While the expansion of urbanisation has been occurring on an unexpected scale since the 1960s, urban density has become more and more globalized. Essentially, the dense urban morphology has been benefitted from all aspects of sustainable urban development, despite the consequential problems cannot be ignored. As sustainability is one of the most salient themes across all disciplines currently, it is necessary for the well-developed theory of morphology to contribute to sustainable development in practice. Sustainability assessment of the morphology in high-density cities is making a contribution to achieving a sustainable urban form in specific circumstances. Also, this instrument can be applied to strengthen sustainable development in terms of morphology in all cities. As conventional sustainability assessment mostly depends on the numerical sustainable indicator systems, the diagrammatic assessment approaches provide a straightforward and visual way to qualify sustainability of morphology, and express the form a sustainable urban morphology takes. Finally, it provides a direct grasp for planners, architects and local governments to design a sustainable city form, rather than only by the materials or technology employed. The final goal of this research is to better implement sustainability indicator system to assess sustainable morphology in the high-density context. This study therefore commences with respective demonstrations of the theories of morphology, diagrammatic methods and sustainability indicator systems through a literature review, in order to build up the theoretical underpinnings for the development of diagrammatic methods. At the same time, it explores the virtues of morphological and diagrammatic methods, which are applied as complements to the shortcomings of sustainability indicator systems that have emerged and are utilized to evaluate sustainable morphology. Afterwards, this research attempts to investigate what is sustainable morphology for the purpose of defining sustainable morphology through examining the definite features it should possess, and identifying the overlapped scope between morphology and sustainable development. Based on the exact scope, it categorizes relative indicators in the four respective aspects of sustainability respectively drawn from a proven indicator system – SPeAR® developed by Arup. These indicators are simplified to a radar diagram which is succinct, visual and informative to represent the evaluation results. Moreover, this research compares a series of diagrams concerning sustainable buildings and cities to summarize the referencing diagrams of sustainable morphology characteristics which assist to explain the profile of sustainable morphology on scales. Finally, Hong Kong is taken as the test bed for the application of these diagrammatic approaches due to its outstanding performance of high density. The findings of this research can be viewed as a theoretical complement to urban morphology and sustainability assessment research. The diagrammatic assessment approaches can be applied as guidance for sustainability designs in planning and decision-making processes across all areas. In addition, the proposed assessment methodology is not only suitable for evaluating the high-density morphology, but also can be replicated with relevant alterations responding to different circumstances. / published_or_final_version / Architecture / Master / Master of Philosophy

This thesis studies the benefits and costs of urban living. Chapter 1 is a theoretical and empirical analysis of the benefits of urban density for consumers, while Chapter 2 proposes a model of how cities enhance the incentives for knowledge diffusion. Chapter 3 investigates the costs of congestion and the determinants of car travel speed across US cities. In Chapter 1, I study the consumption value of urban density by combining Google’s local business data with microgeographic travel data. I show that increased density enables consumers to both realize welfare gains from variety and save time through shorter trips. I estimate the gains from density in the restaurant industry, identifying willingness to pay for access to a slightly preferred location from the extra travel costs incurred to reach it. The results reveal large but very localized gains from density. Increasing the density of destinations generates little reduction in trip times, so most of these gains from density are gains from variety, not savings on travel time. In Chapter 2, I propose a new micro-foundation for knowledge spillovers. I model a city in which uncompensated knowledge transfers to entrepreneurs are bids by experts in auctions for jobs. The model derives from the key ideas about how knowledge differs from other inputs of production, namely that knowledge must be possessed for its value to be assessed, and that knowledge is freely reproducible. Agglomeration economies result from growth in the number of meetings between experts and entrepreneurs, and from heightened competition for jobs among experts. In Chapter 3, written jointly with Gilles Duranton and Matt Turner, we investigate the determinants of driving speed in large US cities. We first estimate city level supply functions for travel in an econometric framework where both the supply and demand for travel are explicit. These estimations allow us to calculate a city level index of driving speed. Our investigation of the determinants of speed provides the foundations for a welfare analysis. This analysis suggests large gains in speed if slow cities can emulate fast cities, and sizable deadweight losses from congestion.

