Consumption In Urban Areas Research Articles

The Factors Influencing Transport Energy Consumption in Urban Areas: a Review

Transport energy consumption accounts for about one third of total energy consumption in EU. Despite significant advances in transport technology and fuel formulation, transport energy consumption has increased in most EU countries over the last three decades. This increase in consumption occurred as a result of factors such as higher car ownership, a growth in automobile use and an increase in vehicle distances traveled. As travel and land-use are a function of one another, it is often hypothesized that changing urban structure can result in changes in energy consumption. Understanding how different land use characteristics may influence travel behaviour and the corresponding energy consumption is crucial for planners and policy makers in order to develop strategic actions to shrink the environmental footprint of the urban transportation sector. The aim of this article is to review the current literature on the connections between land use, travel behavior and energy consumption. In particular, this paper seeks to identify the determinants of transport energy consumption in urban areas by reviewing evidence from empirical studies. To this aim, nine characteristics of land use are presented and their effects on both travel behaviour and energy use are discussed Our review shown that, in contrast to the focus on the effect of the built environment on travel, only few researchers have empirically investigated the linkage between the built environment and transportation energy use. The research described in this paper has been developed within the PON 04a2_E Smart Energy Master project. It represents part of a much broader research project aimed at the development of an integrated model of urban energy efficiency.

Cold and warm air temperature spells during the winter and summer seasons and their impact on energy consumption in urban areas

The main objective of this study is to determine and analyze cold and warm air temperature spells in the last 6 years (2007–2012) and reveal their impact on electrical energy consumption in a small-sized city such as Sombor (Serbia) with less than 50,000 inhabitants. Hourly air temperature values and electrical energy consumption data have been used as database for all methods. Warm and cold temperature spells (during heat and cold waves) have had the increasing tendencies in the last 6 years and they reflect on additional electrical energy consumption. Detailed analysis showed that higher energy demands occur during workdays and daytime period. Monitoring of the amount of consumed energy showed a clear relationship during the winter cold temperature spells, when electrical energy demand was higher than 0.3 MW. In summer period, the relationship was weaker and consumption was higher than 0.15 MW only when temperature exceeded 30 °C. A small number of air condition devices in houses and companies and mainly one-store buildings with thick walls, which make a good insulation from the outside air temperatures, are probably the main reasons for the above-mentioned results in summer. This paper introduces a new method to resolve the problem of short-term load forecasting, based on the support vector machines (SVM) technology and particle swarm optimization that has been used to optimize the SVM parameters. Similar-day-based forecast has shown that similar days for training should be filtered also using classifier of temperature period (cooling degree-days or heating degree-days in a row). Forecasting error is smaller compared to solutions where similar days are found only on season and temperature.

Socio-Economic Determinants of Consumption Pattern of Fish in Urban Area of Tripura

The fish is important food commodity and has an important role in nutritional security of North East region of India. The average per capita consumption of protein in India is 56 gm/day (2005–06) which is below to minimum protein requirement 70 gm/capita/day recommended by the WHO. This study looked into the consumption pattern of fish in urban households of Tripura. This study also examines the socio-economic factors affecting quantity of fish purchase and level of fish consumption by urban households. Simple random technique used to select 120 respondents from four fish markets from the Agartala City of Tripura. Primary data from 120 respondents was collected and analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis. It was found that majority of fish buyers were male and out of those 70% were age below 45 years. The modle class for family size was 3–4 Members/family. The average monthly expenditure on fish purchase was 1312.16/household. The regression analysis revealed that fish price negatively affect to the quantity of fish purchase, whereas number adult members in a family, quantity of consumption of chicken and mutton (close substitute of fish) were found to have positively effect on quantity of fish purchase. Therefore, to increase the level of fish consumption in urban areas of Tripura, strategies towards household income, sufficient and regular supply this was needed.

