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The Quality of Urban Areas: New Measuring Tools and Methods, Impact on Quality of Life and Costs of Bad Design

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2021) | Viewed by 30185

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Agnieszka Bieda

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Guest Editor

Department of Geomatics, Faculty of Mining Surveying and Environmental Engineering, AGH University of Science and Technology, 30 Mickiewicza Av., 30-059 Cracow, Poland
Interests: spatial planning; spatial policy; real estate management; property valuation; urban renewal; cadaster; land use policy; land use planning
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Agnieszka Telega

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Guest Editor

Department of Real Estate and Investment Economics, Faculty of Economics and International Relations, Cracow University of Economics, 27 Rakowicka St., 31-510 Cracow, Poland
Interests: real estate management; spatial development of urban and rural areas; spatial planning; urban planning; property valuation; spatial information systems

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

By 2030, about 5 billion people will be living in cities. In order to ensure sustainable urban development, it is crucial to implement an effective urban planning and management policy. Therefore, the aim of this Special Edition is to bring together in one place the most recent methods and tools for assessing the quality of an urban space, which will help to measure the impact of built environment on the quality of life in a city and, eventually, to estimate the costs of poorly designed and managed cities.

We have therefore identified three broad areas for an integrated approach to sustainable urban development:

Technological—how to study and measure the quality of urban space;
Social—what is the impact of urban space on the quality of inhabitants’ life;
Economic—what are the costs incurred by the residents/local governments due to poorly designed urban space.

We would like to encourage scholars to cooperate with us on the creation of this Special Edition of the journal. We invite researchers involved in spatial planning, urban planning, geodesy, GIS, revitalization, environmental protection, landscape architecture, economics, spatial management, law, and all other related fields to participate in our research.

The Special Issue focuses on papers that propose innovative techniques to assess the quality of urban areas, as well as interesting applications and well-prepared review articles.

The authors are invited to submit papers on the following topics in particular:

New methods and techniques for analysing built environment (various tools, techniques, methods, and data used to study built-up areas, e.g., remote sensing, space syntax, OSM);
The use of GIS tools to assess the quality of urban areas or the spatial distribution of buildings and functions;
Statistical analyses of the urban space characteristics from information obtained from surveys or direct measurements;
Case studies to assess the quality of selected cities or neighbourhoods;
Proposals for new administrative and legal procedures to improve the quality of urban areas.

Dr. Agnieszka Bieda
Dr. Agnieszka Telega
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

quality of urban areas
sustainable urban development
urban design
quality of life
assessment methods
measurement methods
urban governance
urban planning
urban renewal
Smart City

Published Papers (7 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research

6 pages, 710 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

The Analysis of Research Hotspots in the Field of Urban Quality

by Agnieszka Bieda and Agnieszka Telega

Sustainability 2021, 13(17), 9582; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13179582 - 25 Aug 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1629

Abstract

Urban areas are subject to continuous spatial and structural changes [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Quality of Urban Areas: New Measuring Tools and Methods, Impact on Quality of Life and Costs of Bad Design)

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Research

Jump to: Editorial

19 pages, 5187 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mobility and Urban Centralities: An Analysis Based on the Motorized Flows Attraction in Belo Horizonte/State of Minas Gerais/Brazil

by Daniela A. Lessa and Carlos Lobo

Sustainability 2021, 13(18), 10128; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su131810128 - 10 Sep 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1631

Abstract

The issues encompassing planning and management of the urban space are directly related to the transport system, of which the flow plays a central role. Therefore, an interdependence among urban tissue, space structuring, and demand for mobility are taken into account. The objective of this work, using the data taken from the last two Origin and Destination surveys (2002 and 2012), is to assess the possible reduced power of attraction of the Central Area of Belo Horizonte by means of the motorized flows as a result of the process of induction of power of attraction of new urban centralities through planning and management policies. The results presented in this work generally indicate that the spatial structure of Belo Horizonte has remained concentrated in the Central Area, though new flows seem to converge to the consolidation of new municipal centralities. Even if additional care in the interpretation of results is necessary due to the limited time cuts and the database used, besides the specific features of Belo Horizonte, the empirical evidence translated in the proposed indicators allow a more accurate reflection on the recent urban space configuration, with the connections established through the space mobility of the population. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Quality of Urban Areas: New Measuring Tools and Methods, Impact on Quality of Life and Costs of Bad Design)

