U

Uncertainties

There are three categories of uncertainties in spatial planning: uncertainties about facts (regarding knowledge about present and future environments); uncertainties about values; and uncertainties about related-decision making areas (Friend and Jessop, 1969).

‘Situation where the current state of knowledge is such that

the order or nature of things is unknown,
the consequences, extent, or magnitude of circumstances, conditions, or events is unpredictable, and
credible probabilities to possible outcomes cannot be assigned’ (Business Dictionary, n.d.).

U

Universal design

‘“Universal design is an approach to design that incorporates products as well as building features which, to the greatest extent possible, can be used by everyone.” Another definition is: “Universal design may be defined as the best approximation of an environmental facet to the needs of the maximum possible number of users”’ (Lawton, 2001, as cited in Iwarsson & Ståhl, 2003, p.61).

U

Universal design

U

Unplugged design

‘The term unplugged office (Design of an architecture) means that the renovation of this building will maximize the use of solar day lighting, wind power, natural ventilation, and water source heat pumps with the goal of unplugging it from the utility grid’ (Stewart & Radspinner, n.d.).

U

Urban

In medieval Europe, for example, there was a clear-cut boundary between urban and rural, usually in the form of a wall. Subsequently, towns have progressively overflowed their municipal boundaries (Mayhew, 2015b). ‘An urban area can be defined by one or more of the following: administrative criteria or political boundaries (e.g., area within the jurisdiction of a municipality or town committee), a threshold population size (where the minimum for an urban settlement is typically in the region of 2,000 people, although this varies globally between 200 and 50,000), population density, economic function (e.g., where a significant majority of the population is not primarily engaged in agriculture, or where there is surplus employment) or the presence of urban characteristics (e.g., paved streets, electric lighting, sewerage)’ (UNESCO, 2018, p.5).

U

Urban design

‘Encompassing the practices of architecture and planning, urban design is primarily concerned with place-making which has captured geographical imaginations’ (Street, 2009, p.32). Urban design is not a technical or value neutral process, but ‘is infused by ethical and moral standpoints about what the “good city” is or ought to be. The aesthetics of a place reveal much about social and political structure and process and, in turn, social and political structure and process are revealed, in part, through the form and texture of the built environment’ (Street, 2009, p.39).

U

Urban development

‘The social, cultural, economic and physical development of cities, as well as the underlying causes of these processes’ (Department of Sociology and Human Geography, University of Oslo, 2011, as cited in Baldwin & King, 2018).

U

Urban ecology

‘According to Sukopp & Wittig (1998), the term ‘Urban Ecology’ (in German Stadtökologie) can be defined in two ways. Within the natural sciences, urban ecology addresses biological patterns and associated environmental processes in urban areas, as a subdiscipline of biology and ecology. In this sense, urban ecology endeavours to analyse the relationships between plant and animal populations and their communities as well as their relationships to environmental factors including human influences. From this perspective, the research is unconstrained by anthropocentric evaluations. However the second, complementary, definition implies the anthropocentric perspective. Here, urban ecology is understood as a multidisciplinary approach to improving living conditions for the human population in cities, referring to the ecological functions of urban habitats or ecosystems for people – and thus including aspects of social, especially planning, sciences’ (Endlicher et al., 2007, pp.1-2).

U

Urban evolution

‘The concept of urban evolution was defined to facilitate an understanding of how urban ecosystems change over time and to enable systematic cross-site comparisons across local, regional, and global scales’ (Kaushal, McDowell & Wollheim, 2014, as cited in Kaushal al et., 2015, pp.40,68).

U

Urban evolution

U

Urban evolution

U

Urban forms

‘The physical patterns, layouts, and structures that make up an urban center are collectively called the urban form’ (Study.com, 2019).

U

Urban growth boundary

An urban growth boundary (UGB) separates urban areas from the surrounding natural and agricultural lands, or greenbelts. It puts a limit on how far out the city can expand. (Tang, 2016)

U

Urban hydrology

Urban hydrology is ‘a science, part of land surface hydrology investigating the hydrological cycle, water regime and quality in urbanized territory’. It focuses on urban groundwater processes and groundwater exchange with other parts of the hydrological cycle (Kupriyanov, 2009).Urban

U

Urban metabolism

‘Urban Metabolism is a multi-disciplinary and integrated platform that examines material and energy flows in cities as complex systems as various social, economic and environmental forces shape them. Even though the concept of urban metabolism is nothing new in the academic world, its implementation and its conversion in practical strategies and techniques are still quite front running’ (Urban Waste, n.d.).

