scholarly journals From ‘Orthogonal’ Sprawl to ‘Curvilinear’ Dense: Assessing Accessibility Indices for Urban Networks of Social Housing in UAE

2021 ◽  
Vol 1203 (2) ◽  
pp. 022066
Author(s):  
Khaled Galal Ahmed
Keyword(s):  
Social Housing ◽  
Urban Form ◽  
Urban Network ◽  
Urban Networks ◽  
Urban Forms ◽  
Housing Projects ◽  
Simulation Tools ◽  
Expected Performance ◽  
Curvilinear Grid ◽  
Sustainability Principles

Abstract The shift towards designing more dense urban social housing neighbourhoods has started with the embracing of urban sustainability principles by the UAE government since the beginning of the 21st century. The assessment of the recent neighbourhoods designs still lacks concrete evidence about their expected performance especially for pedestrian mobility networks. This concern is gaining further significance with the noticeable tendency of most of the recent urban designs towards developing organic and curvilinear networks instead of the conventional orthogonal grids of the mobility networks that distinguished the traditionally designed neighbourhoods in the country. To bridge this gap, the research comparatively and quantitively analysed the accessibility performance indicators of both of the traditional and the modern urban network designs. The research adopted the Case Study method with quantitative investigation tools that are fundamental to Urban Network Analysis, especially in relation to Accessibility. The simulation of the urban networks of two selected urban social housing neighbourhood forms, representing the networks of both the traditional urban orthogonal sprawl and the recent curvilinear dense one, were utilized employing the UNA toolbox. Three complementary Accessibility Indices were analysed including: Reach, Gravity and Straightness. Through this analysis, the aspects that affected the accessibility performance of the two urban form paradigms and the problems that have been associated with the designs of the urban networks of the new social housing projects, have been revealed. It became evident that the denser urban form was not sufficient in enabling more accessible facilities in the recent neighbourhoods designs. The orthogonal grid, even with its very low Floor Area Ratio showed better performance of in the three accessibility indices especially the Straightness index, if compared with the much denser curvilinear grid with it ‘naturally longer’ pattern. The inefficient number and the inappropriate distribution locally provided facilities in relation to the pedestrian mobility networks have contributed to these disappointing results. So, it is essential to include this and/or similar urban network quantitative simulation tools to help develop genuinely sustainable urban forms for this significant type of urban development in the UAE cities.

scholarly journals Estruturação urbana e questão da moradia nas cidades do agronegócio

GeoTextos ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Renato Pequeno ◽  
Denise Elias
Keyword(s):  
Urban Space ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Spatial Dynamics ◽  
Housing Conditions ◽  
Urban Network ◽  
Industrial Facilities ◽  
Housing Projects ◽  
The Past ◽  
Spatial Inequalities ◽  
Space Production

Cidades que polarizam regiões produtivas associadas ao agronegócio ganharam destaque na rede urbana do Brasil, nas últimas três décadas. O presente artigo tem como objetivo principal apresentar um quadro de dinâmicas socioespaciais vinculadas à estruturação de algumas dessas cidades, por nós chamadas de cidades do agronegócio, a partir das condições de moradia. Defendemos quatro teses: a de que o agronegócio globalizado acirra as já históricas desigualdades socioespaciais do Brasil; a de que o consumo produtivo do agronegócio e os estabelecimentos agroindustriais são determinantes para a estruturação urbana das cidades do agronegócio; a de que a moradia é uma variável chave para o estudo das desigualdades socioespaciais no espaço urbano; a de que as condições de inserção urbana dos conjuntos do Programa Minha Casa Minha Vida (PMCMV) são forte evidência da dissociação entre as políticas públicas urbana e habitacional. Como objeto de análise tivemos um conjunto de cidades do agronegócio distribuídas pelas cinco regiões brasileiras. O artigo se estrutura em torno de três questões norteadoras: quais elementos se destacam na estruturação das cidades estudadas? Como a questão da moradia se manifesta considerando os diferentes agentes da produção do espaço? Como as políticas urbana e habitacional foram conduzidas nas últimas duas décadas? A partir destas questões apresentamos elementos de argumentação para as teses defendidas. Abstract URBAN STRUCTURING AND HOUSING ISSUES IN AGRIBUSINESS CITIES Cities that polarize productive regions associated with agribusiness have gained prominence in Brazil’s urban network in the past three decades. The main objective of this article is to present some agribusiness cities, relating both its urban structuring and the socio-spatial dynamics, focusing on housing conditions. We defend four theses: first, globalized agribusiness worsens Brazil’s historic socio-spatial inequalities; second, agribusiness productive consumption and agro-industrial facilities are crucial for urban structuring in agribusiness cities; third, housing is a key variable for socio-spatial inequalities studies about urban space; forth, locational conditions of Minha Casa Minha Vida Program (PMCMV) social housing projects are a strong evidence of dissociation between public housing and urban policies. Our analysis object is a group of agribusiness cities spread over five Brazilian regions. The article has three leading questions: which elements stand out from urban structuring in those cities? How does housing take place by considering different space production agents? How have urban and housing policies been led in the past two decades? Then we develop our argumentation to support our theses.

