The urban turn - and the location of economic activities
innovation, urban turn, business climate, people climate, human capital, outer city, creative class, talent, regional development, city regions
Competitiveness of city regions has gained a more and more central position in regional development and regional planning within the last decades. A reason for this is that globalisation has caused pressure on industrial structures forcing firms to increase their competitiveness by more actively promoting innovation and knowledge creation. Access to knowledge has therefore become vital for most types of productions in the Western economies. As creation of and access to knowledge have become increasingly important in order to stay competitive, a growing focus has been put on the geography of highly skilled labour. A growing string of this literature argues that large cities shall be understood as locomotives of regional development and growth because they have an attractive effect on highly skilled labour. This line of thinking is called the urban turn in economic geography. This study examines the urban turn by studying the dynamics of location of economic activities in Nordic countries. The thesis consists of 5 papers and a research report and offers both quantitative and qualitative analyses of the dynamics of location of economic activities in the knowledge economy. It approaches regional development both from an interregional perspective and an intraregional perspective. It provides a critical and thorough examination of the technology, talent and tolerance approach to regional development put forward by Richard Florida in his book The Rise of the Creative Class by examining the adequateness of the approach in a Swedish and Nordic context, and next it retheorises the approach based on empirical findings. Further, by studying intraregional dynamics in the greater metropolitan area of Copenhagen, the thesis addresses the geographical heterogeneity of the city region on the one side and the importance of social relations for location of economic activities on the other. Thereby the presented research calls for an intraregional perspective in mainstream regional development.
Al-Balad as a place of heritage: Problematising the conceptualisation of heritage in the context of Arab Muslim Middle East
heritage, Middle East, Arab city, Islamic city, Al-Balad, Amman, built environment, identity
This thesis addresses a problem affecting places of heritage throughout the world as represented by the case of al-Balad, the historical centre of Amman in Jordan: despite the increasing efforts expended on the conservation of built heritage, most social groups appear to be uninterested; this contradiction results in problems of neglect, dilapidation and lack of participation in its construction and representation. The research explores three possible sources of contradictions that cause this problem: the process of meaning construction in capitalist societies, the global conceptualisation and institutionalisation of heritage, and the role of dissonance of identities in creating dissonance in the construction of heritage. In order to explore such a subjective topic in a manner that would produce generalisable findings instrumental for purposes of urban planning and development, the chosen methodology is structural and positivistic and relies on frameworks of semiotics, mapping, media topic analysis, and most importantly on the findings of an extensive questionnaire survey that was made possible by the gradual opening up of public expression in Jordan. The first source of contradictions explored manifests through the construction of meaning. In an investigation of frameworks that explain the process, the semiotic framework of the myth developed by Barthes is synthesised with the ideas of Baudrillard and Lefebvre who also explored the process of production and consumption of meaning in bourgeois societies that is of particular relevance to the neo-liberal economic framework in Jordan, which caused a focus on cultural tourism and revitalisation of heritage as drivers of economic development. An application of the semiotic framework to the attributes of al-Balad showed that although al-Balad is becoming known as a place of heritage (a place of the past), for the majority of the Ammanis it is still conceptualised as a market (a place of the present). The second source of contradictions emerges from the global conceptualisation and institutionalisation of heritage. An analysis of the plethora of definitions of heritage in literature leads to re-instating its historical role as a legitimiser of social identities, and the significance of this role for the newly emergent nations that accompanied the advent of the age of Enlightenment and modernity and espoused its ethos and latent contradictions. The major contradiction in this process is conceptualising an interruption between the present and the past, which renders the past frozen and dead. The third source of contradictions is the dissonance of identities in Jordan. An exploration into the society of Jordan reveals several hybrid identity groups: Islamist, Arab, Jordanian nationalist, tribal and Palestinian; it also reveals that the construction of heritage in Jordan is dominated by an exclusivist Hashemite narrative constructed by the Royal family for purposes of self-legitimization, and by an attempt to create a historically unique Jordanian identity rooted in pre-Islamic history to counter the threat of Israel. Despite the dominance of these two narratives in the Jordanian historical discourse, in reality heritage narrative is strongly shaped by US funded tourism industry, resulting in an emphasis on Jordan’s Christian past. The resulting manipulation of narrative in the construction of heritage for purposes of political empowerment or economical revenue excludes most identity groups from the process, and thus they find the resulting urban heritage of little meaning or relevance; it becomes “abstract space” in Lefebvre’s terms. The conclusions of the exploration of the three sources of contradictions are discussed against the results of statistical analyses performed on the findings from the questionnaire survey revealing that despite al-Balad’s deteriorating status in the urban dynamics of the city, the Ammanis still find it significant, however they perceive it primarily a place of function, and do not fulfil its potential as a place of heritage by using it to legitimise their identities. Understanding the complex socio-cultural processes that accompany the construction of heritage in Amman reveals numerous aspects of urban practices in Arab Muslim cities at a point in time directly preceding the Arab Spring.
