A case study in Istanbul E-80: Intelligent speed change at the highway for reducing gas emission

Assessing the effects of noise abatement measures on health risks: A case study in Istanbul

PurposeIn this study, a life cycle assessment (LCA) of aggregate quarry activities in Istanbul, Türkiye, based on energy and raw material consumption was carried out. The Cebeci quarry plays a vital role in Istanbul’s aggregate production, contributing significantly to economic development and infrastructure projects.MethodsLCA methodology was applied using GaBi Education software. An analysis from cradle-to-gate analysis was performed. EN 15804 + A2 impact assessment method was used to evaluate twelve impact categories including climate change, acidification, and eutrophication potential.Results and discussionResults show that the main contributor to all impact categories is the crushing and sieving plant. Electricity consumption is the major factor in the crushing and sieving process. The calculated climate change potential was about 2.30 kg CO2 eq/ton sandstone aggregate product. The alternative scenarios demonstrate the potential environmental improvements, with the use of wind energy in crushing-sieving plants showing a substantial improvement in many impact categories compared to the use of conveyor belts in transportation. Integrating wind energy into the conveyor belt system as a third scenario reveals the lowest environmental load, with climate change and acidification potential values of 0.146 kg CO2 equivalent and 3.20E-04 mol of H + equivalent, respectively.ConclusionsThis LCA study provides valuable insights into the environmental footprint of sandstone aggregate production and suggests alternative scenarios for mitigating its impacts. The findings can inform decision-making processes in the mining industry and contribute to the development of more sustainable practices in aggregate production. Renewable energy is the best option to mitigate the environmental burden. The main novelty of this study is that it is the first initiative to apply LCA in the Turkish aggregate mining industry.

Effective distribution center location planning is crucial in disaster management, as it significantly influences the transportation, storage, and delivery of relief supplies to affected areas.This study uses a novel multi-objective mathematical programming model to optimize the concurrent selection of main distribution centers (MDCs) and local distribution centers (LDCs).The model addresses six key objectives: minimizing distances between demand points, LDCs, and MDCs; determining optimal numbers of LDCs and MDCs; reducing unsatisfied demand; improving citizens' accessibility to LDCs; and evaluating the suitability of selected centers for humanitarian operations.A goal programming approach is used to solve the model effectively.The model's applicability and efficacy are demonstrated through a case study in Istanbul, a region prone to seismic activity, with detailed sensitivity analyses validating its performance.By tackling the complexities of distribution center location planning in disaster management, this study enhances the efficiency and resilience of humanitarian logistics, ensuring the timely and effective delivery of relief supplies during crises.

Efficient health-care waste management is crucial for the prevention of the exposure of health-care workers, patients, and the community to infections, toxic wastes and injuries as well as the protection of the environment (Safe Management of Wastes from Health-care Activities. World Health Organization, Geneva). The amount of health-care waste produced in the Istanbul Metropolitan City in Turkey is 30 ton day(-1) in total. The method used for the final disposal of most of the health-care waste of Istanbul is incineration. However, a great portion of the infectious waste is disposed of with the domestic waste into the sanitary landfill because of improper segregation practices applied in the health-care institutions. Therefore the alternatives for the treatment and disposal of health-care waste were evaluated. The technical information related to the available treatment technologies including incineration, microwave irradiation, mobile or stationary sterilization, etc. were also investigated. The capital investment cost, transportation/operational costs for each alternative method and the different locations for installation were compared. When the data collected were evaluated, it was found that separate handling and disposal of health-care waste generated on the European and the Asian sides of the city was the most economic and practicable solution. As a result, it was concluded that the capacity of the Kemerburgaz-Odayeri incineration plant is enough to incinerate the health-care waste generated on the European side of Istanbul, the construction of a new incineration plant or a stationary sterilization unit for the disposal of health-care waste generated on the Asian side was the most effective alternative.

