scholarly journals Street life and pedestrian activities in smart cities: opportunities and challenges for computational urban science

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhuangyuan Fan ◽  
Becky P.Y. Loo

AbstractOngoing efforts among cities to reinvigorate streets have encouraged innovations in using smart data to understand pedestrian activities. Empowered by advanced algorithms and computation power, data from smartphone applications, GPS devices, video cameras, and other forms of sensors can help better understand and promote street life and pedestrian activities. Through adopting a pedestrian-oriented and place-based approach, this paper reviews the major environmental components, pedestrian behavior, and sources of smart data in advancing this field of computational urban science. Responding to the identified research gap, a case study that hybridizes different smart data to understand pedestrian jaywalking as a reflection of urban spaces that need further improvement is presented. Finally, some major research challenges and directions are also highlighted.

The purpose of this chapter is to explore how the invisible is being made visible in smart cities and regions. The research literature for urban approaches to making the invisible visible is explored in this chapter in the context of smart and responsive cities and regions, enabling the identification of opportunities for research and practice. Using an exploratory case study approach combined with an explanatory correlational design, this chapter reveals how people describe and assess their experience of cities as smart. An analysis of quantitative and qualitative data focusing on the constructs of heightening urban sensibilities and urbanizing sheds light on opportunities for both practice and research going forward. This chapter makes a contribution to 1) the research literature for urban approaches to the making of smarter and more responsive cities through making the invisible visible and 2) conceptual and practical thinking through formulation and operationalization of an emerging framework for making the invisible visible in urban spaces and regions.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (14) ◽  
pp. 6395
Author(s):  
Nelson Pacheco Rocha ◽  
Rute Bastardo ◽  
João Pavão ◽  
Gonçalo Santinha ◽  
Mário Rodrigues ◽  
...  

This study aimed to identify: (i) the relevant applications based on information technologies and requiring smart cities’ infrastructure to facilitate the mobility of older adults in URBAN SPACES; (ii) the type of data being used by the proposed applications; (iii) the maturity level of these applications; and (iv) the barriers TO their dissemination. An electronic search was conducted on Web of Science, Scopus, and IEEE Xplore databases, combining relevant keywords. Then, titles and abstracts were screened against inclusion and exclusion criteria, and the full texts of the eligible articles were retrieved and screened for inclusion. A total of 28 articles were included. These articles report smart cities’ applications to facilitate the mobility of older adults using different types of sensing devices. The number of included articles is reduced when compared with the total number of articles related to smart cities, which means that the mobility of older adults it is still a not significant topic within the research on smart cities’. Although most of the included studies aimed the implementation of specific applications, these were still in an early stage of development, without the assessment of potential end-users. This is an important research gap since it makes difficult the creation of market-oriented solutions. Another research gap is the integration of knowledge generated by other research topics related to smart cities and smart mobility. Consequently, important issues (e.g., user privacy, data standardization and integration, Internet of Things implementation, and sensors’ characteristics) were poorly addressed by the included studies.


2018 ◽  
Vol 79 ◽  
pp. 53-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomasz Bieliński ◽  
Agnieszka Ważna

New generation of bike-sharing systems introduce a wide range of smart solutions. Dockless bicycles equipped with GPS and accessible by smartphone applications as well as electric bikes are considered to be solutions to many socioeconomic and environmental urban problems. However, older generation of bike-sharing systems equipped with dockings stations have some advantages over free floating public bicycles. The aim of this paper is to examine if hybridization of both systems may become an opportunity to improve bike-sharing services. The paper presents characteristics of both types of bike-sharing schemes and describes the examples of hybrid models to show benefits of this solution. Chosen methodology is the case study of selected European bike-sharing systems which combine features of both schemes – the dockless and the station-based.


The purpose of this chapter is to explore urban visibilities and invisibilities in terms of the physical, digital, less tangible, and ambient in relation to the need for new methodologies and approaches in understanding and designing for smart cities. This chapter seeks to shed light on the interweaving of elements in urban environments informing methodologies for smart cities. The research literature for urban methodologies and approaches in the context of visibilities and invisibilities is explored in this chapter for smart cities and regions. Using an exploratory case study approach combined with an explanatory correlational design, placemaking and attuning to urban spaces are investigated as proxies for InVisibilities and the ambient.


