Sustainable Urban Infrastructure Research Articles

PAVIMENTOS SOSTENIBLES EN LOS NUEVOS PROYECTOS DE REGENERACIÓN URBANA DE LA VILLA DE BILBAO

Bilbao has experienced a model process of urban transformation in recent years, becoming a cosmopolitan and design city. The Zorrotzaurre project is the last operation of urban regeneration of the city. The main objective is to convert a currently degraded space into a new neighbourhood in Bilbao, seeking a new vision of the city model. The project has been conceived using sustainability as its backbone and influenced by the impulse of the circular economy. This technical note describes the use of recycled and steel aggregates in the pavements of the new urbanization of the right bank of Zorrotzaurre, which is considered essential in the design of sustainable urban infrastructures

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.

Sustainable urban infrastructure in China

Sustainable urban infrastructure in China

Reduction of Plastic Deformation in Heavy Traffic Intersections in Urban Areas

This study aims to maximize the effects of reducing plastic deformation in heavy traffic intersections in urban areas by improving the aggregates and binders of asphalt mixtures in order to verify the strength effect of SMA (Stone Mastic Asphalt) mixtures compared with that of fluid-resistant asphalt mixtures. The authors examine the pavement performance and conduct an economic analysis for sustainable urban infrastructure. Additionally, to reduce plastic deformation, the study analyzed an improvement plan through experimental research based on the existing literature. First, we determined the mixing design specifications of the general asphalt fluid-resistant mixture and SMA mixture, which is known to reduce plastic deformation. Next, we confirmed the appropriateness of the raw materials and mixing design results. Finally, a performance test was conducted on plastic deformation resistance. A wheel tracking test was also conducted as a performance experiment. The test body—with a fiber grid reinforcing material installed in the SMA mixture—showed high dynamic stability, which was the most effective for reducing plastic deformation.

Worry about Climate Change and Urban Flooding Risk Preparedness in Southern Italy: A Survey in the Simeto River Valley (Sicily, Italy)

Intensive urbanization and related increase of impervious surfaces, causes negative impacts on the hydrological cycle, amplifying the risk of urban floods. These impacts can get even worse due to potential climate change impacts. The urban areas of the Simeto River Valley (SRV), the largest river valley in Sicily (Italy), have been repeatedly hit by intense rainfall events in the last decades that lead to urban flooding, causing several damages and, in some instances, threats to population. In this paper, we present the results of a 10-question survey on climate change and risk perception in 11 municipalities of the SRV carried out within the activities of the LIFE project SimetoRES, which allowed to collect 1143 feedbacks from the residents. The survey investigated: (a) the level of worry about climate change in relation to extreme storms, (b) elements of urban flooding risk preparedness: the direct experience of the residents during heavy rain events, their trust in a civil protection regional alert system, and their knowledge of the correct behavior in case of flood, and (c) the willingness of citizens to implement sustainable drainage actions for climate change adaptation in their own municipality and real estates. The results show that more than 52% of citizens has inadequate knowledge of the correct behavior during flooding events and only 30% of them feel responsible for mitigation of flooding risk. There is a modest willingness by the population to support the construction of sustainable urban drainage infrastructures. A statistical cross-analysis of the answers to the different questions, based on contingency matrices and conditional frequencies, has shown that a greater worry about climate change has no significant impact either on the behavior of people in dangerous situations occurring during flooding events or on the willingness to support financially sustainable solutions. These results suggest that to build a higher worry about climate change and related urban flooding risk is not sufficient to have better preparedness, and that more direct educative actions are necessary in the area.

