Showing papers in "Urban Studies in 1997"

Sustainable Cities or Cities that Contribute to Sustainable Development

Abstract: This paper outlines a framework for assessing the environmental performance of cities in regard to the meeting of sustainable development goals. It also considers how the environmental goals fit with the social, economic and political goals of sustainable development and the kinds of national framework and international context needed to encourage city-based consumers, enterprises and governments to progress towards their achievement. In a final section, it considers the extent to which the recommendations of the Habitat II Conference helped to encourage national governments and city and municipal authorities in this direction.

The Jobs-Housing Balance and Urban Commuting

Abstract: This paper applies geographical information system (GIS) techniques and a piece-wise, non-linear model-spline functions—to analyse empirically the relationship between the jobs-housing ratio and urban commuting patterns in terms of vehicle miles travelled (VMT) and trip length. A dynamic buffering process in GIS is developed to measure the jobs-housing ratio within floating catchment areas of a 5-7 mile (8.05-11.27 km) radius as opposed to pre-defined and arbitrary jurisdictional boundaries. This study found a non-linear relationship between the jobs-housing ratio and VMT and trip length in the Portland, Oregon, metropolitan area. Only when the jobs-housing ratio is less than 1.2 or larger than 2.8 do VMT vary noticeably as the jobs-housing ratio changes. Marginal changes in VMT are small when the jobs-housing ratio is between 1.2 and 2.8. Since most areas in the study region have a job-household ratio between 1.2 and 2.8, any changes in the jobs-housing ratio will have little impact on VMT. Consequently,...

Foreign-investment-induced Exo-urbanisation in the Pearl River Delta, China

Abstract: Urbanisation in the People's Republic of China during 1949-78 was mainly driven by internal forces under a self-reliant, centrally planned economic system. Since the Opening and Reform initiated in 1978, external forces, especially foreign investment inflow, have emerged as a new driving force of urbanisation in some parts of China, particularly in the Pearl River Delta (the Delta) of South China. This study investigates the nature and pattern of this new type of urbanisation, which we label as exo(genous)-urbanisation. Foreign direct investment (FDI) into the Delta is mainly characterised by small and medium-scale, labour-intensive, processing-types of manufacturing and trade-creative investment coming from Hong Kong and Macao. It shows a spatial tendency within the host region's urban hierarchy in favour of small cities and counties and a distinct border orientation. This contrasts with the concentration in large metropolises or economic core regions found in most less developing countries. Such FDI has...

The Effect of Social Cohesion on Levels of Recorded Crime in Disadvantaged Areas

Abstract: This paper investigates the hypothesis that the level of crime in disadvantaged areas will be influenced by their levels of social cohesion. This issue is examined using two methods for delineating areas of disadvantage (geodemographic classifications and the British government's official deprivation measure, the Index of Local Conditions) and two independent components of social cohesion, one defines the level of 'social control' in an area and the other identifies 'ethnic heterogeneity'. The results suggest that levels of crime are significantly lower than expected in disadvantaged areas with high levels of social cohesion and vice versa. A complementary analysis of Homewatch schemes revealed that such schemes lead to reduced levels of burglary in affluent areas, but appear to have the opposite effect to that desired in more disadvantaged areas.

Building Social Capital: A Learning Agenda for the Twenty-first Century.

Abstract: Social capital creates local economic prosperity This ® nding by Putnam (1993a), Fukuyama (1995), Coleman (1988, 1990) and other social scientists has lent legitimacy to what those involved in community economic development have known intuitively for years: the level of inter-personal trust, civic engagement and organisational capability in a community counts Their research indicates that the lack of, or decline in, social capital lies behind the psychological, spiritual and economic malaise in communities throughout the world While there is a rich literature deploring the lack of civic commitment and the rise of individualism (Bellah et al, 1985, 1991; Etzioni, 1994; Lappe and DuBois, 1994), the social capital literature gives the issue a more compelling rationale for urgency: the bottom line Just as the inter-personal aspects of total quality management (TQM) ushered in trustbuilding and team-building to the private and public sectors (Deming, 1982; Osborne and Gaebler, 1992), the concept of social capital brings these same values centre stage in the so-called third sector: civil society The recognition of social capital as a determinant of local economic development directs the attention of development planners to a very intangible goal In addition to creating jobs, disbursing loans, generating income, training the labour force and delivering services, development planners must now confront head on the fuzzy task of shaping levels of inter-personal trust, feelings of belonging and responsibility, and the quality and ef® cacy of civic engagement in a community These intangibles can no longer be relegated to quaint touchy-feely by-products of community economic development A central task for development planners is now social capital formationÐ ie communitybuilding itself

Environmental Policy: Ecological Modernisation or the Risk Society?

