MetaCity: ways of thinking and making city

Metacity launched the challenge of reflecting on the ‘implicit’ and mostly ‘invisible’ drivers that influence urban transformation. The call asked participants to explore the nexus between scientific knowledge, political and economic actors and social mobilization in the production of contemporary urban space. Questions were raised: What concepts, methods and fields of knowledge – instituted or to be established – can and will inform urban development theory(s) and practice(s) in the near future? What types of urban knowledge are still considered legitimate and what is their relevance? How public policies, governance practices and development strategies had change cities and how can we re-think these instruments? What, after all, is the effective importance of political and social mobilization of urban scientists and technicians in the process of “making cities”? We were pleased to received several contributions from different disciplines and geographies that have shown these are cross-cutting issues on a global scale. Some of these contributions were collected in this book and we will briefly present their main subjects.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ethnic identity, political identity and ethnic conflict: simulating the effect of congruence between the two identities on ethnic violence and conflict

This thesis outlines and presents an alternative hypothetical process to the emergence of ethnic conflict. Ethnic conflicts, rather than being dependent upon pre-existing 'ancient hatreds', are instead the result of a congruence between ethnic and political identity which grants individuals the ability to use ethnicity to identify and eliminate political threats. This hypothesis is formed by the examination of three case studies of ethnic conflict: Lebanon, Northern Ireland and Croatia. This hypothesis is then formalised and tested using an agent based simulation in which agent interactions are dependent upon ethnic and political identity and the congruence between the two. As predicted there was a strong positive correlation between how accurately ethnic identity reflected political identity and the level of ethnically motivated violence in the simulation, although the relationship was not linear. Furthermore the effect of a shift in congruence was found to be roughly comparable to the effect of initialising agents with a moderate level of pre-existing ethnic antagonism

Agent-based modelling of urban economic and cultural dynamics under the rent-gap hypotheses

This work proposes a theoretically grounded, generative approach to the study of urban dynamics, based on the Critical Geography line of thought. We implemented a variant of the ’Rent-Gap theory of gentrification’ in a set of agent- based models of varying degrees of abstraction. A stylised model of the theory - coupled with residential mobility and cultural exchange in a city-wide context - is capable of reproducing certain observed dynamics of the past century of urbanisa- tion. Cycles of investment, the formation of persistent pockets of disinvestment, the emergence and dissolution of culturally homogeneous areas, and phenomena such as gentrification were all dynamics emerging in the simulation solely as the product of profit-driven investment in housing. A more descriptive version of the model, informed with official data derived from the UK Census and the Land Registry, provides an empirical validation of the core tenets of the theory in the context of contemporary British cities. The descriptive model is also employed to hypothesise on the mechanics and possible outcomes of large scale regeneration programmes, demonstrating a potential impact in the formulation and evaluation of urban policy. Ultimately, this work wishes to challenge the view that theory might be an un- necessary extravagance in an era of large datasets and suggestions of ’algorithmic governance.’ At the same time, it wishes to highlight the actuality and insightfulness of the critical geographical approach, especially in the wake of the decidedly urban nature of the current economic crisis

Co-curating the City

Co-curating the City explores the role of universities in the construction and mobilisation of heritage discourses in urban development and regeneration processes, with a focus on six case study sites: University of Gothenburg (Sweden), UCL East (London), University of Lund (Sweden). Roma Tre university (Rome), American University of Beirut, and Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil. The aim of the book is to expand the field of critical heritage studies in the urban domain, by examining the role of institutional actors both in the construction of urban heritage discourses, and in how those discourses influence urban planning decisions or become instrumentalised as mechanisms for urban regeneration. It proposes that universities engage in these processes in a number of ways: as producers of urban knowledge that is mobilised to intervene in planning processes; as producers of heritage practices that are implemented in development contexts in the urban realm; and as developers engaged in campus construction projects that both reference heritage discourses as a mechanism for promoting support and approval by planners and the public, and capitalise on heritage assets as a resource. The book highlights the participatory processes through which universities are positioning themselves as significant institutions in the development of urban heritage narratives. The case studies investigate how universities, as mixed communities of interest dispersed across buildings and urban sites, engage in strategies of engagement with local people and neighbourhoods, and ask how this may be contributing to a re-shaping of ideas, narratives, and lived experience of urban heritage in which universities have a distinctive agency. The authors cross disciplinary and cultural boundaries, and bridge academia and practice

