Debating contemporary urban conflicts: A survey of selected scholars

Abstract

a b s t r a c tThis survey presents the results of a questionnaire sent to a list of key scholars and professionals in fields related to urban processes and planning -town planning, geography, sociology, architecture and anthropology. The survey raised four simple, straightforward questions. What are the most pressing conflicts with regard to contemporary cities? What are the main fields of action for solving them? How can your discipline contribute with respect to this task? Could you mention an intervention that could serve as an example of that line of work? The response represents a plural and multidisciplinary perspective on contemporary urban issues from which a series of research and intervention perspectives emerges.

Towards Local Forms of Sprawl: A Brief Reflection on Mediterranean Urbanization

“…The effects that may result from the point of view of development opportunities were analyzed, underlining the limits of a dualistic approach to territorial "metropolization," de-coupling form from functions [18]. In this regard, urban geography has focused on individual cities, emphasizing the functional approach to networks, the spatial distribution of economic functions, the local/global relationships that allow cities to grow, and the capacity for long-term development in the globalization era [21]. Analysis of this transition moves away from the hierarchy of urban networks as a typical analysis scale for natural environments and socioeconomic systems, focusing on the inherent transformation of the production base that causes, e.g., spatial shifts in service concentration [22].…”

“…A discussion on the actual extent to which proximity economies shape local competitiveness would also be interesting, as a phenomenon relevant not only to the economic sphere but also to the social networks that do not mechanically reproduce the result of spatial planning [36,38]. On the contrary, sociology has focused on the organizational principles of local communities, providing original contributions to analysis of new forms of spatial segregation [14,21,44]. Urban sociology also contributes to provide a "territorial vision" of sprawl, made of visual experience and field surveys rather than rational/statistical approaches [45,46].…”

“…To face an increasingly deregulated urban expansion, the quest for interpretive paradigms going beyond traditional urbanism and design approaches is becoming imperative. Integrated planning frameworks should consider together land-use policy, regional economy, and urban sociology, taking a more careful account of the economic structures, productive values, socio-demographic characteristics, and environmental features (e.g., accessibility, land availability, soil quality, and climate) of local territories [18][19][20][21]. The present commentary introduces and discusses a thorough rethinking of traditional interpretations of sprawl that use generalized paradigms and ideal-typical definitions developing a de-coupled interpretation of morphological patterns and socioeconomic processes of urban growth.…”

Hegemonía, gubernamentalidad, territorio. Apuntes metodológicos para una historia social de la planificación

“…En contrapartida algunos urbanistas han atendido especialmente a la dimensión social de su labor en contribuciones quizá más limitadas pero igualmente productivas (por ejemplo Brenner et al, 2012;Davis 2001;Fainstein 2010;Friedman 2002; ver especialmente las respuestas proporcionadas por un selecto grupo de urbanistas internacionales en Sevilla-Buitrago, 2013). Este debate es de sumo interés para el proyecto de investigación que estoy esbozando.…”

Integrating an urban green space typology into procedural 3D visualization for collaborative planning

“…A crucial challenge coming along with this increasing urbanization is how to secure the livability, that is the well-being of the inhabitants of cities and agglomerations (Pacione, 2003). One of the most pressing problems is the deterioration of environmental qualities in urban regions, which seriously affects human well-being (Grimm et al, 2008;Sevilla-Buitrago, 2013).…”