{"title":"Urban expansion and vegetation dynamics: The role of protected areas in preventing vegetation loss in a growing mega city","authors":"Shahfahad , Swapan Talukdar , Mohd Waseem Naikoo , Atiqur Rahman","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2024.103129","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2024.103129","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>The decrease in vegetation cover due to urban expansion poses serious challenge to urban sustainability. Protected areas (PAs) are the most effective tools to prevent the loss of urban vegetation cover and to control urban expansion. Hence, this study aims to assess the importance of PAs in protecting urban vegetation and the urban expansion in the mega city of Delhi. For this, Landsat datasets were used for land use and land cover (LULC) mapping and then land cover change rate (LCCR) and land cover intensity (LCI) were calculated. For assessing urban expansion dynamics, mean landscape expansion index (MLEI) and the area-weighted LEI (AWLEI) were calculated. To evaluate the significance of PAs in protecting vegetation cover, kernel density estimation (KDE) was applied to assess the spatial variation and concentration of vegetation cover under different PAs. The result shows that urban expansion in Delhi was initially characterized by edge expansion during 1991–2001, followed by outlying expansion of built-up area during 2001–2021, while infilling of open and vegetated areas by built-up area was consistent during 1991–2021. Vegetation cover on the other hand, has followed a fluctuating trend in the city, but has overall it has declined from 13.36% to 9.30% during 1991–2021. The vegetation cover has declined significantly in eastern, northern, and western parts of Delhi but has increased significantly in central and southern parts, especially during 2001–21. This is because the central and southern parts of Delhi are well planned and have several PAs while the western, northern, and eastern parts of Delhi are unplanned regions and have only a few PAs. The KDE chart shows that the PAs have played an important role in protecting the vegetation cover in Delhi with R<sup>2</sup> value > 0.70. Hence, this study suggests to give special emphasis on preservation and expansion of PAs in urban planning for the long-term conservation of urban vegetation cover and sustainable urban development.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"150 ","pages":"Article 103129"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141422939","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"State interests or local interests? An investigation of Chinese prefectural-level cities’ behaviour in response to national policy implementation","authors":"Eddie Chi-man Hui , Ka-hung Yu","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2024.103115","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2024.103115","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Through a study of the behaviour of already debt-ridden local governments in response to the Made in China 2025 policy, this paper explores whether local governments prioritized State interests over local interests, when their financial involvement was required. Deploying a panel data analysis for more than 280 prefectural-level cities, this paper finds that, despite having been subject to an “Administrative Subcontract” arrangement under which the Central Government appoints top local officials, local economic/debt interests were prioritized over national policy implementation under fiscal decentralization. Instead of promoting infrastructure development, the Made in China 2025 policy provided an opportunity for local governments to raise capital via Local Government Financing Vehicles (LGFV) primarily for debt refinancing, despite the State's numerous attempts to control the growth of local government/LGFV debt. Some policy implications concerning i) the effectiveness of national policy implementation on local levels under “Administrative Subcontract” and ii) the debt situations of prefectural-level Chinese cities and their effects on China's economy in general are then discussed.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"150 ","pages":"Article 103115"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141314386","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Simeng Li , Ren Yang , Hualou Long , Yuancheng Lin , Yusi Ge
{"title":"Rural spatial restructuring in suburbs under capital intervention: Spatial construction based on nature","authors":"Simeng Li , Ren Yang , Hualou Long , Yuancheng Lin , Yusi Ge","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2024.103112","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2024.103112","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Rapid urbanization and consumerization are leading to significant transformation and spatial restructuring in the rural areas of China's suburbs. Promoting the commodification of rural nature with capital has become an important strategy for rural spatial restructuring. However, the research on how capital reshapes rural space from the perspective of rural nature is still insufficient. Based on the theoretical perspective of nature commodification, this study constructs a framework to analyze the relationship between rural nature and rural spatial restructuring. Taking Nanping Meditation Town in Guangzhou as a typical case, it discusses the process and mechanism of rural spatial restructuring in suburbs relying on the commodification of rural nature with capital’s intervention. The results show that: (1) Driven by China’s process of counter-urbanization and consumerism, capital constructs rural nature in suburbs by giving meaning to it. Diversified capitals promote the multi-functionalization, networking, and commodification of material, social, and cultural spaces in the countryside through the process of redistribution of urban and rural resources. At the same time, along with the spatial games of pluralistic subjects, the material, social, and cultural spaces further interact with each other and constantly undergo reconstruction. (2) The commodification of rural nature is an external response and a crucial strategy of rural spatial restructuring. It offers a new approach to enhance the value of the countryside. Rural nature is commodified through resources integration and value excavation, product planning and design, brand promotion and marketing under the influence of various capital entities. This process holds significant theoretical and practical importance for the endogenous development and revitalization of rural areas.