Mohammad Hamed Abdi

Proximity-based urban planning concepts have gained increasing attention in recent decades as a response to challenges driven by rapid urbanization and motorization. Despite the emphasis in the literature on digital technologies as enablers of physical planning strategies to enhance urban proximity, little is known about how this dimension empirically contributes to improving access to opportunities and supporting the core objectives of proximity-based cities. This study addresses this gap by developing exploratory research models to examine how online behavior functions as a mediator in the relationship between physical proximity and travel patterns, whether it moderates (i.e., strengthens or weakens) this relationship, and how individual and household characteristics influence such direct, indirect and moderated effects. To test these relationships, we employed advanced structural equation modeling using survey data from the Brussels-Capital Region in a mediation and moderation analysis. The survey captured people's perceptions of proximity to six types of physical services, perceived accessibility to their digital counterparts, online usage of these services, and travel behavior. The results indicate that online behavior is driven by preference for digital services rather than by physical proximity. It neither mediates nor moderates the link between proximity and travel patterns, though it independently affects travel behavior. Unlike proximity, its hybrid effects conflict with proximity-based planning, being associated with less active travel, greater car dependence, and longer daily travel time. Based on these findings, we provide actionable insights for urban policymakers and planners on how to effectively integrate digital solutions into proximity-based planning, contributing to ongoing debates on digitally enabled proximity cities.

Debates about (post)pandemic cities and neighbourhoods, and the growing interest in sustainable mobility encouraged academics to develop the proximity-based planning (PBP) concept under the recent label of the 15-Minute City (FMC). To better understand the rise and nature of the concept, a total of 287 studies were identified in Web of Science and Scopus using 21 relevant keywords. The corpus was quantitatively examined based on performance analysis and science mapping in bibliometric analysis, as well as using Exploratory Factor Analysis. The results were then visualized using VOSviewer and Gephi. The results revealed that proximity-based studies have evolved across three distinct periods, gaining traction as a consequence of COVID-19 pandemic, while new directions have also emerged. Most of the conceptual work is published by researchers from Western Europe, and such research is also more influential, as citation figures show. Besides the large number of publications on the core concepts of proximity-based planning, 'transport' and 'built environment design' are the most popular themes, particularly in North America and Western Europe. Interestingly, publications emphasizing 'spatial equity' more often centre on Latin America, East Asia, and South Asia as study areas, while those with a 'people and health' focus tend to concentrate on Oceania. Despite the diversity in research priorities and the growing number of publications, the FMC label tends to create a common research ground that connects various domains and geographical regions. Finally, the findings not only reveal the model's latent structure but also highlight understudied dimensions of PBP and related concepts-such as digitalization, the 'quality' of facilities (as opposed to their more commonly studied 'quantity'), and public perception-offering opportunities for further refinement.

The initial design concept of Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) has emerged as a key urban policy to address urbanization challenges worldwide, drawing on an integrated transportation and land use planning approach. Although TOD policies are typically formulated at the local level, addressing related subjects such as parking and zoning codes, some governance systems elevate them to the national level to guide lower-tier policies. For instance, in Iran ? a newcomer to TOD ? a national TOD policy has recently been introduced as part of a TOD policy package. However, there remains uncertainty about the extent to which a national guideline can contribute to successful TOD implementation, support local tiers, and ensure the achievement of TOD goals. The present research aims to address this gap by shedding light on the Iranian experience through a qualitative approach. The findings indicate that a National Transit-Oriented Development Guideline (NTODG) is among the ?efficient? instruments available to governments for advancing TOD culture ? particularly in developing-country cities as newcomers to TOD, where the integration of transport and land use faces numerous challenges. However, NTODGs tend to be ?insufficient? on their own, as they must be coordinated with other related policies under a ?stable? political system and planning framework to turn TOD aspirations into reality.

Purpose: This study aims to develop the application of the strategic choice approach (SCA) in Karaj City (Iran) as the case study for facilitating the decision-making process concerning uncertainties associated with determining fault trace, fault buffer zone and fault setback, as well as inherent uncertainties related to urban issues – known as wicked problems – which make a clear definition unachievable for them. Design/methodology/approach: The SCA was recycled in this study to manage uncertain situations in planning. It is designed to deal with problems caused by uncertainty, insufficient knowledge and unpredictable policy outcomes. In combination with the risk-based planning approach, the paper proposes a new model to deal with uncertainty and hazard risk at the same time. Findings: The results indicated that such decision-making tools are helpful for urban planners who impose changes in the fault zone to save lives and properties where the process seems problematic and ambiguous. Further analysis from the SCA development not only shows that urban planning restrictions should be applied gradually and in pace with the completion of fault displacement geological data but also reveals that defining the implementation process and institutional structure is as important as the preparation of binding fault zoning documents. Originality/value: The paper will push forward global research and practice because the results can be generalized for use in other earthquake-prone countries, as the considerations and obstacles have a universal character and more specifically because many earthquake-prone countries have not started to define fault avoidance zone restrictions up to now.

