Celina Aznarez, Jens-Christian Svenning, Juan Pablo Pacheco, Frederik Have Kallesøe, Francesc Baró, Unai Pascual
{"title":"Luxury and legacy effects on urban biodiversity, vegetation cover and ecosystem services","authors":"Celina Aznarez, Jens-Christian Svenning, Juan Pablo Pacheco, Frederik Have Kallesøe, Francesc Baró, Unai Pascual","doi":"10.1038/s42949-023-00128-7","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s42949-023-00128-7","url":null,"abstract":"Socio-economic and historical drivers shape urban nature distribution and characteristics, as luxury (wealth-related) and legacy (historical management) effects. Using remote sensing and census data on biodiversity and socio-economic indicators, we examined these effects on urban biodiversity and vegetation cover in Vitoria-Gasteiz (Basque Country). We also tested the luxury and legacy hypotheses on regulating ecosystem services (ES) and explored predictor interactions. Higher educational attainment positively correlated with urban biodiversity, confirming the luxury effect, but had no effect on vegetation cover or ES. Older areas had higher vegetation cover and ES evidencing a legacy effect with an inverse response on biodiversity, attributable to more recent management strategies promoting biodiversity in green spaces. Habitat quality amplified the luxury effect, while population density strengthened the legacy effect. Our results suggest that urban biodiversity is mainly driven by socio-economic factors, while vegetation cover and ES are influenced by management legacies in interaction with population density.","PeriodicalId":74322,"journal":{"name":"npj urban sustainability","volume":" ","pages":"1-11"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s42949-023-00128-7.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46157477","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Transforming planning and policy making processes at the intersections of climate, equity, and decolonization challenges","authors":"Lindsay Cole, Maggie Low","doi":"10.1038/s42949-023-00126-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s42949-023-00126-9","url":null,"abstract":"Cities are facing increasing pressures to address complex challenges of climate change, equity, and reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples as intersecting issues, and innovation into planning and policy-making processes is urgently needed to achieve this. It is no longer good enough to work on these challenges discreetly, or solely within the dominant, western colonial paradigm and practices of governance. There are ongoing harms being caused by climate work that does not embed justice, and there are missed opportunities for synergies across these domains as they have the same systemic root causes. Cities must adapt and transform the processes and practices of planning and policy-making in order to work at these problematic roots. Drawing on an empirical study, this article describes how social innovation, systemic design, and decolonizing practices can shape a different approach to planning and policy-making processes when working at the intersections of climate, equity, and decolonization.","PeriodicalId":74322,"journal":{"name":"npj urban sustainability","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s42949-023-00126-9.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43113035","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Urbanity: automated modelling and analysis of multidimensional networks in cities","authors":"Winston Yap, Rudi Stouffs, Filip Biljecki","doi":"10.1038/s42949-023-00125-w","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s42949-023-00125-w","url":null,"abstract":"Urban networks play a vital role in connecting multiple urban components and developing our understanding of cities and urban systems. Despite the significant progress we have made in understanding how city networks are connected and spread out, we still have a lot to learn about the meaning and context of these networks. The increasing availability of open data offers opportunities to supplement urban networks with specific location information and create more expressive urban machine-learning models. In this work, we introduce Urbanity, a network-based Python package to automate the construction of feature-rich urban networks anywhere and at any geographical scale. We discuss data sources, the features of our software, and a set of data representing the networks of five major cities around the world. We also test the usefulness of added context in our networks by classifying different types of connections within a single network. Our findings extend accumulated knowledge about how spaces and flows within city networks work, and affirm the importance of contextual features for analyzing city networks.","PeriodicalId":74322,"journal":{"name":"npj urban sustainability","volume":" ","pages":"1-11"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s42949-023-00125-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46008046","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring the potential connection between place capital and health capital in the post COVID-19 city","authors":"Kate Meyrick, Peter Newman","doi":"10.1038/s42949-023-00124-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s42949-023-00124-x","url":null,"abstract":"Great places have the potential to create enhanced health outcomes and improve quality of life. The positive connection between the built environment and the social determinants of health is well documented as is the role of the built environment in establishing place quality and sense of place. However, the relationship between the concepts of place capital and health capital is less understood and specifically the extent to which high levels of place capital confer a protective and restorative health