Understanding the carbon capacity of urban forests is important for combating climate change and supporting city policies. This study examined two models: the CUFR Tree Carbon Calculator (CTCC) used in the US and the Turkey-Specific Literature-Based Model (TLBM). It uses Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) and field data for analysis, which is the first study conducted under Turkish conditions. The findings showed a high correlation ( R 2 ≥ 0.89) between the two models in absolute estimates, indicating that the models have similar trends. However, there were significant differences between the two models, both in total values and based on species. This revealed that the CTCC model is applicable under Turkish conditions, but its performance may vary depending on the species and the data source. Another part of this study is the introduction of the Python-based TreeCarbon plugin, which practically calculates the carbon stock within individual trees. This tool operates in both desktop and mobile versions, and, thanks to its simple interface, provides ease of use for multidisciplinary users with limited technical expertise. The mobile version, with its integration of basic tree parameters, enables instant results to be produced in the field. This research further emphasizes that model performance depends on species and local conditions, thereby supporting the development of carbon-neutral city policies.

In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the regulating ecosystem services for improving the air quality provided in the Kuzguncuk Neighborhood, which is located within the borders of Üsküdar district of Istanbul province. In this context, 5500 random points were identified within the boundaries of the research area by using the i-Tree canopy tool, which is a web-based tool. The land cover represented by each point is grouped into five classes: i) Tree/Shrub (tree and tall shrub vegetations), ii) Grass/herbaceous (areas covered with herbaceous vegetation, iii) Soil/Bare Ground (soil surface with little or no vegetation), iv) Impervious Surfaces (building, structures, asphalt, impervious roads, etc.) and v) Water (areas with streams or stagnant water). According to these classifications, the annual amount of carbon sequestered by the tree-shrub canopy in the Kuzguncuk neighborhood, the amount of CO₂, the amount of carbon they stored over their lifetimes, the amount of CO₂, and their economic contribution have been calculated. Additionally, the amount of significant air pollutants removed by this canopy, such as carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), ozone (O3), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and particulate matter PM2.5 and PM10, and the economic benefits of removing these pollutants have been determined. The results showed that trees sequestered 855.93 tons of CO2 annually and stored 21,495.71 tons of CO2 in the neighborhood, 46.05% of which is covered with canopy. However, it was calculated that 69.94 kg of CO, 381.39 kg of NO2, 3,798.45 kg of O3, 240.34 kg of SO2, 184.57 kg of PM2.5 and 1,272.34 kg of PM10 particulate matter were removed from the atmosphere in a year by the vegetation cover. It has been calculated that the economic contribution provided by this removal is $ 2,251 per year. This study reveals the ecological and economic importance of green spaces for ecosystem services studies in urban areas by considering a neighborhood scale in determining the ecosystem services provided by the canopy cover. It is thought that the numerical values obtained in this sample region will contribute to urban planning strategies in terms of green infrastructures for future studies.

Mode choice behavior modeling of ground access to airports: A case study in Istanbul, Turkey

This paper aims to examine the distinct conditions and implications of a multi-level stakeholder analysis for the governance of urban-rural intersections through a case study in Istanbul, adopting an advanced stakeholder analysis from UN-Habitat. Based on a case study of the landscape identity of Istanbul's rural settlements, the study offers multi-level definitions of the 331 stakeholders detected, power-influence matrices, and strategies that may foster balanced multi-level urban-rural governance practices in a major metropolitan area. The findings highlight the multiplicity of levels, sectors, resources, and the actors’ differing capacities and interests to influence rural-urban governance decisions as well as their implementation.

Reasons for non-vaccination during national immunization days: a case study in Istanbul, Turkey

An integrated fuzzy decision-making framework for the evaluation of electric buses in public transportation: A case study in Istanbul, Türkiye

‘Others’ in diversified neighbourhoods: What does social cohesion mean in diversified neighbourhoods? A case study in Istanbul

The rising demand for electrical energy and decreasing capital cost of photovoltaic (PV) panels led to rapid growth in large-scale solar PV system penetration in many countries, including Turkey. This article focused on a cost-effective and efficient decentralized voltage and reactive power (Volt/Var) control approach in distribution networks at the presence of high penetrated solar PV farms utilized as static synchronous compensator (PV-STATCOM) which has been recently proposed. A proper coordinated control of large number of PV-STATCOMs suggested to achieve optimal reactive power scheduling for the next day ahead. This article introduced implementation of a modified Lévy flight-based firefly algorithm (MLFA) to multi-objective Volt/Var optimization problem, which was employed for minimizing active power loss and cost of energy. The validity and applicability of the proposed method were confirmed by implementing it on a real megavolt (MV) Turkish distribution network for various loading conditions. Simulation results show that the results of MLFA to this problem outperform those of other methods. Furthermore, application of the proposed method offers opportunity to distribution system operators for a large amount of cost savings and loss reduction without compromising voltage regulatory limits.

