Resilient Planning and Design for Sustainable Cities

This paper intends to propose a reflection on the issue of urban form, in particular, on the tendency, today homologating, of constructing new parts of the city by following a vertical densification model. Through the selection of case studies considered significant, this work will approach some research that investigated the possibility of dealing with the problem of urban density and land consumption through an alternative scenario. The cases presented include some experimental projects developed within the framework of the Soviet city developed at the beginning of the twentieth Century. The debate of those years— particularly from 1929 to 1931—was of fundamental significance for the development of soviet urban design, and today, it still constitutes one of the most important moments in the research for new forms of settlement and new ways of life for contemporary society. In this context, the experience of Lazar Khidekel raises particular interest, and the settlement aspect of his experimental projects will be analysed. Khidekel's aero-cities develop the idea of a settlement generated by the superimposition of linear structures elevated mechanically above the ground, which represented a solution for preserving the soil addressing the issue of density, from which it is possible to derive some principles susceptible to innovative development.

This paper contributes to the geography of gentrification studies in the Middle East by examining how gentrification develops locally in the Abdali district of Amman. In addition, it assists in comprehending the local drivers of gentrification as one of the consequences of the Abdali redevelopment project in Amman’s downtown district. The project was initiated in 2003 on land owned by the government that was initially a military base (brownfield) and is considered a symbol of neoliberalism in Amman. Furthermore, the site embodies the most extensive single plot of land within Amman available for high-end mixed-use and real estate development by relying on the public–private partnership, considering the private sector the main engine for growth. This paper employed a mixed methods approach by integrating spatial maps and quantitative contextual indicators based on demographic and economic census data to investigate the research’s questions. The findings indicate that the project affected the residential and commercial fabric of the bordering neighborhoods in terms of land-use change, displacement of residents, property value increase, and traffic problems. Nonetheless, the lack of data on a sufficiently granular temporal and spatial scale and empirical evidence of displacement in the analyzed neighborhoods was a limitation of this study. Alternately, the researcher will employ triangulation of quantitative, spatial maps, and qualitative data to identify the patterns and processes of displacement in future research.

There is a lot of muddled communication between the city’s physical and social features because of the interdependencies between people and urban infrastructure. As a result, to increase social connections, it is critical to begin at a specific location and analyze the most effective urban design characteristics that significantly impact social connections at the neighborhood level. Numerous academics have investigated the correlation between urban form and social sustainability. They rarely conclude that the influenced indicators explain the correlation between urban form and social sustainability. The research investigates the most significant indicators responsible for the neighborhood-scale correlation between the most effective urban and social aspects. The study first reviews the neighborhood’s social sustainability aspects and then urban form aspects. Then, the most essential urban form and social sustainability aspects with the most significant indicators describe this association. The study ends with a causal loop graphic showing how each aspect and indicator affect others. The research concludes that walkability is the most essential indicator for improving social interaction and activities through mixed use as the most essential urban form.

One of the pillars of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is the idea that the eradication of poverty and inequality is possible through economic growth. The baseline of economic growth relates strongly to the Transit Oriented Development (TOD) framework, which contains a consolidated financial model for urban development. In this paper, we examine the synergies and conflicts between SDGs and TOD. By doing so, we highlight how, although the SDGs ultimately strive to eradicate poverty, TOD fails miserably on this front. The findings are the result of the analysis of TOD in Quito, Ecuador, which has had a notable influence on TOD in its urban legislation, since hosting the Habitat III conference in 2016. The case study reflected the synergies and conflicts between the SDGs and TOD. In addition, we argue that certain aspects of the Quito study challenge the very concept of development through economic growth (promoted by the SDGs), or having fast urban economic centres (pushed by TOD). We argue that instead of trying to force local needs to be in accordance with the SDGs or TOD, a new approach should be adopted that is centred around people’s needs. We call for a shift in discourse: from a strong focus on infrastructural development, fast access and economic growth, to discussing forms of urban living. This paper defines such a shift in discourse, research and urban planning as People Oriented Development.

The Dubai World Expo 2020 was a spectacular six-month mega-event, offering a multitude of continuous activities, events, forums, and various cultural experiences. Unrevealing the lessons learned from this extraordinary event requires comprehensive and in-depth studies. This research delves into the impact of the Dubai World Expo 2020 on the perceptions of young people regarding sustainable development and the challenges involved in its achievement. The primary objective is to identify the consequences of such development on cities, focusing on aspects like career paths, networks, attractiveness, identity, and innovation, from the perspective of future leaders. To achieve this, a qualitative case study approach is employed, utilizing interviews and observations as investigative tools. Additionally, the literature review encompasses an exploration of previous mega-events and secondary sources that provide insights into youth visits to such events. Through this review, the intertwined relationship between space and people in future development is established. The outcomes of this pilot study contribute to a better understanding of youth engagement in sustainable planning as a participatory approach shaped by recent developments. Furthermore, the study aligns with the UAE’s vision of involving youth in national development, embracing the SDG’s 2030 agenda through various initiatives such as peace institutions, economic development, innovation, engagement, environmental preservation, and social empowerment.

