Urban Territories Research Articles

A dynamic neural network model for the identification of asbestos roofings in hyperspectral images covering a large regional area

AbstractAsbestos has been used extensively in several applications. Once it is known as a dangerous mineral, its usage has been prohibited and its identification and remediation play a very important role from the health safety point of view. Nowadays, deep learning techniques are used in many applications, especially for image analysis. They can be used to significantly reduce the time and cost of traditional detection methods. In this paper, taking advantage of asbestos spectral signature, a deep neural network is introduced in order to implement a complete methodology to identify asbestos roofings starting from hyperspectral images in a regional context. The novelty of the proposed approach is a dynamic mixing of models with different features, in order to accommodate classifications on widespread areas of both urban and rural territories. Indeed, the dataset used during the experiments described in this paper is a large one, consisting of many wide hyperspectral images with a geometric resolution of 1 m and with 186 bands, covering an entire region of approximately 8,000 . This is in contrast to other works in the literature where the analyzed areas are limited in size and uniform for physical features.

INVESTIGATING THE CONNECTION BETWEEN INVESTMENT INTENTIONS AND LAND STATUS

The subject of investigating the connection between investment intentions and land status is analyzing the main procedures for preparation, approval and implementation of development plans with the objective of changing the purpose designation of agricultural land into urbanized territory. By using a project for a Detailed Development Plans – Plan for Regulation and Construction, an examination is performed of the processes related to the preparation and coordination of the plan, including the change of purpose designation of the agricultural land into land for non-agricultural uses, in accordance with the legislation.

Towards a Conceptual Approach on the Connections of Urban Metabolism and Entropy with the Human Habitat

The complexity of urban areas has motivated the search for integrative approaches. This paper addresses three topics—human habitat, urban metabolism, and urban entropy—to explore their links within the context of urban territory and sustainability. The lack of approaches, outlooks, and synergies motivates the search for an integrated conceptual framework, what I originated as a review of published works to contribute an interdisciplinary and multiscale outlook. From reviewing 41 articles, published from 1960 to 2020, definitions were extracted, original concepts were identified, synthetic definitions were formulated, and basic elements were identified to be integrated into a first synthetic approach, both illustrative and schematic. Eighteen binding key concepts, which were derived from 83 definitions, were incorporated into the proposed conceptual framework. We suggest that the human habitat, urban metabolism, and urban entropy are strongly interrelated, confirming the utility of the proposed conceptual framework and showing the potential to generate methodological approaches that integrate one or several conceptual elements that comprise it. Demonstrating the explicit bond between definitions, concepts, and components integrated systematically into the proposed conceptual framework is innovative in the field of scientific investigation, considering its applicability to public policy, resource management, or sustainable urban planning.

Regulatory Support of Digital Model of Urban Territory in the Russian Federation

The article studies the digital model of the urban area as a mandatory tool for managing urban processes. The study of the regulatory support of the digital model is of great importance in the light of the rapid development of digital technologies in the urban environment. Purpose: To determine the regulatory support significance in creating the digital model of the urban area and its tools. Geographic information platforms of citywide importance are studied as well as their formation in the legislative field of the Russian Federation. It is assumed that the process of creating the digital model of the urban area, is inevitable in view of the development trend of urban planning in the Russian Federation.Methodology/approach: Based on theoretical analysis and synthesis of various sources of information, the diagram is constructed for information sources on the digital model of the urban area. The regulatory support of the digital model is specified as a basis for the development of geographic information system at all levels of significance. Requirements for regulatory acts of the construction industry for the digital model are formulated. Aspects of the legal field are identified as tools that require reflection in the digital model of the urban area.Value: This research can underlie the creation of regulations or their transformation to contribute to the sustainable and harmonious development of the urban environment.

