Residential Areas Of City Research Articles

Levels, distribution, and health risk assessment of phthalic acid esters in urban surface soils of Nagpur city, India.

Surface soil samples from residential, commercial, and industrial areas of Nagpur city, India, were collected to study the levels, distribution, and impact of land use patterns on phthalic acid ester (PAEs) contamination. The Σ6PAEs concentrations in soils from residential, commercial, and industrial areas ranged between 6,493 to 13,195µg/kg, 707 to 18,446µg/kg, and 1,882 to 5,004µg/kg with medians of 10,399, 6,199, and 3,401µg/kg, respectively. Bis-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) and dimethyl phthalate (DMP) were the dominant PAEs in the urban soils. The concentrations of DEHP and DMP were significantly greater than those in Ontario's soil quality guidelines. Among the PAEs, benzyl-butyl phthalate (BzBP) was found at relatively high concentrations (1,238 and 9,171µg/kg) at two locations (i.e., S1 and S15). The chronic toxic risk (CTR) of PAEs was below the threshold, although the risk to children through ingestion and dermal exposure routes was greater than that to adults. The CR due to BzBP and DEHP were below the threshold level; however, the CR due to DMP was > 1 × 10-6 in residential areas. The cumulative CR of the six PAEs for adults (1.33-1.41 × 10-5) and children (8.08-8.89 × 10-6) surpassed the threshold level. This study revealed that PAEs in urban soils pose a risk to public health and require immediate risk reduction strategies.

СОВРЕМЕННЫЕ ТЕНДЕНЦИИ ПРОЕКТИРОВАНИЯ И СТРОИТЕЛЬСТВА ЖИЛЫХ РАЙОНОВ В ГОРОДАХ

This scientific article is devoted to the study of modern experience and principles of designing residential areas in cities, as well as the study of foreign and domestic literary sources on the design of residential areas. Domestic and foreign examples of developed and built residential projects were analyzed. Based on this research, the author has developed the principles of designing residential areas using the example of a residential area in Simferopol. Subject of research: the design and construction of residential areas. Materials and methods: In the course of the study, literary sources that are in the public domain were analyzed, and the functional zoning of residential areas of cities was analyzed. Results: A comprehensive analysis of foreign and domestic examples of the design of residential areas in cities was carried out. Based on the above information, the principles of designing residential areas have been developed. Conclusions: The analysis showed that most of the residential areas under consideration have similar problems and requirements in the field of urban planning. At the same time, it was determined that the most common are: the use of low-quality outdated materials in the construction of residential buildings, monofunctionality of the environment (for example, exclusively residential buildings), chaotic placement of transport and pedestrian connections, insufficient landscaping of courtyards and public spaces of residential areas.

Carbon Emission Accounting and Reduction Evaluation in Sponge City Residential Areas

This paper aims to establish a more standardized and regulated carbon emission accounting model for sponge cities by unifying the accounting content for carbon emissions and clarifying the relationships between carbon reduction benefits, carbon reduction effects, and carbon sequestration, in order to evaluate the carbon reduction outcomes and mechanisms of sponge city construction. Based on a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) carbon emission accounting model using the carbon emission factor method, a newly constructed residential area in Tianshui City, Gansu Province, was selected as a case study, and the carbon emission reduction effect of sponge city construction was then investigated. Results indicated that the 30-year full life cycle carbon emissions for sponge city construction in the newly constructed residential area amounted to 828.98 tons, compared to 744.28 tons of CO2 reduction in traditional construction, representing a 47.31% reduction in carbon emissions. Over a 30-year life cycle, this equated to a total carbon emission reduction effect of 1460.31 tons. Additionally, under various rainfall scenarios in a typical year, the carbon emission reduction effect of sponge city construction exceeded the carbon emissions, achieving carbon neutrality within 22 to 30 years of operation. This demonstrates that the carbon emission reduction effect of sponge city communities is significant. The findings of this study provide data and a theoretical basis for the low-carbon construction of sponge cities in China.

Regulation on air temperature by residential area morphology: A case study in Xuzhou City, China.

