Planning for Mixed Use: Affordable for Whom?

Problem, research strategy, and findings: Mixed-use zoning is widely advocated to increase density; promote active transportation; encourage economic development; and create lively, diverse neighborhoods. We know little, however, about whether mixed-use developments affect housing affordability. We question the impact of mixed-use zoning on housing affordability in Toronto (Canada) between 1991 and 2006 in the face of waning government support for affordable housing and increasing income inequality due to the occupational restructuring accompanying a shift to a knowledge-based economy. We fi nd that housing in mixed-use zones remained less affordable than housing in the rest of the city and in the metropolitan region. High-income service occupations experienced improved affordability while lower wage service, trade, and manufacturing occupations experienced stagnant or worsening affordability. Housing in mixed-use zones is increasingly affordable only to workers already able to pay higher housing costs. Our findings are limited to Canada's largest city but have lessons for large North American cities with similar urban economies and housing markets.

Takeaway for practice: Mixed-use developments may reduce housing affordability in core areas and inadvertently reinforce the sociospatial inequality resulting from occupational polarization unless supported by appropriate affordable housing policies. Planners should consider a range of policy measures to offset the unintentional outcomes of mixed-use developments and ensure affordability within mixed-use zones: inclusionary zoning, density bonuses linked to affordable housing, affordable housing trusts, and other relevant methods.     

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Substrates for phosphorus removal-potential benefits for on-site wastewater treatment?

A large number of substrates potential for removal of phosphorus (P) in wastewater has been reviewed. The substrates consist of natural materials, industrial by-products and man-made products. Most substrates have been investigated in batch and column studies in the laboratory; others have also been tested in field trials. The results from these investigations vary, but a few substrates, e.g. wollastonite, slag material and, to some extent, light weight aggregate products, have demonstrated promising properties with regard to P-sorption capacity and hydraulics. The problems of normalisation of data are discussed, as well as the substrates potential benefits for on-site wastewater treatment.     

Towards a methodology for mapping ‘regions for sustainability’ using PPGIS

There is debate about the problems of communication between scientists, planners and stakeholder, and the scale at which environmental planning should take place. A review of the literature reveals that the concept of holistic landscape ecology is gaining ground in the scientific community. It also becomes clear that participation by stakeholders is not only important in satisfying the requirements of Agenda 21 but also of ensuring cooperation by local inhabitants in the final plan. Moreover, participation is becoming accepted as a vehicle for the planners to gain access to local knowledge, which is a vital complement to scientific knowledge. The challenge is to create a methodology that will overcome the shortfalls currently encountered and allow participants to be proactive in their definition of their landscape. This is possible by extending the experiments in public participation geographical information systems so long as care is taken to overcome problems in public unfamiliarity with the technology. The purpose of this paper is to draw together research in the fields of landscape ecology and planning to enable the formulation of a methodology for achieving greater and more proactive input in participation. The methodology proposed is currently actionable and this paper also points to the potential for a new emphasis in research.     

Dimension stone for building façades: methodology for structural design

The importance of a careful selection of rocks used in building façade cladding is highlighted. A simple and viable methodology for the structural detailing of dimension stones and the verification of the global performance is presented based on a Strap software simulation. The results obtained proved the applicability of the proposed structural dimensioning methodology which represents an excellent simple tool for dimensioning rock slabs used for building façade cladding. The Strap software satisfactorily simulated the structural conditions of the stone slabs under the studied conditions, allowing the determination of alternative slab dimensions and the verification of the cladding strength at the support.     

Essay for World Architecture Review

I believe that architecture is the richest and sturdiest of all arts. These qualities grow from the firm roots that each project has on a site, on the techniques of construction, and on the specific functions and goals of the people who will inhabit the future building. Architects must respond appropriately to the demands of the specific circumstances of each project, and in the process try to make the final product, the building, into a work of art.     

China Ready for New Houses

In China,houses that resembledmatch-boxes or military camps werethe norm for years——although manypeople complained they were dull an-dlacked individuality and good taste.It was the housing reform of 1991that led to a variety of new and bolderhousing designs.To showcase this new art,a hous-ing exhibition was held in Shanghaithis summer.     

“Five-Year Plan” for State-Level Municipal Infrastructure Released for the First Time

<正>The"13~(th) Five-Year Plan"for the Construction of Municipal Infrastructures in Cities of China that was compiled by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the National Development and Reform Commission was released for enforcement on May 26,2017.It is a first state-level and comprehensive plan for municipal infrastructures construction,which changes the conventional method of compiling different plans in different domains.As a systematic integration of related     

Planning for Sharing – Providing Infrastructure for Citizens to be Makers and Sharers

This paper explores how local authorities can develop infrastructure for collaborative consumption, i.e. sharing amongst citizens of tools, spaces and practical skills. The City of Malmö, Sweden, is used as a case study to illustrate the work with such “sharing infrastructure”. Existing planning research and planning practice for sustainability generally focus on facilitating citizens to live in a more eco-friendly way in terms of housing, modes of transport, waste flows and use of green space, but do not address citizens’ consumption of other material goods. This paper points to a potential role for local public planning in relation to collaborative consumption through creating sharing infrastructure, i.e. providing access to shared tools and spaces for making and repairing, thus enabling citizens to act in the city not only as consumers, but also as makers and sharers.     

