In the context of land scarcity and high-density urban areas, the adaptive reuse of abandoned historical industrial buildings plays a critical role in achieving sustainable development goals. This study proposes a sustainability assessment framework for the adaptive reuse of industrial buildings as exhibition spaces within the context of high-density urban development, addressing multiple dimensions of sustainability, including the building’s physical structure, economic factors, environmental impact, social considerations, and governance. The framework consists of 55 design indexes, categorized into 15 subcategories and 5 main categories. We conducted a survey of experts with experience in high-density urban renewal design and implemented a weighting analysis to identify priority intervention measures for industrial building redevelopment in the era of urban stock. Finally, a fuzzy comprehensive evaluation was carried out on ten cases in Shenzhen where industrial buildings were converted into exhibition spaces over the past 12 years. The findings reveal the following: (1) “Reuse of old architectural spaces” is the most critical category to prioritize, and, at the indicator level, “adaptability and efficiency of building reuse”, “public participation in the renewal process”, “cooperative operation structures”, and “planning vision” are identified as the four key influencing factors. (2) The functional layout, historical value, and richness of public amenities in the transformed industrial buildings have a significant positive impact on the evaluation results, while the building’s construction time and floor area do not significantly affect public post-evaluation. (3) Younger and more highly educated groups tend to view the transformed exhibition spaces as tourist attractions, particularly expressing satisfaction with the repurposing of the Kinwei Brewery and OCAT B10 New Hall, and consider the adaptive reuse of industrial buildings to promote sustainable urban renewal (SUR). This study provides concrete policy recommendations and practical guidance for the adaptive reuse of both new and existing industrial buildings, contributing to the creation of sustainable urban environments.
This paper explores the nuanced dynamics of displacement under state‐led gentrification through the concept of displaceability , using Shenzhen’s urban villages as empirical cases. Whereas earlier gentrification involved large‐scale demolition and immediate physical eviction, current urban renewal strategies employ incremental, policy‐driven redevelopment aimed at formalising informal settlements into quasi‐public housing. Through detailed analyses of Dachong, Shuiwei and Yuanfen villages, we demonstrate how state interventions, despite appearing inclusive, systematically marginalise low‐income migrants. We find that talent‐oriented redevelopment highlights subtle exclusionary displacement through selective eligibility criteria and rent policies, while centralised leasing schemes institutionalise prolonged vulnerability and persistent uncertainty for original tenants, intensifying socio‐psychological stress. By foregrounding these empirical insights, the paper refines understandings of displacement, emphasising temporal and socio‐institutional dimensions. Crucially, the paper expands geographic scholarship by demonstrating how state‐driven urban strategies actively generate conditions of chronic precarity, embedding socio‐economic exclusion within seemingly progressive urban renewal policies. We argue that recognising displaceability is essential for developing more inclusive housing policies globally, particularly in rapidly urbanising contexts of the Global South, where similar state‐driven redevelopment practices increasingly prevail.
ObjectiveIn the context of profound demographic change and rapid urban restructuring, the spatial role of university campuses in Japan has undergone a fundamental transformation. Once conceived as inward-looking and self-sufficient “ivory tower” enclaves located on the urban periphery, campuses are increasingly being reconfigured as open and integrated nodes embedded within the metropolitan fabric. This paradigm shift is closely tied to Japan’s declining youth population, intensifying competition among universities, and evolving policy frameworks that regulate land use and higher education. Campus landscapes, in this process, are not merely ornamental green spaces but active agents of transformation that mediate the campus-city relations. The objective of this research is therefore to investigate how campus landscapes, as a spatial and social interface, respond to demographic pressures, policy incentives, and urban redevelopment agendas. By examining the synergistic evolution of universities and their host cities, the research aims to provide insights into the mechanisms that underpin this transformation and to extract lessons relevant to the forthcoming landscape transitions in Chinese higher education institutions.MethodsThe research adopts a multi-scalar approach that combines historical trajectory analysis, case-based comparative study, and theoretical synthesis. First, the historical evolution of Japanese university campuses from 1945 to the present is traced and periodized into three major phases: the expansion phase (1945–1980s), when demographic booms and policy restrictions encouraged suburban relocation and the creation of enclosed, inward-looking campuses; the peak phase (1980s–2000s), marked by intensifying competition, partial return to urban centers, and the emergence of vertical and compact campus typologies; and the contraction phase (2000s to present), characterized by severe demographic decline, urban concentration, and increasing demands for publicness and integration. Second, representative case studies are selected from metropolitan Tokyo, regional cities, and newly developed urban districts. These are analyzed through spatial observation, planning documents, and secondary literature to identify