The political economy of Zimbabwean Urban informality since 2000 – A contemporary governance dilemma

ABSTRACT

The article explores the urban informality dilemma in Harare through the lens of a political economy theory. It examines the typologies of urban informality, the influence of political economy on urban informalities, and informs decision-making to address the urban informality dilemma. A qualitative approach was used where secondary data were collected through document analysis and primary data from interviews with 20 purposively selected key informants. Surveys and in-depth interviews were conducted with 585 individuals engaged in informal activities. It emerged that urban informality in Harare takes on different forms and aside from the economic crisis, politics played a role in the emergence and proliferation of urban informality. The article provides insight into, and raises awareness with regard to key areas of concern on how power influences decision-making relating to urban informality. Therefore, the article provides a basis for policy formulation and institutional reforms for effective measures to curb urban informality.     

试论城市轨道交通信号系统的运营维护管理要点

随着我国城市轨道的发展,在轨道交通动态发展过程中更加重视环境保护。信号系统是城市轨道交通最重要的设备之一,其稳定性对于有效的交通发展和人们出行的人身安全至关重要。但目前,在城市轨道交通信号系统的运营维护管理过程中仍存在问题,若不及时解决,可能会影响轨道交通信号系统的正常运营。因此,论文重点探讨了城市轨道交通信号系统的运营维护管理策略。     

城市轨道交通运营管理专业三维立体人才培养模式构建的实证研究

论文以城市轨道交通运营管理专业为例,运用霍尔三维结构模式理论构建以知识体系、岗位技能、职业素养为坐标的三维立体人才培养模式维度体系,打破了传统仅以知识体系和岗位技能为重点的二维人才培养模式,丰富了交通类高职专业人才培养模式研究理论,为交通类相关专业在制定人才培养方案时提供参考依据。     

城投债对地区产能过剩的影响：促进还是抑制*

在构建城投债影响产能过剩的理论基础上，以我国2004-2016年地级市面板数据为样本，本文检验了城投债影响产能过剩的具体效应和相关机制。研究发现：城投债与地区产能过剩之间呈现U型关系；其中城投债对产能过剩的影响在中西部地区、南方地区、大城市和金融危机爆发后更为显著；机制检验表明，地方政府借助城投债压低工业用地价格和投资交通基础设施会加剧产能过剩，且压低工业用地价格带来的效应更为严重。因此，本文从适度控制债务规模、改善体制激励措施和完善要素定价机制等方面提出相应建议。     

Engineering the Financialization of Urban Entrpreneurialism: The JESSICA Urban Development Initiative in the European Union

Urban entrepreneurialism and neoliberal urban governance are assuming new forms under finance‐dominated accumulation. We examine and contribute to theorizing the mechanisms through which urban governance is financialized, taking as a case study JESSICA, one of the European Union's initiatives to implement an ‘urban sensitive’ policy for sustainable and integrated development. Like other initiatives promoting financialization, JESSICA deploys the logic of finance to select and fund urban social initiatives and development projects on the basis of their potential return on investment (ROI). Understanding this process requires placing questions of political economy—how urban governance is shaped by the broader political‐economic context—with questions of governmentality—how stakeholders are enrolled in and come to take for granted new governance initiatives. Following the multi‐scalar institutional infrastructure is crucial to understanding how this works. Taking a relational multi‐scalar approach, we trace how changes at the supranational scale filter down to shape urban policy selection and performance in Sofia, Bulgaria, where we document how ROI calculations conflict with social welfare priorities. Contrasts between the trajectory of financialization of urban governance in the European Union and the United States demonstrate how this is geographically variegated, shaped by the broader context/conjuncture within which such financialization is embedded.     

