In September 2022, the new shipping channel in Poland was opened for service. It connects the Port of Elbląg and the Gdańsk Bay in Poland, cutting through the Vistula Spit and the Vistula Lagoon. It was intended to enable direct access to the Baltic Sea from the Port of Elbląg without crossing Russian territory. Originally conceptualized decades ago, it has taken its final shape only recently. Its construction was associated with several issues, including economic, political, and environmental ones. But at the same time, the rationale of its construction has to be confronted with the analysis of the long-term consequences for the city's economy and the environment of the Vistula Lagoon. Many of these issues are presented and discussed in the article, along with some initial conclusions regarding future opportunities and threats associated with operational and maintenance-related issues.
{"title":"Shaping the New Vistula Spit Channel: Political, Economic, and Environmental Aspects","authors":"Justyna Breś, Piotr Lorens","doi":"10.17645/up.v8i3.6892","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v8i3.6892","url":null,"abstract":"In September 2022, the new shipping channel in Poland was opened for service. It connects the Port of Elbląg and the Gdańsk Bay in Poland, cutting through the Vistula Spit and the Vistula Lagoon. It was intended to enable direct access to the Baltic Sea from the Port of Elbląg without crossing Russian territory. Originally conceptualized decades ago, it has taken its final shape only recently. Its construction was associated with several issues, including economic, political, and environmental ones. But at the same time, the rationale of its construction has to be confronted with the analysis of the long-term consequences for the city's economy and the environment of the Vistula Lagoon. Many of these issues are presented and discussed in the article, along with some initial conclusions regarding future opportunities and threats associated with operational and maintenance-related issues.","PeriodicalId":51735,"journal":{"name":"Urban Planning","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"45298868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
The depths of the Danish Straits limit the drafts of ships entering the Baltic Sea. The largest ships calling the Baltic in a laden condition are called Baltimax. The article presents how the dredging works carried out in the Danish Straits in the 1970s enabled the development of the Port of Gdańsk and consequently also influenced the city, being a residential base for employees of the new port and shipyards. The analysed case proves that, for port cities, overcoming a distant navigational bottleneck by dredging the existing passage or constructing a new channel might lead to a significant change in their development. The article also raises a question on the current development opportunities of the Port of Gdańsk, which is again increasingly limited by the depths of the Danish Straits, as large tankers and bulk carriers have already been entering Gdańsk not fully loaded for some time, and recently the largest container ships also reached the maximum permissible drafts.
{"title":"How the Depths of the Danish Straits Shape Gdańsk's Port and City Spatial Development","authors":"Karolina A. Krośnicka, Aleksandra Wawrzyńska","doi":"10.17645/up.v8i3.6832","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v8i3.6832","url":null,"abstract":"The depths of the Danish Straits limit the drafts of ships entering the Baltic Sea. The largest ships calling the Baltic in a laden condition are called Baltimax. The article presents how the dredging works carried out in the Danish Straits in the 1970s enabled the development of the Port of Gdańsk and consequently also influenced the city, being a residential base for employees of the new port and shipyards. The analysed case proves that, for port cities, overcoming a distant navigational bottleneck by dredging the existing passage or constructing a new channel might lead to a significant change in their development. The article also raises a question on the current development opportunities of the Port of Gdańsk, which is again increasingly limited by the depths of the Danish Straits, as large tankers and bulk carriers have already been entering Gdańsk not fully loaded for some time, and recently the largest container ships also reached the maximum permissible drafts.","PeriodicalId":51735,"journal":{"name":"Urban Planning","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48816248","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article explores a series of narratives collected during the Covid-19 pandemic and after the port explosion in Beirut. The selected narratives cover “meaningful encounters” defined by the authors as acts of urban engagement that are able to challenge dominant or prejudiced perceptions in the city. These spontaneous and sometimes prolonged interactions seem to strengthen collective engagement and foster new opportunities to be together during strenuous and challenging times for all. The importance of this study stems from the fact that most of the designated public spaces are rather exclusive and fall short in bringing together the different factions of the community. In a context of increasing socio-spatial polarization, reading everyday practices, activities, and meaningful encounters in Beirut reveals a more comprehensive and inclusive notion of publicness and challenges the popular and sometimes biased perception of a fragmented city. This research draws from a combination of qualitative approaches that include both observation and collection of narratives. The final selection of narratives was based on their potential to illustrate what we considered to be typical cases addressing three different types of engagements with the urban context. The article seeks to better understand influences exercised by individuals over one another and the subsequent emergence of new places of encounters in the city. Finally, the article argues that the sites of encounters are rather fluid and spread beyond the footprint of traditional and designated public spaces, thus contributing to the reshaping of the public sphere in the city.
