Quality Of Life In Cities Research Articles

Public support for urban climate adaptation policy through nature-based solutions in Prague

Climate change is an urgent challenge in urban planning. Weather extremes and resulting impacts such as heat waves and flash floods are already influencing the quality of life in cities and impact on infrastructure, human health and city life. In this study, we investigated perception of and economic preferences for adaptation to climate change in one of Europe’s capital cities to inform its planning policy. Through a choice experiment, we elicit the preferences of a sample (n = 550) from Prague, Czech Republic, for a citywide policy which would increase the use of six commonly used nature-based solutions (NBS) in public spaces and on public buildings across the city. Three attributes were used to describe this policy: (i) the locations where NBS would predominantly be implemented, (ii) the species diversity of these measures, and (iii) their implied costs for households. Our results showed that the NBS policy is widely supported by the public over the status quo and that this preference is mirrored in citizens’ concerns about climate change and the risks posed by heatwaves particularly. Species diversity matters in the portrayed scenarios, suggesting that (bio)diverse NBS generate additional public value over single species measures and that policy which targets biodiversity may gain support. Implementation of NBS in public spaces (e.g., street trees, rain gardens) is preferred over measures implemented on public buildings (green roofs and facades). Furthermore, adverse experiences with heatwaves has increased support for the policy. The presented results provide evidence that adaptation planning through NBS is likely to generate significant public value which is expected to increase with the intensifying effects of climate change.

The impact of different tree planting strategies on ecosystem services and disservices in the piazzas of a northern Italian city

Achieving urban sustainability goals, and improving the quality of life in cities, are aided by the careful selection of tree species for public green spaces. Numerous trade-offs and synergies are necessary to consider when selecting tree species for successful public green spaces and there is little data on effective species mixes. In this transdisciplinary research we consider the relative impacts of nine different tree planting scenarios, as modelled with i-Tree, in three piazzas of Bolzano, North Italy. The scenarios consider the opinions of the general public gathered from focused workshops and data collected via a purposefully created smartphone application in addition to data from local urban tree inventories. Shade provision and aesthetics were the primary factors that influenced citizen tree preferences. Scenarios which included larger tree species generally performed the best due to the greater provision of ecosystem services that arises with larger tree dimensions. Ecosystem disservices also increase with larger trees but can be minimised by careful species selection. Public participation in the planning of urban green spaces can be a beneficial activity which ensures new planning outputs will be well-received whilst providing opportunities for education of citizens about the multiple ecosystem services and disservices in urban contexts. Model outputs revealed that different tree species choices can have greatly different impacts in terms of ecosystem service and disservice provision.

Framing Electric Mobility for Urban Sustainability in a Circular Economy Context: An Overview of the Literature

The development of electro-mobility is one of the centerpieces of European country attempts to reduce carbon emissions and increase the quality of life in cities. The goals of reducing emissions from the transport sector and phasing out fossil-fueled vehicles in (urban) transport by 2050 present unrivaled opportunities to foster electro-mobility. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the literature and provides a detailed analysis of the current development of electro-mobility in Europe, assessing social, economic, and environmental aspects under a circular economy (CE) context. It also examines the existing challenges and suggests ways of addressing them towards improving the environmental performance of electro-mobility and the urban quality of life. The paper argues that a narrow technology-only agenda in electro-mobility will be less successful without the imperative of the CE, including not just materials and resources but also energy, to unlock the medium-term co-benefits of de-carbonization of both the transport as well as the building and energy sectors. The paper critically reviews some of the anticipated future developments that may guide the growth of this rapidly growing field into a CE.

URBANISATION IMPACT ON CREATION OF HEAT ISLANDS IN LARGE CITIES

Abstract. Global warming is getting more and more attention, and one of the main reasons is the rapid growth of the surface temperature. Today more than fifty percent of the human population is living in the cities, and with the growing tendency by the year 2050 to seventy percent, urbanisation is becoming one of the main factors of global warming. Conducted research indicates that the heat island effect is increasing rapidly in a territory with fast urbanisation growth. The surface temperature and air temperature are increasing in surrounding rural areas. This research aims to analyze urbanisation's impact on creating heat islands in a specific time frame from 1990 until 2020 in five large cities with satellite imagery obtained from Landsat satellite missions. By conducting the land cover classification and interpretation of vegetation indexes with the help of GEE (Google Earth Engine) and GIS tools as well as their changes in time by using different channels of satellite imagery will try to show the correlation between urbanisation and heat islands. This research is important for the professional and academic society because the control of global warming and increasing the quality of life in cities is today's priority.

