Pedestrian simulation and distribution in urban space based on visibility analysis and agent simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ying, Shen; Li, Lin; Gao, Yurong

2009-10-01

Spatial visibility analysis is the important direction of pedestrian behaviors because our visual conception in space is the straight method to get environment information and navigate your actions. Based on the agent modeling and up-tobottom method, the paper develop the framework about the analysis of the pedestrian flow depended on visibility. We use viewshed in visibility analysis and impose the parameters on agent simulation to direct their motion in urban space. We analyze the pedestrian behaviors in micro-scale and macro-scale of urban open space. The individual agent use visual affordance to determine his direction of motion in micro-scale urban street on district. And we compare the distribution of pedestrian flow with configuration in macro-scale urban environment, and mine the relationship between the pedestrian flow and distribution of urban facilities and urban function. The paper first computes the visibility situations at the vantage point in urban open space, such as street network, quantify the visibility parameters. The multiple agents use visibility parameters to decide their direction of motion, and finally pedestrian flow reach to a stable state in urban environment through the simulation of multiple agent system. The paper compare the morphology of visibility parameters and pedestrian distribution with urban function and facilities layout to confirm the consistence between them, which can be used to make decision support in urban design.

I like Cities; Do You like Letters? Introducing Urban Typography in Art Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Huerta, Ricard

2010-01-01

This article proposes a study of the letters and graphics found in the city, while at the same time opening up unusual spaces linked to the cultural arena and visual geographies for the creation of learning spaces in art education, introducing urban typography for training teachers. The letters in urban spaces can help us reinterpret the…

Niches in the urban forest: Organizations and their role in acquiring metropolitan open space.

Treesearch

Jane A. Ruliffson; Paul H. Gobster; Robert G. Haight; Francis R. Homans

2002-01-01

As a response strategy to minimize the impacts of urban sprawl, public and private organizations are striving to acquire open lands that will contribute to a resilient and multifunctional urban forest. In the Chicago metropolitan region, we interviewed representatives of 15 organizations to understand the land acquisition process--the structures and functions of...

Public policies for managing urban growth and protecting open space: policy instruments and lessons learned in the United States

Treesearch

David N. Bengston; Jennifer O. Fletcher

2003-01-01

The public sector in the United States has responded to growing concern about the social and environmental costs of sprawling development patterns by creating a wide range of policy instruments designed to manage urban growth and protect open space. These techniques have been implemented at the local, regional, state and, to a limited extent, national levels. This...

Junior Primary Greek School Pupils' Perceptions of the City's Public Open Spaces and Especially of the Urban Square: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Papageorgiou, Nikoletta; Galani, Apostolia; Mavrikaki, Evangelia

2016-01-01

This work--part of a wider project aimed at engaging first year primary school pupils in public open-space design--explores the perceptions of junior primary school children as to the urban square. Data collection tools comprised semi-structured interviews, sketches and storytelling via puppet-animation. Our findings have shown that--according to…

Pakistani Children in Sheffield and Their Perception and Use of Public Open Spaces.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Woolley, Helen; ul Amin, Noor

1995-01-01

Examines urban public open spaces used by Pakistani children in Sheffield, United Kingdom. Results reveal that most children visit open spaces on a daily or weekly basis and that parks and playgrounds are preferred. Lists activities engaged in by the majority of children as well as reasons for not undertaking activities. (AIM)

Creating recreation partnerships on private agricultural and forest land in the urban northeast: a case study from the great meadows of the Connecticut River

Treesearch

Robert L. Ryan; Juliet Hansel

2002-01-01

This paper explores the premise that privately owned open space is vital for meeting future recreation demands in the urban Northeast. A case study in the Great Meadows of the Connecticut River in the Hartford, Connecticut metropolitan area is used to illustrate the challenges in promoting recreational access and open space preservation in a privately-owned held...

Human thermal comfort in urban outdoor spaces

Treesearch

Lee P. Herrington; J. S. Vittum

1977-01-01

Measurements of the physical environment of urban open spaces in Syracuse, New York, were used to compute the physiological responses of human users of the spaces. These calculations were then used to determine what environmental variables were both important to human comfort and susceptible to control by site design. Although air temperature and humidity are important...

[Microclimate and comfortable degree of Shanghai urban open spaces in summer].

PubMed

Cao, Dan; Zhou, Li-chen; Mao, Yi-wei; Li, Yin; Liu, Yi-ning; Wang, Tian-hou

2008-08-01

Based on the observation data of air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, and solar radiation from May to August 2006, the regulation effects of five types of open spaces (square, fountain, grassplot, corridor, and woodland) in Shanghai urban districts on the microclimate were analyzed, and discomfort index (DI) was introduced to evaluate the effects of these five types of open spaces on human body' s comfortable degree. The results showed that there existed definite differences in the air temperature and relative humidity among the open spaces, with the mean temperature decreased in the order of square > grassplot > fountain > corridor > woodland, and the mean relative humidity decreased in the order of woodland > corridor > fountain > grassplot > square. The area of the square, the wind speed and direction near the fountain, the grass species on the grass-plot, the width and tree coverage of the corridor, and the tree coverage and canopy height of the woodland had significant correlations with the microclimate parameters of corresponding open spaces. Comparing with other three types of open spaces, woodland and corridor had better regulation effects on the microclimate via shading, decreasing air temperature, and increasing relative humidity.

Comparing Value of Urban Green Space Using Contingent Valuation and Travel Cost Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chintantya, Dea; Maryono

2018-02-01

Green urban open space are an important element of the city. They gives multiple benefits for social life, human health, biodiversity, air quality, carbon sequestration, and water management. Travel Cost Method (TCM) and Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) are the most frequently used method in various studies that assess environmental good and services in monetary term for valuing urban green space. Both of those method are determined the value of urban green space through willingness to pay (WTP) for ecosystem benefit and collected data through direct interview and questionnaire. Findings of this study showed the weaknesses and strengths of both methods for valuing urban green space and provided factors influencing the probability of user's willingness to pay in each method.

Becoming Heritage: A Place-Making Study of Old Neighbourhood Marketplace in Bandung

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ekomadyo, A. S.; Nurfadillah, A.; Kartamihardja, A.; Cungwin, A. J.

2018-05-01

The urban architectural heritages of Bandung represents the city’s historical layers. A unique urban architectural element found in Bandung is the heritage neighborhood marketplace. In the style of European post-renaissance urban design, a heritage neighborhood marketplace is initially designed as housing clusters with open spaces as neighborhood centre to create community privacy. But along the time, the neighborhood centre open their enclosed spaces and landmark buildings, transforming itself into small marketplaces with intensively daily activities. Through everyday place-making methods, this article investigates the history and meaning of neighborhood marketplace as everyday urban artefacts through observation, historical study, and interview. The study reveals are three main forces assembling the current form of neighborhood marketplaces in Bandung: Dutch-Indies colonialization, Chinese society trading network, and local traders’ tradition. Dutch-Indies colonialization in Bandung brought European architectural knowledge into neighborhood morphological design that contributed well-defined urban spaces. The Chinese trading network has been at place since the diaspora era and is still continued until now, bridging past and present life through economic activities. Local traders, who came after Dutch-Indies colonialization, fill the empty spaces of neighborhood centres with intensive formal and informal economic activities. Bandung heritage neighborhood marketplaces represent the city’s urban constellation, where global and local political-economic and socio-cultural forces meet in an urban process. Here, the urban heritage is redefined as living artefacts experienced in everyday urban life. Keywords: urban heritage, place making, neighborhood marketplace, Bandung, urban assemblage, living artefacts.

The role of landscape and habitat characteristics in limiting abundance of grassland nesting songbirds in an urban open space

USGS Publications Warehouse

Haire, S.; Bock, C.E.; Cade, B.S.; Bennett, B.C.

2000-01-01

We examine the relationships between abundance of grassland nesting songbirds observed in the Boulder Open Space, CO, USA and parameters that described landscape and habitat characteristics, in order to provide information for Boulder Open Space planners and managers. Data sets included bird abundance and plant species composition, collected during three breeding seasons (1994–1996), and landscape composition and configuration measures from a satellite image-derived land-cover map. We used regression quantiles to estimate the limitations imposed on bird abundance by urban encroachment and decreasing areas of grassland cover-types on the landscape, and habitat characteristics within 200 m diameter sample plots. After accounting for the effect of landscape grassland composition on four species (Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta), Vesper Sparrow (Pooecetes gramineus), Horned Lark (Eremophila alpestris), and Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum)), change in abundance with proportion of urban area in the landscape was consistent with the pattern expected for limiting factors that were the active constraint at some times and places. Area of preferred grassland cover-types on the landscape was important for all species, and this remained the case when habitat variables were included in combined landscape–habitat models, with one exception (Western Meadowlark). Analysis of habitat variables enabled identification of important features at the local scale (e.g. shale plant communities in Lark Sparrow (Chondestes grammacus) habitat) that were indistinguishable using landscape data alone. Consideration of changes in the landscape due to urbanization and loss of grassland habitat are crucial for open space planning, and habitat features associated with localized and clumped bird species distributions provide important additional information. Widening the management focus to include areas that are not part of the open space system will facilitate a more complete understanding of potential limiting factor processes.

Adaptive Correlation Space Adjusted Open-Loop Tracking Approach for Vehicle Positioning with Global Navigation Satellite System in Urban Areas

PubMed Central

Ruan, Hang; Li, Jian; Zhang, Lei; Long, Teng

2015-01-01

For vehicle positioning with Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) in urban areas, open-loop tracking shows better performance because of its high sensitivity and superior robustness against multipath. However, no previous study has focused on the effects of the code search grid size on the code phase measurement accuracy of open-loop tracking. Traditional open-loop tracking methods are performed by the batch correlators with fixed correlation space. The code search grid size, which is the correlation space, is a constant empirical value and the code phase measuring accuracy will be largely degraded due to the improper grid size, especially when the signal carrier-to-noise density ratio (C/N0) varies. In this study, the Adaptive Correlation Space Adjusted Open-Loop Tracking Approach (ACSA-OLTA) is proposed to improve the code phase measurement dependent pseudo range accuracy. In ACSA-OLTA, the correlation space is adjusted according to the signal C/N0. The novel Equivalent Weighted Pseudo Range Error (EWPRE) is raised to obtain the optimal code search grid sizes for different C/N0. The code phase measuring errors of different measurement calculation methods are analyzed for the first time. The measurement calculation strategy of ACSA-OLTA is derived from the analysis to further improve the accuracy but reduce the correlator consumption. Performance simulation and real tests confirm that the pseudo range and positioning accuracy of ASCA-OLTA are better than the traditional open-loop tracking methods in the usual scenarios of urban area. PMID:26343683

The Role of Open Space in Urban Neighbourhoods for Health-Related Lifestyle

PubMed Central

Lestan, Katarina Ana; Eržen, Ivan; Golobič, Mojca

2014-01-01

The research reported in this paper addresses the relationship between quality of open space and health related lifestyle in urban residential areas. The research was performed in the residential developments in Ljubljana, Slovenia, dating from the time of political and economic changes in the early nineties. Compared to the older neighborhoods, these are typically single-use residential areas, with small open spaces and poor landscape design. The research is concerned with the quality of life in these areas, especially from the perspective of the vulnerable users, like the elderly and children. Both depend on easily accessible green areas in close proximity to their homes. The hypothesis is that the poor open space quality affects their health-related behavior and their perceived health status. The research has three methodological phases: (1) a comparison between urban residential areas by criteria describing their physical characteristics; (2) behavior observation and mapping and (3) a resident opinion survey. The results confirm differences between open spaces of the selected residential areas as well as their relation with outdoor activities: a lack of outdoor programs correlates with poor variety of outdoor activities, limited to transition type, less time spent outdoors and lower satisfaction with their home environment. The survey also disclosed a strong influence of a set of socio-economic variables such as education and economic status on physical activity and self-perceived health status of people. The results therefore confirm the hypothesis especially for less affluent and educated; i.e., vulnerable groups. PMID:25003173

Nellis and Creech Air Force Bases Capital Improvements Program Environmental Assessment

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

of Nellis AFB are primarily open range and mountains, with urban uses along US-93. Directly southwest of the base, commercial and residential land...construction activities, Nellis AFB is primarily an urban environment with some relatively undisturbed lands lying to the east and north of the base...habitat types are present on the base: urban areas, open space recreation (e.g., golf course), and native desertscrub vegetation. Common bird species

Conservation in metropolitan regions: assessing trends and threats of urban development and climate change

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thorne, J. H.; Santos, M. J.; Bjorkman, J.

2011-12-01

Two global challenges to successful conservation are urban expansion and climate change. Rapid urban growth threatens biodiversity and associated ecosystem services, while climate change may make currently protected areas unsuitable for species that exist within them. We examined three measures of landscape change for 8800 km2 of the San Francisco Bay metropolitan region over 80 years past and future: urban growth, protected area establishment, and natural vegetation type extents. The Bay Area is a good test bed for conservation assessment of the impacts of temporal and spatial of urban growth and land cover change. The region is geographically rather small, with over 40% of its lands already dedicated to protected park and open space lands, they are well-documented, and, the area has had extensive population growth in the past and is projected to continue to grow. The ten-county region within which our study area is a subset has grown from 1.78 million people in 1930, to 6.97 million in 2000 and is estimated to grow to 10.94 million by 2050. With such an influx of people into a small geographic area, it is imperative to both examine the past urban expansion and estimate how the future population will be accommodated into the landscape. We quantify these trends to assess conservation 'success' through time. We used historical and current landcover maps to assess trend, and a GIS-based urban modeling (UPlan) to assess future urban growth impacts in the region, under three policy scenarios- business as usual, smart growth, and urban redevelopment. Impacts are measured by the amount of open space targeted by conservation planners in the region that will be urbanized under each urban growth policy. Impacts are also measured by estimates of the energy consumption projected for each of the scenarios on household and business unit level. The 'business as usual' and 'smart growth' scenarios differed little in their impacts to targeted conservation lands, because so little open space remains to accommodate the expected population growth. Redevelopment conserved more naturally vegetated open space. The redevelopment scenario also permits the lowest increase in energy demand because buildings taken out in the process are reconfigured to higher levels of energy efficiency. However, redevelopment requires substantial increases in residential densities to confine the spatial footprint of the expected future urban growth. These three urban growth scenario footprints differ in their impact to natural vegetation and open space. To incorporate the influence of climate change on remaining natural ecosystems in this urbanizing landscape, we projected the stability of existing, mapped, vegetation types in the region under future climates by examining where projected ranges of the dominant plant species comprising each California Wildlife Habitat Relationship type will all remain together, and where they will begin to dis-associate due to biogeographic response to changing climate. This permits identification of stable and unstable zones of vegetation. The combination of climate stable, high conservation priority and likelihood of urban development provides a way to prioritize conservation land acquisitions.

Current and historical land use influence soil-based ecosystem services in an urban landscape.

PubMed

Ziter, Carly; Turner, Monica G

2018-04-01

Urban landscapes are increasingly recognized as providing important ecosystem services (ES) to their occupants. Yet, urban ES assessments often ignore the complex spatial heterogeneity and land-use history of cities. Soil-based services may be particularly susceptible to land-use legacy effects. We studied indicators of three soil-based ES, carbon storage, water quality regulation, and runoff regulation, in a historically agricultural urban landscape and asked (1) How do ES indicators vary with contemporary land cover and time since development? (2) Do ES indicators vary primarily among land-cover classes, within land-cover classes, or within sites? (3) What is the relative contribution of urban land-cover classes to potential citywide ES provision? We measured biophysical indicators (soil carbon [C], available phosphorus [P], and saturated hydraulic conductivity [K s ]) in 100 sites across five land-cover classes, spanning an ~125-year gradient of time since development within each land-cover class. Potential for ES provision was substantial in urban green spaces, including developed land. Runoff regulation services (high K s ) were highest in forests; water quality regulation (low P) was highest in open spaces and grasslands; and open spaces and developed land (e.g., residential yards) had the highest C storage. In developed land covers, both C and P increased with time since development, indicating effects of historical land-use on contemporary ES and trade-offs between two important ES. Among-site differences accounted for a high proportion of variance in soil properties in forests, grasslands, and open space, while residential areas had high within-site variability, underscoring the leverage city residents have to improve urban ES provision. Developed land covers contributed most ES supply at the citywide scale, even after accounting for potential impacts of impervious surfaces. Considering the full mosaic of urban green space and its history is needed to estimate the kinds and magnitude of ES provided in cities, and to augment regional ES assessments that often ignore or underestimate urban ES supply. © 2018 by the Ecological Society of America.

The effect of Urban Park Sunset Program on land value in Korea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, H. R.; Yoon, H.

2016-12-01

Intense urbanization has increased land scarcity in cities in the world, and consequently, securing lands for public parks and open spaces has become more challenging. Korea is not an exception. With Urban Park Sunset Plan, a plan for cancelling the designation as urban parks, nearly 583㎢ of publicly appropriated private land for the purpose will be released and returned to private owners. If municipalities want to keep the easement on the land, first, they should prepare physical design for parks or open spaces by 2015, and second, they should complete construction of those by 2020. In this study, we investigate the effect of Urban Park Sunset Program on land value. Our two-fold analysis includes: First, trend analysis where we extract variations of land values in Korea for 20 years (1996 2015). Second, we use panel data modeling to estimate the impact size of milestone plan implementation on land value; in 2000, Urban Park Sunset Plan was announced publicly, in 2015, the reserved land without physical design plan were released and finally, in 2020 the rest of the reserved land that has not yet been developed as parks or open spaces will be released. Along this process, we assess the ripple effect induced from the policy. As a result, we expect to find out potential economic impact of Urban Park Sunset Plan on land value, which could be applied for the preparation of countermeasures and the political decision making happening in the near future. This work was supported by the Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute (KEITI) under Grant (No. 2014-001-310007).

The impact of urban spatial structure on travel demand in the United States

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2003-03-20

Attempts to limit urban growth or to change its form are motivated by three concerns-to preserve open space and foster urban development that is more aesthetically appealing, to reduce the cost of providing public services, and to reduce dependence o...

The Massachusetts Community Preservation Act: factors influencing acceptance

Treesearch

Robert S. Bristow; Matthew T. VanHeynigen

2008-01-01

In New England, urban sprawl creates a need for protecting open space. In 2002, residents of Southwick, MA, voted to accept the Massachusetts Community Preservation Act (CPA), which helps communities implement smart growth by providing funds for affordable housing, open space protection, and historic landmark preservation. This paper summarizes the findings of a survey...

Metropolitan open-space protection with uncertain site availability

Treesearch

Robert G. Haight; Stephanie A. Snyder; Charles S. Revelle

2005-01-01

Urban planners acquire open space to protect natural areas and provide public access to recreation opportunities. Because of limited budgets and dynamic land markets, acquisitions take place sequentially depending on available funds and sites. To address these planning features, we formulated a two-period site selection model with two objectives: maximize the...

Metropolitan natural area protection to maximize public access and species representation

Treesearch

Jane A. Ruliffson; Robert G. Haight; Paul H. Gobster; Frances R. Homans

2003-01-01

In response to widespread urban development, local governments in metropolitan areas in the United States acquire and protect privately-owned open space. We addressed the planner's problem of allocating a fixed budget for open space protection among eligible natural areas with the twin objectives of maximizing public access and species representation. Both...

Outdoor Recreation as a Function of the Urban Housing Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brower, Sidney N.; Williamson, Penelope

1974-01-01

This paper is based upon a survey of open space uses for leisure-time activities in inner city Baltimore. Results of the study indicated that switching emphasis from public park areas to improved semiprivate areas would result in more effective use of open spaces and less expensive maintenance costs. (MA)

Converging social classes through humanized urban edges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Abuan, M. V.; Galingan, Z. D.

2017-10-01

Urban open spaces are created to be used by people. It is a place of convergence and social activity. However, these places have transformed into places of divergence. When spaces become dehumanized, it separates social classes. As a result, underused spaces contribute to urban decay. Particularly an urban edge, the JP Rizal Makati Waterfront Area is the center of this paper. The JP Rizal Makati Waterfront Area is a waterfront development situated along the banks of one of Metro Manila’s major water thoroughfare --- Pasig River. The park and its physical form, urban design and landscape tend to deteriorate over time --- creating a further division of social convergence. Social hostility, crime, negligent maintenance and poor urban design are contributing factors to this sprawling decay in what used to be spaces of bringing people together. Amidst attempts to beautify and renew this portion of Makati City’s edge, the urban area still remains misspent.This paper attempts to re-humanize the waterfront development. It uses the responsive environment design principles to be able to achieve this goal.

Insectivorous bats respond to vegetation complexity in urban green spaces.

PubMed

Suarez-Rubio, Marcela; Ille, Christina; Bruckner, Alexander

2018-03-01

Structural complexity is known to determine habitat quality for insectivorous bats, but how bats respond to habitat complexity in highly modified areas such as urban green spaces has been little explored. Furthermore, it is uncertain whether a recently developed measure of structural complexity is as effective as field-based surveys when applied to urban environments. We assessed whether image-derived structural complexity (MIG) was as/more effective than field-based descriptors in this environment and evaluated the response of insectivorous bats to structural complexity in urban green spaces. Bat activity and species richness were assessed with ultrasonic devices at 180 locations within green spaces in Vienna, Austria. Vegetation complexity was assessed using 17 field-based descriptors and by calculating the mean information gain (MIG) using digital images. Total bat activity and species richness decreased with increasing structural complexity of canopy cover, suggesting maneuverability and echolocation (sensorial) challenges for bat species using the canopy for flight and foraging. The negative response of functional groups to increased complexity was stronger for open-space foragers than for edge-space foragers. Nyctalus noctula , a species foraging in open space, showed a negative response to structural complexity, whereas Pipistrellus pygmaeus , an edge-space forager, was positively influenced by the number of trees. Our results show that MIG is a useful, time- and cost-effective tool to measure habitat complexity that complemented field-based descriptors. Response of insectivorous bats to structural complexity was group- and species-specific, which highlights the need for manifold management strategies (e.g., increasing or reinstating the extent of ground vegetation cover) to fulfill different species' requirements and to conserve insectivorous bats in urban green spaces.

Park resources as an essential to urban societies

Treesearch

Kristin Dion; Doug Stefancik; Serena Hawkins; Robert Bristow

2002-01-01

Open recreation space is a necessity to urban environments. People who reside in a crowded living condition need to have a place where they can go to escape everyday pressures and stress. Many have realized the importance of recreation space as a place to recuperate both physically and mentally. Overtime, parks have evolved to become an array of different types of...

Mural art as a media on making urban kampung's public space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Susanto, Dalhar; Widyarko, Widyarko; Nadia Ilmiani, Ajeng

2017-12-01

The lack of public space is one of the main problems in the big cities in Indonesia. Urban kampungas part of the city is also no exception. Rapid growth on population sparks uncontrollable physical development that erode open space inside urbankampung. Sometimes, what is left is just neglected space which don‟t „live‟ and far from the definition of public space. Mural art has been existed since the beginning of human civilization. Now, it has evolved into one of the popular urban art. The previous research has proven that the process of urban art making through participatory approach could trigger community interaction in a space. Interaction itself is a main factor that may trigger the establishmentof a public space. With the same method, this research attempts to build mural in a neglected space inside urbankampung named Palsigunung. After all of the process done, the space still haven‟t changed from the previous condition, which is still a neglected space. Together with facilitator, kampung‟s residents need to be involved identifying the problem and also the solution to the lack of public space in their kampung. Particularly for urban kampungPalsigunung, the needed solution might not be mural.

Using Google Earth to Assess Shade for Sun Protection in Urban Recreation Spaces: Methods and Results.

PubMed

Gage, R; Wilson, N; Signal, L; Barr, M; Mackay, C; Reeder, A; Thomson, G

2018-05-16

Shade in public spaces can lower the risk of and sun burning and skin cancer. However, existing methods of auditing shade require travel between sites, and sunny weather conditions. This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of free computer software-Google Earth-for assessing shade in urban open spaces. A shade projection method was developed that uses Google Earth street view and aerial images to estimate shade at solar noon on the summer solstice, irrespective of the date of image capture. Three researchers used the method to separately estimate shade cover over pre-defined activity areas in a sample of 45 New Zealand urban open spaces, including 24 playgrounds, 12 beaches and 9 outdoor pools. Outcome measures included method accuracy (assessed by comparison with a subsample of field observations of 10 of the settings) and inter-rater reliability. Of the 164 activity areas identified in the 45 settings, most (83%) had no shade cover. The method identified most activity areas in playgrounds (85%) and beaches (93%) and was accurate for assessing shade over these areas (predictive values of 100%). Only 8% of activity areas at outdoor pools were identified, due to a lack of street view images. Reliability for shade cover estimates was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient of 0.97, 95% CI 0.97-0.98). Google Earth appears to be a reasonably accurate and reliable and shade audit tool for playgrounds and beaches. The findings are relevant for programmes focused on supporting the development of healthy urban open spaces.

Living in cities, naturally.

PubMed

Hartig, Terry; Kahn, Peter H

2016-05-20

Natural features, settings, and processes in urban areas can help to reduce stress associated with urban life. In this and other ways, public health benefits from, street trees, green roofs, community gardens, parks and open spaces, and extensive connective pathways for walking and biking. Such urban design provisions can also yield ecological benefits, not only directly but also through the role they play in shaping attitudes toward the environment and environmental protection. Knowledge of the psychological benefits of nature experience supports efforts to better integrate nature into the architecture, infrastructure, and public spaces of urban areas. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Our De-Urbanized Cities and Other Obvious Paradoxes--An Outsider's Contributions to an Action Caucus of the SCA (Speech Communication Association).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shaw, Eugene F.

Despite large rural areas, the United States is basically an urban nation, particularly since the extensiveness and variety of communication networks, rather than open spaces, determine the true degree of urbanization of a region or community. A region is urban to the extent that its interpersonal and media channels are developed. The metropolitan…

Urban forest cover of the Chicago region and its relation to household density and income

Treesearch

Louis R. Iverson; Elizabeth A. Cook; Elizabeth A. Cook

2000-01-01

Urban forests and herbaceous open space play a vital role in the environmental and aesthetic ?health? of cities, yet they are rarely identified in land-use inventories of urban areas. To provide information on urban forests and other vegetative land cover in Illinois cities, Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data from June 27, 1988, were classified for the Chicago...

Urban Watershed Research Facility at Edison Environmental Center

EPA Science Inventory

The Urban Watershed Research Facility (UWRF) is an isolated, 20-acre open space within EPA’s 200 acre Edison facility established to develop and evaluate the performance of stormwater management practices under controlled conditions. The facility includes greenhouses that allow ...

Educational Choice and Educational Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Thomson, Kathleen Sonia

2016-01-01

This dissertation entitled "Educational choice and educational space" aims to explore the confluence of constructed space and geographic space using a supply-side context for New Zealand's public school system of quasi-open enrollment. In Part I, New Zealand's state and state-integrated school system across four urban areas is analyzed…

Outdoor recreation opportunities and land use change in Vermont's Lake Champlain Basin

Treesearch

John J. Lindsay

1995-01-01

Outdoor recreation resources are eroding in Vermont's Lake Champlain Basin due to urban expansion. This study measured urban growth in the Basin and identified critical areas for open space protection. The study's hypothesis, that there was no difference between the Champlain Basin and other parts of urbanizing New England that have lost outdoor recreation...

Mapping urban green open space in Bontang city using QGIS and cloud computing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Agus, F.; Ramadiani; Silalahi, W.; Armanda, A.; Kusnandar

2018-04-01

Digital mapping techniques are available freely and openly so that map-based application development is easier, faster and cheaper. A rapid development of Cloud Computing Geographic Information System makes this system can help the needs of the community for the provision of geospatial information online. The presence of urban Green Open Space (GOS) provide great benefits as an oxygen supplier, carbon-binding agent and can contribute to providing comfort and beauty of city life. This study aims to propose a platform application of GIS Cloud Computing (CC) of Bontang City GOS mapping. The GIS-CC platform uses the basic map available that’s free and open source. The research used survey method to collect GOS data obtained from Bontang City Government, while application developing works Quantum GIS-CC. The result section describes the existence of GOS Bontang City and the design of GOS mapping application.

Protecting open space in and around the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area

Treesearch

Roderick H. Squires

2005-01-01

There are many efforts to preserve open space from urban development in and around the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area. Some involve public acquisition of a landowner's use rights, either acquiring fee title or encumbering the land with an easement, while others involve public restriction on how a landowner may exercise the use rights. This paper asks, "How...

Making Cities Green.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Goldstein, Neil B.; Engel, Jane

1981-01-01

Describes several examples of urban parks and the renewal of city open spaces. Community groups interested in getting funding from government or private sources must cope with budget restrictions by making effective, innovative use of available money. Government agencies with funds allocated for urban improvements are mentioned. (AM)

Woody vegetation and soil characteristics of residential forest patches and open spaces along an urban-to-rural gradient

Treesearch

Benjamin L. Reichert; Sharon R. Jean-Philippe; Christopher Oswalt; Jennifer Franklin; Mark Radosevich

2015-01-01

As the process of urbanization advances across the country, so does the importance of urban forests, which include both trees and the soils in which they grow. Soil microbial biomass, which plays a critical role in nutrient transformation in urban ecosystems, is affected by factors such as soil type and the availability of water, carbon, and nitrogen. The aim of this...

Mapping Flood Protection Benefits from Restored Wetlands at the Urban-Suburban Interface

EPA Science Inventory

Urbanization exacerbates flooding by increasing runoff and decreasing surface water storage. Restoring wetlands can enhance flood protection while providing a suite of co-benefits such as temperature regulation and access to open space. Spatial modeling of the delivery of flood p...

Using Satellite Images for Wireless Network Planing in Baku City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gojamanov, M.; Ismayilov, J.

2013-04-01

It is a well known fact that the Information-Telecommunication and Space research technologies are the fields getting much more benefits from the achievements of the scientific and technical progress. In many cases, these areas supporting each other have improved the conditions for their further development. For instance, the intensive development in the field of the mobile communication has caused the rapid progress of the Space research technologies and vice versa.Today it is impossible to solve one of the most important tasks of the mobile communication as Radio Frecance planning without the 2D and 3D digital maps. The compiling of such maps is much more efficient by means of the space images. Because the quality of the space images has been improved and developed, especially at the both spectral and spatial resolution points. It has been possible to to use 8 Band images with the spatial resolution of 50 sm. At present, in relation to the function 3G of mobile communications one of the main issues facing mobile operator companies is a high-precision 3D digital maps. It should be noted that the number of mobile phone users in the Republic of Azerbaijan went forward other Community of Independent States Countries. Of course, using of aerial images for 3D mapping would be optimal. However, depending on a number of technical and administrative problems aerial photography cannot be used. Therefore, the experience of many countries shows that it will be more effective to use the space images with the higher resolution for these issues. Concerning the fact that the mobile communication within the city of Baku has included 3G function there were ordered stereo images wih the spatial resolution of 50 cm for the 150 sq.km territory occupying the central part of the city in order to compile 3D digital maps. The images collected from the WorldView-2 satellite are 4-Band Bundle(Pan+MS1) stereo images. Such kind of imagery enable to automatically classificate some required clutter classes.Meanwhile, there were created 12 GPS points in the territory and there have been held some appropriate observations in these points for the geodesic reference of the space images in the territory. Moreover, it would like to mention that there have been constructed 37 permanently acting GPS stations in the territory of Azerbaijan at present. It significantly facilitates the process of the geodesic reference of the space images in order to accomplish such kind of mentioned projects. The processing of the collected space images was accomplished by means of Erdas LPS 10 program. In the first stage there was created the main component of the 3D maps- Digital Elevevation Model. In this model the following clutter classes are presented: Open; Open areas in urban; Airport, Sea, Inland water; Forest; Parks in urban; Semi Open Area; Open Wet Area; Urban/Urban Mean; Dense urban, Villages, Industrial/Commercial, Residential/Suburban; Dense residential/Suburban; Block of BUILDINGS; Dense Urban High; Buildings, Urban Mixed, Mixed dense urban

Abundance of diurnal raptors on open space grasslands in an urbanized landscape

USGS Publications Warehouse

Berry, M.E.; Bock, C.E.; Haire, S.L.

1998-01-01

We conducted point counts of diurnal raptors on Boulder, Colorado, grasslands for three winters and summers, and compared results to landscape features of the count areas. Four wintering species were scarce on plots that included significant amounts of urban habitat, with a critical landscape threshold at about 5-7% urbanization: Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus), Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis), Rough-legged Hawk (B. lagopus), and Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus). Counts of the first three species also were positively correlated with proximity of the count plots to the nearest colony of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus). Two breeding species, the Red-tailed Hawk (B. jamaicensis) and Swainson's Hawk (B. swainsoni), were more abundant on plots dominated by lowland hayfields and tallgrass prairies, as opposed to upland mixed and shortgrass prairies. They, along with the ubiquitous American Kestrel (Falco sparverius), were not sensitive to the amounts of urbanization (up to 30%) that occurred in the landscapes sampled. Results of this study suggest that urban open space grasslands can support sizable populations of most diurnal raptors, as long as prey populations persist, but that some species are highly sensitive to landscape urbanization.

The social aspects of landscape change: protecting open space under the pressure of development

Treesearch

Paul H. Gobster; Susan I. Stewart; David N. Bengston

2004-01-01

The extent of developed land in many parts of the world has increased rapidly in recent decades, posing significant challenges to the protection of forests, agricultural lands, and other natural and culturally modified green areas in urban and rural settings. Sustaining these open spaces has long been seen as a critical issue economically, and it is now increasingly...

24 CFR 570.205 - Eligible planning, urban environmental design and policy-planning-management-capacity building...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... environmental design and policy-planning-management-capacity building activities. 570.205 Section 570.205..., urban environmental design and policy-planning-management-capacity building activities. (a) Planning...; (iv) Open space and recreation; (v) Energy use and conservation; (vi) Floodplain and wetlands...

Analysis of Urban Forest Needs as Anthropogenic (CO2) Gas Absorbent in Semarang City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Febriani, Anisa Putri; Retnaningsih Soeprobowati, Tri; Maryono

2018-02-01

Green open space in cities in significant needs to maintenance environment quality. On of the critical function is to absorb increasing number of gas CO2. Therefore, developing urban forest in cities is very importance. The objective of the study is to determine the area of urban forest as CO2 gas anthropogenic absorb which is formed from fuel, diesel fuel, liquid petroleum gas. The study consists of (1) Analyzing the number of CO2 gas emission by calculating the needs of petroleum and gas based on the number of population, (2) Analyzing the power of gas absorption, (3) Measuring the air concentration of CO2 gas ambient based on daily traffic activities. This study shown that from year 2013 to year 2017, the increasing of urban forest is not so significant. For year 2013 the green open space in Semarang City are 373.67 hectares (7.5 percent from Semarang City area), consists of 239 parks, 11 public cemeteries, production forests, community forests, and urban forests, however the area of urban forest is not increase. The study assess that Antidesmabunius is one of the green species which high absorb capacity planted for Semarang. This trees produce 31,31 ton annually. This study proposed to fostering Antidesmabunius as one principle threes in Semarang urban forest.

Effect of temporary open-air markets on the sound environment and acoustic perception based on the crowd density characteristics.

PubMed

Meng, Qi; Sun, Yang; Kang, Jian

2017-12-01

The sound environment and acoustic perception of open-air markets, which are very common in high-density urban open spaces, play important roles in terms of the urban soundscape. Based on objective and subjective measurements of a typical temporary open-air market in Harbin city, China, the effects of the temporary open-air market on the sound environment and acoustic perception were studied, considering different crowd densities. It was observed that a temporary open-air market without zoning increases the sound pressure level and subjective loudness by 2.4dBA and 0.21dBA, respectively, compared to the absence of a temporary market. Different from the sound pressure level and subjective loudness, the relationship between crowd density and the perceived acoustic comfort is parabolic. Regarding the effect of a temporary open-air market with different zones on the sound environment and acoustic perception, when the crowd densities were the same, subjective loudness in the fruit and vegetable sales area was always higher than in the food sales area and the clothing sales area. In terms of acoustic comfort, with an increase in crowd density, acoustic comfort in the fruit and vegetable sales area decreased, and acoustic comfort in the food sales area and the clothing sales area exhibited a parabolic change trend of increase followed by decrease. Overall, acoustic comfort can be effectively improved by better planning temporary open-air markets in high-density urban open spaces. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The health benefits of nature-based solutions to urbanization challenges for children and the elderly - A systematic review.

PubMed

Kabisch, Nadja; van den Bosch, Matilda; Lafortezza, Raffaele

2017-11-01

Urban green and blue spaces promote health by offering areas for physical activity, stress relief, and social interaction, which may be considered as cultural ecosystem services. They also provide a number of regulating ecosystem services that can be regarded as nature-based solutions to mitigate impacts from urbanization-induced challenges. Urban trees and other vegetation provide cooling through shade and evapotranspiration, which reduce the impact of the urban heat island on hot summer days. Urban vegetation may improve air quality by removing air pollutants. Open areas in cities, such as parks, gardens, playgrounds and cemeteries, are unsealed spaces that also improve infiltration during extreme precipitation events providing water regulating functions. All these services have the potential to improve the health of urban residents, particularly of specific vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly. The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the current state of evidence on the relationship between the health of children and the elderly and urban green and blue spaces that can account as nature-based solutions to urbanization-induced challenges. We discuss potential confounding factors and refer to the different green space metrics used to identify associations to health. From the results, we cannot conclude on a universal protective health effect of urban green and blue spaces for children and the elderly. While the association trend is positive, the results remain inconclusive, context dependent and are partly overridden by socioeconomic confounders. However, the research area is consistently increasing, and we advance important prospects for future research on urban green and blue spaces in the face of global challenges such as urbanization. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The influence of personal belief, agency mission and city size on open space decision making processes in three southwestern cities

Treesearch

Megan Friggens; Carol Raish; Deborah Finch; Alice McSweeney

2015-01-01

The southwest has experienced dramatic population increases over the last 30 years, a trend that is expected to continue. Open space conservation is important both from the standpoint of preserving ecosystem services as well as maintaining quality of life for urban populations. Federal agencies manage a large proportion of the public land in the Southwestern U.S. We...

Distribution of green open space in Malang City based on multispectral data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hasyim, A. W.; Hernawan, F. P.

2017-06-01

Green open space is one of the land that its existence is quite important in urban areas where the minimum area is set to reach 30% of the total area of the city. Malang which has an area of 110,6 square kilometers, is one of the major cities in East Java Province that is prone to over-land conversion due to development needs. In support of the green space program, calculation of green space is needed precisely so that remote sensing which has high accuracy is now used for measurement of green space. This study aims to analyze the area of green open space in Malang by using Landsat 8 image in 2015. The method used was the vegetation index that is Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). From the study obtained the calculation of green open space was better to use the vegetation index method to avoid the occurrence of misclassification of other types of land use. The results of the calculation of green open space using NDVI found that the area of green open space in Malang City in 2015 reached 39% of the total area.

Influence of Music on the Behaviors of Crowd in Urban Open Public Spaces

PubMed Central

Meng, Qi; Zhao, Tingting; Kang, Jian

2018-01-01

Sound environment plays an important role in urban open spaces, yet studies on the effects of perception of the sound environment on crowd behaviors have been limited. The aim of this study, therefore, is to explore how music, which is considered an important soundscape element, affects crowd behaviors in urban open spaces. On-site observations were performed at a 100 m × 70 m urban leisure square in Harbin, China. Typical music was used to study the effects of perception of the sound environment on crowd behaviors; then, these behaviors were classified into movement (passing by and walking around) and non-movement behaviors (sitting). The results show that the path of passing by in an urban leisure square with music was more centralized than without music. Without music, 8.3% of people passing by walked near the edge of the square, whereas with music, this percentage was zero. In terms of the speed of passing by behavior, no significant difference was observed with the presence or absence of background music. Regarding the effect of music on walking around behavior in the square, the mean area and perimeter when background music was played were smaller than without background music. The mean speed of those exhibiting walking around behavior with background music in the square was 0.296 m/s slower than when no background music was played. For those exhibiting sitting behavior, when background music was not present, crowd density showed no variation based on the distance from the sound source. When music was present, it was observed that as the distance from the sound source increased, crowd density of those sitting behavior decreased accordingly. PMID:29755390

Influence of Music on the Behaviors of Crowd in Urban Open Public Spaces.

PubMed

Meng, Qi; Zhao, Tingting; Kang, Jian

2018-01-01

Sound environment plays an important role in urban open spaces, yet studies on the effects of perception of the sound environment on crowd behaviors have been limited. The aim of this study, therefore, is to explore how music, which is considered an important soundscape element, affects crowd behaviors in urban open spaces. On-site observations were performed at a 100 m × 70 m urban leisure square in Harbin, China. Typical music was used to study the effects of perception of the sound environment on crowd behaviors; then, these behaviors were classified into movement (passing by and walking around) and non-movement behaviors (sitting). The results show that the path of passing by in an urban leisure square with music was more centralized than without music. Without music, 8.3% of people passing by walked near the edge of the square, whereas with music, this percentage was zero. In terms of the speed of passing by behavior, no significant difference was observed with the presence or absence of background music. Regarding the effect of music on walking around behavior in the square, the mean area and perimeter when background music was played were smaller than without background music. The mean speed of those exhibiting walking around behavior with background music in the square was 0.296 m/s slower than when no background music was played. For those exhibiting sitting behavior, when background music was not present, crowd density showed no variation based on the distance from the sound source. When music was present, it was observed that as the distance from the sound source increased, crowd density of those sitting behavior decreased accordingly.

Recreational benefits of residual open space: A case study of four communities in northeastern New Jersey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Airola, Teuvo M.; Wilson, David

1982-11-01

Numerous undeveloped and ecologically diverse tracts of land within urban communities in the United States are presently being utilized for a variety of unsupervised recreational activities. The present use and perceived value of residual open spaces adjacent to the Palisades to residents of four communities in northeastern New Jersey was assessed. The results of our survey suggest that parks and open space represent a city service that is not as highly valued as other more visible services, that respondents desire a diversity of recreational experiences, that existing parks and open space provide a narrow range of recreational benefits to users, that benefits of existing parks extend primarily to the provision of active pursuits, and that undeveloped residual open spaces are valued for and provide opportunities for a variety of passive pursuits. Residual open spaces are a resource that contributes towards meeting the aesthetic and recreational needs of city residents. Failure by planners and decision-makers to recognize the value and utility of such tracts of land may result in their destruction and in the loss of a resource which provides a range of recreational opportunities that is not adequately provided by formal parks and open spaces.

Public open space as the only urban space for walking: Sumatera Utara experience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nasution, A. D.; Zahrah, W.; Ginting, Nurlisa

2018-03-01

One of successful public open space (POS) criteria is the proper pedestrian linkage. Furthermore, a good quality POS should pay attention to pedestrian activities. This will contribute to the physical and mental health of people and enhance their quality of life. The research means to investigate how POS accommodate the pedestrians. The study takes place in twenty small towns in Sumatra Utara province, Indonesia. The analysis is a descriptive, explorative study that collects data about physical elements of POS. The survey also uses a set of questionnaire to get information about the visitors walking tradition. The result of the study shows that most of the citizens approach and get to the POS by vehicle, both cars, and motorcycles. They use their private vehicles although the distance between their houses and the POS is less than one kilometer. There is no pedestrian linkage that connects the POS with the other part of urban space. However, the POS is active by various physical activities, such as walking, playing and exercising. These events occur both in pedestrian ways in the periphery, inside the POS, and in the other spots of the POS, such as grass field or multipurpose plaza. The visitors’ vehicle tradition relates to the whole urban space which is planned in a car-oriented way. Thus, the POS becomes the only space that people can walk and enjoy the environment.

Green Open Space: Awareness for Health or Sustainability?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dewi, O. C.; Chairunnisa, I.; Hidayat, T.; Anggraini, M.; Napitupulu, A.

2018-03-01

Universitas Indonesia in cooperation with American Red Cross and Indonesian Red Cross have been assisting green open space revitalisation program in 7 locations in Bogor Regency (2016-2017). The program was held under The Urban Disaster Risk Reduction Greater Jakarta Project; an initiative program from American Red Cross Indonesia. This project was not only improving the existing green open space quality, but also creating one adapted from public land. The revitalization project figures what happened on daily basis on the existing land, proposing new programming facilities, community-based construction, monitoring and handing over. This paper discovers the meaning of a green space for the community, whether the community aware of its benefit on human health or environmental sustainability. The research question is does the community aware of green open space benefit for human health or environmental sustainability? Or both? The original data from the community was gathered and grouped based on its relevance with environmental quality and public health.

Delivery of Ecosystem Benefits at the Urban-Suburban Interface: A Case Study of Flood Protection in the Woonasquatucket River Watershed

EPA Science Inventory

Urbanization exacerbates flooding by increasing surface runoff and decreasing surface roughness. Restoring wetlands can enhance flood protection while providing a suite of co-benefits such as temperature regulation and access to open space. Spatial modeling of the delivery of flo...

Mapping social values for urban green spaces using Public Participation GIS: the influence of spatial scale and implications for landscape planning.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ives, Christopher

2015-04-01

Measuring social values for landscapes is an emerging field of research and is critical to the successful management of urban ecosystems. Green open space planning has traditionally relied on rigid standards and metrics without considering the physical requirements of green spaces that are valued for different reasons and by different people. Relating social landscape values to key environmental variables provides a much stronger evidence base for planning landscapes that are both socially desirable and environmentally sustainable. This study spatially quantified residents' values for green space in the Lower Hunter Valley of New South Wales, Australia by enabling participants to mark their values for specific open spaces on interactive paper maps. The survey instrument was designed to evaluate the effect of spatial scale by providing maps of residents' local area at both suburb and municipality scales. The importance of open space values differed depending on whether they were indicated via marker dots or reported on in a general aspatial sense. This suggests that certain open space functions were inadequately provided for in the local area (specifically, cultural significance and health/therapeutic value). Additionally, all value types recorded a greater abundance of marker dots at the finer (suburb) scale compared to the coarser (municipality) scale, but this pattern was more pronounced for some values than others (e.g. physical exercise value). Finally, significant relationships were observed between the abundance of value marker dots in parks and their environmental characteristics (e.g. percentage of vegetation). These results have interesting implications when considering the compatibility between different functions of green spaces and how planners can incorporate information about social values with more traditional approaches to green space planning.

Move the Neighbourhood: Study design of a community-based participatory public open space intervention in a Danish deprived neighbourhood to promote active living.

PubMed

Pawlowski, Charlotte Skau; Winge, Laura; Carroll, Sidse; Schmidt, Tanja; Wagner, Anne Margrethe; Nørtoft, Kamilla Pernille Johansen; Lamm, Bettina; Kural, René; Schipperijn, Jasper; Troelsen, Jens

2017-05-19

A limited amount of research has examined the effect of changing public open spaces on active living. This paper will present the study protocol of a community-based intervention study co-designed in an interdisciplinary collaboration with community members to develop urban installations highly tailored to promote active living among children (10-13-years-old) and seniors (>60-years-old) in a deprived neighbourhood in Copenhagen. The study builds on a quasi-experimental study design with two sub-studies: 1) a children study and 2) a senior study. The interventions will be developed, designed and implemented in collaboration with local children and seniors, respectively, using different co-design tools and methods. We will evaluate the effect of the interventions on children's and senior's use of the new-built urban installations using accelerometers in combination with GPS as well as systematic observation using the System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC). A process evaluation with focus groups consisting of the various stakeholders in the two sub-studies will be used to gain knowledge of the intervention processes. The paper presents new approaches in the field of public open space interventions through interdisciplinary collaboration, participatory co-design approach and combination of measurements. Using both effect and process evaluations the study will provide unique insights in the role and importance of the interdisciplinary collaboration, participatory processes, and tailoring changes in public open space to local needs and wishes. These results can be used to guide urban renewal projects in deprived neighbourhoods in the future. Retrospectively registered with study ID ISRCTN50036837 . Date of registration: 16 December 2016.

Non-auditory factors affecting urban soundscape evaluation.

PubMed

Jeon, Jin Yong; Lee, Pyoung Jik; Hong, Joo Young; Cabrera, Densil

2011-12-01

The aim of this study is to characterize urban spaces, which combine landscape, acoustics, and lighting, and to investigate people's perceptions of urban soundscapes through quantitative and qualitative analyses. A general questionnaire survey and soundwalk were performed to investigate soundscape perception in urban spaces. Non-auditory factors (visual image, day lighting, and olfactory perceptions), as well as acoustic comfort, were selected as the main contexts that affect soundscape perception, and context preferences and overall impressions were evaluated using an 11-point numerical scale. For qualitative analysis, a semantic differential test was performed in the form of a social survey, and subjects were also asked to describe their impressions during a soundwalk. The results showed that urban soundscapes can be characterized by soundmarks, and soundscape perceptions are dominated by acoustic comfort, visual images, and day lighting, whereas reverberance in urban spaces does not yield consistent preference judgments. It is posited that the subjective evaluation of reverberance can be replaced by physical measurements. The categories extracted from the qualitative analysis revealed that spatial impressions such as openness and density emerged as some of the contexts of soundscape perception. © 2011 Acoustical Society of America

Cohesion, Sharing and Integration? Migrant Languages and Cultural Spaces in Northern Ireland's Urban Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDermott, Philip

2012-01-01

This article investigates the position of migrant languages in Northern Ireland's two largest cities, Belfast and Derry/Londonderry. The paper comments on how deliberations around public policy objectives in a post-conflict era have led to a broader understanding of cultural identity and consequently to an "opening-up" of urban spaces…

Identification of the potential gap areas for the developing green infrastructure in the Urban area using High resolution satellite Imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanaparthi, M. B.

2017-12-01

In India urban population is growing day by day which is causing air pollution less air quality finally leading to climate change and global warming. To mitigate the effect of the climate change we need to plant more trees in the urban area. The objective of this study is develop a plan to improve the urban Green Infrastructure (GI) to fight against the climate change and global warming. Improving GI is a challenging and difficult task in the urban areas because land unavailability of land, to overcome the problem greenways is a good the solution. Greenway is a linear open space developed along the rivers, canals, roads in the urban areas to form a network of green spaces. Roads are the most common structures in the urban area. The idea is to develop the greenways alongside the road to connecting the different green spaces. Tree crowns will act as culverts to connect the green spaces. This will require the spatial structure of the green space, distribution of trees along the roads and the gap areas along the road where more trees can be planted. This can be achieved with help of high resolution Satellite Imagery and the object extraction techniques. This study was carried in the city Bhimavaram which is located in state Andhra Pradesh. The final outcome of this study is potential gap areas for planting trees in the city.

76 FR 54345 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Revised Designation of Critical Habitat for the...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-08-31

... some areas on the east side of U.S. Highway 101. These urban centers consist almost exclusively of... parcels within a matrix of urban development. We do not consider the remnant open space within these city... the 75-ac (30-ha) parcel is frequently disturbed by regular farming activities, such as frequent...

Institutional property rights structure, common pool resource (CPR), tragedy of the urban commons: A Review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ling, G.; Ho, C. S.; Ali, H. M.

2014-02-01

There have been a plethora of researches on the significance of public open space (POS) in contributing to societies' sustainability. However, by virtue of identified maladaptive policy-based-property rights structure, such a shared good becomes vulnerable to tragedy of the urban commons (overexploitation) that subsequently leads to burgeoning number of mismanaged POS e.g., degraded and unkempt urban public spaces. By scrutinising the literatures within property rights domain and commons resources, an objective is highlighted in this paper which is to insightfully discourse institutional property rights structure pertaining to the mechanism, roles and interrelationship between property-rights regimes, bundle of property rights and resource domains; types of goods on how they act upon and tie in the POS with the social quandary. In summary, urban POS tragedy can potentially be triggered by the institutional structure especially if the ownership is left under open-access resource regime and ill-defined property rights which both successively constitute the natures of Common Pool Resource (CPR) within the commons, POS. Therefore, this paper sparks an idea to policy makers that property rights structure is a determinant in sustainably governing the POS in which adaptive assignment of property regimes and property rights are impelled.

[Proper use of pest control products and liability in their use in urban environments, in relation to public health and safety aspects].

PubMed

Dutto, Moreno; Rubbiani, Maristella

2011-01-01

Pest control in urban settings is a public health issue that is often overlooked and left to the discretion of those who participate in pest control operations. In this article the authors aim to analyse and provide guidelines regarding liability in the use of pesticides and safety standards that must be adopted during pest control operations in confined areas or open spaces in urban or domestic settings.

Introducing Urban Food Forestry: A Multifunctional Strategy for Enhancing Urban Sustainability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicholas, K. A.; Clark, K.

2012-12-01

We propose combining elements of urban agriculture and urban forestry into what we call "urban food forestry" (UFF), the practice of growing perennial woody food-producing species ("food trees") in cities. We used four approaches at different scales to gauge the potential of UFF to enhance urban sustainability, in the context of trends including increasing urbanization, resource demands, and climate change. First, we analyzed 37 current international initiatives based around urban food trees, finding that core activities included planting, mapping, and harvesting food trees, but that only about a quarter of initiatives engaged in more than one of these activities necessary to fully utilize the food potential of urban trees. Second, we analyzed 30 urban forestry master plans, finding that only 13% included human food security among their objectives. Third, we used Burlington, Vermont as a case study to quantify the potential caloric output of publicly accessible open space if planted with Malus domestica (the common apple) under 9 different scenarios. We found that the entire caloric deficit of the very low food security population could be met on as few as 29 hectares (representing 16% of total open space), and that 98% of the daily recommended minimum intake of fruit for the entire city's population could be met under the most ambitious planting scenario. Finally, we developed a decision-making tool for selecting potential food trees appropriate for temperate urban environments, the Climate-Food-Species Matrix. We identified a total of 70 species, 30 of which we deemed "highly suitable" for urban food forestry based on their cold hardiness, drought tolerance, and edibility. We conclude that urban food forestry provides multiple pathways for building urban sustainability through local food production, and that our framework can be used to increase the coordination between and effectiveness of a growing number of related initiatives.

Mitigating Stress and Supporting Health in Deprived Urban Communities: The Importance of Green Space and the Social Environment.

PubMed

Ward Thompson, Catharine; Aspinall, Peter; Roe, Jenny; Robertson, Lynette; Miller, David

2016-04-22

Environment-health research has shown significant relationships between the quantity of green space in deprived urban neighbourhoods and people's stress levels. The focus of this paper is the nature of access to green space (i.e., its quantity or use) necessary before any health benefit is found. It draws on a cross-sectional survey of 406 adults in four communities of high urban deprivation in Scotland, United Kingdom. Self-reported measures of stress and general health were primary outcomes; physical activity and social wellbeing were also measured. A comprehensive, objective measure of green space quantity around each participant's home was also used, alongside self-report measures of use of local green space. Correlated Component Regression identified the optimal predictors for primary outcome variables in the different communities surveyed. Social isolation and place belonging were the strongest predictors of stress in three out of four communities sampled, and of poor general health in the fourth, least healthy, community. The amount of green space in the neighbourhood, and in particular access to a garden or allotment, were significant predictors of stress. Physical activity, frequency of visits to green space in winter months, and views from the home were predictors of general health. The findings have implications for public health and for planning of green infrastructure, gardens and public open space in urban environments.

Mitigating Stress and Supporting Health in Deprived Urban Communities: The Importance of Green Space and the Social Environment

PubMed Central

Ward Thompson, Catharine; Aspinall, Peter; Roe, Jenny; Robertson, Lynette; Miller, David

2016-01-01

Environment-health research has shown significant relationships between the quantity of green space in deprived urban neighbourhoods and people’s stress levels. The focus of this paper is the nature of access to green space (i.e., its quantity or use) necessary before any health benefit is found. It draws on a cross-sectional survey of 406 adults in four communities of high urban deprivation in Scotland, United Kingdom. Self-reported measures of stress and general health were primary outcomes; physical activity and social wellbeing were also measured. A comprehensive, objective measure of green space quantity around each participant’s home was also used, alongside self-report measures of use of local green space. Correlated Component Regression identified the optimal predictors for primary outcome variables in the different communities surveyed. Social isolation and place belonging were the strongest predictors of stress in three out of four communities sampled, and of poor general health in the fourth, least healthy, community. The amount of green space in the neighbourhood, and in particular access to a garden or allotment, were significant predictors of stress. Physical activity, frequency of visits to green space in winter months, and views from the home were predictors of general health. The findings have implications for public health and for planning of green infrastructure, gardens and public open space in urban environments. PMID:27110803

Making Space for Diverse Masculinities: Difference, Intersectionality, and Engagement in an Urban High School. Adolescent Cultures, School and Society, Volume 50

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCready, Lance T.

2010-01-01

What's it like for Black male students who are openly gay or "gender non-conforming" to navigate the social geography of urban schools? In the tradition of critical ethnographies of schooling, Lance T. McCready mobilizes feminist theories of intersectionality to explore the voices of Black gay male students and their teachers in a…

The Challenges and Opportunities of Restoring Ecosystems in Urban-influenced Areas: Insights from Northeastern Illinois

Treesearch

Susan C. Barro; John F. Dwyer

2000-01-01

As the population of the United States increases and new development sprawls out across the landscape, ecosystems are greatly impacted. Sprawl and the competition for undeveloped land outside urban areas makes it especiaily important that we make the most effective use of the existing bank of reserved open space. Meeting goals of ecological health and connectivity at...

Integrating grey and green infrastructure to improve the health and well-being of urban populations

Treesearch

Erika S. Svendsen; Mary E. Northridge; Sara S. Metcalf

2012-01-01

One of the enduring lessons of cities is the essential relationship between grey infrastructure (e.g., streets and buildings) and green infrastructure (e.g., parks and open spaces). The design and management of natural resources to enhance human health and well-being may be traced back thousands of years to the earliest urban civilizations. From the irrigation projects...

Assessment of Selânik Street/Ankara as a Living Urban Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Işıklar, Sena; Kırcı, Nazan

2017-10-01

Urban spaces create their physical existence through streets and the spaces left between the buildings. However, the user activities within the city avail a produced area consisting of streets and buildings to become a living space. According to Jacobs, the more the urban spaces are used, the livelier and more vivacious spaces are going to be provided. The use of space by individuals is in close connection with some characteristics of the space. Among these, the multi-functionality of the space, the regularity in its night and day utility patterns, and the availability of conditions of comfort and aesthetics, its adaptability depending on the requirements of time could be mentioned. In order to scrutinise the relationship between the spatial characteristics of a built-up space and its utility Selânik Street/Ankara was selected as our field of study. Firstly, the characteristics of living spaces have been defined within the study. Then the use of units and the structural analysis of Selânik Street was undertaken; and the area was studied in terms of the use of open spaces and conditions of comfort. The use of space by the users was revealed through observation. As a result of the assessments, the spatial deficiencies of the field of study was identified. Proposals were made for transforming Selânik Street into a living urban space, such as the organisation of its utility patterns, the addition of activities that draw the users to the area, providing conditions of comfort and increasing aesthetic values.

Cultivating health and well-being through environmental stewardship

Treesearch

Erika Svendsen

2011-01-01

Thanks to long-standing and ongoing scientific research and community engagement, we widely appreciate the health benefits of a clean environment. Trees, native vegetation, parks, and open spaces are valued throughout the world. After a century of urban park development, we are still uncovering the importance of these spaces to a wide range of social and cultural...

Understanding Urban Green Space as a Health Resource: A Qualitative Comparison of Visit Motivation and Derived Effects among Park Users in Sheffield, UK

PubMed Central

Irvine, Katherine N.; Warber, Sara L.; Devine-Wright, Patrick; Gaston, Kevin J.

2013-01-01

With increasing interest in the use of urban green space to promote human health, there is a need to understand the extent to which park users conceptualize these places as a resource for health and well-being. This study sought to examine park users’ own reasons for and benefits from green space usage and compare these with concepts and constructs in existing person-environment-health theories and models of health. Conducted in 13 public green spaces in Sheffield, UK, we undertook a qualitative content analysis of 312 park users’ responses to open-ended interview questions and identified a breadth, depth and salience of visit motivators and derived effects. Findings highlight a discrepancy between reasons for visiting and derived effects from the use of urban green space. Motivations emphasized walking, green space qualities, and children. Derived effects highlighted relaxation, positive emotions within the self and towards the place, and spiritual well-being. We generate a taxonomy of motivations and derived effects that could facilitate operationalization within empirical research and articulate a conceptual framework linking motivators to outcomes for investigating green space as a resource for human health and well-being. PMID:23340602

Understanding urban green space as a health resource: a qualitative comparison of visit motivation and derived effects among park users in Sheffield, UK.

PubMed

Irvine, Katherine N; Warber, Sara L; Devine-Wright, Patrick; Gaston, Kevin J

2013-01-22

With increasing interest in the use of urban green space to promote human health, there is a need to understand the extent to which park users conceptualize these places as a resource for health and well-being. This study sought to examine park users' own reasons for and benefits from green space usage and compare these with concepts and constructs in existing person-environment-health theories and models of health. Conducted in 13 public green spaces in Sheffield, UK, we undertook a qualitative content analysis of 312 park users' responses to open-ended interview questions and identified a breadth, depth and salience of visit motivators and derived effects. Findings highlight a discrepancy between reasons for visiting and derived effects from the use of urban green space. Motivations emphasized walking, green space qualities, and children. Derived effects highlighted relaxation, positive emotions within the self and towards the place, and spiritual well-being. We generate a taxonomy of motivations and derived effects that could facilitate operationalization within empirical research and articulate a conceptual framework linking motivators to outcomes for investigating green space as a resource for human health and well-being.