scholarly journals Urban Form Compaction and Energy Use Intensity in New Social Housing Neighborhoods in the UAE

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (14) ◽  
pp. 3815
Author(s):  
Ahmed ◽  
Alipour
Keyword(s):  
Social Housing ◽  
Urban Form ◽  
Energy Use ◽  
Green Building ◽  
Computational Method ◽  
Single Family ◽  
Coverage Area ◽  
Climate Zone ◽  
Urban Forms ◽  
The Impact

With increasing global awareness of sustainable development, federal and local authorities in the UAE have developed agendas for energy efficiency in all development sectors, especially for buildings and urban development. With the belief that urban form is integral to urban sustainability, several recently developed single-family social housing neighborhoods in the UAE have shifted from conventional sprawling urban forms to more compact ones. Unfortunately, the impact of this shift on operational and cooling energy use intensities (EUIs) is unknown. Adopting a comparative computational method, this study investigates the effect of compact urban morphologies on EUIs. In addition to a case study representing conventional urban sprawls, six recently designed housing neighborhoods in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Al Ain were selected to represent new compact urban forms. This study uncovered an inconsistent relationship between floor area ratio (FAR) and average housing operational and cooling EUIs. To justify these results, the effects of increased lot coverage area, street grid patterns, building configurations, and climate zone on operational and cooling EUIs were studied, and all except climate zone were proven effective. This study concludes that the current design philosophy of compacting the urban form has not successfully met the Emirates Green Building Council’s (GBC) sustainable operational EUI benchmark of 90 kWh/m2/y. While further urban compactness (i.e., increased FARs) is needed, the other urban morphological measures examined in this study should be considered for achieving a more sustainable urban form for social housing.

scholarly journals Influences of Urban Infrastructure Development on Urban Forms and Lifestyle of Greater Bangkok

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
pp. 95-110
Author(s):  
Chaweewan Denpaiboon ◽  
Kundoldibya Panitchpakdi ◽  
Hidehiko Kanegae ◽  
Pattamon Selanon ◽  
Yanisa Boonnun
Keyword(s):  
Urban Form ◽  
Urban Infrastructure ◽  
Simulation Modelling ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
Urban Network ◽  
Urban Forms ◽  
Mixed Use ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Residential Projects ◽  
Selection Of

According to consider the influence of urban infrastructure development impact on land-use and structure. Objective of study is to; (1) analyze urban network into 5 index factors for analyzing a pattern of urban form, and (2) analysis a relationship between urban geo-simulation modelling and behavior of socioeconomic. The study employed the selection of four study areas in the Greater Bangkok and the measurement of each index of urban network analysis and the mutual relationship between the two variables. The finding that residents in the area understand the mixed use of the area and satisfied with convenient commutation. There are uncommitted bonds occurred among the residential projects.

scholarly journals Mapping the urban form of coastal fishing towns in Algarve: Olhão and Vila Real de Santo António

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 313-328
Author(s):  
Mafalda Batista Pacheco ◽  
Itziar Navarro-Amezketa ◽  
Teresa Heitor
Keyword(s):  
Urban Form ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Urban Morphology ◽  
Growth Patterns ◽  
Integrated Network ◽  
Urban Networks ◽  
Urban Forms ◽  
History Of ◽  
Southern Portugal ◽  
Historic Centre