Sustainable Beirut City Planning Post August 2020 Port of Beirut Blast: Case Study of Karantina in Medawar District

The 4 August 2020 Port of Beirut blast caused material damage to an estimated 77,000 apartments located across 10,000 buildings within a 3 km radius of the blast, impacting around 300,000, people predominantly in the municipality of Karantina, which is situated adjacent to the Port of Beirut. The blast shed light on the instability and unsustainable development approach of the city of Beirut since well before the French mandate circa 1921–1940. The impact of the blast provides an opportunity to reassess the relationship between many relevant aspects of the city planning including but not limited to: the relationship of the city to its suburbs, waterfront, and city center; the lack of local planning and cross sectorial master plans; the preservation of the heritage versus the complexity of its urban development; the city growth and increased haphazard urbanization; the infrastructure/service systems that have over the years become increasingly deficient; the lack of public spaces; impacts on urban climate; and the urban divide and inequality that have only grown deeper since the blast, all of which have a combined and adverse impact on the quality of city life. This paper analyzes the most suitable indicators that one must highlight within the context of Beirut city to propose a better and sustainable quality of life with a focus on areas that were significantly impacted by the recent POB blast, namely Karantina. Examples of indicators which were analyzed include sustainable urban design, open spaces, heritage, infrastructure, and urban fabric. The results indicated that the following four main urban design features help improve the quality of life in Karantina, including: (i) connecting areas of Karantina and Mar Mkhael through the reactivation of vacant lots; (ii) reactivation of Ibrahim Bacha and El-Khodr Streets; (iii) redefining the historical El Khodr Mosque boundary and reclaiming its role as an urban landmark; and (iv) integration of classified built heritage. These parameters are necessary to improve the quality of life. The benefits of community participation are also assessed in the improvement and sustainable planning of the city of Beirut.

Characterization of organic compost from urban pruning waste

Urban trees positively influence the quality of life in cities, but they need to be pruned regularly, generating a large amount of solid urban waste. This study aimed to compost urban pruning waste, evaluate its physical, chemical, structural characteristics, and determine its potential as a substrate to produce forest seedlings. The pruning residue was obtained from the Rio de Janeiro Municipal Cleaning Company (COMLURB) - Brazil. Twigs and leaves ≤ 8 cm in diameter were chopped and arranged on a trapezoidal windrow. Temperature, humidity, and aeration were controlled throughout the composting process. Irrigation and turning were carried out as needed. The composting process took 122 days. The compost was dried, processed, and evaluated for physical and chemical characteristics. The leachate was collected and characterized by 13C CP MAS NMR. The temperature patterns were consistent with the thermophilic, mesophilic, and maturation stages. Part of the chemical and physical characteristics of the compound was classified as adequate, according to the literature. The leachate contained large amounts of C alkyl and low amounts of C carbonyl at all times of composting. The characteristics determined indicated that the composting process was interrupted before complete maturation was achieved. However, the compound can be combined with other materials to produce a complete substrate.

Big data analytics with oppositional moth flame optimization based vehicular routing protocol for future smart cities

AbstractPresently, smart city is designed to enhance the quality of life in city, fulfil the safety of the people, safe travelling, etc. Besides, big data has attracted significant attention among researchers in different fields as a large amount of data is being produced with diverse day‐to‐day applications. Besides, Vehicular adhoc network (VANET) is a kind of mobile adhoc network (MANET) that considers the vehicles as the nodes in a network. Since the VANET generates large amount of data, big data analytics can be used to gain meaningful understanding for improving the traffic management process such as planning, engineering, and operations. This paper designs a Big Data Analytics with Oppositional Moth Flame Optimization based Vehicular Routing Protocol for Future Smart Cities. The presented model maps the features of VANET with the attributes of the big data. In addition, oppositional moth flame optimization based vehicular routing (OMFOVR) technique is developed for VANET over the Hadoop Map Reduce standalone distributed framework. For validating the effectual performance of the proposed OMFOVR technique, a series of experiments were performed and the results are compared with the conventional NetBeans IDE platform. The experimental values showcased the betterment of the OMFOVR technique on the selection of routes over the compared methods.

