scholarly journals Urban form and vacant shops: can one explain the other? – a case study in Portugal

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Saraiva ◽  
Teresa Sá Marques ◽  
Paulo Pinho
Keyword(s):  
Urban Form ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Urban Morphology ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Economic Market ◽  
New Developments ◽  
Morphological Variables ◽  
The City

Shopping is much more than a wealth-generator in post-modern societies; it is intrinsically linked with the way people experience the city and an indivisible part of their day-to-day social experiences. Consequently, the literature has gradually recognized that commercial geographies are not just a consequence of economic market logics. It has been proven that there is a relationship between store-types and urban morphology, and that commerce is an important catalyst for urban regeneration and revitalization. Thus, the urban form can also be a cause for the lack of success of a shop. The amount of vacant shops has been signaled as an important problem in urban areas, affecting the structure and the identity of neighborhoods, and reflects the negative effects of the economic-crisis. Strategies to overcome this problem are usually economically-oriented and fail to capitalize on the new-found relationships between store-success and urban morphology. Thus this research wishes to test whether there are indeed correlations between specific morphological features and the existence of vacant shops, and consequently to propose how changes in the urban environment can contribute to overcome, and even prevent, such cases. The geographical distribution of vacant shops in a sample of Portuguese cities was set against morphological variables such as building age or centrality in the network (Space Syntax). Positive association was found, for example, between new developments and vacant shops, questioning the need for more store space in certain areas; and, particularly outside central neighborhoods, between open shops and high ‘choice’ (rather than high ‘integration’) axes.

scholarly journals Wind and the city: An evaluation of San Francisco’s planning approach since 1985

2016 ◽  
Vol 44 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyungkyoo Kim ◽  
Elizabeth Macdonald
Keyword(s):  
San Francisco ◽  
Urban Form ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Ground Level ◽  
High Density ◽  
Speed Ratio ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Westerly Winds ◽  
Wind Currents ◽  
The City

In 1985, San Francisco adopted a downtown plan on ground-level wind currents intended to mitigate the negative effects of wind on pedestrians’ perceived comfort in public open spaces. The plan mandates that new buildings in designated parts of the city associated with high density or development potential be designed or adopt measures to not cause wind in excess of accepted comfort levels. This study examines whether and to what degree the plan has successfully shaped an urban form that mitigates wind by comparing the ground-level wind environment in 1985 and 2013. A series of wind tunnel tests found that during San Francisco’s windiest season when the westerly winds are prevalent, the overall mean wind speed ratio measured at 318 locations in four areas of the city dropped by 22%. However, there still exist many excessively windy places that are associated with specific urban form conditions, including streets oriented to have direct exposure to westerly winds, flat façades on high-rise buildings, and horizontal street walls where building façades align. Recommendations based on the findings include incorporating more tangible guidance on the built form conditions, expanding the plan’s reach to cover more parts of the city, and learning from strategies used elsewhere. By evaluating the urban form impacts of a wind mitigation policy that has been in place for 30 years, the research offers insights for other cities that have implemented or plan to adopt similar approach and sheds light on issues related to wind comfort in high-density urban areas.

scholarly journals Mono-Economy and Urban Vulnerability: A Case Study of Pak Phanang Municipality in Nakhon Si Thammarat Province

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 111-134
Author(s):  
Rawin Thinnakorn
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Morphology ◽  
Sensitivity Index ◽  
Economic Base ◽  
Urban Decline ◽  
City Center ◽  
Urban Vulnerability ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The City

This paper examines the relationship between mono-economic growth and urban sensitivity. The selected case study is the Pak Phanang Municipality of Nakhon Si Thammarat Province, which has a mono-economy of bird’s-nest businesses as its main economic base. The research methodology was divided into three parts. Part 1 includes the study of changing urban morphology caused by the growth of the mono-economy and the evaluation of urban decline from decentralization according to the theory of spatial centrality. Part 2 studies the distribution patterns of spatial and social sensitivity, using quantitative research and an indicator-based approach from the Social Vulnerability Index. Part 3 determines the relationship between economic, social, and spatial sensitivities together with the concentration of the mono-economy by applying an overlay technique. The study indicated that the growth of the mono-economy from bird’s nest businesses in the city center caused urban decline due to two significant factors: (1) Changing urban morphology — the city was not able to attract employment and various economic activities, which accelerated the migration of the population; (2) Changes in the socio-economic structure of the city center — as seen in the socio-economic sensitivity index — it was found that the city center had a high concentration of bird’s nest businesses which was greater than other urban areas. Therefore, the results determine that the growth of the mono-economy was the root cause of urban decline and an increased urban sensitivity. One potential suggestion is to strengthen the economic base of the city and create a variety of urban conditions to solve the root problems and help decrease urban vulnerability.

scholarly journals The Contribution of Urban Morphology to the Formation of the Microclimate in Compact Urban Cores: A Study in the City Center of Thessaloniki

