Planning Of Urban Areas Research Articles

Quantifying the effects of urban green space on water partitioning and ages using an isotope-based ecohydrological model

Abstract. The acceleration of urbanization requires sustainable, adaptive management strategies for land and water use in cities. Although the effects of buildings and sealed surfaces on urban runoff generation and local climate are well known, much less is known about the role of water partitioning in urban green spaces. In particular, little is quantitatively known about how different vegetation types of urban green spaces (lawns, parks, woodland, etc.) regulate partitioning of precipitation into evaporation, transpiration and groundwater recharge and how this partitioning is affected by sealed surfaces. Here, we integrated field observations with advanced, isotope-based ecohydrological modelling at a plot-scale site in Berlin, Germany. Soil moisture and sap flow, together with stable isotopes in precipitation, soil water and groundwater recharge, were measured over the course of one growing season under three generic types of urban green space: trees, shrub and grass. Additionally, an eddy flux tower at the site continuously collected hydroclimate data. These data have been used as input and for calibration of the process-based ecohydrological model EcH2O-iso. The model tracks stable isotope ratios and water ages in various stores (e.g. soils and groundwater) and fluxes (evaporation, transpiration and recharge). Green water fluxes in evapotranspiration increased in the order shrub (381±1mm)<grass(434±21mm)<trees(489±30 mm), mainly driven by higher interception and transpiration. Similarly, ages of stored water and fluxes were generally older under trees than shrub or grass. The model also showed how the interface between sealed surfaces and green space creates edge effects in the form of “infiltration hotspots”. These can both enhance evapotranspiration and increase groundwater recharge. For example, in our model, transpiration from trees increased by ∼ 50 % when run-on from an adjacent sealed surface was present and led to groundwater recharge even during the growing season, which was not the case under trees without run-on. The results form an important basis for future upscaling studies by showing that vegetation management needs to be considered within sustainable water and land use planning in urban areas to build resilience in cities to climatic and other environmental change.

RECENZJA NAUKOWA I JEJ ROLA W EWALUACJI PUBLIKACJI NAUKO-WYCH W DYSCYPLINIE ARCHITEKTURA I URBANISTYKA

The article deals with the issue of the nature and quality of reviews of scientific publications in the research area of architecture and urban planning. The aim of the article is to indicate the unique character of the undertaken research topic, often implying unconventionally undertaken research methods. As a result, the proposals for extending the offer of publishing patterns are discussed, which could enable the presentation of research results in the discipline of architecture and urban planning. These present, in a way that goes beyond the schemas, issues from the border of exact, humanistic, natural, social and artistic sciences. The methods used allow for the characterization of selected scientific publications as well as scientific reviews.

Travel time, trip frequency and motorised-vehicle ownership: A case study of travel behaviour of people with reduced mobility in Medellín

PurposeAs life expectancy increases around the world, it also grows the number of people with reduced mobility (older adults and disabled individuals), leading to a need to rethink transport planning in urban areas to include these individuals. To accomplish this, city planners must understand the key features that most influence the travel behaviour among people with reduced mobility to provide independent and healthy lifestyles and promote the use of healthy active transport modes among them. MethodologyIn this study, a set of machine learning models was trained to predict the travel behaviour of people with reduced mobility in Medellín, and the most appropriate model was used to examine the underlying key features that most influence the travel behaviour among these individuals. Additionally, a specific systemic analysis was carried out for people with reduced mobility who choose active transport modes to make their trips. ResultsResults show that the CatBoost implementation of a gradient boosting model outperforms other machine learning models considering the predefined evaluation metrics. The numerical results reveal that travel time, trip frequency and motorised-vehicle ownership are the key features that most influence the travel behaviour of people with reduced mobility in Medellín. ConclusionsIn order to ensure an equitable and inclusive society, the main objective of public agencies should aim to understand the travel behaviour of an increasing population with reduced mobility that deserves inclusive solutions to improve their mobility conditions.