urban segregation, social inclusion, urban policy, MASUS, simulation, São José dos Campos
Urban segregation represents a significant barrier for achieving social inclusion in cities. To overcome this, it is necessary to implement policies founded upon a better understanding of segregation dynamics. However, a crucial challenge for achieving such understanding lies in the fact that segregation is a complex system. It emerges from local interactions able to produce unexpected and counterintuitive outcomes that cannot be defined a priori. This study adopts an agent-based simulation approach that addresses the complex nature of segregation. It proposes a model named MASUS, Multi-Agent Simulator for Urban Segregation, which provides a virtual laboratory for exploring theoretical issues and policy approaches concerning segregation. The MASUS model was first implemented for São José dos Campos, a medium-sized Brazilian city. Based on the data of this city, the model was parameterized and calibrated. The potential of MASUS is demonstrated through three different sets of simulation experiments. The first compares simulated data with real data, the second tests theories about segregation, and the third explores the impact of anti-segregation policies. The first set of experiments provides a retrospective validation of the model by simulating the segregation dynamics of São José dos Campos during the period 1991-2000. In general, simulated and real data reveal the same trends, a result that demonstrates that the model is able to accurately represent the segregation dynamics of the study area. The second set of experiments aims at demonstrating the potential of the model to explore and test theoretical issues about urban segregation. These experiments explore the impact of two mechanisms on segregation: income inequality and personal preferences. To test the impact of income inequality, scenarios considering different income distributions were simulated and compared. The results show how decreasing levels of income inequality promote the spatial integration of different social groups in the city. Additional tests were conducted to explore how the preferences of high-income families regarding the presence of other income groups could affect segregation patterns. The results reveal that the high levels of segregation were maintained even in a scenario where affluent households did not take into account the income composition of neighborhoods when selecting their residential location. Finally, the third set of experiments provides new insights about the impact of different urban policies on segregation. One experiment tests whether the regularization of clandestine settlements and equitable distribution of infrastructure would affect the segregation trends in the city. The simulated outputs indicate that they had no significant impact on the segregation patterns. Besides this test focusing on a general urban policy, two specific social-mix policy approaches were explored: poverty dispersion and wealth dispersion. The results suggest that policies based on poverty dispersion, which have been adopted in cities in Europe and the United States, are less effective in developing countries, where poor families represent a large share of the population. On the other hand, the policy based on wealth dispersion was able to produce substantial and long-term improvements in the segregation patterns of the city.
Urban ethnicity in Santiago de Chile. Mapuche migration and urban space
urban space, migration, urban ethnicity, urban identity, Santiago de Chile
The urban phenomenon is changing. The social and political transformations of recent decades have created new forms and models of inhabiting in the city. In Latin America, phenomena of globalization and the implementation of liberal policies have, on the one hand, expanded flows of information and communication and, on the other hand, affected forms of social cohesion which were developed from the modern urbanization process of the mid-20th Century. This new context has transformed the ways in which the people build identity and a sense of belonging inside the urban society. Since the 1990s ethnicity has become an important source of identity construction for a growing percentage of city dwellers in Latin America. The ethnic roots of its inhabitants are turned into resources for social cohesion and recognition as social actors. The purpose of this study is to explore the process of formation of an urban ethnicity in Santiago de Chile. The Mapuches are the largest ethnic group in Chile and about half of their total population resides in the city of Santiago. However, despite being the largest ethnic group in Santiago, the Mapuche do not have a visible presence in the city. The emergence over the last decade of the political and social category of urban Mapuche and Mapuche-warriache describes the growing importance of ethnicity as a source of identity in Santiago. Ethnicity is related to the notion of collective identities. In this sense, it is a process whereby a group of people are collectively different from “others,” ethnicity is a broad concept which describes a process of differentiation. The objective of this research is to investigate the strategies through which Mapuche society in Santiago establishes differences, both in relation to the remaining urban society, and to "traditional" Mapuche society. Accordingly, this work aims to identify processes through which an urban ethnic identity is constructed. The working hypothesis is that the Mapuche currently in the city - first and second generation migrants - build hybrid forms with the remaining urban society more than they reproduce or reterritorialize their society of origin. The Mapuches in the city are not trapped between their societies of origin and the host urban society, but are, in turn, building strategies in which ethnic identity is part of a system of identities in which they participate. The work has two parts. The first part presents two critical reviews: a chapter on the method of ethnographic research and its application to urban space, and another chapter which focuses on the history of modern Mapuche society. The second part is experimental and composed of three case studies. Each experimental case is presented and analyzed through ethnographic methodology. This work explores the urban ethnicity as a contemporary form of building identity and sense of belonging. Currently, in Latin America an essentialist perspective prevails to deal the indigenous identities. This paper argues that the Mapuches in the city are not trapped between their societies of origin and the host urban society, but are, in turn, building strategies in which ethnic identity is part of a system of identities in which they participate. These strategies are a very dynamic form of communication and differentiation.
