Planning Process Research Articles

НАРИСИ ІСТОРІЇ МІСТОБУДУВАННЯ В УКРАЇНІ І СВІТІ

Introduction. The article examines the nutritional dynamics and peculiarities of the development of the environment in Ukraine, which requires an integrated approach to address the challenges and problems of this problem. The foldability and rich profile of this galus poses system requirements that require support and legislative security at the edge. Also, we are talking about developing a strategy for the development of local development, which is based on the idea of ensuring harmony between the economic, social and environmental development of the place. The main essence lies in the creation of such a local environment that would satisfy the needs of the current generation, without reducing the ability of future generations to take control of their lives. It is important that the main aspects of the development of strategies for the development of local development include, first of all, economic stability, so that they are aimed directly at creating minds for economic growth and development, ensuring the stability of financial, economic and investment processes in localities. Social inclusion plays an important role, and development strategies are aimed at ensuring accessibility and equal access to infrastructure, housing, lighting, health care and other social services for all levels of the population. Problem statement. Urban planning is a complex, multi-level and multi-disciplinary process that has a systemic nature. The main task of urban planning is to create such a material environment in which human needs should be satisfied as best as possible. In contrast to previous years, the urban planning process has been streamlined and has become more integrated into public production. The specificity of this type involves a whole series of competencies affecting many fields of knowledge. Urban planning activity involves planning, development of territories, careful development and implementation of urban planning documentation regarding both the expansion of cities and the construction of new ones. At the same time, many questions arise regarding architectural solutions, harmonious placement of buildings in the surrounding landscape. The process of urban planning always heralds socio-economic development: infrastructure and architectural projects implemented within the framework of urban planning can contribute to economic growth, attracting investment and creating jobs, while the process of social integration is underway, creating conditions for communication and interaction between different social and cultural groups .

The Decentralised Governance in Kenya: Implications on Citizen Participation in the Local Governance

Abstract This study sought to examine the extent to which decentralisation efforts have affected citizen participation in local governance in Kenya. Survey research designs was employed. 371 questionnaires were administered and 16 interview conducted with key stakeholders. The findings revealed that decentralisation influences citizen participation in devolved Governance. 77.3% of the respondents agreed decentralization had promoted political entrepreneurship while 75% contended that decentralization had influenced citizen participation in development of policies and legislation. Moreover, 57.2% of the respondents felt that citizen participation in decentralized policy-making was high while 69% of the respondents were satisfied that decentralization had made it possible for citizens to participate in county budgeting. Only 49% approved the effectiveness of decentralization in promoting citizen participation in promoting participatory budgeting and planning process. The national and county governments should put in place measures to safeguard the independence of the counties in realizing the objective of citizen participation in governance.

Human-like intelligent automatic treatment planning of head and neck cancer radiation therapy.

Automatic treatment planning of radiation therapy (RT) is desired to ensure plan quality, improve planning efficiency, and reduce human errors. We have proposed an Intelligent Automatic Treatment Planning framework with a virtual treatment planner (VTP), an artificial intelligence robot built using deep reinforcement learning (DRL), autonomously operating a treatment planning system (TPS). This study extends our previous successes in relatively simple prostate cancer RT planning to head-and-neck (H&N) cancer, a more challenging context even for human planners due to multiple prescription levels, proximity of targets to critical organs, and tight dosimetric constraints.

We integrated VTP with a real clinical TPS to establish a fully automated planning workflow guided by VTP. This integration allowed direct model training and evaluation using the clinical TPS. We designed the VTP network structure to approach the decision-making process in RT planning in a hierarchical manner that mirrors human planners. The VTP network was trained via the Q-learning framework. To assess the effectiveness of VTP, we conducted a prospective evaluation in the 2023 Planning Challenge organized by the American Association of Medical Dosimetrists (AAMD). We extended our evaluation to include 20 clinical H&N cancer patients, comparing the plans generated by VTP against their clinical plans.

In the prospective evaluation for the AAMD Planning Challenge, VTP achieved a plan score of 139.08 in the initial phase evaluating plan quality, and 15 min of planning time with the first place ranking in the adaptive phase competing for planning efficiency while meeting all plan quality requirements. For clinical cases, VTP-generated plans achieved an average VTP score of 125.33±11.12, which outperformed the corresponding clinical plans with an average score of117.76±13.56.

We successfully integrated VTP with the clinical TPS to achieve a fully automated treatment planning workflow. The compelling performance of VTP demonstrated its potential in automating H&N RT planning.