ҚАЗАҚСТАН РЕСПУБЛИКАСЫНЫҢ УРБАНИЗАЦИЯ ПРОЦЕСІНІҢ ЖӘНЕ УРБАНИЗАЦИЯЛАНҒАН АУМАҚТАРДЫҢ ИННОВАЦИЯЛЫҚ ДАМУЫНЫҢ ӨЗАРА ТӘУЕЛДІЛІГІН ТАЛДАУ

The article examines the relevance of the management of innovative development of cities and urban agglomerations, as evidenced by the widespread adoption in this area of both international strategic documents and at the national level. To achieve the goal of the strategy "Kazakhstan-2050" to enter the country into the top 30 economically most developed countries of the world by 2050, it is necessary to diversify the country's economy, one of the factors of which is the spatial development of the country, where urbanized territories play a key role. The issues of sustainable urban development and achieving a high level of urbanization are included in the strategic policy documents and plans of the Government of the country. Thus, these priorities are reflected in the Strategic Development Plan of Kazakhstan until 2025, where the main focus of the reform "Strong Regions and Urbanization" is aimed at the development of medium and small cities, the implementation of Smart City projects, the digitalization of urban infrastructure and an increase in the proportion of urban residents to 60% by 2025. This article examines the fundamental works of world regional science, classical and neoclassical urban concepts. During the dissertation work, monographs, scientific papers, and research by domestic and foreign scientists on the specifics of urbanization processes, the impact of urbanization on the socio-economic development of the country, urbanization policy, and improving the management processes of innovative development of cities and urban agglomerations were studied. The achievement of this goal has determined the need to systematize theoretical approaches to determining the essential characteristics of the urbanization process, to reveal the content of the concept of "urbanized territories"; to explore theoretical concepts of patterns and principles of the formation of cities and the urban environment; The practical significance of the study is to develop practical recommendations for the management of innovative development of urbanized territories in Kazakhstan. The results of the study will analyze the problems of the urbanization process in Kazakhstan, identify and analyze the situation concerning the ratio of urbanization and innovative development, develop a mechanism for managing the innovative development of urbanized territories, focused on using the innovative potential of cities and urban agglomerations in areas that provide the greatest return;

Assessment of Aerotechnogenic Effects of Industrial Emissions of Arkhangelsk Pulp аnd Paper Mill by Bioindication Method

Assessment of the aerotechnogenic impact of the Arkhangelsk Pulp and Paper Mill on the environment was carried out. It is based on an analysis of the functional stability of representative bioindicator objects according to a set of biochemical parameters: enzymatic activity, content of phenolic compounds and ascorbic acid. The urbanized territory was mapped according to the degree of influence of the APPM on the components of forest ecosystems in accordance with the tendency of accumulation of sulfur compounds as marker pollutants of emissions of Pulp and Paper Mills. By the correlation analysis, it was shown that changes in the biochemical parameters of bioindicator objects are the manifestation of adaptive responses to the multifactorial effects of anthropogenic, technogenic and climatic impacts.

Response of the Cyanobacteria Plankton Community to Anthropogenic Impact in Small Lakes of Urbanized Territory in the Permafrost Zone of Northeast Asia (Eastern Siberia, Yakutia)

In the conditions of growing anthropogenic pressure, aquatic ecosystems all over the world are subject to transformation, expressed in the growth of eutrophication, increase in acidity, changes in water exchange, etc. In the region of Eastern Siberia we studied, located in Yakutia in the middle reaches of the Lena River basin, there is a significant population growth accompanied by advancements in agriculture and public utilities. The region is rich in small lakes, which have been under pressure from human activities for the past few decades. The studied region is located in the permafrost zone and is characterized by severe climatic conditions, cold long winters, short hot summers, and a short ice-free period on reservoirs. We studied 17 lakes of various genesis, with varying degrees of anthropogenic pressure, located in the largest city of the region, small villages, and at different distances from them. Previous studies have established that cyanobacteria constitute the phytoplankton main group in these lakes during the summer period. Therefore, we selected them as the focus for our bioindication analysis. An integrated assessment of the bioindication properties of cyanobacteria, along with chemical water parameters, was undertaken using statistical mapping methods, JASP, and Redundancy Analysis (RDA). This analysis revealed the impact of urbanized areas, characterized by a decrease in pH, runoff of nitrogen compounds, and an increase in organic matter. Despite the cryolithozone harsh conditions, in small lakes of urbanized areas, cyanobacteria exhibit their competitive advantages within the plankton community. The prospect of continuing our work is associated with the need to determine the risk of cyanoHAB development since potentially toxic cyanobacteria have a mass development in a number of lakes.

