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Micro-Intervention as a New Approach for Urban Regeneration in Metropolises: A Case Study in Beijing
No full textGame changer? Planning for just and sustainable urban regions, Paris, 8-12th July 2024This study examines urban regeneration in Beijing through the lens of micro-intervention strategies, in alignment with the city's 2016-2035 Master Plan. As Beijing confronts challenges of its vast population and rapid urban growth, it has adopted a sustainable development model characterised by a growth cap and a strategic emphasis on minimalistic interventions. This paper examines three exemplary cases-No. 17 Guangminglou Residence, Wangjing Walk Business District, and Langyuan Vintage Factory-to illustrate how Beijing manages growth constraints while enhancing the quality of urban life. The micro-intervention projects are analysed to demonstrate their role in promoting cultural vitality and maintaining architectural integrity without the extensive construction typically associated with urban redevelopment. This research draws upon a longitudinal collaboration with the Beijing municipal goverment, incorporating insights from over 200 case studies since 2021. It reflects on the adaptability and effectiveness of Beijing's urban strategies. The findings suggest that Beijing's approach could serve as a model for sustainable urban transformation that other global cities facing similar developmental pressures might consider. This investigation offers a comprehensive insight into the potential of targeted, small- scale interventions to drive significant enhancements in urban sustainability and liveability.
Keywords: Urban regeneration, micro-intervention, sustainable development, Beijing urban planningpublished versio
Dynamics, Mechanisms, and Benefits of Micro-Renewal in Urban Residential Areas: A Case Study of the Xiaoxihu Block in Nanjing
No full textGame changer? Planning for just and sustainable urban regions, Paris, 8-12th July 2024As urban development paradigms shift, micro-renewal focused on enhancing the built environment and fostering a sense of identity has become a transformative pathway in China's urbanization process. Residential spaces, being the most critical elements of urban structure, frequently face complex challenges in their micro-renewal efforts: the constraints on urban construction capacity limit the impetus for innovation; the lack of effective implementation mechanisms impedes the progression of regeneration; and the pursuit of short-term economic gains often traps these spaces, preventing the enhancement of comprehensive benefits. This paper employs the micro-renewal of the Xiaoxihu Block as a case study, examining the sources of renewal impetus, the mechanisms of action, and the enhancement of comprehensive benefits, with the aim of providing a feasible model for sustainable micro-renewal practices in residential settings. The research findings reveal that: (1) the driving force behind micro-renewal is the incremental value derived from the operation of existing spaces; (2) the mechanism of micro-renewal involves the full-cycle participation of multiple stakeholders in public affairs; (3) micro-renewal is a process that holistically elevates environmental, economic, and social benefits, engaging with a diverse array of stakeholders and yielding synergistic effects.
Keywords: micro-renewal, dynamics of micro-renewal, implementation mechanism, benefits of micro-renewalpublished versio
Urban planning in the post-growth era: insights from World Bank indicators
No full textGame changer? Planning for just and sustainable urban regions, Paris, 8-12th July 2024In the current era of IPCC reports emphasising the urgency of shifting to a climate-resilient development paradigm, there is still a theoretical gap in understanding the interplay between economic growth and economic sustainability. This study proposes a new economic growth model based on an extensive analysis of 921 indicators from the World Bank database, which identifies two main categories of growth drivers: "economic model dynamics" accounting for 73.9% of influence, and "environmental forces for development" contributing the remaining 26.1% of influence. "Urban planning plays a key role in harnessing these drivers to adapt and optimise economic growth. We advocate an integrated approach that combines rigorous data analysis with visionary planning, aiming to promote an urban renaissance of sustainable and inclusive growth.
Keywords: urban planning, post-growth era , economic growth modelling, World Bank indicators, sustainable developmentpublished versio
Risk management for urban heritage: the case of Izmir
No full textGame changer? Planning for just and sustainable urban regions, Paris, 8-12th July 2024Risk management for cultural heritage is a significant issue in conservation and management studies. The Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage states that ensuring a good state of conservation of the property is a requirement for inscription on the World Heritage List. This paper aims to develop a preliminary site-specific methodology for the urban heritage, the case of historic centre of Izmir, which is the management site of the Historical Port City of Izmir in the Tentative List from 2020. Although risks are diversified, the scope of this paper is limited to physical risks affecting the spatial environment. The site-specific methodological approach is constituted based on key sources of ICCROM and UNESCO and adopted for the urban heritage of Izmir.
Keywords: Risk Management, Cultural Heritage, Historic Centre, Izmir, Historical Port City of Izmirpublished versio
Urban policy financialisation in mega-projects. The case of Milano Innovation District
No full textGame changer? Planning for just and sustainable urban regions, Paris, 8-12th July 2024This paper explores the linkages between housing studies and large-scale urban development projects through the lens of financialisation. Especially over the last three decades, global real estate finance massively hit local real estate markets, thus generating segregation, exclusion, and densification by commodifying housing as a financial asset class. Particularly, property financialisation has routed major projects into catalysts to extract capital gains from land value rather than levers to foster the right to housing and plan a 'just city'. Through the case of Milano Porta Romana, this paper shows how financialised schemes which are shaping such a large-scale urban regeneration project represent a dilemma for scholars, practitioners and politicians since, on the one hand, they produce home provision but, on the other hand, they rise up the housing costs without really tackling the housing unaffordability issue and these conditions affect the 'right to the city' for students, middle-class workers, and migrants.
