Environmental Management
D. Rinchumphu; N. Suriyanon; N. Phichetkunbodee; S. Munlikawong; C. Wanitchayapaisit; S. Sitthikankun
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Rapid urbanization negatively affects the hydrologic cycle and makes cities vulnerable to disastrous flash floods. It can additionally cause erosion and water pollution in natural ecosystems. Global climate changes have exacerbated such issues, further upsetting hydrologic ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Rapid urbanization negatively affects the hydrologic cycle and makes cities vulnerable to disastrous flash floods. It can additionally cause erosion and water pollution in natural ecosystems. Global climate changes have exacerbated such issues, further upsetting hydrologic patterns. Therefore, many regions have considered the rain garden as green infrastructure, which can help mitigate urban runoff. However, design guidelines and the means of assessing rain garden cost effectiveness in the Global South are limited. Furthermore, as many countries in the Global South experience a tropical climate, design guidelines developed in the temperate Global North may not be directly transferable. The need for more information on design and cost effectiveness can make designers and decision makers hesitate to implement such a new strategy. The main objective of the present study is to create a design approach and simultaneously specify the cost of the infiltration rate of the rain garden in urban areas.METHODS: This study focuses on the ability of rain garden design to determine accurately the cost of materials used for construction. Sand and gravel are used in different sand ratios in the filter media layer, namely 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, and 1:4. The storage layer uses gravel only and has only one design. The aim is to determine the change in infiltration rate with an increase in the amount of sand. Knowing the amount of sand can determine the cost per infiltration rate.FINDINGS: The results showed that the most efficient design was a rain garden with a soil:sand ratio of 1:4, which increased the infiltration rate per cost by 2.00 millimeters per hour per United States Dollar per square meter. The lowest efficiency option was a soil:sand ratio of 1:1, which increased the infiltration rate per cost by 1.33 millimeters per hour per United States Dollar per square meter.CONCLUSION: This study will serve as a guide for designers to design a rain garden area according to the needs of the area, having determined the construction cost per infiltration rate. However, spatial requirements, construction costs, and social factors may influence future decisions on rain garden design and must be studied further.
Environmental Management
R. Setiowati; R.H. Koestoer; K. Mizuno; H.S. Hasibuan
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The spread of Coronavirus disease limited the activities of humans in the globe in 2020 with Jakarta reported to have also struggled with the virus. The pandemic stopped humans from visiting public amenities such as urban green spaces which are one of the key components of ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The spread of Coronavirus disease limited the activities of humans in the globe in 2020 with Jakarta reported to have also struggled with the virus. The pandemic stopped humans from visiting public amenities such as urban green spaces which are one of the key components of sustainable and livable cities and have the ability to reduce the negative impact on mental health. However, there are limited studies on the behaviors and perceptions of humans toward the usage of urban green spaces during the pandemic. Therefore, this study was conducted to determine the changes in the behaviors, perceptions, and visitation of residents towards the urban green space during the pandemic based on the socioeconomic aspects as well as the access and proximity to the parks and urban forests.METHODS: A questionnaire was distributed through an online survey on social media for approximately two months, from March to April 2021, and the last data recorded showed there were 1,660 respondents. The attention was on their perceptions and visitation to the urban green spaces spread across administrative cities in Jakarta, representing 42 districts and 239 sub-districts. Data obtained were analyzed empirically using the partial least square structural equation approach and SmartPLS 3.0 software to determine the relationship between the respondents’ characteristics and proximity to urban green space visitation.FINDINGS: The results showed that almost half of the respondents perceived changes in the urban green spaces and the majority believed the spaces were more useful during the pandemic. It was also discovered that the socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents including age, education level, occupational status, and average monthly income differed statistically significantly from the criteria associated with the visitation to urban green spaces during the pandemic. The findings indicated that education was substantially associated with the decision to exercise and engage in outdoor recreation in urban green spaces. Meanwhile, not all houses close to the parks and urban forests have a statistically significant impact on their usage and this is the explanation for the non-correlation and non-causation.CONCLUSION: This study showed that the perception of urban green space by the people changed during the pandemic but its usage was reduced due to the closures and restriction policies implemented. It was also discovered that socioeconomic characteristics have a significant influence on visitation but not all accessibility factors were significantly affected and this is different from the findings of previous studies. Moreover, this study discussed and shared empirical evidence that depicts urban green space as a resilient urban infrastructure during the pandemic. This means it is necessary to promote sustainable urban planning through the development of urban green spaces to manage the medium and long-term crises.
