ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE URBANIZATION OF THE NATIONAL THEATRE IN LONDON THROUGH CHANGE OF USE AND FUNCTIONS OF ARCHITECTURE

The human population is currently on the rise and most Europeans live in urban areas, leading to increased urbanization. The change comes with its challenges, as cities, architecture, and urban spaces need to become more fluid, multi-functional, and innovative. This paper examines whether a change of use of public spaces, and functions of architectural and urban forms, can be used as an element in the implementation of sustainable urbanization. The theoretical framework of this paper focuses on literature findings relating to identified key aspects such as innovative approaches in changes of use — recycling and upcycling, green infrastructure and financial aspects, concepts of “right of the place”, and public participation. These aspects are addressed on both theoretical and practical levels, with the National Theatre in London as a case study. Findings convey that the change of use of spaces can be utilized to achieve sustainable urbanization, together with the management of functions and uses of architectural and urban forms. However, further research is needed with various stakeholders to identify a solid and inherent database, as a foundation on which the most optimal urban spaces would emerge, by identifying new functions and uses of urban space and architecture.

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Conscious approach to urban and extra-urban space restructuring as seen in the designs of Architecture students

MATEC Web of Conferences ◽

10.1051/matecconf/201817404016 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 174 ◽

pp. 04016

Author(s):

Joanna Gil-Mastalerczyk

Keyword(s):

Natural Resources ◽

Urban Space ◽

Creative Process ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Interdisciplinary Approach ◽

Urban Spaces ◽

Architectural Education ◽

Natural Landscape ◽

Urban Forms ◽

Future Work

In education of architects and urban planners, it is important to rely on interdisciplinary approach to many factors involved in the process. Especially in the built environment context, the awareness of the interaction of different components is of key importance. In their future work, architecture students need to have responsible and socially-oriented standpoint. It will be demonstrated in the creation of architectural objects in the natural landscape surroundings, and in the attitude to different type of architectural and urban spaces. Safety, the use of natural resources, the relations between architecture and the surrounds, the evaluation of the environmental components and their impact on the creative process are extremely important. The paper discusses examples of space solutions in the urban areas and those located outside cities. Those solutions involve daring architectural and urban forms that make use of the natural environment assets, and also quality architectural work and design. The presence of such objects is a response to the demand from the society, consequently it seems reasonable to explore the issues related to architectural education.

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Assessment of Blue and Green Infrastructure Solutions in Shaping Urban Public Spaces—Spatial and Functional, Environmental, and Social Aspects

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su131911041 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (19) ◽

pp. 11041

Author(s):

Kinga Kimic ◽

Karina Ostrysz

Keyword(s):

Green Infrastructure ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Stormwater Management ◽

Public Spaces ◽

Social Aspects ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Scoring Method ◽

Sustainable Stormwater Management ◽

Urbanized Areas ◽

Key Aspects

Blue and Green Infrastructure (BGI) provide one of the key Nature Based Solution (NBS) approaches for sustainable stormwater management in cities, in conjunction with extending the scope of Ecosystem Services (ES). In both the process of planning and designing highly urbanized areas, the implementation of BGI is important for the improvement of living conditions and counteracting the negative effects of climate change. Based on the literature review, 19 BGI solutions were identified and then valorized in relation to the following three key aspects: spatial and functional, environmental, and social. The results of the assessment were derived using the scoring method and allowed for the identification of BGI solutions with a high, medium or low value for shaping sustainable urban public spaces. Using the potential of analyzed BGI solutions to improve the functioning and attractiveness of urban areas requires a comprehensive approach. Conscious planning and designing should use the knowledge presented to make the implementation of BGI solutions as effective as possible in relation to the above-mentioned aspects of shaping urban public spaces.

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A Methodological Framework for Assessing Practicability of the Urban Space: The Survey on Conditions of Practicable Environments (SCOPE) Procedure Applied in the Case Study of Cagliari (Italy)

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su10114189 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 10 (11) ◽

pp. 4189 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Chiara Garau ◽

Alfonso Annunziata ◽

Mauro Coni

Keyword(s):

