scholarly journals City intelligence for enhancing urban performance value: a conceptual study on data decomposition in smart cities

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 191-222
Author(s):  
Karima Kourtit

AbstractThe contemporary ‘digital age’ prompts the need for a re-assessment of urban planning principles and practices. Against the background of current data-rich urban planning, this study seeks to address the question whether an appropriate methodological underpinning can be provided for smart city governance based on a data-driven planning perspective. It posits that the current digital technology age has a drastic impact on city strategies and calls for a multi-faceted perspective on future urban development, termed here the ‘XXQ-principle’ (which seeks to attain the highest possible level of quality for urban life). Heterogeneity in urban objectives and data embodied in the XXQ-principle can be systematically addressed by a process of data decomposition (based on a ‘cascade principle’), so that first, higher-level urban policy domains are equipped with the necessary (‘big’) data provisions, followed by lower-ranking urban governance levels. The conceptual decomposition principle can then be translated into a comprehensive hierarchical model architecture for urban intelligence based on the ‘flying disc’ model, including key performance indicators (KPIs). This new model maps out the socio-economic arena of a complex urban system according to the above cascade system. The design of this urban system architecture and the complex mutual connections between its subsystems is based on the ‘blowing-up’ principle that originates from a methodological deconstruction-reconstruction paradigm in the social sciences. The paper advocates the systematic application of this principle to enhance the performance of smart cities, called the XXQ performance value. This study is not empirical, although it is inspired by a wealth of previous empirical research. It aims to advance conceptual and methodological thinking on principles of smart urban planning.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yanzhi Sun ◽  
Xi Wei ◽  
Tongsheng Zhang

In recent years, with the accelerated development of the urbanization and the continuous emergence of the smart cities, the new requirements and the challenges have been raised for the urban governance and the urban planning. Based on the oblique aerial photogrammetry technology and the 3D automatic modelling technology, this study constructs the high-precision basic data of the 3D urban model of Beijing and verifies the 3D model’s precision comprehensively by using two verification methods: the point accuracy assessment and the plane accuracy assessment. And then, using the validated 3D model data and taking the demolition of the illegal buildings in urban planning as an example, an application of the 3D model is studied in the simulated environmental scenes of the urban planning, which also provides a reference for the development of the smart cities in the future.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Constance Carr ◽  
Markus Hesse

‘Smart cities’ has become a hegemonic concept in urban discourses, despite substantial criticism presented by scholarly research and activism. The aim of this research was to understand what happens when one of the big digital corporations enters the field of real estate and land use development and urban planning, how existing institutions respond to this, and how modes of urban governance are affected. Alphabet Inc.’s plans for Toronto’s waterfront provided insights into these questions. Our investigations traced a complex web of place-making practices that involved all levels of government, the general public, and networks of actors throughout the private sector. Methodologically, the discourse was reconstructed with local fieldwork, interviews with key actors, participating in tours and public meetings, and secondary sources. It was found that Alphabet Inc.’s plan to build a world-class digital city contained some lessons for urban studies and urban planning practice. First, Alphabet Inc.’s plans, which unfolded amidst initiatives to expand the knowledge economy, confirmed concerns that the trajectory of neoliberal, market-driven land use and speculation along the waterfront remains unchanged. Second, digital infrastructures are potentially a Trojan Horse. Third, it was seen that municipalities and their modes of urban planning are vulnerable to the political economic manoeuvrings of large corporate power. Fourth, Alphabet Inc. operates as a post-political package driven by a new coalition of politics, where the smart city is sold as a neutral technology. The controversies surrounding the project, however, stirred a civic discourse that might signal a return of the political.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ulrik Ekman

This article reflects on the challenges for urban planning posed by the emergence of smart cities in network societies. In particular, it reflects on reductionist tendencies in existing smart city planning. Here the concern is with the implications of prior reductions of complexity which have been undertaken by placing primacy in planning on information technology, economical profit, and top-down political government. Rather than pointing urban planning towards a different ordering of these reductions, this article argues in favor of approaches to smart city planning via complexity theory. Specifically, this article argues in favor of approaching smart city plans holistically as topologies of organized complexity. Here, smart city planning is seen as a theory and practice engaging with a complex adaptive urban system which continuously operates on its potential. The actualizations in the face of contingency of such potential are what might have the city evolve over time, its organization, its wholeness, and its continued existence being at stake from moment to moment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ricardo Augusto Souza FERNANDES ◽  
Andréa Oliveira QUEIROZ ◽  
Júlia Tereza Abrão Vieira Lourenço WILMERS ◽  
Wanda Aparecida Machado HOFFMANN

