Galf n Cranz has a Masters and PhD in sociolog)' from University" of Chicago, where she specialized in the "social use of space." Since then she has taught architecture from a social and cultural point of view at Princeton University and the University' of California at Berkeley. The author of The Politics ofPniii Design (1982), she hecame interested in the problems of sustainable development i...

Whether urban parks can maintain viable and self-sustaining populations over the long term is questionable. In highly urbanized landscapes, urban parks could play a role in biodiversity conservation by providing habitat and resources to native species. However, populations inhabiting urban parks are usually small and isolated, leading to increased demographic stochasticity and genetic drift, wi...

Hiroyuki Iseki, Ph.D., Assistant Professor* Email: [email protected] National Center for Smart Growth, Research and Education Urban Studies and Planning Program, School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation 1112U Preinkert Field House (Building 054) University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 Phone: (301) 405-6788; FAX: (301) 314-5639. with Qing Li, Ph.D. Candidate Email: [email protected] ...

Whether a city develops toward a more compact or sprawling one may affect many aspects of urban environment, such as public and ecosystem health, greenhouse gas emissions, and quality of life. Using longitudinal data of Chinese cities during 2000-2010, we investigate the relationship between the compactness of urban growth, measured by average population density and several important indicators...

Rapid and unplanned urban growth is responsible for the continuous conversion of green or generally natural spaces into artificial surfaces. The high degree of imperviousness modifies the urban microclimate and no studies have quantified its influence on the surface temperature (ST) nearby residential building. This topic represents the aim of this study carried out during summer in different u...

Proximity to a park does not necessarily imply access or use, and the social environment may positively or negatively influence the positive intentions of the built environment. To investigate parks, park use and physical activity, and their associations with exposure to community violence, we interviewed residents (n = 354) of a densely populated urban community. Our findings indicate that pro...

Urban green spaces or open play a critical role in sustaining urban natural environments and the social systems that use these spaces. Park accessibility is identified as one of major factors influencing park utilization. This study aim to identify Kupang Nostalgia Park. Data were collected through questionnaires from 100 visitors. used descriptive statistics crosstabs analysis. There are relat...

Recent institutional changes, marketization, and globalization have combined to bring about rapid economic growth in contemporary China. One of the direct outcomes is the rapid expansion of large cities and the recurring birth of new cities from small towns and rural villages. Clustered construction cranes are popular scenes in many Chinese cities. One of the noticeable city landmarks is the sp...