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The paper introduces a lesser-known cultural landscape along the sacred Bhagirathi-Hooghly river in the Indian city of Kolkata, with particular reference to its built and natural heritage. The narratives cover the cultural and ecological qualities of the unique “ghat-scape” (riverfront pavilions with steps descending into the river) and their contemporary urban challenges. It also explores the suitability of the Historic Cultural Landscape (HCL) tools, or their adapted versions, in managing this exceptional landscape.

The paper is structured under six discrete sections covering the inventory and assessment, interpretation and evaluation and possible roadmap for the ecological restoration of the riverfront cultural landscape. Primary and secondary studies were conducted to understand the related challenges and opportunities. The authors then examined the application of the HCL tools based on a conceptual framework and identified the alternative approaches suitable for its restoration. Finally, a successfully restored ghat environ is taken as a model and reviewed against the most potent approach in addressing the eco-cultural criticalities.

The paper argues in favour of a paradigm shift from riverfront “development” to riverfront “restoration” with particular emphasis on the ghat-architecture. Three eco-cultural restoration alternatives were derived out of the HCL principles. A practical case study found that a community-led approach positively influences restorative actions, cultural heritage management and long-term sustainability.

The HCL tools comprising planning, regulatory systems, financial designs and community engagement have been explored for the first time in the context of the unique riverfront “ghatscape” of Kolkata. An under-discussed topic, it has been brought to the centre stage to gain new insights into the Indian cultural landscape heritage. An HCL-based new approach in their management came forth through a review of a successful case study.

Over decades, mega‐events have enjoyed increasing global popularity as catalysts of significant urban renewal both on and beyond the event grounds. Nevertheless, although some mega‐events are exemplary in their transformation of some places, post‐event failure of others highlight a lack of long‐range planning. Yet, such a paradoxical relationship between spectacularity and sustainability has, so far, received little in‐depth analysis. Building upon the Yin‐Yang theory, the purpose of this paper is to identify the Triple‐C gap and argues that planning for mega‐event led renewals (MELRs) is an issue of dualism rather than dichotomy.

This paper adopts the multiple‐case study approach. Two methodological steps are taken to seek a greater understanding of the issue at global and local scales. One is a review of eight mega‐event cases in the West to identify post‐event sustainability challenges. The other explores these challenges through an examination of the Expo 2010 development as a chapter of the Huangpu Riverfronts Renewal in Shanghai China.

The eight historical cases and Expo 2010 unanimously challenge the dichotomy between event staging and post‐event sustainability. It is therefore high time for future client organizations to rethink how to find a convergence.

With lessons drawn, the article concludes that planning an MELR should be pre‐post oriented and serve as a catalyst for broader‐scale improvements.

This pioneering study constitutes a much‐needed reference for future mega‐event hosts to rethink their commitment to MELDs, which will hopefully spark more interdisciplinary interest.

Governor Robert F. Casey made his first state visit to Homestead, Pennsylvania the day after his inauguration in January 1987 to announce a package of plans for restoring economic vitality to metropolitan Pittsburgh in the wake of steel's collapse. Earlier urban renewal had involved large-scale demolition of older downtowns for conversion to commercial and industrial use, but state and local officials now emphasized a two-pronged redevelopment approach largely modeled on the success of the postwar suburbs. The closure of the Monongahela River (Mon) Valley's mammoth steel mills opened large swaths of land and prompted calls for planned riverfront manufacturing and retail districts similar to those sites sprouting up at suburban interchanges. A second and related effort involved schemes to build new highways tying aging communities in the river valleys to both Pittsburgh and new suburban growth areas, such as the sprawling “edge city” of Monroeville less than 10miles away. Indeed, Casey had a special project in mind for revitalizing the iconic Homestead – construction of the long-delayed Mon/Fayette Expressway that would parallel the river south of Pittsburgh. “This is another big step [to] help bring businesses and jobs into the region,” the governor later declared. “No longer is this valley a forgotten valley” (as cited in Basescu, 1989, p. 1).

