Urban fringe belts: evidence from China

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 80-99 ◽  
Author(s):  
JWR Whitehand ◽  
Kai Gu
Keyword(s):  
Urban Form ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Morphology ◽  
Urban Fringe ◽  
The Political ◽  
Chinese City ◽  
The Past ◽  
Main Emphasis ◽  
The World ◽  
City Walls

Research on the fringe-belt concept has grown significantly in the past decade. This is particularly evident in parts of the world in which interest in urban morphology has been slight until recently. The main emphasis continues to be the light that this concept can shed on the historico-geographical grain of urban areas. This paper reports a morphogenetic investigation into fringe belts that gives particular attention to the fixation lines associated with Chinese city walls. Discussion is concentrated on a fringe belt related to one of the world’s longest and most massive city walls, that of Nanjing. The formation, consolidation and, in places, alienation of the Ming fringe belt of Nanjing has been influenced by natural and artificial fixation lines and the political economy of an authoritarian society. Understanding the changing spatial structure of fringe-belt landscapes has implications for the management of urban form in ways sensitive to its historico-geographical development.

scholarly journals Weekly patterns of México City's surface concentrations of CO, NO<sub>x</sub>, PM<sub>10</sub> and O<sub>3</sub> during 1986–2007

2008 ◽  
Vol 8 (17) ◽  
pp. 5313-5325 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Stephens ◽  
S. Madronich ◽  
F. Wu ◽  
J. B. Olson ◽  
R. Ramos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Distinct Pattern ◽  
Weekend Effect ◽  
The Past ◽  
Pollutant Concentrations ◽  
Photolysis Frequencies ◽  
Volatile Organic ◽  
The World ◽  
Urban Monitoring ◽  
Related Compounds

Abstract. Surface pollutant concentrations in México City show a distinct pattern of weekly variations similar to that observed in many other cities of the world. Measurements of the concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx=NO+NO2), particulate matter smaller than 10 μm (PM10), and ozone (O3) collected hourly over 22 years (1986–2007) at 39 urban monitoring locations were analyzed. Morning concentrations of CO, NOx, and PM10 are lower on Saturdays and even more so on Sundays, compared to workdays (Monday–Friday), while afternoon O3 concentrations change minimally and are occasionally even higher. This weekend effect is empirical evidence that photochemical O3 production is NOx-inhibited, and to the extent that emissions of CO are proportional to those of reactive volatile organic compounds (VOCs), it is VOC-limited, at least in the urban areas for which the monitoring stations are representative. The VOC-limitation has increased in the past decade, due to decreases in the concentrations of CO (and presumably VOCs) and consequent decreases in the CO/NOx and VOC/NOx ratios. Enhancements of photolysis frequencies resulting from smaller weekend aerosol burdens are not negligible, but fall short of being an alternate explanation for the observed weekend effect. The strength of the weekend effect indicates that local radical termination occurs primarily via formation of nitric acid and other NOx-related compounds, some of which (e.g. peroxy acyl nitrates) can contribute to the regional NOx budget. While VOC emission reductions would be most effective in reducing local O3 production, NOx emission reduction may be more important for controlling regional oxidants.

Exploring the relationships between urban form metrics and the vegetation biomass loss under urban expansion in China

2018 ◽  
Vol 47 (3) ◽  
pp. 363-380
Author(s):  
Tong Zhang ◽  
Sophia Shuang Chen ◽  
Guangyu Li
Keyword(s):  
Urban Form ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Yangtze River ◽  
Green Space ◽  
Yangtze River Delta ◽  
Urban Morphology ◽  
Total Biomass ◽  
Urban Metrics ◽  
Biomass Loss ◽  
Loss Index

Compact urban form has been applied as a strategy to reduce the loss of green space that occurs from development, but the impact of this policy on the provision of green space still presents many uncertainties. This research investigated the statistical relationship between urban form indicators and the loss of vegetation biomass to understand the response of quality green space provision to changes in urban morphology. A methodology combining multi-source data assimilation, statistical analysis, and spatial analysis was adopted for the Yangtze River Delta cities of China. First, six urban metrics were selected to describe the shape and layout of urban patches in each city, and the total biomass loss index was then introduced as a parameter. The values of urban metrics and total biomass loss index were calculated for the 50 Yangtze River Delta cities. Second, ordinary least squares regression and geographically weighted regression analyses were then used to establish a quantitative relationship between total biomass loss index and urban form indicators. The results revealed an extremely negative correlation between total biomass loss index and the three urban variables of Richard compactness, density gradient, and the Gini coefficient; moreover, the parameter estimates for the three variables in the geographically weighted regression model were local and varied over space. Third, the mechanisms by which the urban form influences biomass loss were discussed and different urban form planning strategies for particular urban areas were suggested. In conclusion, compact urban form in a clustered layout of urban areas with a dense central agglomeration was verified to be ecologically superior and conducive to green space protection. For the physical interpretation of the statistical relationship between urban morphology and vegetation loss, the interface effect of urban agglomeration on vegetation merits further study.