U

Urban planning

‘State-related policies and programs for neighborhood, local and metropolitan areas, aiming to: effect broad-scale allocation of land uses to areas; order boundaries between them; manage ongoing uses of land, the spatial aspects of economic and social activities and connections between them; and ensure the optimal functioning of urban economic processes and social interactions’ (Huxley, 2009, p.193).

U

Urban realm

‘“Urban realm” refers to the publicly accessible spaces between buildings in an urban environment. The urban realm encompasses: streets; squares; station entrances; laneways; and potentially other types of public space’ (PJA, 2018, p.1).

U

Urban regeneration

‘Comprehensive and integrated vision and action which seeks to resolve urban problems and bring about a lasting improvement in the economic, physical, social and environment condition of an area that been subject to change or offers opportunities for improvement’ (Roberts, 2017, p.18).

U

Urban Renewal Authority

‘The URA was established in May 2001 under the Urban Renewal Authority Ordinance as the statutory body to undertake, encourage, promote and facilitate urban renewal of Hong Kong, with a view to addressing the problem of urban decay and improving the living conditions of residents in old districts. The URA follows the guidelines set out in the Government's Urban Renewal Strategy in the implementation of its urban renewal initiatives under a "people first, district-based, public participatory" approach. The URA adopts a comprehensive and holistic approach by ways of its two core businesses i.e. redevelopment and rehabilitation, as well as heritage preservation and revitalisation, for creating a sustainable and quality living for the people of Hong Kong’ (URA, 2017).

U

Urban Renewal Authority Ordinance

‘An Ordinance to establish the Urban Renewal Authority for the purpose of carrying out urban renewal and for connected purposes’ (Department of Justice, 2007).

U

Urban Renewal Fund (URF)

An independent organization in Hong Kong that was ‘incorporated on August 15, 2011 to act as the trustee and settlor of the Trust Fund. From November 10, 2011, the Trust Fund is also entitled to exemption under Section 88 of the Inland Revenue Ordinance (Cap. 112) and is, therefore, exempt from all taxes payable under the Ordinance’ (Urban Renewal Fund, n.d.).

U

Urban resilience

‘The capacity of individuals, communities, institutions, businesses, and systems within a city to survive, adapt, and grow no matter what kinds of chronic stresses and acute shocks they experience’ (100 Resilient Cities, n.d.).

U

Urban revolutions

‘The processes by which agricultural village societies developed into socially, economically, and politically complex urban societies. The term urban revolution was introduced by the archaeologist V. Gordon Childe’ (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2020). This is considered the First Urban Revolution. The second Urban Revolution had much to do with the Industrial Revolution in England towards the end of the 18^th century, made possible by agricultural advances, institutional changes, surplus capital from mercantilism and colonialism as well as the use of coal mines to power machine-based production.

U

Urban sprawl

‘The spread or increase of low-density, automobile-dependent built environment around existing urban areas, generally with the implication that this process is unplanned or uncontrolled.’ (Rogers, Castree & Kitchin, 2013, p.100)

U

Urban stormwater runoff

‘When it rains or snows water flows over the land surface, heading downhill to the nearest stream or ditch, this is called stormwater runoff. In urban settings, water cannot soak through pavement and rooftops like it can into the soil. As a result, cities have larger amounts of stormwater runoff than forests and fields do.’ Thus, urban stormwater runoff is the water flowing over the land surface in the urban realm’ (Utah State University Extension, 2017).

U

Urban worlding

Urban Worlding practice refers ‘projects (or practices) that attempt to establish or break established horizons of urban standards in and beyond a particular city.” They “instantiate some vision of the world in formation’ (Ong, 2011, pp. 4,11).

U

Urbanization economies

‘Agglomeration economies that cross industry boundaries - firms of different industries to locate close to one another.’ (O’Sullivan, 2012, p.60)

U

Use value

‘Individuals or groups seeking use value, the same real estate might form the basis for everyday social life’ (Rodgers, 2009, p.41).

U

Utopia

‘Originally conceived by More, is both a good, happy, or fortunate place (eutopia); and ‘no place’ (outopia). This dual meaning is suggestive of utopia as somewhere that is perfect, and also a place that does not exist and perhaps never can exist’ (Brown, 2009, p.125).

Reference List

100 Resilient Cities. (n.d.). What is Urban Resilience? Retrieved from http://www.100resilientcities.org/resources/

Baldwin, C., & King, R. (2018). Social sustainability, climate resilience and community-based urban development: What about the people? New York: Routledge

Brown, G. (2009). Utopian Cities. International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, pp.125-130.