A Proposed Framework for Identification of Indicators to Model High-Frequency Cities

A city is a complex system that never sleeps; it constantly changes, and its internal mobility (people, vehicles, goods, information, etc.) continues to accelerate and intensify. These changes and mobility vary in terms of the attributes of the city, such as space, time and cultural affiliation, which characterise to some extent how the city functions. Traditional urban studies have successfully modelled the ‘low-frequency city’ and have provided solutions such as urban planning and highway design for long-term urban development. Nevertheless, the existing urban studies and theories are insufficient to model the dynamics of a city’s intense mobility and rapid changes, so they cannot tackle short-term urban problems such as traffic congestion, real-time transport scheduling and resource management. The advent of information and communication technology and big data presents opportunities to model cities with unprecedented resolution. Since 2018, a paradigm shift from modelling the ‘low-frequency city’ to the so-called ‘high-frequency city’ has been introduced, but hardly any research investigated methods to estimate a city’s frequency. This work aims to propose a framework for the identification and analysis of indicators to model and better understand the concept of a high-frequency city in a systematic manner. The methodology for this work was based on a content analysis-based review, taking into account specific criteria to ensure the selection of indicator sets that are consistent with the concept of the frequency of cities. Twenty-two indicators in five groups were selected as indicators for a high-frequency city, and a framework was proposed to assess frequency at both the intra-city and inter-city levels. This work would serve as a pilot study to further illuminate the ways that urban policy and operations can be adjusted to improve the quality of city life in the context of a smart city.

An Income Model Using Historical Data, Power-Law Distributions and Monte Carlo Method for University Technology Transfer Offices

Engineering education pushes the creation of new technology to solve community problems. The process of technology transfer promotes educational innovation in universities, a vital process that can improve citizens’ quality of life in cities and rural communities. As a result, university technology transfer offices (TTOs) have to create strategies that motivate students and researchers to generate technology. Thus, a primary challenge that TTOs face is to know and communicate the income potential compared to their much more predictable and limited expense budgets. Institutional budgeting for a TTO’s growth would be simplified if the office were on a solid financial footing, i.e., breaking even or making a financial return. Many offices assume that income is unpredictable, that it is a lottery, luck, and more stakes in the fire improve the odds of hitting a winner, etc. These common assumptions or beliefs provide only a vague insight into how to move an intellectual property (IP) portfolio strategy forward. How can a TTO be assessed for quantitative value and not just be a cost center adding qualitative value? This paper illustrates the first steps to understanding how to project potential income versus a much more predictable expense budget, which would allow universities to improve their technology transfer strategy and results. As a result, TTOs would operate under a more sustainable IP portfolio strategy, promote educational innovation in universities, and generate a more significant community impact.

Evaluation of QoL in cities of diverse neighbourhood typologies: A scientific study of New Delhi

ABSTRACT Quality of life (QoL) in urban areas is increasingly finding prominence in practice. There are numerous studies interlinking residential built environment and QoL at the city level but very few at the suburban level particularly for neighbourhoods. This research aims to prepare an analytical framework and a mathematical model to evaluate neighbourhood QoL as a function of its varying built environment and spatial attributes. In order to demonstrate this, a study is carried out for seven neighbourhood typologies of New Delhi by collecting data for both objective and subjective dimensions. The database is then analysed using statistical techniques of comparative analysis, correlation and regression analysis. The research indicates that (a) Quality of life within a city varies substantially at the neighbourhood level, and (b) current planning standards provide static city-wide benchmarks which are not attainable by most of the Indian neighbourhoods.

Features of the implementation of the transition from a monocentric planning structure to a polycentric one on the example of Kazan

The paper discusses the process of implementing the transition from a monocentric planning structure to a polycentric one on the example of Kazan. In addition, the theoretical concepts of polycentricity presented by the authors of papers were analyzed, as well as the methods of deduction, induction, classification and separation of concepts were used. Then a secondary analysis of the transition to a polycentric planning structure was carried out. For the analysis, the following materials were selected - a sociological survey on the assessment of the quality of life in cities on the website Domofond.ru, Strategy of socio-economic development of the municipal formation of Kazan until 2030, general plan of Kazan, reports on the implementation of national projects and municipal programs. The development of the Small Kazan Ring and the Big Kazan Ring in the city is an important step for the development of polycentricity of urban space in the concept of the city general plan.

