Carlos J L Balsas
Biographic Data
| ID | 668680 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Carlos J L Balsas |
| GIVEN NAMES | Carlos J L |
| FAMILY NAME | Balsas |
| SIGNATURE | BALSAS C J L |
| AFFILIATIONS | University at Albany, State University of New York |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-4714-9879 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 30 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 12 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 30 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2000 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 2 |
Sustainable Commercial Urbanism in Japan: Hiroshima’s Shopping Anatomy
Commercial inner‐city areas in many Japanese cities and towns have experienced urban decline due to changes in the country’s retail system and suburbanization processes. Commercial urbanism attempts at regenerating those areas have included the creation of arcades covering relatively central segments of main streets and alleyways. Various levels of government and members of the civil society in Japan have also developed urban revitalisation strat…
Regenerating Urban Areas in Japanese Cities With a Nod to Sustainability
This editorial introduces the thematic issue on Sustainable Urban Regeneration in Japan. It presents our original motivations, the gaps we attempted to fill with the call for contributions, our take on sustainable urban regeneration, and the main highlights of the published articles. Our takeaways are that there are relatively distinct dynamics in large and regional cities throughout the country, with urban regeneration initiatives encapsulating …
Many urbanisms: Divergent trajectories of global city building , by Martin J. Murray
Global (Sustainable) Commercial Urbanism and Culture
The decision makers of western cities have utilized commercial urbanism to help improve urban livability for several decades. The upgrade and redesign of shopping areas as well as the modernization of small and medium size retail establishments appear central to this goal. However, the unpredictability of technological innovations, lifestyles, consumer demand, and the uncertainty of global and regional markets contribute to the difficulty in deli…
Improving land-use-based urbanism through award-winning planning practice and scholarship: A North American case study
Metropolises in the Sunbelt region of the USA are in need of sensitive land-use-based urbanism comprised of more compact development, sustainable transportation, efficient infrastructure, low-carbon energy, and greenway and environmental planning. Sustainable urbanity can be partially accomplished via co-creative planning pedagogies, which in turn can lead to place-and evidence-based planning practice and scholarship. However, student work is oft…
Reconsidering Industrial Policy in Eastern New York, U.S.A
This article analyzes urban industrial transformations occurring in five New York communities. We question whether recent major projects on former industrial sites in Upstate New York succeeded at creating long-term, well-paying and high-skilled jobs for their host cities and towns. It is argued that although it is difficult to convert former 20th century industrial sites to 21st century advanced manufacturing requirements, state and localities s…
Qualitative planning philosophy and the governance of urban revitalization, a plea for cultural diversity
Urban revitalization is a substantive area of Urban and Regional Planning philosophy. Culture, arts and entertainment, and urban innovation have assumed a growing importance in urban revitalization. However, there is need to clarify the basis of research endeavors in this area. This paper analyses how downtown revitalization governance has evolved in recent decades. A thorough discussion on the causality of qualitative planning research to study …
The reinvention of indoor walking for sustainable non-motorized active living in winter cities
Winter cities suffer with severe inclement weather patterns. Walking outdoors during winter months is not comfortable, safe or pleasant. This condition accentuates sedentarism and car dependence, and tends to worsen health patterns. The purpose of this article was to analyze how the city of Albany, New York, enables walking conditions, with particular attention to two subterranean facilities: The underground concourse at the Empire State Plaza an…
Sustainable urbanism: Riverfront greenway planning from tradition to innovation
Humans have attempted to control nature since the dawn of time. This paper analyzes riverfront greenway planning in two continents with distinct geographic and climatic contexts: Central Arizona and Central Portugal. It is argued that both places had to innovate in urban design and nature conservancy to survive and flourish. A key finding is that traditions and innovations have unique idiosyncrasies endemic to the places where they are conceived,…
Exciting walk-only precincts in Asia, Europe and North-America
Urbanismo Sustentável: Medidas para uma ‘política de ciclismo urbano’
A Study of Porto’s Polycentric Metropolitan Development and Governance at the Turn of the Millennium
This article contributes new knowledge to the area of metropolitan planning in Portugal by shedding light on the first generation of metropolitan governance legislation and territorial dynamics in Porto. The overall premise is that the rise in polycentrism in Porto and the weakening of its city centre in the 1990s was a timely representation of the city-region development process taking place in Portugal’s second largest metropolis. Strategic inv…
