Macro-level Planning Research Articles

Quantitative research of street interface morphology in urban historic districts: a case study of west street historic district, Quanzhou

Historical urban districts are imbued with a multitude of elements, including historical heritage, cultural significance, social relationships, and daily activities, making them of significant research value. Through a review of previous literature, it is evident that research on the protection and renewal of historical urban districts has mostly focused on macro-level planning and development. Addressing the lack of spatial morphology quantification research at the meso-level, this paper proposes a method suitable for quantifying interface morphology in historical streets. Using the historical cultural street district of Xijie in Quanzhou, Fujian Province as a case study, this research employs parameters such as Distance-Height Ratio, Interface Density, Build-To-Line Rate, and Near-Line Rate to quantify and summarize the morphology of street interfaces. It then proposes transformation strategies to guide the protection and renewal of streets in the future. The study validates the feasibility of this quantification method and provides valuable insights for the protection and renewal of historical urban districts.

Potential zones identification for district cooling system: A GIS-based multi-criteria assessment method incorporating cooling demand mapping

The district cooling system (DCS) is seen as a promising cooling solution for its flexibility and high efficiency. Identifying suitable zones for DCS construction is one of the major challenges in implementing DCS, as the characteristics of the selected zones significantly impact the performance and benefits of DCS. This paper presents a geographic information system (GIS) based two-stage assessment method to rapidly determine potential zones for DCS from a large-scale. Firstly, employing a top-down method to spatially assess cooling demand. Secondly, three novel indicators (RCI, Rday, Rcap) for DCS cooling intensity, cooling duration, and capacity utilization rate evaluation are proposed, and a multi-criteria decision-making method is applied to identify potential zones for DCS implementation. Based on the proposed method, the cooling demand in China is mapped. Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chongqing, and Shenzhen are identified as the four cities with the highest cooling demand. Furthermore, the potential zones for DCS in Guangzhou are assessed. The results indicate that zones with the highest potential exhibit high robustness against weight uncertainty and are primarily concentrated in densely populated areas. The proposed indicators and method could provide support for macro-level planning of DCS to effectively improve the decision-making efficiency.

Life cycle assessment of Iran energy portfolio: Renewable energy replacement approach

AbstractNowadays, due to the increasing energy demand in different industry, agriculture, and household sectors, great importance is attached to energy portfolio and generation/consumption in macrolevel planning. A viable approach to power generation planning is the environmental assessment of the power generation process. This study employs life cycle assessment based on Eco‐Indicator 99 methodology which analyzes midpoint and endpoint impacts. Energy impact evaluation is based on Eco‐invent database from resource harvesting to recycling. The study aims to assess Iran's energy production/consumption portfolio, but technical construction, operation, and recycling are not discussed. The study focuses on energy demand and energy generation resources in Iran, under three energy portfolio scenarios: (1) a basic scenario is a real energy portfolio for Iran's 2018‐power demand, (2) Iran's 2050‐energy portfolio with maximum accessible renewable energy capacity, and (3) Iran's 2050‐energy portfolio with zero‐carbon emission to evaluate the final consequences of life cycle. The York model is used to estimate energy demand in 2050. The Green‐X model is used to evaluate the relationship between the impacts and economic growth. Iran's energy portfolio has a low emission, compared with the global portfolio with a 36%‐coal application. Among Iran's portfolios, the most adventitious scenario is in 2018, followed by the 2050 portfolio with population growth and 50% increase in energy demand, and the zero‐carbon scenario with 64% of energy portfolio based on solar and wind energy technologies. Compared with the 2018 scenario, in the second and third scenarios, the environmental effects are decreased by 40% and 52%, respectively, indicating the significance of renewable energy in reducing the environmental consequences.

Possible ways of translanguaging at the school’s micro-level. The aftermath of a translanguaging project of introducing non-standardised ways of speaking to school for Roma bilingual children

The present study encounters the long-term process of a linguistic ethnographic research. The research took place in a primary school in Hungary, with students being Hungarian-Romani speaking bilingual Roma children and Hungarian as the language of instruction. The research, initiated in 2016, developed an educational approach in the school based on a translanguaging stance through multiple sub-projects and a three-year Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership Program. The applied translanguaging approach involved the Roma children’s home ways of speaking into the children’s learning. Translanguaging was first introduced at the macro level of the school with the cooperation of the school’s management, participant researchers, teachers, parents, teacher trainees and university students. The Erasmus program terminated in 2021. This study details the process of how, following the completion of this macro-level project, translanguaging can be sustained at the micro level within the school. It also discusses the difficulties and challenges faced by teachers when implementing translanguaging at the micro level, after macro-level planning and strategy have concluded.