Analysis of Nazilli (Aydin) City Open-Green Spaces Adequacy

Urban open green spaces are for cities; these are areas that make significant contributions to ecological, social, cultural, economic, and psychological issues. Because of the expanding of urban areas with the increasing population, all city dwellers need open green spaces. The increase in the quality of urban life depends on the preservation of the existing open green spaces in the cities and the increase of open green spaces in parallel with the increase in the density of buildings. Here, unlike the open increasing population and unplanned urbanization nature and green spaces in cities in Turkey decreased in quantity; Such important areas for cities and city dwellers are almost in danger of extinction. The purpose of this research is; determining the adequacy of open green spaces per capita in the city of Nazilli (Aydin), and making suggestions for the development of open green spaces in the neighborhood and city scale. In the research, 51 parks in 19 neighborhoods were examined. As a result of the research; It has been determined that there are imbalances in terms of numerical, spatial and per capita size in the distribution of open green spaces among the neighborhoods in the city of Nazilli. It can be said that the reason for the unbalanced distribution of open green spaces is that these areas are planned without taking into account the population of the neighborhood, surface measurements and population densities. In Kurtulus, Turan and Yesilyurt Neighborhoods, where there are no open green spaces, open green spaces should be planned. In neighborhoods where the open green space standard per capita (10 m2) is not met, the open green spaces should be increased numerically and spatially. Ensuring the adequacy of open green space per capita in all provinces and the city of Nazilli in Turkey; it will make cities more livable and increase the quality of life in cities. Keywords: Open green space, Standard, Population density, City, Quality of life, Nazilli. DOI: 10.7176/JSTR/7-04-06

Testing the Effect of Hedge Height on Perceived Safety—A Landscape Design Intervention

Access to safe, green urban environments is important for quality of life in cities. The objective of this study is to explore the impact of a safety-enhancing landscape design measure on visitors’ experiences in an urban park. Additionally, this paper combines the use of field and virtual reality (VR) experiments, contributing methodological insights into how to evaluate safety measures in green space management and research on perceived safety. In a field experiment (n = 266), we explored whether the height of a hedge along a pathway influenced perceived safety among users. The field study showed that cutting down the hedge improved the perceived prospect of the immediate surrounding areas for female users, which again made them feel safer in the park. We developed a VR experiment for an evening scenario in the same environment (n = 19) to supplement the field study and test the effect of the intervention further. The VR experiment also found a gender effect on perceived safety, with females reporting lower perceived safety, but no effect was shown for the height of the hedge. The results in this study show that environmental attributes such as perceived prospect and concealment should be considered in the design and management of urban green spaces. Additionally, this research demonstrates an approach to conducting field experiments to test the effects of actual design interventions and then further developing these experiments using VR technology. Further research on perceived safety in outdoor spaces is needed to make use of this combined method’s potential.

Cittaslow Idea as a New Proposition to Stimulate Sustainable Local Development

The idea of “good quality of life” cities was introduced to Poland in 2006, when the Polish National Cittaslow City Network was founded i.a. by Lidzbark Warmiński. In the context of popularizing the idea—slow-style of life—it was decided to undertake research aimed at identifying the influence of the Cittaslow concept on the initiation of actions that have a positive impact on local sustainable development. Referring to the main objective of the study, the hypothesis was accepted stating that membership in the Cittaslow network has a positive impact on the local development of the city, as it is a source of new projects undertaken by the authorities that improve the quality of life of the inhabitants and at the same time are implemented with the participation of local communities. The hypothesis was verified in a survey conducted in 2017 and 2019 among the residents of the city of Lidzbark Warmiński, using a questionnaire. As the research shows and the research of other authors confirms, the quality of life in cities belonging to the Cittaslow network has significantly improved over the last few years. Residents also assessed the degree of satisfaction of their needs and the level of development of the local city against other cities in the region. Obtaining the opinion of residents regarding the Cittaslow network as a direction of local sustainable development, as well as assessing its impact on the quality of life of the urban community turned out to be important from the perspective of further analysis. This issue is important because the idea of the international association Cittaslow is to promote the potential of smaller towns as an alternative to living in big cities, the rush and progressive globalization. Cities in the network are committed to sustainable development by shaping a conscious urban policy, the right relationship between economic growth, the environment and improving the quality of life of residents.

Urban planning and quality of life: A review of pathways linking the built environment to subjective well-being

In light of the rapid global urbanization, providing a better quality of life in cities is becoming an increasingly critical issue for urban planning. However, the links between the built environment and subjective well-being are not sufficiently understood. This paper reviews the evidence on the range of pathways linking the built environment to subjective well-being. Seven potential pathways are identified and reviewed: (1) travel, (2) leisure, (3) work, (4) social relationships, (5) residential well-being, (6) emotional responses, and (7) health. Based on this knowledge, the paper presents an overview of strategies for improving subjective well-being through urban planning. Among others, proposed strategies are to: enhance conditions for active travel; improve public transport while restricting cars; provide easy access to facilities and services; develop or steer technology and emerging mobility options to improve inclusiveness and quality of life for different groups; integrate various forms of urban nature as much as possible; provide accessible, inclusive public spaces and communal spaces; maintain upkeep and order in urban space, vegetation, and transport systems; implement noise reduction strategies; develop aesthetically pleasing buildings and public spaces based on residents' needs and preferences; and reduce socio-spatial inequalities while providing support for housing and transport for vulnerable groups.