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"150 ","pages":"Article 103112"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141308393","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Destigmatizing urban villages by examining their attractiveness: Quantification evidence from Shenzhen","authors":"Jin Rui , Yuhan Xu , Xiang Li","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2024.103120","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2024.103120","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>While existing social and political research has qualitatively discussed the stigmatization of urban villages (UVs), there's a lack of quantitative support. This study innovatively attempts to provide quantitative evidence, employing a spatial perspective for the destigmatization of UVs. We integrated population trajectory, GDP data, employment and residential points of interest, and developed a spatial gravity model to derive the spatial attractiveness index. Concurrently, we selected environmental, spatial structure, and housing economic indicators to construct a regression analysis. Our findings revealed that urban villagers exhibit a preference for shorter daily commutes, underscoring the positive role of UVs in promoting job-housing balance and providing diverse services. The high-frequency mobility of villagers accelerates the categorization of UVs and enhances intra-area circulation. We further discussed the interaction between UV renewal and its destigmatization. To counter spatial stigmatization, enhancing the spatial quality and infrastructure of UVs, as well as promoting diversified land use can reduce the public's stereotypical impressions. Moreover, prioritizing affordable housing and equitable distribution of facilities, along with fostering synergies between urban capital and UVs, can facilitate the destigmatization process. Stigmatization in informal settlements is a widespread issue. Our quantitative approaches, as well as targeted renovation and policy recommendations, can serve as a blueprint for addressing similar challenges in informal settlements globally.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"150 ","pages":"Article 103120"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0197397524001206/pdfft?md5=4fd1c85897dcfbfd81f9654f02c3c061&pid=1-s2.0-S0197397524001206-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141314387","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Counterurbanisation in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic in New South Wales, 2016-21","authors":"Neil Argent , Paul Plummer","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2024.103118","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2024.103118","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>In the context of a secular decline in internal migration across more developed nations, this paper examines the degree of counterurbanisation in New South Wales – Australia's most populous state – for 2016-21, a period that included the COVID-19 pandemic. Using a nuanced demarcation of ‘metropolitan’ and ‘non-metropolitan’, the paper investigates how genuinely counter-urban and pro-rural these movements are. The paper also explores the role of rural amenity as a ‘pull’ factor on city populations, using the most influential elements of the rural environment that best predict in-, out-migration and net-migration flows as separate measures rather than combine them into an index of composite variables. The results suggest that counterurbanisation exists as a particular migration current in NSW, though the spatial patterning of in- and net migration rates suggests that exurbanisation and displaced urbanisation more accurately describe and explain the vast majority of moves. Relatively high in- and net migration rates recorded in the most remote local government areas also suggest an element of anti-urbanisation, perhaps in response to the COVID-19 public health measures. Spatial regression modelling of selected amenity indicators against in-, out- and net migration produced high coefficients (Spearman's rho) for the in- and out-migration models, while the net migration model registered coefficients about half the size of the other two models. Two indicators – median slope and tourism employment – were strong and statistically significant influences over the in- and net migration models, and in the direction hypothesised. These results suggest that counterurbanisation is substantially influenced by the presence of landscapes of varied relief and with some tourism attraction potential.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"150 ","pages":"Article 103118"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141303130","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Understanding counter-urbanization and re-urbanization in pandemic: Insights from People's migration behavior in China","authors":"Dapeng Zhang, Zhang Yiwen, Guangshuai Fu","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2024.103116","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2024.103116","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This study investigates the drivers behind migration from larger to smaller cities and from urban to rural areas (counter-urbanization), along with the reverse migration (re-urbanization) during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Utilizing a retrospective survey of 1000 respondents across China from January 2020 to April 2023, we explored how pandemic-related factors influenced migration behaviors. A theoretical framework integrating push-pull, risk perception, and human capital theories was developed. Boxplot visualization was used to examine the motivations for counter-urbanization during the pandemic, and regression models were applied to identify the complex factors driving both counter-urbanization and re-urbanization. Key findings reveal that pandemic-induced insecurity and perceptions of the strictness and effectiveness of virus prevention measures significantly influenced migration decisions. Notably, land ownership in rural hometowns served as a crucial \"safety net\" for rural populations, affecting their migration decisions. This study differentiates between migration types: urban-to-rural versus larger-to-smaller cities, and compares the driving factors behind both processes. By focusing on both counter-urbanization and re-urbanization, this research highlights the interplay of psychological, policy, and economic factors that shape migration patterns in the context of public health crises.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"150 ","pages":"Article 103116"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141289905","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Samuel Nello-Deakin , Candela Sancho Vallvé , Zeynep Sila Akinci