Impacts of Land Use Changes on Recreation and Open Space in the New York-New Jersey Highlands Region

Treesearch

Chad P. Dawson; Wayne C. Zipperer

1992-01-01

The more than I million acre New York-New Jersey Highlands Region is a unique forested and rural landscape at the urban/ wildland interface with the New York-New Jersey Metropolitan area where over 18 million people reside. Conversion of land to residential and urban uses, parcellation of lands, fragmentation of forest cover, and increasing demand for recreational...

Effects of atmospheric stability and urban morphology on daytime intra-urban temperature variability for Glasgow, UK.

PubMed

Drach, Patricia; Krüger, Eduardo L; Emmanuel, Rohinton

2018-06-15

This study investigates the joint effect of atmospheric conditions and urban morphology, expressed as the Sky View Factor (SVF), on intra-urban variability. The study has been carried out in Glasgow, UK, a shrinking city with a maritime temperate climate type, and findings could guide future climate adaptation plans in terms of morphology and services provided by the municipality to overcome thermal discomfort in outdoor settings. In this case, SVF has been used as an indicator of urban morphology. The modified Pasquill-Gifford-Turner (PGT) classification system was adopted for classifying the temperature monitoring periods according to atmospheric stability conditions. Thirty two locations were selected on the basis of SVF with a wide variety of urban shapes (narrow streets, neighbourhood green spaces, urban parks, street canyons and public squares) and compared to a reference weather station during a total of twenty three transects during late spring and summer in 2013. Maximum daytime intra-urban temperature differences were found to be strongly correlated with atmospheric stability classes. Furthermore, differences in air temperature are noticeable in urban canyons, with a direct correlation to the site's SVF (or sky openness) and with an inverse trend under open-air conditions. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Economic Influences of Elementary School Sites on Residential Property Tax Revenue in Selected Urban Neighborhoods.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Grube, Karl William

This study attempted to: (1) develop research criteria and statistically valid analyses; (2) measure the economic influences of well-developed and undeveloped elementary school sites, large open space and small, or limited space school sites, on the market sale prices of comparable single-family residential housing units in matched pairs of urban…

A methodology for the evaluation of the human-bioclimatic performance of open spaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Charalampopoulos, Ioannis; Tsiros, Ioannis; Chronopoulou-Sereli, Aik.; Matzarakis, Andreas

2017-05-01

The purpose of this paper is to present a simple methodology to improve the evaluation of the human-biometeorological benefits of open spaces. It is based on two groups of new indices using as basis the well-known PET index. This simple methodology along with the accompanying indices allows a qualitative and quantitative evaluation of the climatic behavior of the selected sites. The proposed methodology was applied in a human-biometeorology research in the city of Athens, Greece. The results of this study are in line with the results of other related studies indicating the considerable influence of the sky view factor (SVF), the existence of the vegetation and the building material on human-biometeorological conditions. The proposed methodology may provide new insights in the decision-making process related to urban open spaces' best configuration.

Analysis of the urban green areas of Nicosia: the case study of Linear Park of Pedieos River

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zanos, Pavlos; Georgi, Julia

2017-09-01

At present, the need for creating outdoor green areas is unquestionable. Their value is shown through their use for recreation, sports, cultural and socioeconomic purposes, the ecology and especially biodiversity, which has always been considered as one of the most important factors in recent years, as well as in the future. With the creation of new parks and open green spaces, the legacy will be continued for the next generations, with designs that will be pleasantly utilized through the years. In the first part of this study, we examined the way the largest urban green spaces in Nicosia affect and contribute to the lifestyle of the inhabitants of the city, as well as the reasons why the citizens of Cyprus embraced urban parks in their everyday life, making them so popular. The present paper, therefore, analyses both the effect and the changes in the urban structure while urban green spaces in the city of Nicosia are being created, as well as which areas are affected, how they are affected and to what extent. We have conducted a field-based survey, providing the urban parks' visitors with questionnaires. This enabled us to draw a wealth of essential conclusions concerning the visitors' preferences. We have also listed both the positive and negative impacts of urban green spaces on both the economic and urban design sectors, as well as on Cypriots' recreation time. The green areas of Nicosia, along with their detailed analysis, are extensively presented in this study. Moreover, in the second part of this study, the G.I.S program was used to create a space presentation of the urban linear park of Pedieos, where the area was mapped and the positive and negative elements of the park were analysed. In this part, ways to address the emerging issues are also proposed.

Status of the Polar Engineering Development Center's (PEDC) Open-Closed Boundary Synoptic Nowcast

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerrard, A. J.; Kim, H.

2017-12-01

We present the most recent Polar Engineering Development Center (PEDC) developments, specifically the first magnetic-field open-closed boundary (OCB) determination scheme. This scheme is implemented in "near real time" and utilizes data from an array of fluxgate magnetometers that are distributed across the high Antarctic plateau, as per Urban et al. [2012]. This OCB determination enables a high-latitude, synoptic measure of space weather variability that provides for more regional determinations of particle precipitation and related impacts. This methodology therefore supplements exciting "index-based" or empically-based space weather nowcasts currently in use.

Urban form relationships with walk trip frequency and distance among youth.

PubMed

Frank, Lawrence; Kerr, Jacqueline; Chapman, Jim; Sallis, James

2007-01-01

To assess the relationship among objectively measured urban form variables, age, and walking in youth. Cross-sectional analyses of travel diary data mapped against urban form characteristics within a 1-km buffer of participant's place of residence. Setting. Youth in the Atlanta, Georgia region with selection stratified by income, household size, and residential density. A total of 3161 5- to 20-year-olds who completed 2-day travel diaries. Diaries of those under 15 years were completed by a parent or legal guardian. Walking distances were calculated from a 2-day travel diary. Residential density, intersection density, land use mix, and commercial and recreation space were assessed within a 1-km network distance around residences. Analysis. Logistic regression analyses were performed for each urban form variable by age groups controlling for the demographic variables. All variables were then entered simultaneously into an analysis of the whole sample. All five urban form variables tested were related to walking. Recreation space was the only variables associated with walking across the four different age groups. All the urban form variables were related to walking in the 12 to 15 years age cohort. For this group, the odds of walking were 3. 7 times greater for those in highest- versus lowest-density tertile and 2.6 times greater for those with at least one commercial and 2.5 times greater for those with at least one recreational destination within 1 km from home. In the analysis of the full sample, number of cars, recreation space, and residential density were most strongly related to walking. Access to recreation or open space was the most important urban form variable related to walking for all age groups. Children aged 12 to 15 years old may be particularly influenced by urban form.

The making of urban ‘healtheries’: the transformation of cemeteries and burial grounds in late-Victorian East London☆

PubMed Central

Brown, Tim

2013-01-01

This paper focuses on the conversion of disused burial grounds and cemeteries into gardens and playgrounds in East London from around the 1880s through to the end of the century. In addition to providing further empirical depth, especially relating to the work of philanthropic organisations such as the Metropolitan Public Gardens Association, the article brings into the foreground debates regarding the importance of such spaces to the promotion of the physical and moral health of the urban poor. Of particular note here is the recognition that ideas about the virtuous properties of open, green space were central to the success of attempts at social amelioration. In addition to identifying the importance of such ideas to the discourse of urban sanitary reformers, the paper considers the significance of less virtuous spaces to it; notably here, the street. Building on Driver's work on ‘moral environmentalism’ and Osborne and Rose's on ‘ethicohygienic space,’ this paper goes on to explore the significance of habit to the establishing of what Brabazon called ‘healtheries’ in late-Victorian East London. PMID:24882920

Comparative ruralism and 'opening new windows' on gentrification.

PubMed

Phillips, Martin; Smith, Darren P

2018-03-01

In response to the five commentaries on our paper 'Comparative approaches to gentrification: lessons from the rural', we open up more 'windows' on rural gentrification and its urban counterpart. First, we highlight the issues of metrocentricity and urbanormativity within gentrification studies, highlighting their employment by our commentators. Second, we consider the issue of displacement and its operation within rural space, as well as gentrification as a coping strategy for neoliberal existence and connections to more-than-human natures. Finally, we consider questions of scale, highlighting the need to avoid naturalistic conceptions of scale and arguing that attention could be paid to the role of material practices, symbolizations and lived experiences in producing scaled geographies of rural and urban gentrification.

Building Resilience After School for Early Adolescents in Urban Poverty: Open Trial of Leaders @ Play.

PubMed

Frazier, Stacy L; Dinizulu, Sonya Mathies; Rusch, Dana; Boustani, Maya M; Mehta, Tara G; Reitz, Kristin

2015-11-01

Leaders @ Play is a park after-school program for urban middle school youth designed to leverage recreational activities for social emotional learning. Mental health and park staff co-facilitated sports and games to teach and practice problem solving, emotion regulation, and effective communication. Additional practice occurred during multi-family groups and summer internships as junior camp counselors. We examined feasibility and promise via an open trial (n = 3 parks, 46 youth, 100 % African American, 100 % low-income, 59 % female, M = 13.09 years old). Improvements in social skills and reductions in problem behaviors lend support to after school programs as a space for mental health promotion.

The benefits of community-managed open space: community gardening in New York City

Treesearch

Edie Stone

2009-01-01

One of 18 articles inspired by the Meristem 2007 Forum, "Restorative Commons for Community Health." The articles include interviews, case studies, thought pieces, and interdisciplinary theoretical works that explore the relationship between human health and the urban...

Monitoring the expansion of built-up areas in Seberang Perai region, Penang State, Malaysia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samat, N.

2014-02-01

Rapid urbanization has caused land use transformation and encroachment of built environment into arable agriculture land. Uncontrolled expansion could bring negative impacts to society, space and the environment. Therefore, information on expansion and future spatial pattern of built-up areas would be useful for planners and decision makers in formulating policies towards managing and planning for sustainable urban development. This study demonstrates the usage of Geographic Information System in monitoring the expansion of built-up area in Seberang Perai region, Penang State, Malaysia. Built-up area has increased by approximately 20% between 1990 and 2001 and further increased by 12% between 2001 and 2007. New development is expected to continue encroach into existing open space and agriculture area since those are the only available land in this study area. The information on statistics of the expansion of built-up area and future spatial pattern of urban expansion were useful in planning and managing urban spatial growth.

The impact of urban planning on land use and land cover in Pudong of Shanghai, China.

PubMed

Zhao, Bin; Nakagoshi, Nobukazu; Chen, Jia-kuan; Kong, Ling-yi

2003-03-01

Functional zones in cities constitute the most conspicuous components of newly developed urban area, and have been a hot spot for domestic and foreign investors in China, which not only show the expanse of urban space accompanied by the shifts both in landscape (from rural to urban) and land use (from less extensive to extensive), but also display the transformation of regional ecological functions. By using the theories and methods of landscape ecology, the structure of landscape and landscape ecological planning can be analyzed and evaluated for studying the urban functional zones' layout. In 1990, the Central Government of China declared to develop and open up Pudong New Area so as to promote economic development in Shanghai. Benefited from the advantages of Shanghai's location and economy, the government of Pudong New Area has successively built up 7 different functional zones over the past decade according to their functions and strategic goals. Based on the multi-spectral satellite imageries taken in 1990, 1997 and 2000, a landscape ecology analysis was carried out for Pudong New Area of Shanghai, supported by GIS technology. Green space (including croplands) and built-up area are the major factors considered in developing urban landscape. This paper was mainly concerned with the different spatial patterns and dynamic of green space, built-up areas and new buildings in different functional zones, influenced by different functional layouts and development strategies. The rapid urbanization in Pudong New Area resulted in a more homogeneous landscape. Agricultural landscape and suburban landscape were gradually replaced by urban landscape as the degree of urbanization increased. As consequence of urbanization in Pudong, not only built-up patches, but also newly-built patches and green patches merged into one large patch, which should be attributed to the construction policy of extensive green space as the urban development process in Pudong New Area. The shape of green area of 7 functional zones became more and more regular because of the horticultural needs in Shanghai urban planning. Some suggestions were finally made for the study of future urban planning and layout.

Modeling the effects of urban expansion on natural capital stocks and ecosystem service flows: A case study in the Puget Sound, Washington, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Zank, Ben; Bagstad, Kenneth J.; Voigt, Brian; Villa, Ferdinando

2016-01-01

Urban expansion and its associated landscape modifications are important drivers of changes in ecosystem service (ES). This study examined the effects of two alternative land use-change development scenarios in the Puget Sound region of Washington State on natural capital stocks and ES flows. Land-use change model outputs served as inputs to five ES models developed using the Artificial Intelligence for Ecosystem Services (ARIES) platform. While natural capital stocks declined under managed (1.3–5.8%) and unmanaged (2.8–11.8%) development scenarios, ES flows increased by 18.5–56% and 23.2–55.7%, respectively. Human development of natural landscapes reduced their capacity for service provision, while simultaneously adding beneficiaries, particularly along the urban fringe. Using global and local Moran’s I, we identified three distinct patterns of change in ES due to projected landuse change. For services with location-dependent beneficiaries – open space proximity, viewsheds, and flood regulation – urbanization led to increased clustering and hot-spot intensities. ES flows were greatest in the managed land-use change scenario for open space proximity and flood regulation, and in the unmanaged land-use change scenario for viewsheds—a consequence of the differing ES flow mechanisms underpinning these services. We observed a third pattern – general declines in service provision – for carbon storage and sediment retention, where beneficiaries in our analysis were not location dependent. Contrary to past authors’ finding of ES declines under urbanization, a more nuanced analysis that maps and quantifies ES provision, beneficiaries, and flows better identifies gains and losses for specific ES beneficiaries as urban areas expand.

Activating Public Space: How to Promote Physical Activity in Urban Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kostrzewska, Małgorzata

2017-10-01

Physical activity is an essential component of a healthy lifestyle. The quality and equipment of urban public space plays an important role in promoting physical activity among people (residents, tourists). In order for recreation and sports activities to be undertaken willingly, in a safe and comprehensive manner, certain spatial conditions and requirements must be met. The distinctive feature of contemporary large cities is the disappearance of local, neighbourly relations, and the consequent loneliness, alienation, and atomization of the residents. Thus, the design of public spaces should be an expression of the values of social inclusion and integration. A properly designed urban space would encourage people to leave their homes and integrate, also by undertaking different forms of physical activities. This, in turn, can lead to raising the quality of the space, especially in the context of its “familiarization” and “domestication”. The aim of the research was to identify the architectural and urban features of the public spaces of contemporary cities that can contribute to the promotion of physical activity. The paper presents the research results and the case studies of such spatial solutions and examples of good practices, which invite residents to undertake different forms of physical activities in public spaces. The issue of the integrating, inclusionary, and social function of physical recreation and sport is discussed as well, and so are the possibilities of translating these values into physical characteristics of an urban space. The main conclusions are that taking into account the diverse needs of different social groups, participation in the design and construction process, aesthetic and interesting design, vicinity of the residence, open access for all age groups and the disabled would be the most important spatial determinants of a properly designed, physically activating public space. Strategies of planning the sports and recreation infrastructure should also make sure of their multifunctionality and variability in time to adjust it to the changing needs of the residents.

Preliminary Identification of Urban Park Infrastructure Resilience in Semarang Central Java

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Muzdalifah, Aji Uhfatun; Maryono

2018-02-01

Park is one of the spot green infrastructure. There are two major characteristic of park, first Active parks and second passive park. Those of two open spaces have been significant on the fulfillment of urban environment. To maintenance the urban park, it is very importance to identify the characteristic of active and passive park. The identification also needs to fostering stakeholder effort to increase quality of urban park infrastructure. This study aims to explore and assess the characteristic of urban park infrastructure in Semarang City, Central Java. Data collection methods conduct by review formal document, field observation and interview with key government officer. The study founded that urban active parks infrastructure resilience could be defined by; Park Location, Garden Shape, Vegetation, Support Element, Park Function, and Expected Benefit from Park Existence. Moreover, the vegetation aspect and the supporting elements are the most importance urban park infrastructure in Semarang.

Do food and physical activity environments vary between disadvantaged urban and rural areas? Findings from the READI Study.

PubMed

Thornton, Lukar E; Crawford, David A; Cleland, Verity J; Timperio, Anna F; Abbott, Gavin; Ball, Kylie

2012-08-01

The presence or absence of amenities in local neighbourhood environments can either promote or restrict access to opportunities to engage in healthy and/or less healthy behaviours. Rurality is thought to constrain access to facilities and services. This study investigated whether the presence and density of environmental amenities related to physical activity and eating behaviours differs between socioeconomically disadvantaged urban and rural areas in Victoria, Australia. We undertook cross-sectional analysis of environmental data collected in 2007-08 as part of the Resilience for Eating and Activity Despite Inequality (READI) study. These data were sourced and analysed for 40 urban and 40 rural socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. The variables examined were the presence, raw count, count/km2, and count/'000 population of a range of environmental amenities (fast-food restaurants, all supermarkets (also separated by major chain and other supermarkets), greengrocers, playgrounds, gyms/leisure centres, public swimming pools and public open spaces). A greater proportion of urban areas had a fast-food restaurant and gym/leisure centre present while more rural areas contained a supermarket and public swimming pool. All amenities examined (with the exception of swimming pools) were more numerous per km2 in urban areas, however rural areas had a greater number of all supermarkets, other supermarkets, playgrounds, swimming pools and public open space per '000 population. Although opportunities to engage in healthy eating and physical activity exist in many rural areas, a lower density per km2 suggests a greater travel distance may be required to reach these.

Comparative ruralism and ‘opening new windows’ on gentrification

PubMed Central

Phillips, Martin; Smith, Darren P

2018-01-01

In response to the five commentaries on our paper ‘Comparative approaches to gentrification: lessons from the rural’, we open up more ‘windows’ on rural gentrification and its urban counterpart. First, we highlight the issues of metrocentricity and urbanormativity within gentrification studies, highlighting their employment by our commentators. Second, we consider the issue of displacement and its operation within rural space, as well as gentrification as a coping strategy for neoliberal existence and connections to more-than-human natures. Finally, we consider questions of scale, highlighting the need to avoid naturalistic conceptions of scale and arguing that attention could be paid to the role of material practices, symbolizations and lived experiences in producing scaled geographies of rural and urban gentrification. PMID:29657709

Open spaces, working places

Treesearch

Jessica Resnik; George Wallace; Mark Brunson; John Mitchell

2006-01-01

Private rangeland near many Western cities is disappearing rapidly under an onslaught of suburban and "ranchette" developments. As the "peopling of the New West" continues unabated, alarms have been raised on two fronts: by rural citizens and conservation groups troubled by the loss of agricultural production and biological diversity, and by urban...

78 FR 60177 - National Public Lands Day, 2013

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-10-01

... diverse and rugged landscapes reflect our national character, the way we care for these open spaces.... Since I established this initiative, we have expanded access to recreation, restored critical landscapes, and created urban parks and water trails. We are also working with partners to let young people serve...

Visions of nature: conflict and compatibility

Treesearch

Paul H. Gobster

2001-01-01

Although various disciplines have developed "objective" principles and practices for landscape restoration in recent decades, the concept of restoration itself often rests on subjective questions of cultural value. Issues related to restoring the naturalness of urban open spaces were explored in a planning effort for an area of parkland along Chicago's...

System-Events Toolbox--Activating Urban Places for Social Cohesion through Designing a System of Events That Relies on Local Resources

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fassi, Davide; Motter, Roberta

2014-01-01

This paper is a reflection on the use of public spaces in towns and the development of a system-events toolbox to activate them towards social cohesion. It is the result of a 1 year action research developed together with POLIMI DESIS Lab of the Department of Design to develop design solutions to open up the public spaces of the campus to the…

Beyond imperviousness: A statistical approach to identifying functional differences between development morphologies on variable source area-type response in urbanized watersheds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lim, T. C.

2016-12-01

Empirical evidence has shown linkages between urbanization, hydrological regime change, and degradation of water quality and aquatic habitat. Percent imperviousness, has long been suggested as the dominant source of these negative changes. However, recent research identifying alternative pathways of runoff production at the watershed scale have called into question percent impervious surface area's primacy in urban runoff production compared to other aspects of urbanization including change in vegetative cover, imported water and water leakages, and the presence of drainage infrastructure. In this research I show how a robust statistical methodology can detect evidence of variable source area (VSA)-type hydrologic response associated with incremental hydraulic connectivity in watersheds. I then use logistic regression to explore how evidence of VSA-type response relates to the physical and meterological characteristics of the watershed. I find that impervious surface area is highly correlated with development, but does not add significant explanatory power beyond percent developed in predicting VSA-type response. Other aspects of development morphology, including percent developed open space and type of drainage infrastructure also do not add to the explanatory power of undeveloped land in predicting VSA-type response. Within only developed areas, the effect of developed open space was found to be more similar to that of total impervious area than to undeveloped land. These findings were consistent when tested across a national cross-section of urbanized watersheds, a higher resolution dataset of Baltimore Metropolitan Area watersheds, and a subsample of watersheds confirmed not to be served by combined sewer systems. These findings suggest that land development policies that focus on lot coverage should be revisited, and more focus should be placed on preserving native vegetation and soil conditions alongside development.

Air quality: from observation to applied studies

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Weber, Christiane H.; Wania, Annett; Hirsch, Jacky; Bruse, Michael

2004-10-01

Air qualities studies in urban areas embrace several directions that are strongly associated with urban complexity. In the last centuries cities evolution implied changes in urbanization trends: urban sprawl has modified the relationship between cities and surroundings settlements. The existence and protection of urban green and open areas is promoted as a mean to improve the quality of life of their citizens and increase the satisfactory level of the inhabitants against pollution and noise adverse effects. This paper outlines the methods and approaches used in the EU research project Benefits of Urban Green Space (BUGS). The main target of BUGS is to assess the role of urban green spaces in alleviating the adverse effects of urbanization trends by developing an integrative methodology, ranging from participatory planning tools to numerical simulation models. The influence of urban structures on atmospheric pollutants distribution is investigated as a multi-scale problem ranging from micro to macro/regional scale. Traditionally, air quality models are applied on a single scale, seldom considering the joint effects of traffic network and urban development together. In BUGS, several numerical models are applied to cope with urban complexity and to provide quantitative and qualitative results. The differing input data requirements for the various models demanded a methodology which ensures a coherent data extraction and application procedure. In this paper, the stepwise procedure used for BUGS is presented after a general presentation of the research project and the models implied. A discussion part will highlight the statements induced by the choices made and a conclusive part bring to the stage some insights for future investigations.

Text Messaging in the School Lives of American High School Girls

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eisenhart, Margaret; Allaman, Erin

2018-01-01

Digital technologies open new windows for ethnographic explorations of cultural experiences. In this paper, we examine text messaging among academically talented teenage girls of colour at three US urban high schools. Texting introduced a new communication modality into the girls' lives and created a space for new discourses mediating their…

Fostering Open Space and Recreation Plan Development: A Case Study of Findlay Township, Pennsylvania.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Caruso, Christopher J.

1996-01-01

A plan adopted in 1992 by Findlay Township in rural Pennsylvania protects undeveloped land from urbanization and expanded and improved the township's park and recreational system. Improvements included a fitness trail, a pavilion, a handicap-accessible jungle gym, tennis and volleyball courts, restrooms, and flower beds and trees. (LP)

Learning along Lines: Locative Literacies for Reading and Writing the City

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Headrick Taylor, Katie

2017-01-01

The "everyware" paradigm opens up new possibilities for learning on-the-move with technologies through urban spaces while also raising questions about emerging literacies required of users to understand and use the digital traces these technologies generate. This article develops locative literacies as a way of understanding place-based,…

A cellular automata model of land cover change to integrate urban growth with open space conservation

EPA Science Inventory

The preservation of riparian zones and other environmentally sensitive areas has long been recognized as one of the most cost-effective methods of managing stormwater and providing a broad range of ecosystem services. In this research, a cellular automata (CA)—Markov chain model ...

Conversions of forest land: trends, determinants, projections, and policy considerations

Treesearch

Ralph Alig; Susan Stewart; David Wear; David Nowak

2010-01-01

Forest land conversion leads to ecological effects (e.g., changes in water quality and wildlife habitat) and socioeconomic effects (e.g., expanding urban-forest interface, reduced long-term timber production possibilities and loss of open space). Socioeconomic drivers of land use change such as population totals and personal income levels have increased substantially...

Using GIS for Developing Sustainable Urban Growth Case Kyrenia Region

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kara, C.; Akçit, N.

2018-03-01

It is critical to develop urban layers for analysis sustainable urban development possibilities within planning process. Kyrenia Region has many physical, environmental or economic issues that may danger the growth possibilities in sustainable manner. From this point, this study uses different spatial layers such as slope, distance to roads, distance to central zone, vegetation, soil productivity, environmental protection zones, distance to open/green space, distance to education for supporting sustainable urban growth policies and define suitable areas for urban development within this perspective. The study tries to convert sustainable urban growth policies such as; compact growth, environmental protection, equal accessibility to basic services; into spatial layers and establish proper framework for multi criteria evaluation in Kyrenia Region within using geographical information systems. It shows suitability values for Kyrenia region and constraints zones at final section. It clearly presents the suitable areas for the sustainable urbanization and also unsuitable or risky areas for reducing the possible disasters and may happen in the future.

Multifunctional spaces in slum settlements and their relation to activity pattern case study of Kampung Sangkrah, Surakarta

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shobirin, Abyzhar; Ramadhanty, Almira Husna; Hardiana, Ana

2018-02-01

Surakarta is a rapidly urbanized city and it causes the limitation of the availability of land within its urban area. This entangled problem is resulting in the development of slum settlements that spread across the city. One of the slum concentration areas is located on Pepe riverbanks downstream area that belongs to Kampung Sangkrah administrative boundaries. Slum settlements are characterized as a densely-populated area lacking of, or absence of, open space. This condition forces slum inhabitants to effectively use their available spaces, even multi-functionally. This research aims to observe how slum inhabitants multi-functionally use the spaces around their houses and determine the typology of multifunctional space and also the factors that influence it. To understand this phenomenon, this research used activity pattern perspectives. The scope of observation covers in-house (internal) space utilizations and neighborhood-level (external) space utilization. The data used for this research were collected primarily through site observations and interviews, using sampling to conduct data collection for in-house activities and space utilization. The analysis was conducted using descriptive method qualitatively. The research concluded that there are three types of multifunctional space utilization within slum settlements, and the utilization of spaces, whether internal or external utilization also varies depending on the inhabitants' economic-related activities.

Using geometrical, textural, and contextual information of land parcels for classification of detailed urban land use

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wu, S.-S.; Qiu, X.; Usery, E.L.; Wang, L.

2009-01-01

Detailed urban land use data are important to government officials, researchers, and businesspeople for a variety of purposes. This article presents an approach to classifying detailed urban land use based on geometrical, textural, and contextual information of land parcels. An area of 6 by 14 km in Austin, Texas, with land parcel boundaries delineated by the Travis Central Appraisal District of Travis County, Texas, is tested for the approach. We derive fifty parcel attributes from relevant geographic information system (GIS) and remote sensing data and use them to discriminate among nine urban land uses: single family, multifamily, commercial, office, industrial, civic, open space, transportation, and undeveloped. Half of the 33,025 parcels in the study area are used as training data for land use classification and the other half are used as testing data for accuracy assessment. The best result with a decision tree classification algorithm has an overall accuracy of 96 percent and a kappa coefficient of 0.78, and two naive, baseline models based on the majority rule and the spatial autocorrelation rule have overall accuracy of 89 percent and 79 percent, respectively. The algorithm is relatively good at classifying single-family, multifamily, commercial, open space, and undeveloped land uses and relatively poor at classifying office, industrial, civic, and transportation land uses. The most important attributes for land use classification are the geometrical attributes, particularly those related to building areas. Next are the contextual attributes, particularly those relevant to the spatial relationship between buildings, then the textural attributes, particularly the semivariance texture statistic from 0.61-m resolution images.

Public Open Spaces and Leisure-Time Walking in Brazilian Adults.

PubMed

Florindo, Alex Antonio; Barrozo, Ligia Vizeu; Cabral-Miranda, William; Rodrigues, Eduardo Quieroti; Turrell, Gavin; Goldbaum, Moisés; Cesar, Chester Luiz Galvão; Giles-Corti, Billie

2017-05-23

Access to public open space is important to increase leisure-time walking (LTW) in high-income countries, but there is little evidence in middle-income countries. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis to examine the relationship between LTW and the presence of different public open spaces (parks, bike paths, and squares) and the mix of these recreational destinations near the homes of adults participating in the Sao Paulo Health Survey ( n = 3145). LTW was evaluated by a questionnaire. We delineated buffers (500, 1000, and 1500 m) from the geographic coordinates of the adults' residential addresses using a geographic information system. We used multilevel logistic regression taking account of clustering by census tracts and households, and with adjustment for social, demographics, and health characteristics. The main results showed that the presence of at least two recreational destinations within a 500-m buffer of participants' homes were associated with an increased odds of LTW compared with no destinations present (OR = 1.65; 95% CI 1.09-2.55). No associations were found for destinations further away. These results support actions outlined in the new urban plan for Sao Paulo city and could be used to highlight the importance access to a mix of public open spaces to promote physical activity in megacities of middle-income countries.

Bioclimate and city planning - open space planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mertens, Elke

The planning and using of open spaces in urban areas very much depend on the shading of the surrounding building structures. This article presents a method for the investigation of the sunlight and the bioclimatic conditions in dependence on the surrounding buildings. It is illustrated for typical courtyards in Berlin, Germany, as one type of open spaces. The programme HelioDat determines the shading of any spot of an open space. It gives the possible duration of direct sunlight for the selected spot for each day of the year. The sunlight conditions in the courtyards differ from one another a lot in dependence on their size the tallness of the surrounding buildings. The calculation of the PMV on the basis of the results of the programme HelioDat determine the bioclimatic situation in the discussed courtyards. Although the results of HelioDat are only one input among the weather conditions and the personal characteristics of the test-person, the bioclimatic conditions correlate very much with the sunlight conditions. In a projected building structure, the sunlight conditions vary a lot between the present situation and the two architectural alternatives. Since the bioclimatic situation is correlated to the sunlight conditions, this example demonstrates the importance for the investigation of the sunlight conditions and the bioclimate already during the planning process of buildings.

Direct and indirect effects of land use on floral resources and flower-visiting insects across an urban landscape

USGS Publications Warehouse

Matteson, K.C.; Grace, James B.; Minor, E.S.

2013-01-01

Although urban areas are often considered to have uniformly negative effects on biodiversity, cities are most accurately characterized as heterogeneous mosaics of buildings, streets, parks, and gardens that include both ‘good’ and ‘bad’ areas for wildlife. However, to date, few studies have evaluated how human impacts vary in direction and magnitude across a heterogeneous urban landscape. In this study, we assessed the distribution of floral resources and flower-visiting insects across a variety of land uses in New York City. We visited both green spaces (e.g. parks, cemeteries) and heavily developed neighborhood blocks (e.g. with high or low density residential zoning) and used structural equation modeling (SEM) to evaluate the direct and indirect effects of median income, vegetation, and development intensity on floral resources and insects in both settings. Abundance and taxonomic richness of flower-visiting insects was significantly greater in green spaces than neighborhood blocks. The SEM results indicated that heavily-developed neighborhoods generally had fewer flower-visiting insects consistent with reductions in floral resources. However, some low-density residential neighborhoods maintained high levels of floral resources and flower-visiting insects. We found that the effects of surrounding vegetation on floral resources, and thus indirect effects on insects, varied considerably between green spaces and neighborhood blocks. Along neighborhood blocks, vegetation consisted of a mosaic of open gardens and sparsely distributed trees and had a positive indirect effect on flower-visiting insects. In contrast, vegetation in urban green spaces was associated with increased canopy cover and thus had a negative indirect effect on flower-visiting insects through reductions in floral resources. In both neighborhood blocks and green spaces, vegetation had a positive direct effect on flower-visiting insects independent of the influence of vegetation on floral resources. Our results demonstrate how inter-related components of an urban ecosystem can vary with respect to one another across a heterogeneous urban landscape, suggesting that it is inappropriate to generalize about urban systems as a whole without first addressing differences among component land use types.

Predicting the intensity of recreational use of oak woodland preserves

Treesearch

Sarah E. Reed; Kimberly A. Seymour

2008-01-01

People value proximity and easy access to protected areas in urban landscapes, including state and regional parks, wildlife refuges, and open space preserves. The popularity of outdoor recreation activities such as hiking and birdwatching has more than doubled in the past 20 years, and surveys indicate that proximity to natural areas is an important factor determining...

Habitat acquisition strategies for grassland birds in an urbanizing landscape

Treesearch

Stephanie A. Snyder; James R. Miller; Adam M. Skibbe; Robert G. Haight

2007-01-01

Habitat protection for grassland birds is an important component of open space land acquisition in suburban Chicago. We use optimization decision models to develop recommendations for land protection and analyze tradeoffs between alternative goals. One goal is to acquire (and restore if necessary) as much grassland habitat as possible for a given budget. Because a...

Dynamic reserve selection: Optimal land retention with land-price feedbacks

Treesearch

Sandor F. Toth; Robert G. Haight; Luke W. Rogers

2011-01-01

Urban growth compromises open space and ecosystem functions. To mitigate the negative effects, some agencies use reserve selection models to identify conservation sites for purchase or retention. Existing models assume that conservation has no impact on nearby land prices. We propose a new integer program that relaxes this assumption via adaptive cost coefficients. Our...

What's Growing on Here? Garden-Based Pedagogy in a Concrete Jungle

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jagger, Susan; Sperling, Erin; Inwood, Hilary

2016-01-01

This study explores experiences of a learning garden project at an urban faculty of education. The project opens a space for the theoretical and practical consideration of garden-based pedagogies and their influence on university students, educators, and the community as a whole. The learning garden was created by a small group of initial teacher…

Characterization of Urban Landscape Using Super-Resolution UAS Data, Multiple Textural Scales and Data-Mining Techniques

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Voss, M.; Blundell, B.

2015-12-01

Characterization of urban environments is a high priority for the U.S. Army as battlespaces have transitioned from the predominantly open spaces of the 20th century to urban areas where soldiers have reduced situational awareness due to the diversity and density of their surroundings. Creating high-resolution urban terrain geospatial information will improve mission planning and soldier effectiveness. In this effort, super-resolution true-color imagery was collected with an Altivan NOVA unmanned aerial system over the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center near Butlerville, Indiana on September 16, 2014. Multispectral texture analysis using different algorithms was conducted for urban surface characterization at a variety of scales. Training samples extracted from the true-color and texture images. These data were processed using a variety of meta-algorithms with a decision tree classifier to create a high-resolution urban features map. In addition to improving accuracy over traditional image classification methods, this technique allowed the determination of the most significant textural scales in creating urban terrain maps for tactical exploitation.

Comparative evaluation of thermal stress of fish in a small pond with a fish shelter

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahn, Chang Hyuk; Song, Ho Myeon; Park, Jae Ro; Park, Joon-Ha; Jo, Gyu-Hong; Park, Jum-Ok

2018-06-01

This study analyzed the water quality parameters in a fish shelter, which is an artificial structure built in a shallow pond, during early summer. The results of the water quality parameter analyses measured at St. 1 (open water space) and St. 2 (fish shelter) indicated that the fish shelter provides a stable space for fish, with lower water temperatures and less daily water quality variations in the early summer season than the open water space. Due to the temperature reduction and stable effects of these fish shelters, in this study, we found that there was an effect of reducing thermal stress for the Acheilognathinae during early summer. As such, if the fish shelter is introduced into the small pond applied to the urban area, it can be effective for reducing the thermal stress of the Acheilognathinae. In the future, we will need to carry out more detailed research based on this data.

Rethinking urban space in cities - A study of parks in Hyderabad, India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shrinagesh, B.; Markandey, Kalpana

2016-06-01

Urban areas being economically diversified attract large streams of migrants making for a burgeoning population. This is more prevalent in the developing countries. The concomitants of this are high density, heavy traffic movement and increased pollution levels. To reduce the stressful life of city dwellers it is important to have open spaces, where one can pursue leisure time activities a few removes from clutter. A public space is a space that is generally open and accessible to people. Roads, public parks, libraries etc, are typically considered public space. The term ‘public space’ is also often misconstrued to mean other things such as ‘gathering place’, which is an element of the larger concept of social space. Hyderabad, the historical city is the capital of Telangana, India and extends from longitude 78o23’ to 78o33’E and latitude of 17o17’ to 17o31’N. It is the second largest city in terms of area and fifth largest in terms of population. It is one of the fastest growing cities in India. There is a huge influx of people from other states in search of better opportunities. The main objectives of the study are; to study the sprawl and changing demographic structure of the city of Hyderabad, to study the accessibility of parks, to study the need for the emergence of a local public sphere. The data base will be mainly on secondary data collected from various government sources. A primary survey will be conducted based on a structured questionnaire. GIS and other mapping techniques will be applied to analyse the data.

The Development of Historical and Eco-Tourism District of Setu Babakan in South Jakarta, Indonesia: Ecodistrict Planning Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Samsirina; Dwi Pratiwi, Wiwik; Putri, Reiska M.

2018-05-01

On the development of tourism within a settlement, its sustainability depends on how to make the lowest possible environment impact and provide long-term economic and social benefits to local communities. This paper describes the results of analysis on a settlement where the tourism activities developed in it. The principal of eco-district was the main theory used in the analysis in order to accelerate district-scale sustainability. Eco-district is the principle of urban planning that aims to integrate the objectives of sustainable development and reduce the ecological impact of the development. The case study was located in Setu Babakan, a lakeside and a historical tourism district in South Jakarta, Indonesia. The focus of the study was on the physical condition of the open spaces and activities inside them. In some tourism destination areas, many of the attractions took place in open spaces. The results of the evaluation were several recommendations for the development concept of open spaces in the historical and ecotourism district of Setu Babakan which hopefully will guarantee it’s sustainability in the future.

Productivity and breeding habitat of loggerhead shrikes in a southwestern urban environment

USGS Publications Warehouse

Boal, C.W.; Estabrook, T.S.; Duerr, A.E.

2003-01-01

Declines in loggerhead shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) populations have been associated in part with habitat loss and degradation, including that resulting from urbanization. We monitored the productivity and examined nesting habitat of loggerhead shrikes nesting in an urban environment in Tucson, Arizona. We located 22 breeding pairs in 1997 and 26 breeding pairs in 1998, with a 72% breeding area reoccupancy between years. Mean fledgling numbers were 2.28/ nesting attempt and 3.11/successful nest. Although some pairs initially failed and renested, 91% and 73% of shrike pairs successfully fledged young in 1997 and 1998, respectively. Mayfield estimates of nesting success were 78% in 1997 and 65% in 1998. Nest sites were characterized by more trees >3 m in height, taller nest trees than those randomly available, and a greater proportion of bare ground surface than at random sites. Shrike breeding territories had lower proportions of residential and commercial development and greater proportions of open areas with low-growing vegetation than randomly available. Some shrikes nested in school playgrounds, residential front yards, and parking lots, if adjacent open space was available.

Influence of urban morphology on total noise pollution: multifractal description.

PubMed

Ariza-Villaverde, Ana B; Jiménez-Hornero, Francisco J; Gutiérrez De Ravé, Eduardo

2014-02-15

Exposure to ambient noise levels above 65 dB can cause public health problems. The spatial distribution of this kind of pollution is linked to various elements which make up the urban form, such as construction density, the existence of open spaces and the shape and physical position of buildings. Since urban morphology displays multifractal behaviour, the present research studies for the first time the relationship between total noise pollution and urban features, such as street width and building height by means of a joint multifractal spectrum in two neighbourhoods of the city of Cordoba (Andalusia, Spain). According to the results, the joint multifractal spectrum reveals a positive correlation between the total noise pollution and the street width to building height ratio, this being more evident when urban morphology is regular. The information provided by the multifractal analysis completes the description obtained by using urban indexes and landscape metrics and might be useful for urban planning once the linkage between both frameworks has been done. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessing the impact of urban land cover composition on CO2 flux

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Becker, K.; Hinkle, C.

2013-12-01

Urbanization is an ever increasing trend in global land use change, and has been identified as a key driver of CO2 emissions. Therefore, understanding how urbanization affects CO2 flux across a range of climatic zones and development patterns is critical to projecting the impact of future land use on CO2 flux dynamics. A growing number of studies are applying the eddy covariance method to urban areas to quantify the CO2 flux dynamics of these systems. However, interpretation of eddy covariance data in these urban systems presents a challenge, particularly in areas with high heterogeneity due to a mixing of built and green space. Here we present a study aimed at establishing a relationship between land cover composition and CO2 flux for a heterogeneous urban area of Orlando, FL. CO2 flux has been measured at this site for > 4 years using an open path eddy covariance system. Land cover at this site was classified into built and green space, and relative weight of both land covers were calculated for each 30 min CO2 flux measurement using the Schuepp model and a source area based on +/- one standard deviation of wind direction. The results of this analysis established a relationship between built land cover and CO2 flux within the measured footprint of this urban area. These results, in combination with future projected land use data, will be a valuable resource for providing insight into the impact of future urbanization on CO2 flux dynamics in this region.

Empowering low-income community in Kampong settlement by exploring people's activities in surrounding environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bawole, Paulus; Sutanto, Haryati B.

2017-11-01

Urban Kampong is a spontaneous settlement growing in several big cities within developing countries including Indonesia. This settlement is developed by low-income people without any plan. Therefore there is no specific housing pattern in the settlement. The characteristics of the settlements is dominated by Javanese traditional roof typology and narrow path with minimal public open spaces. People's creativity in building their houses often uses second hand building materials that make their houses look specific. Besides, infrastructure facilities within Kampong Settlement are very poor. Because the poor living in Urban Kampong have to adjust their live with minimum infrastructure facilities available, they have to be creative in using all facilities available. Through the creativities of low-income people living in Urban Kampong the research will show how the inhabitants can be empowered by exploring inhabitant's creativities and consequently the environmental quality within Urban Kampong can be improved as well.

Hydrologic data for urban storm runoff from nine sites in the Denver metropolitan area, Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gibbs, Johnnie W.

1981-01-01

Urban storm-runoff data were collected April through September 1980, from nine urbanrunoff sites in the Denver metropolitan area, and are presented in this report. The sites consist of two single-family residential areas, two multi-family residential areas, one commercial area (shopping center), one mixed commercial and multi-family residential area, one native area (open space), and two detention ponds. Precipitation, rainfall-runoff, water-quality (common constituents, nutrients, coliform bacteria, solids, and trace elements) and basin-area data are necessary to use the U.S. Geological Survey 's Distributed Routing Rainfall-Runoff Model, Version II. The urban storm-runoff data may be used to characterize runoff pollution loading for various land-use types in Denver and other semi-arid regions. (USGS)

Land use of northern megalopolis from ERTS-1 imagery

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Simpson, R. B. (Principal Investigator)

1972-01-01

The author has identified the following significant results. The preliminary map of land use of Rhode Island is believed to be the first urban-type land use map ever made from satellite imagery, and its preparation a significant scientific result for ERTS-1. Eight categories of land use were differentiated at a scale of 1:250,000 including 3 categories of residential area: single family and multiple/mixed urban types, plus a residential and open space rural one. This compares favorably with RB-57 mapping experience in which, mapping at 1:120,000 from photography taken from 60,000 feet, 11 basic categories of land use were discriminated. From ERTS, the urban cores of cities down to 7,000 population, and commercial and industrial sites down to 800 feet square, were consistently discriminated.

Methodological proceedings to evaluate the physical accessibility in urban historic sites.

PubMed

Ribeiro, Gabriela Sousa; Martins, Laura Bezerra; Monteiro, Circe Maria Gama

2012-01-01

Historic urban sites are set by cultural and social diversities, generating multiple activities and use and access to these sites should be available to all people including those with disabilities. Taking into consideration that using the same methodology that was used in different historic sites researches with positive results facilitates replication, we aimed to develop methodological procedures that identify conditions of physical accessibility in open public spaces and access to public buildings in historic urban sites to support proposals about design requirements for improvements to the problems diagnosed and control inadequacies of the physical environment. The study methods and techniques from different areas of knowledge culminated in a proposal built with an emphasis on user participation that could be applied with low cost and in relatively short period of time.

Evaluating the performance of ENVI-met model in diurnal cycles for different meteorological conditions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Acero, Juan A.; Arrizabalaga, Jon

2018-01-01

Urban areas are known to modify meteorological variables producing important differences in small spatial scales (i.e. microscale). These affect human thermal comfort conditions and the dispersion of pollutants, especially those emitted inside the urban area, which finally influence quality of life and the use of public open spaces. In this study, the diurnal evolution of meteorological variables measured in four urban spaces is compared with the results provided by ENVI-met (v 4.0). Measurements were carried out during 3 days with different meteorological conditions in Bilbao in the north of the Iberian Peninsula. The evaluation of the model accuracy (i.e. the degree to which modelled values approach measured values) was carried out with several quantitative difference metrics. The results for air temperature and humidity show a good agreement of measured and modelled values independently of the regional meteorological conditions. However, in the case of mean radiant temperature and wind speed, relevant differences are encountered highlighting the limitation of the model to estimate these meteorological variables precisely during diurnal cycles, in the considered evaluation conditions (sites and weather).

Low cost monitoring from space using Landsat TM time series and open source technologies: the case study of Iguazu park

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nole, Gabriele; Lasaponara, Rosa

2015-04-01

Up to nowadays, satellite data have become increasingly available, thus offering a low cost or even free of charge unique tool, with a great potential for operational monitoring of vegetation cover, quantitative assessment of urban expansion and urban sprawl, as well as for monitoring of land use changes and soil consumption. This growing observational capacity has also highlighted the need for research efforts aimed at exploring the potential offered by data processing methods and algorithms, in order to exploit as much as possible this invaluable space-based data source. The work herein presented concerns an application study on the monitoring of vegetation cover and urban sprawl conducted with the use of satellite Landsat TM data. The selected test site is the Iguazu park highly significant, being it one of the most threatened global conservation priorities (http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/303/). In order to produce synthetic maps of the investigated areas to monitor the status of vegetation and ongoing subtle changes, satellite Landsat TM data images were classified using two automatic classifiers, Maximum Likelihood (MLC) and Support Vector Machines (SVMs) applied by changing setting parameters, with the aim to compare their respective performances in terms of robustness, speed and accuracy. All process steps have been developed integrating Geographical Information System and Remote Sensing, and adopting free and open source software. Results pointed out that the SVM classifier with RBF kernel was generally the best choice (with accuracy higher than 90%) among all the configurations compared, and the use of multiple bands globally improves classification. One of the critical elements found in the case of monitoring of urban area expansion is given by the presence of urban garden mixed with urban fabric. The use of different configurations for the SVMs, i.e. different kernels and values of the setting parameters, allowed us to calibrate the classifier also to cope with a specific need, as in our case, to achieve a reliable discrimination of urban from non urban areas. Acknowledgement This research was performed within the framework of the Great relevance project " Smart management of cultural heritage sites in Italy and Argentina: Earth Observation and pilot projects funded by the Ministero degli Affari Esteri e della Cooperazione Internazionale --MAE, 17/04/2014, Prot. nr. 0090692, 2014-2016

24 CFR 203.256 - Insurance of open-end advance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Insurance of open-end advance. 203.256 Section 203.256 Housing and Urban Development Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban... Insurance § 203.256 Insurance of open-end advance. Insurance on an open-end advance will be evidenced by...

24 CFR 203.256 - Insurance of open-end advance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Insurance of open-end advance. 203.256 Section 203.256 Housing and Urban Development Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban... Insurance § 203.256 Insurance of open-end advance. Insurance on an open-end advance will be evidenced by...

24 CFR 203.256 - Insurance of open-end advance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Insurance of open-end advance. 203.256 Section 203.256 Housing and Urban Development Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban... Insurance § 203.256 Insurance of open-end advance. Insurance on an open-end advance will be evidenced by...

24 CFR 203.256 - Insurance of open-end advance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Insurance of open-end advance. 203.256 Section 203.256 Housing and Urban Development Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban... Insurance § 203.256 Insurance of open-end advance. Insurance on an open-end advance will be evidenced by...

24 CFR 203.256 - Insurance of open-end advance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 2 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Insurance of open-end advance. 203.256 Section 203.256 Housing and Urban Development Regulations Relating to Housing and Urban... Insurance § 203.256 Insurance of open-end advance. Insurance on an open-end advance will be evidenced by...

Sound propagation in urban areas: a periodic disposition of buildings.

PubMed

Picaut, J; Hardy, J; Simon, L

1999-10-01

A numerical simulation of background noise propagation is performed for a network of hexagonal buildings. The obtained results suggest that the prediction of background noise in urban spaces is possible by means of a modified diffusion equation using two parameters: the diffusion coefficient that expresses the spreading out of noise resulting from diffuse scattering and multiple reflections by buildings, and an attenuation term accounting for the wall absorption, atmospheric attenuation, and absorption by the open top. The dependence of the diffusion coefficient with geometrical shapes and the diffusive nature of the buildings are investigated in the case of a periodic disposition of hexagonal buildings.

Personal benefits of public open space: a case study in Boston's Arnold Arboretum

Treesearch

Thomas A. More; John Blackwell

1998-01-01

Managers of urban parks need to document the benefits that their parks produce. Use level is a typical measure of such benefits, but simple use statistics can mask the rich diversity of people and activities that the parks serve. This study examined the uses and users of Boston's Arnold Arboretum during late summer in 1992. On 25 sample days, we recorded...

Value of oak woodlands and open space on private property values in southern California

Treesearch

Richard B. Standiford; Thomas Scott

2002-01-01

Rapid urbanization of California's oak woodlands is having a pronounced effect on its ecological values. These areas are sought out for new residential sites to a large degree because of their amenity values. In response to this rapid exurban migration, there has been an increase in use of conservation easements and purchase of development rights by land trusts...

Urban Wild: A Manual for the Development, Implementation, and Operation of Nature Centers on School Campuses.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ortiz, James L.

The purpose of this guide is to stimulate the development of nature centers. The guide offers possible solutions for common problems which many schools face when considering an on-campus nature center, for example, lack of readily available open space, minimum knowledge of how to develop and maintain an on-campus nature center, and lack of…

A regional plan to protect open spaces, water quality, fish and wildlife habitat (Abstract)

Treesearch

Jennifer Budhabhatti; Rosemary Furfey

2000-01-01

1978, voters in the Multnomah, Washington, and Clackamas counties approved the creation of the first elected regional government, Metro to oversee land use planning and manage the urban growth boundary, and be consistent with state land use goals. Metro has authority under the charter and state law to require cities and counties to amend their comprehensive plans and...

Spatial analysis related to the location characteristics of park supply. Case study: Music Park and Pendawa Park, Bandung City, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Malik, A.; Akbar, R.; Maryati, S.; Natalivan, P.

2018-05-01

Public space plays a role in defining the character of a city and is a valuable asset for a city and one of the indicators in assessing whether a city is considered successful or not. In the context of urban sociology, high-quality public spaces with well-maintained environments can improve the quality of the heterogeneous life of urban social communities by creating economic, social, or environmental value-added. Urban societies tend to be heterogeneous, individualistic, and characterized by high competition that often causes conflicts. Another reason for conflicts is the relatively high social differentiation because of the level of religious differences, customs, languages, and sociocultural aspects brought by immigrants from various regions. In the context of space, the city is a system that does not stand alone because internally the city is a unified system of functional activities in it. Meanwhile, externally, the city is influenced by its surrounding environment. As part of the public space, park has an important role in the environmental, aesthetic, recreational, psychological, social, educational, and economic aspects of the city. Public space can be understood as open spaces in urban areas, where everyone regardless their interests and backgrounds can be intersectional and have social contact and serve as an “urban regenerator” including educational functions through innovation and technological intervention. Moreover, park can also absorb carbon dioxide emissions, produce oxygen, improve air and water quality, regulate the microclimate, reduce noise, protect soil and water, and maintain biodiversity. However, many things cause the function of parks to decrease. One reason relates to the distribution of parks related to the characteristics of their location. Research has not seen many studies on the characteristics of locations in the planning of public space. The provision of public space should consider these location characteristics. This study will use a descriptive methodology, by first explaining the policy of public space provision, the existence of the reality of public space, its function and role, the park as public space, the time of visiting the park by the community, and the various problems that occur in it. This research will look at the characteristics of neighborhood parks based on the aspect of the location of park supply and the spatial policies of Bandung City. The analysis comprised ArcGIS (Geographic Information System) and direct observations to evaluate the locational characteristics of the area around the park by using the case study of Music Park and Pendawa Park.

Impact of Demographic Trends on Future Development Patterns and the Loss of Open Space in the California Mojave Desert

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gomben, Peter; Lilieholm, Robert; Gonzalez-Guillen, Manuel

2012-02-01

During the post-World War II era, the Mojave Desert Region of San Bernardino County, California, has experienced rapid levels of population growth. Over the past several decades, growth has accelerated, accompanied by significant shifts in ethnic composition, most notably from predominantly White non-Hispanic to Hispanic. This study explores the impacts of changing ethnicity on future development and the loss of open space by modeling ethnic propensities regarding family size and settlement preferences reflected by U.S. Census Bureau data. Demographic trends and land conversion data were obtained for seven Mojave Desert communities for the period between 1990 and 2001. Using a spatially explicit, logistic regression-based urban growth model, these data and trends were used to project community-specific future growth patterns from 2000 to 2020 under three future settlement scenarios: (1) an "historic" scenario reported in earlier research that uses a Mojave-wide average settlement density of 3.76 persons/ha; (2) an "existing" scenario based on community-specific settlement densities as of 2001; and (3) a "demographic futures" scenario based on community-specific settlement densities that explicitly model the Region's changing ethnicity. Results found that under the demographic futures scenario, by 2020 roughly 53% of within-community open space would remain, under the existing scenario only 40% would remain, and under the historic scenario model the communities would have what amounts to a deficit of open space. Differences in the loss of open space across the scenarios demonstrate the importance of considering demographic trends that are reflective of the residential needs and preferences of projected future populations.

Impact of demographic trends on future development patterns and the loss of open space in the California Mojave Desert.

PubMed

Gomben, Peter; Lilieholm, Robert; Gonzalez-Guillen, Manuel

2012-02-01

During the post-World War II era, the Mojave Desert Region of San Bernardino County, California, has experienced rapid levels of population growth. Over the past several decades, growth has accelerated, accompanied by significant shifts in ethnic composition, most notably from predominantly White non-Hispanic to Hispanic. This study explores the impacts of changing ethnicity on future development and the loss of open space by modeling ethnic propensities regarding family size and settlement preferences reflected by U.S. Census Bureau data. Demographic trends and land conversion data were obtained for seven Mojave Desert communities for the period between 1990 and 2001. Using a spatially explicit, logistic regression-based urban growth model, these data and trends were used to project community-specific future growth patterns from 2000 to 2020 under three future settlement scenarios: (1) an "historic" scenario reported in earlier research that uses a Mojave-wide average settlement density of 3.76 persons/ha; (2) an "existing" scenario based on community-specific settlement densities as of 2001; and (3) a "demographic futures" scenario based on community-specific settlement densities that explicitly model the Region's changing ethnicity. Results found that under the demographic futures scenario, by 2020 roughly 53% of within-community open space would remain, under the existing scenario only 40% would remain, and under the historic scenario model the communities would have what amounts to a deficit of open space. Differences in the loss of open space across the scenarios demonstrate the importance of considering demographic trends that are reflective of the residential needs and preferences of projected future populations.

[A review on the urban green space cooling effect based on field measurement of air temperature].

PubMed

Liu, Feng Feng; Yan, Wei Jiao; Kong, Fan Hua; Yin, Hai Wei; Ban, Yu Long; Xu, Wen Bin

2017-04-18

With the development of urbanization, the effect of urban heat island has become increasingly evident. As an essential component of the urban natural landscapes, urban green space plays an important role in mitigating the effect of urban heat island. However, facing the rapid urbanization and changing environment, how to rationally plan and design the green space and realize its best cooling effect which can improve the urban environment and microclimate is still an urgent problem to be solved. So there is a strong need for mulitiscale researches on the cooling effect of urban green space. This paper systematically gave a review on the cooling effect of urban green space based on field measurement of air temperature, the main factors that influenced the cooling effect of green space were explored from three aspects including the area and shape characteristics of urban green space, the structure characteristics of vegetation and the external factors which affected the cooling effect, and the characteristics of the cooling effect of the green space were summarized from the aspect of time variation and distance decay. Then, the main problems and future research prospects of urban green space cooling effect were put forward.

Urban structure analysis of mega city Mexico City using multisensoral remote sensing data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taubenböck, H.; Esch, T.; Wurm, M.; Thiel, M.; Ullmann, T.; Roth, A.; Schmidt, M.; Mehl, H.; Dech, S.

2008-10-01

Mega city Mexico City is ranked the third largest urban agglomeration to date around the globe. The large extension as well as dynamic urban transformation and sprawl processes lead to a lack of up-to-date and area-wide data and information to measure, monitor, and understand the urban situation. This paper focuses on the capabilities of multisensoral remotely sensed data to provide a broad range of products derived from one scientific field - remote sensing - to support urban managing and planning. Therefore optical data sets from the Landsat and Quickbird sensors as well as radar data from the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) and the TerraSAR-X sensor are utilised. Using the multi-sensoral data sets the analysis are scale-dependent. On the one hand change detection on city level utilising the derived urban footprints enables to monitor and to assess spatiotemporal urban transformation, areal dimension of urban sprawl, its direction, and the built-up density distribution over time. On the other hand, structural characteristics of an urban landscape - the alignment and types of buildings, streets and open spaces - provide insight in the very detailed physical pattern of urban morphology on higher scale. The results show high accuracies of the derived multi-scale products. The multi-scale analysis allows quantifying urban processes and thus leading to an assessment and interpretation of urban trends.

Urbanization, regime type and durability, and environmental degradation in Ghana.

PubMed

Adams, Samuel; Adom, Philip Kofi; Klobodu, Edem Kwame Mensah

2016-12-01

This study examines the effect of urbanization, income, trade openness, and institutional quality (i.e., regime type and durability) on environmental degradation in Ghana over the period 1965-2011. Using the bounds test approach to cointegration and the Fully Modified Phillip-Hansen (FMPH) technique, the findings show that urbanization, income, trade openness, and institutional quality have long-run cointegration with environmental degradation. Further, the results show that income, trade openness, and institutional quality are negatively associated with environmental degradation. This suggests that income, trade openness, and institutional quality enhance environmental performance. Urbanization, however, is positively related to environmental degradation. Additionally, long-run estimates conditioned on institutional quality reveal that the extent to which trade openness and urbanization enhance environmental performance is largely due to the presence of quality institutions (or democratic institutions). Finally, controlling for structural breaks, we find that trade openness, urbanization, and regime type (i.e., democracy) improve environmental performance significantly after the 1970s except for income.

D Visibility Analysis in Urban Environment - Cognition Research Based on Vge

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lin, T. P.; Lin, H.; Hu, M. Y.

2013-09-01

The author in this research attempts to illustrate a measurable relationship between the physical environment and human's visual perception, including the distance, visual angle impact and visual field (a 3D isovist conception) against human's cognition way, by using a 3D visibility analysis method based on the platform of Virtual Geographic Environment (VGE). The whole project carries out in the CUHK campus (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), by adopting a virtual 3D model of the whole campus and survey in real world. A possible model for the simulation of human cognition in urban spaces is expected to be the output of this research, such as what the human perceive from the environment, how their feelings and behaviours are and how they affect the surrounding world. Kevin Lynch raised 5 elements of urban design in 1960s, which are "vitality, sense, fit, access and control". As the development of urban design, several problems around the human's cognitive and behaviour have come out. Due to the restriction of sensing knowledge in urban spaces, the research among the "sense" and the "fit" of urban design were not quite concerned in recent decades. The geo-spatial cognition field comes into being in 1997 and developed in recent 15 years, which made great effort in way-finding and urban behaviour simulation based on the platform of GIS (geographic information system) or VGE. The platform of VGE is recognized as a proper tool for the analysis of human's perception in urban places, because of its efficient 3D spatial data management and excellent 3D visualization for output result. This article will generally describe the visibility analysis method based on the 3D VGE platform. According to the uncertainty and variety of human perception existed in this research, the author attempts to arrange a survey of observer investigation and validation for the analysis results. Four figures related with space and human's perception will be mainly concerned in this proposal: openness, permeability, environmental pressure and visibility, and these will also be used as the identification for different type of spaces. Generally, the author is aiming at contributing a possible way to understand the reason of human's cognition in geo-spatial area, and provides efficient mathematical model between spatial information and visual perception to the related research field.

Urban Morphological Dynamics in Santiago (chile): Proposing Sustainable Indicators from Remote Sensing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hernández, H. J.; Gutiérrez, M. A.; Acuña, M. P.

2016-06-01

Latin America is one of the world's most urbanised regions, with more than 80% of inhabitants living in urban areas and over 50 cities with at least 1 million inhabitants. The concept of urban structure types (UST) allows the dynamics of a growing urban environment to be captured in its quantity and quality. They are defined as areas of homogenous appearance in the urban matrix with a recognisable mixture of built-up areas and open spaces. We used the vegetation-impervious-soil (V-I-S) model approach to classify and monitor different types of USTs in Santiago (~800 km2), Chile between 1985 and 2015. The V-I-S model is based on a simplification of the large diversity of urban land cover types in three general categories: vegetation, impervious surfaces and soil. These categories were obtained by processing Landsat-5 TM and Landsat-8 OLI images. First, we applied standard radiometric calibration and co-registration methods to all datasets. Second, using a linear spectral unmixing algorithm we performed a soft classification of urban land cover types (end members): trees, shrubs, herbaceous plants, soils, buildings, roads and water bodies. All end members were validated using a combination of photointerpretation on high-resolution images (~1 m) and field data collection (only for 2015). In each pixel we used the resulting probability scores, logically grouped, to obtain final values for each V-I-S component. Third, we used statistical clustering of V-I-S values to create a set of eight pixel groups, which we interpreted as USTs and mapped them for each date. The overall accuracy for V-I-S components in 1985 and 2015 were 78% and 82%, respectively, and errors did not exhibit any spatial correlation. The main sources of differentiation between USTs were the trade-off proportions between vegetation and impervious components, whereas soil proportions remained near 5% across the city in both dates. To analyse the change in UST spatial configuration between dates, we used a set of selected landscape metrics and discussed their use as indicators for sustainable urban development. These indicators relate to the dispersion pattern of urban growth, the connectivity of open green space and the complexity in the composition of the UST types within the different sectors of the city. We were able to identify, using the dynamics exhibited by the USTs, three main zones: (1) city centre, where USTs of high-intensity development predominate, (2) eastern high-income areas whose spatial structure is marked by a relatively high urbanisation intensity with a very large proportion of vegetated spaces, and (3) peripheral areas, with significant changes in composition and configuration of USTs, in recent decades, showing high rates of urbanisation, shifting from low-medium to high densities. We concluded that these patterns and their dynamics are mainly determined by the spatial socio-economic stratification of the population.