common strategies and contextual variations. Third, the research synthesizes empirical findings into a typological framework of three strategic modes — “catalyst”, “regenerator”, and “stabilizer” — and further generalizes these into a theoretical three-pillar model composed of demographic dynamics, policy instruments, and spatial strategies. This model is used to explain the synergistic evolution mechanism of campus landscapes and urban environments.ResultsThe analysis shows that campus landscape transformation in Japan is not an isolated architectural endeavor but a systemic process shaped by demographic, institutional, and spatial forces. In newly developed urban areas and large-scale redevelopment zones, universities frequently operate as catalysts, strategically positioned to anchor emerging districts. Here, landscape strategies emphasize publicness, multi-functionality, and accessibility. For instance, the Toyosu Campus of Shibaura Institute of Technology integrates open terraces, green staircases, and community-oriented plazas that attract both students and local residents, thereby stimulating district-level vitality. In historic city centers and post-industrial neighborhoods, universities act as regenerators, using landscape interventions to repair urban fabric and reinvigorate cultural identity. Examples include the Kitasenju Campus of Tokyo Denki University, which deploys pedestrian linkages and unified pavement to soften campus — city boundaries, and Kyoto City University of Arts, which integrates riverside ecological restoration with cultural events to generate a “memory landscape”. In smaller regional cities, universities often serve as stabilizers, embedding themselves in local social and demographic structures through service-oriented landscapes and shared facilities. Fukuchiyama Public University, for example, co-locates community dining halls and elderly care facilities within its campus landscape, while university consortia in Kyoto pool resources to create a multi-institutional network of open sports fields, libraries, and cultural spaces accessible to local communities. The proposed three-pillar model explains the underlying mechanism of these transformations. Demographic decline provides the fundamental pressure, reducing the student-age population from over two million in the early 1990s to just above one million in the 2020s, with further decline projected. Policy instruments translate these demographic pressures into spatial outcomes, with such instruments ranging from restrictive measures such as the 1959 Factory Location Law to liberalizing interventions like the 1991 revision of university establishment standards, and most recently, the 2017 enrollment cap in central Tokyo. Spatial strategies, materialized through landscape design, serve as the ultimate vehicles through which demographic and policy drivers are enacted: Open courtyards, pedestrian corridors, cultural event spaces, and service-based green infrastructures become concrete manifestations of institutional adaptation. The interplay of these three pillars — demographics, policies, and spatial strategies — constitutes the synergistic evolution dynamic of campus landscapes and cities.ConclusionJapanese experience shows campus landscapes have moved beyond their traditional role as green buffers to become strategic nodes of governance, cultural renewal, and social inclusion. By adopting roles of catalyst, regenerator, and stabilizer, campuses now shape urban growth, support community services, and sustain regional resilience. The proposed three-pillar model provides a structural lens for interpreting such changes. For China, where higher education faces slowed growth and demographic transition, these findings are highly relevant. Suburban university towns face the risk of under-use, while urban campuses must balance scarcity with public engagement. Japanese precedents suggest strategies of vertical compaction, boundary softening, and service-oriented integration can enhance publicness and urban alignment. Policymakers, meanwhile, should design flexible regulations balancing equity and autonomy. Future research should incorporate quantitative tools such as GIS metrics, user surveys, and cross-national comparison to further validate the three-pillar model and refine its applicability. Ultimately, campus landscapes must be understood not as passive backdrops but as active instruments in reshaping campus – city relations in an era of demographic and urban transformation.
Aesthetics of cities. City planning and beautifying, Architectural drawing and design
The Urban Metaverse describes an immersive 3D environment that connects the physical world of the city and its citizens with its digital data and systems. Physical and digital realities merge, opening up new possibilities for the design and use of the city. This trend study serves as a source of inspiration and guidance for city and community leaders, urban planners, IT professionals, and anyone interested in the future of urban spaces. It helps to understand the opportunities and challenges of the urban metaverse as an evolution of the Smart City and to set the course for sustainable and innovative urban development. To this end, the study analyzes the opportunities that the urban metaverse offers for urban administration and the everyday life of citizens, presents key technologies, and highlights the socio-economic challenges of implementation. The focus is on the potential of the urban metaverse to optimize the planning and operation of urban infrastructures, to promote inclusion and civic participation, and to enhance the innovative capacity of cities and municipalities. The study develops four recommendations for the implementation of metaverse applications in an urban context: 1. user-centered design, 2. ubiquitous accessibility, 3. proactive design of the regulatory framework, and 4. development of viable business models.
Gonzalo G. Peraza-Mues, Eugen Resendiz, Rodolfo Figueroa-Soriano
et al.
