Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-01-24DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2026.106780
Lin Chen , Kaiqing Huo , Eddie Chi-Man Hui , Haitao Du
While there has been a proliferation of literature on housing precarity in recent years, less attention has been paid to the development of the Housing Precarity Index (HPI) and the comparison of levels of housing precarity between the public and private rented sectors. To address these gaps, this article draws on data from the 2019 Guangzhou Housing Survey and introduces a novel approach to developing the Housing Precarity Index (HPI) by integrating six dimensions: perceived tenure security, housing affordability, housing quality, commuting, access to public education and healthcare, and access to surrounding living facilities. Using robust quantitative methods, this article disentangles the relationship between rental types and the magnitude of housing precarity, as well as the role of hukou in this relationship. Research results indicate that access to public rental housing can alleviate housing precarity for young, low- and middle-income renters compared to private renting. Furthermore, hukou status does not moderate the relationship between rental types and housing precarity. The experiences of housing precarity among young low- and middle-income renters in China are likely to be mirrored in other developing countries, particularly those with similar housing systems. This article calls for future research on housing precarity in developing countries.
{"title":"Does access to public rental housing alleviate housing precarity among young low- and middle-income renters? Evidence from Guangzhou, China","authors":"Lin Chen , Kaiqing Huo , Eddie Chi-Man Hui , Haitao Du","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2026.106780","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2026.106780","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>While there has been a proliferation of literature on housing precarity in recent years, less attention has been paid to the development of the Housing Precarity Index (HPI) and the comparison of levels of housing precarity between the public and private rented sectors. To address these gaps, this article draws on data from the 2019 Guangzhou Housing Survey and introduces a novel approach to developing the Housing Precarity Index (HPI) by integrating six dimensions: perceived tenure security, housing affordability, housing quality, commuting, access to public education and healthcare, and access to surrounding living facilities. Using robust quantitative methods, this article disentangles the relationship between rental types and the magnitude of housing precarity, as well as the role of hukou in this relationship. Research results indicate that access to public rental housing can alleviate housing precarity for young, low- and middle-income renters compared to private renting. Furthermore, hukou status does not moderate the relationship between rental types and housing precarity. The experiences of housing precarity among young low- and middle-income renters in China are likely to be mirrored in other developing countries, particularly those with similar housing systems. This article calls for future research on housing precarity in developing countries.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 106780"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146038045","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-02-09DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2026.106865
Chenhao Duan , Yong Chen
Metro station areas typically feature distinct concentric catchment areas. However, previous Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) models primarily rely on empirical walking distances to define these catchments, lacking quantitative exploration from a public life perspective. This study proposes a data-driven framework integrating empirical observations, street view imagery, and machine learning to delineate public life-oriented metro station catchments. Using 973 streets in Shanghai's 28 high-passenger-volume metro station areas as a case study, this research employed a CatBoost model to identify heterogeneity in factors influencing public life and determine optimal catchment delineation while analyzing the varying impacts of street morphology across different catchment areas. The research identifies optimal thresholds at 250 and 450 m network distance, dividing station areas into core, secondary, and peripheral areas—significantly smaller than thresholds in transportation research. The study reveals distinct influence patterns across catchments: public space quality dominates in core areas, while land use and street network characteristics exert a greater influence in secondary areas, and peripheral areas require a balanced excellence across multiple dimensions. The analysis further identifies catchment-specific thresholds for key variables, with optimal thresholds for catering service, sidewalk width, and building interface transparency ratio gradually decreasing from core to peripheral areas. This study provides a human-centered methodology for TOD planning and offers empirical support for differentiated street design strategies around metro stations, contributing to developing station areas as vibrant hubs of public life.
