Amin Khiali Miab


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Khiali Miab

First Name

Amin

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0000-0003-3809-4666

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2017 - 201962020 - 20245
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Publications 1 - 10 of 11
  • Combining urban scaling and polycentricity to explain socio-economic status of urban regions
    Item type: Journal Article
    Khiali Miab, Amin; van Strien, Maarten J.; Axhausen, Kay W.; et al. (2019)
    PLoS ONE
    The fast pace of urbanisation may benefit or be detrimental to the socio-economic status of urban areas. Understanding how the configuration of urban areas influences the socio-economic status of their inhabitants is of crucial importance for urban planning. In theory, urban scaling laws and polycentric development are two well-known concepts developed to increase our understanding of urbanisation and its socio-economic effects. In practice, however, they fall short to explain the socio-economic status of urban regions. The urban scaling concept is constructed from a theoretical perspective, but functional relationships between urban centres are not taken into account in scaling models. In contrast, the concept of polycentricity is developed from a practical perspective and incorporates the socio-economic effect of relationships between urban centres in the process of urban development. However, polycentricity lacks a theoretical foundation, which would explain the socio-economic status of urban regions. In this study, we assess whether combining both concepts improves the ability to explain personal incomes in metropolitan areas in Switzerland. We first delineated metropolitan areas by implementing a modularity maximisation algorithm on the settlement network. Nodes in this network are Swiss municipalities and links are inter-municipal commuter flows. We found a strong relationship between the hierarchical organisation of functional connections within metropolitan areas and the socio-economic status of these areas. Both concepts were complementary and combining them proved to enhance the ability to explain socio-economic status. The combined model is a theoretical progress, which complements the traditional approaches and increases our understanding of cities and urbanisation processes.
  • Well-connected living spaces for both animals and humans: unravelling complex interactions in coupled habitat and settlement networks
    Item type: Other Conference Item
    van Strien, Maarten J.; Khiali Miab, Amin; Ortiz Rodríguez, Damian O.; et al. (2017)
  • Optimising settlement network topology to maximise socio-economic and biodiversity indicators
    Item type: Other Conference Item
    Khiali Miab, Amin; van Strien, Maarten J.; Axhausen, Kay W.; et al. (2019)
    The continuous expansion of settlement areas and the growth of per capita utilization of environmental resources not only increases the pressure on natural habitats and their connectivity, but also affects the human-well-being. Analogous to habitat networks, settlements connected by roads and traffic form complex spatial networks. Polycentricity, which refers to the existence of multiple centres in the structure of a settlement network, is a normative planning goal suggested by many organisations such as the United Nations (UN) and the European Spatial Planning Observation Network (ESPON) and is believed to improve the socio-economic status of a region. In a previous study, we propose that a polycentric settlement networks have a relatively low hierarchy and found that hierarchy indeed was negatively correlated to median personal incomes. Yet it is unclear whether polycentricity also benefits the survival of animal species in habitat networks. The purpose of this study is to use a multi-objective metaheuristic algorithm to find optimal settlement network topologies in which both the survival and mobility of animal species as well as socio-economic indicators are maximised. Our case study area is the densely populated Swiss Plateau. A dynamic model of the settlement network was coupled to a dynamic ecological habitat network model, from which the occurrences of animal species could be predicted. We study the commonalities between the settlement network patterns on the Pareto front and determine whether such optimal settlement network structures can be reached within the framework of polycentric development. We conclude our research with some policy-related suggestions for steering the settlement development process in a direction that satisfies both socio-economic and ecological goals.
  • Combining polycentricity and urban scaling to explain socio-economic variables
    Item type: Other Conference Item
    Khiali Miab, Amin; van Strien, Maarten J.; Axhausen, Kay W.; et al. (2018)
    Recent studies predict that 75 percent of people will be living in cities by 2030 (Triantakonstantis and Mountrakis 2012). This fast urbanization process and an increasing per capita utilization of resources, raises serious concerns about the resilience and future performance of socioeconomic systems. In order to ensure sustainable growth of settlements, requires a good understanding of the way in which settlement patterns affect socio-economic processes. This knowledge will allow us to predict the future performance of settlement areas (Czamanski 2008, Ernstson, van der Leeuw et al. 2010, Grêt-Regamey, Celio et al. 2013). Meijers (2006) and Bertaud and Malpezzi (2003) show how studying the spatial structure of settlement networks can reveal the economic performance and transitions of these networks. In general, it is believed that settlement networks are formed by the combination of two processes. The first process is the bottom-up self-organisation of settlement systems which results in the universal scaling-law in settlement systems. The second process is the topdown regulations which are set by regulations, policies or environmental conditions of a region (Strano and Sood 2016). A large amount of research has been done to understand bottom-up self-organisation
  • Explaining the socio-economic output of urban regions with a model combining urban scaling and polycentricity
    Item type: Book Chapter
    Khiali Miab, Amin; Grêt-Regamey, Adrienne; Axhausen, Kay W.; et al. (2024)
    Urban Scaling: Allometry in Urban Studies and Spatial Science
    Urban scaling theory and polycentric urban development are two well-known concepts that draw parallels between configurations and socio-economic conditions of urban regions. Both concepts, however, have some drawbacks, which could potentially be alleviated by combining them in a new model. In this study, income in urban regions in Switzerland is explained by combining the hierarchy of a region’s commuter network (i.e. indicator for polycentricity) with a region’s population size. Both variables were significant explanatory variables of income and had no significant collinearity between them. In conclusion, urban scaling and polycentricity are complementary concepts and combining them sheds further light on the functioning of urban regions.
  • Models of coupled settlement and habitat networks for biodiversity conservation