Due to woodlands and farmlands being replaced by residential areas in cities, continuous urbanization resulting in frequent urban heat island effects, especially in summer when high temperature seriously threaten health and lives of citizens. Although scientists realized that reasonable residential area morphology could effectively regulate air temperature and improve microclimate, it is lack of air temperature regulation-oriented specifications and requirements on morphology of residential areas. In this study, we used three types of morphological parameters of 15 residential areas in Xuzhou City and air temperature data via field investigation to analyze air temperature regulation caused by residential area morphology. The results showed that key morphological parameters of residential areas were different in morning and afternoon. In morning, independent effects of mean building height, street aspect ratio, and complete aspect ratio contributed 15.4%, 7.3%, and 6.8%, while those of building density, sky view factor, and the ratio of building surface area to floor area were 21.1%, 23.1%, and 6.9% in afternoon, respectively. Threshold values of efficiency of morphological parameters of residential areas were different between morning and afternoon. There were significant correlations between some morphological parameters of residential area. The results could provide data support and methodological reference for residential areas design in Xuzhou and surrounding cities.

ECOTOXICOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF THE INFLUENCE OF FUEL STATIONS ON THE POLLUTION OF URBAN SOILS WITH HEAVY METALS

Problem Statement and Purpose. In modern cities, there is a rapid increase in the number of gas stations (gas stations), which are also located in residential areas of cities, causing a high level of local pollution. The growing demand for gas station services leads to the expansion of their network and maximum proximity to consumers. Among the specific features of environmental pollution near gas stations are: a high concentration of pollutants in the surface layer of the atmosphere with subsequent deposition on the soil cover and the surface of plants, the absence of dispersion of pollutants by wind currents, the presence of a significant traffic load and toxic emissions from motor vehicles during refueling, etc. Among pollutants, heavy metals have a particularly negative impact, which, due to participation in various migration cycles, pollute all vital spheres: atmosphere, hydrosphere, pedosphere. The high content of heavy metals negatively affects the main functions of living organisms and human health. Soluble forms of HM are especially toxic. The purpose of this study is to assess the ecological state of urban soils in relation to their contamination by soluble forms of heavy metals within the influence of gas stations in the city of Odessa. Data & Methods. As a methodological basis, the developments presented in the scientific works of A. Antropchenko, I. Rabosh, O. Chaika and others regarding the assessment of the ecological state of the territories in the zone of influence of gas stations were used. When determining the impact of gas stations on soil pollution, the HM used both general scientific methods of research (systemic, analysis, observation) and special ones (laboratory-analytical, comparative-geographical, statistical, cartographic). Results. The conducted studies showed that urban soils within the influence of all gas stations have a significantly higher content of movable forms of HM compared to background values. Thus, the manganese content is 1.3–1.7 levels of the background content; zinc – 7–51; cobalt – 0.6–4; copper – 4–24; cadmium – 0–4; lead – 1.5–14. It was established that by the concentration factor, the most polluted are the soils with the content of zinc, copper, and lead, which is from 100% to 50% of the studied territory. 55% of the studied territory has a dangerous level of soil pollution according to the indicator of total pollution. The priority polluting elements that have the highest level of pollution intensity are zinc (Рj = 121.64) and copper (Рj = 51.01), which according to the scale of assessment of ecological danger of soil pollution belong to the fourth – very dangerous category of pollution, which can significantly influence the increase of the total morbidity of children and adults of the city. The average intensity of contamination of the investigated soils with lead (Рj = 24.92) corresponds to the second level (safe); manganese (Рj = 3.63), cobalt (Рj = 8.22) and cadmium (Рj = 9.46) – the first (permissible level of intensity of soil pollution). The correlation between the intensity of urban soil pollution and the total pollution index is 0.99, which confirms the negative impact of gas station operations on the ecological state of the city’s soil cover. Therefore, the conducted studies indicate a high probability of technogenic influence of gas stations on the soils of the studied territory and a high degree of their contamination with heavy metals, which can cause a negative impact on the health of the urban population. The danger of environmental pollution during gas station operation is currently, in our opinion, underestimated, and the issue of environmental safety of gas station operation requires further study. We believe that in order to increase the ecotoxicological safety of gas stations, it is necessary to conduct constant monitoring studies of the urban environment in order to assess the man-made load on the «soil-plant-human » system.