This thesis studies the benefits and costs of urban living. Chapter 1 is a theoretical and empirical analysis of the benefits of urban density for consumers, while Chapter 2 proposes a model of how cities enhance the incentives for knowledge diffusion. Chapter 3 investigates the costs of congestion and the determinants of car travel speed across US cities. In Chapter 1, I study the consumption value of urban density by combining Google’s local business data with microgeographic travel data. I show that increased density enables consumers to both realize welfare gains from variety and save time through shorter trips. I estimate the gains from density in the restaurant industry, identifying willingness to pay for access to a slightly preferred location from the extra travel costs incurred to reach it. The results reveal large but very localized gains from density. Increasing the density of destinations generates little reduction in trip times, so most of these gains from density are gains from variety, not savings on travel time. In Chapter 2, I propose a new micro-foundation for knowledge spillovers. I model a city in which uncompensated knowledge transfers to entrepreneurs are bids by experts in auctions for jobs. The model derives from the key ideas about how knowledge differs from other inputs of production, namely that knowledge must be possessed for its value to be assessed, and that knowledge is freely reproducible. Agglomeration economies result from growth in the number of meetings between experts and entrepreneurs, and from heightened competition for jobs among experts. In Chapter 3, written jointly with Gilles Duranton and Matt Turner, we investigate the determinants of driving speed in large US cities. We first estimate city level supply functions for travel in an econometric framework where both the supply and demand for travel are explicit. These estimations allow us to calculate a city level index of driving speed. Our investigation of the determinants of speed provides the foundations for a welfare analysis. This analysis suggests large gains in speed if slow cities can emulate fast cities, and sizable deadweight losses from congestion.

Intent and aim The primary intent of this thesis is to explore about Compact Urbanism and to define an approach towards low density, mono functional precincts in the city that lie underutilized in their potential towards a positive contribution to the city and to come with new model of compact city that will answer the challenges and problems that are still unanswered. The reconfigured Compact city will built environment at the best possible way to support the best quality of life. Everyone wants to be free of the urban pollution he can directly sense: the smog, smoke, grime, litter, odors, city heat, din, poor water, and the slum conditions. But the environmental degradation associated with urban development can also be measured in terms of disrupted ecosystems and wasteful use of green space and natural resources. The approach illustrates how and why compact city is the way of redesigning an urban environment so as to get rid of these negative aspects and to preserve enhance the qualities of urban life that we have come to accept desirable. Eventually to reconfigure the compact city which will work better than what has been proposed so far. The new model of compact city will make neighborhoods more lively, safe and relevant for children; and so that the city itself becomes a more exciting center for personal interactions in today’s fast-moving world. Main Concerns Concerns rise from the observations that there are city structures that are inefficient and are underutilized areas in the cities which have lower intensity of use and untapped potential to absorb new functions, activities and housing stocks. As of by-product of mono functional use and low density these areas have issues like lack of identity, character and lack of a vibrant public domain. A Renewal process is important for such city precincts that are located near city centers or work centers and occupy large areas at low densities in relation to its location and potential. The notion of the Compact City is a reaction against the city structures in most developed cities-dense cores accommodating most of the cities workplaces, retail, entertainment, commerce, services and amenities and sprawling low-density, single use suburbs-a city structure which by default produces the need to travel and as a product car dependency, energy consumption and pollution. The basis for the debate is the general agreement that the city as we know and inhabit today causes unsustainable environmental stress, is socially stratified & functionally sub-optimal, and is expensive to run.  Challenges The city is a platform where humans meet, interact, collaborate, exchange their views, make new relationship, work and compete with each other. City forms a shell in which all lives survive and develop. It moulds their lives. It is a web where different kind of people varies in religion, ethnicity and race lives together. It interlocks them and makes a mass of variety of living and nonliving objects. All cities are fast growing. People are moving in and out of the cities. Each day somebody is transferred to some other place. Families are breaking up either of transfers of job or splitting of parents. New constructions are planning. Whether the new construction is required or not people are building it up without giving a thought how it will be beneficial to the environment. Because of all these impacts of improper planning, land value in the city is hiking up and eventually people are left with no option but to move outskirts of the city. New tracts of land are occupying. Green places are disappearing. The challenge has to do with conservation. The fast growing encroachment towards the countryside of the city is destroying valuable green fields. They are affecting the farm lands which are essential for human life in order to get food for unstoppable population. There is a need of getting control over the growth of the city. There should be more functional and organized planning which can curtail sprawl. We have to comprehend the significance of land as it is not infinitive, it is limited. The city should be redesigned or proper measures and consideration are to be made in order to conserve land, water, energy and waste. If irregular spreading of city is not stopped and compact cities are not implemented than we will lose valuable lands and will not be able to acquire benefits of natural environment as it will be destructed. Compactness has to be achieved to build environment to support best quality of life. / Literature survey -- Methodology -- Case studies -- Social implications of compact city -- Compact city guiding principles. / Department of Architecture

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of California, San Diego, 2007. / Title from first page of PDF file (viewed August 6, 2007). Available via ProQuest Digital Dissertations. Vita. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Ohio State University, 2008.

