures of the loser regions, little light has been shed on the urban zones in-between. This paper deals specifically with these zones from the perspective of accessibility issues around urban infrastructures, in particular transportation. It is argued that only a combined understanding of scaled and topological approaches allow us to capture the complexities of the politics of urban infrastructures in the in-between city. Conceptually, we outline the definitive characteristics of this new landscape with a particular view towards urban Canada. Applying these concepts to a North American city, Toronto, Canada, we look specifically at the 85 sq km around York University, an area that straddles the line between the traditional suburb and the inner city.     

城市居住形态发展新趋势——读美国城市土地学会《城市郊区的新形态——住区开发的趋势》

介绍了美国土地学会的《城市郊区的新形态--住区开发的趋势》一书.该书在详细客观的调查研究和大量案例分析的基础上,论述了美国城市郊区居住区开发建设面临的主要问题,并为未来居住区的发展方向和开发趋势提出预测,如住区开发时,必须认识到购房者本身及购房者的需求在不断转变;未来住区应为居民提供包括步行通行在内的多种交通方式;提高居住密度,增进土地和基础设施的使用效率;利用开放空间环境为住区开发创造价值;提倡多种住宅类型的混合开发,以延展市场潜能;探索成功进行回填式住宅开发的途径;建设经济、有效的可持续性绿色社区.该书内容对于中国城市住区开发研究同样具有很强的参考价值.     

Evaluation of elderly people's requirements in public open spaces: A case study in Bornova District (Izmir,Turkey)

The aim of improving the quality and quantities of public open spaces used by each group of people who are in different ages, genders and occupations, is upgrading the users’ life quality by equipping these places with various functions and to make the urban life more attractive and meaningful by creating livable environments.     

From a top-down to a bottom-up urban discourse: (re) constructing the city in a family-inclusive way

This paper focuses on urban discourses as powerful instruments intertwined with the dialectic of inclusion and exclusion. First, three dominant contemporary urban discourses developed in the field of urban planning are scrutinized on their inclusiveness of families and daily family life. The attractive city, the creative city and the city as an emancipation machine are examples of urban discourses communicated top-down via reports, debates and media attention. It is argued that these three discourses do not address families as urban citizens nor the very notion of reproduction and its daily manifestation. The exclusionary character of contemporary urban discourses does not only result in a neglect of urban families, it also legitimates non-intervention when it comes to family issues. This conclusion activated the search for an alternative discourse as expanded in the second part of the paper. This alternative discourse is constructed from the bottom-up and is rooted in the day-to-day experiences of urban families themselves. It is a refined discourse, with interrelated geographical scales including the city as a whole, the neighbourhood, the street and the home. This is a city that integrates—as families themselves do—the different domains of life. The city is appreciated for its qualities of proximity, the neighbourhood for its ethnically mixed children’s domains, the street as an urban haven and the house as the place that accommodates private life for each member of the family. This alternative discourse is called the balanced city. The empirical basis is drawn from middle-class urban families in Rotterdam, The Netherlands.     

德国格拉城市更新——以萨克森广场居住街区更新项目为例

萨克森广场居住街区的更新是格拉(Gera)市为迎接大型城市事件而发起的,在这个项目中,公共部门与私人企业紧密合作,树立了一个“公私合作”(Public-Private-Participation)的典型范例。本文主要介绍了该项目的产生背景、目标与措施、项目的合作者及投资与更新过程。     

国外城市居住社区设施可获性研究及其在中国西安的实践

城市居住社区是一个在一定地域范围内为居民提供居住、游憩和日常生活服务的社区。社区的首要职能就是生活的组织职能,即社区要提供满足居民群体生存、发展需要的生活组织以及各种服务设施,如商业设施、教育设施、医疗设施等等。社区生活空间质量的高低主要是通过其各类设施的满足程度实现的。本文在国内外城市社会学及城市规划学对社区生活质量综合研究基础上,建立了社区设施可获性评价的指标体系,并以西安市为例,对所选社区的社区设施可获性进行了评价,最后根据评价结果尝试性地提出了促进社区设施可获性的居住社区规划与保障策略。     

城市住宅区园林景观设计创新思路的走向

通过分析现代城市住宅区园林景观设计的发展现状和未来趋势,以及景观设计创作过程中常见的问题,对住宅区景观设计创新思路的完善和改进提出了探索和思考,对中西方景观设计手法和空间形态进行对比探讨,着重论述了景观创新手法、地域特色,景观生态学三个层面,指出了理想的城市住宅区园林景观设计应当建立在科学性与艺术性和谐统一的基础之上。     

我国城市更新过程中的居住空间发展——以改革开放以来南京老城的城市更新为例

本文在城市更新理论研究的基础上,以改革开放之后的南京市老城区为例,通过实证量化研究和数字分析方法来探讨居住空间发展对于城市更新过程的影响和作用。     

Design review in a post-colonial city: The Delhi Urban Art Commission

This study of the Delhi Urban Art Commission – a design review body in the post-colonial city of Delhi – explains its role and responsibilities, its effectiveness, and its impact on the built environment of Delhi. The study questions the effectiveness of the Commission. It asserts that the Commission is invaluable for Delhi as it is the only agency that has the knowledge and understanding of urban design, development, and the complexities of the post-colonial city as well as the statutory power to make a difference to Delhi’s built environment. An analysis of the Commission’s major recent decisions suggests three key reasons for its ineffectiveness: both public and private agencies regularly violate the Commission’s recommendations; it approves projects without sufficient scrutiny; and it fails to effectively use its suo motu studies. The study proposes measures to make it more accountable and transparent, and to free it from political interference to harness its full potential and restore its image and power as envisioned at its inception.     

对德国住宅区规划设计中诸要素的探讨

通过对德国后住区在20世纪,特别是二战以后的发展的总结介绍,该又提出了影响当前住宅区规划设计的几点要素并着重分析,其重要性、作用及其对城市发展和环境的影响。     

Sustaining creativity in the creative archetype: The case of Austin, Texas

Recently, the popular literature on creative industries and the urban creative landscape has been largely dominated by the work of one scholar, Richard Florida. The popularity of Richard Florida’s work has led to a zealous implementation of his creative class thesis by many city officials, policymakers, and urban planners. Recent studies have investigated the impact of creative city implementation in previously working class and industrial cities, but given Florida’s popularity and influence, it is also necessary to evaluate the sustainability of cities touted as creative success stories by Florida and others. This article examines the case of Austin, Texas, seeking to evaluate Florida’s model city in light of recent empirical research. This research suggests that while Austin has witnessed impressive economic prosperity, the “externalities” or unforeseen challenges associated with creative development are equally evident. Further, this research suggests that previously overlooked socio-cultural challenges (e.g. loss of urban cultural character, sense of detachment, over-commercialization) in Austin threaten to potentially undermine the sustainability of this mode of development.