This paper aims to seek a greater understanding of the conceptualization of mega-event flagship (MEF) development as a point of departure to forge the much-needed organizational capacities in these regions. An MEF constitutes a temporarily themed venue for a mega-event and a transforming force on corresponding urban renewal. The unfailing demand for MEFs from emerging hosts after historical failures in the West draws attention to a glaring weakness of extant literature in wanting of evidence-based case studies.

Due to the explorative nature of research and the context-dependent complexities, the case study method is used for studying the case of Theme Pavilion – one of the four key flagships led by Expo 2010 to catalyze an ambitious urban renewal in Shanghai, China. The focus is on its conceptualization process (2004-2007) where different copying strategies were tested and consolidated to facilitate the post-event transformation. Data were collected mainly through participant observation in that duration.

For future Expo hosts, exhibition center developers and the event industry, the study concludes with eight constructive lessons, namely, clustering strategy, different integration, pre-post orientation, diversification for adaptation, development by stage, flexible mindset, the end crowns the work and building local capacity.

Given the qualitative nature of the study, some results may not be fully generalizable. While showing the possibility of sustaining MEF development given the right coping strategy, it also reveals implementation difficulties and emphasizes the importance of continued case studies.

The study will contribute fresh insights into forging better strategies to cope with transformation difficulties of MEF development and building greater capacity to accomplish affiliated renewals and other significantly comparable urban projects in emerging economies.

This paper describes the curriculum design of an architectural studio course aimed at making concepts of sustainability accessible, understandable and practicable to second-year undergraduate students. Architectural education and design pedagogy is shaped and interrogated in the Global North or Western Europe and North America and influences various pedagogical approaches in the Global South. By including exemplars, voices and practices from global, historical, vernacular and contemporary contexts, understanding of sustainability is enriched.

The approach to course design included decolonising the curriculum and making it relevant for globally diverse future professionals. The studio theme of “memory and history” was framed as responsiveness to context and experiencing the site. Students were required to define place, and articulate form and space with sensitivity towards social, cultural, environmental and ecological aspects. The lectures, exercises and interactive activities emphasised design process, in-progress work, and experimentation through sketching, diagramming, drawing, and making study models which scaffolded student learning under the guidance of tutors.

The findings show that to make the process of learning to design in an environmentally responsive manner explicit for students, approaches to curriculum design must have a global and inclusive curriculum, engage students in experiential learning through doing/making to develop critical thinking skills, encourage students to synthesise and transfer learning to and from other settings and contexts, and interpret knowledge-power relationships and co-construction processes embedded in studio-based teaching and learning.

The original contribution of the course is that it creates an inclusive, experimental and decolonised space for co-construction of knowledge about designing sustainable environments.

Local governments have long been concerned with economic growth and development. Some local governments take an aggressive, proactive stance on economic development, while others take a more incremental, reactionary approach. When economic development opportunities arise, the frequently asked question is “Who’s on first?” Is it the responsibility of local government to take the lead in promoting economic development opportunities, or should local government remain in the background leaving development activities to private developers? This article uses community power theory to examine the evolution of economic development in Wichita, Kansas and the roles played by the public and private sectors and their impact on the course of development activities. In order for a booster regime to be successful, the lead government must establish the legitimacy of the development effort with other potential members of the coalition. The lead government must establish a hospitable business climate and establish a commitment to support the infrastructure and service needs of developers. Coalition members must view the undertaking as a positive-sum gain.

This paper is an exploration of the potential impact of narrative writing and creative non-fiction on historical scholarship. Framed by the question of where a manuscript would be shelved in the library, this paper aims to survey the role of space, physical and metaphorical, in how we categorize, curate, cultivate and present narrative scholarship.

Using primary source material related to Newark stadium building and a broad-range scholarship concerning space, the author will place them in conversation with historian John Demos’ autobiographical narrative writing style.

The author hopes this paper furthers the conversation on the impact of narrative on scholarly writing and literacy.

