Impact Of Urban Areas Research Articles

Energy poverty and household development resilience: Household level evidence from China

Energy poverty is a significant challenge facing sustainable human development and a key constraining factor for household development. Based on theoretical analysis, this study utilizes data from the Chinese Family Panel Studies (CFPS) conducted from 2012 to 2020 to analyze the impact of energy poverty on household development resilience and explore its underlying mechanisms through the Bootstrap method. The findings reveal the following: Firstly, energy poverty significantly reduces household development resilience, and this conclusion remains robust after addressing endogeneity issues and conducting a series of robustness tests. Secondly, energy poverty restricts household development by compromising health, educational levels, and internet access. Thirdly, the constraining effect of energy poverty on household development resilience exhibits heterogeneity, with a stronger impact in urban areas than rural areas and in eastern regions than central and western regions. Fourthly, further analysis suggests that the use of solid fuels significantly reduces household development resilience, whereas the utilization of clean energy facilitates the enhancement of household development resilience. This study provides important policy implications for addressing energy poverty and promoting long-term household development, serving as a reference for other developing countries.

Population density and receipt of care for common mental disorders: a cross-sectional analysis of English household data from the 2014 Adult Psychiatric Morbidity Survey

ObjectivesPeople living in less urban areas in the UK may have reduced access to mental healthcare compared with people in urban areas. Although this was not reported in the 2000...

Evaluation of landscape sustainability of protected areas and identification of its correlation factors: a case study of Beijing, China

ContextProtected areas (PAs) serve as robust safeguards for the ecological safety of urban areas, and positively affect their socioeconomic development. However, limited research that integrates both ecological and socioeconomic aspects to evaluate the role of PAs.ObjectivesIn this study, we aimed to establish an evaluation framework for PAs that applies the concept of landscape sustainability and integrates ecological and socioeconomic functions to enhance understanding of the role of PAs. Additionally, we aimed to develop analytical framework for identifying the correlation elements of landscape sustainability of protected areas (PA-LS) and improving the understanding of the mechanisms underlying PAs.MethodsThis study focused on 38 PAs in Beijing, China. We established the PA-LS evaluation framework to evaluate the role of PAs by analyzing changes in their overall landscape services from 2000 to 2019, and in ecological and socioeconomic functions. Subsequently, an analytical framework was established to identify the correlation factors of PA-LS, focusing on four aspects: the fundamental characteristics of PAs, landscape patterns of PAs, impact of urban areas on PAs, and human well-being within a 5 km buffer of PAs.ResultsThe landscape sustainability evaluation of Beijings’ PAs revealed that 30 PAs (78.95% of the total) were strongly sustainable, eight (21.05%) were weakly sustainable, and none unsustainable. The results revealed that there was a positive correlation between several factors and PA-LS, including the density of the road network within a 1 km buffer of the PAs and the economic income and employment rate within a 5 km buffer of the PAs. Conversely, there was a negative correlation between one factor and PA-LS, its the distance between PAs and the urban center. Other factors, such as the category, area, classification of PAs, SHDI (ecological land), ED, LPI (forest) of PAs, and population density and residents’ health within a 5 km buffer of the PAs, were unrelated to PA-LS.ConclusionsThis study established a PA-LS evaluation framework and its correlation factor analytical framework, which significantly contributes to enhancing the value cognition of PAs and enriching landscape-sustainability evaluation methods. Furthermore, the study provides valuable support and serves as a reference for the conservation and management of PAs in Beijing and similar metropolitan cities.

The Role of Economic Investments in Mitigating Poverty Across Urban and Rural Kazakhstan

This study employed a comprehensive analytical approach to examine the relationships between investments in healthcare, education, and other economic sectors and their impact on poverty levels in Kazakhstan in urban and rural contexts, allowing for nuanced insights into the differential impacts of investments across these settings. The analysis was structured around evaluating correlations, regression modeling, and ANOVA tests to assess the significance of the observed relationships. Results revealed significant positive correlations between investments in healthcare and education and poverty reduction, with these investments demonstrating a powerful impact in urban areas. Investments in other economic sectors, such as agriculture, industry, and construction, also showed correlations with poverty levels, underscoring the importance of integrated investment strategies. However, regional disparities in investment impacts were evident, highlighting the need for tailored approaches to address the unique challenges and opportunities in specific areas of Kazakhstan. Notably, the study identified particular regions requiring more focused attention due to fluctuations in sectoral contributions to the Gross Regional Product (GRP), variations in investment levels, and the distinct challenges rural areas face. The findings support the hypotheses that investments in healthcare and education significantly affect poverty reduction, with implications for policymakers and regional development strategies.