It is imperative to visualize the growing airport's significance in becoming a pivot of global mobility and its concomitant services and as a crucial point for generating huge conurbations and support services. Despite these speculations, a probable long-term projection is linked to a particular aerotropolis as inputs indicate a more uncertain outcome. This article attempts to find variables that are likely to have an impact on the aerotropolis, particularly from a policy and planning perspective. The motivation for comprehending such areas is to find the influence of change in landside accessibility in an aerotropolis on the dynamics of the hierarchy/order of settlements. So as to elaborate the objective, with the help of QGIS tools, analysis was done for the Northeast Region with regard to the Bagdogra Airport, Siliguri. An airport's direct, indirect, and induced effects on the area's economy encompass well beyond the airport city. Landside network effects are produced by airports serving as a CBD area, especially particularly in the context of air travel. Evidentially, the research attempts to identify the change in major socio-economic and demography aspects so as to observe the influence radii of connectivity changes on regional settlement patterns. It can be seen that major airports have been transforming from the status of just airport cities to that of emerging focal points in the metropolitan regions. Given the site of the airport in relation to the primary city centre is now considered to be of less significance than the airport's strategic position within the context of the region, the catalytic impacts, which imply that the influence of airports encompasses well beyond the city, are the outcomes. Therefore, there is a dire need for planning interventions to plan comprehensively for the upcoming Aerotropolis to avoid haphazard and unplanned growth deprived of the benefits of the airport as a development-inducing node.

A common urban development strategy in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries is based on the use of superblocks. Superblocks are large tracts of land, with sides of approximately 900 × 600 m, developed following the principles of Perry's Neighborhood Planning Unit. Several street network designs are used to structure the superblocks, creating different connectivity and accessibility conditions for their occupants. This paper evaluates these networks, to better understand their potential to support non-motorized movement and to outline land use planning strategies. Eight superblock network designs are evaluated by measuring distances in meters between a controlled set of origins and destinations. Origins correspond to residential plots of each superblock, while selected locations on their periphery correspond to potential non-residential destinations. Results indicate that the various designs studied provide relatively similar metric accessibility conditions between origins and destinations, despite having markedly different network designs. However, results also indicate that, given their geometric properties, accessibility is distributed unevenly between some superblock edges and corners. Lastly, the study indicates that the length of the different road networks plays no significant role in enhancing access to potential destinations. The paper concludes with a discussion about the ability of these results to inform urban development policy. Particularly with regards to the development of neighborhoods built using aggregations of superblocks and the role of the street networks in structuring movement, supporting land use planning, and their development costs.

Kerala is well known for its unique settlement pattern comprising the most part, a continuous spread of habitation. The notable urbanization trend in the Indian state of Kerala is urban spread rather than concentration which points out the increasing urbanization of peripheral areas of existing urban centers. This has made it difficult for the government to meet the needs of the urban population, such as providing them with affordable housing and infrastructural services to support their livelihood; this is a matter that necessitates policy attention to determine the optimum FSI value. Based on recent reports (Post Disaster Need Analysis—PDNA) from the UN addressing the unsafe situation of the carpet FAR/FSI practice in the Indian state of Kerala, showcasing the varying geological and climatic conditions should also be a matter of concern. The FSI (Floor space index—the ratio of the built-up space on a plot to the area of the plot) value is certainly one of the key regulatory factors in checking the land utilization for the varying occupancies desired for the overall development of a state with limitation in land availability when compared to its neighbors. The pattern of urbanization, physical conditions, topography, etc. varies within the state and can change remarkably over time which identifies that the current practicing FSI norms in Kerala do not fulfill the intended function. And the FSI regulation is expected to change dynamically from location to location. Thus to ascertain the optimum value of FSI/FAR of a region in the state of Kerala, the government agencies should consider the optimum land utilization for the growing urbanization; the other hand shall keep in check the overutilization of the same in par with environmental and geographic nature. Therefore, the study identifies parameters to consider for assigning FSI within the Kerala context. Through expert surveys, opinions arrive at a methodology for assigning an optimum FSI value to a region in Kerala.

Human behavior is considered as a basic corner in building communities. Lately, by observing human behavior in our community, it seems obvious that it has an urgent need to be enhanced. Academics and stakeholders should spotlight the priority of enhancing human behavior in every career due to its importance in developing communities. The authors aim throughout this paper to enhance human behavior using the urban landscape social dimension, as the social dimension is related to achieving human life quality, needs, and many social aspects such as behavior. By using the induction method, the effective relationship between achieving needs and human behavior has been assisted. Therefore, the authors adopted the idea that achieving needs from the urban landscape as the human surrounding environment can contribute to enhancing some human behaviors such as stress. Accordingly, the authors analyzed previous studies and research related to urban landscape, human needs, and their impact on human behaviors. As a result, a theoretical framework named URBAN SOCIALSCAPE has been suggested. This theoretical framework depends on the urban landscape social dimension which tends to achieve life quality, by setting five principles that ensure achieving human needs from the urban landscape. Applying this framework can contribute to creating a better surrounding environment and consequently motivates good behaviors, to support the community development and become more sustainable.