Dust Capturing Capacity of Woody Plants in Clean Air Zones throughout Taiwan

To exploit the ability of vegetation to capture particulate matter (dust) from the air and improve air quality, 546 clean air zones (CAZs) consisting of various types of urban green space have been established in Taiwan. This study systematically assessed the pollutant filtering efficiency of tree species planted in these green spaces. This research aims to provide quantitative data on individual trees’ dust retention functions for future green space planning in urban areas. Field surveys were conducted in 98 CAZs throughout Taiwan. The vegetation composition of approximately 14,000 woody trees, consisting of 210 species, was surveyed. The vegetation surveyed showed that the dominant species in many CAZs in southern Taiwan were introduced species. The dust capturing capacity of the tree species was found to be positively correlated with leaf size. However, the amount of dust retention was affected mainly by the surface structure and morphological characteristics of the leaves, such as a rough, hairy surface. Among the tree species, Spathodea campanulata, Pterocarpus indicus, and Delonix regia exhibited the best dust capture and retention capacity in southern Taiwan, and Ficus macrocarpa, Alstonia scholaris, and Melia azedarach were the most desirable dust retention species. The results suggest that native evergreen species are suitable for dust retention in urban green spaces.

IMPLICATION OF GIS ON SUSTAINABLE URBAN PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT IN UGANDA

Purpose: The fundamental purpose of this study was to assess the implication of GIS on sustainable urban planning and management in Uganda, one of the East African countries. Methodology: This study was a desk review research where documents were reviewed using a documentary checklist as the primary data collection instrument. Data was analyzed using content thematic analysis where emerging themes were identified and presented in a narrative form accompanied with quotation of texts from the documents where the identified themes emerged from. Findings: This study found out that GIS contributes to sustainable urban planning and management through the following ways; analyzing the existing situation for adequate urban planning process; producing and maintaining geographical information which aids planning of urban areas and towns; providing quick access of data to planners and other stakeholders which eases the urban planning and management process; enabling planners to make effective, efficient and informed decision with regards to urban planning and management; enabling monitoring, evaluation and provision of feedback with regards to implementation of urban plans. Unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: This study concludes that GIS has a positive implication on sustainable urban planning and management. This study also recommends that Governments of developing economies especially low income and middle income economies, Uganda not being exceptional should develop a strong data base for GIS systems so as to enable quick access to data by planners for effective and informed decision making in order to foster sustainable urban planning and management in low and middle income countries.

Tectonic activity and earthquake risk in the Chengnanhe fault zone in Weihai city, Shandong province, China, obtained by using an integrated prospecting technique in geophysics and geology

For city planning and reducing potential earthquake risk, it’s necessary to detect the information of the buried faults in an urban area especially, including the location and activities. An integrated technique with geophysical and geological methods, including the shallow seismic reflection profile, electrical resistivity measurement, geologic borehole section, and exploration trench, was used to detect the Chengnanhe fault, which is one of the two main faults passing through the Weihai urban area in Shandong province, China. The results show that it is a normal fault striking with E-W direction, and it is relatively inactive and stable. By using the thermoluminescence (TL) dating, we found that the Chengnanhe fault initiated in mid-Pleistocene and there was no offset after late Pleistocene. Such an integrated technique with multiple geological and geophysical methods provides a significant assessment of earthquake risk for city planning in urban areas.

City planning of Hermanninranta – A combination of geotechnics, contamination, and climate change

The Hermanninranta area presents one of the most geotechnically challenging urban planning areas in the City of Helsinki. The area located on the shore of Vanhankaupunginlahti (Old City Bay) is approx. 50 ha in size. Most of the area is reclaimed from the sea and only Kyläsaari island is a natural formation. Land reclamation in the area was performed in various stages between the 1840s to the 1980s. Natural very soft clay layers encountered in the area extend to a depth of over 40 m below ground surface. Today, the proximity to the city centre makes Hermanninranta very attractive for residential and commercial construction. Thick fill containing contaminated soil, slag and ash on top of soft deep clay, are a challenging combination. Variable fills have caused the settlement of soft clays and the displacement of the embankment towards the bay. Changing current land use for residential purposes will require changing of current ground surface elevation to approximately 2 to 2,5 m upward. This will be an issue impacting geotechnical engineering. Rising sea level caused by global warming shall also be considered. Settlement calculations show that within the next hundred years almost half of the area will be under water in case of no pile slab or soil improvement. The draft city plan has been updated based on these geotechnical, environmental and climate change studies.