{"title":"Delineating public life-oriented metro station catchment areas: A framework integrating empirical observation, street view imagery, and machine learning","authors":"Chenhao Duan , Yong Chen","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2026.106865","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2026.106865","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Metro station areas typically feature distinct concentric catchment areas. However, previous Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) models primarily rely on empirical walking distances to define these catchments, lacking quantitative exploration from a public life perspective. This study proposes a data-driven framework integrating empirical observations, street view imagery, and machine learning to delineate public life-oriented metro station catchments. Using 973 streets in Shanghai's 28 high-passenger-volume metro station areas as a case study, this research employed a CatBoost model to identify heterogeneity in factors influencing public life and determine optimal catchment delineation while analyzing the varying impacts of street morphology across different catchment areas. The research identifies optimal thresholds at 250 and 450 m network distance, dividing station areas into core, secondary, and peripheral areas—significantly smaller than thresholds in transportation research. The study reveals distinct influence patterns across catchments: public space quality dominates in core areas, while land use and street network characteristics exert a greater influence in secondary areas, and peripheral areas require a balanced excellence across multiple dimensions. The analysis further identifies catchment-specific thresholds for key variables, with optimal thresholds for catering service, sidewalk width, and building interface transparency ratio gradually decreasing from core to peripheral areas. This study provides a human-centered methodology for TOD planning and offers empirical support for differentiated street design strategies around metro stations, contributing to developing station areas as vibrant hubs of public life.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 106865"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146188889","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-18DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.106742
Anisha Drall , Ad Maulod , Shannon Ang , Jingzhou Lim , Shin Bin Tan
In cities grappling with rising housing costs, urban redevelopment is often seen as necessary or inevitable, or both. While there is substantial literature on the effects of relocation globally, most focus on pre- to post-move comparisons—treating relocation as a static event—and tend to analyse emotions as an outcome, rather than an analytical window into urban social structures at the neighbourhood level. Our study looks at the case of involuntary state-led resettlement in Singapore, focusing on the experiences of low-income public rental flat residents. Drawing on interviews from two public housing estates that were undergoing relocation, three key findings emerge. First, emotive responses to relocation are grounded in prior experiences with the state, social services, the original site/neighbourhood, and individual housing histories. Second, actions or the lack thereof during relocation are motivated by emotion and the desire to take back a sense of control, or alternatively, detach from a process they feel they cannot change. Third, emotive responses reveal that the psychological impact of relocation cannot be studied only at the tail-end and instead must be analysed from the start of the process in order to capture the true cost. Drawing from this analysis, we suggest ways in which relocation policies can be refined to improve residents' experiences. Together, these findings demonstrate how understanding the fluid and diverse emotions surrounding involuntary resettlement can provide insight into the ongoing lived experience, and precarity, as a low-income resident living in a strong developmental state.
{"title":"Fluid emotions, managed disruption: Understanding involuntary state-led resettlement in Singapore","authors":"Anisha Drall , Ad Maulod , Shannon Ang , Jingzhou Lim , Shin Bin Tan","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106742","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106742","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>In cities grappling with rising housing costs, urban redevelopment is often seen as necessary or inevitable, or both. While there is substantial literature on the effects of relocation globally, most focus on pre- to post-move comparisons—treating relocation as a static event—and tend to analyse emotions as an outcome, rather than an analytical window into urban social structures at the neighbourhood level. Our study looks at the case of involuntary state-led resettlement in Singapore, focusing on the experiences of low-income public rental flat residents. Drawing on interviews from two public housing estates that were undergoing relocation, three key findings emerge. First, emotive responses to relocation are grounded in prior experiences with the state, social services, the original site/neighbourhood, and individual housing histories. Second, actions or the lack thereof during relocation are motivated by emotion and the desire to take back a sense of control, or alternatively, detach from a process they feel they cannot change. Third, emotive responses reveal that the psychological impact of relocation cannot be studied only at the tail-end and instead must be analysed from the start of the process in order to capture the true cost. Drawing from this analysis, we suggest ways in which relocation policies can be refined to improve residents' experiences. Together, these findings demonstrate how understanding the fluid and diverse emotions surrounding involuntary resettlement can provide insight into the ongoing lived experience, and precarity, as a low-income resident living in a strong developmental state.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 106742"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145799142","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-16DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.106726
Johanna L. Bock , Lorien Nesbitt , Suzanne Mavoa , Michael J. Meitner
Urbanization is linked to mental health challenges, while urban nature is increasingly recognized for its restorative benefits. Yet, access to these benefits remains unequal. Latin American (LA) immigrants—a small but growing population in Canadian cities—may face distinct barriers to engaging with natural spaces, despite often relying on public resources for mental health and belonging. This study explores how urban nature contributes to well-being among LA immigrants in Vancouver, Canada. We conducted 30 semi-structured walking interviews in summer 2024 with participants who had lived in the city for one to ten years. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we examined how interactions with urban nature related to mental health and belonging, and the barriers that shaped these experiences. Nature supported mental health through five pathways: intrinsic qualities, meaningful activities, mindful engagement, personal reflection, and contrast with urban life. Belonging was fostered through engagement, cultural adaptation, and new traditions. However, structural and cultural barriers—including unfamiliar weather, limited prior nature experience, and exclusionary norms—restricted access and reduced benefits. Participants emphasized contemplative, reflective experiences over physical activity or socializing. Urban nature emerged as a space of negotiation where participants actively “tamed” unfamiliar environments to build connection and meaning—highlighting the need for inclusive, culturally responsive nature spaces.