Built Environment ◽

Urban Space ◽

Smart City ◽

Public Spaces ◽

Urban Spaces ◽

Methodological Framework ◽

Key Dimensions ◽

Rights To The City

Children’s independent activities within public spaces emerge as a fundamental condition for their development considered in the context of their needs: socialization, movement, autonomy, and enrichment of their creative, imaginative, and cognitive potential. The promotion of their independence represents a relevant issue for implementing the smart city paradigm. This paradigm calls for a methodological framework where the urban fabric’s performance is evaluated via comprehensive analytic protocols. The proposed study presents an audit tool for evaluating the quality of urban spaces in terms of their practicability by children: the Survey on Conditions of Practicable Environments (SCOPE). The practicability of this research is establishing the quality of urban spaces’ usability, and it is expressed in terms of compositional, configurational, functional, and social factors of the built environment organized within a framework articulated in seven key dimensions (connectivity, convenience, comfort, commitment, conviviality, conspicuousness, and coexistence). The introduction of the concept of practicability and of indicators incorporating the demand for a children-sensitive perspective in the project of public spaces determine the novelty of the SCOPE procedure. This methodology was applied to an area in Central Cagliari, Italy, to evaluate the usability of public spaces. The results reveal that the proposed methodology is relevant for implementing the smart city paradigm because it addresses children’s autonomy and their rights to the city by selecting and defining indicators to clarify and assess conditions of the built environment conducive to children’s autonomy and independent social activities.

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Practical Functioning of a Sustainable Urban Complex with a Park—The Case Study of Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13095071 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (9) ◽

pp. 5071

Author(s):

Beata Makowska

Keyword(s):

Urban Space ◽

Public Spaces ◽

Green Spaces ◽

Cultural Center ◽

Urban Green ◽

Urban Green Spaces ◽

Urban Complex

Intensive urban development has created a shortage of urban green areas. The need to economically plan and use urban green spaces has fueled the redefinition of public spaces and parks so as to provide the residents with both recreation and relaxation facilities, as well as a forum for contact with culture. This paper discusses the case of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center (SNFCC) in the Kallithea district on the outskirts of Athens, near the Mediterranean Sea. It fills a gap in the research on the aspects of the practical functioning of such facilities. The methodology used in the research included an analysis of the literature, the SNFCC’s reports, and an in situ survey. The cultural center hosts a number of events aimed at promoting Greece’s natural and cultural heritage. The paper includes a detailed analysis of the events organized by the SNFCC in the period 2017–2020 and their immense impact on residents. The aim of the study is to show that the creation of the SNFCC with the park areas has functioned as a factor contributing to the improvement of the quality of urban space and the quality of life of the city’s inhabitants. The paper’s conclusions indicate that the sustainable SNFCC project, which fulfils the urban ecology criteria, has been very well received by the visitors—citizens and tourists alike. A program-centered innovation introduced by the SN Park has added great value to their lives. The project contributes to economic and cultural growth, as well as the protection and promotion of heritage.

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»Reclaiming« the City: A Collective Endeavor

Dimensions ◽

10.14361/dak-2021-0214 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 183-202

Author(s):

Sergiy Ilchenko

Keyword(s):

Urban Space ◽

Local Community ◽

Public Spaces ◽

Urban Spaces ◽

Collective Actions ◽

Way Of Life ◽

Urban Renaissance ◽

The Impact ◽

The City ◽

Being Moved

Abstract This contribution elaborates upon the appropriation of urban space in spatiotemporal and procedural interventions in the example of the city of Kharkiv, as well as the impact of urban space on the process of how various groups rediscover and use various parts of the city. Being moved during collective actions - in the sense of feeling urged to move along - goes beyond routine practices by influencing the city and its perception. It seems that these general processions, celebrations, and festive activities of the residents are their contributions to the process of »urban renaissance« - the rebirth of interest in the urban way of life. Since public spaces reflect the historical inheritance of local communities, joint transformative actions such as, »appropriation «, »production«, and »governance« of urban spaces are considered. This article advocates for the practice of domestication of urban space by the local community, as well as the need for the existence of »urban lagoons« - free (unregulated) areas of the city used as resources for urban development and interaction of citizens.

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Exploring Successful Small Urban Spaces’ Criteria with Emphasis on Cultural Context

Tehnički glasnik ◽

10.31803/tg-20210517001244 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 (4) ◽

pp. 475-482

Author(s):

Parvin Partovi ◽

Kebria Sedaghat Rostami ◽

Amir Shakibamanesh

Keyword(s):