Neighbourhood access to open spaces and the physical activity of residents: a national study.

PubMed

Witten, Karen; Hiscock, Rosemary; Pearce, Jamie; Blakely, Tony

2008-09-01

Increasing population levels of physical activity is high on the health agenda in many countries. There is some evidence that neighbourhood access to public open space can increase physical activity by providing easier and more direct access to opportunities for exercise. This national study examines the relationship between travel time access to parks and beaches, BMI and physical activity in New Zealand neighbourhoods. Access to parks and beaches, measured in minutes taken by a car, was calculated for 38,350 neighbourhoods nationally using Geographic Information Systems. Multilevel regression analyses were used to establish the significance of access to these recreational amenities as a predictor of BMI, and levels of physical activity and sedentary behaviour in the 12,529 participants, living in 1178 neighbourhoods, of the New Zealand Health Survey 2002/3. Neighbourhood access to parks was not associated with BMI, sedentary behaviour or physical activity, after controlling for individual-level socio-economic variables, and neighbourhood-level deprivation and urban/rural status. There was some evidence of a relationship between beach access and BMI and physical activity in the expected direction. This study found little evidence of an association between locational access to open spaces and physical activity.

The meaning of city noises: Investigating sound quality in Paris (France)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dubois, Daniele; Guastavino, Catherine; Maffiolo, Valerie; Guastavino, Catherine; Maffiolo, Valerie

2004-05-01

The sound quality of Paris (France) was investigated by using field inquiries in actual environments (open questionnaires) and using recordings under laboratory conditions (free-sorting tasks). Cognitive categories of soundscapes were inferred by means of psycholinguistic analyses of verbal data and of mathematical analyses of similarity judgments. Results show that auditory judgments mainly rely on source identification. The appraisal of urban noise therefore depends on the qualitative evaluation of noise sources. The salience of human sounds in public spaces has been demonstrated, in relation to pleasantness judgments: soundscapes with human presence tend to be perceived as more pleasant than soundscapes consisting solely of mechanical sounds. Furthermore, human sounds are qualitatively processed as indicators of human outdoor activities, such as open markets, pedestrian areas, and sidewalk cafe districts that reflect city life. In contrast, mechanical noises (mainly traffic noise) are commonly described in terms of physical properties (temporal structure, intensity) of a permanent background noise that also characterizes urban areas. This connotes considering both quantitative and qualitative descriptions to account for the diversity of cognitive interpretations of urban soundscapes, since subjective evaluations depend both on the meaning attributed to noise sources and on inherent properties of the acoustic signal.

Dynamics of Hierarchical Urban Green Space Patches and Implications for Management Policy.

PubMed

Yu, Zhoulu; Wang, Yaohui; Deng, Jinsong; Shen, Zhangquan; Wang, Ke; Zhu, Jinxia; Gan, Muye

2017-06-06

Accurately quantifying the variation of urban green space is the prerequisite for fully understanding its ecosystem services. However, knowledge about the spatiotemporal dynamics of urban green space is still insufficient due to multiple challenges that remain in mapping green spaces within heterogeneous urban environments. This paper uses the city of Hangzhou to demonstrate an analysis methodology that integrates sub-pixel mapping technology and landscape analysis to fully investigate the spatiotemporal pattern and variation of hierarchical urban green space patches. Firstly, multiple endmember spectral mixture analysis was applied to time series Landsat data to derive green space coverage at the sub-pixel level. Landscape metric analysis was then employed to characterize the variation pattern of urban green space patches. Results indicate that Hangzhou has experienced a significant loss of urban greenness, producing a more fragmented and isolated vegetation landscape. Additionally, a remarkable amelioration of urban greenness occurred in the city core from 2002 to 2013, characterized by the significant increase of small-sized green space patches. The green space network has been formed as a consequence of new urban greening strategies in Hangzhou. These strategies have greatly fragmented the built-up areas and enriched the diversity of the urban landscape. Gradient analysis further revealed a distinct pattern of urban green space landscape variation in the process of urbanization. By integrating both sub-pixel mapping technology and landscape analysis, our approach revealed the subtle variation of urban green space patches which are otherwise easy to overlook. Findings from this study will help us to refine our understanding of the evolution of heterogeneous urban environments.

Dynamics of Hierarchical Urban Green Space Patches and Implications for Management Policy

PubMed Central

Yu, Zhoulu; Wang, Yaohui; Deng, Jinsong; Shen, Zhangquan; Wang, Ke; Zhu, Jinxia; Gan, Muye

2017-01-01

Accurately quantifying the variation of urban green space is the prerequisite for fully understanding its ecosystem services. However, knowledge about the spatiotemporal dynamics of urban green space is still insufficient due to multiple challenges that remain in mapping green spaces within heterogeneous urban environments. This paper uses the city of Hangzhou to demonstrate an analysis methodology that integrates sub-pixel mapping technology and landscape analysis to fully investigate the spatiotemporal pattern and variation of hierarchical urban green space patches. Firstly, multiple endmember spectral mixture analysis was applied to time series Landsat data to derive green space coverage at the sub-pixel level. Landscape metric analysis was then employed to characterize the variation pattern of urban green space patches. Results indicate that Hangzhou has experienced a significant loss of urban greenness, producing a more fragmented and isolated vegetation landscape. Additionally, a remarkable amelioration of urban greenness occurred in the city core from 2002 to 2013, characterized by the significant increase of small-sized green space patches. The green space network has been formed as a consequence of new urban greening strategies in Hangzhou. These strategies have greatly fragmented the built-up areas and enriched the diversity of the urban landscape. Gradient analysis further revealed a distinct pattern of urban green space landscape variation in the process of urbanization. By integrating both sub-pixel mapping technology and landscape analysis, our approach revealed the subtle variation of urban green space patches which are otherwise easy to overlook. Findings from this study will help us to refine our understanding of the evolution of heterogeneous urban environments. PMID:28587309

Lessons Learned from a Student-Led Breastfeeding Support Initiative at a US Urban Public University.

PubMed

Dinour, Lauren M; Beharie, Nisha

2015-08-01

Despite US laws requiring most workplaces to provide "reasonable" unpaid break time and a private space for female employees to express breast milk, much of the statutory language is vague and open to interpretation, potentially leading to suboptimal implementation. College and university campuses in the US represent a particular concern, as students are typically not employed by their school and thus not protected by state and federal labor laws. This article describes the work of 2 graduate students to successfully establish a dedicated space at their US urban public university for the purpose of expressing breast milk. A 3-pronged strategy was implemented to create a dedicated lactation space: (1) collecting data to support the establishment of the room, (2) raising awareness of legislation related to protection of breastfeeding, and (3) community organizing and advocacy. After nearly 18 months of advocacy and planning, the campus' dedicated lactation room was opened for use in March 2012. Two years later, the room remains a valuable resource and is used, on average, 8.4 times per weekday during a typical school week. Several lessons learned are described, and the strategies employed can be tested and applied in other US academic settings to assist in advocating for more supports for breastfeeding mothers. However, it is also imperative that US legislation be amended to include language that explicitly protects students so that women do not need to make the choice between continuing their education and continuing to breastfeed. © The Author(s) 2015.

Influence of urban shapes on environmental noise: a case study in Aracaju-Brazil.

PubMed

Guedes, Italo C Montalvão; Bertoli, Stelamaris R; Zannin, Paulo H T

2011-12-15

This paper discusses the results of a study about the influence of urban shapes on environmental noise in the city of Aracaju (Brazil). The study, which involved in situ measurements and acoustic simulations using SoundPLAN software, began with an analysis of the current acoustic scenario, followed by the creation and simulation of hypothetical scenarios in as yet unoccupied sectors of the region under study. The acoustic modeling and simulations were based on measurements of equivalent-continuous sound pressure level, LAeq, and vehicle flow data, and on the region's geometrics. The results reveal that the physical characteristics of the urban shape, such as construction density, the existence of open spaces, and the shape and physical position of buildings exert a significant influence on environmental noise. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The urban public space betterment and land use sustainability Under the human behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Xiaofan; Ji, Yanning

2018-02-01

This paper analyzes the differences between Chinese and western public life and environmental behavior habits. Identify specific needs for Chinese urban public Spaces. At the same time, the paper analyzes the problems related to urban construction in China, including micro-land use, transportation and urban pattern. The solution of Chinese urban public space layout is proposed and the prospects of sustainable urban public space. Urban betterment are prospected in the future.

[THE USE OF OPEN REAL ESTATE DATABASES FOR THE ANALYSIS OF INFLUENCE OF CONCOMITANT FACTORS ON THE STATE OF THE URBAN POPULATION'S HEALTH].

PubMed

Zheleznyak, E V; Khripach, L V

2015-01-01

There was suggested a new method of the assessment of certain social-lifestyle factors in hygienic health examination of the urban population, based on the work with the open real estate databases on residential areas of the given city. On the example of the Moscow FlatInfo portal for a sample of 140 residents of the city of Moscow there was studied the distribution of such available for analysis factors as a typical design of the building, where studied citizen resides, the year of its construction and the market price of 1m2 of housing space in this house. The latter value is a quantitative integrated assessment of the social and lifestyle quality of housing, depending on the type and technical condition of the building, neighborhood environment, infrastructure of the region and many other factors, and may be a useful supplemental index in hygienic research.

Regulating outdoor advertisement boards; employing spatial decision support system to control urban visual pollution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wakil, K.; Hussnain, MQ; Tahir, A.; Naeem, M. A.

2016-06-01

Unmanaged placement, size, location, structure and contents of outdoor advertisement boards have resulted in severe urban visual pollution and deterioration of the socio-physical living environment in urban centres of Pakistan. As per the regulatory instruments, the approval decision for a new advertisement installation is supposed to be based on the locational density of existing boards and their proximity or remoteness to certain land- uses. In cities, where regulatory tools for the control of advertisement boards exist, responsible authorities are handicapped in effective implementation due to the absence of geospatial analysis capacity. This study presents the development of a spatial decision support system (SDSS) for regularization of advertisement boards in terms of their location and placement. The knowledge module of the proposed SDSS is based on provisions and restrictions prescribed in regulatory documents. While the user interface allows visualization and scenario evaluation to understand if the new board will affect existing linear density on a particular road and if it violates any buffer restrictions around a particular land use. Technically the structure of the proposed SDSS is a web-based solution which includes open geospatial tools such as OpenGeo Suite, GeoExt, PostgreSQL, and PHP. It uses three key data sets including road network, locations of existing billboards and building parcels with land use information to perform the analysis. Locational suitability has been calculated using pairwise comparison through analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and weighted linear combination (WLC). Our results indicate that open geospatial tools can be helpful in developing an SDSS which can assist solving space related iterative decision challenges on outdoor advertisements. Employing such a system will result in effective implementation of regulations resulting in visual harmony and aesthetic improvement in urban communities.

Improving the quality of urban public space through the identification of space utilization index at Imam Bonjol Park, Padang city

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Eriawan, Tomi; Setiawati, Lestari

2017-06-01

Padang City as a big city with a population approaching one million people has to address the issue of increased activities of the population and increased need for land and space for those activities. One of the effects of population growth and the development of activities in Padang is the decreasing number of open spaces for the outdoor public activities, both the natural and artificial public. However, Padang City has several open spaces that are built and managed by the government including 40 units of open spaces in the form of plansum parks, playgrounds, and sports parks, with a total area of 10.88 hectares. Despite their status as public open spaces, not all of them can be used and enjoyed by the public since most of them are passive parks, in which they are made only as a garden without any indulgences. This study was performed to assess the quality of public spaces in the central business of Padang City, namely Imam Bonjol Park (Taman Imam Bonjol). The methods of this study were done through several stages, which were to identify the typology of function space based on [1] Carmona (2008) and to assess the space utilization index based on the approach of Public Space Index according to Mehta [2] (2007). The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of space which is a public space in Padang City. The space quality was measured based on the variables in Good Public Space Index, the intensity of use, the intensity of social activity, the duration of activity, the variations in usage, and the diversity of use. The rate of the index of public space quality at Taman Imam Bonjol was determined by assessing 5 (five) variables of space quality. Based on the results of the analysis, public space utilization index was equal to 0.696. This result could be used to determine the quality of public space, in this case was Imam Bonjol Park was in Medium category. The parameters indicated several results including the lack of diversity in users' activity time, less formation of social interaction between users, and the relatively short average of visitors' duration in exploiting public space.

Land use changes involving forestry in the United States: 1952 to 1997, with projections to 2050.

Treesearch

Ralph J. Alig; Andrew J. Plantinga; SoEun Ahn; Jeffrey D. Kline

2003-01-01

About two-thirds (504 million acres) of the Nation’s forests are classed as timberland, productive forests capable of producing 20 cubic feet per acre of industrial wood annually and not legally reserved from timber harvest. The USDA’s 1997 National Resource Inventory shows that, nationally, 11 million acres of forest, cropland, and open space were converted to urban...

Pawcatuck and Woonasquatucket River Basins and Narragansett Bay Local Drainage Area. Main Report.

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-10-01

building and housing codes are recommended. Flood warning systems, urban renewal, tax incentives, and public open space acquisition will also help...RIVER GROUP WATERSHEDLD LOCAL DRAINAGE PD, WOONASQUATUCKET - MOSI4ASSUCK - PROVIDENCE RIVERS SUB-BASIN PD2 BLACKSTONE RIVER SUB-BASIN orPD 3 TENMiLE...of the Taunton River Basin in Massachusetts, 1979 PNB Water Supply Study, January 1979 Big River Reservoir Project, July 1981 Blackstone River

A case study of exposure to ultrafine particles from secondhand tobacco smoke in an automobile.

PubMed

Liu, S; Zhu, Y

2010-10-01

Secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) in enclosed spaces is a major source of potentially harmful airborne particles. To quantify exposure to ultrafine particles (UFP) because of SHS and to investigate the interaction between pollutants from SHS and vehicular emissions, number concentration and size distribution of UFP and other air pollutants (CO, CO(2) , and PM(2.5)) were measured inside a moving vehicle under five different ventilation conditions. A major interstate freeway with a speed limit of 60 mph and an urban roadway with a speed limit of 30 mph were selected to represent typical urban routes. In a typical 30-min commute on urban roadways, the SHS of one cigarette exposed passengers to approximately 10 times the UFP and 120 times the PM(2.5) of ambient air. The most effective solution to protect passengers from SHS exposure is to abstain from smoking in the vehicle. Opening a window is an effective method for decreasing pollutant exposures on most urban roadways. However, under road conditions with high UFP concentrations, such as tunnels or busy freeways with high proportion of heavy-duty diesel trucks (such as the 710 Freeway in Los Angeles, CA, USA), opening a window is not a viable method to reduce UFPs. Time budget studies show that Americans spend, on average, more than 60 min each day in enclosed vehicles. Smoking inside vehicles can expose the driver and other passengers to high levels of pollutants. Thus, an understanding of the variations and interactions of secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS) and vehicular emissions under realistic driving conditions is necessary. Results of this study indicated that high ventilation rates can effectively dilute ultrafine particles (UFP) inside moving vehicles on urban routes. However, driving with open windows and an increased air exchange rate (AER) are not recommended on tunnels and heavily travelled freeways.

Effects of Green Space and Land Use/Land Cover on Urban Heat Island in a Subtropical Mega-city in China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Qiu, G. Y.; Li, X.; Li, H.; Guo, Q.

2014-12-01

With the quick expansion of urban in size and population, its urban heat island intensity (UHII, expressed as the temperature difference between urban and rural areas) increased rapidly. However, very few studies could quantitatively reveal the effects of green space and land use/land cover (LULC) on urban thermal environment because of lacking of the detailed measurement. This study focuses on quantifying the effects of green space and LULC on urban Heat Island (UHI) in Shenzhen, a mega subtropical city in China. Extensive measurements (air temperature and humidity) were made by mobile traverse method in a transect of 8 km in length, where a variety of LULC types were included. Measurements were carried out at 2 hours interval for 2 years (totally repeated for 7011 times). According to LULC types, we selected 5 different LULC types for studying, including water body, village in the city, shopping center (commercial area), urban green space (well-vegetated area) and suburb (forest). The main conclusions are obtained as follows: (1) The temperature difference between the 5 different urban landscapes is obvious, i.e. shopping center > village in the city > urban water body > urban green space > suburb; (2) Air temperature and UHII decreases linearly with the increase of green space in urban; (3) Green space and water body in urban have obvious effects to reduce the air temperature by evapotranspiration. Compared to the commercial areas, urban water body can relieve the IUHI by 0.9℃, while the urban green space can relieve the IUHI by 1.57℃. The cooling effect of the urban green space is better than that of the urban water body; (4) Periodic activity of human being has obvious effects on urban air temperature. The UHII on Saturday and Sunday are higher than that from Monday to Friday, respectively higher for 0.65, 0.57, 0.26 and 0.21℃. Thursday and Friday have the minimum air temperature and UHII. These results indicate that increase in urban evapotranspiration by increasing green space could be a useful way to improve urban thermal environment and mitigation of UHI.

Use of radar in urban studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bryan, M. L.

1976-01-01

The use of side-looking airborne radar for urban studies is reviewed with attention given to the work of Moore (1969) and Lewis (1968) which may be summarized as follows: (1) linear elements of the transportation net were easily defined, (2) gross patterns of industry, residential and open space land were identified, but it was not possible to map the land use boundaries in great detail, (3) commercial land areas were often difficult to identify, and (4) multiple polarized imagery was helpful in correctly interpreting the total scene. It is found that the sensitivity of radar to surface roughness and the availability of multiple wavelength data allow the discrimination of variations in the surface roughness of intra-urban areas. An L-band imaging radar (25 cm; 1215-1225 GHz) of 25 m resolution will be operating from satellite altitudes in 1978 and will increase the availability of radar data.

Spatiotemporal Patterns of the Use of Urban Green Spaces and External Factors Contributing to Their Use in Central Beijing

PubMed Central

Li, Fangzheng; Zhang, Fen; Li, Xiong; Wang, Peng; Liang, Junhui; Mei, Yuting; Cheng, Wenwen; Qian, Yun

2017-01-01

Urban green spaces encourage outdoor activity and social communication that contribute to the health of local residents. Examining the relationship between the use of urban green spaces and factors influencing their utilization can provide essential references for green space site selection in urban planning. In contrast to previous studies that focused on internal factors, this study highlights the external factors (traffic convenience, population density and commercial facilities) contributing to the use of urban green spaces. We conducted a spatiotemporal analysis of the distribution of visitors in 208 selected green spaces in central Beijing. We examined the relationship between the spatial pattern of visitor distribution within urban green spaces and external factors, using the Gini coefficient, kernel density estimation, and geographical detectors. The results of the study were as follows. The spatial distribution of visitors within central Beijing’s green spaces was concentrated, forming different agglomerations. The three examined external factors are all associated with the use of green spaces. Among them, commercial facilities are the important external factor associated with the use of green spaces. For the selection of sites for urban green spaces, we recommend consideration of external factors in order to balance urban green space utilization. PMID:28264451

Spatiotemporal Patterns of the Use of Urban Green Spaces and External Factors Contributing to Their Use in Central Beijing.

PubMed

Li, Fangzheng; Zhang, Fen; Li, Xiong; Wang, Peng; Liang, Junhui; Mei, Yuting; Cheng, Wenwen; Qian, Yun

2017-02-27

Urban green spaces encourage outdoor activity and social communication that contribute to the health of local residents. Examining the relationship between the use of urban green spaces and factors influencing their utilization can provide essential references for green space site selection in urban planning. In contrast to previous studies that focused on internal factors, this study highlights the external factors (traffic convenience, population density and commercial facilities) contributing to the use of urban green spaces. We conducted a spatiotemporal analysis of the distribution of visitors in 208 selected green spaces in central Beijing. We examined the relationship between the spatial pattern of visitor distribution within urban green spaces and external factors, using the Gini coefficient, kernel density estimation, and geographical detectors. The results of the study were as follows. The spatial distribution of visitors within central Beijing's green spaces was concentrated, forming different agglomerations. The three examined external factors are all associated with the use of green spaces. Among them, commercial facilities are the important external factor associated with the use of green spaces. For the selection of sites for urban green spaces, we recommend consideration of external factors in order to balance urban green space utilization.

Mapping and Evaluating the Urbanization Process in Northeast China Using DMSP/OLS Nighttime Light Data

PubMed Central

Yi, Kunpeng; Tani, Hiroshi; Li, Qiang; Zhang, Jiquan; Guo, Meng; Bao, Yulong; Wang, Xiufeng; Li, Jing

2014-01-01

In this paper, an Urban Light Index (ULI) is constructed to facilitate analysis and quantitative evaluation of the process of urbanization and expansion rate by using DMSP/OLS Nighttime Light Data during the years from 1992 to 2010. A unit circle urbanization evaluation model is established to perform a comprehensive analysis of the urbanization process of 34 prefecture-level cities in Northeast China. Furthermore, the concept of urban light space is put forward. In this study, urban light space is divided into four types: the core urban area, the transition zone between urban and suburban areas, suburban area and fluorescent space. Proceeding from the temporal and spatial variation of the four types of light space, the pattern of morphologic change and space-time evolution of the four principal cities in Northeast China (Harbin, Changchun, Shenyang, Dalian) is analyzed and given particular attention. Through a correlation analysis between ULI and the traditional urbanization indexes (urban population, proportion of the secondary and tertiary industries in the regional GDP and the built-up area), the advantages and disadvantages as well as the feasibility of using the ULI in the study of urbanization are evaluated. The research results show that ULI has a strong correlation with urban built-up area (R2 = 0.8277). The morphologic change and history of the evolving urban light space can truly reflect the characteristics of urban sprawl. The results also indicate that DMSP/OLS Nighttime Light Data is applicable for extracting urban space information and has strong potential to urbanization research. PMID:24553086

Urban agriculture: long-term strategy or impossible dream?: Lessons from Prospect Farm in Brooklyn, New York.

PubMed

Angotti, T

2015-04-01

Proponents of urban agriculture have identified its potential to improve health and the environment but in New York City and other densely developed and populated urban areas, it faces huge challenges because of the shortage of space, cost of land, and the lack of contemporary local food production. However, large portions of the city and metropolitan region do have open land and a history of agricultural production in the not-too-distant past. Local food movements and concerns about food security have sparked a growing interest in urban farming. Policies in other sectors to address diet-related illnesses, environmental quality and climate change may also provide opportunities to expand urban farming. Nevertheless, for any major advances in urban agriculture, significant changes in local and regional land use policies are needed. These do not appear to be forthcoming any time soon unless food movements amplify their voices in local and national food policy. Based on his experiences as founder of a small farm in Brooklyn, New York and his engagement with local food movements, the author analyzes obstacles and opportunities for expanding urban agriculture in New York. Copyright © 2014 The Royal Society for Public Health. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dataset on daytime outdoor thermal comfort for Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

PubMed

Hirashima, Simone Queiroz da Silveira; Assis, Eleonora Sad de; Nikolopoulou, Marialena

2016-12-01

This dataset describe microclimatic parameters of two urban open public spaces in the city of Belo Horizonte, Brazil; physiological equivalent temperature (PET) index values and the related subjective responses of interviewees regarding thermal sensation perception and preference and thermal comfort evaluation. Individuals and behavioral characteristics of respondents were also presented. Data were collected at daytime, in summer and winter, 2013. Statistical treatment of this data was firstly presented in a PhD Thesis ("Percepção sonora e térmica e avaliação de conforto em espaços urbanos abertos do município de Belo Horizonte - MG, Brasil" (Hirashima, 2014) [1]), providing relevant information on thermal conditions in these locations and on thermal comfort assessment. Up to now, this data was also explored in the article "Daytime Thermal Comfort in Urban Spaces: A Field Study in Brazil" (Hirashima et al., in press) [2]. These references are recommended for further interpretation and discussion.

Mammal diversity and metacommunity dynamics in urban green spaces: implications for urban wildlife conservation.

PubMed

Gallo, Travis; Fidino, Mason; Lehrer, Elizabeth W; Magle, Seth B

2017-12-01

As urban growth expands and natural environments fragment, it is essential to understand the ecological roles fulfilled by urban green spaces. To evaluate how urban green spaces function as wildlife habitat, we estimated mammal diversity and metacommunity dynamics in city parks, cemeteries, golf courses, and natural areas throughout the greater Chicago, Illinois, USA region. We found similar α-diversity (with the exception of city parks), but remarkably dissimilar communities in different urban green spaces. Additionally, the type of urban green space greatly influenced species colonization and persistence rates. For example, coyotes (Canis latrans) had the highest, but white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) the lowest probability of persistence in golf courses compared to other green space types. Further, most species had a difficult time colonizing city parks even when sites were seemingly available. Our results indicate that urban green spaces contribute different, but collectively important, habitats for maintaining and conserving biodiversity in cities. © 2017 by the Ecological Society of America.

Spatial Character Analysis of Streets as Public Spaces: The Case of Izmit Hurriyet and Cumhuriyet Street, Turkey

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Özbayraktar, Mehtap; Pekdemir, Merve; Mırzaliyeva, Gumru

2017-10-01

The word “public” was first used to refer to the theatre audience in France in the mid-17th century. In the 18th century, it turned into the meaning of “public space incorporating a large variety of people and composed of acquaintances and strangers”. The concepts of publicity, public space, and public realm have been studied and described by many researchers in the course of time. These descriptions show the development of public space as well. In the very general sense, public spaces are areas of personal and social happiness; collective living spaces of the society; areas of expression of natural and cultural variety; and key elements providing a ground for the establishment of an identity. In the United Nations’ report on public spaces, public space is addressed under six groups: 1. The spaces we intensely used in our daily life; 2. Green open public spaces; 3. Public activity spaces which users can go in without any difficulty, are open to public, and are under protection; 4. Public sector realm (social agreements in which the people are represented, contribute to collective goods, and trust in the administrators elected); 5. City as a public space; 6. Cyberspace. As cities grow, public spaces transform and diversify. Attempts are made to meet the changing needs through types of space developed. However, the character of the existing public spaces, the distribution of open spaces and parks and their inadequacy, the destruction of public space, and the things that are required to be done stand as important issues to be addressed. One of the public spaces going through transformation are streets which we intensely use in our daily life. In general, streets are defined as roads with buildings on both sides in settlements such as provinces and districts whose boundaries are determined by neighbouring buildings. Some researchers have defined streets based on their social functions. According to them, streets are meeting spaces; spaces to deal with strangers; the house of the society; the main elements of urban existence; spaces as changeable as life; symbolic models of urban problems; and symbols of free city. However, the role of streets, which are so important in our daily life, has only been reduced to pass. They have been divided into two between pedestrians and vehicles and lost many social functions of theirs. Accordingly, the present study aims to answer the question of whether the abovementioned features and characters of streets as public spaces are still maintained with special reference to a street, which is one of the main streets of Izmit, Turkey. The street, which was called İmre Tökeli Avenue, Hamidiye Street (1908), and Demiryolu Tekeli Street (1948) in the course of time, is currently called Hürriyet and Cumhuriyet Street. The people also call it “walking road”. According to the sources, the history of this street is the history of Izmit as well. The past and present spatial character of the study area will be revealed through archive reviews, city development plants, face-to-face interviews, and surveys. Problems will be determined, and recommendations will be developed.

Temporal trend of green space coverage in China and its relationship with urbanization over the last two decades.

PubMed

Zhao, Juanjuan; Chen, Shengbin; Jiang, Bo; Ren, Yin; Wang, Hua; Vause, Jonathan; Yu, Haidong

2013-01-01

Irrespective of which side is taken in the densification-sprawl debate, insights into the relationship between urban green space coverage and urbanization have been recognized as essential for guiding sustainable urban development. However, knowledge of the relationships between socio-economic variables of urbanization and long-term green space change is still limited. In this paper, using simple regression, hierarchical partitioning and multi-regression, the temporal trend in green space coverage and its relationship with urbanization were investigated using data from 286 cities between 1989 and 2009, covering all provinces in mainland China with the exception of Tibet. We found that: [1] average green space coverage of cities investigated increased steadily from 17.0% in 1989 to 37.3% in 2009; [2] cities with higher recent green space coverage also had relatively higher green space coverage historically; [3] cities in the same region exhibited similar long-term trends in green space coverage; [4] eight of the nine variables characterizing urbanization showed a significant positive linear relationship with green space coverage, with 'per capita GDP' having the highest independent contribution (24.2%); [5] among the climatic and geographic factors investigated, only mean elevation showed a significant effect; and [6] using the seven largest contributing individual factors, a linear model to predict variance in green space coverage was constructed. Here, we demonstrated that green space coverage in built-up areas tended to reflect the effects of urbanization rather than those of climatic or geographic factors. Quantification of the urbanization effects and the characteristics of green space development in China may provide a valuable reference for research into the processes of urban sprawl and its relationship with green space change. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Thermal Comfort Assessment in The Open Space in Bandung Case Study Dago Street and Riau Street

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sugangga, M.; Janesonia, K. I.; Illiyin, D. F.; Donny Koerniawan, M.

2018-05-01

Bandung’s temperature has been higher since last years. This phenomenon affects the level of thermal comfort in open space. One indicator that determines the thermal comfort level is the type of activity performed by the open space user. Riau Street and Dago Street are corridors that are often used by the people for strolling, jogging, shopping. Dago Street has special event every Sunday namely car free day. Both corridors have different orientation; Dago Street is North to South corridor while Riau Street’s is West to East. The goal of the study is to compare people’s perception of thermal comfort in both corridors. This research uses two methods, namely qualitative method and quantitative method. Based on the results of qualitative analysis found that the thermal conditions in Dago Street more comfortable than the Riau Street. The result of quantitative analysis found that the average PET (thermal comfort indices) value of Dago Street was at 27.5 °C PET and Riau Street 28.6 °C PET. Dago Street is considered more convenient because it has a lower PET value than Riau Street. The people perception of thermal comfort is very important to start the steps for designing the orientation of street in urban design.

Implementing sustainable development programs in Chicago

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Henderson, H.

1994-12-31

Achieving sustainable development requires a revision of the present view of the nature of the city as an environment, and its relation to a larger ecosystem of which it is an essential part. The environmental health of a wilderness area is inextricably related to the environmental, and economic, health of the great urban centers. The vitality of dense metropolitan areas, where population and economic activities are concentrated, is key to the preservation of productive farm lands, wildlife habitat, and open spaces. The social and economic crisis which grips many metropolitan centers, with attendant flight of industry and development to themore » so-called {open_quotes}greenfields,{close_quotes} fundamentally spreads a broader crisis to our common ecosystem. This crisis is marked by the obliteration of habitat necessary for biodiversity, loss of fertile farm land, and the contamination of air, water and land, as an unescapable effect of the sprawl created by flight from the urban centers. The removal of false conceptual distinctions between the city and nature, distinctions that are unfortunately at the heart of so much of American environmental philosophy, is key to the concept of `sustainable development.` This article sets forth how the City of Chicago is implementing this understanding of the nature of the urban environment, in pursuit of sustainable development within the city.« less

Area changes in U.S. forests and other major land uses, 1982 to 2002, with projections to 2062.

Treesearch

Ralph J. Alig; Andrew J. Plantinga; David Haim; Maribeth Todd

2010-01-01

This study updates an earlier assessment of the past, current, and prospective situation for the Nation’s land base. We describe area changes among major land uses on the U.S. land base for historical trends from 1982 to 2002 and projections out to 2062. Historically, 11 million acres of forest, cropland, and open space were converted to urban and other developed uses...

Estimating leaf area and leaf biomass of open-grown deciduous urban trees

Treesearch

David J. Nowak

1996-01-01

Logarithmic regression equations were developed to predict leaf area and leaf biomass for open-grown deciduous urban trees based on stem diameter and crown parameters. Equations based on crown parameters produced more reliable estimates. The equations can be used to help quantify forest structure and functions, particularly in urbanizing and urban/suburban areas.

Carbon limitation patterns in buried and open urban streams

EPA Science Inventory

Urban streams alternate between darkened buried segments dominated by heterotrophic processes and lighted open segments dominated by autotrophic processes. We hypothesized that labile carbon leaking from autotrophic cells would reduce heterotrophic carbon limitation in open chan...

Value of urban green spaces in promoting healthy living and wellbeing: prospects for planning.

PubMed

Lee, Andrew Chee Keng; Jordan, Hannah C; Horsley, Jason

2015-01-01

There has been considerable work done in recent years exploring the value of urban green space for health and wellbeing. Urban green spaces provide environmental benefits through their effects on negating urban heat, offsetting greenhouse gas emissions, and attenuating storm water. They also have direct health benefits by providing urban residents spaces for physical activity and social interaction, and allowing psychological restoration to take place. Consequently, there is a real need to understand the mechanisms by which these benefits accrue. Previously, much of the focus has been on the characteristics of the urban green space that are likely to influence its use, such as its accessibility, quality, facilities, attractiveness, and security. This assumes a causal relationship, when in reality the relationship is more complex and multifactorial. It is more likely that it is the functionality of the green space, be it for exercise or sociocultural activities, rather than its character, which translates to the reported benefits. Challenges exist, such as competing urban planning priorities, economic considerations, and market forces. There is thus a need for urban planning to match the health benefits sought with the needs of the community and the functionality that the urban green space will serve.

Soundwalk approach to identify urban soundscapes individually.

PubMed

Jeon, Jin Yong; Hong, Joo Young; Lee, Pyoung Jik

2013-07-01

This study proposes a soundwalk procedure for evaluating urban soundscapes. Previous studies, which adopted soundwalk methodologies for investigating participants' responses to visual and acoustic environments, were analyzed considering type, evaluation position, measurement, and subjective assessment. An individual soundwalk procedure was then developed based on asking individual subjects to walk and select evaluation positions where they perceived any positive or negative characteristics of the urban soundscape. A case study was performed in urban spaces and the results were compared with those of the group soundwalk to validate the individual soundwalk procedure. Thirty subjects (15 architects and 15 acousticians) participated in the soundwalk. During the soundwalk, the subjects selected a total of 196 positions, and those were classified into 4 groups. It was found that soundscape perceptions were dominated by acoustic comfort, visual images, and openness. It was also revealed that perceived elements of the acoustic environment and visual image differed across classified soundscape groups, and there was a difference between architects and acousticians in terms of how they described their impressions of the soundscape elements. The results show that the individual soundwalk procedure has advantages for measuring diverse subjective responses and for obtaining the perceived elements of the urban soundscape.

Relationships between objective acoustic indices and acoustic comfort evaluation in nonacoustic spaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kang, Jian

2004-05-01

Much attention has been paid to acoustic spaces such as concert halls and recording studios, whereas research on nonacoustic buildings/spaces has been rather limited, especially from the viewpoint of acoustic comfort. In this research a series of case studies has been carried out on this topic, considering various spaces including shopping mall atrium spaces, library reading rooms, football stadia, swimming spaces, churches, dining spaces, as well as urban open public spaces. The studies focus on the relationships between objective acoustic indices such as sound pressure level and reverberation time and perceptions of acoustic comfort. The results show that the acoustic atmosphere is an important consideration in such spaces and the evaluation of acoustic comfort may vary considerably even if the objective acoustic indices are the same. It is suggested that current guidelines and technical regulations are insufficient in terms of acoustic design of these spaces, and the relationships established from the case studies between objective and subjective aspects would be useful for developing further design guidelines. [Work supported partly by the British Academy.

Spatiotemporal dynamics of urban green spaces and human-wildlife conflicts in Tokyo

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hosaka, Tetsuro; Numata, Shinya

2016-08-01

Although urban green spaces are increasingly important both for humans and wildlife, an increase in urban green spaces may also increase human-wildlife conflicts in urban areas. However, few studies have examined the relationship between the size of green spaces and the level of conflicts with wildlife in multiple taxa, including invertebrates and vertebrates. To better understand current pest statistics and predict changes that will occur as the area of green spaces increases, we analysed a dataset compiling the number of pest consultations in 53 metropolitan districts in Tokyo over a 20-year period and its relationships with the area of green space. Stinging insects (e.g., wasps) made up over 50% of pest consultations, followed (in order) by rats and other nuisance animals (e.g., snakes). The number of consultations per unit population did not correlate, or was even negatively correlated, with the proportions of green spaces (mainly forest) for many indoor pests, but did positively correlate for some outdoor pests, such as wasps and snakes. Therefore, wasps and snakes can increase when urban green spaces increase. Because even minor nuisances are relevant for urban lifestyles, considerations of ways to minimise conflicts with wildlife are critical for urban green space management.

Urban Flow and Pollutant Dispersion Simulation with Multi-scale coupling of Meteorological Model with Computational Fluid Dynamic Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Yushi; Poh, Hee Joo

2014-11-01

The Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis has become increasingly important in modern urban planning in order to create highly livable city. This paper presents a multi-scale modeling methodology which couples Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model with open source CFD simulation tool, OpenFOAM. This coupling enables the simulation of the wind flow and pollutant dispersion in urban built-up area with high resolution mesh. In this methodology meso-scale model WRF provides the boundary condition for the micro-scale CFD model OpenFOAM. The advantage is that the realistic weather condition is taken into account in the CFD simulation and complexity of building layout can be handled with ease by meshing utility of OpenFOAM. The result is validated against the Joint Urban 2003 Tracer Field Tests in Oklahoma City and there is reasonably good agreement between the CFD simulation and field observation. The coupling of WRF- OpenFOAM provide urban planners with reliable environmental modeling tool in actual urban built-up area; and it can be further extended with consideration of future weather conditions for the scenario studies on climate change impact.

Urban Space as the Commons - New Modes for Urban Space Management

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ondrejicka, Vladimir; Finka, Maros; Husar, Milan; Jamecny, Lubomir

2017-12-01

The significant growing of urban population, globalization of social-ecological systems, fuzzification of spatial structures, the diversity of actors in spatial development, their power and interest in using the resources including space, especially in high-density urban areas. Spatial development is connected with a high concentration of economic activities and population in urban systems. In many cases very rapid processes of urbanization and suburbanization approach natural spatial/territorial limits, such as carrying capacity of land, transport and infrastructural systems, absorption capacities of recipients and others [1]. Growing shortage of space and problems in their accessibility (physical, functional, etc.) leads to growing tension and conflicts among the actors/users of urban spaces and represent the initial phase of space deprivations processes. There is a parallel with “tragedy of commons” as defined by Hardin [2] and was reinterpreted by many other academics and researchers. Urban space can be clearly interpreted as the commons or commons good for their community of users and relevant actors, so innovative governance modes overlapping defined “tragedy of commons” representing a possible approach for a new concept of urban public spaces management. This paper presents a possible new approach to the management of urban spaces reflecting the current challenges in spatial development based on the theory of commons and innovative governance modes. The new approach is built on innovations in institutional regimes, the algorithm of decision-making and economic expression and interpretation of quality of the space. The theory of the commons as the base source for this approach has been broadly proved in practice and Elinor Ostrom as the author of this theory [3-5] was awarded by Nobel Prize in 2009.

Role of Green Spaces in Favorable Microclimate Creating in Urban Environment (Exemplified by Italian Cities)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finaeva, O.

2017-11-01

The article represents a brief analysis of factors that influence the development of an urban green space system: territorial and climatic conditions, cultural and historical background as well as the modern strategy of historic cities development. The introduction defines the concept of urban greening, green spaces and green space distribution. The environmental parameters influenced by green spaces are determined. By the example of Italian cities the principles of the urban greening system development are considered: the historical aspects of formation of the urban greening system in Italian cities are analyzed, the role of green spaces in the formation of the urban environment structure and the creation of a favorable microclimate is determined, and a set of measures aimed at its improvement is highlighted. The modern principles of urban greening systems development and their characteristic features are considered. Special attention is paid to the interrelation of architectural and green structures in the formation of a favorable microclimate and psychological comfort in the urban environment; various methods of greening are considered by the example of existing architectural complexes depending on the climate of the area and the landscape features. The examples for the choice of plants and the application of compositional techniques are given. The results represent the basic principles of developing an urban green spaces system. The conclusion summarizes the techniques aimed at the microclimate improvement in the urban environment.

Openness to Experience as a Moderator of the Relationship between Intelligence and Creative Thinking: A Study of Chinese Children in Urban and Rural Areas.

PubMed

Shi, Baoguo; Dai, David Y; Lu, Yongli

2016-01-01

Using testing and questionnaire methods, this study investigated the relationships among openness to experience, intelligence and creative thinking. This study focused on the moderating effects of openness to experience on the relationship between intelligence and creative thinking in a sample of 831 primary school students in China. The findings showed significant positive relationships among openness to experience, intelligence and creative thinking. In relation to the focus of this study, openness to experience moderated the relationship between intelligence and creative thinking. However, the correlation between openness to experience and creative thinking was stronger for urban children than for rural children, and the moderating effect existed only in urban settings.

Openness to Experience as a Moderator of the Relationship between Intelligence and Creative Thinking: A Study of Chinese Children in Urban and Rural Areas

PubMed Central

Shi, Baoguo; Dai, David Y.; Lu, Yongli

2016-01-01

Using testing and questionnaire methods, this study investigated the relationships among openness to experience, intelligence and creative thinking. This study focused on the moderating effects of openness to experience on the relationship between intelligence and creative thinking in a sample of 831 primary school students in China. The findings showed significant positive relationships among openness to experience, intelligence and creative thinking. In relation to the focus of this study, openness to experience moderated the relationship between intelligence and creative thinking. However, the correlation between openness to experience and creative thinking was stronger for urban children than for rural children, and the moderating effect existed only in urban settings. PMID:27199866

Effects of landscape composition and pattern on land surface temperature: An urban heat island study in the megacities of Southeast Asia.

PubMed

Estoque, Ronald C; Murayama, Yuji; Myint, Soe W

2017-01-15

Due to its adverse impacts on urban ecological environment and the overall livability of cities, the urban heat island (UHI) phenomenon has become a major research focus in various interrelated fields, including urban climatology, urban ecology, urban planning, and urban geography. This study sought to examine the relationship between land surface temperature (LST) and the abundance and spatial pattern of impervious surface and green space in the metropolitan areas of Bangkok (Thailand), Jakarta (Indonesia), and Manila (Philippines). Landsat-8 OLI/TIRS data and various geospatial approaches, including urban-rural gradient, multiresolution grid-based, and spatial metrics-based techniques, were used to facilitate the analysis. We found a significant strong correlation between mean LST and the density of impervious surface (positive) and green space (negative) along the urban-rural gradients of the three cities, depicting a typical UHI profile. The correlation of impervious surface density with mean LST tends to increase in larger grids, whereas the correlation of green space density with mean LST tends to increase in smaller grids, indicating a stronger influence of impervious surface and green space on the variability of LST in larger and smaller areas, respectively. The size, shape complexity, and aggregation of the patches of impervious surface and green space also had significant relationships with mean LST, though aggregation had the most consistent strong correlation. On average, the mean LST of impervious surface is about 3°C higher than that of green space, highlighting the important role of green spaces in mitigating UHI effects, an important urban ecosystem service. We recommend that the density and spatial pattern of urban impervious surfaces and green spaces be considered in landscape and urban planning so that urban areas and cities can have healthier and more comfortable living urban environments. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Aging Urban Brain: Analyzing Outdoor Physical Activity Using the Emotiv Affectiv Suite in Older People.

PubMed

Neale, Chris; Aspinall, Peter; Roe, Jenny; Tilley, Sara; Mavros, Panagiotis; Cinderby, Steve; Coyne, Richard; Thin, Neil; Bennett, Gary; Thompson, Catharine Ward

2017-12-01

This research directly assesses older people's neural activation in response to a changing urban environment while walking, as measured by electroencephalography (EEG). The study builds on previous research that shows changes in cortical activity while moving through different urban settings. The current study extends this methodology to explore previously unstudied outcomes in older people aged 65 years or more (n = 95). Participants were recruited to walk one of six scenarios pairing urban busy (a commercial street with traffic), urban quiet (a residential street) and urban green (a public park) spaces in a counterbalanced design, wearing a mobile Emotiv EEG headset to record real-time neural responses to place. Each walk lasted around 15 min and was undertaken at the pace of the participant. We report on the outputs for these responses derived from the Emotiv Affectiv Suite software, which creates emotional parameters ('excitement', 'frustration', 'engagement' and 'meditation') with a real-time value assigned to them. The six walking scenarios were compared using a form of high dimensional correlated component regression (CCR) on difference data, capturing the change between one setting and another. The results showed that levels of 'engagement' were higher in the urban green space compared to those of the urban busy and urban quiet spaces, whereas levels of 'excitement' were higher in the urban busy environment compared with those of the urban green space and quiet urban space. In both cases, this effect is shown regardless of the order of exposure to these different environments. These results suggest that there are neural signatures associated with the experience of different urban spaces which may reflect the older age of the sample as well as the condition of the spaces themselves. The urban green space appears to have a restorative effect on this group of older adults.

Shades of green: Measuring the ecology of urban green space in the context of human health and well-being

Treesearch

Anna Jorgensen; Paul H. Gobster

2010-01-01

In this paper we review and analyze the recent research literature on urban green space and human health and well-being, with an emphasis on studies that attempt to measure biodiversity and other green space concepts relevant to urban ecological restoration. We first conduct a broad scale assessment of the literature to identify typologies of urban green space and...

Coexistence of coyotes (Canis latrans) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in an urban landscape.

PubMed

Mueller, Marcus A; Drake, David; Allen, Maximilian L

2018-01-01

Urban environments are increasing worldwide and are inherently different than their rural counterparts, with a variety of effects on wildlife due to human presence, increased habitat fragmentation, movement barriers, and access to anthropogenic food sources. Effective management of urban wildlife requires an understanding of how urbanization affects their behavior and ecology. The spatial activity and interactions of urban wildlife, however, have not been as rigorously researched as in rural areas. From January 2015 to December 2016, we captured, radio-collared, and tracked 11 coyotes and 12 red foxes in Madison, WI. Within our study area, coyotes strongly selected home ranges with high proportions of natural areas; conversely, red foxes selected home ranges with open space and moderately developed areas. Use of highly developed areas best explained variation among individual home range sizes and inversely affected home range size for coyotes and red foxes. Coyote and red fox home ranges showed some degree of spatial and temporal overlap, but generally appeared partitioned by habitat type within our study area. Coyotes and red foxes were both active at similar times of the day, but their movement patterns differed based on species-specific habitat use. This spatial partitioning may promote positive co-existence between these sympatric canids in urban areas, and our findings of spatial activity and interactions will better inform wildlife managers working in urban areas.

Coexistence of coyotes (Canis latrans) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in an urban landscape

PubMed Central

Drake, David; Allen, Maximilian L.

2018-01-01

Urban environments are increasing worldwide and are inherently different than their rural counterparts, with a variety of effects on wildlife due to human presence, increased habitat fragmentation, movement barriers, and access to anthropogenic food sources. Effective management of urban wildlife requires an understanding of how urbanization affects their behavior and ecology. The spatial activity and interactions of urban wildlife, however, have not been as rigorously researched as in rural areas. From January 2015 to December 2016, we captured, radio-collared, and tracked 11 coyotes and 12 red foxes in Madison, WI. Within our study area, coyotes strongly selected home ranges with high proportions of natural areas; conversely, red foxes selected home ranges with open space and moderately developed areas. Use of highly developed areas best explained variation among individual home range sizes and inversely affected home range size for coyotes and red foxes. Coyote and red fox home ranges showed some degree of spatial and temporal overlap, but generally appeared partitioned by habitat type within our study area. Coyotes and red foxes were both active at similar times of the day, but their movement patterns differed based on species-specific habitat use. This spatial partitioning may promote positive co-existence between these sympatric canids in urban areas, and our findings of spatial activity and interactions will better inform wildlife managers working in urban areas. PMID:29364916

Teaching Architecture - Contemporary Challenges and Threats in the Complexity of Built Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Borucka, Justyna; Macikowski, Bartosz

2017-10-01

The complexity of the modern built environment is a problem not only of architectural and urban issues. This issue extends to many other disciplines as well as covering a wide range of social engagements. The idea of writing this paper is generally initiated by the debate which took place in Gdańsk on 22.01.2016, and was prepared in order to meet representatives of the four circles of interest within the architectural sphere: universities, professional architectural organisations and associations, architectural practice (professionals running their own studios, managing projects and leading construction) and local social organisations active in city of Gdańsk. This paper is a comparison of the results of this discussion in relation to the policy and methodology of architecture teaching on the University level. Teaching architecture and urban planning according to the present discussion needs to be improved and advanced to meet the increasing complexity of both disciplines. Contemporary dynamic development of cities creates the necessity of engaging multiple stakeholders, participants and users of architecture and urban space. This is crucial to make them conscious of sharing responsibility for increasing the quality of living in the built environment. This discussion about architectural education is open and has the nature of an ongoing process adapting to a changing environment and is in fact a constant challenge which brings questions rather than simple answers. Transformation of architecture and urban planning, and consequently its education are increasingly entering into the related fields, especially into the professional practice and social environment. The question of how to teach architecture and urban planning and educate users of urban space should take place in the context of a wide discussion. This interdisciplinary debate seems to be a crucial and challenging step towards improving the future education of architecture and urban planning leading to a better life in the city.

Nature-based solutions for urban landscapes under post-industrialization and globalization: Barcelona versus Shanghai.

PubMed

Fan, Peilei; Ouyang, Zutao; Basnou, Corina; Pino, Joan; Park, Hogeun; Chen, Jiquan

2017-07-01

Using Barcelona and Shanghai as case studies, we examined the nature-based solutions (NBS) in urban settings-specifically within cities experiencing post-industrialization and globalization. Our specific research questions are: (1) What are the spatiotemporal changes in urban built-up land and green space in Barcelona and Shanghai? (2) What are the relationships between economic development, exemplified by post-industrialization, globalization, and urban green space? Urban land use and green space change were evaluated using data derived from a variety of sources, including satellite images, landscape matrix indicators, and a land conversion matrix. The relationships between economic development, globalization, and environmental quality were analyzed through partial least squares structural equation modeling based on secondary statistical data. Both Barcelona and Shanghai have undergone rapid urbanization, with urban expansion in Barcelona beginning in the 1960s-1970s and in Shanghai in the last decade. While Barcelona's urban green space and green space per capita began declining between the 1950s and 1990s, they increased slightly over the past two decades. Shanghai, however, has consistently and significantly improved urban green space and green space per capita over the past six decades, especially since the economic reform in 1978. Economic development has a direct and significant influence on urban green space for both cities and post-industrialization had served as the main driving force for urban landscape change in Barcelona and Shanghai. Based on secondary statistical and qualitative data from on-site observations and interviews with local experts, we highlighted the institution's role in NBS planning. Furthermore, aspiration to become a global or globalizing city motivated both cities to use NBS planning as a place-making tool to attract global investment, which is reflected in various governing policies and regulations. The cities' effort to achieve a higher status in the global city hierarchy may have contributed to the increase in total green space and urban green per capita. In addition, various institutional shifts, such as land property rights in a market economy vs. a transitional economy, may also have contributed to the differences in efficiency when expanding urban green space in Barcelona and Shanghai. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[A review on urban metabolism research based on physical space entities for environmental management].

PubMed

Liu, Ye; Liu, Dan

2015-07-01

Urban metabolism is a basic theory for coping with global environmental problems, which is coherent with the aims of national environmental management. This paper analyzed the concept of urban metabolism, and pointed out the meaning for urban metabolism in physical space entities; reviewed the current methods for urban metabolism and its merits and shortages; analyzed the system boundaries, connotation, and methodologies; and summarized the advances on urban meta-bolism practices in physical space entities. At last, we made conclusions that there were shortages, including conception system, basic theory system, and interdisciplinary integrated theory system in current urban metabolism research, and the current cases studied in urban metabolism were limited and not suitable to the harmony development between society, economy, and environment. In the future, we need to strengthen comparison between different case studies from different countries, develop the prior modes of typical urban metabolism research, identify the mechanism for urban ecosystem, and strengthen the spatial decision support system of environmental management taking urban spatial entity spaces as units.

An observation on the quality of interfaces in order to understand the complexity and coherence of informal settlement: A study on Tamansari Kampung in Bandung

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sawira, S.; Rahman, T.

2018-05-01

Self-organized settlements are formed within the limited capacity of the inhabitants with or without the Government’s interventions. This pattern is mostly found in the informal settlements, where occupants are the planners who are guided by their needs, limited resources and vernacular knowledge about place making. Understanding the process of its development and transformation could be a way of unfolding the complexity it offers to a formal urban setting. To identify the patterns of adaptation process, a study of morphological elements (i.e. house form, streets) could be a possible way. A case study of an informal settlement (Kampung of Tamansari, Bandung in Indonesia) has been taken to dissect these elements. Two of important components of the study area: house forms and streets created the first layer of urban fabric. High population density demanded layers of needs and activities which eventually guided the multifunctional characteristics of streets and house forms. Thus, streets create dialogue with the complex built forms-often known as interface is the key element to understand the underneath order of Tamansari. Here interface can be divided into two categories depending on their scale – small and large. Small scale interfaces are comprised of small elements such as, extended platform, fence, steps, low height wall, blank wall and elements to set above, set forth, set over in house forms. These components help to create and define semipublic spaces in the settlement. These spaces could be visually and physically interactive or no interactive which result into active or inactive spaces respectively. Small scale interfaces are common features of the settlement, whereas large scale interfaces are placed at strategic locations and act as active spaces. Connecting bridges, open spaces and contours often create special dialogue within and beyond the study area. Interfaces cater diversity in the settlement by creating hierarchy of spaces. Sense of belonging and scope of personalization of the inhabitants are integral parts of alleyways and thus they create a complex yet coherent urban fabric. Apart from the physical elements, the settlement embodies some intangible assets like social bonding, trust, kinship, empathy and sense of belonging that add value to the spatial quality which is a distinctive character of Tamansari kampung. Informal settlements are certainly complex in nature, as it is an outcome of multiple people working to accommodate multidimensional needs. Whereas in a formal system, approach to cater for need is guided by a set of rules developed by a set of professionals end up in creating prototypes irrespective of necessity, affordability and cultural diversity. Cities throughout the world, are experiencing rapid urbanization creating different urban issues. Therefore, it is highly necessary to address different need and affordability of users and come up with suitable urban solutions. Understanding Tamansari Kampung as an informal settlement will enrich the knowledge and expertise to work in complex urban settings.

Mitigating Undesignated Trail Use: The Efficacy of Messaging and Direct Site Management Actions in an Urban-Proximate Open Space Context.

PubMed

Schwartz, F; Taff, B D; Lawhon, B; VanderWoude, D

2018-05-08

The use and creation of undesignated recreational trails can lead to erosion, vegetation damage, unsafe trail conditions, and impacts to local wildlife. The mitigation of undesignated trail use is typically addressed indirectly through minimum-impact visitor education programs such as Leave No Trace, or directly through closures or sanctions. In this study, researchers collaborated with City of Boulder, Colorado Open Space and Mountain Parks (OSMP) staff to develop a quasi-experimental field study that examined the effectiveness of indirect (messaging) and direct (barriers) management approaches to mitigating undesignated trail use. The study applied a Theory of Planned Behavior framework, utilized Leave No Trace messaging, and employed a method to pair survey and direct observation data. A total of 2232 visitor parties were observed, and 147 surveys were collected. The combined direct (barrier) and indirect (messaging) intervention was the most effective at mitigating undesignated trail use. Implications for management and future research are discussed.

Bluetooth as a Playful Public Art Interface

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stukoff, Maria N.

This chapter investigates how the application of emergent communication technologies assisted in the design of playful art experience in a public place. Every Passing Moment (EPM), was a mobile public artwork that tracked and recorded any discoverable Bluetooth device to automatically seed a flower in a virtual garden projected onto an urban screen. The EPM was the first public art work to run blu_box, a custom-designed Bluetooth system for mobile telephony. The aim of blu_box was to build a system that supported playful interactions between the public and an urban screen, openly accessible to anyone with a Bluetooth-enabled mobile phone. This participatory engagement was observed in EPM on three levels, namely; unconscious, conscious, and dynamic play. Furthermore, this chapter highlights how sound and face-to-face communication proved imperative in the play dynamics of EPM. In conclusion, this chapter proposes ways in which the use of emergent communication technologies in public places, especially when interfaced with urban screening platforms, can construct playful city spaces for the public at large.

Urban permeable pavement system design based on “sponge city” concept

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yu, M. M.; Zhu, J. W.; Gao, W. F.; Xu, D. P.; Zhao, M.

2017-08-01

Based on the “sponge city” concept, to implement the goal of building a city within the city to solve the sponge waterlogging, rational utilization of water resources, reduce water pollution this paper, combined with the city planning level in China, establishes the design system of city road flooding from the macro, medium and micro level, explore the design method of city water permeable pavement system, and has a practical significance the lower flood risk water ecological problems. On the macro level, we established an urban pavement sponge system under the regional ecological pattern by “spot permeable open space - low impact developing rain water road system - catchment area and catchment wetland”. On a medium level, this paper proposed the permeable suitability of pavement and the planning control indicators when combined with urban functional districts to conduct permeable pavement roads plans and controls. On micro level, the paper studied sponge technology design of permeable pavement from road structure, surface material, and other aspects aimed at the pavement permeability requirements.

Performance Evaluation of Block Acquisition and Tracking Algorithms Using an Open Source GPS Receiver Platform

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ramachandran, Ganesh K.; Akopian, David; Heckler, Gregory W.; Winternitz, Luke B.

2011-01-01

Location technologies have many applications in wireless communications, military and space missions, etc. US Global Positioning System (GPS) and other existing and emerging Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) are expected to provide accurate location information to enable such applications. While GNSS systems perform very well in strong signal conditions, their operation in many urban, indoor, and space applications is not robust or even impossible due to weak signals and strong distortions. The search for less costly, faster and more sensitive receivers is still in progress. As the research community addresses more and more complicated phenomena there exists a demand on flexible multimode reference receivers, associated SDKs, and development platforms which may accelerate and facilitate the research. One of such concepts is the software GPS/GNSS receiver (GPS SDR) which permits a facilitated access to algorithmic libraries and a possibility to integrate more advanced algorithms without hardware and essential software updates. The GNU-SDR and GPS-SDR open source receiver platforms are such popular examples. This paper evaluates the performance of recently proposed block-corelator techniques for acquisition and tracking of GPS signals using open source GPS-SDR platform.

Numerical Simulation of Dispersion from Urban Greenhouse Gas Sources

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nottrott, Anders; Tan, Sze; He, Yonggang; Winkler, Renato

2017-04-01

Cities are characterized by complex topography, inhomogeneous turbulence, and variable pollutant source distributions. These features create a scale separation between local sources and urban scale emissions estimates known as the Grey-Zone. Modern computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques provide a quasi-deterministic, physically based toolset to bridge the scale separation gap between source level dynamics, local measurements, and urban scale emissions inventories. CFD has the capability to represent complex building topography and capture detailed 3D turbulence fields in the urban boundary layer. This presentation discusses the application of OpenFOAM to urban CFD simulations of natural gas leaks in cities. OpenFOAM is an open source software for advanced numerical simulation of engineering and environmental fluid flows. When combined with free or low cost computer aided drawing and GIS, OpenFOAM generates a detailed, 3D representation of urban wind fields. OpenFOAM was applied to model scalar emissions from various components of the natural gas distribution system, to study the impact of urban meteorology on mobile greenhouse gas measurements. The numerical experiments demonstrate that CH4 concentration profiles are highly sensitive to the relative location of emission sources and buildings. Sources separated by distances of 5-10 meters showed significant differences in vertical dispersion of plumes, due to building wake effects. The OpenFOAM flow fields were combined with an inverse, stochastic dispersion model to quantify and visualize the sensitivity of point sensors to upwind sources in various built environments. The Boussinesq approximation was applied to investigate the effects of canopy layer temperature gradients and convection on sensor footprints.

Bioclimatic comfort and the thermal perceptions and preferences of beach tourists

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rutty, Michelle; Scott, Daniel

2015-01-01

The largest market segment of global tourism is coastal tourism, which is strongly dependent on the destination's thermal climate. To date, outdoor bioclimatic comfort assessments have focused exclusively on local residents in open urban areas, making it unclear whether outdoor comfort is perceived differently in non-urban environments or by non-residents (i.e. tourists) with different weather expectations and activity patterns. This study provides needed insight into the perception of outdoor microclimatic conditions in a coastal environment while simultaneously identifying important psychological factors that differentiate tourists from everyday users of urban spaces. Concurrent micrometeorological measurements were taken on several Caribbean beaches in the islands of Barbados, Saint Lucia and Tobago, while a questionnaire survey was used to examine the thermal comfort of subjects ( n = 472). Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) conditions of 32 to 39 °C were recorded, which were perceived as being "slightly warm" or "warm" by respondents. Most beach users (48 to 77 %) would not change the thermal conditions, with some (4 to 15 %) preferring even warmer conditions. Even at UTCI of 39 °C, 62 % of respondents voted for no change to current thermal conditions, with an additional 10 % stating that they would like to feel even warmer. These results indicate that beach users' thermal preferences are up to 18 °C warmer than the preferred thermal conditions identified in existing outdoor bioclimatic studies from urban park settings. This indicates that beach users hold fundamentally different comfort perceptions and preferences compared to people using urban spaces. Statistically significant differences ( p ≤ .05) were also recorded for demographic groups (gender, age) and place of origin (climatic region).

