A history of urban planning policy and heritage protection in Vientiane, Laos

This paper examines the tensions between modernisation and heritage protection in the Lao capital, Vientiane. Vientiane provides an interesting case study of the dilemmas facing small cities in developing countries as those countries try to manage the pressures that result from greater integration in regional and global processes of economic and cultural change. While modernisation appears to be winning out over heritage  protection, the paper concludes that they are not necessarily mutually exclusive, and that heritage protection in Vientiane is largely aimed at  reinforcing monumental and nation-building elements, emphasising the  development of a contemporary national capital of a modern nation state.

Andean pre-historical urban planning tradition

Urban design features that formed an Andean urban planning tradition through continual use across successive periods of time, civilizations and extensive, varied geography are identified. Some Andean urban features were also mirrored or pre-date similar ideas that occurred in other parts of the world, particularly ideas used by Spanish colonialism.

Virtual melawati : 3D GIS as a decision support tool for urban planning

Virtual Melawati is an environment for developing expertise in the application of 3D interactive visualization and GIS (Geographic Information System) to address problems of the built environment and to test the model as a decision support tool in the context of the local planning authorities in Malaysia. The visual approach enables the integration of highly complex spatial GIS information such as the evolution and transformation of the urban precinct as well as the impact of planned developments into the decision making process. The study will examine the techniques of data acquisition, data reconstruction from physical to digital, urban analysis and visualization in constructing an interactive 3D GIS model to support and assist the decision making process in urban design and planning. The outcomes of the study will deliver an experimental test bed for improving decision making processes in urban planning and design utilizing 3D modeling and GIS. The project will accelerate the uptake of digital and multimedia methods in local government, facilitate current planning and consultation processes between councils and stakeholders and improve the dissemination and management of spatial information about urban environments.

Embracing rigour : developing a community engagement framework for strategic urban planning

Local governments are increasingly seeking new ways to engage with communities through a variety of productive avenues. Yet strategic planning lags behind with an accepted method to consult and engage with communities about proposed policy changes. When engagement methods are used which go beyond those which are legislated for, the process often involves members of communities who are familiar with planning processes, or have time to participate, thereby excluding large sections of the community. In addition, consultation methods often lack rigour in data collection upon which major strategic decisions are based, thereby undermining government's capacity to make quality and informed planning decisions. The aim of this paper is to assist local government urban planners with their community engagement practice in order to form policies which are acceptable to the affected communities. The paper proposes a community engagement framework which introduces rigour within the community engagement process by drawing on research methods from psychology and political science.

A new urban planning code's impact on walking: The residential environments project

Objectives. We examined whether people moving into a housing development designed according to a state government livable neighborhoods subdivision code engage in more walking than do people who move to other types of developments.

Methods. In a natural experiment of 1813 people building homes in 73 new housing developments in Perth, Western Australia, we surveyed participants before and then 12 and 36 months after moving. We measured self-reported walking using the Neighborhood Physical Activity Questionnaire and collected perceptions of the environment and self-selection factors. We calculated objective measures of the built environment using a Geographic Information System.

Results. After relocation, participants in livable versus conventional developments had greater street connectivity, residential density, land use mix, and access to destinations and more positive perceptions of their neighborhood (all P < .05). However, there were no significant differences in walking over time by type of development (P > .05).

Conclusions. Implementation of the Livable Neighborhoods Guidelines produced more supportive environments; however, the level of intervention was insufficient to encourage more walking. Evaluations of new urban planning policies need to incorporate longer term follow-up to allow time for new neighborhoods to develop.

Advancing community engagement practice for strategic urban planning : learning from allied and remote disciplines

Urban planning has the potential to draw on allied and remote disciplines to improve community consultation processes for strategic planning projects. Urban design and landscape architecture have quantitative and qualitative methods which can be utilised to visualise different options of urban intensification which may fit within communities’ expectations of change. Furthermore political science has long used scientifically established psychometric techniques to collect data from broad sections of the population, analysing demographic profiles of communities and understanding their perceptions and attitudes. By appropriating quantitative and qualitative methods from other disciplines, urban planning policies can be developed which may reflect communities’ aspirations of amenity and neighbourhood character. The aim of this paper is to assist local government urban planners with their community engagement practice in order to form policies which are acceptable to the affected communities. The paper draws on Victoria as a case study of community engagement practice, examines research methods from allied and remote disciplines and proposes a community engagement framework which introduces rigour within the community engagement process.

Temporary use 2.0, a tool for planning and developing the new urban context

Temporary urban spaces are gaining even more footing and acceptance on the political agenda as a result of their potential for creating eventful, cultural and creative urban environments. This political focus on temporary urban space is an indication of general urban regulations and development tendencies characterized by cultural planning, leisure, economy, collaborative planning and an increased focus on everyday life. Particularly economic parameters related to leisure such as creativity, culture, urban life and experiences are highly prioritized on the urban municipal agenda, with temporary uses as a concrete development tool. An interesting dichotomy has also arisen between the use of temporary space as a tool for social planning by urban designers as opposed to the use of temporary spaces by politicians as a vehicle for economic gain through leisure spaces. This paper focuses on the phenomenon of Temporary Use as a city-political focus area now and in the future as well as the use of the temporary as a planning tool. Several case studies are used to illustrate these topics.