Towards Sustainable and Sufficient City Region Food Systems: Reflections from the Case Study of Turin, Italy

The City Region Food System (CRFS) approach has emerged in recent years as a framework for shaping urban food governance and policies that overcome the methodological cityism of approaches limited to urban territories defined by administrative boundaries. This article critically analyses the concept referring to the case study of the metropolitan city of Turin, Italy, as part of action research contributing to ongoing efforts to establish food policies. The discussion focuses on three dimensions: (1) the spatial definition of the city region; (2) the relation between the support of short and the re-assessment of long supply chains, with reference to a relational understanding of space; (3) the tensions between the CRFS as an analytical concept and a transformative framework. Results suggest that there is no linear path to define the spatial limits for a CRFS analysis and that a pragmatic approach can best serve policies; that long supply chains should not be ignored but integrated into local food policies; that there are contradictions in the transformative dimension of the CRFS literature when investigating the underlying sustainable development framework from a growth-critical perspective; and that separating the analytical more clearly from the normative dimension could make the discussion more productive.

Chemical composition of sediment and macrozoobenthos of small urban lakes, the Republic of Karelia, Russia

Assessing the benthic communities in water bodies under increasing anthropogenic pressure seems to be an urgent task of scientific research aimed at short-term and long-term monitoring of water bodies. This study focuses on the chemical composition of modern sediment and the current state of macrozoobenthos of small lakes in the Republic of Karelia (Kitaiskoe and Plotichie) influenced by anthropogenic factors. It was discovered that the lakes of Medvezhyegorsk have a higher concentration of heavy metals (such as lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), molybdenum (Mo), and antimony (Sb),) compared to the Earth’s crust and natural background levels. The current study established the significant impact of industry and transportation on the movement and build up of pollutants in these lakes. The qualitative and quantitative parameters analysed for the benthic communities in the littoral and profundal zones included the species diversity, the structure of dominant species, and their percentage in the samples. According to the level of macrozoobenthos development, both reservoirs (lakes) were classified as mesotrophic, and according to the values of the chironomid index “K” as moderately polluted. The Pantle–Buck method (saprobic index) showed that the lakes can be classified as polluted (water quality class 4). Macrozoobenthos groups most tolerant to environmental conditions, for example, Chironomidae larvae, prevailed in the studied urban lakes. The economic development of the lakes leads to ecosystem transformation and long-term eutrophication over time affecting the biotic indicators of surface water quality. The results obtained can serve as a basis for complex environmental monitoring of the urbanized territories in the taiga zone.

Producing white urban Europe? A critical and reflexive reading of academic knowledge production on urban integration of migrants in Western European cities

Abstract In this paper, I review studies of urban integration as analyzed for two groups of mobile newcomers: those designated as “migrants”, that is, mostly marginalized cross-border movers from outside Europe, and mobile EU citizens in Western European cities. This critical and reflexive reading serves to highlight how academic knowledge production on the topic has (re-)produced an image of white urban Europe. While critics of the concept of immigrant integration have suggested that cities and neighborhoods are better sites in which to study migrant integration than the nation-state, the paper demonstrates that studies of urban integration tend to suffer from similar problems, including an ethnonationalist focus and an essentializing of (ethnic) groups. The comparison foregrounds how mobile EU citizens are implicitly thought of as white; their presence in the urban territory is rarely questioned and their practices rarely problematized. In contrast, those designated as migrants are researched with reference to integration, whereby integration means moving closer to white spaces. Thus, studies of the urban integration of migrants use an ethnic framing, while studies of mobile EU citizens focus on class and nationality. The paper thus illuminates how studies of urban integration rely on and reproduce an implicit assumption of whiteness as the norm, even in diverse urban spaces.

Polycentric Urban System, Territorial Development and Resilience of the Rural Population (Extremadura, Spain)

Over the last several decades, cities have seen concentrated development and population increase. It is a global process, still unfinished, that has simultaneously generated strong territorial imbalances because of socioeconomic backwardness and depopulation of rural areas. The alternative proposed by all institutions is a polycentric urban system, so that cities contribute to decentralizing this development towards their respective areas of influence, thus stabilizing the populations in them. Extremadura is a paradigmatic example, since it has a polycentric system of small cities that have been able to retain half of the population in rural areas. The objective of this article, first, is to define the urban structure and, based on this, typify the range, the hierarchy of the system and its territorial distribution, for which a multivariate analysis is applied. Secondly, a series of isochrones and displacement ranges are defined to analyze urban accessibility, which is key to determining the degree of decentralization of development and population stability. However, a wide peripheral and remote strip remains in the region, for which a concrete proposal is finally made for discussion.

