Pub Date : 2025-10-31DOI: 10.1177/00420980251383341
Federico Savini
The circular economy is failing. Starting from this premise, this article advances a new pathway for research in circularity studies: a degrowth perspective that focuses on phasing out linear production by prioritising wellbeing. The article develops this perspective by challenging the scalar politics of circularity. It argues that the circular economy tends to re-localise value chains, creating new circuits of production. To critique this rescaling process, urban research needs to develop a territorial perspective on circular flows, one that analyses how the circular economy affects the wellbeing of ecosystems and inhabitants at the regional scale. The article argues that, to be useful, this perspective needs to understand the agents of phasing out, namely the workers in the circular economy and their allies in environmental movements and state institutions.
{"title":"The circular economy is over: The scalar politics of circular production","authors":"Federico Savini","doi":"10.1177/00420980251383341","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980251383341","url":null,"abstract":"The circular economy is failing. Starting from this premise, this article advances a new pathway for research in circularity studies: a degrowth perspective that focuses on phasing out linear production by prioritising wellbeing. The article develops this perspective by challenging the scalar politics of circularity. It argues that the circular economy tends to re-localise value chains, creating new circuits of production. To critique this rescaling process, urban research needs to develop a territorial perspective on circular flows, one that analyses how the circular economy affects the wellbeing of ecosystems and inhabitants at the regional scale. The article argues that, to be useful, this perspective needs to understand the agents of phasing out, namely the workers in the circular economy and their allies in environmental movements and state institutions.","PeriodicalId":51350,"journal":{"name":"Urban Studies","volume":"20 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145405142","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 : 2025-10-27DOI: 10.1177/00420980251382095
Lauren Andres, Shauna Brail, Emilia M. Bruck, Paul Moawad
This paper reflects on the development and evolution of hybrid forms of temporary urbanism, as well as the post-pandemic legacies of adaptive governance. Informed by 34 interviews with municipal, community, and business association leaders, it contributes to debates about emergency urbanism and the politics and governance of public health associated with the adaptation of streets and sidewalks in New York City and Toronto. We find that the initial, reactive adaptations of outdoor spaces occurred because of a hybrid form of adaptive governance, favoring both bottom-up and top-down collaborations between weakened governments and strong, established community organizations. In examining the legacy of such initiatives, we demonstrate that rapid, adaptive governance was not sustained. In conclusion, the paper examines how government agencies can better prepare for future crises. We suggest that the most important elements are not the specific plans for an inherently uncertain future, but rather the ability to mobilize diverse and flexible resources and, more importantly, to address lock-ins through a combination of agile strategies that display both strong and weak forms of governance. This, in turn, requires trust and a more devolved, place-based distribution of power in urban-making.
{"title":"Adaptive governance, hybrid temporary urbanism, and outdoor spaces: Post-pandemic legacies in New York and Toronto","authors":"Lauren Andres, Shauna Brail, Emilia M. Bruck, Paul Moawad","doi":"10.1177/00420980251382095","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980251382095","url":null,"abstract":"This paper reflects on the development and evolution of hybrid forms of temporary urbanism, as well as the post-pandemic legacies of adaptive governance. Informed by 34 interviews with municipal, community, and business association leaders, it contributes to debates about emergency urbanism and the politics and governance of public health associated with the adaptation of streets and sidewalks in New York City and Toronto. We find that the initial, reactive adaptations of outdoor spaces occurred because of a hybrid form of adaptive governance, favoring both bottom-up and top-down collaborations between weakened governments and strong, established community organizations. In examining the legacy of such initiatives, we demonstrate that rapid, adaptive governance was not sustained. In conclusion, the paper examines how government agencies can better prepare for future crises. We suggest that the most important elements are not the specific plans for an inherently uncertain future, but rather the ability to mobilize diverse and flexible resources and, more importantly, to address lock-ins through a combination of agile strategies that display both strong and weak forms of governance. This, in turn, requires trust and a more devolved, place-based distribution of power in urban-making.","PeriodicalId":51350,"journal":{"name":"Urban Studies","volume":"52 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145397269","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 : 2025-10-16DOI: 10.1177/00420980251372728
Rebecca Cavicchia, Roberta Cucca
Urban densification is widely regarded as a key strategy for promoting sustainability and fostering social diversity in cities. While it has often been advocated as a means to enhance social mix, research indicates that, without effective housing policies and regulations, it can instead drive up rents and property prices, leading to displacement and exclusionary pressures. In Oslo, the case study of this investigation, densification has been the primary development strategy, particularly in the historically less affluent eastern districts, where former industrial sites have been transformed into residential areas. We argue that when densification occurs within a fully deregulated housing system and is primarily driven by private developers and speculative investment, it tends to create conditions that facilitate exclusionary dynamics. However, the possible social implications can be different depending on the location of densification interventions. By analyzing census-tract level data on tenure structure, household typology, country background, education level, age structure, and income, we explore whether newly developed densification areas in Oslo exhibit a more homogeneous or socially mixed profile across the eastern and western parts of the city. Findings suggest that while densification areas in the east side of the city support gentrification dynamics, those in the west seem to rather have de-segregating effects.