{"title":"Reading Publicness: Meaningful and Spontaneous Encounters in Beirut During a Time of Crisis","authors":"Roula El-Khoury, Rachel Saliba, Tamara Nasr","doi":"10.17645/up.v8i4.6494","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v8i4.6494","url":null,"abstract":"This article explores a series of narratives collected during the Covid-19 pandemic and after the port explosion in Beirut. The selected narratives cover “meaningful encounters” defined by the authors as acts of urban engagement that are able to challenge dominant or prejudiced perceptions in the city. These spontaneous and sometimes prolonged interactions seem to strengthen collective engagement and foster new opportunities to be together during strenuous and challenging times for all. The importance of this study stems from the fact that most of the designated public spaces are rather exclusive and fall short in bringing together the different factions of the community. In a context of increasing socio-spatial polarization, reading everyday practices, activities, and meaningful encounters in Beirut reveals a more comprehensive and inclusive notion of publicness and challenges the popular and sometimes biased perception of a fragmented city. This research draws from a combination of qualitative approaches that include both observation and collection of narratives. The final selection of narratives was based on their potential to illustrate what we considered to be typical cases addressing three different types of engagements with the urban context. The article seeks to better understand influences exercised by individuals over one another and the subsequent emergence of new places of encounters in the city. Finally, the article argues that the sites of encounters are rather fluid and spread beyond the footprint of traditional and designated public spaces, thus contributing to the reshaping of the public sphere in the city.","PeriodicalId":51735,"journal":{"name":"Urban Planning","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48490452","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Waterways played a crucial role in the emergence of Shanghai as a cosmopolitan city and world port. Over the years the spatial and functional relationships between the city and ports and hinterland have been changing continuously. In Shanghai, like other port cities, almost all ports and related industries are placed out beyond the urban fringes, to form decentralized regional clusters, while former docklands are quickly transformed into attractive urban waterfronts. Simultaneously there is a growing physical and socio-economic gap with the rural hinterland. During Shanghai’s brutal lockdown in Spring 2022, due to China’s rigid zero-Covid policy, citizens were without food and other supplies while fully loaded ships were lined up waiting in the port. Also, deliveries from surrounding rural areas were temporarily halted. This article focuses on recent developments but is based on experiences in previous centuries from a long durée perspective. It elaborates on how the Yangtze River Delta urbanized along shipping channels and examines changing relationships between city and port, between urban and rural, and between man and nature. What role did shipping channels play and how to rebalance various spatial claims: urban, rural, port interests, and environmental concerns?
