Journal of Regional and City Planning

Administrative Unit Proliferation Through Spatial Interaction Approach: Case Study of Lembang City Region

Lili Somantri — 2023-08-18

Administrative unit proliferation is a decision that needs to be taken based on several considerations based on research. The proposed Lembang City region is an area that will develop into a city in the next few years. For this reason, this research attempted to evaluate the proposed area’s ability to become an administrative city using various spatial aspects. The analytical approaches used in this study were: spatial interaction analysis, which helps to determine the regional economic center; thematic overview analysis, implementing village SDGs through a spatial analysis approach; and SWOT analysis to identify Lembang City region’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in qualitative terms. The study results show that the proposed Lembang City area has excellent potential as a city region. Through a spatial analysis approach supported by geographic information system tools, this research was conducted as a consideration in deciding to expand Lembang Regency may provide significant assistance to the government in its work related to this decision.

TransJakarta Service Evaluation in Controlling COVID-19 Transmission Using Twitter Sentiment Analysis

Siti Nurlaela — 2023-08-18

This study attempted to understand passenger perception of using public transport by utilizing Twitter data about the services of the TransJakarta Busway. Tweets were the main data source to capture users’ responses toward these services. Users’ perceptions were analyzed by sentiment analysis using a naïve Bayes algorithm. Furthermore, content analysis was used to inform improvements in service maintenance. The findings showed that the pandemic had a major impact on TransJakarta services, from a decrease in users, route closures, and fleet reductions to changes in user behavior. Most Tweets were negative regarding (1) poor bus frequency, leading to long queues and passenger overcrowding at bus stops and inside buses; (2) failure to maintain social distancing measures; (3) frequent violations of the 50% bus capacity reduction during peak hours, and showing a lack of consideration in measuring demand size during peak hours; (4) staff’s weak control of implementing the health protocol exacerbated poor services. This study suggests service improvement based on peak hour demand analysis to offset the implications of a 50% capacity restriction by providing proper bus frequencies and headway arrangements considerable enough to avoid crowding, followed by optimal monitoring of health protocol by staff. Tweet data may inform poor management in controlling the transmission of COVID-19 on public transportation. Hence, using Twitter data could replace conventional data collection methods like user interviews. Beneficial information from Tweet data can be captured at relatively low costs. Therefore, it may aid the evaluation of PPKM policy implementation to create more resilient public transportation during pandemics.

Regional Planning Framework for Addressing Flood Vulnerability of a Metropolitan Region: The Case of Malappuram, Kerala, India

Robin K — 2023-08-18

Flood susceptibility is becoming increasingly important among the various natural disasters in terms of environmental, economic, and social consequences. The eco-regional planning approach, which incorporates the ecological boundary as a layer in the spatial planning process of settlements, is one of the most innovative concepts in recent research to address these problems. Hence, this research interrogated flood susceptibility mapping tools using an appropriate model for better settlement planning and management. A frequency ratio model was applied to a case region, Malappuram (in the State of Kerala, India), one of the world’s fastest urbanizing metropolitan regions, using a three-tier assessment framework. A frequency ratio database for flood susceptibility mapping was created by combining historic flood locations with independent factors. The study region was divided into five flood-risk zones based on the computed flood susceptibility index, which varied from 0 to 18.38, i.e., very high, high, moderate, low, and very low. The results showed that the high and very high susceptibility classes accounted for 8.82% and 17.17% of the land, respectively. This paper highlights the requirement for a multi-level assessment of an ecologically oriented regional planning regime in India and estimates the success rate of flood prediction at 79.33%. The proposed regional planning framework is therefore essential for local government planners, researchers, and administrators when creating flood mitigation measures, and has the potential to become a substantial and essential instrument.

Evolutionary Trends in the Landscape of Hausa Open Spaces: Key Enablers of Habe City Planning Mythology

Danjuma Abdu Yusuf — 2023-09-01

This study took the ‘origin-pattern-function’ of landscape progression as the central theoretical framework and conducted a systematic study on the evolution of open-space landscape patterns in Habe cities, situated between the river Niger and the river Benue in northern Nigeria. This study aimed to explore the embedded landscape cosmology in Hausaland and the origins of its historic mythology. A descriptive research and review approach was adopted, to explain and interpret prevailing practices, existing circumstances, attitudes, reasons, and on-going processes. It unveils the planning of open spaces and houses according to an ancient cosmology that organized towns during the Habe Hausa Dynasty. The open spaces appear to be a sphere of convergent and divergent forces that maintain a delicate balance, whereas the outcrop hills of central Hausaland are domicile places with religious appeal and better defensibility. Further, the physical effects of Islamic influence are visible in the landscape of Hausa cities, such as locating a mosque in the heart of the city as well spatial expressions of the practice of the seclusion of women. The study also revealed that the concept of triple outdoor space in the landscape of Habe cities is identical with that of the traditional Hausa family dwellings enclosed by a compound wall with a gate. This paper presents the key enablers of the Hausa cities’ transformation into commercial, administrative, religious, and agricultural centers. It recommends that in the event of landscape development without certain public guidelines or natural practices, complicated mediation measures should be invoked if disorder is not to prevail. It finally seeks a comprehensive application of local practices and innovative methods with the aim of averting vulnerability of urbanization.

Factors Affecting Illegal Land-use Changes in Residential Areas: (Case Study: District 6 of Tehran)

Rama Ghalambordezfooly — 2023-09-01

Today, understanding the trend of land-use changes and its contributing factors is one of the important issues in urban land-use planning and urban management policies. Not all land-use changes comply with urban development plan regulations. Illegal land-use changes, especially in residential areas, are often implemented to reduce the municipality tax for small businesses in large cities in Iran. This trend has become a source of income for municipalities through fine acquisition. The objective of this study was to identify the factors contributing to incompatible and illegal land-use changes in the case study of District 6 in Tehran. The research method used in this study was descriptive-analytical. The data was collected using a questionnaire and a field study. The data were analyzed using the Pearson correlation test and confirmatory factor analysis using the equation modeling technique in the LISREL software. According to the research findings, escape from the traffic scheme zone, with a coefficient load factor of 0.86, and economic profitability, with a coefficient load factor of 0.84, were the most important factors motivating illegal land-use changes in the residential areas in this case study (District 6, Tehran). The main conclusion of this research is the need for change in Tehran urban policies for mitigation of urban planning violations. Specially in this case, the impact of the traffic scheme zone in Tehran should be considered. Another suggestion is the adoption of new urban policies related to taxes on unauthorized activities in residential areas that can counteract the market response to possible changes.