Urban Activities Research Articles

Moving through Toronto's PATH: Assembling private urban governance.

This paper explores Toronto's urban PATH, a 30 km network of underground pedestrian tunnels and elevated walkways that connect shopping areas, residential towers, mass transit and downtown destinations. Both as a case and heuristic, this paper situates Toronto's PATH as an assemblage of private urban governance forms, exploring emergent and evolving constellations of power and responsibility for governing city space that defy easy distinctions of 'public' or 'private'. As an urban assemblage, the PATH comprises potential and actual entities and associations, and is an accumulation of encounters. Never a stable or static entity, the PATH and its governance, we argue, is provisional, revealing constantly evolving connections, alignments and political-economic potentialities. We contend the PATH serves as a palimpsest of mutating governing relations; a multiplicity of meanings, visions and encounters etched into the built environment. By focusing on public and private vestiges, wayfinding, and visibility, and private verticalising ventures, we highlight how practices, logics, processes, urban actors and their histories collide to form fragile, provisional urban alignments and visions.

Градостроительное зонирование — инструмент устойчивого развития

The article examines the specifics of regulating land and property relations in the system of urban development facilities within the framework of current legislation. The study is supported by an analysis of the legal framework, as well as a proposal for the organization of urban development activities of the Russian Federation in the direction of developing mechanisms to ensure the creation of urban conditions for sustainable development of the territory. The interrelationships of land designation (categories), functional and territorial zoning are shown.

Comparing city size distributions: Gridded population versus nighttime lights

AbstractThis paper compares the size distributions of cities when they are measured using gridded population and nighttime lights (NTLs) data. To do so, we exploit recent and accurate satellite imagery to proxy urban economic activity. Similarly to related studies, our results suggest that population is more equally distributed than lights at the country level. However, and calling assumptions established for urban NTLs into question, our findings do not support a Pareto function for their distribution. We also obtain evidence of a nonlinear and heterogeneous link between population and lights for a global sample of cities. Grounded on our empirical analysis, we develop a simple theoretical framework that relates the difference between the distributions of population and light emissions to the strength of agglomeration economies.

Influencing factors and risk assessment of phthalate ester pollution in the agricultural soil on a tropical island

Phthalate esters (PAEs) are widely prevalent in agricultural soil and pose potential risks to crop growth and food safety. However, the current understanding of factors influencing the behavior and fate of PAEs is limited. This study conducted a large-scale investigation (106 sites in 18 counties with 44 crop types) of 16 types of PAEs on a tropical island. Special attention was given to the impacts of land use type, soil environmental conditions, agricultural activity intensity, and urbanization level. The health risks to adults and children from soil PAEs via multiple routes of exposure were also evaluated. The results showed that the mean concentration of PAEs was 451.87 ± 284.08 μg kg−1 in the agricultural soil. Elevated agricultural and urbanization activities contributed to more pronounced contamination by PAEs in the northern and southern regions. Land use type strongly affected the concentration and composition of PAEs in agricultural soils, and the soil PAE concentration decreased in the order of vegetable fields, orchards, paddy fields, and woodlands. In paddy fields, di-isobutyl phthalate and di-n-butyl phthalate made more substantial contributions to the process through which the overlying water inhibited volatilization. Soil microplastic abundance, pesticide usage, crop yield, gross domestic product, and distance to the nearest city were calculated to be the major factors influencing the concentration and distribution of PAEs. Soil pH, organic matter content, microplastic abundance and the fertilizer application rate can affect the adsorption of PAEs by changing the soil environment. A greater risk was detected in the northern region and paddy fields due to the higher soil PAE concentrations and the dietary structure of the population. This study reveals important pathways influencing the sources and fate of PAE pollution in agricultural soils, providing fundamental data for controlling PAE contamination.

