Urban Plot Research Articles

An Architect's House in Curitiba

The study object of this paper is architect Manoel Coelho’s (1940-2021) house in Curitiba, Brazil. The main objective is the historiographical documentation and descriptive analysis of the residence’s architectural design. Projected by the architect and built in 1980-81, it is located on an urban plot in a residential neighborhood in Curitiba. It is characterized by the use of fair-face concrete and utilizing color as the main design element. This article begins with a description of the architect’s biography and then of the project itself, firstly through an analysis of the existing bibliographic references and then through a descriptive analysis of the house. The result of the documentation is a reproduction of the original project through plans, sections, and elevations. In parallel, current photographs taken during a survey illustrate the description. Through all these materials, we can better understand the effectiveness of the project documentation methodology and the contribution of this survey to new research on related subjects and, of course, on the production of this architect and others, whose work is still little researched and published.

Lindleys’ Map of Warsaw (1:2,500) as a tool for understanding the urban space preservation

The article focuses primarily on the 1:2,500 Lindleys’ map (1897–1901), one of the results of the cartographic work undertaken in connection with the development of the Warsaw sewage and waterways system. The map served as a basis for the edition of urban plots presented in the source. The obtained spatial data enabled comparing the stability of urban plot borders established at the turn of the twentieth century against current geodetic data.

The impact of anthropogenic transformation of urban soils on ectomycorrhizal fungal communities associated with silver birch (Betula pendula Roth.) growth in natural versus urban soils

Betula pendula Roth. is considered a pioneering plant species important for urban ecosystems. Based on the sequencing of fungal ITS, we characterized the ectomycorrhizal (ECM) communities of twenty silver birch trees growing in a contaminated, highly anthropo-pressured urban environment and in a natural reserve site. We analysed chemical properties of each tree soil samples, focusing on effects of anthropogenic transformation. Three effects of urbanization: high heavy metal content, increased salinity and soil alkalinity, were highly correlated. The examined trees were divided into two forest and two urban clusters according to the level of anthropogenic soil change. The effect of soil transformation on the ECM communities was studied, with the assumption that stronger urban transformation leads to lower ECM vitality and diversity. The results of the study did not confirm the above hypothesis. The ECM colonization was above 80% in all clusters, but the forest clusters had significantly higher share of vital non-ECM root tips than the urban ones. Eleven mycorrhizal fungal species were identified varying from seven to nine and with seven species observed in the most contaminated urban plot. However, the lowest Shannon species diversity index was found in the most natural forest cluster. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate no significant negative effect of the urban stresses on the ECM communities of silver birch suggesting that both forest and urban trees have the potential to generate a similar set of ECM taxa.

An Energy-Saving-Oriented Approach to Urban Design—Application in the Local Conditions of Poznań Metropolitan Area (Poland)

This article discusses the impact of urban layout on the energy performance of residential buildings. A comparative analysis of multiple variants of land development differing in building layout only, with all other features being the same, including the building envelope properties and technical equipment, was carried out. The research was conducted in two selected locations in Poznań metropolitan area (Poland), which is located in the Dfb climate zone (humid continental—warm summer subtype). For each location, the following variants of building layout were considered: parallel buildings (12 variants with an orientation towards the sides of the world rotated in steps of 15 degrees), perimeter frontage buildings, and comb-shaped buildings with semi-open courtyards (4 variants with courtyards open to each side of the world). The calculation of annual end uses for heating and cooling was conducted as well as the peak values. All calculations were performed using OpenStudio Application Release v. 1.2.1 software with the SketchUp plugin. The results showed that the proper arrangement of buildings on the urban plot may result in significant energy savings. The considered variants differed in terms of annual end uses for heating and cooling even by approx. 15%, and the peak values on the hottest days were 4–10 times lower in comparison with the least advantageous variants. The results show the slight advantage of compact development over free-standing development in terms of total end uses as well as the south and north orientation of facades over the east and west in terms of peak solar heat gain values.