Predicament for human settlements†

The urban predicament is not easy to solve. If we want to succeed we must start with facts and not with ideas, especially unrealistic ones. If we start with facts, we will find that we live in the era of explosions, four of which (population, economy, energy, mobility) influence our human settlements to a very high degree. By following the most probable evolution of these explosions we can predict the dimensions of our future cities, then we will understand that such predictions, although very realistic, do not show anything about the quality of life in the future. By analyzing the situation properly we can understand that while we cannot change the basic forces, like population and energy evolution, which in a way are really macro‐biological, we can create the quality we need. Our predicament is that the basic dimensions of the urban evolution cannot change. But the quality of our city can be changed and depends on us, our maturity, our scientific approach and our courage.     

China Toasted for Fast Urbanization

China's step-by-step solution to urbanization prob-lems is“a great contribution to human society,”a Chinese of-ficial said.Li Zhendong,Vice Minister of Construction,predictedthat China's urban population is expected to hit 400 millionby the year 2000 and 500 million by 2020.China currentlyhas a population of 1.1 billion.     

Lessons for LEED® for Neighborhood Development,Social Equity,and Affordable Housing

Problem, research strategy, and findings: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design® for Neighborhood Development (LEED®ND) is a rating system designed to encourage sustainable development. I explore why and how most LEED®ND projects ultimately fail to meet the equity goals inherent in sustainability. I survey 114 LEED®ND accredited professionals (APs) and conduct 20 interviews with LEED®ND APs to illuminate the role of the rating system in developer decisions to include affordable housing in their projects. I also explore why nonprofit developers see value in seeking LEED®ND certification for their projects. Although a limited sample, it provides insights into how the certification process affects developer decisions. I find that the LEED®ND rating system does a poor job of encouraging developers to provide affordable housing: Only 40% of LEED®ND-certified projects include affordable housing. LEED®ND APs do not feel that the system offers sufficient incentives to overcome the risks and costs of providing affordable housing. Nonprofit developers might pursue LEED®ND to create savings for residents, but may be deterred by the cost of certification. Most respondents feel that the affordable housing credit should be increased and improved to provide adequate incentives to developers.

Takeaway for practice: Planners cannot count on LEED®ND certification to ensure the provision of affordable and mixed housing in sustainable neighborhoods. The LEED®ND system could be improved by weighting the affordable housing credit more heavily; developers could also be incentivized to build a greater mix of housing. The certification costs could be lowered or subsidized for projects with affordable housing and assessed on a per unit basis. Additional credits could be given to projects that significantly reduce utility costs for low-income residents.     

Access to Land for the Urban Poor—Policy Proposals for South African Cities

The issue of land is a critical one in post-Apartheid South Africa. Growing informality and poverty in urban areas, driven to a large extent by urbanisation, necessitates greater concerted action around land use management in urban areas to ensure more equitable, environmentally and socially sustainable use of finite land resources. The operation of the urban land market has been identified as a significant obstacle preventing the urban poor from accessing affordable land. A new approach, advocated by the UK Department for International Development and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation entitled “Making Markets Work for the Poor—M4P” emerged in the 1990s. The M4P approach recognises that even successful market development will not distribute land to the poor and intervention in the land market is therefore required to promote more equitable land distribution patterns. The M4P perspective however has been accused of an obsession with economic solutions to the problem of landlessness and informality to the exclusion of other socio-political and legal remedies. The Brazilian case provides an example of a more progressive approach as it combines social policy and legal reform to regulate the use of urban land to ensure that land fulfils its “social function”. The presence of large tracts of vacant and unused land in cities is an important issue in the context of growing informality and competition for land and therefore requires urgent policy attention. The paper discusses the Brazilian case and the instruments used in that country to deal with vacant/unused land in cities. It argues that the progressive taxation of vacant land in cities could be a potentially valuable policy instrument in South African cities. Land-based fiscal instruments can be utilised by local government to manage the use of land and to access additional revenue which can be redistributed to the poor for the provision of infrastructure and services. Although these tools are not a panacea for challenges of informality and poverty in the developing world, they do have the potential to augment municipal income and to facilitate urban renewal, infill development and a more compact city. The paper argues though that these tools should be applied on a city-wide scale; part and parcel of an overall urban land reform strategy and plan for the city.     

Reactive solute transport for seepage water prognosis – Seeper: a model for practical application

Seeper is a one-dimensional finite-difference model for simulation of water flow, solute transport and reactions of inorganic pollutants (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, Zn) in unsaturated soils. The main focus in the development of Seeper was a simple and concise formulation for ease of use while at the same time providing sufficient accuracy for seepage water prognosis. The transport module is capable of modelling transient conditions. The mobility of trace elements is modelled via transfer functions to reduce the required input data and simplify the application of the model. This article introduces Seeper and describes the integrated algorithms and its utilization within the framework of percolation water prognosis. The current version of Seeper and its manual are available online at http://www.geochemie.uni-bremen.de/downloads/seeper.     