No description available.

O objeto desta pesquisa é a relação entre o adensamento, a multifuncionalidade e a mobilidade urbana mais sustentável, sendo que o objeto concreto são as áreas sem uso ou subtilizadas do Distrito da Barra Funda, em São Paulo, de forma a serem consideradas como unidades de planejamento urbano integrado, tendo o Rio Tietê e a ferrovia como eixos estruturantes. O adensamento e a multifuncionalidade contribuem para uma mobilidade urbana mais sustentável que é incentivada pela proximidade entre o local de moradia e as demais atividades, como o local de trabalho, a escola, o comércio e os serviços, entre outros. Assim, os percursos para pedestres e ciclistas, bem como a articulação com os sistemas de transporte coletivo, são priorizados frente ao transporte individual. Partindo dessa premissa, o objetivo do trabalho é qualificar e quantificar essa relação por meio da aplicação dos conceitos, das estratégias e dos indicadores de mobilidade urbana. Para tanto, o trabalho foi estruturado em quatro etapas: a primeira refere-se à fundamentação teórica e ao levantamento dos indicadores; a segunda refere-se à caracterização do problema da mobilidade na Região Metropolitana de São Paulo (RMSP); a terceira refere-se à análise e síntese e a quarta refere-se à proposição e às considerações finais. Com base na aplicação dos conceitos, das estratégias e dos indicadores de mobilidade urbana selecionados, esses foram calculados para a situação atual e para a situação proposta, onde foi possível se verificar a melhora substancial nos resultados para os cenários que condizem com os modelos teóricos pesquisados, nos quais a cidade que melhor corresponde aos princípios de sustentabilidade, a que otimiza os recursos e é mais eficiente, é a cidade policêntrica e adensada. Como resultados têm-se o aumento de 15 vezes na área servida por percursos de bicicletas, o aumento de 42% das áreas de calçadas e a elevação da velocidade do transporte coletivo motorizado de 15 km/h para 25 km/h, impactando diretamente na redução de 40% nos tempos de viagem desse modal. Todas essas ações, aliadas ao adensamento populacional, aos usos mistos, à introdução de áreas verdes, à melhoria da microacessibilidade por meio da transformação dos atuais obstáculos - a ferrovia e o Rio Tietê - em elementos integradores, entre outros, fomentariam deslocamentos em distâncias menores, passíveis de serem realizados em transporte coletivo, a pé e de bicicleta, fomentando, inclusive, um maior convívio social. A execução de ações nesse sentido se torna emergente numa cidade com sérios problemas estruturais, onde muitos deles são relacionados à mobilidade, à qualidade ambiental, à diversidade espacial e à densidade de ocupação. / The subject of this research is the relationship among density, mixed-use and a more sustainable urban mobility; the intervention area comprises the unused and the underutilized areas of Barra Funda District, in Sao Paulo, in order to be considered as units of an integrated urban planning, with the Tiete River and the railway as structural axes. The population density and the multifunctionality contribute to a more sustainable urban mobility which is intensified primarily by the proximity between housing and other daily activities at workplace, school, trade and services, among others. In this scenario, pathways for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as conexions with the public transportation systems are prioritized compared to individual transport. Starting from this premise, the objective of this research is to qualify and quantify this relationship between density and mixed-use by applying concepts, strategies and indicators for urban mobility. Thus, the work was divided into four stages: the first refers to the theoretical basis and the indicators survey, the second aims the characterization of the mobility problem in São Paulo metropolitan area, the third refers to the analysis and synthesis, and the fourth presents a proposition and the final considerations. Based on the application of concepts, strategies and selected indicators for urban mobility, these were calculated for the current situation and the proposed situation, when it was possible to verify the substantial improvement for the scenarios that are consistent with the theoretical models researched, suggesting that the city that best reflects the principles of sustainability, which optimizes resources and is more efficient, is the polycentric and dense city. As a result we have a 15-fold increase in the area served by bike paths, an increase of 42% of pedestrian pathways and a speed increase in motorized public transportation from 15 km/h to 25 km/h, which has a direct impact on reducing commutting time in 40%. All of these actions, combined with the higher population density, mixed-uses, introduction of green areas, improving of microaccessibility by transforming the current obstacles - the railway and the Tiete River - in integrative elements, among others, would promote commutting in shorter distances that could be performed in public transport, walking and cycling, encouraging even greater social interaction. The implementation of these kind of actions is needed in a city with serious structural problems, many of them related to mobility, environmental quality, spatial diversity and occupation density.