The Pandemic Era Digital Economy: Youth Challenges in Social Media Marketing

The field of finance, fintech, and even finance companies like insurers has become part of the world of the internet. Indeed, the digital economy has now entered the areas of shipping, banking, agriculture and urban planning. This is characterized by the usage of technologies and the internet for various uses, including digitalization, of culture. Hence the improvements in the organizational and even marketing processes to the customer element level and numerous transactional regulatory structures is important and common in industries. Youth are also facing challenges in social network marketing, including reliance on technological development, safety and privacy issues, balanced personalization and privacy, marketing transparency, uneven Internet infrastructure in ASEAN Countries, and tight competition. This is an important aspect of the youth's efforts.

Features of road safety project implementation until 2024 in Omsk region

Introduction. One of the important problems in the Russian Federation is road safety improvement (RS). This is due to the enormous damage that accidents inflict on the national economy. The Russian Federation lags behind the leading countries of the European Union in the field of road safety in terms of key indicators by 3.5 times. To close the gap, in January 2018, we adopted the 'Strategy for road safety in the Russian Federation for 2018 - 2024’ (Strategy). The goal of the Strategy is to strive for zero mortality in road traffic accidents (RTA) by 2030, and in 2024 to reduce the social risk to 4 deaths per 100 thousand inhabitants.Materials and methods. The developments are based on a new theory developed at SibADI - this is the cyclical dynamics of road accidents on a national scale, subordinate to the level of the economy. During crisis, there is a decrease in the number of accidents; this is influenced by a number of factors, the main one is a decrease in the total mileage of vehicles. During such periods, the effectiveness of measures to reduce road accidents is often confused with the real cause, which leads to a decrease in funding and the curtailment of work to improve road safety, which should not be done. When the economy recovers, the level of road accidents recovers and even begins to grow due to the loss of qualifications of drivers who are idle during the crisis.Results. There are two different approaches to achieving this goal. At the federal level, there is a programmatic approach, while in the regions the project method is used within the framework of the 'Safe and High-Quality Highways’ national project (BKAD). A similar project was adopted in the Omsk region. A feature of the road safety project implementation in the Omsk region is the involvement of science. Research is carried out at the Organization and Traffic Safety Department and is introduced into the educational process and implemented at the Federal Training Center for advanced training of workers involved in the training of drivers, created in SibADI.Discussion and conclusion. The scientific approach guarantees the identification and quality solution of the main problems of the road safety project. This applies to recommendations for stabilizing project financing, justifying the development of public transport, using new technologies, improving the regulatory and legislative framework in all areas of urban planning and infrastructure.

The Establishment of an Intelligent Monitoring and Early Warning System for Large-scale Breeding Animal Epidemics in Urban Planning Areas

The Establishment of an Intelligent Monitoring and Early Warning System for Large-scale Breeding Animal Epidemics in Urban Planning Areas

Geothermal energy in urban planning

Geothermal energy is a collective term referring to Earth heat extraction and use of the ground capacity to absorb and store thermal energy to supply heat or cold. Thermal ground exchange or shallow geothermal energy has been increasingly used in the housing sector to sustain comfortable room temperature. Increasing utilization of geothermal energy, particularly in urban areas, requires integration into urban planning processes. The question of subsurface planning, or underground space integration into land-use planning, or three-dimensional planning has been an emerging research theme in this decade. This paper will focus on specific issues that pertain to geothermal energy use in land use planning in urban areas. These issues include (1) holistic vision of underground space as a resource, (2) geothermal energy technologies in terms of using space, (3) multiple users and installations of heat pumps and their interaction, (4) possible conflicts and interference with other subsurface users and functions, (5) demand and suitability of geothermal use in housing, (6) urban densities and geothermal energy feasible use, (7) and general principles of urban geothermal land use planning. A feasibility case study of using heat pumps to provide heating for a typical historic residential multifamily building in the Petrogradsky district of the city of St. Petersburg, Russia is given.