{"title":"Latin American immigrants in urban nature: Exploring mental health and belonging through walking interviews","authors":"Johanna L. Bock , Lorien Nesbitt , Suzanne Mavoa , Michael J. Meitner","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106726","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106726","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Urbanization is linked to mental health challenges, while urban nature is increasingly recognized for its restorative benefits. Yet, access to these benefits remains unequal. Latin American (LA) immigrants—a small but growing population in Canadian cities—may face distinct barriers to engaging with natural spaces, despite often relying on public resources for mental health and belonging. This study explores how urban nature contributes to well-being among LA immigrants in Vancouver, Canada. We conducted 30 semi-structured walking interviews in summer 2024 with participants who had lived in the city for one to ten years. Using reflexive thematic analysis, we examined how interactions with urban nature related to mental health and belonging, and the barriers that shaped these experiences. Nature supported mental health through five pathways: intrinsic qualities, meaningful activities, mindful engagement, personal reflection, and contrast with urban life. Belonging was fostered through engagement, cultural adaptation, and new traditions. However, structural and cultural barriers—including unfamiliar weather, limited prior nature experience, and exclusionary norms—restricted access and reduced benefits. Participants emphasized contemplative, reflective experiences over physical activity or socializing. Urban nature emerged as a space of negotiation where participants actively “tamed” unfamiliar environments to build connection and meaning—highlighting the need for inclusive, culturally responsive nature spaces.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 106726"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145799106","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-19DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.106737
Yingcheng Li , Junheng Qi , Chen Wan , Xingjian Liu
Greenness, among other factors of the built environment, has been deemed relevant for urban innovation. However, relatively limited attention has been given to assessing whether identified relationships are consistent across spatial scales and analytical units. The aim of this study is to address this empirical gap and assess the consistency within the framework of the modifiable areal unit problem (MAUP). The empirical analysis focuses on a case study of Nanjing, China, characterizing innovation activities through a gridded dataset of patent applications and employing spatially lagged negative binomial regression models. The analysis is run with grids and street blocks of varying sizes and at different geographical scales. The results point to the potential scale and zoning effects of the MAUP. The coefficients for the green land use variables vary across analytical units and scales. Specifically, the relationship between green space and innovation tends to be negative with smaller grids and becomes positive as the grid size increases. The study concludes with recommendations for future practice and research.
{"title":"The relationship between green land use and urban innovation: A multiscalar robustness check","authors":"Yingcheng Li , Junheng Qi , Chen Wan , Xingjian Liu","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106737","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106737","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Greenness, among other factors of the built environment, has been deemed relevant for urban innovation. However, relatively limited attention has been given to assessing whether identified relationships are consistent across spatial scales and analytical units. The aim of this study is to address this empirical gap and assess the consistency within the framework of the modifiable areal unit problem (MAUP). The empirical analysis focuses on a case study of Nanjing, China, characterizing innovation activities through a gridded dataset of patent applications and employing spatially lagged negative binomial regression models. The analysis is run with grids and street blocks of varying sizes and at different geographical scales. The results point to the potential scale and zoning effects of the MAUP. The coefficients for the green land use variables vary across analytical units and scales. Specifically, the relationship between green space and innovation tends to be negative with smaller grids and becomes positive as the grid size increases. The study concludes with recommendations for future practice and research.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 106737"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145799231","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2026-01-02DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.106700
Jia Zhang, Nicholas A. Phelps, Julie T. Miao
The platform economy is increasingly digitally mediating a wide range of everyday practices, though its influence on spatial relationships of economic activities remains in the early stages of exploration. This study draws on data from 300 structured questionnaires collected from e-commerce businesses located in urban, suburban, and rural areas to identify and compare how e-commerce entrepreneurs interact with platform space and different physical places. Our analysis captures three distinct spatial interaction patterns of e-commerce firms in urban, suburban and rural areas. The power of platforms is geographically uneven. Platforms do not necessarily alleviate the challenges faced by rural areas. Nor do they only further concentrate activity in existing urban agglomerations. Instead, they further complicate the economic geographical landscape found between urban economic agglomeration and dispersion.