New Peace architecture

This article demonstrates the interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary approach to peace by involving diverse thinkers’ creativity, knowledge, and the arts co-production process in the practice of science itself. It is an attempt to blend theory and practice together for a better understanding and addressing the under studied gap between macro level planning, decision making and the micro ground level work done and impact within the field of peace, sustainability and architecture. The article introduces a new transformative approach, New Peace architecture and Peace building, through three case studies that brings concepts of sustainability and peace together which no longer bifurcates between human, non-human, living and non-living organisms in the practice of everyday building. In this transformative approach towards an open society aims to address intercultural and interreligious dialogue on the axis of a sustainable and just future, to strengthen women, to change consumption behaviours accordingly, to organise unusual collaborations between diverse actors, to implement nonviolent sustainable and just ideas in the city.

A Novel Graphical Targeting Technique for Optimal Allocation of Biomass Resources

Biomass has gained global attention as one of the most important renewable energy resources that reduces greenhouse gas emissions. Various research works have been dedicated to biomass supply chain in the past decade as to continuously support the deployment of biomass resources for regional applications. In this work, a novel graphical method based on process integration is proposed for targeting the amount of biomass resources needed for a power generation problem. Apart from having a good visualized interface, the graphical method provides good insights to stakeholders on the macro-level planning of biomass allocation. Two examples are solved to demonstrate the newly proposed methods.

Systems thinking approach for disaster resilient and climate smart agriculture in Bangladesh

PurposeLinear and narrow focus of climate change and disaster impact assessments on agriculture turns out as a limiting factor to understand how impact conditions trigger changes in the whole system resulting to make problems complicated. The paper aims to identify the micro-level challenges of the agriculture sector and then shows how macro-level planning could be developed and may help the rural peasants of Bangladesh to better cope with the adverse conditions generated as a result of disaster impacts and/or climate change-induced threats.Design/methodology/approachThe paper, based on a secondary literature review and primary data generated by the author, shows that agriculture happens as a system where many microelements and processes contribute and benefits from it do not only confine into the final product generation. Using both the primary and secondary data, the paper shows how simplistic approaches to assess disaster impacts on agriculture in Bangladesh are taking place and thus leaving scopes to read properly the more complex and cyclic forms of hazard impacts in the sector by using the systems thinking approach and complex systems methodology.FindingsThe paper finally suggests how a better and comprehensive understanding of disaster and climate change impacts on agriculture would provide arguments for mainstreaming climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction actions into regular development planning of the government.Originality/valueThe authors declare that this submission is their own work, and, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, it contains no materials previously published or written by another person or substantial proportions of material which have been accepted for the award of anywhere else.

Conjugation of AMUL and ISRO: Development of Feed and Fodder for Dairy Industries

Feed and fodder comprises about 65% of the cost of milk production of a dairy industry. It is a crucial input for enhancing the milk production. To address the issue of fodder availability at first, its assessment is required. Thus, we have implemented remote sensing technique for fodder crop assessment at state level to create a baseline for fodder crop availability for dairy managers to plan for its procurement during deficit and for better management purposes during its excess. We have devised a technique for remote sensing-based fodder crop assessment based on spectral pattern of growth, i.e. normalised difference vegetation index profile and land surface wetness index profile of series of IRS LISS-III satellite data taken during the crop growth cycle for a hybrid method of crop classification. Second objective to address the issue of mitigating the deficit of fodder crops, we have demonstrated the satellite derived intersection of probable high soil wetness area and available current fallows during a crop growing season which can be utilised for growing fodder crops. For macro-level planning in a state for developing new fodder-growing areas, we have demonstrated the availability of soil wetness factor from SMAP data. Fallow land available between two cropping seasons can be identified through remote sensing for growing short duration fast growing fodder crops. This project has been a demonstration project for AMUL in Gujarat to implement it subsequently at national level.

System dynamics model of a biotechonomy

The need for substitution of fossil resources with renewable alternatives, for an efficient use of the bio-resources, and for the development of knowledge-intensive sustainable economies call for the design of policies to create and govern biotechonomic systems. The goal of this study is to create a tool to facilitate such policy design, - aimed at the development of biotechonomic systems by use of a system dynamics model. This model constitutes a general framework for the representation of critical biotechonomic sectors; their land use, production and consumption of raw material, research and development, investments in and utilization of production capacities (i.e. capital investments), their utilization of labour, finances (value creation, capital and operating costs and profit), and sustainability. A sustainability index, based on emergy is applied to assess the environmental performance of the various sectors considered. Moreover, the model is operational and lends itself to the simulation of the development of these sectors, both past and future. This model may be applied to a variety of biotechonomic sectors and extends to the cyclical economy at large. As the purpose of this model is to facilitate the development and testing of policies, the model allows for the inclusion of structural components that represent such policies, including the extension of production lines, the utilization of taxes and subsidies to modify the land use and to encourage the redirection of materials, and support for the investment in research, development and capital. Model is applied to example of birch use as raw material. Results show that model framework can be applied to micro, meso and macro level planning and policy making.