Forecasting urban electric vehicle charging power demand based on travel trajectory simulation in the realistic urban street network

This paper presents a spatial-temporal urban charging power demand forecasting method based on EV travel trajectory simulation in the integrated urban street network and functional zones. Each EV trip is simulated via a travel trajectory based on the EV user’s travel behavior, which refers to the user’s decision-making processes regarding the choices of trip purpose, departure time, destination, trip route, parking time, and the time, location, and mode of EV charging. EV’s daily travel trajectory is built by merging the travel trajectories of the EV’s daily trips. The spatial-temporal slow and fast urban charging power demands are predicted using the simulated daily travel trajectories of available EVs in the urban area. The proposed simulation method is applied in the urban area of Campinas, Brazil. The results indicate that EVs’ daily travel trajectories are realistically produced to predict the daily charging load profiles at urban activity locations and functional zones.

PFAS assessment in fish – Samples from Illinois waters

Per- and Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) have been widely used in various industries, including pesticide production, electroplating, packaging, paper making, and the manufacturing of water-resistant clothes. This study investigates the levels of PFAS in fish tissues collected from four target waterways (15 sampling points) in the northwestern part of Illinois during 2021–2022. To assess accumulation, concentrations of 17 PFAS compounds were evaluated in nine fish species to potentially inform on exposure risks to local sport fishing population via fish consumption. At least four PFAS (PFHxA, PFHxS, PFOS, and PFBS) were detected at each sampling site. The highest concentrations of PFAS were consistently found in samples from the Rock River, particularly in areas near urban and industrial activities. PFHxA emerged as the most accumulated PFAS in the year 2022, while PFBS and PFOS dominated in 2021. Channel Catfish exhibited the highest PFAS content across different fish species, indicating its bioaccumulation potential across the food chain. Elevated levels of PFOS were observed in nearly all fish, indicating the need for careful consideration of fish consumption. Additional bioaccumulation data in the future years is needed to shed light on the sources and PFAS accumulation potential in aquatic wildlife in relation to exposures for potential health risk assessment.

Big Data-Planetary Health approach for evaluating the Brazilian Dengue Control Program.

This study aims to integrate the concepts of planetary health and big data into the Donabedian model to evaluate the Brazilian dengue control program in the state of São Paulo. Data science methods were used to integrate and analyze dengue-related data, adding context to the structure and outcome components of the Donabedian model. This data, considering the period from 2010 to 2019, was collected from sources such as Department of Informatics of the Unified Health System (DATASUS), the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), WorldClim, and MapBiomas. These data were integrated into a Data Warehouse. K-means algorithm was used to identify groups with similar contexts. Then, statistical analyses and spatial visualizations of the groups were performed, considering socioeconomic and demographic variables, soil, health structure, and dengue cases. Using climate variables, the K-means algorithm identified four groups of municipalities with similar characteristics. The comparison of their indicators revealed certain patterns in the municipalities with the worst performance in terms of dengue case outcomes. Although presenting better economic conditions, these municipalities held a lower average number of community healthcare agents and basic health units per inhabitant. Thus, economic conditions did not reflect better health structure among the three studied indicators. Another characteristic of these municipalities is urbanization. The worst performing municipalities presented a higher rate of urban population and human activity related to urbanization. This methodology identified important deficiencies in the implementation of the dengue control program in the state of São Paulo. The integration of several databases and the use of Data Science methods allowed the evaluation of the program on a large scale, considering the context in which activities are conducted. These data can be used by the public administration to plan actions and invest according to the deficiencies of each location.

A Participatory Urban Governance Framework for Transitioning Cities Towards Sustainability: Linking the Protection of Urban Ecosystems’ Functions and Circularity Principles