With a diminishing number, and value, of public spaces in the new settlements in Egypt, informal markets arise to serve these areas. One of the key concepts to understanding the phenomena is the conviviality of public spaces. Conviviality is a novel concept that falls under the topic of creating good public space. The purpose of this paper is to understand the concept of conviviality in relation to the quality of public spaces and to what extent different public spaces—especially markets in new Cairo that have different socioeconomic backgrounds and different contexts in accordance with formality—achieve what is so-called conviviality. The paper suggests a new framework adopted from the literature that is associated with the line of thought addressing the concept of conviviality. The main result shows that markets, in general, contribute to creating vitality and livability within urban spaces despite their socioeconomic status but are not necessarily considered convivial. The paper shows that conviviality as a concept still needs further clarity in both theory and practice to better suit different types of public spaces.

Intense changes in urban land in cities worldwide are among the factors that contribute to diminishing forest land and biodiversity loss. Vegetative cover of diverse species and structures is crucial in ecosystem functions such as carbon storage, carbon sequestration, and stormwater attenuation. Conversely, rapid forest loss causes irreversible environmental degradation, reducing the capacity of these benefits. As reported in several previous studies, the presence of an abundance of vegetation on vacant urban parcels can host many ecological functions. Opportunities to expand urban green spaces by identifying vacant land with increased vegetative cover as potential areas for urban greening should thus, ideally, be fully exploited. Kuala Lumpur is among the fast-growing cities in Southeast Asia, with shrinking natural vegetation cover as the city’s existing vacant land is increasingly decimated via transformation into built areas. The vacant land that still remains is left idle due to topographical limitations or held for strategic reasons. Hence, this study aimed to assess vegetation cover changes within Kuala Lumpur's vacant land during 2018–2021, using the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) technique. The results revealed that 65.4% of the plots show accretion in vegetative cover, indicating the potential of these parcels to be conserved for ecological functions. The findings of this study will assist relevant authorities in identifying areas with vegetative cover accretion for prioritisation of conservation efforts. It is also hoped that this study will prompt the development of tools to assess the ecological values of vacant land on the ground as the next step in urban green space conservation efforts.

The COVID-19 pandemic saw cities worldwide implementing various pandemic mitigation measures, including social and physical distancing, among others. However, these measures did not deter numerous public housing residents from continuing their participation in community gardening initiatives. This seemingly atypical behaviour sparked an interest in investigating these individuals’ social characteristics and commitment to community gardening initiatives through semi-structured interviews. Recruitment of participants was done through a series of multi-stage sampling: purposive, followed by a snowball. The findings revealed that many of the participants were retirees and homemakers, with a balanced gender composition. They were primarily seniors between the ages of 60 and 75, with only a few from the 40–50 age range. Their time commitments in the community gardens revealed vast differences between genders, with the men devoting more of their day to community gardening than the women, and the interviews revealed why. The combined documentation of the characteristics and stories of the participants could provide researchers, policymakers, and local authorities with critical information about the community’s needs, strengths and experiences, driving planning, policy development and decision-making to be in sync with the norms and perspectives of the public housing residents of Kuala Lumpur.

Student housing has become an essential facility in most universities as it offers students an opportunity to study, live, and interact. Open spaces constitute the main component of this environment, including landscape features, green spaces, and sporting facilities. This study aims to evaluate students’ satisfaction with the open spaces embedded in their housing environment. The study examined several open space design aspects on the campus of King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in Saudi Arabia as a case study. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected using site visit observations and a questionnaire-based survey of students who live on campus. The results showed that students are mostly satisfied with the urban design of the examined open spaces. The most appreciated urban design aspects were accessibility and proximity to students’ dorms, quietness, and safety and security. Other aspects that require further improvement from the students’ viewpoint included the quality of supporting services and the thermal comfort conditions. The research findings are recommended as guidelines for student housing developers, designers, and caretakers to make the students’ living experience more efficient, attractive, and positively impactful.