{"title":"Searching for Reconnection: Environmental Challenges and Course Changes in Spatial Development Along Shanghai’s Shipping Channels","authors":"H. Den Hartog","doi":"10.17645/up.v8i3.6834","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v8i3.6834","url":null,"abstract":"Waterways played a crucial role in the emergence of Shanghai as a cosmopolitan city and world port. Over the years the spatial and functional relationships between the city and ports and hinterland have been changing continuously. In Shanghai, like other port cities, almost all ports and related industries are placed out beyond the urban fringes, to form decentralized regional clusters, while former docklands are quickly transformed into attractive urban waterfronts. Simultaneously there is a growing physical and socio-economic gap with the rural hinterland. During Shanghai’s brutal lockdown in Spring 2022, due to China’s rigid zero-Covid policy, citizens were without food and other supplies while fully loaded ships were lined up waiting in the port. Also, deliveries from surrounding rural areas were temporarily halted. This article focuses on recent developments but is based on experiences in previous centuries from a long durée perspective. It elaborates on how the Yangtze River Delta urbanized along shipping channels and examines changing relationships between city and port, between urban and rural, and between man and nature. What role did shipping channels play and how to rebalance various spatial claims: urban, rural, port interests, and environmental concerns?","PeriodicalId":51735,"journal":{"name":"Urban Planning","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-08-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"47598128","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
João Pedro Costa, María J. Andrade, Francesca Dal Cin
If delta and estuary areas are observed under the perspective of a double system of dynamic infrastructures, the object of parallel “water/urbanisation” processes, the interface spaces become key nodes. In this perspective, port and waterfront areas can be described as spaces of mediation. The article argues that in the case of Lisbon and the Tagus, as possibly in several other port cities, these edge spaces can be described as “fluid territories.” The pre-eminent characteristic of “fluid territories” is that they are not permanent, neither in space nor time. These areas present accelerated transformations, less defined boundaries, and an increased spatial and management complexity. Moreover, “fluid territories” also mediate (a) the culture-natural environment, with human action appropriating the natural system through infrastructure and urbanisation, and (b) the industrialised economic estuary, with its continuous updating. To demonstrate this hypothesis, two samples of Lisbon’s riverfront are observed, recording its constant variability over the last 200 years of industrialisation, emphasising the “fluidity” of the mediating spaces. The understanding of the “fluid” characteristic of water/land mediation spaces is relevant for the present. Being dynamic and regularly reinventing spaces, spatial planning, public space, and architectural design processes in “fluid territories” should increasingly seek adaptability, flexibility, and openness to change. In the climatic context of continuous uncertainty combined with the need to make room for infrastructure, rethinking mediation areas through the lens of the theoretical concept of the “fluid territory” enables the implementation of urban transformation processes consistent with contemporary challenges.
{"title":"The (Re)Industrialised Waterfront as a “Fluid Territory”: The Case of Lisbon and the Tagus Estuary","authors":"João Pedro Costa, María J. Andrade, Francesca Dal Cin","doi":"10.17645/up.v8i3.6770","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v8i3.6770","url":null,"abstract":"If delta and estuary areas are observed under the perspective of a double system of dynamic infrastructures, the object of parallel “water/urbanisation” processes, the interface spaces become key nodes. In this perspective, port and waterfront areas can be described as spaces of mediation. The article argues that in the case of Lisbon and the Tagus, as possibly in several other port cities, these edge spaces can be described as “fluid territories.” The pre-eminent characteristic of “fluid territories” is that they are not permanent, neither in space nor time. These areas present accelerated transformations, less defined boundaries, and an increased spatial and management complexity. Moreover, “fluid territories” also mediate (a) the culture-natural environment, with human action appropriating the natural system through infrastructure and urbanisation, and (b) the industrialised economic estuary, with its continuous updating. To demonstrate this hypothesis, two samples of Lisbon’s riverfront are observed, recording its constant variability over the last 200 years of industrialisation, emphasising the “fluidity” of the mediating spaces. The understanding of the “fluid” characteristic of water/land mediation spaces is relevant for the present. Being dynamic and regularly reinventing spaces, spatial planning, public space, and architectural design processes in “fluid territories” should increasingly seek adaptability, flexibility, and openness to change. In the climatic context of continuous uncertainty combined with the need to make room for infrastructure, rethinking mediation areas through the lens of the theoretical concept of the “fluid territory” enables the implementation of urban transformation processes consistent with contemporary challenges.","PeriodicalId":51735,"journal":{"name":"Urban Planning","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-08-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42586525","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Christopher Alexander, who died in March 2022, was undeniably one of the most influential, if sometimes controversial, urban thinkers of the last half-century. From Notes on the Synthesis of Form, his first book and Harvard PhD thesis, to the landmark “A City is Not a Tree,” to the classic best-sellers A Pattern Language and The Timeless Way of Building, to his more difficult and controversial magnum opus, The Nature of Order, Alexander has left a body of work whose breadth and depth is only now coming into view. Yet Alexander’s legacy is also the subject of intense debate and critique within the planning and design fields. This introduction provides an overview of the thematic issue of Urban Planning titled “Assessing the Complex Contributions of Christopher Alexander.” Its purpose is to provide greater clarity on where Alexander’s contribution is substantial, and where there are documented gaps and remaining challenges. Most importantly, the thematic issue aims to identify fruitful avenues for further research and development, taking forward some of the more promising but undeveloped insights of this seminal 20th-century thinker.