The purpose of this research is to provide an urban governance framework that can aid decision-makers to transition cities towards more sustainability and resilience. Our premise is that such transition will take time, iterations and adaptations and will benefit from using a governance framework that is both participatory and that also highlights the ecological, economic and social dimensions of sustainability all at once. In order to do so, we suggest considering the city itself as an ecosystem that delivers environmental functions (production, sink, amenity and regulation) through its activities. Using an accounting representation that links urban activities to these functions, we are then advocating building sustainable urban strategies based on the protection of these functions and on minimising non-re-usable waste or by-products. Encouraging such circularity requires negotiation amongst stakeholders who need to know how production processes could be connected to minimise the overall generation of waste. It also promotes cooperation amongst producers and consumers, and generates collective learning and co-creation. The article shows that adopting an ecosystemic representation can help in understanding circularity as a regenerative approach that goes beyond an accounting balancing exercise. We suggest to integrate design thinking to enhance negotiations based on the information provided by the accounts. The research illustrates how such method could be operationalised by focusing on food system activities, stakeholders, and security as core to urban resilience, using Lisbon Metropolitan Area food strategy as a case study.

Spatiotemporal use of urban rivers by local bat populations in a large city (Cracow, Southern Poland)

Urban watercourses are an essential part of blue-green infrastructure (BGI) that can mitigate the negative impact of habitat loss resulting from urbanization. Many studies on temperate urban bats activity did not concern its seasonal variations. Our work evaluated the bats’ activity and occurrence in different urban riverside environments throughout the vegetation period. Our results showed that long-range echolocators were represented mainly by Nyctalus noctula. Their activity peak occurred in late summer in open habitats of high anthropogenic pressure levels, and at least part of the population was present year-round in the city. Recently reported from Cracow: Hypsugo savii and Pipistrellus kuhlii were confirmed in the medium-range echolocators. The high occurrence of P. pygmeus with a relatively low P. pipistrellus was noteworthy and is probably a result of the low competitiveness of the latter in the presence of P. kuhlii. Two spring and late summer activity peaks on different rivers suggest different migration corridors from and to hibernacula. However, the autumn activity in the city center may also indicate partial hibernation in the old town. The activity peak of short-range echolocators occurred in spring, as expected - mainly in a narrow riverbed and low anthropogenic pressure environments. However, ambiguous spring and late summer activity in the open with the highest anthropogenic pressure environment may result from the rapidly progressing synurbization of M. daubentonii. Our results indicate the need to monitor the bat adaptation process to the cities in the context of dynamic climatic and environmental changes.

Evaluation and monitoring of the water quality of an Argentinian urban river applying multivariate statistics.

In this work, we present the water quality assessment of an urban river, the San Luis River, located in San Luis Province, Argentina. The San Luis River flows through two developing cities; hence, urban anthropic activities affect its water quality. The river was sampled spatially and temporally, evaluating ten physicochemical variables on each water sample. These data were used to calculate a Simplified Index of Water Quality in order to estimate river water quality and infer possible contamination sources. Data were statistically analyzed with the opensource software R, 4.1.0 version. Principal component analysis, cluster analysis, correlation matrices, and heatmap analysis were performed. Results indicated that water quality decreases in areas where anthropogenic activities take place. Robust inferential statistical analysis was performed, employing an alternative of multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), MANOVA.wide function. The most statistically relevant physicochemical variables associated with water quality decrease were used to develop a multiple linear regression model to estimate organic matter, reducing the variables necessary for continuous monitoring of the river and, hence, reducing costs. Given the limited information available in the region about the characteristics and recovery of this specific river category, the model developed is of vital importance since it can quickly detect anthropic alterations and contribute to the environmental management of the rivers. This model was also used to estimate organic matter at sites located in other similar rivers, obtaining satisfactory results.

