Norsidah Ujang

This paper examines the role of adaptive housing planning strategies in strengthening the resilience of urban poor communities in the post-pandemic era. The study highlights how planning approaches to adaptive housing can mitigate vulnerabilities exposed by COVID-19 and support more equitable urban development. Synthesizing recent literature, the review emphasizes participatory governance, sustainable design integration, and innovative policy and financing mechanisms tailored to urban poor populations. Using resilience frameworks—including Holling’s Resilience Theory, the Adaptive Capacity Framework, and the Social-Ecological Systems approach, the paper illustrates how adaptive housing operates at the intersection of physical infrastructure, socio-economic conditions, and environmental systems. Findings indicate that adaptive housing planning not only addresses immediate post-pandemic housing needs but also lays the foundation for long-term resilience, inclusivity, and improved quality of life. The paper concludes with a call for stronger collaboration among policymakers, urban planners, and researchers to scale context-sensitive adaptive housing strategies within broader resilience and poverty alleviation agendas.

This research, framed within the discipline of urban morphology, addresses the issue of identifying and understanding transitional urban areas in rapidly urbanizing hillside cities. It specifically focuses on the area between the Central Business District (CBD) and residential zones in Yuzhong District, Chongqing, China. In hillside cities such as Chongqing, the complex terrain complicates urban development, often leading to incomplete or fragmented urban data, which challenges traditional planning methods. To overcome these challenges, we integrate map data, official planning documents and field survey outcomes to elucidate the complex urban form between the CBD and the inner residential areas of this hillside city. Our analysis employs an integrated approach using Geographic Information Systems (ArcGIS)-based spatial analysis, field surveys and document analysis. Leveraging data overlay and spatial positioning techniques ensures the accuracy and effectiveness of the research. The results disclose the persistence of traditional concentric circular structures in transitional areas between residential zones and the CBD, underscoring their role in accommodating a variety of commercial and social activities. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the spatial and social dynamics in Chongqing’s urban transitional areas. It establishes a foundational framework for further exploring their role in urban planning.

Since transit-oriented development (TOD) was introduced in the 1990s, most developed cities have shifted their focus toward urban regeneration, aiming to create walkable and sustainable environments that encourage public transportation usage. The redevelopment typically involved brownfield areas such as former docklands, waterfronts, or industrial sites, which were transformed into mixed-use developments integrated with public transit. This approach has led to the emergence of waterfront transit-oriented development (WTOD). In Malaysia, only two established WTODs: KL Sentral and Penang Sentral WTOD. In achieving successful implementation, it is crucial for WTOD to be contextually integrated with its surroundings, which, in this case, is the waterfront. The notion of integrating urban development with its local context has been emphasised by most prominent urban design thinkers, with legibility being one of the key principles highlighted. Legibility enhances the experiential qualities while navigating the city and provides people with a clear understanding of how the spaces are connected. Nine (9) attributes concerning legibility were identified, including street condition, pedestrian walkway along the waterfront/ street, transit access to taxi/ bus stop, ground-level porosity, integration of parking with development, signage toward the water body, waterfront link to the TOD, direct access to water body and visual access to water body. Therefore, this research aimed to examine the legibility principle that contributes to the experiential qualities of KL Sentral and Penang Sentral WTOD in terms of their level of contextual integration with the waterfront. A mixed method approach was employed, involving physical observations and questionnaire surveys with 597 respondents across 38 zones in KL Sentral WTOD and 490 respondents across 26 zones in Penang Sentral WTOD. Content and descriptive analyses were used to evaluate the experiential qualities of contextual integration for both WTODs. The findings implied that users’ experience regarding the level of contextual integration for legibility in each WTOD varied, highlighting the importance of aligning WTOD with its surroundings.

As urban environments become increasingly complex and the costs and challenges of infrastructure upgrades continue to rise, wayfinding signage has become an effective solution to cope with urban dynamics due to its low cost and high flexibility. Although the functionality of wayfinding signage has been extensively studied, the perceptual differences between designers and non-designers have not been adequately explored. Ignoring these differences may lead to the overlooking of users’ real and diverse needs, resulting in suboptimal signage performance in practical applications and ultimately a reduction in the overall functionality and user experience of urban spaces. This study aims to bridge this perceptual gap. For this study, we conducted a questionnaire survey in China to compare the visual preferences of designers and non-designers regarding text, shape, color coding, and patterns. The results indicate that designers prioritize functionality and clarity to ensure the effective use of signage in complex urban environments, whereas non-designers prefer wayfinding signages that reflect local cultural symbols and characteristics. Our conclusions suggest that the public’s expectations for wayfinding signage extend beyond basic navigational functions, with an emphasis on cultural expression and visual appeal. Understanding these perceptual differences is crucial in developing design strategies that balance functionality, esthetics, and sustainability, thereby facilitating the sustainable integration of signage into urban landscapes.

In rapid urbanization, the socio-spatial environment between inner-city functional areas faces numerous challenges. Assessing and enhancing the environmental quality of these areas has become an urgent research issue. This study quantitatively evaluates the social-spatial environment of inner-city transitional edges, selecting Chongqing’s Yuzhong District as the case study area. It explores the relationship between spatial environmental factors and social activities. Integrating spatial data, internet “big” data, and field survey data, a multidimensional evaluation of the quality of the social-spatial environment framework is constructed, encompassing four dimensions: connectivity, social function, comfort, and conviviality. Subsequently, a multiple linear regression model is used to explore the main environmental factors influencing social activities on transitional edges. The results show that the density of street trees, lighting facilities, functional density, and functional diversity significantly impact social activities, demonstrating the correlation between the spatial environment of inner-city transitional edges and social activities. Corresponding optimization strategies for each dimension in transitional edges are then summarized. This study provides references for coordinating inner-city functional areas, optimizing urban environments, and promoting sustainability. It can also be applied to a broader range of transitional edge evaluation studies.

