Higher Development Density Research Articles

Mapping of Indices of Slum and Informal Housing Development in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria

Slums and informal housing developments in Akure are growing at an unprecedented rate. It is on this basis that this work sets out to map out the indices of slum and informal housing development in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. High-resolution satellite data, as well as primary and secondary data, were used in the study. Based on collected data, ArcGIS 10.3.1 software was used to prepare a base map showing the existing land use, built up area in 1986, 2002, and 2018, and indices of slums, or informal housing in Akure. The indices were rated on a scale of 1–5 and the results obtained revealed that socio-economic indices [housing shortage, lack of affordable housing, high incidences of urban poverty, high incidences of rural or urban–urban migration and unemployment], institutional indices [poor enforcement of planning laws, unclear regulation and long procedures for building plan approvals, and lack of planning/development plans], political indices [inadequate provision of sites and services, tenure insecurity and eviction, and poor resettlement programme by the government] and environmental indices [high density of development and overcrowding, inadequate neighbourhood facilities and services, and inadequate sanitation] are most significant in the core and peripheral areas of Akure. The study recommends slum upgrading programmes oriented to the betterment of the current conditions of slum households and neighbourhoods and formal housing aimed at securing access to adequate housing for all, in particular the most vulnerable, promoting affordable and safe solutions and inclusive housing finance systems.

Mapping of Indices of Slum and Informal Housing Development in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria

Slums and informal housing developments in Akure are growing at an unprecedented rate. It is on this basis that this work sets out to map out the indices of slum and informal housing development in Akure, Ondo State, Nigeria. High-resolution satellite data, as well as primary and secondary data, were used in the study. Based on collected data, ArcGIS 10.3.1 software was used to prepare a base map showing the existing land use, built up area in 1986, 2002, and 2019, and indices of slums, or informal housing in Akure. The indices were rated on a scale of 1–5 and the results obtained revealed that socio-economic indices [housing shortage, lack of affordable housing, high incidences of urban poverty, high incidences of rural or urban–urban migration and unemployment], institutional indices [poor enforcement of planning laws, unclear regulation and long procedures for building plan approvals, and lack of planning/development plans], political indices [inadequate provision of sites and services, tenure insecurity and eviction, and poor resettlement programme by the government] and environmental indices [high density of development and overcrowding, inadequate neighbourhood facilities and services, and inadequate sanitation] are most significant in the core and peripheral areas of Akure. The study recommends slum upgrading programmes oriented to the betterment of the current conditions of slum households and neighbourhoods and formal housing aimed at securing access to adequate housing for all, in particular the most vulnerable, promoting affordable and safe solutions and inclusive housing finance systems.

Deck-Access Housing in High-Density Downtown Areas: The Example of Paris

Deck-Access Housing in High-Density Downtown Areas: The Example of Paris Increase in building density is one of the key methods of preventing uncontrolled urban sprawl. On the other hand, especially in the case of residential housing, high density entails a number of functional and spatial challenges that the current typologies are not able to fully describe. As a consequence, they transform, mix with each other, and often find new applications, different from their modernist prototypes. Such is the case of applying access decks layouts in contemporary residential buildings in high density downtown areas. This research study, using contemporary French designs as an example, attempts to characterise this type of development against the backdrop of the source modernist typology. The research area encompasses the central districts of Paris due to their extremely high density of development. The analysis of professional literature and available publications was adopted as a research method. In the course of the research, a number of common features in the analysed buildings was noted which may indicate a significant typological distinctiveness. Moreover, it was established that such structures may constitute a valuable supplement to the existing typology of residential buildings, especially if the ground floors feature functions with significant spatial requirements and if plots characterised by unfavourable shape or dimensions are being developed.

Methods for estimating sediment during tunneling using a mechanized tunneling

Currently, with the development of many cities, the need for transport infrastructure is increasing. Since the free ground space in urban environments is limited, the most effective and efficient exit is the construction of underground structures. Currently, new underground construction projects are being developed in conditions of high density of development, and in many cases in areas where ancient structures and buildings of historical value are located. The effectiveness of design solutions for the protection of objects in the zone of tunneling depends on the accuracy and reliability of methods that assess the impact of factors that have a negative impact. Moreover, if the station complexes are often built in areas with minimal impact on the surrounding buildings, and their construction is carried out by means of small mechanization and small visits, then the construction of tunnels, in the zone of their influence can get buildings of historical and cultural value. The authors of the article have considered both the causes of sediment and empirical, analytical and numerical methods for their evaluation. In particular, among the analytical methods, the method developed in MIIT and based on the reciprocity theorem was distinguished. The article also compares the calculation results for precipitation method Yu.A. Limanowa and calculation in program complex PLAXIS. In the end, the authors give conclusions based on the analysis of all the above methods, as well as recommendations for reducing sediment during tunneling with the use of tunnel mechanized complexes.

Conservation of wildlife populations: factoring in incremental disturbance.