KESADARAN DIRI PETANI DALAM MENERAPKAN KONSEP URBAN FARMING PADA PERTANIAN DI PERKOTAAN DI KABUPATEN PURWOREJO

The objectives of this research were: 1) To determine the characteristics of farmers in applying the Urban Farming concept to urban agriculture in Purworejo Regency, 2) To determine the level of self-awareness of farmers in applying the Urban Farming concept to urban agriculture in Purworejo Regency, and 3) To determine What are the benefits of farmers in applying the Urban Farming concept to urban agriculture in Purworejo Regency? This research was descriptive and class interval. The number of samples in this research was 30 farmers. The results of this research showed: 1) The characteristics of farmers in applying the urban farming concept to agriculture in urban areas in Purworejo Regency was high school farmer education with a percentage of 54%. Farmer experience: less than 10 years, with a percentage of 77%. Age 50-60 years with a percentage of 40%. Land area less than 500 m was 74%. The majority of plants cultivated were ornamental plants, as much as 30%, 2) Farmers' self-awareness in implementing the urban farming concept is at the highest percentage, namely 94.74% that farmers know that food can be obtained from urban farming activities, 3) and the last, in implementing urban farming in urban areas in Purworejo Regency, farmers use verticulture, plant racks, tabulampots, house fences, house walls, hanging pots, hydroponics, and used bottles.

Heavy metal contamination and environmental risk assessment: a case study of surface water in the Bahr Mouse stream, East Nile Delta, Egypt

Water, as an indispensable constituent of life, serves as the primary source of sustenance for all living things on Earth. The contamination of surface water with heavy metals poses a significant global health risk to humans, animals, and plants. Sharkiya Governorate, situated in the East Nile Delta region of Egypt, is particularly susceptible to surface water pollution due to various industrial, agricultural, and urban activities. The Bahr Mouse Stream, crucial for providing potable water and supporting irrigation activities in Sharkiya Governorate, caters to a population of approximately 7.7 million inhabitants. Unfortunately, this vital water source is exposed to many illegal encroachments that may cause pollution and deteriorate the water resource quality. In a comprehensive study conducted over two consecutive seasons (2019–2020), a total of 38 surface water samples were taken to assess the quantity of heavy metals in surface water destined for human consumption and other applications, supported by indices and statistics. The assessment utilized flame atomic absorption spectrophotometry to determine the concentration of key heavy metals including iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), lead (Pb), zinc (Zn), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), and chromium (Cr). The calculated mean value of the Water Quality Index (WQI) was found to be 39.1 during the winter season and 28.05 during the summer season. This value suggests that the surface water maintains good quality and is suitable for drinking purposes. Furthermore, the analysis indicated that the concentrations of heavy metals in the study area were below the recommended limits set by the World Health Organization and fell within the safe threshold prescribed by Egyptian legislation. Despite the identification of localized instances of illegal activities in certain areas, such as unauthorized discharges, the findings affirm that the Bahr Mouse stream is devoid of heavy metal pollution. This underscores the importance of continued vigilance and regulatory enforcement to preserve the integrity of these vital water resources.

URBAN PLANNING FACTORS OF LAND USE MONITORING OF UNITED TERRITORIAL COMMUNITIES

There is proof that in the conditions of ensuring transformational processes, issues of formation and use of land and increasing the efficiency of their use at the local level arise. In addition, the presented processes deepen because of the reform of local self-government, which ensures the effectiveness and interaction of stakeholders. The core element in developing these relationships is the united territorial communities and land use directions and features, with consideration of the influence of factors. In the system of land relations of united territorial communities, urban planning factors that influence the development and implementation of modern monitoring tools are particularly important. The study aims to determine the urban planning factors of land use monitoring of united territorial communities. To achieve the goal, we solved the following tasks: characterisation of urban planning factors of land use monitoring and highlighting the peculiarities of the formation of urban planning factors of land use of united territorial communities. Among the peculiarities of the development of land use monitoring of united territorial communities is also the identification of a system of urban planning factors, namely the levels: development and implementation of land management projects regarding the arrangement of territories for urban planning needs; formation and application of the urban development support system; development and implementation of monitoring procedures of urban planning activities; formation and use of urban cadastre; provision of architectural and construction control; development and implementation of comprehensive plans; change in the level of construction activity in united territorial communities. We have formed local factors of urban planning support for land use monitoring of united territorial communities, with most of them determined by qualitative methods. Estimating the indicator of the change in the level of construction activity in the united territorial communities uses quantitative methods. It creates a basis for implementing monitoring procedures through the application of urban planning provision of land use of united territorial communities. Keywords: urban planning factors, land use, united territorial communities, monitoring.