Abstract: The concern with the environmental risks created by modern society has emerged against a background of a major geopolitical change. With the ending of the Cold War an era of bipolar confrontation has ended. Apart from a few beleaguered enclaves the majority of the world’ s nation-states have been penetrated by global processes of trade, competition and production that re ect Western values and economic and political dominance. Instead of a fundamental con ict between two opposing world economic and political systems, arguably there has been only one model on offer since the end of the 1980sÐ that is, the international capitalist economic system. Yet, the continuing tension of the previous era has been replaced, not by greater stability but by increasing uncertainty and insecurity. Already the economic and political problems of the countries in the former Soviet empire are giving rise to new anxieties; regional con icts in former Yugoslavia and the Middle East have exposed inherent ethnic and national tensions; and civil war is an endemic condition which threatens wider instability in several countries, for instance in sub-Saharan Africa (Somalia, the Sudan, Zaire, Rwanda and Burundi), Latin America (Colombia) and, latterly, in the Russian Federation (Chechenya) and Afghanistan. The disappearance of East±West con ict has revealed more starkly the underlying global instability in relations between North and South which hinges on the problem of systemic uneven development, poverty and inequality (see, for example, Independent Commission, 1980; WCED, 1987; Adams, 1990; Sage, 1996). Against this background of global economic and political instability is the problem of global environmental insecurity. Over the past decade or more there has been a perceptible shift in the issues, scale and nature of concern about the environment, at least as they are expressed in international political concern. There has been a diminution of concern about nuclear risks as the threat of nuclear war appears to have recededÐ though the problem of horizontal proliferation persists, particularly with the break-up of the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, the focus of anxiety has turned from predominantly national and regional concerns to longer-term global threats emanating from ozone depletion, the enhanced greenhouse effect, deserti® cation and the loss of biodiversity (Goodin, 1992). These issues have focused attention on the global scale of modern pro-

Changing Spatial Distribution and Determinants of Land Development in Chinese Cities in the Transition from a Centrally Planned Economy to a Socialist Market Economy: A Case Study of Guangzhou:

Abstract: The spatial distribution and locational characteristics of land development have changed dramatically in Chinese cities since the land reform of 1987 which allowed the paid transfer of land-use rights—i.e. land leasing. This has led to the rapid transformation of the urban spatial structure of Chinese cities. There is an urgent need to study the general trend of such changes and their policy implications. However, due to the lack of data, such investigations lag far behind the rapid land development in Chinese cities. This paper attempts to examine the new spatial pattern of land development in Chinese cities and its determinants by studying land development in Guangzhou before (1979-87) and after (1987-92) the land reform by analysing data obtained from aerial photographs with the aid of GIS techniques. The determinants of land development are analysed using a logistic regression model. It is found that there has been significant acceleration of urban redevelopment and urban sprawl in Guangzhou since the...

Patterns of Metropolitan Development: What Have We Learned?

