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Incongruities of a Socialistic Smart City: a Case of Area Based Development in T. T. Nagar, Bhopal
Get PDFThe Smart City mission, launched in 2015, has selected 99 cities all over India to participate in the vision of smart and sustainable living. This further initiated a chain of urban renewal projects among these cities in an attempt to produce a perfect model to instigate close association and development of nearby towns and villages, in collaboration with the Union Ministry of Urban Development. Bhopal has acted swiftly in response to this challenge, coming up with an Area Based Development(ABD) plan right in the city core in T.T. Nagar. Being a provincial city possesing several contextual assets like state-owned lands in the city centre, Bhopal has introduced this ABD as the first in India to be a redevelopment and rehabilitation project. It has been envisaged to develop with state of the art infrastucture and technological and ‘smart’ interventions. However, the project proposes extensive involvement of private sector and joint ventures which produces a requirement of huge capital of 2500 crores for execution (Bhopal Smart City Corporation Limited, 2016). The government of Bhopal intends to recover this investment through large-scale real estate models and commercial frameworks catering for the needs of higher socio-economic sections of the area and private organisations, leaving behind a cluster of untended and economically weak communities. This contradicts the socialistic role of government in policy-making and execution. This research intends to assess and re-imagine criterias for site selection of ABD in a smart city to act as a driver of development, rather than a caterer of developed city-centres. The study also examines the role of government and people indeciding these criterias by assessing varying scenarios of deliverables at core and periphery, establishing the need of additional participatory frameworks in centre-introduced initiatives such as the Smart City mission
Assessment of Metropolitan Urban Forms and City Geo-spatial Configurations using Green Infrastructure Framework: The Case Study of Lagos Island, Lagos State, Nigeria
Get PDFFor over three decades, the economic and commercial activities of both local and foreign organizations, firms, industries and institutions have been moving to the Lagos Island in search for a reputable business atmosphere and this has led to the emergence of vertical urbanizations of the area thereby turning it into a foremost Central Business District (CBD). The Lagos metropolis is the economic hub of West Africa and the Lagos Island has the bulk of the economic activities. Most of the ill-controlled infrastructural developments are along the major streets and the Island districts are supposed to have certain spatial configurations expected of a metropolitan city like Lagos. The basic urban form design policies and theories had beenneglected long time ago thereby making the streets faced with chaotic smart growths, worrisome urban resilience and harsh biophilic architecture with little or no consideration to green landscapes. This study is situated upon the Urban Morphological Theory which investigates the relationships between urban designspatial configurations, landscape and ecological urbanism and some other green city conceptual frameworks. Scholars in the field of landscape urbanism had made divergent or opposed theoretical, conceptual and methodological choices, opportunities in the metamorphosis of a city forms and streetscapes. The normative, descriptive and the critical analysis of the theories were holistically investigated and assessed which informed the study objectives. How do we conceptualize the spatial order of contemporary Lagos Island?What models can best describe its emergent urban forms almost without any green innovations and infrastructures? Land use and detailed geodetic data were obtained from various analysis conducted by the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), interviews and personal deductions. This study identifies the different barriers, green innovative strategies for achieving sustainable urban morphology, exploring relationships between quality of life in cities, wellbeing of citizens and mobility, exploring relationships between spatial configurations and equity, exploring implications of emerging technologies for urban development and dynamics, exploring implications of emerging lifestyles and/or business practice for dwellers. This paper demonstrates and evaluates the present upheavals in the urban spatial configurations and geomorphology, social development framework and socioeconomic masterplans for Africa’s business districts
Smart and Emotional – the City as a Work of Art
Get PDFDesigning a city or its part as a work of art comes up against the need to understand two circumstances - the method of depicting the artistic space in the real physical space of the city and the programming method of perceiving the urban environment in the process of spatial orientation of a person in the city. This article discusses the concept of the project method under the conditional name "ART-space", which allows you to form a structural diversity or reconstruct the building of part of the city as an artistic work
Designing Non-Depressive Urban Built Environment: Case Study of Damietta City, Egypt