Experience and conflict. The dialectics of the production of public urban space in the light of new event venues in Helsinki 1993-2003
urban planning, public urban space, urban events, spatial dialectics, weak place, Lefebvre
Why do new urban spaces lack feeling, power and sensory quality? Why does 'urbanness' retreat from the newly produced public spaces? Why does the political significance of urban space seem to be lost? In this research, the structures of thinking in planning and architecture are identified as a key reason for those problems. Urban reality is never 'transparent' to the planners. Rather, planning is conducted in an artificial reality, which I call Concept City, characterised by a simplified and outdated conception of space. Thus, the aim of this thesis is to formulate a new, richer theory about space in general and public urban space in particular. The new theory includes physical space, its use and, as the most difficult aspect, the personal, singular moments of invention and existentially important experiences that are indispensable elements of the lived urban space. Instead of visual and practico-material, space is understood as socially produced. The central new notions the work develops, include 1) 'weak place', a new conceptualisation of place as the individual and singular moment of signification; 2) 'spatial dialectics 2.0', a development of Henri Lefebvre's dialectique de triplicité; and 3) 'quasi-object', leading to a new interpretation of the role of material artefacts and spatial configurations in the production of space. The work contextualises Lefebvre's ideas to urban planning and architecture. It aims at reconceptualising the notions of space and place in those fields in such a way that the conflictual coming-together of individual experiences, spatial practices and public perceptions can be understood as the constituent process of public urban space. Though the thesis is primarily a theoretical treatise, it is grounded on empirical observations in Helsinki, with references to Manchester and Berlin. Since the late 1980s, urban events have had an important role in the production of new public urban spaces in Helsinki. In events, citizens have claimed urban space, producing new meanings and new uses. Simultaneously, processes of commercialisation and routinisation of the event scene have taken place. The material of Experience and Conflict focuses on the period, marked by two major events in Senate Square, the Total Balalaika Show (1993) and its tenth anniversary, the Global Balalaika Show. A juxtaposition of both symbolic.and configurational centrality and marginality is found to characterise the most successful event venues. Töölönlahti Bay area is emblematic in this respect. The struggle to save the old railway warehouses Makasiinit for event uses and its repercussions on the public imagination about desirable city life are seen as the culmination of the urban cultural change of that decade. Makasiinit also provides an important theoretical lesson, because there the material shell of the buildings momentarily acted as the 'Other' of the spatial dialectics, thus dynamising the socio-material situation. Finally, the influences of the new theory in planning and design methods are discussed through the author's own projects. New approaches and tools leading to 'experiential urbanism' are suggested and developed.
Power and administration in two Midlands cities, c. 1870-1938
urban history, public administration, local government, governance, public service, nineteenth century, twentieth century, 19th century, 20th century, Midlands, Leicester, Birmingham
Municipal government mattered as much in the 1930s as it did in the 1870s. Taking a case study of a prestigious urban institution in Birmingham and Leicester, this thesis explores the role of the Watch Committee in interacting with other local, national and professional institutions in administering urban police and fire services. A melding of approaches prevalent within the disciplines of public administration and urban history facilitates a thematic approach to the nature and practice of administrative power. R. A. W. Rhodes' model of power-dependence, modified and reinforced through recent research into policy networks and communities, allows the modem urban historian to explore the interplay between structure and agency within intergovernmental relations between 1870 and 1938. Through an analysis of legal, financial, organisational, political and informational resources, this thesis argues that neither central nor local government dominated the decision-making or policy implementation processes. Governmental institutions negotiated and interacted amongst themselves through a variety of networks, both locally and centrally initiated, for their access to such resources. Ultimately, powerful and prestigious county boroughs continued to influence national decision-making structures throughout the inter-war years. The Watch Committee was an independent institution and consisted of experienced and expert members. Through its close relationship with the Police and Fire Departments, in particular their chief officials, the urban dimension of `police' policy remained integral despite increasing central regulation of local services during the period under review.
