Urban Update 27 January 2025
News and Research
Energy and Climate Change
Australian Energy sector portrays individuals as 'net-zero heroes', diverting pressure on industry and government to take action >>>>
The energy sector is creating a myth that individual action is enough to address climate change, University of Sydney research claims. Analysis of hundreds of Australian energy sector reports reveals a common narrative: consumers, through smart choices, can become "net-zero heroes" in the fight against climate change. The idea encourages consumers to make sustainable decisions (e.g., buying energy-efficient cars, using solar panels, managing energy consumption) to help save the planet.
The study criticises this notion, that it overlooks the larger systemic issues that need addressing, such as corporate and regulatory changes, and that the emphasis on individual responsibility for emissions undermines the accountability of larger entities (such as industry and government) that contribute significantly to environmental problems. Without system level changes consumers will struggle to meet the expectations placed on them.
Australia has the highest per-capita emissions among developed nations, with its energy sector accounting for 47.3% of these emissions.
West Burton: Five bids to build nuclear fusion power plant >>>>
Elsewhere in the media there have been warnings of the very substantial technological challenges that need to be overcome before nuclear fusion becomes a controlled energy source, let alone an economically viable one.
Movement
Public transport investments as generators of economic and social activity - Journal of Transport & Health
This paper set out to review the effects of public transport on two determinants of population health: economic and social activity.
Investments in public transport, such as new rail lines or expanded urban networks, often boost economic activity and employment. These investments can lead to more business concentration, job shifts, and rising property values, contributing to economic growth. In China, for example, high-speed rail investments have been linked to higher GDP, and similar results are seen in Europe. However, rising property prices can hurt low-income communities, pushing them out of certain areas. To mitigate this, policies supporting affordable housing are crucial, as seen in Portland, USA.
Public transport can improve social well-being, especially for older adults, by increasing mobility and independence. But if not carefully planned, it can also cause social disconnection. Public transport investments often benefit more populated, economically dynamic areas, increasing regional inequality. Efforts to prioritize equity, like in Portland, can avoid gentrification.
More research is needed, especially in lower-income countries, to understand how transport changes affect health and social outcomes
The efficiency of urban public transport and its impact on environmental sustainability - Sustainable Technology and Entrepreneurship
This study compares the efficiency and sustainability of bus versus metro services in four major Spanish cities between 2017 and 2021. Efficiency is defined in the study broadly as the cost of providing a service compared with the number of passengers using it.
Developing urban transport systems helps improve environmental sustainability by reducing traffic and air pollution. Bus and metro systems have been the most popular and widely used in the past decade as practical and sustainable public transport options. In Spain, buses are prioritized over metro systems, but building and maintaining bus infrastructure requires significant investment. Therefore, the study asserts, it's important to assess the efficiency and environmental impact of bus services.
The research uses two methods:
- Describing key variables of the transport companies.
- Applying statistical analysis tools (data envelopment analysis and the Malmquist index (requires a bit of serious maths to understand this)) to assess productivity, efficiency, and changes in scale and technical efficiency.
The main finding is that bus and metro systems have similar efficiency in the cities studied.
Would you walk here? Urban wildscapes as visual settings for utility and recreational walks - Cities
Walking is key to connecting city dwellers with nature and promoting healthy, sustainable cities. Green walking environments include urban parks, street greenery, and urban wildscapes shaped by nature. This study surveyed 524 residents of Warsaw to assess their willingness to walk through 18 urban wildscapes for utility and recreational purposes.
The findings showed
- urban wildscapes are preferred for recreational walks but are also appreciated for utility walks
- greenery and grasslands are preferred for utility walks, and
- dense greenery and forests are preferred for recreational walks.
Urban wildscapes can reduce green space maintenance costs and offer ecological benefits.
Natural Environment
Dealing with salt in road run-off >>>>
This study looked at 14 detention basins (basins which temporarily hold run-off as opposed to retention basins which have permanent standing water), measuring salt levels in water, soil, and plants across all seasons.
- Basins draining roads had the highest salt levels, stressing plants.
- Parking lots had moderate salt levels, causing moderate stress.
- Grassy areas had little to no salt stress on plants.
- 48 out of 255 plant species could tolerate high salt levels. Cattails (in the UK called “reed mace” and wrongly called bull-rush) were much better at absorbing salt than other plants. But even in basins full of cattails, only 5-6% of road salt was removed.
- Plants on their own aren’t enough. There needs to be bigger salt management strategy.
The study provides valuable insights for urban planners and environmental scientists to design better stormwater systems.
Garden ponds: Hidden gems of urban biodiversity conservation – a study from Hungary >>>>
New study shows that one-third of the world's sandy coastlines have been "hardened" by human-made structures >>>>
The huge beach in Cornwall that didn't exist 200 years ago >>>>
The beach has been the product of the extraction of tin and china clay.
New study suggests life began on earth much earlier than experts have thought >>>>
To understand climate change, one needs to understand the evolution of life, as lifeforms have created and regulated the earth’s atmosphere.