Bioclimatic comfort and the thermal perceptions and preferences of beach tourists.

PubMed

Rutty, Michelle; Scott, Daniel

2015-01-01

The largest market segment of global tourism is coastal tourism, which is strongly dependent on the destination's thermal climate. To date, outdoor bioclimatic comfort assessments have focused exclusively on local residents in open urban areas, making it unclear whether outdoor comfort is perceived differently in non-urban environments or by non-residents (i.e. tourists) with different weather expectations and activity patterns. This study provides needed insight into the perception of outdoor microclimatic conditions in a coastal environment while simultaneously identifying important psychological factors that differentiate tourists from everyday users of urban spaces. Concurrent micrometeorological measurements were taken on several Caribbean beaches in the islands of Barbados, Saint Lucia and Tobago, while a questionnaire survey was used to examine the thermal comfort of subjects (n = 472). Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) conditions of 32 to 39 °C were recorded, which were perceived as being "slightly warm" or "warm" by respondents. Most beach users (48 to 77 %) would not change the thermal conditions, with some (4 to 15 %) preferring even warmer conditions. Even at UTCI of 39 °C, 62 % of respondents voted for no change to current thermal conditions, with an additional 10 % stating that they would like to feel even warmer. These results indicate that beach users' thermal preferences are up to 18 °C warmer than the preferred thermal conditions identified in existing outdoor bioclimatic studies from urban park settings. This indicates that beach users hold fundamentally different comfort perceptions and preferences compared to people using urban spaces. Statistically significant differences (p ≤ .05) were also recorded for demographic groups (gender, age) and place of origin (climatic region).

Improving 3d Spatial Queries Search: Newfangled Technique of Space Filling Curves in 3d City Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Uznir, U.; Anton, F.; Suhaibah, A.; Rahman, A. A.; Mioc, D.

2013-09-01

The advantages of three dimensional (3D) city models can be seen in various applications including photogrammetry, urban and regional planning, computer games, etc.. They expand the visualization and analysis capabilities of Geographic Information Systems on cities, and they can be developed using web standards. However, these 3D city models consume much more storage compared to two dimensional (2D) spatial data. They involve extra geometrical and topological information together with semantic data. Without a proper spatial data clustering method and its corresponding spatial data access method, retrieving portions of and especially searching these 3D city models, will not be done optimally. Even though current developments are based on an open data model allotted by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) called CityGML, its XML-based structure makes it challenging to cluster the 3D urban objects. In this research, we propose an opponent data constellation technique of space-filling curves (3D Hilbert curves) for 3D city model data representation. Unlike previous methods, that try to project 3D or n-dimensional data down to 2D or 3D using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) or Hilbert mappings, in this research, we extend the Hilbert space-filling curve to one higher dimension for 3D city model data implementations. The query performance was tested using a CityGML dataset of 1,000 building blocks and the results are presented in this paper. The advantages of implementing space-filling curves in 3D city modeling will improve data retrieval time by means of optimized 3D adjacency, nearest neighbor information and 3D indexing. The Hilbert mapping, which maps a subinterval of the [0, 1] interval to the corresponding portion of the d-dimensional Hilbert's curve, preserves the Lebesgue measure and is Lipschitz continuous. Depending on the applications, several alternatives are possible in order to cluster spatial data together in the third dimension compared to its clustering in 2D.

The Benefits and Challenges of Having AN Open and Free Basis Satellite Data Sharing Platform in Turkey: GEZGİN

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seda Deveci, Hüsne; Koru, Aziz; Sakarya, Ufuk; Tevrizoğlu, İsmail; Teke, Mustafa; Küpçü, Ramazan; Avenoğlu, Bülent; Demirkesen, Can; Zübeyde Gürbüz, Sevgi; Feray Öztoprak, A.; Açıkgöz, İbrahim Serdar; Hakkı Demirhan, İsmail; Ömer Kozal, Ali; Efendioğlu, Mehmet; Berke, Erdinç; Fehmi Şimşek, F.; Atıl, İlkay; Kaya, Derya; Uçmak, Pınar; Ersöz, Eda; Özen, Hilal

2016-06-01

Turkey is a county that experiences rapid socioeconomic development, which, in turn, leads to high urbanization rates due to migration of people from rural to urban areas, many large-scale development projects (e.g. highways, dams, housing and infrastructure), and environmental problems that adversely affect agriculture, such as soil erosion and deforestation. Furthermore, Turkey lies in a region prone to natural disasters, especially earthquakes, landslides, flooding and forest fires. Successfully overcoming these challenges requires continuous monitoring to enable rapid response as well as the development of effective socioeconomic policies. In this regard, space-based earth observation (EO) systems play a critical role in the rapid acquisiton and extraction of crucial information. The first launch of the first Turkish-designed satellite, RASAT, in 2011 led to the wide-spread exploitation of space-based resources by Turkish institutions through the dissemination of EO data on an open and free basis via the GEZGIN internet portal (http://www.gezgin.gov.tr). The push for data sharing was further instigated by the nationally funded project GEOPORTAL ("Satellite Image Processing and Geoportal Development Project") and European Union FP7 project EOPOWER ("Earth Observation for Economic Empowerment"), which strove to create conditions for sustainable economic development through the increased use of Earth observation products and services for environmental applications. In this work, the technical challenges involving processing and preparing raw satellite data for dissemination as well as software design of the GEZGIN Portal will be presented.

Adaptive governance to promote ecosystem services in urban ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Managing urban green space as part of an ongoing social-ecological transformationposes novel governance issues, particularly in post-industrial settings. Urban green spaces operate as small-scale nodes in larger networks of ecological reserves that provide and maintain key ecosystem services such as pollination, water retention and infiltration, and sustainable food production. In an urban mosaic, a myriad of social and ecological components factor into aggregating and managing land to maintain or increase the flow of ecosystem services associated with green spaces. Vacant lots (a form of urban green space) are being repurposed for multiple functions, such as habitat for biodiversity, including arthropods that provide pollination services to other green areas; to capture urban runoff that eases the burden on ageing wastewater systems and other civic infrastructure; and to reduce urban heat island effects. Urban green spaces provide vital ecosystem services at varying degrees, depending on the size, function, and management of these spaces. Governance of linked social-ecological systems to maximize those services poses unique challenges given the uncertainty of ecological responses and the social political complexity of managing ecological resources in an urban context where fiscal and human resources are strained. In North America, many cities are facing fiscal austerity because of shrinkage in manufacturing and industrial sectors and the foreclosure crisis. As

[Location selection for Shenyang urban parks based on GIS and multi-objective location allocation model].

PubMed

Zhou, Yuan; Shi, Tie-Mao; Hu, Yuan-Man; Gao, Chang; Liu, Miao; Song, Lin-Qi

2011-12-01

Based on geographic information system (GIS) technology and multi-objective location-allocation (LA) model, and in considering of four relatively independent objective factors (population density level, air pollution level, urban heat island effect level, and urban land use pattern), an optimized location selection for the urban parks within the Third Ring of Shenyang was conducted, and the selection results were compared with the spatial distribution of existing parks, aimed to evaluate the rationality of the spatial distribution of urban green spaces. In the location selection of urban green spaces in the study area, the factor air pollution was most important, and, compared with single objective factor, the weighted analysis results of multi-objective factors could provide optimized spatial location selection of new urban green spaces. The combination of GIS technology with LA model would be a new approach for the spatial optimizing of urban green spaces.

Recent Experience with Urban School Choice Plans. ERIC/CUE Digest Number 127.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cookson, Peter W., Jr.; Shroff, Sonali M.

School choice plans have been widely adopted, and most urban areas have a limited choice plan of some sort. This digest presents an overview of different choice strategies by reviewing the experiences of several urban areas. Minnesota has statewide open enrollment for all students, making all public schools throughout the state open to all…

Adaptive governance to promote ecosystem services in urban green spaces

EPA Science Inventory

Managing urban green space as part of an ongoing social-ecological transformationposes novel governance issues, particularly in post-industrial settings. Urban green spaces operate as small-scale nodes in larger networks of ecological reserves that provide and maintain key ecosys...

Urban Public Space Context and Cognitive Psychology Evolution in Information Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Chen; Xu, Hua-wei

2017-11-01

The rapid development of information technology has had a great impact on the understanding of urban environment, which brings different spatially psychological experience. Information and image transmission has been full with the streets, both the physical space and virtual space have been unprecedentedly blended together through pictures, images, electronic media and other tools, which also stimulates people’s vision and psychology and gives birth to a more complex form of urban space. Under the dual role of spatial mediumlization and media spatialization, the psychological cognitive pattern of urban public space context is changing.

The shelf space and strategic placement of healthy and discretionary foods in urban, urban-fringe and rural/non-metropolitan Australian supermarkets.

PubMed

Cameron, Adrian J

2018-02-01

Supermarkets are a key influence on eating behaviours, but it is unknown if the promotion of food within stores varies on a geographic gradient from urban, to urban-fringe and non-metropolitan areas. The present study aimed to assess the shelf space and strategic placement of healthy and discretionary foods in each of urban, urban-fringe and non-metropolitan Australian supermarkets. Design/Setting In-store audits were conducted in stores from one of the two major Australian supermarket chains in urban (n 19), urban-fringe (n 20) and non-metropolitan (n 26) areas of Victoria. These audits examined selected food items (crisps/chips, chocolate, confectionery, soft drinks/sodas, fruits and vegetables) and measured the shelf space and the proportion of end-of-aisle and cash register displays containing these products. Store size was measured as the sum of aisle length. Differences in the supermarket food environment with respect to location were assessed, before and after adjustment for neighbourhood socio-economic position. The strategic placement of discretionary foods was commonly observed in all supermarkets. Adjusting for store size (larger in urban-fringe and rural areas), urban stores had greater shelf space devoted to fruits and vegetables, and less checkouts with soft drinks, than urban-fringe and rural/non-metropolitan areas. Differences remained following adjustment for neighbourhood socio-economic position. No clear pattern was observed for end-of-aisle displays, or the placement of chocolate and confectionery at checkouts. The shelf space of healthy and discretionary foods in urban-fringe and rural stores parallels the prevalence of overweight and obesity in these areas. Interventions in urban-fringe and rural stores targeting the shelf space of healthy foods and the placement of soft drinks at key displays may be useful obesity prevention initiatives.

Advancing sustainability through urban green space: cultural ecosystem services, equity, and social determinants of health

Treesearch

Viniece Jennings; Lincoln Larson; Jessica Yun

2016-01-01

Urban green spaces provide an array of benefits, or ecosystem services, that support our physical, psychological, and social health. In many cases, however, these benefits are not equitably distributed across diverse urban populations. In this paper, we explore relationships between cultural ecosystem services provided by urban green space and the social determinants...

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Haase, Dagmar, E-mail: dagmar.haase@ufz.d

The amount of land consumption required for housing and transport severely conflicts with both the necessity and the legal obligation to maintain the ecological potential afforded by open spaces to meet the needs of current and future generations with regards to the protection of resources and climate change. Owing to an increasing intensity of soil use, soil conditions appear to have deteriorated in most city regions around the world, namely their filter and runoff regulating functions are impaired by land surfacing. As such soil functions depend on the soil's biophysical properties and the degree of imperviousness, the impact on themore » water balance caused by urban growth varies considerably. In response to the demand for sustainably secure urban water resources, it needs to be assessed exactly how land surfacing affects the functions concerned. Analysing and evaluating urban land use change on the long-term water balance should improve our understanding of the impact of urbanisation on the water household. Therefore, this paper analyses the impact of urban land use change and land surfacing on the long-term urban water balance over a 130-year trajectory by using simple model approaches that are based on data available to the public. The test site is the city of Leipzig. In particular, attention is to be paid to estimating changes of evapotranspiration, direct runoff and groundwater recharge.« less

Exploring Association between Morphology of Tree Planting and User Activities in Urban Public Space; An opportunity of Urban Public Space Revitalisation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shen, Qi; Liu, Yan

2018-03-01

This paper discusses the association between the morphology of tree planting in urban riverside brown field and user activities. With the growth of popularity, the revitalisation of urban public space is also promising. This research used drone photography and mapping to systematically surveys sample sites. An original observation study of user activities proceed in four sample public spaces in Sheffield. The study results found there are huge popularity and duration difference of user activities between various tree planting morphologies and typologies. The public space with lawn and rounded by mature trees attracted most users with the most activity types; the neat and silent public space is the favourite choice of lunch and reading, meanwhile it got the longest activity duration; but the space with sparse morphology and small trees are more likely be forgotten and abandoned. This finding offered a great opportunity for urban public space revitalisation in post-industrial cities.

Improving Urban Corridor that Respect to Public Space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zahrah, W.; Rahmadhani, N.; Nasution, A. D.; Pane, I. F.

2017-03-01

The urban corridor is more than just a linear space to circulation. It is a place for community activities. Since the urban area in Indonesia functionates without guidelines, it is necessary to analyze how this space being used by the community. The objective of the research is to explore the problems in utilization of public space in Dr. Mansur corridor in Medan and to propose some recommendation to improve it. The survey was started by mapping the physical situation that based on urban design aspects and the activities occur. Based on the data, the study identified the problems of the public space utilization. Next, study selected several buildings that significant in generating public life. The study interviewed the building’s owners and users/customers to get their opinion and perception about the using of urban public space utilization in the corridor in relation to their private function. The study analyzed the problems and opportunity to redesign the buildings that respect to public space. Then, the design ideas were presented to the buildings owners to get their response. The result of the observation shows that the fundamental problem in the corridor is the intervention of the private interest to the street as public space. The study indicates that the majority of the buildings owner was not aware that their buildings had distracted the urban public space. However, they gave a positive respond to the design recommendation. The design offered the solution that provided individual needs without intervention to the public realm. The study can contribute to improving urban corridor by educating the community with architecture and urban design.

Space Monitoring of urban sprawl

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nole, G.; Lanorte, A.; Murgante, B.; Lasaponara, R.

2012-04-01

Space Monitoring of urban sprawl Gabriele Nolè (1,2), Antonio Lanorte (1), , Beniamino Murgante (2) and Rosa Lasaponara (1) , (1,2) Institute of Methodologies for Environmental Analysis, National Research Council, Italy (2) Laboratory of Urban and Territorial Systems, University of Basilicata, During the last few decades, in many regions throughout the world abandonment of agricultural land has induced a high concentration of people in densely populated urban areas. The deep social, economic and environmental changes have caused strong and extensive land cover changes. This is regarded as a pressing issue that calls for a clear understanding of the ongoing trends and future urban expansion. The main issue of great importance in modelling urban growth includes spatial and temporal dynamics, scale dynamics, man-induced land use changes. Although urban growth is perceived as necessary for a sustainable economy, uncontrolled or sprawling urban growth can cause various problems, such as, the loss of open space, landscape alteration, environmental pollution, traffic congestion, infrastructure pressure, and other social and economical issues. To face these drawbacks, a continuous monitoring of the urban growth evolution in terms of type and extent of changes over time are essential for supporting planners and decision makers in future urban planning. A critical point for the understanding and monitoring urban expansion processes is the availability of both (i) time-series data set and (ii) updated information relating to the current urban spatial structure a to define and locate the evolution trends. In such a context, an effective contribution can be offered by satellite remote sensing technologies, which are able to provide both historical data archive and up-to-date imagery. Satellite technologies represent a cost-effective mean for obtaining useful data that can be easily and systematically updated for the whole globe. Nowadays medium resolution satellite images, such as Landsat TM or ASTER can be downloaded free of charge from the NASA web site. The use of satellite imagery along with robust data analysis techniques can be used for the monitoring and planning purposes as these enable the reporting of ongoing trends of urban growth at a detailed level. Nevertheless, the exploitation of satellite Earth Observation in the field of the urban growth monitoring is a relatively new tool, although during the last three decades great efforts have been addressed to the application of remote sensing in detecting land use and land cover changes using a number of data analyses, such as: (i) Spectral enhancement based on vegetation index differencing, principal component analysis, Image differencing and visual interpretation and/or classification, (ii) post-classification change differencing and a combination of image enhancement and post-classification comparison, (iii) mixture analysis, (iv) artificial neural networks, (v) landscape metrics (patchiness and map density) and (vi) the integration of geographical information system and remote sensing data. In this paper a comparison of the methods listed before is carried out using satellite time series made up of Landsat MSS, TM, ETM+ASTER for some test areas selected in South of Italy and Cairo in order to extract and quantify urban sprawl and its spatial and temporal feature patterns.

Causes of Potential Urban Heat Island Space Using Heat flux Budget Under Urban Canopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwon, Y. J.; Lee, D. K.

2017-12-01

Raised concerns about possible contribution from urban heat island to global warming is about 30 percent. Therefore, mitigating urban heat island became one of major issues to solve among urban planners, urban designers, landscape architects, urban affair decision makers and etc. Urban heat island effect on a micro-scale is influenced by factors such as wind, water vapor and solar radiation. Urban heat island effect on a microscale is influenced by factors like wind, water vapor and solar radiation. These microscopic climates are also altered by factors affecting the heat content in space, like SVF and aspect ratio depending on the structural characteristics of various urban canyon components. Indicators of heat mitigation in urban design stage allows us to create a spatial structure considering the heat balance budget. The spatial characteristics affect thermal change by varying heat storage, emitting or absorbing the heat. The research defines characteristics of the space composed of the factors affecting the heat flux change as the potential urban heat island space. Potential urban heat island spaces are that having higher heat flux than periphery space. The study is to know the spatial characteristics that affects the subsequent temperature rise by the heat flux. As a research method, four types of potential heat island space regions were analyzed. I categorized the spatial types by comparing parameters' value of energy balance in day and night: 1) day severe areas, 2) day comfort areas, 3) night severe areas, 4) night comfort areas. I have looked at these four types of potential urban heat island areas from a microscopic perspective and investigated how various forms of heat influences on higher heat flux areas. This research was designed to investigate the heat indicators to be reflected in the design of urban canyon for heat mitigation. As a result, severe areas in daytime have high SVF rate, sensible heat is generated. Day comfort areas have shadow effect, or latent heat, though they are exposed to heat due to a lot sensible heat in the air. Third, in the severe areas at night time, the latent heat was not effective but storage heat flux from the day time was emitted in the air which made the space still warm after sunset. Lastly, the comfort areas at night time have a low SVF rate, and had the large shadow effect during day time.

Hydrologic data for urban storm runoff in the Denver metropolitan area, Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Gibbs, Johnnie W.; Doefer, John T.

1982-01-01

Urban storm-runoff data collected from April through September 1981 from nine Denver Nationwide Urban Runoff Program sites, urban storm-runoff data collected from April 1980 through September 1981 from ten South Platte River Study sites, and rainfall-runoff simulation data from two sites for June 1980 and May 1981 are presented in this report. The Denver Nationwide Urban Runoff Program sites were two single-family residential areas, two multifamily residential areas, one commercial area (shopping center), one mixed commercial and multifamily residential area, one natural area (open space), and two detention ponds. The South Platte River Study sites were six tributaries of the South Platte River and four instream sites on the South Platte River. The tributary sites were Bear Creek at mouth, at Sheridan; Harvard Gulch at Harvard Park, at Denver; Sanderson Gulch at mouth, at Denver; Weir Gulch at mouth, at Denver; Lakewood Gulch at mouth, at Denver; and Cherry Creek at Denver. The instream sites were South Platte River at Littleton; South Platte River at Florida Avenue, at Denver; South Platte River at Denver; and South Platte River at 50th Avenue, at Denver. The rainfall-runoff simulation sites were North Avenue at Denver Federal Center, at Lakewood and Rooney Gulch at Rooney Ranch, near Morrison. Precipitation, rainfall-runoff, water-quality data, and basin characteristics were collected at the urban storm-runoff sites. The urban storm-runoff data may be used to characterize runoff loading for various land-use types in Denver and other semiarid regions. (USGS)

Mapping urban impervious surface using object-based image analysis with WorldView-3 satellite imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Iabchoon, Sanwit; Wongsai, Sangdao; Chankon, Kanoksuk

2017-10-01

Land use and land cover (LULC) data are important to monitor and assess environmental change. LULC classification using satellite images is a method widely used on a global and local scale. Especially, urban areas that have various LULC types are important components of the urban landscape and ecosystem. This study aims to classify urban LULC using WorldView-3 (WV-3) very high-spatial resolution satellite imagery and the object-based image analysis method. A decision rules set was applied to classify the WV-3 images in Kathu subdistrict, Phuket province, Thailand. The main steps were as follows: (1) the image was ortho-rectified with ground control points and using the digital elevation model, (2) multiscale image segmentation was applied to divide the image pixel level into image object level, (3) development of the decision ruleset for LULC classification using spectral bands, spectral indices, spatial and contextual information, and (4) accuracy assessment was computed using testing data, which sampled by statistical random sampling. The results show that seven LULC classes (water, vegetation, open space, road, residential, building, and bare soil) were successfully classified with overall classification accuracy of 94.14% and a kappa coefficient of 92.91%.

Offal dumping sites influence the relative abundance and roosting site selection of Black Kites (Milvus migrans govinda) in urban landscape: a study from Kolkata metropolis, India.

PubMed

Mazumdar, Subhendu; Ghose, Dipankar; Saha, Goutam Kumar

2017-12-14

Although Black Kites (Milvus migrans govinda) serve as major scavenging raptor in most of the urban areas, scientific studies on this important ecosystem service provider are almost non-existent in Indian context. The present study was carried out in a metropolis in eastern India to find out the factors influencing relative abundance and roosting site selection of Black Kites. Separate generalized linear models (GLMs) were performed considering encounter rate and roosting Black Kite abundance as response variables. The study conclusively indicated that encounter rates of Black Kites were significantly influenced by the presence of garbage dumps in its vicinity. Numbers of Black Kites were also higher in the roosting sites situated closer to garbage dumps and open spaces. In addition, expected counts of Black Kites significantly increased in roosting sites situated away from buildings and water bodies. However, built-up area and tree cover around the roosting sites had no influence on the abundance of Black Kites therein. With rapid urbanization and changing offal disposal patterns, our findings would be useful to ensure continued availability of food and roosting sites of Black Kites in urban areas.

Sustainable urban housing in Kathmandu, Nepal: Proposals and evaluations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shrestha, Vikas

Kathmandu Valley represents one of the oldest cultural hubs in the Himalayas. The historic towns in the valley consist of densely built traditional Chowk and Bahal houses with enclosed courtyards. With exposure to the outside world since 1951, the western style single-family detached house has become an image of the modern home and a status symbol. In the context of the exploding population, the prevailing trend of these free standing houses have exacerbated urban sprawl and led to inefficient use of the limited agricultural land in the valley. Devoid of shared open spaces, the new settlements lack play areas for children, places for social gathering and a sense of community. Building materials that are not manufactured locally must be trucked from India over the mountains. So is coal for the production of brick and cement, and diesel for transportation. Minimizing the amount of imported materials and energy used by these modern houses will reduce the environmental impact and also benefit the national economy. Kathmandu enjoys clear sky conditions during winter that makes passive solar design a potential strategy to achieve thermal comfort and eliminate kerosene heaters with their harmful effects. The abundance of rainfall during monsoon season makes rainwater collection a viable supplement to the unreliable municipal water supply. This dissertation creates three new housing prototypes that address all these issues. These prototypes are modern interpretations of the vernacular Chowk and Bahal, which create communal open space by grouping rowhouses around a common courtyard. Combining vernacular wisdom with the principles of sustainable design, these prototypes reduce land consumption; reduce resource consumption; create community open space; minimize imported materials; increase energy efficiency and thermal comfort; make homes and neighborhoods self sustainable for water supply and wastewater treatment; and altogether improve the quality of life. This dissertation quantifies the embodied energy of basic building materials that are used in Nepal; proposes new types of locally-produced insulation; and develops a sustainable design evaluation system based on LEED. This integrated system of sustainable materials database, evaluation system, and vernacular-based housing prototypes developed in this dissertation lays out an example for other third world countries.

Assessing the impact of revegetation and weed control on urban sensitive bird species.

PubMed

Archibald, Carla L; McKinney, Matthew; Mustin, Karen; Shanahan, Danielle F; Possingham, Hugh P

2017-06-01

Nature in cities is concentrated in urban green spaces, which are key areas for urban biodiversity and also important areas to connect people with nature. To conserve urban biodiversity within these natural refugia, habitat restoration such as weed control and revegetation is often implemented. These actions are expected to benefit biodiversity, although species known to be affected by urbanization may not be interacting with restoration in the ways we anticipate. In this study, we use a case study to explore how urban restoration activities impact different bird species. Birds were grouped into urban sensitivity categories and species abundance, and richness was then calculated using a hierarchical species community model for individual species responses, with "urban class" used as the hierarchical parameter. We highlight variable responses of birds to revegetation and weed control based on their level of urban sensitivity. Revegetation of open grassy areas delivers significant bird conservation outcomes, but the effects of weed control are neutral or in some cases negative. Specifically, the species most reliant on remnant vegetation in cities seem to remain stable or decline in abundance in areas with weed control, which we suspect is the result of a simplification of the understorey. The literature reports mixed benefits of weed control between taxa and between locations. We recommend, in our case study site, that weed control be implemented in concert with replanting of native vegetation to provide the understory structure preferred by urban sensitive birds. Understanding the impacts of revegetation and weed control on different bird species is important information for practitioners to make restoration decisions about the allocation of funds for conservation action. This new knowledge can be used both for threatened species and invasive species management.

Urban green space and obesity in older adults: Evidence from Ireland.

PubMed

Dempsey, Seraphim; Lyons, Seán; Nolan, Anne

2018-04-01

We examine the association between living in an urban area with more or less green space and the probability of being obese. This work involves the creation of a new dataset which combines geo-coded data at the individual level from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing with green space data from the European Urban Atlas 2012. We find evidence suggestive of a u-shaped relationship between green space in urban areas and obesity; those living in areas with the lowest and highest shares of green space within a 1.6 km buffer zone have a higher probability of being classified as obese (BMI [Formula: see text]). The unexpected result that persons in areas with both the lowest and highest shares of green space have a higher probability of being obese than those in areas with intermediate shares, suggests that other characteristics of urban areas may be mediating this relationship.

Open Source Tools for Numerical Simulation of Urban Greenhouse Gas Emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nottrott, A.; Tan, S. M.; He, Y.

2016-12-01

There is a global movement toward urbanization. Approximately 7% of the global population lives in just 28 megacities, occupying less than 0.1% of the total land area used by human activity worldwide. These cities contribute a significant fraction of the global budget of anthropogenic primary pollutants and greenhouse gasses. The 27 largest cities consume 9.9%, 9.3%, 6.7% and 3.0% of global gasoline, electricity, energy and water use, respectively. This impact motivates novel approaches to quantify and mitigate the growing contribution of megacity emissions to global climate change. Cities are characterized by complex topography, inhomogeneous turbulence, and variable pollutant source distributions. These features create a scale separation between local sources and urban scale emissions estimates known as the Grey-Zone. Modern computational fluid dynamics (CFD) techniques provide a quasi-deterministic, physically based toolset to bridge the scale separation gap between source level dynamics, local measurements, and urban scale emissions inventories. CFD has the capability to represent complex building topography and capture detailed 3D turbulence fields in the urban boundary layer. This presentation discusses the application of OpenFOAM to urban CFD simulations of natural gas leaks in cities. OpenFOAM is an open source software for advanced numerical simulation of engineering and environmental fluid flows. When combined with free or low cost computer aided drawing and GIS, OpenFOAM generates a detailed, 3D representation of urban wind fields. OpenFOAM was applied to model methane (CH4) emissions from various components of the natural gas distribution system, to investigate the impact of urban meteorology on mobile CH4 measurements. The numerical experiments demonstrate that CH4 concentration profiles are highly sensitive to the relative location of emission sources and buildings. Sources separated by distances of 5-10 meters showed significant differences in vertical dispersion of the plume due to building wake effects. The OpenFOAM flow fields were combined with an inverse, stochastic dispersion model to quantify and visualize the sensitivity of point sensors to upwind sources in various built environments.

Functional Use Change in Green Spaces: A Case Study of Kirklareli Province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sat Gungor, Beyza; Culha Ozanguc, Kadiriye

2017-10-01

Green spaces which are one of the most important public spaces in urban design have an important role on qualified daily urban life. People escape from intense work pressure and traffic jam of metropoles to those urban green areas to take a breath even they cover a small size. In time, people’s expectations from green spaces as functional and quantitative needs are changing. This change occurs due to increasing population and as the character of the urban life. This study examines the functional use and quantitative change of urban green spaces of Kırklareli Province from past to present. Kırklareli is a border city to Bulgaria which is located in north-west part of Turkey and this gives a transitional and a multicultural character to the city. The population is about 67360. In the course of time; green space needs have increased by the increasing population. In addition to this, green spaces’ functional use change has been identified. According to the results of the study; from the aspect of the green space standards, Kırklareli found above standards with 17.5 m2 per capita, but on the other hand, sport and playground areas found insufficient. The Oldest and the newest city plans of Kırklareli (1940s and 2012s cadastral plans) have been compared and site surveys implemented as the methodology. In site survey, current green spaces’ functional uses as sport or playground are observed and determined and also current quantitative measure of the green spaces are verified. Urban green spaces in Kırklareli Province evaluated through considering world’s most populated urban green space standards and Turkey’s standards. This study utilizes to compose a substructure of the urban green space. Determined deficiencies and inadequacies of green spaces and functional needs in this study, can guide to further studies and implementations of Kırklareli Municipality.

Effect of sound-related activities on human behaviours and acoustic comfort in urban open spaces.

PubMed

Meng, Qi; Kang, Jian

2016-12-15

Human activities are important to landscape design and urban planning; however, the effect of sound-related activities on human behaviours and acoustic comfort has not been considered. The objective of this study is to explore how human behaviours and acoustic comfort in urban open spaces can be changed by sound-related activities. On-site measurements were performed at a case study site in Harbin, China, and an acoustic comfort survey was simultaneously conducted. In terms of effect of sound activities on human behaviours, music-related activities caused 5.1-21.5% of persons who pass by the area to stand and watch the activity, while there was a little effect on the number of persons who performed excises during the activity. Human activities generally have little effect on the behaviour of pedestrians when only 1 to 3 persons are involved in the activities, while a deep effect on the behaviour of pedestrians is noted when >6 persons are involved in the activities. In terms of effect of activities on acoustic comfort, music-related activities can increase the sound level from 10.8 to 16.4dBA, while human activities such RS and PC can increase the sound level from 9.6 to 12.8dBA; however, they lead to very different acoustic comfort. The acoustic comfort of persons can differ with activities, for example the acoustic comfort of persons who stand watch can increase by music-related activities, while the acoustic comfort of persons who sit and watch can decrease by human sound-related activities. Some sound-related activities can show opposite trend of acoustic comfort between visitors and citizens. Persons with higher income prefer music sound-related activities, while those with lower income prefer human sound-related activities. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Planning of Green Space Ecological Network in Urban Areas: An Example of Nanchang, China

PubMed Central

Li, Haifeng; Chen, Wenbo; He, Wei

2015-01-01

Green space plays an important role in sustainable urban development and ecology by virtue of multiple environmental, recreational, and economic benefits. Constructing an effective and harmonious urban ecological network and maintaining a sustainable living environment in response to rapid urbanization are the key issues required to be resolved by landscape planners. In this paper, Nanchang City, China was selected as a study area. Based on a series of landscape metrics, the landscape pattern analysis of the current (in 2005) and planned (in 2020) green space system were, respectively, conducted by using FRAGSTATS 3.3 software. Considering the actual situation of the Nanchang urban area, a “one river and two banks, north and south twin cities” ecological network was constructed by using network analysis. Moreover, the ecological network was assessed by using corridor structure analysis, and the improvement of an ecological network on the urban landscape was quantitatively assessed through a comparison between the ecological network and green space system planning. The results indicated that: (1) compared to the green space system in 2005, the planned green space system in 2020 of the Nanchang urban area will decline in both districts (Changnan and Changbei districts). Meanwhile, an increase in patch density and a decrease in mean patch size of green space patches at the landscape level implies the fragmentation of the urban green space landscape. In other words, the planned green space system does not necessarily improve the present green space system; (2) the ecological network of two districts has high corridor density, while Changnan’s ecological network has higher connectivity, but Changbei’s ecological network is more viable from an economic point of view, since it has relatively higher cost efficiency; (3) decrease in patch density, Euclidean nearest neighbor distance, and an increase in mean patch size and connectivity implied that the ecological network could improve landscape connectivity greatly, as compared with the planned green space system. That is to say, the planned ecological network would reduce landscape fragmentation, and increase the shape complexity of green space patches and landscape connectivity. As a result, the quality of the urban ecological environment would be improved. PMID:26501298

Planning of Green Space Ecological Network in Urban Areas: An Example of Nanchang, China.

PubMed

Li, Haifeng; Chen, Wenbo; He, Wei

2015-10-15

Green space plays an important role in sustainable urban development and ecology by virtue of multiple environmental, recreational, and economic benefits. Constructing an effective and harmonious urban ecological network and maintaining a sustainable living environment in response to rapid urbanization are the key issues required to be resolved by landscape planners. In this paper, Nanchang City, China was selected as a study area. Based on a series of landscape metrics, the landscape pattern analysis of the current (in 2005) and planned (in 2020) green space system were, respectively, conducted by using FRAGSTATS 3.3 software. Considering the actual situation of the Nanchang urban area, a "one river and two banks, north and south twin cities" ecological network was constructed by using network analysis. Moreover, the ecological network was assessed by using corridor structure analysis, and the improvement of an ecological network on the urban landscape was quantitatively assessed through a comparison between the ecological network and green space system planning. The results indicated that: (1) compared to the green space system in 2005, the planned green space system in 2020 of the Nanchang urban area will decline in both districts (Changnan and Changbei districts). Meanwhile, an increase in patch density and a decrease in mean patch size of green space patches at the landscape level implies the fragmentation of the urban green space landscape. In other words, the planned green space system does not necessarily improve the present green space system; (2) the ecological network of two districts has high corridor density, while Changnan's ecological network has higher connectivity, but Changbei's ecological network is more viable from an economic point of view, since it has relatively higher cost efficiency; (3) decrease in patch density, Euclidean nearest neighbor distance, and an increase in mean patch size and connectivity implied that the ecological network could improve landscape connectivity greatly, as compared with the planned green space system. That is to say, the planned ecological network would reduce landscape fragmentation, and increase the shape complexity of green space patches and landscape connectivity. As a result, the quality of the urban ecological environment would be improved.

Persistent Monitoring of Urban Infrasound Phenomenology-Report 2: Investigation of Structural Infrasound Signals in an Urban Environment

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-11-01

space houses, etc.), and the unique weather environments that occur in the Urban Heat Island. A detailed urban terrain model was developed in a...affected by urban infrastructure (large buildings, roadways, densely space houses, etc.). A detailed urban terrain model was developed ERDC TR-15-5...different points in the model provided insight to complex propagation paths characteristic of urban environments. ERDC TR-15-5; Report 2 20 4

Overcoming the Subject-Object Dichotomy in Urban Modeling: Axial Maps as Geometric Representations of Affordances in the Built Environment.

PubMed

Marcus, Lars

2018-01-01

The world is witnessing unprecedented urbanization, bringing extreme challenges to contemporary practices in urban planning and design. This calls for improved urban models that can generate new knowledge and enhance practical skill. Importantly, any urban model embodies a conception of the relation between humans and the physical environment. In urban modeling this is typically conceived of as a relation between human subjects and an environmental object, thereby reproducing a humans-environment dichotomy. Alternative modeling traditions, such as space syntax that originates in architecture rather than geography, have tried to overcome this dichotomy. Central in this effort is the development of new representations of urban space, such as in the case of space syntax, the axial map. This form of representation aims to integrate both human behavior and the physical environment into one and the same description. Interestingly, models based on these representations have proved to better capture pedestrian movement than regular models. Pedestrian movement, as well as other kinds of human flows in urban space, is essential for urban modeling, since increasingly flows of this kind are understood as the driver in urban processes. Critical for a full understanding of space syntax modeling is the ontology of its' representations, such as the axial map. Space syntax theory here often refers to James Gibson's "Theory of affordances," where the concept of affordances, in a manner similar to axial maps, aims to bridge the subject-object dichotomy by neither constituting physical properties of the environment or human behavior, but rather what emerges in the meeting between the two. In extension of this, the axial map can be interpreted as a representation of how the physical form of the environment affords human accessibility and visibility in urban space. This paper presents a close examination of the form of representations developed in space syntax methodology, in particular in the light of Gibson's "theory of affordances." The overarching aim is to contribute to a theoretical framework for urban models based on affordances, which may support the overcoming of the subject-object dichotomy in such models, here deemed essential for a greater social-ecological sustainability of cities.

Study on the Characteristics and Impacts of the Spatial-temporal Urban Sprawl in Chinese Coastal Cities using Ocelet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, M.; Lo Seen, D.; Zhang, Z.

2015-12-01

The urban population is expected to rise 67% in developing countries and 86% in developed regions by 2050. As the most populous country in the world, China has been experiencing a remarkable urbanization process since the initialization of the reform and opening-up policies in the late 1970s. During the past several decades, the coastal zone undergone the highest urbanization and motst rapid economic development in China. Accurately understanding the characteristics of the spatial-temporal urban sprawl is helpful for urban planning on optimal land use in the future. Ocelet is an interactive visual interpretation and dynamic coding method that has been designed for studying issues related to space, time and multiple scales that are raised when dynamic landscapes are modelled. Using Ocelet, we aim to study the characteristics of the spatial-temporal urban sprawl in thirteen major Chinese coastal cities and how urban sprawl affects the surrounding land changes. Landsat MSS/TM/ETM/OLI, the China-Brazil Earth Resources Satellite (CBERS) and Chinese HJ-1A data are adopted to acquire urban built-up areas and their dynamic changes from 1979 to 2013. The results show that the urban built-up area increased gradually from 1979 to 2002 (~105 km²/yr), then accelerated about four times from 2002 to 2010 (~396 km²/yr) in thirteen major Chinese coastal cities. Although the expansion slowed down since 2010, the urban built-up area still increased at a fairly high rate (~210 km²/yr) from 2010 to 2013. The urban sprawl speed and pattern in each coastal city has also been analyzed, and has been grouped in three costal zones geographically. As a result of urban sprawl, large areas of arable land, rural settlements and forests were lost in these coastal cities. The lost non-urban land types and areas are different in the three costal zones and quantified respectively.

Urban Space Explorer: A Visual Analytics System for Urban Planning.

PubMed

Karduni, Alireza; Cho, Isaac; Wessel, Ginette; Ribarsky, William; Sauda, Eric; Dou, Wenwen

2017-01-01

Understanding people's behavior is fundamental to many planning professions (including transportation, community development, economic development, and urban design) that rely on data about frequently traveled routes, places, and social and cultural practices. Based on the results of a practitioner survey, the authors designed Urban Space Explorer, a visual analytics system that utilizes mobile social media to enable interactive exploration of public-space-related activity along spatial, temporal, and semantic dimensions.

Atlanta Streets Alive: A Movement Building a Culture of Health in an Urban Environment.

PubMed

Torres, Andrea; Steward, John; Strasser, Sheryl; Lyn, Rodney; Serna, Rebecca; Stauber, Christine

2016-02-01

Open Streets are community-based programs that promote the use of public space for physical activity (PA), recreation and socialization by closing streets temporarily to motorized vehicles, allowing access to pedestrians. The city of Atlanta hosted its first Open Streets event, Atlanta Streets Alive (ASA), in May 2010. An evaluation of the first 5 ASA events from May 2010 to May 2012 was conducted. The purpose was to learn about the characteristics of ASA participants, the influence of the event on their PA, and perceptions of safety and neighborhood social capital. ASA's evaluation had 2 components: participant counts and a participant survey. Characteristics of participation were compared among the 3 different events in which surveys were conducted using the Pearson χ2 test and F test as appropriate. The estimated participation at ASA increased from nearly 3,500 (ASA 1 to 4) to 12,520 (ASA 5). The number of events increased to 3 per year for a total of 10 events until 2014. Overall, 19.4% of participants met the weekly PA recommendation during 1 event. The expanding diversity of routes, participants, and sponsorships highlights the potential promise such programming offers in terms of establishing an urban culture of health.

Long open-path measurements of greenhouse gases in air using near-infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Griffith, David W. T.; Pöhler, Denis; Schmitt, Stefan; Hammer, Samuel; Vardag, Sanam N.; Platt, Ulrich

2018-03-01

In complex and urban environments, atmospheric trace gas composition is highly variable in time and space. Point measurement techniques for trace gases with in situ instruments are well established and accurate, but do not provide spatial averaging to compare against developing high-resolution atmospheric models of composition and meteorology with resolutions of the order of a kilometre. Open-path measurement techniques provide path average concentrations and spatial averaging which, if sufficiently accurate, may be better suited to assessment and interpretation with such models. Open-path Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTS) in the mid-infrared region, and differential optical absorption spectroscopy (DOAS) in the UV and visible, have been used for many years for open-path spectroscopic measurements of selected species in both clean air and in polluted environments. Near infrared instrumentation allows measurements over longer paths than mid-infrared FTS for species such as greenhouse gases which are not easily accessible to DOAS.In this pilot study we present the first open-path near-infrared (4000-10 000 cm-1, 1.0-2.5 µm) FTS measurements of CO2, CH4, O2, H2O and HDO over a 1.5 km path in urban Heidelberg, Germany. We describe the construction of the open-path FTS system, the analysis of the collected spectra, several measures of precision and accuracy of the measurements, and the results a four-month trial measurement period in July-November 2014. The open-path measurements are compared to calibrated in situ measurements made at one end of the open path. We observe significant differences of the order of a few ppm for CO2 and a few tens of ppb for CH4 between the open-path and point measurements which are 2 to 4 times the measurement repeatability, but we cannot unequivocally assign the differences to specific local sources or sinks. We conclude that open-path FTS may provide a valuable new tool for investigations of atmospheric trace gas composition in complex, small-scale environments such as cities.

Population cardiovascular health and urban environments: the Heart Healthy Hoods exploratory study in Madrid, Spain.

PubMed

Bilal, Usama; Díez, Julia; Alfayate, Silvia; Gullón, Pedro; Del Cura, Isabel; Escobar, Francisco; Sandín, María; Franco, Manuel

2016-08-22

Our aim is to conduct an exploratory study to provide an in-depth characterization of a neighborhood's social and physical environment in relation to cardiovascular health. A mixed-methods approach was used to better understand the food, alcohol, tobacco and physical activity domains of the urban environment. We conducted this study in an area of 16,000 residents in Madrid (Spain). We obtained cardiovascular health and risk factors data from all residents aged 45 and above using Electronic Health Records from the Madrid Primary Health Care System. We used several quantitative audit tools to assess: the type and location of food outlets and healthy food availability; tobacco and alcohol points of sale; walkability of all streets and use of parks and public spaces. We also conducted 11 qualitative interviews with key informants to help understanding the relationships between urban environment and cardiovascular behaviors. We integrated quantitative and qualitative data following a mixed-methods merging approach. Electronic Health Records of the entire population of the area showed similar prevalence of risk factors compared to the rest of Madrid/Spain (prevalence of diabetes: 12 %, hypertension: 34 %, dyslipidemia: 32 %, smoking: 10 %, obesity: 20 %). The food environment was very dense, with many small stores (n = 44) and a large food market with 112 stalls. Residents highlighted the importance of these small stores for buying healthy foods. Alcohol and tobacco environments were also very dense (n = 91 and 64, respectively), dominated by bars and restaurants (n = 53) that also acted as food services. Neighbors emphasized the importance of drinking as a socialization mechanism. Public open spaces were mostly used by seniors that remarked the importance of accessibility to these spaces and the availability of destinations to walk to. This experience allowed testing and refining measurement tools, drawn from epidemiology, geography, sociology and anthropology, to better understand the urban environment in relation to cardiovascular health.

Minimizing Surface Exposure to Climate Extremity in Coastal Megacities by Structure Remodelling using Integral Geographic Information System: Lessons from Greater Mumbai Metropolitan

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tiwari, A.

2016-12-01

Coastal metropolitans in South Asia represent the most densely populated and congested urban spaces ranking among the largest urban settlements of the planet. These megacities are characterized by inadequate infrastructure, lack of mitigation tools, and weak resilience of urban ecosystems. Additionally, climate change has increased vulnerability of poor and marginalized population living in rapidly growing coastal megacities to increased frequency, severity and intensity of extreme weather events. This has adversely affected local counter strategies and adaptation tools, transforming such events into hazards with the inability to respond and mitigate. Study aimed to develop a participatory framework for risk reduction in Greater Mumbai Metropolitan by Structure Remodeling (SR) in integral GIS. Research utilized terrain analysis tools and vulnerability mapping, and identified risk susceptible fabric and checked its scope for SR without: 1.adding to its (often) complex fragmentation, and 2.without interference with the ecosystem services accommodated by it. Surfaces available included paved ground, streetscapes commercial facades, rooftops,public spaces, open as well as dark spaces. Remodeling altered certain characteristics in the intrinsic or extrinsic cross-section profile or in both (if suitable) with infrastructure measures (grey, green, blue) that collectively involved ecosystem services and maintained natural hydrological connection. This method fairly reduced exposure of vulnerable surface and minimized risk to achieve extremity-neutral state. Harmonizing with public perception and incorporating priorities of local authorities, the method is significant as it rises above the fundamental challenges arising during management of (often) conflicting perspectives and interests of multiplicity of stakeholders involved at various levels in urban climate governance while ensuring inclusive solutions with reduced vulnerability and increased resilience. Additionally this method has vast potential to replicate for climate smart planning beyond the study region as it clearly ensures barrier free climate-communication process for decision making while looking for long term feasible outcomes of remodeled surface through the most affordable and innovative tools.

The role of urban forest to reduce rain acid in urban industrial areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Slamet, B.; Agustiarni, Y.; Hidayati; Basyuni, M.

2018-03-01

Urban forest has many functions mainly on improving the quality of the urban environment. One of the functions is to increase pH and reduce dangerous chemical content. The aim of the research is to find out the role of vegetation density of urban forest around the industrial area in reducing the acid rain. The condition of land cover was classified into four classes which are dense, medium, sparse and open area. The water of the throughfall and stemflow was taken from each type of land cover except in the open area. Parameters measured in this study are water acidity (pH), anion content (SO4 2- and NO3 -), cation content (Ca2+, Mg2+, and NH4 +) and electrical conductivity (EC). The results indicated that urban forest vegetation was able to increase the pH of rain water from 5.42 which is in an open area without vegetation to be 7.13 and 7.32 in dense and moderate vegetation cover by throughfall mechanism, respectively. Rain water acidity also decreased through stemflow mechanism with a pH ranged from 5.92 - 6.43. Urban forest vegetation decreased sulfate content (SO42-) from 528.67 mg/l in open area to 44 - 118 mg/l by throughfall mechanism and ranged from 90 to 366.67 mg/l through stemflow mechanism. Urban forest vegetation significantly decreased the rainwater nitrate content from 27 mg/l to 0.03 - 0.70 mg/l through the mechanism of throughfall and between 1.53 - 8.82 mg/l through the stemflow mechanism. Urban forest vegetation also increased the concentration of cations (NH4+, Ca2+, Mg2+, Na+) compared with open areas. Urban forest vegetation showed increased the electrical conductivity (EC) from 208.12 μmhos/cm to 344.67 - 902.17 μmhos/cm through the through fall mechanism and 937.67 - 1058.70 μmhos/cm through the stemflow mechanism. The study suggested that urban forests play a significant role in reducing rainwater acidity and improving the quality of rainwater that reached the soil surface.

Urban-Rural Disparity in Geographical and Temporal Availability of Pediatric Clinics: A Nationwide Survey in Taiwan.

PubMed

Leu, Hsin-I; Chang, Wei-Ting; Lin, Ming-Hwai; Chen, Tzeng-Ji; Hwang, Shinn-Jang; Chou, Li-Fang; Jeng, Mei-Jy

2017-08-01

The shortage and maldistribution of pediatricians affected after-hours pediatric services, especially in rural areas. Our study aimed to examine the urban-rural disparity in geographical and temporal availability of the pediatrician workforce in Taiwan by analyzing opening time schedules of all pediatric clinics throughout the country. The opening time schedules of nonhospital pediatric clinics were downloaded from the website of the National Health Insurance Administration in Taiwan for analysis. The geographical and temporal availability of pediatric clinics was calculated and stratified by urbanization level and opening time, which was divided into daytime and evening sessions over 1 week. Each of 368 towns in Taiwan was also regarded as a unit of measurement to estimate the local availability of at least one pediatric clinic open in after-hours sessions. Among 1483 nonhospital pediatric clinics in Taiwan, the overwhelming majority were situated in urban (65.8%) and suburban (30.6%) areas. On average, a pediatric clinic provided 16.3 (standard deviation=3.04) sessions of services per week. One-third (34.7%, n=50) of 144 suburban towns and over three-fourths (77.4%, n=120) of 155 rural towns had no pediatric clinic. Most pediatric clinics remained open on weekday evenings (91.1%) and during Saturday daytime (91.8%). The percentage of open clinics gradually decreased over the weekend: Saturday evening (58.1%), Sunday daytime (33.4%), and Sunday evening (19.4%). Rural pediatric clinics remained closed mostly on weekends. On Sunday evenings, pediatric clinics were open only in 5.2% of rural towns, with a decline of 77.1%, whereas they were open in 78.3% of urban towns, with a decline of 18.2%. Pediatric clinics in Taiwan were unevenly distributed between urban and rural areas. The disparity of pediatric services became more obvious at weekends. The consequences of undersupplied rural pediatric care deserve further investigation. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Protecting tree roots and subterranean infrastructure in urban areas by developing self-compacting flowable fills with root growth impeding properties

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Felde, Vincent; Simon, Jana; Kimm-Friedenberg, Stefan; Peth, Stephan; Middendorf, Bernhard

2015-04-01

In urban areas, the installation of cables and disposal lines is still done by open building method. Here, a ditch is being excavated, pipes and lines are laid and subsequently it is filled with and covered by bulk material (e.g. sand or gravel), which is then compacted. Due to the often times limited space that the roots have in the ground and the better supply of water and oxygen in the poorly compacted bulk material, these refilled ditches are areas of preferential root growth of urban trees. The entangling of the pipes and supply lines by these roots leads to severe damage of the tree when maintenance work on the lines is carried out and roots have to be cut. In order to reduce this competition between urban trees and urban subterranean infrastructure, the development of a self-compacting flowable fill with root growth resistance is mandatory. Physico-chemical properties, such as a very high pH-value and a low cation-exchange-capacity, a low root-penetrability, a high packing density and a low porosity, with a poorly connected pore system that impedes gas and water exchange are the characteristic aspects of this flowable fills that could help avoid undesired root penetration into supply lines. The flowable fills are supposed to sheath pipes and lines void-free and without any tension, in order to restrain the root growth in these areas. Trees are of crucial importance for urban ecosystems and are comprising 3% of the total stock of trees in the Federal Republic of Germany, which is why it is fundamental to conserve them. This work therefore targets not only at enabling a balanced coexistence of urban trees and subterranean infrastructure, but also at avoiding costly re-opening of ditches, tree harming cutting of roots and time consuming maintenance work. Further positive side effects are reduced costs for network providers and local municipalities, as well as reduced noise and dust emissions for passersby and local residents. To guarantee the root growth restricting properties, the self-compacting fill has to have less porosity than the adjacent soil (40 - 60%). Theoretically a porosity of 30% is possible with a homogeneous compaction of sand. In urban areas, however, because of the limited spaces and crossing pipes, a mechanical and homogenous compacting is often impossible. Porosities of 60 to 70% are the result. Self-compacting flowable fills have a porosity of about 40% while the first optimized materials can even have a porosity of 28%. We present the first results of the hydro-mechanical properties of the different materials under development that highlight the influence of the mixture of the fills (i.e. maximal grain size) on the root growth impeding properties, while still ensuring mechanical workability of the material (in spite of the low porosity, strengths less than 0.8 N mm-² must be ensured at all times).

Emerging issues in urban ecology: implications for research, social justice, human health, and well-being

Treesearch

Viniece Jennings; Myron F. Floyd; Danielle Shanahan; Christopher Coutts; Alex Sinykin

2017-01-01

Urbanization affects landscape structure and the overall human condition in numerous ways. Green spaces include vegetated land cover (e.g., urban forests, trees, riparian zones, parks) which play a distinctive role in urban ecology. This article reviews emergent literature on the linkages between urban green spaces, social justice, and human health. We explore this...

TDEM survey in urban environmental for hydrogeological study at USP campus in São Paulo city, Brazil

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Porsani, Jorge Luís; Bortolozo, Cassiano Antonio; Almeida, Emerson Rodrigo; Sobrinho, Esther Novais Santos; Santos, Thiago Gomes dos

2012-01-01

In this work, some TDEM (Time Domain Electromagnetic) results at USP ( University of São Paulo) campus in São Paulo city, Brazil, are presented. The data were acquired focusing on two mains objectives: (i) to map geoelectrical stratigraphy of São Paulo sedimentary basin, emphasizing on hydrogeological studies about sedimentary and crystalline aquifers, and (ii) to analyze the viability of TDEM data acquisition use in urban environment. The study area is located in São Paulo basin border, characterized by Resende and São Paulo formations, which are constituted by sand-clays sediments over a granite-gneissic basement. Two equipments were used in order to acquire database: Protem47 (low power), and Protem57-MK2 (high power). Capacitive noise affect obtained data with Protem47 due to the presence of metal pipes buried at IAG/USP (Institute of Astronomy, Geophysics, and Atmospheric Science) test site at USP. On the other hand, capacitive noise did not affect acquired data with Protem57-MK2, and the data present high signal to noise ratio. Surveys helped in determining sedimentary and crystalline aquifers, characterized by a fracture zone with water inside basin basement (conductive zone). Results show good agreement with local geology obtained from lithological boreholes located in the study areas. Moreover, it shows that TDEM method can be used in urban environments with a countless potential in hydrogeological studies, offering great reliability. Studies showed that main TDEM-method limitation at USP was the lack of space for opening the transmitter loop. Results are very promising and open new perspectives for TDEM-method use in urban environments as this area remains unexplored.

Green-blue water in the city: quantification of impact of source control versus end-of-pipe solutions on sewer and river floods.

PubMed

De Vleeschauwer, K; Weustenraad, J; Nolf, C; Wolfs, V; De Meulder, B; Shannon, K; Willems, P

2014-01-01

Urbanization and climate change trends put strong pressures on urban water systems. Temporal variations in rainfall, runoff and water availability increase, and need to be compensated for by innovative adaptation strategies. One of these is stormwater retention and infiltration in open and/or green spaces in the city (blue-green water integration). This study evaluated the efficiency of three adaptation strategies for the city of Turnhout in Belgium, namely source control as a result of blue-green water integration, retention basins located downstream of the stormwater sewers, and end-of-pipe solutions based on river flood control reservoirs. The efficiency of these options is quantified by the reduction in sewer and river flood frequencies and volumes, and sewer overflow volumes. This is done by means of long-term simulations (100-year rainfall simulations) using an integrated conceptual sewer-river model calibrated to full hydrodynamic sewer and river models. Results show that combining open, green zones in the city with stormwater retention and infiltration for only 1% of the total city runoff area would lead to a 30 to 50% reduction in sewer flood volumes for return periods in the range 10-100 years. This is due to the additional surface storage and infiltration and consequent reduction in urban runoff. However, the impact of this source control option on downstream river floods is limited. Stormwater retention downstream of the sewer system gives a strong reduction in peak discharges to the receiving river. However due to the difference in response time between the sewer and river systems, this does not lead to a strong reduction in river flood frequency. The paper shows the importance of improving the interface between urban design and water management, and between sewer and river flood management.

The Production of Urban Educational Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morgan, John

2012-01-01

It is widely recognised that large urban centres exhibit significant and enduring patterns of educational inequality. This paper explores the social production of urban educational space. In particular, it argues that since these patterns are geographical, it will be useful to revisit the emergence of an "urban crisis" in education and…

The impact of interventions to promote physical activity in urban green space: a systematic review and recommendations for future research.

PubMed

Hunter, Ruth F; Christian, Hayley; Veitch, Jenny; Astell-Burt, Thomas; Hipp, J Aaron; Schipperijn, Jasper

2015-01-01

Evidence is mounting on the association between the built environment and physical activity (PA) with a call for intervention research. A broader approach which recognizes the role of supportive environments that can make healthy choices easier is required. A systematic review was undertaken to assess the effectiveness of interventions to encourage PA in urban green space. Five databases were searched independently by two reviewers using search terms relating to 'physical activity', 'urban green space' and 'intervention' in July 2014. Eligibility criteria included: (i) intervention to encourage PA in urban green space which involved either a physical change to the urban green space or a PA intervention to promote use of urban green space or a combination of both; and (ii) primary outcome of PA. Of the 2405 studies identified, 12 were included. There was some evidence (4/9 studies showed positive effect) to support built environment only interventions for encouraging use and increasing PA in urban green space. There was more promising evidence (3/3 studies showed positive effect) to support PAprograms or PA programs combined with a physical change to the built environment, for increasing urban green space use and PA of users. Recommendations for future research include the need for longer term follow-up post-intervention, adequate control groups, sufficiently powered studies, and consideration of the social environment, which was identified as a significantly under-utilized resource in this area. Interventions that involve the use of PA programs combined with a physical change to the built environment are likely to have a positive effect on PA. Robust evaluations of such interventions are urgently required. The findings provide a platform to inform the design, implementation and evaluation of future urban green space and PAintervention research. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dynamic impact of urbanization, economic growth, energy consumption, and trade openness on CO 2 emissions in Nigeria.

PubMed

Ali, Hamisu Sadi; Law, Siong Hook; Zannah, Talha Ibrahim

2016-06-01

The objective of this paper is to examine the dynamic impact of urbanization, economic growth, energy consumption, and trade openness on CO 2 emissions in Nigeria based on autoregressive distributed lags (ARDL) approach for the period of 1971-2011. The result shows that variables were cointegrated as null hypothesis was rejected at 1 % level of significance. The coefficients of long-run result reveal that urbanization does not have any significant impact on CO 2 emissions in Nigeria, economic growth, and energy consumption has a positive and significant impact on CO 2 emissions. However, trade openness has negative and significant impact on CO 2 emissions. Consumption of energy is among the main determinant of CO 2 emissions which is directly linked to the level of income. Despite the high level of urbanization in the country, consumption of energy still remains low due to lower income of the majority populace and this might be among the reasons why urbanization does not influence emissions of CO 2 in the country. Initiating more open economy policies will be welcoming in the Nigerian economy as the openness leads to the reduction of pollutants from the environment particularly CO 2 emissions which is the major gases that deteriorate physical environment.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kabisch, Nadja, E-mail: nadja.kabisch@geo.hu-berlin.de; Department of Urban and Environmental Sociology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research — UFZ, 04318 Leipzig; Qureshi, Salman

Scientific papers on landscape planning underline the importance of maintaining and developing green spaces because of their multiple environmental and social benefits for city residents. However, a general understanding of contemporary human–environment interaction issues in urban green space is still incomplete and lacks orientation for urban planners. This review examines 219 publications to (1) provide an overview of the current state of research on the relationship between humans and urban green space, (2) group the different research approaches by identifying the main research areas, methods, and target groups, and (3) highlight important future prospects in urban green space research. -more » Highlights: • Reviewed literature on urban green pins down a dearth of comparative studies. • Case studies in Africa and Russia are marginalized – the Europe and US dominate. • Questionnaires are used as major tool followed by GIS and quantitative approaches. • Developing countries should contribute in building an urban green space agenda. • Interdisciplinary, adaptable and pluralistic approaches can satiate a knowledge gap.« less

3D models as a platform for urban analysis and studies on human perception of space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fisher-Gewirtzman, D.

2012-10-01

The objective of this work is to develop an integrated visual analysis and modelling for environmental and urban systems in respect to interior space layout and functionality. This work involves interdisciplinary research efforts that focus primarily on architecture design discipline, yet incorporates experts from other and different disciplines, such as Geoinformatics, computer sciences and environment-behavior studies. This work integrates an advanced Spatial Openness Index (SOI) model within realistic geovisualized Geographical Information System (GIS) environment and assessment using subjective residents' evaluation. The advanced SOI model measures the volume of visible space at any required view point practically, for every room or function. This model enables accurate 3D simulation of the built environment regarding built structure and surrounding vegetation. This paper demonstrates the work on a case study. A 3D model of Neve-Shaanan neighbourhood in Haifa was developed. Students that live in this neighbourhood had participated in this research. Their apartments were modelled in details and inserted into a general model, representing topography and the volumes of buildings. The visual space for each room in every apartment was documented and measured and at the same time the students were asked to answer questions regarding their perception of space and view from their residence. The results of this research work had shown potential contribution to professional users, such as researchers, designers and city planners. This model can be easily used by professionals and by non-professionals such as city dwellers, contractors and developers. This work continues with additional case studies having different building typologies and functions variety, using virtual reality tools.