Get PDFMaintaining mental well-being in urban built environments with the help of technology in cities is a huge challenging trend, especially with the increasing number of people living in cities. Nowadays, urban life style has raised the risk of anxiety and mood disorders by 21% and 39% respectively. This paper aims at investigating the relationship between several attributes of the urban built environment with mental health and raising the issue of how mental health can be improved through urban design. Basically, mental health depends on human inner feelings and emotions reacting from surrounding environments. The study is based on analysing the individual experience of people and their lifestyle in several neighbourhoods of Damietta City, Egypt by using Hamilton Depression Scale as an instrument to evaluate the severity of depressive symptoms. The attributes of the built environment in those neighbourhoods are investigated using geographic information systems (GIS), on a sample of 445 individuals distributed in four different city areas. The socio-economic characteristics, built-up attributes and results from the depressive symptoms are analysed and compared in the four areas. A positive relationship has been detected between some attributes of the urban built environment and the severity of the depressive symptoms, emphasising the possibility of improving open public spaces and producing psychologically healthy cities
Activated Brownfield in Baghdad: Contaminated Site as a Model
Get PDFMany countries encourage brownfield regeneration as a strategy to achieve sustainable development, Because of their environmental, social and economic benefits. Brownfields are defined as industrial, commercial and residential sites or buildings that are not currently in use or partially occupied with the potential of hazardous or contaminated materials. The presence of brownfield areas in general and contaminated sites in particular within the city of Baghdad is due to many reasons, including successive wars in Iraq and its effects on cities, weak laws and legislation, lack of awareness of society and local governments about these sites and absence of activation strategies. Baghdad city has different types of brownfields, such as government administrative buildings, commercial buildings, railways, factories as well as private properties. Most of them are located in the city center in important areas of the city, which can alternatively be used to fill the shortage of projects needed by the city. The paper highlights the contaminated sites in Iraq that were evaluated by the Iraqi state after the 2003 war and aims to develop a roadmap to activate brownfield areas. The research is based on one of the local experiences, namely, rehabilitation of the Bismayah project as a residential project, which is the largest housing complex in Baghdad
How to Meet the City – Urban Spaces for Friendly Encounters
Get PDFAs urbanists, we observe public spaces every day with an eye toward their purpose; we critically gauge their facilities, features and sociocultural connotations. Are they used on a frequent basis? Do people rest, do they gather, do they linger, do they mingle? Is there any social interaction? Do these places contribute to an objective sense of well-being, welcoming those who temporarily reside there? Do they replace a piece of nature? In comparison to closed architectural structures which are reserved for private or semi private use, public spaces have the important role of hosting a wide range of people from different social and cultural backgrounds. While architecture usually predicts its type of use, open space has the potential of being unpredictable and can trigger dynamics within its urban framework that greatly influence the way a city is perceived. In order to obtain a positive result when transforming an open space, we have to focus on those who use the space on a daily basis, the people who give it its character. The users must be the focus of our investigations, their various needs must be the vision to begin with. In the end, it is the people who constitute the identity and authenticity of a place. Whether or not there are smart city solutions for the inhabitants of an urban space, it only serves the users if it is made for their specific needs. We want to optimize sustainability, respond to climate change facts and enhance urban well being while allowing people to notice the individual features of a space. This reaction is very individual to each city and has its own energy which makes a place special and unique. The ambience of a city is hence the reflection of the behavior of its city dweller
Peer-to-Peer-Lastenrad-Sharing – Perspektiven verschiedener Zielgruppen
Get PDFLastenräder (auch Transporträder genannt) sind Fahrräder, deren Bauform für die Aufnahme großer Lastenbzw. Volumina optimiert wurde. Insbesondere in städtischen Gebieten, wo Distanzen aufgrund hoher Versorgungsdichte gering sind und das Radinfrastruktur in der Regel gut ausgebaut ist, können Lastenräder eine umweltfreundliche Transportalternative zum Auto darstellen. Dennoch sind Lastenräder im urbanen Privat- und Wirtschaftsverkehr immer noch eine Nischenerscheinung.Wichtigste Gründe gegen den Kauf von Lastenrädern sind hohe Anschaffungskosten in Kombination mit nur gelegentlichem Bedarf sowie ein Mangel an geeigneten Abstellmöglichkeiten am Wohnort in urbanen Räumen. Der Nutzung von Lastenrädern stehen in der Regel fehlende Möglichkeiten zur Ausleihe sowie Information darüber entgegen. Aus diesem Grund wurde im Rahmen des Projekts „LARA Share“ eine Plattform entwickelt, die sowohl das Teilen von Lastenrädern zwischen Privatpersonen als auch die Vermittlung von Abstellplätzen für Lastenräder ermöglicht. Im Zuge des Projekts wurde eine Befragung durchgeführt, mit der verschiedene Aspekte der Anschaffung, der Nutzung sowie des Teilens von Lastenrädern abgefragt wurden. Die 530 Befragten wurden anschließendden Gruppen „Nicht-Nutzerin oder Nicht-Nutzer“, „Nutzerin oder Nutzer“ und „Besitzerin oder Besitzer“ zugeordnet. Dieser Beitrag beleuchtet soziodemographische Charakteristika dieser Gruppen, Verwendungszwecke der Lastenräder sowie Gründe gegen den Besitz bzw. gegen die Nutzung von Lastenrädern aus Perspektive von Nutzerinnen und Nutzern bzw. Nicht-Nutzerinnen und Nicht-Nutzern. Zudem kann gezeigt werden, dass für bisherige Nicht-Nutzerinnen und Nicht-Nutzer vor allem affektive Motive ausschlaggebend für die Nutzung von Lastenrädern wären
Decoding Cities to Model, Assess and Redesign them as Complex Urban Systems
