5 Urban planning and its impact on the quality of urban life in West European cities

1977 ◽  
pp. 273-298
Keyword(s):  
Urban Planning ◽  
Urban Life ◽  
European Cities ◽  
Quality Of Urban Life ◽  
West European

Quality of Urban Life Index From Location-Based Social Networks Data

2017 ◽  
pp. 185-207 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Smarzaro ◽  
Tiago França Melo de Lima ◽  
Clodoveu Augusto Davis Jr.
Keyword(s):  
Social Networks ◽  
Urban Planning ◽  
Urban Life ◽  
Life Index ◽  
Mobility Data ◽  
Quality Of Urban Life ◽  
Belo Horizonte ◽  
Location Based Social Networks ◽  
The City

Several indicators are developed to support the decision-making processes in public policy for urban planning. Some of them seek to measure the quality of urban life. For example, the city of Belo Horizonte developed and uses an index called Quality of Urban Life Index, which identifies inequalities within the city, and therefore, those areas that need more investment. This index is calculated by measuring the availability of various kinds of services (e.g. education, infrastructure) and their accessibility (based on travel time and mobility data). For that, data from several government sources must be collected and used, which can delay updates of index values. In this chapter, the authors describe how data from Location-Based Social Networks (LBSN) can be used to calculate urban indicators, and hence, how they could be used as an alternative data source for estimating quality of urban life with faster results to support urban planning policies.

How are the characteristics of Nature-based solutions clustered in European cities?

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clair Cooper
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Urban Life ◽  
The Public ◽  
European Cities ◽  
Quality Of Urban Life ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Health And Well Being ◽  
Governance Innovation

<p>An increased awareness of the way in which urbanisation, climate change, a reduction in the quality, quantity of and access to green space and natural infrastructure (such as blue spaces) all interact to threaten health and well-being of urban populations (Nesshover, et al, 2017; Kabisch & van de Bosch, 2017) has led to the emergence of a new conceptual framework, Nature-based Solutions. Through the management and use of nature, this concept aims to co-produce ecosystems services that not only allow cities to mitigate and adapt against the effects of climate change and increased urbanisation, but also reduce the public health risks associated with these challenges(WHO, 2016, 2017; Hartig at el. 2014; Kabisch et al. 2017), stimulate economies to improve inequality in cities (Nesshover, et al, 2017) and improve the quality of urban life (Mitchel & Popham, 2008; Mitchell et al. 2015). Using data from the Urban Nature Atlas, a database of a 1000 nature-based solutions from across a 100 European cities, this paper examines how the differing characteristics of these solutions (such as their ecological domains, ecosystems services, forms of governance, innovation, etc) are clustered and how the characteristics of these clusters relate to different social, economic and health factors that influence quality of life in our cities.</p>

scholarly journals Can we plan for urban cultural ecosystem services?

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Neven Tandarić ◽  
Christopher D Ives ◽  
Charles Watkins
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Urban Planning ◽  
Urban Life ◽  
Situational Factors ◽  
Cultural Ecosystem Services ◽  
Key Factors ◽  
Five Factors ◽  
Quality Of Urban Life ◽  
Theoretical Considerations

Abstract Despite being intangible, subjective and difficult to measure, cultural ecosystem services (CES) are more comprehensible and meaningful to people than many other services. They contribute greatly to the quality of urban life and achieving sustainability. Yet, little attention has been paid to how CES might practically be incorporated into urban planning. This paper addresses this gap by examining the challenges planners might face when handling CES, establishing strategies for addressing the challenges and highlighting key factors planners should consider when planning for CES. CES differ greatly from other ecosystem services—they are definitionally vague, difficult to measure, often bundled with other services and depend on users’ perceptions and situational factors. Therefore, rather than adopting a deterministic approach to generating CES, we suggest that urban planners should seek to create opportunities for CES to ‘hatch’ and ‘grow’ as people encounter nature in cities. This paper draws from diverse theoretical considerations of the CES concept as well as greenspace planning scholarship and practice. We identify five factors that need to be considered when planning for CES: place, people, past, practices and purpose. We see the proposed ‘5P’ framework as a useful heuristic for planners when implementing CES in urban planning.

scholarly journals Architectural and Urban Attractiveness of Small Towns: A Case Study of Polish Coastal Cittaslow Towns on the Pomeranian Way of St. James

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 724
Author(s):  
Alicja K. Zawadzka
Keyword(s):  
Small Towns ◽  
Urban Life ◽  
Added Value ◽  
Development Policies ◽  
Quality Of Urban Life ◽  
Size Criterion ◽  
The Town ◽  
Modern Technologies

