Urban Environmental Conditions Research Articles

Evaluating cooling effect of blue-green infrastructure on urban thermal environment in a metropolitan city: Using geospatial and machine learning techniques

Urban blue-green infrastructures (BGIs) have a considerable cooling effect, reducing the urban heat island effect. Therefore, this study aims to evaluate the cooling effects of BGIs and role of the influencing factors on urban thermal environment in Kolkata city, which is one of the largest mega cities of India. An integrated radius and non-linear regression approach was used to determine the maximum distance over which cooling is effective. Further, the relationship between cooling effects of BGIs and influencing factors was analysed using Random Forest based Explainable artificial intelligence model. The result shows that for most of the BGIs, the range of maximum cooling distance varies from 210 to 240 m from the boundary of BGIs. The average PCA value ranges from 6.12 to 16.77 hectares and PCE value ranges from 1.62 to 2.87 depending of BGIs. The results of PCA, PCE and maximum cooling distance indicate that the spatial configurations of BGIs and landscape pattern within and surrounding of BGIs sites strongly influence the cooling effects. The outcomes of this study provide valuable insights for the policymakers and urban planner about the intervention of blue-green infrastructures for the better urban environmental conditions and heat mitigation in mega cities and other urban areas.

Ensuring the stability of deep boilers of high-rise buildings

In today's conditions, the development of underground space can rightly be considered one of the most important and dynamic directions in civil and industrial construction at the worldlevel. In Ukraine, underground construction is important in connection with Russia's aggressive war. Underground and buried structures are most actively built in large cities and megacities. The main reasons for the need to use underground space in cities include the lack of free territories within historically formed buildings and requirements for urban infrastructure development. Today, the underground space is used not onlyfor the placement of engineering communicationsand transport facilities, but also for the construction of public complexes, multi-story underground garages and parking lots, shopping centers, as well asburied parts of residential and office buildings. Structural solutions for underground and buried structures, as well as their construction methods, depend on spatial planning solutions, purpose, depth of laying, engineering-geological, climatic and seismic construction conditions, surface loads, and the proximity of other buildings and buildings. Today, the maximum depth of pits designed inurban conditions usually do not exceed 25-30 m, and the number of underground floors is five to six. Given the growing demand for underground space, especially in densely populated areas, designers and engineers face a number of challengesthat require innovative approaches and modern technologies. This includes the use of the latest methods of geotechnical modeling, the use of highquality materials that ensure the durability and safety of structures, and the implementation of effective water drainage and waterproofing systems. Particular attention should be paid to safety issues during the construction and operation of underground structures, as they may be exposed to natural and man-made factors, such as groundwater, soil movement, and seismic activity. An important aspect is also the provision of comfortable conditions for people using underground facilities, which includes ventilation, lighting and evacuation routes. Scientific research and the experience of international projects demonstrate that the correct use of underground space can significantly increase the efficiency of the use of urban areas, contribute to the steady development of cities and improve the quality of life of their residents. Investments in underground construction are becoming more and more justified in view of the long-term benefits and theneed to adapt to the conditions of the modern urban environment. In general, underground construction is an important direction that has significant potential for development and improvement in the future, responding to the challenges of time and contributing to the development of modern infrastructure.

Under the Image of Urban Identity and Non-mainstream Cities under the New Media

With the diversified development of media and media platforms, city brand building has entered a new stage, and some cities have achieved remarkable development results, while some cities with large development space in natural resources, humanities and culture have failed to achieve development leaps. In this paper, the city with beautiful urban environment, rich resources and good development conditions is positioned as "non-mainstream city". This paper aims to explore the recognition degree of "non-mainstream cities" with development potential in people's minds, and take Taiyuan City of Shanxi Province as one of such cities to understand and analyze their development status, the audience's cognition degree of brand positioning of these cities and the shortcomings of current development through questionnaires and other means, and propose corresponding solutions from the aspect of media communication. Guide such cities to improve the visibility and recognition of cities by clarifying brand positioning, making full use of their natural resources and historical and cultural resources to explore urban characteristics, strengthening the integration of culture and tourism, and improving communication strategies, and at the same time improve the quality and efficiency of urban brand construction. Through the influence of media platforms, increase the exposure of these potential cities in the public sphere, extend the urban characteristics and reach a wider audience, realize the three-dimensional communication of the city brand image, help the formation of a good urban spirit and the prosperity and development of a variety of cities, and provide guidelines for more cities in brand construction. This article has certain reference value for the media communication strategy, the perfection of government functions, the construction of social spiritual culture and material civilization, and the coordinated development of countries and regions.