{"title":"Introduction: Toward a “Post-Alexandrian” Agenda","authors":"Michael W. Mehaffy, T. Haas","doi":"10.17645/up.v8i3.7375","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v8i3.7375","url":null,"abstract":"Christopher Alexander, who died in March 2022, was undeniably one of the most influential, if sometimes controversial, urban thinkers of the last half-century. From Notes on the Synthesis of Form, his first book and Harvard PhD thesis, to the landmark “A City is Not a Tree,” to the classic best-sellers A Pattern Language and The Timeless Way of Building, to his more difficult and controversial magnum opus, The Nature of Order, Alexander has left a body of work whose breadth and depth is only now coming into view. Yet Alexander’s legacy is also the subject of intense debate and critique within the planning and design fields. This introduction provides an overview of the thematic issue of Urban Planning titled “Assessing the Complex Contributions of Christopher Alexander.” Its purpose is to provide greater clarity on where Alexander’s contribution is substantial, and where there are documented gaps and remaining challenges. Most importantly, the thematic issue aims to identify fruitful avenues for further research and development, taking forward some of the more promising but undeveloped insights of this seminal 20th-century thinker.","PeriodicalId":51735,"journal":{"name":"Urban Planning","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-08-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48613630","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
This article explores recent developments along the Mississippi River Ship Channel, the Mississippi River Delta, and the port city territory of New Orleans, US. The lower reaches of the Mississippi River through which the ship channel is maintained have become increasingly porous over the past decade, as flooding events have triggered or expanded multiple breaches or crevasses along the river’s eastern bank. This increasing porosity has generated debates between political and economic assemblages favoring different approaches to navigation management, flood control, and ecosystem restoration. The tensions and contradictions facing delta residents, planners, managers, and engineers come down to a question of hydrological porosity in the Mississippi River Delta, both in the river’s navigation channel itself, but also in the estuarine basins that extend from its banks towards the Gulf of Mexico. This article describes how over the past several decades different modes of porosity have emerged in scientific and public discourse around water management. The science and politics of these competing modes of porosity animate a great deal of environmental decision-making in the region today. The article’s analytical framework bridges research focused on the theme of porosity in port city territories, the political ecology of infrastructure standards, and management pathologies in ecosystem management.
{"title":"Pathologies of Porosity: Looming Transitions Along the Mississippi River Ship Channel","authors":"Joshua A. Lewis","doi":"10.17645/up.v8i3.6954","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v8i3.6954","url":null,"abstract":"This article explores recent developments along the Mississippi River Ship Channel, the Mississippi River Delta, and the port city territory of New Orleans, US. The lower reaches of the Mississippi River through which the ship channel is maintained have become increasingly porous over the past decade, as flooding events have triggered or expanded multiple breaches or crevasses along the river’s eastern bank. This increasing porosity has generated debates between political and economic assemblages favoring different approaches to navigation management, flood control, and ecosystem restoration. The tensions and contradictions facing delta residents, planners, managers, and engineers come down to a question of hydrological porosity in the Mississippi River Delta, both in the river’s navigation channel itself, but also in the estuarine basins that extend from its banks towards the Gulf of Mexico. This article describes how over the past several decades different modes of porosity have emerged in scientific and public discourse around water management. The science and politics of these competing modes of porosity animate a great deal of environmental decision-making in the region today. The article’s analytical framework bridges research focused on the theme of porosity in port city territories, the political ecology of infrastructure standards, and management pathologies in ecosystem management.","PeriodicalId":51735,"journal":{"name":"Urban Planning","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-08-22","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"44616054","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sustainable development projects require careful balancing of economic interests and ecological needs. The case of Skikda, a city in northeast Algeria, located on the Mediterranean coast, illustrates the challenges connected with such a development. The ancient city coexists with a young hydrocarbon port and industrial pole that serves as a transfer hub in the flow of petroleum between hinterland and sea. The installation of the port and petrochemical refining plants on the banks of the estuary of the Safsaf River presents many challenges to local citizens and the ecosystem, including pollution of the water system, groundwater, and river water, and damage to the area’s ancient heritage. This study argues that we need new and less polluting forms of intermodality between hinterland and seaport to make urban mobility more sustainable. It asks whether and how the existing rivers and wadis (river channels that are dry except during rainy periods) can be transformed into artificial canals for river navigation to improve the transport fluidity and sustainability of Skikda. To answer this question, the study adopts a prospective approach using the MICMAC scenario method. This approach entails, first, presenting and evaluating the potentialities of the existing rivers of Skikda using QGIS, and second, discussing and proposing scenarios for transforming these rivers into urban waterways, that is, artificial canals for inland navigation. The prospect of inland waterway transport in Skikda may be a radical scenario, yet, despite its hydraulic capacity and advantages, this system is not receiving attention in Algeria. We suggest that water transport can breathe sustainable blue life into a vulnerable industrial port city, transforming its challenges into opportunities.