Risk Assessment of Fire Hazards in Semarang City Residential Areas

Based on data from the Semarang City Fire Department in 2013-2016, 1028 fire incidents took place in Semarang City. This incidence reached its highest in 2015 with 399 cases of fire which caused material losses of up to IDR 398.3 billion. Based on these figures, Semarang City possesses the highest incidence rate of fire cases in Central Java Province. However, studies on the risk and mitigation of fire hazard disasters in Semarang City still need to be carried out. This study aims to identify fire risks, to mitigate the disaster’s hazards in Semarang City, and to provide recommendations for arranging relevant buildings and the environment. The method used in this study is a qualitative descriptive method, in which interviews are conducted with key persons, with the utilization of GIS analysis to assess the risk of fire. The results of this study exhibit that in Semarang City, 14 villages have a high level of fire hazard risk, one of which is Rejosari Village which has the highest level of fire risk. This occurred mainly because historically, there have been many fire incidents in this area and even claiming several lives. The density of buildings and the difficulty of access further increase vulnerability in the case of fire. Nevertheless, the inhabitants still lack an understanding of this hazard. Accordingly, the fundamental mitigation to be carried out in Rejosari Village is to increase community comprehension and to consider the addition of fire protection and safety facilities, including hydrants, in densely populated buildings and areas, in order to reduce the risk of fire hazards.

The Strategy and Practice of the Reconstruction of Old Residential Area

With the continuous advancement of urbanization, there are a large number of old residential areas in cities and towns. These residential areas have great security risks, and there are widespread problems such as low construction standards, unreasonable structural design, imperfect functions, incomplete supporting facilities, poor living environment and backward public services. In addition to the serious aging of the community, most of these old communities were built at the end of the 20th century, when the builders did not consider the pension problem, the elderly life can not get the basic security, which resulted in the old community that can not meet the needs of the residents of today's society, also can not adapt to the elderly society, need to be transformed. According to the research, it is found that the old residential area has a unique development context and social status, and has strong humanistic value and cultural attributes. Therefore, the reconstruction of the old residential area needs coordination problems from various aspects, and the transformation is more difficult. Based on jung chung of good community three block as an example, the review and analysis of relevant policies and norms, in combination with social investigation, field investigation, such methods as analytical problems encountered in reconstruction of many sided, adhering to the demand orientation, problem orientation, goal oriented and result oriented concept, adhere to the principle of "people-oriented", and discusses the corresponding reform strategy and implementation plan, To achieve the real heart of the people benefit the people of the project.

TO THE ISSUE OF NOISE POLLUTION ASSESSMENT FOR HIGHWAYS

Problem statement. One of the challenges for ensuring people's safety is to investigate within urban acoustics the real situations that arise in cities as the population develops and becomes more motorised. According to the analysis, it was determined that the growing number of cars in cities leads to an increase in noise, on the one hand, but modern cars have become “quieter”, especially electric cars. In the residential areas of cities, the most powerful sources of noise, more frequently occurring, are the traffic flows of main streets. In addition, there is a whole system of traffic noise sources, namely streets of various purposes, parking lots, interchanges of highways, service stations for automobile transport, and a number of public buildings and structures that are served by various public or other types of transport. The purpose of this article. Assessment of noise pollution on main streets and determination of the noise protection effectiveness in a specific situation, taking into account the use of protective equipment. Conclusions. The increasing number of cars in cities is forcing a variety of measures. For example, to increase the number of traffic lanes, but this method is not always possible. The new markings are actually a reversal of previous requirements and will save huge amounts of money. The experience of Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv and other cities of Ukraine allows us to solve problems related to motorization of large cities only for a while. To facilitate the construction of noise maps of residential construction and increase the accuracy of the results, a sample for construction of noise maps of residential construction is offered. This, in turn, makes it possible to obtain comparable results and carry out experiments regarding any method for construction of the main highway territory.

