Urban Environmental Protection Research Articles

Efficient multi-scale network for semantic segmentation of fine-resolution remotely sensed images

Abstract Semantic segmentation of remote sensing urban scene images has diverse practical applications, including land cover mapping, urban change detection, environmental protection, and economic evaluation. However, classical semantic segmentation networks encounter challenges such as inadequate utilization of multi-scale semantic information and imprecise edge target segmentation in high-resolution remote sensing images. In response, this article introduces an efficient multi-scale network (EMNet) tailored for semantic segmentation of common features in remote sensing images. To address these challenges, EMNet integrates several key components. Firstly, the efficient atrous spatial pyramid pooling module is employed to enhance the relevance of multi-scale targets, facilitating improved extraction and processing of context information across different scales. Secondly, the efficient multi-scale attention mechanism and multi-scale jump connections are utilized to fuse semantic features from various levels, thereby achieving precise segmentation boundaries and accurate position information. Finally, an encoder-decoder structure is incorporated to refine the segmentation results. The effectiveness of the proposed network is validated through experiments conducted on the publicly available DroneDeploy image dataset and Potsdam dataset. Results indicate that EMNet achieves impressive performance metrics, with mean intersection over union (MIoU), mean precision (MPrecision), and mean recall (MRecall) reaching 75.99%, 86.76%, and 85.07%, respectively. Comparative analysis demonstrates that the network proposed in this article outperforms current mainstream semantic segmentation networks on both the DroneDeploy and Potsdam dataset.

Efforts to Prevent Land Changes Due to Natural Disasters in Tridi Village Malang City

To ensure environmental sustainability and mitigate the risk of natural disasters such as flooding, the Malang City government has imposed a ban on residential development along the banks of the Brantas River through Malang City Regional Regulation No. 6 Year 2022. This study examines the measures adopted by the Malang City government to regulate the spatial layout of settlements in Kampung Tridi and prevent land degradation due to natural disasters, similar to the approach taken in Taman Bendung Tirto. Using Socio-Legal methodology, the study explores the perceptions and legal behaviors of riverside landowners and the government's strategies to protect the land. The findings of this study reveal that the Malang City government's efforts mainly focus on enforcing strict zoning in Kampung Tridi to comply with spatial regulations. This abstract is intended to provide a comprehensive overview of the study, highlighting the importance of the legal framework in urban planning and environmental protection

The Specific Application and Meaning Expression of Folk Art in Urban Landscape Design Under the Optimized Interactive Genetic Algorithm

With the rapid and stable growth of China's economy and the rapid development of urban construction, urban complexes have sprung up in major cities. The lag in urban ecological environmental protection, maintenance and construction has brought great pressure to the needs of today's urban residents in terms of life, safety, and sense of belonging. In the major cities with many high-rise buildings in contemporary China, land resources are becoming more and more scarce, and the urban ecological environment is in urgent need of recycling, and due to the blind imitation of Western culture and design mode and the neglect of my country's traditional regional culture, the urban landscape lacks interaction, resonance, and sense of belonging with citizens, and the phenomenon of landscape similarity emerges in various cities, focusing on the landscape space of urban complexes. There are also these problems. Urban residents urgently need a third space that can adjust their physical, mental, and spiritual needs. How to design an urban complex landscape that meets the aesthetic needs and humanistic needs of contemporary cities and has regional characteristics has become the first important task of my research. Folk art is an artistic treasure created by the working people in their production and life. Folk art is the embodiment of cultural regionality and the foundation of national culture. It awakens people's awareness of the importance of local culture, awakens people's sense of belonging, and is closer to the local public life. Today, the living soil and social and humanistic environment of folk art are in the process of urbanization in our country, and there is a trend of gradual disappearance of lifestyle changes. How to make the contemporary urban complex landscape an organic soil for the survival, expression, application, and development of folk art is an important task in contemporary urban landscape design. Based on optimization, related concepts such as symbols, folk art symbols, urban complexes, urban complex landscape design, etc. have been sorted out. The relevant experimental results show that the construction land accuracy of the logistic regression model based on genetic algorithm has increased from 78.0% to 85.3%. kappa increased from 74.5% to 81.2%. Research shows that the logistic regression parameter optimization method based on genetic algorithm has better simulation effect than the conventional logistic regression method and is more suitable for the situation of unbalanced data distribution and many data features in the simulation of large-scale urban land dynamic changes.