{"title":"Prospective of an Inland Waterway System of Shipping Canals in Skikda (Algeria)","authors":"Amira Ghennaï, Said Madani, C. Hein","doi":"10.17645/up.v8i3.6848","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v8i3.6848","url":null,"abstract":"Sustainable development projects require careful balancing of economic interests and ecological needs. The case of Skikda, a city in northeast Algeria, located on the Mediterranean coast, illustrates the challenges connected with such a development. The ancient city coexists with a young hydrocarbon port and industrial pole that serves as a transfer hub in the flow of petroleum between hinterland and sea. The installation of the port and petrochemical refining plants on the banks of the estuary of the Safsaf River presents many challenges to local citizens and the ecosystem, including pollution of the water system, groundwater, and river water, and damage to the area’s ancient heritage. This study argues that we need new and less polluting forms of intermodality between hinterland and seaport to make urban mobility more sustainable. It asks whether and how the existing rivers and wadis (river channels that are dry except during rainy periods) can be transformed into artificial canals for river navigation to improve the transport fluidity and sustainability of Skikda. To answer this question, the study adopts a prospective approach using the MICMAC scenario method. This approach entails, first, presenting and evaluating the potentialities of the existing rivers of Skikda using QGIS, and second, discussing and proposing scenarios for transforming these rivers into urban waterways, that is, artificial canals for inland navigation. The prospect of inland waterway transport in Skikda may be a radical scenario, yet, despite its hydraulic capacity and advantages, this system is not receiving attention in Algeria. We suggest that water transport can breathe sustainable blue life into a vulnerable industrial port city, transforming its challenges into opportunities.","PeriodicalId":51735,"journal":{"name":"Urban Planning","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48491717","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Cities incorporating navigable canals have played a crucial role in global trade and provided a platform for a range of activities for people from various locations. This research aims to comprehend the role of inner-city canals, formed as branches of shipping canals, in the spatial accessibility and functional structure of two contemporary urban systems: London and Amsterdam. Both cities are major post-industrial hubs in Europe and their spatial development and socioeconomic conditions have been greatly influenced by waterways. While the canal network in Amsterdam was planned alongside street layout planning in the early 17th century, serving commercial purposes, canals were integrated into London’s pre-existing urban form mainly for transportation in the 19th century. The current situation in these cities is impacted by this disparity in three ways: (a) the potential use of canals in the urban transportation system; (b) the spatial accessibility of street networks; and (c) the correlations between street accessibility and land use patterns in canal neighbourhoods. The research employs analytical methods of space syntax, geographic information systems, and statistical techniques to create and apply integrated urban models, incorporating spatial network measures, retail density, and functional diversity for street segments, to compare various urban conditions. The research reveals the crucial finding that the incorporation of canals into the street system leads to a substantial increase in the mean values of street network accessibility in Amsterdam. Additionally, the study highlights the vital contribution of diagonal streets linked with canal networks towards retail density in this city. In contrast, the accessibility measures and spatial patterns of urban functions in London are predominantly influenced by proximity to canals.