A strategic framework for resilient and sustainable urban infrastructure systems - an overview, modelling, design and assessment

In this paper, basic concepts of resilience, ecology and sustainability are introduced first. Then, associated performance metrics and interdependency of critical infrastructure systems are presented and discussed. Moreover, the importance of big data (BD) and data mining (DM), as emerging themes in this field, is discussed. Other relevant issues such as how to foster decision making and accountability to plan for any expansion in resilience services, resources, and the associated performance metrics and interdependency of critical infrastructure systems are presented. It is the recommendation of this study that due to the difficulty and complexity of resilience, and its definitional ambiguity, the ability to assess such a concept helps to bridge the gap between theory and application, and between the academic and the policy circles. A framework for creating resilient, ecological and sustainable infrastructure systems is also proposed, as a recommendation, in a more holistic and comprehensive way.

A strategic framework for resilient and sustainable urban infrastructure systems - an overview, modelling, design and assessment

In this paper, basic concepts of resilience, ecology and sustainability are introduced first. Then, associated performance metrics and interdependency of critical infrastructure systems are presented and discussed. Moreover, the importance of big data (BD) and data mining (DM), as emerging themes in this field, is discussed. Other relevant issues such as how to foster decision making and accountability to plan for any expansion in resilience services, resources, and the associated performance metrics and interdependency of critical infrastructure systems are presented. It is the recommendation of this study that due to the difficulty and complexity of resilience, and its definitional ambiguity, the ability to assess such a concept helps to bridge the gap between theory and application, and between the academic and the policy circles. A framework for creating resilient, ecological and sustainable infrastructure systems is also proposed, as a recommendation, in a more holistic and comprehensive way.

Policy Opportunities and Constraints for Addressing Urban Precarity of Migrant Populations

AbstractAddressing sources and drivers of precarity among marginalized migrant populations in urban spaces is central to making cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable for all. Yet dominant policy discourses continue to frame migrants as problematic causes of insecurity and tend to exclude them from policy processes. Deliberative democratic theory suggests that inclusive processes have the potential to create innovative solutions for resilient cities. This study elicits and reports on self‐identified sources of precarity and insecurity as experienced by new low‐income migrant populations. It combines visual ethnography and deliberative democracy tools in an action research process that facilitated dialogue between migrant populations, urban planners and policy stakeholders. The objective is to elicit policy opportunities and constraints for changing dominant discourses, with a view to enhance marginalized lives and to implement sustainable urban infrastructure in Chattogram, the second largest city of Bangladesh. The results show options for addressing precarity, developed through facilitating migrants and planners to engage with each other’s perspectives. Priorities include focusing on insecure tenure, exposure to environmental hazards, and representation in planning processes. Integrating the perspectives and lived experiences of migrant urban populations into policy processes potentially leads to more effective, sustainable and legitimate solutions.

Unlocking values through infrastructure interdependencies

Urban infrastructure is a complex interdependent system of systems. It provides a framework that connects and integrates social, cultural, financial, natural, technological and human values. This paper contributes to the development of new approaches towards urban infrastructure governance, identified as one of the key issues in the field of sustainable urban infrastructure. To do that, the authors explore cross-sectoral urban infrastructure projects, in which infrastructures supplying different urban functions are connected. This focus on a local level of cross-domain connection allows understanding the challenges of such connections on the project level, giving practical insights into management and governance challenges. The authors analyse four local projects of cross-sector connections of infrastructures, aiming to understand the collaborative dynamics of governing such projects towards successful outcomes, in terms of overcoming the barriers towards such projects while creating value. Given the high expectations of increased value of integrated urban infrastructures compared with traditional, siloed infrastructure development and management, the insights from local, project-level experiences, in addition to holistic perspectives, can be informative for investment strategy development by private and public stakeholders.

Development and Performance Analysis of Soil Flow Protector to Reduce Soft Soil Settlement Caused by Cavity Formation

Settlement of a relatively small magnitude occurs in box structures supported by pile foundations. However, if cavities are generated under the box structure, ground settlement can be accelerated by surrounding soil entering the cavities. In order for the structure to maintain stability for a long period of time, sustainable development to maintain the stability of the building must be continued. Preventing rapid ground settlement can lead to long-term structural stability and prevent the occurrence of life-threatening damage, thereby helping to maintain and build a sustainable urban infrastructure. Thus, in this study, a soil flow protector (SFP) that can be easily installed on the sides of the structure was developed to mitigate the aforementioned problem. Field tests and numerical analysis were performed to investigate the effect of SFP installation on structural stability and settlement reduction. After performing field experiments, it was found that SFP installation could reduce ground settlement and ground horizontal displacement. Moreover, for a 79.9-mm settlement, the safety factor was 1.315, which remained stable even when the settlement reached 345 mm. Hence, the developed SFP can be used to reduce soft ground settlement affecting box structures supported by pile foundations.