A scoping review of green Internet of Things in construction and smart cities: current applications, adoption strategies and future directions

PurposeContemporary technological disruptions are espoused as though they stimulate sustainable growth in the built environment through the Green Internet of Things (G-IoT). Learning from discipline-specific experiences, this paper articulates recent advancements in the knowledge and concepts of G-IoT in relation to the construction and smart city sectors. It provides a scoping review for G-IoT as an overlooked dimension. Attention was paid to modern circularity, cleaner production and sustainability as key benefits of G-IoT adoption in line with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (UN-SDGs). In addition, this study also investigates the current application and adoption strategies of G-IoT.Design/methodology/approachThis study uses the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) review approach. Resources are drawn from Scopus and Web of Science repositories using apt search strings that reflect applications of G-IoT in the built environment in relation to construction management, urban planning, societies and infrastructure. Thematic analysis was used to analyze pertinent themes in the retrieved articles.FindingsG-IoT is an overlooked dimension in construction and smart cities so far. Thirty-three scholarly articles were reviewed from a total of 82 articles retrieved, from which five themes were identified: G-IoT in buildings, computing, sustainability, waste management and tracking and monitoring. Among other applications, findings show that G-IoT is prominent in smart urban services, healthcare, traffic management, green computing, environmental protection, site safety and waste management. Applicable strategies to hasten adoption include raising awareness, financial incentives, dedicated work approaches, G-IoT technologies and purposeful capacity building among stakeholders. The future of G-IoT in construction and smart city research is in smart drones, building information modeling, digital twins, 3D printing, green computing, robotics and policies that incentivize adoption.Originality/valueThis study adds to the normative literature on envisioning potential strategies for adoption and the future of G-IoT in construction and smart cities as an overlooked dimension. No previous study to date has reviewed pertinent literature in this area, intending to investigate the current applications, adoption strategies and future direction of G-IoT in construction and smart cities. Researchers can expand on the current study by exploring the identified G-IoT applications and adoption strategies in detail, and practitioners can develop implementation policies, regulations and guidelines for holistic G-IoT adoption.

The Power of Public Oversight: The Effects of Environmental Agency Information Disclosure on Environmental Investment by Polluting Enterprises

Abstract Collusion between government and business presents a significant challenge to environmental governance, yet academic literature rarely addresses effective measures to address this key problem. This study addresses this gap by leveraging government information disclosure data from urban environmental protection agencies in China to empirically examine the impact of such disclosures on environmental investments by Chinese polluting enterprises. Our analysis reveals the positive effects of government information disclosure by enforcement agencies on environmental investments, particularly for enterprises characterized by higher degrees of government-business collusion. Unlike traditional supervision methods from higher authorities to lower ones, government information disclosure operates under public oversight, which can mitigate shortcomings in supervision scope and agency costs. Thus, the findings of this study offer valuable insights for addressing pollution governance challenges. Keywords: Government information disclosure, Collusion, Environmental investment, Polluting enterprises.

Sustainability evaluation of urban large-scale infrastructure construction based on dynamic fuzzy cognitive map

Enhancing the sustainability of large-scale infrastructure construction is the foundation and trend of urban sustainable development and environmental protection. This paper proposes a perception and evaluation method based on Dynamic Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping (D-FCM) to address the dynamics, uncertainties, and implementation difficulties of sustainability evaluation in large-scale infrastructure construction. Using Hebbian rules to learn the experience and knowledge of experts, a dynamic evolution correlation matrix about evaluation indicators is obtained, and a D-FCM dynamic system model is established to obtain the sustainability evaluation results of large-scale infrastructure construction. The comprehensive sustainable evaluation value (K) of the selected subway project case is 0.934, which belongs to the V level in the sustainable level classification standard and has a good trend in sustainable development. Social public participation (S1), light pollution prevention (H1), wastewater discharge compliance rate (H2), soil pollution prevention (H3), and soil and water conservation and utilization (Z2) are the most significant and sensitive indicators for the sustainable development of large-scale infrastructure construction. Based on the interaction of influencing factors in the D-FCM model, an economically efficient control measures and decision-making plan can be proposed to improve the sustainability of large-scale infrastructure construction projects.