Spatial-temporal analysis of atmospheric environment in urban areas using remote sensing and neural networks

Rapid urbanization has given rise to escalating land surface temperatures, climate change, and the emergence of surface urban heat islands (SUHIs) and urban hot spots (UHSs), posing significant environmental challenges. This study, situated in the dynamic urban landscape of southern Iran, leverages Landsat satellite imagery to scrutinize the repercussions of temperature escalation on the environment. Our approach harnesses a novel Urban Thermal Field Variance Index (UTFVI) in conjunction with thermal and spectral indices to gain insights into these challenges. We employ a multifaceted methodology that integrates linear regression, cellular automata (CA)-Markov chains, and advanced neural network techniques to predict land surface temperature (LST) values and associated indicators. Over the span of 2000–2019, our findings reveal a 5% augmentation in urban heat islands (UHIs), signifying an alarming temperature increase. A striking 46% of the region, as uncovered by UTFVI, falls into the most severe categories of ecological discomfort. Our analysis underscores the robust correlations between LST and critical indices, notably the Normalized Difference Built Index (NDBI) (0.96), Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) (-0.71), UTFVI (0.98), and SUHI (0.82). Notably, our original contributions lie in the application of Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs), wherein the Multilayer Perceptron (MLP) method excels in predicting UTFVI (R2=0.96) and NDBI (R2=0.96), while the Radial Basis Function (RBF) method demonstrates remarkable accuracy in forecasting the SUHI index (R2=0.96). These achievements signify a groundbreaking advancement in comprehending the intricate dynamics of urban environmental conditions. The repercussions of increased urbanization, the proliferation of barren land, and dwindling vegetation in 2019 manifest in a marked decline in ecological quality, with a concomitant surge in temperatures within the study area. These findings underscore the pressing need for informed urban planning and sustainable practices to mitigate the detrimental effects of urban heat islands and their impact on local climates.

Urban occupation and surface runoff in cities: a study case in Piracicaba - SP

This study analyzes how uncontrolled human occupation can negatively impact surface runoff conditions in urban environments. For this purpose, the study assesses the correlation between rainfall, Piracicaba River flow and the urban occupation growth regarding the incidence of floods in Piracicaba-SP. To address the research question: Is the increase in flooding caused by the increased population density? The following data was used: flow and precipitation data in the urban perimeter, obtained from the Piracicaba Water and Electricity Department; population and density data from five neighborhoods based on the "Google Earth Pro" software, covering sixteen years of study. The findings indicate that three districts experienced increased flooding, while two other well-established districts did not encounter significant changes in flood frequency.

CO2 uptake of urban vegetation in a warming Nordic city

Many cities are committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving air quality, and reducing air temperatures through climate actions. Maintaining or increasing carbon sinks in urban green areas is relevant, as the sinks compensate a part of the emissions in addition to reducing emissions themselves. This research assesses the magnitude of carbon dioxide (CO2) net uptake (i.e. respiration and CO2 uptake by photosynthesis) and local 2-m air temperature in Helsinki, Finland, using an urban ecosystem model SUEWS (The Surface Urban Energy and Water Balance Scheme), and examines their potential future changes due to climate change. The model was run at an hourly resolution within the entire city at a spatial resolution of 250 × 250 m2. Two separate simulations were considered: the present climate by simulating years 2014–2019 and the future climate in the 2050s following the climate scenario RCP8.5. Each modelled grid was further divided into natural and built surfaces using Local Climate Zones (LCZs) to determine how vegetation in forests and various urban vegetation types contributes to cooling and carbon sequestration. According to our simulations, the urban green space in Helsinki annually sequestered 36.3 ± 7.7 kt C in 2015–2019, offsetting circa 7% of the city’s anthropogenic emissions. The mean annual temperatures varied by 2.1∘C between natural and built areas within the city. Although urban forests were the strongest sinks (0.3 kg C m−2 year−1), urban neighbourhoods contributed 47% of Helsinki’s net carbon sinks. Local temperatures were expected to increase with the RCP8.5 climate scenario on average by 1.3∘C within the simulated area and CO2 net uptake by 11%, without altering existing green spaces. Overall, this research highlights the significance of urban green as carbon sinks and how climate change may influence their role in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and local climate conditions in urban environments.