Vegetation Extraction from Airborne Laser Scanning Data of Urban Plots Based on Point Cloud Neighborhood Features

This study proposes an accurate vegetation extraction method used for airborne laser scanning data of an urban plot based on point cloud neighborhood features to overcome the deficiencies in the current research on the precise extraction of vegetation in urban plots. First, the plane features in the R-neighborhood are combined with Euclidean distance clustering to extract the building point cloud accurately, and the rough vegetation point cloud is extracted using the discrete features in the R-neighborhood. Then, under the building point cloud constraints, combined with the Euclidean distance clustering method, the remaining building boundary points in the rough vegetation point cloud are removed. Finally, based on the vegetation point cloud after removing the building boundary point cloud, points within a specific radius r are extracted from the vegetation point cloud in the original data, and a complete urban plot vegetation extraction result is obtained. Two urban plots of airborne laser scanning data are selected to calculate the point cloud plane features and discrete features with R = 0.6 m and accurately extract the vegetation point cloud from the urban point cloud data. The visual effect and accuracy analysis results of vegetation extraction are compared under four different radius ranges of r = 0.5 m, r = 1 m, r = 1.5 m and r = 2 m. The best vegetation extraction results of the two plots are obtained for r = 1 m. The recall and precision are obtained as 92.19% and 98.74% for plot 1 and 94.30% and 98.73% for plot 2, respectively.

Construction of high-precision DEMs for urban plots

ABSTRACT High-precision digital elevation models (DEMs) are the basic data for constructing digital cities. With the acceleration of urbanization, the topography of urban plots is constantly transformed by human activities, so that surface morphology shows the characteristics of diversification and discontinuity. Existing modelling methods focus on the expression of continuous terrain. Constructing high-precision DEM in urban plots is still challenging. A block-based modelling method that considers the morphological characteristics of urban plot elements was proposed. The Jinzhai County urban area was selected as the research area. The elements of urban plots were classified into six types, in which the boundaries and elevation information were extracted with real sense 3D models, Digital Orthophoto Maps (DOMs) and dense matching point cloud data. The DEMs of the 6 types of elements were generated separately with different methods, that are fused to complete the DEM of urban plots. The DEM obtained using the method in this manuscript was consistent with the reality in terms of topographic relief within each element and clarified the boundary of each element. The accuracy assessment showed that the RMSE results of roads, slopes, other terrains and natural terrains are approximately 0.05 m, which meets the elevation accuracy requirements of the 1:1000 large-scale mapping.

Urban Plot: Developing a Consistent Definition for Comparative Urban Studies

The aim of this paper is to discuss the problem of describing an urban plot and to propose a definition that can be used in comparative studies of historic towns. The need for a uniform definition results from comparative research using spatial databases and historical GIS (hGIS). The article discusses the problems in vectorization of plots for the purposes of hGIS analyses, as well as the methods of presenting urban plots on historical plans that have been used so far, on the example of the Historic Towns Atlas series. We compared the results of the analysis with the plot definitions appearing in the literature on urban studies. Based on the literature review and research discussed in the article, we developed and proposed a plot definition for the ontology of historical urban spaces.

Wpływ zmian litologii i morfologii dna doliny Mrożycy w Brzezinach na rozwój zabudowy miasta od średniowiecza do współczesności

Wpływ zmian litologii i morfologii dna doliny Mrożycy w Brzezinach na rozwój zabudowy miasta od średniowiecza do współczesności

Bark Effects on Stemflow Chemistry in a Japanese Temperate Forest I. The Role of Bark Surface Morphology

Stemflow can be an important pathway for the drainage of precipitation and related solutes through tree canopies to forest soils. As stemflow must drain along bark surfaces, the effects of bark structure on stemflow chemical composition is merited. This study examines the relationship between stemflow chemistry and bark surface structure for six species of varying bark morphology (four deciduous broadleaf trees and two evergreen coniferous trees) at a montane and an urban site in Japan. Stemflow from smooth-barked species contained greater concentrations of solutes that appear to be rinsed from the stem surface (i.e., sea salt aerosols); while, rougher-barked tree species contained greater or less concentrations of solutes that appear to be leached (e.g., Ca2+) or taken-up (e.g., inorganic N) by the bark, respectively. Site-specific atmospheric environments also influenced thee bark-stemflow chemistry relationships—where the greater elemental deposition in the urban plot generally resulted in greater stemflow chemistry than observed in the lower-deposition montane plot. Our results therefore suggest that the dynamics of dry deposition wash-off by stemflow, and the exchange of dissolved solutes between stemflow and the bark surface, are influenced by the surface structure of the bark and the site’s atmospheric environment. Therefore, the interactions between bark surface structure and its surrounding atmospheric environment are important factors in the stemflow-related elemental cycling between the tree and precipitation.

