Place-based planning has been applied in the past two decades, and it has started being incorporated into planning policy in the past decade in the Global North. On the other hand, bottom-up approaches applied in the Global South, for example, in informal settlements, embed place-based concepts from their conception. One of the roots of this slow incorporation of place-based planning into policies is the lack of agreement on what a place is and how and by whom it is created. This paper applies a desktop study to answer the following: what are the different approximations of the topics of place and place-making? And how is the concept of place investigated in informal settlements? This paper discusses the different conceptions of place and identifies the two main perspectives toward place-making: space-centred and people-centred approaches. These perspectives share goals but differ in focus on how and by whom places are constructed. This paper also analyses how the topic of place has been addressed when discussing informal settlements and the fundamental disparity in the literature forming the concepts of place (mainly arising from the Global North) and the process of constructing places in the Global South, and how the latter can help inform place-based planning.
Covid-19 has led to unprecedented changes in functional structures in our cities. Since the mid-20th century, central business districts (CBDs) worldwide have hosted economic and employment activities, leaving suburbia to home the residential function. However, the global Covid-19 responses have resulted in changes in some urban functions, and it is yet to see if these changes would transpire as temporary or permanent. Some argue that the broad macrogeographical pattern of urbanisation is unlikely to be changed. Still, that significant intra-metropolitan, neighbourhood-level and daily life changes are to become part of the new reality. Thus, this article considered these changes by focusing on property trends in the Sydney CBD to reflect on future trends, urban structures, and associated functions. An evaluative single case study desktop analysis was conducted to investigate commercial vacancy rates and rental prices within the CBD of Sydney (Australia) between 2018 and 2021 to reflect on the Covid-19-drive changes and their implications for urban planners. Findings highlighted that before Covid-19, both residential and commercial markets were growing, with rising rental prices and decreasing vacancy rates. However, commercial vacancies in the CBD have increased, and rental prices have decreased since 2020’s lockdown, stressing the dropping demand for commercial spaces. The residential market experienced a different trend with dropping vacancy rates and increasing rental prices. The data analysed provide an initial understanding of how Covid-19 has impacted the Sydney CBD. It poses some insights into potential future trends and changes in the urban landscape. It highlights the implications that the planning profession should consider in the quest to realise sustainable and resilient cities.
Urban morphology has historically been studied through the physical characteristics of a particular space. However, the urban form of a place is also influenced by relationships and social contexts. Therefore, this paper discusses the social processes that drove the construction of private space in informal settlements in Caracas, thus defining the barrio morphology. A qualitative approach was undertaken, including observations, interviews and a photographic survey of a case study area. Interpreting participants’ perspectives and stories of their experiences during their barrio’s development revealed the social processes underpinning the shaping of the barrio. The tense and conflictual relationship between people and the government through evictions led to squatting: solidarity and neighbourly relationships drove the selection of the place and its consolidation, and the barrio became dense through supporting family relationships. The form of the barrio space arises as a reflection of these social processes.
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