Strategies for China’s Historic Districts Regeneration in Responding to Public Health Emergencies

Most of China’s historic districts are located in urban centers with excessive building density and possess rich historical, cultural, scientific and aesthetic value. However, historic districts lack infrastructure and specific plans for emergency response compared to modern residential areas in cities, creating a social inequity trap for the residents in both. In addition, as valuable material cultural heritage, the usual conservation of local culture and the ecological environment conflict with anti-epidemic requirements. This study proposes a system of strategies for responding to public health emergencies that can address the above issues. Through the methods of policy refinement and the application of the concept of normal and disaster time conversion, the strategic system was constructed, including five major aspects: emergency preparedness programs at the planning level, installation of modulized variable devices, environmentally friendly health protection, disaster prevention preparation at the spatial level, and plant configuration. It is beneficial to improve the disaster prevention system for special urban communities and provide a reference for emergency planning in the future regeneration process of historic districts.

City Models and Preventive Planning Strategies for Resilient Cities in Germany

In the face of the Covid-19 crisis, the city model of the new Leipzig Charter of the EU was re-evaluated. The existing urban development model of a mixed and compact city is to be mainly maintained because the urban density or building typology does not influence the spread of Covid-19. But the pandemic has made it clear how important green space and recreation areas are for inner city residential areas. This green space also becomes more important regarding climate adaptation measures to provide cooler air and ventilation. In the framework of the Leipzig Charter of the EU, the German ministry for building adopted the memorandum on Urban Resilience in May 2021. Resilience in this context means that we should not only repair the damage of disasters but also adapt to future crises and make our cities more resilient and sustainable. For this, we need to strengthen preventive strategies in urban development planning connected with urban renewal approaches and ask for extended city models. Planning shapes the future, including counteracting undesirable scenarios with preventive planning. In this sense, future planning and disaster control have common objectives—they take an interdisciplinary approach to prepare for future change, they want to anticipate and prevent danger, protect and expand the infrastructure, and serve the common good. In this article, I will point out how integrated urban development concepts should be extended with aspects of urban resilience, and which city models are important for the future.

KONSEP PENINGKATAN KUALITAS PENANGANAN PERMUKIMAN KUMUH KEL. SEPANJANG JAYA, KEC. RAWA LUMBU, KOTA BEKASI

The problem of slum settlements in Indonesia is still the main problem faced in residential areas in cities and districts. The problem of slum settlements is the main issue in Bekasi City. which is quite a polemic with urban problems, high levels of density and heterogeneous activity functions. The purpose of the study was to identify the condition of the slum area of ​​Bekasi City in the Panjang Jaya Village, Rawa Lumbu District to get a concept of improving the quality of handling slum settlements, by analyzing the infrastructure service needs of the slum area and the conditions of settlements in the slum area. The research methodology uses qualitative descriptive methods through primary and secondary data collection by survey and interview methods. To obtain in-depth data and examine slum settlements, this research uses a normative, participatory and facilitative approach.

Cost-Benefit Analysis of Green Space Investment in Residential Areas of Dar es Salaam City, Tanzania

Urban green spaces are increasingly recognized as alternative ameliorative methods to technical solutions abating cities' environmental problems like poor air quality, climate change impacts, and heat stress. However, the costs of development and maintenance of green spaces in terms of materials, labor, and time are not known. The main objective of the study was to assess the costs and benefits associated with green space investment in residential plots of Dar es Salaam City. The study employed in-depth interviews using structured questionnaires and document review. Results indicated that households incur an average cost of TZS 136,579 (USD 59) and a maximum of TZS 6,629,019 (USD 2,882) for establishing more than one home greenery type. The total net monetary benefit per household after all costs due to disservices have been accounted for was TZS 3,148,827 (USD 1,369) annually. Based on a cost-benefit analysis of home greenery, it was found that the benefit was 2.6 times as much as the investment cost thus suggesting that maintaining home greeneries is cost-effective and a worthwhile investment. The results may help in evaluating trades off between courses of action as well as a decision tool for the households when investing in green spaces. The study recommends that residents and City managers should invest in allotments, shade trees, and/or fruit trees, as they were found to have the highest benefits, monetary savings, and benefit-cost ratio. Moreover, to maximize monetary benefit from home greenery, residents should select the right type of green space followed by choosing the right plant species, identification of the right location within the residential plot for establishing green space, and adopting building designs that optimally support green space functioning.

