Harmonious Urban Development Research Articles

An Investigation of thermal comfort and assessment of energy consumption in individual vernacular and modern living space

The question of the city sustainability was involved in the process of sustainable development, which is considered as guarantees of a harmonious urban development for future generations. The architectural envelope of a living space includes elements that play an important role in energy consumption. The less energy it consumes, the higher energy-efficient it is. Thus, we tried to develop the basic notions and key concepts related to the research topic (energy performance and thermal comfort) of the architectural envelope and then we carried out experimental fieldwork to highlight the link between energy performance and thermal comfort, supported by simulation in order to achieve optimum real results. Our objective is to sort out the issue of energy performance and thermal comfort in living space in both vernacular and contemporary cases, and consequently develop conformations that are as autonomous as possible in terms of energy, by taking advantage of natural inputs and the application of renewable energy for housing. As a result, a survey was carried out on the inhabitants of the houses in the study corpus, and we achieved a qualitative and quantitative work that comes down to an Energetic Performance Diagnosis on a corpus study that constitutes two houses: a vernacular case versus a modern house case. Based on this social survey and energy consumption calculations, we can recommend some guiding points to achieve an architectural conformity that satisfies users’ needs, and reach a long-lasting development on the matter.

Study on the construction index system of ecological garden city in Suihua

<p>Ecological garden city is a healthy and harmonious urban development model. A set of urban comprehensive evaluation index systems is established, including three primary indexes and 18 secondary indexes. The weight of each index is determined by the entropy method. The statistical results show that the construction level of the ecological garden city in Suihua City in 2016 was at a medium level. This paper analyzes the problems existing in the construction of an ecological garden city in Suihua City, Heilongjiang Province, and puts forward corresponding countermeasures to provide a reference for the construction of an ecological garden city in Suihua City.</p>

Integrated and coherent urban planning based on regional development strategies

Any modern urban community has to overview the development strategy regarding the future development. The lack of such a vision may lead to missed development opportunities, resources which are irrationally consumed, urban chaotic development. The study has been conducted with the focus on the city of Cluj, Romania but the findings are very much applicable to developing city like Riyadh. A harmonious urban development can be achieved only through an integrated approach of all the factors that influence the dynamics of the urban life: economic, environmental, social, cultural etc. This type of approach is crucial in urban design considering the problems facing cities nowadays regarding demographic variations, various economic fluctuations, lack of jobs, climate changes. According to the design regulations, sustainable planning should be based on four principles: global, functional, prospective and democratic. Urban design at regional level means practically a close collaboration at the level of sectorial policies between all municipalities in order to function as a whole. The paper discusses the urban development strategies of the Cluj-Napoca metropolitan area (sectorial strategies, strategic directions, operational programs). The project focuses on the main development problems that have arisen in Cluj-Napoca in the past decades, trying to find solutions in order to improve the quality of life; such as different infrastructure projects, redesign of urban spaces, refurbishing old building situated in historical centre etc. One of the main focuses of the paper regards is the expansion of public transportation, special attention being paid to the persons with disabilities and elderly; development of reliable and sustainable infrastructure at regional level, urban, periurban and rural areas in order to support economic development of Cluj-Napoca city. Another focus of the paper discusses the design and renovation of green spaces around the city. The research aims to be a guideline offering valuable suggestions for further urban development guides in terms of sustainable design for cities that are rapidly developing. Furthermore, it is of great relevance for the Saudi Vision 2030 regarding the sustainable cities and communities, building resilient and sustainable infrastructure in order to support economic growth, focusing on retrofitting industry and increasing resource-use efficiency.

The role of urban dispersion in rational energy usein the Islamic Republic of Iran

Introduction. Growing urbanization entails the construction of secondary and tertiary highways, buildings, development and protection of the infrastructure, aimed at improving the performance of cities; these actions are closely related to power consumption. The experience has proven that the functional planning of urban areas influences urban transportation. Therefore, the link between urban dispersion and types of transportation has turned into one of arguable points. Uncontrollable and spontaneous urban growth, irrational nation-wide traffic and area planning boost the daily use of cars in the cities. Therefore, the study of the factors that influence suburban sprawl can influence the reduction in the number of urban cars. On the whole, suburban sprawl in Iran increases the distance between home and workplace, shopping malls and entertainment centres, and influences the use of personal vehicles and motorcycles. And it can pollute urban air and generate urban heat islands.
 Materials and methods. The co-authors have taken advantage of the official statistics, examination findings, geographical maps, draft master plans for cities, integrated transportation plans, plans of engineering and communication infrastructures.
 Results. Any spontaneous expansion of cities, irrational power consumption cause inefficient use of resources and negative economic and social results. Problems of urban dispersion is a feature of the Anthropocene epoch.
 Conclusions. The co-authors employed document analysis (printed books, articles, and digital libraries). Rational energy consumption, harmonious urban development and gardening are only feasible if reliance on cars is eliminated. Also, given the development of information and communication technologies, withdrawal of cars from designs and plans of new cities in Iran may be of vital importance for the elimination of economic, social, and numerous other problems.