Physical activity of adolescents and the urban environment of Brazilian capitals: National School Health Survey, 2015

ABSTRACT This study aimed to evaluate the practice of physical activity (PA) among adolescents and its association with characteristics of the urban environment of Brazilian capitals. Study with adolescents from the 26 Brazilian capitals and the Federal District participating in the National School Health Survey, 2015 edition. The association between regular practice of PA (≥300 minutes/week) and the dimensions of urban well-being (urban mobility, urban environmental conditions, urban housing conditions, urban collective services, and urban infrastructure) was examined using multilevel logistic regression. A total of 50,904 adolescents were evaluated, among which 20.7% were active. It was observed in the multiple model that adolescents who live in capitals with better urban environmental conditions, such as the presence of tree coverage, less open sewage, and less accumulated garbage around the houses, are more likely to be active (OR = 1.06; 95% CI:1.01;1.12). Adolescents who live in cities with less urban disorder are more likely to be active.

Diversity of Epiphytic Subaerial Algal Communities in Bangkok, Thailand, and Their Potential Bioindicator with Air Pollution

Epiphytic subaerial algae represent an assemblage of micro-organisms widely distributed in terrestrial environments, including urban environments. Urban habitats present many challenges for the survival of photosynthetic micro-organisms, yet many species of subaerial microalgae have been reported from these environments, demonstrating a high tolerance to the harsh conditions of urban environments. In this study, the epiphytic subaerial communities of five parks in the urban area of Bangkok were studied using a metabarcoding approach (sequencing of the 23S rDNA marker), with the goal of unraveling their diversity and assessing potential bioindicators with levels of air pollution. Diversity indexes were determined for the algal taxa detected, which were separated into groups corresponding to different collection sites by cluster analysis. Relationships between taxa and air pollutants were analyzed by PCA and the Pearson correlation coefficient (r). The results showed a high diversity of epiphytic subaerial algae. We recorded 101 taxa belonging to the Cyanophyta (70 taxa), Chlorophyta (21 taxa), Charophyta (5 taxa), Bacillariophyta (3 taxa), and Eustigmatophyta (2 taxa). The most abundant taxon was Chroococcidiopsis sp. 1, for which up to 13,254 sequences/cm2 were recorded. The Shannon–Weaver index ranged between 1.37 and 2.51, the Margalef index between 3.84 and 4.75, and the Pielou index between 0.30 and 0.54. The similarity index was between 8.00% and 64.82%, according to the cluster analysis results for the three groups. The PCA indicated that all air pollutants affected the diversity and abundance of epiphytic subaerial algae. Cyanothece sp. 2 was negatively related to O3 and positively related to NO2 and CO and is suggested as a potential bioindicator of air pollution.

The conservation of some protected herbaceous plants in a wood park of Nizhni Novgorod metropolis

The article considers ways to preserve populations of protected plant species on the example of a natural regional wood park "Sludah woods" in Nizhny Novgorod. The population fitness is assessed, including environmental conditions, population density and ontogenetic percentage. The environmental conditions according to the Ellenberg scores are assessed. The conservation and repatriation of the protected species are considered. Recommendations are supposed to use the agrotechnical measures to conserve rare herbaceous species under conditions of urban environment.

