ABSTRACT The city as innovation machine. Regional Studies. This paper puts cities and urban regions at the very centre of the processes of innovation and entrepreneurship. It combines the insights of Jane Jacobs and recent urban research on the role of the city with the literature on innovation and entrepreneurship going back to Joseph Schumpeter. Innovation and entrepreneurship and their geography privileges the firm, industry clusters and/or the individual and poses the city as a container for them. By marrying Jacobs’ insights on cities to those of Schumpeter on innovation, it is argued that innovation and entrepreneurship do not simply take in place in cities but in fact require them.
Public transit is a critical component of urban mobility and equity, yet mobility and air-quality linkages are rarely operationalized in reproducible smart-city analytics workflows. This study develops a transparent, multi-source monitoring dataset that integrates agency-reported transit ridership with ambient fine particulate matter PM2.5 from the U.S. EPA Air Quality System (AQS) for four U.S. metropolitan areas - New York City, Chicago, Las Vegas, and Phoenix, using two seasonal snapshots (March and October 2024). We harmonize heterogeneous ridership feeds (daily and stop-level) to monthly system totals and pair them with monthly mean PM2.5 , reporting both absolute and per-capita metrics to enable cross-city comparability. Results show pronounced structural differences in transit scale and intensity, with consistent seasonal shifts in both ridership and PM2.5 that vary by urban context. A set of lightweight regression specifications is used as a descriptive sensitivity analysis, indicating that apparent mobility-PM2.5 relationships are not uniform across cities or seasons and are strongly shaped by baseline city effects. Overall, the paper positions integrated mobility and environment monitoring as a practical smart-city capability, offering a scalable framework for tracking infrastructure utilization alongside exposure-relevant air-quality indicators to support sustainable communities and public-health-aware urban resilience.
Marie Reinbigler, Romain Rouffet, Peter Naylor
et al.
The Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect, defined as a significant increase in temperature in urban environments compared to surrounding areas, is difficult to study in real cities using sensor data (satellites or in-situ stations) due to their coarse spatial and temporal resolution. Among the factors contributing to this effect are the properties of urban materials, which differ from those in rural areas. To analyze their individual impact and to test new material configurations, a high-resolution simulation at the city scale is required. Estimating the current materials used in a city, including those on building facades, is also challenging. We propose HeatMat, an approach to analyze at high resolution the individual impact of urban materials on the UHI effect in a real city, relying only on open data. We estimate building materials using street-view images and a pre-trained vision-language model (VLM) to supplement existing OpenStreetMap data, which describes the 2D geometry and features of buildings. We further encode this information into a set of 2D maps that represent the city's vertical structure and material characteristics. These maps serve as inputs for our 2.5D simulator, which models coupled heat transfers and enables random-access surface temperature estimation at multiple resolutions, reaching an x20 speedup compared to an equivalent simulation in 3D.
Der Beitrag untersucht anhand eines prozessorientierten Verständnisses von Segregation die Entwicklungspfade junger migrantisierter Bewohner aus Berlin-Kreuzberg. Dieser Ansatz ermöglicht es, soziale und räumliche Dimensionen getrennt voneinander zu analysieren. Dabei liegt der Fokus auf Aspekten segregierter sozialer Nutzungen der Stadt und Erfahrungen mit urbanen Institutionen – aus der Perspektive der Heranwachsenden. Die longitudinale empirische Analyse basiert auf qualitativen Daten aus zwei zusammenhängenden Forschungsprojekten (2017/2018 und 2023/2024) mit Erst- und Folgeinterviews in einem Zeitraum von fünf bis sechs Jahren. Anhand von Vignetten stellt der Beitrag die teilweise kontrastreichen Entwicklungspfade ausgewählter junger Männer sowie deren Überschneidungen dar. Diese verweisen trotz tendenziell gesteigerter räumlicher Alltagsradien auf Muster einer dauerhaften sozialen Segregation.
Cities. Urban geography, Urban groups. The city. Urban sociology
Luís M. A. Bettencourt, Ivanna Rodriguez, Jordan T. Kemp
et al.
Cities are characterized by the coexistence of general aggregate patterns, along with many local variations. This poses challenges for analyses of urban phenomena, which tend to be either too aggregated or too local, depending on the disciplinary approach. Here, we use methods from statistical learning theory to develop a general methodology for quantifying how much information is encoded in the spatial structure of cities at different scales. We illustrate the approach via the multiscale analysis of income distributions in over 900 US metropolitan areas. By treating the formation of diverse neighborhood structures as a process of spatial selection, we quantify the complexity of explanation needed to account for personal income heterogeneity observed across all US urban areas and each of their neighborhoods. We find that spatial selection is strongly dependent on income levels with richer and poorer households appearing spatially more segregated than middle-income groups. We also find that different neighborhoods present different degrees of income specificity and inequality, motivating analysis and theory beyond averages. Our findings emphasize the importance of multiscalar statistical methods that both coarse-grain and fine-grain data to bridge local to global theories of cities and other complex systems.
