A Tale of Hidden Cities

Hidden cities within a city? During the last decade there is a large trending literature concerning urban and suburban poverty concentration patterns. However, few are the cases where adequate data exist at a low spatial level, in order for scientists to explore that kind of socio-spatial phenomena. This paper tries to investigate the evolution of poverty within urban and suburban space, under a multidimensional framework, during a period of severe economic crisis and austerity measures. The metropolitan area of Athens is used as our case study, for which available data at a municipal level enable the calculation of the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) for the years 2006 and 2011. Using cluster analysis based on the MPI values, three groups of municipalities are derived within Athens. For each one of them, a mean MPI index is calculated and then decomposed. The results indicate that there is a clear spatial concentration of poverty in the west suburban areas of Athens. The urban core of the city is characterised by middle-income municipalities, whilst the north-east and the south-east suburban areas experience low-poverty indicators. Finally, the results suggest that during the economic crisis period poor areas were affected the most

Five decades of research on urban poverty: Main research communities, core knowledge producers, and emerging thematic areas

Urban poverty represents one of the greatest and most urgent challenges that modern society is facing. The criticality of this global issue is represented by a rapidly growing body of academic literature which aims to explain the dynamics of urban poverty and promote effective and enduring solutions. However, despite many years of research, no studies have been conducted yet which reveal and analyze the overall intellectual structure of the urban poverty research field. In light of this gap, a bibliometric study was undertaken of 52 years of scientific literature on urban poverty (1965–2017). The bibliometric study combines author citation analysis and text-mining techniques to map the main research communities and core knowledge producers which are shaping the urban poverty research field and to identify the thematic areas that these communities are focusing attention on. The results of this investigation reveal a significant growth in the volume of academic literature produced post-1990, which is mainly driven by the collaborative efforts of five research communities, each of whom are seen to focus attention on a specific thematic area: (A) Policy-oriented research; (B) Urban poverty concentration; (C) The rise of poverty in Chinese cities; (D) Youth-behavioral and mental-health aspects of urban poverty; and (E) Urban poverty and health in the Sub-Saharan and Asian slum areas. The practical relevance and scientific contribution of this study is evidenced in its capacity to assist those actors working to alleviate urban poverty, in particular research communities, governmental and inter-governmental institutions, and funding bodies. In addition to help them grasp the overall intellectual structure of the urban poverty research field, the insight offered by this study is instrumental in supporting the articulation of a global, action-oriented agenda for future interdisciplinary research on urban poverty

Mind the Gap: Developments in Autonomous Driving Research and the Sustainability Challenge

Scientific knowledge on autonomous-driving technology is expanding at a faster-than-ever pace. As a result, the likelihood of incurring information overload is particularly notable for researchers, who can struggle to overcome the gap between information processing requirements and information processing capacity. We address this issue by adopting a multi-granulation approach to latent knowledge discovery and synthesis in large-scale research domains. The proposed methodology combines citation-based community detection methods and topic modeling techniques to give a concise but comprehensive overview of how the autonomous vehicle (AV) research field is conceptually structured. Thirteen core thematic areas are extracted and presented by mining the large data-rich environments resulting from 50 years of AV research. The analysis demonstrates that this research field is strongly oriented towards examining the technological developments needed to enable the widespread rollout of AVs, whereas it largely overlooks the wide-ranging sustainability implications of this sociotechnical transition. On account of these findings, we call for a broader engagement of AV researchers with the sustainability concept and we invite them to increase their commitment to conducting systematic investigations into the sustainability of AV deployment. Sustainability research is urgently required to produce an evidence-based understanding of what new sociotechnical arrangements are needed to ensure that the systemic technological change introduced by AV-based transport systems can fulfill societal functions while meeting the urgent need for more sustainable transport solutions

Smart Systems of Innovation for Smart Places: Challenges in Deploying Digital Platforms for Co-Creation and Data-Intelligence

