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Urban Planning and Economic Development

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Urban and Rural Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 12939

Special Issue Editor

Institute of Research into Environmental Sciences of Aragón (IUCA), University of Zaragoza, Pedro Cerbuna 12, 50009 Zaragoza, Spain
Interests: sustainable urban planning; regional planning; urban sprawl; urban growth

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue will show research outcomes about urban planning policies and experiences as a result of the interaction between planning and economic development in a large sense, from a regional and metropolitan scope to small-scale urban projects for economic development. UN-Habitat New Urban Agenda highlights the role of sustainable urban planning to foster international, national, subnational, and local economic development in different ways such as infrastructure, transportation and housing production, sustainable management of energy and environmental resources, establishment of corporate headquarters, cooperation between private investments and public authorities in projects for urban prosperity in vibrant cities, trigger economies of scale and agglomeration, and leverage urban potential to generate increased added value, including property value, business facilitation, etc. Urban policies and planning contribute to increasing economic productivity, creating urban new employment and fostering competitive urban economy.

This Special Issue will also address other urban challenges like the transition to higher productivity through high-value-added sectors, by promoting diversification, technological upgrading, research, and innovation, including the development of new urban areas for economic development, but in particular the renewal of existing urban settlements like city centers hosting productive jobs in the sectors of the information economy, cultural and creative industries, and sustainable tourism, among others. Thus, papers dealing with integrated urban and territorial planning are welcome, including planned urban extensions or urban transformations based on the principles of equitable, efficient, and sustainable use of land and natural resources, compactness, polycentrism, appropriate density and connectivity, and multiple uses of spaces, as well as mixed social and economic uses in built-up areas, in order to prevent urban sprawl and reduce mobility challenges and needs and service delivery costs.

Therefore, this Special Issue of Sustainability entitled “Urban Planning and Economic Development” will publish research focused on the economic approach to urban planning and development. Accordingly, the Special Issue invites original papers on conceptual approaches, theoretical frameworks, empirical research, and case studies of cities from all around the world, which advance our current understanding of urban sustainable development from a comprehensive perspective. The Special Issue focuses on topics that include but are not limited to the following:

  • Urban planning and economic development
  • Urban renewal
  • New activity zones for manufacturing, offices, retail, or technopolis
  • Central business districts
  • Mall investments
  • Metropolitan infrastructures: airports, roads, trains, harbors, and logistic areas.
  • Housing projects, housing construction, housing investments
  • Strategic planning
  • Urban tourism, MICE industry, the impact of new apps like Uber or Airbnb
  • Urban econometrics
  • Mega projects
  • Measures to mitigate the economic impact of Covid-19 on cities.

Prof. Dr. Rafael de Miguel González
Guest Editor

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

  • urban planning
  • economic development
  • urban growth
  • value capture
  • big projects