{"title":"The uneven power of the platform: Variations in E-commerce entrepreneurial behaviours in urban, suburban, and rural contexts","authors":"Jia Zhang, Nicholas A. Phelps, Julie T. Miao","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106700","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106700","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The platform economy is increasingly digitally mediating a wide range of everyday practices, though its influence on spatial relationships of economic activities remains in the early stages of exploration. This study draws on data from 300 structured questionnaires collected from e-commerce businesses located in urban, suburban, and rural areas to identify and compare how e-commerce entrepreneurs interact with platform space and different physical places. Our analysis captures three distinct spatial interaction patterns of e-commerce firms in urban, suburban and rural areas. The power of platforms is geographically uneven. Platforms do not necessarily alleviate the challenges faced by rural areas. Nor do they only further concentrate activity in existing urban agglomerations. Instead, they further complicate the economic geographical landscape found between urban economic agglomeration and dispersion.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 106700"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145885110","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-16DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.106751
Glen Searle , Ann Forsyth , Nicole Gurran , Michael Darcy
Can mid-sized cities play a greater role in accommodating population growth and if so, under which conditions and what policy settings? Drawing on debates about economic growth and optimal city size as they frame policy preferences, we use census data, policy reports and media, and interviews with policymakers in Australia to examine the opportunities offered by mid-sized metropolitan areas. Such locations have enough services and facilities to be attractive as urban places along with benefits in terms of affordability and an alternative quality of life. Yet they vary in character, from regional centres and small capitals to lifestyle centres and satellite cities. Key areas for policy attention include addressing trade-offs in the transportation/housing connection, lifestyle, employment, and governance. Policies developed for larger urban areas and a narrow range of industrial sectors will need modification to respond to the distinct opportunities and constraints characterizing mid-sized cities. While drawing on the specific Australian case, the paper has wider relevance to locations where residents need to choose between large and expensive cities with economic opportunity and smaller, more affordable locales. There are both equity and efficiency arguments for providing people with greater choices between different-sized urban centres so people can trade-off different economic benefits and lifestyle opportunities. Coordinated ongoing policies that draw on local understanding of opportunities for medium-sized urban centres to grow can assist in expanding these choices.
{"title":"Underappreciated mid-sized cities: Policy opportunities and challenges","authors":"Glen Searle , Ann Forsyth , Nicole Gurran , Michael Darcy","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106751","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106751","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Can mid-sized cities play a greater role in accommodating population growth and if so, under which conditions and what policy settings? Drawing on debates about economic growth and optimal city size as they frame policy preferences, we use census data, policy reports and media, and interviews with policymakers in Australia to examine the opportunities offered by mid-sized metropolitan areas. Such locations have enough services and facilities to be attractive as urban places along with benefits in terms of affordability and an alternative quality of life. Yet they vary in character, from regional centres and small capitals to lifestyle centres and satellite cities. Key areas for policy attention include addressing trade-offs in the transportation/housing connection, lifestyle, employment, and governance. Policies developed for larger urban areas and a narrow range of industrial sectors will need modification to respond to the distinct opportunities and constraints characterizing mid-sized cities. While drawing on the specific Australian case, the paper has wider relevance to locations where residents need to choose between large and expensive cities with economic opportunity and smaller, more affordable locales. There are both equity and efficiency arguments for providing people with greater choices between different-sized urban centres so people can trade-off different economic benefits and lifestyle opportunities. Coordinated ongoing policies that draw on local understanding of opportunities for medium-sized urban centres to grow can assist in expanding these choices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 106751"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145791556","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-17DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.106741
Min Cai , Jurian Edelenbos , Lasse Gerrits , Xiaopeng Sun
Integration in spatial planning remains a persistent challenge, especially amid growing environmental and societal complexities that demand coordinated solutions. While much research highlights facilitating factors for integration, less attention has been given to barriers that hinder cohesive planning, particularly within centralized governance contexts. This paper addresses this gap by investigating how Multi-Plan Integration (MPI) operates in practice within Chinas spatial planning system. Through a comparative case study of three MPI projects and one non-MPI project, we identify the effects, facilitators, and inhibitors of integration. Findings reveal that MPI can improve integration outcomes when supported by enabling institutional, instrumental, and contextual conditions, such as collaborative networks, effective process management, and adequate resources, but it does not guarantee success due to persistent challenges including fragmented expertise, low capacity of connective actors, and limited collaborative culture. Importantly, integration emerges not solely from top-down mandates but through bottom-up coordination, informal communication, and adaptive governance practices. This study contributes to spatial planning literature by highlighting pathways to integration in hybrid governance systems and provides an analytical framework for understanding the complex dynamics shaping planning integration.