benefit across the whole of life. COVID-19 changed our appreciation of the role that both health and place play in supporting our quality and way of life and has revealed the negative impact on wellness and wellbeing that arises when our connection to place is fractured. To contribute to the debate surrounding the post-COVID-19 city, this paper explores the intrinsic connection between place and health; it proposes a conceptual model that positions place capital as a tool for enhancing whole of life health capital at a neighbourhood scale. The Framework for measuring this place capital is created from traditional place literature and the new place context literature on the need to be inclusive, equitable and sustainable. It suggests that by building great places that are based on these measurable factors, there can be a reduction in the growth of medical spending and burden of disease over time.","PeriodicalId":74322,"journal":{"name":"npj urban sustainability","volume":" ","pages":"1-14"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s42949-023-00124-x.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"43501975","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Smart cities and the urban digital divide","authors":"Andrea Caragliu, Chiara F. Del Bo","doi":"10.1038/s42949-023-00117-w","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s42949-023-00117-w","url":null,"abstract":"The debate on urban smartness as an instrument for managing more efficient cities has been revolving around the notion that Smart Cities might be causing an increase in inequalities. This effect would be caused by the role played in smart urban transformations by Multi-National Corporations, which would be influencing local policymakers’ agendas. In this work we empirically verify whether smart urban characteristics are associated with an increase in urban inequalities along the digital divide dimension among urban dwellers. To this aim, we exploit a large database of 181 European cities, with data on smart urban characteristics, along with measures of the digital divide obtained with the use of survey data carried out at the European Union level. Results show a negative causal relation between the level of urban smartness and the digital divide within-EU cities. Our findings are robust to a number of robustness checks.","PeriodicalId":74322,"journal":{"name":"npj urban sustainability","volume":" ","pages":"1-11"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s42949-023-00117-w.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48708781","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Hallie Eakin, Ralph Hamann, Gina Ziervogel, Clifford Shearing
{"title":"Emergent governance responses to shocks to critical provisioning systems","authors":"Hallie Eakin, Ralph Hamann, Gina Ziervogel, Clifford Shearing","doi":"10.1038/s42949-023-00123-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s42949-023-00123-y","url":null,"abstract":"The structure and functioning of formal and informal governance arrangements and associated infrastructure prior to major environmental disturbance play a central role in how cities experience and respond to such events. This paper considers how city managers, businesses, and residents responded to two disturbances experienced in the City of Cape Town—a drought-induced water crisis and a pandemic crisis (COVID-19) that followed a year later—and the consequences of these actions for infrastructural assets and governance innovations. Our analysis suggests that efforts aimed at transformative change in these provisioning systems require attention to the existing and potential roles and responsibilities of private and public sector actors, as well as the associated distribution of risks and rewards. Furthermore, polycentric and decentralized governance arrangements, which are often thought to be most flexible in the face of shocks, are not always feasible or desirable to actors with a stake in resource governance.","PeriodicalId":74322,"journal":{"name":"npj urban sustainability","volume":" ","pages":"1-8"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-07-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s42949-023-00123-y.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42075150","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dylan D. Furszyfer Del Rio, Benjamin K. Sovacool, Steve Griffiths, Aoife M. Foley, Jonathan Furszyfer Del Rio
{"title":"A cross-country analysis of sustainability, transport and energy poverty","authors":"Dylan D. Furszyfer Del Rio, Benjamin K. Sovacool, Steve Griffiths, Aoife M. Foley, Jonathan Furszyfer Del Rio","doi":"10.1038/s42949-023-00121-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s42949-023-00121-0","url":null,"abstract":"Poverty impacts people’s choices and opportunities and can perpetuate a disadvantaged status. Poverty remains a prevalent global issue due to disproportionate wealth distribution, which often translates to inequality in energy consumption and emissions. This research investigates if low-income households and minorities from four countries with very different national cultures, contexts, and levels of wealth experience a ‘double energy vulnerability’, a concept that simultaneously positions people at heightened risk of transport and energy poverty. Our research identifies that low-income households and minorities are at higher risk of simultaneously experiencing energy and transport poverty regardless of the national context in which they live. Our study also contests the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, showing that even in relatively wealthy countries, many individuals still face energy and transport poverty. We conclude that global sustainable development requires significant shifts in policy action, resource distribution and investment in social