Gender Determinant Factors for Bus Shelter Planning in Sustainable Urban Infrastructure

This article examines 14 factors related to mainstreaming gender for bus shelter planning in the creation of sustainable urban infrastructure in Semarang city. By conducting an interview survey of 70 male and female respondents, without being restricted by age, significant results were obtained in evaluating the performance of BRT shelters in the Corridor I Semarang using Crosstab technique. There are 4 gender determinant factors were resulted. Those are, in respective orders; availability of seats in the shelter, distance between the floor of the shelter and the bus body when riding/ descending passengers, the length of time waiting in the shelter, and the proximity of the location of the shelter to the pedestrian. It is clear that gender contributes to sustainable infrastructure as it gives equal access the perceptions, interests, needs and priorities of passengers to be weighted in planning and decision making.

Linking Microbial Community Composition in Treated Wastewater with Water Quality in Distribution Systems and Subsequent Health Effects.

The increases in per capita water consumption, coupled in part with global climate change have resulted in increased demands on available freshwater resources. Therefore, the availability of safe, pathogen-free drinking water is vital to public health. This need has resulted in global initiatives to develop sustainable urban water infrastructure for the treatment of wastewater for different purposes such as reuse water for irrigation, and advanced waste water purification systems for domestic water supply. In developed countries, most of the water goes through primary, secondary, and tertiary treatments combined with disinfectant, microfiltration (MF), reverse osmosis (RO), etc. to produce potable water. During this process the total bacterial load of the water at different stages of the treatment will decrease significantly from the source water. Microbial diversity and load may decrease by several orders of magnitude after microfiltration and reverse osmosis treatment and falling to almost non-detectable levels in some of the most managed wastewater treatment facilities. However, one thing in common with the different end users is that the water goes through massive distribution systems, and the pipes in the distribution lines may be contaminated with diverse microbes that inhabit these systems. In the main distribution lines, microbes survive within biofilms which may contain opportunistic pathogens. This review highlights the role of microbial community composition in the final effluent treated wastewater, biofilms formation in the distribution systems as the treated water goes through, and the subsequent health effects from potential pathogens associated with poorly treated water. We conclude by pointing out some basic steps that may be taken to reduce the accumulation of biofilms in the water distribution systems.

Management of the Effects of Land Use Changes on Urban Infrastructure Capacity: A Case Study of Ruaka Town, Kiambu County, Kenya

Land use change is a major driver to the effects of climate change and other socio-economic and environmental challenges, a major challenge policy makers, planners and urban managers grapple with. Ruaka town is no exception as it faces high rapid land use change with myriad challenges on the management of the effects on urban infrastructure and aggravated by inadequate inter-agencies, coordination and collaboration. The study is an investigation of the effects of land use changes on urban infrastructure (roads, water supply, and wastewater infrastructure). It seeks to answer the drivers of land use changes and document the spatial-temporal land use changes between the years 1988 to 2019, establish their effects on infrastructure. The study establishes decline in vegetation and agriculture and rise in built -up areas which is partially contributed by urbanization and population growth in the area with major land fragmentations and land use conversions. The findings reveal encroachment of development to vegetation and riparian reserves which expose the human population to disasters and calamities in cases of climate change. Lack of approved planning policy has encouraged massive land use changes due to the ad hoc nature of planning using the development control tools which are not documented. The key drivers of land use changes deduced were good accessibility of the area, land speculation for investments, high returns from investments, demand for housing and accommodation and high population growth. The adverse effects on urban infrastructure includes pollution and contamination of water sources, traffic congestion, use of unconventional onsite waste management practices such as pit latrines and septic tanks for waste water management. The study concluded by evolving a management strategy to unravel the challenges through promotion of a sustainable and resilient urban infrastructure. The strategies emphasize on the technical, social, economic, environmental and jurisdictional dimensions.