The paper presents the results of a study on the attractiveness to tourists and natives of the cultural qualities of coastal towns on The Pomeranian Way of St. James that are members of the Cittaslow network. Attention to the quality of urban life is inscribed in the development policies of towns applying to join the Cittaslow movement. In order to join the network (apart from the size criterion), towns need to meet a minimum of 50% plus one of the 72 criteria grouped into seven categories. One of the category is Quality of Urban Life Policy, so the towns applying to join Cittaslow commit themselves to actions aimed at improving the quality of urban life. The study on the attractiveness of cultural qualities of towns to tourists and natives was conducted using the author’s BRB method, whose added value is its universality and the possibility to study small towns regardless of their membership in the Cittaslow network. BRB is an acronym that stands for BUILDINGS, RELATIONSHIPS, BALANCE, and comprises three scopes of activities: BUILDINGS (iconic building and important sites where the inhabitants and the tourists are present); RELATIONSHIPS (the visual effects of the relations between the inhabitants and the town) and BALANCE (solutions that implement modern technologies). This method enables identification of places that are important to the inhabitants, where urban life takes place and which are often created with the involvement of the inhabitants. These are often the same spaces as those that attract tourists and perhaps stimulate them the desire to visit the town again (BRB—be right back). The aim of the BRB method is shown the attractiveness of small towns. The study has shown that the characteristic feature of Polish Cittaslow towns is their diversity: the architectural attractiveness of three towns is high both to tourists and natives. On the other hand, the urban attractiveness of the examined towns is an insufficient.

Quality of urban life among older adults in the world major metropolises: a cross-cultural comparative study

2016 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 108-128 ◽  
Author(s):  
XI PAN ◽  
JASLEEN K. CHAHAL ◽  
ROSE MARIE WARD
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Cultural Differences ◽  
York City ◽  
Cross Cultural ◽  
Urban Life ◽  
Quality Of Urban Life

ABSTRACTThe concept of quality of urban life (QoUL) can be interpreted quite differently across different cultures. Little evidence has shown that the measure of QoUL, which is based on Western culture, can be applied to populations cross-culturally. In the current study, we use data from the 2006 Assessing Happiness and Competitiveness of World Major Metropolises study to identify underlying factors associated with QoUL as well as assess the consistency of the QoUL measurement among adults, aged 60 and older, in ten world major metropolises (i.e. New York City, Toronto, London, Paris, Milan, Berlin, Stockholm, Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul). Exploratory factor analysis and multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) are used to analyse the data. Findings of the study suggest that the measure of QoUL is sensitive to socio-cultural differences. Community factor and intrapersonal factor are two underlying structures that are related to QoUL among older adults in ten metropolises cross-culturally. Results from the CFA indicate that Toronto is comparable with Beijing, New York City, Paris, Milan and Stockholm in QoUL, while other cities are not. The results provide insights into the development of current urban policy and promotion of quality of life among older residents in major metropolitan areas. Future researchers should continue to explore the relationship between QoUL and socio-cultural differences within international urban settings, while remaining cautious when making cross-cultural comparisons.

scholarly journals Making a Building Smart with a Co-Created and Continuously Evolving Enjoyable Service Entity—Insights from a Collaborative Study

Smart Cities ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Maaria Nuutinen ◽  
Eija Kaasinen ◽  
Jaana Hyvärinen ◽  
Airi Mölsä ◽  
Sanni Siltanen
Keyword(s):  
Built Environment ◽  
Smart City ◽  
Design Thinking ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Collaborative Study ◽  
Urban Life ◽  
Smart Services ◽  
Smart Building ◽  
Quality Of Urban Life

Buildings shape cities as those cities grow from and nurture people living and working within the built environment. Thus, the conceptualization of smart building should be brought closer to the smart city initiatives that particularly target ensuring and enhancing the sustainability and quality of urban life. In this paper, we propose that a smart building should be interlinked with a smart city surrounding it; it should provide good experiences to its various occupants and it should be in an ongoing state of evolving as an ecosystem, wherein different stakeholders can join to co-produce, co-provide and co-consume services. Smart buildings require a versatile set of smart services based on digital solutions, solutions in the built environment and human activities. We conducted a multiphase collaborative study on new service opportunities guided by a Design Thinking approach. The approach brought people, technology, and business perspectives together and resulted in key service opportunities that have the potential to make the buildings smart and provide enjoyable experience to the occupants who support their living and working activities in smart cities. This paper provides the resulting practical implications as well as proposes future avenues for research.

scholarly journals Public Perception on Cultural Perspective

2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (10) ◽  
pp. 113-123
Author(s):  
Sabrina Idilfitri ◽  
Nur Izzati Mohd Rodzi ◽  
Nik Hanita Nik Mohamad ◽  
Suria Sulaiman
Keyword(s):  
Public Perception ◽  
Landscape Planning ◽  
Publishing House ◽  
Urban Life ◽  
Cultural Perspective ◽  
Environmental Setting ◽  
Quality Of Urban Life ◽  
International Publishing ◽  
Open Access Article

