Impact Of Infrastructure Research Articles

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.

INCREASING THE ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY OF MUNICIPALITIES UNDER THE TECHNOGENIC LOAD OF PRODUCTION FACILITIES

The article analyses data on the impact of urban infrastructure on the environment, using specific infrastructure facilities as examples. It establishes that urban infrastructure facilities negatively impact the environment. However, their continued operation is feasible by developing and implementing environmental protection measures to improve environmental quality. Keywords: environmental safety, protection technologies, territories, environment, monitoring, assessment.

The impact of digital infrastructure on carbon emissions: evidence from 284 cities in China

The impact of digital infrastructure on carbon emissions: evidence from 284 cities in China

Decarbonizing natural gas infrastructure: blending hydrogen for sustainable energy

Abstract The paper explores the potential of hydrogen as a clean energy carrier and its integration into existing natural gas systems to reduce carbon intensity. It highlights the need for infrastructure impact studies and significant investment to realize the vision of green hydrogen. It also discusses the properties of hydrogen compared to natural gas, its production methods, and the potential for blending hydrogen into existing natural gas pipelines. Additionally, it provides insights into Egypt’s energy sector and its efforts to embrace renewable energy. It concludes by summarizing notable studies and projects related to hydrogen-natural gas blending. The blending of hydrogen into natural gas systems is an important and achievable first step towards full conversion to 100% hydrogen. The paper presents a compilation of hydrogen blending projects from different countries, showcasing the collaborative efforts and advancements in integrating hydrogen into existing energy systems.

Going global by going local: Impacts and opportunities of geographically focused data integration

Abstract Biodiversity conservation is a global challenge that requires the integration of global and local data. Expanding global data infrastructures have opened unprecedented opportunities for biodiversity data storage, curation, and dissemination. Within one such infrastructure—the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF)—these benefits are achieved by aggregating data from over 100 regional infrastructure nodes. Such, regional biodiversity infrastructures benefit scientific communities in ways that exceed their core function of contributing to global data aggregation, but these additional scientific impacts are rarely quantified. To fill this gap, we characterize the scientific impact of the Atlas of Living Australia, one of the oldest and largest GBIF nodes, as a case study of a regional biodiversity information facility. Our discussion reveals the multifaceted impact of the regional biodiversity data infrastructure. We showcase the global importance of such infrastructures, data sets, and collaborations.

New-type infrastructure and urban economic resilience: Evidence from China

Rising global uncertainties pose challenges to the resilience of economic development, and new-type infrastructure, referring to a system that is supported by next-generation information technology, can be a crucial stabilizing factor in the digital era to overcome uncertainties. This study uses 5244 observations from 276 cities in China from 2003 to 2021 to investigate the impact of new-type infrastructure on urban economic resilience. The empirical findings indicate that new-type infrastructure can effectively enhance regional economic resilience, and urban economic resilience can be improved in the digital age. New-type infrastructure can effectively mitigate the adverse impact of Corona Virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on economic resilience. The effect of new-type infrastructure on economic resilience is larger in central regions, cities with medium and large economic scales, and cities with well-developed traditional infrastructure. New-type infrastructure exhibits threshold effects with changes in mechanism variables, decreasing as the threshold of resource dependence is crossed and increasing as the threshold of capital deepening and human capital is crossed. New-type infrastructure can enhance economic resilience by promoting innovation, including digital and green innovation. In addition, new-type infrastructure can cultivate emerging industries, advance industrial structure optimization, and promote collaborative agglomeration, which also contributes to enhancing economic resilience.

The impact of policy and technology infrastructure on telehealth utilization.

The COVID-19 outbreak resulted in an unprecedented surge in telehealth utilization. However, the effects of policy enactment on utilization remain understudied in the literature. Our research examines the impact of policy mandates relating to federal incentive programs on telehealth utilization across states during the pandemic by considering technology infrastructure, such as broadband penetration and equipment possession. This study also considers the impact of political orientation and control factors, including income attributes, on telehealth utilization. Considering telehealth utilization in the Medicare program as a test case, this study employed the partial least square and structural equation model to analyze data from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, the American Community Survey, and the Microsoft Airband Project to draw inferences. Our study finds that telehealth legislation, broadband penetration, political orientation, and control factors have a direct significant impact on telehealth utilization, whereas incentive programs and equipment possession have an indirect impact through broadband penetration.