Extinction threatens nearly a quarter of all freshwater species >>>>
Humans, Health, Society
Nearly 100 million Americans exposed to contaminated drinking water >>>>
Researchers analysed data from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) from 2013-2015, covering 4,815 public water systems. The study found that 27% of these systems, serving around 97 million people, had detectable levels of unregulated chemicals. Public water systems must test for nearly 100 specific contaminants to ensure water is safe, but many harmful chemicals are not regulated. Some unregulated chemicals, like 1,4-dioxane (a solved used in some inks and glues), PFAS, and Freon 22 (a supposedly withdrawn ozone depleting fluid used in refrigerators and also as a propellant in aerosol cans), can end up in drinking water, but water systems don't routinely monitor them. These unregulated chemicals can pose health risks, including cancer and thyroid issues, and may increase without safety measures.
Built Environment
Creating visualizations using generative AI to guide decision-making in street designs: A viewpoint - Journal of Urban Mobility
Generative AI tools like UrbanistAI, PlacemakingAI, and Laneform are designed to improve street design by offering real-time visualizations and enabling citizen participation. Unlike traditional architecture software, these tools simplify the process of creating and modifying street layouts. However, the impact of these tools on urban planning remains underexplored. This viewpoint calls for further research into their effects on creativity, adaptability, equity, and alignment with AI regulations in participatory design processes. Understanding how generative AI tools influence street design decision-making is crucial for integrating them effectively into urban planning practices.
Nature-based solutions and urban planning in the Global South: Challenge orientations, types, and viability for cities - Land Use Policy
This paper observes that there's a lack of research on Nature-based Solutions in cities of the Global South, which face unique challenges that these solutions could help solve as cost-effective alternatives to traditional infrastructure. Its review of academic literature shows Nature-based Solutions in Global South cities mainly focus on rapid urbanization, informal settlements, and climate change.
Water-related Nature-based Solutions are most common, but there are gaps in research on food safety and reducing the Urban Heat Island effect.
Challenges to the adoption of Nature-based Solutions adoption include awareness, access to information, and financial sustainability.
The review also highlights the need for balancing external involvement to avoid undermining the capability of local people to devise and build their own solutions.
What can be done about Large Panel System tower block safety issues? >>>>
Over 100 tower blocks in London are built with Large Panel System (LPS) concrete panels, a construction system much in use in the 1960s, but involved in the partial collapse of Ronan Point in 1968, which led to recommendations to strengthen similar buildings. There remain concerns over safety risks, including structural weaknesses and fire hazards. Some blocks have been strengthened or remediated, while others have developed cracks that compromise fire safety. Though it is unknown how many are still to be tackled. Many Large Panel Systems buildings still have gas supplies raising worries over the risk of explosion.
RIBA outlines education review in response to Grenfell Inquiry >>>>
Hauntological atmospheres of the UK high street: a study of Manchester's Halloween in the City - Cities
For some of us, placemaking is only about physical design of a place, but most of us appreciate that it is far more than that, and very much about human emotion and memory.
This paper examines how high street atmospheres are created and experienced, focusing on the efforts of Manchester's Business Improvement District (BID) to reframe the high street as a place for positive, engaging experiences.
Through walking methods and interviews with key figures from the BID and high street users, the research looks at how the BID’s Halloween event (HitC) was used to shape perceptions of the high street. The goal was to make the high street feel attractive, safe, and welcoming, especially for families and younger visitors, by using carefully designed sensory elements.
The paper introduces the idea of "hauntological atmospheres," extending the concept of hauntology (coined by the French philosopher Jaques Derrida (it’s a pun – in French the h is silent so hauntology would be pronounced the same as ontology)), which describes how past influences and future expectations shape the present atmosphere of a place, creating emotional and sensory disruptions. The research shows that while the BID aimed to create a pleasant atmosphere for Halloween, these "hauntological" forces (like the presence of past events or unresolved emotions) could complicate or disrupt the desired experience. The paper highlights examples such as retail decline, Christmas decorations, and protests to demonstrate how these atmospheric tensions reveal the complexities of high street experiences, particularly against the background of decline and decay.
Schemes
Manchester: ‘Woodland town’ will be urban regeneration model, council says >>>>
Huge new town on old airfield near Gloucestershire will be '15-minute neighbourhood' of 6,500 new homes >>>>
The four new towns Angela Rayner could build >>>>
Restoration begins of 161-year-old Thames crossing >>>>
Sir Roger De Haan’s plans for the transformation of Folkestone harbour go before planning committee >>>>
And are rejected >>>>
Inquiry begins into rejected Redditch housing plan >>>>
Politics, Philosophy, Economics, History
Perceptions of science, science communication, and climate change attitudes in 68 countries – the TISP dataset - Scientific Data
This is more about the existence of the data set than its contents.
The Trump Presidency and the built and natural environment - what to expect >>>>
Built Environment
- Deregulation of building codes and energy requirements.
- Proposals to open federal lands for construction
- Mass deportations could disrupt the construction labour market, driving up costs.
- plan to lower interest rates may be constrained by overall economic position.
Transportation:
- Shift away from public transit and emissions towards road investments.
Climate & Environment:
- A roll back of environmental regulations, such as those on emissions and public lands, and a withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on climate change (to hold “the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels” and pursue efforts “to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.”)
- Federal land may be opened for fossil fuel development, reversing protections.
- An end to electric vehicle mandates and the EV tax credit.
- Deregulating autonomous vehicles could speed up their adoption.
History
World’s Oldest 3D Map Discovered in Ancient Sandstone Shelter >>>>
Medieval birds of prey including eagles and kites thrived on human refuse, study finds >>>>