Co-curating the City: Universities and urban heritage past and future

Co-curating the City explores the role of universities in the construction and mobilisation of heritage discourses in urban development and regeneration processes, with a focus on six case study sites: University of Gothenburg (Sweden), UCL East (London), University of Lund (Sweden). Roma Tre university (Rome), American University of Beirut, and Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil. The aim of the book is to expand the field of critical heritage studies in the urban domain, by examining the role of institutional actors both in the construction of urban heritage discourses and in how those discourses influence urban planning decisions or become instrumentalised as mechanisms for urban regeneration. It proposes that universities engage in these processes in a number of ways: as producers of urban knowledge that is mobilised to intervene in planning processes; as producers of heritage practices that are implemented in development contexts in the urban realm; and as developers engaged in campus construction projects that both reference heritage discourses as a mechanism for promoting support and approval by planners and the public, and capitalise on heritage assets as a resource. The book highlights the participatory processes through which universities are positioning themselves as significant institutions in the development of urban heritage narratives. The case studies investigate how universities, as mixed communities of interest dispersed across buildings and urban sites, engage in strategies of engagement with local people and neighbourhoods, and ask how this may be contributing to a re-shaping of ideas, narratives, and lived experience of urban heritage in which universities have a distinctive agency. The authors cross disciplinary and cultural boundaries, and bridge academia and practice

Whose health in whose city? A systems thinking approach to support and evaluate plans, policies, and strategies for lasting urban health.

An increasing interest has been present in scientific literature and policy-making for the links between urban environments and health, as also learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic. Collaboration between urban planning and public health is therefore critical for enhancing the capabilities of a city to promote the well-being of its people. But what leverage potential for urban health can be found in existing plans, policies, and strategies that address urban health? Starting from the relationship between urban systems and health issues, the purpose of this contribution is to broaden the systemic knowledge of urban systems and health so as to try to figure out the impact potential of local urban governance on public health. Considering the systemic nature of health issues, as defined by the World Health Organisation, this is done through a Systems Thinking epistemological approach. Urban health proposals are studied and assessed in four European cities (Copenhagen, London, Berlin, and Vienna). Current criticalities are found, starting from the guiding goal of such proposals, yet a systemic approach is suggested aimed at supporting and evaluating lasting and healthy urban planning and management strategies

Smart Mobility & Urban Development in Haven-Stad, Amsterdam:

