“RESLOBODIZATION” OF CITIES AS AN EFFECTIVE RESPONSE TO THE EPIDEMIOLOGICAL CHALLENGE OF THE CONTEMPORARY. PART II: PRECONDITIONS, ALGORITHMS, RESULTS

The article (part II) contains the results of studying the features of adaptation of the living environment of the population of the largest city to the vital challenges of the pandemic of the new coronavirus infection COVID-19. The verifi cation of the working hypothesis and the detailing of the main provisions formulated in the fi rst part of the article (see “Urban planning and architecture”. 2021, no. 1) were carried out on the example of an ordinary St. Petersburg locus, actively developed by the townspeople who observed the regimes of self-isolation, partial lifting of strict restrictions and minimal restrictions (2020), which is located within the boundaries of the former sett lement of the Life Guards Semyonovsky regiment, which gave the name to the historical district of the city “Sementsy” and the municipal district “Semyonovsky” (Admiralteisky district of St. Petersburg). In the course of the study, a relationship was established between the immanent properties and parameters of the transformed urban sett lement (territorial- urban-planning, situational-genesis, compositional planning, architectural-spatial, social-functional) and its “anti-epidemiological” potential, realized by the local population and the authorities in the conditions of “pandemic reality” by methods of social self-regulation and centralized management.

Urban Morphometrics and the Intangible Uniqueness of Tangible Heritage. An Evidence-Based Generative Design Experiment in Historical Kochi (IN)

Asia is urbanising rapidly. Current urbanisation practices often compromise sustainability, prosperity, and local quality of life while context-sensitive alternatives show very limited impact. A third way is necessary to integrate mass-production, heritage, and human values. As part of UNICITI’s initiative, A Third Way of Building Asian Cities, we propose a scalable and replicable methodology which captures unique morphological traits of urban types (i.e., areas with homogenous urban form) to inform innovative large-scale and context-sensitive practices. We extract urban types from a large set of quantitative descriptors and provide a systematic way to generate figure-grounds aligned with such urban types. The application of the proposed methodology to Kochi (IN) reveals 24 distinct urban types with unique morphological features. Profiles, containing design-relevant values of morphometrics, are then produced for a selection of urban types located in the historical district of Fort Kochi/Mattancherry. Based on these, figure-ground design demonstrations are carried out in three sample sites. Outcomes seem aligned with the urban character of their respective types, while allowing distinct design expressions, suggesting that the proposed approach has potential to inform the design in historical/heritage areas and, more broadly, the search for a Third Way of Building Asian Cities.

Building facade components in a historical corridor. Case study: Karet Street, Surabaya

Today’s cities are developing at a breakneck pace, resulting in physical modifications to buildings. This growth can also be witnessed in the presence of new structures designed to house city-related operations. This research was conducted in the corridor area of Surabaya’s Karet Street, a historical district. Numerous historical structures may be seen along Karet Street, including surviving colonial and Chinese-style structures. Historically, this Karet Street corridor region served as a commerce hub due to its proximity to the Kali Mas (Mas River) trade route. However, as the era progressed, the buildings in the corridor of Karet Street became abandoned, many were neglected, and other structures were added, resulting in inconsistency between buildings. Thus, this research aimed to characterize the building facade components along the Karet Street corridor. The research technique used was descriptive qualitative research. Sixty-two structures along the Karet Street corridor comprise the sampled area. The factors consisted of the building’s door/entrance, windows, walls, roof, and the stylef the building—a qualitative descriptive analysis based on the state of the building’s facade in the field. Direct observation, existing literature, and documentation were employed to obtain data. The study’s findings revealed inconsistencies in the building’s exterior components, particularly in the structure’s modern style. In an area that contains colonial and Chinese-style buildings, this contradiction might undermine the area’s historical assets. Additionally, modifications and damage to facade components might obliterate the authenticity of existing historical value.

Improving visitor satisfaction in Egypt’s Heliopolis historical district

This study employed applied thematic analysis (ATA) and importance-performance analysis (IPA) to measure visitor satisfaction in city streets. Forty-two elements that significantly influence visitors’ responses to streets and environments were included in five groups characterised by circumstances, characteristics, and indicators. Ibrahim Al-Lakani Street’s atmosphere satisfaction was measured by using coherent research methods. This investigation can assist designers in developing the morphological and social composition necessary to restore a street’s atmosphere and visitor satisfaction. This study contributes to the literature in two ways. First, it examines the relationships between street characteristics and visitor satisfaction in city streets regarding situations, atmospheres and social characteristics that shape these streets. Second, this study integrates ATA and IPA to create a tool for evaluating the significance, performance, and satisfaction of street situations, socio-morphological characteristics and street and visitor responses.

