Physical-spatial and social configuration at neighborhood level, the Raval (Barcelona), an urban evaluation according with the Compact City Model Edwin Javier Azofeifa Valverde ABSTRACT In urban areas, economic development and efforts for improving the quality of citizens' lives, instead of complementing each other and contributing to the advancement of the city, both of them generate and accentuate the processes of physical and social fragmentation in cities. This thesis describes and evaluates the physical-spatial and social configuration in the neighbourhood of Raval in Barcelona, with a particular focus on the role played in that configuration by the immigrant population. The aim is to identify how those processes in which social inequality and a lack of access to certain services and facilities manifest themselves. In order to illustrate this reality and understand the configuration of Raval, population data and information regarding services, facilities, and urban furniture were gathered. The concept of compact urban development (the compact city model) was used in order to interpret the potential weaknesses in the neighbourhood, which hinder its functionality. The main drawbacks are the predominance of population groups occupying certain spaces hindering their potential integration in the...

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Urban architectural study of a new part of Brno between the contemporary and the future main train station aims to create an urban space that would respect the basic principles of well-functioning living cities. The solution presented here includes the polyfunctional constructed space of a city, where the basic unit is a city "block", treated here in the extent typical for this type of study. The design utilizes two main levels. The natural terrain and the historically given level of +6m. In the latter level we encounter the pedestrian routes and the related half-private and half-public areas. Within the whole area there are allocated several "crystallized cores", i.e. the strategic focal points which are important for the whole city and hence represent suitable positions for public buildings. Closer attention is paid to the area neighbouring with the new train station, which touches upon the bank of the river Svratka.

Diploma thesis solve a block of houses in neighbourhood town avenue Cejl and city heat station in the area of the firm BMT Technology which is partially unused. The project attempt to bring necessary missing urbanity in the area. It means safety, communication and representation urban environment. With the aid of the mass and its use the private and public spaces and its are explicitly defined.

Area of the old Kufner´s sugar factory is situated on the riverside in the city center. Concept is taking up to city center with its complexion of building and with the public space form. Also the fragments of the factory are re-used like a historical reminds.

Urban planning and architectural study of a new section between the current and future railway station in Brno. The aim is to create a spatial concept of the urban environment as an alternative to the view, based on land-use plan. Plays an important role in building urban roller coaster as the main connecting element of the old and the new station. The solutions are used by the principles of making compact buildings. Optimal use of the area is provided by stacking functions. The concept is focused on the quality of housing is closely linked with the central character of public spaces. The main objective of this work is to extend the core of the city, supplementing the missing values of the old town (parking, green areas, transport structure) The basic concept of this work is to create a new district with high quality, but especially attractive housing. Unalterable feature of urban roller coaster, play a very important role in shaping the urban environment. The territory is held by the exposed area with quiet residential neighborhoods. The creation of pedestrian zones in the entire passage supports pedestrian and bicycle transportation in the city. Cars are restricted blind residential streets and reducing speed in residential zónach.Na other hand, ensured the flow of network communications reception. Svratky the river promenade is the nature of urban-type facilities for the sport. Character and location point of the amphitheater will open as landartový facility for leisure and outdoor activities, possibly the layout of interesting events with the use of the water surface.

The contemporary urban development pattern in the United States is characterized by land consumptive nature of development, such as a sprawled development pattern. Out of concern that the social and environmental costs of this development pattern outweigh their benefits, cities, counties and states have created a wide range of policy instruments designed to manage urban growth and to protect open spaces from development. The present research deals with such strategies in three study areas namely Portland Metropolitan Area, OR; Montgomery County, MD; and Orange County, FL in order to find out if growth management strategies have been able to reduce sprawl and promote a compact form of development. Based mainly on secondary sources of information, the research evaluates the characteristics, effectiveness, strengths and weaknesses of selected growth management strategies employed in each of these areas and analyses their implications for promoting a compact form of development.

This study explores the relationship between planning policy and quality of life and, in doing so, contributes to long running debates occurring within the planning literature, and between planning practitioners and planning theorists, about the nature of this relationship. Specifically, the study investigates the relationship between planning policy's approach to combining residential and non-residential uses, an understudied area of policy, and the quality of life of tenants' and residents' association (TARA) members, an understudied population which frequently participates in the planning system. Within the study, quality of life is understood in terms of preference-satisfaction theory which equates the 'good' life with the satisfaction of preferences. Subsequently, where policy's aspirations for the built environment overlap with the environmental preferences of TARA members, it is assumed that policy might, when reflected in the built environment, support members' quality of life. To investigate such instances of overlap, the study first explored policy's approach to combining residential and non-residential uses through a qualitative content analysis of written policy, interviews with local authority planning officers and an analysis of planning applications and their associated decision notices. Then, to investigate the environmental preferences of TARA members, focus groups were held with a diverse sample of TARAs. These focus groups suggested ways of amending policy so that it might better satisfy members' preferences and, perhaps then, better support their quality of life. A conceptual framework was developed to begin to explore the deliverability of these amendments with data for this exercise collected from self-proclaimed representative bodies for the planning profession and housebuilding industry. In pursuing these interests, insights into a number of additional issues emerged, including, the relationship between policy as 'content' and policy as 'process', the interests, activities and spatial distribution of TARAs, the planning system's potential to support the quality of life of TARA members, and planners' and housebuilders' attitudes towards land use mix and the State's planning apparatus. Taken in its totality though, the study‘s major contribution perhaps lies in suggesting answers to the vexed question of what should be civil society's role in the planning system. In terms of land use mix, the study found that planning policy and TARA members shared a largely similar conceptualisation of the 'good' residential environment with both favouring predominantly residential areas, featuring pockets of green space, 'everyday' services, and the exclusion of most traffic generating, obtrusive and noisy uses. They also shared a similar conceptualisation of the 'good' town or city centre with both favouring land use mix, a concentration of activities and the presence of residential occupiers. Consequently, in these instances, policy perhaps seems suited to supporting the quality of life of TARA members. However, in other instances, members' preferences and policy‘s requirements were seen to diverge. Furthermore, the task of revising policy to avoid these points of divergence seems challenging. The study updates and expands knowledge on an understudied area of policy and a relatively understudied population. It presents insights into policy's approach to land use mix, and attitudes towards this approach, at a time when the planning system is experiencing considerable change with regional planning due to be abolished, neighbourhood planning introduced and a new form of national planning policy launched. The study comments on the implications for the research findings of these various developments. It also identifies environmental designs and characteristics that might be of interest to policy-makers if an objective is to address the concerns of a frequently vocal participant in the planning system (i.e. TARAs).

