Impact Of Urbanization Research Articles

Impact of Urbanization on Water Resource Competition Between Energy and Food: A Case Study of Jing-Jin-Ji

Water resources, energy, and food are important resources in China, which play an important role in the process of urban development and are important basic resources for sustainable urban development. This study applied water footprint theory to water–energy–food relations. The regional integration of the Jing-Jin-Ji region faced new challenges during urbanization, and unified measures were applied to quantify the urban water demands and energy and food competition in the Jing-Jin-Ji region from 2003 to 2017. The index was used to evaluate the intensity of the competition for water for food and energy. The results indicated that from 2003 to 2017, the water footprint of grain production in the Jing-Jin-Ji region decreased from 30.984 billion m3 to 21.36 billion m3, of which the blue water footprint decreased from 13.032 billion m3 to 9.854 billion m3. The water footprint of energy production increased from 578 million m3 to 1.175 billion m3. The competition relation between cities in the Jing-Jin-Ji region was obtained according to the competition index, and corresponding measures were identified according to different competition levels. This study provides valuable insights for policymakers in designing sustainable urban development strategies for cities facing similar challenges of water resource, energy, and food competition during rapid urbanization.

Impact of urbanization on groundwater recharge: altered recharge rates and water cycle dynamics for Arusha, Tanzania

Abstract The profound effects of urbanization on groundwater recharge rates are investigated by conducting a comprehensive land use and land cover analysis in Arusha, Tanzania, using the WetSpass model. Between 1995 and 2016, the urban area has expanded from 14 to 45% within the study area. This rapid urbanization has resulted in the conversion of forested areas, agricultural land, shrublands, and bare soil into urban zones. Results indicated that under preurban conditions, groundwater recharge from precipitation was ~116 mm/year, which increased to an average of 148 mm/year by 2016. When accounting for anthropogenic factors such as drinking water leakage and on-site sanitation, recharge further increased to 195 mm/year. These supplementary recharge sources, along with reduced evapotranspiration due to land-use changes, contributed to the increase, despite higher surface runoff. These findings underscore the significance of land use and leakage management in urban areas, as well as the spatial variability in groundwater recharge rates across different urban zones, emphasizing the importance of local factors. This study advances the understanding of the intricate relationship between urbanization and groundwater dynamics, and provides insights for future water resource management in rapidly growing urban regions.

Urbanisation‐driven shifts in fog patterns and fog hole formation in the Indo‐Gangetic Plain

AbstractRecent studies indicate a global decline in fog occurrences, particularly in urban areas. This study investigates fog trends across the Indo‐Gangetic Plain, focusing on the impact of urbanisation using long‐term ground and satellite data. Despite a general increase in fog frequencies elsewhere, we find a notable decline in dense fog occurrences in the megacity Delhi. Satellite data reveal that expanding fog holes over major urban areas strongly correlate with the underlying urban and built‐up areas. These findings highlight the substantial role of urban expansion in altering fog patterns, with broad implications for aviation and other sectors reliant on accurate fog prediction.

Impact of urbanization on energy intensity in SAARC countries: an empirical analysis

This study aims to examine the effect of urbanization on energy intensity in SAARC countries and compare Sri Lanka’s status with other SAARC countries between 1990 and 2015. This study used the urban population as a proxy variable for urbanization. Other control variables in the model are per capita income and squared value of per capita income (PCI), capital formation, industrialization, labour and carbon dioxide emissions, squared value of carbon dioxide emissions and six country dummy variables to detect country effect. Fixed effects model and Least Squared Dummy Variable model (LSDV) with country-urbanization interactive variables model were employed in the estimation. Our results indicate urbanization in the SAARC region increases energy intensity in all countries except Sri Lanka. With urbanization, Pakistan has the fastest increase in energy intensity. Our results confirm Environmental Kuznets Curve (EKC) hypothesis which is consistent with the literature. Industrialization and labour force participation lower energy intensity. Carbon dioxide emission and the squared value of that variable show a U-shaped behaviour with energy intensity. This implies higher energy use further increases energy intensity and needs mitigating policies to curb higher energy use. According to the results, Pakistan has the lowest energy intensity and Sri Lanka has higher energy intensity among SAARC countries. Sri Lanka needs to lower the energy intensity by reducing inefficient energy use in all possible sectors such as transportation. Since urbanization significantly reduces energy intensity in Sri Lanka, efficient public transportation coupled with planned urbanization will help to lower our energy intensity in the long run.