Background: Schoolyard greening has emerged as an innovative approach to enhancing childrens health and environmental equity in urban U.S. cities. Yet, the implications for neighborhood dynamics and social equity are insufficiently understood. Methods: This comparative literature review synthesizes quantitative and qualitative evidence from peer reviewed studies and case analyses of schoolyard greening in major U.S. cities. Results: Schoolyard greening consistently increases utilization and has a positive, though variable, effect on childrens physical activity and well-being. However, the benefits are not always equitably distributed, and greening projects can catalyze neighborhood change, sometimes leading to green gentrification. Conclusions: Greening urban schoolyards offers benefits for childrens health and urban sustainability but poses challenges for equity and social justice. Policies must prioritize inclusive, community driven approaches to ensure the gains of greening are shared by vulnerable populations.
Simon Puttock, Umberto Barros, Diego Pinheiro
et al.
Cities attract a daily influx of non-resident commuters, reflecting their roles within wider urban networks -- not as isolated places. However, it remains unclear how this interconnectivity shapes the way crime scales with population, given that larger cities tend to receive more commuters and experience more crime. In this work, we investigate how inter-city commuting relates to the population-crime relationship. We find that larger cities receive proportionately more commuters, which in turn is associated with higher levels of burglary, drug possession, robbery, shoplifting, and theft. For example, each 1% increase in inbound commuters corresponds to a 0.32% rise in theft and 0.20% rise in burglary, holding population size constant. We demonstrate that models incorporating both population size and commuter inflows explain variation in these offenses better than population-only models. Our findings underscore the importance of considering how cities are connected -- not just their population size -- in disentangling the population-crime relationship.
ABSTRACT Technological modes of urbanism continue to transform and expand with new technologies, new actors, and new developments that are ripe for critical geographical analysis. This series of interventions focuses on capturing and understanding a still evolving movement called platform urbanism, which is centered around the growing presence and power of digital platforms in cities. This different mixture of capital-technology-cities tends to be more directly connected to consumers, more intent on rapid scaling, and more antagonistic to governments and incumbent industries. This series lays out how the emergence of platform urbanism is already provoking serious issues related to the oversight, operation, and ownership of urban services and spaces. Thematically, the series is organized around making sense of different geographical relationships at the center of platform urbanism. This contribution focuses on the dual production of space (digital/physical) and value (data/money) within cities.
Ardiatno Yanuadi, Lilis Sri Mulyawati, Indarti Komala Dewi
Abstract. This research is driven by the great potential of tourism in improving the economy and affecting social and environmental aspects in Ketapang Urban Aquaculture (KUA). Although, the number of tourists tends to decrease. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the existing conditions in the main aspects of the 4A (Attractions, Amenities, Accessibility, and Ancillary) and analyze the perception of tourists so that it can be known what aspects need to be improved. The existing condition of KUA was analyzed using the descriptive analysis method, while the perception of tourists was analyzed using the scoring method. Analysis of existing conditions shows that KUA has a unique attraction: a mangrove park integrated with shrimp cultivation areas. KUA has an iconic amenity: the main building is shaped like a horseshoe crab and a Mangrove Plaza. The condition of the road to KUA is quite good and equipped with signposts. Analysis of tourist perception on the aspect of attraction with the highest score (1.97), namely mangrove park attractions, the lowest score (1.24) for mangrove plant education activities. The amenity aspect with the highest score (2.23) is cleanliness, and the lowest score (1.20) is for toilet facilities. The accessibility aspect of the highest score (2.54) is the main gate, and the lowest score (1.36) is the availability of public transportation modes. The ancillary aspect has the highest score (1.77) in management, and the lowest score (1.29) is promotion.
Francis Régis Gonçalves Mendes Barbosa, Madalena Maria Schlindwein, Marcelo Corrêa da Silva
Amartya Sen's theory of Development as Freedom states the prediction of development by evaluating the expansion of individual freedoms. This study operationalizes this theory and its instrumental freedoms through the construction of a development index and multivariate statistics. Spatiality of municipal development provides empirical evidence for interrelations between instrumental freedoms defended by this theory. The determinants of development related mainly to income and its distribution, but also housing conditions and social vulnerabilities. The findings unmask the geographic structure of (under) development in a frontier in Mid-West Brazil, marked by higher deprivation of opportunities, precarious services and greater economic stagnation.
Cities. Urban geography, Urban groups. The city. Urban sociology
Public artwork, from vibrant wall murals to captivating sculptures, can enhance the aesthetic of urban spaces, foster a sense of community and cultural identity, and help attract visitors. Despite its benefits, most public art is visual, making it often inaccessible to blind and low vision (BLV) people. In this workshop paper, we first draw on art literature to help define the space of public art, identify key differences with curated art shown in museums or galleries, and discuss implications for accessibility. We then enumerate how existing art accessibility techniques may (or may not) transfer to urban art spaces. We close by presenting future research directions and reflecting on the growing role of AI in making art accessible.