Author(s):  
Y. Ma ◽  
G. Li ◽  
H. Xie ◽  
H. Zhang

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> In the process of modern urban development, cities face various challenges such as climate change, air pollution and poverty, which have negative effects on urban sustainable development and self-regulation. The construction of smart cities can effectively improve the capability of urban management and operation. In this paper, we aim to explore how to use the big data in urban physical, social and cyber spaces to construct smart cities. The concept of digital urban space is proposed to help achieve the construction of smart cities, and city profiling is accordingly presented as a construction method of digital urban spaces and city profile as a product. According to the goals of constructing digital urban spaces, we illustrate the conception and core implementation steps of city profiling, including urban facets modelling and urban facets profiling with smart data. With three application scenarios, we discuss how city profile can be used to meet the factual needs of management, operation and decision-making. City profile can model the cities with urban data and make them become organisms managed and operated by data, so that various information services related to the city can be provided to different users.</p>


The purpose of this chapter is to explore transparency and the ambient in relation to evolving perspectives on smart cities and regions. As such, this chapter seeks to shed light on the importance of elements in urban environments informing urban visibilities and invisibilities for smart, responsive, and future cities. The research literature for transparency and the ambient is explored in this chapter in the context of visibilities and invisibilities in smart cities. The constructs of openness and attuning to urban spaces are used to explore transparency and the ambient. This chapter uses an exploratory case study approach in combination with an explanatory correlational design. This chapter makes a contribution to 1) the research literature for transparency and the ambient in smart cities, 2) the evolving of perspectives on smart cities and regions, and 3) the evolving of theory through formulation of a conceptual framework for transparency and the ambient in smart cities.


2018 ◽  
pp. 60-67
Author(s):  
Henrika Pihlajaniemi ◽  
Anna Luusua ◽  
Eveliina Juntunen

This paper presents the evaluation of usersХ experiences in three intelligent lighting pilots in Finland. Two of the case studies are related to the use of intelligent lighting in different kinds of traffic areas, having emphasis on aspects of visibility, traffic and movement safety, and sense of security. The last case study presents a more complex view to the experience of intelligent lighting in smart city contexts. The evaluation methods, tailored to each pilot context, include questionnaires, an urban dashboard, in-situ interviews and observations, evaluation probes, and system data analyses. The applicability of the selected and tested methods is discussed reflecting the process and achieved results.


2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 375-387
Author(s):  
Jenni Mikkonen ◽  
Ira Lahovuo

Prior studies have recognized the importance of events in destination branding, but the focus has been on the roles of mega-events or sport events, while smaller cultural and freetime events have received far less attention. The stakeholder involvement in destination branding has also been attracting interest lately by many researchers, but there is lack of knowledge on how to utilize events in the branding processes. This study aims to fill the research gap through a case study in the South Savo region, eastern Finland. The purpose of this study is to examine the roles events have in destination branding, and how events are involved in cocreating the destination brand. The empirical data were collected through 13 semistructured interviews of event organizers and local tourism developers. The study identified four different roles and several involvement methods. The findings revealed the importance and potential of organized events in the branding, but it also revealed that they are not yet effectively utilized at the destination. However, there is a consensus about the importance of stakeholder involvement and a common will towards involving events in the branding process. The findings of this study can be utilized by tourism developers and stakeholders to improve destination branding processes.


Buildings ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 78
Author(s):  
Daria Uspenskaia ◽  
Karl Specht ◽  
Hendrik Kondziella ◽  
Thomas Bruckner

Without decarbonizing cities energy and climate objectives cannot be achieved as cities account for approximately two thirds of energy consumption and emissions. This goal of decarbonizing cities has to be facilitated by promoting net-zero/positive energy buildings and districts and replicating them, driving cities towards sustainability goals. Many projects in smart cities demonstrate novel and groundbreaking low-carbon solutions in demonstration and lighthouse projects. However, as the historical, geographic, political, social and economic context of urban areas vary greatly, it is not always easy to repeat the solution in another city or even district. It is therefore important to look for the opportunities to scale up or repeat successful pilots. The purpose of this paper is to explore common trends in technologies and replication strategies for positive energy buildings or districts in smart city projects, based on the practical experience from a case study in Leipzig—one of the lighthouse cities in the project SPARCS. One of the key findings the paper has proven is the necessity of a profound replication modelling to deepen the understanding of upscaling processes. Three models analyzed in this article are able to provide a multidimensional representation of the solution to be replicated.


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