Wild Food, Prices, Diets and Development: Sustainability and Food Security in Urban Cameroon

This article analyses wild food consumption in urban areas of Cameroon. Building upon findings from Cameroon’s Comprehensive Food Security and Vulnerability Analysis (CFSVA) this case study presents empirical data collected from 371 household and market surveys in Cameroonian cities. It employs the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food’s framework for understanding challenges related to the availability, accessibility, and adequacy of food. The survey data suggest that many wild/traditional foods are physically available in Cameroonian cities most of the time, including fruits, vegetables, spices, and insects. Cameroonians spend considerable sums of their food budget on wild foods. However, low wages and the high cost of city living constrain the social and economic access most people have to these foods. The data also suggest that imports of non-traditional staple foods, such as low cost rice, have increasingly priced potentially more nutritious or safe traditional local foods out of markets after the 2008 food price crisis. As a result, diets are changing in Cameroon as the resource-constrained population continues to resort to the coping strategy of eating cheaper imported foods such as refined rice or to eating less frequently. Cameroon’s nutrition transition continues to be driven by need and not necessarily by the preferences of Cameroonian consumers. The implications of this reality for sustainability are troubling.

Residue of chlorpyrifos and cypermethrin in vegetables and probabilistic exposure assessment for consumers in Zhejiang Province, China

Residues of chlorpyrifos and cypermethrin in 2082 vegetable samples were analyzed and health risks were assessed with probabilistic simulations for consumers in Zhejiang Province of China, during 2007–2010 monitoring campaign. The proportion of samples in which pesticides were detected with chlorpyrifos and cypermethrin residues in various vegetable commodities was 0–22.8% and 4.2–29.3%, and with ranges of 0.01–3.47 and 0.01–1.83 mg/kg, respectively. About 1.4% and 0.3% of vegetable samples exceeded the maximum residue limits (MRLs) for chlorpyrifos and cypermethrin, respectively. Data obtained were then used for estimating the potential health risks associated with the exposures to these pesticides. To evaluate exposures, a Monte Carlo simulation was applied and the distribution obtained was randomly sampled by Latin Hypercube. The outcome indicated that the exposure of youth's (2–17 year-old) was higher than the adults (18–65 year-old) and the seniors (above 66 year-old), and the exposure levels for consumers in urban areas was higher than that of in the rural areas. The estimated daily intakes (EDIs) of chlorpyrifos and cypermethrin for the most sensitive age group (2–6 year-old) based on the probabilistic assessment at high percentile (P99.9) were accounted for 48.99% and 31.8% of ADIs, respectively. The results showed that occurrence of pesticide residues in vegetables from the region could not be considered a serious public health problem. Nevertheless, an investigation into continuous monitoring and tighter regulation of pesticide residues in vegetables in the whole country is recommended.

Electric Energy Demand Forecast of Nanchang based on Cellular Genetic Algorithm and BP Neural Network

A kind of power forecast model combined cellular genetic algorithm with BP neural network was established in this article. Mid-long term power demand in urban areas was done load forecasting and analysis based on material object of the actual power consumption in urban areas of Nanchang. The results show that this method has the characteristic of the minimum training times, the shortest consumption time, the minimum error and the shortest operation time to obtain the best fitting effect. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11591/telkomnika.v11i7.2831 Full Text: PDF

Airports and Environment: Proposal of Wastewater Reclamation at São Paulo International Airport

AbstractOne way to reduce water consumption in urban areas is by using alternative sources of supply that can be provided by collecting rainwater and reusing wastewater for less restricted purposes. Thus, this study evaluated the characteristics of effluents produced by the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) of São Paulo International Airport (SPIA), Brazil, in order to reuse it in non‐potable situations. The results achieved, indicated high efficiency in the biological system utilized by SPIA. The removal rates is equal to or >90% for most of the parameters analyzed, among them, fluoride, salinity, nitrite, nitrate, ammonium nitrogen, total nitrogen, phosphorus, sedimentable solids, turbidity, conductivity, apparent color, chemical oxygen demand, biochemical oxygen demand, total organic carbon, fecal coliforms, and oils and greases. Despite the final effluents were good enough to be launched in the local streams, they shall be submitted to a complementary treatment in order to fit some quality parameters to be reused for specific demands (landscape irrigation, toilet flushing, vehicle washing, fire fighting, and dust control).

Brand loyalty: are black urban area consumers’ more loyal?

Black urban area consumers’ are a major economic force in the South African economy and represent a considerable portion of the economic and social setting of South Africa (Hummel, M, In: McCann World group, 2008). However this segment has long been neglected by marketers due to the segregation that was experienced within the country pre-1994. Prior to independence, black urban area communities were mostly catered for by ‘spaza’ shops, or informal retailers run from inside a home that presented residents with a limited variety of products. Residents in traditional black urban areas mostly purchased at these retailers due to financial constraints and limited accessibility to other larger retail outlets as well as due to security fears, and in so doing formed a loyalty towards brands offered by spaza shops. Post-1994 however has seen a dramatic increase in black urban area income, enhanced public transportation and greater retail development within these areas, which has allowed for many residents to become more exposed to alternative brands. The primary aim of this study therefore was to examine the degree of brand loyalty consumers’ of black urban areas of Tshwane, South Africa hold today in relation to retail brands. In order to satisfy the research objective of the study, a self-administered location based survey was distributed to the residents of Shoshanguve, Mamelodi and Attridgeville; black urban areas within the Tshwane region of South Africa.