scholarly journals Topological analysis of contemporary morphologies under conflict: The urban transformation of Dobrinja in Sarajevo and the Central District of Beirut

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inés Aquilué ◽  
Estanislao Roca ◽  
Javier Ruiz
Keyword(s):  
Civil War ◽  
Urban Form ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Morphology ◽  
Specific Method ◽  
Evolutionary Analysis ◽  
Lebanese Civil War ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Bosnian War ◽  
Central District

Regarding topological interpretation of space, this research aims to identify urban morphologies, whose topology becomes increasingly determining under high uncertainty. This topological approach has been applied in an evolutionary analysis of urban spaces under siege, fear and conflict, which conducted to the construction of a specific method. This method analyses the transformation of urban areas in five consecutive phases: urban form [1], increase of uncertainty [2], application of the apparatus [3], change in urban form [4], information flows [5]. These five phases were applied to different empirical studies, analysed through specific morphological and topological models. In the light of this method, two selected urban morphologies Dobrinja –a suburb in Sarajevo– and the Beirut Central District have been examined. The urban morphology of both areas was dramatically transformed after both civil conflicts –the Bosnian War and the Lebanese Civil War–. Dobrinja suffered severe modifications, first provoked by the violence of the siege during the Bosnian War [1992-1995], and then by the Inter-Entity Boundary Line as a result of the Dayton Peace Agreement [December 1995], which divided the neighbourhood and caused serious alterations in its ethno-demographic and spatial structure. The Beirut Central District was first destroyed by the violence experienced in the Lebanese Civil War [1975-1990] and then by the process of subsequent reconstruction [since 1992], which led to a simplification of its structure. The two morphological and topological analyses enable us to determine the initial causes and their spatial consequences in both urban areas, regarding their conflict and post-conflict stage.

The Political Economy of Land and Urban Development

2018 ◽  
pp. 343-359
Author(s):  
Kudzanai Bvochora ◽  
Bernard Kusena
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Natural Increase ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
The Political ◽  
Social Infrastructure ◽  
The World ◽  
Urban Settlements ◽  
Development Processes ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Many urban areas which have sprouted around the world owe their economic and social origins in growth points and market centers. Situated about 15 kilometers south-east of Harare, Epworth became one of Zimbabwe's largest peri-urban settlements due to the combined effect of demographic, political, and socioeconomic factors, among others. This chapter interrogates the various forces behind this unprecedented population growth. It demonstrates the relationship between Epworth's ballooning population and the various pull and push factors of urbanization. For example, immigration contributed immensely to this rise, although natural increase in births also contributed fairly significantly. This chapter examines the impact of population dynamics and other variables that were linked to the rapid expansion of Epworth on the overall development processes, arguing that economic and social infrastructure became conditioned by such dynamics.

Healthy Places to Play, Learn, and Develop

Urban Health ◽  
2019 ◽  
pp. 102-111
Author(s):  
Renée Boynton-Jarrett
Keyword(s):  
Urban Environment ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Urban Spaces ◽  
Healthy Living ◽  
Urban Populations ◽  
The Past ◽  
Physical Environments ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
The World

The urban environment is characterized by human-made spaces, by environments that are created to allow large numbers of people to coexist. These spaces literally shape where and how we play and work, representing an enormous opportunity for urban spaces to influence all aspects of our daily life—including our health. Although abundant urban areas have emerged over the past decades that disincentivize healthy living, innovation around the world is providing examples of approaches to urban design that generates healthy and safe places to play and work. This chapter provides a framework for thinking about the creation of urban spaces, about how the physical environment influences health, and how, to that end, we can create healthy physical environments to improve the health of urban populations.

scholarly journals Do denser urban areas save on infrastructure? Evidence from New Zealand territorial authorities

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Matt Adams ◽  
Ralph Chapman
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Urban Form ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Climate Risk ◽  
Traditional Model ◽  
The World

How urban planners shape urban form and longlived infrastructure in these coming few years will largely determine whether the world gets locked into a traditional model … or moves onto a better path, with more compact, connected and liveable cities, greater productivity and reduced climate risk. 

scholarly journals Economic and Higher Education Partnership of Hungary and Kazakhstan

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kinga Magdolna Mandel ◽  
Anargul Belgibayeva
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
World Bank ◽  
Strategic Partnership ◽  
The Political ◽  
The Past ◽  
Political Communications ◽  
The World Bank ◽  
The World ◽  
University Level ◽  
The University