{"title":"Desegregating through densification? Potential and limitations in the case of Oslo","authors":"Rebecca Cavicchia, Roberta Cucca","doi":"10.1177/00420980251372728","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980251372728","url":null,"abstract":"Urban densification is widely regarded as a key strategy for promoting sustainability and fostering social diversity in cities. While it has often been advocated as a means to enhance social mix, research indicates that, without effective housing policies and regulations, it can instead drive up rents and property prices, leading to displacement and exclusionary pressures. In Oslo, the case study of this investigation, densification has been the primary development strategy, particularly in the historically less affluent eastern districts, where former industrial sites have been transformed into residential areas. We argue that when densification occurs within a fully deregulated housing system and is primarily driven by private developers and speculative investment, it tends to create conditions that facilitate exclusionary dynamics. However, the possible social implications can be different depending on the location of densification interventions. By analyzing census-tract level data on tenure structure, household typology, country background, education level, age structure, and income, we explore whether newly developed densification areas in Oslo exhibit a more homogeneous or socially mixed profile across the eastern and western parts of the city. Findings suggest that while densification areas in the east side of the city support gentrification dynamics, those in the west seem to rather have de-segregating effects.","PeriodicalId":51350,"journal":{"name":"Urban Studies","volume":"21 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145295988","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 : 2025-10-16DOI: 10.1177/00420980251372765
Michele Acuto
{"title":"Book review forum Reimagining the More-Than-Human City: Stories from Singapore WangJamie, Reimagining the More-Than-Human City: Stories from Singapore, Urban and Industrial Environments Series. Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2024; 268 pp.; ISBN: 9780262550932, £38.00/US $40.00 (pbk)","authors":"Michele Acuto","doi":"10.1177/00420980251372765","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980251372765","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":51350,"journal":{"name":"Urban Studies","volume":"94 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145295568","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 : 2025-10-16DOI: 10.1177/00420980251374828
Julene Paul
Urban planning scholars and policymakers promote shared mobility as a way to reduce congestion and carbon emissions. When doing so, they primarily stress modes like public transit, carshare, bike-share, and ridehail. These are instances where people share vehicles with strangers via market-based interactions or by using public goods. Yet research indicates that in many countries, especially the USA, a substantial portion of vehicle sharing involves sharing among family members, friends, and acquaintances. Meanwhile, planning scholars emphasize the time-related and financial costs of sharing. This overlooks the importance of the subjective experience of sharing, which actively shapes individuals’ willingness and/or reluctance to share. Despite the significance of these factors, the literature has not adequately addressed them. In this critical review, I synthesize literature from sociology, psychology, economics, and anthropology to provide a holistic view of shared transportation. I then establish a typology of vehicle sharing that differentiates between “sharing in” with known persons versus “sharing out” with strangers. I also examine the socioemotional incentives behind sharing—as well as the impediments hindering it—and their relevance for these categories. The novel sharing typology provides a new lens through which to understand the challenges of addressing barriers to sharing. This debates paper is timely as planners and policymakers confront new trends in shared transportation. The COVID-19 pandemic generated new psychological impediments to sharing. By informing policies to promote vehicle sharing, a better understanding of socioemotional factors may help cities to achieve sustainability and equity goals.