A better quality of urban life can be achieved with one of the best planning method; public perception. The local communities and the tourists are the groups that are identified as the most influence and affected individual in an area and give the tremendous boost to any development. The research aim is to obtain the level of awareness and appreciation of these groups toward the cultural attraction. It is envisaged that the analysis will further contribute to the knowledge and idea of professional disciplinary. The findings are hoped to contribute towards establishing the preservation of cultural attractions including architecture, religion attraction, and natural environmental setting. Keywords: Public perception; cultural attraction; landscape planning eISSN 2514-7528 © 2018. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA cE-Bs by e-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer–review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia. DOI:https://doi.org/10.21834/jabs.v3i10.310

scholarly journals ENHANCING THE QUALITY OF URBAN LIFE IN URBAN POVERTY AREAS THROUGH A STRATEGY OF INTEGRAL MULTI APPROACHES Public Spaces as Arena for Change

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Elewa
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Qualitative Methods ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
Urban Poverty ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Emerging Countries ◽  
Urban Life ◽  
Quality Of Urban Life ◽  
Emerging And Developing Countries

Urban poverty areas (UPA) in the main cities of the emerging and developing countries are representing the product of a chaotic urban-isation process. This process started through the recent decades as a result of the economic reform in many Emerging countries, mainly in Asia, South America, and some cases in Africa such as Egypt and South Africa. Under the umbrella of the term UPA, there are many other terms such as slums, shantytowns and informal urbanism. In this study, the focus is on a special case of UPA which exist in the main cities of the emerging countries and some cases of developing countries. These UPA have some of the slums characteristics, which indicate the low quality of the urban life such as the pollution of the urban environment, the high density of built up area and the lack of social spaces. However, these areas mainly consist of permanent buildings which were built in most cases by the dwellers themselves due to their basic socio-economic needs, also in most of the cases the basic infrastructure are available. The study hypothesis is discussing the possibility of enhancing the quality of urban life in those UPA through a strategy of integral mul-ti approaches based on the potential opportunities of public spaces. In other words, the key to a successful strategy is “integration”, meaning that all approaches, policies, and projects are considered in relation to one another. This includes the using of new approaches such as green infrastructure (GI) through an integration framework with the other prevalent urban approaches such as participatory, towards innova-tively interactive urban communities. An analytical comparative study was done based on qualitative methods by studying various case studies of UPA in main cities of emerging and developing countries that were up-graded through a strategy of integral multi approaches. These rely on the public spaces as a medium for change, as well the using of quantitative and qualitative methods through actual case studies. The results represent lessons from practice. Based on actual cases, the cumulative urban experiences through various selected cases of upgrading UPA showed that the success depends on the using of an integral approach (multi-disciplinary) that relies on livable innovative public spaces. The new approaches such as GI cannot stand alone, but the strategies can be efficient by using integral an multi approach strategy. The cases also showed that public spaces in UPA are cen-ters of the daily socioeconomic activities, which is why these areas can act as arenas for change, towards better quality of urban life.

scholarly journals QUALITY OF URBAN LIFE: IDENTIFICATION OF LIVABLE URBAN SPACES WITHIN MUMBAI METROPOLITAN REGION

2018 ◽  
Vol XLII-5 ◽  
pp. 117-121
Author(s):  
N. Gawai ◽  
A. Phadke
Keyword(s):  
Psychological Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Urban Life ◽  
Urban Spaces ◽  
Metropolitan Region ◽  
Metropolitan Regions ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Related Data ◽  
Quality Of Urban Life

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> The quality of urban life has become one of the most pertinent issues in contemporary times in India. There have been several reports published by government and nongovernmental agencies listing out various dimensions of quality of urban life but in a half-hearted manner as some reports have focused just upon the quality of urban air or some governmental reports talk about Human Development Index. There has hardly been any holistic effort to scale the quality of urban life in terms of economic, social, cultural, environmental and psychological well-being. Unless all these parameters are combined, one cannot furnish the livability index of micro urban spaces within major metropolitan regions. The calculation of livability index thus needs to take into account environmental, socio-economic and mental dimensions. The environment related data has been achieved by extracting NDVI through LANDSAT satellite imagery for the month of May, 2018. NDVI has been used for calculating green spaces index. The data related to socio-economic parameters have been collected through primary and secondary sources of data. The data related to psychological health is gathered through questionnaire survey and personal interviews. Ranking based index calculation has been applied to arrive at a common livability index of select sub spaces in Mumbai Metropolitan Region. The outcomes are very interesting and helpful in comparative analysis of select sub-spaces vis-à-vis quality of life. It has also helped in the identification of stressed sub-regional or micro spaces. Such livability index will be highly useful in regional and urban planning. The research aims at calculating livability index for select sub-regional spaces in Mumbai Metropolitan Region.</p>

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