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16 pages, 13918 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainable Beirut City Planning Post August 2020 Port of Beirut Blast: Case Study of Karantina in Medawar District

by David Aouad and Noushig Kaloustian

Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 6442; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13116442 - 05 Jun 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 7887

Abstract

The 4 August 2020 Port of Beirut blast caused material damage to an estimated 77,000 apartments located across 10,000 buildings within a 3 km radius of the blast, impacting around 300,000, people predominantly in the municipality of Karantina, which is situated adjacent to the Port of Beirut. The blast shed light on the instability and unsustainable development approach of the city of Beirut since well before the French mandate circa 1921–1940. The impact of the blast provides an opportunity to reassess the relationship between many relevant aspects of the city planning including but not limited to: the relationship of the city to its suburbs, waterfront, and city center; the lack of local planning and cross sectorial master plans; the preservation of the heritage versus the complexity of its urban development; the city growth and increased haphazard urbanization; the infrastructure/service systems that have over the years become increasingly deficient; the lack of public spaces; impacts on urban climate; and the urban divide and inequality that have only grown deeper since the blast, all of which have a combined and adverse impact on the quality of city life. This paper analyzes the most suitable indicators that one must highlight within the context of Beirut city to propose a better and sustainable quality of life with a focus on areas that were significantly impacted by the recent POB blast, namely Karantina. Examples of indicators which were analyzed include sustainable urban design, open spaces, heritage, infrastructure, and urban fabric. The results indicated that the following four main urban design features help improve the quality of life in Karantina, including: (i) connecting areas of Karantina and Mar Mkhael through the reactivation of vacant lots; (ii) reactivation of Ibrahim Bacha and El-Khodr Streets; (iii) redefining the historical El Khodr Mosque boundary and reclaiming its role as an urban landmark; and (iv) integration of classified built heritage. These parameters are necessary to improve the quality of life. The benefits of community participation are also assessed in the improvement and sustainable planning of the city of Beirut. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Quality of Urban Areas: New Measuring Tools and Methods, Impact on Quality of Life and Costs of Bad Design)

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36 pages, 4285 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Comparison between Multi-Criteria Decision-Making Methods and Evaluating the Quality of Life at Different Spatial Levels

by Samira Vakilipour, Abolghasem Sadeghi-Niaraki, Mostafa Ghodousi and Soo-Mi Choi

Sustainability 2021, 13(7), 4067; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13074067 - 06 Apr 2021

Cited by 30 | Viewed by 3415

Abstract

Achieving a good urban form has been a problem since the formation of the earliest cities. The tendency of human populations toward living in urban environments and urbanization has made the quality of life more prominent. This article aimed to calculate the quality of life in an objective way. For this purpose, the technique for order preferences by similarity to ideal solution (TOPSIS), vlseKriterijumsk optimizacija kompromisno resenje (VIKOR), simple additive weighted (SAW), and elimination and choice expressing reality (ELECTRE) have been utilized. Quality of life was assessed at three spatial levels. In this regard, socioeconomic, environmental, and accessibility dimensions were considered. As a result, in the first level of comparison, sub-districts in District 6 were ranked higher than that of District 13. On the second level, for District 6, vicinity sub-districts had higher rankings than the center, and for District 13, sub-districts near the center of the city had higher rankings. In the third level, District 6 had a higher quality of life. The results of the comparison between research methods showed that the SAW method performs better in terms of stability. Based on the results of correlation tables, there was a strong and direct relationship between each pair of methods at three spatial levels. In addition, as the study area became smaller, the similarity between the methods increased. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Quality of Urban Areas: New Measuring Tools and Methods, Impact on Quality of Life and Costs of Bad Design)

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17 pages, 6931 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Measuring Walkability with GIS—Methods Overview and New Approach Proposal

by Agnieszka Telega, Ivan Telega and Agnieszka Bieda

Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 1883; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13041883 - 09 Feb 2021