{"title":"A wider view of shared transportation: Assessing the socioemotional costs and benefits of sharing in and sharing out","authors":"Julene Paul","doi":"10.1177/00420980251374828","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980251374828","url":null,"abstract":"Urban planning scholars and policymakers promote shared mobility as a way to reduce congestion and carbon emissions. When doing so, they primarily stress modes like public transit, carshare, bike-share, and ridehail. These are instances where people share vehicles with strangers via market-based interactions or by using public goods. Yet research indicates that in many countries, especially the USA, a substantial portion of vehicle sharing involves sharing among family members, friends, and acquaintances. Meanwhile, planning scholars emphasize the time-related and financial costs of sharing. This overlooks the importance of the subjective experience of sharing, which actively shapes individuals’ willingness and/or reluctance to share. Despite the significance of these factors, the literature has not adequately addressed them. In this critical review, I synthesize literature from sociology, psychology, economics, and anthropology to provide a holistic view of shared transportation. I then establish a typology of vehicle sharing that differentiates between “sharing in” with known persons versus “sharing out” with strangers. I also examine the socioemotional incentives behind sharing—as well as the impediments hindering it—and their relevance for these categories. The novel sharing typology provides a new lens through which to understand the challenges of addressing barriers to sharing. This debates paper is timely as planners and policymakers confront new trends in shared transportation. The COVID-19 pandemic generated new psychological impediments to sharing. By informing policies to promote vehicle sharing, a better understanding of socioemotional factors may help cities to achieve sustainability and equity goals.","PeriodicalId":51350,"journal":{"name":"Urban Studies","volume":"94 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145295990","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}
Age-Friendly Cities and Communities (AFCC) is a key global WHO initiative aimed at fostering environments that promote healthy aging for everyone. As AFCC initiatives continue to expand, there is an increasing need to enhance monitoring and evaluation systems to effectively assess their progress and impact. However, significant knowledge gaps persist, particularly in the development of evaluation methods and AFCC indicators. Drawing on discussions and outcomes from an international, interdisciplinary expert meeting on age-friendly environments held in Shanghai in May 2024, this article offers a synthesis of key insights and reflections. We present examples from AFCCs in the Western Pacific and Nordic regions, and recommendations to enhance monitoring and evaluation with a focus on indicators. This includes defining clear objectives, addressing the diverse needs of target groups, tailoring evaluation methods, and assessing both the processes and outcomes of AFCC initiatives. Regarding AFCC indicators, we argue that several areas require further attention, including the need for a robust framework that emphasizes equity and inclusivity and the varied experiences of older adults. For example, this framework should guide the development of indicators that address older adults’ needs during life transitions, reflect societal transitions, and leverage interconnected age-friendly domains to promote health and well-being. We recommend developing AFCC indicators through participatory and developmental processes that encourage stakeholder engagement, particularly involving older adults. Research is needed to develop context-specific indicators and evaluation tools through local and regional studies, validate the indicators across diverse contexts, and incorporate global best practices for using indicators to achieve policy impact.