The role of Eco-Urbanism studies in creating a comfortable and favorable urban environment

The article deals with decisions on eco-urbanism for residential buildings abroad, given the advantages and disadvantages of these solutions. The concept of “comfortable environment” is considered, its composition and the necessity to increase the urban environment comfort is shown, ways for creating a comfortable environment are considered. An analysis of the connectivity of quality of life indicators - ecology, housing conditions and public health, which showed their close relationship, was presented. Improving the environment and housing conditions directly affects human health. Safe and healthy living and urban environment conditions are one of the main requirements in any society. Analysis of surveys on problems related to environmental pollution revealed the concern of residents about environmental issues and the need to take into account their opinions when choosing measures to improve the comfort of the urban environment. The calculation of indicators of the quality index of the urban environment showed that the use of environmental elements (vertical “green” walls) gives an increase in indicators by 9 points, which demonstrates an improvement in the quality of the urban environment. The proposed solution for creating a comfortable urban environment using elements of eco-urbanism (vertical “green” walls) can be adapted in Russia under existing climatic conditions and will save recreational space and increase the total area of green squares amid dense urban building.

Стресс-факторы городской цифровой среды: личностные детерминанты восприимчивости

Background. Modern digital urban environment, as a representation of real urban environment, functions according to the rules of living environment, including its being a real source of stress. The solution of practical tasks to improve the quality of life in the conditions of modern urban environment determine the relevance of research on stress factors of digital urban environment and the study of their possible determinants. Objectives. The study aims to assess the role of personal characteristics of young people, determining subjectively faster reaction to stress factors of digital urban environment. Study Participants. The study involved 619 participants aged from 17 to 25 years (41% males, 59% females), students of colleges and universities of Ekaterinburg. Methods. To study the subjective significance of stress factors of the digital environment, the authors created a specialised questionnaire, which involved the assessment of the 34 proposed stress factors on a scale from 0 to 4 points. The psychodiagnostic techniques HEXACO and “Dark Triad” were used to study personal characteristics of the respondents. Factor analysis, Cronbach's alpha, and linear regression analysis were used to process quantitative data. Results. As a result of factorization, 4 groups of stress factors in the digital urban environment as perceived by young people were identified: imperfection of urban digital services and applications; information coercion and security risks; aggressive behaviour and low culture of interaction of subjects in the Internet; aesthetic unattractiveness of urban digital space. Regression analysis made it possible to build statistically significant models for each of the four identified factors. It was found that the main predictors for sensitivity to stressors of the digital urban environment are negative personality traits. Conclusions. The materials of the conducted research indicate the importance of personality characteristics in determining stress reactions of young people to negative factors of digital urban space, but reflect the variability of their impact on stress: weakening the effect of some types of stressors, but at the same time enhancing the effect of other stressors.

Large variation in the radial patterns of sap flow among urban trees

Quantifying sap flow patterns along the sapwood radius is necessary for accurate up-scaling and estimation of tree and stand transpiration based on sap flow measurements. However, little information on radial patterns of sap flow exists in urban environments where precise estimates of tree water uptake and transpiration are important to quantify ecosystem services and plan tree management. Because of the heterogeneous conditions in urban environment, upscaling approaches specific to urban environments and species may be required to estimate whole-tree transpiration.We measured sap flow at four sapwood depths for Acer platanoides, Acer saccharinum and Tilia cordata, in two contrasting urban environments (site types): parks and streets, in Montreal, Canada. We then estimated the potential importance of tree-to-tree and temporal variation of radial patterns by comparing generalized additive models (GAM) with or without tree ID or a temporal effect, and using the models to upscale sap flow measurements conducted at the sapwood surface to tree-level daily water use estimates.The radial pattern of sap flow diverged between park and street trees, with a slightly more monotone pattern in park than street trees in the two Acer species. However, tree-to-tree variation was large even within a given species and site type, and partly associated with tree size. The radial pattern of sap flow varied in time in five of the twelve trees that were measured twice over the growing season. Sap flow in deeper layers relative to the sapwood surface correlated with vapor pressure deficit, solar radiation and the sap flow density at the sapwood surface. When comparing the two sources of uncertainty (tree-to-tree and temporal variation) in upscaling daily water use, a larger uncertainty was associated with tree-to-tree variation than with temporal variation. Thus, understanding the inter-tree variability in radial patterns of sap flow patterns should be prioritized in future studies.