Abstract Society lives in a dynamic, complex, and contradictory urban system that seeks the balance between urban development and environmental preservation. For this purpose, there are Information and Communication Technologies which can make the existence of Smart Cities possible. Thus, developing Smart Cities involves applying inter and multidisciplinary knowledge, which permeates even Information Science. This study analyzes Latin American scientific production by applying Bibliometrics to quantify the publications related to smart cities, geotechnologies, governance, and cadastre. We analyzed scientifi c productionindexed in the Scopus database from 2007 to 2017. We also performed the Factorial Correspondence Analysis for visualization of word clusters in order to verify their co-occurrence in the abstracts of articles. The results identifi ed Brazil as the country with the highest number of published documents. The importance of the term “Smart Cities” was evidenced with the increase of production in the last 5 years, a period that accumulates 98% of such publications. The most common term is “Geographic Information System”, that appears in 75% of the publications. Finally, in the co-occurrence of words, we identifi ed terms that corroborate with the greater objectives of smart cities.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 341-347
Author(s):  
Dr. Smita Gupta

Purpose of the study: Paper introspects, the challenges encountered in the making of Gwalior city as Smart city. It compares the key bottlenecks of Smart City Mission as policy in urbanization landscape to the ground realities of implementation for a non -metropolitan city. The article also outlines the various way-forward which Gwalior city designed in its ambit for successful implementation of Smart city project. Methodology: Dealing with methodology, the paper has been drawn on policy documents analysis, city selection process, Indian Government promotional materials on smart city, several Indian Municipalities and a number of public-private partnerships Main Findings:  It emphasizes the major challenges of debt financing, Institutional, market & business, community engagement, urban policy, land acquisition and quest for ideas, innovation in urban and IT landscape and desirable solutions. Paper emphasizes all these multiple challenges that were encountered and efforts which were made to meet the implementation of Smart and sustainable city for Gwalior citizens. Applications of this study: This study will be useful for all those agencies who are involved in transforming cities into smart cities. The study will provide a background of various challenges in regard to Indian smart city paradigm and how those can be dealt with. This study will help in the area of smart city, sustainability, urban governance, etc. Novelty/Originality of this study: This study explores how challenges can be met in Indian perspective with special reference to Gwalior.


Author(s):  
Dimitris K Chronopoulos ◽  
Sotiris Kampanelis ◽  
Daniel Oto-Peralías ◽  
John O S Wilson

Abstract This article investigates the legacy of ancient Phoenician, Greek and Etruscan colonialism in shaping the economic geography of the Mediterranean region. Utilising historical data on ancient colonies and current data on population density and night light emissions (as a proxy for economic activity), we find that geographical areas colonised by these ancient civilisations have higher population density and economic activity in the present day. We also find that ancient colonialism affected the origin and evolution of the urban system of cities and settlements prevalent in the Mediterranean region.


Urban Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 52
Author(s):  
Peter Newman ◽  
Sebastian Davies-Slate ◽  
Daniel Conley ◽  
Karlson Hargroves ◽  
Mike Mouritz

The need for transit oriented development (TOD) around railway stations has been well accepted and continues to be needed in cities looking to regenerate both transit and urban development. Large parts of suburban areas remain without quality transit down main roads that are usually filled with traffic resulting in reduced urban value. The need to regenerate both the mobility and land development along such roads will likely be the next big agenda in transport and urban policy. This paper learns from century-old experiences in public–private approaches to railway-based urban development from around the world, along with innovative insights from the novel integration of historical perspectives, entrepreneurship theory and urban planning to create the notion of a “Transit Activated Corridor” (TAC). TACs prioritize fast transit and a string of station precincts along urban main roads. The core policy processes for a TAC are outlined with some early case studies. Five design principles for delivering a TAC are presented in this paper, three principles from entrepreneurship theory and two from urban planning. The potential for new mid-tier transit like trackless trams to enable TACs is used to illustrate how these design processes can be an effective approach for designing, financing and delivering a “Transit Activated Corridor”.