Agricultural and urban practices are correlated to changes in the resistome of riverine systems

The objective of this study was to comprehensively characterise the resistome, the collective set of antimicrobial resistance genes in a given environment, of two rivers, from their source to discharge into the sea, as these flow through areas of different land use. Our findings reveal significant differences in the riverine resistome composition in areas of different land uses, with increased abundance and diversity of AMR in downstream agricultural and urban locations, with the resistome in urban areas more similar to the resistome in wastewater. The changes in resistome were accompanied by changes in microbial communities, with a reduction in microbial diversity in downstream agricultural and urban affected areas, driven mostly by increased relative abundance in the phyla, Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria. These results provide insight into how pollution associated with agricultural and urban activities affects microbial communities and influences AMR in aquatic water bodies. These results add valuable insights to form effective strategies for mitigating and preserving aquatic ecosystems. Overall, our study highlights the critical role of the environment in the development and dissemination of AMR and underscores the importance of adopting a One Health approach to address this global public health threat.

A Restless City: Edessa and Urban Actors in the Syriac Acts of the Second Council of Ephesus

ABSTRACT The Syriac Acts of the Second Council of Ephesus offer an opportunity to look at the evolution of urban structures in the middle of the fifth century at the edge of the Roman Empire. Observing a city in a state of unrest comes with both advantages and pitfalls. While upheaval creates a chance for otherwise hard to spot structures and classes to be clarified, the record of such an upheaval is never an objective description. Mindful of these caveats, this article puts various actors present in the Acts into conversation in order to reconstruct an image of Edessa as an urban system. Thus an attempt is made to reconstruct the structures of governance and political participation as well as the interface between religious and secular authority at this time of change. Various instruments of such participation, such as acclamations and oaths, are reassessed. Ultimately, new light is cast on the role of various monastics in the practice of governance of a Late Antique metropolis in times of unrest.

Pollution Load Reduction from Domestic Wastewater with Electrocoagulation Process for Agricultural Reuse

Objectives: The present study is aimed to investigate electrocoagulation of domestic wastewater and assessment of pollutants removal efficiency for potential reuse in agriculture. Methods: The electrocoagulation treatment of domestic wastewater with Fe – Fe electrodes was performed under optimal conditions of pH (8.0), current density (0.6 mA/cm2), treatment time (45 minutes), and NaCl dose (2.8 g/L) in a slurry type of reactor. The primary clarified and biotreated domestic wastewaters were subjected to electrocoagulation with Direct Current (DC) as power source. Findings: There was observed higher pollutants removal efficiency from the biotreated wastewater as compared with the primary clarified wastewater after electrocoagulation. The treated wastewaters showed significant removal of pollutants in terms of BOD (79.5% – 87.9%), COD (86.8% – 89.5%), TDS (87.4% – 89.9%), TSS (66.7% – 75.3%), conductivity (77.8% – 78.4%), turbidity (74% – 81.2%), colour (77.7% – 86.2%), nitrates (44.1% – 51.7%), and phosphates (48.7% – 55.9%) after electrocoagulation treatment. Electrocoagulation considerably improved the biodegradability index of the primary clarified (0.59 to 0.92) and biotreated (0.69 to 0.8) wastewaters. This indicates easy removal of the pollutants further by biological processes in the aquatic ecosystems. Electrocoagulation demonstrated potential for removal of pollution from the domestic wastewater for productive reuse in agriculture and urban areas. Novelty: There exist few studies of use of electrochemical process for treatment and reuse of domestic wastewater. The treated waters complied with the regulatory standards and had satisfactory quality for reuse in agriculture and urban activities. Keywords: Electrocoagulation, Domestic wastewater, Biodegradability index, Agricultural reuse, National Green Tribunal

Direct action placemaking: transgressive interventions on the margins of Rome

ABSTRACT This paper analyzes overlaps and relationships between informality, transgression, and direct action by juxtaposing two recent examples of activist placemaking in Rome: the creation of the Kurdish cultural center Ararat and the construction of Savorengo Ker, a short-lived example of dignified housing for a Roma community. Both case studies are dedicated to a building and its transformative power for the surrounding area as well as for the status of the groups involved in the creative process. Both projects were initiated by the Italian collective Stalker, which has developed a practice on the border between art, architecture, and urban activism since the 1990s. By exploring the unstable circumstances of these initiatives, the research offers insights into the complex implications of making places through informal and transgressive means. Ultimately, the case studies demonstrate the potential of informal tactics to empower underprivileged groups and suggest a new role for planners and designers.