Lunar architecture and urbanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sherwood, Brent

1992-09-01

Human civilization and architecture have defined each other for over 5000 years on Earth. Even in the novel environment of space, persistent issues of human urbanism will eclipse, within a historically short time, the technical challenges of space settlement that dominate our current view. By adding modern topics in space engineering, planetology, life support, human factors, material invention, and conservation to their already renaissance array of expertise, urban designers can responsibly apply ancient, proven standards to the exciting new opportunities afforded by space. Inescapable facts about the Moon set real boundaries within which tenable lunar urbanism and its component architecture must eventually develop.

Lunar architecture and urbanism

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sherwood, Brent

1992-01-01

Human civilization and architecture have defined each other for over 5000 years on Earth. Even in the novel environment of space, persistent issues of human urbanism will eclipse, within a historically short time, the technical challenges of space settlement that dominate our current view. By adding modern topics in space engineering, planetology, life support, human factors, material invention, and conservation to their already renaissance array of expertise, urban designers can responsibly apply ancient, proven standards to the exciting new opportunities afforded by space. Inescapable facts about the Moon set real boundaries within which tenable lunar urbanism and its component architecture must eventually develop.

Advancing Sustainability through Urban Green Space: Cultural Ecosystem Services, Equity, and Social Determinants of Health

PubMed Central

Jennings, Viniece; Larson, Lincoln; Yun, Jessica

2016-01-01

Urban green spaces provide an array of benefits, or ecosystem services, that support our physical, psychological, and social health. In many cases, however, these benefits are not equitably distributed across diverse urban populations. In this paper, we explore relationships between cultural ecosystem services provided by urban green space and the social determinants of health outlined in the United States Healthy People 2020 initiative. Specifically, we: (1) explore connections between cultural ecosystem services and social determinants of health; (2) examine cultural ecosystem services as nature-based health amenities to promote social equity; and (3) recommend areas for future research examining links between urban green space and public health within the context of environmental justice. PMID:26861365

Advancing Sustainability through Urban Green Space: Cultural Ecosystem Services, Equity, and Social Determinants of Health.

PubMed

Jennings, Viniece; Larson, Lincoln; Yun, Jessica

2016-02-05

Urban green spaces provide an array of benefits, or ecosystem services, that support our physical, psychological, and social health. In many cases, however, these benefits are not equitably distributed across diverse urban populations. In this paper, we explore relationships between cultural ecosystem services provided by urban green space and the social determinants of health outlined in the United States Healthy People 2020 initiative. Specifically, we: (1) explore connections between cultural ecosystem services and social determinants of health; (2) examine cultural ecosystem services as nature-based health amenities to promote social equity; and (3) recommend areas for future research examining links between urban green space and public health within the context of environmental justice.

Space Partitioning for Privacy Enabled 3D City Models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Filippovska, Y.; Wichmann, A.; Kada, M.

2016-10-01

Due to recent technological progress, data capturing and processing of highly detailed (3D) data has become extensive. And despite all prospects of potential uses, data that includes personal living spaces and public buildings can also be considered as a serious intrusion into people's privacy and a threat to security. It becomes especially critical if data is visible by the general public. Thus, a compromise is needed between open access to data and privacy requirements which can be very different for each application. As privacy is a complex and versatile topic, the focus of this work particularly lies on the visualization of 3D urban data sets. For the purpose of privacy enabled visualizations of 3D city models, we propose to partition the (living) spaces into privacy regions, each featuring its own level of anonymity. Within each region, the depicted 2D and 3D geometry and imagery is anonymized with cartographic generalization techniques. The underlying spatial partitioning is realized as a 2D map generated as a straight skeleton of the open space between buildings. The resulting privacy cells are then merged according to the privacy requirements associated with each building to form larger regions, their borderlines smoothed, and transition zones established between privacy regions to have a harmonious visual appearance. It is exemplarily demonstrated how the proposed method generates privacy enabled 3D city models.

Landscape scale vegetation-type conversion and fire hazard in the San Francisco bay area open spaces

USGS Publications Warehouse

Russell, W.H.; McBride, J.R.

2003-01-01

Successional pressures resulting from fire suppression and reduced grazing have resulted in vegetation-type conversion in the open spaces surrounding the urbanized areas of the San Francisco bay area. Coverage of various vegetation types were sampled on seven sites using a chronosequence of remote images in order to measure change over time. Results suggest a significant conversion of grassland to shrubland dominated by Baccharis pilularison five of the seven sites sampled. An increase in Pseudotsuga menziesii coverage was also measured on the sites where it was present. Increases fuel and fire hazard were determined through field sampling and use of the FARSITE fire area simulator. A significant increase in biomass resulting from succession of grass-dominated to shrub-dominated communities was evident. In addition, results from the FARSITE simulations indicated significantly higher fire-line intensity, and flame length associated with shrublands over all other vegetation types sampled. These results indicate that the replacement of grass dominated with shrub-dominated landscapes has increased the probability of high intensity fires. ?? 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.

PHARMACY, MONEY AND PUBLIC HEALTH IN DAKAR.

PubMed

Tousignant, Noémi

2013-11-01

Pharmacy students at the Cheikh Anta Diop University in Dakar must research and write a thesis to graduate. Thésards who took topics in analytical chemistry and toxicology describe their thesis work as a temporary opportunity to perform 'street-level' public health research that they regard as 'relevant' to the quality of people's lives. Expecting futures in the private commercial sector, thésards regretfully leave the thesis behind. This article explores the parenthetical nature of this moment - its brief openings and more durable closures - as part of the history of ways of being a pharmacist in post-colonial Senegal. The thesis as an interlude in students' biographies, curtailed by narrowed horizons of expectation, evokes other contractions: in the range of professional roles open to Senegalese pharmacists, and in the circuits of public health with which they might engage. For thésards, fieldwork, government work and commercial work entail spatial practices and imaginations; different ways of moving around the city and of tracing urban space that define pharmacists' roles in terms of the modes through which they engage with broader collectivities. Mapping thésards' parenthesis in Dakar is a means of capturing both their urban experience of work and the intertwining spatial, temporal and affective dimensions associated with this work. The past, probable and possible trajectories of pharmacy work are imprinted and imagined in the space of the city as field, market and polis. Pharmacists' prospects and aspirations are caught up in broader shifts in how education, (un)employment and entrepreneurship animate relations of association and exchange in Senegal.

Contrasting effects of visiting urban green-space and the countryside on biodiversity knowledge and conservation support.

PubMed

Coldwell, Deborah F; Evans, Karl L

2017-01-01

Conservation policy frequently assumes that increasing people's exposure to green-space enhances their knowledge of the natural world and desire to protect it. Urban development is, however, considered to be driving declining connectedness to nature. Despite this the evidence base supporting the assumption that visiting green-spaces promotes biodiversity knowledge and conservation support, and the impacts of urbanization on these relationships, is surprisingly limited. Using data from door-to-door surveys of nearly 300 residents in three pairs of small and large urban areas in England we demonstrate that people who visit green-space more regularly have higher biodiversity knowledge and support for conservation (measured using scales of pro-environmental behavior). Crucially these relationships only arise when considering visits to the countryside and not the frequency of visits to urban green-space. These patterns are robust to a suite of confounding variables including nature orientated motivations for visiting green-space, socio-economic and demographic factors, garden-use and engagement with natural history programs. Despite this the correlations that we uncover cannot unambiguously demonstrate that visiting the countryside improves biodiversity knowledge and conservation support. We consider it likely, however, that two mechanisms operate through a positive feedback loop i.e. increased visits to green-space promote an interest in and knowledge of biodiversity and support for conservation, which in turn further increase the desire to visit green-space and experience nature. The intensity of urbanization around peoples' homes, but not city size, is negatively associated with their frequency of countryside visits and biodiversity knowledge. Designing less intensely urbanized cities with good access to the countryside, combined with conservation policies that promote access to the countryside thus seems likely to maximize urban residents' biodiversity knowledge and support for conservation.

Contrasting effects of visiting urban green-space and the countryside on biodiversity knowledge and conservation support

PubMed Central

Coldwell, Deborah F.; Evans, Karl L.

2017-01-01

Conservation policy frequently assumes that increasing people’s exposure to green-space enhances their knowledge of the natural world and desire to protect it. Urban development is, however, considered to be driving declining connectedness to nature. Despite this the evidence base supporting the assumption that visiting green-spaces promotes biodiversity knowledge and conservation support, and the impacts of urbanization on these relationships, is surprisingly limited. Using data from door-to-door surveys of nearly 300 residents in three pairs of small and large urban areas in England we demonstrate that people who visit green-space more regularly have higher biodiversity knowledge and support for conservation (measured using scales of pro-environmental behavior). Crucially these relationships only arise when considering visits to the countryside and not the frequency of visits to urban green-space. These patterns are robust to a suite of confounding variables including nature orientated motivations for visiting green-space, socio-economic and demographic factors, garden-use and engagement with natural history programs. Despite this the correlations that we uncover cannot unambiguously demonstrate that visiting the countryside improves biodiversity knowledge and conservation support. We consider it likely, however, that two mechanisms operate through a positive feedback loop i.e. increased visits to green-space promote an interest in and knowledge of biodiversity and support for conservation, which in turn further increase the desire to visit green-space and experience nature. The intensity of urbanization around peoples’ homes, but not city size, is negatively associated with their frequency of countryside visits and biodiversity knowledge. Designing less intensely urbanized cities with good access to the countryside, combined with conservation policies that promote access to the countryside thus seems likely to maximize urban residents’ biodiversity knowledge and support for conservation. PMID:28334034

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Single family homes in urban areas that are available for renovation by nonprofit developers are often in rough shape (1MM to 2MM nationally). Budgeting has historically focused on improving homes to meet basic housing standards. A rising interest in the long-term impact of homeownership has introduced the need to balance basic needs with home performance. This demonstration project aims to help nonprofit affordable housing developers become familiar with three Building America performance measures, the installation processes, and impacts and benefits of each. A story and a half home in North Minneapolis, MN was presented by Urban Homeworks our local nonprofitmore » partner. The team helped them install three researched upgrade measures: exterior roof insulation or 'overcoat,' exterior foundation insulation, or 'excavationless', and a combined space and water heating HVAC system or 'combi'. To maximize efficiency of application and to address budget issues, the Team worked with Urban Homeworks to identify ways to use volunteers and construction training programs to install the measures. An open invitation to visit the job site was extended to other nonprofit developers and industry partners to encourage dialog about the systems during live installation.« less

Astronomy in towns? An archaeoastronomical approach to the Roman urbanism

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rodríguez-Antón, A.; Belmonte, J. A.; González-García, A. C.

2017-03-01

Although the final definition of Archaeoastronomy is still under debate, what is clear is that this discipline offers a different approach to the knowledge of ancient cultures than traditional archaeology has done so far. Archaeoastronomy considers the sky as an inseparabe part of the environment and thus an element of the transformed landscape with highly symbolic content. In the case of the Roman culture, the great colonizing activity involved continuous spatial transformations and the skyscape should be considered as a piece of the created urbanized spaces. For this reason, a number of fieldwork campaigns were conducted in several Roman cities across different regions of the ancient Roman Empire in order to study the configuration of those landscapes and the possible integration of the sky during the buiding processes. At the present, our group has the largest sample of orientations of Roman settlements so far, and here it is shown the preliminary results of an statistical analysis which may offer new answers to the various still open questions in Roman urbanism, often faced from conservative views.

Urban Green Space and Its Impact on Human Health

PubMed Central

Kondo, Michelle C.; Fluehr, Jaime M.; McKeon, Thomas; Branas, Charles C.

2018-01-01

Background: Over half of the world’s population now lives in urban areas, and this proportion is expected to increase. While there have been numerous reviews of empirical studies on the link between nature and human health, very few have focused on the urban context, and most have examined almost exclusively cross-sectional research. This review is a first step toward assessing the possibility of causal relationships between nature and health in urban settings. Methods: Through systematic review of published literature, we explored the association between urban green space and human health. Results: We found consistent negative association between urban green space exposure and mortality, heart rate, and violence, and positive association with attention, mood, and physical activity. Results were mixed, or no association was found, in studies of urban green space exposure and general health, weight status, depression, and stress (via cortisol concentration). The number of studies was too low to generalize about birth outcomes, blood pressure, heart rate variability, cancer, diabetes, or respiratory symptoms. Conclusions: More studies using rigorous study design are needed to make generalizations, and meta-analyses, of these and other health outcomes possible. These findings may assist urban managers, organizations, and communities in their efforts to increase new or preserve existing green space. PMID:29510520

Metropolization Process for enhancing local and regional planning : an experience of cirebon metropolitan, West Java

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Supriyadi Rustidja, E.

2018-03-01

Metropolitan develops in line with resource utilization, investment, and transactions of regional activities. Metropolization of an area gives emerge urban economy that changes the situation, form, and pattern of urban space interactions. On the other hand, metropolism concerns the strategy of changing variation of urban space, so that metropolitan invasion not only form of urban space but also the process of interaction among stakeholders in developing metropolitan area. Based on participatory research, this article explores metropolitan invasion process for enhancing local and regional planning, both indigenous and intrusive cataclysmic. The study find that the primeval, rural, and urban as elemental environment must be considered in developing metropolitan, not merely form the structure and pattern of urban space. The metropolization process also requires the strategic of rural urban linkage, context setting and local assessment, strategic community investment, and interculturalist approach. The other findings of the study show that metropolization in Cirebon Metropolitan, West Java emphasizing on promotion of competitiveness strategy, value chain urban activities, and networking of urban areas. Cirebon Metropolitan must promote the realization of growth centers and connect the interregional activities of metropolitan area for providing sustainable economic growth.

Research on application of intelligent computation based LUCC model in urbanization process

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chen, Zemin

2007-06-01

Global change study is an interdisciplinary and comprehensive research activity with international cooperation, arising in 1980s, with the largest scopes. The interaction between land use and cover change, as a research field with the crossing of natural science and social science, has become one of core subjects of global change study as well as the front edge and hot point of it. It is necessary to develop research on land use and cover change in urbanization process and build an analog model of urbanization to carry out description, simulation and analysis on dynamic behaviors in urban development change as well as to understand basic characteristics and rules of urbanization process. This has positive practical and theoretical significance for formulating urban and regional sustainable development strategy. The effect of urbanization on land use and cover change is mainly embodied in the change of quantity structure and space structure of urban space, and LUCC model in urbanization process has been an important research subject of urban geography and urban planning. In this paper, based upon previous research achievements, the writer systematically analyzes the research on land use/cover change in urbanization process with the theories of complexity science research and intelligent computation; builds a model for simulating and forecasting dynamic evolution of urban land use and cover change, on the basis of cellular automation model of complexity science research method and multi-agent theory; expands Markov model, traditional CA model and Agent model, introduces complexity science research theory and intelligent computation theory into LUCC research model to build intelligent computation-based LUCC model for analog research on land use and cover change in urbanization research, and performs case research. The concrete contents are as follows: 1. Complexity of LUCC research in urbanization process. Analyze urbanization process in combination with the contents of complexity science research and the conception of complexity feature to reveal the complexity features of LUCC research in urbanization process. Urban space system is a complex economic and cultural phenomenon as well as a social process, is the comprehensive characterization of urban society, economy and culture, and is a complex space system formed by society, economy and nature. It has dissipative structure characteristics, such as opening, dynamics, self-organization, non-balance etc. Traditional model cannot simulate these social, economic and natural driving forces of LUCC including main feedback relation from LUCC to driving force. 2. Establishment of Markov extended model of LUCC analog research in urbanization process. Firstly, use traditional LUCC research model to compute change speed of regional land use through calculating dynamic degree, exploitation degree and consumption degree of land use; use the theory of fuzzy set to rewrite the traditional Markov model, establish structure transfer matrix of land use, forecast and analyze dynamic change and development trend of land use, and present noticeable problems and corresponding measures in urbanization process according to research results. 3. Application of intelligent computation research and complexity science research method in LUCC analog model in urbanization process. On the basis of detailed elaboration of the theory and the model of LUCC research in urbanization process, analyze the problems of existing model used in LUCC research (namely, difficult to resolve many complexity phenomena in complex urban space system), discuss possible structure realization forms of LUCC analog research in combination with the theories of intelligent computation and complexity science research. Perform application analysis on BP artificial neural network and genetic algorithms of intelligent computation and CA model and MAS technology of complexity science research, discuss their theoretical origins and their own characteristics in detail, elaborate the feasibility of them in LUCC analog research, and bring forward improvement methods and measures on existing problems of this kind of model. 4. Establishment of LUCC analog model in urbanization process based on theories of intelligent computation and complexity science. Based on the research on abovementioned BP artificial neural network, genetic algorithms, CA model and multi-agent technology, put forward improvement methods and application assumption towards their expansion on geography, build LUCC analog model in urbanization process based on CA model and Agent model, realize the combination of learning mechanism of BP artificial neural network and fuzzy logic reasoning, express the regulation with explicit formula, and amend the initial regulation through self study; optimize network structure of LUCC analog model and methods and procedures of model parameters with genetic algorithms. In this paper, I introduce research theory and methods of complexity science into LUCC analog research and presents LUCC analog model based upon CA model and MAS theory. Meanwhile, I carry out corresponding expansion on traditional Markov model and introduce the theory of fuzzy set into data screening and parameter amendment of improved model to improve the accuracy and feasibility of Markov model in the research on land use/cover change.

Gaseous polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon concentrations are higher in urban forests than adjacent open areas during summer but not in winter--Exploratory study.

PubMed

Viippola, Viljami; Rantalainen, Anna-Lea; Yli-Pelkonen, Vesa; Tervo, Peatta; Setälä, Heikki

2016-01-01

While the potential of plants to uptake polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is widely acknowledged, empirical evidence of the effects of this process on local atmospheric PAH concentrations and human health is tenuous. We measured gaseous PAH concentrations using passive samplers in urban tree-covered areas and adjacent open, treeless areas in a near-road environment in Finland to gain information on the ability of urban vegetation to improve air quality. The ability of urban, mostly deciduous, vegetation to affect PAHs was season dependent: during summer, concentrations were significantly higher in tree-covered areas, while in the fall, concentrations in open areas exceeded those in tree-covered areas. During winter, concentrations in tree-covered areas were either lower or did not differ from those in open areas. Results of this study imply that the commonly believed notion that trees unequivocally improve air quality does not apply to PAHs studied here. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cognitive Mapping Based on Conjunctive Representations of Space and Movement

PubMed Central

Zeng, Taiping; Si, Bailu

2017-01-01

It is a challenge to build robust simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) system in dynamical large-scale environments. Inspired by recent findings in the entorhinal–hippocampal neuronal circuits, we propose a cognitive mapping model that includes continuous attractor networks of head-direction cells and conjunctive grid cells to integrate velocity information by conjunctive encodings of space and movement. Visual inputs from the local view cells in the model provide feedback cues to correct drifting errors of the attractors caused by the noisy velocity inputs. We demonstrate the mapping performance of the proposed cognitive mapping model on an open-source dataset of 66 km car journey in a 3 km × 1.6 km urban area. Experimental results show that the proposed model is robust in building a coherent semi-metric topological map of the entire urban area using a monocular camera, even though the image inputs contain various changes caused by different light conditions and terrains. The results in this study could inspire both neuroscience and robotic research to better understand the neural computational mechanisms of spatial cognition and to build robust robotic navigation systems in large-scale environments. PMID:29213234

Channel Measurement and Modeling for 5G Urban Microcellular Scenarios.

PubMed

Peter, Michael; Weiler, Richard J; Göktepe, Barış; Keusgen, Wilhelm; Sakaguchi, Kei

2016-08-20

In order to support the development of channel models for higher frequency bands, multiple urban microcellular measurement campaigns have been carried out in Berlin, Germany, at 60 and 10 GHz. In this paper, the collected data is uniformly analyzed with focus on the path loss (PL) and the delay spread (DS). It reveals that the ground reflection has a dominant impact on the fading behavior. For line-of-sight conditions, the PL exponents are close to free space propagation at 60 GHz, but slightly smaller (1.62) for the street canyon at 10 GHz. The DS shows a clear dependence on the scenario (median values between 16 and 38 ns) and a strong distance dependence for the open square and the wide street canyon. The dependence is less distinct for the narrow street canyon with residential buildings. This behavior is consistent with complementary ray tracing simulations, though the simplified model tends to overestimate the DS.

Comparing and modelling land use organization in cities

PubMed Central

Lenormand, Maxime; Picornell, Miguel; Cantú-Ros, Oliva G.; Louail, Thomas; Herranz, Ricardo; Barthelemy, Marc; Frías-Martínez, Enrique; San Miguel, Maxi; Ramasco, José J.

2015-01-01

The advent of geolocated information and communication technologies opens the possibility of exploring how people use space in cities, bringing an important new tool for urban scientists and planners, especially for regions where data are scarce or not available. Here we apply a functional network approach to determine land use patterns from mobile phone records. The versatility of the method allows us to run a systematic comparison between Spanish cities of various sizes. The method detects four major land use types that correspond to different temporal patterns. The proportion of these types, their spatial organization and scaling show a strong similarity between all cities that breaks down at a very local scale, where land use mixing is specific to each urban area. Finally, we introduce a model inspired by Schelling's segregation, able to explain and reproduce these results with simple interaction rules between different land uses. PMID:27019730

A social science perspective on the forest preserves: Seven virtues for connecting people and nature

Treesearch

Paul H. Gobster

2015-01-01

How do people perceive and value urban green space? In what ways do people's perceptions and values of urban nature affect their use and experience of parks, forest preserves, and other green space types? Knowing this information, how can green space planners, managers, and decision makers facilitate a better "fit" between people and nature in urban...

Urban conflict: reterritorialization in Northern part of Bekasi

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sadono, W.; Herlily

2018-03-01

Inter-group conflict is one of the crucial issues affecting urban development in Northern part of Bekasi. It begins with the destruction of monuments until the rejection of worship places (in this case is a church) by mass organizations. These incidents occurred because the native assumed that the migrants took their territory. They concerned about the modern development brought by the migrants that caused the shrinking of local culture. The behavior of these mass organizations constituted the district that made the urban space seemed ‘not inclusive’ indirectly. This paper offered another alternative in urban design to reduce conflicts within the territory. We sought about the district context and reterritorialized the conflicted area. We used Reterritorialization approach to restore ‘border’ in order to sharpen and strengthen the territory. We conducted direct observation method, socio-cultural mapping, in-depth interview, and 3D model. This paper aimed to affirm the territory in urban space that would be able to accommodate the needs of the district user. The result is a design of transitional space that functionates as negotiation space. The transitional space is an intervention using Reterritorialization approach to reduce conflicts that occur in the urban space of the Northern part of Bekasi.

Overcoming the Subject-Object Dichotomy in Urban Modeling: Axial Maps as Geometric Representations of Affordances in the Built Environment

PubMed Central

Marcus, Lars

2018-01-01

The world is witnessing unprecedented urbanization, bringing extreme challenges to contemporary practices in urban planning and design. This calls for improved urban models that can generate new knowledge and enhance practical skill. Importantly, any urban model embodies a conception of the relation between humans and the physical environment. In urban modeling this is typically conceived of as a relation between human subjects and an environmental object, thereby reproducing a humans-environment dichotomy. Alternative modeling traditions, such as space syntax that originates in architecture rather than geography, have tried to overcome this dichotomy. Central in this effort is the development of new representations of urban space, such as in the case of space syntax, the axial map. This form of representation aims to integrate both human behavior and the physical environment into one and the same description. Interestingly, models based on these representations have proved to better capture pedestrian movement than regular models. Pedestrian movement, as well as other kinds of human flows in urban space, is essential for urban modeling, since increasingly flows of this kind are understood as the driver in urban processes. Critical for a full understanding of space syntax modeling is the ontology of its' representations, such as the axial map. Space syntax theory here often refers to James Gibson's “Theory of affordances,” where the concept of affordances, in a manner similar to axial maps, aims to bridge the subject-object dichotomy by neither constituting physical properties of the environment or human behavior, but rather what emerges in the meeting between the two. In extension of this, the axial map can be interpreted as a representation of how the physical form of the environment affords human accessibility and visibility in urban space. This paper presents a close examination of the form of representations developed in space syntax methodology, in particular in the light of Gibson's “theory of affordances.“ The overarching aim is to contribute to a theoretical framework for urban models based on affordances, which may support the overcoming of the subject-object dichotomy in such models, here deemed essential for a greater social-ecological sustainability of cities. PMID:29731726

Green city Banda Aceh: city planning approach and environmental aspects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Arif, A. A.

2017-02-01

Banda Aceh as the capital of Aceh Province is the region with the tsunami disaster that occurred on December 26, 2004 the most severe of which over 60% of the city area were destroyed mainly coastal region and settlements. One product plan for rehabilitation and reconstruction of Banda Aceh is made of Banda Aceh as Green City. To realize the Green City Banda Aceh, urban development process should be conducted in a planned and integrated way with attention to spatial and environmental aspects to ensure an efficient urban management and to create a healthy, beautiful and comfortable environment. There is a weakness of the process in urban planning and development that occurred at present where cities tend to minimize the development of green open space and land conversion into a commercial district, residential areas, industrial areas, transport networks and infrastructure and facilities for other cities. Another tendency that occurs is urban environment only developed economically but not ecologically, whereas ecological balance is as important as the development of the economic value of urban areas. Such conditions have caused unbalance of urban ecosystems including increased air temperature, air pollution, declining water table, flooding, salt water intrusion and increased content of heavy metals in the soil. From an ecological perspective, unfavorable microclimate, high-temperature increase due to the lack of trees as a sieve / filter against heavy rain, can cause flooding. These conditions result in inconvienient, arid and less beautiful urban areas. The author identifies the elements contained in the Green City Banda Aceh and how the efforts and approaches must be made toward Green City Banda Aceh.

Detecting small scale CO2 emission structures using OCO-2

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schwandner, Florian M.; Eldering, Annmarie; Verhulst, Kristal R.; Miller, Charles E.; Nguyen, Hai M.; Oda, Tomohiro; O'Dell, Christopher; Rao, Preeti; Kahn, Brian; Crisp, David; Gunson, Michael R.; Sanchez, Robert M.; Ashok, Manasa; Pieri, David; Linick, Justin P.; Yuen, Karen

2016-04-01

Localized carbon dioxide (CO2) emission structures cover spatial domains of less than 50 km diameter and include cities and transportation networks, as well as fossil fuel production, upgrading and distribution infra-structure. Anthropogenic sources increasingly upset the natural balance between natural carbon sources and sinks. Mitigation of resulting climate change impacts requires management of emissions, and emissions management requires monitoring, reporting and verification. Space-borne measurements provide a unique opportunity to detect, quantify, and analyze small scale and point source emissions on a global scale. NASA's first satellite dedicated to atmospheric CO2 observation, the July 2014 launched Orbiting Carbon Observatory (OCO-2), now leads the afternoon constellation of satellites (A-Train). Its continuous swath of 2 to 10 km in width and eight footprints across can slice through coincident emission plumes and may provide momentary cross sections. First OCO-2 results demonstrate that we can detect localized source signals in the form of urban total column averaged CO2 enhancements of ~2 ppm against suburban and rural backgrounds. OCO-2's multi-sounding swath observing geometry reveals intra-urban spatial structures reflected in XCO2 data, previously unobserved from space. The transition from single-shot GOSAT soundings detecting urban/rural differences (Kort et al., 2012) to hundreds of soundings per OCO-2 swath opens up the path to future capabilities enabling urban tomography of greenhouse gases. For singular point sources like coal fired power plants, we have developed proxy detections of plumes using bands of imaging spectrometers with sensitivity to SO2 in the thermal infrared (ASTER). This approach provides a means to automate plume detection with subsequent matching and mining of OCO-2 data for enhanced detection efficiency and validation. © California Institute of Technology

Urban agriculture: a global analysis of the space constraint to meet urban vegetable demand

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martellozzo, F.; Landry, J.-S.; Plouffe, D.; Seufert, V.; Rowhani, P.; Ramankutty, N.

2014-05-01

Urban agriculture (UA) has been drawing a lot of attention recently for several reasons: the majority of the world population has shifted from living in rural to urban areas; the environmental impact of agriculture is a matter of rising concern; and food insecurity, especially the accessibility of food, remains a major challenge. UA has often been proposed as a solution to some of these issues, for example by producing food in places where population density is highest, reducing transportation costs, connecting people directly to food systems and using urban areas efficiently. However, to date no study has examined how much food could actually be produced in urban areas at the global scale. Here we use a simple approach, based on different global-scale datasets, to assess to what extent UA is constrained by the existing amount of urban space. Our results suggest that UA would require roughly one third of the total global urban area to meet the global vegetable consumption of urban dwellers. This estimate does not consider how much urban area may actually be suitable and available for UA, which likely varies substantially around the world and according to the type of UA performed. Further, this global average value masks variations of more than two orders of magnitude among individual countries. The variations in the space required across countries derive mostly from variations in urban population density, and much less from variations in yields or per capita consumption. Overall, the space required is regrettably the highest where UA is most needed, i.e., in more food insecure countries. We also show that smaller urban clusters (i.e., <100 km2 each) together represent about two thirds of the global urban extent; thus UA discourse and policies should not focus on large cities exclusively, but should also target smaller urban areas that offer the greatest potential in terms of physical space.

[Variability of soil water soluble organic carbon content and its response to temperature change in green spaces along urban-to-rural gradient of Nanchang, China].

PubMed

Li, Pei-qing; Fang, Xiang-min; Chen, Fu-sheng; Wang, Fang-chao; Yu, Jin-rong; Wan, Song-ze; Li, Zu-yao

2015-11-01

Topsoil of green space including typical forest, shrub and grassland were collected to measure their water soluble organic carbon ( WSOC) before and after incubation of 30 days at 5, 15, 25, 35 and, 45 °C. The results showed the average values of WSOC were higher in urban than in rural green spaces, but the percentage of WSOC to total organic carbon (TOC) showed an opposite trend. No significant changes were found among the three green space types in WSOC and WSOC/TOC. Response of WSOC in green space to incubation temperature was generally highest in urban sites, followed by suburban sites, and lowest in rural sites at the incubation temperature of 5 °C, but showed an opposite trend at the temperature of 45 °C. Response coefficient of WSOC to temperature change was lower in forest and shrub than in grassland, but increased along the urban-rural gradient. Further analysis showed that WSOC positively correlated with TOC, total nitrogen and available phosphorus, and the response coefficient of WSOC to temperature change negatively correlated with available phosphorus. In summary, exogenous substances input might lead to the accumulation of WSOC in urban green space, however, urban environment was helpful to maintain the stability of WSOC, which might be due to the enrichment of available phosphorus in urban sites.

LLNL Mercury Project Trinity Open Science Final Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brantley, Patrick; Dawson, Shawn; McKinley, Scott

2016-04-20

The Mercury Monte Carlo particle transport code developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) is used to simulate the transport of radiation through urban environments. These challenging calculations include complicated geometries and require significant computational resources to complete. As a result, a question arises as to the level of convergence of the calculations with Monte Carlo simulation particle count. In the Trinity Open Science calculations, one main focus was to investigate convergence of the relevant simulation quantities with Monte Carlo particle count to assess the current simulation methodology. Both for this application space but also of more general applicability, wemore » also investigated the impact of code algorithms on parallel scaling on the Trinity machine as well as the utilization of the Trinity DataWarp burst buffer technology in Mercury via the LLNL Scalable Checkpoint/Restart (SCR) library.« less

Six decades of urban growth using remote sensing and GIS in the city of Bandar Abbas, Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dadras, Mohsen; Zulhaidi Mohd Shafri, Helmi; Ahmad, Noordin; Pradhan, Biswajeet; Safarpour, Sahabeh

2014-06-01

Bandar Abbas is the capital city of Hormozgan province, is the south of Iran. The city has witnessed rapid growth in the last three decades, mostly because of its economic, commercial and social attractions. However, forms and operations of urban sprawl may vary in important manners according to determine geographical and historical characteristics, and these difference need to be reviewed with creation geodatabase of spatial and attribute data during past periods until now of urban formation and expansion. We implemented this research to understand Bandar Abbas city growth dynamic during last six decades using aerial photo, Remote Sensing (RS) data and Geographical Information System (GIS), to investigate its sprawl for the during six decades and to prepare a basis for urban planning and management. We calibrated it with geospatial data derived from a time series of aerial photos and satellite images. Treated remote sensing data covering the six decades were used to calculate land use/cover and urban growth. The application of classification techniques to the remote sensing data enabled the extraction of eight main types of land use: agricultural, barren, coastal, hole, river, rocky hill, urban, and built-up. Growth was calculated through Shannon's entropy model. The urbanized area increased from 403.77 ha to 4959.59 ha from 1956 to 2012, a rate almost five times that of the population growth observed in the same period. Such findings make the case of Bandar Abbas important for several reasons. First, Bandar Abbas has undergone a rapid increase in urban sprawl according to urban growth indicators. Second, the urban sprawl quickly grew from medium-sized to large a process considered inappropriate according to physical and structural limitations on urban growth. Lastly, the excessive extension of the built-up boundary in the city resulted in the loss of coastal land and open space, two main sources of tourist attraction and economic sustainable development.

Urban greenness influences airborne bacterial community composition.

PubMed

Mhuireach, Gwynne; Johnson, Bart R; Altrichter, Adam E; Ladau, Joshua; Meadow, James F; Pollard, Katherine S; Green, Jessica L

2016-11-15

Urban green space provides health benefits for city dwellers, and new evidence suggests that microorganisms associated with soil and vegetation could play a role. While airborne microorganisms are ubiquitous in urban areas, the influence of nearby vegetation on airborne microbial communities remains poorly understood. We examined airborne microbial communities in parks and parking lots in Eugene, Oregon, using high-throughput sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene on the Illumina MiSeq platform to identify bacterial taxa, and GIS to measure vegetation cover in buffer zones of different diameters. Our goal was to explore variation among highly vegetated (parks) versus non-vegetated (parking lots) urban environments. A secondary objective was to evaluate passive versus active collection methods for outdoor airborne microbial sampling. Airborne bacterial communities from five parks were different from those of five parking lots (p=0.023), although alpha diversity was similar. Direct gradient analysis showed that the proportion of vegetated area within a 50m radius of the sampling station explained 15% of the variation in bacterial community composition. A number of key taxa, including several Acidobacteriaceae were substantially more abundant in parks, while parking lots had higher relative abundance of Acetobacteraceae. Parks had greater beta diversity than parking lots, i.e. individual parks were characterized by unique bacterial signatures, whereas parking lot communities tended to be similar to each other. Although parks and parking lots were selected to form pairs of nearby sites, spatial proximity did not appear to affect compositional similarity. Our results also showed that passive and active collection methods gave comparable results, indicating the "settling dish" method is effective for outdoor airborne sampling. This work sets a foundation for understanding how urban vegetation may impact microbial communities, with potential implications for designing neighborhoods and open space systems that foster better human health. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Disadvantaged Advantage in Walkability: Findings from ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Urban form-the structure of the built environment-can influence physical activity, yet little is known about how walkable design differs according to neighborhood sociodemographic composition. We studied how walkable urban form varies by neighborhood sociodemographic composition, region, and urbanicity across the United States. Using linear regression models and 2000-2001 US Census data, we investigated the relationship between 5 neighborhood census characteristics (income, education, racial/ethnic composition, age distribution, and sex) and 5 walkability indicators in almost 65,000 census tracts in 48 states and the District of Columbia. Data on the built environment were obtained from the RAND Corporation's (Santa Monica, California) Center for Population Health and Health Disparities (median block length, street segment, and node density) and the US Geological Survey's National Land Cover Database (proportion open space and proportion highly developed). Disadvantaged neighborhoods and those with more educated residents were more walkable (i.e., shorter block length, greater street node density, more developed land use, and higher density of street segments). However, tracts with a higher proportion of children and older adults were less walkable (fewer street nodes and lower density of street segments), after adjustment for region and level of urbanicity. Research and policy on the walkability-health link should give nuanced attention to the gap between perso

Oblique Photogrammetry Supporting 3d Urban Reconstruction of Complex Scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Toschi, I.; Ramos, M. M.; Nocerino, E.; Menna, F.; Remondino, F.; Moe, K.; Poli, D.; Legat, K.; Fassi, F.

2017-05-01

Accurate 3D city models represent an important source of geospatial information to support various "smart city" applications, such as space management, energy assessment, 3D cartography, noise and pollution mapping as well as disaster management. Even though remarkable progress has been made in recent years, there are still many open issues, especially when it comes to the 3D modelling of complex urban scenarios like historical and densely-built city centres featuring narrow streets and non-conventional building shapes. Most approaches introduce strong building priors/constraints on symmetry and roof typology that penalize urban environments having high variations of roof shapes. Furthermore, although oblique photogrammetry is rapidly maturing, the use of slanted views for façade reconstruction is not completely included in the reconstruction pipeline of state-of-the-art software. This paper aims to investigate state-of-the-art methods for 3D building modelling in complex urban scenarios with the support of oblique airborne images. A reconstruction approach based on roof primitives fitting is tested. Oblique imagery is then exploited to support the manual editing of the generated building models. At the same time, mobile mapping data are collected at cm resolution and then integrated with the aerial ones. All approaches are tested on the historical city centre of Bergamo (Italy).

Islamic representation and urban space in Banda Aceh: Linking the social and spatial

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Istiqamah; Herlily

2018-03-01

Post conflict and tsunami; the city of Banda Aceh is experiencing a massive development as an effort to represent an Islamic city. Some strategic points have been chosen by the municipality to build architectural objects that are considered to represent Islam in the urban space. The issue of such representational practice is the development of neglecting the activities of local communities as users of urban public spaces. The purpose of this design study is to provide an alternative to the urban design of Banda Aceh to represent Islam that is not moving from physical development but by involving community activities. Establish and rediscover the relationship between Islam and urban life in Banda Aceh. This design study uses mental maps of 50 inhabitants of Banda Aceh city of various ages who live in 10 villages around the city center. We use mental maps as a tool to read the daily activities of the community and determine the familiar urban territory with the community. The results of this study will be used to form a Muslim community and present community activities to represent Islam in the urban space.

City and Urbanity in the Social Discourse

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dymnicka, Małgorzata; Badach, Joanna

2017-10-01

The aim of our article is an attempt to present the concept of urbanity that has been shaped throughout centuries along with the development of European civilisation and now entered a new phase of social production of space based on cultural dimensions. The future of the majority of World’s population is connected currently with the urban life with the assumption that qualitative characteristics of life in the 21st century define the quality of civilisation itself. Contrary to many scientists’ predictions of the decline of the city and urbanity, new reviving urban projects, social local activities and everyday urbanism appear which are connected with redefinition of the city as a community. The rebirth of cities, currently referred to as “urban renaissance”, “urban resurgence” or “urban revival”, can be also defined in terms of new urbanity regarded as an insightful and creative attitude towards the city and its culture. The elementary order of things was determined in the last decades not by the space but by the time and its acceleration and simultaneously the role of architecture alters. The course of thinking about the city is changing from a single space-time city towards a personalised city, based on individual identities and corresponding places in the physical and virtual space. That can mean a new role of the city in the creation of urbanity. In the era of advanced communication technologies, a question arises about the ontological status of the city when the emphasis is placed on independence and individuality in interactions between people. Social life becomes detached from traditional spatial patterns and practices. We are interested in the urbanity understood in the wider context of cultural urban studies which are focused on new ways of organising the communication space and social relations. We will refer in this article to the values constitutive for the city and urbanity that guided the idea of the city since the dawn of time as well as its new deconstructed forms (e.g. the pop-up city, neo-bohemia, the creative class, neighbour communities, urban guerrilla gardening, experimental urban farms, etc.).

The Role of Re-Appropriation in Open Design: A Case Study on How Openness in Higher Education for Industrial Design Engineering Can Trigger Global Discussions on the Theme of Urban Gardening

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ostuzzi, Francesca; Conradie, Peter; De Couvreur, Lieven; Detand, Jan; Saldien, Jelle

2016-01-01

This case study explores the opportunities for students of Industrial Design Engineering to engage with direct and indirect stakeholders by making their design process and results into open-ended designed solutions. The reported case study involved 47 students during a two-weeks intensive course on the topic of urban gardening. Observations were…

Assessing equitable access to urban green space: the role of engineered water infrastructure.

PubMed

Wendel, Heather E Wright; Downs, Joni A; Mihelcic, James R

2011-08-15

Urban green space and water features provide numerous social, environmental, and economic benefits, yet disparities often exist in their distribution and accessibility. This study examines the link between issues of environmental justice and urban water management to evaluate potential improvements in green space and surface water access through the revitalization of existing engineered water infrastructures, namely stormwater ponds. First, relative access to green space and water features were compared for residents of Tampa, Florida, and an inner-city community of Tampa (East Tampa). Although disparities were not found in overall accessibility between Tampa and East Tampa, inequalities were apparent when quality, diversity, and size of green spaces were considered. East Tampa residents had significantly less access to larger, more desirable spaces and water features. Second, this research explored approaches for improving accessibility to green space and natural water using three integrated stormwater management development scenarios. These scenarios highlighted the ability of enhanced water infrastructures to increase access equality at a variety of spatial scales. Ultimately, the "greening" of gray urban water infrastructures is advocated as a way to address environmental justice issues while also reconnecting residents with issues of urban water management.

Spatially organized «vertical city» as a synthesis of tall buildings and airships

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gagulina, Olga; Matovnikov, Sergei

2018-03-01

The paper explores the compact city concept based on the «spatial» urban development principles and describes the prerequisites and possible methods to move from «horizontal» planning to «vertical» urban environments. It highlights the close connection between urban space, high-rise city landscape and conveyance options and sets out the ideas for upgrading the existing architectural and urban planning principles. It also conceptualizes the use of airships to create additional spatial connections between urban structure elements and high-rise buildings. Functional changes are considered in creating both urban environment and internal space of tall buildings, and the environmental aspects of the new spatial model are brought to light. The paper delineates the prospects for making a truly «spatial» multidimensional city space.

Greater Baltimore Open Air: an Internet of Things (IoT) approach to citizen science and community-driven climate, air quality, and urban heat island monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scott, A.; Kelley, C.; Azdoud, Y.; Ambikapathi, R.; Hobson, M.; Lehman, A.; Ghugare, P.; He, C.; Zaitchik, B. F.; Waugh, D.; McCormack, M.; Baja, K.

2017-12-01

Anthropogenic activities alter the urban surface and surface atmosphere, generating heat and pollutants that have known detrimental impacts on health. Monitoring these environmental variables in urban environments is made difficult by the spatial heterogeneity of urban environments, meaning that two nearby locations may have significantly different temperatures, humidities, or gas concentrations. Thus, urban monitoring often requires more densely placed monitors than current standards or budgets allow. Recent advances in low-cost sensors and Internet of Things (IoT) enabled hardware offer possible solutions. We present an autonomous wireless, open-source, IoT-enabled environmental monitor called a WeatherCube, developed for the Greater Baltimore Open Air project, funded in part by the EPA SmartCity Challenge. The WeatherCube is suitable for urban monitoring and capable of measuring meteorological variables (temperature and humidity) as well as air quality (ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulfur dioxide). The WeatherCube devices were built in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University, local government, and community members, including through an innovative job training program. Monitors are hosted by community partners and libraries throughout Baltimore city and surrounding communities. We present the first wave of data collected by the Greater Baltimore Open Air project and compare it to data collected by the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). Additionally, we will provide an overview of our experience engaging with the local makers, citizen scientists, and environmental groups to improve their urban environmental monitoring. By developing low-cost devices tailored for urban environmental monitoring, we present an innovative model for both conducting research and community outreach.

Multi-layer planting as a strategy of greening the transitional space in high-rise buildings: A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Prihatmanti, Rani; Taib, Nooriati

2018-03-01

The issues regarding the rapid development in the urban have resulted in the increasing number of infrastructure built, including the high-rise buildings to accommodate the urban dwellers. Lack of greeneries due to the land limitation in the urban area has increased the surface radiation as well as the air temperature that leads to the Urban Heat Island (UHI) phenomena. Where urban land is limited, growing plants vertically could be a solution. Plants, which are widely known as one of the sustainability elements in the built environment could be integrated in building as a part of urban faming by growing edible plant species. This is also to address the food security issue in the urban as well as high-density cities. Since space is limited, the function of transitional space could be optimized for the green space. This paper explores the strategy of greening transitional space in the high-rise setting. To give a maximum impact in a limited space, multi-layer planting concept could be introduced. This concept is believed that multiple layers of plants could modify the microclimate, as well as the radiation to the building, compare to single layer plant. In addition to that, the method selected also determines the efficacy of the vertical greeneries. However, there are many other limitations related to the multi-layer planting method if installed in a transitional space that needs to be further studied. Despite its limitations, the application of vertical greeneries with multi-layer planting concept could be a promising solution for greening the limited space as well as improving the thermal comfort in the high-rise building.

Spatial disparities in the distribution of parks and green spaces in the USA.

PubMed

Wen, Ming; Zhang, Xingyou; Harris, Carmen D; Holt, James B; Croft, Janet B

2013-02-01

Little national evidence is available on spatial disparities in distributions of parks and green spaces in the USA. This study examines ecological associations of spatial access to parks and green spaces with percentages of black, Hispanic, and low-income residents across the urban-rural continuum in the conterminous USA. Census tract-level park and green space data were linked with data from the 2010 U.S. Census and 2006-2010 American Community Surveys. Linear mixed regression models were performed to examine these associations. Poverty levels were negatively associated with distances to parks and percentages of green spaces in urban/suburban areas while positively associated in rural areas. Percentages of blacks and Hispanics were in general negatively linked to distances to parks and green space coverage along the urban-rural spectrum. Place-based race-ethnicity and poverty are important correlates of spatial access to parks and green spaces, but the associations vary across the urbanization levels.

CO2 emissions, real output, energy consumption, trade, urbanization and financial development: testing the EKC hypothesis for the USA.

PubMed

Dogan, Eyup; Turkekul, Berna

2016-01-01

This study aims to investigate the relationship between carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, energy consumption, real output (GDP), the square of real output (GDP(2)), trade openness, urbanization, and financial development in the USA for the period 1960-2010. The bounds testing for cointegration indicates that the analyzed variables are cointegrated. In the long run, energy consumption and urbanization increase environmental degradation while financial development has no effect on it, and trade leads to environmental improvements. In addition, this study does not support the validity of the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) hypothesis for the USA because real output leads to environmental improvements while GDP(2) increases the levels of gas emissions. The results from the Granger causality test show that there is bidirectional causality between CO2 and GDP, CO2 and energy consumption, CO2 and urbanization, GDP and urbanization, and GDP and trade openness while no causality is determined between CO2 and trade openness, and gas emissions and financial development. In addition, we have enough evidence to support one-way causality running from GDP to energy consumption, from financial development to output, and from urbanization to financial development. In light of the long-run estimates and the Granger causality analysis, the US government should take into account the importance of trade openness, urbanization, and financial development in controlling for the levels of GDP and pollution. Moreover, it should be noted that the development of efficient energy policies likely contributes to lower CO2 emissions without harming real output.

Land-use and Land-cover Change from 1974 to 2008 around Mobile Bay

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Ellis, Jean; Spruce, Joseph; Smoot, James; Hilbert, Kent; Swann, Roberta

2008-01-01

This project is a Gulf of Mexico Application Pilot in which NASA Stennis Space Center (SSC) is working within a regional collaboration network of the Gulf of Mexico Alliance. NASA researchers, with support from the NASA SSC Applied Science Program Steering Committee, employed multi-temporal Landsat data to assess land-use and land-cover (LULC) changes in the coastal counties of Mobile and Baldwin, AL, between 1974 and 2008. A multi-decadal time-series, coastal LULC product unique to NASA SSC was produced. The geographic extent and nature of change was quantified for the open water, barren, upland herbaceous, non-woody wetland, upland forest, woody wetland, and urban landscapes. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Coastal Development Data Center (NCDDC) will assist with the transition of the final product to the operational end user, which primarily is the Mobile Bay National Estuary Program (MBNEP). We found substantial LULC change over the 34-year study period, much more than is evident when the change occurring in the last years. Between 1974 and 2008, the upland forest landscape lost almost 6% of the total acreage, while urban land cover increased by slightly more than 3%. With exception to open water, upland forest is the dominant landscape, accounting for about 25-30% of the total area.

Urban Green Space Perception and Its Contribution to Well-Being.

PubMed

Kothencz, Gyula; Kolcsár, Ronald; Cabrera-Barona, Pablo; Szilassi, Péter

2017-07-12

Individual perceptions are essential when evaluating the well-being benefits from urban green spaces. This study predicted the influence of perceived green space characteristics in the city of Szeged, Hungary, on two well-being variables: the green space visitors' level of satisfaction and the self-reported quality of life. The applied logistic regression analysis used nine predictors: seven perceived green space characteristics from a questionnaire survey among visitors of five urban green spaces of Szeged; and the frequency of green space visitors' crowd-sourced recreational running paths and photographs picturing green space aesthetics. Results revealed that perceived green space characteristics with direct well-being benefits were strong predictors of both dependent variables. Perceived green space characteristics with indirect, yet fundamental, well-being benefits, namely, regulating ecosystem services had minor influence on the dependent variables. The crowd-sourced geo-tagged data predicted only the perceived quality of life contributions; but revealed spatial patterns of recreational green space use and aesthetics. This study recommends that regulating ecosystem services should be planned with a focus on residents' aesthetic and recreational needs. Further research on the combination of green space visitors´ perceptions and crowd-sourced geo-tagged data is suggested to promote planning for well-being and health benefits of urban green spaces.

Urban Green Space Perception and Its Contribution to Well-Being

PubMed Central

Kolcsár, Ronald; Cabrera-Barona, Pablo; Szilassi, Péter

2017-01-01

Individual perceptions are essential when evaluating the well-being benefits from urban green spaces. This study predicted the influence of perceived green space characteristics in the city of Szeged, Hungary, on two well-being variables: the green space visitors’ level of satisfaction and the self-reported quality of life. The applied logistic regression analysis used nine predictors: seven perceived green space characteristics from a questionnaire survey among visitors of five urban green spaces of Szeged; and the frequency of green space visitors’ crowd-sourced recreational running paths and photographs picturing green space aesthetics. Results revealed that perceived green space characteristics with direct well-being benefits were strong predictors of both dependent variables. Perceived green space characteristics with indirect, yet fundamental, well-being benefits, namely, regulating ecosystem services had minor influence on the dependent variables. The crowd-sourced geo-tagged data predicted only the perceived quality of life contributions; but revealed spatial patterns of recreational green space use and aesthetics. This study recommends that regulating ecosystem services should be planned with a focus on residents’ aesthetic and recreational needs. Further research on the combination of green space visitors´ perceptions and crowd-sourced geo-tagged data is suggested to promote planning for well-being and health benefits of urban green spaces. PMID:28704969

Downtown Study Centre: An Open-Ended ABE Program in an Urban Shopping Mall

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harrison, David

1976-01-01

Describes an adult basic education facility after one year of operation in an urban shopping mall in Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada. The center is an informal open-ended classroom and advising center where part-time adult learners study an individualized curriculum. Summarizes the major findings of a program evaluation. (EM)

Urban simulation evaluation with study case of the Singapore Management University, Singapore

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Seanders, O.

2018-01-01

This paper reports and discusses about the urban simulation evaluation with a study case, The Singapore Managemant University (SMU), the first major university to be located in the city centre. It is located in Bras Basah District, with some controversy on the geographical establishment, the physical realization of the University in the original plan required some demolishes, urban historical building, a public park and in the end will impact the lose of some certain qualities of the urban space. From this case we can see that the urban design and cultural heritage principles could come into conflicts with the more practical concerns of space constraints and transportation efficiency. This SMU case reflect the problem of the developing countries that have to decide between conservation of buildings and green spaces and space demands. In this case, for Singapore, it marks a progress in the step of greater community involvement in the planning process.

SL2-16-281

NASA Image and Video Library

1973-06-01

SL2-16-281 (June 1973) --- A vertical view of the Orlando and central Florida area photographed from the Skylab space station in Earth orbit. (The picture should be held with the heaviest cloud cover at the bottom.) The extensive road and highway network in the area is clearly visible. The Lakeland and Winter Haven area is near the center of the picture. Interstate 4 extends southwesterly out of Orlando through the center of the picture. The urban growth caused by the opening of the Disney World amusement complex is clearly evident. The giant recreational facility is just southwest of Orlando. This picture was taken by one of the six lenses of the Itek-furnished S190-A Multispectral Photographic Facility Experiment in the Multiple Docking Adapter of the space station. Type SO-356 film was used. Photo credit: NASA

Morphological similarities between DBM and a microeconomic model of sprawl

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caruso, Geoffrey; Vuidel, Gilles; Cavailhès, Jean; Frankhauser, Pierre; Peeters, Dominique; Thomas, Isabelle

2011-03-01

We present a model that simulates the growth of a metropolitan area on a 2D lattice. The model is dynamic and based on microeconomics. Households show preferences for nearby open spaces and neighbourhood density. They compete on the land market. They travel along a road network to access the CBD. A planner ensures the connectedness and maintenance of the road network. The spatial pattern of houses, green spaces and road network self-organises, emerging from agents individualistic decisions. We perform several simulations and vary residential preferences. Our results show morphologies and transition phases that are similar to Dieletric Breakdown Models (DBM). Such similarities were observed earlier by other authors, but we show here that it can be deducted from the functioning of the land market and thus explicitly connected to urban economic theory.

Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant Program - 2017

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

This page contains information about a grants program funded by EPA Urban Waters and sponsored by the Urban Waters Federal Partnership. The request for proposals is open from November 3 2015 - February 3 2016.

The Urbis Project: Identification and Characterization of Potential Urban Development Areas as a Web-Based Service

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Manzke, Nina; Kada, Martin; Kastler, Thomas; Xu, Shaojuan; de Lange, Norbert; Ehlers, Manfred

2016-06-01

Urban sprawl and the related landscape fragmentation is a Europe-wide challenge in the context of sustainable urban planning. The URBan land recycling Information services for Sustainable cities (URBIS) project aims for the development, implementation, and validation of web-based information services for urban vacant land in European functional urban areas in order to provide end-users with site specific characteristics and to facilitate the identification and evaluation of potential development areas. The URBIS services are developed based on open geospatial data. In particular, the Copernicus Urban Atlas thematic layers serve as the main data source for an initial inventory of sites. In combination with remotely sensed data like SPOT5 images and ancillary datasets like OpenStreetMap, detailed site specific information is extracted. Services are defined for three main categories: i) baseline services, which comprise an initial inventory and typology of urban land, ii) update services, which provide a regular inventory update as well as an analysis of urban land use dynamics and changes, and iii) thematic services, which deliver specific information tailored to end-users' needs.

Concept of ‘Good Urban Governance’ and Its Application in Sustainable Urban Planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Badach, Joanna; Dymnicka, Małgorzata

2017-10-01

Contemporary urban theory and practice in the post-industrial era is increasingly often turning towards an approach based on sustainable development. That concept bearing the traits of a paradigm has grown on the ground of broad quest for an alternative to the existing development model of the industrial civilisation. It has gained wide social acceptance and is the basis for many development and environmental programmes at the level of national and local government. It puts in a new light the socio-cultural, ecological and energy-related aspects of space as well as its value and aesthetics. A model of governing the city called ‘good urban governance’ is in a very close relation with the concept of sustainable development. It is based on the principles of inclusiveness, citizenship, accountability, processuality and effectiveness. Although this approach is not entirely novel, it stays valid and open to new challenges connected with satisfying human needs in the urban built environment on the basis of new contemporary conceptualisations such as ‘smart governance’, ‘governing the smart city’, ‘network governance’ and ‘governance networks’. The advantages of this approach based on the assumption of multidimensionality and subjectivity, matching the various and seemingly contradicting interests with a sense of responsibility for the quality of life in the urban environment are often underlined both in literature and in academic debate. The aim of this article is an attempt to present selected practices in spatial planning which employ the principles of the idea of co-governance. It will include various methodological assumptions and criteria applied in ‘good urban governance’. The intention will be to show its new research and application possibilities in countries like Poland where the idea of governance and sustainable development remains a matter of theory.

Reduced wind speed improves plant growth in a desert city.

PubMed

Bang, Christofer; Sabo, John L; Faeth, Stanley H

2010-06-10

The often dramatic effects of urbanization on community and ecosystem properties, such as primary productivity, abundances, and diversity are now well-established. In most cities local primary productivity increases and this extra energy flows upwards to alter diversity and relative abundances in higher trophic levels. The abiotic mechanisms thought to be responsible for increases in urban productivity are altered temperatures and light regimes, and increased nutrient and water inputs. However, another abiotic factor, wind speed, is also influenced by urbanization and well known for altering primary productivity in agricultural systems. Wind effects on primary productivity have heretofore not been studied in the context of urbanization. We designed a field experiment to test if increased plant growth often observed in cities is explained by the sheltering effects of built structures. Wind speed was reduced by protecting Encelia farinosa (brittlebush) plants in urban, desert remnant and outlying desert localities via windbreaks while controlling for water availability and nutrient content. In all three habitats, we compared E. farinosa growth when protected by experimental windbreaks and in the open. E. farinosa plants protected against ambient wind in the desert and remnant areas grew faster in terms of biomass and height than exposed plants. As predicted, sheltered plants did not differ from unprotected plants in urban areas where wind speed is already reduced. Our results indicate that reductions in wind speed due to built structures in cities contribute to increased plant productivity and thus also to changes in abundances and diversity of higher trophic levels. Our study emphasizes the need to incorporate wind speed in future urban ecological studies, as well as in planning for green space and sustainable cities.

Preserving ecosystem services in urban regions: challenges for planning and best practice examples from Switzerland.

PubMed

Tobias, Silvia

2013-04-01

This article presents a literature review that explores the challenges for planning in urban regions in connection with the preservation of ecosystem services. It further presents some best practice examples for meeting these challenges. The demand for the provision of ecosystem services within urban regions changed during the transition from a largely agrarian society to an industrial society and, most recently, to a service society. Although in the past, provisioning services such as food production or the provision of raw material were decisive for urban development, today cultural services, e.g., clear views or nearby recreation areas, have become increasingly important. According to the literature, soil sealing is the greatest threat urbanization poses toward ecosystem services, as it compromises all of them. Spatially extensive cities with a high building density particularly inhibit regulating services like the regulation of temperature or water surface runoff. Conversely, scattered settlement patterns may lead to very small remnants of open space that cannot reasonably serve as natural habitat, agricultural land, or recreation area. The challenges for planning in urban regions are: 1) specifying regulations that define outer limits to the development of each settlement unit, 2) comprehensive planning with focal points for development, and limiting access and development at other places, and 3) compensating for new soil sealing by restoring nearby sealed areas. The article presents 3 best-practice examples that support these principles: designating areas with a particular soil quality that should not be built over, offering incentives for corporate planning in urban regions, and restoring a country road in connection with a motorway construction. Copyright © 2013 SETAC.

Comparison Between Spectral, Spatial and Polarimetric Classification of Urban and Periurban Landcover Using Temporal Sentinel - 1 Images

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Roychowdhury, K.

2016-06-01

Landcover is the easiest detectable indicator of human interventions on land. Urban and peri-urban areas present a complex combination of landcover, which makes classification challenging. This paper assesses the different methods of classifying landcover using dual polarimetric Sentinel-1 data collected during monsoon (July) and winter (December) months of 2015. Four broad landcover classes such as built up areas, water bodies and wetlands, vegetation and open spaces of Kolkata and its surrounding regions were identified. Polarimetric analyses were conducted on Single Look Complex (SLC) data of the region while ground range detected (GRD) data were used for spectral and spatial classification. Unsupervised classification by means of K-Means clustering used backscatter values and was able to identify homogenous landcovers over the study area. The results produced an overall accuracy of less than 50% for both the seasons. Higher classification accuracy (around 70%) was achieved by adding texture variables as inputs along with the backscatter values. However, the accuracy of classification increased significantly with polarimetric analyses. The overall accuracy was around 80% in Wishart H-A-Alpha unsupervised classification. The method was useful in identifying urban areas due to their double-bounce scattering and vegetated areas, which have more random scattering. Normalized Difference Built-up index (NDBI) and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) obtained from Landsat 8 data over the study area were used to verify vegetation and urban classes. The study compares the accuracies of different methods of classifying landcover using medium resolution SAR data in a complex urban area and suggests that polarimetric analyses present the most accurate results for urban and suburban areas.

Ecological planning of urbanized areas in the south of the Far East (Birobidzhan city as an example)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kalmanova, V. B.

2018-01-01

Ecological planning of urbanized areas is an urgent demand of the time, because more than 70% of Russia’s population lives in cities. The article describes that the city’s ecological planning is an important part of the area’s organization in its development strategy. The principles and features of the urban area’s ecological organization are proposed. The basis for environmental planning is the ecological and functional zoning of urban areas. The algorithm of ecological-functional zoning is developed to optimize the quality of the urban environment. Based on it, it is possible to identify the planning structure’s features, justify anthropogenic pressure on the natural components of the urban environment, etc. The article briefly presents the possibility of using the main conditions of the ecological framework in the planning of urban areas. Considering the perspective trends of the formation and development of cities in the south of the Far East, the ecological problems caused by regional natural and anthropogenic causes (features of relief, climate, functional-planning structure) are considered. The need for environmental planning of cities in the south of the Far East is shown. The results of the ecological framework’s formation of Birobidzhan city based on its ecological and functional zoning are described. The total area of open unreformed spaces in the city is calculated to be 60.8%, which can serve as the main elements of the ecological framework and perspective reserve areas for ecological planning. The cartographic model of Birobidzhan’s ecological framework is presented, which is the result and model of this type of planning. The practical use of the proposed model will facilitate the adoption of effective management decisions aimed at stabilized development of the city.