River Sediments Downstream of Villages in a Karstic Watershed Exhibited Increased Numbers and Higher Diversity of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria

The impact of residential villages on the nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in streams flowing through them has not been studied in detail. Water and sediments of streams are highly susceptible to anthropogenic inputs such as surface water flows. This study investigated the impact of seven residential villages in a karst watershed on the prevalence and species spectrum of NTM in water and sediments. Higher NTM species diversity (i.e., 19 out of 28 detected) was recorded downstream of the villages and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) compared to sampling sites upstream (i.e., 5). Significantly, higher Zn and lower silicon concentrations were detected in sediments inside the village and downstream of the WWTP’s effluents. Higher phosphorus concentration in sediment was downstream of WWTPs compared to other sampling sites. The effluent from the WWTPs had a substantial impact on water quality parameters with significant increases in total phosphorus, anions (Cl–and N-NH3–), and cations (Na+ and K+). The results provide insights into NTM numbers and species diversity distribution in a karst watershed and the impact of urban areas. Although in this report the focus is on the NTM, it is likely that other water and sediment microbes will be influenced as well.Graphical

Green Gardening Practices Among Urban Botanists: Using the Value-Belief-Norm Model

Recently, the increase in urbanization has momentously intensified the climate issues in urban centres. A large number of the population is vulnerable to climate change living in urban areas all over the world. The decline in agricultural activities leads to food insecurity in urban areas. Urban gardening is promoted as a viable option to achieve food security and help reduce the climate impact in urban areas. Urban gardening can help reduce the carbon footprint, curtail food production’s time and distribution costs, and offer food security and safety. Urban agriculture can be categorized as sustainable as it has economic, social, and climate impacts. The value-belief-norm framework is utilized to evaluate green gardening intentions and practices. The online survey collected cross-sectional data from 1,721 urban respondents in Malaysia. Based on the data analysis performed with structural equation modelling partial least square regression (SEM-PLS), it was found that the biospheric, egoistic, and altruistic values significantly influenced the new environmental paradigm. The environmental paradigm, awareness of consequences, and ascription of responsibility have significant positive effects on personal norms to engage in green gardening. The green trust and personal norms promote green gardening intention, subsequently leading to green gardening practices. A community-level effort is required to mitigate the climate change issue caused by urbanization and address food availability problems. Civic administration and residents should work together to protect the green spaces in urban centres, which promotes public well-being.

Nursing Interventions to Reduce Health Risks from Climate Change Impact in Urban Areas: A Scoping Review Protocol

Considering that the public health sector has been considered as a key stakeholder in climate action, it seems important to understand what interventions are carried out globally by trusted professionals such as nurses engaged in health promotion and environmental health in optimizing the health of individuals, families, and communities toward the dissemination of lifestyle decarbonization and guidance on healthier climate-related choices. The objective of this review was to understand the extent and type of evidence related to the community-based interventions of nurses that are being led or have been implemented thus far with the aim of reducing the health risks from climate change impact in urban areas. The present protocol follows the JBI methodological framework. Databases to be searched include PubMed, MEDLINE complete, CINAHL, Scopus, Embase, Web of Science, SciELO (Scientific Electronic Library Online), and BASE (Bielefeld Academic Search Engine). Hand searched references were also considered for inclusion. This review will include quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods studies from 2008 onwards. Systematic reviews, text, opinion papers, and the gray literature in English and Portuguese were also considered. Mapping the nurse led interventions or those that have been implemented thus far in urban areas may lead to further reviews that may help identify the best practices and gaps within the field. The results are presented in tabular format alongside a narrative summary.

Livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus epidemiology, genetic diversity, and clinical characteristics in an urban region.