DENSITÀ URBANA E GIUSTA DISTANZA: LE NUOVE FRONTIERE DEL PROGETTO URBANISTICO DELLA CITTÀ POST COVID

URBAN DENSITY AND THE JUST DISTANCE: NEW FRONTIERS IN URBAN PLANNING PROJECT AFTER COVIDAbstractThe notion of density plays a central role in the history of urban-planning theories and practice, even beyond its role as a technical tool for measurement and assessment in service of the process to implement the plans. According to the historical period, it was associated with unhealthiness and a lack of hygiene or represented the operational tool to rationalize settlement systems. More recently it has been used as an antidote to the urban crisis originating from settlement dispersion and climate change. With the pandemic, it has beenblamed for the disaster originating from the virus by those who have uncritically ignored the complex factors that truly determine crises. This article supports a different point of view and, with the help of European experiences on the territorial and urban scale, refines the concept of ‘acceptable density’ and ‘just distance’ as goals for urban planning to contribute to containing settlement dispersion and ensuring the services that improve quality of life in cities and the conservation of natural spaces.Keywords: post Covid city, urban planning, quality of life

Sustentabilidade, cultura, lazer e a ocupação dos espaços públicos nas Cidades MIL

This article seeks to reflect on the already existing and inseparable rela­ tionships between society, sustainability, culture and leisure, bringing to the core of the reflection the concept of MIL Cities (Media Information as a potential scenario for developing new urban, human, cul­ tural and technological. Initially, a review of the concept of leisure was made, addressing its foundational pillars and cultural contents, poste­ riorly the relationship between individual and quality of life in cities is explained, through body practices and body awareness, as well as through environmental practices and the promotion of an increasingly active and collective environmental awareness. The relationship of oc­ cupation, belonging and right to the city is also addressed and, precisely at this point, the potential for the use of new technologies by the private sector, public authorities and civil society in the construction and appli­ cation of possibilities that permeate the universe of MIL Cities.

STUDY THE EFFECT OF GREEN SPACES AND PUBLIC SPACES IN IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF CITIES LIFE- HOLY MAKKAH AS CASE STUDY BASED ON THE URBAN OBSERVATORY INDICATORS

STUDY THE EFFECT OF GREEN SPACES AND PUBLIC SPACES IN IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF CITIES LIFE- HOLY MAKKAH AS CASE STUDY BASED ON THE URBAN OBSERVATORY INDICATORS

Cidades saudáveis: o acesso equitativo a parques urbanos como promoção da saúde

O artigo analisou parques urbanos em duas capitais brasileiras – Belém-PA e Recife-PE – a partir do padrão de distribuição e atendimento à população por meio da identificação, dimensões e estimativa de suas áreas de alcance. Quanto à localização, observou-se que a maioria dos parques urbanos, nas duas cidades, se concentra em áreas centrais, distantes de bairros periféricos com menor padrão de renda. Quanto ao percentual de área de atendimento, verificou-se que a quantidade de pontos de acesso aos parques teve maior influência do que a área total coberta por parques na cidade. Por fim, o estudo aponta para a importância de um planejamento eficiente para acesso da população, de forma equitativa, aos benefícios ecossistêmicos proporcionados por esses espaços com vistas à melhoria da qualidade de vida nas cidades.

Residential housing segregation and urban tree canopy in 37 US Cities

Redlining was a racially discriminatory housing policy established by the federal government’s Home Owners’ Loan Corporation (HOLC) during the 1930s. For decades, redlining limited access to homeownership and wealth creation among racial minorities, contributing to a host of adverse social outcomes, including high unemployment, poverty, and residential vacancy, that persist today. While the multigenerational socioeconomic impacts of redlining are increasingly understood, the impacts on urban environments and ecosystems remain unclear. To begin to address this gap, we investigated how the HOLC policy administered 80 years ago may relate to present-day tree canopy at the neighborhood level. Urban trees provide many ecosystem services, mitigate the urban heat island effect, and may improve quality of life in cities. In our prior research in Baltimore, MD, we discovered that redlining policy influenced the location and allocation of trees and parks. Our analysis of 37 metropolitan areas here shows that areas formerly graded D, which were mostly inhabited by racial and ethnic minorities, have on average ~23% tree canopy cover today. Areas formerly graded A, characterized by U.S.-born white populations living in newer housing stock, had nearly twice as much tree canopy (~43%). Results are consistent across small and large metropolitan regions. The ranking system used by Home Owners’ Loan Corporation to assess loan risk in the 1930s parallels the rank order of average percent tree canopy cover today.