Physical Exams for the City — Applications for Big Data in Urban and Rural Planning

In this article, the interviewee, senior urban planner Peng Wang, suggests a broader definition for Big Data, considering which as a methodology. Combining introduction of case studies, he offers insights on the issues of how Big Data influences planners’ practice, the misunderstandings in planning industry about Big Data, the obstacles in the research and application of Big Data, as well as Big Data’s future development.     

What Is a Forecast for?

Abstract

Problem, research strategy, and findings: The forecasts transit agencies submit in support of applications for federal New Starts funding have historically overestimated ridership, as have ridership forecasts for rail projects in several countries and contexts. Forecast accuracy for New Starts projects has improved over time. Understanding the motivations of forecasters to produce accurate or biased forecasts can help forecast users determine whether to trust new forecasts. For this study I interviewed 13 transit professionals who have helped prepare or evaluate applications for federal New Starts funds. This sample includes interviewees who have had varying levels of involvement in all 82 New Starts projects that opened between 1976 and 2016. I recruited interviewees through a snowball sampling method; my interviews focus on the interviewees’ perspectives on how New Starts project evaluation and ridership forecasting has changed over time. Interview results suggest that ridership forecasters’ motivations to produce accurate forecasts may have increased with increased transparency, increased influence on local decision making, and decreased influence on external (federal) funding.

Takeaway for practice: Planners can evaluate the likely trustworthiness of forecasts based on transparency, internal influence, and external influence. If forecast users cannot easily determine a forecast’s key inputs and assumptions, if the forecaster has been tasked with producing a forecast to justify a predetermined action, and if an unfavorable forecast would circumvent decisions by the forecaster’s immediate client, forecasts should viewed with skepticism. Planners should seek to alter conditions that may create these conflicts of interest. Forecasters seem to be willing and able to improve forecast accuracy when the demand for accurate forecasts increases.     

Concession period for PPPs: A win–win model for a fair risk sharing

Public Private Partnership (PPP) is adopted throughout the world for delivering public infrastructure. Despite the worldwide experience has shown that PPP can provide a variety of benefits to the government, to fully gain them several critical aspects related to a PPP project need to be managed, among these the determination of the concession period.     

Trade Uber for the Bus?

Abstract

Problem, research strategy, and findings: Few studies have examined ride-hail users’ individual preferences between ride-hail and transit. Based on a survey of ride-hail users in the Philadelphia (PA) region, I examine who uses ride-hail and investigate ride-hail users’ willingness to use ride-hail versus transit. My results suggest that more than one-quarter of respondents replaced transit with ride-hail in their last ride-hail trips. Mixed logit regression analysis based on stated preference choice experiments indicate that higher-income respondents and respondents over 30?years old are increasingly willing to choose ride-hail over transit, even though their actual ride-hail usage is lower than that among lower-income and younger respondents. Results also show that female respondents are more willing to choose ride-hail over transit than male respondents and less frequent transit users are more likely to choose ride-hail than frequent transit users. Higher cost and longer trip duration are significant deterrents for travel by either mode. Respondents consider the time spent on walking to and from transit more burdensome than in-vehicle travel time and wait time for transit and ride-hail. They consider waiting for ride-hail less burdensome than waiting for transit. Survey sampling and design limitations provide lessons for future ride-hail studies.

Takeaway for practice: Practitioners should ensure convenient, affordable travel options for lower-income residents, who are more frequent but less willing ride-hail users than higher-income residents. Female respondents’ safety concerns about transit should urge transit agencies to recognize female transit riders’ travel needs. The relationship between age and willingness to use ride-hail reminds planners to anticipate greater substitution of ride-hail for transit as the more tech-savvy generation starts entering their 30s. Last, fare reduction alone may not be enough to prompt ride-hail users to switch to transit. Service improvements that shorten the overall trip duration are imperative to make transit more attractive.     

Housing and Resilience – When,for Whom and for What? A Critical Agenda

ABSTRACT

As a concept resilience is proving remarkably…resilient. It has become a keyword used to describe the contemporary urban and environmental condition. However, unlike that other prolific keyword “sustainability”, it lacks both the ethical intent (if not practice) and international agreement of the Brundtland Report directive to seek to balance economic, social and environmental outcomes for the benefit of future generations. Resilience, like concepts such as flexibility, efficiency or social capital, can be highly politicized and often mean very different things to different people. Herein lies both the potential and pitfalls of such a term, especially when it has become such a powerful signifier for how best to respond to the conditions inherent in our climate of change. Within housing research scholarship and practice, the concept is both ubiquitous and under-theorized. This special issue seeks to draw critical attention to the use of the concept. Key questions for housing include: Resilience in housing how, when, for whom and for what?