{"title":"Who's afraid of pedestrianisation? Residents' perceptions and preferences on street transformation","authors":"Samuel Nello-Deakin , Candela Sancho Vallvé , Zeynep Sila Akinci","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2024.103117","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2024.103117","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>While urban pedestrianisation schemes typically attract vociferous opposition, it is often unclear whether these negative views are representative of the general population. For this reason, understanding how residents perceive the impacts of such schemes is critical to their evaluation. To this aim, this article assesses residents' perceptions and preferences regarding the pedestrianisation of multiple streets in the Eixample district of Barcelona in recent years, through a representative survey of the district's residents (n = 1211). Our research examines how residents' views on pedestrianisation vary depending on their mobility habits, sociodemographic background, and the level of traffic calming of the street they live on. Our results show that most respondents (66%) consider that the impacts of existing pedestrianisations have been positive regardless of whether they live on a pedestrianised street or not, even though residents of recently pedestrianised streets are more positive than those living on other streets. At the same time, many residents of pedestrianised streets consider that the benefits of reduced traffic externalities may be partially counterbalanced by new problems caused by an intensive use of public space (e.g. noise from people and cafes, touristification, nightlife). Our results also show that there is a strong relationship between support for pedestrianisation, age and mobility habits: daily car and motorbike users are much less supportive of pedestrianisation than public transport users and cyclists, while support for pedestrianisation decreases markedly with advancing age.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"150 ","pages":"Article 103117"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0197397524001176/pdfft?md5=76297fb356c72724a3aa85836a7cd9e2&pid=1-s2.0-S0197397524001176-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141249404","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Qianwen Duan , Jessica Steele , Zhifeng Cheng , Eimear Cleary , Nick Ruktanonchai , Hal Voepel , Tim O'Riordan , Andrew J. Tatem , Alessandro Sorichetta , Shengjie Lai , Felix Eigenbrod
{"title":"Identifying counter-urbanisation using Facebook's user count data","authors":"Qianwen Duan , Jessica Steele , Zhifeng Cheng , Eimear Cleary , Nick Ruktanonchai , Hal Voepel , Tim O'Riordan , Andrew J. Tatem , Alessandro Sorichetta , Shengjie Lai , Felix Eigenbrod","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2024.103113","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2024.103113","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Identifying the growing widespread phenomenon of counter-urbanisation, where people relocate from urban centres to rural areas, is essential for understanding the social and ecological consequences of the associated changes. However, its nuanced dynamics and complex characteristics pose challenges for quantitative analysis. Here, we used near real-time Facebook user count data for Belgium and Thailand, with missing data imputed, and applied the Seasonal-Trend decomposition using Loess (STL) model to capture subtle urban and rural population dynamics and assess counter-urbanisation. We identified counter-urbanisation in both Belgium and Thailand, evidenced by increases of 1.80% and 2.14% in rural residents (night-time user counts) and decreases of 3.08% and 5.04% in urban centre night-time user counts from March 2020 to May 2022, respectively. However, the counter-urbanisation in Thailand appears to be transitory, with rural users beginning to decline during both day and night as COVID-19 restrictions were lifted. By contrast, in Belgium, at the country level, there is as yet no evidence of a return to urban residences, though daytime numbers in rural areas are decreasing and in urban centres are increasing, suggesting an increase in commuting post-pandemic. These variation characteristics observed both between Belgium and Thailand and between day and night, extend the current understanding of counter-urbanisation. The use of novel social media data provides an effective quantitative perspective to comprehend counter-urbanisation in different settings.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"150 ","pages":"Article 103113"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0197397524001139/pdfft?md5=27e50518c38e1af67b61bcaaf36795d7&pid=1-s2.0-S0197397524001139-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141249405","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The effects of spatially targeted housing policy: Evidence from land transaction permit system in South Korea","authors":"Geon Kim","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2024.103111","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2024.103111","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"149 ","pages":"Article 103111"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141244582","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Junxi Qian , Yanheng Lu , Xueping Li , Xueqiong Tang
{"title":"Counterurban sensibilities in the global countryside: The relational making of rurality and heritage in Xizhou Town, Southwest China","authors":"Junxi Qian , Yanheng Lu , Xueping Li , Xueqiong Tang","doi":"10.1016/j.habitatint.2024.103109","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2024.103109","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":48376,"journal":{"name":"Habitat International","volume":"149 ","pages":"Article 103109"},"PeriodicalIF":6.8,"publicationDate":"2024-06-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141244565","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"经济学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}