Despite its pervasive implications, many cities worldwide continue to expand in a fragmented, horizontal manner. We analyse urban growth dynamics in 69 Mexican metropolitan areas from 1990 to 2020 using census data, developing a model of urban form change based on population size, density, and spatial configuration. We employ a radial probability density function and the urban expansion factor to create a framework for comparing urban expansion over time and across different regions. Over the past three decades, Mexico's urban population has nearly doubled. However, populations have shifted outward, resulting in a decline of 2.5 million residents in central areas. Our analysis shows that distances from the city centre have increased by 28% on average, driven by population losses in central zones combined with growth in peripheral regions.
In rapidly urbanizing regions like Delhi, India, mixed-use developments have emerged as vital urban forms, driven by the organic conversion of residential spaces into commercial hubs. This study investigates the dynamics influencing commercial performance in both planned and unplanned mixed-use neighborhoods in North-West Delhi. Employing multiple linear regression analysis on data collected from 213 commercial establishments, the research identifies key factors such as commercial area characteristics, road accessibility, and the proximity of storeowners to their businesses as significant drivers of commercial growth. However, the study reveals that local customer bases are insufficient for sustaining high commercial performance, emphasizing the need for broader catchment areas. The findings contribute to urban planning discourse by providing empirical insights into the economic sustainability of self-organized mixed-use neighbourhoods. The study highlights the complex interplay between commercial development, spatial accessibility, and urban form, offering guidance for future urban planning strategies aimed at enhancing neighbourhood-level commercial performance. These results underline the importance of considering mixed-use dynamics in urban planning to support sustainable commercial growth and community vitality in rapidly evolving urban landscapes.
The emerging field of the Science of Cities has unveiled previously undiscovered facets of urban life. Contrary to the expectation of chaotic behaviour influenced solely by cultural and geographic factors, cities globally exhibit universal power-law trends in urban scaling. Leveraging recent advances in mathematical descriptions of urban dynamics, this study investigates the interplay among fundamental allometry, fractal dimension, and the number of close contacts within cities. Through a dynamic exploration of these factors, a causal relationship is established, shedding light on the intricate dynamics that shape urban environments. Remarkably, our analysis suggests that the Big Five personality traits play a pivotal role in determining the fractal aspects of urban life. This research contributes to the understanding of urban scaling and proposes a novel connection between human personality traits and the structural patterns observed in cities, opening avenues for further interdisciplinary exploration.
As large language models (LLMs) continue to advance and gain widespread use, establishing systematic and reliable evaluation methodologies for LLMs and vision-language models (VLMs) has become essential to ensure their real-world effectiveness and reliability. There have been some early explorations about the usability of LLMs for limited urban tasks, but a systematic and scalable evaluation benchmark is still lacking. The challenge in constructing a systematic evaluation benchmark for urban research lies in the diversity of urban data, the complexity of application scenarios and the highly dynamic nature of the urban environment. In this paper, we design \textit{CityBench}, an interactive simulator based evaluation platform, as the first systematic benchmark for evaluating the capabilities of LLMs for diverse tasks in urban research. First, we build \textit{CityData} to integrate the diverse urban data and \textit{CitySimu} to simulate fine-grained urban dynamics. Based on \textit{CityData} and \textit{CitySimu}, we design 8 representative urban tasks in 2 categories of perception-understanding and decision-making as the \textit{CityBench}. With extensive results from 30 well-known LLMs and VLMs in 13 cities around the world, we find that advanced LLMs and VLMs can achieve competitive performance in diverse urban tasks requiring commonsense and semantic understanding abilities, e.g., understanding the human dynamics and semantic inference of urban images. Meanwhile, they fail to solve the challenging urban tasks requiring professional knowledge and high-level numerical abilities, e.g., geospatial prediction and traffic control task.
There is a growing global trend to encourage citizen participation in solving urban problems, and there is worldwide consensus that the public voice needs to be considered. This study uses an extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to focus on the factors influencing resident engagement following changes in renewal strategies in older residential communities in China. Empirical analysis was carried out based on structural equation modeling (SEM) of a completed questionnaire with 865 respondents. The results showed that Neighborhood Relations (NR) had a positive impact on Participation Attitude (PA); both PA and Awareness Participation (AP) had a positive effect on Self-evaluation (SE), and SE and AP had a positive impact on Participation Guarantee (PG). A survey was also conducted on residents’ concerns and perceptions of the redevelopment of the old neighborhood, analyzing the current issues of residents’ more significant concerns. It showed that public emergencies can affect residents’ inherent perceptions. This study enriches the China-specific focus of the issue and is a reference for similar studies in the future.