Impact of urbanization on antimicrobial resistance in soil microbial communities

Soil is one of the most important reservoirs of antibiotic resistance, global threat that needs to be addressed with the One Health approach. Despite urban parks playing a fundamental role in urban ecosystems, the diffusion, maintenance, and human impact of antibiotic-resistance genes in this substrate are still poorly addressed. To fill in this gap, we adopted a molecular and culturomics approach to study antibiotic resistance in urban parks, accounting for the environmental matrix and the level of urbanization. A higher abundance of efflux-mediated mechanisms in undisturbed environments was observed, while antibiotic alteration or inactivation, and target replacement were more abundant in areas with a higher level of urbanization, also confirmed by significant correlations with anthropogenic features of the environmental matrix. Overall, this study highlights the crucial need to monitor antibiotic resistance in urban parks’ soil through a dual molecular and culturomics approach to fully understand and fight antibiotic resistance diffusion.

The impact of urbanization in China on influenza incidence across neighboring cities

ObjectivesAlthough the relationship between urbanization and influenza has received increasing attention, previous studies have often examined this relationship based on single indicators, neglecting the multi-dimensions of urban development and their integrated impact on influenza incidence in neighboring cities. MethodsA multidimensional urbanization evaluation framework was developed based on social, economic, and ecological dimensions to comprehensively assess urbanization. Then, we analyzed the impact of urbanization development on influenza incidence within and across cities using Bayesian spatiotemporal models and spatial Durbin models. Regional heterogeneity analysis was performed to investigate the impact of urbanization on influenza incidence within cities. ResultsFrom 2014 to 2019, there were 5,062,254 influenza cases in 283 prefecture-level cities in China. Each standard deviation increment in comprehensive, social, and economic indexes of urbanization was associated with a 14.9% (95% CI: 6.1%, 24.3%), 9.9% (95% CI: 3.5%, 16.3%), and 13.4% (95% CI: 4.5%, 23.7%) increase in influenza incidence, respectively. The effects of urban development on influenza incidence varied significantly across regions, with the greatest impact found in southern China. Additionally, a significant positive spatial spillover effect of urbanization was observed on influenza incidence in surrounding cities. ConclusionsUrbanization and its various dimensions were linked to increased risk of local influenza incidence, which also showed substantial positive spatial spillover effect to surrounding areas. During the rapid urbanization process in China, local governments should prioritize equity and accessibility in healthcare services and strengthen the coordinated prevention and control of influenza epidemics across cities.

Impact of urbanization and agriculture on zooplankton interactions: A network modelling approach in a lowland river

Impact of urbanization and agriculture on zooplankton interactions: A network modelling approach in a lowland river

Land Urbanisation's Impact on Carbon Dioxide Emissions of China: from Extended EKC Hypothesis

Land Urbanisation's Impact on Carbon Dioxide Emissions of China: from Extended EKC Hypothesis

Reconstructing urban vegetation evolution in China using multimodal deep learning and 30-years Landsat archive

To retrospect the impact of urbanization on vegetation, consistent and reliable maps that provide urban vegetation estimates are required. In this study, we make the first attempt to employ deep learning for urban vegetation mapping of 2120 cities in China using a 30-years Landsat archive (UV-30). We present a multimodal deep learning (MDL) model to combine features from 5 categories, namely reflective bands, remote sensing indices, texture variables, topographical variables, and time labels. We normalized elevation data locally to remove the inter-city differences, while retaining topographic details. We used time labels to account for spectral variability over time and Landsat sensors. The performance of the MDL models was compared with a vanilla deep neural network, random forest, and support vector regression. Results indicated that the fusion of different categories of features improved the prediction accuracy. The MDL performed best in most validation cities, and our results were superior to the fractional maps aggregated from high-resolution datasets in homogeneous urban landscapes. We further analyzed urban vegetation dynamics across the urban core-new town-outskirt gradients of different geographical regions and city sizes. We found a gradually diminishing de-greening trend in urban China, especially in urban cores and new towns. Nevertheless, we observed a more pronounced degradation of urban vegetation in the south regions of China compared to the north, and smaller cities show no evident urban vegetation increase. The suggested framework is valuable for urban vegetation assessments and facilitates a thorough understanding and management of urban ecosystems.