Analyzing the impact of cultural accessibility and ICT infrastructure on economic growth in Kazakhstan

For this, the primary aim of this study was to analyze of the impact of cultural accessibility and ICT (information and communication technology) infrastructure on economic growth in Kazakhstan, employing regression models to asses a single country data from 2008 to 2022. The research focuses on two sets of variables: cultural development variables (e.g., number of theaters, museums, and others) and ICT infrastructure variables (e.g., number of fixed Internet subscribers, total costs of ICT, and others). Principal component analysis (PCA) as employed to reduce the dimensionality of the data and identify the most significant predictors for the regression models. The findings indicate that in the cultural development model (Model 1), the number of recreational parks and students are significant positive predictors of GDP per capita. In the ICT infrastructure model (Model 2), ICT costs are found to have a significant positive impact on GDP per capita. Conversely, traditional connectivity indicators, such as the number of fixed telephone lines, show a low dependence on economic growth, suggesting diminishing returns on investment in these outdated forms of ICT. These results suggest that investments in cultural and ICT infrastructure are crucial for economic development. The study provides valuable insights for policymakers, emphasizing the need for quality improvements in education and strategic modernization of communication technologies.

Perception of healthcare workers and patients about the impact of health facility infrastructure on healthcare services in eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

ABSTRACT Background: Although there are several health facilities with infrastructure to cater to healthcare services, there are still healthcare facilities with inadequate infrastructure in eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal Province, South Africa, to provide comprehensive healthcare services. This study investigates the perceptions of healthcare workers and patients about the impact of health facility infrastructure on the provision of healthcare services in KwaZulu-Natal. Objectives: This study aims to determine the perception of healthcare workers and patients about the impact of health facility infrastructure on healthcare services at Goodwins Clinic in eThekwini Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Method: This qualitative study applied a phenomenological design by conducting in-depth interviews with individual patients (n = 20) and healthcare workers (n = 10) purposively selected in 2022. Data were analysed using Colaizzi’s phenomenological analysis framework. Results: Participants reported that health facility infrastructure affects healthcare services. Furthermore, old facility structures, scattered structures and limited working spaces were found to be the leading factors affecting healthcare services in the facility. Conclusion: The facility’s structural design factors need to be considered to ensure that the health facility structure is adequate to deliver healthcare services and motivate radical transformation in measuring and managing healthcare facilities.

Calibration and validation of a national transport computable general equilibrium model for economic impact assessment

Infrastructure investments are being undertaken to improve efficiency, economic activity, and growth. Therefore, policy makers are increasingly looking for modelling tools that can evaluate the impact of transport infrastructure on the economy, firms and households from the lens of economic activity and equity. We have developed a large scale national CGE model for India that is calibrated to economic data as well as validated to data observed from the Indian Railways. The novelty of this work lies in three main areas (1) The CGE model incorporates multi-modal transport with road and rail (2) It is the largest model developed so far with 33 regions, 29 industries, 312,530 kms of highways and 126,366 km of Railways (3) Validation of the CGE model. The CGE model was able to predict the tonnage freighted on the Western Dedicated Freight Corridor to within 3.9 % accuracy. The Dedicated Freight Corridor Network (DFC) contributes a 2.94 % increase in the revenue for the railways as well as a 0.08 % increase in GDP. This implies that DFC can directly contribute INR 160 billion to the 2019 GDP. The CGE model distributed the benefits of faster and cheaper alternatives to the entire economy. This was observed during the evaluation of the road projects that were found to improve GDP, household welfare and rail revenue for rail, as well as improved equity.