De iglesias y wak’as. La sacralidad y la agencia del espacio en la trama urbana del valle de La Paz (Bolivia) durante la colonia

De iglesias y wak’as. La sacralidad y la agencia del espacio en la trama urbana del valle de La Paz (Bolivia) durante la colonia

Programas habitacionales, estrategias residenciales y modos de vida. La construcción de territorios ‘inapropiados’ en la ciudad de Santa Fe

A partir de 2012, el Estado nacional y el de la provincia de Santa Fe implementaron programas de crédito para la construcción de vivienda y para la urbanización de suelo que expandieron la trama urbana, acentuando problemáticas típicas de ‘ciudades difusas’: áreas residenciales monofuncionales, mayores distancias de desplazamientos, déficits de equipamiento colectivo, entre otras. En base a entrevistas semiestructuradas a jefes/as de hogar del barrio Nueva Esperanza Este de la ciudad de Santa Fe, se analizan las estrategias residenciales de hogares de sectores sociales medios, sus cambios en los modos de vida asociados a la nueva localización y el territorio que así construyen. Los resultados informan que la propiedad de la vivienda es priorizada a su localización y subordina las prácticas (familiares, laborales, recreativas) cotidianas, configurándose modos de vida más exigentes. Estos y la presencia cercana de grupos sociales percibidos como ‘amenazantes’, construyen un territorio ‘inapropiado’: parcialmente apropiado, usado, controlado.

An Observation of Corn Tar Spot Dispersal from Agricultural Fields to an Isolated Urban Plot

Tar spot of corn is a fairly new disease to the United States, and since its introduction in 2015 it has spread to over 310 counties across nine states. Little is understood of the biology and epidemiology of the causative agent of tar spot of corn, Phyllachora maydis. Published research from Latin America indicates that spores can only travel a distance of 75 m; however, rapid progression and spread in the United States, in addition to widespread observations of top-down infection, indicate distal dispersal is likely more important. We observed an isolated plot of decorative corn in an urban setting, isolated from agricultural fields. We assessed nearby fields for crop, tar spot, cropping history, and distance from the urban site. Based on our observations, the propagules infecting the urban plot arrived from at least 560 m if from corn residue, and from at least 1,249 m if from active infections from nearby corn. Although this observation is not replicated, it does indicate that dispersal values from Latin America may not reflect the potential dispersion in Midwest topographies.

Towards zero-energy residential complexes in high-density conditions

Carbon dioxide is the largest component of the human footprint and one of the major components of all greenhouse gases. The expected increase in population will lead to growth in energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The building industry has the highest potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, buildings should become not only efficient consumers but also energy producers, not a simple task in dense cities. The paper describes the feasibility and limitations of near zero energy design in highly dense urban conditions. The study was carried out by examination and comparison of various density design, alternatives of an existing urban plot in the coastal climate zone of Israel. Increased dwelling units’ number leads to higher total energy use on the one hand and mutual shading of new high-rise residential buildings on the other. Preserving solar rights for PV systems installation become more complex. The relation between urban density and solar rights in urban design, energy consumption and energy generation within plot borders and their implications are presented and discussed in the paper.

Metal Input in Lettuce Grown in Urban Agricultural Soils

Urban agriculture plays an important role in supplying produces to big cities; however, the quality of water used for irrigation can hinder this activity. Hence, the purpose of this study was to evaluate metal inputs, as well as their transfer and translocation factors, in lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) crops cultivated in an urban plot. The research was conducted during the dry and rainy seasons. In the former, crops were irrigated with treated wastewater, whereas during the latter, crops were maintained just with rainwater. Composite samples for soils and plants were collected from the same plot during two crop cycles in 2013. Some edaphic variables were measured. Total metal concentration was determined, for both, soils and lettuce plants (leaves and roots). Water soluble and exchangeable soil metal fractions were also analyzed. A multivariate analysis of variance was performed to test for differences between seasons, among the variables analyzed. There were significant differences in edaphic characteristics between seasons. However, there was no difference in total metal content, except for Mn. Concentration of soluble metals was lower than exchangeable metal concentration, for both seasons. There was no correlation in total metal concentration between soils and plants. Transfer factor values were higher for Cd, Mn and Zn for the dry season, while for Cu, Fe and Pb were higher during the rainy season, as well as the translocation factors for all metals. Soil characteristics, together with transfer and translocation factors, showed temporal variations, leading to different metal concentrations in the edible lettuce tissues between the two analyzed crop cycles. The incorporation of metals is particular for each site, season and crop management type. Our results indicate that the metal concentration in lettuce tissues places no harm to human health. However, management strategies for urban agriculture must consider specific studies for each site.