Temporal changes in water quality in Leh Ladakh region: Impact of urbanization

Water is a valuable and limited resource in semi-arid regions like Ladakh. Effective management and conservation of water are crucial to prevent negative consequences on the area's quality of life. Since becoming a Union territory, Leh, a district of Ladakh, has undergone rapid urbanization due to its administrative status, air service facilities, tourism, and increasing population. However, this urbanization and tourism boom have resulted in a higher demand for water and a decline in its quality. Glacial-fed water is the primary source for drinking and agriculture in Ladakh. As Ladakh has become a popular tourist destination, the distribution and quality of water have been negatively affected. Construction of hotels and guest houses on agricultural lands, could further harm Ladakh's fragile ecological environment. Due to the challenging terrain and harsh conditions, there has been limited research on water quality in the region andare confined to the Leh district only. Despite lack of comprehensive information, this review aims to address three important questions: the hydrochemistry of water resources, the impact of urbanization on water quality, and the existing research gap in hydrochemistry in significant areas and water resources. The objective is to establish fundamental data for future research and contribute to a better understanding of water resources in the region.

Impact of urbanization on terrestrial carbon storage loss in the Hohhot-Baotou-Ordos region, China: evaluating people-space interactions

ABSTRACT Urbanization improves the living environment of billions of people but negatively impacts the local carbon cycle as it encroaches on ecosystems. We analyzed this dual effect of urbanization by quantifying linkages between several indicators — urbanization-induced terrestrial carbon storage loss (uTCSL), per capita urban area (PCUA), and urban land use efficiency (LCRPGR) — within the Hohhot-Baotou-Ordos (HBO) region in 1990–2100. Results show that the growth of 4.45 million urban residents and 420.70 km2 urban area led to a uTCSL of 815.74 GgC in the HBO region in 1990–2020. The uTCSL contributed to improving the urban crowding indicated by PCUA but was subject to LCRPGR. The PCUA decreased by −33.75 m2/person under high land use efficiency (LCRPGR<1) in 1990–2010. Although the PCUA increased by 23.59 m2/person from 2010 to 2020, it resulted in a 2.08-fold increase in uTCSL compared to 1990–2010, with each additional 1 m2 increase in PCUA being associated with carbon storage loss of 24.50 GgC. Our projections indicate that regulating LCRPGR twenty years before the urban population reaches its peak could benefit both uTCSL and PCUA. This study provides valuable insights for urban planning aligned with the UN 2030 Agenda, especially for arid and semi-arid cities.

Extreme Climatic Events and Urbanization Impacts on Sandy Beach Ecosystems: A Field Experiment before and after Hurricane Lee

Extreme Climatic Events and Urbanization Impacts on Sandy Beach Ecosystems: A Field Experiment before and after Hurricane Lee

The Impact of Rapid Urbanization on Poverty Levels in the Context of Climate Change: Empirical Evidence from Somalia

The Impact of Rapid Urbanization on Poverty Levels in the Context of Climate Change: Empirical Evidence from Somalia

Harmonizing the inner orchestra: the impact of urbanization and evolution of stress, inflammation, diet, and lifestyles in depression.

This review explores the intersection of urbanization, stress, inflammation, diet, lifestyle changes, and digital evolution as key factors influencing depression, emphasizing the necessity for integrative and evolutionary perspectives in mental health and intervention. Epidemiological studies reveal a dramatic increase in common mental disorders, particularly depression, alongside parallel increases in suicide, unemployment, and divorce rates. Evolutionary perspectives suggest that mechanisms once advantageous for survival, such as stress responses and inflammatory processes, may contribute to mental health challenges in modern urban environments. Moreover, the mental health crisis among generation Z underscores the impact of digital evolution, where the shift from play-based to phone-based childhood contributes significantly to rising depression rates. Recent research highlights the significant role of omega-3 fatty acids, circadian rhythm regulation, mindfulness, and anti-inflammatory lifestyle interventions in mitigating depressive symptoms. The interplay between our evolutionary heritage and rapid societal changes has created a "symphony" of factors contributing to depression. Understanding these evolutionary mismatches in stress responses, inflammatory processes, dietary shifts, circadian disruptions, and digitalization provides new insights into the etiology of depression. This holistic approach, conceptualized as "harmonizing the inner orchestra," offers promising avenues for prevention and treatment strategies that address the multifaceted nature of depression in our modern world.