Keywords: financialisation, large-scale urban development projects, housing crisis; densification; Milano Porta Romanapublished versio
The public space between land and sea. Quarteira's case
No full textGame changer? Planning for just and sustainable urban regions, Paris, 8-12th July 2024In the Portuguese coastal city of Quarteira, a case study of the research, the seafront is composed by two fixed linear infrastructure systems - the seashore streets and a dune park, Passeio das Dunas - succeed each other, separated by the port area. Methodologically, drawing as a qualitative tool allowed us to decompose the layers that compose the public space, thereby enabling us to represent the formal characteristics and thus highlight the material and immaterial characteristics of the place. Aim of the research is to describe the compositional grid of Quarteira urban public space, its formation and transformation process over time, as well as to debate the recent missed opportunities for effective adaptation to the effects of extreme weather events. In conclusion, we consider that a critical theoretical reflection on the spatial planning and design of public space in coastal cities permits the definition of operative compositional parameters - which make it possible to overcome project theories that, in the face of the effects of climate change, have become obsolete.
Keywords: Public Space, Seashore Street, Passeio das Dunas, Quarteira, Portugalpublished versio
Reconnecting Planning Theory with Urban Design: Public Space as a Social and Architectural Concern
No full textGame changer? Planning for just and sustainable urban regions, Paris, 8-12th July 2024Today’s planning theory is largely procedural and remains abstract in urban design terms even when formally content-oriented, as when treating the just city. The theory reflects Anglo-Saxon weak planning conditions. While this explains the felt need to reinvent the role of planning and its theory, it threatens to break planning theory’s tie to town planning. Especially, it becomes inadequate for comprehending the workings of architect-led, still powerful and proactive planning organisations. Such exist even where academics contribute to mainstream theory, producing a gap in the understanding of real-world planning among students, practitioners and non-practising researchers. My purpose is to help reintroduce an urban design focus into planning theory, integrating the latter’s social scientific interests with an understanding of the social significance of urban design traits.
Key words: planning theory, public space, urban designpublished versio
Embracing The Green Curricula? The New European Bauhaus as a Driver of Environmental Change in the University Education
No full textGame changer? Planning for just and sustainable urban regions, Paris, 8-12th July 2024The education of future urban planners and architect has been exposed to various global trends which influence our environment. Nowadays, the imperatives embedded into the 2030 Agenda, the European Green Agenda and the New European Bauhaus (NEB) represent a starting point for the preferred green transition which should contribute to the sustainable urban future. The University of Belgrade - Faculty of Architecture has been strengthening the environmental dimension on all levels of studies, and this paper will focus on the case of the Master program in Architecture_ Module Urbanism. The thematic and structural modifications will be discussed on the level of three courses - Sustainable City (obligatory), Ecopolis (elective) and the final/graduation work (Thematic research, Master Thesis, Master Project studio), also considering their results and public outreach.
Keywords: education, green transition, urban planning, architecture, Green Agenda, New European Bauhauspublished versio
Research on the Construction of the Tang-Tibet Ancient Road (Qinghai Section) Heritage Corridor from the Perspective of Cultural Ecology
No full textGame changer? Planning for just and sustainable urban regions, Paris, 8-12th July 2024In the context of advancing the construction of the Belt and Road, the preservation and perpetuation of the Tang-Tibet Ancient Road holds immense significance in promoting development in the Western region. The Qinghai section, with its abundant cultural heritage, has emerged as the focal point for the cultural preservation. However, the current development and preservation efforts lack a comprehensive analysis and evaluation of heritage resources. This paper takes a cultural ecology perspective as its starting point and conducts a comprehensive survey of existing natural and cultural heritage sites along the Ancient Road. Additionally, it utilizes spatial analysis tools to analyse the accessibility and suitability of the corridor space. Ultimately, this paper constructs a cohesive cultural heritage corridor for the Tang-Tibet Ancient Road.
Keywords: Tang-Tibet Ancient Road, heritage corridor, cultural ecology, linear cultural heritagepublished versio
On housing affordability. Questioning the European policy perspective in action
No full textGame changer? Planning for just and sustainable urban regions, Paris, 8-12th July 2024Since the early 2000s, owning or renting a dwelling has increasingly become in Europe a toil for many. National policies have been reducing the investment on council housing and at the same time households’ incomes and spending power are decreasing, putting low- or unstable-income people at risk of homelessness. As the “availability of” and “access to” decent housing has been dropping in many European large and medium-size cities, EU policies are trying to address policies for “affordable” housing solutions. While this term has been widely used in an economic perspective, affordability should tackle on a wider range of issues embracing financial aspects, solutions for social support, funding measures and spatial models, as tools to improve the conditions for “just” cities to thrive.
Keywords: Affordability, Social Housing, EU Policy, Urban Planning, Urban Regenerationpublished versio