Impact Of Infrastructure Research Articles

Spatial-temporal characteristics of port infrastructures on sulfur-oxide concentrations of coastal port in China

Port infrastructure is an important guarantee to support the development of shipping trade and a main link to connect shipping routes, where its construction and expansion promote economic progress whereas exacerbating regional pollution. Based on the panel data of 18 above-scale coastal ports in China from 2005 to 2020, the spatial characteristics and correlation of sulfur-oxide (SOX) concentrations are first analyzed, then the spatial Durbin model (SDM) is established to evaluate the extent of port infrastructure's impact on the concentrations, further the intermediation effects of three dimensions on the concentrations are explored. From the outcome, the influences of port infrastructures on the SOX concentrations are from decreasing the SOX concentrations through improving the operational efficiencies and increasing the SOX concentrations by adding the operational equipment, which also shows significant spatial spillover effects. In addition, the mechanical dimension as a mediation makes the trade dimension have an indirect effect on the SOX concentrations. This paper employs a spatial econometric model to analyze panel data from 18 coastal ports and ports of higher tiers in China, spanning from 2005 to 2020. It uncovers the intricate mechanism by which port infrastructure influences SOX concentration, thus providing a scientific foundation and decision support for environmental protection and sustainable port development.

A geographic-semantic context-aware urban commuting flow prediction model using graph neural network

Urban commuting flow prediction is crucial for urban planning, transportation optimization, and supply chain management. Traditional models and machine learning solutions often fall short in capturing the complex dynamics of urban mobility, overlooking factors like spatial correlation and human mobility patterns. Recent deep learning advancements have shown promise by integrating spatial correlation through incorporating geographical adjacency. However, this approach may not fully capture spatial correlation, particularly the semantic adjacency effect of zones connected via public transportation lines, such as metro networks—a novel dimension overlooked in prior research. The metro station serves as a major transit hub, attracting passengers from various origins and destinations and correlating the flow between the connected zones and other zones within the metro network. Devising an optimized model to encapsulate these spatial correlations is another crucial area of research where scientists are actively seeking the most effective solutions. We propose a novel sequential hybrid approach leveraging graph-based learning, focusing on the underexplored impact of metro networks on commuting flow prediction. Our model integrates two types of adjacency—geographic and semantic—using Graph Convolutional Networks (GCNs) to embed geographic correlations among proximate zones and Graph Attention Networks (GATs) to incorporate semantic adjacency defined by metro line connectivity. Furthermore, our approach innovatively incorporates features directly from online maps, eliminating reliance on third-party resources and enhancing scalability and efficiency. We validate our model using real-world datasets from Montreal, Canada, comprising travel surveys and GPS trajectory types, totaling nearly 900,000 trip records. Through evaluation using established performance metrics such as MAE, RMSE, MAPE, and CPC, we demonstrate significant improvement in predictive accuracy compared to existing state-of-the-art models. Our research has practical implications for urban planning and infrastructure development, aiding policymakers and urban planners in analyzing the impact of new urban infrastructure on commuting flow dynamics and facilitating informed decisions regarding transportation and infrastructure planning.

The Impact of Green Infrastructure on the Quality of Stormwater and Environmental Risk

Increasing urbanization and the associated sealing of areas and the use of storm sewer systems for drainage not only increase the risk of flooding but also reduce water quality in streams into which stormwater is discharged. Green infrastructure (GI) measures are applied with the aim of managing this stormwater sustainably and reducing the associated risks. To this end, a quantitative–qualitative approach was developed to simulate GI—namely, rain gardens, bioretention cells, and vegetative bioswales—at the urban catchment scale. The findings highlight the potential of applying GI measures to managing stormwater more effectively in urban environments and mitigating its negative pollution-related impacts. For the housing estate analyzed, a simulated implementation of GI resulted in a reduction in pollution, measured as total nitrogen (N; 9–52%), nitrate-N (5–30%), total phosphorus (11–59%), chemical oxygen demand (8–46%), total suspended solids (13–73%), copper (12–64%), zinc (Zn; 16–87%), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (16–91%), and the hydrocarbon oil index (HOI; 15–85%). Reducing the concentrations of pollutants minimizes the risk to human health determined via the HOI from a low-risk level to zero risk and reduces the ecological risk in terms of Zn pollution from a significant risk to a low risk of adverse effects. The modeling conducted clearly shows that the GI solutions implemented facilitated a quantitative reduction and a qualitative improvement in stormwater, which is crucial from an environmental perspective and ensures a sustainable approach to stormwater management. Lowering the levels of stormwater pollution through the implementation of GI will consequently lower the environmental burden of pollutants in urban areas.