While Livestock-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (LA-MRSA), defined as CC398, is a well-known pathogen among those working with livestock, there are indications that LA-MRSA prevalence among the general population is increasing. However, the clinical impact in urban areas remains unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the genetic epidemiology and clinical characteristics of LA-MRSA in an urban area with a limited livestock population. In this retrospective study, we evaluated LA-MRSA strains that were collected between 2014 and 2018 from patients who received clinical care in a single urban area in Netherlands. Patient files were assessed for livestock exposure data, clinical findings, and contact tracing information. Next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis in combination with wgMLST was conducted to assess genetic diversity and relatedness and to detect virulence and resistance genes. LA-MRSA strains were cultured from 81 patients, comprising 12% of all the MRSA strains found in seven study laboratories between 2014 and 2018. No livestock link was found in 76% of patients (n = 61), and 28% of patients (n = 23) had an infection, mostly of the skin or soft tissue. Contact tracing had been initiated in 14 cases, leading to the identification of two hospital transmissions: a cluster of 9 cases and one of 2 cases. NGS data were available for 91% (n = 75) of the patients. wgMLST confirmed the clusters detected via contact tracing (n = 2) and identified 5 additional clusters without a known epidemiological link. Relevant resistance and virulence findings included the PVL virulence gene (3 isolates) and tetracycline resistance (79 isolates). LA-MRSA may cause a relevant burden of disease in urban areas. Surprisingly, most infections in the present study occurred in the absence of a livestock link, suggesting inter-human transmission. These findings and the presence of PVL and other immune evasive complex virulence genes warrant future surveillance and preventative measures.

Application of Landsat-8 OLI/TIRS to assess the Urban Heat Island (UHI)

Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomenon is a particular climate change impact in urban areas that can trigger adverse effects on environmental conditions. This effect is usually worsened by increasing anthropogenic activities. While the impact of UHI has mostly been studied in metropolitans around the world, few studies are presented investigating the outcome in mid-sized cities. This study aims to assess spatial distribution of Urban Heat Island (UHI) in Bogor city, Indonesia, by utilizing thermal data (Band-10) from Landsat-8 OLI/TIRS. The Landsat imagery was acquired in May 2021, in the beginning of the dry season. The result of study shows Land Surface Temperature (LST) values ranged from 26.23 to 33.76°C, with an average temperature of 31.29°C, while the range of NDVI was between 0.08 to 0.55. Further, the correlation between Land Surface Temperature (LST) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was calculated to investigate the relationship between vegetation density and surface temperature condition for examining the outlook and possibilities to minimize the impact of UHI through improving vegetal conditions. A negative correlation suggests that expanding vegetation coverage can reduce urban heat island impacts by 35%, and other factors influence the rest. The land surface temperature threshold to determine UHI is 32.01°C, so the UHI area was identified at ca. 13.12 km2 around the city centre.

Evaluating the impact of new trends in urban freight transportation attending the triple bottom line: A case study

Urban freight transportation is considered one of the activities that has the greatest impact on urban areas in terms of sustainability and livability, therefore, new trends are emerging to reduce its impacts. However, there is a lack of methodologies to evaluate and validate the implementation of these trends. In this context, the proposed methodology presents the implementation of three KPIs attending the triple bottom line approach, which look at impacts from the social, environmental, and economic perspectives. This methodology is tested on a case study and the results conclude that the implementation of new trends in UFT can reduce its impact in urban areas.

Home Delivery Trip Generation Model

Abstract As a result of online shopping’s rapid development, more goods and services are being delivered directly into residences. The number of people who shop online using e-commerce platforms also increases with the Covid-19 pandemic and causes an increase in freight trip generation. This research aims to analyze the factors that affect freight trip generation and develop a freight trip generation model for home deliveries. Data collection is done using questionnaires with 273 people who reside in Jabodetabek as samples to understand the individual characteristics, household characteristics, and the number of freight trips generated by each residential unit. Collected data is analyzed using the multiple linear regression method into a multiple linear regression model. The result shows on multiple linear regression modeling only the home type, household income, and the number of vehicles have significance towards the model. This research can be used by city transportation authorities as a reference to predict the impact of urban area’s development on freight trip generation.

Seroprevalence of Chagas disease in urban and rural indigenous populations of the south of Gran Chaco.