Preserving Ecosystem Services in Urban Regions: Challenges for Planning and Best Practice Examples from Switzerland

PubMed Central

Tobias, Silvia

2013-01-01

This article presents a literature review that explores the challenges for planning in urban regions in connection with the preservation of ecosystem services. It further presents some best practice examples for meeting these challenges. The demand for the provision of ecosystem services within urban regions changed during the transition from a largely agrarian society to an industrial society and, most recently, to a service society. Although in the past, provisioning services such as food production or the provision of raw material were decisive for urban development, today cultural services, e.g., clear views or nearby recreation areas, have become increasingly important. According to the literature, soil sealing is the greatest threat urbanization poses toward ecosystem services, as it compromises all of them. Spatially extensive cities with a high building density particularly inhibit regulating services like the regulation of temperature or water surface runoff. Conversely, scattered settlement patterns may lead to very small remnants of open space that cannot reasonably serve as natural habitat, agricultural land, or recreation area. The challenges for planning in urban regions are: 1) specifying regulations that define outer limits to the development of each settlement unit, 2) comprehensive planning with focal points for development, and limiting access and development at other places, and 3) compensating for new soil sealing by restoring nearby sealed areas. The article presents 3 best-practice examples that support these principles: designating areas with a particular soil quality that should not be built over, offering incentives for corporate planning in urban regions, and restoring a country road in connection with a motorway construction. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2013; 9: 243–251. © 2013 SETAC PMID:23307283

[Spatial equity analysis of urban green space from the perspective of balance between supply and demand: A case study of Futian District, Shenzhen, China.

PubMed

Wu, Jian Sheng; Si, Meng Lin; Li, Wei Feng

2016-09-01

Urban green space is an important ecological landscape, whose spatial distribution plays a significant role in improving the eco-environment and people's living quality. This study was initia-ted from the perspective of supply and demand balance to evaluate the equity of distribution of urban parks, drawing on previous research, and introduced an integrated framework for evaluating the equity of urban public facilities using spatial multi-analysis. A method concerning gravity model to assess the equity of urban green space was introduced, taking the effect of boundary into account. The case study area was the Futian District of Shenzhen and its 2000 m buffer area. Then, some optimizations were suggested for better allocation of the green space. The results showed that the equity of Futian District was low. The equity of community parks was lowest, followed by that of regional parks, while the countryside ecological parks owned the highest equity. About 50% of the Futian district area was in a state of balance between supply and demand and the rest were in a state of insufficient supply. Greening rate and space allocation of parks and road traffic systems should be improved to better plan the green space in Futian District. For urban green space planning, the parks of small area should be paid more attention to meet the needs of residents for daily recreation. By taking the effect of boundary into account, we observed that the residential area on the edge of the study area could enjoy the park green space, and the green space in the boundary area outside the region would be also shared by residents on both sides of the administrative boundary.

Human-like characteristics for high degree of freedom robotic door-opening end-effector

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gray, Jeremy P.; Campagna, Frank

2011-05-01

In the field of military Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGV's), military units are forced to sweep largely populated cities and towns in search of hostile enemies. These urban types of operations are referred to as MOUT (Military Operations on Urban Terrain). During urban operations, these UGV's encounter difficulties when opening doors. Current manipulator end effectors have these difficulties, because they are not designed to mimic human hand operations. This paper explains the mechanical nature of the Modular Universal Door Opening End-effector (MUDOE). MUDOE is a result of our development research to improve robotic manipulators ability to negotiate closed doors. The presented solution has the ability to mimic human hand characteristics when opening doors. The end-effector possesses an ability to maintain a high Degree of Freedom (DoF), and grasp the doorknob by applying equally distributed forces to all points of contact.

Metro nature, environmental health, and economic value.

PubMed

Wolf, Kathleen L; Robbins, Alicia S T

2015-05-01

Nearly 40 years of research provides an extensive body of evidence about human health, well-being, and improved function benefits associated with experiences of nearby nature in cities. We demonstrate the numerous opportunities for future research efforts that link metro nature, human health and well-being outcomes, and economic values. We reviewed the literature on urban nature-based health and well-being benefits. In this review, we provide a classification schematic and propose potential economic values associated with metro nature services. Economic valuation of benefits derived from urban green systems has largely been undertaken in the fields of environmental and natural resource economics, but studies have not typically addressed health outcomes. Urban trees, parks, gardens, open spaces, and other nearby nature elements-collectively termed metro nature-generate many positive externalities that have been largely overlooked in urban economics and policy. Here, we present a range of health benefits, including benefit context and beneficiaries. Although the understanding of these benefits is not yet consistently expressed, and although it is likely that attempts to link urban ecosystem services and economic values will not include all expressions of cultural or social value, the development of new interdisciplinary approaches that integrate environmental health and economic disciplines are greatly needed. Metro nature provides diverse and substantial benefits to human populations in cities. In this review, we begin to address the need for development of valuation methodologies and new approaches to understanding the potential economic outcomes of these benefits.

Wide-angle planar microtracking for quasi-static microcell concentrating photovoltaics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Price, Jared S.; Sheng, Xing; Meulblok, Bram M.; Rogers, John A.; Giebink, Noel C.

2015-02-01

Concentrating photovoltaics offer a way to lower the cost of solar power. However, the existing paradigm based on precise orientation of large-area concentrator modules towards the Sun limits their deployment to large, open land areas. Here, we explore an alternate approach using high-efficiency microcell photovoltaics embedded between a pair of plastic lenslet arrays to demonstrate quasi-static concentrating photovoltaic panels <1 cm thick that accomplish full-day tracking with >200x flux concentration ratio through small (<1 cm) lateral translation at fixed latitude tilt. Per unit of installed land area, cosine projection loss for fixed microtracking concentrating photovoltaic panels is ultimately offset by improved ground coverage relative to their conventional dual-axis counterparts, enabling a ~1.9x increase in daily energy output that may open up a new opportunity for compact, high-efficiency concentrating photovoltaics to be installed on rooftops and other limited-space urban environments.

Wide-angle planar microtracking for quasi-static microcell concentrating photovoltaics.

PubMed

Price, Jared S; Sheng, Xing; Meulblok, Bram M; Rogers, John A; Giebink, Noel C

2015-02-05

Concentrating photovoltaics offer a way to lower the cost of solar power. However, the existing paradigm based on precise orientation of large-area concentrator modules towards the Sun limits their deployment to large, open land areas. Here, we explore an alternate approach using high-efficiency microcell photovoltaics embedded between a pair of plastic lenslet arrays to demonstrate quasi-static concentrating photovoltaic panels <1 cm thick that accomplish full-day tracking with >200x flux concentration ratio through small (<1 cm) lateral translation at fixed latitude tilt. Per unit of installed land area, cosine projection loss for fixed microtracking concentrating photovoltaic panels is ultimately offset by improved ground coverage relative to their conventional dual-axis counterparts, enabling a ~1.9x increase in daily energy output that may open up a new opportunity for compact, high-efficiency concentrating photovoltaics to be installed on rooftops and other limited-space urban environments.

Promoting Environmental Justice Through Urban Green Space Access: A Synopsis

Treesearch

Viniece Jennings; Cassandra Johnson Gaither; Richard Schulterbrandt Gragg

2012-01-01

This article reviews literature on the connection between urban green space access and environmental justice. It discusses the dynamics of the relationship as it relates to factors such as environmental quality, land use, and environmental health disparities. Urban development stresses the landscape and may compromise environmental quality. Since some communities are...

Finding a Third Space in Teacher Education: Creating an Urban Teacher Residency

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Klein, Emily J.; Taylor, Monica; Onore, Cynthia; Strom, Kathryn; Abrams, Linda

2013-01-01

This paper describes an urban teacher residency program, the Newark Montclair Urban Teacher Residency, a collaborative endeavor between the Newark, New Jersey Public Schools and Montclair State University, built on a decades-long partnership. The authors see the conceptual work of developing this program as creating a "third space" in…

Exploring space-time structure of human mobility in urban space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, J. B.; Yuan, J.; Wang, Y.; Si, H. B.; Shan, X. M.

2011-03-01

Understanding of human mobility in urban space benefits the planning and provision of municipal facilities and services. Due to the high penetration of cell phones, mobile cellular networks provide information for urban dynamics with a large spatial extent and continuous temporal coverage in comparison with traditional approaches. The original data investigated in this paper were collected by cellular networks in a southern city of China, recording the population distribution by dividing the city into thousands of pixels. The space-time structure of urban dynamics is explored by applying Principal Component Analysis (PCA) to the original data, from temporal and spatial perspectives between which there is a dual relation. Based on the results of the analysis, we have discovered four underlying rules of urban dynamics: low intrinsic dimensionality, three categories of common patterns, dominance of periodic trends, and temporal stability. It implies that the space-time structure can be captured well by remarkably few temporal or spatial predictable periodic patterns, and the structure unearthed by PCA evolves stably over time. All these features play a critical role in the applications of forecasting and anomaly detection.

Free Spaces: Excavating Race, Class, and Gender among Urban Schools and Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Akom, A. A.

2007-01-01

This article introduces the concept of "free spaces" as an important site for the development of theory and practice around youth activism, teacher development, and the transformation of public and private space in urban schools and communities. Nearly a quarter of a century ago, Evans and Boyte (1986) introduced the concept of "free spaces" in…

Lunar architecture and urbanism, 2nd ed

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sherwood, Brent

2005-01-01

As the space population grows over time, persistent issues of human urbanism will eclipse within a historically short time the technical challenges of space exploration that dominate current efforts. Although urban design teams will have to integrate many new disciplines into their already renaissance array of expertise, doing so will enable them to adapt ancient, proven solutions to opportunities afforded by expanding urbanism offworld. This paper updates the author's original 1988 treatment of the subject.

Walls talk: Microbial biogeography of homes spanning urbanization

PubMed Central

Ruiz-Calderon, Jean F.; Cavallin, Humberto; Song, Se Jin; Novoselac, Atila; Pericchi, Luis R.; Hernandez, Jean N.; Rios, Rafael; Branch, Oralee H.; Pereira, Henrique; Paulino, Luciana C.; Blaser, Martin J.; Knight, Rob; Dominguez-Bello, Maria G.

2016-01-01

Westernization has propelled changes in urbanization and architecture, altering our exposure to the outdoor environment from that experienced during most of human evolution. These changes might affect the developmental exposure of infants to bacteria, immune development, and human microbiome diversity. Contemporary urban humans spend most of their time indoors, and little is known about the microbes associated with different designs of the built environment and their interaction with the human immune system. This study addresses the associations between architectural design and the microbial biogeography of households across a gradient of urbanization in South America. Urbanization was associated with households’ increased isolation from outdoor environments, with additional indoor space isolation by walls. Microbes from house walls and floors segregate by location, and urban indoor walls contain human bacterial markers of space use. Urbanized spaces uniquely increase the content of human-associated microbes—which could increase transmission of potential pathogens—and decrease exposure to the environmental microbes with which humans have coevolved. PMID:26933683

NorthernSTAR 1-1/2-Story Demonstration House of Cold Climate Solutions for Affordable Housing

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Schirber, T.; Ojczyk, C.; Jacobson, R.

Single family homes in urban areas that are available for renovation by nonprofit developers are often in rough shape (1MM to 2MM nationally). Budgeting has historically focused on improving homes to meet basic housing standards. A rising interest in the long-term impact of homeownership has introduced the need to balance basic needs with home performance. This demonstration project aims to help nonprofit affordable housing developers become familiar with three Building America performance measures, the installation processes, and impacts and benefits of each. A story and a half home in North Minneapolis, MN was presented by Urban Homeworks our local nonprofitmore » partner. The team helped them install three researched upgrade measures: exterior roof insulation or 'overcoat,' exterior foundation insulation, or 'excavationless', and a combined space and water heating HVAC system or 'combi'. To maximize efficiency of application and to address budget issues, the Team worked with Urban Homeworks to identify ways to use volunteers and construction training programs to install the measures. An open invitation to visit the job site was extended to other nonprofit developers and industry partners to encourage dialog about the systems during live installation.« less

Policy Model of Sustainable Infrastructure Development (Case Study : Bandarlampung City, Indonesia)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Persada, C.; Sitorus, S. R. P.; Marimin; Djakapermana, R. D.

2018-03-01

Infrastructure development does not only affect the economic aspect, but also social and environmental, those are the main dimensions of sustainable development. Many aspects and actors involved in urban infrastructure development requires a comprehensive and integrated policy towards sustainability. Therefore, it is necessary to formulate an infrastructure development policy that considers various dimensions of sustainable development. The main objective of this research is to formulate policy of sustainable infrastructure development. In this research, urban infrastructure covers transportation, water systems (drinking water, storm water, wastewater), green open spaces and solid waste. This research was conducted in Bandarlampung City. This study use a comprehensive modeling, namely the Multi Dimensional Scaling (MDS) with Rapid Appraisal of Infrastructure (Rapinfra), it uses of Analytic Network Process (ANP) and it uses system dynamics model. The findings of the MDS analysis showed that the status of Bandarlampung City infrastructure sustainability is less sustainable. The ANP analysis produces 8 main indicators of the most influential in the development of sustainable infrastructure. The system dynamics model offered 4 scenarios of sustainable urban infrastructure policy model. The best scenario was implemented into 3 policies consist of: the integrated infrastructure management, the population control, and the local economy development.

Establishing a green-and-blue network within an existing settlement in central Hanoi towards urban ecologicalisation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nguyen, Quang Minh

2018-04-01

As a mega city, Hanoi must solve huge problems in its urban development of which landscape is among the greatest and most urgent issues to deal with. Locally, within one settlement, landscape is often simply regarded by many city residents as a small park that helps improve environmental quality, especially in summer, and provides an open space for the local community to have a walk a few times a day. But actually, landscape plays a much more important role in one settlement as a complete unit and also as a miniature of a large city. Internationally, landscape is a complex concept as well as an integral part of urban ecology, and sustainability has been set at a much higher level and the final goal to reach. In central Hanoi, where the population and construction density is so high that the green area per capita is among the lowest in Asia, it is high time to rethink about the enhancement of living quality in a difficult situation. The academic article will focus on landscape ecology, rather than on landscape only, in central districts and propose an ecologicalisation for a typical settlement here towards a more liveable city concept.

Children's active free play in local neighborhoods: a behavioral mapping study.

PubMed

Veitch, J; Salmon, J; Ball, K

2008-10-01

Many Australian children are more sedentary than they should be, and almost one in five are currently overweight or obese. Some children may face difficulties finding opportunities to be active, having poor access to safe public open spaces or having low independent mobility limiting their access to places to play. This study aimed to examine children's access to places in their neighborhood for active free play and how these vary by age, sex and socioeconomic status (SES). Behavioral maps of the local neighborhood were completed by children (8-12 years) from five primary schools across different areas of Melbourne. Children living in low SES outer-urban neighborhoods had to travel greater distances to access local parks compared with those in inner-urban mid and high SES areas. One-third (32%) of children reported an independent mobility range of <100 m from home. In conclusion, for some children opportunities to engage in active free play in the local neighborhood may be limited due to lack of parks in close proximity to home and restricted independent mobility. It is important to collaborate with local governments, urban planners and community groups to improve access to neighborhood parks and to promote a sense of neighborhood safety.

Urban Form, Air Pollution, and Health.

PubMed

Hankey, Steve; Marshall, Julian D

2017-12-01

Urban form can impact air pollution and public health. We reviewed health-related articles that assessed (1) the relationships among urban form, air pollution, and health as well as (2) aspects of the urban environment (i.e., green space, noise, physical activity) that may modify those relationships. Simulation and empirical studies demonstrate an association between compact growth, improved regional air quality, and health. Most studies are cross-sectional and focus on connections between transportation emissions and land use. The physical and mental health impacts of green space, public spaces that promote physical activity, and noise are well-studied aspects of the urban environment and there is evidence that these factors may modify the relationship between air pollution and health. Urban form can support efforts to design clean, health-promoting cities. More work is needed to operationalize specific strategies and to elucidate the causal pathways connecting various aspects of health.

Proposal for Holistic Assessment of Urban System Resilience to Natural Disasters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koren, David; Kilar, Vojko; Rus, Katarina

2017-10-01

Urban system is a complex mix of interdependent components and dynamic interactions between them that enable it to function effectively. Resilience of urban system indicates the ability of a system to resist, absorb, accommodate to and recover from the effects of a hazard in a timely and efficient manner. In the relevant literature, most studies consider individual components separately. On the other hand, the purpose of this paper is to assess the urban system as a whole, considering all relevant components and their interactions. The goal is a study of possibilities for holistic evaluation of urban system resilience to natural disasters. Findings from the preliminary study are presented: (i) the definition of urban system and categorization of its components, (ii) a set of attributes of individual components with impact on disaster resilience of the entire system and (iii) review of different methods and approaches for resilience assessment. Based on literature review and extensive preliminary studies a new conceptual framework for urban resilience assessment is proposed. In the presented paper, a conceptual model of urban system by abstraction of its components as nodes (buildings), patches - specific nodes with spatial properties (open space), links (infrastructures) and base layer (community) is created. In the suggested model, each component is defined by its own quantitative attributes, which have been identified to have an important impact on the urban system resilience to natural disasters. System is presented as a mathematical graph model. Natural disaster is considered an external factor that affects the existing system and leads to some system distortion. In further analyses, mathematical simulation of various natural disasters scenarios is going to be carried out, followed by comparison of the system functionality before and after the accident. Various properties of the system (accessibility, transition, complexity etc.) are going to be analysed with graph theory. The final result is going to be an identification of critical points and system bottlenecks as basis for further actions of risk mitigation.

Benefits of Greenery in Contemporary City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Virtudes, Ana

2016-10-01

Greenery has always played an important role in the construction of cities. The need for green spaces has been present at city level since ancient times. However, the description of the evolutionary process of form and function of urban green spaces as it has developed from antiquity depends greatly upon the different roles played by these places throughout history. Nowadays, given that the main part of the world population is living in cities, it can be said that greenery has a strategic importance in the contemporary urban fabric. Therefore, urban design solutions should always consider both buildings and vegetation as being defining city's elements. However, the city is currently dominated by building structures which are detrimental to green spaces, causing problems of congestion and pollution. The most recent and compulsory Portuguese urban rehabilitation principles emphasize the improvement of sustainability. It is, therefore, critical to draw attention to this area and find innovative solutions in this domain, especially with regards the integration of vegetation in historical areas. In this sense, this research aims to present an approach about the importance of greenery in cities, referring some examples of green spaces as landmarks in the urban historiography. It is also focused on the benefits of green spaces in dense urban areas and their contribution for the sustainability of the cities.

Understanding Relationships between Health, Ethnicity, Place and the Role of Urban Green Space in Deprived Urban Communities

PubMed Central

Roe, Jenny; Aspinall, Peter A.; Ward Thompson, Catharine

2016-01-01

Very little is known about how differences in use and perceptions of urban green space impact on the general health of black and minority ethnic (BME) groups. BME groups in the UK suffer from poorer health and a wide range of environmental inequalities that include poorer access to urban green space and poorer quality of green space provision. This study used a household questionnaire (n = 523) to explore the relationship between general health and a range of individual, social and physical environmental predictors in deprived white British and BME groups living in ethnically diverse cities in England. Results from Chi-Squared Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID) segmentation analyses identified three distinct general health segments in our sample ranging from “very good” health (people of Indian origin), to ”good” health (white British), and ”poor” health (people of African-Caribbean, Bangladeshi, Pakistani origin and other BME groups), labelled ”Mixed BME” in the analyses. Correlated Component Regression analyses explored predictors of general health for each group. Common predictors of general health across all groups were age, disability, and levels of physical activity. However, social and environmental predictors of general health-including use and perceptions of urban green space-varied among the three groups. For white British people, social characteristics of place (i.e., place belonging, levels of neighbourhood trust, loneliness) ranked most highly as predictors of general health, whilst the quality of, access to and the use of urban green space was a significant predictor of general health for the poorest health group only, i.e., in ”Mixed BME”. Results are discussed from the perspective of differences in use and perceptions of urban green space amongst ethnic groups. We conclude that health and recreation policy in the UK needs to give greater attention to the provision of local green space amongst poor BME communities since this can play an important role in helping address the health inequalities experienced by these groups. PMID:27399736

Understanding Relationships between Health, Ethnicity, Place and the Role of Urban Green Space in Deprived Urban Communities.

PubMed

Roe, Jenny; Aspinall, Peter A; Ward Thompson, Catharine

2016-07-05

Very little is known about how differences in use and perceptions of urban green space impact on the general health of black and minority ethnic (BME) groups. BME groups in the UK suffer from poorer health and a wide range of environmental inequalities that include poorer access to urban green space and poorer quality of green space provision. This study used a household questionnaire (n = 523) to explore the relationship between general health and a range of individual, social and physical environmental predictors in deprived white British and BME groups living in ethnically diverse cities in England. Results from Chi-Squared Automatic Interaction Detection (CHAID) segmentation analyses identified three distinct general health segments in our sample ranging from "very good" health (people of Indian origin), to "good" health (white British), and "poor" health (people of African-Caribbean, Bangladeshi, Pakistani origin and other BME groups), labelled "Mixed BME" in the analyses. Correlated Component Regression analyses explored predictors of general health for each group. Common predictors of general health across all groups were age, disability, and levels of physical activity. However, social and environmental predictors of general health-including use and perceptions of urban green space-varied among the three groups. For white British people, social characteristics of place (i.e., place belonging, levels of neighbourhood trust, loneliness) ranked most highly as predictors of general health, whilst the quality of, access to and the use of urban green space was a significant predictor of general health for the poorest health group only, i.e., in "Mixed BME". Results are discussed from the perspective of differences in use and perceptions of urban green space amongst ethnic groups. We conclude that health and recreation policy in the UK needs to give greater attention to the provision of local green space amongst poor BME communities since this can play an important role in helping address the health inequalities experienced by these groups.

Influence of children pedestrian behaviour on pedestrian space usage

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Makalew, F. P.; Adisasmita, S. A.; Wunas, S.; Hamid, S.

2017-11-01

School children pedestrian behaviour can be seen along their journey to and from school. Pedestrian spaces used by children are places available in urban and rural areas including streets with and without pedestrian pathways. Samples data are collected from 23 elementary schools in urban and rural areas in North Sulawesi, Indonesia in the form of video records and photos taken. The aim of this research is to analyse children pedestrian behaviour and its influence on the space usage on pedestrian areas. Method of analysis is a comparative study on urban and rural areas. Results of this research are types of behaviour, factors that influence the behaviour, physical condition of pedestrian areas and space usage by children. The behaviours are duck-line walking, running, playing, walking backward and walking with bare foot in which running is the main behaviour. These behaviours are influenced by factors including following friends and responding to acts. There are similarities and differences between pedestrian space usage in urban and rural areas. Space use by children pedestrian demonstrates the way pedestrian areas should be planned. Space usage by children pedestrian indicates that there is a need of evaluation of the space available considering pedestrian children behaviour.

41 CFR 102-83.70 - What is Executive Order 12072?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... Regulations System (Continued) FEDERAL MANAGEMENT REGULATION REAL PROPERTY 83-LOCATION OF SPACE Location of Space Urban Areas § 102-83.70 What is Executive Order 12072? Executive Order 12072, entitled “Federal Space Management,” requires all Executive agencies that have a mission requirement to locate in an urban...

41 CFR 102-83.70 - What is Executive Order 12072?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Regulations System (Continued) FEDERAL MANAGEMENT REGULATION REAL PROPERTY 83-LOCATION OF SPACE Location of Space Urban Areas § 102-83.70 What is Executive Order 12072? Executive Order 12072, entitled “Federal Space Management,” requires all Executive agencies that have a mission requirement to locate in an urban...

41 CFR 102-83.70 - What is Executive Order 12072?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Regulations System (Continued) FEDERAL MANAGEMENT REGULATION REAL PROPERTY 83-LOCATION OF SPACE Location of Space Urban Areas § 102-83.70 What is Executive Order 12072? Executive Order 12072, entitled “Federal Space Management,” requires all Executive agencies that have a mission requirement to locate in an urban...

[Reconstruction of urban land space based on minimum cumulative resistance model: a case study of Xintang Town, Guangzhou City].

PubMed

Zhong, Shi-Yu; Wu, Qing; Li, Yu; Cheng, Jin-Ping

2012-11-01

Based on the source-sink landscape theory and the principles of ecosystem services, the minimum cumulative resistance (MCR) model was modified, where the urban center construction land was taken as the expansion source, and the contribution rate of ecological land ecosystem services value was considered as the resistance coefficient. With the modified MCR, the urban spatial expansion process of Xintang Town, Guangzhou City was successfully simulated, and, based on the protection of ecological security pattern, the optimum path for reconstructing urban land space was put forward. The simulated urban spatial expansion short path in 1988-2008 was in accordance with the real situation. By the modified MCR, the urban space was divided into four zones of high, higher, medium, and low resistance, with the area of 80.84, 78.90, 24.26, and 61.88 km2, respectively. The expansion path of the urban space was along the route from low to medium and then to high resistance zones successively. The land suitable for eco-protection and construction had an area of 159.74 km2 and 86.14 km2, while the ecological conflict area (17.37 km2) was mainly located in higher and high resistance zones, being 10.38 and 6.99 km2, respectively. The modified MCR could not only effectively reflect the distribution area of urban land use and the conflict relationship between urban construction and ecological protection, but also reasonably judge the best developmental short path for urban spatial expansion.

Public Spaces as the Reflection of Society and its Culture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Siláči, Ivan; Vitková, L.'ubica

2017-10-01

Spatial structure of places has gone through significant changes in the last 70 years, caused by modernistic approach towards urban design. This approach has brought retraction from traditional spatial form and has started introducing free form design of urban spaces since the 1960’s. Tighter urban structure has started to be applied since the 1980’s, but in a less significant way than in other developed European countries, as a result of starting mass-housing period. However modernistic approach legacy is quite heavily maintained and present in our cities. Single-use commercial areas and family-house “landscapes” located mostly on the outside of city border represent the mentioned system. In those structures, a man usually identifies himself with his own house or apartment rather than with space that commonly surrounds him. Therefore, the role of spaces, their image perceived by men and their character is more and more important. Supporting the distinctive individual character of a city and its places and the identification with districts is fundamental. Urban resident and occupant identify himself with the city and urban environment via arrangement of spaces. Social sustainability is an integral part of the effective urban development. Quality of public spaces, which support the city of neighborhoods, vibrant city and short distance city are the important pillars of sustainability. Cultural environment and the sense of place is another important dimension of sustainability. The paper is focused on mapping and evaluation of the public spaces in Bratislava with the emphasis of their social development and cultural value, as factors of their identity.

Ticks and Borrelia in urban and peri-urban green space habitats in a city in southern England.

PubMed

Hansford, Kayleigh M; Fonville, Manoj; Gillingham, Emma L; Coipan, Elena Claudia; Pietzsch, Maaike E; Krawczyk, Aleksandra I; Vaux, Alexander G C; Cull, Benjamin; Sprong, Hein; Medlock, Jolyon M

2017-03-01

Ticks are becoming increasingly recognised as important vectors of pathogens in urban and peri-urban areas, including green space used for recreational activities. In the UK, the risk posed by ticks in such areas is largely unknown. In order to begin to assess the risk of ticks in urban/peri-urban areas in southern England, questing ticks were collected from five different habitat types (grassland, hedge, park, woodland and woodland edge) in a city during the spring, summer and autumn of 2013/2014 and screened for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. In addition, seasonal differences in B. burgdorferi s.l. prevalence were also investigated at a single site during 2015. Ixodes ricinus presence and activity were significantly higher in woodland edge habitat and during spring surveys. DNA of Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. was detected in 18.1% of nymphs collected across the 25 sites during 2013 and 2014 and two nymphs also tested positive for the newly emerging tick-borne pathogen B. miyamotoi. Borrelia burgdorferi s.l. prevalence at a single site surveyed in 2015 were found to be significantly higher during spring and summer than in autumn, with B. garinii and B. valaisiana most commonly detected. These data indicate that a range of habitats within an urban area in southern England support ticks and that urban Borrelia transmission cycles may exist in some of the urban green spaces included in this study. Sites surveyed were frequently used by humans for recreational activities, providing opportunity for exposure to Borrelia infected ticks in an urban/peri-urban space that might not be typically associated with tick-borne disease transmission. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Visual quality evaluation of urban commercial streetscape for the development of landscape visual planning system in provincial street corridors in Malang, Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Santosa, H.; Ernawati, J.; Wulandari, L. D.

2018-03-01

The visual aesthetic experience in urban spaces is important in establishing a comfortable and satisfying experience for the community. The embodiment of a good visual image of urban space will encourage the emergence of positive perceptions and meanings stimulating the community to produce a good reaction to its urban space. Moreover, to establish a Good Governance in urban planning and design, it is necessary to boost and promote a community participation in the process of controlling the visual quality of urban space through the visual quality evaluation on urban street corridors. This study is an early stage as part of the development of ‘Landscape Visual Planning System’ on the commercial street corridor in Malang. Accordingly, the research aims to evaluate the physical characteristics and the public preferences of the spatial and visual aspects in five provincial road corridors in Malang. This study employs a field survey methods, and an environmental aesthetics approach through semantic differential method. The result of the identification of physical characteristics and the assessment of public preferences on the spatial and visual aspects of the five provincial streets serve as the basis for constructing the 3d interactive simulation scenarios in the Landscape Visual Planning System.

Thermal conditions in selected urban and semi-natural habitats, important for the forensic entomology.

PubMed

Michalski, Marek; Nadolski, Jerzy

2018-06-01

A long-term study on thermal conditions in selected urban and semi-natural habitats, where human corpses are likely to be found, was conducted in the city of Lodz (Central Poland). Thermal data were collected during two years at nine sites and compared with corresponding data from the nearest permanent meteorological station at Lodz Airport (ICAO code: EPLL). The conditions closest to those at the meteorological station prevailed in the deciduous forest, coefficient of determination R 2 for those sets of data was above 0.96. The open field was characterized by high daily amplitudes, especially during spring, while the site in the allotment gardens was characterized by relatively high winter temperatures. The conditions prevailing in all closed space sites were very diverse and only slightly similar to the external ones. The most distinct site was an unheated basement in a tenement house, where temperature was almost always above 0°C and daily amplitudes were negligible. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Public evaluation of open space in Illinois: citizen support for natural area acquisition.

PubMed

Backlund, Erik A; Stewart, William P; McDonald, Cary; Miller, Craig

2004-11-01

Numerous studies have indicated a broad-based support for open space preservation and protection. Research also has characterized the public values and rationale that underlie the widespread support for open space. In recognition of the widespread public support for open space, various levels of government have implemented programs to provide public access to open space. There are many different types of open space, ranging from golf courses, ball parks, wildlife areas, and prairies, to name a few. This paper addresses questions related to the types of open space that should be prioritized by planners and natural resource managers. The results of this study are based on a stratified random sample of 5000 households in Illinois that were sent a questionnaire related to their support for various types of open space. Through a comparatively simple action grid analysis, the open space types that should be prioritized for public access include forest areas, stream corridors, wildlife habitat, and lakes/ponds. These were the open space types rated of the highest importance, yet were also the open space types rated the lowest in respondent satisfaction. This kind of analysis does not require the technical expertise of other options for land-use prioritizations (e.g., conjoint analysis, contingent valuation), yet provides important policy directives for planners. Although open space funds often allow for purchase of developed sites such as golf courses, ball parks, and community parks, this study indicates that undeveloped (or nature-based) open space lands are most needed in Illinois.

Maritime Tactile Education for Urban Secondary Education Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sulzer, Arthur Henry, IV

2012-01-01

Urban high-school students' low average level of academic achievement is a national problem. A lack of academic progress is a factor that contributes to students failing to graduate. In response to these urban high school student problems, a growing number of urban charter high schools have opened as an alternative to the traditional public high…

Urbanization in Venezuela. An International Urbanization Survey Report to the Ford Foundation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Robin, John P.; Terzo, Frederick C.

This study investigates the effects that the abundance of resources in this country has had on the urban development of the country, upon its pattern of population distribution, and upon the conscious effort of the Venezuelan government to reshape its population pattern by the planning of new urban centers and by the opening of previously…

Biodiversity in the City: Fundamental Questions for Understanding the Ecology of Urban Green Spaces for Biodiversity Conservation

Treesearch

Christopher A. Lepczyk; Myla F. J. Aronson; Karl L. Evans; Mark A. Goddard; Susannah B. Lerman; J. Scott MacIvor

2017-01-01

As urban areas expand, understanding how ecological processes function in cities has become increasingly important for conserving biodiversity. Urban green spaces are critical habitats to support biodiversity, but we still have a limited understanding of their ecology and how they function to conserve biodiversity at local and landscape scales across multiple taxa....

A social assessment of urban parkland: Analyzing park use and meaning to inform management and resilience planning

Treesearch

Lindsay K. Campbell; Erika S. Svendsen; Nancy Falxa Sonti; Michelle L. Johnson

2016-01-01

Globally, municipalities are tackling climate adaptation and resilience planning. Urban green space has crucial biophysical buffering capacities, but also affects social interactions and human well-being. This paper considers the social dimension of urban green space, through an assessment focused on park use, function, and meanings, and compares results to categories...

Whose urban forest? The political ecology of foraging urban nontimber forest products

Treesearch

Patrick T. Hurley; Marla R. Emery; Rebecca McLain; Melissa Poe; Brian Grabbatin; Cari L. Goetcheus

2015-01-01

Drawing on case studies of foraging in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, we point to foraging landscapes and practices within diverse urban forest spaces. We examine these spaces in relation to U.S. conservation and development processes and the effects of management and governance on species valued by foragers. These case studies reveal the...

Rethinking Educational Spaces: A Review of Literature on Urban Youth and Social Media

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kidd, Terry T.; Carpenter, B. Stephen, II

2014-01-01

This paper serves as an exploration into the landscape of social media use in educational research as it relates to urban youth in the United States. Initially, a social and learning context is provided that situates the implications social media may have for urban youth within formal and informal educational spaces. The paper offers a discussion…

Space Radar Image of San Francisco, California

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1994-01-01

This image of San Francisco, California shows how the radar distinguishes between densely populated urban areas and nearby areas that are relatively unsettled. Downtown San Francisco is at the center and the city of Oakland is at the right across the San Francisco Bay. Some city areas, such as the South of Market, called the SOMA district in San Francisco, appear bright red due to the alignment of streets and buildings to the incoming radar beam. Various bridges in the area are also visible including the Golden Gate Bridge (left center) at the opening of San Francisco Bay, the Bay Bridge (right center) connecting San Francisco and Oakland, and the San Mateo Bridge (bottom center). All the dark areas on the image are relatively smooth water: the Pacific Ocean to the left, San Francisco Bay in the center, and various reservoirs. Two major faults bounding the San Francisco-Oakland urban areas are visible on this image. The San Andreas fault, on the San Francisco peninsula, is seen in the lower left of the image. The fault trace is the straight feature filled with linear reservoirs which appear dark. The Hayward fault is the straight feature on the right side of the image between the urban areas and the hillier terrain to the east. The image is about 42 kilometers by 58 kilometers (26 miles by 36 miles) with north toward the upper right. This area is centered at 37.83 degrees north latitude, 122.38 degrees east longitude. The image was acquired by the Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-band Synthetic Aperture (SIR-C/X-SAR) imaging radar when it flew aboard the space shuttle Endeavour on October 3, 1994. SIR-C/X-SAR, a joint mission of the German, Italian and the United States space agencies, is part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth.

Shared Space, Liminal Space: Five Years into a Community-University Place-Based Experiment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barajas, Heidi Lasley; Martin, Lauren

2016-01-01

This article explores shared space at the University of Minnesota's Robert J. Jones Urban Research and Outreach Engagement Center (UROC), located four miles off campus in a community strong in assets, but facing inequality, disinvestment and racism. UROC's mission promotes university-community collaboration to solve critical urban challenges. We…

Design of outdoor urban spaces for thermal comfort

Treesearch

Harriet J. Plumley

1977-01-01

Microclimates in outdoor urban spaces may be modified by controlling the wind and radiant environments in these spaces. Design guidelines were developed to specify how radiant environments may be selected or modified to provide conditions for thermal comfort. Fanger's human-thermal-comfort model was used to determine comfortable levels of radiant-heat exchange for...

Assessing transfer property and reliability of urban bus network based on complex network theory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Hui; Zhuge, Cheng-Xiang; Zhao, Xiang; Song, Wen-Bo

Transfer reliability has an important impact on the urban bus network. The proportion of zero and one transfer time is a key indicator to measure the connectivity of bus networks. However, it is hard to calculate the transfer time between nodes because of the complicated network structure. In this paper, the topological structures of urban bus network in Jinan are constructed by space L and space P. A method to calculate transfer times between stations has been proposed by reachable matrix under space P. The result shows that it is efficient to calculate the transfer time between nodes in large networks. In order to test the transfer reliability, a node failure process has been built according to degree, clustering coefficient and betweenness centrality under space L and space P. The results show that the deliberate attack by betweenness centrality under space P is more effective compared with other five attack modes. This research could provide a power tool to find hub stations in bus networks and give a help for traffic manager to guarantee the normal operation of urban bus systems.

46 CFR 45.149 - Machinery space openings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Machinery space openings. 45.149 Section 45.149 Shipping... Assignment § 45.149 Machinery space openings. (a) Machinery space openings in position 1 or 2 must be framed... funnel or machinery space ventilator that must be kept open for the essential operations of the ship must...

46 CFR 45.149 - Machinery space openings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Machinery space openings. 45.149 Section 45.149 Shipping... Assignment § 45.149 Machinery space openings. (a) Machinery space openings in position 1 or 2 must be framed... funnel or machinery space ventilator that must be kept open for the essential operations of the ship must...

46 CFR 45.149 - Machinery space openings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Machinery space openings. 45.149 Section 45.149 Shipping... Assignment § 45.149 Machinery space openings. (a) Machinery space openings in position 1 or 2 must be framed... funnel or machinery space ventilator that must be kept open for the essential operations of the ship must...

46 CFR 45.149 - Machinery space openings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Machinery space openings. 45.149 Section 45.149 Shipping... Assignment § 45.149 Machinery space openings. (a) Machinery space openings in position 1 or 2 must be framed... funnel or machinery space ventilator that must be kept open for the essential operations of the ship must...

46 CFR 45.149 - Machinery space openings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Machinery space openings. 45.149 Section 45.149 Shipping... Assignment § 45.149 Machinery space openings. (a) Machinery space openings in position 1 or 2 must be framed... funnel or machinery space ventilator that must be kept open for the essential operations of the ship must...

Role of Sports Facilities in the Process of Revitalization of Brownfields

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taraszkiewicz, Karolina; Nyka, Lucyna

2017-10-01

The paper gives an evidence that building a large sports facility can generate beneficial urban space transformation and a significant improvement in the dilapidated urban areas. On the basis of theoretical investigations and case studies it can be proved that sports facilities introduced to urban brownfields could be considered one of the best known large scale revitalization methods. Large urban spaces surrounding sport facilities such as stadiums and other sports arenas create excellent conditions for designing additional recreational function, such as parks and other green areas. Since sports venues are very often located on brownfields and post-industrial spaces, there are usually well related with canals, rivers and other water routes or reservoirs. Such spaces become attractors for large groups of people. This, in effect initiate the process of introducing housing estates to the area and gradually the development of multifunctional urban structure. As research shows such process of favourable urban transformation could be based on implementing several important preconditions. One of the most significant one is the formation of the new communication infrastructure, which links newly formed territories with the well-structured urban core. Well planned program of the new sports facilities is also a very important factor. As research shows multifunctional large sports venues may function in the city as a new kind of public space that stimulates new genres of social relations, offers entertainment and free time activities, not necessarily related with sport. This finally leads to the creation of new jobs and more general improvement of a widely understood image of the district, growing appreciation for the emerging new location and consequently new investments in the neighbouring areas. The research gives new evidence to the ongoing discussion on the drawbacks and benefits of placing stadiums and sports arenas in the urban core.

Multifunctional Public Space As Exemplified By the Concept of the Development of Kopernik Square in Opole

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilczek, Iwona; Tenczyński, Mariusz

2017-10-01

In 2015 the authorities of the city of Opole decided to sell a part of Kopernik Square, one of the main city squares, to a private investor. The objective of this project was the extension of the existing shopping mall and the construction of an underground car park within the scope of a public-private partnership. In order to find the best solution to design the remaining part of the square, a competition for its development was announced in cooperation with the Opole branch of the Association of Polish Architects. The article presents a description of the studies and analyses of the aforementioned space conducted by the db2 architekci architectural studio for the purpose of preparing a competition entry. The square development concept was based on an analysis of the urban context of the Opole city centre. The character of the public spaces within a twenty-minute walk from Kopernik Square was analysed. In the course of the works, a decision was made to develop the public space in a manner different from that originally intended by the Investor. A graphic visualization of the maximum scope of the shopping mall extension was presented in accordance with the urban layout of this part of the city, allowing the preservation of the historical view corridors. The article presents a competition entry prepared by us along with a justification of decisions concerning the design. One of the fundamental design assumptions was the connection of all frontages with the square and the creation of a recreational part abounding in green areas. The concept provided for the division of the area into three parts of various characters. The central part of the square is a green area of a recreational character - a space so far absent in the city centre. Catering and food services, shops, parking spaces for bicycles as well as services related to the parking area are located at the southern frontage of the square under one roofing. The area directly adjoining the shopping mall is an open multifunctional and partly roofed square - a place where cyclical events are held in the city. The project allows for a harmonious combination of various functions performed by Kopernik Square. The adopted traffic solutions, in particular the entrance to and exit from the underground car park have a positive influence on road traffic in this part of the city. Due to maintaining the historical urban layout and view corridors, the new building development does not overwhelm the square space but constitutes its harmonious closure.

Slumdog cities: rethinking subaltern urbanism.

PubMed

Roy, Ananya

2011-01-01

This article is an intervention in the epistemologies and methodologies of urban studies. It seeks to understand and transform the ways in which the cities of the global South are studied and represented in urban research, and to some extent in popular discourse. As such, the article is primarily concerned with a formation of ideas - "subaltern urbanism" - which undertakes the theorization of the megacity and its subaltern spaces and subaltern classes. Of these, the ubiquitous ‘slum’ is the most prominent. Writing against apocalyptic and dystopian narratives of the slum, subaltern urbanism provides accounts of the slum as a terrain of habitation, livelihood, self-organization and politics. This is a vital and even radical challenge to dominant narratives of the megacity. However, this article is concerned with the limits of and alternatives to subaltern urbanism. It thus highlights emergent analytical strategies, utilizing theoretical categories that transcend the familiar metonyms of underdevelopment such as the megacity, the slum, mass politics and the habitus of the dispossessed. Instead, four categories are discussed — peripheries, urban informality, zones of exception and gray spaces. Informed by the urbanism of the global South, these categories break with ontological and topological understandings of subaltern subjects and subaltern spaces.

Design of Urban Public Spaces: Intent vs. Reality

PubMed Central

Martin, W. Mike; Stewart, Tom; Troelsen, Jens

2018-01-01

This study investigated how two public spaces for sport and recreation were utilized by different user groups, and how this aligned with the initial design objectives for these spaces. Two newly built urban spaces situated in Copenhagen, Denmark, provided the context for this investigation. The System for Observing Play and Recreation in Communities (SOPARC) was used to examine the physical activity of users in these two urban spaces. The architects responsible for designing each space were interviewed to ascertain the intended target group of each space and to unravel the reasons behind the design decisions. The SOPARC observations revealed that males were more vigorously active than females when using the recreation facilities, and the observed users did not align with the intended target groups. The interviews suggested that design decisions were based on minimal interdisciplinary knowledge, and that expert knowledge was chosen randomly. These findings point to a systematic lack of evidence-based practice when designing sport and recreational facilities. This article has implications for landscape architects and urban planners; a new method must be developed to embed interdisciplinary knowledge in the planning process of future sport and recreation projects. This must be done in a systematic way to make the design process transparent. PMID:29690509

A survey of urban climate change experiments in 100 cities

PubMed Central

Castán Broto, Vanesa; Bulkeley, Harriet

2013-01-01

Cities are key sites where climate change is being addressed. Previous research has largely overlooked the multiplicity of climate change responses emerging outside formal contexts of decision-making and led by actors other than municipal governments. Moreover, existing research has largely focused on case studies of climate change mitigation in developed economies. The objective of this paper is to uncover the heterogeneous mix of actors, settings, governance arrangements and technologies involved in the governance of climate change in cities in different parts of the world. The paper focuses on urban climate change governance as a process of experimentation. Climate change experiments are presented here as interventions to try out new ideas and methods in the context of future uncertainties. They serve to understand how interventions work in practice, in new contexts where they are thought of as innovative. To study experimentation, the paper presents evidence from the analysis of a database of 627 urban climate change experiments in a sample of 100 global cities. The analysis suggests that, since 2005, experimentation is a feature of urban responses to climate change across different world regions and multiple sectors. Although experimentation does not appear to be related to particular kinds of urban economic and social conditions, some of its core features are visible. For example, experimentation tends to focus on energy. Also, both social and technical forms of experimentation are visible, but technical experimentation is more common in urban infrastructure systems. While municipal governments have a critical role in climate change experimentation, they often act alongside other actors and in a variety of forms of partnership. These findings point at experimentation as a key tool to open up new political spaces for governing climate change in the city. PMID:23805029

Reserch on Urban Spatial Expansion Model Based on Multi-Object Gray Decision-Making and Ca: a Case Study of Pidu District, Chengdu City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Z.; Li, Y.

2018-04-01

This paper from the perspective of the Neighbor cellular space, Proposed a new urban space expansion model based on a new multi-objective gray decision and CA. The model solved the traditional cellular automata conversion rules is difficult to meet the needs of the inner space-time analysis of urban changes and to overcome the problem of uncertainty in the combination of urban drivers and urban cellular automata. At the same time, the study takes Pidu District as a research area and carries out urban spatial simulation prediction and analysis, and draws the following conclusions: (1) The design idea of the urban spatial expansion model proposed in this paper is that the urban driving factor and the neighborhood function are tightly coupled by the multi-objective grey decision method based on geographical conditions. The simulation results show that the simulation error of urban spatial expansion is less than 5.27 %. The Kappa coefficient is 0.84. It shows that the model can better capture the inner transformation mechanism of the city. (2) We made a simulation prediction for Pidu District of Chengdu by discussing Pidu District of Chengdu as a system instance.In this way, we analyzed the urban growth tendency of this area.presenting a contiguous increasing mode, which is called "urban intensive development". This expansion mode accorded with sustainable development theory and the ecological urbanization design theory.

Influence of landscape structure and human modifications on insect biomass and bat foraging activity in an urban landscape.

PubMed

Threlfall, Caragh G; Law, Bradley; Banks, Peter B

2012-01-01

Urban landscapes are often located in biologically diverse, productive regions. As such, urbanization may have dramatic consequences for this diversity, largely due to changes in the structure and function of urban communities. We examined the influence of landscape productivity (indexed by geology), housing density and vegetation clearing on the spatial distribution of nocturnal insect biomass and the foraging activity of insectivorous bats in the urban landscape of Sydney, Australia. Nocturnal insect biomass (g) and bat foraging activity were sampled from 113 sites representing backyard, open space, bushland and riparian landscape elements, across urban, suburban and vegetated landscapes within 60 km of Sydney's Central Business District. We found that insect biomass was at least an order of magnitude greater within suburban landscapes in bushland and backyard elements located on the most fertile shale influenced geologies (both p<0.001) compared to nutrient poor sandstone landscapes. Similarly, the feeding activity of bats was greatest in bushland, and riparian elements within suburbs on fertile geologies (p = 0.039). Regression tree analysis indicated that the same three variables explained the major proportion of the variation in insect biomass and bat foraging activity. These were ambient temperature (positive), housing density (negative) and the percent of fertile shale geologies (positive) in the landscape; however variation in insect biomass did not directly explain bat foraging activity. We suggest that prey may be unavailable to bats in highly urbanized areas if these areas are avoided by many species, suggesting that reduced feeding activity may reflect under-use of urban habitats by bats. Restoration activities to improve ecological function and maintain the activity of a diversity of bat species should focus on maintaining and restoring bushland and riparian habitat, particularly in areas with fertile geology as these were key bat foraging habitats.

Influence of Landscape Structure and Human Modifications on Insect Biomass and Bat Foraging Activity in an Urban Landscape

PubMed Central

Threlfall, Caragh G.; Law, Bradley; Banks, Peter B.

2012-01-01

Urban landscapes are often located in biologically diverse, productive regions. As such, urbanization may have dramatic consequences for this diversity, largely due to changes in the structure and function of urban communities. We examined the influence of landscape productivity (indexed by geology), housing density and vegetation clearing on the spatial distribution of nocturnal insect biomass and the foraging activity of insectivorous bats in the urban landscape of Sydney, Australia. Nocturnal insect biomass (g) and bat foraging activity were sampled from 113 sites representing backyard, open space, bushland and riparian landscape elements, across urban, suburban and vegetated landscapes within 60 km of Sydney's Central Business District. We found that insect biomass was at least an order of magnitude greater within suburban landscapes in bushland and backyard elements located on the most fertile shale influenced geologies (both p<0.001) compared to nutrient poor sandstone landscapes. Similarly, the feeding activity of bats was greatest in bushland, and riparian elements within suburbs on fertile geologies (p = 0.039). Regression tree analysis indicated that the same three variables explained the major proportion of the variation in insect biomass and bat foraging activity. These were ambient temperature (positive), housing density (negative) and the percent of fertile shale geologies (positive) in the landscape; however variation in insect biomass did not directly explain bat foraging activity. We suggest that prey may be unavailable to bats in highly urbanized areas if these areas are avoided by many species, suggesting that reduced feeding activity may reflect under-use of urban habitats by bats. Restoration activities to improve ecological function and maintain the activity of a diversity of bat species should focus on maintaining and restoring bushland and riparian habitat, particularly in areas with fertile geology as these were key bat foraging habitats. PMID:22685608

Open space and imagination

Treesearch

G. Scott Place; Bruce Hronek

2001-01-01

Open space is a necessary tool in our park system for fostering creativity and allowing for relaxation. In addition, open space areas allow people to exercise, find self-worth, and to use their imagination. This manuscript addresses the issue of what is happening in open space provided in several park settings. Do residents use open space as a place where they can play...

Public demand for preserving local open space.

Treesearch

Jeffrey D. Kline

2006-01-01

Increased development results in the loss of forest, farm, range, and other open space lands that contribute to the quality of life of U.S. residents. I describe an economic rationale for growing public support for preserving local open space, based the growing scarcity of open space lands. I test the rationale empirically by correlating the prevalence of open space...

41 CFR 102-83.110 - When an agency's mission and program requirements call for the location in an urban area, are...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false When an agency's mission... REGULATION REAL PROPERTY 83-LOCATION OF SPACE Location of Space Urban Areas § 102-83.110 When an agency's mission and program requirements call for the location in an urban area, are Executive agencies required...

41 CFR 102-83.110 - When an agency's mission and program requirements call for the location in an urban area, are...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false When an agency's mission... REGULATION REAL PROPERTY 83-LOCATION OF SPACE Location of Space Urban Areas § 102-83.110 When an agency's mission and program requirements call for the location in an urban area, are Executive agencies required...

41 CFR 102-83.110 - When an agency's mission and program requirements call for the location in an urban area, are...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false When an agency's mission... REGULATION REAL PROPERTY 83-LOCATION OF SPACE Location of Space Urban Areas § 102-83.110 When an agency's mission and program requirements call for the location in an urban area, are Executive agencies required...

41 CFR 102-83.110 - When an agency's mission and program requirements call for the location in an urban area, are...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false When an agency's mission... REGULATION REAL PROPERTY 83-LOCATION OF SPACE Location of Space Urban Areas § 102-83.110 When an agency's mission and program requirements call for the location in an urban area, are Executive agencies required...

41 CFR 102-83.110 - When an agency's mission and program requirements call for the location in an urban area, are...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false When an agency's mission... REGULATION REAL PROPERTY 83-LOCATION OF SPACE Location of Space Urban Areas § 102-83.110 When an agency's mission and program requirements call for the location in an urban area, are Executive agencies required...

Urban Multisensory Laboratory, AN Approach to Model Urban Space Human Perception

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

González, T.; Sol, D.; Saenz, J.; Clavijo, D.; García, H.

2017-09-01

An urban sensory lab (USL or LUS an acronym in Spanish) is a new and avant-garde approach for studying and analyzing a city. The construction of this approach allows the development of new methodologies to identify the emotional response of public space users. The laboratory combines qualitative analysis proposed by urbanists and quantitative measures managed by data analysis applications. USL is a new approach to go beyond the borders of urban knowledge. The design thinking strategy allows us to implement methods to understand the results provided by our technique. In this first approach, the interpretation is made by hand. However, our goal is to combine design thinking and machine learning in order to analyze the qualitative and quantitative data automatically. Now, the results are being used by students from the Urbanism and Architecture courses in order to get a better understanding of public spaces in Puebla, Mexico and its interaction with people.

R package CityWaterBalance | Science Inventory | US EPA

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

CityWaterBalance provides a reproducible workflow for studying an urban water system. The network of urban water flows and storages can be modeled and visualized. Any city may be modeled with preassembled data, but data for US cities can be gathered via web services using this package and dependencies, geoknife and dataRetrieval. Urban water flows are difficult to comprehensively quantify. Although many important data sources are openly available, they are published by a variety of agencies in different formats, units, spatial and temporal resolutions. Increasingly, open data are made available via web services, which allow for automated, current retrievals. Integrating data streams and estimating the values of unmeasured urban water flows, however, remains needlessly time-consuming. In order to streamline a reproducible analysis, we have developed the CityWaterBalance package for the open source R language. The CityWaterBalance package for R is based on a simple model of the network of urban water flows and storages. The model may be run with data that has been pre-assembled by the user, or data can be retrieved by functions in CityWaterBalance and dependencies. CityWaterBalance can be used to quickly assemble a quantitative portrait of any urban water system. The systemic effects of water management decisions can be readily explored. Much of the data acquisition process for US cities can already be automated, while the package serves as a place-hold

Assessment of the urban water system with an open ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Urban water systems convey complex environmental and man-made flows. The relationships among water flows and networked storages remains difficult to comprehensively evaluate. Such evaluation is important, however, as interventions are designed (e.g, conservation measures, green infrastructure) to modify specific flows of urban water (e.g. drinking water, stormwater) that may have systemic effects. We have developed a general model that specifies the relationships among urban water system components, and a set of tools for evaluating the model for any city as the R package CityWaterBalance. CityWaterBalance provides a reproducible workflow for assessing urban water system(s) by facilitating the retrieval of open data, largely via web services, and analysis of these data using open-source R functions. It allows the user to 1) quickly assemble a quantitative, unified picture of flows thorough an urban area, and 2) easily change the spatial and temporal boundaries of analysis to match scales relevant to local decision-making. We used CityWaterBalance to evaluate the water system in the Chicago metropolitan area on a monthly basis for water years 2001-2010. Results, including the relative magnitudes and temporal variability of major water flows in greater Chicago, are used to consider 1) trade-offs associated with management alternatives for stormwater and combined sewer overflows and 2) the significance of future changes in precipitation, which is the largest

Neighbourhood-scale urban forest ecosystem classification.

PubMed

Steenberg, James W N; Millward, Andrew A; Duinker, Peter N; Nowak, David J; Robinson, Pamela J

2015-11-01

Urban forests are now recognized as essential components of sustainable cities, but there remains uncertainty concerning how to stratify and classify urban landscapes into units of ecological significance at spatial scales appropriate for management. Ecosystem classification is an approach that entails quantifying the social and ecological processes that shape ecosystem conditions into logical and relatively homogeneous management units, making the potential for ecosystem-based decision support available to urban planners. The purpose of this study is to develop and propose a framework for urban forest ecosystem classification (UFEC). The multifactor framework integrates 12 ecosystem components that characterize the biophysical landscape, built environment, and human population. This framework is then applied at the neighbourhood scale in Toronto, Canada, using hierarchical cluster analysis. The analysis used 27 spatially-explicit variables to quantify the ecosystem components in Toronto. Twelve ecosystem classes were identified in this UFEC application. Across the ecosystem classes, tree canopy cover was positively related to economic wealth, especially income. However, education levels and homeownership were occasionally inconsistent with the expected positive relationship with canopy cover. Open green space and stocking had variable relationships with economic wealth and were more closely related to population density, building intensity, and land use. The UFEC can provide ecosystem-based information for greening initiatives, tree planting, and the maintenance of the existing canopy. Moreover, its use has the potential to inform the prioritization of limited municipal resources according to ecological conditions and to concerns of social equity in the access to nature and distribution of ecosystem service supply. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

"It's My Safe Space": Student Voice, Teacher Education, and the Relational Space of an Urban High School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Butler, Jesse K.; Kane, Ruth G.; Morshead, Christopher E.

2017-01-01

White Canadian teacher candidates are brought into direct dialogue with urban high school students through a yearlong immersion in a high school with a "demonized" image in the broader community. Interviews with students reveal experiences of school as "my safe space" and the predominance of a student culture not characterized…

Environmental Education Excursions and Proximity to Urban Green Space--Densification in a "Compact City"

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wolsink, Maarten

2016-01-01

The value of urban green space for environmental education fieldwork is empirically investigated in a study among all secondary schools in Amsterdam. The article describes how the proximity of schools to green spaces emerges as a new factor in the "sustainable city" and the "compact city" debate. For fieldwork excursions…

Husbandry factors and the resumption of luteal activity in open and zero-grazed dairy cows in urban and peri-urban kampala, Uganda.

PubMed

Kanyima, B M; Båge, R; Owiny, D O; Ntallaris, T; Lindahl, J; Magnusson, U; Nassuna-Musoke, M G

2014-08-01

The study investigated the influence of selected husbandry factors on interval to resumption of post-partum cyclicity among dairy cows in urban and peri-urban Kampala. A prospective study of 85 day post-partum period of 59 dairy cows in open (n = 38) and zero grazing (n = 21) systems was conducted on 24 farms. Cows of parity 1-6 were recruited starting 15-30 days post-partum. Progesterone (P4) content in milk taken at 10-12 day intervals was analysed using ELISA. The cow P4 profiles were classified into 'normal' (< 56 days), 'delayed' (> 56 days), 'ceased' or 'prolonged' (if started < 56 days but with abnormal P4 displays) resumption of luteal activity and tested for association with husbandry and cow factors. Of the 59 cows, luteal activity in 81.4% resumed normally and in 18.6%, delayed. Only 23.7% maintained regular luteal activity, while the others had ceased (10.2%), prolonged (37.3%) or unclear luteal activity (20.3%). There were no differences between open and zero-grazed cows. Milk production was higher (p < 0.05) in zero than open grazing, in urban than peri-urban and in cows fed on brew waste (p < 0.001) compared with mill products and banana peels. Results suggest that luteal activity resumes normally in a majority of cows, although only a minority experienced continued normal cyclicity once ovulation had occurred, in the two farming systems irrespective of feed supplements or water, and that supplementing with brew waste is beneficial for milk production. © 2014 The Authors. Reproduction in Domestic Animals Published by Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

[Landscape ecological security pattern during urban expansion of Nanchong City].

PubMed

Li, Sui; Shi, Tie-mao; Fu, Shi-lei; Zhou, Le; Liu, Miao; Wang, Wei

2011-03-01

Based on the theory of landscape ecological security pattern and the RS and GIS techniques, this paper analyzed the distribution of ecological security grades in Nanchong City, taking six elements including terrain condition, flood hazard, soil erosion, vegetation cover, geological disaster, and biological protection as the ecological constraints (or determinants) of urban expansion. According to the minimum cumulative resistance model, the ecological corridors and ecological nodes were built to strengthen the space contact of ecological network, and, on the basis of the protection of ecological safety, the reasonable trend of urban expansion and the optimization of space layout were investigated. The results showed that the ecological security of Nanchong City was quite good, with the regions of low ecological security mainly distributed in the west suburban mountains and the downstream region of Jialing River in the south of the City. Ecological elements were the most important constraints for the future expansion of urban space. There were more spaces for the urban expansion in the southern and northern parts of Nanchong City. To develop satellite towns would be the best selection to guarantee the ecological security of the city.

Functional Zoning and Urban Development Tendencies of Bucharest City/Romania

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Armas, Iuliana; Dumitrascu, Silvia

2010-05-01

Any form of urban development policy for environmental management should be based on the differentiation of the structure of a territory that can be found in the shape of functional zoning. Identifying the patterns of morphological structure of the urban space can provide essential clues concerning the proper measures to take into consideration during the activity of urban planning. In this sense, the Bucharest municipality study case provides the example of a dynamic urban space with a complex and distinctive evolutionary structure. The aim of the study is to set out the main events that shaped the Bucharest city space and the patterns resulted from their impact at the functional level of the Romanian capital. In order to identify the development tendencies of the Bucharest municipality, a series of aspects concerning urban morphology should be highlighted that reveal the impact of the socio-economical policies at the structural level of the territory. In this sense, three images of the urban space stand out, representative for the period when they materialized: the Post-Byzantine (XV-XVIII), the Fanariot (XVIII) and the Modern periods (XIX-XX). The corresponding cartographic documents analyzed are: the Franz Purcel Plan (dated 1789), the Romanian Guide Print Plan and, respectively, the AGC Busman Print Plan. The analysis reveals three distinctive morphological types: radial-concentric in the 17th century, polynuclear in the 18th century, leading to the mixed character in the Modern period. The latest trait of the urban territory is based on the concentric character of the street network (three circles were identified at the level of the capital city that point out the evolution of the urban space: Dacia bv-Mircea Vulcanescu, Stefan cel Mare bv-Iancu de Hunedoara and the last circle outlined by the ring road) and the presence of multiple nuclei that accumulate the commercial, administrative and business functions of the city.