Impact of Economic and Social Infrastructure and Government Final Consumption Expenditures on Economic Growth: An Evidence from Selected Asian Countries

Impact of Economic and Social Infrastructure and Government Final Consumption Expenditures on Economic Growth: An Evidence from Selected Asian Countries

An Examination of impact of infrastructure on Foreign Direct Investment: The Role of Institutional Quality in MENA Region from (2000-2020)

An Examination of impact of infrastructure on Foreign Direct Investment: The Role of Institutional Quality in MENA Region from (2000-2020)

The impact of blue-green infrastructure on trace contaminants: A catchment-wide assessment

Blue-green infrastructure (BGI) reduce urban combined sewer overflows (CSOs) and stormwater outlets (SWOs). However, most conventional BGI are not designed to remove trace organic contaminants. Little is known about the potential of conventional BGI to improve surface water quality by reducing the discharge of trace organic contaminants. We derived wash-off loads for street runoff (6PPD-q, DPG, and HMMM), construction materials (diuron), and wastewater-derived contaminants (diclofenac) based on measurements in the combined sewer system. Subsequently, the performance of four BGI types (bioretention cells, green roofs, porous pavements, and urban wetlands) to reduce the discharge of trace organic contaminants via SWOs and CSOs was quantified with a hydrodynamic SWMM model. Moreover, the catchment-wide impact of SWOs and CSOs on surface water was assessed using risk quotients. We found that the annually discharged load can be considerably reduced by implementing BGI. Among the studied BGI types, bioretention cells are the most effective, with a load reduction of up to 80% to surface waters, mainly due to a larger suitable implementation area and a substantial stormwater infiltration. BGI implemented in the separate sewer system are more effective in reducing stormwater contaminant loads than BGI in the combined system. The assessment of the risk quotient in the surface water showed that the concentrations during SWO and CSO discharges exceed the acute environmental threshold in the surface water for 6PPD-q, DPG, diuron, and diclofenac during several events. The implementation of BGI reduced the hours of exceeded risk quotient in the surface water by 93% for bioretention cells. These findings underscore the need for a catchment-wide assessment of future BGI implementations to quantify, manage, and mitigate the impacts of urban pollution.

Analyses of sea turtle landing behavior based on frequently observed coastal profile data - A case study in Enshu Coast, Japan

This study analyses sea turtle landing behavior along a 10 km sandy beach on the Enshu Coast, Japan, facing the Pacific Ocean. Data for the analysis are sea turtles' landing positions and crawl tracks recorded by a handheld GNSS device from May to September (2011–2016), noting spawning or no-spawning activity simultaneously, supplemented by weekly cross-shore beach profiles surveyed at four locations, satellite images, and other geographical data. At the onset, landing positions on the beach are visualized to determine local concentrations along the beach. Subsequently, we estimate the distance of spawning and no-spawning positions from the waterline during landing and evaluate beach stability through the temporal elevation change standard deviation. The study found that preferred spawning locations are 40–70 m from the waterline, above the intertidal zone, on bare sand, with a standard deviation of 0.1–0.6 m. This study also highlights the impact of beach infrastructure on sea turtle spawning failures and the influence of significant wave height on sea turtle landing.

Comparison of hunting site strategies of the common buzzard Buteo buteo in open landscapes and along expressways.