{"title":"Towards evidence-based approaches to monitoring and evaluatingage-friendly cities and communities: Reflections from the Western Pacific and Nordic Regions","authors":"Wenqian Xu, Minna Zechner, Thava Viknaraj Sivabalan, Lian Leng Low, Changwoo Shon, Honglin Chen, Arlind Reuter, Diane Turner, Elisa Tiilikainen, Emi Kiyota, Susanne Iwarsson","doi":"10.1177/00420980251375852","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980251375852","url":null,"abstract":"Age-Friendly Cities and Communities (AFCC) is a key global WHO initiative aimed at fostering environments that promote healthy aging for everyone. As AFCC initiatives continue to expand, there is an increasing need to enhance monitoring and evaluation systems to effectively assess their progress and impact. However, significant knowledge gaps persist, particularly in the development of evaluation methods and AFCC indicators. Drawing on discussions and outcomes from an international, interdisciplinary expert meeting on age-friendly environments held in Shanghai in May 2024, this article offers a synthesis of key insights and reflections. We present examples from AFCCs in the Western Pacific and Nordic regions, and recommendations to enhance monitoring and evaluation with a focus on indicators. This includes defining clear objectives, addressing the diverse needs of target groups, tailoring evaluation methods, and assessing both the processes and outcomes of AFCC initiatives. Regarding AFCC indicators, we argue that several areas require further attention, including the need for a robust framework that emphasizes equity and inclusivity and the varied experiences of older adults. For example, this framework should guide the development of indicators that address older adults’ needs during life transitions, reflect societal transitions, and leverage interconnected age-friendly domains to promote health and well-being. We recommend developing AFCC indicators through participatory and developmental processes that encourage stakeholder engagement, particularly involving older adults. Research is needed to develop context-specific indicators and evaluation tools through local and regional studies, validate the indicators across diverse contexts, and incorporate global best practices for using indicators to achieve policy impact.","PeriodicalId":51350,"journal":{"name":"Urban Studies","volume":"10 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145295991","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 : 2025-10-09DOI: 10.1177/00420980251375771
Jesse Fox, Talia Margalit
Knowledge in urban planning is typically categorized as either ‘professional’ or ‘local’, based primarily on the identity of the knower. We argue that this binary framework has become outdated due to shifts in planning and its broader societal context, and now hinders our ability to understand the role of knowledge and power–knowledge dynamics in planning processes. In its place, we propose an updated and expanded typology of planning knowledges, and a method for identifying them through discourse analysis. We also show how knowledge types, which are now wielded by diverse actors in varied discourse arenas, can no longer be associated exclusively with specific knowers, and often merge into novel hybrids – and consider how these changes impact power–knowledge dynamics. We aim to contribute to the development of a more nuanced and precise epistemology in planning, and hope our proposed framework enriches the understanding of researchers and practitioners alike.
{"title":"Beyond the professional–local knowledge dichotomy: Toward a new epistemology in urban planning","authors":"Jesse Fox, Talia Margalit","doi":"10.1177/00420980251375771","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980251375771","url":null,"abstract":"Knowledge in urban planning is typically categorized as either ‘professional’ or ‘local’, based primarily on the identity of the knower. We argue that this binary framework has become outdated due to shifts in planning and its broader societal context, and now hinders our ability to understand the role of knowledge and power–knowledge dynamics in planning processes. In its place, we propose an updated and expanded typology of planning knowledges, and a method for identifying them through discourse analysis. We also show how knowledge types, which are now wielded by diverse actors in varied discourse arenas, can no longer be associated exclusively with specific knowers, and often merge into novel hybrids – and consider how these changes impact power–knowledge dynamics. We aim to contribute to the development of a more nuanced and precise epistemology in planning, and hope our proposed framework enriches the understanding of researchers and practitioners alike.","PeriodicalId":51350,"journal":{"name":"Urban Studies","volume":"32 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145255624","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 : 2025-10-01DOI: 10.1177/00420980251371824
Simone Vegliò
This article explores the impacts of large-scale infrastructure operations in Buenos Aires. Focussing on neo-extractive and logistical infrastructures in the southern area of Dock Sud, it investigates how these infrastructures urbanise – namely, how they integrate into urban spaces and the socio-spatial and material dynamics they generate. It does so by investigating the relationships between materiality and temporality, highlighting their complex and multifaceted interplay. While adopting a view from below – that is, by analysing the social conflicts experienced by those living in the spaces surrounding these infrastructures – the discussion sheds light on how Dock Sud’s urban materiality is contested through the creation of distinct and often conflicting temporalities. Specifically, the article delves into the socio-material situation of Villa Inflamable shantytown by scrutinising what it terms the politics of ‘mientras tanto’ [meanwhile], showing how residents reversed the state’s and municipality’s promotion of a prolonged condition of waiting to confront their extremely precarious and hazardous urban conditions. It contends that the mientras tanto reveals the fragmented ‘time – space’ of infrastructure, shedding light on its profoundly uneven socio-material dynamics and the related disputes that play out at the level of temporalities. The article argues that Dock Sud can be understood as the manifestation of a flammable city – specifically, the combination of the tireless political action conducted by the residents on the one hand, and the severe environmental conditions that the area suffers on the other.