Use of directional median openings on urban roadways.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-05-01

Over the past decades, many states and local transportation agencies have installed directional median openings on : divided roadways to improve arterial safety and operational performance. A directional opening is normally used to : restrict crossin...

How a clogged canal impacts ecological health in a tropical urban wetland ecosystem

EPA Science Inventory

The coastal city of San Juan, Puerto Rico is a tropical urban ecosystem interwoven among a series of interconnected bays, lagoons, canals, and mangrove wetlands. As the city has expanded, infilling and urban encroachment on what was previously mangrove wetland and open estuarine ...

How a clogged canal effects ecological and human health in a tropical urban wetland ecosystem

EPA Science Inventory

The coastal city of San Juan, Puerto Rico is a tropical urban ecosystem interwoven among a series of interconnected bays, lagoons, canals, and mangrove wetlands. As the city has expanded, infilling and urban encroachment on what was previously mangrove wetland and open estuarine ...

An R Package for Open, Reproducible Analysis of Urban Water Systems, With Application to Chicago

EPA Science Inventory

Urban water systems consist of natural and engineered flows of water interacting in complex ways. System complexity can be understood via mass conservative models that account for the interrelationships among all major flows and storages. We have developed a generic urban water s...

24 CFR 203.270 - Open-end insurance charges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 2 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Open-end insurance charges. 203.270... SINGLE FAMILY MORTGAGE INSURANCE Contract Rights and Obligations Open-End Insurance Charges-All Mortgages § 203.270 Open-end insurance charges. (a) Required charge. In the case of an insured open-end advance...

24 CFR 203.270 - Open-end insurance charges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 2 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false Open-end insurance charges. 203.270... SINGLE FAMILY MORTGAGE INSURANCE Contract Rights and Obligations Open-End Insurance Charges-All Mortgages § 203.270 Open-end insurance charges. (a) Required charge. In the case of an insured open-end advance...

24 CFR 203.270 - Open-end insurance charges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 2 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false Open-end insurance charges. 203.270... SINGLE FAMILY MORTGAGE INSURANCE Contract Rights and Obligations Open-End Insurance Charges-All Mortgages § 203.270 Open-end insurance charges. (a) Required charge. In the case of an insured open-end advance...

24 CFR 203.270 - Open-end insurance charges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 2 2012-04-01 2012-04-01 false Open-end insurance charges. 203.270... SINGLE FAMILY MORTGAGE INSURANCE Contract Rights and Obligations Open-End Insurance Charges-All Mortgages § 203.270 Open-end insurance charges. (a) Required charge. In the case of an insured open-end advance...

24 CFR 203.270 - Open-end insurance charges.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 24 Housing and Urban Development 2 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false Open-end insurance charges. 203.270... SINGLE FAMILY MORTGAGE INSURANCE Contract Rights and Obligations Open-End Insurance Charges-All Mortgages § 203.270 Open-end insurance charges. (a) Required charge. In the case of an insured open-end advance...

Earth Observation taken by the Expedition 33 crew

NASA Image and Video Library

2012-11-15

ISS033-E-021663 (15 Nov. 2012) --- A nighttime view of the Dallas, Texas metropolitan area is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 33 crew member on the International Space Station. Most metropolitan areas of the western United States are configured over large areas with a regular street grid pattern that is highly recognizable from space, particularly at night. The northern Dallas metropolitan area exhibits this pattern. The north-south and east-west grid pattern of major surface streets is highlighted by orange street lighting, lending a fishnet-like appearance to the urban area. Within this framework, smaller residential and commercial buildings and streets give green-gray stipple patterns to some blocks. The airplane terminals of Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport are lit with golden-yellow lights, and surrounded by relatively dark runways and fields at left. Likewise, the runways of Dallas Love Field at lower center are recognizable by their darkness. Other dark areas within the metro region are open space, parks, and water bodies. Dallas is part of the larger Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington Metropolitan Statistical Area (population 6,526,548 in 2011) as recognized by the U.S. Census Bureau; to most Texans, it is simply ?DFW? or ?the Metroplex.? Several of the larger urban areas within DFW are visible in this image; Dallas, Garland and Richardson all have populations above 100,000 according to the North Central Texas Council of Governments. While historically the economy of Dallas was based in the oil and cotton industries, today commerce, technology, healthcare, and transportation are the major economic drivers.

Adaption to Extreme Rainfall with Open Urban Drainage System: An Integrated Hydrological Cost-Benefit Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Qianqian; Panduro, Toke Emil; Thorsen, Bo Jellesmark; Arnbjerg-Nielsen, Karsten

2013-03-01

This paper presents a cross-disciplinary framework for assessment of climate change adaptation to increased precipitation extremes considering pluvial flood risk as well as additional environmental services provided by some of the adaptation options. The ability of adaptation alternatives to cope with extreme rainfalls is evaluated using a quantitative flood risk approach based on urban inundation modeling and socio-economic analysis of corresponding costs and benefits. A hedonic valuation model is applied to capture the local economic gains or losses from more water bodies in green areas. The framework was applied to the northern part of the city of Aarhus, Denmark. We investigated four adaptation strategies that encompassed laissez-faire, larger sewer pipes, local infiltration units, and open drainage system in the urban green structure. We found that when taking into account environmental amenity effects, an integration of open drainage basins in urban recreational areas is likely the best adaptation strategy, followed by pipe enlargement and local infiltration strategies. All three were improvements compared to the fourth strategy of no measures taken.

Adaption to extreme rainfall with open urban drainage system: an integrated hydrological cost-benefit analysis.

PubMed

Zhou, Qianqian; Panduro, Toke Emil; Thorsen, Bo Jellesmark; Arnbjerg-Nielsen, Karsten

2013-03-01

This paper presents a cross-disciplinary framework for assessment of climate change adaptation to increased precipitation extremes considering pluvial flood risk as well as additional environmental services provided by some of the adaptation options. The ability of adaptation alternatives to cope with extreme rainfalls is evaluated using a quantitative flood risk approach based on urban inundation modeling and socio-economic analysis of corresponding costs and benefits. A hedonic valuation model is applied to capture the local economic gains or losses from more water bodies in green areas. The framework was applied to the northern part of the city of Aarhus, Denmark. We investigated four adaptation strategies that encompassed laissez-faire, larger sewer pipes, local infiltration units, and open drainage system in the urban green structure. We found that when taking into account environmental amenity effects, an integration of open drainage basins in urban recreational areas is likely the best adaptation strategy, followed by pipe enlargement and local infiltration strategies. All three were improvements compared to the fourth strategy of no measures taken.

Left-turn lanes at unsignalized median openings.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-03-01

Due to the frequent presence of median openings in urban arterial settings, the requirements for the deceleration and : storage of turning vehicles (e.g. AASHTO Green Book) often exceed the available length between two adjacent : openings which leave...

U.S. Geological Survey Science for the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative: 2012 annual report

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bowen, Zachary H.; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Anderson, Patrick J.; Assal, Timothy J.; Bern, Carleton R.; Biewick, Laura; Boughton, Gregory K.; Carr, Natasha B.; Chalfoun, Anna D.; Chong, Geneva W.; Clark, Melanie L.; Fedy, Bradford C.; Foster, Katharine; Garman, Steven L.; Germaine, Stephen S.; Hethcoat, Matthew G.; Homer, Collin G.; Kauffman, Matthew J.; Keinath, Douglas; Latysh, Natalie; Manier, Daniel J.; McDougal, Robert R.; Melcher, Cynthia P.; Miller, Kirk A.; Montag, Jessica; Potter, Christopher J.; Schell, Spencer; Shafer, Sarah L.; Smith, David B.; Sweat, Michael J.; Wilson, Anna B.

2014-01-01

Southwest Wyoming contains abundant energy resources, wildlife, habitat, open spaces, and outdoor recreational opportunities. Although energy exploration and development have been taking place in the region since the late 1800s, the pace of development for fossil fuels and renewable energy increased significantly in the early 2000s. This and the associated urban and exurban development are leading to landscape-level environmental and socioeconomic changes that have the potential to diminish wildlife habitat and other natural resources, and the quality of human lives, in Southwest Wyoming. The potential for negative effects of these changes prompted Federal, State, and local agencies to undertake the Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative for Southwest Wyoming.

Gender issues in planning with water

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bostenaru-Dan, Maria; Olga Gociman, Cristina

2016-04-01

Numerous cities have (re)discovered their waterside landscapes as urban space and use their landscapal, urban, and architectural potentials to make a riverine city attractive. The fact that some cities only turn today to their rivers lays in the fact that in the past centuries it seemed wiser to build far from the river - it is the case of for example Karlsruhe and the Rhine - as from the river not only blessing, but also danger came. The proposed presentation aims in a first stage to investigate this ambivalence: in the meaning of the water itself. For this purpose views from science and the arts will be embedded. For the science stay insights from engineering hydrology. For the arts stay (urban) landscape planning up to museum planning, ex. a museum of water (incl. aquaria), debating both the content and the container. In a second step the discussion will focus even more on dealing with disasters. Building along the river is not only hazardous in what concerns flooding risk, but also for earthquake impact. Long distance earthquakes can have disastrous effects on high-density urban settlements, if alluvial soil deposits amplify the ground motion, in the case of cities built on river banks. Regarding natural hazards protection a different ambivalence can be identified. Providing safe housing leads to partly antagonic construction requirements in case of envisaging reducing flood and earthquake impact (for example presence or absence of basement spaces). For the purpose of opening discussion along these lines each an introduction on physical flood vulnerability and physical earthquake vulnerability will be made. In this paper a particular focus will be given to architecture at and with water by women. Women are a vulnerable social group when it comes to hazards, and have to be considered accordingly. Their perception of risk and their vulnerability are different. Also, the perception of women architecture varied particularly at pioneering times, and some of their buildings are endangered by demolition. At the same time, for water heritage, women built or are users of remarcable buildings. Some of these, as in case of hazards, need to take gender issues in consideration (ex. bath resorts). These are relevant for urban planning analysis by means of dedicated programmes such as SpaceSyntax. European programmes such as H2020 try to adapt their policies for gender, including in Security calls. In the genderSTE group we worked towards women and water issues in such calls policy, and there are couple of related initiatives as well which will be shown.

The Hidden Structure of Organic Informal-like Settlements in Jogjakarta City: An Investigation of Socio-Spatial Relationship in an Urban Kampung

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hutama, I. A. W.

2018-05-01

Some urban kampungs are registered as informal settlements in Indonesian cities. The existence of a kampung amidst the cities is crucial in providing an affordable access to housing for most of the city’s residents. As an integral part of the city, urban kampungs face many problems such as social segregation, low and deteriorated physical quality, and exclusion from spatial plans which may worsen the residents’ quality of life. Apart from this condition, an urban kampung is believed to have a strong social cohesion and resilient community which are able to persist and survive socially and economically. Towards the sustainability of the city, kampungs as part of the city structure need to be addressed spatially through proper plan and design strategy. In doing so, planners and architects must understand the unique characteristics of urban kampungs to appreciate their positive contribution to the cities. This paper is presented to understand the underlying information on the organic spatial layout of the informal kampung and its impact on social composition within the framework of lively, vibrant, and safe neighborhoods. We utilized Space Syntax (SSX) combined with activity snapshot to understand the socio-spatial relationship and then triangulated the results with a questionnaire on the residents’ perception. Kampung Code, located in the inner city of Yogyakarta, was selected as the case study area as it represents the informal-like settlements. This study revealed that the complex interplays of the organic spatial layout does not significantly affect the frequency of outdoor activities. However, the presence of eight popular spaces (streets, house’s terraces, local shops/taverns, small open spaces, riverbanks, guard posts, community buildings, and small mosques) distributed within Kampung Code does influence it, and it is the driving factor for the residents to engage with others in the form of social interactions. Popular places are able to accommodate residents’ need for various activities from informal business, community interaction, and hobbies. Eventually, the continuous process of interaction and encounter in the same shared public places shapes the strong social connection and conducive living situation, ensuring the kampung to be a lively, vibrant, and safe neighborhood. Reflecting from this study, where organic spatial layout has little effect on social composition and encounters, planners and architects should be aware that proper spatial layout design (e.g., high integration street networks in global and local scale) could generate constant flow of both locals and passersby – enhancing the vibrancy and vitality of the public realm in the kampungs

"A Space for You to Be Who You Are": An Ethnographic Portrait of Reterritorializing Indigenous Student Identities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Anthony-Stevens, Vanessa; Stevens, Philip

2017-01-01

This article explores the discourse practices of an Indigenous, community-based charter school and its efforts to create space for Indigenous both/and identities across rural-urban divides. The ethnographic portrait of Urban Native Middle School (UNMS) analyzes the discourse of making "a space for you", which brings together rural and…

Predicting the effect of urban noise on the active space of avian vocal signals.

PubMed

Parris, Kirsten M; McCarthy, Michael A

2013-10-01

Urbanization changes the physical environment of nonhuman species but also markedly changes their acoustic environment. Urban noise interferes with acoustic communication in a range of animals, including birds, with potentially profound impacts on fitness. However, a mechanistic theory to predict which species of birds will be most affected by urban noise is lacking. We develop a mathematical model to predict the decrease in the active space of avian vocal signals after moving from quiet forest habitats to noisy urban habitats. We find that the magnitude of the decrease is largely a function of signal frequency. However, this relationship is not monotonic. A metaregression of observed increases in the frequency of birdsong in urban noise supports the model's predictions for signals with frequencies between 1.5 and 4 kHz. Using results of the metaregression and the model described above, we show that the expected gain in active space following observed frequency shifts is up to 12% and greatest for birds with signals at the lower end of this frequency range. Our generally applicable model, along with three predictions regarding the behavioral and population-level responses of birds to urban noise, represents an important step toward a theory of acoustic communication in urban habitats.

76 FR 12217 - Exempt Discretionary Program Grants (Section 5309) for Urban Circulator Systems

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-03-04

... redevelopment of urban spaces into walkable mixed use, high density environments. FOR FURTHER INFORMATION... development. FTA's approval to advance the Urban Circulator projects through project development and grant... urban circulators shall be required to submit information that describes the impact of the urban...

Planning of Agro-Tourism Development, Specific Location in Green Open Space Sarbagita Area, Bali Province

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lanya, I.; Subadiyasa, N.; Sardiana, K.; Ratna Adi, G. P.

2018-02-01

Tourism development has a negative impact on agricultural land in Bali, resulted in the transfer of rice field of 800 ha/year. Subak rice field area as a world cultural heritage, requires conservation strategy, increasing economic and environmental value, through integrated agriculture development with tourism. Tourism destination planning in the form of tourist destination (TD) and tourism object (TO) by raising local genius, at specific location, is expected to preserve nature and culture, as well as the economic value of the region. Research Methods: (1) identification of agrarian cultures, (2) field survey, (3) mapping of site specific TD/TO plans, and (4) compile documents of agro-tourism road map based on local genius. Seven subak areas in the green open space area have the potential to develop new TD/TO, namely: (1) Gedon2Subak in Tanah Lot area, is developed for the preservation of agriculture, the implementation of the zoning plan of the sacred, madya and nista areas, (2) the Kerdung and Penatih Subak areas, developed for urban farming in Denpasar City, (3) Cangi south Subak area, built for agro-tourism plasmanutfah banana and Cemagi Let Subak area developed agro-tourism food crops and horticulture, (4) Erjeruk Subak area, developed tourism plasmanutfah coconut.

Earth Observations taken by the Expedition 14 crew

NASA Image and Video Library

2007-12-30

ISS014-E-10547 (30 Dec. 2006) --- Barcelona, Spain is featured in this image photographed by an Expedition 14 crewmember on the International Space Station. Barcelona occupies a low plateau along the Mediterranean coastal plain. The city is the second largest in Spain (after the capital of Madrid), and hosts the country's largest seaport (portions of which are visible at lower right). This detailed view captures several notable features of the Barcelona urban landscape. The architectural design of the Eixample district (center) displays a grid pattern distinctive for Barcelona. Built during the 19th and 20th centuries, the district was built with octagonal city blocks -- originally intended to be open structures of only two or three sides surrounding gardens and open space. While the original street grid pattern remains, today many of the octagonal blocks are completely built up. The adjacent Cuitat Vella, or old city, presents a much denser building pattern which dates from Roman times. Also visible at lower right is the 173-meter high Montjuic Mountain -- historically the location of fortresses due to its strategic position overlooking the city's harbor. Light tan and orange structures visible at the crest of the mountain include the stadium and other buildings used in the 1992 Summer Olympic Games at Barcelona.

Relationships between ambient geochemistry, watershed land-use and trace metal concentrations in aquatic invertebrates living in stormwater treatment ponds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Karouna-Renier, N.K.; Sparling, D.W.

2001-01-01

Stormwater treatment ponds receive elevated levels of metals from urban runoff, but the effects of these pollutants on organisms residing in the ponds are unknown. We investigated the accumulation of Cu, Zn, and Pb by macroinvertebrates collected from stormwater treatment ponds in Maryland serving commercial, highway, residential and open-space watersheds, and determined whether watershed land-use classification influences metal concentrations in macroinvertebrates, sediments, and water. Three types of invertebrate samples were analyzed for molluscs, odonates, and composite. Zn concentrations in odonates from ponds draining watersheds with commercial development (mean=113.82 ug/g) were significantly higher than concentrations in the other land-use categories. Similarly, Cu levels in odonates from commercial ponds (mean=27.12 ug/g) were significantly higher than from highway (mean=20.23 ug/g) and open space (mean=17.79 ug/g) ponds. However, metal concentrations in sediments and water did not differ significantly among land-uses. The results suggest that despite the high variation in ambient metal concentrations within each land-use category, macroinvertebrates in ponds serving commercial watersheds accumulate higher levels of Cu and Zn. The levels of Cu, Zn, and Pb in invertebrates from all ponds were less than dietary concentrations considered toxic to fish.

Dynamic analysis of the urban-based low-carbon policy using system dynamics: Focused on housing and green space

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hong, Taehoon; Kim, Jimin; Koo, Choongwan; Jeong, Kwangbok

2015-02-01

To systematically manage the energy consumption of existing buildings, the government has to enforce greenhouse gas reduction policies. However, most of the policies are not properly executed because they do not consider various factors from the urban level perspective. Therefore, this study aimed to conduct a dynamic analysis of an urban-based low-carbon policy using system dynamics, with a specific focus on housing and green space. This study was conducted in the following steps: (i) establishing the variables of urban-based greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions; (ii) creating a stock/flow diagram of urban-based GHGs emissions; (iii) conducting an information analysis using the system dynamics; and (iv) proposing the urban-based low-carbon policy. If a combined energy policy that uses the housing sector (30%) and the green space sector (30%) at the same time is implemented, 2020 CO2 emissions will be 7.23 million tons (i.e., 30.48% below 2020 business-as-usual), achieving the national carbon emissions reduction target (26.9%). The results of this study could contribute to managing and improving the fundamentals of the urban-based low-carbon policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Biodiversity losses and conservation trade-offs: Assessing future urban growth scenarios for a North American trade corridor

USGS Publications Warehouse

Villarreal, Miguel; Norman, Laura M.; Wallace, Cynthia S.A.; Boykin, Kenneth

2013-01-01

The Sonoran Desert and Apache Highlands ecoregions of North America are areas of exceptionally high plant and vertebrate biodiversity. However, much of the vertebrate biodiversity is supported by only a few vegetation types with limited distributions, some of which are increasingly threatened by changing land uses. We assessed the impacts of two future urban growth scenarios on biodiversity in a binational watershed in Arizona, USA and Sonora, Mexico. We quantified and mapped terrestrial vertebrate species richness using Wildlife Habitat Relation models and validated the results with data from National Park Service biological inventories. Future urban growth, based on historical trends, was projected to the year 2050 for 1) a “Current Trends” scenario and, 2) a “Megalopolis” scenario that represented a transnational growth corridor with open-space conservation attributes. Based on Current Trends, 45% of existing riparian woodland (267 of 451species), and 34% of semi-desert grasslands (215 of 451 species) will be lost, whereas, in the Megalopolis scenario, these types would decline by 44% and 24% respectively. Outcomes of the two models suggest a trade-off at the taxonomic class level: Current Trends would reduce and fragment mammal and herpetofauna habitat, while Megalopolis would result in loss of avian-rich riparian habitat.

Living well in the Neuropolis

PubMed Central

Fitzgerald, Des; Rose, Nikolas; Singh, Ilina

2016-01-01

Abstract This paper is about the relationship between cities and brains: it charts the back‐and‐forth between the hectic, stressful lives of urban citizens, and a psychological and neurobiological literature that claims to make such stress both visible and knowable. But beyond such genealogical labour, the paper also asks: what can a sociology concerned with the effects of ‘biosocial’ agencies take from a scientific literature on the urban brain? What might sociology even contribute to that literature, in its turn? To investigate these possibilities, the paper centres on the emergence and description of what it calls ‘the Neuropolis’ – a term it deploys to hold together both an intellectual and scientific figure and a real, physical enclosure. The Neuropolis is an image of the city embedded in neuropsychological concepts and histories, but it also describes an embodied set of (sometimes pathological) relations and effects that take places between cities and the people who live in them. At the heart of the paper is an argument that finding a way to thread these phenomena together might open up new paths for thinking about ‘good’ life in the contemporary city. Pushing at this claim, the paper argues that mapping the relations, histories, spaces, and people held together by this term is a vital task for the future of urban sociology. PMID:27397945

Using Space Syntax to Assess Safety in Public Areas - Case Study of Tarbiat Pedestrian Area, Tabriz-Iran

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cihangir Çamur, Kübra; Roshani, Mehdi; Pirouzi, Sania

2017-10-01

In studying the urban complex issues, simulation and modelling of public space use considerably helps in determining and measuring factors such as urban safety. Depth map software for determining parameters of the spatial layout techniques; and Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software for analysing and evaluating the views of the pedestrians on public safety were used in this study. Connectivity, integration, and depth of the area in the Tarbiat city blocks were measured using the Space Syntax Method, and these parameters are presented as graphical and mathematical data. The combination of the results obtained from the questionnaire and statistical analysis with the results of spatial arrangement technique represents the appropriate and inappropriate spaces for pedestrians. This method provides a useful and effective instrument for decision makers, planners, urban designers and programmers in order to evaluate public spaces in the city. Prior to physical modification of urban public spaces, space syntax simulates the pedestrian safety to be used as an analytical tool by the city management. Finally, regarding the modelled parameters and identification of different characteristics of the case, this study represents the strategies and policies in order to increase the safety of the pedestrians of Tarbiat in Tabriz.

A pilot study of river flow prediction in urban area based on phase space reconstruction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Adenan, Nur Hamiza; Hamid, Nor Zila Abd; Mohamed, Zulkifley; Noorani, Mohd Salmi Md

2017-08-01

River flow prediction is significantly related to urban hydrology impact which can provide information to solve any problems such as flood in urban area. The daily river flow of Klang River, Malaysia was chosen to be forecasted in this pilot study which based on phase space reconstruction. The reconstruction of phase space involves a single variable of river flow data to m-dimensional phase space in which the dimension (m) is based on the optimal values of Cao method. The results from the reconstruction of phase space have been used in the forecasting process using local linear approximation method. From our investigation, river flow at Klang River is chaotic based on the analysis from Cao method. The overall results provide good value of correlation coefficient. The value of correlation coefficient is acceptable since the area of the case study is influence by a lot of factors. Therefore, this pilot study may be proposed to forecast daily river flow data with the purpose of providing information about the flow of the river system in urban area.

Relative economic values of open space provided by National Forest and military lands to surrounding communities in Colorado

Treesearch

Charlotte Ham; John B. Loomis; Patricia A. Champ

2015-01-01

Open space lands are provided by a variety of entities from private individuals to the federal government and these entities make management decisions based on a very broad range of priorities. The net benefits of additional open space depend on the number, quality, and composition of existing open space in the vicinity. In areas where open space is abundant and there...

Architectural and Urban Identity Transformation of Eskisehir - An Anatolian City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kandemir, Ozlem

2017-10-01

City is the arena where we identify ourselves and interact with others and our environment; cities are epicentres of interaction, transition and fusion of different communities and their cultures. Thus, it is important to discuss the elements of change and their consequences in architectural - urban spaces and their products in the context of identity. Urban identity can be defined as the impression invoked on its inhabitants by the environmental, historical, sociocultural and spatial values. Both architectural and urban identity have a dynamic structure, susceptive to every change on both social and administrative structure. Both global and national economic fluctuations in the last decades and industrialisation throughout the 20th century caused dramatic and diverse changes in the conditions of life, consumption forms, the perception of time and space consequently transforming architecture and city. The changes in all the different aspects of the city life and structure with time cause transformation of architecture and urban identity. This dynamism caused by changes and new formations in the cultural life and environmental conditions also leads to transforming customs and the ways we occupy/use/live in a place. Consequently, these changes and new social norms that can transform the way we occupy a space and our demands from a place can be asserted. All new requirements caused by these new conditions of urban life transform the existing architecture and spaces. In this presentation, the transformation of the architectural and urban identity of Eskisehir will be discussed through its dynamics like architectural and urban transformation, industry and politics.

Application of Space Borne CO2 and Fluorescence Measurements to Detect Urban CO2 Emissions and Anthropogenic Influence on Vegetation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paetzold, Johannes C.; Chen, Jia; Ruisinger, Veronika

2017-04-01

The Orbiting Carbon Observatory 2 (OCO-2) is a NASA satellite mission dedicated to make global, space-based observations of atmospheric, column-averaged carbon dioxide (XCO2). In addition, the OCO-2 also measures Solar Induced Chlorophyll Fluorescence (SIF). In our research we have studied the combination of OCO-2's XCO2 and SIF measurements for numerous urban areas on the different continents. Applying GIS and KML visualization techniques as well as statistical approaches we are able to reliably detect anthropogenic CO2 emissions in CO2 column concentration enhancements over urban areas. Moreover, we detect SIF decreases over urban areas compared to their rural vicinities. We are able to obtain those findings for urban areas on different continents, of diverse sizes, dissimilar topographies and urban constructions. Our statistical analysis finds robust XCO2 enhancements of up to 3 ppm for urban areas in Europe, Asia and North America. Furthermore, the analysis of SIF indicates that urban construction, population density and seasonality influence urban vegetation, which can be observed from space. Additionally, we find that OCO-2's SIF measurements have the potential to identify and approximate green areas within cities. For Berlin's Grunewald Forest as well as Mumbai's Sanjay Gandhi and Tungareshwar National Parks we observe enhancements in SIF measurements at sub-city scales.

Outdoor thermal comfort and behaviour in urban area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Inavonna, I.; Hardiman, G.; Purnomo, A. B.

2018-01-01

Outdoor comfort is important due to the public spaces functions. Open spaces provide thermal comfort and a pleasant experience to improve the city life quality effectively. The influence of thermal comfort in outdoor activities is a complex problem. This paper presents a literature review and discussion of aspects of physical, psychology, and social behaviour toward outdoor thermal comfort. The valuation is determined not only by the “physical state” but also by the “state of mind”. The assessment is static and objective (i.e., physical and physiological characteristics) that it should be measured. Furthermore, an effective model to provide the knowledge of climatic conditions, as well as the dynamic and subjective aspects (i.e., psychological and social characteristics and behaviour), requires a comprehensive interview and observation. The model will be examined to describe the behaviour that is a reflection of perception and behaviour toward the environment. The adaptation process will constantly evolve so that it becomes a continuous cause between human behaviour and the spatial setting of the formation, which is eventually known as places and not just spaces. This evolutionary process is a civic art form.

Does where you live matter to your health? Investigating factors that influence the self-rated health of urban and rural Chinese residents: evidence drawn from Chinese General Social Survey data.

PubMed

Chen, Hongsheng; Liu, Ye; Zhu, Zhenjun; Li, Zhigang

2017-04-21

China's rapid urbanization over the past decades has exacerbated the problems of environmental degradation and health disparities. However, few studies have analysed the differences between urban and rural residents in relation to how environmental quality impacts health outcomes. This study examines the associations between Chinese people's perceptions of environmental quality and their self-rated health, particularly focusing on differences between rural and urban residents in environment-health relationships. Using a logistic regression model and data from the 2013 Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS), a representative sample of data for 3,402 urban residents (46 ± 16 years) and 2,439 rural residents (48 ± 15 years) was analysed. The dependent variable used for the logistic regressions was whether or not respondents reported being healthy. Independent variables included respondents' evaluations of the living environment, and how frequently they participated in physical activities. Interaction terms were employed to measure the moderating effects of physical exercise on the relationship between perceived environmental quality and health. The percentage of healthy urban residents was significantly larger than that of healthy rural respondents (70.87% versus 62.87%). Urban respondents living in areas with sufficient green space were more likely to report good health (OR = 0.749, CI = [0.628, 0.895]), while rural respondents without reliable access to fresh water were more likely to report poor health (OR = 0.762, CI = [0.612, 0.949]). Urban respondents who were exposed to green spaces and exercised frequently were 21.6 per cent more likely to report good health than those who exercised infrequently (OR = 1.216, CI = [1.047, 1.413]). Those who lived in areas with insufficient green space and exercised frequently were 19.1 per cent less likely to report good health than those who exercised infrequently (OR = 0.805, CI = [0.469, 1.381]). No evidence suggested that physical exercise exerted a moderating effect on the relationship between exposure to air pollution and health. On average, urban residents have better health than rural residents. Among four indicators for low environmental quality (air pollution, lack of green spaces, water pollution, uncertain access to freshwater resources), green space was an important determinant of urban residents' health status, while unreliable access to fresh water harmed rural residents' health. Physical exercise moderated the effects of exposure to green spaces on urban residents' health.

Green spaces are not all the same for the provision of air purification and climate regulation services: The case of urban parks.

PubMed

Vieira, Joana; Matos, Paula; Mexia, Teresa; Silva, Patrícia; Lopes, Nuno; Freitas, Catarina; Correia, Otília; Santos-Reis, Margarida; Branquinho, Cristina; Pinho, Pedro

2018-01-01

The growing human population concentrated in urban areas lead to the increase of road traffic and artificial areas, consequently enhancing air pollution and urban heat island effects, among others. These environmental changes affect citizen's health, causing a high number of premature deaths, with considerable social and economic costs. Nature-based solutions are essential to ameliorate those impacts in urban areas. While the mere presence of urban green spaces is pointed as an overarching solution, the relative importance of specific vegetation structure, composition and management to improve the ecosystem services of air purification and climate regulation are overlooked. This avoids the establishment of optimized planning and management procedures for urban green spaces with high spatial resolution and detail. Our aim was to understand the relative contribution of vegetation structure, composition and management for the provision of ecosystem services of air purification and climate regulation in urban green spaces, in particular the case of urban parks. This work was done in a large urban park with different types of vegetation surrounded by urban areas. As indicators of microclimatic effects and of air pollution levels we selected different metrics: lichen diversity and pollutants accumulation in lichens. Among lichen diversity, functional traits related to nutrient and water requirements were used as surrogates of the capacity of vegetation to filter air pollution and to regulate climate, and provide air purification and climate regulation ecosystem services, respectively. This was also obtained with very high spatial resolution which allows detailed spatial planning for optimization of ecosystem services. We found that vegetation type characterized by a more complex structure (trees, shrubs and herbaceous layers) and by the absence of management (pruning, irrigation and fertilization) had a higher capacity to provide the ecosystems services of air purification and climate regulation. By contrast, lawns, which have a less complex structure and are highly managed, were associated to a lower capacity to provide these services. Tree plantations showed an intermediate effect between the other two types of vegetation. Thus, vegetation structure, composition and management are important to optimize green spaces capacity to purify air and regulate climate. Taking this into account green spaces can be managed at high spatial resolutions to optimize these ecosystem services in urban areas and contribute to improve human well-being. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Hydraulically-activated operating system for an electric circuit breaker

DOEpatents

Imam, Imdad; Barkan, Philip

1979-01-01

This operating system comprises a fluid motor having a piston, a breaker-opening space at one side of the piston, and a breaker-closing space at its opposite side. An accumulator freely communicates with the breaker-opening space for supplying pressurized fluid thereto during a circuit-breaker opening operation. A normally-closed valve located on the breaker-closing-side of the piston is openable to release liquid from the breaker-closing space so that pressurized liquid in the breaker-opening space can drive the piston in an opening direction. Means is provided for restoring the valve to its closed position following the circuit-breaker opening operation. An impeded passage affords communication between the accumulator and the breaker-closing space to allow pressurized liquid to flow from the accumulator to the breaker-closing space and develop a pressure therein substantially equal to accumulator pressure when the valve is restored to closed position following breaker-opening. This passage is so impeded that the flow therethrough from the accumulator into the breaker-closing space is sufficiently low during initial opening motion of the piston through a substantial portion of its opening stroke as to avoid interference with said initial opening motion of the piston.

Organic micropollutants in marine plastics debris from the open ocean and remote and urban beaches.

PubMed

Hirai, Hisashi; Takada, Hideshige; Ogata, Yuko; Yamashita, Rei; Mizukawa, Kaoruko; Saha, Mahua; Kwan, Charita; Moore, Charles; Gray, Holly; Laursen, Duane; Zettler, Erik R; Farrington, John W; Reddy, Christopher M; Peacock, Emily E; Ward, Marc W

2011-08-01

To understand the spatial variation in concentrations and compositions of organic micropollutants in marine plastic debris and their sources, we analyzed plastic fragments (∼10 mm) from the open ocean and from remote and urban beaches. Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), dichloro-diphenyl-trichloroethane and its metabolites (DDTs), polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), alkylphenols and bisphenol A were detected in the fragments at concentrations from 1 to 10,000 ng/g. Concentrations showed large piece-to-piece variability. Hydrophobic organic compounds such as PCBs and PAHs were sorbed from seawater to the plastic fragments. PCBs are most probably derived from legacy pollution. PAHs showed a petrogenic signature, suggesting the sorption of PAHs from oil slicks. Nonylphenol, bisphenol A, and PBDEs came mainly from additives and were detected at high concentrations in some fragments both from remote and urban beaches and the open ocean. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Beyond the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI): Developing a Natural Space Index for population-level health research.

PubMed

Rugel, Emily J; Henderson, Sarah B; Carpiano, Richard M; Brauer, Michael

2017-11-01

Natural spaces can provide psychological benefits to individuals, but population-level epidemiologic studies have produced conflicting results. Refining current exposure-assessment methods is necessary to advance our understanding of population health and to guide the design of health-promoting urban forms. The aim of this study was to develop a comprehensive Natural Space Index that robustly models potential exposure based on the presence, form, accessibility, and quality of multiple forms of greenspace (e.g., parks and street trees) and bluespace (e.g., oceans and lakes). The index was developed for greater Vancouver, Canada. Greenness presence was derived from remote sensing (NDVI/EVI); forms were extracted from municipal and private databases; and accessibility was based on restrictions such as private ownership. Quality appraisals were conducted for 200 randomly sampled parks using the Public Open Space Desktop Appraisal Tool (POSDAT). Integrating these measures in GIS, exposure was assessed for 60,242 postal codes using 100- to 1,600-m buffers based on hypothesized pathways to mental health. A single index was then derived using principal component analysis (PCA). Comparing NDVI with alternate approaches for assessing natural space resulted in widely divergent results, with quintile rankings shifting for 22-88% of postal codes, depending on the measure. Overall park quality was fairly low (mean of 15 on a scale of 0-45), with no significant difference seen by neighborhood-level household income. The final PCA identified three main sets of variables, with the first two components explaining 68% of the total variance. The first component was dominated by the percentages of public and private greenspace and bluespace and public greenspace within 250m, while the second component was driven by lack of access to bluespace within 1 km. Many current approaches to modeling natural space may misclassify exposures and have limited specificity. The Natural Space Index represents a novel approach at a regional scale with application to urban planning and policy-making. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Towards smart mobility in urban spaces: Bus tracking and information application

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yue, Wong Seng; Chye, Koh Keng; Hoy, Cheong Wan

2017-10-01

Smart city can be defined as an urban space with complete and advanced infrastructure, intelligent networks and platforms, with millions of sensors among which people themselves and their mobile devices. Urban mobility is one of the global smart city project which offers traffic management in real-time, management of passenger transport means, tracking applications and logistics, car sharing services, car park management and more smart mobility services. Due to the frustrated waiting time for the arrival of buses and the difficulty of accessing shuttle bus-related information in a one-stop centre, bus tracking and information application (BTA) is one the proposed solutions to solve the traffic problems in urban spaces. This paper is aimed to design and develop a bus tracking and information application in a selected city in Selangor state, Malaysia. Next, this application also provides an alternative to design public transport tracking and information application for the urban places in Malaysia. Furthermore, the application also provides a smart solution for the management of public infrastructures and urban facilities in Malaysia in future.

The Formation of the Urban Environment in the West Siberian Oil and Gas Region: Problems and Challenges

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bauer, N. V.; Speranskaya, N. I.; Shabatura, L. N.; Iatsevich, O. E.

2016-10-01

The article deals with the problems faced by the person in relation to the culture of creating a sustainable urban environment. The urban environment is seen as space of human existence, influencing its spiritual and physical health. All the experts involved in the urban environment, think about the culture of its formation, unfortunately, only from a departmental point of view. Differently organized human environment inevitably affects behavior, emotional state of a man, his perception and understanding of space. The cultural heritage of society fits in the space of an artificial environment created by a man, and determines the behavior of people.For the solution of problems of formation of the urban environment, it is necessary to apply a set of interrelated technical, social, environmental, aesthetic and other measures. In this capacity, landscape design as a set of methods has to build a sustainable urban environment to ensure harmonious living.Current trends, methods, and techniques of landscape design are to create sustainable environment for a person - creative, spiritual, comfortable, attractive, safe, harmonious.

Can Architecture Design Solve Social Problem?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ginting, S. W.; TSB Darjosanjoto, E.; Sulistyarso, H.

2017-03-01

Most of architects and urban designers believe physical design gives impact on our social life. For example, a sign or landmark in the middle of a city makes people find orientation easier. In vice verse, most of social scientists believe it is social dynamic that plays role in shaping our space. How people spend their time moving from real space into cyber space is a proof that life style and IT give impact to space usage. This paper argues that interaction between physical design and social change is a two ways process. Both design aspect and social dynamic influence each other. This paper aims to examine how designing of gated community plays important role in increasing or decreasing segregation, both spatially and socially. The paper explores some architectural design principles applied in a gated community called CitraLand in west Surabaya, Indonesia, and addresses segregation between CitraLanders and outside kampung. We find CitraLand is designed openly and fully accessible for outsiders. It provides public spaces and several accessible gates and streets without walls and fences making all places inside and outside CitraLand spatially integrated. What’s interesting is it still reinforces social segregation due to its policy on prohibiting using the public park. We believe CitraLand’s planning and designing has successfully solved segregation problem spatially not socially.

Effects of urban green infrastructure (UGI) on local outdoor microclimate during the growing season.

PubMed

Wang, Yafei; Bakker, Frank; de Groot, Rudolf; Wörtche, Heinrich; Leemans, Rik

2015-12-01

This study analyzed how the variations of plant area index (PAI) and weather conditions alter the influence of urban green infrastructure (UGI) on microclimate. To observe how diverse UGIs affect the ambient microclimate through the seasons, microclimatic data were measured during the growing season at five sites in a local urban area in The Netherlands. Site A was located in an open space; sites B, C, and D were covered by different types and configurations of green infrastructure (grove, a single deciduous tree, and street trees, respectively); and site E was adjacent to buildings to study the effects of their façades on microclimate. Hemispherical photography and globe thermometers were used to quantify PAI and thermal comfort at both shaded and unshaded locations. The results showed that groves with high tree density (site B) have the strongest effect on microclimate conditions. Monthly variations in the differences of mean radiant temperature (∆Tmrt) between shaded and unshaded areas followed the same pattern as the PAI. Linear regression showed a significant positive correlation between PAI and ∆Tmrt. The difference of daily average air temperature (∆T a ) between shaded and unshaded areas was also positively correlated to PAI, but with a slope coefficient below the measurement accuracy (±0.5 °C). This study showed that weather conditions can significantly impact the effectiveness of UGI in regulating microclimate. The results of this study can support the development of appropriate UGI measures to enhance thermal comfort in urban areas.

Urban population genetics of slum-dwelling rats (Rattus norvegicus) in Salvador, Brazil

PubMed Central

Kajdacsi, Brittney; Costa, Federico; Hyseni, Chaz; Porter, Fleur; Brown, Julia; Rodrigues, Gorete; Farias, Helena; Reis, Mitermeyer G.; Childs, James E.; Ko, Albert I.; Caccone, Adalgisa

2013-01-01

Throughout the developing world, urban centers with sprawling slum settlements are rapidly expanding and invading previously forested ecosystems. Slum communities are characterized by untended refuse, open sewers, and overgrown vegetation, which promote rodent infestation. Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus), are reservoirs for epidemic transmission of many zoonotic pathogens of public health importance. Understanding the population ecology of R. norvegicus is essential to formulate effective rodent control strategies, as this knowledge aids estimation of the temporal stability and spatial connectivity of populations. We screened for genetic variation, characterized the population genetic structure, and evaluated the extent and patterns of gene flow in the urban landscape using 17 microsatellite loci in 146 rats from 9 sites in the city of Salvador, Brazil. These sites were divided between three neighborhoods within the city spaced an average of 2.7 km apart. Surprisingly, we detected very little relatedness among animals trapped at the same site and found high levels of genetic diversity, as well as structuring across small geographic distances. Most FST comparisons among sites were statistically significant, including sites <400 m apart. Bayesian analyses grouped the samples in three genetic clusters, each associated with distinct sampling sites from different neighborhoods or valleys within neighborhoods. These data indicate the existence of complex genetic structure in R. norvegicus in Salvador, linked to the heterogeneous urban landscape. Future rodent control measures need to take into account the spatial and temporal linkage of rat populations in Salvador, as revealed by genetic data, to develop informed eradication strategies. PMID:24118116

SIG Contribution in the Making of Geotechnical Maps in Urban Areas

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monteiro, António; Pais, Luís Andrade; Rodrigues, Carlos; Carvalho, Paulo

2017-10-01

The use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) has spread to several science areas, from oceanography to geotechnics. Its application in the urban mapping was intensified in the last century, which allowed a great development, due to the use of geographic database, new analysis tools and, more recently, free open source software. Geotechnical cartography struggle with a permanent and large environment re-organization in urban area, due to new building construction, trenching and the drilling of sampling wells and holes. This creates an extra important and largest volume of data at any pre-existence geological map. The main problem results on the fact that the natural environment is covered with buildings and communications system. The purpose of this work is to create a viable geographic information base for geotechnical mapping through a free GIS computer program and open source, with non-traditional cartographic sources, giving preference to open platforms. QGIS was used as software and “Google Maps”, “Bing Maps” and “OpenStreetMap” were applied as cartographic sources using the “OpenLayers plugin” module. Finally, we also pretend to identify and delimit the degree of granite’s change and fracturing areas using a “Streetview” platform. This model has cartographic input which are a geological map study area, open cartographic web archives and the use of “Streetview” platform. The output has several layouts, such as topography intersection (roads, borders, etc.), with geological map and the bordering area of Guarda Urban Zone. The use of this platform types decrease the collect data time and, sometimes, a careful observation of pictures that were taken during excavations may reveal important details for geological mapping in the study area.

Analysis of the Intra-City Variation of Urban Heat Island and its Relation to Land Surface/cover Parameters

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gerçek, D.; Güven, İ. T.; Oktay, İ. Ç.

2016-06-01

Along with urbanization, sealing of vegetated land and evaporation surfaces by impermeable materials, lead to changes in urban climate. This phenomenon is observed as temperatures several degrees higher in densely urbanized areas compared to the rural land at the urban fringe particularly at nights, so-called Urban Heat Island. Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect is related with urban form, pattern and building materials so far as it is associated with meteorological conditions, air pollution, excess heat from cooling. UHI effect has negative influences on human health, as well as other environmental problems such as higher energy demand, air pollution, and water shortage. Urban Heat Island (UHI) effect has long been studied by observations of air temperature from thermometers. However, with the advent and proliferation of remote sensing technology, synoptic coverage and better representations of spatial variation of surface temperature became possible. This has opened new avenues for the observation capabilities and research of UHIs. In this study, "UHI effect and its relation to factors that cause it" is explored for İzmit city which has been subject to excess urbanization and industrialization during the past decades. Spatial distribution and variation of UHI effect in İzmit is analysed using Landsat 8 and ASTER day & night images of 2015 summer. Surface temperature data derived from thermal bands of the images were analysed for UHI effect. Higher temperatures were classified into 4 grades of UHIs and mapped both for day and night. Inadequate urban form, pattern, density, high buildings and paved surfaces at the expanse of soil ground and vegetation cover are the main factors that cause microclimates giving rise to spatial variations in temperatures across cities. These factors quantified as land surface/cover parameters for the study include vegetation index (NDVI), imperviousness (NDISI), albedo, solar insolation, Sky View Factor (SVF), building envelope, distance to sea, and traffic space density. These parameters that cause variation in intra-city temperatures were evaluated for their relationship with different grades of UHIs. Zonal statistics of UHI classes and variations in average value of parameters were interpreted. The outcomes that highlight local temperature peaks are proposed to the attention of the decision makers for mitigation of Urban Heat Island effect in the city at local and neighbourhood scale.

BlueHealth: a study programme protocol for mapping and quantifying the potential benefits to public health and well-being from Europe's blue spaces.

PubMed

Grellier, James; White, Mathew P; Albin, Maria; Bell, Simon; Elliott, Lewis R; Gascón, Mireia; Gualdi, Silvio; Mancini, Laura; Nieuwenhuijsen, Mark J; Sarigiannis, Denis A; van den Bosch, Matilda; Wolf, Tanja; Wuijts, Susanne; Fleming, Lora E

2017-06-14

Proximity and access to water have long been central to human culture and accordingly deliver countless societal benefits. Over 200 million people live on Europe's coastline, and aquatic environments are the top recreational destination in the region. In terms of public health, interactions with 'blue space' (eg, coasts, rivers, lakes) are often considered solely in terms of risk (eg, drowning, microbial pollution). Exposure to blue space can, however, promote health and well-being and prevent disease, although underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. The BlueHealth project aims to understand the relationships between exposure to blue space and health and well-being, to map and quantify the public health impacts of changes to both natural blue spaces and associated urban infrastructure in Europe, and to provide evidence-based information to policymakers on how to maximise health benefits associated with interventions in and around aquatic environments. To achieve these aims, an evidence base will be created through systematic reviews, analyses of secondary data sets and analyses of new data collected through a bespoke international survey and a wide range of community-level interventions. We will also explore how to deliver the benefits associated with blue spaces to those without direct access through the use of virtual reality. Scenarios will be developed that allow the evaluation of health impacts in plausible future societal contexts and changing environments. BlueHealth will develop key inputs into policymaking and land/water-use planning towards more salutogenic and sustainable uses of blue space, particularly in urban areas. Throughout the BlueHealth project, ethics review and approval are obtained for all relevant aspects of the study by the local ethics committees prior to any work being initiated and an ethics expert has been appointed to the project advisory board. So far, ethical approval has been obtained for the BlueHealth International Survey and for community-level interventions taking place in Spain, Italy and the UK. Engagement of stakeholders, including the public, involves citizens in many aspects of the project. Results of all individual studies within the BlueHealth project will be published with open access. After full anonymisation and application of any measures necessary to prevent disclosure, data generated in the project will be deposited into open data repositories of the partner institutions, in line with a formal data management plan. Other knowledge and tools developed in the project will be made available via the project website (www.bluehealth2020.eu). Project results will ultimately provide key inputs to planning and policy relating to blue space, further stimulating the integration of environmental and health considerations into decision-making, such that blue infrastructure is developed across Europe with both public health and the environment in mind. © Article author(s) (or their employer(s) unless otherwise stated in the text of the article) 2017. All rights reserved. No commercial use is permitted unless otherwise expressly granted.

Synchronizing the city with human-based spaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gyergyák, János

2018-03-01

The paper is about to summarize the most important development tools to make the urban spaces more human friendly in Denver, Colorado. There are more needs for having more livable and sustainable areas by reducing the use of automobiles and focusing on multimodal street design. The strategies are the basic elements to make our urban spaces better and happier from The United States to Hungary

Need and feasibility of telemedicine in non-urban day care centres.

PubMed

Setia, Monika; DelliFraine, Jami L

2010-01-01

There appear to have been no studies of telemedicine in rural day care centres. We have assessed the feasibility of using telemedicine in eight rural day care centres in Pennsylvania, from the day care centres' perspective. The average number of children in these centres was 76 (range 20-150). The centres sent an average of 4.7 children home each month because of illness. Using telephone and face-to-face interviews, we assessed their perceived need for and familiarity with telemedicine, as well as their openness and preparedness for implementing telemedicine. Most day care centres reported a need for telemedicine and were open to learning how to use it. Some centres were concerned about adequate space for the equipment, but overall, the centres felt that their resources were adequate. Telemedicine in rural day care centres appears to be feasible, and would have the potential to save time and money for parents, as well as perhaps improving health care for children in rural areas.

Urban economies and occupation space: can they get "there" from "here"?

PubMed

Muneepeerakul, Rachata; Lobo, José; Shutters, Shade T; Goméz-Liévano, Andrés; Qubbaj, Murad R

2013-01-01

Much of the socioeconomic life in the United States occurs in its urban areas. While an urban economy is defined to a large extent by its network of occupational specializations, an examination of this important network is absent from the considerable body of work on the determinants of urban economic performance. Here we develop a structure-based analysis addressing how the network of interdependencies among occupational specializations affects the ease with which urban economies can transform themselves. While most occupational specializations exhibit positive relationships between one another, many exhibit negative ones, and the balance between the two partially explains the productivity of an urban economy. The current set of occupational specializations of an urban economy and its location in the occupation space constrain its future development paths. Important tradeoffs exist between different alternatives for altering an occupational specialization pattern, both at a single occupation and an entire occupational portfolio levels.

Urban Economies and Occupation Space: Can They Get “There” from “Here”?

PubMed Central

Muneepeerakul, Rachata; Lobo, José; Shutters, Shade T.; Goméz-Liévano, Andrés; Qubbaj, Murad R.

2013-01-01

Much of the socioeconomic life in the United States occurs in its urban areas. While an urban economy is defined to a large extent by its network of occupational specializations, an examination of this important network is absent from the considerable body of work on the determinants of urban economic performance. Here we develop a structure-based analysis addressing how the network of interdependencies among occupational specializations affects the ease with which urban economies can transform themselves. While most occupational specializations exhibit positive relationships between one another, many exhibit negative ones, and the balance between the two partially explains the productivity of an urban economy. The current set of occupational specializations of an urban economy and its location in the occupation space constrain its future development paths. Important tradeoffs exist between different alternatives for altering an occupational specialization pattern, both at a single occupation and an entire occupational portfolio levels. PMID:24040021

Spatial and Social Comparison of the Traditional Neighbourhood and the Modern Gated Community: Eskisehir Sample

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koca, Güler; Kayılıoğlu, Begüm

2017-10-01

People’s expectations from the city have changed with the transformation of urban life. Urban space is not the only place where structures are formed. Urban space also consists of a combination of public spaces, semi-public spaces, and private spaces. As social and cultural phenomena, social events occur and people communicate with each other in these spaces. Therefore, streets and neighbourhoods composed of houses are not only physical spaces, but they also have important social and cultural dimensions. Modern life has brought a plethora of changes that affected the cities. Due to rapid changes today, the urban space forms in the conversion process are also designed differently. Historically, the space organization based on the streets of the semi-public life in Turkish cities has been transformed into mass housing and housing estate-style life in recent years. This transformation has been expressed differently in urban life not only physically, but also socially and culturally. The street which is regarded as a public space was a place where people communicated and social events happened in the past; but today, the streets are rife with security problems and they have become a concept evoking an image of street that is bordered with buildings. Spatial separation has emerged with middle and upper classes isolating themselves from the streets and heading towards gated communities, especially for security reasons. This social and spatial separation has begun to lead to various problems in cities. Eskisehir is an important Anatolian city located between Ankara, the capital of Turkey, and Istanbul. This research was conducted in two research sites in Eskisehir: one is a gated community where middle and upper-income groups reside, and the other is a residential neighbourhood where middle-income groups live. These groups were studied through a survey. The spatial preferences of the residents in these two areas and their relation with the neighbourhood are examined. These groups were surveyed and their relations with their relatives have been researched.

Effective protection of open space: does planning matter?

PubMed

Steelman, Toddi A; Hess, George R

2009-07-01

High quality plans are considered a crucial part of good land use planning and often used as a proxy measure for success in plan implementation and goal attainment. We explored the relationship of open space plan quality to the implementation of open space plans and attainment of open space protection goals in Research Triangle, North Carolina, USA. To measure plan quality, we used a standard plan evaluation matrix that we modified to focus on open space plans. We evaluated all open space plans in the region that contained a natural resource protection element. To measure plan implementation and open space protection, we developed an online survey and administered it to open space planners charged with implementing the plans. The survey elicited each planner's perspective on aspects of open space protection in his or her organization. The empirical results (1) indicate that success in implementation and attaining goals are not related to plan quality, (2) highlight the importance of when and how stakeholders are involved in planning and implementation processes, and (3) raise questions about the relationship of planning to implementation. These results suggest that a technically excellent plan does not guarantee the long-term relationships among local land owners, political and appointed officials, and other organizations that are crucial to meeting land protection goals. A greater balance of attention to the entire decision process and building relationships might lead to more success in protecting open space.

"New Sport" in the street: self-defence, security and space in belle epoque Paris.

PubMed

Freundschuh, Aaron

2006-01-01

Near the turn of the twentieth century, traditional self-defence methods (for example, jiu-jitsu) were revamped into a more accessible and practical set of techniques and tactics for everyday use in urban public space. Framed as a "new sport" with broad public utility, early urban self-defence developed against the backdrop of heightening fears of violent crime and a burgeoning politics of security, as well as tensions provoked by the increasingly common appearance of unchaperoned, middle-class women in public. Self-defence masters pitched their innovations in an inclusive rhetoric, always with separate lessons for men and women and their respective spaces of risk. This article places modern self-defence practices in tension with historical transformations in the urban landscape, arguing that urban self-defence posited a certain subjective relation to the city that tapped simultaneously into the desire for empowerment, fantasies of criminal danger and a law-and-order tone that shaded into urban vigilantism.

Endless urban growth? On the mismatch of population, household and urban land area growth and its effects on the urban debate.

PubMed

Haase, Dagmar; Kabisch, Nadja; Haase, Annegret

2013-01-01

In European cities, the rate of population growth has declined significantly, while the number of households has increased. This increase in the number of households is associated with an increase in space for housing. To date, the effects of both a declining population and decreasing household numbers remain unclear. In this paper, we analyse the relationship between population and household number development in 188 European cities from 1990-2000 and 2000-2006 to the growth of urban land area and per capita living space. Our results support a trend toward decreasing population with simultaneously increasing household number. However, we also found cites facing both a declining population and a decreasing household number. Nevertheless, the urban land area of these "double-declining" cities has continued to spread because the increasing per capita living space counteracts a reduction in land consumption. We conclude that neither a decline in population nor in household number "automatically" solve the global problem of land consumption.

Urban Landscape Architecture in the Reshaping of the Contemporary Cityscape

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ananiadou-Tzimopoulou, Maria; Bourlidou, Anastasia

2017-10-01

The contemporary urban landscape is the evolving image of dynamic social, economic and ecological changes and heterogeneity. It constitutes the mirror of history, natural and cultural, urban processes, as well as locations of hybrid character, such as degraded and fragmented spaces within the urban fabric or in the city boundaries -areas in between, infrastructures, post-industrial and waterfront sites, but also potential grounds for urban development. Along with the awakening of the global ecological awareness and the ongoing discussion on sustainability issues, the cityscape with its new attributes, constitutes a challenging field of research and planning for various disciplines, further more than landscape architecture, such as architecture, planning, ecology, environment and engineering. This paper focuses on the role of urban landscape architecture, via its theory and practice, in the reshaping of the city territory. It aspires to broaden the discussion concerning the upgrading of the contemporary cities, aiming firstly at the determination of a wider vocabulary for the urban landscape and its design, and secondly at the highlighting of landscape architecture’s contribution to the sustainable perspective of urban design and planning. The methodology is based on a comparative research implemented both on a theoretical level and on a level of applied work. Urban landscape architecture is described through theory and practice, along with correlative approaches deriving mainly from landscape urbanism and secondarily from the field of architecture. Urban landscape is approached as a socio-ecological and perceptual legible, a territory of culture, process and production; operating as an entity of ecological, infrastructural systems and planning needs, it is also regarded as a precedent for urban development. Furthermore, the research is supported by selected European and International urban landscape projects, presented in a cohesive multiscalar approach, from the node to the region. Theory is reflected upon: a/smaller scale projects-cultural landscapes, b/infrastructural projects, c/extended process territories and d/grand metropolitan projects. The particular case studies constitute representative design approaches dealing with the urban complexity and are hierarchized on qualitative criteria, spatial and functional; they are indicative of the spectrum of project’s scale, type of intervention -redesign, reclamation, reuse, planning, but also of the project’s operational value -cultural, infrastructural, strategic. They stress the importance of landscape’s flexible and open-ended nature and ultimately, they underline the crucial role of urban landscape architecture, within transdisciplinarity and sustainable design strategies, in the regeneration of the contemporary cityscape.

Structured Open Urban Data: Understanding the Landscape.

PubMed

Barbosa, Luciano; Pham, Kien; Silva, Claudio; Vieira, Marcos R; Freire, Juliana

2014-09-01

A growing number of cities are now making urban data freely available to the public. Besides promoting transparency, these data can have a transformative effect in social science research as well as in how citizens participate in governance. These initiatives, however, are fairly recent and the landscape of open urban data is not well known. In this study, we try to shed some light on this through a detailed study of over 9,000 open data sets from 20 cities in North America. We start by presenting general statistics about the content, size, nature, and popularity of the different data sets, and then examine in more detail structured data sets that contain tabular data. Since a key benefit of having a large number of data sets available is the ability to fuse information, we investigate opportunities for data integration. We also study data quality issues and time-related aspects, namely, recency and change frequency. Our findings are encouraging in that most of the data are structured and published in standard formats that are easy to parse; there is ample opportunity to integrate different data sets; and the volume of data is increasing steadily. But they also uncovered a number of challenges that need to be addressed to enable these data to be fully leveraged. We discuss both our findings and issues involved in using open urban data.

Steps in the open space planning process

Treesearch

Stephanie B. Kelly; Melissa M. Ryan

1995-01-01

This paper presents the steps involved in developing an open space plan. The steps are generic in that the methods may be applied various size communities. The intent is to provide a framework to develop an open space plan that meets Massachusetts requirements for funding of open space acquisition.

Moving the Barricades to Physical Activity: A Qualitative Analysis of Open Streets Initiatives Across the United States.

PubMed

Eyler, Amy A; Hipp, J Aaron; Lokuta, Julie

2015-01-01

Ciclovía, or Open Streets initiatives, are events where streets are opened for physical activity and closed to motorized traffic. Although the initiatives are gaining popularity in the United States, little is known about planning and implementing them. The goals of this paper are to explore the development and implementation of Open Streets initiatives and make recommendations for increasing the capacity of organizers to enhance initiative success. Phenomenology with qualitative analysis of structured interviews was used. Study setting was urban and suburban communities in the United States. Study participants were organizers of Open Streets initiatives in U.S. cities. Using a list of 47 events held in 2011, 27 lead organizers were interviewed by telephone about planning, implementation, and lessons learned. The interviews were digitally recorded and transcribed. A phenomenologic approach was used, an initial coding tool was developed after reviewing a sample of transcripts, and constant comparative coding methodology was applied. Themes and subthemes were generated from codes. The most common reasons for initiation were to highlight or improve health and transportation. Most initiatives aimed to reach the general population, but some targeted families, children, or specific neighborhoods. Getting people to understand the concept of Open Streets was an important challenge. Other challenges included lack of funding and personnel, and complex logistics. These initiatives democratize public space for citizens while promoting physical activity, social connectedness, and other broad agendas. There are opportunities for the research community to contribute to the expanse and sustainability of Open Streets, particularly in evaluation and dissemination.

Citygml and the Streets of New York - a Proposal for Detailed Street Space Modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beil, C.; Kolbe, T. H.

2017-10-01

Three-dimensional semantic city models are increasingly used for the analysis of large urban areas. Until now the focus has mostly been on buildings. Nonetheless many applications could also benefit from detailed models of public street space for further analysis. However, there are only few guidelines for representing roads within city models. Therefore, related standards dealing with street modelling are examined and discussed. Nearly all street representations are based on linear abstractions. However, there are many use cases that require or would benefit from the detailed geometrical and semantic representation of street space. A variety of potential applications for detailed street space models are presented. Subsequently, based on related standards as well as on user requirements, a concept for a CityGML-compliant representation of street space in multiple levels of detail is developed. In the course of this process, the CityGML Transportation model of the currently valid OGC standard CityGML2.0 is examined to discover possibilities for further developments. Moreover, a number of improvements are presented. Finally, based on open data sources, the proposed concept is implemented within a semantic 3D city model of New York City generating a detailed 3D street space model for the entire city. As a result, 11 thematic classes, such as roadbeds, sidewalks or traffic islands are generated and enriched with a large number of thematic attributes.

A study on the relationship between carbon budget and ecosystem service in urban areas according to urbanization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, S. J.; Lee, W. K.