Cities are in transition. Most cities, like Amsterdam, are growing in terms of inhabitants, visitors, and jobs, which cause an increase in the movement of people and goods to, from, and around the city. Next to that, socio-economical factors, new insights, policies, and technology innovations change how we live and work in our cities. Mobility operates as the intersection between the city’s infrastructure and its inhabitants; it is the central link in the well-functioning of a city and a key element in the organization of multi-modal transport. We have seen a rise of, among others, Mobility as a Service (MaaS), ride-sharing, and micro-mobility, and even though not implemented yet, autonomous vehicles are one of the relevant technologies to consider when looking at our future cities. How does mobility in the future impact the way our cities are being developed? Just like cities in general, the area of Haven-Stad is in transition as well. From being a harbor area at the edge of the city center, it will be developed into a mixed-use neighborhood and will be the biggest urban generator for future developments in Amsterdam. To gain insight and to better understand the interrelationships between urban development and urban mobility and to show perspectives on integration of future mobility scenarios in an actual urban environment, we asked each of the three groups to elaborate on a specific part of Haven-Stad. Each group came up with a perspective for their area, while looking at a wide variety of aspects: the role and function of smart urban mobility, including Mobility as a Service (MaaS) and emerging mobility options; the travel behavior of a growing number of users; the sustainability challenges and fairness in transport planning; the public and semipublic spaces (and social dynamics therein); the exploration of alternative, marginal and emerging social uses of urban developments as meeting places and culture; the urban integration in the overall mobility system; the interface between architecture and infrastructure within the urban fabric; the programming of future transport nodes and the access and egress to and from such transport hubs of all types of smart mobilities (e.g. conventional public transport, shared mobility, autonomous taxis, et cetera). As the development of Haven-Stad will take over 30 years, the factor time and phasing in the approaches and scenarios is key in each of the three proposals. The eight-day program covered different didactical components. Firstly, participants were introduced to Amsterdam, the current status of the Haven-Stad project, mobility, and future developments. Through various presentations by city representatives, participants were informed on the history, general information and mobility policies on Amsterdam and Haven-Stad. Next to that, experts from TU Delft gave presentations on smart mobility, different modes of mobility, behavioral aspects, and the state of the art of mobility-related research. During an afternoon bike tour, participants had the chance to explore the area and get a better feeling for its size and current atmosphere of the project location. During intensive and interactive work sessions with the seven tutors, analyses were made and the perspectives, approaches, and scenarios were refined. The three groups presented the final results for a group of visiting critics.  With this publication, we want to show the richness of perspectives and insights on Haven-Stad, that were developed during this short but very intensive Summer School. We are proud to present the three different projects, each with their own focus. The invited experts provided the participants with background knowledge lectures and a workshop. Excerpts of these sessions are included in this publication. We thank all participants, tutors and involved stakeholders for their efforts that have made this Summer School a success

Assessment of area conservation in the Arab-Islamic city: the case of historic Cairo

Historic Cairo is a significant medieval urban phenomenon that has suffered uninterrupted deterioration since the mid nineteenth century. This led to questioning the quality of area conservation schemes in Cairo. Are they superficial, focusing only on restoration, which limits the focus of conservation only to the physical aspects of historic areas? Are they only designed to attract tourist dollars regardless of other social and local cultural considerations? Could the financial deficiency be the main reason for such a continuing environmental decline as proclaimed by the planners and officials in charge of safeguarding Historic Cairo?All these questions besides many others inspired this investigation to explore the deficiencies and obstacles affecting area conservation in Historic Cairo. These questions are clustered into two main directions: the first focuses on the commission, i.e. the quality of executing area conservation schemes. The second searches for the reasons and goals for which the mission of a conservation scheme is pursued.The commission inquiry defines what to conserve, the most significant values and qualities that give a meaning to the historic area to be safeguarded as addressed in Chapters One and Two. It also investigates how to conserve these areas without jeopardising such environmental values and qualities, as elaborated in Chapters Three and Four. On the other hand, the mission inquiry is probed through indepth analysis of policies and the political model responsible for them in Egypt, as elaborated in Chapter Six.Since area conservation is still in its infancy in Historic Cairo, this research broadens its scope to investigate the Arab -Islamic Context. Through this broader context, many case studies were consulted along Chapters one to Four. These helped define comprehensive environmental assessment criteria, envisaged through a comprehensive sampling framework that incorporate all the active agents, based on integrating all the above environmental qualities, values and conservation and policy- making processes, as synthesised in Chapter Five.Such a comprehensive assessment model is the actual contribution of this research to area conservation general literature, through which it was possible to explore one of the most chaotic urban phenomena, Historic Cairo, as conducted in Chapter Six. The implications of such an investigation identified that historic areas in Cairo are not envisaged as the last refuge of traditional culture and lifestyle but rather as a potential venue to attract foreign currency through development for cultural tourism. In addition, the continuing environmental deterioration pointed above, is mainly due to inter governmental organisational conflicts, which cripple the conservation and urban upgrading process in Egypt in general