Abstract The paper examines the urban growth patterns of two coastal fishing towns in southern Portugal: Olhão and Vila Real de Santo António. The goal is to investigate the relationship between the configurational and network properties of the urban forms in order to identify generative or emergent patterns, understanding their particular urban morphology. The Space Syntax Theory, applied to the syntactical modelling of these towns, is used to understand the urban processes. Topological variables, such as connectivity, integration and intelligibility, are calculated by DepthMap Software and the Theory of the “Deformed Wheel” is used to represent the evolutionary trends and to identify generic rules. The study is developed by comparing the two urban networks in two moments of their evolution, first in the mid-20th century, which corresponds to the historic core, and second corresponding to the present day. The main results demonstrate a contrast between the segregated network of Olhão's irregular historic centre and the integrated network of Vila Real de Santo António's regular historic centre, revealed by the value of integration variable. The urban expansion of these towns during the last decades decreased the value of integration and aggravated the intelligibility of the urban fabric. The application of syntactic approaches, with quantitative analysis, aims to complement the traditional procedures of the History of Urbanism, developing an operational method adaptable to the study of urban morphology.

scholarly journals Effects of Urban Forms on Separate Drainage Systems: A Virtual City Perspective

Water ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 758 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jia ◽  
Sitzenfrei ◽  
Rauch ◽  
Liang ◽  
Liu
Keyword(s):  
Urban Form ◽  
Domestic Wastewater ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Three Dimensions ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Drainage Systems ◽  
Urban Forms ◽  
Storm Water Management Model ◽  
Wastewater Systems ◽  
Performance Dimensions

The development of urban drainage systems is challenged by rapid urbanization; however, little attention is paid to the urban form and its effects on these systems. This study develops an integrated city-drainage model that configures typical urban forms and their associated drainage infrastructures, specifically domestic wastewater and rainwater systems, to analyze the relationship between them. Three typical types of urban forms were investigated: the square, the star, and the strip. Virtual cities were designed first, with the corresponding drainage systems generated automatically and then linked to a model herein called the Storm Water Management Model (SWMM). Evaluation was based on 200 random configurations of wastewater/rainwater systems with different structures or attributes. The results show that urban forms play more important roles on three dimensions of performance, namely economic efficiency, effectiveness, and adaptability, of the rainwater systems than of the wastewater systems. Cost is positively correlated to the effectiveness of rainwater systems among the different urban forms, while adaptability is negatively correlated to the other two performance dimensions. Regardless of the form, it is difficult for a city to make its drainage systems simultaneously cost-effective, efficient, and adaptable based on the virtual cities we investigated. This study could inspire the urban planning of both built-up and to-be-built areas to become more sustainable with their drainage infrastructure by recognizing the pros and cons of different macroscale urban forms.

Urban network of China from the perspective of population mobility: Three-dimensional co-occurrence of nodes and links

2021 ◽  
pp. 0308518X2199781
Author(s):  
Xinyue Luo ◽  
Mingxing Chen
Keyword(s):  
Three Dimensional ◽  
Geographical Distance ◽  
Two Dimensional ◽  
Population Mobility ◽  
Urban Network ◽  
Urban Networks ◽  
Low Level ◽  
Medium Level ◽  
High Level ◽  
External Connections

The nodes and links in urban networks are usually presented in a two-dimensional(2D) view. The co-occurrence of nodes and links can also be realized from a three-dimensional(3D) perspective to make the characteristics of urban network more intuitively revealed. Our result shows that the external connections of high-level cities are mainly affected by the level of cities(nodes) and less affected by geographical distance, while medium-level cities are affected by the interaction of the level of cities(nodes) and geographical distance. The external connections of low-level cities are greatly restricted by geographical distance.

‘Excavating’ Pruitt-Igoe using space syntax

2021 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-68
Author(s):  
Mark David Major
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Public Housing ◽  
Social Housing ◽  
Space Syntax ◽  
Modern Architecture ◽  
Housing Authority ◽  
Housing Project ◽  
Housing Projects ◽  
Charles Jencks

Pruitt-Igoe, in St Louis, Missouri, United States, was one of the most notorious social housing projects of the twentieth century. Charles Jencks argued opening his book The Language of Post-Modern Architecture, ‘Modern Architecture died in St Louis, Missouri on July 15, 1972 at 3.32 pm (or thereabouts) when the infamous Pruitt-Igoe scheme, or rather several of its slab blocks, were given the final coup de grâce by dynamite.’ However, the magazine Architectural Forum had heralded the project as ‘the best high apartment’ of the year in 1951. Indeed, one of its first residents in 1957 described Pruitt-Igoe as ‘like an oasis in a desert, all of this newness’. But a later resident derided the housing project as ‘Hell on Earth’ in 1967. Only eighteen years after opening, the St Louis Public Housing Authority (PHA) began demolishing Pruitt-Igoe in 1972 [1]. It remains commonly cited for the failures of modernist design and planning.