As an important part of urban renewal, brownfield restoration and renovation are of great significance to the sustainable development of cities. The structure-process-outcome theory was introduced into this study to improve the rationality and scientific vigor of the redevelopment assessment process and to evaluate whether brownfield sites meet the conditions for redevelopment. Based on this theory, the relationship among structures, processes and outcomes can be well elucidated. Specifically, a good structure should contribute to an effective process, which will increase the possibility of a favorable outcome. The basic conditions, practice principles, and result orientation in the whole procedure of brownfield redevelopment were comprehensively analyzed. In addition, a more complete and reasonable three-level evaluation index system for brownfield redevelopment was established. In order to reduce the subjectivity in the evaluation process, an unbiased scientific brownfield redevelopment evaluation model was constructed using the continuous ordered weighted averaging operator-topology method. The evaluation decision system was applied to the renovation of a tract project in Chengdu, China. The results proved that the model could effectively and accurately evaluate the quality level of the brownfield redevelopment project, and the proposed recommendations can provide a basis for decision-making.
Under the current urban renewal background, the subjective attitude of stakeholders directly affects the feasibility of planning projects in the development or protection activities related to brownfield redevelopment. It is key that the public effectively participates in planning and decision-making to explore the suitable expression method of public attitude. In this paper, Jigang, Jinan, Shandong Province is taken as an example. By using participatory mapping and semi-structural interviews, the landscape perceived value of 365 (342 valid) stakeholders in the original site of Jigang is investigated. By using hot spot analysis, correspondence analysis and compatibility index analysis, the spatial composition of public perceived landscape value, the correspondence between landscape value and land use and its compatibility with existing conservation and renewal schemes are revealed. On this basis, three types of brownfield land redevelopment attitude areas are identified. The results show that: 1. The attitude of Jinan Iron and Steel Group’s renewal based on the degree of compatibility is location-dependent, and the spatial difference analysis of this attitude provides more detailed data support for the protection and renewal design, planning management and conflict control; 2. The landscape perceived value of case stakeholders has regularity in spatial distribution and is related to a certain material landscape foundation (land use), which is beneficial in explaining the possible social phenomena caused by landscape change; 3. Participatory cartography combined with landscape value investigation provides an effective method for the study of perceived landscape. Through cartographic visualization, statistical analysis and index model construction, the spatial structure characteristics of perceived landscape value can be revealed. It can provide effective decision support for brownfield urban renewal projects, solve the problem that the current upper-level planning of such renewal is not matched with the actual demand, and improve the vitality of brownfield sites in the development area.
Urban street vending is an integral part of everyday public life and can contribute to vibrant and lively streets. Yet, few cities formally integrate this activity into public space design. This is because street vending is a highly contested, although transformative phenomenon that has complex inter-relationships with other urban entities. This paper systematically and quantitatively assesses the breadth and depth of academic literature that studied such a relationship; more specifically, the influence of street vending on pedestrians' experiences and behaviours and thereby identifies gaps in the existing literature. A systematic review of 25 peer-reviewed journal articles is undertaken to provide an assessment of the geographic extent, disciplinary scope, timeline of publications, keywords, methods, theories, constructs and concepts. This review concludes that the existing research is emerging, but rapidly accelerating and cross-disciplinary. Although the research was predominantly conducted in the Global South, it is largely affiliated with the Global North with limited North-South partnerships. The literature is largely qualitative, indicating a propensity for skewed perspectives. It also lacks theoretical applications exclusive to pedestrian-vendor relationships. Finally, potential areas where future researchers may expand and influence the knowledge domain are identified. This includes developing multi-contextual global perspectives through North-South partnerships and combining or independently applying grounded theory, mixed methods and case study research to broaden theoretical and empirical bases.
Mathieu Paris, Frédéric Dubois, Stéphane Bosc
et al.
The research focused on simulating wind patterns in urban planning design offers substantial contributions to both the social and economic aspects of the urban planning and design field. To begin with, it addresses a critical factor in urban development, especially in Mediterranean climates, where natural ventilation significantly influences summer comfort. By incorporating predictive numerical simulations of urban wind patterns, this study provides valuable insights into improving outdoor thermal comfort within urban areas. This holds particular importance in the context of adapting to climate change, as it equips urban planners and architects with informed decision-making tools to create more sustainable and comfortable urban environments. Additionally, this research makes an economic contribution by presenting guidelines for iterative wind simulations in the early stages of designing medium-scale urban projects. Through the validation of a simulation workflow, it streamlines the design process, potentially reducing the time and resources required for urban planning and architectural design. This enhanced efficiency can result in cost savings during project development. Moreover, the study's recommendations concerning simulation parameters, such as wind tunnel cell size and refinement levels, offer practical insights for optimizing simulation processes, potentially lowering computational expenses and improving the overall economic viability of urban design projects. To summarize, this research effectively addresses climate-related challenges, benefiting both social well-being and economic efficiency in the field of urban planning and design, while also providing guidance for more efficient simulation-driven design procedures.