The effects of social‐economic status of consumers on purchasing, behaving and attitude to food products

PurposeThe aim of the study is to group consumers according to their own perception of socio‐economic status and to determine consumption habits, behaviors, approach and tendency towards food products.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, consumers in urban areas of Van, in Turkey, were grouped according to their self‐perceived social‐economic status and their behaviors and attitudes on purchase of food products are examined according to that social‐economic status. The study was conducted in Van province, Turkey, during 2007‐2008. Face to face interviews with 300 consumers work through the survey data was collected. Participants were asked to indicate their socio‐economic status from a choice of top, middle and bottom level groups.FindingsWithin the top and middle level of this grouping, the percentage of high school graduates is high; at the bottom level of this status, the proportion of university graduates is high. A large percentage of the consumers are public servants and business owners. It was observed that as the socio‐economic status increased, the proportion of business owners increased as well. Consumers in lower status groups spend the biggest portion of their income on food products. As the wages increase, the level of spending on food product decreases proportionally and the ability to make savings increases. The highest status consumers always check the price labels of the food products with a high percentage (66.67 percent). More than half of consumers do not believe that producers write all information and ingredients of the products on the packaging. A total of 77 percent of study participants stated that they were open to trying new food products. Consumers within the top socio‐economic groups are most careful about food ingredients.Originality/valueIn this study, the consumers themselves are classified according to their socio‐economic status. These are the top, middle and bottom status as determined. Consumers are clustered according to the general characteristics of the correspondence analysis.

Sensitivity to electricity consumption in urban business and commercial area buildings according to climatic change

Recently, urban high temperature phenomenon has become a problem which results from human activities, the increase in energy consumption, and land-cover change in urban areas. As extremely hot weather caused by urban high temperature continues, demand for power is increased and results in the degradation of electricity reserves. The current trend in climate change, regardless of the summer and winter power demand, is likely to have much effect on the power demand. Thus, sensitivity to electricity consumption in urban areas due to climate change was researched. The results show that, 1) the basic unit of the sensitivity to electricity consumption in the target areas is 1.25–1.58W/(m2·°C); 2) The maximum sensitivity is recorded at around 8:00 pm in the area crowded with commercial and business area. And in the business area, electricity consumption load is even from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm.

A feasibility evaluation tool for sustainable cities – A case study for Greece

Designing measures for the reduction of energy consumption in urban areas is a complex venture indeed. In terms of urban sustainability, such measures affect energy efficiency as well as environmental, economic and social aspects. Numerous publications dealt with such methodological approaches in the past, whilst the subject of sustainable urban areas and cities is constantly gaining interest. Furthermore, energy performance depends on building density, occupancy and consumer profile, climatic conditions, not least construction quality, factors linked, directly or not, to socioeconomic aspects. Greek cities are known for their density, their polymorphic structure and their complexity. Thus, planning energy conservation measures is a difficult task, demanding a precise methodological approach, which will embody most of these aspects to a great extent. This paper proposes a methodology on how to manage Greek cities in terms of their energy efficiency, emphasizing on the residential stock.

Investigation into consumers’ perceptions of advertised retail brands within black urban areas of South Africa

The main aim of this study was to investigate the perceptions consumers’ of Black urban areas of Tshwane, South Africa hold in relation to advertised retail brands and branding. The importance of Black urban area consumers’ perceptions in relation to advertised retail brands is that in the era before independence these communities were generally regarded as being lower income and not brand loyal due to financial constraints. The number of shopping malls and branded stores were limited in these areas but since 1994, when South Africa became a democracy, things have changed. The income in these communities has steadily risen thereby attracting the attention of retail developers (Ligthelm, 2008:37; Tustin & Strydom, 2006:48-49). With the increased retail development in these communities, consumers residing in these areas have become more exposed to branded merchandise and the advertising thereof. This has led to new perceptions towards brands being formed and in the process opening possible new opportunities for retailers. In order to satisfy the research objectives of the study, a self-administered location based survey was distributed to the residents of Shoshanguve, Mamelodi and Attridgeville; Black urban areas within the Tshwane region of South Africa.