Abstract: Much of our knowledge about metropolitan development is still imperfect, but in the past 35 years a great deal of theoretical and empirical work has been carried out in cities and metropolitan areas in both industrial and developing countries with market-oriented economies. This work has produced empirical findings with remarkably strong regularities across countries and cities. Moreover, many of these empirical regularities are quite consistent with urban location theory and suggest the broad applicability of our basic theory to market-based cities. These regularities offer insights about development and growth pressures in many cities and indicate the directions future development is likely to take. The development pattern of cities in industrial and developing countries with market-based economies exhibit similar patterns of decentralization of both population and employment, with the largest metropolitan areas converging to similarly decentralized structures with multiple subcenters, highly decentralized manufacturing employment, and the central business districts' emerging specialization in service employment. Cities in developing countries typically have higher population densities than those in industrial countries, but the differences have been narrowing over time in the largest metropolitan areas. Decentralization of population and employment increases reliance on road-based transport for both passengers and freight. Industrial countries have experienced decreases in transit use as auto ownership levels have risen. Many developing countries show early signs of a similar pattern, although their transit ridership levels are still high and their transit systems often offer a rich mix of options in terms of vehicle size and level of service. Land markets are strong determinants of decentralization. Cities without land markets exhibit quite different development patterns from cities with even poorly functioning land markets. In market-based cities, land rents are closely related to development densities, although empirical work on land rents and values is relatively rare, for lack of data. Demand patterns in urban housing markets are similar across cities in developing and industrial countries for supply-side impediments vary widely -resulting in a wide range of ratios of housing prices to income. Similarly, the efficiency with which public infrastructure is provided varies widely across cities and across sectors within cities. In the coming decades global urbanization will increase, mostly in low-income countries (which in 1995 contained nearly 60 percent of the world's people). Many of those low-income countries already have large metropolitan areas, whose populations will continue to grow.

Operational Strategy, R&D and Intra-metropolitan Clustering in a Polycentric Structure: The Advanced Electronics Industries of the Los Angeles Basin

Abstract: The multiple clustering of economic activities is one of the most distinctive characteristics of a polycentric metropolitan area. The relationship between intra-metropolitan location, research and ...

Land Conversion and Urban Development in the Northern Region of West Java, Indonesia:

Abstract: This article examines the impacts of economic development on land conversion in the Northern Region of West Java (NRWJ) and discusses their implications for urban and regional development. The recent development of NRWJ has been triggered largely by domestic and foreign investment in the region, which has led to a tremendous increase in demand for land. Subsequently, prime agricultural land has been subdivided and converted into industrial estates and other urban land uses. Land conversion is basically a normal part of the urban development process, but in NRWJ it does reflect the land businesses carried out by large developers, which tend to be speculative in character. The study also discusses some land-related policy reforms which are needed to guide land conversion.

The dynamics of innovative regions : the GREMI approach

Abstract: Part 1 The Gremi research path: the multi-faceted dimensions of local development, Alberto Bramanti and Remigio Ratti. Part 2 European experiences: understanding structural changes and laws of motion of milieux - a study on North-Western Lombardy, Alberto Bramanti and Lanfranco Senn structural trajectories of innovative milieux - the case of the electronic sector in Ticino, Siegfried Alberton and Remigio Ratti comparative analysis of the structural development of milieux - the watch industry in the Swiss and French Jura Arc, Denis Maillat et al footwear production systems in Italy - a dynamic comparative analysis, Roberto Camagni and Roberta Rabellotti the dynamics of local firm systems - the case of the Spanish shoe industry, Antonio Vasquez-Barquero and Antonia Sez-Cala a complex-systems approach to long-term adjustments and transformation processes - la Seine-Anont and la Plaine-Saint-Denis, Andree Matteaccioli and Muriel Tabaries the Sophia-Antipolis project or the uncertain creation of an innovative milieu, Christian Longhi and Michel Quere technopolis and serendipity - the adjustment effects created by Nancy-Brabois and ZIRST technological parks - a comparison, Michel de Bernardy and Guy Loinger a microscopic view on innovation in space - the case of the Netherlands, Marina Van Geenhuizen innovative milieux - detection and quantification, Bernard Guesnier and Olivier Bouba-Olga. Part 3 Structural adjustment dynamics of innovative milieux - elements of strategies and policies: dynamic and structural changes of localized productive systems, Veronique Peyrache-Gadeau the dynamics of milieux - the "network analysis" approach, Alberto Bramanti and Mario A. Maggioni the problem of innovative milieux and territorial structural adjustment policies, Michel Quevit and Pascale Van Doren policies for dynamic innovative networks in innovative milieux, Dirk-Jan F. Kamann.

Local Exchange Trading Systems as a Response to the Globalisation of Capitalism

Abstract: The globalisation of capitalism has disadvantaged those people and places marginal to the capitalist development process. The local exchange trading system represents a possible approach to the challenge of relocalising social and economic identity. Despite the growing importance of local exchange trading systems (LETS) in the UK, geographical research into the concept is limited. This paper examines the potential of LETS as a response to the hegemonic influence of global capitalism. The empirical evidence focuses on the development and operation of LETS in Glasgow. The research analyses both successful and unsuccessful LETS in the city, examines the prospects for further development of LETS in the UK, and considers the potential value of the concept particularly for people and places disadvantaged by the capitalist market economy.