EquiCity game: a mathematical serious game for participatory design of spatial configurations

We propose a mathematical framework for developing social-choice games that are designed to mediate decision-making processes for city planning, urban area redevelopment, and architectural configuration of urban housing complexes. The proposed framework features a digital serious gaming approach for participatory design to support transparency and inclusion in the process of decision-making and ensure an equitable balance of sustainable development goals in spatial design outcomes. The mathematical process consists of a Markovian design machine for balancing the design decisions of actors, a massing configurator equipped with fuzzy logic and multi-criteria decision analysis, algebraic graph-theoretical accessibility evaluators, and automated solar-climatic evaluators using geospatial computational geometry. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the framework by implementing a multi-player online game that facilitates a participatory decision-making workshop for forming multi-functional building complexes by providing a generative configurator equipped with automated appraisal/scoring mechanisms for revealing the aggregate impact of alternatives. The EquiCity game empowers a group of decision-makers to reach a fair consensual spatial design by mathematically simulating many rounds of reasonable trade-offs between their decisions, with different levels of interest or control over various types of investments. The novelty of the framework is in its capability to encompass decision-making about the most idiosyncratic aspects of a site related to its heritage status and cultural significance to the most generic aspects such as balancing access to sunlight for the site while respecting ‘the right to sunlight’ of the neighbours of the site, ensuring coherence of the entire configuration with regards to a network of desired closeness ratings, the satisfaction of a programme of requirements, and intricately balancing individual development goals in conjunction with communal goals and environmental design codes.

Osteotomy around the painful degenerative varus knee has broader indications than conventionally described but must follow a strict planning process: ESSKA Formal Consensus Part I.

The European consensus was designed with the objective of combining science and expertise to produce recommendations that would educate and provide guidance in the treatment of the painful degenerative varus knee. Part I focused on indications and planning. Ninety-four orthopaedic surgeons from 24 European countries were involved in the consensus, which focused on the most common indications for osteotomy around the knee. The consensus was performed according to an established ESSKA methodology. The questions and recommendations made were initially designed by the consensus steering group. And 'best possible' answers were provided based upon the scientific evidence available and the experience of the experts. The statements produced were further evaluated by ratings and peer review groups before a final consensus was reached. There is no reliable evidence to exclude patients based on age, gender or body weight. An individualised approach is advised; however, cessation of smoking is recommended. The same applies to lesser degrees of patellofemoral and lateral compartment arthritis, which may be accepted in certain situations. Good-quality limb alignment and knee radiographs are a mandatory requirement for planning of osteotomies, and Paley's angles and normal ranges are recommended when undertaking deformity analysis. Emphasis is placed upon the correct level at which correction of varus malalignment is performed, which may involve double-level osteotomy. This includes recognition of the importance of individual bone morphology and the maintenance of a physiologically appropriate joint line orientation. The indications of knee osteotomies for painful degenerative varus knees are broad. Part I of the consensus highlights the versatility of the procedure to address multiple scenarios with bespoke planning for each case. Deformity analysis is mandatory for defining the bone morphology, the site of the deformity and planning the correct procedure. Level II, consensus.

Soft vs. Hard Sustainability Approach in Marine Spatial Planning: Challenges and Solutions

Hitherto, over 50% of countries with marine waters have established MSPs or launched related legal actions. However, there are still conceptual and practical challenges to be overcome in the development of MSP. In this study, we investigate two main approaches in MSP (hard vs. soft sustainability) through reports, published manuscripts and meeting proceedings in seven pioneering countries (Belgium, Netherlands, Norway, Germany, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada). We highlight the gaps, challenges, and solutions in each of these approaches. From our findings, there are four common challenges in both soft and hard sustainability approaches as follows: (i) the political framework and inconsistent support of MSP efforts, (ii) insufficient knowledge on social dimensions, (iii) insufficient stakeholder engagement in the diversity of stakeholder’s groups or in their contribution to the planning process from the initial steps, and (iv) finding a balance between environmental conservation and economic growth. We recommend that future studies should investigate how MSP can become more adaptive to long-term environmental and economic targets, how effective involving socioeconomic strata is in MSP, and how decision-making tools could help to cover the gaps in MSP. Furthermore, public forums are suggested to be developed to facilitate the systematic sharing of MSP experiences worldwide.

Automatic planning of maxillary anterior dental implant based on prosthetically guided and pose evaluation indicator.