Leakage vortices and energy characteristics of semi-open sewage pump with various blade tip alterations

As one of the most commonly used fluid machineries, sewage pumps play a critical role in various sectors, including urban construction, industry, and environmental protection. Considering the clog-resistant performance, the impeller usually uses a semi-open structure, giving rise to a tip structure that introduces leakage flow. This exacerbates the instability of flow within the pump, thereby impacting the overall performance and operational stability of sewage pumps. In this study, four distinct blade tip structure schemes are developed through a combination of numerical calculations and experimental validation. The Liutex–Omega vortex identification method is employed to scrutinize the initiation and development mechanisms of the leakage vortex system. A comprehensive analysis is conducted to explore the influence of the tip structure on both the energy characteristics and the internal flow dynamics of semi-open sewage pumps. It is found that the complex mixing effect of the leakage flow with the main flow is the primary source of energy loss within the semi-open impeller. Additionally, the characteristic angle of the leakage flow exhibits a high correlation with the energy dissipation characteristics of the impeller. Meanwhile, the impeller with a rounded tip exhibits the poorest performance, with the most substantial reductions in head and efficiency amounting to 44.17% and 36.11%, respectively, compared to the original impeller. Conversely, the impeller featuring a T-shaped tip demonstrates a maximum increase in the head of up to 7.25% under conditions of a large clearance size. This study not only contributes to the theoretical understanding of the unsteady flow within the semi-open impeller but also offers valuable insights for the optimized design of semi-open impeller sewage pumps, holding both theoretical and practical significance.

Chemical Characteristics and Genetic Analysis of Karst Groundwater in the Beijing Xishan Area

As an important water supply source in Beijing， karst groundwater has played an irreplaceable role in the security of urban water supply and ecological environment protection in the past 70 years. The Xishan karst groundwater system， located in the upper reaches of western Beijing， belongs to ecological conservation areas. There are several centralized water supply fields in this area. In this study， the Xishan karst groundwater system was taken as the research object. A total of 120 karst groundwater samples in this area were investigated by using statistical analysis， ion ratio， and principal component analysis （PCA） methods to explore the spatial distribution characteristics and formation mechanism of groundwater hydrochemistry. The research results showed that： ① the groundwater quality of the Xishan system was generally good， with the characteristics of neutral pH and low salinity. A total of 84.17% of the water samples were classified as hard water. The chemical type of groundwater was mainly HCO3-Ca·Mg. ② The chemical composition of groundwater was mainly affected by the water-rock interaction， and the weathering source of rock was mainly the dissolution of carbonate. ③ The results of principal component analysis showed that 34.41% of the chemistry formation of groundwater could be explained by carbonate dissolution， 27.33% by rock salt and evaporate dissolution， 11.76% by aquifer sediment dissolution， and 10.30% by domestic sewage discharge. From the recharge area to the runoff area and then to the discharge area， the TH and TDS gradually increased. Coal mining drainage and human activities were the main factors that caused groundwater degradation and variable hydrochemical types in the piedmont. In the future， it is necessary to further strengthen environmental governance， control point and non-point source pollution， and continuously monitor key areas to provide scientific support for ecological and environmental protection.

The Application of Geographic Information System in Urban Forest Ecological Compensation and Sustainable Development Evaluation

