84 research outputs found
Identifying and Predicting Neighbourhood Level Gentrification: A Data Primitive Approach
Identifying and analysing neighbourhood change is a critical task for urban planners and policy makers and is an active academic field. However, traditional approaches to neighbourhood change often rely on temporally static data and methods that reduce complex processes to one cluster label, or one score for example. This leads to a fragmented understanding of neighbourhood dynamics, on a temporal scale that does not align with the processes, resulting in the
failure to capture their complex and multifaceted nature. These limitations highlight the importance of adopting new and innovative methods to provide more accurate and dynamic insights into neighbourhood dynamics. This research subsequently proposes a new approach, data primitives, and a methodological framework for their application. Data primitives are measurements of the fundamental components that capture the driving characteristics of clearly conceptualised neighbourhood processes. Their utility is explored in a regional analysis, identifying 123 cycles
of gentrification and their respective temporal properties, which are exhaustively validated via Google Earth and Google Street View. This demonstrates the effectiveness of data primitives at capturing processes, and quantifying their changes over time, to provide a more comprehensive picture of neighbourhood change. These validated cycles of gentrification are used as a training dataset for training three machine learning algorithms for predicting gentrification in England. Three models were created to predict the presence of gentrification, the type of gentrification, and the temporal properties of the predicted types of gentrification in England. These predicted cycles of gentrification are explored, generating novel insights for the neighbourhood change and gentrification communities. Overall, the results of this research have important implications for
urban planning and policy making, as they can provide a framework for informing decisions on where to invest resources and how to mitigate the potential negative effects of gentrification, in an appropriately scheduled timetable of interventions. They also provide a framework for uncovering novel insights into the complexities of neighbourhood processes, and their impacts
upon neighbourhood change, thus developing upon knowledge in suitable academic fields
Adaptations of green growth and degrowth in an oil-dependent economy toward a better future
Throughout the history of Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), the province has been relying on natural resources as the main sources of economic production. Consequently, NL is prone to external shocks from demand and price fluctuations. For example, the collapse of fisheries during the 1990s and the fall in global oil prices during the 2008 financial crisis have had negative impacts on the NL socioeconomic system, increasing unemployment and out-migration rates. A lack of modeling studies in the literature related to NL natural resources dependency, unemployment, and migration is the motivation for this research. This research focuses on studying the impact of oil, as a major natural resource for NL, dependency on other industries within the economy, employment, and migration through implementing green growth and degrowth policies as an alternative to decoupling the natural resources dependency and shifting away from the region’s historical sources of economic growth. This research links econometric, input-output (IO), and agent-based modeling techniques as a novel combination of methodologies to study the impact of an oil-dependent economy using oil prices and production reduction rates (scenarios of green growth and degrowth) as exogenous variables. The data used in this empirical analysis is obtained from Statistics Canada. The results help create suggestions for policymakers to steer socio-economic policies toward developing their economy for a better future
Statecraft and foreign policy: India, 1947–2023
Statecraft and Foreign Policy provides an in-depth understanding of India’s rise as an economic and political power and its role in addressing global challenges, from climate change to international trade, security, health and energy. It focuses on India’s statecraft and foreign policy from its independence in 1947 to current politics and policies in 2023 – 75 years later. The book has three main sections, focusing on the evolution of India’s foreign policy after Independence, its transformation after the Cold War and as India’s economic and political power grew, and India’s engagement with major powers (like the US, China and Russia), neighbouring countries, and international institutions. The analysis draws on International Relations Theory, Foreign Policy Analysis, and the work of classic Indian thinkers like Kautilya. It combines evaluating domestic and international influences on India’s statecraft and foreign policy. The authors introduce a ‘toolbox’ for studying the making and the outcomes of Foreign Policy based on an analysis of interests, perceptions, and values. This analytical framework goes beyond the Indian case study and can be applied to International Relations, Comparative Politics, and Foreign Policy Analysis
Sustainable Value Co-Creation in Welfare Service Ecosystems : Transforming temporary collaboration projects into permanent resource integration
The aim of this paper is to discuss the unexploited forces of user-orientation and shared responsibility to promote sustainable value co-creation during service innovation projects in welfare service ecosystems. The framework is based on the theoretical field of public service logic (PSL) and our thesis is that service innovation seriously requires a user-oriented approach, and that such an approach enables resource integration based on the service-user’s needs and lifeworld. In our findings, we identify prerequisites and opportunities of collaborative service innovation projects in order to transform these projects into sustainable resource integration once they have ended
Regenerative Circularity for the Built Environment – A Positive Impact Framework for Urban Transitions
The detrimental impacts of human activities on social and ecological systems are increasingly evident, with cities and their inefficient built environment (BE) stock being significant contributors. Neighbourhood sustainability assessment tools (NSATs) have been developed by the BE sector for new precincts; however, many have limitations and adopt linear approaches unsuitable for complex urban areas. While the circular economy (CE) model has gained global attention, its integration into NSATs remains limited.
