Seizing the opportunity?: how sustainable urban design will feature in the redevelopment of the central city of Christchurch to reduce CO₂ emissions from land transport

<p>Following devastating earthquakes in 2010 and 2011 in Christchurch, there is an opportunity to use sustainable urban design variables to redevelop the central city in order to address climate change concerns and reduce CO₂ emissions from land transport. Literature from a variety of disciplines establishes that four sustainable urban design variables; increased density, mixed-use development, street layout and city design, and the provision of sustainable public transport, can reduce car dependency and vehicle kilometres travelled within urban populations- widely regarded as indicators of the negative environmental effects of transport. The key question for the research is; to what extent has this opportunity been seized by NZ’s Central Government who are overseeing the central city redevelopment? In order to explore this question the redevelopment plans for the central city of Christchurch are evaluated against an adapted urban design matrix to determine whether a reduction in CO₂ emissions from land transport is likely to be achieved through their implementation. Data obtained through interviews with experts is used to further explore the extent to which sustainable urban design variables can be employed to enhance sustainability and reduce CO₂ emissions. The analysis of this data shows that the four urban design variables will feature in the Central Government’s redevelopment plans although the extent to which they are employed and their likely success in reducing CO₂ emissions will vary. Ultimately, the opportunity to redevelop the central city of Christchurch to reduce CO₂ emissions from land transport will be undermined due to timeframe, co-ordination, and leadership barriers.</p>

Seizing the opportunity?: how sustainable urban design will feature in the redevelopment of the central city of Christchurch to reduce CO₂ emissions from land transport

<p>Following devastating earthquakes in 2010 and 2011 in Christchurch, there is an opportunity to use sustainable urban design variables to redevelop the central city in order to address climate change concerns and reduce CO₂ emissions from land transport. Literature from a variety of disciplines establishes that four sustainable urban design variables; increased density, mixed-use development, street layout and city design, and the provision of sustainable public transport, can reduce car dependency and vehicle kilometres travelled within urban populations- widely regarded as indicators of the negative environmental effects of transport. The key question for the research is; to what extent has this opportunity been seized by NZ’s Central Government who are overseeing the central city redevelopment? In order to explore this question the redevelopment plans for the central city of Christchurch are evaluated against an adapted urban design matrix to determine whether a reduction in CO₂ emissions from land transport is likely to be achieved through their implementation. Data obtained through interviews with experts is used to further explore the extent to which sustainable urban design variables can be employed to enhance sustainability and reduce CO₂ emissions. The analysis of this data shows that the four urban design variables will feature in the Central Government’s redevelopment plans although the extent to which they are employed and their likely success in reducing CO₂ emissions will vary. Ultimately, the opportunity to redevelop the central city of Christchurch to reduce CO₂ emissions from land transport will be undermined due to timeframe, co-ordination, and leadership barriers.</p>

Pengaruh Bentuk Pola Persebaran Permukiman Penduduk terhadap RTH di Kampung Tua Tanjung Riau

The undirected distribution pattern of settlements tends to cause irregular building arrangement patterns. Coupled with the increasing building density level, the availability of open space is at risk of decreasing. The coastal settlement of Kampung Tua Tanjung Riau in Batam is a vivid example of this kind of settlements development issue. Through descriptive-qualitative research methods, the form of distribution pattern of settlements was observed from the street layout and buildings location. Subsequently, it can be identified and analysed that the longitudinal distribution pattern of settlements in Kampung Tua Tanjung Riau affects the availability of green open space in the area which is considered inadequate. This research is expected to be taken into consideration by related agencies including the government in overcoming the existing problems in Kampung Tua Tanjung Riau.Keywords: Distribution Pattern of Settlements, Green Open Space, Kampung Tua Tanjung Riau Abstrak. Bentuk pola persebaran permukiman penduduk yang tidak terarah cenderung menyebabkan ketidakteraturan pola penataan bangunan. Ditambah dengan tingkat kepadatan yang semakin meningkat, ketersediaan ruang terbuka beresiko menurun. Permukiman pesisir Kampung Tua Tanjung Riau di Kota Batam, merupakan salah satu contoh nyata permasalahan perkembangan permukiman tersebut. Melalui metode penelitian kualitatif deskriptif, bentuk pola persebaran permukiman ditinjau dari pola jalan dan lokasi hunian. Kemudian, dapat diidentifikasi dan dianalisis bahwa bentuk pola persebaran permukiman yang memanjang di Kampung Tua Tanjung Riau mempengaruhi ketersediaan RTH (Ruang Terbuka Hijau) di kawasan tersebut yang notabene dinilai masih kurang memadai. Penelitian ini diharapkan dapat menjadi bahan pertimbangan instansi terkait termasuk pemerintah dalam mengatasi permasalahan yang ada di kawasan Kampung Tua Tanjung Riau.Kata Kunci: Pola Persebaran Permukiman, Ruang Terbuka Hijau, Kampung Tua Tanjung Riau

A longitudinal residential relocation study of changes in street layout and physical activity

Few longitudinal residential relocation studies have explored associations between urban form and physical activity, and none has used the Space Syntax theory. Using a Canadian longitudinal dataset (n = 5944), we estimated: (1) differences in physical activity between non-movers, and those relocating to neighbourhoods with less or more integrated street layouts, and; (2) associations between changes in street layout integration exposure and differences in physical activity. Adjusting for covariates, we found relative to non-movers, those who moved to more integrated neighbourhoods undertook significantly (p < .05) more leisure walking (27.3 min/week), moderate-intensity (45.7 min/week), and moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity (54.4 min/week). Among movers, a one-unit increase in the relative change in street integration exposure ([Street integration at follow-up—street integration at baseline]/street integration at baseline) was associated with a 7.5 min/week increase in leisure walking. Our findings suggest that urban design policies that improve neighbourhood street integration might encourage more physical activity in adults.

Measuring the Street Layout Orientation Entropy of Cities in the Philippines

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> Selected cities in the Philippines follow, to a certain extent, an organized street layout and orientation based on a designed plan including major cities like Manila and Quezon City. However, others cities developed organically on a less organized manner, expanding haphazardly. Being the spatial backbone of these cities, street patterns controls and limits the flow of people, goods, and activities. Measuring entropy, or the state of orderliness or disorderliness, of a street network can assess the difference between a planned and an unplanned city development. Possibly, it can be correlated to the various socioeconomic variables e.g. population, density, income level, poverty level, etc. or environmental variables e.g. night time light data, urban heat, vegetation cover, etc., that characterizes a city.</p>

Cognitive Function of Elderly Persons in Japanese Neighborhoods: The Role of Street Layout

Objectives:The aims of this study were to examine (a) associations of two metric and space syntax measures of street layout with the cognitive function of Japanese older adults and (b) the extent to which objectively assessed physical activity mediated such associations.Methods:Cross-sectional data from 277 older adults who lived in Japan were used. Street layout attributes were objectively calculated for each participant’s geocoded home location. The Mini-Mental State Examination was used to evaluate cognitive function. Physical activity was objectively assessed with accelerometers.Results:There was a statistically significant negative association between street integration and the odds of having cognitive impairment. Objectively assessed physical activity did not attenuate this relationship.Conclusions:Our findings provide unique evidence regarding the importance of the topological aspects of street layouts in (re)designing neighborhoods to support mental illness.