The suburbs of Victorian Oxford: Growth in a pre-industrial city
urban growth, suburbs, Victorian, 19th century, nineteenth century, Oxford, suburban life, housing
This study examines the origins, growth and subsequent character of the Victorian suburbs of Oxford, a small provincial city with no industrial base. Major sources include newspapers, census enumerators' returns, deposited plans, and plan registers, rate books, the records of leasehold estates and deeds of properties acquired by the City Council. Chapters are devoted to:- The Creation of the Suburbs; Development Control; the House-Building Industry; Suburban Houses; House-Ownership; Residents of the Suburbs and Life in the Suburbs. Victorian Oxford grew steadily, attracting local migration because of the varied job opportunities. Suburban development was profoundly influenced by topography and the decisions taken by landowners. Corporate landowners preferred leasehold development to outright sale and their concern for reversionary value encouraged the building of high-cost, low-density housing. On freehold estates, too, standards were raised by the social and financial preferences of developers and builders, the introduction of building byelaws and the rising real incomes of potential investors and tenants. Access to cheap freehold plots prolonged the fragmentation of a building industry which depended heavily upon loans and credit. The suburbs were the product of innumerable local and personal decisions, providing a safe income for many private landlords and larger, more sanitary homes for better-off tenants. The new suburbs required many services and facilities, but the provision of these owed much to their social status. With an increasing number of resident councillors, leasehold, middle-class North Oxford had the political and economic power to maintain and enhance its character. Elsewhere, market forces prevailed over amenity, public utilities were grudgingly provided and the limited nature of municipal intervention was most seriously felt. Conditions were ameliorated, however, by those people and organisations who, for various reasons, provided churches, schools and recreational facilities.
Planning for shrinking cities in Portugal
shrinking cities, Portugal, urban planning, regional planning
This thesis is about shrinking cities and planning. Urban growth has been a synonym of success throughout the world; and even considered the true and sole reason for planning. Even though shrinkage is as old as growth, it has become more visible since unquestionable facts started to challenge conservative and established planning paradigms. Consequently, the theory of shrinkage is still under development, gradually building up. Portugal is not an exception to this rule. This presents an opportunity to contribute to the theory of shrinkage, to find original evidence about shrinkage in Portugal and investigate how planning is dealing with this issue. The first part of the dissertation corresponds to a literature review to assemble a theoretical framework for shrinkage and its relation with urban and regional planning. The second part of the research focuses on the Portuguese case, first on a macro scale and then materializing the city scale of shrinkage. In the third part, cluster analysis is used to classify the Portuguese shrinking cities. Finally, plan content analysis is applied to national, regional and local spatial planning instruments to determine responsiveness to shrinkage. The study is completed by revisiting the most important questions both in the theoretical discussion and the empirical research. Together with the theoretical analysis, the results comprise, firstly a broad picture of shrinkage; secondly, a typology of shrinking cities; and thirdly, an account of the awareness and approach to shrinkage in Portugal. The research concludes that despite the embryonic character of shrinkage in Portugal there is evidence of its existence, although planning’s response does not match evidence found. Recommendations for city policy, planning practitioners and future research on this topic are offered based on the findings.
Pinho, Paulo Manuel Neto da Costa. Supervisor
La transformación de la ciudad en la era de las múltiples pantallas : nueva configuración espacio temporal (1980-2010)
pantalla, espacio público, ciudades y comunidades virtuales, arte crítico
La pantalla, eterna ventana a otros mundos, en los últimos años ha pasado de ser un fiel soporte de imágenes para transformarse en un auténtico visor por donde todo pasa, pero nada permanece. Por ella corre aquello que ha perdido presencia tangible en nuestro amplísimo repertorio visual, lo que ha reposicionado nuestras experiencias y sensaciones con respecto al entorno e imágenes que nos rodean. Ha modificado nuestros espacios de vida, contribuido a condicionar una nueva lectura espacio-temporal que tiene que ver con la simultaneidad, con la contracción, con la vida en tiempo real, en donde los diversos escenarios son una constante y por consiguiente la posibilidad de mundos y ciudades "múltiples", así como la creación de comunidades virtuales, una realidad. La ciudad contemporánea se vive a través de y en pantallas, al mismo tiempo, también es albergue de ellas; de manera que el discurso visual y el arte crítico que reflexiona y cuestiona el papel de este artilugio en las sociedades contemporáneas puede resultar un real revitalizador de las experiencias que, a través de ese discurso, se viven fundamentalmente en los espacios comunes. Lejos de satanizar este, tan cuestionado aparato, que pronto dejará de mostrarse tal y como hoy todavía lo reconocemos, el trabajo de investigación que aquí presentamos busca colocarlo en su justa dimensión con respecto a su papel condicionante en y para los espacios públicos.