ABSTRACTBackground: In Latin America, Chagas disease is endemic, with a high prevalence in rural indigenous communities and an increasing prevalence in urban areas owing to migration from rural areas with active vector transmission. This study aimed to assess differences in the prevalence of Chagas disease in urban and rural moqoit communities, one of the main ethnic indigenous groups in the south of Gran Chaco.Methods: A seroprevalence study was conducted in six moqoit populations in the Santa Fe province, Argentina. The variables studied were serology results for Chagas disease, residents of urban or rural areas, age, and sex.Results: The results showed that 9.26% of the 702 volunteers evaluated and 18.32% of the 131women of childbearing potential were seropositive. According to the calculated prevalence ratio, the prevalence of Chagas disease in urban communities was6.41 (95% confidence inverval: 3.73-11.02) times higher than that in rural communities: 21.59% in urban communities vs. 3.37%in rural communities. Conclusions: The seroprevalence found in the moqoit community was higher than the estimated level for the general population of the same region, with a greater impact in urban areas than in rural areas. The urbanization of groups of people with poor socio-sanitary conditions in the second half of the 20th century could have caused this higher seroprevalence of Chagas disease.

The economic impact of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the Taiwanese food industry: Empirical evidence using business transaction data

AbstractA rapidly growing literature examines the impacts of COVID‐19 on consumer spending and business operations. However, little is yet known about its effects on the food industry. We contribute to this topic by quantifying the effects of COVID‐19 on the Taiwanese food industry, including food manufacturing, wholesale, retail and service sectors. Using administrative data on the business transactions of food industry firms in Taiwan with a difference‐in‐differences model, we find that COVID‐19 reduced the total sales value of the food industry by 24%. However, the negative effects are unequally distributed among different sectors of the food industry. The negative effect is more pronounced in the food manufacturing sector. We also find a substantial impact in urban areas, high‐income areas and areas with a larger proportion of elderly population. Compared to most of the countries that implemented mandatory lockdowns to cope with COVID‐19, Taiwan maintained good control over the pandemic in 2020. The mobility of Taiwanese residents is much higher than those of other countries with severe infection rates. However, we show that there are still significant economic impacts on the food industry in Taiwan.

Do Pet Cats Deserve the Disproportionate Blame for Wildlife Predation Compared to Pet Dogs?

Concerns about the impact of pet dogs and cats on native wildlife populations have shaped pet control legislation, despite there being scant research of their impact in urban areas. Using an online questionnaire, we obtained data from 662 Australian dog and cat owners who had observed their pets capture prey in the previous 6 months. Of the pets observed to catch prey, dogs caught a median of 2 mammals, 2 birds, 2 reptiles, and 3 amphibians, whereas cats caught a median of 3 mammals, 2 birds, 4 reptiles, and 2 amphibians. Of mammals caught by dogs and cats, 88 and 93%, respectively, were identifiable as introduced mice, rats, and rabbits. Of pets that caught prey, a substantial proportion caught native animals (62% of dogs and 47% of cats). However, median numbers of native animals caught per dog (2) or cat (3) over 6 months were low. Small skinks and lizards comprised the greatest proportion for dogs and cats, but dogs also caught larger native prey (e.g., possums, kangaroos, and wallabies). Most birds caught by dogs and cats were common or introduced (dogs: crested pigeons and lorikeets; cats: noisy miners and rosellas). To design measures that will effectively protect Australia's native wildlife, thorough understanding of the role dogs and cats play in Australian urban ecosystems is required. These findings can inform that understanding, and assist with development of management strategies for urban dogs and cats, and as well as directing resources to efforts that will most protect urban wildlife.

Carbon Footprint of Residents’ Housing Consumption and Its Driving Forces in China

A large population size and rapid economic growth have resulted in a huge amount of housing consumption in China. Therefore, it is critical to identify the determinants of housing carbon footprint (CF) and prepare appropriate carbon mitigation measures. By employing the IPCC accounting method, input-output analysis and the stochastic impacts by regression on population, affluence, and technology (STIRPAT) model, this study aims to study the spatio-temporal patterns and identify the driving factors of housing CF. The results show that regional disparities and urban-rural differences existed during the period 2012–2017. The results of the extended STIRPAT model show that population scale and energy consumption per unit building area are the two dominant contributors to the housing CF increments in all areas. While, family size only shows significant negative impact in eastern and western regions, the per capita disposable income only induces higher housing CF in rural areas, and energy structure had a remarkable positive impact in urban area of western region and all rural areas. Policy recommendations are proposed to mitigate the overall housing CF, including; controlling population growth and promoting urbanization benefits; encouraging green consumption; optimizing household energy consumption structure, and; enhancing residential building energy management.