The effect of digital transformation towards more efficient, place-based and bottom-up innovation policies at different spatial scales has proven significant, as digital technologies modify existing policy-design routines in cities and regions. Smart places (cities, districts, neighbourhoods, ecosystems) depend on the way digitalisation disrupts systems of innovation in cities, making it more open, global, participatory and experimental. We argue that the rise and interconnection of various types of intelligence (artificial, human, collective) could bring profound changes in the way smart places are being created and evolve. In this context, cyber-physical systems of innovation are deployed through multiple nodes acquiring digital companions, collaboration is deployed over physical, social, and digital spaces, and actors can use complex methods guided by software and get insights from data and analytics. The paper also presents the case study of OnlineS3, a two-year Horizon 2020 project, which developed and tested a digital platform composed of applications, datasets and roadmaps, which altogether create a digital environment for empowering the design of smart specialisation strategies for local and regional systems of innovation. The results indicate that digital transformation allows the operationalisation of multiple methodologies which have not been used earlier by policy makers, due to lack of capabilities. It can also increase the scalability of indicators facilitating decision making at different spatial scales and, therefore, better respond to the complexity of innovation systems providing dynamic and scale-diverse information

Intelligence and co-creation in smart specialisation strategies: towards the next stage of RIS3

The white paper on “Intelligence and Co-creation in Smart Specialisation Strategies” outlines some key conclusions from the Online S3 project, funded under the Horizon 2020 programme of the European Commission. The Online S3 project has produced an online platform composed of software applications and roadmaps that facilitate the design and implementation of Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3). Using a baseline set of methodologies for strategy design, Online S3 is advancing the understanding of RIS3 as a place-based and evidence-driven innovation policy, relying on large datasets and software for user engagement, co-creation and collective intelligence in policy design. In this white paper, the core building blocks of RIS3 are presented, as they appear in EU documents and related literature, such as ex ante conditionalities, stakeholder engagement, specialisation by diversification, entrepreneurial discovery, policy co-design, monitoring and assessment. This white paper also discusses weaknesses of the current period and what can be done better in the near future; thus, puts RIS3 in retrospect and prospect for 2021-2027. At the same time, it looks into critical dimensions for the next stage of RIS3, focusing on how strategies can be improved by datasets and software, enabling the implementation of complex methods; thus, facilitating collective intelligence and co-creation of solutions, which both are able to usher a transition from the triple to quadruple helix model of collaboration. Finally, the annex presents a short description of the 28 software applications and the 4 roadmaps hosted on the Online S3 Platform, which enable the use of datasets and sophisticated methodologies by policy-makers

Intelligence and co-creation in smart specialisation strategies: towards the next stage of RIS3

The white paper on “Intelligence and Co-creation in Smart Specialisation Strategies” outlines some key conclusions from the Online S3 project, funded under the Horizon 2020 programme of the European Commission. The Online S3 project has produced an online platform composed of software applications and roadmaps that facilitate the design and implementation of Research and Innovation Strategies for Smart Specialisation (RIS3). Using a baseline set of methodologies for strategy design, Online S3 is advancing the understanding of RIS3 as a place-based and evidence-driven innovation policy, relying on large datasets and software for user engagement, co-creation and collective intelligence in policy design. In this white paper, the core building blocks of RIS3 are presented, as they appear in EU documents and related literature, such as ex ante conditionalities, stakeholder engagement, specialisation by diversification, entrepreneurial discovery, policy co-design, monitoring and assessment. This white paper also discusses weaknesses of the current period and what can be done better in the near future; thus, puts RIS3 in retrospect and prospect for 2021-2027. At the same time, it looks into critical dimensions for the next stage of RIS3, focusing on how strategies can be improved by datasets and software, enabling the implementation of complex methods; thus, facilitating collective intelligence and co-creation of solutions, which both are able to usher a transition from the triple to quadruple helix model of collaboration. Finally, the annex presents a short description of the 28 software applications and the 4 roadmaps hosted on the Online S3 Platform, which enable the use of datasets and sophisticated methodologies by policy-makers