Universitat Politècnica de València (España)
Cuesta Valera, María Salomé. Directora de tesis
Bordons Gangas, María Teresa. Directora de tesis
"La révolution urbaine" Henri Lefèbvres Philosophie der globalen Verstädterung
Praxisphilosophie, Raumproduktion, Verstädterung, Recht auf die Stadt
Die These einer globalen Urbanisierung beansprucht bei Lefèbvre eine umfassende geistige Konfrontation, die im Übergang von ruralen zu urbanen Strukturen zentrale Elemente von gesellschaftspolitischer und philosophischer Relevanz aufzeigt. Von der konkreten politischen Situation im Paris der sechziger Jahre ausgehend, entfaltet sich Lefèbvres provokative These von der Auseinandersetzung mit der "Praxis" als Kritik des Alltags ("critique de la vie quotidienne") über entwicklungstheoretische Fragestellungen und Konzepte bis hin zu ästhetischen Debatten um zentrale Probleme des Urbanismus. Unterschiedlichste Aspekte werden schrittweise in ein umfassendes Konzept eingebunden. Einerseits die praxisorientierte Ausrichtung der These der globalen Verstädterung, die am politischen und gesellschaftlichen Alltag dokumentiert wird, andererseits die philosophische Dimension, die Schaffung einer zweiten Natur, der urbanen, ausgehend von der ursprünglichen, der ruralen als Entfaltungsprozess des Menschen. Beiden Lesarten, die sich zum Teil ergänzen, zum Teil schwer in ein schlüssiges Konzept einzubinden sind, wird in der Arbeit Rechnung getragen. Die philosophische Ausrichtung wird anhand der Bezüge zum praktischen und theoretischen Umfeld sowie der Einbindung in das Gesamtwerk progressiv erarbeitet. Die Arbeit am Original, allein schon durch die zum Teil irreführenden Übersetzungen und die Sperrigkeit einiger Textpassagen unumgänglich, steht für die Intention einer Wiedergabe und einer Interpretation aus erster Hand. Die Schwierigkeiten und Herausforderungen einer möglichst umfassenden Darstellung bestehen in der Tatsache, dass Lefèbvres Texte zur Stadt auf unterschiedlichen Ebenen zu lesen sind. Methodisch begegnet die Arbeit der These der globalen Verstädterung mit einer Darstellung von "La révolution urbaine", um darauf aufbauend, zentrale Elemente und Aspekte erneut aufzugreifen und weiterzuentwickeln. Im Laufe der Arbeit ergibt sich eine zunehmende Verdichtung, die es erlaubt, die These der globalen Verstädterung als Kernaussage der Philosophie Lefèbvres ‚fugenartig’ darzustellen und zu deuten. Die Stadt als "oeuvre" und die globale Urbanisierung als "oeuvre total" zu bestimmen, erlaubt die "strategische Hypothese" der globalen Verstädterung über jede soziologische Dimension hinaus im "praxisphilosophischen" Zusammenhang zu deuten und Lefèbvre in philosophischen Kontext zu setzen. Der Bezug zur Gegenwart ergibt sich durch eine selektive Bestandsaufnahme, sowie den Versuch die These der Urbansierung zu aktualisieren.
Intra-urban segregation changes: An evaluation of three segregation frameworks with a case study of Columbus Ohio MSA, 1990 and 2000
race, ethnicity, segregation, neighborhood, spatial assimiliation, place stratification, resurgent ethnicity
There are three major frameworks on segregation changes: spatial assimilation, place stratification, and resurgent ethnicity. Previous efforts to evaluate the significance of each framework, dominantly relying on cross-urban metrics, fall short in shedding light on underlying processes of segregation changes within a city, providing only circumstantial evidences for each framework. The author diagnoses that this shortcoming is a result of neglecting variability of segregation at the neighborhood level. Accordingly, this dissertation argues that more attention should be given to local segregation measures and proposes a set of local segregation measures corresponding to two spatial dimensions of segregation: the Location Quotient (LQ) for concentration-evenness and Local Moran’s I (LM-I) for clustering-exposure. Using these local measures, the dissertation examines segregation change at the neighborhood level in terms of residential patterning of race/ethnicity and neighborhood characteristics of racial/ethnic clustering/segregation in the Columbus Ohio MSA, 1990 and 2000. The overall findings strongly support resurgent ethnicity as the most relevant of the three frameworks.
The battles of Germantown: Public history and preservation in America's most historic neighborhood during the twentieth century
American history, historic preservation, public history, public memory, Philadelphia
This dissertation examines how public history and historic preservation have changed during the twentieth century by examining the Germantown neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1683, Germantown is one of America’s most historic neighborhoods, with resonant landmarks related to the nation’s political, military, industrial, and cultural history. Efforts to preserve the historic sites of the neighborhood have resulted in the presence of fourteen historic sites and house museums, including sites owned by the National Park Service, the National Trust for Historic Preservation, and the City of Philadelphia. Germantown is also a neighborhood where many of the ills that came to beset many American cities in the twentieth century are easy to spot. The 2000 census showed that one quarter of its citizens live at or below the poverty line. Germantown High School recently made national headlines when students there attacked a popular teacher, causing severe injuries. Many businesses and landmark buildings now stand shuttered in community that no longer can draw on the manufacturing or retail economy it once did. Germantown’s twentieth century has seen remarkably creative approaches to contemporary problems using historic preservation at their core. What was tried, together with what succeeded and failed, help to explain how urban planning, heritage tourism, architectural preservation and museum studies have evolved in the country overall. Each decade offered examples of attempted solutions and success stories, frequently setting standards for historic preservation nationally. In Germantown’s case, history was identified early and throughout the century as a useful tool to build into an economic engine for the neighborhood. And yet, history has not proved to be as beneficial to the neighborhood as had been hoped. Why did history not provide the development spark that people thought it would? The answer to this question is beset with many ironies to be explored in this study. Germantown’s greatest feature, its history, often got in the way. More specifically, the practice of history, locally and more generally, did not always help Germantown’s expressed goal to make its history more effective in the economic development of the neighborhood. Beset with many competing groups and unable to overcome entrenched traditions, Germantown’s primary selling point, its historic assets, often paradoxically served as a barrier to achieving those goals. Institutional, systemic, and cultural factors have all played in to how Germantown has not been able to take full advantage of its history for the benefit of the entire community. Germantown offers a way to study life in a twentieth century city through the ways that people think about history. Germantown history shows how thinking about preservation went from a notion of attempting to seal off the past in reverent isolation to one of the responsible management of change. The former required authority, the latter requires respect for multiple narratives. The process required the evolution, over many years and many contested issues, of the historical profession as whole.