The expansion of human activities in their many forms increases the frequency, diversity, and scale of human-wildlife interactions. One such negative form is the expansion of road infrastructure, causing road kill and traffic-related noise as well as habitat loss and fragmentation. Even so, habitats around road infrastructure are attractive foraging areas that attract certain bird species. We assessed the impact of road infrastructure on the foraging strategies of the common buzzard Buteo buteo. Birds were observed during two winter seasons in two land-use types, along an expressway and an open agricultural landscape. Individual birds were tracked for a 10-min sequence as a separate sample was analysed. The material, covering 1,220 min along the expressway, and 1,100 min in the agricultural landscape, was collected. Time spent by buzzards on medium-height sites was higher along the expressway than in farmland. Buzzards changed their hunting sites following the mean wind speed. Also, they more often changed their sites along the expressway than in farmland. The land-use types, snow cover, and the mean wind speed mediated the number of attacks on prey. These results illustrate the high plasticity of the buzzards' behaviour, which can adapt their hunting strategies to both foraging locations (expressway and farmland) and weather conditions. Roadsides along expressways are attractive foraging areas for this diurnal raptor, so reducing the risk of vehicle collisions with this and other birds of prey may require targeted planning efforts.

Environmental Fragility in Commercial Forest Plantations Aiming at Sustainable Management

Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the environmental fragility of two landscapes in which there is a predominance of commercial forest plantations, with the aim of analyzing this fragility through multicriterial evaluation, focusing on the planning of forest roads. Theoretical Framework: The theory of environmental fragility, multi-criteria evaluation methods, and principles of landscape management stand out, providing a solid basis for understanding the context of the investigation. These frameworks are crucial for analyzing the impact of forest roads on environmental variables such as water dynamics, sediment production, and soil erodibility. The integration of these theories allows for a comprehensive assessment of environmental fragility, essential for effective forest planning and road maintenance in forested areas Method: The methodology adopted involves a multi-criteria evaluation approach to assess environmental fragility in forest landscapes. Key criteria, including slope, distance from water bodies, soil erodibility, and topographic humidity, were integrated to create fragility maps. Data were collected through geographical and environmental analysis, processed with spatial analysis tools, and supplemented by principal component analysis to identify influential criteria. This approach enabled a detailed assessment of forest roads' environmental impact, supporting informed decisions in road planning and landscape management. Results and Discussion: The results revealed notable variations in environmental fragility. The analysis of forest roads highlighted their varying impact on environmental fragility. These results are framed within the context of environmental fragility and multi-criteria evaluation, emphasizing the role of criteria such as slope, proximity to water bodies, soil erodibility, and topographic humidity in assessing landscape degradation. The study underscores the need for careful forest road planning to mitigate environmental impacts and promotes the use of comprehensive evaluation methods in sustainable landscape management. Research Implications: The practical and theoretical implications of this research are discussed, providing insights into how the results can be applied or influence practices in the field of forest management and environmental conservation. These implications could encompass forest road planning, sustainable landscape management, and the development of environmental policies aimed at mitigating the impact of infrastructure on natural ecosystems.The study's findings emphasize the need for incorporating multi-criteria evaluation methods into forest planning processes to identify and mitigate areas of high environmental fragility. This approach can guide decision-makers in prioritizing areas for road maintenance, rehabilitation, or even rerouting to minimize ecological damage. Furthermore, the research underscores the importance of integrating environmental fragility assessments into broader forest management strategies, enhancing the sustainability of commercial forestry operations while preserving essential ecosystem services. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the literature by introducing an innovative application of multi-criteria evaluation in assessing environmental fragility within forest landscapes, specifically in the context of forest road planning. The research combines various environmental criteria into a comprehensive fragility map, offering a nuanced understanding of landscape vulnerability that is less commonly addressed in existing studies. Notably, this methodology focused on forest roads has not been previously explored in the literature, highlighting the unique contribution of this research to the field.The relevance and value of this research are evidenced by its potential to influence forest management practices, particularly in the sustainable planning and maintenance of forest roads.

Evaluating the Impact of Hotel Classification on Pool Water Consumption: A Case Study from Costa Brava (Spain)

Swimming pools are key assets in the hotel industry. With climate change and water stress, more sustainable pools are needed in tourist areas. The study examines the relationship between hotel categories and the consumption of water in swimming pools in a Mediterranean coastal region facing water scarcity. The study focuses on the Costa Brava, with a focus on Lloret de Mar, a popular tourist destination. The research employs a combination of data analysis and the utilisation of evaporation models in order to estimate the consumption of water by swimming pools. The findings indicate that hotels in the higher categories, particularly those with three or four stars, contribute a notable proportion of the total water consumption due to their larger pool sizes and higher guest numbers. The study underscores the necessity for the implementation of sustainable water management strategies, particularly in the context of climate change. It recommends the utilisation of pool water-saving technologies as potential solutions. Furthermore, the paper highlights the broader environmental impact of tourism infrastructure on water resources and suggests policy measures to mitigate these effects. The research aligns with global sustainability goals such as the European Green Deal and the 2030 Agenda.