Redesigning the Downtown of an Expansive Sunbelt City: The Phoenix Case
Non-motorized traffic safety is a major public health concern, especially in the sprawling sunbelt cities of the United States. Phoenix is ranked quite high on the number of pedestrian and cyclist crashes in North American cities. This article analyses non-motorist safety incidents in downtown Phoenix. Non-motorist safety concerns were addressed by examining crash types in order to suggest adequate safety treatments. We also demonstrated the use …
Tracing the history of Japanese commerce and consumption from the Genki to the Heisei era
Commerce enables the flourishing of cities. This article reviews three books on the evolution of commercial activities in Japan; including, a samurai’s account, a foreign concession’s window, and the role of shopping in Modern Japan. Lust, Commerce, and Corruption discusses how various social groups’ commercial activities influenced societal developments from the Genki (1570–1573) to the Bunka era (1804–1818). Opening a Window to the West is uniq…
Fishing, food, and harbor community development in Massachusetts
Fishing communities are highly dependent on fishing and maritime economies. Regulations and techniques attempt to control quotas, types of fish caught, and the gear utilized in the industry. Furthermore, societal preferences and markets dictate the value of the fish transacted. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship and recent changes between fishing and community development in two fishing communities in Massachusetts: Gloucest…
Blending Individual Tenacity with Government’s Responsibility in the Implementation of US Non-motorized Transportation Planning (NMT)
Human powered traveling is filled with risks. It takes individual tenacity to walk and bicycle in many US city streets. The danger of being injured or fatally killed requires responsible government action and a new repoliticization of the transportation priorities. This paper examines the risks involved in exercising the right to walk and bicycle and the authority’s responsibility to account for the health, safety and well-being of all individual…
Country Marketing and Planning Implications of the European Soccer Championship Euro 2004
Sports championships are major events capable of changing the image of cities and countries. Countries use these mega-events mostly to enhance economic development opportunities, to attract foreign investment, to generate tourism revenues, to regenerate parts of cities, and to increase the population’s self-esteem. However, the major boost seems to come from the marketing strategies. Host countries promote their images as modern, cosmopolitan, an…
Sustainable urbanism in temperate‐arid climates: Models, challenges and opportunities for the Anthropocene
Climate change requires more sustainable urbanism developments. Locales in temperate and arid climates are under added pressure to create more economical, ecological, and just neighborhoods. Do sustainable urbanism developments have advantages over traditional urbanism projects in temperate–arid climates? The main purpose of this paper is to examine four distinct neighborhoods in the southwest of the United States in order to clarify the evolutio…
When markets reset, will we regain? Planning lessons from across the Atlantic Ocean
Urbanismo comercial em Phoenix: Um estudo de quatro formatos comerciais no Arizona
A relação entre as atividades comerciais e o crescimento das cidades já vem de longa data. No decorrer dos tempos, essa relação resultou em diferentes formatos comerciais e foi mais ou menos espontânea ou planejada consoante as necessidades das pessoas, as tecnologias de produção e de distribuição, as técnicas de armazenamento e venda e a capacidade de inovação das sociedades. A área metropolitana de Phoenix, no Estado do Arizona, Estados Unidos,…
Downtown resilience: A review of recent (re)developments in Tempe, Arizona
Gaming anyone? A comparative study of recent urban development trends in Las Vegas and Macau
What about Plan Evaluation? Integrating Evaluation in Urban Planning Studio's Pedagogy
Studio courses are one of the main pillars in urban and regional planning pedagogy. However, most emphasis is given to plan making and not to plan evaluation. This article examines an instructor's initiative at leading an advanced urban planning studio on plan evaluation. The methods included extensive literature reviews, analysis of course syllabi, and an examination of teaching methods and students learning outcomes. This article presents lesso…
Evolución histórica de la planeación de ciudades en Portugal
Este escrito refiere a la evolución de la planeación de ciudades en Portugal, con un énfasis especial en la revitalización del centro de la ciudad. Se identifican cinco períodos, los cuales son: el nacimiento de la planificación de ciudades (antes de 1820), la monarquía constitucional (1820- 1910), el régimen de dictadura (1926-1974), el"tercer movimiento" (1974-1985) y la fase de unión europea (1985-2003). Se argumenta que, a pesar de no haber u…
City Centre Regeneration in the Context of the 2001 European Capital of Culture in Porto, Portugal