Sydney, Australia: A Global City? Testing the Social Polarisation Thesis:

Abstract: It has been argued that the global city-social polarisation thesis put forward by scholars looking at North American cities cannot be easily transferred to global cities in other parts of the world. Recent research has illustrated that whilst there may be some change in levels of social polarisation in global cities outside the US, the form, structure and causes of social polarisation are different. This paper extends the debate by looking at Sydney, Australia. It is argued that whilst changes in occupational structure and income polarisation are partially explained by economic restructuring associated with globalisation, global processes alone cannot fully explain these changes. The paper points to the significance of the inclusion of factors such as the unemployed, the gendered structure of occupations and migration.

Congestion and safety on highways. Towards an analytical model

Abstract: Congestion and accidents are important components of the externalities created by road users in metropolitan areas. In the present paper, we investigate the relationship between these two component...

Structural Adjustment Programmes and the City in Tropical Africa

Abstract: Following a preface which indicates the alteration in the forces shaping the African city, it is indicated how the conditionalities imposed by structural adjustment programmes initially relate to the national economy. However, they also result in a second round of impacts which, in effect, reshape the city. These operate primarily with the removal of the operation of 'urban bias'; they are reflected in reduced urban growth rates and a mounting informal sector as the overall economy changes and the nature of industry is revised. Meanwhile, underdevelopment occurs as the quality of life declines, inequality mounts and the food supply experiences difficulty. At the same time, money and people depart. It is concluded that such programmes are but reflections of the operation of the global economy.

Managing the Changing Political Environment in Urban Waterfront Redevelopment

Abstract: Political issues in urban waterfront redevelopment projects are examined in this paper, based upon case studies in New York, London, Boston and Toronto. The perspective of the redevelopment agency is adopted when considering techniques for managing the changing political environment over the decades that it takes to implement these projects. The specific issues which are addressed include start-up politics, managing changes in political leadership, allocation of benefits and managing relations with residents and local government. Effective waterfront redevelopment agencies take a long-term approach towards management of their political environment.

Towards the Participation of Children and Young People in Urban Planning and Design

Abstract: The notion that children should be accorded rights independent of adults is one which is now well established within the discipline of law. For example, children’ s rights within the juvenile justice system, child protection area and in family law are ® rmly entrenched in various legal provisions. The adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child by the international community has furthered the acceptance of children’ s rights across a broad range of areas. Much of the Convention proceeds from a view of the child as capable of holding and exercising rights without the need for adult oversight. But although the adoption of children’ s rights has come far in the last few decades, most of the attention in this area has been centred on what might be described as traditional areas of study and researchÐ in particular, juvenile justice and child protection. The rights of children in the education system and labour market have come under some notice, while the legal position of children within the health and mental health systems have also been examined from time to time. Beyond these areas there is a paucity of discussion. This is in spite of the fact that there are many other areas of life which affect children directly and so raise issues connected with the rights they may claim. This article examines one such areaÐ urban planning and design. Children’ s position in urban space has begun to receive some attention from legal scholars, particularly in the criminology ® eld (White, 1990; Anand, 1987; Blagg and Wilkie, 1995). Geographers have also questioned the lack of discussion in their ® eld with respect to issues relating to children and the urban environment (James, 1990; Valentine, 1996). But these forays into this area are new and as yet undeveloped. One can ® nd some instances of acceptance of the idea that children should be ` involved’ in the design of the urban environment. But the general absence of academic analysis has meant that there are few proposals as to how such participation by young people can be effective. As this article seeks to demonstrate, the concepts upon which public participation in urban planning and design has been built have not and perhaps cannot accommodate children’ s participation in such matters. What is needed is the incorporation into urban planning and design debates of a different concept of the child together with new strategies to involve children and give effect to their rights.