The Barrier to Turkey's Foreign Language Teaching is Foreign Language Policy: Macro-and Micro-Level Planning

When the foreign language policies of the European countries are examined, it is firstly seen that the countries have determined a macro-level policy and then they successfully apply their macro-level policy at the micro-level. The foremost example for this situation is the European Union's defense of teaching the languages of the other small countries as well as English. By looking at this, what the Turkey's macro-level planning of foreign language teaching is and its micro-level efficiency will be examined.

Mapping Infrastructure Using Geomatics Model in MGNREGA in India

Technology can help microfinance institutions to reduce costs, improve efficiency, and increase outreaches. Modern technology based solution proves proficient in enabling micro financing institutions to conceptualize, develop and operate projects for financial inclusion. It supports sector initiatives, which are aimed at enabling rural and remote un-banked areas to enjoy the benefits of formal financial products and services. The entry of technology has opened more options in the field of finance that lead to lower costs, greater efficiency, real time information and better customer service. Micro finance offers a great, largely untapped market for modern technology and a chance to make a big difference in outreach, sustainability and its impact. MGNREGA is the largest program for financial inclusion by the Central government. MGNREGA includes several components that may serve as the basis for a quantifiable definition of success in terms of Financial Inclusion. E-governance emphasize on all aspects of monitoring and evaluation, physical and financial planning, management of social and physical infrastructure, and enhancement / restructuring of existing facilities, facility management. In all these areas, there is a special emphasis on spatial dimensions. Geomatics, is the synergy of multiple disciplines, has evolved as a separate discipline dealing with spatial and non-spatial information, its method of acquisition, organization, classification, analysis, management, display and dissemination. It provides not only the answers for macro-level planning but also state-of-the-art models to the government in the context of decentralized planning for sustainable development in rural areas. The present work focuses on developing a Web GIS integrated framework for planning infrastructural facilities up to village level under MGNREGA. The spatial utility maps for infrastructural facilities existing at village level have been created using GIS. The spatial gaps in the existing facilities have been examined to plan for the new facilities. This not only helps to create annual plan for each location but also perspective plan for longer period. The proliferation of geographic information system (GIS) conveys the need for research to provide a greater understanding in the area of ecommerce. The present study integrates the advantages of Geomatics technology and the man power of MGNREGA for the rural development activities.

English in primary education in Malaysia: policies, outcomes and stakeholders’ lived experiences

This paper examines English language-in-education policy and planning (LEPP) in Malaysia from macro- and micro-language planning perspectives over the past 50 years. Specifically, it focuses on English language policies at the primary level and investigates their outcomes and consequences at different levels of education. The major focus of this paper is a case study that was conducted on samples of students, lecturers and administrators in a public university providing an illustration of how macro-level policies are enacted at the micro-level. The analysis of the participants’ views and perceptions suggests that macro-level planning alone may not produce the desired changes in language behaviour and that national-level planning needs to be complemented by micro-level work to create desirable language policy outcomes. This suggests that Malaysian LEPP needs to take micro-level realities, perceptions and stakeholders’ experiences into consideration while promoting and strengthening the mastery of English if macro-level planning is to contribute to successful outcomes.

Forecasting daily attendances at an emergency department to aid resource planning

BackgroundAccurate forecasting of emergency department (ED) attendances can be a valuable tool for micro and macro level planning.MethodsData for analysis was the counts of daily patient attendances at the ED of an acute care regional general hospital from July 2005 to Mar 2008. Patients were stratified into three acuity categories; i.e. P1, P2 and P3, with P1 being the most acute and P3 being the least acute. The autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) method was separately applied to each of the three acuity categories and total patient attendances. Independent variables included in the model were public holiday (yes or no), ambient air quality measured by pollution standard index (PSI), daily ambient average temperature and daily relative humidity. The seasonal components of weekly and yearly periodicities in the time series of daily attendances were also studied. Univariate analysis by t-tests and multivariate time series analysis were carried out in SPSS version 15.ResultsBy time series analyses, P1 attendances did not show any weekly or yearly periodicity and was only predicted by ambient air quality of PSI > 50. P2 and total attendances showed weekly periodicities, and were also significantly predicted by public holiday. P3 attendances were significantly correlated with day of the week, month of the year, public holiday, and ambient air quality of PSI > 50.After applying the developed models to validate the forecast, the MAPE of prediction by the models were 16.8%, 6.7%, 8.6% and 4.8% for P1, P2, P3 and total attendances, respectively. The models were able to account for most of the significant autocorrelations present in the data.ConclusionTime series analysis has been shown to provide a useful, readily available tool for predicting emergency department workload that can be used to plan staff roster and resource planning.