Urban forests can alleviate the urban heat island effect, improve air quality, and improve residents’ mental health. By studying urban forests, these resources can be better used and managed to create more livable urban environments. Therefore, the urban forest in the Taishan region is taken as the research object, and the ecological compensation and sustainable development of urban forest in Tai’an City are deeply analyzed by GIS. It divided the area into forest land, water bodies, wetlands, grasslands, and shrubs as the basic ecosystem types. And through secondary interpretation and combination, a complete urban forest information database was established. To evaluate the comprehensive benefits of urban forests, the analytic hierarchy process was utilized to establish a corresponding evaluation index system. Based on the assessment outcomes of the comprehensive benefits of urban forests in the area, a standard accounting method for urban forest ecological compensation was proposed. The results showed that each index of the comprehensive benefits of urban forests and the random consistency ratio were both less than 0.1. This indicated that the matrix calculation results of various indicators of urban forest comprehensive benefits had good consistency. At the target level, the comprehensive evaluation score of urban forests in the study area was 7.69. At the factor level, the weight value of the urban forest landscape structure was 0.675, and the comprehensive score was 7.62. The weight value of urban forest comprehensive benefits was 0.325, and the comprehensive score was 7.82. The quantitative weight value of urban forest greening in the study area was 0.6138, with a comprehensive score of 7.57. Based on the analysis of the issues in urban forests and ecological compensation in the research area of Tai’an City, corresponding ecological compensation strategies have been proposed. It is of great value to study the urban forest of Tai’an city, which can help to formulate more effective urban planning and sustainable development strategies. The research results can also provide a valuable reference and inspiration for the improvement of urban forest ecological environment and biodiversity protection in other areas.

MSE-Net: A novel master–slave encoding network for remote sensing scene classification

Remote sensing scene (RSS) image classification plays a vital role in various fields such as urban planning and environmental protection. However, due to higher inter-class similarity and intra-class variability, achieving accurate classification for RSS images poses a considerable challenge for current convolutional neural networks (CNNs)-based and visual transformer (ViT)-based methods. To address these issues, this paper proposes a novel dual-encoding method named master–slave encoding network (MSE-Net) from two perspectives of feature extraction and fusion. The master encoder, based on ViT, extracts higher-level semantic features, while the slave encoder, based on CNN, captures relative lower-level spatial structure information. Secondly, to integrate feature information from the two encoders effectively, this paper further develop two fusion strategies. The first strategy involves the auxiliary enhancement units (AEUs), which eliminates semantic divergence between the two encoders, enhances spatial context awareness of the slave encoder and promotes effective feature learning. The interactive perception unit (IPU), as the second strategy, facilitates interaction and integration of the two encoders’ representations to extract more discriminative feature information. In addition, we conducted comparative experiments on four widely-used RSS datasets, including RSSCN7, SIRI-WHU, the aerial image dataset (AID) and NWPU-RESISC45 (NWPU45), to verify the effectiveness of MSE-Net. The experimental results demonstrate that MSE-Net achieved state-of-the-art (SOTA) performance across all the datasets.

Analyzing geodetic leveling and subsidence of benchmarks: data and conclusions for Zhezkazgan and GEV-Lermontovo villages

This article analyzes geodetic leveling data at sites in the villages of Zhezkazgan and GEV-Lermontovo for the period from 2014 to 2020 using correlation matrices, statistical tests, and box plots. Using the rock displacement data on benchmarks along selected profile lines, detailed analyses were conducted in two groups (Group "A" with the data from 2018 to 2020 and Group "B" with the in-depth study of subsidence levels since 2014). In group "A", correlation matrices were analyzed and statistically significant relationships were determined between the levels of subsidence of the benchmarks. Group "B" was aimed at studying changes in the level of subsidence along the three profile lines for different periods. Using box plots, the distribution and variability of subsidence levels were visualized, anomalies were identified and potential problem areas were identified. The results indicate significant subsidence on profile line 115 caused by mining activities in the area of the Lermontovo hydraulic fracturing site. These studies are valuable information for geodesists and geologists and can be used to manage urban development, infrastructure stability, and environmental protection in the region. The results obtained are of interest for further studies and can serve as the basis for the development of appropriate strategies and remedial measures.

