Changes in commuting mode and the relationship with psychological stress: A quasi-longitudinal analysis in urbanizing China

Emerging longitudinal research on the relationship between commuting mode and psychological wellbeing draws exclusively from cities in developed countries and the findings are not consistent. Our study contributes to the evidence base from urban China, where rapid urban growth has raised great concerns for urbanites’ commuting problems and...

Architectural Transformation of Luxembourg City during the 1960s: Politico-economic influence on the architectural and urban development of Luxembourg and its representation as a European city

During the 1950s and 1960s, Luxembourg underwent a major economic-political transformation that allowed the country to position itself as an internationally recognised financial hub and centre for European affairs. The degree of influence that this economic- political evolution of Luxembourg had on the architectural and urban development of...

Dreaming the wrong dream: An exploratory case study of a policy change toward sustainable urban development in a medium-sized Chinese city

Sustainable urban transformation has become a mantra for Chinese cities. While most studies focus on sustainable urbanization in megacities, the far larger number of medium-sized cities is understudied, although the latter face more severe urban problems. This article develops a framework for examining policy change in sustainable urban...

Mapping and quantifying the human-environment interactions in middle Egypt using machine learning and satellite data fusion techniques

Population growth in rural areas of Egypt is rapidly transforming the landscape. New cities are appearing in desert areas while existing cities and villages within the Nile floodplain are growing and pushing agricultural areas into the desert. To enable control and planning of the urban transformation, these rapid changes need to be mapped...

Suburban Metabolism: Growth and Sustainability in the Greater Toronto Area

The issue of suburban sprawl in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTA) has been increasing the pressures of land consumption, infrastructure development, resource consumption, and population growth over the past 50 years. The same can be said for many peripheral regions of Canada’s urban areas. In 2011, two thirds of the population of...

Embrace urban growth, avoid urban sprawl

In Europe there is a growing concern about the development of future urban form, especially deconcentrating of urban land use in the form of urban sprawl. Urban sprawl is synonymous with unplanned incremental urban development, characterized by a low density mix of land uses on the urban fringe. On 7th Environment Action Programme to 2020 ...

Designing a Blue-Green Infrastructure (BGI) network: Toward water-sensitive urban growth planning in Dhaka, Bangladesh

In a warming world, urban environmental stresses are exacerbated by population-increase-induced development of grey infrastructure that usually leaves minimal scope for blue (and green) elements and processes, potentially resulting in mismanagement of stormwater and flooding issues. This paper explores how urban growth planning in the...

Estimating the impacts of urban growth on future flood risk: A comparative study

The unprecedented growth of cities has a significant impact on future flood risk that might exceed the impacts of climate change in many metropolitan areas across the world. Although the effects of urbanisation on flood risk are well understood, assessments that include spatially explicit future growth projections are limited. This comparative...

Growing carbon-scapes in growing AMA: From emissions to circularity

In 2016, 54.5% of the world population was living in urban areas, whereas cities occupied only 2% of the total land. (United Nations: Department of Economic and Social Affairs, 2015). Climate change, inequality, peace and security issues are just some of the factors affecting urban areas and at the same time posing new challenges for urban...

In Favour of Spontaneous Urban Growth

The dynamics of the contemporary world has ruined the dream of permanence which dominated the field of planning for decades. The increasing amount and frequency of unpredicted urban transformations that take place in today’s cities have led to a state of urban development where planning and reality seems to be poles apart (Urban Catalyst, 2013)....

Urban Growth Modeling to Predict the Changes in the Urban Microclimate and Urban Water Cycle

The consequences of urban growth on the exposure, sensitivity but also as a driver of flooding are often underexposed. Yet, the rate of current urbanization is unprecedented and might increase future flood risk dramatically. To gain insight in this issue, a study on urban development has been performed using 3 case study areas: the megacities of...

Facing growth through permeability: 120 projects for Caracas

The accelerated growth that Caracas experienced during the twentieth century resulted in a superimposition of different urban patterns not always in proper dialogue between each other. The irregular political structure was supported by an increasingly powerful new economy which generated growth promoted by two opposite extremes. From above, the...