Landscape Composition and Its Effect on the Urban Thermal Environment in Kendari City

The rapid urbanization activities in Kendari City over the last decade have changed its natural landscape, including demands for infrastructure development such as residential areas, which is currently one of the most massive activities. The purpose of this study was to analyse the effect of landscape composition on the urban thermal environment in the Kendari City area in relation to LST and UHI parameters based on UTFVI thresholds. Landsat 8 time series data for 2019 – 2023 is used to observe urban thermal environmental conditions in the study area. The results showed that during the last four years LST in Kendari City tends to increase every year with R 2 > 0.09. As a result of this increasing trend the UHI area in Kendari City also experienced an increase. More than 25% of the Kendari City area is indicated to experience the UHI phenomenon with SUHI ranging from 24 °C to the highest temperature and the concentration increases linearly with the density of the impervious surface area. However, this does not happen in areas with a landscape composition that is categorized as green space. As for the UTFVI results, more than 28% of the areas experiencing the UHI phenomenon are within the UTFVI threshold > 0.020 and more than 60% of the area in Kendari City is denoted as an area with relatively excellent conditions within the range ecological evaluation indices then the rest is in good and normal condition.

Measuring Heat Stress for Human Health in Cities: A Low-Cost Prototype Tested in a District of Valencia, Spain.

Nowadays, the measurement of heat stress indices is of principal importance due to the escalating impact of global warming. As temperatures continue to rise, the well-being and health of individuals are increasingly at risk, which can lead to a detrimental effect on human performance and behavior. Hence, monitoring and assessing heat stress indices have become necessary for ensuring the safety and comfort of individuals. Thermal comfort indices, such as wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT), Tropical Summer Index (TSI), and Predicted Heat Strain (PHS), as well as parameters like mean radiant temperature (MRT), are typically used for assessing and controlling heat stress conditions in working and urban environments. Therefore, measurement and monitoring of these parameters should be obtained for any environment in which people are constantly exposed. Modern cities collect and publish this relevant information following the Smart City concept. To monitor large cities, cost-effective solutions must be developed. This work presents the results of a Heat Stress Monitoring (HSM) system prototype network tested in the Benicalap-Ciutat Fallera district in Valencia, Spain. The scope of this work is to design, commission, and test a low-cost prototype that is able to measure heat stress indices. The Heat Stress Monitoring system comprises a central unit or receiver and several transmitters communicating via radiofrequency. The transmitter accurately measures wind speed, air temperature, relative humidity, atmospheric pressure, solar irradiation, and black globe temperature. The receiver has a 4G modem that sends the data to an SQL database in the cloud. The devices were tested over one year, showing that radio data transmission is reliable up to 700 m from the receiver. The system's power supply, composed of a Photovoltaic panel and Lithium-ion batteries, provided off-grid capabilities to the transmitter, with a tested backup autonomy of up to 36 days per charge. Then, indicators such as WBGT, TSI, and MRT were successfully estimated using the data collected by the devices. The material cost of a 12-point network is around EUR 2430 with a competitive price of EUR 190 per device.

Ambiente construído e sua associação com percepção de saúde em idosos brasileiros: Pesquisa Nacional de Saúde 2013

Abstract The present study aims to investigate the association between the built environment and positive self-rated health among older adults from Brazilian capitals. It is a cross-sectional population-based study, which collected data from the National Health Survey 2013 and the Observatório das Metrópoles. The outcome was a positive self-rated health. The built environment was investigated by the Urban Wellbeing Index (IBEU, in Portuguese). Analyses were performed by multilevel logistic regression (95%CI). Among the 4,643 elderly individuals evaluated in this study, 51.5% reported a positive self-rated health (95%CI: 50.0-52.9). Elderly people living in capitals with higher IBEU terciles were more likely to have a positive self-rated health (OR: 1.42; 95%CI: 1.08-1.86 (T2); OR: 1.78; 95%CI: 1.35-2.33 (T3)). As for the dimensions of the IBEU, the following were associated with the outcome: urban infrastructure (OR: 1.56; 95%CI: 1.13-2.16), urban environmental conditions (OR: 1.49; 95%CI: 1.10-2.04), urban housing conditions (OR: 1.45; 95%CI: 1.05-1.99), and urban collective services (OR: 1.72; 95%CI: 1.30-2.27). A positive association was found between better conditions of the built environment and one’s perception of health, regardless of individual characteristics. Promoting changes in the built environment can be effective in improving health levels, thus favoring healthy aging.

