Early Urban Planning of Harbin(1898-1917) by Russia: Impact of Colonialism and the Railway Economy on Emerging Cities in Modern Times

Harbin, a typical emerging colonial city in modern times, has drawn worldwide attention due to its quick transformation from a fishing village to a modern globalized metropolis. With Harbin and its urban planning from 1898 to 1917 as the subject of study from the perspective of planning historiography, this paper probes into the driving force behind Harbin's early modern urban development, historical phasing and characteristics of its urban planning, as well as evolution of planning and construction activities during this period. The findings reveal that Harbin's urban planning and construction activities were closely linked to Russia's political and economic interests and also reflected the political game between the powers led by Japan and Russia in the Manchurian region.

Production of Railwayscape in urban environment:Analysing railway heritage tourism potential in Siliguri City,India

For a long time,it has been argued that the theories and practices devoted to urban planning and management should conform to the fundamental role of planning policies in the production of urban space,but not merely the spatial distribution of the produced services.Towards this wider connotation,this study introduces the notion of Railwayscape,grounded on the theory of‘The Production of Space’,to examine the role of railway station districts as catalysts of urban development through the social production of urban space.The present research sets out to establish the notion of Railwayscape and apply it in a railway heritage,i.e.,the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway(DHR)and its point of inception,Siliguri City,India.Accordingly,a criteria-based evaluation of four railway station districts(New Jalpaiguri,Siliguri Town,Siliguri Junction,and Sukna)in Siliguri and its surroundings was performed.The information regarding the selected four railway station districts is obtained through field observation and key informant consultation,supplemented by published literature and remote sensing data.This evaluation is succeeded by the strengths,weaknesses,opportunities and threats(SWOT)analysis accentuating the potential strengths,weaknesses,opportunities and threats associated with the selected four railway station districts and their prospects to become the potential Railwayscape.The results of this research show that there is no railway station district in Siliguri that can fully meet the demands of the locals and tourists,therefore,relfecting a lack of awareness of the historical values of these districts.The results also indicate that there are significant differences in the relative potentials of railway station districts to become the Railwayscape in urban environment.The outcomes of this research,therefore,are expected to encourage policy-making insitutions and practitioners to realise the‘place value’of some railway station districts and their potentials to yield better economic,social and structural virtue for a wide range of actors.

To Improve Energy Efficiency via Car Driving Deduction by Land Use Planning

Urban area consumes about main percentage of used energy. Cities need basic review in land management, structure and form to minimize the use of energy which creating environmental pollution. Urban planners and designers are looking for a solution and essential agreement in urban planning and designing principles that can decrease the pollution from rapid urbanization. Travelling is essential for daily needs of most people in urban area. Issues arise when one considers the amount of necessary fossil fuels used in the majority of daily commuting for accessibility to services. It is necessary to design a city to minimize the use of energy which creating environmental pollution. Research conducted in Subang Jaya in Malaysia in 2012 finds a variable which influences on use of car, propose of use of car and commuting distance by car. However it tried to find effect of train station and density on use of car for accessibility to this services and facilities. Findings illustrate neighbourhood distance from train station influences distance to facilities and services in neighbourhoods. However it illustrates derived distance by car was affected by residential lots distance from restaurant, work place, school, park, house area per person, and car ownership.