Environmental Assessment of Toxic Gases and Particulate Matter (PM2.5) Monitoring During Fireworks Episodes (Diwali Festival) in Chennai Metropolitan, Southern India

The Indian celebration of lights, Diwali, is very important. This yearly event in October or November involves spectacular fireworks. Sparklers increase PM and harmful chemicals in the environment. It’s no surprise that events affect air quality. This study measured Total Gaseous Mercury (TGM), Particulate Matter (such as PM2.5), Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Nitric Oxide (NO), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Oxides of Nitrogen (NOx), and Ozone (O3) in Chennai, a densely populated metropolitan area in Tamil Nadu, India, before, on, and after Diwali. It was to determine how firecrackers affect air quality. Southwest (SW) and south-southwest winds predominate before Diwali. During Diwali, west-northwest and south-southwest wind speeds were highest. The average wind speed is 0.2-2.0 m/s. The average gaseous component concentration decreased pre- and post-Diwali. Wind direction and gaseous component distribution show Diwali sparklers were the main source of toxicity. A novel method measures wind patterns and velocities before, during and after Diwali to determine air quality dynamics. Gaseous component levels dropped significantly after Diwali, exceeding expectations. Firework emissions, meteorology and pollution dispersion were assessed. Public awareness efforts are needed since sparklers with lighting characteristics are the main source of Diwali pollution, according to the report. This new idea encourages sustainable, health-focused cultural events and urban environmental protection through data-driven decision-making.

Topical Problems of the Urban Environment Protection

Introduction. The concentration of a huge number of people in a small area causes a wide range of social, economic, environmental and other problems, starting from the growth of crime and ending with the natural landscape degradation. With regard to urban territories, the major environmental problems are: air pollution, water quality deterioration, increase of wastes, noise, stray animals, etc. At the same time, in each region or municipality, an environmental problem may have its own features. The role of law in solving these problems is increasing every year. Environment protection is a crosssectoral issue, which means that the norms of environmental, urban planning, municipal, administrative, sanitary and other branches of legislation should be applied for solving the issues thereof. Meanwhile, each of these sectors of legislation pursues its own, rather local goals, using the sector-specific legal tools. Since the city is a complicated but integral social organism, there arises the need to bring various sector norms and regulations to a "common denominator". This role is fulfilled by the urban planning, which doesn’t cancel the legal effect of other sectoral legal norms, but undertakes the coordinating functions, requiring a separate and detailed study. The aim of the work is to identify the topical problems of the urban environment protection and outline the ways to solve them, based on the analysis of the urban planning, natural resources and environmental laws.Materials and Methods. Legal, organisational, economic and other aspects of the urban environment protection have been investigated using the conventional methods of scientific cognition: general scientific (the dialectical) and specific scientific (analysis, synthesis, concrete-historical, logical, etc.) methods.Results. The urban planning, natural resources and environmental laws, which regulate various aspects of the urban environment legal protection have been analysed. The advantages and disadvantages of the existing model of law have been revealed, suggestions for it improvement have been made. The analysis of spatial planning documents of three subjects of the Russian Federation (the Republic of Kalmykia, the Republic of Dagestan and Astrakhan region), and three municipalities (urban districts of Astrakhan, Makhachkala and Elista) has been carried out. The environmental requirements contained in the Land Use and Development Regulations of these subjects of the RF have been revealed.Discussion and Conclusion. The territory of any city is an aggregate of transformed, modified and natural ecological systems, requiring the integrated approach to legal regulation. This objective is achieved by means of the urban planning law. It's in the spatial planning and urban zoning documents that the existing and planned development of the territories is stated, the individual permits, restrictions and prohibitions on the use and protection of the natural resources are taken into account, the balance between the environmental, economic and social interests of the state, business and society is found. The urban planning law directly affects fulfilment of the various environment protection directions within the certain areas of human activity - defines the places (landfills) for waste disposal, sites for constructing the waste recycling plants, locations of wastewater treatment systems and lands for setting up the specially protected natural territories (hereinafter SPNT) (including the ones within the city boundaries) aimed at preserving the valuable objects of flora and fauna; promotes the establishment of the protection regime for the urban forests and forest parks. At the same time, urban planning law does not repeal the rules and regulations on protection of waters, lands, forests or animal world objects, which continue to be legally binding, and, in their turn, influence on the urban planning requirements and restrictions. The provisions of the federal urban planning and environmental laws are perceived differently by the regional and local authorities, this entails significant specifics of the environment protection at regional and local levels.