Enhancing Urban Climate Resistance Through the Application of Selected Strategies and Technologies

Adapting cities for climate resilience is crucial as climate change increases the frequency and severity of extreme weather events. This study outlines a comprehensive set of resilience strategies aimed at enhancing urban resilience across four key domains: water, food, shelter, and energy. These strategies, applicable to both new and existing neighborhoods, range from simple, short-term measures to complex, long-term initiatives. A three-pronged evaluation framework, consisting of three platforms, is introduced to assess these strategies where criteria are initially selected based on their impact on strategy adoption and implementation. This framework employs hypothetical scores and weights that can be adjusted for specific urban contexts through detailed studies. Key outcomes of the evaluation conducted in the first platform include a systematic method to rank strategies based on six criteria: cost, infrastructure impact, scalability, regulatory and zoning challenges, community acceptance, and maintenance needs. For example, community gardens and rainwater harvesting systems are highly scalable and accepted, whereas green roofs require more investment and maintenance. The second and third platform of the framework facilitate the identification of strategies that enhance resilience across each of the resilience domains, as well as across several domains. The results highlight the top-performing strategies under different weighted scenarios. Strategies like green roofs strategy scores high in domains like water management, due to its capacity to absorb and manage stormwater, and energy, by providing natural insulation that reduces heating and cooling demands. Additionally, green roofs contribute to food production when utilized for urban agriculture and enhance shelter by improving building durability and increasing biodiversity This data-driven framework supports the strategic prioritization of resilience strategies, enhancing urban planning and investment decisions globally. Its modularity ensures adaptability to diverse urban settings and climatic issues.

An application of gravity models to freight data in Malaysia

Background: Freight transport services and international trade are among important factors in pushing economies’ transition forward. Malaysia’s strategic location along key maritime routes positions it as a vital hub for international shipping and logistics, facilitating efficient trade between Asia, Europe and the Middle East.Objectives: Despite extensive global studies on freight and trade, little specific research exists from Malaysia’s perspective. Thus, this study aims to evaluate how factors such as economic size of trade partners and distance impact Malaysia’s freight transport in international trade, using the gravity model, a tool for analysing bilateral trade flows.Method: Three types of gravity models are employed to assess the impact of economic scale, infrastructure and demographic factors on freight transport. Then the validity of these relationships is further evaluated.Results: The random effect model (REM) is found to be the best fitted model. The study identifies infrastructure and economic scale as pivotal factors influencing both freight export and import. The result showed the volume of container handled in ports is the main determinant in both export and import of freight, whereas air freight has significant impact to boost the export of freight. Distance is statistically significant, however, with marginally small impact.Conclusion: Based on the analysis, we can conclude that the robust port infrastructure and efficient logistical facilities are important in reducing freight costs and enhancing Malaysia’s international trade competitiveness.Contribution: This study mainly contributes on providing empirical evidence and in-depth insight on Malaysia freight transport services through the application of gravity models.

Everyday Life Infrastructure Impact on Subjective Well-Being in the European Union: A Gender Perspective

This paper processes the 2015 Benefits of Gender Equality through Infrastructure Provision (BGEIP) Survey, a representative survey for the EU-28, to estimating the impact of everyday life infrastructure access on subjective well-being (SWB) from a gender perspective in Europe. Our estimations prove that accessing everyday life infrastructure in Europe indeed increases SWB, but it contributes to increasing more the SWB of women than that of men. Women’s well-being is positively affected for all kinds of everyday life infrastructures, but the differences with respect to men are larger for the Nursery category for children up to 3 years and for the Centers category for people with long term disabilities. In contrast, men’s well-being is only sensitive to the Health infrastructure and to the Gym and Workout places. Clearly, targeting infrastructure investment helping women in caring children, and other dependents in the family constitute an excellent vehicle for increasing women’s SWB and reducing gender inequality in Europe.