Phenological Analysis of Grasses (Poaceae) in Comparison with Aerobiological Data in Moscow (Russia).

Grasses (Poaceae) produce large amounts of pollen and are among the main causes of pollinosis worldwide. Despite their morphological similarity, pollen grains of different grass species may have different allergenicities. Therefore, quantification of the roles of individual species in airborne pollen is an important task. There are very few studies on this topic, and none of them have been conducted in a temperate continental climate. Our study was carried out for three years (2020-2022) in the urban territory of Moscow (Russia) and aimed to understand what grass species contribute the most to the total pollen load of the atmosphere. The comparison of aerobiological and phenological data was based on calculating the phenological index, which is a combination of phenological parameters, pollen productivity of individual species, and their abundance. Our data showed that the decomposition of pollination curves based on the phenological index was sometimes very efficient but not always possible in temperate continental climates. The main reasons for disagreement between aerobiological and phenological data were weather conditions and lawn mowing. Not all grasses were equally important as sources of allergenic pollen. The greatest contribution to the pollen load at the beginning of the season in Moscow was made by Dactylis glomerata, and to a lesser extent by Phleum pratense and Festuca pratensis. These are the most common species, which are widespread throughout Europe. The contribution of minor components is insignificant.

Religious Buildings, Cultures, Spatiality: New Urban Narrations Between Semiotics and an Intercultural Application of Law

AbstractIn a society marked by transnational migration and religious globalization, spatial factors are assuming a central role in the understanding of social relations. This is most prominent in urban areas, where the coexistence of culturally and religiously diverse subjects imposes a forced sharing of territory. Starting from a study of the semiotic concept of the city, the contribution aims first of all to explore the claimed right of the other to use public space through the creation of aedes sacrae. It will show how the construction of a place of worship of a ‘minority’ religion can alter the pre-existing urban geography, leaving its imprint on space. Through a brief examination of the Italian constitutional jurisprudence on the so-called “anti-mosque” legislation, the paper will also outline a semantically relational conception of the religious building, offering a starting point for a rethinking of spatial organisation. An intercultural application of law is then needed insofar as the aim is towards a non-hegemonic polyphonic rewriting of urban territory.

Agroecology and food sovereignty: Struggles for justice and healthy food in urban peripheral territories

RESUMO Neste trabalho, destacam-se aprendizados com pesquisa realizada pelo Núcleo Ecologias e Encontros de Saberes para a Promoção Emancipatória da Saúde (Neepes) em parceria com o Centro de Integração na Serra da Misericórdia (CEM) e o Movimento dos Sem Teto da Bahia (MSTB), que atuam em territórios periféricos no Rio de Janeiro e em Salvador. A pesquisa buscou apoiar e sistematizar conhecimentos e práticas emancipatórias de promoção da saúde protagonizados por essas experiências, tendo por base quatro eixos temáticos transversais: alimentação, cuidado, moradia e proteção ambiental, além de comunicação. No artigo, enfocaram-se as reflexões coletivas em relação ao primeiro eixo temático, envolvendo estratégias para promover agroecologia e soberania alimentar, com experiências de produção, circulação e acesso a alimentos saudáveis. Com base nessas reflexões, visou-se contribuir com discussões sobre Territórios Sustentáveis e Saudáveis (TSS), especialmente pelos aprendizados possibilitados com a sistematização das experiências territoriais com base na noção de Promoção Emancipatória da Saúde, que aponta para importantes aportes nas dimensões de justiça ambiental e cognitiva. Com a sistematização dessas experiências, destaca-se sua capacidade de resistir, a partir de um movimento de reexistência de saberes tradicionais e comunitários em periferias urbanas, que apontam caminhos possíveis para a construção de TSS em periferias urbanas.

Realities, perceptions, and strategies for implementation of an ethical population management program for dogs and cats on university campuses.

