scholarly journals EXPLORING CONTEXTUAL CHARACTERISTICS OF TRADITIONAL MEDINAS IN NORTH AFRICA

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 325
Author(s):  
Huyam Hadi Abudib
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Cultural Identity ◽  
North Africa ◽  
Urban Form ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
The World ◽  
Contextual Characteristics ◽  
Urban Pattern

In an age of globalization and standardization, cities around the world are losing their historical and cultural identity. Traditional cities of the Muslim world, in particular, are witnessing an increased transformation in their urban fabric, which is extremely different from their original one, and not necessarily better. This paper explores the historical precedents of three traditional medinas in North Africa, which are Tripoli, Tunis and Fez, from a comparative perspective. The aim of this study is to analyse key contextual characteristics of these cities in an attempt to derive key principles that are capable of improving the contemporary built environment and safeguarding the cultural identity of traditional medinas.  The paper concludes with a number of lessons learned from the visual form, urban pattern and land-use of traditional medinas, and sets out challenges that face decision makers and designers in manifesting the essence of traditional medinas in contemporary urban form.

Urban Forms is Changing from Transport and Land Use

2014 ◽  
Vol 496-500 ◽  
pp. 2967-2970
Author(s):  
Chia Nung Li ◽  
Kuo Cheng Hsu ◽  
Chien Wen Lo ◽  
Yi Kai Hsieh
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Comparative Analysis ◽  
Urban Form ◽  
The Other ◽  
Transit Oriented Development ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Urban Forms ◽  
Related Development ◽  
Literature Reviews ◽  
The World

Urban forms are shaped under transport-land use connection. According to literature reviews, urban forms can be divided into six kinds from 1880 to 1990, traditional walking city, industrial transit city, automobile-oriented development city (compact or sprawl), transit-related development city and transit-oriented development city (TOD). Although many cities in the world had attempted to shape their urban forms like TOD in the 1990s, they didnt have definite goals and strategies to achieve it. On the other hand, there is neither systematic discussion nor comparative analysis concerning how to determine the original urban form of these cities. In this case, it is unlikely for them to become a TOD city in effective and suitable ways. As a sequence, this paper aims at reviewing literature , designing two sets of strategies to shape TOD urban form for policy-makers reference.

scholarly journals Trends in the Physical and Social Urban Form: Policy-Making and Natural Sustainable Development Dialectics

2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nada Mohammed Abid ◽  
Ahmed Adnan Saeed ◽  
Saad Fuad Ghaidan Al-Beyaty
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Urban Form ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Land Use Pattern ◽  
Planning Decision ◽  
Spss Software ◽  
Agricultural Areas ◽  
City Plan ◽  
The City

The study deals with the patterns of land use composition, spreading and distribution in Khalidiya city, Anbar Province, Iraq. Regarding the generation of slums with endemic mismanagement in the city of Al Khalidiya, the land use pattern needs urgently to be studied and then problems which arise from improper planning can be identified to enable the development of a strategic optimum application. The objective of the study is to identify natural and administrative contexts in shaping the urban form of Khalidiya indicators that influence property use, such as natural, human variables and spatial interactions and to provide combinations and reasons for land use, economic social and utilities feedback in the area under the study. Indicator influence was calculated in context of natural growth and planning decision-making using the SPSS software. The model input was focused on information sources: field studies, immediate interviews with individual municipal decision makers and the Governorate's Directorate for Urban Planning. The development of Khalidiya has largely been focused on natural contexts (economic and social), with a view to only addressing the residential crisis, whilst all facilities and utilities have been overlooked with no concept of sustainability, together with the usage of natural and human capital. The city plan highlights the failure to utilize agricultural areas, prospective tourism, and renewable sources as well as environmental and economic tasks.

From Mobility to Accessibility

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan Levine ◽  
Joe Grengs ◽  
Louis A. Merlin
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Land Use Planning ◽  
Transportation Planning ◽  
Metropolitan Areas ◽  
Transportation Systems ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Modern Cities ◽  
Standard Models ◽  
Per Se

This book flips the tables on the standard models for evaluating regional transportation performance. It argues for an “accessibility shift” whereby transportation planning, and the transportation dimensions of land-use planning, would be based on people's ability to reach destinations, rather than on their ability to travel fast. Existing models for planning and evaluating transportation, which have taken vehicle speeds as the most important measure, would make sense if movement were the purpose of transportation. But it is the ability to reach destinations, not movement per se, that people seek from their transportation systems. While the concept of accessibility has been around for the better part of a century, the book shows that the accessibility shift is compelled by the fundamental purpose of transportation. It argues that the shift would be transformative to the practice of both transportation and land-use planning but is impeded by many conceptual obstacles regarding the nature of accessibility and its potential for guiding development of the built environment. By redefining success in transportation, the book provides city planners, decision makers, and scholars a path to reforming the practice of transportation and land-use planning in modern cities and metropolitan areas.