In 2001, the city of Porto hosted the European Capital of Culture event. ‘Porto 2001’ was a year-long programme of arts, cultural events and urban regeneration activities. The purpose of this article is to discuss the city centre regeneration operation conducted in conjunction with the European Capital of Culture initiative in Porto. My objective is to extract a set of lessons learned that can be useful to other cities pursuing the same designati…
City center revitalization in Portugal
Gaming anyone? A comparative study of recent urban development trends in Las Vegas and Macau
Qualitative planning philosophy and the governance of urban revitalization, a plea for cultural diversity
Urban revitalization is a substantive area of Urban and Regional Planning philosophy. Culture, arts and entertainment, and urban innovation have assumed a growing importance in urban revitalization. However, there is need to clarify the basis of research endeavors in this area. This paper analyses how downtown revitalization governance has evolved in recent decades. A thorough discussion on the causality of qualitative planning research to study …
Exciting walk-only precincts in Asia, Europe and North-America
Fishing, food, and harbor community development in Massachusetts
Fishing communities are highly dependent on fishing and maritime economies. Regulations and techniques attempt to control quotas, types of fish caught, and the gear utilized in the industry. Furthermore, societal preferences and markets dictate the value of the fish transacted. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship and recent changes between fishing and community development in two fishing communities in Massachusetts: Gloucest…
Cities, Automobiles, and Sustainability
City center revitalization in Portugal
Cities, Automobiles, and Sustainability
New Directions for Bicycle and Pedestrian Planning Education in the US
Espaço terciário - o lugar. A arquitetura e a imagem do comércio
City Centre Regeneration in the Context of the 2001 European Capital of Culture in Porto, Portugal
In 2001, the city of Porto hosted the European Capital of Culture event. ‘Porto 2001’ was a year-long programme of arts, cultural events and urban regeneration activities. The purpose of this article is to discuss the city centre regeneration operation conducted in conjunction with the European Capital of Culture initiative in Porto. My objective is to extract a set of lessons learned that can be useful to other cities pursuing the same designati…
Measuring the livability of an urban centre: An exploratory study of key performance indicators
Additional informationNotes on contributorsCarlos J.L. Balsas Carlos J. L. Balsas, School of Planning and Landscape Architecture, Arizona State University‐Main Campus, PO Box 872005, Tempe, AZ 85287‐2005, USA. Email: [email protected] Carlos J. L. Balsas, School of Planning and Landscape Architecture, Arizona State University‐Main Campus, PO Box 872005, Tempe, AZ 85287‐2005, USA. Email: [email protected]
Evolución histórica de la planeación de ciudades en Portugal
Este escrito refiere a la evolución de la planeación de ciudades en Portugal, con un énfasis especial en la revitalización del centro de la ciudad. Se identifican cinco períodos, los cuales son: el nacimiento de la planificación de ciudades (antes de 1820), la monarquía constitucional (1820- 1910), el régimen de dictadura (1926-1974), el"tercer movimiento" (1974-1985) y la fase de unión europea (1985-2003). Se argumenta que, a pesar de no haber u…
What about Plan Evaluation? Integrating Evaluation in Urban Planning Studio's Pedagogy
Studio courses are one of the main pillars in urban and regional planning pedagogy. However, most emphasis is given to plan making and not to plan evaluation. This article examines an instructor's initiative at leading an advanced urban planning studio on plan evaluation. The methods included extensive literature reviews, analysis of course syllabi, and an examination of teaching methods and students learning outcomes. This article presents lesso…
Gaming anyone? A comparative study of recent urban development trends in Las Vegas and Macau
Downtown resilience: A review of recent (re)developments in Tempe, Arizona
Urbanismo comercial em Phoenix: Um estudo de quatro formatos comerciais no Arizona
A relação entre as atividades comerciais e o crescimento das cidades já vem de longa data. No decorrer dos tempos, essa relação resultou em diferentes formatos comerciais e foi mais ou menos espontânea ou planejada consoante as necessidades das pessoas, as tecnologias de produção e de distribuição, as técnicas de armazenamento e venda e a capacidade de inovação das sociedades. A área metropolitana de Phoenix, no Estado do Arizona, Estados Unidos,…
Blending Individual Tenacity with Government’s Responsibility in the Implementation of US Non-motorized Transportation Planning (NMT)
Human powered traveling is filled with risks. It takes individual tenacity to walk and bicycle in many US city streets. The danger of being injured or fatally killed requires responsible government action and a new repoliticization of the transportation priorities. This paper examines the risks involved in exercising the right to walk and bicycle and the authority’s responsibility to account for the health, safety and well-being of all individual…
Country Marketing and Planning Implications of the European Soccer Championship Euro 2004
Sports championships are major events capable of changing the image of cities and countries. Countries use these mega-events mostly to enhance economic development opportunities, to attract foreign investment, to generate tourism revenues, to regenerate parts of cities, and to increase the population’s self-esteem. However, the major boost seems to come from the marketing strategies. Host countries promote their images as modern, cosmopolitan, an…