Experimental investigations using wind and water tunnels have long been a staple of fluid mechanics research for a large number of applications. These experiments often single out a specific physical process to be investigated, while studies involving multiscale and multi-physics processes are rare due to the difficulty and complexity in the experimental setup. In the era of climate change, there is an increasing interest in innovative experimental studies in which fluid (wind and water) tunnels are employed for modelling multiscale, multi-physics phenomena of the urban climate. High-quality fluid tunnel measurements of urban-physics related phenomena are also much needed to facilitate the development and validation of advanced multi-physics numerical models. As a repository of knowledge in modelling these urban processes, we cover fundamentals, recommendations and guidelines for experimental design, recent advances and outlook on eight selected research areas, including (i) thermal buoyancy effects of urban airflows, (ii) aerodynamic and thermal effects of vegetation, (iii) radiative and convective heat fluxes over urban materials, (iv) influence of thermal stratification on land-atmosphere interactions, (v) pollutant dispersion, (vi) indoor and outdoor natural ventilation, (vii) wind thermal comfort, and (viii) urban winds over complex urban sites. Further, three main challenges, i.e., modelling of multi-physics, modelling of anthropogenic processes, and combined use of fluid tunnels, scaled outdoor and field measurements for urban climate studies, are discussed.
Privatization was one of the largest reform processes in the countries of Central and Southeastern Europe. In the economic literature, privatization in countries in transition is seen as an integral part of the process of liberalization and stabilization of the economy, which transfers property rights from the state to private entities. The main goal of privatization should be to increase the efficiency of business operations through better management, lower operating costs and increased competitiveness. The main problem that arose before the creators of the economic policy of countries in transition in the case of privatization was, among other things, how to transfer the ownership of the largest part of companies in an economy in which there is no private savings and not enough foreign direct investments into private hands. The paper presents the methods of company privatization, market reactions, the level of employment, and finally, the transition of this part of Europe was compared with the events characteristic of Serbia.
Prita Indah Pratiwi, Bambang Sulistyantara, Saraswati Sisriany
et al.
COVID-19 has doubled the prevalence of mental health problems among young adults. In Indonesia, it extends the vulnerability of families, increases economic uncertainty, interrupts food security, and affects psychological well-being. Accordingly, this research examined the correlation between psychological effects and preferred landscape elements. Experiments were conducted in a campus park, arboretum, and a road. Participants captured attractive views during the walk using the Visitor-Employed Photography method and evaluated psychological effects using the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) pre-and post-walking. Google Cloud Vision API was used to get the image annotation keywords. The results indicated a correlation between psychological effects and preferred landscape elements. Park therapy components, including plant, flower, and sky, were negatively correlated with negative moods and anxiety levels. These findings presented scientific evidence for the psychological relaxation outcome of walking and prominent components of park therapy to support therapeutic campus greenspace planning.
Traditional urban planning demands urban experts to spend considerable time and effort producing an optimal urban plan under many architectural constraints. The remarkable imaginative ability of deep generative learning provides hope for renovating urban planning. While automated urban planners have been examined, they are constrained because of the following: 1) neglecting human requirements in urban planning; 2) omitting spatial hierarchies in urban planning, and 3) lacking numerous urban plan data samples. To overcome these limitations, we propose a novel, deep, human-instructed urban planner. In the preliminary work, we formulate it into an encoder-decoder paradigm. The encoder is to learn the information distribution of surrounding contexts, human instructions, and land-use configuration. The decoder is to reconstruct the land-use configuration and the associated urban functional zones. The reconstruction procedure will capture the spatial hierarchies between functional zones and spatial grids. Meanwhile, we introduce a variational Gaussian mechanism to mitigate the data sparsity issue. Even though early work has led to good results, the performance of generation is still unstable because the way spatial hierarchies are captured may lead to unclear optimization directions. In this journal version, we propose a cascading deep generative framework based on generative adversarial networks (GANs) to solve this problem, inspired by the workflow of urban experts. In particular, the purpose of the first GAN is to build urban functional zones based on information from human instructions and surrounding contexts. The second GAN will produce the land-use configuration based on the functional zones that have been constructed. Additionally, we provide a conditioning augmentation module to augment data samples. Finally, we conduct extensive experiments to validate the efficacy of our work.