Studies of Urban Form and Travel

2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marlon Boarnet ◽  
Randall C. Crane
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Travel Behavior ◽  
Urban Form ◽  
Past Research ◽  
Mass Transit ◽  
Transportation Costs ◽  
Past Century ◽  
Development Patterns ◽  
The Cost

Does the built environment affect how often and how far people drive or walk or when they will take the bus or the train? If so, how? A lively, expanding literature continues to investigate the potential for causal links between urban design and travel behavior, yet there remain many gaps and considerable disagreement. Our purpose here is mainly to identify what past research has to say on these questions. We also try to explain why these studies reach different conclusions and how and where this work might be usefully improved. The first, and perhaps best-known, group of studies on this topic investigates how travel behavior and travel investment affect land use. There is also a long if more recent practice of viewing these links from the opposite direction; that is, how does land use influence urban travel? We consider this second question in more detail following a brief review of the first. Though not our focus, most questions about land-use/transportation links over the past century concern the influence of transportation infrastructure on development patterns. Analysts ask how highways and mass transit contribute to decentralization trends, how they affect the local balance of jobs and housing, or how they affect the pattern of commercial investment (see, e.g., the reviews in Gómez-Ibáñez, 1985b; Giuliano, 1989, 1991, 1995a, 1995b; Cervero and Landis, 1995). The basic idea is this: People choose their homes and locate their businesses based in part on their proximity to work, other potential destinations, and the markets for their products and labor generally (see, e.g., Von Thunen, 1826; Weber, 1928; Losch, 1954; Alonso, 1964; Muth, 1969; Mills, 1972; Solow, 1973; Fujita, 1989; Anas, Arnott, and Small, 1997). That is, the cost of transporting people and things over space depends on the distances and resources required. Once these costs are fixed, perhaps by the establishment of a central downtown or transshipment point, the price of land at each location is determined by demand. This in turn is determined, again in part, by how much money one has left after accounting for the transportation costs associated with that location.

Istanbul between Civilization and Discontent

1994 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
pp. 57-74 ◽  
Author(s):  
Asu Aksoy ◽  
Kevin Robins
Keyword(s):  
Soviet Union ◽  
Cultural Identity ◽  
Urban Form ◽  
Urban Culture ◽  
International Order ◽  
The Soviet Union ◽  
The World ◽  
The City ◽  
Economic Globalisation

In the context of economic globalisation and the new international order taking shape after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Istanbul is assuming a new and strategic prominence in the world. What kind of city is Istanbul likely to become in its next phase of existence? What can we say of the urban culture and of the sense of urbanity that are now developing there? There are those who maintain that the new Istanbul is again becoming a cosmopolitan city, a cultural mosaic. What strike us most forcefully are the forces that are working to inhibit and undermine any such ideal. First, we consider the contemporary transformation in urban form, and then we shall go on to explore the changing cultural identity of the city.

Challenges and opportunities for parliamentary libraries during COVID-19: A case study of the National Assembly of Quebec Library

IFLA Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 034003522110230
Author(s):  
Carolyne Ménard
Keyword(s):  
Best Practices ◽  
Crucial Role ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Information Support ◽  
National Assembly ◽  
The World ◽  
Challenges And Opportunities ◽  
Virtual Services

Parliamentary libraries play a crucial role in providing information support to decision-makers around the world. These institutions have faced an unprecedented situation with the COVID-19 pandemic. Many have had to modify their practices considerably to keep serving their users. This article explores how the National Assembly of Quebec Library has responded to this issue and redefined its services during the pandemic. The author presents the challenges and opportunities met while adapting virtual services, redefining document handling and improving team communication, and foresees future obstacles for the institution. This case study shares best practices and the lessons learned in the hope of informing and advising similar institutions facing challenges during this pandemic.

scholarly journals Trade-Off Relationship of Arable and Ecological Land in Urban Growth When Altering Urban Form: A Case Study of Shenzhen, China

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 10041
Author(s):  
Kaixuan Dai ◽  
Shi Shen ◽  
Changxiu Cheng ◽  
Sijing Ye ◽  
Peichao Gao
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Population Density ◽  
Urban Growth ◽  
Urban Form ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Arable Land ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Sustainable Urban Development ◽  
Trade Off ◽  
Urban Forms