By advancing this conversation, the author’s hope is that scholars will expand the possibilities of topics, sources, analysis, narrative styles and presentation of the information they both find and produce.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the perspectives of local stakeholders on the role of religious tourism and the development process that alter the sacred space and religious heritage of Varanasi. Specific objectives include study local stakeholders' view on the motivation of visitors, the image of the city they carry home, role of infrastructure development altering sacredness of the city, major issues pertaining to conservation of the city's religious heritage and whether tourism dominates the sacred space of the city.

The present study follows the philosophical approach of constructionism and is an inductive study based on the ontological features of realism. The study is conducted using qualitative research design. Participants were purposely selected from different groups to provide representative data. through in-depth interviews with a set of 22 open-ended questions.

The study acknowledged the spatial changes happening in an old city over time. The portrayed image of Varanasi remains deeply rooted in the minds of pilgrims, whereas the tourist perspective often goes beyond the texts as an experience. The reflection of local stakeholders in the transformation of sacred space to tourist experiencescape as a consumable experience, which is influenced by market-driven forces is a major finding of the study.

Difficulties in finalising the respondents and building up the theoretical base, which is one of the main limitations of the study. During the process of data collection, the respondents mainly focussed upon the impacts of tourism on Varanasi, and the researchers made every effort to extract qualitative information on the current research. At times, some respondents hesitated to share their view on political influences in the development process, which restricted the authors to obtain righteous information, that could have contributed a better understanding of the deep-rooted issues of religious heritage conservation. Another limitation is that the perspectives of visitors have not been included in this research.

The study will contribute to the theoretical areas of tourism development in historic and sacred cities. As an interdisciplinary area, the selected theme of the study delves in to landscape planning, heritage preservation, tourism development in historic cities and more importantly how residents understand the changes happening in a scared environment. The present research opens opportunities for further researches such as social pressures and tourism development, urban morphology and its transformation in ancient cities and so on.

Varanasi is an ancient city in India, which is also the heartland of Hinduism. The study reveals the understanding of respondents on religious traditions, sentiments and the social values attached to a place. At the same time, it also highlights the role of tourism in generating an intercultural dialogue with local cultures, appreciating the sacred value of sites associated with religious sentiments.

The study addresses the role of tourism in altering the landscape of ancient city of Varanasi. The original view of respondents has been used in the article to maintain originality. There are several researches conducted on Varanasi, but the present study is conducted in a systematic way to gather the real understanding of local people. The study acknowledges the changes happening in the city along the course of time.

The aim of this paper is to investigate the effects on implementation and performance of different designs of public programs to promote sustainability goals.

The study selects eight local sustainability programs in Portugal using two different program designs and compares several indicators of performance in terms of program implementation, outputs, and outcomes.

Cities using the top‐down approach to programmatic intervention are more successful in accomplishing sustainability goals than cities engaging in the bottom‐up approach. The second program design produced more visible physical outputs, whereas the first effectively achieved sustainability goals.

The main policy implication of the study is that program design and structure are decisive to achieve sustainability goals. In the case of Programmatic contracts run by general‐purpose local governments, the incentive structure facilitates the appropriation of goals for electoral purposes by local officials. The Programmatic contracts are administered by local government officials who are primarily concerned with economic revitalization and delivering tangible infrastructure. The sustainability label should be removed from these initiatives.

The paper shows that the incentive structure created by program design features influences the achievement of sustainability goals by local communities.

This study aims to identify the motivations, challenges and desires of the various actors working in contemporary downtown revitalization in mid-sized cities.

Using Spokane, Washington, as a case study, 24 semi-structured interviews were conducted with key players in downtown redevelopment, including public administrators, private developers and non-profit representatives.

Results indicate that those conducting renewal projects are primarily motivated by economics, but additionally cite heritage preservation values and community development as significant factors. Moreover, contemporary renewal projects are found to be small-scale endeavours, undertaken by individual private investors, as government involvement has significantly diminished. Revitalizers tended to express frustration with a lack of investor and public awareness regarding renewal opportunities, suggesting that increased information dissemination might promote further renewal work within mid-sized urban downtowns.

Findings provide insight into issues with neoliberal policies in addressing contemporary urban issues, and suggest a more nuanced understanding of contemporary urban development processes beyond the narrowly defined profit-driven paradigm.