Research Development on Sustainable Urban Infrastructure From 1991 to 2017: A Bibliometric Analysis to Inform Future Innovations

AbstractStudies of sustainable urban infrastructure are expanding since the United Nations proposed the concept of sustainability in 1982. The need for more sustainable urban infrastructures led to many research efforts on innovative technologies and development strategies. We analyzed research progress on sustainable urban infrastructure from 1991 to 2017 using bibliometric, keyword co‐occurrence and document cocitation network analysis. An increasing publication number suggests a rapid development of the sustainable urban infrastructure research area, but the development is still in an emerging stage. With respect to the analysis of research themes, we analyzed keyword co‐occurrence networks in the three stages of 1991‐1999, 2000‐2008, and 2009‐2017. We observed substantial expansions and intensive interconnections of research theme clusters on sustainable urban infrastructure. The themes from 2009 to 2017 include “critical infrastructure,” “urban planning and design,” “development need,” “technology innovation,” and “cyber‐physical system.” The United States produced 28.93% of the publications and played a core role in the international collaboration network. We further compared national interests among top productive countries, which highlights different priorities of investing more sustainable urban infrastructures. Finally, we presented an in‐depth analysis of four emerging technology innovations, namely, renewable energy, smart grid, green infrastructure, and cloud computing regarding research directions and challenges. Our results not only provide a valuable reference for researchers who are interested in sustainable urban infrastructures but also put forward the emphasis and orientations of future studies.

Parameters sensitivities for sustainable urban infrastructure

Low-impact development (LID) is an important infrastructure method for improving urban drainage through stormwater best management practices. The parameterisation sensitivities for LID techniques are provided for the current Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Stormwater Management Model (SWMM). This was completed with the measured LID quantity data from over a 10-year data sample that included pervious pavements and infiltration swales in a commercial area. Critical parameter sensitivities were analysed using the recently released EPA SWMM version 5.1.011. Computational results provide SWMM users a range of acceptable parameter values to simulate these best management practices, to design future LIDs, and other urban green areas to reduce stormwater run-off impacts. This analysis demonstrated sensitivity relationships of key parameters allowing engineers, designers and planners to simulate sustainable urban infrastructure at other locations.

Urban Water Security Assessment Using an Integrated Metabolism Approach—Case Study of the National Capital Territory of Delhi in India

Water is a non substitutable resource and a social good, which governments must perforce provide to its citizens in the right quantity and quality. An integrated urban metabolism model is useful in understanding the status quo of an urban water and sanitation system. By defining and measuring the values of relevant hydrological performance indicators—deliverables of the model referred to—a thorough knowledge of the present performance and the gaps, which need to be plugged en route to a sustainable urban water infrastructure, can be obtained, as demonstrated in this paper. This then forms the bedrock for decision-making and policy formulation for change to be introduced top-down as well as advice, which would enable the much needed bottom-up support to policies. The authors have chosen Delhi as the case study city, but would like to point out that this application can be reproduced for any other town/city/region of the world. The water balance within the chosen system boundaries shows that the annual unutilized flows, amounting to 1443 million cubic meters, dominate the metabolic flows of water in Delhi, and the annual groundwater withdrawal, which exceeds 420 million cubic meters, is much greater than the recharge rate, resulting in a rapid depletion of the groundwater level. There is an urgent need thereby to improve the rate of infiltration of stormwater and reduce the rate of runoff by focusing on increasing the share of permeable surfaces in the city, as well as to consider the wastewater streams as potential sources of water, while not forgetting demand side of management measures, as the pressure on the urban water system in the city is likely to intensify with a combination of population growth, economic development, and climate change in the near future. The recommendations provided by the authors towards the end of the article, can, if suitable measures are undertaken and robust policies are implemented, result in Delhi’s enjoying a water surplus in the short term, and progressively attain complete sustainability with regard to the utilization of its water resources.