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 5181 KiB  
Article
Spatial Analysis of Local Competitiveness: Relationship of Economic Dynamism of Cities and Municipalities in Major Regional Metropolitan Areas in the Philippines
by Ronnie H. Encarnacion, Dina C. Magnaye and Annlouise Genevieve M. Castro
Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 950; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15020950 - 04 Jan 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3162
Abstract
The measurement of cities and municipalities competitiveness in the Philippines has been put in place by the Department of Trade and Industry since 2013. However, its use as a spatial planning parameter is lacking in the literature. This paper reviewed the factors that [...] Read more.
The measurement of cities and municipalities competitiveness in the Philippines has been put in place by the Department of Trade and Industry since 2013. However, its use as a spatial planning parameter is lacking in the literature. This paper reviewed the factors that drive competitiveness. The research revealed that “economic dynamism” appeared at the top of the factors that contribute to competitiveness and influence regional development. Given urban and regional planning theories, metropolitan areas were chosen as the most appropriate case study sites that exhibit economic dynamism. The study revealed that the “Economic Dynamism Index”, or EDi, of cities and municipalities are spatially correlated, indicative of their clustering pattern in the economic space. The clustering pattern was determined by treating the EDi as a spatial attribute in the major metropolitan case study areas. Using Moran’s I global spatial autocorrelation analysis, the clustering pattern of cities and municipalities observed through the GIS map was validated by the 99% significance in the spatial statistics of the EDi dataset. This suggests that “complementation” among cities and municipalities exists rather than competition. Thus, sustainable regional spatial/economic development strategies can be reformulated, given the spatial interactions of areas with higher EDi with the less endowed cities/municipalities at the periphery. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Planning and Economic Development)
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17 pages, 7406 KiB  
Article
Coordinated Development of Urban Agglomeration in Central Shanxi
by Yongjian Cao, Zhongwu Zhang, Jie Fu and Huimin Li
Sustainability 2022, 14(16), 9924; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14169924 - 11 Aug 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1346
Abstract
Central Shanxi is one of the nine urban agglomerations proposed in China’s latest national planning, which has great development potential and represents a major opportunity for Shanxi Province to rise in central China. How to determine the existing problems and promote better-coordinated development [...] Read more.
Central Shanxi is one of the nine urban agglomerations proposed in China’s latest national planning, which has great development potential and represents a major opportunity for Shanxi Province to rise in central China. How to determine the existing problems and promote better-coordinated development is the goal of this article. Therefore, an improved gravity model, industrial structure similarity coefficient and population–economic growth elasticity method were used to analyze and study the coordinated development of urban agglomerations in central Shanxi from the perspectives of economy, industry and population–economy. The research conclusion is that there are three problems: a low level of coordinated economic development, strong dependence on coal resources, and uncoordinated population development and economic growth. Therefore, this paper discusses and puts forward the main strategies for the government to strengthen economic planning, improve the level of economic development, optimize and upgrade the industrial structure, end dependence on coal resources and strengthen regional ties, and improve the level of population and economy coordination so that the urban agglomeration in central Shanxi becomes the growth pole and important support point of regional economic and social development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Planning and Economic Development)
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22 pages, 3428 KiB  
Article
Using Maps to Boost the Urban Proximity: Analysis of the Location of Public Facilities According to the Criteria of the Spanish Urban Agenda
by Beatriz Torinos-Aguado, Isabel Rabanaque and Carlos López-Escolano
Sustainability 2022, 14(14), 8534; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14148534 - 12 Jul 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1485
Abstract
Developing analysis models that promote the sustainability, compactness and social balance of cities is particularly important in addressing post-pandemic urban planning. In this context, the population’s proximity to public facilities is essential for achieving these objectives. Based on this framework, this paper analyses [...] Read more.
Developing analysis models that promote the sustainability, compactness and social balance of cities is particularly important in addressing post-pandemic urban planning. In this context, the population’s proximity to public facilities is essential for achieving these objectives. Based on this framework, this paper analyses the city of Valladolid (Spain) under the criteria of distance between the population and public facilities proposed by the Spanish Urban Agenda. Specifically, the focus is on calculating the coverage of population with access to the facilities within the recommended distance thresholds using GIS techniques. The methods used relate the facilities with the distance to the population in the census sections, a highly detailed statistical unit. The results have been mapped as a decision making support tool for the city, and show how general coverage of access to facilities for the urban area as a whole is adequate, especially in terms of public transport services, and meets the recommendations of the Spanish Urban Agenda. Maps also reveal how some areas of the city are not covered by most public facilities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Planning and Economic Development)
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20 pages, 10712 KiB  
Article
Economic Development Policies and Land Use Changes in Thailand: From the Eastern Seaboard to the Eastern Economic Corridor
by Nij Tontisirin and Sutee Anantsuksomsri
Sustainability 2021, 13(11), 6153; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13116153 - 30 May 2021
Cited by 13 | Viewed by 5456
Abstract
The Thai government’s project called “Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC)” was announced in 2016 to stimulate economic development and help the country escape from the middle-income trap. The project provides investment incentives for the private sector and the infrastructure development of land, rail, water, [...] Read more.
The Thai government’s project called “Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC)” was announced in 2016 to stimulate economic development and help the country escape from the middle-income trap. The project provides investment incentives for the private sector and the infrastructure development of land, rail, water, and air transportation. The EEC project encompasses three provinces in the eastern region of Thailand because of their strategic locations near deep seaports and natural resources in the Gulf of Thailand. Clearly, this policy will lead to dramatic changes in land uses and the livelihoods of the people in these three provinces. However, the extent to which land use changes will occur because of this project remains unclear. This study aims to analyze land use changes in the eastern region of Thailand using a Cellular Automata–Markov model. The results show that land uses of the coastal areas have become more urbanized than inland areas, which are primarily agricultural lands. The predicted land uses suggest shrinking agricultural lands of paddy fields, field crops, and horticulture lands but expanding perennial lands. These changes in land uses highlight challenges in urban administration and management as well as threats to Thailand’s agricultural cultures in the future. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Urban Planning and Economic Development)
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