The Co-Processing Combustion Characteristics of Municipal Sludge within an Industrial Cement Decomposition Furnace via Computational Fluid Dynamics

Dealing with municipal sludge in an effective way is crucial for urban development and environmental protection. Co-processing the sludge by burning it in a decomposition furnace in the cement production line has been found to be a viable solution. This work aims to analyze the effects of the co-disposal of municipal sludge on the decomposition reactions and NOx emissions in the decomposing furnaces. Specifically, a practical 6000 t/d decomposition furnace was taken as the research object. To achieve this, ANSYS FLUENT with a UDF (user-defined function) was applied to establish a numerical model coupling the limestone decomposition reaction, fuel combustion, and NOx generation and reduction reactions. The flow, temperature, and component field distributions within the furnace with no sludge were firstly simulated with this model. Compared with site test results, the model was validated. Then, with sludge involved, the structure and operation parameters of the decomposition furnace for the co-disposal of municipal sludge were investigated by simulating the flow field, temperature field, and component field distributions. Parametric studies were carried out in three perspectives, i.e., sludge mixing ratio, preheating furnace arrangement height, and sludge particle size. The results show that all three aspects have great importance in the discomposing process. A set of preferable values, including a sludge mixing ratio of 10%, preheating furnace height of 21.5 m, and sludge particle diameter of 1.0 mm, was obtained, which resulted in a raw material decomposition rate of 89.9% and a NO volume fraction of 251 ppm at the furnace outlet.

Location Selection of Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Through Employing the Spherical Fuzzy CoCoSo and CRITIC Technique

Energy conservation and emission reduction are important policies vigorously promoted in China. With the continuous popularization of the concept of green transportation, electric vehicles have become a green transportation tool with good development prospects, greatly reducing the pressure on the environment and resources caused by rapid economic growth. The development status of electric vehicles has a significant impact on urban energy security, environmental protection, and sustainable development in China. With the widespread application of new energy vehicles, charging piles have become an important auxiliary infrastructure necessary for the development of electric vehicles. They have significant social and economic benefits, so it is imperative to build electric vehicle charging piles. There are many factors to consider in the scientific layout of electric vehicle charging stations, and the location selection problem of electric vehicle charging stations is a multiple-attribute group decision-making (MAGDM) problem. Recently, the Combined Compromise Solution (CoCoSo) technique and CRITIC technique have been utilized to deal with MAGDM issues. Spherical fuzzy sets (SFSs) can uncover the uncertainty and fuzziness in MAGDM more effectively and deeply. In this paper, on basis of CoCoSo technique, a novel spherical fuzzy number CoCoSo (SFN-CoCoSo) technique based on spherical fuzzy number cosine similarity measure (SFNCSM) and spherical fuzzy number Euclidean distance (SFNED) is conducted for dealing with MAGDM. Moreover, when the attribute weights are completely unknown, the CRITIC technique is extended to SFSs to acquire the attribute weights based on the SFNCSM and SFNED. Finally, the SFN-CoCoSo technique is utilized for location selection problem of electric vehicle charging stations to prove practicability of the developed technique and compare the SFN-CoCoSo technique with existing techniques to further demonstrate its superiority.

New tracer for anthropogenic pollution in the atmosphere: Stable potassium isotopes in rainwater

Rainwater dissolves urban air contaminants that threaten sustainable urbanization and human health. Tracing rainwater contamination supports urban management and environmental protection. Potassium isotopes (δ41K) have become new tracers in recent years, but K isotopes in urban rainwater and their application in tracing anthropogenic contamination have not yet been reported. Therefore, novel data on rainwater from Beijing, the capital of China, were presented in this study (δ41K: −1.16‰ to −0.17‰). Rainwater δ41K values showed a good nonlinear correlation with NO3-/K+ (R = 0.71; p < 0.05). Nitrogen (N) and K isotopes data were applied in three-end-member mixing model, and the three anthropogenic sources are biomass burning (δ15N: −1.3 ± 4.3‰, δ41K: −1.16 ± 0.06‰), fertilizer (δ15N: 1.6 ± 1.9‰, δ41K: 0.14 ± 0.09‰), and traffic emission (δ15N: −8.0 ± 4.5‰, δ41K: −0.17 ± 0.06‰). The MixSIAR model and backward trajectory with fire maps indicated that biomass burning and traffic emission were the primary contributors, with most biomass burning coming from southwest and southeast Beijing. This study expands rainwater K isotope composition data and first shows its potential to trace anthropogenic contamination. With K isotope ratios effectively tracing pollution sources in Beijing rainwater, it will be widely applied in environmental research.