Online S3 D2.3 - Online S3 mechanism for knowledge-based policy advice

No abstract available

Online S3 D2.3 - Online S3 mechanism for knowledge-based policy advice

No abstract available

Education as a main component of the developmental dynamics of the regions

This thesis builds upon the EU2020 strategy, following the smart and inclusive growth paradigm, that treats human capital as a central component of regional development. However, there are cases of smart growth policies, focusing on skills’ empowerment, which may not yield the expected results, in terms of social cohesion aspects. Given this fact, the role of regional specificities, such as the extent to which human capital resources are concentrated within a region compared to others, constitute essential parameters that need to be taken into consideration during a policy-design process. This study aims to provide an evidence-based sub-regional analysis to foster processes regarding place-based policy design for socio-economic inclusion, in the case of Greece. More specifically, it investigates the links between education and income inequality, at a municipal level during the period 1994-2012, using the outcomes of the SimGreece static spatial micro-simulation model, specifically developed for the case of Greece.This study presents the first spatial microsimulation model for the analysis of educational and income inequalities in Greece. The SimGreece model is based on a combination of small-area demographic and socio-economic information, available from the Greek census of population combined with data from the European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions (EU-SILC). The model is based on an iterative proportional fitting (IPF) algorithm, and is used to reweight EU-SILC records to fit in small-area descriptions for Greece based on 1991, 2001 and 2011 censuses. This is achieved by using demographic and socio-economic characteristics as constraint variables. Moreover, synthesis of the labor market and occupations are chosen as the main variables for externally validating the results, in order to verify the integrity of the model. Results of this external validation process are found to be extremely satisfactory, indicating a high goodness of fit between simulated and real values.The study presents several model outputs, illustrating variations in educational and income inequalities throughout a large period (19 years), which also covers the beginning of the 2008 economic crisis. Furthermore, an econometric analysis has also been implemented in the thesis, including the development of a DSEM model estimated by a system GMM estimator. The results indicate a positive effect of educational level on the formation of income inequality, and income in general. The significance of incorporating local particularities in the analysis, such as human capital endowments, dummies for population density and time-varying socio-economic disturbances, as the 2008 economic crisis, is also stressed. Finally, this thesis offers a great opportunity for discussing further potential of this model in terms of expanding it for policy analysis.Η παρούσα διατριβή στηρίζεται στη στρατηγική Ευρώπη2020, ακολουθώντας το παράδειγμα της έξυπνης ανάπτυξης χωρίς αποκλεισμούς, το οποίο αντιμετωπίζει το ανθρώπινο κεφάλαιο ως κεντρικό στοιχείο της περιφερειακής ανάπτυξης. Ωστόσο, υπάρχουν περιπτώσεις ευφυών αναπτυξιακών πολιτικών, οι οποίες εστιάζουν στην ενδυνάμωση των δεξιοτήτων των ατόμων, οι οποίες ενδέχεται να μην αποφέρουν τα αναμενόμενα αποτελέσματα, όσον αφορά τις πτυχές της κοινωνικής συνοχής. Δεδομένου του γεγονότος αυτού, ο ρόλος των περιφερειακών ιδιαιτεροτήτων, όπως ο βαθμός συγκέντρωσης των πόρων ανθρώπινου κεφαλαίου σε μια περιοχή και η εκπαιδευτική ανισότητα, αποτελούν ουσιώδεις παραμέτρους που πρέπει να λαμβάνονται υπόψη κατά τη διαδικασία σχεδιασμού των πολιτικών. Σκοπός της μελέτης αυτής είναι η παροχή μιας τεκμηριωμένης υπό-περιφερειακής ανάλυσης, με στόχο την ενίσχυση διαδικασιών σχεδιασμού πολιτικών ενίσχυσης της κοινωνικό-οικονομικής συνοχής στην περίπτωση της Ελλάδας. Συγκεκριμένα, η παρούσα έρευνα διερευνά τις αλληλεπιδράσεις μεταξύ εκπαίδευσης και εισοδηματικής ανισότητας, σε