This paper is based on reviewing the literature in the past 10 years on the drivers of land use and land cover change (LULCC) in urban areas. It combines quantitative and qualitative keyword analysis of papers drawn out from the Scopus database. The analysis is primarily based on the number of mentions of keywords in the titles and abstracts of the papers, in addition to the number of keywords appearing in the papers. On the basis of content analysis, a three-level structural categorization of the driving factors was developed. These are presented in a schematic diagram, where the contextual factors are shown as influencing economic and financial factors and policy and regulation, which in turn influences transportation investments and availability, and industrial and residential location choices. Transportation availability was seen as the most frequent factor identified in the literature. This research contends that LULCC is mostly determined by interactions among these four themes in a three-level structure, and on this basis, a model is presented that illustrates LULCC drivers based on local circumstances across the globe.

The goal of this study was to find out how suitable the existing design of urban forms is for adopting transit-oriented development (TOD) basic ideas. Within a major metropolis and a medium-sized city, three varieties of Iranian urban fabric (historic, transitional, and modern) around transit stations were selected using the case study research technique. Then, for two sizes of station areas (macro) and street scales (micro), several TOD design dimensions were evaluated. The results of the comparative research indicated that Iranian cities offer greater chances for TOD design in inner urban areas (including historical and transitional urban forms), whereas microscale characteristics are less reliant on the kind of urban form.

This study seeks to systematically identify the most significant challenges for Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) in Developing Countries (DCs). At the same time, it attempts to analyze whether these are different from challenges in developed countries. For this purpose, relevant qualitative research was systematically reviewed through a Qualitative Meta-Synthesis study. The method included peer-reviewed studies since 1990, focused on the challenges of DCs when planning TOD projects written in English. A search in 12 databases identified 44 records, of which 34 met the eligibility criteria and the quality appraisal for the final list. Using Thematic Synthesis, these results were interpreted and a set of clustered challenges was drawn up, containing general themes, classified as follows: Contextual challenges, Policy and Planning challenges, Implementation challenges, and Actors. Regarding the study findings, eight problematic sub-themes pertinent to the delivery of transit-oriented strategies were listed, analyzed, and interrelated. The results enabled us to retrieve and amass an updated and well-structured set of challenges, whose relationships in the literature show both the complexity of the barriers to be surmounted as well as some key gaps in the research.

Due to valuable global experiences regarding Transit Oriented Development (TOD) as a context-sensitive strategy, updating the planning dimensions and even post-performance imperfections is inevitable by which reinforcing new urban plans could be dramatically pursued. Therefore, the present study aimed to highlight the most significant dimensions of transit-oriented urban planning all over the world. To this end, relevant qualitative studies were systematically reviewed through a Qualitative Meta-synthesis study. A total of 17 peer-reviewed articles and complementary databases searched during May-August 2018 led to a number of 6522 records among which 23 cases met the eligibility criteria and quality appraisal for inclusion in the final list. Then, the results were interpreted by using qualitative content analysis and a development-driven model was drawn by a classification as the general TOD planning themes including place development, policy development, process development, and sustainable development. Based on the results of the study, 30 planning dimensions pertinent to TOD were listed. The results helped retrieve and collect the up-to-date dimensions and interpret the changes appeared during the decades of planning.Resumen Debido a las valiosas experiencias globales realizadas en Desarrollo Orientado al Transporte Sostenible (DOTS)’, una estrategia sensible al contexto es inevitable actualizar la planificación e incluso las imperfecciones posteriores al desempeño, a las que se podría seguir reforzando los nuevos planes urbanos. Este estudio pretende resaltar las dimensiones más importantes para la planificación urbana orientada al tránsito en todo el mundo. Para ello, las investigaciones cualitativas relevantes se revisarán sistemáticamente a través de un estudio de meta-síntesis cualitativa (QMS). La búsqueda de 17 artículos revisados por pares y bases de datos complementarias de mayo a agosto de 2018 dio lugar a 6522 registros, de los cuales 23 cumplieron con los criterios de elegibilidad y la evaluación de calidad para estar en la lista final. Usando el análisis de contenido cualitativo, los resultados se interpretaron, y por una clasificación, se elaboró un modelo impulsado por el desarrollo como temas generales de planificación de DOTS, a saber, Desarrollo del desarrollo, Desarrollo de políticas, Desarrollo de procesos y Desarrollo sostenible. Con respecto a los hallazgos del estudio, se enumeran 30 dimensiones de planificación relevantes para DOTS. Los resultados ayudarán a recuperar y recopilar las dimensiones actualizadas y a interpretar los cambios