Splintering Networks: Cities and Technical Networks in 1990s Britain

Abstract: The past 15 years have seen an enormous shift in the regulation and management of infrastructure networks in the UK. Complex patchworks of competitive gas, electricity, water and telecom providers are replacing the relatively uniform, monopolistic and monolithic regimes of the post-war period. These changes have major, but poorly explored, implications for the economic, social and environmental development of British cities. In this context, the current paper aims critically to problematise the conventional approach of urban analysts to the development of urban technical networks. We do this in four parts. First, we develop a sympathetic critique of existing conceptual approaches to the study of urban technical networks. Secondly, we analyse the transformation of urban technical systems in the UK since the implementation of the Conservatives' privatisation process of the 1980s. In particular, we focus on the 'splintering' of infrastructure networks and the creation of complex new 'patchworks' of urban technical systems. Thirdly, we build upon this analysis to identify the social, economic and environmental logics emerging from this process of rapid change. Finally, we draw together the implications of the splintering process for the governance of British cities.

Regeneration Policies for Peripheral Housing Estates: Inward- and Outward-looking Approaches

Abstract: Over the past 10±15 years, peripheral social housing estates in England and Scotland have come to be recognised as sites of multiple deprivation, rivalling inner-city areas for the attention of policy-makers and planners. The aim of this paper is to review the range of regeneration policies which have been applied since the mid 1980s. A process of policy learning and change emerges from this review. Regeneration policies for peripheral estates re ̄ ect, and are re ̄ ected in, changes in the wider urban policy arena. The review is based primarily on literature, with examples drawn from regeneration attempts in Scotland and a preliminary analysis of a few successful Round One (1995/96) Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) Bids. It will be argued that regeneration policies have tended to focus on solving ` internal’ problems, which are related to the nature of the estate, and have ignored ` external’ problems, which are related to structural factors and the relationship between the estate and the city. Such approaches are labelled as ` inward-looking’ ,stressing housing improvements, tenant participation and community stabilisation, local economic initiatives, and estate-based area-targeting and institutional structures. They are contrasted with emerging `outward-looking’ approaches, which seek to overcome physical and social isolation directly, improve access to employment, and place more emphasis on strategic, city-wide or ` linked’ partnerships. Although these approaches should complement each other, there are contradictions and tensions between them. The paper is structured in three sections. In the ® rst section, the nature and causes of the problems of peripheral estates are discussed. The issue of peripherality is explored separately. The second section identi® es the four main elements which comprise the inward-looking policy approach, and contrasts these with the emerging outward-looking approach. In the third and concluding section, the inwardand outward-looking approaches are formally compared, and the future of regeneration policies for the peripheral estates is discussed in the light of the outward-looking approach.

Entry to Home-ownership in Germany: Some Comparisons with the United States

Abstract: New research on migration, mobility and housing tenure choice using the concept of the life-course is providing an enriched analysis of the context within which housing choices are made and of the demographic and economic variables which are critical determinants of the decisions to move and to change tenures. The availability of panel series data for the US and Germany allows cross-national comparisons of the migration and tenure choice processes. There are substantial differences in the rates of mobility and the rates of moves of households from the rental sector to ownership, especially for couples, but the results confirm the overall similarities in the mobility and tenure choice processes despite the differing government commitments to housing policy. The models show that it is primarily couples and families who make the transition to ownership and that income and number of earners are important in both contexts and German households have even higher incomes before they make the transition to ownersh...

Urban and housing indicators

Abstract: Most of the world's economic and population growth is taking place in cities and, increasingly, many of the world's major challenges and problems have their loci in cities. Poverty, environmental degradation, lack of urban services, transport, local government management and inadequate shelter and access to land are among the main areas of concern. This paper outlines the history of social and urban indicators and their application through the UNCHS (Habitat) Indicators Programme as one of the major country preparation activities for Habitat II. A list of 46 key indicators was endorsed for Habitat II, to be used with other indicators as the quantitative basis for country reporting on the status of human settlements. Some 109 countries participated in the UNCHS Indicators Programme, providing comparable data for 236 cities. The resulting Urban Indicators Database is a unique resource for examining the problems and conditions of human settlements, and will provide baseline data for future monitoring of the ...

The Impact of the University of Portsmouth on the Local Economy

Abstract: This study measures the local impact using various detailed databases which allow more accurate measurement of, for example, the amount the University spends in the local economy rather than elsewh...