{"title":"The Spatio-Functional Role of Navigable Urban Canals in the City: Cases From London and Amsterdam","authors":"Merve Okkali Alsavada, K. Karimi","doi":"10.17645/up.v8i3.6740","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v8i3.6740","url":null,"abstract":"Cities incorporating navigable canals have played a crucial role in global trade and provided a platform for a range of activities for people from various locations. This research aims to comprehend the role of inner-city canals, formed as branches of shipping canals, in the spatial accessibility and functional structure of two contemporary urban systems: London and Amsterdam. Both cities are major post-industrial hubs in Europe and their spatial development and socioeconomic conditions have been greatly influenced by waterways. While the canal network in Amsterdam was planned alongside street layout planning in the early 17th century, serving commercial purposes, canals were integrated into London’s pre-existing urban form mainly for transportation in the 19th century. The current situation in these cities is impacted by this disparity in three ways: (a) the potential use of canals in the urban transportation system; (b) the spatial accessibility of street networks; and (c) the correlations between street accessibility and land use patterns in canal neighbourhoods. The research employs analytical methods of space syntax, geographic information systems, and statistical techniques to create and apply integrated urban models, incorporating spatial network measures, retail density, and functional diversity for street segments, to compare various urban conditions. The research reveals the crucial finding that the incorporation of canals into the street system leads to a substantial increase in the mean values of street network accessibility in Amsterdam. Additionally, the study highlights the vital contribution of diagonal streets linked with canal networks towards retail density in this city. In contrast, the accessibility measures and spatial patterns of urban functions in London are predominantly influenced by proximity to canals.","PeriodicalId":51735,"journal":{"name":"Urban Planning","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-08-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46795251","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Questions of change and the future have become increasingly salient in Vancouver’s Chinatown in the last decade, as gentrification proceeds apace. Various actors have used the neighbourhood’s public spaces to express their visions of Chinatown’s future. These claims are articulated through attempts to demonstrate and strengthen the vitality of Chinatown in the face of growing narratives of its putative decline and death. By engaging with the contemporary sociological literature on conviviality, where relatively “thin” versus more radical conceptualizations of conviviality are being debated, and putting it into conversation with both the geographical literature on the politics of public space and political theory discussions of agonism, we argue that the uses of public space must be analyzed without romanticizing conviviality or consensus in order to understand the productive possibilities of “political conviviality” and agonistic encounters. Our focus is the “Hot+Noisy Mahjong Socials” held in recent summers in an iconic plaza in Chinatown. These are organized by a community group that builds connections between mostly Chinese Canadian youth and largely Cantonese-speaking seniors. These groups espouse a goal of “place-keeping” in the context of planning trends toward “placemaking.” Through this case, we consider how activists from marginalized communities build solidarities through agonistic “place-keeping” in the face of gentrification and threats of cultural erasure.
{"title":"“Hot+Noisy” Public Space: Conviviality, “Unapologetic Asianness,” and the Future of Vancouver’s Chinatown","authors":"Lise Mahieus, Eugene J. McCann","doi":"10.17645/up.v8i4.6527","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.17645/up.v8i4.6527","url":null,"abstract":"Questions of change and the future have become increasingly salient in Vancouver’s Chinatown in the last decade, as gentrification proceeds apace. Various actors have used the neighbourhood’s public spaces to express their visions of Chinatown’s future. These claims are articulated through attempts to demonstrate and strengthen the vitality of Chinatown in the face of growing narratives of its putative decline and death. By engaging with the contemporary sociological literature on conviviality, where relatively “thin” versus more radical conceptualizations of conviviality are being debated, and putting it into conversation with both the geographical literature on the politics of public space and political theory discussions of agonism, we argue that the uses of public space must be analyzed without romanticizing conviviality or consensus in order to understand the productive possibilities of “political conviviality” and agonistic encounters. Our focus is the “Hot+Noisy Mahjong Socials” held in recent summers in an iconic plaza in Chinatown. These are organized by a community group that builds connections between mostly Chinese Canadian youth and largely Cantonese-speaking seniors. These groups espouse a goal of “place-keeping” in the context of planning trends toward “placemaking.” Through this case, we consider how activists from marginalized communities build solidarities through agonistic “place-keeping” in the face of gentrification and threats of cultural erasure.","PeriodicalId":51735,"journal":{"name":"Urban Planning","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-08-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46923062","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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