Preoperative planning of maxillary anterior dental implant is a prerequisite to ensuring that the implant achieves the proper three-dimensional (3D) pose, which is essential for its long-term stability. However, the current planning process is labor-intensive and subjective, relying heavily on the surgeon's experience. Consequently, this paper proposes an automatic method for computing the optimal pose of the dental implant. The method adopts the principle of prosthetically guided dental implant placement. Initially, the prosthesis coordinate system is established to determine the implant candidate orientations. Subsequently, virtual slices of the maxilla in the buccal-palatal direction are generated according to the prosthesis position. By extracting feature points from the virtual slices, the implant candidate starting points are acquired. Then, a candidate pose set is obtained by combining these candidate starting points and orientations. Finally, a pose evaluation indicator is introduced to determine the optimal implant pose from this set. Twenty-two cases were utilized to validate the method. The results show that the method could determine an ideal pose for the dental implant, with the average minimum distance between the implant and the left tooth root, the right tooth root, the palatal side, and the buccal side being mm, mm, mm, mm, respectively. The planning time was less than 9s. Unlike manual planning, the proposed method can efficiently and accurately complete maxillary anterior dental implant planning, providing a theoretical analysis of the success rate of the implant. Thus, it has great potential for future clinical application.

Social sustainability for whom? The role of discursive boundary objects in Swedish strategic urban planning

This paper provides further understanding of how social sustainability functions as a discursive boundary object, by exploring how it is artefactually anchored during the planning process, and how this anchoring affects the discourse of social sustainability. This is explored in a Swedish strategic planning project – the RiverCity in Gothenburg – where social sustainability is the desired policy objective. This paper traces how the discourse of social sustainability shifted during the planning process (2012–2019) and shows how social sustainability contains two levels of meaning, substantives aspects of what a socially sustainable city is and procedural of how to achieve it. The substantive level functions as a boundary object between policy areas, however, the procedural level leads to goal conflicts when it is translated and artefactually anchored by different municipal departments. The findings show how the conflicts between different translations of social sustainability change the discourse over time without changing the phrasing of the first level of meaning. This finding shows that 1) while the core idea persists different translations lead to different artefactual anchoring, 2) which shows a mismatch between long-term socioeconomic goals and short-term financial goals for social sustainability, and 3) risks the concept being hijacked.

How social innovations emerge in a rigid regulatory context: the case of demand responsive transport in Switzerland

ABSTRACT Demand responsive transport (DRT) solutions may improve rural transport systems. These solutions often emerge as social innovations in rural areas. In Switzerland, their planning process is embedded in a rigid regulatory framework of the public transport system. The objective of this paper is to understand in which way the regulatory framework of the public transport system influences planning processes of a DRT solution in a rural setting. The methodological approach of social innovation biographies helps to examine the necessary planning steps to start mybuxi, a DRT in two Swiss rural municipalities. Our findings show that regulatory constraints dominate the final planning stage of the social innovation. Protections of current public transport regulations hinder federal offices from subsidizing the DRT, having direct implications on the financial sustainability of the system. The findings of this paper help actors to better address regulatory questions in the early stage of the respective innovation process.

Compensation as a planning compass: decision making in light of future claims and lawsuits

ABSTRACT Local governments around the world are typically required to compensate property owners for decline in property values due to planning actions. This has impacted and constrained the ability of cities to manage and plan their environments. We explore how issues of compensation, or the fear of compensation payments, influence the planning process and system. Delving into Israel’s planning system, renowned for its generous compensation regime, we examine Tel-Aviv‘s largest conservation plan, which afforded heritage protection to a thousand buildings, and inquire how issues of compensation affected decisions during the planning and implementation stages of the city’s most significant conservation policy.

The effect of antitumor therapy on the reproductive system, the possibility of preserving female fertility

The influence of malignant neoplasms and their treatment methods on the reproductive function of women is one of the significant problems of oncogynecology. The mechanisms of ovarian follicle loss caused by chemotherapy have their own characteristics depending on the characteristics of the cytotoxic agent and act differently on different populations of ovarian cells. The toxic effect on fertility of the main groups of antitumor drugs is considered. Reproductive dysfunction has negative consequences for a woman’s physical and mental health. The use of methods that reduce the effect of cytotoxic agents on the ovary helps to prevent premature ovarian insufficiency, leading to infertility. The article discusses modern methods of fertility preservation using assisted reproductive technologies. All cancer patients of reproductive age should receive full oncofertility counseling as early as possible, during the treatment planning process, regardless of the type and stage of the disease.