深度休闲对主观幸福感的影响研究——以苏南地区城市居民为例

深度休闲对优化苏南地区休闲产业建设,进一步提升居民休闲生活质量有重要影响。文章通过问卷调查的方式收集苏南地区城市居民深度休闲行为的数据,研究苏南地区城市居民深度休闲行为特征及深度休闲对主观幸福感的影响。结果发现:(1)苏南地区城市居民进行深度休闲活动的场所主要为户外;(2)闲暇时间不足是限制苏南地区城市居民进行深度休闲活动的主要因素;(3)苏南地区城市居民的深度休闲活动总体程度不高,愿意在深度休闲活动上投入大量时间和金钱的人更是少数;(4)苏南地区城市居民从事深度休闲活动产生的强烈认同感和坚持不懈的毅力对主观幸福感有着显著的积极影响。     

城市基础设施与居民消费水平——基于线上线下协同的促进机制

优化城市基础设施对于提升居民消费水平具有积极意义。交通与通讯两类基础设施对居民线上、线下消费的影响存在差异。在普及网购的同时改善城市居民出行条件，使实体店在展示产品、现场体验等方面与电商形成互补，将有助于实现线上、线下渠道的积极互动。以2011—2016年全国近300个地级市构建的面板数据进行计量分析，验证了基础设施对居民消费的促进作用，并发现当前交通、通讯两类设施的交互作用主要体现为协同效应。进一步的研究表明，以完善基础设施支持线上、线下渠道共同发展，还能够适应居民家庭年龄结构变化的新特点。上述结论说明,以完善基础设施促成渠道协同，将对全面优化消费者体验、提升居民消费水平产生重要作用。     

基于大规模街景图片人工智能分析的精细化城市修补方法研究

在中国快速城镇化阶段“重量”而“轻质”的建设过程中，城市建成区尤其是老城区的景观环境产生了诸如景观视廊受阻、风貌破败等大量问题。对此，自2015年中央城市工作会议以来，各地相继开展了城市修补专项规划，以修复及更新城市建成环境，促进城市空间品质提升。然而，由于缺乏对城市环境整体效应的统筹考虑，故在城市实际修补过程中，城市局部地块的品质提升反而对城市整体品质构成负面影响。因此，在人工智能及大数据技术深度介入城市规划和设计实践探索的基础上，研究基于全卷积神经网络模型(FCN)和城市场景要素深度学习数据集，对城市景观环境中的各要素进行了大规模且高颗粒度的精确识别，同时与空间数据叠加，对复杂建成环境中的景观问题进行精确分析，并基于分析成果辅助后续城市规划设计实践，逐层递进地对城市复杂建成环境进行精细化修补。选择位于嵩山脚下的登封市作为案例，探索人工智能技术在辅助城市修补等规划领域的前瞻性应用。     

市域(郊)铁路车辆选型方案探讨

随着城镇化进程的加快和城市经济辐射能力的增强,以特大城市中心城为核心的都市圈逐渐形成,都市圈内的经济联系更加紧密,都市圈核心区与外围的出行需求迅速增长,市域(郊)铁路的概念被引进,选择符合市域(郊)铁路特点的车辆类型是设计的重点。     

The long breadth of cities: revisiting worldwide urbanization patterns, 1950–2030

ABSTRACT

A comparative analysis of population dynamics worldwide contributes to profile distinctive demographic and economic trajectories of urban growth, discriminating processes of settlement concentration or dispersion under sequential cycles of urbanization. However, a wide-ranging characterization of urban cycles based on demographic dynamics worldwide is still missing. The present work is aimed at filling such a gap analysing long-term changes (1950–2030) in annual population growth rate of 1691 urban agglomerations with more than 300,000 inhabitants in 74 world countries. Results of this study indicate that metropolitan growth worldwide was associated with largely variable rates of population growth, highly positive before 2000 and progressively reducing over recent decades. Despite important differences at continental (and country) scale, demographic expansion of urban agglomerations showed two contrasting phases with a break point in the 1980s denoting a progressive reduction in spatial heterogeneity of population growth rates and a moderate slowdown in demographic dynamics. Intensity of urban expansion and spatial heterogeneity in population growth rates across metropolitan agglomerations evidences a trade-off between fast and slow demographic dynamics. These findings can be better understood to support theories of sequential city growth, making a suitable contribution to policy making, especially in countries where urban population is expanding more rapidly.