The paper proposes a reflection on the role of experimental co-design methodologies in mediating between top-down and bottom-up forces that shape current urban public landscapes, and their ability to listen and ‘translate’ the voices of resident communities, allowing them to intervene and influence decision-making processes in the urban regeneration of emblematic places in the city. Specifically, we intend to reflect upon the dynamics of appropriation of public space as a result of certain ‘urban play’ practices, in particular skateboarding, as well as on the role of designers and administrations in involving stakeholders in a co-design process to include these practices in urban transformations. To this end, the recent and emblematic regeneration of Vale do Anhangabaù in Sao Paulo, Brasil, a symbolic place for the local skateboarding community, is analyzed as a paradigmatic case to highlight the complex and stratified field of interests, disputes, and struggles underlying and determining the transformations of contemporary metropolitan public spaces, as well as the role played by the discipline and practice of urban design in mediating and recomposing these often opposing drives. Moving from this particular case, the paper intends to highlight the relevance of the occurrence of unexpected events during an urban transformation process and to reflect on the construction phase as a crucial moment of negotiation and mediation between the stakeholding parts. The analyzed case is a very relevant and, at least partially, virtuous example of the application of a co-design methodology at the urban design scale, intended as a practice that promotes social sustainability of urban transformation by favoring greater social cohesion and granting participation of the public in the processes that give shape to the urban space. Lastly, the paper reflects on the differences between the ‘classic’ methods of participatory design in comparison to more recent and direct co-design strategies that take place during the construction phase, suggesting the possibility of including this kind of process in the general planning of this kind of urban interventions.

Despite growing global interest, academic literature on community gardening remains sparse, especially for socio-economically marginalised populations. This also applies to Kuala Lumpur, where limited literature has explored socio-economically marginalised populations participating in community gardening. Building on this foundation, the study includes data collection and documentation in spatial databases to inform on the types of public housing in Kuala Lumpur and spaces utilised for community gardening. Identification of responsible associations and agencies, population density, median household income, land ownership, and how it affects community gardening initiatives are discussed. The methods used are interviews, site visits, research, government reports, and archives. Outputs include documentation and mapping of the community gardens using ArcGIS data. The examination shows that community gardens vary in size, activities, and gardening methods. The findings point to the need for more community gardens in high-rise public housing neighbourhoods, particularly those without balconies within their residential units. The map and database produced will help researchers, policymakers, and local authorities plan and develop more community gardens to support Kuala Lumpur's sustainability initiative.

Over the past decade, Afghanistan's cities have undergone rapid development, particularly Kabul, the capital and largest city, which has experienced significant population growth due to both internal and external displacement and urban migration. This influx of people has had a significant impact on Kabul's urban structure and patterns, leading to the emergence of a large number of informal neighborhoods and settlements. As of now, two-thirds of the city's population resides in such neighborhoods, and their rapid growth has affected the city's visual identity in terms of historical and current urban patterns. On the one hand, formal housing in Kabul has inadequate architectural design, quality, and durability, and is often planned without due attention to architectural identity. On the other hand, modern processes of urban expansion and housing have also contributed to the erasure of Kabul's image, values, and identity by introducing foreign architectural designs that have no correlation with vernacular and indigenous Afghan architecture. Thus, this study analyzes the impact of urban displacement on Kabul's urban image and investigates various aspects of the city's identity through case studies conducted in three districts. The study examines the parameters and elements affecting the city's social and environmental identity and finds that migrants from diverse cultural backgrounds have had a significant impact on the urban structure, resulting in the emergence of informal settlements. These settlements have a direct influence on the city's urban and architectural identity. Therefore, the study's findings can aid urban planners, architects, and government agencies in identifying key elements of Kabul's urban identity for future planning and development to shape the city's aspirations for the future.

In architecture, it is now a consolidated practice to involve a process of critical approach and historical knowledge before the design phase. This need is even more evident in reconstruction contexts, such as the Old City of Mosul, where the project is required to return some of the city's identity features. That practice, conventionally understood as the passive collection of data, is however susceptible to a more active approach, the production and interpretation of a conceptual and abstract condition of the city, capable of also capturing the data not immediately visible and latent. Mosul presents an urban structure composed essentially of primary monumental elements around which spontaneous residential fabrics have developed, almost disordered in their overall appearance as a solid mass, only excavated by open spaces. The proposed experiment concerns the creation of a cognitive map, a virtual state that recognizes and enhances the generative settlement structure of the city starting from certain type-morphological invariants—the introverted character of the enclosed settlement; the structure of compensatory open spaces such as courtyards and patios; the density of the settlement with a prevalent horizontal development; the scalarity and hierarchy between public and private spaces, etc.…—that identifies and represents the modalities of an otherwise indeterminate spontaneity. The result is the reconstruction, or reinvention, of the meaning of places through a methodological instrument of investigation suspended between the recognition and interpretative condition of a survey and the limited structure of a possible design conformation. If the reconstruction cannot be satisfied with mimesis but requires an evolutionary and transformative vision of the city, this tool is configured as the link between identity and transformation, a synthetic act between knowledge and the inductive capacity of the project to emphasize some of the authenticity assumptions of memory, even in an evocative and conceptual reworking.