Sustainable design of PV-assisted electric bus depots with charger sharing for private EVs: A case study in Istanbul, Türkiye

ABSTRACTIn metropolitan areas, the changing spatial land-use preferences of the industrial sector are the most important determinants in the forming of the macro-form. Metropolitan areas, especially in developing European and Asian countries, become troubled cities with agglomerations of population and investment as a result of failures to apply satisfactory macro-policies and plans throughout the country. Industrial investments on various scales and the land-use preferences of investors have changed over time. The land preferences of production and headquarters of the manufacturing sectors have become basic determinants in the formation of settlement systems due to the transformations that occur alongside technological, economic and social development. This article examines whether or not the basic land-use criterion of the manufacturing sector changes in small-, medium- and large-scale businesses according to their labour structure, defined through an examination of the sectoral structure and relations of scale. Taking the increasing rate of the Gross National Product of the industrial sector in metropolitan areas in every country into account, and examining the land-use preferences of various industrial sub-sectors and scales will serve as an important input when making new planning decisions. The industrial land-use criterion will be effective in the transformation, reorganization or directing of new focuses for the agglomerated industrial structure, especially in Istanbul, which features both Asian and European metropolitan area characteristics. This article will define the existing industrial structure of the Istanbul metropolitan area; and differences between the various scales of land-use preferences within industrial investments will be presented, based on the findings of two investigations carried out over a 5-year period. Several important criteria for industrial investors seeking to establish themselves in metropolitan areas will be determined in the article.

Sustainable design can be performed from the design structure scale to urban scale. From the view of the ecological structure, the state of being approximately half of the energy consumption used in structures increases the importance of structure designs. Minimizing the energy used in structures with the design features of the structure and the systems which provide benefits from renewable energy sources to be integrated to the structure, are one of the measures to be taken against environmental pollution. When it is considered that sustainable design and planning include issues such as ending actions and habits harmful for the environment, using sources effectively and correctly, protecting coherence of individual, society and ecosystem, supporting economic progress, usage of renewable energy sources such as energy efficiency, air-conditioning, natural ventilation, insolation, natural enlightenment systems, user’s health and comfort, smart front and roof systems, active and passive thermal comfort systems, photovoltaic panels and issues such as building and energy control systems, efficiency in terms of functionality are important consequences of ecological structure applications. It is seen that the reflecting of these consequences on the public opinion by written and visual media creates awakening and awareness about ecology and sustainability in society. In this direction, it is seen that approaches sensitive to the environment and energy in the field of structural design and architecture are increasing as a result of awakening public opinion and awareness of society and parallel to this concept such as sustainable construction and architecture are begun to be used as a strategy in the sales of real estate projects by structure producers. Such structure options gain currency as a result of the user’s awareness and need. As many real estate manufacturer sees the decrease of awareness in society and rise of green buildings' values in the market, are emerging with the projects shown as if they are sensitive to the environment, though they are not really. Since the general tendency in such projects is to provide maximum income with minimum cost in a short time, integrated and concrete ecological structure projects in which ecological parameters are entirely used cannot be performed. Instead of this, one or two of the ecological criteria are being used but the project is entirely presented as a “sustainable construction” exhibited as a sustainable architecture design product. Although the sustainability concept is used as a commercial sale strategy in such projects, it can be considered that the issue contributes to the social awareness by being revived via written and visual media. In this study, if we exclude the expressions that real estate market presents as an additional advantage to sales competition under its own advertisement rules, with the approaches putting important edges for mankind such as energy crisis in the whole world, high consumption of natural sources, getting harm of the ecosystem and whether buildings and complexes put forward to include nature and environment friendly or sustainability concepts really fulfill this function, deserve this quality, briefly, to what extent the constructions which are trying to be compatible with nature or at least define themselves in this way can perform the mentioned aim will be studied. In this context, by analyzing the “Solarkent Housing Estate Area” adopting “sustainable construction” approach improved in the frame of housing marketing strategy parallel to the housing demand increased recently in İstanbul, an analytical evaluation model related to the issue will tired to be created.