Stray dogs and cats pose significant challenges for public health and animal welfare due to their potential involvement in zoonotic disease transmission, accidents, and aggressions. Large urban centers exacerbated challenges due to the presence of these animals in public areas with high human density. Ethical Population Management Programs (EPMP), rooted in the One Health approach, are crucial for addressing this issue comprehensively. This study aimed to demonstrate the approach on cats and dogs EPMP and evaluate the perceptions of academic community regarding EPMP implementation on a campus situated in urban territory. The study was conducted at the Pampulha campus of UFMG in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. In response to issues of animal abandonment and conflicts, the Permanent Commission for Animal Policies (CPPA-UFMG) was established in 2019 to manage the campus's dog, cat, and wildlife populations. The commission implemented the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) method, along with health assessments and vaccinations for animals. Interviews were conducted with campus staff to gauge their perception of animal management strategies. Retrospective and prospective analyses of the commission's actions were carried out to assess implementation processes and challenges. The animal population survey conducted on campus between July 2018 and September 2021 revealed a total of 266 animals recorded. Among these animals, 195 were cats (73.3%) and 71 were dogs (26.7%), with the majority being adults. Subsequent surveys in 2019 and 2021 showed a slight increase in the animal population, with measures such as sterilization contributing to population control. Perception analysis among campus users indicated strategies such as TNR were widely endorsed for population control. The employees perception questionnaire was applied to 115 individuals, representing 42 units/departments and five gates. Associations were found between these beliefs and support for institutional actions. The majority favored sterilization (92.17%) and agreed that TNR is an appropriate approach to population control. Overall, the study reflects a community concerned about animal welfare and supportive of measures to address population management and cruelty prevention. The continuous efforts of the university's CPPA have led to stability in the resident animal population, indicating success in achieving population control objectives.

Experimenting urban living lab methodology on circular economy co-design activities in some Italian urban territories

The Urban Living Lab (ULL) is both a methodology and a place where different actors of a territory can collaborate with the aim of urban transformation and sustainable development. This paper briefly introduces a methodological framework, that combines stakeholder engagement and co-design process on Circular Economy (CE) ideas and projects. The structure of the methodological framework foresees four main phases: scouting and analysis of the territorial context, listening and exploration, participation and execution. The main objective of this paper focuses on the application and experimentation of the same ULL methodology framework in four different Italian urban territories (Anguillara Sabazia in the metropolitan area of Rome, Bologna, Taranto and Venosa, a small town in southern Italy), to highlight how the ULL is an effective approach for stakeholder engagement and co-design processes aiming to the transition toward CE. The discussion section of the four ULL cases highlights the main results of the co-design process: the ideation of project proposals of CE activities suitable for implementation in the reference urban territories. The four ULL cases have shown how the same methodological steps can be applied in urban areas with different geographical, territorial and socio-economic characteristics, with comparable results in terms of activating processes of engagement and co-design within the communities living there. In conclusion, experimenting the proposed methodological framework in each of the four urban areas, despite their differing characteristics, it has stimulated the growth of cultural capital and community ties. This was achieved through the exchange of different skills and the collaborative contributions of multidisciplinary teams, resulting in increased collective awareness.

Substantiation of the Monitoring Network of Talik Zones in Urbanized Permafrost Areas Based on GPR Profiling Data (Anadyr, Chukotka)

Modern climatic changes have an impact on the bearing capacity of permafrost soils at the base of the foundations of buildings and structures in the urbanized territories of the Arctic and Subarctic. The activation of cryogenic processes leads to the destruction of infrastructure and to social, economic, and environmental consequences for the population. Based on the results for the geothermy of frozen and thawing soil, and on the georadar profiling of the city of Anadyr, it was concluded that the main risks of permafrost degradation are associated with the spread of hydrogenic melting zones. Maps of the soil temperature in imaginary cross-sections with depths of 3, 5, and 10 m were compiled, along with maps of the capacity of thawing soils, the permafrost aquifer, and the dangerous spread zones for exogenous cryogenic processes. The total area of talik zones with a depth of 6 m or more in the urban area was 2.34 km2, or 67% of the built-up area. The system of permafrost monitoring in the territory of Anadyr was substantiated, and is based on monitoring the boundaries of talik zones. It consists of an automated network of observations of the ground temperature in 35 wells at the boundary and in the center of 20 zones of the dangerous development of exogenous cryogenic processes, as well as 12 control GPR profiles at the intersection of linear hydrogenic taliks.