THE STATE OF NON-SPECIFIC RESISTANCE OF THE SMALL BAT (PIPISTRELLUS PYGMAEUS LEACH, 1825) UNDER ADVERSE ANTHROPOGENIC FACTORS

At present, an important feature of the study of bats is their ability to carry pathogens of dangerous viruses, which is important for epidemiology when analyzing the spread of infectious diseases. Therefore, the study of the nonspecific immunity of bats will be able to suggest their morbidity and ability to endure diseases dangerous to humans. The purpose of the study is to consider the state of nonspecific resistance of the small bat (Pipistrellus pygmaeus Leach, 1825) under the conditions of unfavorable anthropogenic factors in the territory of the Bryansk region. The article presents the results of the analysis of indicators of nonspecific immunity of the small bat, living in areas with different anthropogenic pressure: colony №1 - rural area, colony №2 - urban area. To determine the natural resistance, physiological reactivity and general nonspecific resistance in the small bat, hematological and biochemical studies were conducted according to standard methods in males and females of two colonies. Blood serum lysozyme activity, bactericidal activity, phagocytic activity, circulating immune complexes were measured. In the body of males and females of the small bat, adaptation to new conditions of a negative urban environment is associated with adaptive-compensatory processes, manifested in hyperactivity of the immune system, pronounced disorders of the immune system and cellular immunity.

Application of local climate zones combined with machine learning to predict the impact of urban structure patterns on thermal environment

The urban heat island effect is a pertinent concern and estimating the thermal stress in cities is a crucial research goal. Most relevant studies have focused on the relationship between urban structures and high air temperatures, ignoring the effect of different combination of urban structures on high air temperature identifications. In this study, an efficient method was developed for identifying the thermal risk based on combination of urban structures to explore the relationship between urban environment and meteorological conditions. After the preprocessing of LCZ and meteorological data, data were input into the convolutional neural network (CNN) model constructed in this study. After the training process, the accuracy rate of the proposed model increased as the sampling rate increased, and the model achieved a high accuracy rate of 81.97% at 50% sampling. Furthermore, the model performed particularly well at identifying low and medium level of thermal risk. This means that the model could estimate the classes of thermal risk in most areas in Taipei City. The feasibility of using the proposed CNN model to identify the level of thermal risk was proven; the model is a convenient tool for estimating thermal stress in different areas with incomplete air temperature data.

Comprehensive evaluation of the underground space resources in Xianyang city

With the rapid development of urbanization and the sharp increase in population, urban land is becoming increasingly scarce. The efficient and reasonable development of the underground space is a crucial way to solve the problem of urban diseases, and comprehensive evaluation of urban underground space resources is an important basic task to achieve reasonable planning of the underground space. Adopting Xianyang city as an example, in this paper, we comprehensively evaluated the underground space resources in the main urban area and established evaluation models for the amount of resources available for development, development difficulty, potential value, and comprehensive quality of the underground space. Evaluation indicators, including urban environmental constraints, geological conditions, socioeconomic conditions and many other factors, were determined. With the use of the method of item-by-item elimination of restrictive elements and the analytic hierarchy process for determining the weight of each evaluation index, GIS technology was used to calculate and evaluate the underground space resources (0–30 m) in the main urban area of Xianyang city that could be reasonably developed, as well as the corresponding development difficulty and potential value, and we obtained the underground space that could be reasonably developed under different types of land use in the main urban area of Xianyang city on the basis of the resource quantity and comprehensive quality evaluation results. The results showed that in terms of quantity, the amount of underground space available for development in the main urban area of Xianyang city accounts for approximately 25.11% of the total development amount, and the underground space that could be developed and utilized is approximately 82.3 km2. The underground space resources that could be developed within a 30 m depth interval in the main urban area reached 2.465 billion m3, accounting for approximately 79.5% of the total shallow underground space resources, and the potential for development and utilization is enormous. In terms of the comprehensive quality, the highest comprehensive quality level of shallow underground resources is located in the core areas along Renmin Road, Weiyang Road, and Century Avenue, with an area of 21.52 km2, and the highest comprehensive quality level of subshallow underground resources is located along Renmin Road and Weiyang Road, with an area of 4.37 km2. The evaluation results could provide high reference value for urban development planning and underground space development and utilization in Xianyang.