Conceptual Model ◽

Public Space ◽

Urban Space ◽

Cultural Context ◽

Public Spaces ◽

Urban Spaces ◽

Cultural Issues ◽

Human Needs ◽

Short Time ◽

The City

In the crowded cities of the present age, public spaces can provide a quiet area away from the hustle and bustle of the city that citizens can interact with by incorporating utility features and meeting human needs and Relax there. Small urban spaces are among the most important and effective urban spaces to achieve this goal. Because these spaces due to their small size and lower costs (compared to larger spaces) for construction can be created in large numbers and distributed throughout the city. In this way, citizens will be able to reach a public urban space on foot in a short time. If these spaces are well designed, they can encourage people to stay in and interact with each other. It is not difficult to identify and experience high-quality successful places, but identifying the reasons for their success is difficult and even more difficult, understanding if similar spaces in other places can be considered successful. This question is important because public space with deep social content is considered a cultural product. Public space is the product of the historical and socio-cultural forces of society. Therefore, one of the most important issues that should be considered in the study of public spaces and the reasons for their success is the cultural context. In Iranian cities that have been influenced by the values and principles of Islam,recognizing Islamic principles and their role in shaping public spaces can lead us to desirable results. The purpose of this article is to develop a conceptual model of successful small urban spaces with an emphasis on cultural issues, especially in Iranian-Islamic cities. In this regard, the effective criteria for the success of urban spaces in general and small urban spaces in particular in the two categories of Western countries and Iranian Islamic cities were examined and then, taking into account the criteria derived from cultural theorists, the conceptual model of research with 38 subcriteria is provided.

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USO DO SOLO E DEGRADAÇÃO AMBIENTAL: estudo de caso da bacia do Mata Fome em Belém, Pará

InterEspaço Revista de Geografia e Interdisciplinaridade ◽

10.18764/2446-6549.v2n7p162-178 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 2 (7) ◽

pp. 162

Author(s):

Marcos Jonatas Damasceno da Silva ◽

Luziane Mesquita da Luz

Keyword(s):

Urban Space ◽

Environmental Degradation ◽

Health Risks ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Satellite Image ◽

Land Uses ◽

Vegetation Water ◽

The Relationship ◽

Soil Changes

São diversos os problemas presentes nos espaços das cidades brasileiras, principalmente nos grandes espaços urbanos. Um desses problemas é a degradação do meio ambiente decorrente de intervenções não planejadas nesses espaços. Nesse sentido, este trabalho tem o propósito de analisar a relação entre a produção do espaço urbano, que atribui diferentes usos ao solo e a degradação do meio ambiente na Bacia do Mata Fome em Belém, Pará. Além disso, foi realizado um mapeamento do uso do solo da área de estudo, onde foi utilizada a imagem do satélite Ikonos de 2006. Os resultados deste trabalho evidenciaram que a produção do espaço urbano na Bacia do Mata Fome e os diversos usos do solo, provocaram degradação ambiental, por desencadearem a destruição da cobertura vegetal, poluição da água e do solo, mudanças na topografia dos terrenos, inundações, riscos à saúde, entre outros danos.Palavras-chave: Meio ambiente; Urbanização; Bacia hidrográfica; Poluição.USE OF SOIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION: a case study of Mata Fome basin in Belém, ParáABSTRACTThere are several problems present in the spaces of brazilian cities, especially in large urban areas. One such problem is the degradation of the environment due to unplanned interventions in these spaces. In this sense, this work aims to analyze the relationship between the production of urban space that assigns different uses to soil and environmental degradation in the Mata Fome Watershed in Belém, Pará. In addition, we carried out a mapping of the use of soil of the study area where the satellite image Ikonos 2006. The results of this study indicated that the production of urban space in Mata Fome Watershed and various land uses, caused environmental degradation was used to trigger the destruction of vegetation, water pollution and soil changes in the topography of the land, floods, health risks and other damage.Keywords: Environment; Urbanization; Hydrographic watershed; Pollution.USO DEL SUELO Y DEGRADACIÓN AMBIENTAL: estudio del caso de la cuenca del Mata Fome en Belém, ParáRESUMEN Hay varios problemas presentes en los espacios de las ciudades brasileñas, especialmente en las grandes áreas urbanas. Uno de estos problemas es la degradación del medio ambiente debido a las intervenciones no planificadas en estos espacios. En este sentido, este trabajo tiene como objetivo analizar la relación entre la producción del espacio urbano, que asigna a los diferentes usos del suelo y la degradación del medio ambiente en la Cuenca del Mata Fome en Belém, Pará. Además, se realizó un mapeo del uso del suelo de la zona de estudio, donde la imagen de satélite Ikonos 2006. Los resultados de este estudio indicaron que la producción del espacio urbano en la Cuenca del Mata Fome y diversos usos de la tierra causado la degradación ambiental se utilizó para desencadenar la destrucción de la vegetación, la contaminación del agua y los cambios de suelo en la topografía del terreno, inundaciones, riesgos para la salud, y otros daños.Palabras clave: Medio ambiente; Urbanización; Cuenca hidrográfica; Contaminación.