{"title":"The flammable city: Infrastructure, temporalities, and social struggles in Dock Sud, Buenos Aires","authors":"Simone Vegliò","doi":"10.1177/00420980251371824","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980251371824","url":null,"abstract":"This article explores the impacts of large-scale infrastructure operations in Buenos Aires. Focussing on neo-extractive and logistical infrastructures in the southern area of Dock Sud, it investigates how these infrastructures <jats:italic>urbanise</jats:italic> – namely, how they integrate into urban spaces and the socio-spatial and material dynamics they generate. It does so by investigating the relationships between materiality and temporality, highlighting their complex and multifaceted interplay. While adopting a view <jats:italic>from below</jats:italic> – that is, by analysing the social conflicts experienced by those living in the spaces surrounding these infrastructures – the discussion sheds light on how Dock Sud’s urban materiality is contested through the creation of distinct and often conflicting temporalities. Specifically, the article delves into the socio-material situation of Villa Inflamable shantytown by scrutinising what it terms the politics of ‘mientras tanto’ [meanwhile], showing how residents <jats:italic>reversed</jats:italic> the state’s and municipality’s promotion of a prolonged condition of waiting to confront their extremely precarious and hazardous urban conditions. It contends that the mientras tanto reveals the fragmented ‘time – space’ of infrastructure, shedding light on its profoundly uneven socio-material dynamics and the related disputes that play out at the level of temporalities. The article argues that Dock Sud can be understood as the manifestation of a <jats:italic>flammable city</jats:italic> – specifically, the combination of the tireless political action conducted by the residents on the one hand, and the severe environmental conditions that the area suffers on the other.","PeriodicalId":51350,"journal":{"name":"Urban Studies","volume":"113 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145254561","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 : 2025-10-01DOI: 10.1177/00420980251372706
Wataru Morioka, Julie Cidell
Transportation and mobility are critical in shaping social, political, and cultural aspects of life through the movement of people and goods and through the infrastructure that supports that movement – including the afterlives of that infrastructure. As we consider ever more urgently the need to move away from fossil fuel-based modes of transport, we should also consider the impacts of the infrastructure that is left behind, including the uneven impacts of its reuse. The United States suffered a severe decline in passenger rail service in the 20th century, while the last several decades have seen rapid growth in freight rail. These changes have put new pressures on existing infrastructure, either intensifying its transportation function, or remaking it into something else entirely. Here, we address the question of whether the afterlives of rail infrastructure further existing environmental injustices or, alternatively, create new inequalities via environmental gentrification. Through a GIS analysis of past and present railyards in the Chicago area, we find that transportation uses have remained or intensified in communities of color and low-income neighborhoods, while neighborhoods where redevelopment has occurred have become wealthier and whiter. This suggests a double-edged impact of intensification of externalities from the global logistics system in communities already experiencing environmental injustice, while environmental gentrification is occurring around redeveloped sites where transportation infrastructure has been removed.