The Choice of Functional Form and Variables in the Hedonic Price Model in Seoul

Abstract: This study demonstrates that the important part of exploring the proper functional form of the hedonic price model would include investigating a dissimilar and unique hedonic price structure when the hedonic price model is applied to different housing markets. Based on the adjustment to the usual technique necessitated by the regional and cultural setting of Seoul, the criteria for significance of implicit price, root-mean-square-percentage-error, and the log-likelihood ratio test are applied to the choice of a useful functional form. We conclude that investigating the structure of a local housing market and choosing proper variables reflecting regional and cultural characteristics, both key parts of such a study, require significant adjustment to the reality of Seoul.

Obsolescence and the process of creative reconstruction

Abstract: What is built and where it is built is largely determined by the activities and perceptions of global investment capital. Comparatively limited work has been undertaken into the property markets of...

Speculation in the Housing Market

Abstract: This paper presents and tests a model of house price speculation. The mechanisms by which price speculation may occur in the housing market are described and formalised. A model of house prices is constructed that allows for speculation. Aspects of this model are tested using time-series data for the UK and the Greater London area (1969-95). Overall, the analysis presents some evidence of the process of speculation as a possible determinant of house prices in the London and UK-wide housing markets.

Housing renewal, urban policy and gentrification

Abstract: Understanding the impacts of housing renewal policies has become an increasingly complex task. First, evaluation must recognise the changing urban context within which policies operate, notably the revitalisation of some inner-city areas through the process of gentrification. Secondly, and more importantly, housing renewal policies should be viewed in the wider context of urban policy. Yet competing frameworks are available for judging success in urban policy terms. These take opposing views of whether gentrification should be considered a desirable outcome. The article illustrates these points by drawing on a recent evaluation of the impacts of the Housing Action Areas programme in Scotland. It shows that contrasting approaches to implementing renewal were adopted in the two main cities and that the impacts of renewal varied as a result. Judgement of the 'success' of each approach is shown to depend upon the framework used. The findings also suggest that the state may play a major role in influencing the process of restructuring under way in many cities.

Third World Cities: Sustainable Urban Development III-Basic Needs and Human Rights:

Abstract: This article is part of a series on the relationship between sustainability and urbanization. The literature on this debate is reviewed in Houghton and Hunter 1994; Girardet 1996; Pugh 1996; and Burgess et al. 1997. The focus of the debate should be on dynamics and processes and on the people who live in cities and their needs. The major processes affecting sustainable development are dynamic in the pace of growth and the form it is taking. Socialist transitional economies mega cities with neoliberal development policies and small and intermediate African cities have fundamentally different processes. Studies of the components of sustainable urbanization must continue but must be understood as an integration within and an impact upon a dynamic evolving relationship. This article in contrast to the two prior articles focuses on the need for housing food and human rights. The literature tends to focus on shelter provision as the most important basic need. However most poor people put food before shelter in level of importance. During the 1960s and 1970s the literature concentrated on the debate about the place of shelter provision within the development process practical policies for housing and the merits of self-help housing. This review focuses more on current debates on policies for urban housing provision strategic changes at the macrolevel and the urban agricultural system. The components of sustainable urbanization should be basic rights. People have a right to civil liberties socioeconomic rights womens and childrens rights and the right to a clean environment.

Government Policies and Private Housing Prices in Singapore

Abstract: Regression models are used to show that interest rates, income growth rates and the supply of housing have not played a statistically significant role in the determination of private housing prices in Singapore between 1975 and 1994 Instead, private housing prices in Singapore were highly correlated with the prices for public-sector-built housing Moreover, the timing of government policies relating to the use of compulsory savings for private housing finance purposes, the liberalisation of rules on public housing ownership criterion as well as for housing finance had a significant impact on private housing prices

The Determinants of Housing Tenure Choice in Ibadan, Nigeria

Abstract: This paper estimates housing tenure choice models for the Ibadan housing market in Nigeria. The empirical analysis based on a logit regression model reveals that the key determi- i-nants of the probability of home-ownership are: income, the investment motive for home-ownership, number of children in the house, gender of the head of household, stage in family life-cycle, length of stay in the city and access to land on the basis of ethnic qualification. Access to institutional sources of housing finance is selective and, as such, has not been effective in enhancing home-ownership across the city.