Mitigation and Resilience of Local Climatic Zones to the Effects of Extreme Heat: Study on the City of Barcelona (Spain)

Global warming is precipitating an amplification of severe meteorological occurrences such as prolonged dry spells and episodes of elevated temperatures. These phenomena are instigating substantial elevations in environmental warmth, with metropolitan regions bearing the brunt of these impacts. Currently, extreme heat is already impacting 30% of the global populace, and forecasts suggest that this figure will escalate to 74% in the forthcoming years. One of the objectives outlined in the United Nations 2030 agenda, specifically within Sustainable Development Goal 11 (SDG11), is the attainment of sustainable urban development. To achieve this, it is imperative to scrutinize and delve into urban environmental conditions in order to understand their dynamics comprehensively. This understanding serves as the foundation for implementing mitigation and resilience strategies against climate change, ultimately enhancing the well-being of city residents. In this context, the field of remote sensing and geographic information systems has made substantial advancements. Notably, the UrbClim model, developed by the European Space Agency, facilitates the assessment of environmental conditions within numerous European urban centers. This research, utilizing data from UrbClim, examines the evolution of the heat stress index (Hi) during extreme heat conditions in Barcelona during the summer of 2017. Leveraging Landsat 8 satellite imagery, we derived the following variables: the normalized difference vegetation index and the normalized building difference index. Our findings reveal that during extreme heat conditions, the Hi index experiences an escalation, with areas characterized by a higher population density and industrial zones displaying lower resistance in contrast to regions with a lower population density and rural areas, which exhibit greater resilience to Hi. This disparity can be attributed to higher vegetation coverage and reduced building density in the latter areas. In this way, Hi increases more quickly and intensely and decreases more slowly when using high temperatures compared to average temperatures. This is of utmost importance for the future planning of new urban developments.

Effects of Investigational Moisturizers on the Skin Barrier and Microbiome following Exposure to Environmental Aggressors: A Randomized Clinical Trial and Ex Vivo Analysis.

The skin microbiota barrier participates in skin barrier function in addition to the physical, chemical, and immunological protective barriers, and is affected by environmental aggressors and skincare regimens. To better understand the exact effects of real-life environmental conditions on the skin and determine the protective methods, this study investigates the effects of three topical cosmetic moisturizers (water gel moisturizers with/without yeast extract (Moisturizers K and C) and a thick-emulsion cream moisturizer (Moisturizer L)) on clinical and skin microbiome endpoints in the presence of environmental aggressors during an 8-week, randomized controlled, triple-blind clinical trial with 110 participants, and molecular- as well as biomarker-level endpoints on ex vivo skin explants after exposure to simulate urban environmental conditions. The results show that all moisturizers are well-tolerated and improve skin barrier function and surface moisture content from the baseline, and the improvement is maintained at the last analysis point (3 days after trial completion). Compared with the untreated control areas (samples taken from the upper chest), treatment with Moisturizer K prevented a reduction in bacterial and fungal richness, and increased the change ratio of the relative abundance of commensal bacteria, such as Staphylococcus epidermidis and Ralstonia, at the treated sites (samples taken from the forehead). Moreover, Moisturizer K-treated ex vivo skin explants had higher levels of caspase 14 (a marker of skin barrier function), collagen I, and elastin (structure components), and lower levels of aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR; activated by air pollutants) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) than those in explants treated with other moisturizers and in the untreated areas of the skin. These results suggest that a skin postbiotic moisturizer with yeast extract supports the regulation of the skin's microbiome balance and may provide a holistic barrier (involving skin microbiome, physical, chemical, and immune barriers) to protect the skin against environmental aggressors.