Over the last few decades, rapid urban expansion has spread over a great deal of arable and ecological land, leading to severe social and environmental issues. Although different urban growth scenarios cause varying types of urban forms to emerge, there is currently a lack of empirical studies and other research on these different forms. Therefore, it is important for decision-makers to have an improved understanding of the relationships between arable land and ecological land under different urban form conditions in order to implement sustainable urban development policies. This study utilized a patch-based, multilevel stochastic urban growth model to simulate Shenzhen’s urban growth until 2035. To determine the impacts of urban forms and population density on land use, we established five scenarios to simulate urban expansion and land-use changes at the sub-regional scale. The results revealed the trade-off relationships that emerge when altering the urban forms or population density, which shows that no single policy can conserve arable land and ecological land simultaneously. The results also revealed that sub-regions have distinct responses to alternative urban form scenarios compared with an entire region. Decision-makers and planners should consider the urban form in order to optimize development projects that fit local conditions and achieve more sustainable development.

scholarly journals The 6M approach to land subsidence

2020 ◽  
Vol 382 ◽  
pp. 733-740
Author(s):  
Gilles Erkens ◽  
Esther Stouthamer
Keyword(s):  
Sea Level ◽  
Land Subsidence ◽  
Unsolved Problem ◽  
Real Life ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Global Awareness ◽  
Guiding Principle ◽  
The World

Abstract. Though global awareness of land subsidence has increased over recent years, subsidence remains an ongoing and largely unsolved problem, which is exemplified by frequent discoveries of apparently new subsiding areas. This means that for many of these areas there is a continuous and growing need to provide guidance to decision makers on how to tackle this global problem. This paper presents a comprehensive, step-by-step approach to address land subsidence, illustrated by best practise examples from around the world. The approach places emphasis on the long-term sustainability of resources, whose development is related to the subsidence problems. We identified 6 steps, collectively referred to as the 6M approach, that are crucial to tackle subsidence: Measuring, understanding Mechanisms, Modelling, Money, Measures and Monitoring. This paper offers guidance for implementing the 6M approach, and the lessons learned from the real-life examples provide valuable information and inspiration for decision makers and experts to address subsidence. The focus is on subsidence in deltaic and coastal areas where subsidence contributes to relative sea level rise. It is expected that the 6M approach will contribute to lowering the threshold to act on subsidence. The 6M approach is also used as a guiding principle for the thematic subdivision of TISOLS, providing a meaningful linkage between subsidence science and the societal response to subsidence problems.

Introduction

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Karl Raitz
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Historical Ecology ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Physical Entity ◽  
Landscape Elements ◽  
Natural Processes ◽  
History Analysis ◽  
The World ◽  
Over Time

The introduction outlines the three modes of geographic history analysis utilized in the book: making, landscape, and historical ecology. Making examines the various creative and haptic skills, using inherent or acquired knowledge, that are involved in the process of producing structures and machines that perform functions or tasks. Landscape is both a physical entity and a register of contemporary and historical knowledge; it is both the physical and built environment and a way of knowing the world. Distilling landscapes are shaped by complex natural processes and cultural practices, as well as by contemporary and historical actors, that layer or juxtapose the new and the old. Landscape elements, such as structures or various forms of land use, may be removed; but if retained, they represent heritage and become a reservoir of meaning and identity. Historical ecology is the investigation of the physical and human elements that constitute present-day landscapes through the conjunctions of people, places, and processes over time, with attention to order, timing, and contingency of causal events. Understanding the historical ecology of landscape requires an appreciation of its totality through local, regional, and national perspectives.

scholarly journals Exploring Urban Form Through Openstreetmap Data: A Visual Introduction

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoff Boeing
Keyword(s):  
Big Data ◽  
Built Environment ◽  
Urban Form ◽  
Human Experience ◽  
Geospatial Data ◽  
Data Repository ◽  
Street Networks ◽  
Planning And Design ◽  
The World ◽  
Spatial Big Data

This chapter introduces OpenStreetMap—a crowd-sourced, worldwide mapping project and geospatial data repository—to illustrate its usefulness in quickly and easily analyzing and visualizing planning and design outcomes in the built environment. It demonstrates the OSMnx toolkit for automatically downloading, modeling, analyzing, and visualizing spatial big data from OpenStreetMap. We explore patterns and configurations in street networks and buildings around the world computationally through visualization methods—including figure-ground diagrams and polar histograms—that help compress urban complexity into comprehensible artifacts that reflect the human experience of the built environment. Ubiquitous urban data and computation can open up new urban form analyses from both quantitative and qualitative perspectives.

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