This thesis adopts a cross-pollination perspective, combining the CE model with regenerative design concepts. Through inductive content analysis, the 'Regenerative Circularity for the Built Environment' (RC4BE) conceptual model is proposed. Based on this model, a framework is developed to support the positive impact-based transition of existing urban precincts and neighbourhoods.
To explore current green practices, six ecological urban developments across three continents were studied. Surveys and semi-structured interviews with over 150 BE professionals examined their practices and perceptions of regenerative and circular approaches. A 2-round Delphi consultation with 31 international experts validated a set of five themes, 26 categories, and 136 criteria derived from literature and previous stages. This informed the design of a mixed performance-based and maturity model assessment framework with four different evaluation components.
The findings suggest shortcomings in existing NSATs and green precincts, while experts express a desire to improve their practises. The resulting RC4BE framework provides a flexible, systemic approach that is adaptable to different contexts while also empowering various urban players. It serves as a platform for citizen-led community improvements towards positive impacts.
This thesis contributes to the development of sustainable cities by presenting a unique framework that incorporates circular and regenerative design concepts. It goes beyond traditional approaches to sustainability by emphasising neighbourhood-scale transformations and recognising the critical role of local communities. Along with environmental and economic issues, social factors as community participation and equity are considered. The framework's holistic, process-based approach recognises the interdependence of urban systems. By involving BE practitioners and stakeholders, a more inclusive, realistic implementation is ensured, boosting real-world relevance and impact
Towards a framework for the study of ongoing socio-technical transitions: explored through the UK self-driving car paradigm
The UK government set out to see self-driving cars on roads by 2021. The idea of a self-driving car has been around for almost a century, and more recent technological developments have made self-driving cars a real-life possibility. While a fully self-driving automobility system is some distance away, real-life testing is bringing autonomous driving closer to consumers. Some claim this to be the biggest disruption to mobility systems since the invention of the car. Claims about the potential of self-driving mobility range from economic and social benefits to environmental improvements. A significant ambiguity however remains concerning how they will be deployed and how the technological innovation will affect mobility aims and related transport and infrastructure systems. So far, the vast majority of studies on AVs have focused on the technology aspect of this transition lacking contributions that address this from a broader socio-technical perspective.