As global urbanization accelerates, the integration, readability, and connectivity of urban spaces are becoming focal points of international concern, particularly in rapidly developing regions like Asia. The inadequacies of urban wayfinding systems directly affect pedestrians’ wayfinding experiences within city spaces. Pedestrian wayfinding signage, as a critical element supporting pedestrian navigation and urban readability, is often neglected in vehicle-centric urban planning. This study explores the visual preferences of pedestrians regarding wayfinding signage and how these perceptions can be incorporated into the design process. A photo-based survey consisting of 385 pedestrians in Nanning, China, reveals that while many wayfinding signs provide cognitive information, they score lower in visual preference due to poor sensory perception and difficulty in conveying meaning. This study also highlights that the material, color, graphics, and text on signage are key physical attributes influencing the visual preferences of pedestrians. Demographic factors such as age, gender, and professional background also impact these preferences. These findings underscore a broader urban design issue: wayfinding signs must not only clearly communicate navigational information but also enhance the aesthetic and cultural expressions of urban spaces. Current signage systems often neglect these aesthetic and cultural needs, potentially leading to visual fatigue or cultural disconnection, thereby affecting navigation efficiency and urban experience. The results provide empirical foundations for optimizing wayfinding signage designs in urban areas, aiding urban planners and designers in integrating pedestrian preferences to create clearer, more attractive navigation systems, thus improving walking experiences and significantly enhancing the daily lives of city residents.

The post-occupancy evaluation process is pivotal for assessing the performance of indoor and outdoor living environments after occupation. This evaluation involves a multifaceted analysis, encompassing energy efficiency, indoor environmental quality, outdoor spaces, and occupant satisfaction. Despite the inherent advantages and potential applicability of post-occupancy evaluation in residential buildings, the lack of uniformity in research methodologies, data collection techniques, investigative approaches, and result interpretation has impeded cross-comparisons and method replication. In a concerted effort to enhance the understanding of prevailing post-occupancy evaluation methodologies, this study undertook a comprehensive systematic literature review of post-occupancy evaluation practices within the residential domain from 2000 to 2023. The results unequivocally underscored the pervasive lack of consistency in methodological applications, tool deployment, and data reporting across diverse post-occupancy evaluation investigations. The objectives of this review aimed to examine the existing post-occupancy evaluation (POE) methods, assess occupant-centric thermal comfort, evaluate the impact of POE feedback on building design, and develop recommendations for architects, engineers, facility managers, and policymakers on leveraging POE feedback to enhance thermal comfort and energy efficiency in buildings. This study offers critical insights into advocating for a more standardized and cohesive post-occupancy evaluation approach. The findings of this review can direct the establishment of a coherent and consistently implemented post-occupancy evaluation framework within the realm of residential architecture.

Purpose: This study aims to explore the role of urban streets as transitional edges in coordinating socio-spatial interactions within the urban environment. It will focus on how streets can revitalize their surrounding environments and shape sustainable urban living through their characteristics.Design/methodology/approach: Employing the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework, this study systematically reviewed 67 international research articles published from 2013 to 2023. It delved into the functionalities of urban streets as transitional edges under various social and physical interactions, covering the multidimensional impacts of streets at the social, spatial and individual levels.Findings: The results demonstrate that the physical and social dimensions of streets, through their characteristics as transitional edges, not only complement each other but also effectively promote social space interactions and sustainable urban development. As a key public space at the interface of social and physical realms, streets influence residents' daily lives and balance the socio-spatial environment.Research limitations/implications: Although this study deepens the understanding of urban streets as transitional edges, it faces limitations due to the scarcity of literature related to transitional edges, which may affect the depth and breadth of the research. Future studies are required to further verify theoretical findings through field research and case studies and to explore practical applications of street design to enhance data comprehensiveness and availability.Originality/value: The originality of this article lies in defining urban streets as dynamic transitional edge spaces, redefining their dual role in urban design to connect physical forms and social functions. Through a comprehensive literature review, this study provides theoretical support for urban planning and design practices, emphasizing their application value in promoting urban social interaction and sustainable development.

Recently, many Chinese cities have initiated improvement projects aimed at enhancing living conditions in older residential neighborhoods. Urban improvement should be closely linked to the needs of occupants to determine “what to improve”. Governmental initiatives and the various stakeholders involved in the project influence the impact of improvement efforts. The objectives of the study are essential to identify the factors influencing occupants’ satisfaction and to evaluate whether the occupants are satisfied with the improved old residential neighborhoods. This study conducts a post-occupancy evaluation (POE) of improved outdoor spaces in old residential neighborhoods, focusing on neighborhoods in Wuxi, China. A principal component analysis (PCA) was used to evaluate residents’ efficacy and satisfaction with the enhancements implemented in outdoor spaces. The methodology involved collecting data through surveys and on-site observations, which were then analyzed to identify the pivotal factors impacting the effectiveness of these improvements. The results indicated that enhancing outdoor spaces had a substantial positive impact on residents’ quality of life, social interactions, and physical activity levels. Additionally, the PCA identified accessibility, safety, and aesthetic quality as the main factors contributing to resident satisfaction. This study offers valuable insights for urban planners and policymakers aiming to rejuvenate aging residential districts, emphasizing the importance of data-driven approaches to improve the design and functionality of outdoor spaces.