Renewal and upgrading of a courtyard building in the historic and cultural district of Beijing: Design concept of ‘multiple coexistence’ and a case study

Historic buildings in urban areas are valuable heritage and would require effective design for renovation to upgrade these buildings while preserving their heritage characteristics. This current study evaluated renovation requirements: loss of natural and spatial characteristics, single function and lack of building facade design, of a courtyard building in a Beijing historical district. Limitations of the ‘multiple coexistence’ design concept were analysed to fully achieve integration of historical, cultural, social, educational, commercial and economic values while preserving their natural characteristics. Intelligent control strategy and equipment can reshape the spatial lay out and natural environment, to enhance the building function and social value. The design strategy of the skylight to be installed in the courtyard was evaluated by simulation in this study. CFD simulation results show that the air temperature in the courtyard can increase 20% by incorporating a skylight that can be automatically closed in winter. During the summer, the skylight would be open to largely reduce the average air temperature by 1.2°C. The visual impact of external equipment can be mitigated by adding decoration to the courtyard facade. The findings should inform future development of a new design concept, to provide design paradigms for the renewal and renovation of similar historic buildings.

The Two-Pronged Middle Class: The Old Bourgeoisie, New State-Engineered Middle Class, and Democratic Development

We contribute to research on the democratic role of middle classes. Our paper distinguishes between middle classes emerging autonomously during gradual capitalist development and those fabricated rapidly as part of state-led modernization. To make the case for a conceptual distinction between these groups within one national setting, we employ author-assembled historical district data, survey, and archival materials for pre-Revolutionary Russia and its feudal estates. Our analysis reveals that the bourgeois estate of meshchane covaries with post-communist democratic competitiveness and media freedoms, our proxies of regional democratic variations. We propose two causal pathways explaining the puzzling persistence of social structure despite the Bolsheviks’ leveling ideology and post-communist autocratic consolidation: (a) processes at the juncture of familial channels of human capital transmission and the revolutionaries’ modernization drive and (b) entrepreneurial value transmission outside of state policy. Our findings help refine recent work on political regime orientations of public-sector-dependent societies subjected to authoritarian modernization.

141 Haussmann égre nyíló tető

Restoration and refurbishment taking place in a historical district of Paris calls for a contemporary reworking of existing values. The mansard roof form considered to be the norm in this area usually results in a single or double floor rooftop development of dark spaces under a slate roof. To replace the material purely with glazing has two effects: firstly the traditional expectation is met, secondly a bright and vibrant interior is created. The latter being more inline with current expectations for quality of light, space and therefore wellbeing of its inhabitants. Proof that often the choice of materials, instead of bold architectural statements, can result in a quality development without need for controversy.

The Impacts of Morphology of Traditional Alleys on Thermal comfort: A case study of Da Long Wang Xiang in Zhenjiang, China

Traditional alleys in China are mostly characterized by dense population, poor infrastructure, and narrow streets. The general renewal approaches of traditional alleys paid more attention to the physical space while they lack consideration for the thermal comfort of residents, which often results in declines in the rational design of the space and vitality of the community. This research takes Da Long Wang Xiang historical district in Zhenjiang as a case study to investigate the relationship between the morphology of street spaces (Alley Width (W), Sky View Factor (SVF), Height to Width Ratio (H/W), building height on both sides of alley) and microclimatic parameters, such as Potential Air Temperature (Ta), Relative Humidity (RH), Wind Speed (WS), Mean Radiation Temperature (Tmrt) and Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET). The results have shown that: 1) the peak temperature was found at 14:00, and the thermal comfort of all alleys is overheated during this period, particularly NW-SE alleys are hotter than NESW alleys; 2) the deviation of Ta, RH, WS, and Tmrt among the NW-SE alleys during 13:00 to 15:00 are smaller than those among the NE-SW alleys; and 3) set a shading device or higher buildings on the side of the afternoon solar incidence can help to create a more comfortable thermal comfort. The findings of this research will provide a new strategy for the renewal design of traditional alleys.