This paper explores the relationship between forced migration and the city. The paper outlines four accounts of the city centred on: displacement and the camp-city, dispersal and refugee resettlement, the ‘re-scaling’ of borders, and the city as a sanctuary. Whilst valuable, these discussions maintain a focus on sovereign authority that tends to prioritize the policing of forced migration over the possibilities for contestation that also emerge through cities. Arguing for a fuller engagement with debates in urban geography, this paper considers how discussions of urban informality and the politics of presence may better unpack the urban character of forced migration.
Green spaces have gained increasing urgency due to the global and local challenges resulting from rapid urbanization and environmental issues. This study specifically focuses on the design, management, and crucial significance of urban green spaces in Uzbekistan within the framework of sustainable development. Through the integration of diverse theoretical perspectives and interdisciplinary approaches, the study seeks to enhance biodiversity, facilitate wildlife movement, and promote environmental sustainability within urban green spaces. The research methodology employed in this study is robust, encompassing comprehensive data analysis, which provides compelling evidence of the positive impacts of green spaces on both physical and mental well-being. Moreover, the study establishes a clear correlation between the concept of nature-based solutions and the imperative to leverage the potential of nature to effectively address environmental challenges and achieve socioeconomic advantages. In addition, the study explores the role of geography in effectively addressing the opportunities and challenges associated with urban green spaces in Uzbekistan. Policymakers, researchers, and practitioners engaged in promoting sustainable urban development can draw valuable insights from this study. The findings underscore the critical importance of adopting a multidimensional approach to urban planning to foster the development of sustainable and livable cities. By implementing the recommendations outlined in this study, Uzbekistan has the potential to enhance its green spaces and successfully tackle pressing environmental challenges. Consequently, this study fills a significant research gap by highlighting the pivotal role of geography in comprehending and addressing the importance of urban green spaces. The findings align with the concepts of nature-based solutions and geography, offering actionable guidance for sustainable urban development in Uzbekistan.
The steering of the residential development on the regional level is one of the major tasks of regional planning. Nevertheless, no nationwide information is yet available on the implementation of the planning instruments in regional plans. Moreover, for potential steering types, only one approach on the level of the German federal states exists. To reduce this information deficit, a plan content analysis is used to determine which positive planning instruments were implemented in the state development plans and regional plans valid in 2017. The data basis for negative planning instruments is the spatial development plan monitor of the Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning (BBSR). With these data, a non-linear principal component analysis and a cluster analysis is carried out to identify specific steering types. As a result, six regional planning steering types of pre-use planning, quantitative control, settlement axes, positive planning location control, intra-municipal framework with extensive mono-functional open space protection and extensive location control through multifunctional open space protection can be identified. The different steering types are often spatially clustered, so that a significant influence of state planning requirements can be assumed.
Cities. Urban geography, Urbanization. City and country
The rapid urbanization trend in most developing countries including India is creating a plethora of civic concerns such as loss of green space, degradation of environmental health, clean water availability, air pollution, traffic congestion leading to delays in vehicular transportation, etc. Transportation and network modeling through transportation indices have been widely used to understand transportation problems in the recent past. This necessitates predicting transportation indices to facilitate sustainable urban planning and traffic management. Recent advancements in deep learning research, in particular, Generative Adversarial Networks (GANs), and their modifications in spatial data analysis such as CityGAN, Conditional GAN, and MetroGAN have enabled urban planners to simulate hyper-realistic urban patterns. These synthetic urban universes mimic global urban patterns and evaluating their landscape structures through spatial pattern analysis can aid in comprehending landscape dynamics, thereby enhancing sustainable urban planning. This research addresses several challenges in predicting the urban transportation index for small and medium-sized Indian cities. A hybrid framework based on Kernel Ridge Regression (KRR) and CityGAN is introduced to predict transportation index using spatial indicators of human settlement patterns. This paper establishes a relationship between the transportation index and human settlement indicators and models it using KRR for the selected 503 Indian cities. The proposed hybrid pipeline, we call it RidgeGAN model, can evaluate the sustainability of urban sprawl associated with infrastructure development and transportation systems in sprawling cities. Experimental results show that the two-step pipeline approach outperforms existing benchmarks based on spatial and statistical measures.
This paper describes and analyses the geography and factors of the neighbourhood satisfaction of the residents of a former post-WWII Soviet closed city in Ukraine – the post-Soviet city of Dnipro (population ca. one million). It is based on a questionnaire survey (n=1248) among adult (18+) inhabitants in Dnipro conducted in early 2018. The results show that the current inner-urban pattern is characterised by semi-peripheralised neighbourhood satisfaction, which is a consequence of the significant influence of (among other factors): infrastructure availability in the neighbourhood, the social and natural environmental in the neighbourhood, and the set of Soviet-legacy factors (the “Soviet” factor). Surprisingly, the highest level of neighbourhood satisfaction in the city of Dnipro is observed in one of the peripheral neighbourhoods (with predominant detached housing), in which the residents’ evaluation of their residential neighbourhood follows the proximity effect.