Cited by 30 | Viewed by 7089

Abstract

Cities occupy only about 3% of the Earth’s surface area, but half of the global population lives in them. The high population density in urban areas requires special actions to make these areas develop sustainably. One of the greatest challenges of the modern world is to organize urban spaces in a way to make them attractive, safe and friendly to people living in cities. This can be managed with the help of a number of indicators, one of which is walkability. Of course, the most complete analyses are based on spatial data, and the easiest way to implement them is using GIS tools. Therefore, the goal of the paper is to present a new approach for measuring walkability, which is based on density maps of specific urban functions and networks of generally accessible pavements and paths. The method is implemented using open-source data. Density values are interpolated from point data (urban objects featuring specific functions) and polygons (pedestrian infrastructure) using Kernel Density and Line Density tools in GIS. The obtained values allow the calculation of a synthetic indicator taking into account the access by means of pedestrian infrastructure to public transport stops, parks and recreation areas, various attractions, shops and services. The proposed method was applied to calculate the walkability for Kraków (the second largest city in Poland). The greatest value of walkability was obtained for the Main Square (central part of the Old Town). The least accessible to pedestrians are, on the other hand, areas located on the outskirts of the city, which are intended for extensive industrial areas, single-family housing or large green areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Quality of Urban Areas: New Measuring Tools and Methods, Impact on Quality of Life and Costs of Bad Design)

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21 pages, 4298 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Public Green Space Policy Implementation: A Case Study of Krakow, Poland

by Anita Kwartnik-Pruc and Anna Trembecka

Sustainability 2021, 13(2), 538; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13020538 - 08 Jan 2021

Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3325

Abstract

Green space is essential for the implementation of the idea of sustainable urban development. This paper contains original research on the implementation of local government tasks in the development of public green space. The aim of this research was to analyse the actions taken by the municipal authorities regarding the development of public green space, including the acquisition of real properties, the regulation of their legal status, as well as the adoption of planning and programme documents. The Polish Central Statistical Office data on the public green space of the largest cities in Poland were analysed in order to determine the dynamics of changes. Then, the focus was placed on Krakow, where the authors analysed in detail the distribution and type of urban green space as well as the actions taken by the Municipality to both extend it and to protect it against building development. The criterion of green space accessibility to city residents was indicated as a necessary aspect to be considered in the overall assessment of the existing greenery. The conclusions include the assessment of the actions of the Krakow authorities and the observed trends in the development of public green space. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Quality of Urban Areas: New Measuring Tools and Methods, Impact on Quality of Life and Costs of Bad Design)

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26 pages, 11933 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Airport Proximity on Single-Family House Prices—Evidence from Poland

by Mirosław Bełej, Radosław Cellmer and Michał Głuszak

Sustainability 2020, 12(19), 7928; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su12197928 - 24 Sep 2020

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3820

Abstract

Airports in Poland are obliged to observe the sustainable development principle and therefore to reduce their environmental impact by creating so-called limited use areas (LUA) related to aircraft-generated noise. The research authors analyzed airports’ impact on the prices of single-family homes located in the vicinity of airports. The LUA is therefore defined as the area designated to study the airport’s specific impact on the single-family housing market. This is a formal limit which determines the examination of price changes and the decision-making conditions of market participants. This methodical approach is justified because no excessive noise is expected outside the LUA. Therefore, two markets in the vicinity of airports were examined. One is in an LUA which is closer to the airport, and the other market is outside the LUA where external noise effects are not present. Thus, we consider that real estate located outside the LUA is not subject to a significant negative impact from the airport. The study covered the Gdańsk Lech Walesa Airport and the Warsaw Chopin Airport in Poland in adjacent areas with the research time horizon of 2013–2017. The study examined single-family house prices. We used a time series analysis, a classic multiple regression model, a spatial autoregressive model, and geographically weighted regression models in our research. Additionally, Geographical Information System (GIS) tools were used to visualize the results of our study. The research result was to demonstrate different impact levels of airports on the prices of single-family houses located in limited-use areas in Gdańsk and Warsaw. This research carries significant implications for the general public and airports’ economic decisions in resolving conflicts between the airport and residential property owners in airports’ vicinities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Quality of Urban Areas: New Measuring Tools and Methods, Impact on Quality of Life and Costs of Bad Design)

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