O objeto desta pesquisa é a relação entre o adensamento, a multifuncionalidade e a mobilidade urbana mais sustentável, sendo que o objeto concreto são as áreas sem uso ou subtilizadas do Distrito da Barra Funda, em São Paulo, de forma a serem consideradas como unidades de planejamento urbano integrado, tendo o Rio Tietê e a ferrovia como eixos estruturantes. O adensamento e a multifuncionalidade contribuem para uma mobilidade urbana mais sustentável que é incentivada pela proximidade entre o local de moradia e as demais atividades, como o local de trabalho, a escola, o comércio e os serviços, entre outros. Assim, os percursos para pedestres e ciclistas, bem como a articulação com os sistemas de transporte coletivo, são priorizados frente ao transporte individual. Partindo dessa premissa, o objetivo do trabalho é qualificar e quantificar essa relação por meio da aplicação dos conceitos, das estratégias e dos indicadores de mobilidade urbana. Para tanto, o trabalho foi estruturado em quatro etapas: a primeira refere-se à fundamentação teórica e ao levantamento dos indicadores; a segunda refere-se à caracterização do problema da mobilidade na Região Metropolitana de São Paulo (RMSP); a terceira refere-se à análise e síntese e a quarta refere-se à proposição e às considerações finais. Com base na aplicação dos conceitos, das estratégias e dos indicadores de mobilidade urbana selecionados, esses foram calculados para a situação atual e para a situação proposta, onde foi possível se verificar a melhora substancial nos resultados para os cenários que condizem com os modelos teóricos pesquisados, nos quais a cidade que melhor corresponde aos princípios de sustentabilidade, a que otimiza os recursos e é mais eficiente, é a cidade policêntrica e adensada. Como resultados têm-se o aumento de 15 vezes na área servida por percursos de bicicletas, o aumento de 42% das áreas de calçadas e a elevação da velocidade do transporte coletivo motorizado de 15 km/h para 25 km/h, impactando diretamente na redução de 40% nos tempos de viagem desse modal. Todas essas ações, aliadas ao adensamento populacional, aos usos mistos, à introdução de áreas verdes, à melhoria da microacessibilidade por meio da transformação dos atuais obstáculos - a ferrovia e o Rio Tietê - em elementos integradores, entre outros, fomentariam deslocamentos em distâncias menores, passíveis de serem realizados em transporte coletivo, a pé e de bicicleta, fomentando, inclusive, um maior convívio social. A execução de ações nesse sentido se torna emergente numa cidade com sérios problemas estruturais, onde muitos deles são relacionados à mobilidade, à qualidade ambiental, à diversidade espacial e à densidade de ocupação. / The subject of this research is the relationship among density, mixed-use and a more sustainable urban mobility; the intervention area comprises the unused and the underutilized areas of Barra Funda District, in Sao Paulo, in order to be considered as units of an integrated urban planning, with the Tiete River and the railway as structural axes. The population density and the multifunctionality contribute to a more sustainable urban mobility which is intensified primarily by the proximity between housing and other daily activities at workplace, school, trade and services, among others. In this scenario, pathways for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as conexions with the public transportation systems are prioritized compared to individual transport. Starting from this premise, the objective of this research is to qualify and quantify this relationship between density and mixed-use by applying concepts, strategies and indicators for urban mobility. Thus, the work was divided into four stages: the first refers to the theoretical basis and the indicators survey, the second aims the characterization of the mobility problem in São Paulo metropolitan area, the third refers to the analysis and synthesis, and the fourth presents a proposition and the final considerations. Based on the application of concepts, strategies and selected indicators for urban mobility, these were calculated for the current situation and the proposed situation, when it was possible to verify the substantial improvement for the scenarios that are consistent with the theoretical models researched, suggesting that the city that best reflects the principles of sustainability, which optimizes resources and is more efficient, is the polycentric and dense city. As a result we have a 15-fold increase in the area served by bike paths, an increase of 42% of pedestrian pathways and a speed increase in motorized public transportation from 15 km/h to 25 km/h, which has a direct impact on reducing commutting time in 40%. All of these actions, combined with the higher population density, mixed-uses, introduction of green areas, improving of microaccessibility by transforming the current obstacles - the railway and the Tiete River - in integrative elements, among others, would promote commutting in shorter distances that could be performed in public transport, walking and cycling, encouraging even greater social interaction. The implementation of these kind of actions is needed in a city with serious structural problems, many of them related to mobility, environmental quality, spatial diversity and occupation density.