{"title":"Facilitators and barriers to planning integration: Insights from Multi-plan Integration in China","authors":"Min Cai , Jurian Edelenbos , Lasse Gerrits , Xiaopeng Sun","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106741","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106741","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Integration in spatial planning remains a persistent challenge, especially amid growing environmental and societal complexities that demand coordinated solutions. While much research highlights facilitating factors for integration, less attention has been given to barriers that hinder cohesive planning, particularly within centralized governance contexts. This paper addresses this gap by investigating how Multi-Plan Integration (MPI) operates in practice within Chinas spatial planning system. Through a comparative case study of three MPI projects and one non-MPI project, we identify the effects, facilitators, and inhibitors of integration. Findings reveal that MPI can improve integration outcomes when supported by enabling institutional, instrumental, and contextual conditions, such as collaborative networks, effective process management, and adequate resources, but it does not guarantee success due to persistent challenges including fragmented expertise, low capacity of connective actors, and limited collaborative culture. Importantly, integration emerges not solely from top-down mandates but through bottom-up coordination, informal communication, and adaptive governance practices. This study contributes to spatial planning literature by highlighting pathways to integration in hybrid governance systems and provides an analytical framework for understanding the complex dynamics shaping planning integration.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 106741"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145791574","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-22DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.106745
Mijie Li , Natalia Borzino , Adam Charles Roberts , Jonas Joerin , Renate Schubert
This study introduces an innovative framework for assessing social resilience based on social archetypes, moving beyond traditional methods that often analyse social groups based on socio-economic or socio-demographic factors. By incorporating psychographic dimensions such as individual capacities and perceptions, which are more stable over time than socio-economic or socio-demographic characteristics, our approach aims to identify social archetypes as a tool to uncover nuanced social resilience performance patterns of distinct groups of individuals. Using empirical data from Singapore's working population (n = 2542) and a k-means clustering approach, we identify three distinct archetypes, namely The Optimistic Leaders (27 %, n = 681), The Engaged Connectors (41 %, n = 1047), and The Reserved Individualists (32 %, n = 814) respectively, Each exhibiting distinct social resilience performance patterns under both stable conditions and disruptions. We observe unexpected reactions of social archetypes to (potential) disruptions: archetypes with relatively high social resilience performance levels under normal conditions show statistically significant declines in social cohesion and trust in leaders during crises. In contrast, social archetypes with less pro-social performances in normal times seem to activate latent social resilience performance levels during disruptions, exhibiting statistically significant increases in social networks and social support. Our results suggest that social archetypes matter for social resilience performances within a society and should be considered to design tailored measures for distinct social groups to effectively support and enhance social resilience.