The sustainability of a community is precisely tied to the quality of life of the city. In enhancing a city's livability, the importance of canals has always been emphasized. Yet there has been a lack of awareness in Bangladesh as to how the canals will help boost people's social life and the urban environment. Many of these ignored channels also have historical value and are now slowly dwindling. Manohar Canal is such a canal that has been destroyed over the years and almost lost its course being invaded by the ever-growing Sadarghat area's urban jungle. While the canal front is mismanaged and inaccessible, given the local context, it can be converted into its glorified state and can be used as a means to enhance the urban life of the area. This study shows the canal's current physical condition and its adjacent area; describes the canal intrusion process; and shows Karnafully River’s waterfront scenery near Sadarghat jetty. It also offers potential solutions to restore the historic Manohar Canal ensuring the least harm to existing infrastructure and enhancement of the standard of living and encouraging smooth water flow that can mitigate water clogging of the Sadarghat area.

For several years now, the debate on climate change has become increasingly central because of the consequences of climate anomalies for different sectors of human activity and the built environment. According to the latest Working Group 1 Intergovernmental Report on Climate Change (IPCC), the level of global warming can exceed 1.5 °C in the coming decades. With the increase in the average temperature in the Mediterranean area, there will probably be an aggravation in the incidence of heatwaves and intense rainfall with significant repercussions in environmental, social, and economic terms. Therefore, solutions are needed to cope with these problems, and research lines are increasingly focused on the development of adaptive building envelopes to curb the adverse consequences of climate change. The study refers to ongoing experimental research that aims to define an adaptive component, for continuous facade systems, using innovative materials based on the biomimetic approach. In this paper, the authors present some parts of their research results, where a necessary step was a systematic review of adaptive façade systems, whose variability is related to the intrinsic properties of the material they are made of. Assuming nature as a model, the authors study molecular-scale or nanomaterial materials that change their configuration and adapt to an external stimulus, organically and passively, without the requirement of sophisticated energy systems. For example, materials regulate their adaptive behavior through modifications that alter their interior structure, such as a temperature difference, or by exchanging energy from one form to another. Incorporating these biomimetic principles in the definition of the component can contribute to the design of sustainable architectural systems to “tune” the façade to changing external climatic conditions.

Quito has a wealth of natural elements that over time have been consolidated as an important part of the city's landscape, however, they are in a progressive deterioration due to the lack of awareness of all urban stakeholders. The El Censo ravine is one of the most important natural elements in the city center since it has a historical value related to productive economic activities, however, it is in constant deterioration. This research has two objectives: the first, to diagnose the current state of the ravine by applying the habitability index of the public space (qualitative and quantitative research approach) and the second, to propose an urban design project that seeks to rescue this natural space (exploratory research approach). As a result, it is found that the design of an active border of the ravine can become a dynamic and connecting element of the neighborhoods in the area, in addition to conserving biological diversity, encouraging the conversion of communities and reusing historical infrastructure to rescue the urban image of the area.

Veranda refers to a building with an arcade and store on one or both sides. In China, it refers to the open corridor-style buildings that emerged in the nineteenth century, combining Chinese and Western styles. This paper first introduces the process of historical changes and the current development of veranda in the historic district of Macau and discusses the constraints of the current development. Based on the case study, the analysis compares the revitalization cases of the veranda buildings in the historic districts of Hong Kong and Taiwan, as well as the analysis of the possibility of the regeneration of Macau's veranda buildings. It discusses the strategies for the renewal of Macau's Veranda buildings, which provides a reference for the sustainable development of Macau’s Veranda buildings.

The increasing heterogeneity of urban areas has led to the coexistence of diverse cultures, situating India’s historic cores at the crossroads of cultural diversity. As per the Culture 21 Agenda, the responsibility to inculcate culture in new spatial and economic policies for development lies on the local government. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) suggests that heritage is both tangible and intangible assets. Assets are the stock of resources that people use to build livelihoods, the acquisition of which is not a passive act and is therefore linked to the empowerment of individuals and communities, a belief amplified by the New Urban Agenda. Extensive physical and household surveys in the class II town of Nawalgarh in Rajasthan, India have brought to the fore, pressing issues of assessment, management and valorisation of these assets within the present framework of urban planning prevalent in the country. In this paper, the authors attempt to move from mere discourse about heritage and bring to the fore specific contextual interventions that are suitable to address the complex intertwined issue of heritage-based development that ensures cultural continuity and identity, integrity, and sustainability. Such development strategies foster pride and the communal spirit of residents and positively impact property value.

Urban spaces are places for social life. The façade is one of the physical elements of the urban space that affects the observers at the very first stage. The external expression of the buildings creates the first and perhaps the most important impact where the colors play a significant role in perceiving the urban space. Although nowadays we can see our urban facades as either colorless or chaotic, colors have had significant importance in Iranian architecture. This qualitative research has implemented the case study strategy. The objective is to understand the application and function of colors and their alignment with the urban square's definition and design principles. The language of the urban design principles is adopted from Carmona’s urban design dimensions. In doing so, Mirchakhmagh Square in The Old City of Yaz, Persia (registered by UNESCO as a World Heritage) has been analyzed as a sustainable urban fabric that carries a lot of lessons regarding sustainable development. It is found that the application and function of the colors in the historic part are significantly corresponding to each other, which is a cause of its sustainability. However, in the contemporary part, the lack of this adjustment has made the overall facade less balanced. Moreover, the primary application of colors is in the vertical rhythms and facade openings like shops’ entrances. Furthermore, the major color functions based on Carmona's urban design dimensions are distinguishing, emphasizing, collecting, centralizing, and visually balancing the facades. This signifies that colors are used for reasons in a sustainable approach. Not only does the result serve in understanding the contribution of colors to the quality of urban spaces, but also it helps analyze and design through the lens of sustainability in most cases. Additionally, contemporary architects can make wiser decisions in color usage while designing in Iranian and similar contexts.