Twentieth century urbanization has left a tremendous footprint on the globe. It is generally speaking a spread out fragmented suburban and exurban landscape continuously growing according to what has been called sprawl-like development, increasing energy and automobile dependency, challenging urban sustainability. Recently urban growth has also turned inwards because of economic and political change. Thus one of the main challenges for future urban design will be to ‘compact sprawl’. This thesis, set in the field of urban morphology, explores the spatial conditions for suburban densification by looking at administrative and user-related measures of density, public open space, and pedestrian accessibility. If we consider useful open space, it would not decrease density, but rather increase spatial compactness. So would also a well-connected street network, if we consider accessibility as part of density. The thesis’ first four papers explore new measures that contradict ordinary notions of density and the last three papers examine densification scenarios on different urban scales in collaboration with urban planners in practice. The paper Place syntax explores a possibility to combine the space syntax description of cognitive accessibility, axial line distance, with place attraction into a combined attraction-accessibility analysis model. Empirical investigation shows that place syntax analysis captures pedestrian movement and can be used for new types of location density analyses. Sociotope mapping describes the theoretical body of a new urban planning tool called the “sociotope map” (sociotopkarta) developed in Stockholm planning practice. The map emphasizes that the same public open space can have different direct use values for different people and thereby assesses qualitative open space area. Exploring Ambiterritory investigates the notion of (sub)urban no-man’s-land. Densification most often means increased open space use, which naturally leads to an increase of potential conflicting territorial interests. However, the reduction of vague user space and unclear legal territories by densification can increase the size of useful open space. More green space in a denser city investigates whether little public green space means low accessibility. User questionnaires and GIS-analyses in ten city districts in Stockholm correlate and show that it is possible to have more accessible green space in a denser city. Strategic exurban landscape densification investigates different municipal location strategies and development rates in the municipality of Kungälv. Results show that location strategies create the biggest landscape impact and not development rates. Greening metropolitan growth analyzes the density landscape in Stockholm county region and finds some correlations with health and socioeconomic variables. Growth scenarios in the regional plan for 2030 show decreasing compactness and spaciousness in inner suburbia. Compact sprawl experiments use the measures developed in the former papers on four densification scenarios in two suburbs in Stockholm. The results show how it is possible to efficiently compact modernist sprawl, particularly the inner suburbs. It is likely that we will be more dependent on walking, bicycling, and public transportation in the future. Street networks and public open spaces are then key issues today just as they were at the end of the nineteenthcentury, creating compact, sustainable, liveable, equitable, and more competitive cities. In fact, many compact urban cores such as in Stockholm, London, and Manhattan have through the 20th century persistently stood up to the competition against more sprawling cities. The thesis shows that compacting inner suburbia seems to be the new frontier many cities and planners are facing. In fact, this is a vast unexplored field that needs further attention in urban studies and urban morphology in particular. / QC 20100913 / Stadsform och hållbar utveckling