IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/envirb/v51y2024i4p987-1002.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Relative spatial variability in building heights and its spatial association: Application for the spatial clustering of harmonious and inharmonious building heights in Tokyo

Author

Listed:
  • Hiroyuki Usui

Abstract

Whether or not a streetscape skeleton – the 3D spaces of streets defined by the arrangement of surrounding buildings – is vertically harmonious depends to a large extent on the degree of difference between the heights of buildings adjacent to one another, known as the relative spatial variability in building heights . Surprisingly, this subject has been overlooked in previous studies examining the harmony of streetscapes. Data on precise building heights are indispensable for evaluating the relative spatial variability in building heights and its spatial association. The recent relaxation of data limitations on precise building heights in Tokyo enabled us to identify the relative spatial variability in building heights and quantify its spatial association. Therefore, in this paper we aim to answer the following question: where are harmonious or inharmonious building heights locally clustered? To this end, we computed the spatial association of the relative spatial variability in building heights as a set of edges whose indices enabled us to evaluate the local indicator of spatial association (LISA). Subsequently, we statistically demarcated locally harmonious and inharmonious building heights without having to set predetermined basic spatial units. In this respect, our methods and findings are novel and can contribute to establishing a new method for measuring the variability in vertical streetscape skeletons, which is important for developing urban design policies.

Suggested Citation

  • Hiroyuki Usui, 2024. "Relative spatial variability in building heights and its spatial association: Application for the spatial clustering of harmonious and inharmonious building heights in Tokyo," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 51(4), pages 987-1002, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envirb:v:51:y:2024:i:4:p:987-1002
    DOI: 10.1177/23998083231204691
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/23998083231204691
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/23998083231204691?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Hiroyuki Usui, 2018. "Statistical distribution of building lot frontage: application for Tokyo downtown districts," Journal of Geographical Systems, Springer, vol. 20(3), pages 295-316, July.
    2. Boeing, Geoff, 2018. "Measuring the Complexity of Urban Form and Design," SocArXiv bxhrz, Center for Open Science.
    3. Bertaud, Alain & Brueckner, Jan K., 2005. "Analyzing building-height restrictions: predicted impacts and welfare costs," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 35(2), pages 109-125, March.
    4. Martino Pesaresi & Christina Corbane & Chao Ren & Ng Edward, 2021. "Generalized Vertical Components of built-up areas from global Digital Elevation Models by multi-scale linear regression modelling," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(2), pages 1-33, February.
    5. Gaëtan Montero & Geoffrey Caruso & Mohamed Hilal & Isabelle Thomas, 2023. "A partition-free spatial clustering that preserves topology: application to built-up density," Journal of Geographical Systems, Springer, vol. 25(1), pages 5-35, January.
    6. Jedwab, Remi & Barr, Jason & Brueckner, Jan K., 2022. "Cities Without Skylines: Worldwide Building-Height Gaps and their Possible Determinants and Implications," Journal of Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).
    7. Hiroyuki Usui & Yasushi Asami, 2020. "Size Distribution of Building Lots and Density of Buildings and Road Networks: Theoretical Derivation Based on Gibrat’s Law and Empirical Study of Downtown Districts in Tokyo," International Regional Science Review, , vol. 43(3), pages 229-253, May.
    8. M. Batty & R. Carvalho & A. Hudson-Smith & R. Milton & D. Smith & P. Steadman, 2008. "Scaling and allometry in the building geometries of Greater London," The European Physical Journal B: Condensed Matter and Complex Systems, Springer;EDP Sciences, vol. 63(3), pages 303-314, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Hiroyuki Usui, 2021. "Optimisation of building and road network densities in terms of variation in plot sizes and shapes," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 48(5), pages 1263-1278, June.
    2. Hiroyuki Usui, 2019. "Statistical distribution of building lot depth: Theoretical and empirical investigation of downtown districts in Tokyo," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 46(8), pages 1499-1516, October.
    3. Fatemeh Jahanmiri & Dawn Cassandra Parker, 2022. "An Overview of Fractal Geometry Applied to Urban Planning," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(4), pages 1-23, March.
    4. Chen, Yanguang, 2014. "An allometric scaling relation based on logistic growth of cities," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 65-77.
    5. Li, Jiewei & Lu, Ming & Lu, Tianyi, 2022. "Constructing compact cities: How urban regeneration can enhance growth and relieve congestion," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 113(C).
    6. Thill, Jean-Claude & Dao, Thi Hong Diep & Zhou, Yuhong, 2011. "Traveling in the three-dimensional city: applications in route planning, accessibility assessment, location analysis and beyond," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 19(3), pages 405-421.
    7. Jason Barr, 2013. "Skyscrapers And Skylines: New York And Chicago, 1885–2007," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 53(3), pages 369-391, August.
    8. Christian A. L. Hilber, 2017. "The Economic Implications of House Price Capitalization: A Synthesis," Real Estate Economics, American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, vol. 45(2), pages 301-339, April.
    9. Dascher, Kristof, 2019. "Function Follows Form," Journal of Housing Economics, Elsevier, vol. 44(C), pages 131-140.
    10. Paul C. Cheshire & Christian A. L. Hilber, 2008. "Office Space Supply Restrictions in Britain: The Political Economy of Market Revenge," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 118(529), pages 185-221, June.
    11. Lehe, Lewis, 2014. "Inclusionary Zoning in a Monocentric City," Institute of Transportation Studies, Research Reports, Working Papers, Proceedings qt6qp1j5bj, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Berkeley.
    12. Marz, Waldemar & Şen, Suphi, 2022. "Does telecommuting reduce commuting emissions?," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).
    13. Nicholas Chiumenti & Amrita Kulka & Aradhya Sood, 2022. "How to Increase Housing Affordability: Understanding Local Deterrents to Building Multifamily Housing," Working Papers 22-10, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.
    14. Tikoudis, Ioannis, 2023. "Revisiting the Pigouvian tax in urban roads: Housing supply restrictions, leaking profits and spatial inequality," Economics of Transportation, Elsevier, vol. 35(C).
    15. Denant-Boemont, Laurent & Gaigné, Carl & Gaté, Romain, 2018. "Urban spatial structure, transport-related emissions and welfare," Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Elsevier, vol. 89(C), pages 29-45.
    16. Joshi, Kirti Kusum & Kono, Tatsuhito, 2009. "Optimization of floor area ratio regulation in a growing city," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 39(4), pages 502-511, July.
    17. Rana Hasan & Yi Jiang & Radine Michelle Rafols, 2017. "Urban Agglomeration Effects in India: Evidence from Town-Level Data," Asian Development Review, MIT Press, vol. 34(2), pages 201-228, September.
    18. Brueckner, Jan K. & Lall, Somik V., 2015. "Cities in Developing Countries," Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, in: Gilles Duranton & J. V. Henderson & William C. Strange (ed.), Handbook of Regional and Urban Economics, edition 1, volume 5, chapter 0, pages 1399-1455, Elsevier.
    19. Qing Lu & Jing Ning & Hong You & Liyan Xu, 2023. "Urban Intensity in Theory and Practice: Empirical Determining Mechanism of Floor Area Ratio and Its Deviation from the Classic Location Theories in Beijing," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(2), pages 1-16, February.
    20. Larson, William & Yezer, Anthony & Zhao, Weihua, 2022. "Urban planning policies and the cost of living in large cities," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 96(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:envirb:v:51:y:2024:i:4:p:987-1002. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.