The changing structure of neighborhood social conditions in Cleveland, Ohio, 1979-1989
changing structure, neighborhood social conditions, Cleveland, Ohio
This study examines the interrelationships and their location among a set of social conditions across the inner city neighborhoods in a northern industrial city over the decade of the 1980s. Specifically, it addresses the questions of whether there has been a change in the structure of neighborhood social conditions and how that change occurred over time. It extends the current literature to provide an understanding of the dynamic changes of neighborhood structure. A multivariate-structural approach is used to analyze the occurrence rates of ten social conditions between 1980 and 1989. Results of the analysis showed that the internal structure of the neighborhood social conditions had indeed changed over time. In the early 1980s, the occurrence of social conditions varied along three dimensions of difficulties related to adolescents, families and children, and crimes. By the late 1980s, these social conditions had become highly interconnected and could not be differentiated by the earlier structure. Three new dimensions, including the substantial difficulties to the families, children, teenagers, and young adults as a single dimension, together with safety and infant death, have emerged. The increasing family disruption and the involvement of d elinquent behaviors with drug activities appeared to be the major driving forces for such a structural change. The quality of life in inner city neighborhoods is worsening due to the increasing interdependence of these devastating conditions. Social conditions were not evenly distributed. In the early 1980s, five areas: stable, urban village, anomie, family breakup, and extreme-outlier were classified by the different problems that each area had encountered. By the late 1980s, four other areas were identified: stable, transitory, distressed, and extreme-outlier. They were differentiated by the overall deterioration levels of the social conditions. Although most neighborhoods have witnessed a decline in social conditions, some areas were more resistant to adverse change than the others. The stability in residential compositions and family structure, as well as the availability of local resources seem to play significant roles in the reversal process. To provide support and resources in the neighborhoods therefore becomes crucial. Prevention of further decline in neighborhood social conditions is recommended as the focus of policy and program planning in the future.
High technology and intra-urban transformations: A case study of Bengaluru, India
high technology, urban change, Bengaluru
High technology is defined as software and hardware firms, information technology enabled services and fiber optics. These firms locate in large cities and take advantage of cheap and high skilled technical skills with knowledge of English language to promote efficiency and productivity in global enterprises. The overarching question addressed in this research is why do some urban regions grow and others stagnate in the global economy? Why do high technology firms choose to locate in some urban areas and not other cities? Since the 1990s the Indian government implemented the policy of liberalization, deregulation and globalization. Large cities such as Bengaluru, Delhi, and Mumbai have experienced a process of urban growth based on agglomeration economies and this has manifested several spatial changes such as specialization of urban regions, growing urban interdependencies, new patterns in the spread of technologies, changes in the product mix of regions and changes in the product mix of the local economy. This research is a study of the Bengaluru and examines the following two major questions: (1) Has the location of high technology in Bengaluru contributed to intra-urban transformations at the ward level? and (2) Have the high tech firms created social gaps within the different wards of Bengaluru? This research uses both quantitative, qualitative methods and geographic information systems (GIS) for analyzing data. Secondary data was collected from Bangalore Development Authority (BDA), Bangalore City Corporation (BCC), Bangalore Transportation Authority (BTA), Census of India, and Department of Information and Technology, Bengaluru. Primary data was collected through interviews. This research concludes that the location of high tech firms has increased the gap and has transformed the high tech wards and non-high tech wards socially and economically and even culturally. The high tech firms do not simply agglomerate in proximity to educational institutions within wards but coexist where wards are characterized by high literacy, illiteracy, slum population, high rise luxurious apartments, shopping malls, poverty and homelessness. An example of such a ward is Koramangala with the best residential locality, excellent educational institutions and cluster of slums are found.