Progressive anthropogenic disturbance can alter ecosystem organization potentially causing shifts from one stable state to another. This potential for ecosystem shifts must be considered when establishing targets and objectives for conservation. We ask whether a predator–prey system response to incremental anthropogenic disturbance might shift along a disturbance gradient and, if it does, whether any disturbance thresholds are evident for this system. Development of linear corridors in forested areas increases wolf predation effectiveness, while high density of development provides a safe‐haven for their prey. If wolves limit moose population growth, then wolves and moose should respond inversely to land cover disturbance. Using general linear model analysis, we test how the rate of change in moose (Alces alces) density and wolf (Canis lupus) harvest density are influenced by the rate of change in land cover and proportion of land cover disturbed within a 300,000 km2 area in the boreal forest of Alberta, Canada. Using logistic regression, we test how the direction of change in moose density is influenced by measures of land cover change. In response to incremental land cover disturbance, moose declines occurred where <43% of land cover was disturbed; in such landscapes, there were high rates of increase in linear disturbance and wolf density increased. By contrast, moose increases occurred where >43% of land cover was disturbed and wolf density declined. Wolves and moose appeared to respond inversely to incremental disturbance with the balance between moose decline and wolf increase shifting at about 43% of land cover disturbed. Conservation decisions require quantification of disturbance rates and their relationships to predator–prey systems because ecosystem responses to anthropogenic disturbance shift across disturbance gradients.

Evaluating environmental implications of density: A comparative case study on the relationship between density, urban block typology and sky exposure

Abstract This study is an exploration of the relationship between density, built form typologies and their respective environmental qualities. A methodology was proposed to facilitate the investigation of the environmental implications of density and the search of alternative built form typologies with good environmental performance potential that can be further explored in the context of high density development. The utility of the proposed methodology was demonstrated through a preliminary case study on several representative urban blocks and residential precincts by focusing on one environmental performance variable, i.e. exposure to the sky. The results indicate that the existing environmental performances as indicated by facade and ground level sky exposure vary across the representative built form typologies under study. Moreover, the performances of the cases selected react differently to variation of density due to increase of building height. The differences in existing performances and sensitivities to density variation between the cases investigated in relation to their built form are discussed. The findings suggest that, when targeting at higher development density, the proposed methodology can assist planners and urban designers in their search for alternative urban block typologies that provide different spatial configurations with equally good or even better environmental performance.

The Role of the Skywalk System in the Development of Hong Kong’s Central Business District

Notwithstanding arguments claiming that direct interpersonal business contacts have been decreased due to widespread use of efficient telecommunication technologies, we can still easily find the greatest concentration of offices, the largest vehicular and pedestrian traffic, and the highest density of tallest buildings in the central business district (CBD) of many cities. Because of high functional diversity and development density, the CBD of Hong Kong has an extensive network of pedestrian facilities, including street-level, elevated and underground passages, linking many commercial buildings to accommodate the amazingly high flows of pedestrians, particularly during the daytime of weekdays. In this study, I firstly examine the spatial pattern of the CBD skywalk network in Hong Kong. Using data collected from pedestrian counts on the skywalks during weekdays, I then quantitatively analyze the pedestrian flow patterns characterizing commuting and business trips within the skywalk network, as well as exploring the relationship between these patterns and connected structure. As evident from the extensive connections and dense pedestrian flows, this study concludes that Hong Kong’s skywalk system with growing spatial extent successfully draws in a enormous amount of business people from further parts of the CBD, and thus facilitates the internal face-to-face interactions in the area. Different from other North American cities, the extensive CBD skywalk system in Hong Kong has largely attributed to its limited developable space and thus high density of development especially in the heart core of the city.

Electro‐acoustic architecture: Is it Green?

Electro‐acoustic architecture systems offer a means of changing the acoustic properties of a room electronically. They are an alternative to physically variable acoustics, where acoustic properties are changed by retractable curtains and doors opening to reverberant chambers, etc. This paper will address the question of whether electro‐acoustic systems are a Green alternative to physically variable acoustics. In order to have a reverberation time appropriate for symphonic music, a room must have a large cubic volume and hard heavy surfaces. In contrast, in a room with an electro‐acoustic system, the physical reverberation time is desired to be low even at low frequencies. Therefore, the cubic volume can be low and surfaces can be made of a lightweight material over an airspace. This affects the amount of energy needed to deliver materials, construct the building, and operate HVAC and lighting systems. A lower volume building means less pollution and waste during construction, and allows for more open space around the building, and/or higher development density. Electro‐acoustic systems can easily be designed as a renovation, thus recycling existing buildings. Case studies will be reviewed demonstrating these issues.

The disposal of the Hong Kong land stock under the Sino-British Joint Declaration

Land supply in Hong Kong was restricted to 50 hectares (ha) per annum according to the Sino-British Joint Declaration in 1984. Such restriction was in force until the handover of Hong Kong to China in June 1997. This study examines the implications of such restriction on government land sales policy over the period when the restriction was in place. Using analytical tools for the depletion of an exhaustible natural resource, we can estimate an 'optimal control path' for land disposal in Hong Kong. This can then be compared to the 50 ha limit. Our analysis suggests that the 50 ha limit is far below the optimum. This implies serious dissipation of wealth, which is not in the interest of the Hong Kong government and the central government of China. The implication is that the Hong Kong government will try to minimize wealth dissipation by adjusting its land sales policy. Given the 50 ha restriction, this can be achieved by (a) selling land lots with higher development density and (b) negotiating with the Sino-British Land Commission to relax the 50 ha limit from time to time. Both implications are consistent with empirical observations. The increase in the planned land supply when the 50 ha restrict was removed in mid-1997 further confirms our analysis.