Place-making and place-taking: memories from Tirana

ABSTRACT Multidisciplinary studies try to explain the complexity and the effects of political processes, such as how decision-making, and socio-political transition are connected with urbanism, and activism. Tirana has faced numerous changes over the years, from urbanism, to political landscapes, to economics, to social aspects, and to public spaces within the city (for example, squares and buildings), all of which are key points towards achieving sustainable transformation. This paper tries to explain and understand the political processes and informal placemaking (public space, buildings, activism) following three main perspectives: a) ontologies on political processes approach, the environment, and urban planning; b) activism and protest events; and c) the legal framework on urban planning and activism. Based on previous studies, experiences from the past and these three perspectives, this paper emphasizes the connection between political processes and informal placemaking by answering the questions: “What is the role of urban transformation in activism in Tirana? What are the implications of political processes on activism and urban transformation? The key studies in this paper focus on public spaces around culture heritage buildings in Tirana, such as the National Theatre building and the “Qemal Stafa” National Stadium.

Polybrominated diphenyl ether contamination in sediments from rivers in the western Niger Delta of Nigeria

This study investigated the concentrations of 39 polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners in sediments from three rivers in the western Niger Delta of Nigeria that have been affected by pollution from urbanization and industrial activities. The Σ39 PBDE concentrations in sediments from these rivers ranged from 0.29 to 95.5, 5.15 to 121, and 0.73 to 66.1 ng g−1 for the Afiesere (AR), Edor (ER), and Okpare Rivers (OR), respectively. The homologue distribution patterns indicated the prominence of tetra- and penta-BDE congeners in sediments from these rivers. The ecological risk assessment results showed that the penta-BDEs were the primary source of risk to sediment-dwelling organisms in these rivers. However, the human health risk assessment indicated negligible risks for exposure of both adults and children to PBDEs in these sediments. The source apportionment suggests that the PBDE contamination in these river sediments was derived from long-distance migration, debromination of highly brominated congeners, and commercial penta-BDEs. These results reflect the use of penta-BDE formulations in this region rather than octa- and deca-BDE formulations.

Spatial Urban Analysis of Attractions in Riyadh City Using Location-Based Social Network Data (LBSNs)

With the proliferation of technology and the advancement of mobile devices and the internet, the use of Location-Based Social Networks (LBSNs) has become popular in urban communities. That providing a rich source of data for analyzing social and urban behaviour in cities. Which allows for the tracking of urban interaction patterns and human activity to understand visitor behaviour in these places. This paper aims to identify spatial patterns and the distribution the attractions using LBSNs. Density estimation, spatial direction monitoring, and identification of spatial correlation of attractions within Riyadh city were conducted. Heat maps were utilized to reveal the relative density of attraction spots in Riyadh. On the other hand, the distribution trend was analysed using the SDE tool. Moreover, Moran's I index was employed to measure the spatial correlation of attractions within the city. The results of directional and density analysis of attractions indicate a tendency for attraction spots to concentrate in the city centre. Additionally, the results reflect variations between types of places across the studied categories, including parks, shopping centres, entertainment venues, and tourist attractions. The Moran index indicates spatial correlation for the attractions. Overall, LBSNs can be considered an additional and reliable source of big data for social media to monitor urban places and interactions within the city. Future integration of temporal analysis with spatial analysis can be pursued to identify spatiotemporal changes over time. Key words: GIS, Spatial Analysis, LBSNs, Google maps.