scholarly journals Urban Human Dynamics

Author(s):  
Shih-Lung Shaw

AbstractUrban areas are places where people concentrate in a relatively high density built environment to carry out a wide range of activities. Each urban area should provide adequate infrastructure and services to support the needs of its population. Since various resources, services, and facilities are at different locations, urban areas manifest a complex system of flows of people, goods, and information to support the economic, social, cultural, and political systems in human society. These activities, flows, and systems are driven by various processes and exhibit various spatiotemporal patterns that are the outcomes of human dynamics. However, how we investigate the various dynamic processes and complex systems in urban areas has been and continues to be a challenging research topic. Urban human dynamics cover multiple aspects and can be studied from different perspectives. This chapter discusses urban dynamics and human dynamics in terms of their respective approaches and methods, along with some selected examples. It then connects urban human dynamics research with urban informatics to highlight their relationships and how together they could lead to urban areas that can better serve human needs and improve the quality of life.

2020 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jürgen Bast

Dear readers, authors and colleagues, Technological progress plays an essential role in the development of human society. The increasing global population and its mobility, the expansion of urban areas, climate protection and the conservation of fossil resources present challenges that can only be overcome by the improvement of existing resources and the development of new components, materials and production processes. Conventional materials have quickly reached their limit as new mechanisms are developed. These fields of application require the supply of new materials working in aggressive environments at extreme temperatures and high stress. These new materials are also expected to automatically alert us when critical loads are reached to avoid accidents caused by failures. This is the first issue of the Ziggurat Journal of Materials Technology, and we hope that you are satisfied with the content. The title of the journal primarily suggests materials technology; however, we strive to present a broad range of topics, including questions about the interaction between design, material, manufacturing and energy. The efficient interaction between these parameters results in components that are optimally designed and economically feasible. The idea for this journal resulted from the editors' realisation of the large knowledge potential that is being developed at colleges and universities around the world by scholars and PhD students. These clients must have the opportunity to publish their work and get in touch with other scientists. We want to reach out to young researchers and encourage them to present their work to a wide range of readers. Furthermore, a scientific career today requires evidence of publications that withstand the corresponding assessments of specialist colleagues and meet the criteria of good scientific work. In this context, the submitted articles will be subjected to a strict review. The principal objective is not to criticise work but rather to provide advice on how to improve the quality of the work presented. With this in mind, we would like to invite you to submit articles and use this journal as a reference for your ongoing scientific work.


1979 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 50-51
Author(s):  
Ephraim Nkwute Aniebona

The term, “technology,” as used here, refers basically to: (1) the science or art of devising tools and instruments and how to use them; (2) the development of new materials and substances and their application; (3) the development of machines to supplement or replace human effort, where desirable and feasible; (4) the development of energy and power resources for running the machines; and (5) the development of efficient methods of doing work—that is, using tools, machines, and instruments. From an observation of human efforts throughout the world, it is clear that every human society is concerned with technology, for it is a proven means by which man has extended his power beyond his physical capacity and gained some control over his environment. Although technology exists in every society, it is the amount and quality of the technology that separates nations today on a scale of economic development. Whilst the developing, technologically backward countries of Africa constantly face the basic human needs of food, shelter, and clothing, the developed nations consume and enjoy a disproportionate amount of the world’s resources and wealth by reason of their technological advancement.


2018 ◽  
Vol 285 (1889) ◽  
pp. 20181441 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Guiry ◽  
M. Buckley

Over the past 1000 years, rats ( Rattus spp.) have become one of the most successful and prolific pests in human society. Despite their cosmopolitan distribution across six continents and ubiquity throughout the world's cities, rat urban ecology remains poorly understood. We investigate the role of human foods in brown rat ( Rattus norvegicus ) diets in urban and rural areas over a 100 year period ( ca AD 1790–1890) in Toronto, Canada using stable carbon ( δ 13 C) and nitrogen ( δ 15 N) isotope analyses of archaeological remains. We found that rat diets from urban sites were of higher quality and were more homogeneous and stable over time. By contrast, in rural areas, they show a wide range of dietary niche specializations that directly overlap, and probably competed, with native omnivorous and herbivorous species. These results demonstrate a link between rodent diets and human population density, providing, to our knowledge, the first long-term dietary perspective on the relative value of different types of human settlements as rodent habitat. This study highlights the potential of using the historical and archaeological record to provide a retrospective on the urban ecology of commensal and synanthropic animals that could be useful for improving animal management and conservation strategies in urban areas.