Merely the man in the street: community consultation in the planning of 1920s Melbourne

It is an accepted tenet of planning history that Australia's planning practice in the first half of the 20th century was dominated by experts delivering a package of international planning ideas. Is this story made more    complicated, however by the attitudes of the lay Australian to urban planning at this time? What role have the approaches of planners and planning  bodies played in advising the public of the best routes to take  towards comprehensive and appropriate planning? This paper discusses these  issues with use of examples of the general public's letters to  Melboume's Metropolitan Town Planning Commission (MTPC)( 1923-30) about planning issues in Melbourne; the MTPC's responses; and responsive propaganda generated by prominent Melbourne planner Saxil Tuxen (1885-1975).

Are metropolitan planning frameworks healthy? The case of Melbourne 2030

This paper presents preliminary findings of a project investigating the integration and application of ecological public health principles in Melboume 2030, the Victorian Government's urban planning blueprint for Melboume for the next 30 years. The study examines the political, organisational, social, and inter-personal factors that impact on the integration and application of broad health considerations into urban planning policy in Victoria. We are testing the premise that achieving integrated planning requires a systematic integration of government activity across sectors. Using discourse analysis and key informant interviews, we examined relevant government policy and legislation and its implementation against world's best practice. Preliminary findings show that the degree of leadership in relation to deploying the mission, and implementation processes sustain or impede integrated planning at a whole-of-government and intersectoral level.

These findings may inform a much-needed national agenda on promoting health through integrated planning. Findings will identify future research directions and action to bridge the gap between urban planning and health planning systems

The health equity dimensions of urban food systems

There is increasing recognition that the nutrition transition sweeping the world’s cities is multifaceted. Urban food and nutrition systems are beginning to share similar features, including an increase in dietary diversity, a convergence toward “Western-style” diets rich in fat and refined carbohydrate and within-country bifurcation of food supplies and dietary conventions. Unequal access to the available dietary diversity, calories, and gastronomically satisfying eating experience leads to nutritional inequalities and diet-related health inequities in rich and poor cities alike. Understanding the determinants of inequalities in food security and nutritional quality is a precondition for developing preventive policy responses. Finding common solutions to under- and overnutrition is required, the first step of which is poverty eradication through creating livelihood strategies. In many cities, thousands of positions of paid employment could be created through the establishment of sustainable and self-sufficient local food systems, including urban agriculture and food processing initiatives, food distribution centers, healthy food market services, and urban planning that provides for multiple modes of transport to food outlets. Greater engagement with the food supply may dispel many of the food anxieties affluent consumers are experiencing.

"Tell us something new!" : the response of planning and transport professionals to public health guidance on the built environment and physical activity

A large proportion of non-communicable disease can be attributed to modifiable risk factors such as poor nutrition and physical inactivity. We present data on planning and transport practitioners' perceptions and responses to government public health guidance aimed at modifying environmental factors to promote physical activity. This study was informed by questions on the role of evidence-based guidance, the views of professionals towards the guidance, the links between guidance and existing legislation and policy and the practicality of guidelines. A key informant 'snowball' sampling technique was used to recruit participants from the main professional planning organisations across England. Seventy-six people were interviewed in eight focus groups. We found that evidence-based public health guidance is a new voice in urban and town planning, although much of the advice is already reflected by the 'accepted wisdom' of these professions. Evidence-based health guidance could be a powerful driver affecting planning practice, but other legislated planning guidance may take priority for planning and transport professionals.

Urban sustainability and market typologies : lessons from Tabriz Bazaar

The market is an essential component of urban form. Contemporary shopping malls can benefit from the inherent efficiencies of traditional markets. This paper addresses the development of sustainable models of market typologies based on a specific case study, the Bazaar of Tabriz in Iran.

As one of the biggest historical covered markets in the world (Moradi and Nassabi 2007), it remains an effective trading centre in the city. What are the lessons that make Tabriz a sustainable urban typology and what lessons can we draw from its spatial and operational structure?

To address this question, the paper presents two analytical studies of the urban and building morphology of Tabriz. First, the paper presents an analysis of the urban and social structure of the market based on Lynchian analysis. Second, it provides an analysis of the thermal, ventilation and lighting principles used in the buildings of the market and how they respond to the extreme climatic conditions of north-west Iran.

Rainfall and snow in one side and hot summers in the other, give the buildings in the city really critical performance in terms of life span during the years of operation.

The main target in this case study, is to illuminate the urban typological clarifications in the Bazaar of Tabriz, which wilt elucidate how parallel links between urban morphology (land cover) and urban typology (land use) in a defined urban planning can form a sustainable urban space. Moreover, how the case of this study can be an energy efficient complex with its own urban morphology.

The lessons of Tabriz for the development of contemporary markets are summarised in the paper and need to be addressed at two scales, namely the urban scale and the scale of the building.

Stakeholder analysis in urban development : the application of stakeholder circle methodology and social network analysis

The increasing research interest on stakeholder analysis in urban planning reflects a growing recognition that stakeholders can and should influence the decision-making. This paper concentrates on exploring the techniques for analysing stakeholders, especially the application of the Stakeholder Circle tool and Social Network Analysis. An urban renewal project and an infrastructure project in Australia are presented as case studies to verify the use of these two techniques. The stakeholders are identified and prioritized from two different points of view, namely, the attribute evaluations in the Stakeholder Circle tool, and the relationship network analysis. The paper ends with a discussion on the strengths and limitations of the techniques for stakeholder analysis. No method for stakeholder identification and prioritization is perfect. The selection of the approaches is an art with extensive considerations of ‘when, what, and how’ to choose methods to achieve the project objectives. Each method has its own strengths and limitations. Combining several methods when necessary is the best way to analyse stakeholders.