Land Use & Planning Archives - Page 8 of 20

The Past and Future of Pioneer Square Historic Character and Infill Construction in Seattle’s First Historic District

Ochsner, Jeffrey Karl. (2017). The Past and Future of Pioneer Square Historic Character and Infill Construction in Seattle’s First Historic District. Change Over Time-an International Journal Of Conservation And The Built Environment, 7(2), 320 – 343.

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Abstract

Seattle designated the Pioneer Square Preservation District, the city's first historic district, nearly fifty years ago. Over the past half century, the district has seen significant infrastructure improvements, a changing resident population, and an evolving mix of businesses. Although many buildings underwent interior alteration, the visible external character of the historic fabric has remained largely intact. The district's Preservation Board reviews a constant stream of small exterior restoration and rehabilitation projects, but it is the relatively few examples of new infill construction that have presented the most challenging questions as the board has had to balance the desire for new development and the activity it brings with the wish to protect historic character. Although the Pioneer Square District ordinance, the Secretary of Interior's Standards, and rules developed by the board all offer guidance, every new design presents questions about the exact meaning of terms like compatible and differentiated. Today, with Seattle's booming economy and growing population, more new projects of a larger scale are being proposed. As a result, the Pioneer Square Preservation District presents a singular case study demonstrating continuing efforts to protect the historic built environment while still allowing appropriate growth.

The Consuming Mob: Bargain Shopping in the City

Iarocci, Louisa. (2019). The Consuming Mob: Bargain Shopping in the City. Architectural Theory Review, 23(2), 195 – 213.

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Abstract

This paper examines the representation of the crowd as the consuming mob in the American department store in the early twentieth century. In store promotions and popular accounts, urban retail spaces provide the setting for the materialization of the crowd as the driving engine and mutated body of mass consumption. Store owners and their backers employed the image of shopping hordes on their premises as an advertisement for the success of modern trade. The department store served as a model of a rational utopian order in its operations and spaces. But in popular representations the growing assemblies of bodies and goods often appeared as a potentially unruly force that threatened the constraints of their surroundings. This paper will trace the path of the urban crowd as it flowed from the city streets into the inner recesses of the store, mapping narratives of shopping through the lenses of gender and class.

Keywords

Crowds; Department Stores; Shopping; City; Consumption

A Global Horizon Scan of the Future Impacts of Robotics and Autonomous Systems on Urban Ecosystems

Goddard, Mark A.; Davies, Zoe G.; Guenat, Solene; Ferguson, Mark J.; Fisher, Jessica C.; Akanni, Adeniran; Ahjokoski, Teija; Anderson, Pippin M. L.; Angeoletto, Fabio; Antoniou, Constantinos; Bates, Adam J.; Barkwith, Andrew; Berland, Adam; Bouch, Christopher J.; Rega-brodsky, Christine C.; Byrne, Loren B.; Cameron, David; Canavan, Rory; Chapman, Tim; Connop, Stuart; Crossland, Steve; Dade, Marie C.; Dawson, David A.; Dobbs, Cynnamon; Downs, Colleen T.; Ellis, Erle C.; Escobedo, Francisco J.; Gobster, Paul; Gulsrud, Natalie Marie; Guneralp, Burak; Hahs, Amy K.; Hale, James D.; Hassall, Christopher; Hedblom, Marcus; Hochuli, Dieter F.; Inkinen, Tommi; Ioja, Ioan-cristian; Kendal, Dave; Knowland, Tom; Kowarik, Ingo; Langdale, Simon J.; Lerman, Susannah B.; Macgregor-fors, Ian; Manning, Peter; Massini, Peter; Mclean, Stacey; Mkwambisi, David D.; Ossola, Alessandro; Luque, Gabriel Perez; Perez-urrestarazu, Luis; Perini, Katia; Perry, Gad; Pett, Tristan J.; Plummer, Kate E.; Radji, Raoufou A.; Roll, Uri; Potts, Simon G.; Rumble, Heather; Sadler, Jon P.; De Saille, Stevienna; Sautter, Sebastian; Scott, Catherine E.; Shwartz, Assaf; Smith, Tracy; Snep, Robbert P. H.; Soulsbury, Carl D.; Stanley, Margaret C.; Van De Voorde, Tim; Venn, Stephen J.; Warren, Philip H.; Washbourne, Carla-leanne; Whitling, Mark; Williams, Nicholas S. G.; Yang, Jun; Yeshitela, Kumelachew; Yocom, Ken P.; Dallimer, Martin. (2021). A Global Horizon Scan of the Future Impacts of Robotics and Autonomous Systems on Urban Ecosystems. Nature Ecology & Evolution, 5(2), 219.

