El urbanismo de la reconstruccion después del desastre de la guerra. Lecciones de Inglaterra en la década de 1940

Las ciudades cambian constantemente, bien de forma lenta y gradual, o con catástrofes como ocurre con las guerras. El artículo analiza los mecanismos para la reconstrucción de las ciudades británicas después de los bombardeos de la segunda Guerra Mundial. Se discute el sistema nacional de planeamiento que entonces emerge, así como ejemplos de respuestas locales. Este ejemplo de urbanismo de reconstrucción post-catástrofe se mostró como un proceso lento y dificultoso, con varios desacuerdos entre los urbanistas nacionales y locales. No se corresponde fácilmente con los modelos estándar del urbanismo aplicado después de los desastres.Cities are constantly changing, either in a slow, gradualist manner, or through catastrophe such as war. This paper examines the mechanisms for reconstructing British towns after the bombing of the Second World War. The emerging national planning system, and examples of individual local responses, are discussed. This example of post-catastrophe reconstruction planning proved to be a slow and difficult process, with many disagreements between the national and local planners. It does not easily conform to standard models of post-disaster planning

Risk Assessment and Risk Engagement in the Construction Industry Within Conflict Zones

Stakeholders throughout the construction industry deal with risks and uncertainties, which are particularly important where they lead to poor construction development. Very few studies have examined stakeholders` perception of risk in the construction industry especially in conflict zones. However, it is important to identify how risk is perceived and dealt with effectively in order to successfully implement different strategies of dealing with risks. To achieve this, an initial framework is developed from current practices, applied and then refined based on the data gathered. Data collection has been carried out in Palestine using semi structured qualitative interview. A range of risk variables were uncovered, including movement restrictions, limitations in the locations of construction and problems related to specific governmental policies. The findings also confirmed the significant influence of some existing theories: cultural, social and psychometric, and revealed others including the process of policy implementation and validation. The interviewees considered that risks relating to inappropriate implementation of policies is the main cause of poor achievement of construction development, followed by restrictions in movement and poor land management. Therefore, there is a need to provide stakeholders and policymakers with better knowledge of how risk is perceived and dealt with in order to enhance construction development in these risky locations

Re-evaluating the place of urban planning history

This commentary seeks to prompt new discussion about the place of urban planning history in the era of contemporary globalisation. Given the deep historic engagement of urban planning thought and practice with ‘place’ shaping and thus with the constitution of society, culture and politics, we ask how relevant is planning's legacy to the shaping of present day cities. Late twentieth century urban sociology, cultural and economic geography have demonstrated the increasing significance of intercity relations and the functional porosity of metropolitan boundaries in the network society, however statutory urban planning systems remain tied to the administrative geographies of states. This ‘territorial fixing’ of practice constrains the operational space of planning and, we argue, also limits its vision to geopolitical scales and agendas that have receding relevance for emerging urban relations. We propose that a re-evaluation of planning history could have an important part to play in addressing this spatial conundrum

Planners in space?

The discussion paper charts the problems in contemporary aspirations for space exploration and colonisation and make a case for the imaginative potential contribution of planners to ongoing debates on human space futures

Bomb damage, opportunity and rebuilding in post-war Britain

This paper explores how wartime bomb destruction was mapped in various British towns and cities, the apparent extent of damage, and the extent to which the damage influenced post-war rebuilding. While it is often said that the destruction created the opportunity for reconstruction, how far was there a direct influence? The pre-war pressures to redevelop tightly packed, often medieval, city cores and the need to replace slum housing were also powerful pressures, hence the popular name for the first replanning legislation, the 1944 “Blitz and Blight Act”. The paper also examines conflicts between local claims of the extent of damage and those finally accepted by central government. Overall the paper uses the catastrophe of wartime damage to question the urban morphological concept of the "morphological frame" which, under more normal circumstances, is held to contain and constrain development

Landscape and the City: creating a sustainable development

This paper examines the potential of a holistic approach for urban and regional strategies in order to understand the way this might contribute more effectively to current global challenges. Part of a wider research strategy investigating the extent to which low carbon and spatial quality can be delivered at a regional level, it demonstrates benefits of adopting a range of processes to deliver integrated and sustainable urban development. The case studies examined include the Landscape Observatory (Spain), the Room for the River (the Netherlands) and HS2/HS2LV (UK). The Landscape Observatory has raised public awareness of the value of landscape to the extent to which there is now a public law protecting landscape in Catalonia. An investigation of projects dealing with climate adaptation in the Netherlands demonstrates the potential and significance of introducing low carbon and the quality of space in urban and regional infrastructure projects. An examination of the HS2 high-speed rail project in the UK illustrates how it might be possible to impact on the perception and development of a singular engineering project in order to convey a wider sustainable vision and the impact that this might have on future landscape in towns, cities and rural areas. The significance of development of procurement processes, policies and legislations as part of the administration phase of urban and regional landscape schemes are also considered necessary for future landscape strategies. Initial outcomes indicate that successful delivery requires the development of a landscape vision and the understanding of low carbon and spatial quality concepts through design in order to be better expressed in the infrastructure and create added value to our cities and regions

Planning the Smart City With Young People: Teenagers' Perceptions, Values and Visions of Smartness

Young people are often seen as "future citizens" and therefore relegated to a back seat in the planning process, awaiting their coming of age. Recent digital transformations in planning have brought new consultation processes but also created a digital divide and conflicting agendas. This article engages with youth, specifically teenagers, a heterogenous community stuck between childhood and adulthood, assumed to possess the necessary digital skills, but usually overlooked in participatory planning processes. This article will examine the case study cities of Manchester, Birmingham, Valencia, and Sofia, where 121 teenagers between 15 and 19 years of age have been interviewed in relation to their awareness and perceptions of digital technologies and smart cities. It focuses on critically examining young people’s perceptions and values towards the smart city. Using the smart city wheel as an engagement and discussion tool, the article presents teenagers’ critique of smart city models and future city visions. The article categorises common threads and values that this demographic has espoused and presents cautionary tales relating to awareness and skills development in this age group. Throughout the interviews and surveys, young people in all four case studies have reported strong affiliations to specific modes of inhabiting the city and values that they would like to see reflected in any future visions. The article identifies key considerations for planners and smart city practitioners when engaging young people in the creation of future city visions

Sustainable landscape design; key ideas for effective implementation

This paper forms part of wider research looking at pioneer landscape strategies across Europe, examining the extent to which low carbon, sustainability and spatial quality can be delivered effectively on urban and strategic scale, and covers examples from the ‘Landscape Observatory’ (Spain), the ‘Room for the River’ and ‘New Dutch Waterline’ (Netherlands), and the ‘HS2/HS2LV’ project (UK). This paper presents the Netherlands and the UK case studies, illustrating effective ways where the key issues of low carbon and quality of space are integrated in the design framework and the impact this has on the decision making. The case studies have shown that effective implementation requires visual communication and an in-depth understanding of how the concepts of sustainability and spatial quality are expressed. Policies, and legislation are also considered significant for landscape based developments