Between city and suburb: The near urban neighborhood, technology, and the commodification of the American house, 1914-1934
architecture, housing, consumer culture, neighborhood, community, technology, urban history, planning, New Urbanism
This work offers a new perspective on the standard interpretation of suburbanization in the United States and provides a historical model within the literature of New Urbanism. The work investigates aspects of both the community and commodity of the “modern” home and what I refer to as the near urban neighborhood. During the early decades of the twentieth century, there was a fundamental change in the nature of housing in the United States. This change resulted in a new residential streets developed to be both automobile- and pedestrian-friendly; a new floor plan, what I refer to as a box for technology; and the commodification of the American home, equated with items such as the radio and automobile. The house itself, as it exists today, is a record of this change. In this study, architectural archaeology and an in depth investigation of one street in Columbus, Ohio, were used to gain historical insight about why the house changed. This study of eight primary artifacts (houses) was augmented by trade journals, plan books, and ladies’ magazines to show how the new house plan of the 1920s became standardized across the United States. These investigations showed that by the 1920s: 1. The house sat on a street. The street connected the house to services, often technological. And the neighborhood connected the house to community; 2. The house was a box for technology holding the appliances and artifacts connected to the systems on the street; 3. The box consisted of a series of rooms, each with its own technological appliances and devices; 4. Emergent middle-class families bought these homes. Evidence suggested that changes in technology became the common thread in the development of the new house type. The technological change within the near urban home was not a slow, progressive transition. The change was fast and revolutionary. By purchasing a near urban home, the homeowner bought and embraced the entire package of twentieth-century technology and culture. The home had become “modern” in both its plan and conception. And, builders and owners tied the idea of the “modern” home directly to the technology within.
Locating cultural economy and exploring its connections with urban policymaking: A case study of Columbus, OH
art education, public administration, sociology, cultural policy, cultural economy, urban policymaking
The cultural economy of American cities emerged as an important topic in cultural policy at the end of the 21st Century, when cultural policy makers started to highlight the multifaceted dynamics of cultural activities and city officials started to pay attention to their great potentials for the growth and well-being of the city. This moved cultural policy from the national to the local level and two main problems emerged. First, it is not always agreed what constitutes cultural economy; the academic literature and reports are not consistent in the language, and their object of analysis is defined by different boundaries. Second, the connections between the cultural economy and urban policymaking are unclear due to the lack of standardized structure in city bureaucracy and the intricacy of metropolitan governance, in particular, for what concern suburbanization. The purpose of my dissertation is to inform decision making for cultural planning by exploring the connections between cultural economy and urban policymaking. To this end, I develop a research strategy that entails two steps: (1) build a definition of cultural economy that can be operationalized, and (2) find an analytical approach that can link the data about the cultural economy to the complexity of urban policymaking. First, I review a broad range of literature, categorizing the different approaches and identifying three main domains: industries, institutions, and districts. They are characterized by three main differences - foundational concepts, economic functions, and interaction mechanisms - but merge in an inclusive definition of the cultural economy. Second, I use a geographical information system (GIS) as method of analysis. GIS is a powerful analytical tool; creating maps, it grasps the administrative, social, and economic aspects intertwined with culture. My empirical analysis focuses on Columbus, Ohio, USA, and its suburbs. I locate their cultural economy identifying its breadth and articulation. Then, I explore the connections of cultural economy with urban policymaking: I analyze the Neighborhood Liaison Areas and their socioeconomic characteristics, I map the situation in the suburbs, and, finally, I overlay and compare the Neighborhood Liaisons Areas with the suburbs.
Creating connections: Economic development, land use, and the system of cities in Northwest Ohio during the nineteenth century
nineteenth century, urban, rural, development, settlement, economics, historical geography, policy history, Ohio, Toledo
Examining how economics, geography, and politics interacted in the expansion and economic changes within the United States, this dissertation investigated the symbiotic relationships and their qualities among the economic transformations of an urban area and its surrounding hinterland throughout the nineteenth century. Specifically, it investigated how the economic and population changes within Toledo, Ohio, molded the development of agricultural hinterlands and how the condition and settlement of the surrounding rural areas shaped the economic changes of Toledo. The quality of transportation connections among Toledo and other nascent towns, market interactions among residents, and the relationships between land quality and usage provided for symbiotic economic development of urban areas and rural hinterlands. The ability to use certain transportation infrastructures, the condition of land, and the availability of natural resources determined the type, quantity, and strength of market connections among people, which influenced the amount and forms of economic change for the area. Conclusions of this study were drawn from analyzing census records, newspaper advertisements and editorials, agricultural reports, and business records and literature. This research introduced a new paradigm of regional economic change named the “subregional model” which included a hub, local economic centers, small villages and farms, and links of various qualities. The subregional model also contained an environmental character explaining economic change. Land conditions not only affected land use practices but also prompted policymakers to enact improvement plans supporting new market interactions among people. Integration and strength of connections provided generative economic development with cities on a subregional level extracting natural resources from the hinterland to stimulate urban expansion through new businesses and growing manufacturing establishments. The findings of this dissertation add to the understanding of economic changes through settlement, urban and rural development, and land use in United States history emphasizing connections whose number and quality greatly determined the pace and magnitude of economic change. Because most residents of the United States lived within systems of medium-sized economic centers surrounded by hinterlands, the study and interpretive analyses of places such as Toledo and northwest Ohio are fundamental to the understanding of the history of the United States.