Whilst the cities of the world seem to have an insatiable appetite for expansion, development and growth, the natural habitat within them is in constant decline and fragmentation. Space has become valuable, and as such green areas come under threat. In the face of this, vertical gardens become attractive, offering biophilia, energy reduction and ecology services in a vertical area. Whilst the gardens often consider the aesthetic design, there is little research on the empirical, measured ecological services they give in maintaining biodiversity. This paper aims to fill some of that gap, researching into the diversity of birds and invertebrates found at three vertical gardens in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. It was found that they do indeed play an important role, and so should be taken into account for design, planning and policy as part of sustainable city development of the present and for the future.

World’s mega-cities are urbanizing at the cost of prime green areas around the city’s outskirts. Urban area’s local climate is adversely affected by the land use change pattern such as smog events occur in developing metropolitan cities due to loss of vegetation. Severe environmental challenges are being faced due to increasing urbanization trends, which need to be predicted in the future years. Landuse Landcover change determination with the help of Landsat enhanced thematic mapper from the past years to the present (1996–2022) is done along with operational Land Imager (OLI). Correlation between the Normalized Difference Vegetative Index (NDVI) and the Normalized Difference Buildup Index (NDBI) with the LST is used to understand the spatial urban variability in terms of surface urban heat island effects. Concrete structure and haphazard development have been increased dramatically which led to a decrease in the vegetation of Lahore. There is a demonstration of 5.49% decrease in green areas, 11% decrease in barren land and 1.5% in water bodies while 16% increase occurred in the buildup area. Future local urban climate of the city is predicted by identifying UHI through LULC for different years and for the future 2035 with the help of Artificial Neural Network-multi-layer perception model run with the help of MOLUSCE Tool in QGIS. There is a prediction of a rise in temperature of 2 °C with a decrease in overall of 3% in the green cover area around the city which needs to be addressed by the city management for taking preemptive measures for sustainable urban development.

Since the first Rio Summit held in 1992, sustainable development has been one of the most important driving forces for the future cities. To consolidate new sustainable growth models based on the management of natural resources, traditional spatial planning models are integrating with new ‘performance-based’ approaches that consider the provision of ecosystem services (ES) through green infrastructure (GI) as a possible way to improve the environmental performance and quality of life for citizens. Despite this, in Italy, the design and management of GI is still a part of the traditional land-use plan, where the development of urban green spaces at the city scale depends on the achievement of public green areas recognized by the Italian National Law. The paper shows the results of an experience conducted in the central part of Italy, in which the downscaling of landscape and ecological elements of value deriving from regional and provincial planning instruments in the local ecological network contributes to the integration of GI into land-use plans. Adopting the ecological network on a local scale helps select and build new urban and peri-urban green spaces (Italian ‘green standards’) necessary for the continuity of natural resources, which helps to build the GI and the supply of ES. It also represents the strategic framework for the development of the Green master plans at the city scale, a sectoral planning instrument to implement GI at the municipal scale, that will improve the quality of land-use plans.

In Italy, a distinct kind of settlement, resulting from the development of road infrastructure that since the 1950s has gone hand in hand with the country's economic growth, is represented by small urban centers located along the national motorway routes, which have experienced significant development in industry, logistics, and large-scale commercial distribution without becoming a city. An emblematic case is Barberino di Mugello, a center of medieval origin with a population of 10,000 at an exit of the A1 motorway between Florence and Bologna, which has developed into a sort of archipelago of segregated monofunctional ‘islands’ in a hilly landscape, linked and separated by road infrastructure. The paper focuses on a project commissioned by the municipality of Barberino di Mugello to a research group of the University of Florence, which aims to join the scattered urban islands by means of a bicycle network connected to an exchange car park at the motorway exit, conceived as the new ‘urban gateway’ of Barberino. The objective of the project is twofold: promote sustainable mobility as an alternative to the car for short trips, and provide an opportunity to raise awareness of the remarkable landscape resources of the area through the bicycle route.

Transit Oriented Development (TOD) has become a widely used urban development methodology the world over. On the one hand, it is hailed as a highly effective manner through which to bring about sustainable, mixed-use, compact and sustainable cities. On the other hand, it has received strong criticism for the manner by which it can segregate cities between the wealthy and the poor. In the face of this, equitable TOD (eTOD) has gained weight, where more recent research in the Global North has offered insights into how the displacement of vulnerable urban residents living in TOD development areas can be mitigated. This article aims to give an overview of some of the current thinking in TOD and eTOD methodologies, and in doing so offer a useful backbone of some of the relevant literature for anyone who might be carrying out research in the field.