2017-12-01

The study on the analysis of carbon storage capacity of urban green spaces with increasing urban forest. Modern cities have experienced rapid economic development since Industrial Revolution in the 18th century. The rapid economic growth caused an exponential concentration of population to the cities and decrease of green spaces due to the conversion of forest and agricultural lands to build-up areas with rapid urbanization. As green areas including forests, grasslands, and wetlands provide diverse economic, environmental, and cultural benefits, the decrease of green areas might be a huge loss. Also, the process of urbanization caused pressure on the urban environment more than its natural capacity, which accelerates global climate change. This study tries to see the relations between carbon budget and ecosystem services according to the urbanization. For calculating carbon dynamics, this study used VISIT(Vegetation Integrated Simulator for trace gases) model. And the value that ecosystem provides is explained with the concept of ecosystem service and calculated by InVEST model. Study sites are urban and peri-urban areas in Northeast Asia. From the result of the study, the effect of the urbanization can be understood in regard to carbon storage and ecosystem services.

The hydrologic and fluvial processes in urban and agricultural atchments (Kielce, Poland)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ciupa, T.

2003-04-01

The aim of the study is to elucidate the bahavior of river-beds system in conditions of environmental stress, and particularly in the urbanized landscape in the Kielce vicinity (Central Poland). Two neighboring catchments were selected for the study, both located in the urbanized landscape, namely those of Silnica and Sufraganiec streams. These catchments have similar surfaces nevertheless they differ each other in the area of land use patterns. Silnica catchment embraces mainly build-up area however the Sufraganiec one consists largely of open agricultural spaces and woodland. Quite different situation has been noticed along the middle and lower part of Silnica, that is to say in the urbanized area. The high water waves last there for no more than one hour but their heights are much more greater. Water infiltration in these areas is strongly limited due to the fact that the area is mostly paved. Below the Kielce storage reservoir, the Silnica river constitutes the mere drain channel. Decrease in water velocity below the city center as well as an unnaturally huge charge of the transported matter is the reason that the materials from the city is accumulated in form of sand banks, shoals and oxbows. These forms are seasonally covered with vegetation that additionally intercepts the matters transported during high water stages. Intensity of human induced changes in river beds and fluvial processes shows to be proportional to the level of modification in the urbanized landscape. Silnica catchment has been modified mainly due to the growth of paved surfaces and the drainage network development. As a consequence, the surface runoff has been accelerated and the energy of fluvial processes enlarged.

Socio-cultural acceptability of urine diverted composting toilets: A review of literature for possible adoption in peri-urban areas as a sustainable sanitation solution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmed, Sk. Kabir; Ahmed, Sarder Shakil

2017-12-01

The improvements of strategies and treatment options adapted to conditions prevailing in developing countries have long been neglected as regards faecal sludge (FS) - the by-products of on-site sanitation installations. In recent years, an encouraging number of initiatives towards improved FS management, including appropriate FS treatment schemes, have been developed, particularly in Nepal, Thailand, Vietnam and Bangladesh. These initiatives assist urban and peri-urban dwellers and authorities to overcome the challenges of undifferentiating and uncontrolled disposal of faecal sludge into drains, canals and onto open spaces, thus producing a "faecal film" in urban areas that impair public health and cause pollution. Though people around the world are buying, or being offered with, pit latrines, shared toilets, or other enhanced sanitation solutions, this is vital to reduce transmission of diseases; questions arise about how to deal with the fecal sludge management. Sanitation is the hygienic way of upholding health through avoidance of human contact with the hazards of wastes as well as the treatment and proper disposal of sewage or wastewater. Waterborne diseases are the single most vital cause of death and illness in developing countries. The understanding of social issues is paramount introducing an alternative sanitation system. Although treating excreta is a universal aspect of human existence, the topic has not been rigorously investigated by social scientists identifying three cultural influences that affect the acceptance (or rejection) of an alternative sanitation system: psychology, religion and gender. Composting literature review focuses on increasing awareness and developing good understanding of composting toilets as an alternative urban sanitation technology.

MODIS-based spatiotemporal patterns of soil moisture and evapotranspiration interactions in Tampa Bay urban watershed

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chang, Ni-Bin; Xuan, Zhemin; Wimberly, Brent

2011-09-01

Soil moisture and evapotranspiration (ET) is affected by both water and energy balances in the soilvegetation- atmosphere system, it involves many complex processes in the nexus of water and thermal cycles at the surface of the Earth. These impacts may affect the recharge of the upper Floridian aquifer. The advent of urban hydrology and remote sensing technologies opens new and innovative means to undertake eventbased assessment of ecohydrological effects in urban regions. For assessing these landfalls, the multispectral Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) remote sensing images can be used for the estimation of such soil moisture change in connection with two other MODIS products - Enhanced Vegetation Index (EVI), Land Surface Temperature (LST). Supervised classification for soil moisture retrieval was performed for Tampa Bay area on the 2 kmx2km grid with MODIS images. Machine learning with genetic programming model for soil moisture estimation shows advances in image processing, feature extraction, and change detection of soil moisture. ET data that were derived by Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) data and hydrologic models can be retrieved from the USGS web site directly. Overall, the derived soil moisture in comparison with ET time series changes on a seasonal basis shows that spatial and temporal variations of soil moisture and ET that are confined within a defined region for each type of surfaces, showing clustered patterns and featuring space scatter plot in association with the land use and cover map. These concomitant soil moisture patterns and ET fluctuations vary among patches, plant species, and, especially, location on the urban gradient. Time series plots of LST in association with ET, soil moisture and EVI reveals unique ecohydrological trends. Such ecohydrological assessment can be applied for supporting the urban landscape management in hurricane-stricken regions.

Metro Nature, Environmental Health, and Economic Value

PubMed Central

Robbins, Alicia S.T.

2015-01-01

Background Nearly 40 years of research provides an extensive body of evidence about human health, well-being, and improved function benefits associated with experiences of nearby nature in cities. Objectives We demonstrate the numerous opportunities for future research efforts that link metro nature, human health and well-being outcomes, and economic values. Methods We reviewed the literature on urban nature-based health and well-being benefits. In this review, we provide a classification schematic and propose potential economic values associated with metro nature services. Discussion Economic valuation of benefits derived from urban green systems has largely been undertaken in the fields of environmental and natural resource economics, but studies have not typically addressed health outcomes. Urban trees, parks, gardens, open spaces, and other nearby nature elements—collectively termed metro nature—generate many positive externalities that have been largely overlooked in urban economics and policy. Here, we present a range of health benefits, including benefit context and beneficiaries. Although the understanding of these benefits is not yet consistently expressed, and although it is likely that attempts to link urban ecosystem services and economic values will not include all expressions of cultural or social value, the development of new interdisciplinary approaches that integrate environmental health and economic disciplines are greatly needed. Conclusions Metro nature provides diverse and substantial benefits to human populations in cities. In this review, we begin to address the need for development of valuation methodologies and new approaches to understanding the potential economic outcomes of these benefits. Citation Wolf KL, Robbins AS. 2015. Metro nature, environmental health, and economic value. Environ Health Perspect 123:390–398; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1408216 PMID:25626137

Comparison of methods for estimating carbon dioxide storage by Sacramento's urban forest

Treesearch

Elena Aguaron; E. Gregory McPherson

2012-01-01

Limited open-grown urban tree species biomass equations have necessitated use of forest-derived equations with diverse conclusions on the accuracy of these equations to estimate urban biomass and carbon storage. Our goal was to determine and explain variability among estimates of CO2 storage from four sets of allometric equations for the same...

41 CFR 102-83.75 - What is Executive Order 13006?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... Regulations System (Continued) FEDERAL MANAGEMENT REGULATION REAL PROPERTY 83-LOCATION OF SPACE Location of Space Urban Areas § 102-83.75 What is Executive Order 13006? Executive Order 13006, entitled “Locating... that have a mission requirement to locate in an urban area to give first consideration to locating...

41 CFR 102-83.75 - What is Executive Order 13006?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... Regulations System (Continued) FEDERAL MANAGEMENT REGULATION REAL PROPERTY 83-LOCATION OF SPACE Location of Space Urban Areas § 102-83.75 What is Executive Order 13006? Executive Order 13006, entitled “Locating... that have a mission requirement to locate in an urban area to give first consideration to locating...

Do species distribution models predict species richness in urban and natural green spaces? A case study using amphibians

EPA Science Inventory

Urban green spaces are potentially important to biodiversity conservation because they represent habitat islands in a mosaic of development, and could harbor high biodiversity or provide connectivity to nearby habitat. Presence only species distribution models (SDMs) represent a ...

Biodiversity in the city: key challenges for urban green space management

Treesearch

Myla F.J. Aronson; Christopher A. Lepczyk; Karl L. Evans; Mark A. Goddard; Susannah B. Lerman; J. Scott MacIvor; Charles H. Nilon; Timothy Vargo

2017-01-01

Cities play important roles in the conservation of global biodiversity, particularly through the planning and management of urban green spaces (UGS). However, UGS management is subject to a complex assortment of interacting social, cultural, and economic factors, including governance, economics, social networks, multiple stakeholders, individual preferences, and social...

"Letter-Space": Typographic Translations of Urban Place

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Naismith, Jacqueline; O'Sullivan, Annette

2011-01-01

This article discusses a Bachelor of Design honours year typography project in the medium of letterpress. The "Letter-space" project positioned letterpress as a textual, spatial and structural visual language, through which the experiences and meanings of a local urban place were translated, mapped and given form through typographic design. We…

Hydraulic actuator for an electric circuit breaker

DOEpatents

Imam, I.

1983-05-17

This actuator comprises a fluid motor having a piston, a breaker-opening space at one side of the piston, and a breaker-closing space at its opposite side. An accumulator freely communicates with the breaker-opening space for supplying pressurized fluid thereto during a circuit breaker opening operation. The breaker-opening space and the breaker-closing space are connected by an impeded flow passage. A pilot valve opens to allow the pressurized liquid in the breaker-closing space to flow to a back chamber of a normally closed main valve to cause the main valve to be opened during a circuit breaker opening operation to release the pressurized liquid from the breaker-closing space. An impeded passage affords communication between the back chamber and a sump located on the opposite side of the main valve from the back chamber. The pilot valve and impeded passage allow rapid opening of the main valve with pressurized liquid from the breaker closing side of the piston. 3 figs.

Hydraulic actuator for an electric circuit breaker

DOEpatents

Imam, Imdad [Colonie, NY

1983-01-01

This actuator comprises a fluid motor having a piston, a breaker-opening space at one side of the piston, and a breaker-closing space at its opposite side. An accumulator freely communicates with the breaker-opening space for supplying pressurized fluid thereto during a circuit breaker opening operation. The breaker-opening space and the breaker-closing space are connected by an impeded flow passage. A pilot valve opens to allow the pressurized liquid in the breaker-closing space to flow to a back chamber of a normally closed main valve to cause the main valve to be opened during a circuit breaker opening operation to release the pressurized liquid from the breaker-closing space. An impeded passage affords communication between the back chamber and a sump located on the opposite side of the main valve from the back chamber. The pilot valve and impeded passage allow rapid opening of the main valve with pressurized liquid from the breaker closing side of the piston.

Environment, wealth, inequality and the burden of disease in the Accra metropolitan area, Ghana.

PubMed

Boadi, Kwasi Owusu; Kuitunen, Markku

2005-06-01

The study examines environmental problems and adverse impacts on the health of urban households in the Accra metropolitan area, Ghana. Accra is faced with severe inadequacy of urban infrastructure in the face of rapid population growth in the metropolis. More than half of the city's population do not have access to solid waste collection services. Only 39.8% of households have indoor pipe and over 35.0% of households depend on unsanitary public latrines whilst 2.5% do not have access to toilet facilities. Human excrement, garbage and wastewater are usually deposited in surface drains, open spaces and streams in poor neighbourhoods. The resultant poor sanitation has serious health impacts as more than half of reported diseases are related to poor environmental sanitation. The majority of households depend on solid fuels for cooking and this leads to indoor air pollution and high incidence of respiratory infections. Poor households bear a disproportionately large share of the burden of environmental health hazards than their wealthy counterparts, due to their particular vulnerability resulting from inadequate access to environmental health facilities and services.

Evaluation of commercial available fusion algorithms for Geoeye data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vaiopoulos, Aristides D.; Nikolakopoulos, Konstantinos G.

2013-10-01

In this study ten commercial available fusion techniques and more especially the Ehlers, Gram-Schmidt, High Pass Filter, Local Mean Matching (LMM), Local Mean and Variance Matching (LMVM), Modified IHS (ModIHS), Pansharp, PCA, HCS (Hyperspherical Color Space) and Wavelet were used for the fusion of Geoeye panchromatic and multispectral data. The panchromatic data have a spatial resolution of 0.5m while the multispectral data have a spatial resolution of 2.0m. The optical result, the statistical parameters and different quality indexes such as ERGAS, Q, entropy were examined and the results are presented. The broader area of Pendeli mountain near to the city of Athens Greece and more especially two sub areas with different characteristics were chosen for the comparison. The first sub area is located at the edge of the urban fabric and combines at the same time the characteristics of an urban and a rural area. The second sub area comprises a large open quarry and it is suitable to examine which fused product is more suitable for mine monitoring.

Buenos Aires - Toward Comprehensive Development and Sustainable Mobility

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kamrowska-Zaluska, Dorota

2017-10-01

This paper is introducing Buenos Aires’ achievements and challenges in implementing comprehensive development and integrating efficient and sustainable transport system within its urban structure. There are several important steps in this process starting from urban regeneration of Puerto Madero, the introduction and then implementation of a strategic plan Modelo territorial (2010) and of Buenos Aires’ Plan de Movilidad Sustentable (2013). The last one - Sustainable Mobility Plan helped Buenos Aires win several prestigious rewards for innovative approach to mobility and sustainable transport and leadership in combating climate change. Buenos Aires City government demonstrates strong leadership by implementing well-planned (Bus Rapid Transport) BRT solutions, stressing the importance of political will and support, flexibility and an open mind in listening to the points of view of all stakeholders involved. Buenos Aires has made a very important step toward sustainability by supporting development of more sustainable modes of transport, such as bicycle-sharing system and improving walkability of the city centre. The last initiative combined with strong focus on public spaces is adding to tourist attractiveness based on diversity of the capital of Argentina.

Reach-scale effects of riparian forest cover on urban stream ecosystems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Roy, A.H.; Faust, C.L.; Freeman, Mary C.; Meyer, J.L.

2005-01-01

We compared habitat and biota between paired open and forested reaches within five small streams (basin area 10?20 km2) in suburban catchments (9%?49% urban land cover) in the Piedmont of Georgia, USA. Stream reaches with open canopies were narrower than forested reaches (4.1 versus 5.0 m, respectively). There were no differences in habitat diversity (variation in velocity, depth, or bed particle size) between open and forested reaches. However, absence of local forest cover corresponded to decreased large wood and increased algal chlorophyll a standing crop biomass. These differences in basal food resources translated into higher densities of fishes in open (9.0 individuals?m?2) versus forested (4.9 individuals?m?2) reaches, primarily attributed to higher densities of the herbivore Campostoma oligolepis. Densities of terrestrial invertebrate inputs were higher in open reaches; however, trends suggested higher biomass of terrestrial inputs in forested reaches and a corresponding higher density of terrestrial prey consumed by water column feeding fishes. Reach-scale biotic integrity (macroinvertebrates, salamanders, and fishes) was largely unaffected by differences in canopy cover. In urbanizing areas where catchment land cover drives habitat and biotic quality, management practices that rely exclusively on forested riparian areas for stream protection are unlikely to be effective at maintaining ecosystem integrity.

[Green space vegetation quantity in workshop area of Wuhan Iron and Steel Company].

PubMed

Chen, Fang; Zhou, Zhixiang; Wang, Pengcheng; Li, Haifang; Zhong, Yingfei

2006-04-01

Aimed at the complex community structure and higher fragmentation of urban green space, and based on the investigation of synusia structure and its coverage, this paper studied the vegetation quantity of ornamental green space in the workshop area of Wuhan Iron and Steel Company, with the help of GIS. The results showed that different life forms of ornamental plants in this area had a greater difference in their single leaf area and leaf area index (LAI), and the LAI was not only depended on single leaf area, but also governed by the shape of tree crown and the intensive degree of branches and leaves. The total vegetation quantity was 1 694.2 hm2, with the average LAI being 7.75, and the vegetation quantity of arbor-shrub-herb and arbor-shrub communities accounted for 79.7% and 92.3% of the total, respectively, reflecting that the green space structure was dominated by arbor species and by arbor-shrub-herb and arbor-shrub community types. Single layer-structured lawn had a less percentage, while the vegetation quantity of herb synusia accounted for 22.9% of the total, suggesting an afforestation characteristic of "making use of every bit of space" in the workshop area. The vegetation quantity of urban ornamental green space depended on the area of green space, its synusia structure, and the LAI and coverage of ornamental plants. In enlarging urban green space, ornamental plant species with high LAI should be selected, and community structure should be improved to have a higher vegetation quantity in urban area. To quantify the vegetation quantity of urban ornamental green space more accurately, synusia should be taken as the unit to measure the LAI of typical species, and the synusia structure and its coverage of different community types should be investigated with the help of remote sensing images and GIS.

Cultural Ecosystem Services of Urban Green Spaces-Supply and Demand in The Densely Built-Up Areas. Poznan Old Town Case Study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ponizy, Lidia; Majchrzak, Weronika; Zwierzchowska, Iwona

2017-12-01

The quality of life of big city dwellers depends on the use of green infrastructure. The idea of a compact city, opposed to urban sprawl, can lead to reduced access to green areas and increased demand for cultural services provided through urban green infrastructure. Considering the above, the aim of the paper was to identify the supply of and demand for cultural ecosystem services related to the urban green spaces in densely built-up urban areas. To find out how important the ability to use green areas for dwellers of the densely built-up areas is, the questionnaire interviews with the residents of the area of the Old Town of Poznan were conducted. Questions in the survey concerned the amount of green spaces and their availability, the way of use, types of activity, factors limiting the use and factors encouraging to visit green spaces and the motives for using green areas away from inhabitants’ place of residence. Respondents claim that there is not enough greenery, especially associated with housing and street side greenery; the amount of parks (which they use most) is slightly higher, in their opinion. Limitations that influence utilising green spaces concern both greenery itself (e.g. insufficient recreational infrastructure, neglected green areas) as well as respondent’s issues (e.g. lack of free time). Improvements to recreational infrastructure and more well-kept green spaces would encourage respondents to utilise it more often. Active participation of inhabitants in developing and maintaining their closest neighbourhood would allow to enlarge green spaces in housing areas and make them more customized to the residents’ needs and requirements in terms of functionality and aesthetic.

Organic Carbon Storage in China's Urban Areas

PubMed Central

Zhao, Shuqing; Zhu, Chao; Zhou, Decheng; Huang, Dian; Werner, Jeremy

2013-01-01

China has been experiencing rapid urbanization in parallel with its economic boom over the past three decades. To date, the organic carbon storage in China's urban areas has not been quantified. Here, using data compiled from literature review and statistical yearbooks, we estimated that total carbon storage in China's urban areas was 577±60 Tg C (1 Tg  = 1012 g) in 2006. Soil was the largest contributor to total carbon storage (56%), followed by buildings (36%), and vegetation (7%), while carbon storage in humans was relatively small (1%). The carbon density in China's urban areas was 17.1±1.8 kg C m−2, about two times the national average of all lands. The most sensitive variable in estimating urban carbon storage was urban area. Examining urban carbon storages over a wide range of spatial extents in China and in the United States, we found a strong linear relationship between total urban carbon storage and total urban area, with a specific urban carbon storage of 16 Tg C for every 1,000 km2 urban area. This value might be useful for estimating urban carbon storage at regional to global scales. Our results also showed that the fraction of carbon storage in urban green spaces was still much lower in China relative to western countries, suggesting a great potential to mitigate climate change through urban greening and green spaces management in China. PMID:23991014

An integrated methodology to assess the benefits of urban green space.

PubMed

De Ridder, K; Adamec, V; Bañuelos, A; Bruse, M; Bürger, M; Damsgaard, O; Dufek, J; Hirsch, J; Lefebre, F; Pérez-Lacorzana, J M; Thierry, A; Weber, C

2004-12-01

The interrelated issues of urban sprawl, traffic congestion, noise, and air pollution are major socioeconomic problems faced by most European cities. A methodology is currently being developed for evaluating the role of green space and urban form in alleviating the adverse effects of urbanisation, mainly focusing on the environment but also accounting for socioeconomic aspects. The objectives and structure of the methodology are briefly outlined and illustrated with preliminary results obtained from case studies performed on several European cities.

keep your models up-to-date: connecting community mapping data to complex urban flood modelling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Winsemius, Hessel; Eilander, Dirk; Ward, Philip; Diaz Loaiza, Andres; Iliffe, Mark; Mawanda, Shaban; Luo, Tianyi; Kimacha, Nyambiri; Chen, Jorik

2017-04-01

The world is urbanizing rapidly. According to the United Nation's World Urbanization Prospect, 50% of the global population already lives in urban areas today. This number is expected to grow to 66% by 2050. The rapid changes in these urban environments go hand in hand with rapid changes in natural hazard risks, in particular in informal unplanned neighbourhoods. In Dar Es Salaam - Tanzania, flood risk dominates and given the rapid changes in the city, continuous updates of detailed street level hazard and risk mapping are needed to adequately support decision making for urban planning, infrastructure design and disaster response. Over the past years, the Ramani Huria and Zuia Mafuriko projects have mapped the most flood prone neighbourhoods, including roads, buildings, drainage and land use and contributed data to the open-source OpenStreetMap database. In this contribution, we will demonstrate how we mobilize these contributed data to establish dynamic flood models for Dar Es Salaam and keep these up-to-date by making a direct link between the data, and model schematization. The tools automatically establish a sound 1D drainage network as well as a high resolution terrain dataset, by fusing the OpenStreetMap data with existing lower resolution terrain data such as the globally available satellite based SRTM 30. It then translates these fully automatically into the inputs required for the D-HYDRO modeling suite. Our tools are built such that community and stakeholder knowledge can be included in the model details through workshops with the tools so that missing essential information about the city's details can be augmented on-the-fly. This process creates a continuous dialogue between members of the community that collect data, and stakeholders requiring data for flood models. Moreover, used taxonomy and data filtering can be configured to conditions in other cities, making the tools generic and scalable. The tools are made available open-source.

Cities and Urban Land Use in Advanced Placement Human Geography.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ford, Larry R.

2000-01-01

Discusses the cities and urban land use section of the Advanced Placement (AP) human geography course, focusing on the: (1) definitions of urbanism; (2) origin and evolution of cities; (3) functional character of contemporary cities; (4) built environment and social space; and (5) responses to urban growth. (CMK)

The Challenge of the Urban School Site.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Deborah, Ed.; Lucas, Bill, Ed.; Titman, Wendy, Ed.; Hayward, Siobhan, Ed.

This guidebook provides information on improving urban school grounds in the United Kingdom to enhance children's lives. Chapters provide the experiences from other schools on the topics of greening the urban school grounds; the multi-cultural aspects of developing urban school grounds; organization of limited space; issues involving seating,…

Open space preservation, property value, and optimal spatial configuration

Treesearch

Yong Jiang; Stephen K. Swallow

2007-01-01

The public has increasingly demonstrated a strong support for open space preservation. How to finance the socially efficient level of open space with the optimal spatial structure is of high policy relevance to local governments. In this study, we developed a spatially explicit open space model to help identify the socially optimal amount and optimal spatial...

Neighborhood Environment and Adherence to a Walking Intervention in African-American Women

PubMed Central

Zenk, Shannon N.; Wilbur, JoEllen; Wang, Edward; McDevitt, Judith; Oh, April; Block, Richard; McNeil, Sue; Savar, Nina

2009-01-01

This secondary analysis examined relationships between the environment and adherence to a walking intervention among 252 urban and suburban midlife African-American women. Participants received an enhanced or minimal behavioral intervention. Walking adherence was measured as the percentage of prescribed walks completed. Objective measures of the women’s neighborhoods included: walkability (land use mix, street intersection density, housing unit density, public transit stop density), aesthetics (physical deterioration, industrial land use), availability of outdoor (recreational open space) and indoor (recreation centers, shopping malls) walking facilities/spaces, and safety (violent crime incidents). Ordinary least squares regression estimated relationships. We found presence of one and especially both types of indoor walking facilities were associated with greater adherence. No associations were found between adherence and the other environmental variables. The effect of the enhanced intervention on adherence did not differ by environmental characteristics. Aspects of the environment may influence African-American women who want to be more active. PMID:18669878

Revitalizing the unused urban space, case study: Lhokseumawe, Aceh -Indonesia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wahid, J.; Karsono, B.; Koesmeri, D. R. A.; Indriannisa, S. E.

2018-03-01

The phenomenon of urban decline in the highly industrialized nation is now slowly taking place in the developing world. Deindustrialization as defined as a decline in the manufacturing sectors led to the changes in social, economic and subsequently a shift in urban activities. By taking Lhokseumawe, Aceh, Republic of Indonesia as an example, this paper attempts to uncover the possibilities and opportunities in identifying the causes and tracing back on the decline. Lhokseumawe, Aceh was a well-known industrial region outside Java Island, and it has attracted thousands of workers from northern Sumatera and the nearby regions. After the downturn of the economy and the change in activities, the city slowly showed a decline. Scholars has estimated that one in six of the cities around the world that relied on oil and gas production activities will suffer from this phenomenological impact. Lhokseumawe is a good example of an industrial plants where PT Arun LNG (private limited company) operated since 1974 grew up rapidly and nicknamed “Petrodollar City”. The trickle effect of the activities from the petrodollar business led to a few settlements popping up at the periphery as a result of urban sprawl from Lhokseumawe, however, the glory of the economic growth outlived within a short period. This was resulted from the production of PT Arun NGL which had dropped dramatically in the 2000s and suddenly closed the operation in October 2014. From these perspectives, this paper attempts to investigate the impact of deindustrialization within the urban space and activity in Lhokseumawe which have consequences to urban declining phenomena. By taking one of the revitalized urban space formerly known as Cunda Plaza (CP) as a case study area, the paper will apply synoptic method through observation, space mapping and interview techniques for gathering and examining the data. The findings indicates that Cunda Plaza is a magnet as a central hub of urban activities which can be integrated with other thriving activities from urban conurbation of academic related activities within the city.

Models of anxiety: responses of rats to novelty in an open space and an enclosed space.

PubMed

Ennaceur, A; Michalikova, S; Chazot, P L

2006-07-15

Exposure to novelty has been shown to induce anxiety responses in a variety of behavioural paradigms. The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether exposition of naïve rats to novelty would result in a comparable or a different pattern of responses in an open space versus enclosed space with or without the presence of an object in the centre of the field. Lewis and Wistar rats of both genders were used to illustrate and discuss the value and validity of these anxiety paradigms. We examined a wide range of measures, which cover several aspects of animals' responses. The results of this study revealed significant differences between the behaviour of animals in an open space and in the enclosed space. It also revealed significant differences in animal's responses to the presence and absence of an object in the open space and in the enclosed space. In the enclosed space, rats spent most of their time in the outer area with lower number of exits and avoided the object area except when there was an object, while in the open space rats displayed frequent short duration re-entries in the outer area and spent longer time in the object area in presence of an object. The time spent in the inner area (away from the outer area and the object area) was significantly longer and the number of faecal boli was significantly higher in the open space than in the enclosed space. In the present report, we will discuss the fundamental differences between enclosed space and open space models, and we will examine some methodological issues related to the current animal models of human behaviour in anxiety. In the enclosed space, animals can avoid the potential threat associated with the centre area of a box and chose the safety of walls and corners, whereas, in the open space animals have to avoid every parts of the field from which there was no safe escape. The response of animals to novelty in an open space model appears more relevant to anxiety than in an enclosed space. The present studies revealed no correlations between the measures of behaviour in enclosed space and the measures of behaviour in open space, which suggest that these two models do not involve the same construct. Our results suggest that the enclosed space model involves avoidance responses while the open space model involves anxiety responses. The open space model can be very useful in understanding the underlying neural mechanisms of anxiety responses, and in assessing the effects of potential anxiolytic drugs.

BlueHealth: a study programme protocol for mapping and quantifying the potential benefits to public health and well-being from Europe’s blue spaces

PubMed Central

White, Mathew P; Albin, Maria; Bell, Simon; Elliott, Lewis R; Gascón, Mireia; Gualdi, Silvio; Mancini, Laura; Nieuwenhuijsen, Mark J; Sarigiannis, Denis A; van den Bosch, Matilda; Wolf, Tanja; Wuijts, Susanne; Fleming, Lora E

2017-01-01

Introduction Proximity and access to water have long been central to human culture and accordingly deliver countless societal benefits. Over 200 million people live on Europe’s coastline, and aquatic environments are the top recreational destination in the region. In terms of public health, interactions with ‘blue space’ (eg, coasts, rivers, lakes) are often considered solely in terms of risk (eg, drowning, microbial pollution). Exposure to blue space can, however, promote health and well-being and prevent disease, although underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Aims and methods The BlueHealth project aims to understand the relationships between exposure to blue space and health and well-being, to map and quantify the public health impacts of changes to both natural blue spaces and associated urban infrastructure in Europe, and to provide evidence-based information to policymakers on how to maximise health benefits associated with interventions in and around aquatic environments. To achieve these aims, an evidence base will be created through systematic reviews, analyses of secondary data sets and analyses of new data collected through a bespoke international survey and a wide range of community-level interventions. We will also explore how to deliver the benefits associated with blue spaces to those without direct access through the use of virtual reality. Scenarios will be developed that allow the evaluation of health impacts in plausible future societal contexts and changing environments. BlueHealth will develop key inputs into policymaking and land/water-use planning towards more salutogenic and sustainable uses of blue space, particularly in urban areas. Ethics and dissemination Throughout the BlueHealth project, ethics review and approval are obtained for all relevant aspects of the study by the local ethics committees prior to any work being initiated and an ethics expert has been appointed to the project advisory board. So far, ethical approval has been obtained for the BlueHealth International Survey and for community-level interventions taking place in Spain, Italy and the UK. Engagement of stakeholders, including the public, involves citizens in many aspects of the project. Results of all individual studies within the BlueHealth project will be published with open access. After full anonymisation and application of any measures necessary to prevent disclosure, data generated in the project will be deposited into open data repositories of the partner institutions, in line with a formal data management plan. Other knowledge and tools developed in the project will be made available via the project website (www.bluehealth2020.eu). Project results will ultimately provide key inputs to planning and policy relating to blue space, further stimulating the integration of environmental and health considerations into decision-making, such that blue infrastructure is developed across Europe with both public health and the environment in mind. PMID:28615276

Building Community: Learning from Urban Studies.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Singson, Jamie

2003-01-01

Asserts that union professionals and urban planners share the overlying goal of building community, and that the theories of William H. Whyte, an urban researcher, have application in thinking about space and facilitating interaction on today's college campuses. (EV)

Establishing sustainable strategies in urban underground engineering.

PubMed

Curiel-Esparza, Jorge; Canto-Perello, Julian; Calvo, Maria A

2004-07-01

Growth of urban areas, the corresponding increased demand for utility services and the possibility of new types of utility systems are overcrowding near surface underground space with urban utilities. Available subsurface space will continue to diminish to the point where utilidors (utility tunnels) may become inevitable. Establishing future sustainable strategies in urban underground engineering consists of the ability to lessen the use of traditional trenching. There is an increasing interest in utility tunnels for urban areas as a sustainable technique to avoid congestion of the subsurface. One of the principal advantages of utility tunnels is the substantially lower environmental impact compared with common trenches. Implementing these underground facilities is retarded most by the initial cost and management procedures. The habitual procedure is to meet problems as they arise in current practice. The moral imperative of sustainable strategies fails to confront the economic and political conflicts of interest. Municipal engineers should act as a key enabler in urban underground sustainable development.

Urban Technology, Conflict Education, and Disputed Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stienen, Angela

2009-01-01

This article examines an urban project in Medellin, Colombia's second city, that sought to form social life by forming space: the city's metropolitan railway (Metro), which started operations at the end of 1995 and became the impetus of the inner city's renewal during the 1990s. The article begins with some background information on Medellin's…

Authority, Autonomy, and Family Relationships among Adolescents in Urban and Rural China

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zhang, Wenxin; Fuligni, Andrew J.

2006-01-01

Approximately 700 urban and rural 10th- (M=16.6 years) and 12th- (M=18.9 years) grade students in China completed measures assessing their beliefs about parental authority and individual autonomy, as well as aspects of their relationships with their parents. Urban adolescents indicated a greater willingness to disagree openly with their parents, a…

Analyzing Marketing Strategies Designed To Increase Minority Student Enrollment at Selected Urban Community Colleges.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galbraith, James D.

A study was conducted to identify the most effective marketing techniques used by urban community colleges to recruit minority students. A 16-item, open-ended questionnaire was used in telephone interviews with marketing officials at 24 colleges. The colleges selected for the survey served an urban community of 100,000 or more residents, had a…

Personal Spaces in Public Repositories as a Facilitator for Open Educational Resource Usage

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cohen, Anat; Reisman, Sorel; Sperling, Barbra Bied

2015-01-01

Learning object repositories are a shared, open and public space; however, the possibility and ability of personal expression in an open, global, public space is crucial. The aim of this study is to explore personal spaces in a big learning object repository as a facilitator for adoption of Open Educational Resources (OER) into teaching practices…

Cell transmission model of dynamic assignment for urban rail transit networks.

PubMed

Xu, Guangming; Zhao, Shuo; Shi, Feng; Zhang, Feilian

2017-01-01

For urban rail transit network, the space-time flow distribution can play an important role in evaluating and optimizing the space-time resource allocation. For obtaining the space-time flow distribution without the restriction of schedules, a dynamic assignment problem is proposed based on the concept of continuous transmission. To solve the dynamic assignment problem, the cell transmission model is built for urban rail transit networks. The priority principle, queuing process, capacity constraints and congestion effects are considered in the cell transmission mechanism. Then an efficient method is designed to solve the shortest path for an urban rail network, which decreases the computing cost for solving the cell transmission model. The instantaneous dynamic user optimal state can be reached with the method of successive average. Many evaluation indexes of passenger flow can be generated, to provide effective support for the optimization of train schedules and the capacity evaluation for urban rail transit network. Finally, the model and its potential application are demonstrated via two numerical experiments using a small-scale network and the Beijing Metro network.

A Cool Urban Island Change 1990 - 2014. Comparative Bioclimatic Analysis in a Desert Climate, the Case of Antofagasta City Square

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pérez Lancellotti, Gino; Ziede Bize, Marcela

2017-10-01

This article proposes to make a comparative bioclimatic analysis from 1990 to 2014 of the main square of Antofagasta, a coastal desert city in Chile, which was remodelled in 1995, and shows how the redesigning of green areas affects the microclimatic conditions and thermal comfort of the urban space. Ex ante measurements dating 1990 were compared with ex post results from 2014. Data were obtained in both cases in the month of September at different times of a day and in different climate conditions. The variables studied were: land surface temperature, humidity, wind speed, amount of light and square use frequency inside the square and in surrounding streets. The temperatures are not statistically different during the years 1990 and 2014 for the city of Antofagasta. The main layout of the square has not changed, and inside the square it is similar for both periods, but new species were introduced and bigger trees with shadow projection were cut down. The square had a micro-climate role in 2014 as well as in 1990. The highest frequency zone with an important surface lost it is comfort thermic condition with an increase of 1°C. Other smaller zones with less relevance for users gained in cooling with a 0.5°C reduction. The new design has been detrimental to the intensity of its micro climatic regulatory function affecting the thermic comfort of the square’s internal spaces, especially those formerly protected by shadow, which mitigate a high solar radiation. The study results suggest that bio-climatic analysis of public open spaces is a key component for the design of future projects as a heat mitigating tool in the context of climate change. Research question is: How does the redesign of the square impact a cool urban island and the thermic comfort of users? Significant differences between data in situ collected in 1990 and 2014. Thermal comfort was negatively affected by the redesign in the square. The square is still a cool island but with less strength.

A sibling study of whether maternal exposure to different types of natural space is related to birthweight.

PubMed

Richardson, Elizabeth A; Shortt, Niamh K; Mitchell, Richard; Pearce, Jamie

2018-02-01

Birthweight is an important determinant of health across the life course. Maternal exposure to natural space has been linked to higher birthweight, but stronger evidence of a causal link is needed. We use a quasi-experimental sibling study design to investigate if change in the mother's exposure to natural space between births was related to birthweight, in urban Scotland. Amount (% area) of total natural space, total accessible (public) natural space, parks, woodlands and open water within 100 m of the mother's postcode was calculated for eligible births (n = 40 194; 1991-2010) in the Scottish Longitudinal Study (a semi-random 5.3% sample of the Scottish population). Associations between natural space and birthweight were estimated, using ordinary least squares and fixed effects models. Birthweight was associated with the total amount of natural space around the mother's home (+8.2 g for interquartile range increase), but was unrelated to specific types of natural space. This whole-sample relationship disappeared in the sibling analysis, indicating residual confounding. The sibling models showed effects for total natural space with births to women who already had children (+20.1 g), and to those with an intermediate level of education (+14.1 g). The importance of total natural space for birthweight suggests that benefits can be experienced near to as well as within natural space. Ensuring expectant mothers have good access to high quality neighbourhood natural space has the potential to improve the infant's start in life, and consequently their health trajectory over the life course. © The Author 2017; all rights reserved. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Epidemiological Association

46 CFR 42.15-35 - Machinery space openings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Machinery space openings. 42.15-35 Section 42.15-35... BY SEA Conditions of Assignment of Freeboard § 42.15-35 Machinery space openings. (a) Machinery space..., funnel, or machinery space ventilators in an exposed position on the freeboard or superstructure deck...

46 CFR 42.15-35 - Machinery space openings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Machinery space openings. 42.15-35 Section 42.15-35... BY SEA Conditions of Assignment of Freeboard § 42.15-35 Machinery space openings. (a) Machinery space..., funnel, or machinery space ventilators in an exposed position on the freeboard or superstructure deck...

46 CFR 42.15-35 - Machinery space openings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Machinery space openings. 42.15-35 Section 42.15-35... BY SEA Conditions of Assignment of Freeboard § 42.15-35 Machinery space openings. (a) Machinery space..., funnel, or machinery space ventilators in an exposed position on the freeboard or superstructure deck...

46 CFR 42.15-35 - Machinery space openings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Machinery space openings. 42.15-35 Section 42.15-35... BY SEA Conditions of Assignment of Freeboard § 42.15-35 Machinery space openings. (a) Machinery space..., funnel, or machinery space ventilators in an exposed position on the freeboard or superstructure deck...

46 CFR 42.15-35 - Machinery space openings.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Machinery space openings. 42.15-35 Section 42.15-35... BY SEA Conditions of Assignment of Freeboard § 42.15-35 Machinery space openings. (a) Machinery space..., funnel, or machinery space ventilators in an exposed position on the freeboard or superstructure deck...

Assessment of urban green space structures and their quality from a multidimensional perspective.

PubMed

Daniels, Benjamin; Zaunbrecher, Barbara S; Paas, Bastian; Ottermanns, Richard; Ziefle, Martina; Roß-Nickoll, Martina

2018-02-15

Facing the growing amount of people living in cities and, at the same time, the need for a compact and sustainable urban development to mitigate urban sprawl, it becomes increasingly important that green spaces in compact cities are designed to meet the various needs within an urban environment. Urban green spaces have a multitude of functions: Maintaining ecological processes and resulting services, e.g. providing habitat for animals and plants, providing a beneficial city microclimate as well as recreational space for citizens. Regarding these requirements, currently existing assessment procedures for green spaces have some major shortcomings, which are discussed in this paper. It is argued why a more detailed spatial level as well as a distinction between natural and artificial varieties of structural elements is justified and needed and how the assessment of urban green spaces benefits from the multidimensional perspective that is applied. By analyzing a selection of structural elements from an ecological, microclimatic and social perspective, indicator values are derived and a new, holistic metrics 1 is proposed. The results of the integrated analysis led to two major findings: first, that for some elements, the evaluation differs to a great extent between the different perspectives (disciplines) and second, that natural and artificial varieties are, in most cases, evaluated considerably different from each other. The differences between the perspectives call for an integrative planning policy which acknowledges the varying contribution of a structural element to different purposes (ecological, microclimatic, social) as well as a discussion about the prioritization of those purposes. The differences in the evaluation of natural vs. artificial elements verify the assumption that indicators which consider only generic elements fail to account for those refinements and are thus less suitable for planning and assessment purposes. Implications, challenges and scenarios for the application of such a metrics are finally discussed. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Social and Physical Environmental Factors Influencing Adolescents' Physical Activity in Urban Public Open Spaces: A Qualitative Study Using Walk-Along Interviews.

PubMed

Van Hecke, Linde; Deforche, Benedicte; Van Dyck, Delfien; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse; Veitch, Jenny; Van Cauwenberg, Jelle

2016-01-01

Most previous studies examining physical activity in Public Open Spaces (POS) focused solely on the physical environment. However, according to socio-ecological models the social environment is important as well. The aim of this study was to determine which social and physical environmental factors affect adolescents' visitation and physical activity in POS in low-income neighbourhoods. Since current knowledge on this topic is limited, especially in Europe, qualitative walk-along interviews were used to obtain detailed and context-specific information. Participants (n = 30, aged 12-16 years, 64% boys) were recruited in POS in low-income neighbourhoods in Brussels, Ghent and Antwerp (Belgium). Participants were interviewed while walking in the POS with the interviewer. Using this method, the interviewer could observe and ask questions while the participant was actually experiencing the environment. All audio-recorded interviews were transcribed and analysed using Nvivo 10 software and thematic analysis was used to derive categories and subcategories using a grounded theory approach. The most important subcategories that were supportive of visiting POS and performing physical activity in POS were; accessibility by foot/bicycle/public transport, located close to home/school, presence of (active) friends and family, cleanliness of the POS and features, availability of sport and play facilities, large open spaces and beautiful sceneries. The most important subcategories that were unsupportive of visiting POS and physical activity in POS were; presence of undesirable users (drug users, gangs and homeless people), the behaviour of other users and the cleanliness of the POS and features. Social factors appeared often more influential than physical factors, however, it was the combination of social and physical factors that affected adolescents' behaviour in POS. Easily accessible POS with high quality features in the proximity of adolescents' home or school may stimulate physical activity, if adolescents also experience a safe and familiar social environment.

Social and Physical Environmental Factors Influencing Adolescents’ Physical Activity in Urban Public Open Spaces: A Qualitative Study Using Walk-Along Interviews

PubMed Central

Van Hecke, Linde; Deforche, Benedicte; Van Dyck, Delfien; De Bourdeaudhuij, Ilse; Veitch, Jenny; Van Cauwenberg, Jelle

2016-01-01

Most previous studies examining physical activity in Public Open Spaces (POS) focused solely on the physical environment. However, according to socio-ecological models the social environment is important as well. The aim of this study was to determine which social and physical environmental factors affect adolescents’ visitation and physical activity in POS in low-income neighbourhoods. Since current knowledge on this topic is limited, especially in Europe, qualitative walk-along interviews were used to obtain detailed and context-specific information. Participants (n = 30, aged 12–16 years, 64% boys) were recruited in POS in low-income neighbourhoods in Brussels, Ghent and Antwerp (Belgium). Participants were interviewed while walking in the POS with the interviewer. Using this method, the interviewer could observe and ask questions while the participant was actually experiencing the environment. All audio-recorded interviews were transcribed and analysed using Nvivo 10 software and thematic analysis was used to derive categories and subcategories using a grounded theory approach. The most important subcategories that were supportive of visiting POS and performing physical activity in POS were; accessibility by foot/bicycle/public transport, located close to home/school, presence of (active) friends and family, cleanliness of the POS and features, availability of sport and play facilities, large open spaces and beautiful sceneries. The most important subcategories that were unsupportive of visiting POS and physical activity in POS were; presence of undesirable users (drug users, gangs and homeless people), the behaviour of other users and the cleanliness of the POS and features. Social factors appeared often more influential than physical factors, however, it was the combination of social and physical factors that affected adolescents’ behaviour in POS. Easily accessible POS with high quality features in the proximity of adolescents’ home or school may stimulate physical activity, if adolescents also experience a safe and familiar social environment. PMID:27214385

The Influence of Urbanism and Information Consumption on Political Dimensions of Social Capital: Exploratory Study of the Localities Adjacent to the Core City from Brașov Metropolitan Area, Romania.

PubMed

Rezeanu, Cătălina-Ionela; Briciu, Arabela; Briciu, Victor; Repanovici, Angela; Coman, Claudiu

2016-01-01

The last two decades have seen a growing trend towards the research of voting behavior in post-communist countries. Urban sociology theorists state that not only space structures influence political participation, but also space structures are changing under the influence of global, local, and individual factors. The growing role played by information in the globalised world has accelerated the paradigm shift in urban sociology: from central place model (based on urban-rural distinction and on monocentric metropolitan areas) to network society (based on space of flows and polycentric metropolitan areas). However, recent studies have mainly focused on countries with solid democracies, rather than on former communist countries. The present study aims to analyze the extent to which a new emerging spatial structure can be envisaged within a metropolitan area of Romania and its consequences for the political dimensions of social capital. The Transilvania University Ethics Commission approved this study (S1 Aprouval). The research is based upon individual and aggregate empirical data, collected from the areas adjacent to the core city in Brașov metropolitan area. Individual data has been collected during October 2012, using the oral survey technique (S1 Survey), based on a standardized questionnaire (stratified simple random sample, N = 600). The National Institute of Statistics and the Electoral Register provided the aggregate data per locality. Unvaried and multivariate analyses (hierarchical regression method) were conducted based on these data. Some dimensions of urbanism, identified as predictors of the political dimensions of social capital, suggest that the area under analysis has a predominantly monocentric character, where the rural-urban distinction continues to remain relevant. There are also arguments favoring the dissolution of the rural-urban distinction and the emergence of polycentric spatial structures. The presence of some influences related to the information consumption on all six indicators of the political dimensions of social capital under analysis suggests the occurrence of emerging forms of a space of flows. The identified effects of social problems associated with transport infrastructure and of migration experience on the political dimensions of social capital, also support the emergence of space of flows. We recommend that, in the urban studies in former communist countries, conceptualization of urbanism as predictor of the political dimensions of social capital should consider both the material dimensions of space, as well as the dimensions of information consumption and migration experience.

The Influence of Urbanism and Information Consumption on Political Dimensions of Social Capital: Exploratory Study of the Localities Adjacent to the Core City from Brașov Metropolitan Area, Romania

PubMed Central

Rezeanu, Cătălina-Ionela; Briciu, Arabela; Briciu, Victor; Repanovici, Angela; Coman, Claudiu

2016-01-01

Background The last two decades have seen a growing trend towards the research of voting behavior in post-communist countries. Urban sociology theorists state that not only space structures influence political participation, but also space structures are changing under the influence of global, local, and individual factors. The growing role played by information in the globalised world has accelerated the paradigm shift in urban sociology: from central place model (based on urban-rural distinction and on monocentric metropolitan areas) to network society (based on space of flows and polycentric metropolitan areas). However, recent studies have mainly focused on countries with solid democracies, rather than on former communist countries. The present study aims to analyze the extent to which a new emerging spatial structure can be envisaged within a metropolitan area of Romania and its consequences for the political dimensions of social capital. Methods The Transilvania University Ethics Commission approved this study (S1 Aprouval). The research is based upon individual and aggregate empirical data, collected from the areas adjacent to the core city in Brașov metropolitan area. Individual data has been collected during October 2012, using the oral survey technique (S1 Survey), based on a standardized questionnaire (stratified simple random sample, N = 600). The National Institute of Statistics and the Electoral Register provided the aggregate data per locality. Unvaried and multivariate analyses (hierarchical regression method) were conducted based on these data. Results Some dimensions of urbanism, identified as predictors of the political dimensions of social capital, suggest that the area under analysis has a predominantly monocentric character, where the rural-urban distinction continues to remain relevant. There are also arguments favoring the dissolution of the rural-urban distinction and the emergence of polycentric spatial structures. The presence of some influences related to the information consumption on all six indicators of the political dimensions of social capital under analysis suggests the occurrence of emerging forms of a space of flows. The identified effects of social problems associated with transport infrastructure and of migration experience on the political dimensions of social capital, also support the emergence of space of flows. Conclusions We recommend that, in the urban studies in former communist countries, conceptualization of urbanism as predictor of the political dimensions of social capital should consider both the material dimensions of space, as well as the dimensions of information consumption and migration experience. PMID:26807882

Green Space Attachment and Health: A Comparative Study in Two Urban Neighborhoods

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yang; van Dijk, Terry; Tang, Jianjun; van den Berg, Agnes E.

2015-01-01

The positive relationships between urban green space and health have been well documented. Little is known, however, about the role of residents’ emotional attachment to local green spaces in these relationships, and how attachment to green spaces and health may be promoted by the availability of accessible and usable green spaces. The present research aimed to examine the links between self-reported health, attachment to green space, and the availability of accessible and usable green spaces. Data were collected via paper-mailed surveys in two neighborhoods (n = 223) of a medium-sized Dutch city in the Netherlands. These neighborhoods differ in the perceived and objectively measured accessibility and usability of green spaces, but are matched in the physically available amount of urban green space, as well as in demographic and socio-economic status, and housing conditions. Four dimensions of green space attachment were identified through confirmatory factor analysis: place dependence, affective attachment, place identity and social bonding. The results show greater attachment to local green space and better self-reported mental health in the neighborhood with higher availability of accessible and usable green spaces. The two neighborhoods did not differ, however, in physical and general health. Structural Equation Modelling confirmed the neighborhood differences in green space attachment and mental health, and also revealed a positive path from green space attachment to mental health. These findings convey the message that we should make green places, instead of green spaces. PMID:26569280

Green Space Attachment and Health: A Comparative Study in Two Urban Neighborhoods.

PubMed

Zhang, Yang; van Dijk, Terry; Tang, Jianjun; van den Berg, Agnes E

2015-11-12

The positive relationships between urban green space and health have been well documented. Little is known, however, about the role of residents' emotional attachment to local green spaces in these relationships, and how attachment to green spaces and health may be promoted by the availability of accessible and usable green spaces. The present research aimed to examine the links between self-reported health, attachment to green space, and the availability of accessible and usable green spaces. Data were collected via paper-mailed surveys in two neighborhoods (n = 223) of a medium-sized Dutch city in the Netherlands. These neighborhoods differ in the perceived and objectively measured accessibility and usability of green spaces, but are matched in the physically available amount of urban green space, as well as in demographic and socio-economic status, and housing conditions. Four dimensions of green space attachment were identified through confirmatory factor analysis: place dependence, affective attachment, place identity and social bonding. The results show greater attachment to local green space and better self-reported mental health in the neighborhood with higher availability of accessible and usable green spaces. The two neighborhoods did not differ, however, in physical and general health. Structural Equation Modelling confirmed the neighborhood differences in green space attachment and mental health, and also revealed a positive path from green space attachment to mental health. These findings convey the message that we should make green places, instead of green spaces.

Green infrastructure and urban sustainability

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hagishima, Aya

2018-02-01

Temperature increase in urban areas due to the urban heat island as well as the global climate change inevitably raises the peak load supply for space cooling as well as the risk of heat-related illness in hot climate. This paper provides the comprehensive review of the thermal mitigation effect of urban vegetation based on the field observations.

Hurricane Impacts on Ecological Services and Economic Values of Coastal Urban Forest: A Case Study of Pensacola, Florida

EPA Science Inventory

As urbanized areas continue to grow and green spaces dwindle, the importance of urban forests increases for both ecologically derived health benefits and for their potential to mitigate climate change. This study examined pre- and post- hurricane conditions of Pensacola's urban f...

Condition Monitoring of Urban Infrastructure : Effects of Ground Movement on Adjacent Structures

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-09-26

Economic considerations drive the more effective use of space in urban areas, promoting the construction of taller buildings with deeper basement structures. The crowded nature of urban environments imposes strict restrictions to the tolerable perfor...

On public space design for Chinese urban residential area based on integrated architectural physics environment evaluation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, J. Y.; Cheng, W.; Ma, C. P.; Tan, Y. T.; Xin, L. S.

2017-04-01

The residential public space is an important part in designing the ecological residence, and a proper physics environment of public space is of greater significance to urban residence in China. Actually, the measure to apply computer aided design software into residential design can effectively avoid an inconformity of design intent with actual using condition, and a negative impact on users due to bad architectural physics environment of buildings, etc. The paper largely adopts a design method of analyzing architectural physics environment of residential public space. By analyzing and evaluating various physics environments, a suitability assessment is obtained for residential public space, thereby guiding the space design.

An obsolete dichotomy? Rethinking the rural–urban interface in terms of food security and production in the global south.

PubMed

Lerner, Amy M; Eakin, Hallie

2011-01-01

The global food system is coming under increasing strain in the face of urban population growth. The recent spike in global food prices (2007–08) provoked consumer protests, and raised questions about food sovereignty and how and where food will be produced. Concurrently, for the first time in history the majority of the global population is urban, with the bulk of urban growth occurring in smaller-tiered cities and urban peripheries, or ‘peri-urban’ areas of the developing world. This paper discusses the new emerging spaces that incorporate a mosaic of urban and rural worlds, and reviews the implications of these spaces for livelihoods and food security. We propose a modified livelihoods framework to evaluate the contexts in which food production persists within broader processes of landscape and livelihood transformation in peri-urban locations. Where and how food production persists are central questions for the future of food security in an urbanising world. Our proposed framework provides directions for future research and highlights the role of policy and planning in reconciling food production with urban growth.

Landscape Management of Public Open Space in Bogor Heritage City

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pusparini, F. D.; Nurhayati; Arifin, H. S.

2017-10-01

Public open space landscape plays important role in Bogor Heritage City. Although these spaces can carry various kind of public activities and enhance environment quality, they are fragile to disturbance and changing due to city development. Therefore, as an effort to maintain public open space landscape in 8 zones within Heritage City of Bogor, management of public open space landscape is necessary. Syntesys of public open space landscape management had held by using Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP). The AHP result showed public open space landscape in Palace and Botanical Garden of Bogor zone (20%) is in high priority to be maintained. The other zone are Situ Gede (16,9%), Plan Karsten (12,3%), European Settlement (12%), Suryakencana (11,2%), Batu Tulis (10,2%), Empang (9.2%) and West Development (8,2%). Ecological function (34,8%) becomes the most important function to be maintained (34.8%) then social culture (31.2%), economic (17%), and aesthetics (17%).

Urban vegetation and thermal patterns following city growth in different socio-economic contexts

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dronova, I.; Clinton, N.; Yang, J.; Radke, J.; Marx, S. S.; Gong, P.

2015-12-01

Urban expansion accompanied by losses of vegetated spaces and their ecological services raises significant concerns about the future of humans in metropolitan "habitats". Despite recent growth of urban studies globally, it is still not well understood how environmental effects of urbanization vary with the rate and socioeconomic context of development. Our study hypothesized that with urban development, spatial patterns of surface thermal properties and green plant cover would shift towards higher occurrence of relatively warmer and less vegetated spaces such as built-up areas, followed by losses of greener and cooler areas such as urban forests, and that these shifts would be more pronounced with higher rate of economic and/or population growth. To test these ideas, we compared 1992-2011 changes in remotely sensed patterns of green vegetation and surface temperature in three example cities that experienced peripheral growth under contrasting socio-economic context - Dallas, TX, USA, Beijing, China and Kyiv, Ukraine. To assess their transformation, we proposed a metric of thermal-vegetation angle (TVA) estimated from per-pixel proxies of vegetation greenness and surface temperature from Landsat satellite data and examined changes in TVA distributions within each city's core and two decadal zones of peripheral sprawl delineated from nighttime satellite data. We found that higher economic and population growth were coupled with more pronounced changes in TVA distributions, and more urbanized zones often exhibited higher frequencies of warmer, less green than average TVA values with novel patterns such as "cooler" clusters of building shadows. Although greener and cooler spaces generally diminished with development, they remained relatively prevalent in low-density residential areas of Dallas and peripheral zones of Kyiv with exurban subsistence farming. Overall, results indicate that the effects of modified green space and thermal patterns within growing cities highly vary depending on economy, population trends and historical legacies of planned green spaces. Remote sensing-based metrics such as TVA facilitate their comparisons and offer useful strategies to cost-effectively monitor urban transformation and inform more explicit environmental modeling of cities in the future.

Urban population genetics of slum-dwelling rats (Rattus norvegicus) in Salvador, Brazil.

PubMed

Kajdacsi, Brittney; Costa, Federico; Hyseni, Chaz; Porter, Fleur; Brown, Julia; Rodrigues, Gorete; Farias, Helena; Reis, Mitermayer G; Childs, James E; Ko, Albert I; Caccone, Adalgisa

2013-10-01

Throughout the developing world, urban centres with sprawling slum settlements are rapidly expanding and invading previously forested ecosystems. Slum communities are characterized by untended refuse, open sewers and overgrown vegetation, which promote rodent infestation. Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) are reservoirs for epidemic transmission of many zoonotic pathogens of public health importance. Understanding the population ecology of R. norvegicus is essential to formulate effective rodent control strategies, as this knowledge aids estimation of the temporal stability and spatial connectivity of populations. We screened for genetic variation, characterized the population genetic structure and evaluated the extent and patterns of gene flow in the urban landscape using 17 microsatellite loci in 146 rats from nine sites in the city of Salvador, Brazil. These sites were divided between three neighbourhoods within the city spaced an average of 2.7 km apart. Surprisingly, we detected very little relatedness among animals trapped at the same site and found high levels of genetic diversity, as well as structuring across small geographical distances. Most F(ST) comparisons among sites were statistically significant, including sites <400 m apart. Bayesian analyses grouped the samples in three genetic clusters, each associated with distinct sampling sites from different neighbourhoods or valleys within neighbourhoods. These data indicate the existence of complex genetic structure in R. norvegicus in Salvador, linked to the heterogeneous urban landscape. Future rodent control measures need to take into account the spatial and temporal linkage of rat populations in Salvador, as revealed by genetic data, to develop informed eradication strategies. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Characteristics of the mean radiant temperature in high latitude cities—implications for sensitive climate planning applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lindberg, Fredrik; Holmer, Björn; Thorsson, Sofia; Rayner, David

2014-07-01

Knowledge of how the mean radiant temperature ( T mrt ) is affected by factors such as location, climate and urban setting contributes to the practice of climate sensitive planning. This paper examines how T mrt varies within an urban setting and how it is influenced by cloudiness. In addition, variations of T mrt in three high latitude cities are investigated in order to analyse the impact of geographical context and climate conditions. Results showed large spatial variations between sunlit and shaded areas during clear weather conditions, with the highest values of T mrt close to sunlit walls and the lowest values in the areas shaded by buildings and vegetation. As cloudiness increases, the spatial pattern is altered and the differences are reduced. The highest T mrt under cloudy conditions is instead found in open areas where the proportion of shortwave diffuse radiation from the sky vault is high. A regional comparison between three Swedish coastal cities showed that T mrt during summer is similar regardless of latitudinal location. On the other hand, large differences in T mrt during winter were found. Shadows, both from buildings and vegetation are the most effective measure to reduce extreme values of T mrt . However, extensive areas of shadow are usually not desired within outdoor urban environments at high latitude cities. One solution is to create diverse outdoor urban spaces in terms of shadow and also ventilation. This would provide individuals with access to a choice of thermal environments which they can use to assist their thermal regulation, based on personal needs and desires.

Characteristics of the mean radiant temperature in high latitude cities--implications for sensitive climate planning applications.

PubMed

Lindberg, Fredrik; Holmer, Björn; Thorsson, Sofia; Rayner, David

2014-07-01

Knowledge of how the mean radiant temperature (T mrt ) is affected by factors such as location, climate and urban setting contributes to the practice of climate sensitive planning. This paper examines how T mrt varies within an urban setting and how it is influenced by cloudiness. In addition, variations of T mrt in three high latitude cities are investigated in order to analyse the impact of geographical context and climate conditions. Results showed large spatial variations between sunlit and shaded areas during clear weather conditions, with the highest values of T mrt close to sunlit walls and the lowest values in the areas shaded by buildings and vegetation. As cloudiness increases, the spatial pattern is altered and the differences are reduced. The highest T mrt under cloudy conditions is instead found in open areas where the proportion of shortwave diffuse radiation from the sky vault is high. A regional comparison between three Swedish coastal cities showed that T mrt during summer is similar regardless of latitudinal location. On the other hand, large differences in T mrt during winter were found. Shadows, both from buildings and vegetation are the most effective measure to reduce extreme values of T mrt. However, extensive areas of shadow are usually not desired within outdoor urban environments at high latitude cities. One solution is to create diverse outdoor urban spaces in terms of shadow and also ventilation. This would provide individuals with access to a choice of thermal environments which they can use to assist their thermal regulation, based on personal needs and desires.

NeuroPlace: Categorizing urban places according to mental states

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Urban spaces have a great impact on how people’s emotion and behaviour. There are number of factors that impact our brain responses to a space. This paper presents a novel urban place recommendation approach, that is based on modelling in-situ EEG data. The research investigations leverages on newly affordable Electroencephalogram (EEG) headsets, which has the capability to sense mental states such as meditation and attention levels. These emerging devices have been utilized in understanding how human brains are affected by the surrounding built environments and natural spaces. In this paper, mobile EEG headsets have been used to detect mental states at different types of urban places. By analysing and modelling brain activity data, we were able to classify three different places according to the mental state signature of the users, and create an association map to guide and recommend people to therapeutic places that lessen brain fatigue and increase mental rejuvenation. Our mental states classifier has achieved accuracy of (%90.8). NeuroPlace breaks new ground not only as a mobile ubiquitous brain monitoring system for urban computing, but also as a system that can advise urban planners on the impact of specific urban planning policies and structures. We present and discuss the challenges in making our initial prototype more practical, robust, and reliable as part of our on-going research. In addition, we present some enabling applications using the proposed architecture. PMID:28898244