Characteristics of nitrogen pollution for shallow groundwater in typical urban planning area in Taihu Lake Basin

In order to verify the nitrogen pollution status of shallow groundwater in typical city of Taihu Lake Basin, urban planning area of Suzhou city was selected as the study area, and 14 sampling sites representing different land use types were selected to carry out water quality analysis. The status, temporal variability of nitrogen pollution and composition characteristics of various forms of nitrogen for shallow groundwater were analyzed. The results show that the nitrogen pollution of shallow groundwater in study area is relatively serious. The average contents of total nitrogen, dissolved inorganic nitrogen, total organic nitrogen, ammonia nitrogen, nitrite nitrogen and nitrate nitrogen are 8.23, 5.45, 2.77, 2.53, 0.12 and 2.81 mg/L, respectively. The variation coefficients of various forms of nitrogen are large and the spatial differentiation is significant. The contents of ammonia, nitrite and nitrate in shallow groundwater show an obvious spatial distribution characteristics. Nitrogen pollution in old urban areas is much more serious than other types of areas, especially ammonia nitrogen pollution is particularly prominent. Inorganic nitrogen is the main form of nitrogen in groundwater, while ammonia nitrogen is the main form of inorganic nitrogen.

Landfill location selection for healthcare waste of urban areas using hybrid BWM-grey MARCOS model based on GIS

Healthcare waste generated by medical activities in big cities includes a vast spectrum of materials, from blood, body parts, medical devices, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, diagnostic samples, soiled dressings, syringes and needles, and radioactive material. Improper management of health-care waste places the urban community and society, urban residents, patients, and water resources at risk from the toxic effects of environmental pollution, which can bring up many social and environmental costs for municipalities. Location selection for sitting a landfill for health-care waste with a sustainable development perspective is a complicated decision making problem in the urban and social planning area. This study develops a novel integrated decision-making model for landfill location selection for the health-care waste system. In this study, Geographic Information System (GIS), Best-Worst Method (BWM), and Measurement of alternatives and ranking according to COmpromise solution (MARCOS) method under grey interval set considering sustainability factors. To generate the GIS suitability maps, location criteria are first calculated using the BWM model. The GIS suitability maps suggest eight potential locations for landfilling, which are prioritized using G-MARCOS in order to select the best alternative location. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first study to integrate GIS, BWM, and G-MAROCS methods for sustainable landfill location selection problem for health-care waste. This paper investigates a real case of the municipality of Hamedan, Iran, to show the applicability of the developed methodology for urban planning problems. Sensitivity analysis tests are performed to establish the reliability and robustness of the results. Alternative A7, A8, and A4 are selected respectively as the top three potential location for sitting a landfill for health-care waste. However, locations A6, and A1 are the least suitable alternatives for sitting in a landfill.

Certain aspects of organization of prosecutorial supervision over the execution of laws on minors in the area of urban planning

This article addresses the questions of prosecutorial assessment of the validity of territorial planning documents and allocation of the facilities for minors. The need to take into account violations in development of the territorial planning documents is substantiated. The subject of this research is the theoretical and legal framework of prosecutorial supervision over the execution of laws in the area of urban planning. The object is the legal relations established in organization and implementation of prosecutorial supervision in this sphere. The goal is set to analyze the conformity of urban planning legislation based on the existing theoretical provisions on organization and implementation of prosecutorial supervision. The novelty of this work lies in formulation of recommendations of evidence-based recommendations on observance of rights and legitimate interests of minors, which can be ensured directly in building and reconstruction of the facilities designated for educational institutions, and indirectly – through optimization of allocation of the objects of residential construction, transport and utility systems, beautification of cities, improvement of the state of urban environment. The need is substantiated for intensification of prosecutorial oversight in this regard, including the use of relevant achievements in the theory of prosecutorial activity and scientifically grounded methodological recommendations on interrelated directions of oversight activity. In conclusion, it is noted that in the conditions of expansion of urban construction, prosecutorial branches should implement preventive supervision and measures for remedying violations; an important factor for the effective oversight in the indicated sphere is the knowledge in various branches of law (urban planning, land, environmental, budget, civil, etc.).