    Item type: Journal Article
    van Strien, Maarten J.; Axhausen, Kay W.; Dubernet, Ilka; et al. (2018)
    Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution
  • Empowering a sustainable urban future: The key role of coordinated settlement development for optimising energy efficiency and socio-economic welfare
    Item type: Journal Article
    Khiali Miab, Amin; Patt, Anthony; Krütli, Pius (2024)
    Sustainable Cities and Society
    The nexus between urbanisation and energy transition represents a critical juncture in the pursuit of sustainable development. As cities continue to grow and expand, their energy needs rise, driving consumption and emissions. Simultaneously, efforts to transition towards renewable energy sources and improve energy efficiency are underway to mitigate climate change and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. However, urbanisation poses a challenge to these efforts, as sprawling cities require more energy for transport, infrastructure and buildings. Reconciling the need for urban development with sustainable energy practices requires integrated spatial planning approaches that consider the spatial layout of residential areas, land use patterns and transport systems. To address this nexus, our study explores the complex interplay between energy efficiency and urban development, alongside communities’ quality of life, which is crucial for urban sustainability. We have developed a settlement network model that integrates socio-economic factors and the spatial distribution of energy consumption. Using a U-NSGA 3 algorithm, we have attempted to optimise future settlement network to simultaneously improve the two goals of energy efficiency and socio-economic factors. By optimising settlement networks, we shed light on the relationship between energy efficiency and communities’ quality of life arising from different urban development patterns, offering insights for strategic spatial planning and technological advances. Using insights from a Swiss case study, we delineate modified strategies encompassing coordinated development, densification and the use of electric vehicles and building insulation. The results offer practical solutions for policymakers and spatial planners dedicated to fostering sustainable urban development. The overall conclusion underscores the critical significance of a coordinated approach to urban development in attaining overarching sustainability objectives.
  • Combining urban scaling and polycentricity to explain socio-economic status of urban regions
    Item type: Working Paper
    Khiali Miab, Amin; van Strien, Maarten J.; Axhausen, Kay W.; et al. (2018)
    Arbeitsberichte Verkehrs- und Raumplanung
    The fast pace of urbanisation may benefit or be detrimental to the socio-economic status of urban areas. Understanding how the configuration of urban areas influences the socio-economic status of their inhabitants is of crucial importance for urban planning. In theory, urban scaling laws and polycentric development are two well-known concepts developed to increase our understanding of urbanisation and its socio-economic effects. In practice, however, they fall short to explain the socio-economic status of urban regions. The urban scaling concept is constructed from a theoretical perspective, but the prediction power of the scaling model fluctuates by altering the definition of urban boundaries. Furthermore, functional relationships between urban centres are not taken into account in scaling models. In contrast, the concept of polycentricity is developed from a practical perspective and incorporates the socio-economic effect of relationships between urban centres in the process of urban development. However, polycentricity lacks a theoretical foundation, which would explain the socio-economic status of urban regions. In this study, we assess whether combining both concepts improves the ability to explain personal incomes in metropolitan areas in Switzerland. We first delineated metropolitan areas by implementing a modularity maximization algorithm on the settlement network. Nodes in this network are Swiss municipalities and links are inter-municipal commuter flows. We found a strong relationship between the hierarchical organization of functional connections within metropolitan areas and the socio-economic status of these areas. Both concepts were complementary and combining them proved to enhance the ability to explain socio-economic status. The combined model is a theoretical progress which complements the traditional approaches to understanding cities and urbanisation processes.
  • A network optimisation approach to identify trade-offs between socio-economic and ecological objectives for regional integrated planning
    Item type: Journal Article
    Khiali Miab, Amin; Grêt-Regamey, Adrienne; Axhausen, Kay W.; et al. (2022)
    City and Environment Interactions
    Integrated regional planning aims to achieve sustainable development by considering multiple socio-economic, environmental, and ecological goals. However, determining the synergies and trade-offs between sustainability goals is a challenging task that requires an in depth analysis of the system-level effects of the implementation of planning policies. For example, polycentricity (i.e. multiple urban centres) is a common regional urban planning goal, which has shown to be beneficial for a region’s socio-economic conditions, but may also change the configuration of the settlement network (i.e. settlements connected by roads and traffic). Given the dependency of animal species on well-connected habitat networks, another possible planning goal is to maximise habitat availability (i.e. the total amount of habitat that is accessible for an individual animal). However, changes to a region’s settlement network can have a variety of impacts on the region’s habitat networks. Due to these interactions, it is unclear whether maximising polycentricity and habitat availability are compatible planning goals. To address this question, we developed a mathematical model of interacting settlement and habitat networks in a region of Switzerland. The settlement network model allowed us to predict commuter and traffic flows in our study region under a certain distribution of jobs and people across the municipalities. The level of polycentricity in our region was measured by calculating the hierarchy in the commuter flow network. The traffic flow network was linked to the habitat network, which was used to calculate the mean habitat availability. With multi-objective optimisations, both polycentricity and habitat availability were maximised by changing the distributions of jobs and people. Although both goals could be improved compared to the current situation, there was a trade-off between polycentricity and habitat availability along the Pareto front. Developing the region towards either of the planning goals could be achieved by changing the distribution of jobs and people mainly in mid-sized municipalities and by a strong collaboration between municipalities. Our results increase the understanding of the complex interactions in urban regions and can lead to recommendations for integrated urban and conservation planning.
Publications 1 - 10 of 11