Mapping urban networks through inter-firm service relationships: The case of China

Urban Studies ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 54 (16) ◽  
pp. 3639-3654 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fenghua Pan ◽  
Wenkai Bi ◽  
James Lenzer ◽  
Simon Zhao
Keyword(s):  
Initial Public Offering ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Professional Services ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Law Firms ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Urban Network ◽  
Urban Networks ◽  
Producer Service ◽  
Public Offering

Literature on how cities get connected through networks of firms has been increasing in recent years. In particular, advanced producer service (APS) firms are being widely used to build intra-firm linkages to establish urban networks. In contrast to studies applying intra-firm networks, this study proposes an alternative strategy to build urban networks based on inter-firm service provision relationships during the process of initial public offering (IPO) in which APS firms – including securities, law firms and accounting firms – provide professional services for firms aiming to be publicly listed. Based on service provision connections between APS firms and their clients, this study provides fresh insights on urban networks in China. The results show that Beijing, Shenzhen and Shanghai strategically hold dominant positions within Chinese urban networks and they are the lead command and financial centres within the country. Particularly, Beijing has overwhelmingly more influence over other cities. The urban networks are embedded in China’s unique institutional context where market and state power together have shaped these networks. Since the urban network is built up based on real economic linkages, the findings might have further implications for policy-making and could contribute to ongoing debates regarding financial centres in China. It implies that connections between firms based on real economic activities can be an effective way to construct urban networks in future research.

scholarly journals Computing climate-smart urban land use with the Integrated Urban Complexity model (IUCm 1.0)

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 525-539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger Cremades ◽  
Philipp S. Sommer
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Land Use ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Urban Form ◽  
Urban Land ◽  
Urban Land Use ◽  
Urban Mobility ◽  
Urban Forms ◽  
Complex Features ◽  
Combat Climate Change

Abstract. Cities are fundamental to climate change mitigation, and although there is increasing understanding about the relationship between emissions and urban form, this relationship has not been used to provide planning advice for urban land use so far. Here we present the Integrated Urban Complexity model (IUCm 1.0) that computes “climate-smart urban forms”, which are able to cut emissions related to energy consumption from urban mobility in half. Furthermore, we show the complex features that go beyond the normal debates about urban sprawl vs. compactness. Our results show how to reinforce fractal hierarchies and population density clusters within climate risk constraints to significantly decrease the energy consumption of urban mobility. The new model that we present aims to produce new advice about how cities can combat climate change.

scholarly journals Resilience of Urban Network Structure in China: The Perspective of Disruption

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 796
Author(s):  
Shimei Wei ◽  
Jinghu Pan
Keyword(s):  
Network Structure ◽  
Structural Characteristics ◽  
Maximum Load ◽  
Urban Systems ◽  
Urban Resilience ◽  
Economic Networks ◽  
Urban Network ◽  
Urban Networks ◽  
Location Service ◽  
Popular Subject

In light of the long-term pressure and short-term impact of economic and technological globalization, regional and urban resilience has become an important issue in research. As a new organizational form of regional urban systems, the resilience of urban networks generated by flow space has emerged as a popular subject of research. By gathering 2017 data from the Baidu search index, the Tencent location service, and social statistics, this study constructs information, transportation, and economic networks among 344 cities in China to analyze the spatial patterns of urban networks and explore their structural characteristics from the perspectives of hierarchy and assortativity. Transmissibility and diversity were used to represent the resilience of the network structure in interruption scenarios (node failure and maximum load attack). The results show the following: The information, transportation, and economic networks of cities at the prefecture level and higher in China exhibit a dense pattern of spatial distribution in the east and a sparse pattern in the west; however, there are significant differences in terms of hierarchy and assortativity. The order of resilience of network transmissibility and diversity from strong to weak was information, economic, transportation. Transmissibility and diversity had nearly identical scores in response to the interruption of urban nodes. Moreover, a highly heterogeneous network was more likely to cause shocks to the network structure, owing to its cross-regional urban links in case of disturbance. We identified 12 dominant nodes and 93 vulnerable nodes that can help accurately determine the impetus behind network structure resilience. The capacity of regions for resistance and recovery can be improved by strengthening the construction of emergency systems and risk prevention mechanisms.

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