Recognizing the Multiple Reasons for Bushmeat Consumption in Urban Areas: A Necessary Step Toward the Sustainable Use of Wildlife for Food in Central Africa

Hunting in Central Africa poses a threat to several species and remains a crucial source of protein and income for African communities. However, we lack sufficient knowledge of the drivers of consumption to provide innovative strategies for sustainable use. Our literature review draws several conclusions based on available case studies. First, as the most highly valued bushmeat species are among the most common, there is a non-negligible potential to reduce the trade to the most resilient species without having to ban all bushmeat trade. Second, because bushmeat serves multiple functions above the purely consumptive, there is no guarantee that demand for bushmeat will decline. Third, bushmeat is perceived by consumers as a healthy food compared to industrial meats and consumer choices ignore the risks associated with zoonotic diseases. Multidisciplinary approaches that incorporate the human dimensions of wildlife are to be encouraged for a more sustainable use of bushmeat.

Analyzing Nutritional Impacts of Policies: An Empirical Study for Malawi

Summary Widespread malnutrition in developing countries calls for appropriate strategies, presupposing good knowledge about nutritional impacts of policies. Little previous work has been carried out in this direction, especially with respect to micronutrients. We use representative household data from Malawi and develop a demand systems approach to estimate income and price elasticities of food demand and nutrient consumption. These estimates are applied for policy simulations. Given multiple nutritional deficiencies, income-related policies are better suited than price policies to improve nutrition. While consumer price subsidies for maize improve calorie and mineral consumption, they can worsen vitamin consumption in urban areas.

Predictive models for forecasting hourly urban water demand

Summary One of the goals of efficient water supply management is the regular supply of clean water at the pressure required by consumers. In this context, predicting water consumption in urban areas is of key importance for water supply management. This prediction is also relevant in processes for reviewing prices; as well as for operational management of a water network. In this paper, we describe and compare a series of predictive models for forecasting water demand. The models are obtained using time series data from water consumption in an urban area of a city in south-eastern Spain. This includes highly non-linear time series data, which has conditioned the type of models we have included in our study. Namely, we have considered artificial neural networks, projection pursuit regression, multivariate adaptive regression splines, random forests and support vector regression. Apart from these models, we also propose a simple model based on the weighted demand profile resulting from our exploratory analysis of the data. In our comparative study, all predictive models were evaluated using an experimental methodology for hourly time series data that detailed water demand in a hydraulic sector of a water supply network in a city in south-eastern Spain. The accuracy of the obtained results, together with the medium size of the demand area, suggests that this was a suitable environment for making adequate management decisions.

Modeling energy consumption and CO 2 emissions at the urban scale: Methodological challenges and insights from the United States

Local policy makers could benefit from a national, high-resolution inventory of energy consumption and related carbon dioxide (CO 2) emissions based on the Vulcan data product, which plots emissions on a 100 km 2 grid. We evaluate the ability of Vulcan to measure energy consumption in urban areas, a scale of analysis required to support goals established as part of local energy, climate or sustainability initiatives. We highlight the methodological challenges of this type of analytical exercise and review alternative approaches. We find that between 37% and 86% of direct fuel consumption in buildings and industry and between 37% and 77% of on-road gasoline and diesel consumption occurs in urban areas, depending on how these areas are defined. We suggest that a county-based definition of urban is preferable to other common definitions since counties are the smallest political unit for which energy data are collected. Urban counties, account for 37% of direct energy consumption, or 50% if mixed urban counties are included. A county-based definition can also improve estimates of per-capita consumption.