Accounting For Residential Real Estate In Urban Planning

Issues of conformity of the terminology used by realtors for classification of residential objects to the current legislation are considered. The potential risks and features of accounting in urban planning of non-residential objects (lofts and apartments) for permanent residence of the population are given, the features of their placement are revealed. The distribution of apartment buildings in the administrative okrugs of Moscow, a significant part of which is located within the boundaries of the Central Administrative Okrug, is shown. At the same time, apartments in the center of the capital are represented mainly by low-rise premium class houses, as moving away from the center, the number of stories and the number of premises in the buildings increase. Information about the population living in the apartments is also provided. It is established that in order to ensure the sustainable and harmonious urban development, it is necessary to monitor the real estate market and timely update the official terminology for unhindered communication with market participants.

Measuring the Spatial Allocation Rationality of Service Facilities of Residential Areas Based on Internet Map and Location-Based Service Data

The spatial allocation rationality of the service facilities of residential areas, which is affected by the scope of the population and the capacity of service facilities, is meaningful for harmonious urban development. The growth of the internet, especially Internet map and location-based service (LBS) data, provides micro-scale knowledge about residential areas. The purpose is to characterize the spatial allocation rationality of the service facilities of residential areas from Internet map and LBS data. An Internet map provides exact geographical data (e.g., points of interests (POI)) and stronger route planning analysis capability through an application programming interface (API) (e.g., route planning API). Meanwhile, LBS data collected from mobile equipment afford detailed population distribution values. Firstly, we defined the category system of service facilities and calculated the available service facilities capacity of residential areas (ASFC-RA) through a scrappy algorithm integrated with the modified cumulative opportunity measure model. Secondly, we used Thiessen polygon spatial subdivision to gain the population distribution capacity of residential areas (PDC-RA) from Tencent LBS data at the representative moment. Thirdly, we measured the spatial allocation rationality of service facilities of residential areas (SARSF-RA) by combining ASFC-RA and PDC-RA. In this case, a trial strip census, consisting of serval urban residential areas from Wuxi City, Jiangsu Province, is selected as research area. Residential areas have been grouped within several ranges according to their SARSF-RA values. Different residential areas belong to different groups, even if they are spatially contiguous. Spatial locations and other investigation information coordinate with these differences. Those results show that the method that we proposed can express the micro-spatial allocation rationality of different residential areas dramatically, which provide a new data lens for various researchers and applications, such as urban residential areas planning and service facilities allocation.

The terrain of urbanisation process and policy frameworks: A critical analysis of the Kampala experience

AbstractKampala is urbanising in an unplanned manner, but without a clear picture of the underlying dynamics. The city is characterised by lack of proper zoning of economic activities and construction of physical infrastructure without regard to subsequent spatial quality and environmental conservation. Consequently, there are sharp differences in residential standards where expensive housing and luxury flats co-exist with shanty towns and informal settlements, with about 60% of the city’s population living in unplanned informal settlements and often faced with challenges of unemployment. The unprecedented increase in the urban population in Kampala and the prospects for further increases in the near future have economic and social implications concerning employment, housing, education and health, among others. Understanding the nature of the dynamics of the growth or decline of cities like Kampala helps planners to support the processes that lead to harmonious urban development and to deal with the negat...

Spatiotemporal measurement of urbanization levels based on multiscale units: A case study of the Bohai Rim Region in China

Urbanization is a complex process reflecting the growth, formation and development of cities and their systems. Measuring regional urbanization levels within a long time series may ensure healthy and harmonious urban development. Based on DMSP/OLS nighttime light data, a human—computer interactive boundary correction method was used to obtain information about built-up urban areas in the Bohai Rim region from 1992 to 2012. Consequently, a method was proposed and applied to measure urbanization levels using four measurement scale units: administrative division, land-sea location, terrain feature, and geomorphological types. Our conclusions are: 1) The extraction results based on DMSP/OLS nighttime light data showed substantial agreement with those obtained using Landsat TM/ETM+ data on spatial patterns. The overall accuracy was 97.70% on average, with an average Kappa of 0.79, indicating that the results extracted from DMSP/OLS nighttime light data were reliable and could well reflect the actual status of built-up urban areas. 2) Bohai Rim’s urbanization level has increased significantly, demonstrating a high annual growth rate from 1998 to 2006. Areas with high urbanization levels have relocated evidently from capital to coastal cities. 3) The distribution of built-up urban areas showed a certain degree of zonal variation. The urbanization level was negatively correlated with relief amplitude and altitude. A high level of urbanization was found in low altitude platforms and low altitude plains, with a gradual narrowing of the gap between these two geomorphological types. 4) The measurement method presented in this study is fast, convenient, and incorporates multiple perspectives. It would offer various directions for urban construction and provide reference values for measuring national-level urbanization.