Architectural and Urban Changes in a Residential Environment—Implications for Design Science

Current spatial changes involving broad urban landscapes affect people’s perceptions of their surroundings, sense of place, and attachment to a place, constituting a disruption to these. As a result, on a social scale, they translate into people’s well-being. The following study of the impact of large-scale architectural and urban developments on the place of residence is based on the assumption that physical space determines the quality of life in the living place and the changes in the process condition residents to adapt to their new surroundings—based on the three pillars of place, people, and process (3Ps). The article consists of two parts. The first is theoretical, which conceptualises spatial change based on the theory of human dependence on place. The second part–an empirical study—discusses the transformation of the post-industrial area of Bicocca (Milan), which, 40 years after the intervention, has led to conclusions and recommendations for urban planning. The results demonstrate the different sensitivities of the urban areas to the process of functional–spatial change, the essence of the accessibility of public space, public facilities, and transport infrastructure. The planning process can positively influence social adaptation to spatial change mitigation. Residential areas may be subject to additional protection procedures. The study is relevant to a sustainable planning process in the inevitable transformation of urban areas. The interdisciplinary nature of the issue prompts the integration of research findings and knowledge transfer in the socio-technological subsystem (STS).

Planning a Sewage Treatment System for Smart Housing Societies: A Review

Smart housing societies are increasingly incorporating sustainable practices, including on-site sewage treatment. This paper reviews key considerations for planning a sewage treatment system in such communities. Factors like resident population, water usage patterns, and available space are analyzed. Different treatment technologies, including activated sludge, constructed wetlands, and membrane bioreactors, are evaluated for their suitability in smart housing contexts. The integration of smart monitoring and control systems for optimizing treatment processes and water reuse is discussed. Finally, the importance of adhering to local regulations and involving residents in the planning process is highlighted.

Last mile delivery of climate adaptation in Uganda, the need to integrate and decentralize climate adaptation planning and implementation processes

ABSTRACT Millions of people in Uganda are in need of urgent climate adaptation. The current central government-led top-down projects are inefficient and ineffective. These projects financed by multi-lateral global climate funds have with limited impact at community level. The Local Climate Living Adaptation facility (LoCAL) through its Performance-Based Climate Resilience Grants to local governments is much more efficient and effective. True last mile delivery of climate adaptation can be accomplished through the bottom-up District Development Planning process by assessing climate issues and capturing adaptation needs in village proposal sheets and turn them into Village Climate Adaptation Plans. To be able to rapidly provide locally led adaptation, systematically and continuously to the millions of people in need, integration of the three delivery mechanisms is proposed, where the millions of climate finance raised by the central government are channelled to district level as Performance-Based Climate Resilient Grants based on the adaptation needs captured in Village Climate Adaptation Plans.

Artificial Intelligence Capabilities for Demand Planning Process

Background: Technological advancements, particularly in Artificial Intelligence (AI), are revolutionizing operations management, especially in the domain of supply chain management. This paper delves into the application of AI in demand planning processes within the supply chain context. Drawing upon a comprehensive review of the existing literature, the main objective of this study is to analyze how AI is being applied and adopted in the demand planning process, identifying the resources needed to build the capacity of AI in the demand process, as well as the mechanisms and practices contributing to AI capability’s advancement and formation. Methodology: The approach was qualitative, and case studies of three different companies were conducted. Results: This study identified crucial resources necessary for fostering AI capabilities in demand planning. Our study extends the literature on AI capability in several ways. First, we identify the resources that are important in the formation of the capacity to implement AI in the context of demand planning. Conclusions: This study’s practical contributions underscore the multifaceted nature of AI implementation for demand planning, emphasizing the importance of resource allocation, human capital development, collaborative relationships, organizational alignment, and relational capital and AI.

Co-creation of a novel approach for improving supply chain management for SARS-CoV-2 point of care diagnostic services in Mopani District, Limpopo Province: nominal group technique