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Abstract

The future challenges and potential opportunities of robotics and autonomous systems in urban ecosystems, and how they may impact biodiversity, are explored and prioritized via a global horizon scan of 170 experts. Technology is transforming societies worldwide. A major innovation is the emergence of robotics and autonomous systems (RAS), which have the potential to revolutionize cities for both people and nature. Nonetheless, the opportunities and challenges associated with RAS for urban ecosystems have yet to be considered systematically. Here, we report the findings of an online horizon scan involving 170 expert participants from 35 countries. We conclude that RAS are likely to transform land use, transport systems and human-nature interactions. The prioritized opportunities were primarily centred on the deployment of RAS for the monitoring and management of biodiversity and ecosystems. Fewer challenges were prioritized. Those that were emphasized concerns surrounding waste from unrecovered RAS, and the quality and interpretation of RAS-collected data. Although the future impacts of RAS for urban ecosystems are difficult to predict, examining potentially important developments early is essential if we are to avoid detrimental consequences but fully realize the benefits.

Keywords

Smart City; Green Infrastructure; Automated Vehicles; Water-quality; Land-use; Cities; Opportunities; Biodiversity; Challenges; Services; Robotics; Horizon; Ecosystems; Land Use; Ecosystem Management; Transportation Systems; Strategic Management; Urban Areas

Transitional Property Rights and Local Developmental History in China

Abramson, Daniel. (2011). Transitional Property Rights and Local Developmental History in China. Urban Studies (sage Publications, Ltd.), 48(3), 553 – 568.

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Abstract

Among the societies that are moving from a centrally planned economy with weak property rights towards a market-oriented economy with stronger and more privatised property rights, China is undergoing an especially rapid and extensive urbanisation that obscures the diversity and relevance of local pre-Reform property arrangements. Official discourse emphasises the formalisation, clarification and, to some extent, the privatisation of property rights in the name of overall societal development and gradual integration with the global economy. In local informal, popular practice and discourse, however, the invocation of property rights reflects the continuing political relevance of both revolutionary and traditional notions of rights to urban space that challenge a unitary, linear view of the development process.

Keywords

Property Rights; History Of Economic Development; Central Economic Planning; Privatization; Urbanization; History; Social Policy; China

Transport Impacts of Clustered Development in Beijing: Compact Development Versus Overconcentration

Yang, Jiawen; Shen, Qing; Shen, Jinzhen; He, Canfei. (2012). Transport Impacts of Clustered Development in Beijing: Compact Development Versus Overconcentration. Urban Studies, 49(6), 1315 – 1331.

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Abstract

This research aims to inform the compact city discussion with a case study of Beijing, where urban planning has emphasised clustered suburban development in the past half-century. It uses three decades of census data to describe Beijing's spatial development trajectory and a household survey to assess its transport impacts. The research reveals an overconcentration of urban activities as a result of the featureless expansion of the central built-up area and the absorption of the suburban clusters; and, a lengthened commuting time stemming from the observed spatial development pattern. Beijing's experience adds to the existing literature by informing the search for good city forms in urban areas of high density. It is essential to differentiate compact development from overconcentration when combating sprawling development. Developing and maintaining suburban nodal characteristics around public transit can reduce travel in high-density urban areas.

Keywords

Jobs-housing Balance; Commuting Patterns; Urban; Growth; City; Towns

Using the Built Environment to Oversample Walk, Transit, and Bicycle Travel

Stewart, Orion Theodore; Moudon, Anne Vernez. (2014). Using the Built Environment to Oversample Walk, Transit, and Bicycle Travel. Transportation Research: Part D, 32, 15 – 23.