As part of the research on the impact of urban depopulation on different types of urban structures, this paper focuses on one of the common types of urban development in Central Europe: post-war housing estates of solitary apartment buildings. The basic premise of the research is that the reduction of pressure on the territory caused by the population decline (the phenomenon of “shrinking cities”) makes it possible to saturate some inherent deficits of these urban structures that are difficult to address in the situation of “normal” growing cities. Several reference neighborhoods of post-war settlements are selected, we collect their analytical data and monitor their change in relation to shrinkage. The variables monitored for the data analysis are (a) spatial (public space and urban composition, hierarchy of privacy levels of public spaces), (b) cultural (historical value, symbolic meaning), (c) functional (diversity of functions, availability of amenities, capacity of technical and transport infrastructure), and (d) demographic (population density). The data obtained on the urban districts affected by shrinkage are confronted with the inherent deficits of each type of structure defined in the existing literature. On this basis, the possibilities of using shrinkage (a form of quantitative decline) to qualitatively grow post-war solitary urban structures are proposed. It seems possible to enrich the spectrum of public space types (reduced in this period of development compared to previous periods), to enrich the possibilities of housing types, to enrich the functional structure, or to reflect the change in the need for transport infrastructure capacity due to lower population density.

Good health and well-being are essential features of quality urban living. With rapid urbanization and increasing population in countries like India, health and well-being are often undiscussed in Architecture and Urban Studies. Designing cities for health and well-being has extended benefits in achieving sustainable urban environments. House is one of the areas where people spend most of their time a day. Understanding how the housing design influences the health and well-being of inhabitants is essential because more people are expected to live in urban areas, and there are already many housing projects going on to meet the housing demands in cities. This study aims to understand the role of housing design in influencing the health and well-being of inhabitants at two levels; one at the indoor level (house level) and the second at the outdoor level (site and neighborhood). An empirical study was conducted on four low-rise and four high-rise housing projects in Mangalore and Manipal in India. Data were collected through onsite observations and self-administered questionnaire surveys using 16 factors. The data from 100 household surveys were analyzed using descriptive statistics and compared for the variability of factors among low-rise and high-rise housing projects. The results indicate that health and well-being factors are rated differently in low-rise and high-rise housing projects. The factors such as indoor thermal comfort, adequate space for indoor physical activity, visual comfort and contact with nature, and maintenance issues are causes of lower satisfaction levels at the indoor level. On the outdoor level, Accessible Park/green open spaces for a physical activity near the house and, Ease of navigation and walkability in the surrounding area are two unsatisfactory factors indicating a need for design focus in these aspects. There are also variations among the scores of low-rise and high-rise in the indoor and outdoor categories. Based on the survey result, this study discusses some considerations for urban housing projects to improve the health and well-being of inhabitants.

The building industry is one of the significant contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for approximately 40% of such emissions. This has led to a growing concern among decision-makers, who are seeking ways to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in buildings. One way to address this issue is through the use of passive shell systems that can limit energy consumption. To investigate the impact of shading design on building energy consumption, a study was conducted to analyze the effect of an optimized shell on an administrative building according to Iran coding. The study aimed to explore the material and distance of an exterior shell from existing facades in the building and its impact on electricity and gas consumption. Using Design Builder software, the simulation was carried out to evaluate the potential benefits of the optimized shell. The findings of the study revealed that incorporating a lightweight plywood shell with no distance from the south side of the building's exterior walls can significantly improve long-term energy consumption in both summer and winter. This study highlights the potential of passive strategies, such as optimized shells, to reduce building energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions.

Casablanca city is the largest city in Morocco and its main industrial labour centre. Population growth of the city has put a considerable strain on the local transportation system. Between 2006 and 2014, the private car fleet in circulation increased by 57%. In response, the supply of local public transportation systems was increased by implementing a tramway in 2011. However, many residents still prefer private cars or other modes to commute to work or for other purposes. Many researchers recommended a shift towards Traffic Demand Management (TDM) strategies such as carpooling, which can reduce private cars in circulation by increasing the occupancy rate of the vehicles. Still, public acceptance of such a solution must carry out a modal shift. Although the existing literature contains many studies related to promoting carpooling acceptance, very few have been conducted in the Moroccan context, where carpooling is more informal and limited to inter-urban trips. This study investigates carpooling acceptance among a sample of Casablanca residents. An online questionnaire survey was carried out to determine the carpooling experience, and socio-economic and travel behaviour attributes. Descriptive statistics and frequency distributions were used to analyse the collected data. For responders that never used carpooling before, the COVID-19 pandemic, preference for long-distance carpooling, safety and privacy concerns were the main deterrents to participating in carpooling. In addition, verification of identity, increasing the carpooling offer and parking incentives are the main strategies to promote carpooling in Casablanca city.