With the accelerated adoption of new technologies, Sustainability Transitions has come to prominence as a research area that seeks to understand and guide socio-technical transitions toward sustainable trajectories. Socio-technical transitions theoretical framework has been used to understand historical transitions in the majority of empirical applications. The ability to apply the same framework to ongoing transitions and to guide these towards sustainable outcomes remains unsubstantiated. To address this gap this thesis examines the foundations of multi-level perspective (MLP) – a socio-technical transitions analytical framework – and develops an analytical framework (SRPM – System Rules Pathways Mechanisms) that is appropriate for the study of ongoing transitions. The refocused framework incorporates critical realism to focus analysis on causation and causal mechanisms. It is used to analyse the ongoing socio-technical transition to self-driving cars in the UK through a four-step analytical process. The study is framed as a case-based process mechanism study. The four steps are: i) contextualisation of the ongoing transition to AVs in the UK as a socio-technical transition based on the MLP theoretical framework; ii) identification of internal and external structural relations within the transition through the notion of rules and the morphogenetic cycle; iii)
aligning observed processes with transition pathways to theorise about the trajectories of the transition; iv) identification of causal mechanisms in the observed processes through identification of demi-regularities through data analysis of grey literature and theorisation about mechanisms through the development of mechanism sketches and schemata.
The thesis makes two contributions to knowledge: i) methodological and ii) empirical. The methodological contribution is the development of the SRPM analytical framework to study an ongoing socio-technical transition, and the empirical contribution is the application of this framework to the study of the ongoing transition to driverless cars in the UK
A review of commercialisation mechanisms for carbon dioxide removal
The deployment of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) needs to be scaled up to achieve net zero emission pledges. In this paper we survey the policy mechanisms currently in place globally to incentivise CDR, together with an estimate of what different mechanisms are paying per tonne of CDR, and how those costs are currently distributed. Incentive structures are grouped into three structures, market-based, public procurement, and fiscal mechanisms. We find the majority of mechanisms currently in operation are underresourced and pay too little to enable a portfolio of CDR that could support achievement of net zero. The majority of mechanisms are concentrated in market-based and fiscal structures, specifically carbon markets and subsidies. While not primarily motivated by CDR, mechanisms tend to support established afforestation and soil carbon sequestration methods. Mechanisms for geological CDR remain largely underdeveloped relative to the requirements of modelled net zero scenarios. Commercialisation pathways for CDR require suitable policies and markets throughout the projects development cycle. Discussion and investment in CDR has tended to focus on technology development. Our findings suggest that an equal or greater emphasis on policy innovation may be required if future requirements for CDR are to be met. This study can further support research and policy on the identification of incentive gaps and realistic potential for CDR globally
Smart Cities and Social Sustainability: A critical analysis of the Indian Smart Cities Mission
Smart cities are seen as the new way of securing sustainable urban development to address pressing issues of global urbanization. Sustainability is still often conceived through an environmental lens, yet any change in the built environment has implications for the social dimension of sustainability. Social sustainability is a dynamic concept that combines design of the physical realm with the design of the social world and promotes infrastructure to support social needs and concerns. While smart cities primarily aim at enhancing performance through an innovative use of digital data and technology, a social sustainability perspective stresses the critical interconnections between people and place. Through a critical literature review, this thesis establishes a dialogue between the smart city and social sustainability. It evaluates the smart city concept from a social sustainability perspective within a built environment paradigm. A multi-stage conceptual framework is advanced to study both the social objectives and outcomes of smart city policies. The conceptual framework aims to extract the major contextual social sustainability thematic factors and to evaluate the nature and nuances of social dimensions in smart cities. This is applied to the case of Smart Cities Mission (SCM) in India. A multi-scalar analysis evaluates the social environment of the smart cities at three levels – an overall examination of the Mission guidelines, analysis of 100 smart cities’ aspirations, and an empirical focus on the two smart cities – Bhubaneswar and Faridabad. The analysis shows that the deliberation on global smart cities still lacks focus on social equity and inclusion. SCM acknowledges the significance of social sustainability to achieve balanced urban growth with references to social capital, inclusion and equity, infrastructure, and collaboration. However, the study indicates that they are not comprehensively delivered. This thesis systematically identifies an array of challenges and opportunities of the 100 SCM in India to develop smart ‘social’ cities. The broader message of the research is that social sustainability is an integral component of the urban agenda and appropriate steps must be taken to align social needs with urban development under the increasingly common but elusive smart city banner
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