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Abstract

Characteristics of the built environment (BE) have been associated with walk, transit, and bicycle travel. These BE characteristics can be used by transportation researchers to oversample households from areas where walk, transit, or bicycle travel is more likely, resulting in more observations of these uncommon travel behaviors. Little guidance, however, is available on the effectiveness of such built environment oversampling strategies. This article presents measures that can be used to assess the effectiveness of BE oversampling strategies and inform future efforts to oversample households with uncommon travel behaviors. The measures are sensitivity and specificity, positive likelihood ratio (LR+), and positive predictive value (PPV). To illustrate these measures, they were calculated for 10 BE-defined oversampling strata applied post-hoc to a Seattle area household travel survey. Strata with an average block size of <10 acres within a 1/4 mile of household residences held the single greatest potential for oversampling households that walk, use transit, and/or bicycle. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Cycling; Transportation; Observation (scientific Method); Strategic Planning; Public Transit; Land Use; Bicycle; Household Travel Survey; Non-motorized Travel; Sampling; Screening Tests; Transit; Walk; Land-use; North-america; Renaissance; Policies; Choice; Trends

Spatial Energetics Integrating Data from GPS, Accelerometry, and GIS to Address Obesity and Inactivity

James, Peter; Jankowska, Marta; Marx, Christine; Hart, Jaime E.; Berrigan, David; Kerr, Jacqueline; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Hipp, J. Aaron; Laden, Francine. (2016). Spatial Energetics Integrating Data from GPS, Accelerometry, and GIS to Address Obesity and Inactivity. American Journal Of Preventive Medicine, 51(5), 792 – 800.

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Abstract

To address the current obesity and inactivity epidemics, public health researchers have attempted to identify spatial factors that influence physical inactivity and obesity. Technologic and methodologic developments have led to a revolutionary ability to examine dynamic, high-resolution measures of temporally matched location and behavior data through GPS, accelerometry, and GIS. These advances allow the investigation of spatial energetics, high-spatiotemporal resolution data on location and time-matched energetics, to examine how environmental characteristics, space, and time are linked to activity-related health behaviors with far more robust and detailed data than in previous work. Although the transdisciplinary field of spatial energetics demonstrates promise to provide novel insights on how individuals and populations interact with their environment, there remain significant conceptual, technical, analytical, and ethical challenges stemming from the complex data streams that spatial energetics research generates. First, it is essential to better understand what spatial energetics data represent, the relevant spatial context of analysis for these data, and if spatial energetics can establish causality for development of spatially relevant interventions. Second, there are significant technical problems for analysis of voluminous and complex data that may require development of spatially aware scalable computational infrastructures. Third, the field must come to agreement on appropriate statistical methodologies to account for multiple observations per person. Finally, these challenges must be considered within the context of maintaining participant privacy and security. This article describes gaps in current practice and understanding and suggests solutions to move this promising area of research forward. (C) 2016 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Keywords

Physical-activity Levels; Built Environment; Activity Monitors; Travel Behavior; Health Research; Neighborhood; Exposure; Validation; Children; Design

What Determines Rail Transit Passenger Volume? Implications for Transit Oriented Development Planning

Pan, Haixiao; Li, Jing; Shen, Qing; Shi, Cheng. (2017). What Determines Rail Transit Passenger Volume? Implications for Transit Oriented Development Planning. Transportation Research: Part D, 57, 52 – 63.

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Abstract

Transit oriented development (TOD) has been an important topic for urban transportation planning research and practice. This paper is aimed at empirically examining the effect of rail transit station-based TOD on daily station passenger volume. Using integrated circuit (IC) card data on metro passenger volumes and cellular signaling data on the spatial distribution of human activities in Shanghai, the research identifies variations in ridership among rail transit stations. Then, regression analysis is performed using passenger volume in each station as the dependent variable. Explanatory variables include station area employment and population, residents' commuting distances, metro network accessibility, status as interchange station, and coupling with commercial activity centers. The main findings are: (1) Passenger volume is positively associated with employment density and residents' commuting distance around station; (2) stations with earlier opening dates and serving as transfer nodes tend to have positive association with passenger volumes; (3) metro stations better integrated with nearby commercial development tend to have larger passenger volumes. Several implications are drawn for TOD planning: (1) TOD planning should be integrated with rail transit network planning; (2) location of metro stations should be coupled with commercial development; (3) high employment densities should be especially encouraged as a key TOD feature; and (4) interchange stations should be more strategically positioned in the planning for rail transit network.