Environmental Management
A. Jaiswal; C. Samuel
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The study provides an assessment of fuel wastage, particulate matter particles pollution, and noise pollution at three toll booths near district Varanasi, India. The objective of the study is to analyze the effects of vehicle idling conditions on road tolls in terms of pollution ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The study provides an assessment of fuel wastage, particulate matter particles pollution, and noise pollution at three toll booths near district Varanasi, India. The objective of the study is to analyze the effects of vehicle idling conditions on road tolls in terms of pollution and fuel wastage.METHODS: The study used mathematical formulation on queuing observations for assessment of fuel wastage due to vehicle idling at toll booths. Handheld device HT-9600 Air Particle counter was used for getting the readings of PM2.5 and PM10. SL10 noise meter of Extech Instruments was used for measuring the noise levels at the selected three toll booths of Dafi Toll Booth, Lalanagar Toll Booth, and Mohania Toll Booth.FINDING: The study assessed a greater extent of fuel wastage at all the three toll booths with maximum fuel wastage at Dafi Toll booth due to vehicle idling. In terms of air pollution, severe levels of particulate matter particles were observed over all the three toll booths. The noise levels over the three toll booths were also observed significantly high.CONCLUSION: The study suggested that serious measures are required to control and regulate toll booths to avoid vehicle idling, which will lead to savings of fuel and air and noise pollution.
Environmental Management
X. Xie; E.Y. Naminse; S. Liu; Q. Yi
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been identified as the main cause of the outbreak of the respiratory disease in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China in December 2019. Since then, the epidemic has spread rapidly throughout China and many other countries in the world. This study, therefore, examines ...
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The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been identified as the main cause of the outbreak of the respiratory disease in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China in December 2019. Since then, the epidemic has spread rapidly throughout China and many other countries in the world. This study, therefore, examines the spatiotemporal distribution of the confirmed cases of COVID-19 and its effect on human development in China, and suggested social and non-pharmaceutical preventive interventions to help curb the further spread of the disease. The public open data available from January to February 2020, from the National Health Commission of the People’s Republic of China and a medical knowledge sharing website were used, and spatial analysis was performed to visualize the spatial distribution pattern of COVID-19 in China. The results showed among others that COVID-19 had entered a dispersed spatial pattern, resulting in increased pressure to control the spread of the disease. In early March, there was a significant reduction in the existing number of cases, and the number of deaths also decreased. At the provincial level, the spatial distribution of the number of cumulative confirmed cases in China was divided into four patterns: Hubei was the initial core region; the eastern provinces adjacent to Hubei formed the second concentrated pattern; the western provinces adjacent to Hubei and the northeastern and southeastern provinces which were separated from Hubei by one province belonged to the third distribution pattern; while the rest of the provinces in the north, south and west showing sporadic distribution patterns formed the fourth. It has been estimated that about 80% of students’ online learning at all schools were not effective due to lack of access to reliable and uninterrupted internet services especially in the rural areas of China.
Environmental Management
H.A. Khawaldah; I. Farhan; N.M. Alzboun
Abstract
This study analyzes the characteristics of land use/land cover change in Jordan’s Irbid governorate, 1984–2018, and predicts future land use/land cover for 2030 and 2050 using a cellular automata-Markov model. The results inform planners and decision makers of past and current spatial dynamics ...