The Biophilic Healing Index is a professional tool for architects, urban designers, and planners in the process of validation and is advocated by the author of this paper and several international colleagues who share the same ideas and network interactions. For several years, the author had several discussions with international caliber experts about the applications of specific theories in design, architecture, urban design, and planning practices. She shared research with her undergraduate and postgraduate students through various modules’ delivery. Recent scholarly activity included studies and ideas for transforming Derby into a livable city by connecting with local communities and supporting mediation between them and local policymakers. The students enrolled in the Research and Urban Design Module for the BA (Hons) Interior and Venue Design Programme had the opportunity to produce and exhibit proposed changes to the urban fabric in key areas of the city on several occasions. In 2021–2022, the author and her students developed ideas for the integration of the University campus to allow for the development of active living urban spaces for students, staff, and nearby residents. Being facilitated by their tutor, the students met with local communities in forums to carry out surveys. Their findings from the interactions with locals helped and inspired them to select specific sets of patterns of biophilia. Existing percentages of patterns were measured by using the Biophilic Healing Index (BHI); these measurements allow designers to understand where they should be able to increase specific values to secure the health and well-being of all citizens. By using the BHI as a tool, new proposals for improvement of the urban space can have a positive impact on people’s health and well-being. Information on patterns to be specified and improved indicated that human behaviors could change dramatically, too. Therefore, the proposed urban design solutions were tagged with specific UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to allow for vital reviews of the city’s master plan by setting priorities of intervention for the local policymakers. Biophilia has the power to change human behaviors, when designers, architects, communities, and policymakers work together to transform cities into livable and resilient. “Livability relates to urban design and planning, elements which can influence a city’s social mobility and financial prosperity. A livable neighborhood can be compact, sustainable, diverse, green, healthy, accessible” (Tracada and Al-Wali in Nature connectedness, human behaviours, and blue infrastructure: the water effect to people in historical and contemporary masterplanning. Bristol, UK, pp. 36–43, 2020), and above all active and resilient. Thus, it is important to get communities directly involved in active decisions and policymaking. The author argues that policymakers should provide means and support for specific actions, not just promises. The latest events from COVID-19 taught us that the built environment and the urban spaces in which we live should guarantee all citizens’ quality of life. In this chapter, we can show our unique approach to using the Biophilic Healing Index as a tool to evaluate the existing urban space and promote new developments by considering active healthy living for all. We explain how we have managed to connect with scholars internationally, and how we transferred our experiences to learning and teaching. The author selected design proposals related to one specific area of our University campus in which the public space is in desperate need of transformation to become healthier and more inclusive simultaneously.

Public housing districts, such as the Roman districts of Tor Bella Monaca and San Basilio, include large public spaces: a huge resource with great unexpressed potential. In such neighborhoods, certain circumstances develop and cause the public space to malfunction, because it stops functioning as a social and experience condenser. Those places are characterized by social, economic, and work insecurities where the public administration is not very much present. This work aims at discussing self-construction and bottom-up design practices, in the Roman public housing districts of Tor Bella Monaca and San Basilio, as a possible alternative to urban regeneration projects implemented by administrations and capable of achieving positive and long lasting results, by developing place identity. The actions, even “moderate” they may be, carried out by these experiences levered to relocate the neighborhoods, bringing citizens closer to beauty and demonstrating that it is possible to reclaim public space possession and develop a sense of belonging and identity by triggering a process of permanent cure. The institutional dimension, in turn, has the duty to support virtuous initiatives, which seize the concrete opportunity to design a new urban destiny of public spaces, affecting the social, cultural, and generational aspects.

South Africa’s post-apartheid cities are defined by coloniality and precarity, particularly for the urban poor. Owing to the protracted history of colonialism and apartheid, these cities are simultaneously characterized by spaces of ‘first-world’ affluence, as well as spaces of abject poverty and alterity resulting in increased inequalities and the constant quest for survival through formal and informal means. In this chapter, we employ a collaborative autoethnographic approach to uncover the politics and practices of wandering in the post-apartheid urban spaces of alterity, i.e. the townships and now debilitating central business districts where the majority of poor black people reside. It is argued here that the prevalence of rapid urbanization of poverty and high levels of unemployment, and the snail-paced delivery of affordable housing, has resulted in what might be called the everyday politics of wandering. In appreciating this politics of wandering we reflect on how the hitherto racially banished people still find it near-impossible to be firmly rooted in ‘post-apartheid’ cities due to the crushing weight of socio-spatial and economic marginalization. We therefore recommend that while wandering represents the prevalence of social suffering and coloniality in post-apartheid cities, it also compels urban planners and policymakers to embrace planning strategies and approaches that are centered on decolonization that allow for the ‘unlearning’ of the Western conception of development particularly in the cities of the global South.