Analysis of the Driving Factors of Building Energy Consumption Growth in Smart Cities Based on the STIRPAT Model

Energy consumption in smart cities relates to every energy consumed to carry out an activity, produce something, or exist in a structure. The most common measurement of energy efficiency is energy consumption per square meter in city residential areas. The states’ problematic energy consumption characteristics in smart cities may include climatic change, rainfall issues, water scarcity, and electricity generation. Thus, based on the states of households, an expanded proposed system of statistic determination impact conversion by positive, accurate technology (STIRPAT) model has been developed. STIRPAT model is collaborative research that aims to learn about the dynamic connections between human systems and the surrounding environment. There are two methods of the STIRPAT model to satisfy the characteristic of the proposed approach. The energetic counseling framework is an emerging technique that overcomes climatic change, electricity generation, and rainfall issues by sensing it in the environment. An algorithmic approach of the standard genetic method offers to conclude the problems into a cloud block mechanism for visualizing the states. Thus, the integrated technique of these two methods shows the factual implementation to overcome the statistical problems. Further research shows that, since the significant effect had been taken into account, the energy consumption per square meter in metropolitan residential buildings peak occurred eleven years later than without considering the dilution effect. The performance ratio of the STIRPAT model is estimated to be 98.3% by comparing with overall researches.

Assessment of Replacement Projects of Insecure Residential Areas in the North Upper Egypt Cities in the Light of Humanitarian Needs Case study of: Eshash Mahfouz Area -Minya City

Assessment of Replacement Projects of Insecure Residential Areas in the North Upper Egypt Cities in the Light of Humanitarian Needs Case study of: Eshash Mahfouz Area -Minya City

Social Consequences of Vehicle Exhaust: A Case Study in Poltava, Ukraine

Intensive urbanization processes, an increase in the number of urban population and transport have led to an increase in the technogenic load on the environment, in particular on the atmospheric air. Among a significant number of sources of environmental pollution, roads and vehicles pose a significant threat. Motor vehicles cause irreparable harm to human health and the environment. Regular assessment of the quality of atmospheric air in residential areas of cities with heavy traffic to establish the level of potential risk to public health is an urgent task. The study purpose is the social consequences of transport emissions; determination of the anthropogenic load on the air and of the indicator of public health risk from the vehicle exhaust impact. The study was carried out on the example of the residential and the most loaded transport area of Poltava (Ukraine). The study demonstrates that the overwhelming majority of the urban population lives in areas where health risk indicators exceed permissible norms. Since the elderly, children and students are most often present on the street and near houses, they are at the greatest risk. The same applies to vehicle drivers who are often idle in "traffic jams". In turn, such high levels of air pollution pose even greater risks to public health, in particular to the development of respiratory diseases. In the study of the peculiarities of Ukrainian legislation in this area, it was established that the mechanism for collecting information about the quality of the environment, however, there is no requirement to inform the population about it.

Experimental investigation for the decisive role of vehicles in the air pollution of arak city in Iran and presenting the related solutions to reduce the air pollution

In the World, in many of the large and industrial cities air quality is in a dire situation, and air pollution is considered a major problem. The first step in reducing the level of pollutants is to acquire enough detailed information about these pollutants, including the type, amount, and the rate of annual occurrence. In this study, the data obtained from the existing air quality measuring stations throughout the city of Arak in Iran have been used to conduct an accurate investigation and to perform hourly, daily, monthly, and annual analyses of various pollutants. The hourly analysis of the data collected from the Shariati square station at the downstream of the prevailing wind, which include the collective pollutions of the refinery, petrochemical plant, thermal power plant and the pollution generated by the vehicles in a high-traffic area, with regards to the annual calendar and the variation of pollutants during official holidays, indicates the determining share of vehicles in the air pollution of the city of Arak. Considering the effective role of vehicles in the extensive air pollution of this city, some policies have been suggested for reducing the level of air pollution. As a result of this study, using the stated transportation model the level of pollution in this city is considered to reduce, correcting the city streets and routes from engineering per-spective. Also, results showed that the role of industry and vehicles on the air pollution and the pollution points in Arak city in ratio. The levels of all the pollutants like CO, NOx, PM2.5, O3 and SO2 measured by a station at the downstream and resulted about 3ppm, 20ppb, 10, 40ppb and 4 as a ratio respectively. Lastly, result of model was reported at the end of this paper in term of the optimization of the Arak city residential area.