IntroductionEffective supply chain management (SCM) of point-of-care (POC) tests for diseases like severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) requires active participation from diverse stakeholders, government entities, and regulatory bodies. The responsibility for overseeing various aspects of POC tests, including procurement, quality assurance, storage, inventory management, distribution, and human resource capacity, lies with national, provincial, and local levels of government. This study aimed to collaboratively develop an innovative approach to enhance SCM for SARS-CoV-2 POC diagnostic services in resource-limited settings, using the Mopani District in Limpopo province, South Africa, as a case study.MethodsKey stakeholders were invited to participate in an online workshop using purposive sampling. The study employed the nominal group technique (NGT) for data collection, which consisted of two phases. Phase 1 focused on identifying barriers in the supply chain of COVID-19 rapid tests, while phase 2 aimed to devise strategies to overcome the priority barriers identified in phase 1. Participants used a Likert scale of 1–5 to rank barriers and strategies, and an overall ranking score was calculated for each. The participants were provided with the results of the ranking exercise for their feedback.ResultsEleven key stakeholders from national (n = 1), provincial (n = 4), and local government (n = 2) levels, research entities (n = 3), and non-governmental organizations (n = 1) took part in the study. Participants identified significant barriers in the supply chain, such as the availability of testing kits, unknown demand, information on SCM during a pandemic, methods of controlling stock, and procurement processes. Strategies suggested by key stakeholders included monitoring stock levels and optimizing stock visibility systems to improve test availability, enhancing information visibility and consistent data updates to address unknown demand and improve SCM during a pandemic, employing data capturing and digitization for effective stock control, and implementing demand planning and standardized procurement processes at the national level to enhance stock procurement.DiscussionThe successful collaboration with key stakeholders, facilitated by the NGT, resulted in the co-creation of a novel approach to enhance SCM for COVID-19 diagnostic services in resource-limited settings. This study holds the potential to support the provision of COVID-19 diagnostic services in such settings. A recommended follow-up study would assess the feasibility of implementing this approach.

“We don’t have a lot of trees, but by God, do we have a lot of fish”: imagining postcolonial futures for the Nunatsiavut fishing industry

Telling stories can be an empowering exercise, providing important insights into the values and priorities of the storytellers. This article shares stories told during a participatory scenario planning process among Inuit, an Indigenous People of northern Canada, Greenland, and Alaska, USA. This research takes place in Nunatsiavut, a land claim area in Labrador, Canada, to explore how visions provide insights into postcolonial futures for the fishing industry. Beginning in 2019, a group of fisheries stakeholders and managers came together to create a visioning process that would help them to develop consensus around priorities for the industry. Facilitated by university researchers, Inuit in the commercial fishing industry participated in an iterative data-collection process that involved interviews and a workshop. This article shares what was found during the scenario-planning process and position stories of the future within the context of Indigenous sovereignty.

Strategic Management Practices and Organisational Performance in Akwa Ibom State Civil Service

The study centered on strategic management practices and organisational performance in Akwa Ibom State Civil Service Commission. The survey research design was used in the study. Two objectives, two research questions and two null hypotheses were formulated for the study. The population of the study was 886 staff of the studied ministries, while the sample size was 276. A proportional and simple random sampling technique was applied in the study. Using simple linear regression analysis, results from the analysis showed that strategic planning has a positive and significant influence on the performance of Akwa Ibom State Civil Service Commission (R2 = 0.685, < P.0.000) and strategic choice has a positive and significant effect on the performance of Akwa Ibom State Civil Service Commission (R2 = 0.793, < P.0.000). It was concluded that strategic management process has a significant and positive effect on the performance of Akwa Ibom State Civil Service Commission. It was recommended that the strategic planning process in the studied ministries should be improved through adequate resource allocation as this will improve the performance of the organisation, and strategic choices should be made based on the prevailing economic developments to ensure optimal realisation of corporate goals.

Practice What You Preach!

Contemporary urban planning is a highly complex process, often spanning many years and involving many different types of stakeholders. Western countries and cities are increasingly conducting construction and involvement processes along the same lines. However, there continue to be significant cultural and geographical differences in how designers, planners, developers, and citizens understand those concepts. This paper aims to give a practitioner’s perspective on how the design and planning process works in a Danish context. It does so by contextualizing Danish planning and elaborating on the tricky choices faced by designers and planners, elaborating on the specific philosophy of SLA. It then finishes by going through some of the projects that SLA designed to give the reader an understanding of the involvement process, design, and learnings.

Sustainability through the use of Building Information Modelling in infrastructure planning

This study examines the role of Building Information Modelling (BIM) in infrastructure planning from a sustainability perspective. It emphasises how BIM can contribute to the promotion of ecological, economic and social sustainability. Interviews with experts have shown that BIM can not only optimise the energy consumption of infrastructure projects, but also lead to precise material quantification and optimisation. Despite the benefits, the use of BIM in infrastructure planning is limited, especially in small and medium-sized projects and with local authorities. The study identifies challenges such as the complexity of BIM software systems and the additional costs of implementing them. Recommendations for action include training clients and engineering firms in the use of BIM for cost forecasting and extending the digital twin concept beyond the construction and planning process. The results show that widespread BIM application is only possible if both clients and planning offices share sustainability goals and are prepared to bear the additional costs for BIM planning. The work emphasises the need to use BIM beyond building construction for sustainable infrastructure development and provides insights into the practice of engineering firms in the infrastructure sector.