Households as infrastructure junctions in urban sustainability transitions: The case of hot water metering

The integration of infrastructure domains and resource flows such as electricity, heat, water and waste increasingly gains currency in strategies to achieve more resource-efficient, smart and resilient cities. While widely discussed concepts of a nexus of resource systems, such as energy–water–food, aim at a more optimised and integrative management of resource flows, this article investigates how infrastructure integration is accomplished through the establishment of new interfaces and junctions between formerly separated systems. In particular, it focuses on households as an arena where different urban infrastructures intersect and different kinds of sometimes contradicting demands are imposed to co-manage these infrastructures, such as in the case of own electricity generation from photovoltaics along with the charging of electric cars and the management of household energy consumption. The installation of meters and the constant monitoring of resource use and consumption feedback to household members is regarded as a crucial element in such a transition towards more sustainable urban infrastructures. Empirically, the article studies the introduction of hot tap water meters in urban households in Sweden and the resistance and reactions of these households to such a metering regime. Our study shows how meters as new junctions between energy suppliers and users but also between separate infrastructures of electricity, hot tap water and room heating become contested political terrains which are linked to broader socio-political questions of urban change. In contrast to system management perspectives, such an ‘inside-out’ approach rather lends itself to context-sensitive and navigational governance approaches of infrastructure integration.

Choreographing the city: Can dance practice inform the engineering of sustainable urban environments?

ABSTRACTIn this paper, we aim to demonstrate that choreographic practice has the potential to offer new insights into the engineering of sustainable urban infrastructure and environments. Identifying urban mobility as an ideal starting point to discuss the potential overlaps between engineering and choreographic thinking, we briefly outline the notion of sustainability as it pertains to a key area of city engineering – urban transport. Arguing that transport is one of the most critical issues in creating socially and environmentally sustainable urbanism, we draw on studies of engineering to show how its working cultures and epistemologies prevent it from undergoing the transformation that would allow it to effectively address the issues posed by sustainable transport. The focus of the paper is what we believe to be a comprehensive survey of the few conceptual and practical experiments that have been undertaken in using choreographic techniques to explain or design the way people move in cities, in scholarship and design practice. We conclude by arguing that there is great potential to expand on these experiments as ways to address the cultural and epistemological limits within engineering, and calling for practice-based research that shows what impact this would have on its processes and outcomes.

Collaborative Planning for Sustainable Urban Infrastructure in Frankfurt am Main

Collaborative Planning for Sustainable Urban Infrastructure in Frankfurt am Main

Reclaimed artificial coastal territories for the development of urban areas

The article discusses the possibility and perspectives of using the reclaimed artificial areas in the coastal zone of marine estuaries for the sustainable development of urban infrastructure and creation of modern architectural ensembles with the background of green economy using the example of Lakhta-Center on the northern coast of the Neva Bay (St. Petersburg, Russia). The geo-ecological stability of underwater and coastal landscapes of the coastal zone of the Neva Bay is analyzed using side scan sonar. The environmental sensitivity of coastal ecosystems is estimated. The received data can be used on practice for planning the construction work and for the development of the infrastructure of urbanized coastal zone of the Neva Bay. The general geo-ecological situation in the observed area is rather stable. The coastal zone has good perspectives for the development of a sustainable urban infrastructure against the backdrop of the green economy. The special attention should be paid to migration of birds and fish, who are using the North Lakhta coast as a temporary refugium during Spring and Autumn migrations. An effective solution from both environmental and economic points of view could be the organization of the Nature Conservation Reserve, which is spatially associated with the Lakhta Center zone. Such type of the complex using of the coastal zone could be a good example of the spatial planning in the environmentally sensitive area.