Sustainable urbanism in temperate‐arid climates: Models, challenges and opportunities for the Anthropocene
Climate change requires more sustainable urbanism developments. Locales in temperate and arid climates are under added pressure to create more economical, ecological, and just neighborhoods. Do sustainable urbanism developments have advantages over traditional urbanism projects in temperate–arid climates? The main purpose of this paper is to examine four distinct neighborhoods in the southwest of the United States in order to clarify the evolutio…
When markets reset, will we regain? Planning lessons from across the Atlantic Ocean
Fishing, food, and harbor community development in Massachusetts
Fishing communities are highly dependent on fishing and maritime economies. Regulations and techniques attempt to control quotas, types of fish caught, and the gear utilized in the industry. Furthermore, societal preferences and markets dictate the value of the fish transacted. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the relationship and recent changes between fishing and community development in two fishing communities in Massachusetts: Gloucest…
Tracing the history of Japanese commerce and consumption from the Genki to the Heisei era
Commerce enables the flourishing of cities. This article reviews three books on the evolution of commercial activities in Japan; including, a samurai’s account, a foreign concession’s window, and the role of shopping in Modern Japan. Lust, Commerce, and Corruption discusses how various social groups’ commercial activities influenced societal developments from the Genki (1570–1573) to the Bunka era (1804–1818). Opening a Window to the West is uniq…
Urbanismo Sustentável: Medidas para uma ‘política de ciclismo urbano’
A Study of Porto’s Polycentric Metropolitan Development and Governance at the Turn of the Millennium
This article contributes new knowledge to the area of metropolitan planning in Portugal by shedding light on the first generation of metropolitan governance legislation and territorial dynamics in Porto. The overall premise is that the rise in polycentrism in Porto and the weakening of its city centre in the 1990s was a timely representation of the city-region development process taking place in Portugal’s second largest metropolis. Strategic inv…
Redesigning the Downtown of an Expansive Sunbelt City: The Phoenix Case
Non-motorized traffic safety is a major public health concern, especially in the sprawling sunbelt cities of the United States. Phoenix is ranked quite high on the number of pedestrian and cyclist crashes in North American cities. This article analyses non-motorist safety incidents in downtown Phoenix. Non-motorist safety concerns were addressed by examining crash types in order to suggest adequate safety treatments. We also demonstrated the use …
The reinvention of indoor walking for sustainable non-motorized active living in winter cities
Winter cities suffer with severe inclement weather patterns. Walking outdoors during winter months is not comfortable, safe or pleasant. This condition accentuates sedentarism and car dependence, and tends to worsen health patterns. The purpose of this article was to analyze how the city of Albany, New York, enables walking conditions, with particular attention to two subterranean facilities: The underground concourse at the Empire State Plaza an…
Sustainable urbanism: Riverfront greenway planning from tradition to innovation
Humans have attempted to control nature since the dawn of time. This paper analyzes riverfront greenway planning in two continents with distinct geographic and climatic contexts: Central Arizona and Central Portugal. It is argued that both places had to innovate in urban design and nature conservancy to survive and flourish. A key finding is that traditions and innovations have unique idiosyncrasies endemic to the places where they are conceived,…
Exciting walk-only precincts in Asia, Europe and North-America
Reconsidering Industrial Policy in Eastern New York, U.S.A
This article analyzes urban industrial transformations occurring in five New York communities. We question whether recent major projects on former industrial sites in Upstate New York succeeded at creating long-term, well-paying and high-skilled jobs for their host cities and towns. It is argued that although it is difficult to convert former 20th century industrial sites to 21st century advanced manufacturing requirements, state and localities s…
Qualitative planning philosophy and the governance of urban revitalization, a plea for cultural diversity
Urban revitalization is a substantive area of Urban and Regional Planning philosophy. Culture, arts and entertainment, and urban innovation have assumed a growing importance in urban revitalization. However, there is need to clarify the basis of research endeavors in this area. This paper analyses how downtown revitalization governance has evolved in recent decades. A thorough discussion on the causality of qualitative planning research to study …
Geography (22 works) · Business (16 works) · Political science (16 works) · Engineering (15 works) · Urban planning (12 works) · Sociology (11 works) · Economics (10 works) · Environmental planning (10 works) · Civil engineering (9 works) · Archaeology (7 works)