Multivariable Analysis of Transport Network Seismic Performance: Mexico City

In densely populated urban areas, predicting the post-earthquake performance of a transport network is a particularly challenging task that requires the integration of modeled structural seismic response, damage scenarios, and resulting traffic behavior. Previous approaches assessing the vulnerability and performance of networks after earthquakes have not succeeded in capturing and estimating the interdependencies between seismic risk parameters and key traffic behavior variables. This paper presents a methodology, based on data analysis and optimization, where the dynamic traffic modeling and probabilistic seismic hazard assessment are coupled, to link and characterize key network performance variables after extreme earthquakes and establish a multivariable seismic performance measure. The methodology is used to study the transport network in the southern part of Mexico City for a set of scenarios. The seismic environment is established through uniform hazard spectra derived for firm soil. Damage to structures is estimated considering site response and using fragility functions. Dynamic traffic modeling is developed to simulate damage-induced road closures and resulting in traffic variations. Post-earthquake network performance is evaluated through data envelopment analyses, obtaining sets of seismic performance boundaries, and seismic performance maps. The methodology offers a quantitative tool with applications in the planning of urban areas that are sustainable and seismic resilient.

Stakeholder Collaboration in Energy Transition: Experiences from Urban Testbeds in the Baltic Sea Region

Energy-efficiency improvement measures for existing building stock are vital for reaching EU climate mitigation and energy targets, especially in urban areas, which are responsible for a large share of total energy consumption and CO2 emissions. The complex and multi-faceted nature of the energy sector is characterized currently by fragmented planning practices and a lack of cross-sector action to improve resource efficiency. The authors examine a comprehensive multi-stakeholder collaboration model at the district-level as a method to systematically address challenges of energy planning in urban areas while exploiting synergies with local conditions. A detailed description and evaluation of formats for successful collaboration is provided, considering lessons learned by the Interreg BSR project AREA 21 including seven cities from the Baltic Sea Region (BSR). The authors propose five main features for stakeholder collaboration in energy planning: inclusivity, intermediate scale, interactivity, mutual benefit, and institutionalization. The analysis provides evidence of successful multi-stakeholder collaboration that resulted in the development of strategies and action plans for energy improvements for the selected urban areas.

Integration of urban expansion with hybrid road transport network development within Haldia Municipality, West Bengal

Rapidly growing cities in developing countries like India are facing some concerns such as unplanned and unsystematic urban growth. The port based industrial development plays a pivotal role for growth of urban expansion and transport development over once the agricultural dominant area in Haldia Municipality, West Bengal. This study emphasised on the relationship between urban expansion and transport development using various geospatial and statistical techniques. Land use/cover maps have been prepared in ArcGIS v.10.1 for 2001 and 2018 with the help of Landsat images then road network connectivity was analysed using statistical techniques and GIS environment. Kernel density was used for analysing hybrid road network density. Finally, correlation technique was applied to find out the spatial relationship between the exiting transportation and population. Based on the results, we found the value of coefficient of determination as 0.651 that means transportation development is rigidly controlled by population density. So, urban area was expanded day after day through the huge population pressure over the study area. Moreover, hybrid road transport networks were developed which are well connected to all the fringe areas from the city centre for providing better transport accessibility and facility. But, the planning of urban area through transportation is required to give more attention on proper allocation of others urban services especially for the city people.