Impact of land-use change on ecosystem service values and their effects under different intervention scenarios in Fuzhou City, China

In this paper, substitution cost methods and prevention cost methods were used to estimate the influence of construction land on the ecosystem service value (ESV). Then, the total ESV was adjusted by the influence. The results showed that the ESV of Fuzhou City dropped from 105, 061.53 million Yuan in 1986 to 103, 916.53 million Yuan in 2006, mainly due to the degradation of cropland and water body and the increase of construction land. Water supply and waste treatment were the two largest ecosystem services, contributing approximately 35% of the total ecosystem service in both years. On the basis of land-use transition matrix, the compartment theory was applied to simulating landuse spatial pattern dynamics under different artificial intervention scenarios. The results showed that if we maintain or increase the existing intensity of interference, the total ESV of Fuzhou City will decrease by 58.13 million Yuan per year or 122.99 million Yuan per year, respectively; if we reduce the existing intensity of interference, the total ESV will increase by 52.38 million Yuan per year. In addition, the total ESV will decrease by 4.84 million Yuan for each 10% increase in the speed of the urbanisation process. We can conclude that the disordered expansion of construction lands and imbalance of ecological lands are main problems impeding the harmonious urban development. Given the similar social environment across the Chinese mainland, the findings from our study have important implications for the sustainable development of other rising cities in China and beyond.

POTENTIAL URBAN DEVELOPMENT PARAMETERS THAT REDUCE ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN RESIDENTIAL AREA

Cities are relatively the larger energy consumers in comparison to its rural counterparts. Reducing energy consumption in cities through various controlling strategies has significant impact on the conservation of natural resources and environment. Residential density and floor area to land ratio has been used as key parameters in development control tools towards creating harmonious urban development. However no attempt has been made to employ them to lower residential energy consumption. This study attempts to demonstrate the possibility of using residential density and floor area to land ratio as passive parameters to reduce non-transportation energy consumption at household level. The analysis was based on questionnaire survey of nontransportation energy consumption viz. energy for lighting, thermal comfort and cooking purposes at household level in Bandung City, Indonesia. The result shows that non-transportation energy consumption perceptibly associates with the two parameters of development control with a u-shape pattern i.e. the correlation has one lowest point with higher trends at both ends. This finding is important for urban planners in formulating strategies towards lower consumption of non-transportation energy in tropical cities and consequently contributing to better-off urban environment.

POTENTIAL URBAN DEVELOPMENT PARAMETERS THAT REDUCE ENERGY CONSUMPTION IN RESIDENTIAL AREA

Cities are relatively the larger energy consumers in comparison to its rural counterparts. Reducing energy consumption in cities through various controlling strategies has significant impact on the conservation of natural resources and environment. Residential density and floor area to land ratio has been used as key parameters in development control tools towards creating harmonious urban development. However no attempt has been made to employ them to lower residential energy consumption. This study attempts to demonstrate the possibility of using residential density and floor area to land ratio as passive parameters to reduce non-transportation energy consumption at household level. The analysis was based on questionnaire survey of nontransportation energy consumption viz. energy for lighting, thermal comfort and cooking purposes at household level in Bandung City, Indonesia. The result shows that non-transportation energy consumption perceptibly associates with the two parameters of development control with a u-shape pattern i.e. the correlation has one lowest point with higher trends at both ends. This finding is important for urban planners in formulating strategies towards lower consumption of non-transportation energy in tropical cities and consequently contributing to better-off urban environment.

Palynological records of mangrove degradation around Chilka Lake, Orissa, India

The pear shaped Chilka Lake lying along the eastern coast of Orissa State, is one of the ecological and socioeconomical important wetlands of India. This open lagoon is identified as a nationally important and internationally renowned ecosystem, which harbours a range of marine, brackish and fresh water biodiversity. Palynological syntheses based on the results of investigated mid-late Holocene profiles (Balugaon, Rambha, Nalabana, Dangmal, Solari, Chandrapur, Geokhala, Bhowania) are compared with the upper part of core CHI-9 encompassing period of 13,000 years. It has been observed from the pollen record that tropical dense mangrove forest thriving luxuriantly during early Holocene has decreased considerably with the passage of time.
 The present mangrove ecosystem, though more restricted, is fairly stable with maintenance of conserved mangrove forests in protected prograding bays in Mahanadi delta and in estuaries kept open by adequate river flow. However, siltation, eutrophication and industrial development are major threatening factors affecting the sensitivity of lake resulting in shrinkage and total disappearance of surrounding vegetation. It has been indicated that certain metals, such as Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, V, Zn As, Pb, Cd are responsible for the environmental stress of the ecosystem which are continuously incorporated by the use of fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture. There should be an appeal and educational effort to stop the destruction and fragmentation of mangroves. The planned eco-friendly rehabilitation of mangroves, along with harmonious urban development and industrialization is required in order to restore the past glory of Chilka Lake.