Cultural Identity Among Thai Youth in Urban and Rural Areas

This study explores how Thailand’s youth balance tradition and modernity, focusing on the impact of globalization and urbanization on cultural identity. The research aims to understand how younger generations engage with traditional practices while navigating the pressures of modern life. The study employs a qualitative approach with in-depth interviews, focus group discussions (FGDs), and participant observation, targeting youth aged 18-30 in both urban areas (Bangkok, Chiang Mai) and rural regions (Isan) between March and September 2024. The findings reveal a significant disparity in cultural engagement between rural and urban youth. In rural areas, 75% of youth actively participate in traditional cultural practices, while only 50% of urban youth report similar engagement. Urban youth are more inclined to creatively adapt traditions, incorporating them into modern fashion and digital media. In contrast, rural youth maintain a stronger connection to traditional practices due to slower-paced lifestyles and close-knit communities. This research highlights the challenges and opportunities in preserving cultural heritage amidst rapid modernization. It suggests that while urban youth adapt traditional practices, rural youth remain more rooted in them, creating a cultural divide. Future research should explore how creative adaptations of traditions in urban areas can be applied in rural contexts to foster cultural preservation across generations. Additionally, intergenerational dialogue should be examined to reduce conflicts and strengthen cultural identity in a modernizing society.

Mechanical performance and durability attributes of biodegradable natural fibre-reinforced composites—a review

AbstractWith the rising awareness about the impact of excessive urbanization on the environment, alternative and more eco-friendly materials such as natural fibre-reinforced composites (NFRCs), which have lower embodied energy, can be considered in modern application ranging from construction housing to urban infrastructures in order to promote the concept of sustainable development. One of the current challenges faced by material engineers is to develop NFRCs with optimized durability performance which correspond to high mechanical attributes during their service lifetime while possessing satisfactory degradability trait in the disposal phase. This proposed review study principally covered the state-of-the-art progress made in the development of sustainable composite material such as advanced and biodegradable NFRC. In the first section, the review covered key aspects of NFRC fabrication including fibres and matrix selection, property-enhancing treatment for fibres and influence of nanostructures in biodegradable composites. In the second phase of this review, the fibre-matrix interaction and their corresponding physical and mechanical performance were discussed. The typical failure modes observed in NFRCs were outlined and means to improve their facture toughness were proposed. Finally, the third section comprised the durability and degradation assessment of key components of the biodegradable NFRCs, namely the fibre reinforcement, matrix and interface sections. Additionally, the impact of disposing of similar composite materials in the environment was assessed, and present-day recycling techniques were discussed. Further research on the mechanical performance, durability traits and degradability aspects of NFRCs as enumerated in this study will unquestionably promote their use and integration into a wider range of engineering applications in our modern society.

The Impact and Mechanism of New-Type Urbanization on High-Quality Forestry Development: A Case Study of the Yellow River Basin in China

The Paris Agreement emphasizes the critical role of forests in addressing climate change and ecological protection. High-quality forestry development is an important aspect of forest conservation. As a core strategy for China’s economic transformation, new-type urbanization is increasingly interacting with high-quality forestry development. This study aims to explore this relationship and analyze its impact mechanism. Taking the representative Yellow River Basin in China as an example, this research uses a benchmark regression model, mediation effect model, and threshold effect model from 2010 to 2022 to quantitatively analyze the impact of new-type urbanization on high-quality forestry development. The results show that (1) new-type urbanization has significantly promoted high-quality forestry development, with an estimated coefficient of 0.325; (2) forestry in different regions exhibits significant differences, with the forestry return coefficients for the upper, middle, and lower reaches being 0.326, 0.213, and −0.359, respectively; (3) technological innovation plays a key role in improving forestry production efficiency, resource diversity, and ecosystem services, with an estimated coefficient of 6.543 for technological innovation; (4) the greater the government support, the larger the impact. The p-value of the double threshold is 0.037. Accordingly, to achieve high-quality forestry development, joint efforts are required at both the national and regional levels in promoting new-type urbanization. At the national level, specific ecological areas should be taken as units, and a collaborative development plan for new-type urbanization and high-quality forestry development should be formulated based on the land spatial planning system. This plan should clarify top policy objectives, set up special funds, establish long-term incentives and supervision mechanisms, and ensure that new urbanization has a positive impact on forestry development. At the regional level, appropriate technological innovations should be introduced based on local characteristics, and differentiated new-type urbanization development policies should be formulated to promote high-quality forestry development in the region.