Urban Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Georgios-Rafail Kouklis ◽  
Athena Yiannakou
Keyword(s):  
Field Study ◽  
Urban Form ◽  
Simulation Method ◽  
Urban Morphology ◽  
Green Spaces ◽  
City Center ◽  
Outdoor Spaces ◽  
Microclimatic Conditions ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The City

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the contribution of urban morphology to the formation of microclimatic conditions prevailing within urban outdoor spaces. We studied the compact form of a city and examined, at a detailed, street plan level, elements related to air temperature, urban ventilation, and the individual’s thermal comfort. All elements examined are directly affected by both the urban form and the availability of open and green spaces. The field study took place in a typical compact urban fabric of an old city center, the city center of Thessaloniki, where we investigated the relationship between urban morphology and microclimate. Urban morphology was gauged by examining the detailed street plan, along with the local building patterns. We used a simulation method based on the ENVI-met© software. The findings of the field study highlight the fact that the street layout, the urban canyon, and the open and green spaces in a compact urban form contribute decisively both to the creation of the microclimatic conditions and to the influence of the bioclimatic parameters.

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 Building Smarter Cities through Social Entrepreneurship

2017 ◽  
pp. 327-362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susana Bernardino ◽  
J. Freitas Santos
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Qualitative Approach ◽  
Non Profit ◽  
Social Interventions ◽  
Social Ventures ◽  
Different Characteristics ◽  
The City ◽  
Disadvantaged People

The objective of the present study is to examine the extent to which social ventures are able to increase the “smartness” of cities. To achieve this goal, we adopt a qualitative approach using a case study method to obtain valuable insights about different characteristics and strategies of Cais (a non-profit association dedicated to helping disadvantaged people in urban areas). Through our analysis of Cais's activities, we assess whether its social interventions match the dimensions proposed by Giffinger et al. (2007) to rank smart cities' performance; specifically, it has smart: economy, people, governance, mobility, environment, and living. The research shows that the action pursued comprises elements from all the above-mentioned dimensions. Further, the analysis reveals that Cais reinforces the smartness of the city in which it acts (in terms of attributes such as living, economy, people, and environment).

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.

scholarly journals Garden-district in the outskirts of São Paulo: Interlagos Satellite Spa-Town

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (71) ◽  
Author(s):  
Luciana Monzillo de Oliveira ◽  
Maria Pronin ◽  
Denise Antonucci
Keyword(s):  
Urban Form ◽  
Sao Paulo ◽  
Urban Morphology ◽  
Garden City ◽  
São Paulo ◽  
Company Limited ◽  
History Of ◽  
Land Subdivision ◽  
Cognitive Study ◽  
The City

A series of new districts appeared in São Paulo between 1915 and 1940, all inspired in the garden-city concept created by Ebenezer Howard. The City of São Paulo Improvements and Freehold Land Company Limited established some of them in the southwest sector of the city, near downtown: Jardim América (1915), Butantã (1921), Alto da Lapa (1921), Pacaembu (1925), and Alto de Pinheiros (1931). Other developers carried out land subdivisions inspired in the same garden-districts concepts, but in more distant areas. The following garden-districts were built in the southern area of the city: Chácara Flora (1928), Interlagos (1938), and Granja Julieta (1956). Unlike central garden-districts, the history of the outlying garden-districts was seldom or only partly studied. Given this scenario, this study aims to fill a historiographical gap on Interlagos garden-district, which was born as “Interlagos Satellite Spa Town”. Its form is such an important example of landscaping and cultural heritage that the district was listed as protected by the city heritage agency in Resolution nº 18, November 23, 2004, in view of the morphological and historical features of the original land subdivision. This study relies on an urban morphology cognitive study which, according to Rego and Meneguetti (2011), aims to expand the knowledge on the origins and explanations of that urban form. The study presents unpublished data on the district formation, taken mainly from a survey carried out in newspapers from the 1930s and 1940s.

scholarly journals Informing the design of courtyard street blocks using solar energy models: a case study of a university campus in Singapore

2021 ◽  
Vol 2042 (1) ◽  
pp. 012050
Author(s):  
Ekaterina Vititneva ◽  
Zhongming Shi ◽  
Pieter Herthogs ◽  
Reinhard König ◽  
Aurel von Richthofen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Solar Energy ◽  
Urban Form ◽  
Energy Performance ◽  
University Campus ◽  
Quasi Monte Carlo ◽  
Energy Models ◽  
Simulation Based ◽  
Input Variables ◽  
The City

Abstract This study discusses the interplays between urban form and energy performance using a case study in Singapore. We investigate educational urban quarters in the tropical climate of Singapore using simulation-based parametric geometric modelling. Three input variables of urban form were examined: street network orientation, street canyon width, and building depth. In total, 280 scenarios were generated using a quasi-Monte Carlo Saltelli sampler and Grasshopper. For each scenario, the City Energy Analyst, an open-source urban building energy simulation program, calculated solar energy penetration. To assess the variables’ importance, we applied Sobol’ sensitivity analysis. Results suggest that the street width and building depth were the most influential parameters.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document