Attributive analysis of the anthropophytes fraction as part of the urban flora of Kyiv urban area (the degree of naturalization, invasive status, threat assessment for local ecosystems and biotic diversity)

International ecological scientific community pays special attention to urbanized territories as separate locations of alien invasive species of biota. The results of the attributive analysis of the structure of the alien fraction of KUA flora according to three current European categories are presented. The basis of the analysis is the final list of alien vascular plants of KUA flora, which contains 718 species. 166 taxa of alien vascular plants that immigrated to KUA from 2003 to 2023 were added to the list. It was found that the degree of naturalization of immigrant species is dominated by casual alien species, which make up 59.0% of the taxonomic composition of the fraction. Species that are elements of man-make environments reach 35.5%. At the same time, alien species that grow and persist for a long time in natural habitats, including protected areas, do not exceed 5.0%. According to the categories of invasive activity, there are species that are naturalized and do not show a tendency to invasions — 32.0%. The most dangerous among invasive plants are transformer species, represented by 2.5%, actual invasive species — 4.0%, potentially invasive species — 2.0%. Based on the «Classification of alien species according to their impact on the environment», adapted by the IUCN: the massive impact is 1.5% of the total number and 4.0% of the number of naturalized ones; accordingly, the major impact — 2.2% (5.4%); the moderate impact — 5.2% (11.2%); the minor impact — 28.1% (68.6%); the minimal impact — 4.2% (10.8%). Based on the results of screening the negative effects of invasive species on the environment, examples of threats are given. This is competition for natural resources, displacement of native plant species; penetration into forests of plants whose climamorphotypes are absent in local forest ecosystems (tree vines), etc. Threatening cases of spontaneous hybridization of immigrant species with local species and with each other have been identified (repeated occurrences in the genera Bidens L., Populus L., Reynoutria Houtt., etc.). The need for an experimental study of the chemical and physical negative effects of invasive plants on local species of biota and human health is indicated. It is noted that the flora of KUA, on the background of the flora of Europe, is currently uniformly affected by phytoinvasions as an urbanized spatial unit of Ukraine.

Assessment of the Accuracy of Various Machine Learning Algorithms for Classifying Urban Areas through Google Earth Engine: A Case Study of Kabul City, Afghanistan

Accurate identification of urban land use and land cover (LULC) is important for successful urban planning and management. Although previous studies have explored the capabilities of machine learning (ML) algorithms for mapping urban LULC, identifying the best algorithm for extracting specific LULC classes in different time periods and locations remains a challenge. In this research, three machine learning algorithms were employed on a cloud-based system to categorize urban land use of Kabul city through satellite images from Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 taken in 2023. The most advanced method of generating accurate and informative LULC maps from various satellite data and presenting accurate outcomes is the machine learning algorithm in Google Earth Engine (GEE). The objective of the research was to assess the precision and efficiency of various machine learning techniques, such as random forest (RF), support vector machine (SVM), and classification and regression tree (CART), in producing dependable LULC maps for urban regions by analyzing optical satellite images of sentinel and Landsat taken in 2023. The urban area was divided into five classes: built-up area, vegetation, bare-land, soil, and water bodies. The accuracy and validation of all three algorithms were evaluated. The RF classifier showed the highest overall accuracy of 93.99% and 94.42% for Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2, respectively, while SVM and CART had lower overall accuracies of 87.02%, 81.12%, and 91.52%, 87.77%, with Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2, respectively. The results of the present study revealed that in this classification and comparison, RF performed better than SVM and CART for classifying urban territory for Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2 using GEE. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of comparing the performance of different algorithms before selecting one and suggests that using multiple methods simultaneously can lead to the most precise map.

GIS mapping of the soil cover of an urbanized territory: drainage basin of the Setun river in the west of Moscow (Russian Federation)

GIS mapping of the soil cover of an urbanized territory: drainage basin of the Setun river in the west of Moscow (Russian Federation)