Impact of urban spatial dynamics and blue-green infrastructure on urban heat islands: A case study of Guangzhou using Local Climate Zones and predictive modeling

Amidst mounting concerns regarding health risks associated with excessive carbon emissions, attention has turned to the heat mitigation ability of blue-green infrastructure (BGI). BGI offers heat mitigation through transpiration cooling, effectively countering the urban heat island (UHI) effect while facilitating energy conservation and carbon reduction. This study adopted the InVEST model to assess the spatial pattern of UHI and heat mitigation service based on the Local Climate Zone (LCZ) classification, along with quantifying the energy savings in Guangzhou for 2019. The results revealed that the UHI effect exhibited greater intensity in the southwest built-up area. Compact Lowrise (LCZ-3) and Heavy Industry (LCZ-10) areas demonstrated higher UHI intensity, while Water (LCZ-G) and Dense Trees (LCZ-A) areas showcased the highest heat mitigation index (HMI) and optimal cooling capacities. Three urban development scenarios were devised to simulate the UHI distribution, heat mitigation capacity, and energy savings by 2025, using the CA-Markov model. In comparison to the Baseline scenario, the Environmental Protection scenario showed a modest 3.67 % decrease in the built-up area, but a noteworthy increase in HMI and energy saving, by 21.2 % and 6.6 % respectively. This scenario can serve as a reference pathway for urban energy conservation and sustainable development.

Broadband infrastructure expansion and labour income share: micro-evidence from Chinese industrial enterprises

ABSTRACT This study investigates the impact of broadband infrastructure on the labour share. We exploit the implementation of the ‘Broadband China Strategy’ (BCS) as an exogenous policy shock and use the staggered difference-in-differences framework with a panel dataset of Chinese industrial enterprises spanning 2011–2015. We find that the BCS leads to a significant reduction in the labour income share of firms in pilot cities compared with those in non-pilot cities, which remains robust after conducting various robustness checks. Rising market power and deepening capital are the two mechanisms underlying this effect. While our further analysis underscores significantly positive impact of broadband infrastructure on firm productivity and skilled labour structure, they do not highlight an elevated skill premium tied to broadband infrastructure. Heterogeneity analysis reveals that the effects are more pronounced among larger firms, industries with higher concentrations, and cities with higher innovation capacities. Overall, this study augments the existing literature on the firm-level determinants of labour share, providing a micro-level assessment of the labour market implications of broadband infrastructure.

Rural general surgical provision from the perspective of twenty-two rural general surgeons: a thematic analysis.

Australia continues to suffer from a geographical maldistribution of general surgical services with only 20% of general surgeons working rurally despite 29% of Australia's population residing outside major metropolitan centres. This qualitative study explored the impact of human capacity and infrastructure upon rural general surgery provision. This qualitative study employed semi-structured interviews of rural general surgeons. Participants were recruited via the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) Rural newsletter and purposive sampling. All interviews were conducted between January 2023 and April 2023. Transcripts were transcribed, de-identified, and thematically analysed. Two female and 20 male rural general surgeons were interviewed from seven of the eight Australian State or Territories. Four main themes were identified which reflected the impact of human capacity and infrastructure upon Australian rural general surgery provision: (1) small hospital syndrome - and the impact, (2) the rural general surgeon identity, (3) infrastructure and disempowerment and (4) over-reliance on visiting surgeons. Improving access to equitable general surgical care for rural Australians requires appropriate infrastructure and a well-trained, sustainable multidisciplinary surgical team (human capacity). A greater understanding of the issues may help drive rational, long-term supportive solutions.

Simulating cross-scale flow dynamics around offshore monopile foundations with a GFD-CFD coupled model