Den täta staden är det stadsbyggnadskoncept som dominerar stadsplaneringen idag. Förtätning hävdas generellt bidra till mer hållbara städer med ett rikare folkliv och en högre livskvalitet. När den täta stadens fördelar och nackdelar diskuteras görs det till största delen utifrån ett hållbarhetsperspektiv som till stor del domineras av diskussioner kring den täta stadens möjlighet att minska stadens ekologiska fotavtryck. Skapandet av den täta staden innebär en förändring inte bara av stadens fysiska struktur utan även av dess innehåll och sammansättning, vilket innebär grundläggande förändringar som påverkar stadens livsmiljö. En faktor som, enligt forskning, påverkas av dessa strukturella förändringar är stadens ljudmiljö. Forskning har visat att det finns en direkt koppling mellan hur en ljudmiljö upplevs och upplevelsen av en plats livskvalitet. Med anledning av att den täta staden ofta legitimeras av dess bidragande till en ökad livskvalitet samt att förtätning står för den typ av förändring som kan ha en påverkan på stadens ljudmiljöer och i förlängningen även den upplevda livskvaliteten, finns ett behov av att diskutera förtätningens effekter utifrån ett ljudperspektiv.  Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka om förtätning kan innebära en förändring av stadens ljudmiljöer, och i så fall på vilket sätt, för att utifrån det kunna föra en diskussion om vilka konsekvenser förtätning kan innebära för den upplevda livskvaliteten i staden. Studien utgörs av en tvärsnittsstudie där ostrukturerade samt strukturerade observationer använts för att samla in källmaterial i täta och glesa gaturum. Utifrån detta har sedan en analys för varje plats gjorts för att förstå ljudlandskapens uppbyggnad samt en jämförande analys gjorts för att undersöka skillnaderna mellan täta och glesa gaturums ljudlandskaps uppbyggnad samt upplevelsen av dem.  Studien visar att det inte finns någon direkt koppling mellan täthet och upplevelse av ljudlandskap, då både upplevelsen samt ljudlandskapet är kontextberoende och således bestäms av ett flertal faktorer, vilka kan variera beroende på plats. Det har dock visats att den täta staden är uppbyggd på principer som kan skapa ett större underlag för mer negativt värderade ljudlandskap än den glesa staden. Detta innebär att om målet är att förtäta staden enligt den täta stadens modell, blir stadens ljudlandskap en än viktigare aspekt att ta med i planeringen för att undvika att de bidrar till en försämring av den upplevda livskvaliteten i staden.  Avslutningsvis visar denna studie att det inte går att förutse hur ett ljudlandskap kommer att upplevas utifrån platsens täthet. För arbete med stadens ljudmiljöer krävs således flexibla metoder och analyser som tar hänsyn till platsens kontext och ljudmiljöns komplexitet. Detta innebär att det rationella angreppssätt som idag används vid arbetet med stadens ljudmiljöer måste förändras.

The spatial structure of Cape Town is characterised by segregated low density development patterns and urban sprawling. With a high population growth rate and urbanisation, these patterns are becoming more prominent. Due to the spatial nature of Cape Town, a large proportion of economic activities and employment opportunities are concentrated in patches across the city. In order to combat low-density sprawl and integrate spatially separated areas the key concept ?city densification? and the various elements thereof emerged. The segregated low density city structure, the concentrated nature of economic and employment opportunities along with an ever increasing population and inadequate public transport system resulted in issues such as long average travel lengths, low accessibility by poorer communities, greater use of private vehicles, and a sharp rise in traffic congestion. With the implementation of the Integrated Rapid Transport System (IRT), an initiative to transform the public transport sector to integrate all modal options, the opportunity is rendered to address these environmental, social and economical issues. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the City of Cape Town (CoCT) is utilising the full potential of the new Integrated Transport System currently being developed and implemented in Cape Town, namely the MyCiTi BRT System. It was determined that in terms of potential environmental benefits the CoCT, is utilising its full potential. Furthermore, although the potential social benefits were being utilised, the urgency of addressing social inequality is not reflected in the phased timeframe set out for the system. In terms of economic benefits, the options of using land-value add and environmental finance currently not sufficiently utilised and should be used to encourage a more sustainable public transport system. / Thesis (M.Art. et Scien. (Town and Regional planning))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.