Optimal design of electric mobility services for a Local Energy Community

The integration of electric mobility with energy systems based on renewable sources represents one of the main pillars of sustainable cities and, in particular, of Local Energy Communities. This leads to reduce the environmental impact in urban areas and contributes to the implementation of the microgrid concept. Electric mobility services mainly include the use of electric buses, car sharing, bike sharing, and e-scooters. The aforesaid services fit well with university campuses where the transportation demand is considerable and sustainability is a challenging target. In this framework, the present paper aims to propose a methodology to optimally define and design electric services for a Local Energy Community which takes energy from a microgrid based on the exploitation of renewable energy sources and storage systems. The study considers the application of the proposed methodology, based on a mixed-integer linear programming model, to a university campus in Italy. Starting from the analysis of the results of a survey created to identify the needs of end-users, the model determines the optimal configuration of the electric mobility system made of shuttles, cars and bikes as well as charging points. The optimization model also investigates the opportunity of upgrading the set of renewable energy and storage technologies present in the microgrid of the campus to which the electric mobility infrastructures will be connected. In the paper some different scenarios are analyzed in order to compare the proposed electric mobility services from the technical and economic point of view, referring to the considered case study.

Research on the Impact of Foreign Direct Investment on the Economic Growth of the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomerations

Yang, Y., 2020. Research on the impact of foreign direct investment on the economic growth of the Yangtze River delta urban agglomerations. In: Liu, X. and Zhao, L. (eds.), Today's Modern Coastal Society: Technical and Sociological Aspects of Coastal Research. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 111, pp. 314–316. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.Using panel data at the city level from 2005 to 2017, this article empirically studies the impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) on economic growth in coastal city clusters in the Yangtze River delta urban agglomerations. The study found that FDI can significantly improve the economic growth of the Yangtze River delta urban agglomeration, labor force, foreign trade, and financial level; residents' education level can also increase economic growth. However, the impact of urban area and the number of industrial enterprises on economic growth are not significant. The same conclusion can be reached in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration. The difference is that the higher the proportion of the primary and the secondary industries in the Yangtze River delta urban agglomeration, the higher the proportion of tertiary industry that is not conducive to economic growth. The proportion of the three major industries in the Beijing–Tianjin–Hebei urban agglomeration has no important impact on economic growth.

Вплив урбанізованої території м. Стрия на якість річкової води

Вплив урбанізованої території м. Стрия на якість річкової води

Effectiveness of SLIFA device installation for transportation sector especially on truck and bus to reduce the environmental impact in urban area of DKI Jakarta

Based on data from the Ministry of Environment (KLH), the transportation sector is the largest source of air and greenhouse gas (GHG) pollutants in urban areas followed by other sources of fine pollutant emissions such as industry, households and commercial activities. GHG emissions from the transportation sector in the city are around 23% of total GHG emissions from all sources. The aim of this study is to reduce emissions on trucks and buses by installing the Speed Limiter and Driver Fatigue Analyzer (SLIFA). The SLIFA installed on trucks and buses that is operating in the city area. The analysis of smoke level with an exhaust emission meterfor monitoring several pollutants such as Carbon Dioxide (CO2), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Nitrogen Monoxide (NOx), and Sulphur Dioxide (SO2). The average opacity index at truck SG 500 before is 22% and it wasreduced to 16.6% after SLIFA installation. The analysis in bus OH 1526 obtained that the average opacity index before is 25.11%, and after installation, it was reducedto20.17%, analysed with Fleet Management Toolkit (FMT) Air Pollutants, Particulate Matter PM10, 3,3 ton/yr sulphur Oxides Sox 3,8 ton/yr, Nitrogen NOx Oxides ton/yr, Carbon Monoxide CO 77 ton/yr, Volatile Organic compound VOCs 11 ton/yr. The data showed that the installation of SLIFA was effective inreducing the exhaust emission of the trucks and buses and These tools can be used to reduce the risk of cancer, bronchitis and so on.

INTERNALIZATION OF VALUE EDUCATION IN TEMAJUK-MELANO MALAYSIA BORDER SCHOOL

Social changes in human life make the challenges in the education world greater, like in Temajuk schools. This research used descriptive qualitative method. The results showed that; first, a boundary school in Temajuk was inseparable from the explorations carried out by the Paloh community in 1980; second, value internalization from schools in Temajuk does not play an important role if there is no collaboration among teachers, students and community. Third, obstacles in the education world which were caused by the effects of globalization era does not only give impact in urban areas or developing areas but also the boundary areas in Temajuk