Analysis of options for using objects of a municipality property complex in urban area development management

Development planning of urban areas is based on existing legislation in the field of land use, architecture and urban planning. However, the planning process does not have a single algorithm of action. An important stage in the analysis of the effectiveness of the implementation of alternative possible options for using the object of property complex within the territory under consideration is missing in the planning process. The issue of assessing the options for using the object of property complex at the stage of analysis of further use is analyzed in this study. The process of current management of urban areas by local authorities formalized. An example of the implementation of a fuzzy conclusion to assess the effectiveness of the use of free land is considered. The introduction of this stage in planning the development of urbanized territories will help to avoid making incorrect decisions by local authorities and reduce the risk of irrational use for object of property complex. This procedure will help create optimal conditions for a comfortable stay of the local population.

House Prices in the Peripheries of Mass Rapid Transit Stations Using the Contingent Valuation Method

With the implementation of growth management planning in urban areas and the realization of sustainable development visions, transit-oriented development has become a form of mainstream urban development. Relevant studies have verified that the market prices of houses in the peripheries of public transit stations are higher than those of regular houses. However, when buying a house, people make price decisions on the basis of their levels of identification with the amenities and environmental qualities of residential locations. The question arises whether current housing price levels in the peripheries of public transit stations properly reflect or over-reflect this consideration. To clarify this, this study selected the peripheries of mass rapid transit (MRT) stations in the Taipei metropolitan area in Taiwan as the research area and designed a willingness-to-pay questionnaire for houses in the peripheries of MRT stations by using the contingent valuation method. Subsequently, a Tobit regression model was established to estimate the prices that people are willing to pay for such houses. The results revealed that after the respondents had considered the advantages and disadvantages of the amenities and environmental qualities of the peripheries of MRT stations, they were willing to pay higher prices for a house in those areas than for a regular house. For houses in the peripheries of elevated stations, the respondents were willing to pay approximately 7.89% more than the average market price of the entire administrative district per square meter. For houses in the peripheries of underground stations, the respondents were willing to pay approximately 5.9% more than the average market price of the entire administrative district per square meter. However, in the peripheries of both elevated and underground stations, the current market house prices are higher than the price levels the respondents were willing to pay. In the peripheries of elevated stations, the market house prices are 33.55% higher, and those in the peripheries of underground stations are 14.82% higher than what the respondents were willing to pay.

The importance of local winds for the aerationof urban areas having hot and windless climatic conditions

Introduction. A city with its high-rise buildings, greenery and landscaping that prevent air motion aggravate windless conditions typical for climates in the cities located in the southern latitudes characterized by heat and lack of wind. Urban built-up areas have stagnant and overheated air that causes sultriness and significant air pollutions caused by anthropogenic sources. These factors require systematization of the local aerodynamics by means of local wind generation using solar energy.
 Materials and methods. Methods of theoretical research, large-scale field measurements involving the use of instruments, visual observations by means of smoke screening of the urban area’s structure were applied and laboratory research into thermal and wind processes using physical models of cities were applied to identify the role of insolation in the generation of local thermal winds that improve the local environment on the micro- and macroscale.
 Results. The author has found that if built-up urban areas have no general circulation wind fields, urban aeration systems develop local independent air flows due to the temperature difference between heat and cool islands. The temperature difference was applied as the source material for an urban wind model and it also helped to identify the dependence of the local wind velocity on the thermal contrast of urban islands. A classification of aeration models is developed at macro; meso-; micro- and nanoscales.
 Conclusions. The practical area of application of the theory of hot and windless processes was identified in respect of urban area planning. The aerodynamics of an urban environment was systematized due to the generation of local thermal winds. The process of local thermal wind generation was studied; the classification of natural aeration models was made for urban areas. Methods of using solar energy were applied to generate local winds, to develop the microclimate and to enhance the environment of urban areas and structures as a prerequisite for targeted urban planning actions, three-dimensional space-planning solutions that apply to urban structures, landscaping, architectural and structural concepts of buildings.
 Acknowledgments. The work was performed in accordance with the research schedule of Department of Design of Buildings and Structures, NRU MGSU, focused on “Function, Structure, Environment in the Architecture of Buildings and Towns”.