Flow dynamics are complex and undergo significant impact from offshore engineering infrastructures, such as wind turbines, involving interactions across different temporal and spatial scales. Individual numerical models of geophysical fluid dynamics (GFD) or computational fluid dynamics (CFD) face challenges in accurately representing these dynamics. To effectively capture the three-dimensional cross-scale flow around offshore infrastructures, we propose a generalized coupling framework that integrates the unstructured-grid Finite-Volume Community Ocean Model (FVCOM) for GFD and the Open Field Operation and Manipulation (OpenFOAM) for CFD. With the validation against the flume experiment, the common-boundary nesting method was developed to allow an accurate representation of flow dynamics around offshore hydraulic infrastructures. Idealized monopile foundation experiments demonstrate the model's capability to capture the formation of Karman vortex street, rotating horseshoe vortex under realistic astronomical tidal conditions. Application of this coupling framework to the offshore wind farm in Yangjiang, China, reveals flow direction lagging of 15° in the wake of a monopile under diurnal tide. This coupling approach, leveraging the strengths of both CFD and GFD models, provides a universal downscaling methodology in geophysical conditions, for a better understanding of the impact of offshore hydraulic infrastructures on the surrounding environment and further planning offshore engineering projects.

The impact of information and communications technology infrastructure on economic growth: Does the financial system play an important role?

The study analyzes the impact of information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure on economic growth in the 10 ASEAN countries. Furthermore, the study examines the role of the financial system in this impact, which is a novelty compared to previous research. To achieve this objective, the authors utilized Bayesian methods in estimating the research model. This method shows its superiority in elucidating the impact of variables in the research model and determining the probability of these impacts occurring. The results show that ICT infrastructure positively impacts economic growth in the ASEAN countries, with a 100 percent probability of occurring. Particularly, the financial system does not only directly affect economic growth but also plays an important role in enhancing the impact of ICT infrastructure on economic growth, with a probability of 98.24%. This is an interesting finding of the study. Additionally, economic growth is significantly influenced by the control variables, which are specifically government expenditure and inflation. The findings provide a reliable foundation for the ASEAN countries to identify appropriate solutions to improve the efficiency in managing ICT infrastructure, thereby advancing economic growth.

A succinct state-of-the-art survey on green cloud computing: Challenges, strategies, and future directions

Cloud computing is a method of providing various computing services, including software, hardware, databases, data storage, and infrastructure, to the public through the Internet. The rapid expansion of cloud computing services has raised significant concerns over their environmental impact. Cloud computing services should be designed in a green manner, efficient in energy consumption, virtualized, consolidated, and eco-friendly. Green Cloud Computing (GCC) is a significant field of study that focuses on minimizing the environmental impact and energy usage of cloud infrastructures. This survey provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of GCC, focusing on the challenges, strategies, and future directions. The review study begins by identifying important challenges in GCC from practical implementations, identifying GCC-introduced environmental protection and prevention initiatives, and expressing the demand for long-term technical progression. It then addresses GCC’s primary concerns, such as energy efficiency, resource management, operational costs, and carbon emissions, and categorizes implementations according to algorithms, architectures, frameworks, general issues, and models and methodologies. Furthermore, enhancements in virtualization, multi-tenancy, and consolidation have been identified, analyzed, and accurately portrayed to address the advancements in GCC. Finally, the survey outlines future research directions and opportunities for advancing the field of GCC, including the development of novel algorithms, technologies for energy harvesting, and energy-efficient and eco-friendly solutions. By providing a comprehensive overview of GCC, this survey aims to serve as documentation for further evolving new emerging technological approaches in the GCC environment.

Impact of green infrastructure on PM10 in port-adjacent residential complexes: A finite volume method-based computational fluid dynamics study

This study examines the effects of PM10 reduction by introducing green infrastructure (GI) in residential areas adjacent to ports, where significant pollutant emissions from ships are prevalent. Using finite volume method (FVM)-based computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations, we evaluated 30 scenarios based on various GI types and spacings and validated these simulations using observational data. The assessed GI types included trees and shrubs (hedges). Planting configurations were categorized into single (T for trees, H for hedges) and mixed (TH for both trees and hedges) plantings, with one or two rows and spacings of trees from 6 m to 14 m at 2 m intervals. We also considered both aerodynamic and depositional effects as mechanisms for PM10 reduction by GI. Our results revealed the following: 1) Plant spacing significantly influenced PM10 reduction, with both excessively narrow and wide spacings being suboptimal. (2) Trees proved to be more effective, whereas combining them with shrubs offers limited advantages. 3) Among the shrubs, the adsorption effect was more influential on PM10 reduction than the aerodynamic effects. These insights are not limited to port regions but also offer foundational knowledge for enhancing urban air quality, setting the groundwork for subsequent studies.