2021 ◽  
pp. 239965442110021
Author(s):  
Ratka Čolić ◽  
Đorđe Milić ◽  
Jasna Petrić ◽  
Nataša Čolić

In 2019, Serbia adopted its first national urban policy. This document was established through a communicative process during 2018–2019, formally encouraging urban governance as a practical innovation in Serbia’s planning doctrine. The main aim of this research is to explore institutional capacity development within a live setting of the policy formation process. The participants of this process are the primary subjects of the research. Data was collected through participatory events in four instances during the process. The concept of institutional capacity development is used in this paper as a basic framework to assess knowledge, relational and mobilisation capacity for urban governance. The main contribution of this paper is providing an understanding of the challenges and potentials for establishing urban governance practices in a post-socialist country planning context. Findings indicate an increase in the participants’ knowledge and understanding of governance instruments such that coordination and cooperation are continually unfolding. The identified challenges relate to the mobilisation capacity and fragility of institutions and resistance to change, while a need to deal with complexity and uncertainty remains present.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5033
Author(s):  
Linda Novosadová ◽  
Wim van der Knaap

The present research offers an exploration into the biophilic approach and the role of its agents in urban planning in questions of building a green, resilient urban environment. Biophilia, the innate need of humans to connect with nature, coined by Edgar O. Wilson in 1984, is a concept that has been used in urban governance through institutions, agents’ behaviours, activities and systems to make the environment nature-inclusive. Therefore, it leads to green, resilient environments and to making cities more sustainable. Due to an increasing population, space within and around cities keeps on being urbanised, replacing natural land cover with concrete surfaces. These changes to land use influence and stress the environment, its components, and consequently impact the overall resilience of the space. To understand the interactions and address the adverse impacts these changes might have, it is necessary to identify and define the environment’s components: the institutions, systems, and agents. This paper exemplifies the biophilic approach through a case study in the city of Birmingham, United Kingdom and its biophilic agents. Using the categorisation of agents, the data obtained through in-situ interviews with local professionals provided details on the agent fabric and their dynamics with the other two environments’ components within the climate resilience framework. The qualitative analysis demonstrates the ways biophilic agents act upon and interact within the environment in the realm of urban planning and influence building a climate-resilient city. Their activities range from small-scale community projects for improving their neighbourhood to public administration programs focusing on regenerating and regreening the city. From individuals advocating for and educating on biophilic approach, to private organisations challenging the business-as-usual regulations, it appeared that in Birmingham the biophilic approach has found its representatives in every agent category. Overall, the activities they perform in the environment define their role in building resilience. Nonetheless, the role of biophilic agents appears to be one of the major challengers to the urban design’s status quo and the business-as-usual of urban governance. Researching the environment, focused on agents and their behaviour and activities based on nature as inspiration in addressing climate change on a city level, is an opposite approach to searching and addressing the negative impacts of human activity on the environment. This focus can provide visibility of the local human activities that enhance resilience, while these are becoming a valuable input to city governance and planning, with the potential of scaling it up to other cities and on to regional, national, and global levels.


2018 ◽  
Vol 45 (3) ◽  
pp. 557-577
Author(s):  
Joe Merton

Focusing on the collaboration between Mayor John Lindsay and business advocacy group the Association for a Better New York (ABNY), this article illustrates the utility of public and elite anxieties over street crime in legitimizing new, privatized models of urban governance during the early 1970s. ABNY’s privatized crime-fighting initiatives signified a new direction in city law enforcement strategies, a new “common sense” regarding the efficacy and authority of private or voluntarist solutions to urban problems, and proved of lasting significance for labor relations, the regulation of urban space, and the role of the private sector in urban policy. It concludes that, despite their limitations, the visibility of ABNY’s initiatives, their ability to construct a pervasive sense of crisis, and their apparent demonstration of public and elite consent played a significant role in the transformation of New York into the “privatized” or “neoliberal” city of today.


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