Hybrid convenience stores – the changing role of convenience stores in Taiwan

PurposeThe hybrid convenience store, a convenient shopping as well as dining environment, is an innovative concept in both the convenience store sector and the food service industry in Taiwan. As Taiwan has taken the lead in the development of the convenience store sector, this phenomenon deserves further investigation so as to assist convenience store operators and restaurateurs in Taiwan in formulating strategies to cope with this trend. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the facilitators of the hybrid convenience store concept accepted by consumers within the framework of Rogers' diffusion of innovation (DOI) theory.Design/methodology/approachThe data in the form of self‐completion survey are collected in MRT stations in Taipei. In total of 289 questionnaires are collected and used for data analysis.FindingsIt is found that the higher the levels of “compatibility”, “observability” and “trialability” are, the higher the likelihood that potential consumers will dine in hybrid convenience stores. It is also found that lower levels of “complexity” also increase the likelihood that potential consumers will dine in hybrid convenience stores. However, the findings do not support “relative advantage” as a facilitator.Practical implicationsThe research findings reveal that consumers in urban areas of Taiwan have gradually accepted the innovative concept of dining in hybrid convenience stores. According to the findings, a number of strategies might be applied in order to facilitate the adoption of the dining concept in hybrid convenience stores by potential consumers in Taiwan. For example, the dining process of fast food restaurants can be possible to emulate; having meals on a trial basis can be applied; TV commercials and word of mouth marketing strategies can also be employed.Originality/valueThis paper extends/validates the DOI theory in the Taiwanese convenience store sector and as a consequence, this paper serves as a basic building block in the formulation of pertinent marketing strategies geared toward sustaining and/or increasing consumer patronage in hybrid convenience stores.

On Cold Materials of Pavement and High-Temperature Performance of Asphalt Concrete

With global climate becoming warmer more and more attention is being paid to cold materials. Lower surface temperature contributes to decrease the temperature of the ambient air as heat convection intensity from a cooler surface is lower. Such temperature reductions can have significant impacts on cooling energy consumption in urban areas, a fact of particular importance in hot climate cities. The black surface of asphalt pavement absorbs more heat from the sun, and higher temperature of pavement surface contributes to increase the effect of the urban heat island, but affects the performance and life span of a pavement. Asphalt pavements form an integral part of any transportation system and are typically engineered to last 15 years or more, but many have been failing early due to potholes, cracks, raveling and other problems. Cool pavement are mainly aimed to decrease the effect of asphalt pavement on the urban heat island, but the influence of cold materials on the high-temperature performance of asphalt concrete pavement is paid little attention relatively. In this paper, it’s discussed that the effect of asphalt-pavement high temperature and its improving measures. And the mechanism of cool pavements is introduced, and possible technologies applied to asphalt pavements are reviewed. The idea of asphalt concrete pavement with automatic temperature-control is put forward.

An Analysis of Floral Consumption Values and Their Difference for Genders and Geographic Regions

Studying the value of consumption is believed to have diagnostic value in the analysis of consumer choice behavior and, therefore, is helpful in improving the efficiency of the market. The objective of this study was to identify the consumption value that consumers seek from floral products, while also clarifying the context of that consumption value. A total of 644 valid questionnaires from a consumer survey were used for the statistical analysis. The statistical results of the factor analysis revealed that sensory hedonics, emotion conditioning, curiosity fulfillment, monetary worth, and showing care to others were the main types of the consumption value in relation to floral products. Different consumer groups were found to emphasize different types of floral consumption value. Female consumers reveal a stronger demand for the value of emotion conditioning and curiosity fulfillment, while male consumers are more likely to seek the value of sensory hedonics. Consumers in rural areas reveal a stronger demand for the value of curiosity fulfillment and monetary worth, while the consumers in urban areas reveal a stronger demand for the value of emotion conditioning, with regard to the consumption value of flowers. The study results provide florists with the key value points as they seek to increase the attraction of floral products to consumers.

An Analysis of Floral Consumption Values and Their Difference for Genders and Geographic Regions

Studying the value of consumption is believed to have diagnostic value in the analysis of consumer choice behavior and, therefore, is helpful in improving the efficiency of the market. The objective of this study was to identify the consumption value that consumers seek from floral products, while also clarifying the context of that consumption value. A total of 644 valid questionnaires from a consumer survey were used for the statistical analysis. The statistical results of the factor analysis revealed that sensory hedonics, emotion conditioning, curiosity fulfillment, monetary worth, and showing care to others were the main types of the consumption value in relation to floral products. Different consumer groups were found to emphasize different types of floral consumption value. Female consumers reveal a stronger demand for the value of emotion conditioning and curiosity fulfillment, while male consumers are more likely to seek the value of sensory hedonics. Consumers in rural areas reveal a stronger demand for the value of curiosity fulfillment and monetary worth, while the consumers in urban areas reveal a stronger demand for the value of emotion conditioning, with regard to the consumption value of flowers. The study results provide florists with the key value points as they seek to increase the attraction of floral products to consumers.