Diverging paths: The determinants of neighbourhood change across space and time
neighborhood, neighborhood change, multilevel modeling, urban planning
The principal research question is “Why do some neighborhoods in U.S. urban areas stay economically healthy and others do not?” This study proposes three hypotheses on diverging paths of neighborhood change: first, neighborhood change is produced by interactions of factors at the metropolitan, municipal, and neighborhood scales; second, “the politics of scale”—city size and the homogeneity level of household interests in a municipality—is an important factor leading to different paths and outcomes of neighborhood change; and third, factors of neighborhood change have altered over time. The primary data set used in this study is the Neighborhood Change Data Base by GeoLytics that includes the decennial census data across the country from 1970 to 2000 at the census tract level. This study examines the proposed hypotheses with a random sample of 35 metropolitan areas and analyzes the data set using multilevel modeling. Using per capita income and average housing value in neighborhoods, this study develops an index of neighborhood economic condition and uses the change of this index as the dependent variable in the empirical analyses. The explanatory variables included in the model are based on the theories on neighborhood change and the comprehensive model of neighborhood change proposed in this study. This study finds clear evidence to support the proposed hypotheses. First, neighborhood change is produced by interactions of factors at the metropolitan, municipal, and neighborhood scales. Secondly, the politics of scale matters in neighborhood change in that neighborhoods are more likely improve economically in smaller and more homogeneous cities. Finally, factors affecting neighborhood change have altered over time. Based on the findings, this study suggests that it is essential to take metropolitan, municipal, and neighborhood contexts into account together in setting public policies for community development. With regard to the politics of scale, larger and more heterogeneous cities should learn from smaller and more homogeneous cities by, for example, working to increase community interaction, which is positively related to city growth. Finally, because the factors associated with neighborhood change were different in different time periods, local governments should plan in preparation for housing market change. By taking the municipal and metropolitan contexts as well as the neighborhood context into account, this study helps improve our understanding of diverging paths and determinants of neighborhood change. If we know why neighborhoods undergoing changes move in different directions and how the influences of neighborhood change have altered over time, we can do a better job of designing policies to ameliorate different conditions. In a more theoretical vein, this study contributes to the literature by providing a comprehensive model of neighborhood change over space and time.
Impacts of urban containment policies on urban growth and structure
urban containment policies, greenbelts, urban growth boundaries, urban service areas, population and employment growth, urban spatial structure
Numerous communities have adopted some form of urban containment policies (UCPs), such as greenbelt, urban growth boundaries (UGBs), and urban service areas (USAs), as methods to prevent urban sprawl and protect open space. Although there is controversy over the negative and positive impacts of UCPs, little is known on their impacts on population and employment growth, and on the overall urban spatial structure. The purpose of this research is to (1) understand the system of UCPs, (2) empirically analyze their impacts on population and employment growth, and built-up areas in combination with housing values, and (3) examine their impacts on the location of industrial activities as well as population. Two approaches are considered to empirically analyze the impacts of UCPs on urban growth and urban spatial structure. In the first approach, a simultaneous equation model is used with, as endogenous variables, the changes in total population, total employment and sectoral employment, housing values, and land area at the municipal/city level. In the second approach, population and employment density gradients, estimated with both monocentric and polycentric models at the metropolitan level, are used to examine the impacts of different UCPs on urban spatial structure. The research finds that both the stringent containment policies (SCPs), including greenbelts and UGBs, and the less stringent containment policies (LSCP), including USAs, have significant impacts on changes in population, employment, housing values, and land areas. When both direct and indirect effects are taken into account, the SCPs have a positive effect on changes in population, employment, housing values, and land area twice larger than the LSCPs, suggesting that SCPs more successfully accommodate new growth within the growth boundaries, and that housing values increase with the tightness of UCPs. In terms of the urban spatial structure, statewide SCPs encourage metropolitan areas to move to a polycentric development pattern, locally-enforced SCPs support a monocentric pattern, and USAs produce sprawled development patterns.
The political economy of intergovernmental grants to cities
political economy, intergovernmental grants, grants, aid, local government, city budget
In 1988 cities and townships received $39.1 billion, or 25.9% of their total general revenues in the form of intergovernmental aid from the federal and state governments... Despite the importance of these programs their effects are often unclear. Many questions are not well understood. In particular: What effect does aid have on city expenditures and taxes? Are different categories of city expenditures affected differently by grants? What are the different impacts of different types of aid programs? And do the effects of aid vary systematically according to city political structure or city size and location?