Business Dictionary (n.d). Uncertainty. Retrieved from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/uncertainty.html.

Friend, J.K. & Jessop, N. (1969). Local Government and Strategic Choice. Pergamon: Oxford.

Department of Justice (2007). Cap.563 Urban Renewal Authority Ordinance. Retrieved from https://www.elegislation.gov.hk/hk/cap563!en?INDEX_CS=N

Endlicher, W., Langner, M., Hesse, M., Mieg, H.A., Kowarik, I., Hostert, P., Kulke, E., Nutzmann, G., Schulz, M., Meer, E., Wessolek, G. & Wiegand, C. (2007). Urban Ecology – Definitions and Concepts. Shrinking Cities: Effects on Urban Ecology and Challenges for Urban Development.

Huxley, M. (2009). Planning, Urban. In International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, p.193-198.

Iwarsson, S., & Ståhl, A. (2009). Accessibility, usability and universal design—positioning and definition of concepts describing person-environment relationships. Disability and Rehabilitation, 25(2), pp.57-66. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1080/dre.25.2.57.66.

Kaushal, S., Mcdowell, W., Wollheim, W., Newcomer Johnson, T., Mayer, P., Belt, K., & Pennino, M. (2015). Urban Evolution: The Role of Water. Water, 7(8), pp.4063-4087. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.3390/w7084063.

Kupriyanov, V.V. 2009. Urban hydrology. In: The Hydrological Cycle, Volume III, The Encyclopedia of Life
Support Systems, I.A. Shiklomanov (Ed.). pp. 141-160.

Lawton, M. P. (2001). Designing by Degree: Assessing and Incorporating Individual Accessibility Needs. In Universal Design Handbook. McGraw-Hill: New York. As cited in Iwarsson, S. & Ståhl, A. (2003). Accessibility, Usability and Universal Design—Positioning and Definition of Concepts Describing Person-Environment Relationships. Disability and Rehabilitation, 25(2), pp.57-66.

Mayhew, S. (2015b). urban. In A Dictionary of Geography: Oxford University Press,. Retrieved 8 Jul. 2019, from https://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199680856.001.0001/acref-9780199680856-e-3213.

O’Sullivan, A. (2012). Urban economics (8th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill/Irwin.

PJA (2018). Urban realm valuation in the UK. Cycling and Walking Innovations Conference December 2018. Retrieved from: https://pja.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/here.pdf.

Roberts, P. (2017). The Evolution, Definition and Purpose of Urban Regeneration. In Urban Regeneration, SAGE: Los Angeles and Melbourne, pp.9-36.

Rodgers, S. (2009). Urban Growth Machine. International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, p.40-45.

Rogers, Castree & Kitchin. (2013). Urban Sprawl. A Dictionary of Human Geography.

Roy, Ong, Roy, Ananya, Ong, Aihwa, Wiley InterScience, & Synergy. (2011). Introduction: Worlding Cities or the Art of Being Global. In Worlding cities: Asian experiments and the art of being global (Studies in urban and social change). Chichester, West Sussex; Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell. 1-26. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary-wiley-com.easyaccess1.lib.cuhk.edu.hk/doi/pdf/10.1002/9781444346800.ch

Stewart, Alicia & Radspinner, Krista. (n.d.). The Unplugged Office Space and the Role of Sustainable Design in Higher Education. Retrieved from https://uncw.edu/csurf/documents/stewartradspinner_000.pdf

Street, E. (2009). Urban Design. In International Encyclopedia of Human Geography, Elsevier: Tokyo and Amsterdam, pp.32-39.

Study.com. (2019). What is Urban Form? – Definition & History. Retrieved from https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-urban-form-definition-history.html

Tang, K. A. (2016). “What Are Urban Growth Boundaries and Why Do We Need Them?”. Greenbelt alliance. Retrieved from https://www.greenbelt.org/blog/urban-growth-boundaries-need/

UNESCO (2018). Glossary. Retrieved from: http://www.iiep.unesco.org/sites/default/files/glossary_demographic_terms.pdf.

Urban Renewal Authority (URA) (2017). About URA. Retrieved from https://www.ura.org.hk/en/about-ura

Urban Renewal Fund. (n.d.). About Urban Renewal Fund. Retrieved from http://www.urfund.org.hk/en_about.html

Urban Waste. (n.d.). Urban Metabolism. Retrieved from http://www.urban-waste.eu/urban-metabolism/

Utah State University Extension. (2017). Urban Stormwater. Retrieved from http://extension.usu.edu/waterquality/urbanstormwater/