The study of the summer avifauna of Mary, Republic of Turkmenistan

The Republic of Turkmenistan is located in the western part of Central Asia and is characterized by a variety of natural conditions. The property of any republic is the preservation of biological diversity of flora and fauna as the main condition for the sustainability of natural ecosystems. However, in recent years, anthropogenic human activity has led to a decrease in this indicator due to the elimination of species. The fauna of Turkmenistan is quite diverse and birds are of particular importance, according to many scientists. The paper analyzes the species diversity of birds in the urbanized landscapes of the Republic of Turkmenistan using the example of the city of Mary, located in the southeastern part of the Turan lowland, in the delta of the Murgab River. During the summer period of 2020, 30 bird species were registered, belonging to 13 orders in 19 families. For the study, a route method was chosen, during which four areas were identified, in which the studies were carried out in sufficient detail: the Bagtyyaarlyk Seilgakhi park, the Murgab river embankment, residential areas of the city (residential area) and the historical settlement Ancient Merv. The ecological and biological characteristics of birds in the study area were studied: according to the feeding habits, according to the degree of attachment to the territory.

Green Spaces in Residential Areas of Dar es Salaam City: Types, Coverage and Uses

Green spaces in urban areas including in Dar es Salaam City provide multiple ecological, social and economic benefits. Despite their benefits they are inadequately documented in terms types, coverage and uses. This paper attempts to provide information on types, coverage and uses of green space in Dar es Salaam City. A number of methods including literature review, interpretation of remotely sensed image, interviews, focus group discussions and questionnaires were used to document city greenery. The research findings show that residential greenery is made up of greenery found within and external to plots. The dominant green spaces external to residential plots were natural and semi natural vegetation while within plots were woody plants, plots farms vegetable and ornamental gardens. Distribution of greenery varied among the wards due to differences in building density and distance from the city centre. Natural and semi natural vegetation increased with decrease of building density and increase of distance from the city centre, while the number of plots with trees for shade increased with increase of building density. Only Kawe ward that had greenery above Tanzania space planning standards, the other three wards which are informal settlements had green space deficit. Three quarters of the households use green spaces for shade provision and cooling, two thirds as a source of food products and a quarter for recreation and aesthetic purposes. The study reveals that Dar es Salaam City residents invest predominantly on shade trees in their residential plots compared to other green space types.

A longitudinal and geospatial analysis of COVID-19 tweets during the early outbreak period in the United States

IntroductionEarly reports of COVID-19 cases and deaths may not accurately convey community-level concern about the pandemic during early stages, particularly in the United States where testing capacity was initially limited. Social media interaction may elucidate public reaction and communication dynamics about COVID-19 in this critical period, during which communities may have formulated initial conceptions about the perceived severity of the pandemic.MethodsTweets were collected from the Twitter public API stream filtered for keywords related to COVID-19. Using a pre-existing training set, a support vector machine (SVM) classifier was used to obtain a larger set of geocoded tweets with characteristics of user self-reporting COVID-19 symptoms, concerns, and experiences. We then assessed the longitudinal relationship between identified tweets and the number of officially reported COVID-19 cases using linear and exponential regression at the U.S. county level. Changes in tweets that included geospatial clustering were also assessed for the top five most populous U.S. cities.ResultsFrom an initial dataset of 60 million tweets, we analyzed 459,937 tweets that contained COVID-19-related keywords that were also geolocated to U.S. counties. We observed an increasing number of tweets throughout the study period, although there was variation between city centers and residential areas. Tweets identified as COVID-19 symptoms or concerns appeared to be more predictive of active COVID-19 cases as temporal distance increased.ConclusionResults from this study suggest that social media communication dynamics during the early stages of a global pandemic may exhibit a number of geospatial-specific variations among different communities and that targeted pandemic communication is warranted. User engagement on COVID-19 topics may also be predictive of future confirmed case counts, though further studies to validate these findings are needed.

Acceleration of Transformation of Old Residential Areas in Cities and Towns: Co-construction and Co-governance to Promote People-oriented Urbanization

Acceleration of Transformation of Old Residential Areas in Cities and Towns: Co-construction and Co-governance to Promote People-oriented Urbanization