Get PDFThe complexity of cities presents a key challenge in being able to ‘decode‘ and subsequently measure or describe them. Adding to these challenges is the transdisciplinary nature of city design which largely accords to disciplinary silos. This research argues that successful city design can benefit from understanding cities as complex sociotechnical systems – considering the interaction between humans, technology and the environment. This paper provides a precis of a programme of research which utilised the results of an international survey to ‘decode’ and construct a systems model of a main street to help understand andappropriately respond to city complexity. The research uses subject matter expert knowledge and insights from 70 survey participants, across 5 continents, to model an archetype main street. The project describes and models hundreds of physical objects, priority measures and main street functions with linkages between these components. The model allows for the exploration and measurement of a range of both technical characteristics such as engineering standards, as well as the influence and outcomes of necessary subjective measures like, user experience. It was able to provide an insight about which characteristics are critical to the city system, how they are delivered and why they are important - from a transdisciplinary perspective. This paper also highlights the work done to identify the relationships between the physical objects of a main street. Further details of the research programme are highlighted in the conclusions, including how the archetype model was used to explore the performance of a main street case study, identify missing components and locate them with consideration of their optimal proximity to other related features. Weargue that this innovative approach may provide a more structured and process driven exploration of city design
Branding so Good: from Jeppestown to Maboneng Precinct
Get PDFCities globally, have long felt the necessity to distinguish themselves from each other, to proclaim their eccentricity in a quest for various economic, political or socio-psychological objectives. Johannesburg was often referred to as “the city of gold” and the “financial and economic hub of Sub-Saharan Africa.” Since the 21st century, slogans such as “world class african city” and “world class city” have been commonly used by investors, students, skilled workers and tourists to sell the City of Johannesburg. Various businesses, spaces, places and organisations in Johannesburg have in the past be branded using African names as well as slogans in order to enrich their images and to greatly catch the attention of the rising middle-class which is known for their high consumption level. There are no explicit studies that inform the use of African names for branding the Maboneng Precinct. Since there is lack of scholarly literature on the use of African names as a means of branding this paper evaluates the ways in which African names have been used as branding for the Maboneng Precinct.This paper aims to evaluate the transformation of Jeppestown to Maboneng precinct and looks at how branding through the use of African names has influenced this transformation of traditionversus branding. The case study design has been adopted and a qualitative approach will be used to collect data. Data will be collected through structured interviews with personnel involved in afro-branding inMaboneng, as well as through desktop study from various sources such as books, journals and reports; and through observations and photographic surveys of the Maboneng precinct area. The research design also uses both cross-sectional and longitudinal is used for this study, whereby in cross-sectional study the researcher records information about the subject without manipulating the study environment. The longitudinal study on the other hand is also observational and the researcher will be able to detect any changes in the characteristics of Maboneng. Research findings reveal that not only is the name Maboneng an african name branding but, various other places and businesses have been branded using African names in the Jeppestown to Maboneng transition. The results reveal that there are various places and businesses within the Maboneng precinct area that have used Afro-branding and alos lighlight how this has helped in boosting the precincts economy. This paper concludes by recommending that more effort needs to exerted in encouraging the use of Afro-branding within and around the Maboneng precinct and that this type of branding should be use toattract people of all income levels and groups
Smart City Governance in Practice – the Example of mySMARTLife Project in Hamburg
Get PDFThe concept of the “smart city” has become increasingly popular in recent years and a large number of cities globally follow smart city strategies. The Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg has also adopted the aim to become a smart city. With the project mySMARTLife under the framework of the European Union’s Horizon 2020 programme Hamburg received the status of a smart city lighthouse project, and local actors from politics, administration, private economy, and civil society began collaborating to transform the district of Hamburg-Bergedorf towards a smart city. By experimenting with innovative technologies on-site, the project follows an applied and implementation-oriented approach. The purpose of this paper is to analyse under which institutional framework conditions the smart city project mySMARTLife is implemented in Hamburg. In particular, it is examined which forms of governance characterise the implementation process of the project in the district of Bergedorf. Based on a study of current literature on smart city governance an analytical framework will be developed and applied on the example of the mySMARTLife project. The empirical findings of the paper elaborate institutional and actor-related challenges of putting a smart city initiative into practice and identify which factors promote and hinder these intentions. Being part of the mySMARTLife consortium the authors gathered knowledge from the inside perspective of the project as well as from interviews with relevant stakeholders