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This study analyzes the characteristics of land use/land cover change in Jordan’s Irbid governorate, 1984–2018, and predicts future land use/land cover for 2030 and 2050 using a cellular automata-Markov model. The results inform planners and decision makers of past and current spatial dynamics of land use/land cover change and predicted urban expansion, for a better understanding and successful planning. Satellite images of Landsat 5-thematic mapper and Landsat 8 operational land imager for the years 1984, 1994, 2004, 2015 and 2018 were used to explore the characteristics of land use/land cover for this study. The results indicate that the built-up area expanded by 386.9% during the study period and predict further expansion by 19.5% and 64.6% from 2015 to 2030 and 2050 respectively. The areas around the central and eastern parts of the governorate are predicted to have significant expansion of the built-up area by these dates, which should be taken into consideration in future plans. Land use/land cover change and urban expansion in Irbid are primarily caused by the high rate of population growth rate as a direct result of receiving large numbers of immigrants from Syria and Palestine in addition to the natural increase of population and other socio-economic changes.
Environmental Management
R. Teimouri; T. Yigitcanlar
Abstract
In the best practices, planning of urban green spaces is managed in such a way that it follows the key principles such as meeting per capita standards and providing accessible and balanced distribution of these spaces all across the city. In the context of emerging economy, these principles are unfortunately ...
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In the best practices, planning of urban green spaces is managed in such a way that it follows the key principles such as meeting per capita standards and providing accessible and balanced distribution of these spaces all across the city. In the context of emerging economy, these principles are unfortunately not followed strictly all times. In this study, it is attempted to investigate Tabriz city of Iran is in terms of ecological planning to quantitatively analyse its green space characteristics. The used methodology includes determining the relevant urban green space development indicators (e.g. accessibility, per capita supply, balanced distribution, and continuous development of urban green spaces) from the literature and using the secondary data collected from variety of sources to analyse the study area. The study seeks to provide a comprehensive view on status of green spaces in Tabriz in the light of ecological principles and indicators and GIS-based spatial analysis. Results indicate that: a) Green space per capita provision in Tabriz is much lower than the national and international standards (some districts offer only 0-1 sq.m. per capita green space); b) Districts of Tabriz do not have a balanced distribution of green spaces and access to green spaces on foot (only 18% of the population can access green spaces within a 5 minute walk); c) Except for the provided street side green spaces, all other passive or active types of green spaces in Tabriz are not continuously linked (no continuity to form a green corridor or linear greenways). This study also comes up with some recommendations for Tabriz and other cities with similar characteristics.
Environmental Management
E. Igun; M. Williams
Abstract
The rapid growth in urban population is seen to create a need for the development of more urban infrastructures. In order to meet this need, natural surfaces such as vegetation are been replaced with non-vegetated surfaces such as asphalt and bricks which has the ability to absorb heat and release it ...
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The rapid growth in urban population is seen to create a need for the development of more urban infrastructures. In order to meet this need, natural surfaces such as vegetation are been replaced with non-vegetated surfaces such as asphalt and bricks which has the ability to absorb heat and release it later. This change in land cover is seen to increase the land surface temperature. Previous studies have tried to explain the impact of land cover changes on the land surface temperature. However, there is a growing need to spatially quantify the extent to which temperature has increased so as to identify areas where immediate mitigation measures can be introduced. In view of this, this study has incorporated remotely sensed Landsat data with remote sensing techniques in order to effectively quantify the spatial extent of urban growth and its impact on the land surface temperature in Lagos, Nigeria. The result shows that there have been changes in the land cover which has increased the land surface temperature between 2002 and 2013. Overall, there was an increase in the highly dense areas, moderately dense areas and less dense areas by 3.35% (2200.77 ha), 27.87% (13681.35 ha), 6.20% (3284.01 ha) and a corresponding increase in the mean land surface temperature of these urban areas by 3.8 oC, 4.2 oC and 2.2 oC. Hence, it was recommended that in order to reduce the land surface temperature of urban areas, sustainable urban planning strategies that include increasing the vegetated areas and embracing other green initiatives such as urban forestry should be adopted.