{"title":"Enhancing social resilience: How social archetypes matter for designing effective policies – A case study for Singapore","authors":"Mijie Li , Natalia Borzino , Adam Charles Roberts , Jonas Joerin , Renate Schubert","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106745","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106745","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study introduces an innovative framework for assessing social resilience based on social archetypes, moving beyond traditional methods that often analyse social groups based on socio-economic or socio-demographic factors. By incorporating psychographic dimensions such as individual capacities and perceptions, which are more stable over time than socio-economic or socio-demographic characteristics, our approach aims to identify social archetypes as a tool to uncover nuanced social resilience performance patterns of distinct groups of individuals. Using empirical data from Singapore's working population (<em>n</em> = 2542) and a k-means clustering approach, we identify three distinct archetypes, namely The Optimistic Leaders (27 %, <em>n</em> = 681), The Engaged Connectors (41 %, <em>n</em> = 1047), and The Reserved Individualists (32 %, <em>n</em> = 814) respectively, Each exhibiting distinct social resilience performance patterns under both stable conditions and disruptions. We observe unexpected reactions of social archetypes to (potential) disruptions: archetypes with relatively high social resilience performance levels under normal conditions show statistically significant declines in social cohesion and trust in leaders during crises. In contrast, social archetypes with less pro-social performances in normal times seem to activate latent social resilience performance levels during disruptions, exhibiting statistically significant increases in social networks and social support. Our results suggest that social archetypes matter for social resilience performances within a society and should be considered to design tailored measures for distinct social groups to effectively support and enhance social resilience.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 106745"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145841414","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-04-01Epub Date: 2025-12-17DOI: 10.1016/j.cities.2025.106710
Simon De Boeck , Jordi Honey-Rosés , Maarten Van Acker , Thomas Vanoutrive
This study explores Barcelona's Superblocks as a policy paradigm shift in urban planning, aiming to improve urban liveability and sustainability. Barcelona's initiative represents a prominent case among global cities promoting branded concepts, showcasing a strategy to transform monofunctional, car-dominated spaces into polyvalent, people-centred places while addressing a broad spectrum of social, mobility, environmental, climate and health-related goals. Alongside the Superblocks, similar transformative concepts include Paris' 15-Minute City, London's National Park City, Medellín's Social Urbanism, and New York's Street Fight. Both in narratives pitching these concepts and in scholarly literature, the qualification of paradigm shift has been liberally used. This article critically explores how disruptive urban planning concepts emerge and the extent to which they achieve the envisioned change. Using policy paradigm shift theory as a lens, we analyse Barcelona's Superblocks through a mixed-methods case study approach, including policy document analysis and expert interviews. We identify five key challenges that have shaped the implementation process, related to participatory, political, institutional, procedural, and ideational aspects, ultimately leading to the concept of an ‘unfinished policy paradigm shift’. The findings highlight the importance of early-stage participatory engagement, building political coalitions beyond electoral terms, achieving inertia in institutional reform, crafting a deliberate and data-driven transition strategy, and maintaining ideational coherence through shared boundary objects to unify narratives. This analysis extends the policy paradigm shift framework for application in urban planning and offers insights for planners and policymakers worldwide on adopting similar transformative concepts to achieve disruptive change within their urban contexts.
{"title":"Barcelona's Superblocks: An unfinished urban planning policy paradigm shift","authors":"Simon De Boeck , Jordi Honey-Rosés , Maarten Van Acker , Thomas Vanoutrive","doi":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106710","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.cities.2025.106710","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study explores Barcelona's Superblocks as a policy paradigm shift in urban planning, aiming to improve urban liveability and sustainability. Barcelona's initiative represents a prominent case among global cities promoting branded concepts, showcasing a strategy to transform monofunctional, car-dominated spaces into polyvalent, people-centred places while addressing a broad spectrum of social, mobility, environmental, climate and health-related goals. Alongside the Superblocks, similar transformative concepts include Paris' 15-Minute City, London's National Park City, Medellín's Social Urbanism, and New York's Street Fight. Both in narratives pitching these concepts and in scholarly literature, the qualification of paradigm shift has been liberally used. This article critically explores how disruptive urban planning concepts emerge and the extent to which they achieve the envisioned change. Using policy paradigm shift theory as a lens, we analyse Barcelona's Superblocks through a mixed-methods case study approach, including policy document analysis and expert interviews. We identify five key challenges that have shaped the implementation process, related to participatory, political, institutional, procedural, and ideational aspects, ultimately leading to the concept of an ‘unfinished policy paradigm shift’. The findings highlight the importance of early-stage participatory engagement, building political coalitions beyond electoral terms, achieving inertia in institutional reform, crafting a deliberate and data-driven transition strategy, and maintaining ideational coherence through shared boundary objects to unify narratives. This analysis extends the policy paradigm shift framework for application in urban planning and offers insights for planners and policymakers worldwide on adopting similar transformative concepts to achieve disruptive change within their urban contexts.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48405,"journal":{"name":"Cities","volume":"171 ","pages":"Article 106710"},"PeriodicalIF":6.6,"publicationDate":"2026-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145799140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}