επίπεδο Δημοτικών Ενοτήτων κατά την περίοδο 1994-2012, χρησιμοποιώντας τα αποτελέσματα του μοντέλου χωρικής μικρό-προσομοίωσης SimGreece, ειδικά σχεδιασμένου για την περίπτωση της ΕλλάδαςΗ μελέτη αυτή παρουσιάζει το πρώτο μοντέλο χωρικής μικρό-προσομοίωσης για την ανάλυση των εκπαιδευτικών και εισοδηματικών ανισοτήτων στην Ελλάδα. Το μοντέλο SimGreece βασίζεται στη χρήση δημογραφικών και κοινωνικό-οικονομικών δεδομένων, διαφορετικής χωρικής κλίμακας. Τα δεδομένα αυτά είναι διαθέσιμα από την ελληνική απογραφή πληθυσμού, και συνδυάζονται με δεδομένα από την έρευνα Εισοδήματος και Συνθήκων Διαβίωσης της Ευρωπαϊκής Ένωσης (European Union Statistics on Income and Living Conditions - EU-SILC). Το μοντέλο βασίζεται σε μία επαναληπτική αναλογική προσαρμογή (iterative proportional fitting - IPF) και χρησιμοποιείται για τον υπολογισμό των βαρών των αρχείων EU-SILC, ώστε τα αθροιστικά αποτελέσματά τους να ταιριάζουν στις περιγραφές μικρών περιοχών για την Ελλάδα με βάση τις απογραφές 1991, 2001 και 2011. Αυτό επιτυγχάνεται με τη χρήση δημογραφικών και κοινωνικό-οικονομικών χαρακτηριστικών ως μεταβλητές ελέγχου, όπως το φύλο, η ηλικία, η οικογενειακή κατάσταση κ.α. Επιπλέον, η σύνθεση της αγοράς εργασίας και των επαγγελμάτων επιλέγονται ως κύριες μεταβλητές για την εξωτερική επικύρωση των αποτελεσμάτων, προκειμένου να επαληθευτεί η ακεραιότητα του μοντέλου. Τα αποτελέσματα αυτής της διεργασίας εξωτερικής επικύρωσης διαπιστώθηκε ότι είναι εξαιρετικά ικανοποιητικά, υποδεικνύοντας έναν υψηλό βαθμό προσαρμογής μεταξύ προσομοιωμένων και πραγματικών τιμών.Στη μελέτη παρουσιάζονται τα αποτελέσματα του μοντέλου SimGreece, τα οποία απεικονίζουν τις διακυμάνσεις των εκπαιδευτικών και εισοδηματικών ανισοτήτων για μια μεγάλη περίοδο (19 ετών), η οποία καλύπτει επίσης την έναρξη της οικονομικής κρίσης του 2008. Επιπρόσθετα, εφαρμόζεται και μια οικονομετρική ανάλυση, που περιλαμβάνει την ανάπτυξη ενός μοντέλου DSEM, το οποίο εκτιμάται από έναν εκτιμητή συστήματος GMM. Τα αποτελέσματα δείχνουν μια θετική επίδραση του εκπαιδευτικού επιπέδου στη διαμόρφωση εισοδηματικής ανισότητας και γενικά στο εισόδημα. Έχει επίσης τονίζεται η σημασία της ενσωμάτωσης των τοπικών ιδιαιτεροτήτων στην ανάλυση, όπως είναι το απόθεμα ανθρώπινου κεφαλαίου, η πυκνότητα του πληθυσμού και οι χρονικά μεταβαλλόμενες κοινωνικό-οικονομικές διαταραχές, όπως είναι η οικονομική κρίση του 2008. Τέλος, η παρούσα εργασία προσφέρει μια μεγάλη ευκαιρία για συζήτηση των περαιτέρω δυνατοτήτων αυτού του μοντέλου, όσον αφορά την επέκτασή του για ανάλυση πολιτικών

Next City: Learning from Cities during COVID-19 to Tackle Climate Change

Fundamental principles of modern cities and urban planning are challenged during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the advantages of large city size, high density, mass transport, free use of public space, unrestricted individual mobility in cities. These principles shaped the development of cities and metropolitan areas for more than a century, but currently, there are signs that they have turned from advantage to liability. Cities Public authorities and private organisations responded to the COVID-19 crisis with a variety of policies and business practices. These countermeasures codify a valuable experience and can offer lessons about how cities can tackle another grand challenge, this of climate change. Do the measures taken during the COVID-19 crisis represent a temporal adjustment to the current health crisis? Or do they open new ways towards a new type of urban development more effective in times of environmental and health crises? We address these questions through literature review and three case studies that review policies and practices for the transformation of city ecosystems mostly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic: (a) the central business district, (b) the transport ecosystem, and (c) the tourism–hospitality ecosystem. We assess whether the measures implemented in these ecosystems shape new policy and planning models for higher readiness of cities towards grand challenges, and how, based on this experience, cities should be organized to tackle the grand challenge of environmental sustainability and climate change