Aproximações com a cidade [fictícia

Este artigo propõe uma reflexão sobre Fake Estates (1973-1976), obra de Gordon Matta-Clark (1943-1978) que consiste numa série de mapas, fotografias, documentos e desenhos usados para representar as propriedades arrematadas em leilões públicos da cidade de Nova York entre 1973-1974, cujos atributos eram: inacessibilidade, dimensões bizarras e posicionamento esdrúxulo dentro da trama urbana. Microlotes desprezíveis do ponto de vista do uso eram, ainda assim, espaços urbanos com valor de mercado. Com sua ação, Matta-Clark lhes imputa um valor estético como ponto de partida de uma nova aproximação da realidade urbana que aqui consideramos didática.

Wastewater management in urban Bhutan: Assessing the current practices and challenges

This study reviews the current wastewater management practices and their challenges in urban Bhutan. The study data was collected from the local authorities of 35 classified towns, and the field survey was conducted for the two representative towns of Thimphu City and Khuruthang town. The study observed that only eight of the 35 classified towns (22.8%) have public sewerage systems, with an average coverage of 19.7% of Bhutan’s total urban population, or 7.4% of Bhutan’s entire population. The imported modular wastewater treatment technology was significantly more expensive than alternative options; however, approximately six towns have already adopted this technology, due to a lack of space for a much cheaper waste stabilisation ponds. Currently, over 80% of Bhutan’s urban population depends on the on-site sanitation system for their domestic wastewater disposal; however, over 40% of these properties lacked a soak-pit system for the safe disposal of septic tank effluent. Therefore, this study indicates that urban settlements in Bhutan are potentially subjected to overflow of significant amount of hazardous septic tank effluents directly into the environment posing significant risk to public and the environment. A critical urban plot space analysis indicates that the current system of on-site sanitation is inadequate and unsuitable for the current urban settings. Since it is impractical for the government to provide public sewerage system to all the towns, a low-cost public sewerage system, or an alternative and improved on-site treatment system, needs to be explored and promoted to achieve long-term environmental objectives.

Palace of the Earl of Padul, Granada (Spain). A Milestone in A Crossroad

The Palace of the Counts of Padul is the most emblematic building of Padul, Province of Granada in Spain, being one of the most remarkable of the region of the Valley of Lecrín. It is a building of undoubted historical value, declared of Cultural Interest, maximum level of protection of the Spanish legislation in historical heritage. In spite of this and being a symbol of Padul, citizen ignorance is generalized about its importance. It is a building of the first part of the XVII century. D. Antonio de Aróstegui y Zazo (knight of the Santiago order and a secretary of Felipe III) was its developer. He gives the building a noble character with an unusual design for this shire. It has an L shape floor, two floors and two squared towers standing out a third floor covered by a pitched roof. Load-bearing walls of masonry not carved stones, with carved stones corners. Deck built with logs, and bricks, and wooden roof truss. Looking like a solid simple house of civil architecture at the beginning of the Baroque style. Analysing the urban morphology of Padul, the uniqueness and large area of the plot that it occupies with respect to the rest of the urban plot is verified. It is also remarkable its relative position with respect to the historical roads that crossed here: The real road that came from Granada heading to the Alpujarras, and leading to Motril and the road that starting in Malaga crossed through Alhama and arrived at Padul. It is clear then, the function that had as a control post, having been a necessary passage towards the Lecrín Valley, the Alpujarras and the Mediterranean coast. Immediately after its declaration in 1981 as a National Monument, and despite this, it suffered an unfortunate intervention which has been maintained until today and that the City of Padul wants to revert with its acquisition. It is in this situation in which the invitation of the council government to the University of Granada is produced so that the students of Final of Grade Projects of the School of Building Engineering have it as a real object to work. By focusing our attention on this building, it is intended to preserve its valuable heritage, showing its history, proposing technical solutions that help to preserve its values, and finally, to make the Casa Grande popular for the residents of Padul and all visitors.