An Assessment of the Environmental Sensitivity of the Coastal Zone of Negombo, Sri Lanka

The coastal area of Sri Lanka provides various ecosystem services amidst various challenges. For instance, coastal erosion is an ongoing problem caused by human activities. Sensitivity assessment one of the measures which helps planning coastal areas to ensure better urban development and environmental protection. This study developed a framework for the assessment of the environmental sensitivity of coastal zones. The framework primarily considered sensitive biological factors and external disturbances, demonstrated in the Negombo coastal zone. 16 indicators were selected, considering the area with AHP technique, and the weighted summation method was used to assess the sensitivity. The assessment enables the study region of an area of around 38km2 to be divided into zones of very high, high, moderate, low, and very low sensitivity. The maps generated out of this assessment can be used to identify areas that require prioritized management. The very highly sensitive areas need priority in management as the sensitive biological aspects and external disturbances were both high in them. In the other areas, either the external disturbance or the sensitive biological aspects are high. Having identified the level of sensitivity, appropriate actions could be taken to either maintain the status of the biological aspect or to regulate the external disturbance in that area. Some areas were identified as very low to low sensitivity indicating their potential for development. This study provides a model framework to assess the sensitivity of coastal zones as a measure towards planning for sustainable developments in them.

Does smart city pilot improve green total factor productivity? Evidence from Chinese cities.

In recent years, the construction of smart cities has gradually become an effective means of addressing urban economic and environmental challenges. Based on panel data of 249 Chinese cities from 2005 to 2020, this study uses a super-efficiency epsilon-based measure model and a Malmquist-Luenberger index to calculate the urban green total factor productivity (GTFP). Using the smart city pilot as a quasi-natural experiment, the time-varying difference-in-difference (DID) method is applied to determine the causal effect of smart city pilot on GTFP. Results show that smart city pilot increases urban GTFP in China, and a series of robust analyses have verified the reliability of the results. The heterogeneity analysis results show that the smart city pilot policy has a more significant positive effect on urban GTFP in the eastern and central regions, the high population group, and the high per capita GDP group. The mediating analysis further suggests that smart city pilot positively affects technological innovations and human capital which promotes urban GTFP. These findings are of great significance for smart city construction and coordinating the relationship between urban economic development and environmental protection.

Modeling destructive effects of an explosion in an urban environment using ANSYS AUTODYN

Purpose is to study the impact of explosive waves in an urban environment using comprehensive numerical modeling. A series of simulations were conducted using ANSYS AUTODYN software, allowing us to accurately replicate the dynamics of explosive wave interactions with urban structures. The methods used involves calculations through modeling and analysis of results. The obtained research results demonstrate that the application of numerical modeling with ANSYS AUTODYN allows for highly precise prediction of the influence of explosive waves on urban structures. These methods effectively model complex interactions between explosive waves and the urban environment, providing valuable information for safety measures and urban structure design. Findings. Results demonstrate that the application of numerical modeling with ANSYS AUTODYN allows for highly precise prediction of the influence of explosive waves on urban structures. These methods effectively model complex interactions between explosive waves and the urban environment, providing valuable information for safety measures and urban structure design. The originality lies in the combination of 2D and 3D modeling for a detailed analysis of explosive events in urban conditions, expanding existing knowledge about the interaction of explosive waves with urban infrastructure. Based on the obtained data, measures can be developed to enhance the safety and resilience of urban infrastructure in the event of explosive events, as well as to improve urban environment planning and protection. Practical implementation. Based on the obtained data, measures can be developed to protect urban structures from potential explosive events, including the design of blast-resistant structures, optimization of urban plans considering potential risks, improvement of evacuation systems, and enhancing safety for the civilian population in densely populated areas.

The Effect of Government Environmental Concern Strength and Differential Supply of Construction Land on Urban Environmental Protection Pressure

The Effect of Government Environmental Concern Strength and Differential Supply of Construction Land on Urban Environmental Protection Pressure