{"title":"Railyard reuse and spatial justice: Environmental and socio-economic impacts of infrastructural removal and intensification in Chicago","authors":"Wataru Morioka, Julie Cidell","doi":"10.1177/00420980251372706","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980251372706","url":null,"abstract":"Transportation and mobility are critical in shaping social, political, and cultural aspects of life through the movement of people and goods and through the infrastructure that supports that movement – including the afterlives of that infrastructure. As we consider ever more urgently the need to move away from fossil fuel-based modes of transport, we should also consider the impacts of the infrastructure that is left behind, including the uneven impacts of its reuse. The United States suffered a severe decline in passenger rail service in the 20th century, while the last several decades have seen rapid growth in freight rail. These changes have put new pressures on existing infrastructure, either intensifying its transportation function, or remaking it into something else entirely. Here, we address the question of whether the afterlives of rail infrastructure further existing environmental injustices or, alternatively, create new inequalities via environmental gentrification. Through a GIS analysis of past and present railyards in the Chicago area, we find that transportation uses have remained or intensified in communities of color and low-income neighborhoods, while neighborhoods where redevelopment has occurred have become wealthier and whiter. This suggests a double-edged impact of intensification of externalities from the global logistics system in communities already experiencing environmental injustice, while environmental gentrification is occurring around redeveloped sites where transportation infrastructure has been removed.","PeriodicalId":51350,"journal":{"name":"Urban Studies","volume":"113 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145247677","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 : 2025-09-30DOI: 10.1177/00420980251359852
Yi Zhu, Mi Diao
This study used the opening of the Circle Line (CCL) of Singapore as a quasi-experiment and performed a series of before-and-after analyses to examine the average treatment effect by comparing the changes in the travel-activity patterns of older adults residing near the CCL stations and of those residing at a greater distance from the new stations. Our research revealed that the new urban rail line influenced the travel-activity patterns of the nearby elderly people through a combination of the mobility effect and the amenity effect. On the mobility effect, we found the new line facilitates the adjacent elderly people to engage in out-of-home activities and reduces the average travel time and distance for commuting and shopping activities. The amenity impact suggests that changes in land use surrounding CCL stations may accommodate the shopping and dining needs of adjacent older adults. In addition, the enhanced walkability of the neighborhoods can promote walking among nearby elderly people, particularly for dining, recreation, and escorting/accompanying activities. The study also found that the network effect of the new urban rail line on the activity-travel behaviors of older adults living adjacent to the non-CCL stations is limited. However, the older adults residing near the CCL stations exhibit greater propensity to choose destinations near non-CCL stations for dining and recreational activities after the opening of CCL line. These findings suggest that the urban rail line investment may yield multiple benefits for the elderly, including increased mobility, improved accessibility to services and opportunities, and a better pedestrian environment. This might shed new light for the assessment of the advantages of public transportation investment in an aging society.
{"title":"Effects of urban rail transit expansion on the mobility of the elderly: Findings from Singapore","authors":"Yi Zhu, Mi Diao","doi":"10.1177/00420980251359852","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/00420980251359852","url":null,"abstract":"This study used the opening of the Circle Line (CCL) of Singapore as a quasi-experiment and performed a series of before-and-after analyses to examine the average treatment effect by comparing the changes in the travel-activity patterns of older adults residing near the CCL stations and of those residing at a greater distance from the new stations. Our research revealed that the new urban rail line influenced the travel-activity patterns of the nearby elderly people through a combination of the mobility effect and the amenity effect. On the mobility effect, we found the new line facilitates the adjacent elderly people to engage in out-of-home activities and reduces the average travel time and distance for commuting and shopping activities. The amenity impact suggests that changes in land use surrounding CCL stations may accommodate the shopping and dining needs of adjacent older adults. In addition, the enhanced walkability of the neighborhoods can promote walking among nearby elderly people, particularly for dining, recreation, and escorting/accompanying activities. The study also found that the network effect of the new urban rail line on the activity-travel behaviors of older adults living adjacent to the non-CCL stations is limited. However, the older adults residing near the CCL stations exhibit greater propensity to choose destinations near non-CCL stations for dining and recreational activities after the opening of CCL line. These findings suggest that the urban rail line investment may yield multiple benefits for the elderly, including increased mobility, improved accessibility to services and opportunities, and a better pedestrian environment. This might shed new light for the assessment of the advantages of public transportation investment in an aging society.","PeriodicalId":51350,"journal":{"name":"Urban Studies","volume":"29 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":4.7,"publicationDate":"2025-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145254560","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}
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