Home gardening in Muscat, Oman: Gardeners’ practices, perceptions and motivations

Omani home-gardens are jeopardized by the poor agronomic practices and unqualified gardeners. This study aimed to find: (i) gardening characteristics, practices and gardener’s perception to irrigation water management, soil preparation-fertility, (ii) determinants of use of water saving methods (WSM), and (iii) reasons for garden adoption. A questionnaire was distributed and 125 responses received from residents of individual houses. Substantial differences were detected in garden composition and diversity of plants (ornamentals, lawn grass, crops and medicinal plants). Cultivation in ground and in pots with organic fertilizers is practiced. Educational level, garden size, cultivation of ornamental plants and vegetables, increasing water bill, and willingness to purchase irrigation tools were significant positive determinants in using WSM. The age of homeowners, type of plants (grass and fruits), and status of the person taking care of the garden were negative determinants. The top gardening motives were: aesthetic, shading, joy of hobby, source for food, physical exercise and protecting environment. The top five reasons for non-gardening were: pavement of the yard (commonly practiced by local building designers), lack of free land (construction of the house occupied most of the possessed urban plot), adverse weather, high water bill and lack of knowledge about gardening. Our results set a foundation for future studies on better planning and management of urban green areas and associated water resources in Oman and the neighboring Gulf countries.

An Investigation of the Quantitative Correlation between Urban Morphology Parameters and Outdoor Ventilation Efficiency Indices

Urban outdoor ventilation and pollutant dispersion have important implications for urban design and planning. In this paper, two urban morphology parameters, i.e. the floor area ratio (FAR) and the building site coverage (BSC), are considered to investigate their quantitative correlation with urban ventilation indices. An idealized model, including nine basic units with FAR equal to 5, is considered and the BSC is increased from 11% to 77%, generating 101 non-repetitive asymmetric configurations, with attention to the influence of plan density, volume ratio, and building layout on ventilation performance within urban plot areas. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations are used to assess the ventilation efficiency at pedestrian level (2m above the ground) within each model central area. Six indices, including the air flow rate (Q), the mean age of air (τP), the net escape velocity (NEV), the purging flow rate (PFR), the visitation frequency (VF), and the resident time (TP) are used to assess the local ventilation performance. Results clearly show that, fixing the FAR, the local ventilation performance is not linearly related to BSC, but it also depends on buildings arrangement. Specifically, as the BSC increases, the ventilation in the central area does not keep reducing. On the contrary, some forms with low BSC have poor ventilation and some particular configurations with high BSC have better ventilation, which indicates that not all high-density configurations experience poor ventilation. The local ventilation performance can be effectively improved by rationally arranging the buildings. Even though the application of these results to real cities requires further research, the present findings suggest a preliminary way to build up a correlation between urban morphology parameters and ventilation efficiency tailored to develop a feasible framework for urban designers.

Evaluation of historical atmospheric pollution in an industrial area by dendrochemical approaches

We conducted a dendrochemical study in order to evaluate the exposure of territories and populations to different types of pollutants and to characterise the history of pollution in one of the most intensely industrialised areas of Europe: the industrial port zone of Fos, also heavily urbanised.To perform the study, two tree species have been selected, Pinus halepensis and Populus nigra, on a rural plot located roughly 20 km away from the industrial harbour, an urban plot located in the city of Fos-sur-Mer and an industrial plot. Our study indicated that poplar was a more relevant model for the dendrochemical studies, exhibiting a higher bioaccumulation capacity than pine except for Hg, Sb and Mn. Moreover, thanks to this work, we observed significant exposure of the trees in the urban and industrial areas to As, Cd, Co, Cu, Mo, Sb, Zn, Al, Ca, and Mg, highlighting the exposure of the territory and populations living in the vicinity of the industrial harbour. The temporal variability of the concentrations measured in the tree rings corresponds to the increasing industrialisation of the territory as well as to the evolution of the industrial processes. Thus, this project highlighted the exposure of the Gulf of Fos to atmospheric emissions (industrial, road and urban) of the industrial harbour as well as the changes over time. It also pointed out the relevance of using dendrochemistry to measure atmospheric exposure of metals and metalloids and its temporal variability.