services.","PeriodicalId":74322,"journal":{"name":"npj urban sustainability","volume":" ","pages":"1-18"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s42949-023-00121-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"48290810","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exploring residential built-up form typologies in Delhi: a grid-based clustering approach towards sustainable urbanisation","authors":"Aviral Marwal, Elisabete A. Silva","doi":"10.1038/s42949-023-00112-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s42949-023-00112-1","url":null,"abstract":"Previous studies have established a significant link between urban form and sustainability. However, the diversity of micro-scale urban forms in cities in the global south has received limited attention, hindered by the lack of neighbourhood-level spatial data and maps, which poses challenges in exploring micro-urban form features. The study addresses this gap using a grid-based k-means clustering algorithm to identify residential built-up form typologies in Delhi and assess their impact on sustainable urbanisation. The algorithm clusters 100×100 metre grid cells based on their attributes of accessibility, built-up density, and street design. The results show six distinct built-up form typologies in Delhi. However, only 19% of residential areas meet the criteria for sustainable urbanisation, highlighting the need for planning interventions in most areas. The study methodology can be applied to analyse micro-scale urban form features in other cities in the global south, providing a fresh perspective on urbanisation research.","PeriodicalId":74322,"journal":{"name":"npj urban sustainability","volume":" ","pages":"1-13"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s42949-023-00112-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42055860","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Mikhail V. Chester, Thaddeus R. Miller, Tischa A. Muñoz-Erickson, Alysha M. Helmrich, David M. Iwaniec, Timon McPhearson, Elizabeth M. Cook, Nancy B. Grimm, Samuel A. Markolf
{"title":"Sensemaking for entangled urban social, ecological, and technological systems in the Anthropocene","authors":"Mikhail V. Chester, Thaddeus R. Miller, Tischa A. Muñoz-Erickson, Alysha M. Helmrich, David M. Iwaniec, Timon McPhearson, Elizabeth M. Cook, Nancy B. Grimm, Samuel A. Markolf","doi":"10.1038/s42949-023-00120-1","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s42949-023-00120-1","url":null,"abstract":"Our urban systems and their underlying sub-systems are designed to deliver only a narrow set of human-centered services, with little or no accounting or understanding of how actions undercut the resilience of social-ecological-technological systems (SETS). Embracing a SETS resilience perspective creates opportunities for novel approaches to adaptation and transformation in complex environments. We: i) frame urban systems through a perspective shift from control to entanglement, ii) position SETS thinking as novel sensemaking to create repertoires of responses commensurate with environmental complexity (i.e., requisite complexity), and iii) describe modes of SETS sensemaking for urban system structures and functions as basic tenets to build requisite complexity. SETS sensemaking is an undertaking to reflexively bring sustained adaptation, anticipatory futures, loose-fit design, and co-governance into organizational decision-making and to help reimagine institutional structures and processes as entangled SETS.","PeriodicalId":74322,"journal":{"name":"npj urban sustainability","volume":" ","pages":"1-10"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s42949-023-00120-1.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"46626066","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Rising vulnerability of compound risk inequality to ageing and extreme heatwave exposure in global cities","authors":"Mingxing Chen, Liangkan Chen, Yuan Zhou, Maogui Hu, Yanpeng Jiang, Dapeng Huang, Yinghua Gong, Yue Xian","doi":"10.1038/s42949-023-00118-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s42949-023-00118-9","url":null,"abstract":"Continued warming trends lead to an increasing risk of exposure to extreme heatwaves, which threaten the health of urban residents, especially the ageing population. Here, we project the spatiotemporal trend of future exposure risk across 9188 global urban settlements between 2020 and 2100 under the shared socioeconomic pathway (SSP) 2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5 scenarios. Results show that urban heatwave exposure risk increases by 619% and 1740% for SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5, respectively, and by 1642% to 5529% for the elderly. Notably, 69% of the elderly exposure risk comes from middle-income countries, where the increasing trend on the regional average is 1.2 times higher than that of high-income countries. There is an increasing trend towards greater concentration on large cities, especially in low- and lower-middle-income countries. In high-income countries, climate effects contribute 39% to 58% of increasing exposure for elderly individuals, whereas ageing effects play more prominent role in lower-income countries. This emphasizes the disproportionately higher heat-related burden for elderly individuals and inequitable trends in lower income countries. Understanding the vulnerable and priority regions in future heatwave exposure will inform adaptation strategies to support urban climate-resilient development.","PeriodicalId":74322,"journal":{"name":"npj urban sustainability","volume":" ","pages":"1-11"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-06-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.com/articles/s42949-023-00118-9.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42664116","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}