Environmental Management
S.M. Hatefi
Abstract
Today, urban transportation has attracted urban planners’ and researchers' attention because of air and noise pollution problems associated with it. In Shahrkord city in Iran, no plans have been made for sustainable transportation, and the available poor transportation infrastructure is not responsive ...
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Today, urban transportation has attracted urban planners’ and researchers' attention because of air and noise pollution problems associated with it. In Shahrkord city in Iran, no plans have been made for sustainable transportation, and the available poor transportation infrastructure is not responsive to the growing population of the city. This issue has inflicted the city with serious problems, including environmental pollution, traffic jams, and car accidents. Therefore, it is necessary for urban managers and planners to conduct necessary planning and analysis for the development of urban transportation system through a strategic perspective. In this study, the strengths and weaknesses as well as the opportunities and threats of Shahrkord transportation system are identified using strength, weakness, opportunity, threat (SWOT) analysis. Status of the city's transportation system is determined through evaluation of internal and external factors. The results of SWOT analysis and the matrix of internal and external factors indicate that the internal and external evaluation factors are equal to 2.330 and 3.367, respectively, which means that Shahrekord transportation system holds a conservative situation. Considering the identified status, several strategies are proposed to improve the status quo. Finally, the proposed strategies are evaluated based on sustainable development indices, namely economic, environmental, and social indices, by using the fuzzy complex proportional assessment (COPRAS) method. The results show that the best proposed strategy is attraction of private investors to set up pedestrian bridges equipped with escalators and the concession of using them for the establishment of environmental advertisement.
Environmental Management
S. Ali; S. Patnaik; O. Madguni
Abstract
Urbanization brings biophysical changes in the composition of the landscape. Such change has an impact on the thermal environment locally. The urban mosaic of land use and land cover is thus characteristically composed of local climate zones. The spatial variation in the land surface temperature across ...
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Urbanization brings biophysical changes in the composition of the landscape. Such change has an impact on the thermal environment locally. The urban mosaic of land use and land cover is thus characteristically composed of local climate zones. The spatial variation in the land surface temperature across specific zone is studied for Bhopal city. The objective of the study was to understand how the surface temperature varies with the spatial characteristics of the landscape. The green spaces had the lowest surface temperature that reaches to about 30.5 °C in parks with dense tree cover and highest mean normalized difference vegetation index value of about 0.5. The surface temperature was 36.1 °C for built up/barren areas. The study documents the correlation that exists between surface vegetation and surface temperature across the landscape of Bhopal city. The extent of tree cover and land surface temperature exhibited a strong negative correlation. A decrease in vegetation cover and successive increase in urban built up area were found to be related with high surface temperature. This implies that land surface temperature is an effective tool and may help city planners to make appropriate strategies for improving the tree resources of the urban landscape.
Environmental Management
O. Daramola; O. Odunsi
Abstract
Environmental hazards caused by living conditions and human behaviour in residential areas are types of manmade hazards which have rarely been studied and documented in literature. Available studies that had considered theconventional residential environment had proved that residents’ perception ...
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Environmental hazards caused by living conditions and human behaviour in residential areas are types of manmade hazards which have rarely been studied and documented in literature. Available studies that had considered theconventional residential environment had proved that residents’ perception were influenced by human and environmental factors. With focus on educational institutions, this paper assessed the determinants of students’ perception of environmental hazards and risks on campus environment. Using probability sampling technique, data were obtained through administration of questionnaire on 367 students of university, polytechnic and college of education in Oyo State. The data collected were analysed using inferential statistics. Findings revealed three broad factors which are socioeconomic background, sanitation behaviour and availability of environmental amenities. It was concluded that environmental amenities influenced students’ perception of environmental hazards and risks the most with a regression coefficient (β) of -0.373 compared with sanitation behaviour (β = 0.311) and socioeconomic background (β = 0.123). The appropriate authorities could therefore improve on maintenance of existing environmental amenities and/or provision of new ones in the educational institutions.