Dimensional issues in agricultural data warehouse designs

Recently, the government of India embarked on an ambitious project of designing and deploying the Integrated National Agricultural Resources Information System (INARIS) data warehouse for the agricultural sector. The system's purpose is to support macro level planning. This paper presents some of the challenges faced in designing the data warehouse, specifically dimensional and deployment challenges of the warehouse. We also present some early user evaluations of the warehouse. Governmental data warehouse implementations are rare, especially at the national level. Furthermore, the motivations are significantly different from private sectors. Designing the INARIS agricultural data warehouse posed unique and significant challenges because, traditionally, the collection and dissemination of information are localized.

Community-Level Approaches in Language Planning: The Case of Hungarian in Australia

This paper provides an example of micro-planning which involves community, government and non-government organisations both in the context of immigrants’ source and host countries. The community in question is the Hungarian diaspora in Australia. The language planning activities are aimed at maintaining an immigrant heritage language and identity. The paper first gives a theoretical discussion on the definition of language policy and planning, with specific focus on micro-planning, then describes the Hungarian linguistic minorities in the Carpathian basin and in Australia. Then, the paper presents the micro-level language planning activities initiated by the Hungarian non-government organisations in Australia with specific focus on the interaction between Australian non-government organisations, Hungary-based non-government organisations and with government bodies in Hungary and Australia. The paper argues that micro-planning is initiated in the community, but can only be interpreted within the wider scope of macro-level planning. The paper also argues that micro-planning initiatives are essential complementary elements of language planning: neither macro- nor micro level planning is sufficient on its own.

Scaffolding Instruction for English Language Learners: A Conceptual Framework

Adolescent students learning academic subject matter in a new language face a number of challenges, both local and global in nature, as they negotiate the linguistic, academic and social world of schooling. Making a case for a pedagogy of rigour and hope, the author presents a model of scaffolding that emphasises the interactive social nature of learning and the contingent, collaborative nature of support and development. Drawing on Sociocultural Theory, as well as a large body of empirical research on effective practices with second language learners, the author examines the use of specific types of scaffolding to promote linguistic and academic develop-ment. The model, developed by the author, conceives of scaffolding as both structure and process, weaving together several levels of pedagogical support, from macro-level planning of curricula over time to micro-level moment-to-moment scaffolding and the contingent variation of support responsive to interactions as they unfold.

The socio-economic determinants of maternal health care utilization in Turkey

The purpose of this study is to investigate the individual-, household- and community-level factors that affect women's use of maternal health care services in Turkey. The data used for the study come from the 1993 Turkey Demographic and Health Survey (TDHS), a nationally representative survey of ever married women 15 to 49 years of age. In order to assess the impact of socio-economic factors on maternal health care utilization, we use logistical regression techniques to estimate models of the prenatal care use and birth delivery assistance among women who have had at least one birth in the three years prior to the survey. Separate models are also estimated for urban and rural women. The results indicate that educational attainment, parity level, health insurance coverage, ethnicity, household wealth and geographic region are statistically significant factors that affect the use of health care services thought essential to reduce infant and child mortality rates. The results of the model are used to provide insights for both micro- and macro-level planning of maternal health service delivery.

Is construction an industry?

There has been a frequent misconception in analyses of construction sectors of the national economy: the tendency to describe these activities as ‘an industry’ or a small and stable set of ‘industries’. This has led to confusion. Construction was inappropriately assimilated to various forms of manufacturing industry. Characteristics of the construction process were treated as ‘problems’, to whose solution substantial energies were unnecessarily diverted. There has been muddle about the extent to which macro-level planning is appropriate, notably on R&D strategies and innovation for improved industrial efficiency. Construction projects increasingly use unfamiliar technological bases, comparable to ‘technology fusion’ in other sectors. A more fruitful emphasis may be to regard construction as organized as agglomerations of projects - rather than as a discrete industry or a fixed constellation of firms. The idea of the ‘demand chain’ is introduced. The paper concludes that a ‘technological paradigm’ should r...