The Impacts of Urbanization on Carbon Emission Performance: New Evidence from the Yangtze River Delta Urban Agglomeration, China

Regarding the carbon emission performance of urbanization, the changes in carbon emissions and carbon sinks have attracted particular attention, while the internal impact mechanism has been under-researched. Conventionally, urbanization has either improved or hindered carbon performance. However, this is not always the case as the paths of urbanization affecting carbon emission performance are diverse. Hence, this paper proposes a theoretical framework to investigate how urbanization influences carbon emission performance, specifically the indirect effects of land development/land-use efficiency, by taking the Yangtze River Delta urban agglomeration, China, as a study case. Empirical results show that urbanization improves carbon emission performance due to the agglomeration effect. As an intermediary pathway, land-use change has a two-sided impact on carbon emission performance. Urbanization can both worsen and improve carbon emission performance through increasing land-development intensity and promoting land-use efficiency, respectively. However, the positive impact of land-use efficiency can alleviate the problem of increasing carbon emissions caused by land over-development. Hence, the integration of urban planning strategies with land use management policies can help to achieve sustainable urbanization.

Modeling the impact of urbanization and climate change on groundwater flow pattern in Warri-Effurun area of the western Niger Delta

Warri-Effurun is one of the oil regions in the Niger Delta and has experienced industrial expansion with upsurge in population growth in the last five decades. The attendant effect of such growth is synonymous with more groundwater pumping needed to satisfy domestic, industrial and other purposes. The consequence is the subjection of aquifers to intensive abstraction of groundwater to meet the water needs of the inhabitants. The high demand for groundwater may be worsened by the climate change. The impact of climate change on groundwater is complex but can better be understood by modeling. The study used groundwater modeling software to understand groundwater flow pattern under high groundwater over-abstraction under climate change conditions. Model scenarios output revealed that pumping is sustainable when the aquifer was recharged with 2*10-4mm/year of precipitation and pumping rate of 6.1776m3/day, groundwater flow is towards the Warri River. However, flow direction was reversed when pumping rate was increased geometrically to 13,590.72m3/day with zero net recharge (drought conditions precipitated by climate change). The reversal in the flow direction is indicative of interaction between groundwater and river water. The implication is that contaminants may be transported from the river into the aquifer, consequently compromising groundwater quality and thus making it unsuitable for drinking. The study concludes that groundwater modeling is a better tool in understanding how stressed aquifer under the influence of climate change may respond to heavy groundwater over-pumping.

Diabetes Mellitus and Associated Risk Factors in Urban and Rural Congolese Areas

Introduction: The global progression of diabetes mellitus (DM) pandemic is a real public health problem. This growth, more remarkable in low- and middle-income countries is linked to risk factors (RF) and urbanization. This study contributes to the updating of epidemiological data on diabetes and its RF in rural and urban areas in Congo. Aim of the Study: To describe epidemiological and diagnostic aspects of DM and its RF in rural and urban areas in Congo. Patients and Method: A cross-sectional, retrospective and multicenter study, including patients in 20 centers (urban/rural) from October 2010 to 2017.Studied parameters were: socio-demographic profile, duration of diabetes, anthropometric measurements, RF, types of DM and glycaemia. Data were analyzed by Epi info 7.2.1.0, using Chi-2 and Student, with a significance threshold of 0.05. Results: A total of 4758 patients were received, including 4116 patients (86.51%) in urban areas and 642 patients (13.49%) in rural areas. Among them, 2460 men (51.70%) and 2298 women (48.30%), M/F ratio of 1.07. The mean age was 51.67±15.45 years [range 2 to 95 years].3021 patients (63.5%) were known to be diabetic, with a mean duration of 5.97 years and 1737 patients (36.5%) were newly diagnosed. The annual incidence was 248 new cases/year. The socio-professional status was dominated by the unemployed (33.80%), employees (26.2%), students/pupils (12.9%) and retirees (11.9%). T2D (84.72%) and T1D (8.53%) were more represented. RF: Hypertension (39.34%), affects 90.60% of patients in urban areas and 9.40% in rural areas (p = 0.000). Overweight (37.89%) and obesity (27.77%), predominantly urban, female and in T2D (p = 0.000)). Metabolic syndrome of urban predominance was found in 17.12% of patients. The mean glycaemia was 283 ± 14 mg /dl. Conclusion: Our study shows that DM and its RFs are common in Congo, with a strong predominance in urban areas, requiring specific strategies to reduce the impact of urbanization.