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Smart City Governance and Children’s Agency: An Assessment of the Green Infrastructure Impact on Children’s Activities in Cagliari (Italy) with the Tool “Opportunities for Children in Urban Spaces (OCUS)”

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11184848 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (18) ◽

pp. 4848 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Chiara Garau ◽

Alfonso Annunziata

Keyword(s):

Urban Planning ◽

Green Infrastructure ◽

Smart City ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Resource Depletion ◽

Urban Spaces ◽

Urban Green Spaces ◽

Synthetic Index ◽

Macro Scale ◽

Scale Properties

The increases in urbanization, pollution, resource depletion, and climate change underline the need for urban planning policies that incorporate blue–green infrastructure (BGI) and ecosystem services. This paper proposes a framework for assessing BGI’s effect on children’s outdoor activities. This effect, called meaningful usefulness, is a central issue due to the influence of experiences with nature on children’s development and the global trend of concentration of children in urban areas. Based on the concept of affordance, the methodology formalizes meaningful usefulness in terms of an index of usefulness of individual settings (IUIS) and a synthetic index of usefulness of BGI in a specific area (ISGI). These are determined via an audit protocol, Opportunities for Children in Urban Spaces (OCUS), which incorporates a set of indicators measuring micro-scale properties of individual places and contextual macro-scale factors. The methodology is applied to BGI components in Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy, which was selected for its superior density of urban green spaces. The application of the OCUS tool confirms its usefulness for investigating functional affordances incorporated into the trans-scalar structures of BGIs. The analytic protocol further contributes to the implementation of urban planning strategies within the smart city paradigm.

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Supporting Children’s Independent Activities in Smart and Playable Public Places

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12208352 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (20) ◽

pp. 8352

Author(s):

Chiara Garau ◽

Alfonso Annunziata

Keyword(s):

Urban Design ◽

Public Spaces ◽

Urban Spaces ◽

Methodological Framework ◽

Public Places ◽

Historic Center ◽

Physical Attributes ◽

Process Of Urbanization ◽

The City

The global process of urbanization, and the modification of social interaction determined by the pandemic crisis, poses the issue of the place of vulnerable users and, in particular, children, within the contemporary city. This research aimed to elaborate a theoretical and methodological framework, based on the concepts of affordance and capability, for analyzing the potential of public spaces to enable and support children’s independent activities. This potential, or meaningful usefulness, is expressed by the Index of Meaningful Usefulness of public Urban Spaces (IUIS). The latter is calculated via the tool ‘Opportunities for Children in Urban Spaces’ (OCUS). This methodology is applied to the analysis of significant public spaces within the historic center of the city of Iglesias in Sardinia, Italy. The results reveal adequate usefulness of the selected spaces, while underlining criticalities related to intrinsic spatial and physical attributes. The application to the case study confirms the validity of the theoretical and methodological framework embodied in the OCUS tool for supporting urban design and planning by orienting place-shaping processes towards the acknowledgement of children’s needs.

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Understanding children’s perceptions and activities in urban public spaces: The case study of Zrêbar Lake Waterfront in Kurdistan

Urban Studies ◽

10.1177/0042098020903008 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 004209802090300 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Soran Mansournia ◽

Bakhtiar Bahrami ◽

Leila Mahmoudi Farahani ◽

Farshid Aram

Keyword(s):

Parenting Practices ◽

Public Spaces ◽

Urban Spaces ◽

Children's Perceptions ◽

Children’S Perceptions ◽

Behavioural Patterns ◽

Mental Mapping ◽

Children's Activities ◽

Zrebar Lake

As public spaces are often designed based on adults’ behavioural patterns and perceptions, children’s perceptions and physical needs based on their body size have received less attention in both the design of urban spaces and urban studies. Focusing on the interpretive reproduction theory, this study aims to investigate children’s perceptions of urban spaces. Using behaviour and mental mapping, this paper examines children’s activities in public spaces as well as their mental images of such spaces. Behaviour mapping was conducted over 37 days on the Zrêbar Lake Waterfront in Kurdistan. Sketches drawn by 36 children were then analysed to identify children’s perceptions of the Waterfront. Unlike conventional methods in which children’s demands are determined through caregivers, this study focuses on engagement with children. Results indicate that two main factors of actualised environmental affordances (AEA) and safety-conscious parenting practices (SPP) have a significant influence on children’s freedom of movement (CFM) and consequently children’s activities in public spaces.

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