Impact of knowledge management infrastructure and processes on automobile manufacturing firm innovative performance through the mediating role of agile project management practice

Purpose The purpose of this study is to examine knowledge management (KM) infrastructure and processes on automobile manufacturing firm innovative performance through the mediating role of agile project management (APM) practice. Design/methodology/approach The data collection involved purposive and convenience sampling techniques to gather information from 692 employees employed in various public and private automobile manufacturing firms operating in Pakistan. To test the hypothesis, data analysis was conducted using Smart PLS software version 4, using the partial least squares and structural equation modeling technique. Findings The result revealed that knowledge management infrastructure and processes has a positive and significant effect on firm innovative performance. Moreover, agile project management practices positively and significantly mediate the relationship between knowledge management infrastructure and processes and firm innovative performance. Practical implications The performance of high-tech automobile manufacturing firms can be enhanced by implementing agile project management practices, especially when stimulated by external factors such as innovation. In an increasingly dynamic environment, innovation acts as a favorable factor that amplifies the positive impact of agile methodologies on firm performance. Originality/value Researchers can use these findings to identify knowledge gaps that need to be addressed in future studies and understand how strategies relate to processes within the KM-APM framework. This study provides practitioners with insights on applying KM practices in an APM context to enhance knowledge performance. Practitioners can use the framework to plan KM activities that support corporate strategy across all organizational layers, ensuring the appropriate knowledge is conveyed at each level.

The Impact of Tourism Infrastructure and Marketing Strategies on Tourist Arrivals and Local Economic Growth in Bali

This study investigates the effect of tourism infrastructure and marketing strategy on tourist arrivals and local economic growth in Bali. Utilizing a quantitative research design, data were collected from a sample of 290 respondents using a Likert scale ranging from 1 to 5. Structural Equation Modeling-Partial Least Squares (SEM-PLS) was employed to analyze the data and test the proposed hypotheses. The results indicate that both tourism infrastructure and marketing strategies have a positive and significant impact on tourist arrivals, which, in turn, contributes to local economic growth. The findings highlight the critical role of strategic investments in infrastructure development and marketing efforts in enhancing Bali's appeal as a global tourist destination. These insights provide valuable guidance for policymakers and stakeholders aiming to optimize the benefits of tourism and drive sustainable economic development in Bali.

Global insights on the impact of digital infrastructure on carbon emissions: A multidimensional analysis

With the swift expansion of global digital infrastructure, understanding its impact on carbon emissions is essential for addressing global warming. This study develops a digital infrastructure indicator system. We use panel data from 83 countries spanning 2005 to 2021 to thoroughly examine the effects and underlying mechanisms of digital infrastructure on carbon emissions. Our findings indicate that digital infrastructure contributes to an increase in carbon emissions worldwide. Mechanism tests suggest that this increase is facilitated by capital agglomeration and fossil energy consumption. However, the impact of digital infrastructure on carbon emissions shows regional variations. In the Arab region, digital infrastructure development seems to reduce carbon emissions, a trend also observed, albeit potentially, in the CIS, Africa, and the Americas. In contrast, Europe and the Asia-Pacific experience a significant surge in carbon emissions due to digital infrastructure. Population density and the proportion of renewable energy emerge as critical threshold variables. Beyond a certain population density, the impact on carbon emissions intensifies, whereas an increase in renewable energy share beyond a specific point mitigates this effect. Robustness tests confirm that digital infrastructure elevates both per capita carbon emissions and carbon intensity, with digital markets and technologies notably amplifying carbon emissions.

Role of Social Infrastructure in Social Isolation within Urban Communities

Social isolation is a global problem with far-reaching consequences. Nevertheless, various solutions can address it. Building social infrastructure is important for preventing isolation. In this study, we aimed to understand the impact of urban infrastructure on social isolation using social surveys and statistical data from South Korea. A multilevel logistic model identified the infrastructure characteristics required to solve social isolation by adding regional-level data to individual-level data. The analysis showed that, at the individual level, gender, age, marital status, and household income were significant, whereas at the regional level, the ratio of single-person households, access to traditional markets, and the capital region status areas were significant. The findings suggest that social infrastructure can impact social isolation. Hence, it is important to plan urban spaces and design infrastructure to help alleviate social isolation.