Keywords

Railroad Passenger Traffic; Transportation; Public Transit; Volume Measurements; Smart Cards; Mathematical Models; Accessibility; Density; Rail Transit Passenger Volume; Spatial Coupling Effect; Tod; Land-use; Built Environment; Travel-demand; Mode Choice; Impacts; Distance

Probabilistic Walking Models Using Built Environment and Sociodemographic Predictors

Moudon, Anne Vernez; Huang, Ruizhu; Stewart, Orion T.; Cohen-Cline, Hannah; Noonan, Carolyn; Hurvitz, Philip M.; Duncan, Glen E. (2019). Probabilistic Walking Models Using Built Environment and Sociodemographic Predictors. Population Health Metrics, 17(1).

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Abstract

BackgroundIndividual sociodemographic and home neighborhood built environment (BE) factors influence the probability of engaging in health-enhancing levels of walking or moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Methods are needed to parsimoniously model the associations.MethodsParticipants included 2392 adults drawn from a community-based twin registry living in the Seattle region. Objective BE measures from four domains (regional context, neighborhood composition, destinations, transportation) were taken for neighborhood sizes of 833 and 1666 road network meters from home. Hosmer and Lemeshow's methods served to fit logistic regression models of walking and MVPA outcomes using sociodemographic and BE predictors. Backward elimination identified variables included in final models, and comparison of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves determined model fit improvements.ResultsBuilt environment variables associated with physical activity were reduced from 86 to 5 or fewer. Sociodemographic and BE variables from all four BE domains were associated with activity outcomes but differed by activity type and neighborhood size. For the study population, ROC comparisons indicated that adding BE variables to a base model of sociodemographic factors did not improve the ability to predict walking or MVPA.ConclusionsUsing sociodemographic and built environment factors, the proposed approach can guide the estimation of activity prediction models for different activity types, neighborhood sizes, and discrete BE characteristics. Variables associated with walking and MVPA are population and neighborhood BE-specific.

Keywords

Walking; Confidence Intervals; Research Funding; Transportation; Logistic Regression Analysis; Built Environment; Socioeconomic Factors; Predictive Validity; Receiver Operating Characteristic Curves; Data Analysis Software; Descriptive Statistics; Psychology; Washington (state); Active Travel; Home Neighborhood Domains; Physical Activity; Physical-activity; United-states; Life Stage; Adults; Attributes; Health; Associations; Destination; Pitfalls

Urban Landscape Heterogeneity Influences the Relationship Between Tree Canopy and Land Surface Temperature

Jung, Meen Chel; Dyson, Karen; Alberti, Marina. (2021). Urban Landscape Heterogeneity Influences the Relationship Between Tree Canopy and Land Surface Temperature. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 57.

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Abstract

Urban trees play a key role in alleviating elevated summertime land surface temperatures in cities. However, urban landscape influences the capacity of urban trees to mitigate higher temperatures. We propose that both developed land characteristics and tree cover should be considered to accurately estimate the mitigation effects of canopy cover. We subclassified original land cover based on the canopy cover ratio to capture the within-land cover heterogeneity. We selected two coastal cities with different summertime climatic conditions: Seattle, Washington, USA, and Baltimore, Maryland, USA. We used Landsat-based grid cells (30 m x 30 m) as our spatial analytical unit, with corresponding land surface temperature, canopy area, canopy compactness, population size, and National Land Cover Database (NLCD)-based land cover group. We first used grouped boxplots, Kruskal-Wallis H tests, and post-hoc multiple comparison tests to detect the distribution of land surface temperatures by the land cover group. We then introduced statistical models to test the group effects on the relationship between land surface temperatures and canopy cover variables. We found: (1) land surface temperature increases with level of development, (2) land surface temperature decreases with canopy cover level, (3) the magnitude of the mitigation effects from canopy area differs based on development level and current canopy cover, (4) the differing efficacies of canopy area in decreasing land surface temperature follows a nonlinear threshold relationship, and (5) compactness of canopy cover was not significant in reducing the land surface temperature. These findings suggest the importance of considering heterogeneous canopy cover within developed land cover classes in urban heat island research. Tree planting strategies need to consider the nonlinear relationships between tree canopy cover and land surface temperature alongside environmental equity concerns.

Keywords

Extreme Heat Events; Climate-change; Cover Data; Island; Pattern; Cities; Vegetation; Mortality; Phoenix; Impact; Canopy Cover; Environmental Equity; Land Cover; Land Surface Temperature; Mitigation Effect; Area; Canopy; Cells; Climatic Factors; Databases; Heat Island; Landscapes; Multiple Comparison Test; Planting; Population Size; Research; Statistical Models; Summer; Surface Temperature; Testing; Trees; Urban Forestry; Maryland