The aim of our research was to describe, compare, and analyze the development of business and educational co-operation between Kazakhstan and Hungary over the past 19 years. The research was prompted by the university-level co-operation between the two countries that star ted in 2018, which was made possible by the strategic partnership that is the topic of the present article. We started from the hypothesis that both business and educational co-operation has developed linearly and significantly during the last 19 years. Our research methodology was based on gathering and analyzing secondary macroeconomic, trade, and educational co-operation data in the period between 2011 and 2020. The data were obtained from publications, national offices (statistical, commerce, and education), and international bodies (like TempusPublic Foundation, Eurostat, International Monetary Fund [IMF], and the World Bank). In this paper, we intend to link the main political, social, and macroeconomic endowments with business and educational developments of partnership in the two countries, trying to map out prospects for co-operation. One conclusion is that, although in the political communications of the two countries we were able to identify significant governmental efforts on both sides to support and enforce economic and educational co-operation, the data indicate a decrease in the size of business investments. At the same time, however, the educational co-operation between the two parties continues to develop further.

HISTORY AND ITS ENDS IN CHARTIST EPIC

2009 ◽  
Vol 37 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pamela K. Gilbert
Keyword(s):  
New World ◽  
Religious Tradition ◽  
The Political ◽  
National Narratives ◽  
End Of History ◽  
The Past ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of ◽  
The End Of History ◽  
Long Poems

In the mid-1800s, two significant and widelyread Chartist poems appeared, both written in prison by Chartist organizers, and both using the epic form to interrogate the present, body forth a utopian future, and rewrite a history conceived both as broadly human and specifically national. These long poems, Thomas Cooper'sPurgatory of Suicides(1845) and Ernest Jones'sThe New World, first published in 1851 and then republished after 1857 as theRevolt of Hindostan, have much to tell us about how radicals envisioned the history of Britain, its relationship with empire, and the fulfillment of the ends of history. Cooper's poem proceeds in ten books, written in Spenserian stanzas, in which he dreams of visiting a purgatory of suicides: mythical and historical personages who have committed suicide debate the reasons for their condition and the condition of the world. Jones's poem was written in couplets, supposedly on the torn pages of a prayer book, in his own blood. The poem surveys the rise and fall of multiple empires, and also surveys recent political history closer to home. The two poems look to the past and the future, to universal history and its end. They thus participate in utopian political discourse, with its emphasis on the end of history, as well as the epic tradition. Both utopian and epic discourse in this period were affiliated with specifically national narratives, and the internationalist and universal elements of the poems sometimes inhabit these genres uneasily. Additionally, both poets attend to the religious tradition of eschatological discourse that underlies the secular notion of the end of history, and work to reconcile it with the political vision they are promoting. These writers use unique combinations of spatial and temporal frames to achieve the reconciliation of their diverse goals with the genres and discourses that they claim and transform.

Student movements: Malaya as outlier in Southeast Asia

2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 511-518
Author(s):  
Wang Gungwu
Keyword(s):  
The Other ◽  
Student Movements ◽  
The Political ◽  
Student Group ◽  
The Past ◽  
The World ◽  
The Muslim Brotherhood ◽  
The One ◽  
The Arab Spring ◽  
Political Groups

For the past three decades, student movements in most countries in the world have been beaten back, but there are signs that some may be returning. In response to the Arab Spring, students participated fully in Tahrir Square and beyond. The student elections in Egypt that followed, however, seem to have been divided according to the various links that each student group had with the political groups contending for state power, like the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamists on the one side, against secular and revolutionary groups on the other. It is not certain if the student elections really reflected the overall mood of the country or whether they were simply shaped by political protagonists outside the campuses.

Mathematics Didn't Just Happen!

2001 ◽  
Vol 94 (9) ◽  
pp. 780-784
Author(s):  
James E. Lightner
Keyword(s):  
History Of Mathematics ◽  
Economic Conditions ◽  
The Political ◽  
Mathematical Activity ◽  
The Past ◽  
The World ◽  
History Of

Students of the history of mathematics have long enjoyed the fascinating stories of the mathematical discoveries that have occurred over the past 4000 or so years. In considering the early developments, that is, those that happened before A.D. 100, we must often conjecture about who made the discovery or observation, where it really took place, and exactly when it happened. We still do not always know why the developments occurred when they did. However, mathematical developments often seem to be tied to the history of the world; certain periods of time have certainly been much more conducive to major mathematical activity than others. In other words, mathematics did not just happen; it was encouraged—or discouraged— by the zeitgeist—the nature of the prevailing culture— and the political, social, and economic conditions under which mathematicians had to work.

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