Author(s):  
Silnik O. ◽  

The rural settlement occupies a very important place in the modern socio-cultural structure of our state. Ukraine has a huge agricultural potential, and rural development has a significant impact on the economic situation. An important task of society is to increase the quality of life of its inhabitants. The comfort of rural settlements is influenced by the quality of housing, the level of cultural and industrial infrastructure. Domestic and foreign experience confirms the importance of the development of rural entrepreneurship, services, cultural education. The issue of solving the construction and planning of a modern village can be solved taking into account detailed analysis of the existing state of the territory. All components of settlements, from the condition of streets and existing utilities to existing buildings, are integral parts. If we cover the issues of the street network, the quality does not meet the modern requirements for the operation of modern equipment. The disadvantages are both in the quality of the street pavement and in the peculiarities of the layout, this applies to unregulated street profiles, unsuccessful junctions of nodal elements. Construction and development of public buildings in modern villages of Ukraine also do not meet the needs of modern residents of settlements. A number of reforms already underway by the state prove that rural settlements need to be renewed not only in the field of the technological equipment but also in the structure of construction in general. One of the methods of solving this problem is the arrangement of cultural and domestic, administrative, educational institutions in rural areas, landscaping for active and quiet recreation. At the present stage, there are also problems with solving the development of settlements, which are under the influence of large urban areas. These settlements combine agricultural and industrial areas, perform a wide range of functions that are not always successfully combined, and have a positive impact on the living standards of the peasants themselves. Given the current stages of transformation of settlements in modern conditions, there is a need to create virtual models of development of areas with projected areas of development of both residential areas and areas with industrial and economic purposes. Work on the renovation of existing rural settlements should take into account a wide range of factors: the existing natural and climatic environment, traditions of the local population, existing infrastructure, both cultural and economic, location in the structure of administrative planning, and interaction of adjacent territories, etc


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen Patrick McKenna ◽  
Alice Heaney

The Needs-based model of quality of life has been employed in the development of a wide range of disease-specific quality of life measures over the last 20 years. The model argues that disease prevents need fulfilment and that effective interventions enable individuals to satisfy more of their fundamental human needs. Rather than adopting an existing theoretical framework, the needs-based model developed through grounded theory techniques. Several theories of needs have been advanced during the last 70 years, many of which are well known. This article relates the needs-based model of quality of life to the major published theories of human needs. Several of the theories focus on the development of societies rather than individuals – dependent on the disciplines and interests of the authors; who include sociologists, economists and psychologists. Most theorists also believe that there is a hierarchy of needs. The needs theories suggest that there are varying numbers of fundamental needs, but these tend to overlap across the theories. Statistical analyses of data collected with the needs-based quality of life measures support the view that there is a single, fundamental need.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (20) ◽  
pp. 2383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Giovanni Sanesi ◽  
Vincenzo Giannico ◽  
Mario Elia ◽  
Raffaele Lafortezza

Urban forests and green infrastructures at large are of critical importance for contemporary cities as they provide a wide range of ecosystem services (ESS) that enhance the quality of life of urban dwellers. Remote sensing technologies have greatly contributed to assessing and mapping the spatial distribution of ESS in urban areas, although more research is needed given the availability of new sensors from multiple satellites and platforms and the particular characteristics of urban environments (e.g., high heterogeneity). This Special Issue hosts papers focusing on the temporal and spatial dynamics of urban forests with special attention given to the most recent remote sensing technologies as well as advanced methods for processing geospatial data and extracting meaningful information.


2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 171
Author(s):  
Mohammadali Haddadian

Inappropriate development and rapid growth of metropolitan areas, with no facilities and infrastructure had serious negative consequences on different parts of the city that public programs organization and urban environments, including urban furniture, is considered one Sustainable urban development constructive approach that aimed at improving the quality of urban environment and various human needs. One of the humanitarian needs in urban areas creating a beautiful environment, orderly, attractive and diverse for citizens (Zangiabadi and Tabrizi, 5:2009).Our cities and metropolis filled with a variety of elements and furniture that are ugly and some beautiful that as form and diversity, have little differences in different cities. Nevertheless it can be seen that the appearance and furniture with good design, installed so ugly and carelessly, its placement has changed adornment and lose their visual effects that has adverse effects on the furniture and the beauty of the surrounding environment and which is the importance and necessity of this research.


1980 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 339-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
R E Allsop

A definition of transport studies is offered with the claim that the purpose of this field of study is to obtain understanding that can be used to help to improve the economic, social, and physical conditions of people's lives to the extent that these are affected by the transport system and its use. A number of examples of this process in action in the fields of transport planning, operation, and safety are described and discussed, emphasising how the achievement of improvements depends upon understanding not only what changes are likely to be beneficial but also how people will respond to attempts to bring about these changes. The examples are concerned with injury to occupants of colliding vehicles, accidents associated with driving after drinking alcohol, the competition between activities and movement for space in congested urban areas, and the operation of a main radial route into a city centre. In conclusion, current attempts to assess the wide range of effects that transport changes can have upon the quality of life are related to the writings of Jeremy Bentham, whose thinking contributed strongly to the foundation of University College London 150 years ago.


Author(s):  
Mohammad Velayatzadeh

Human needs clean and healthy air. Clean air is more important than food and water. Industries and industrial activities produce a lot of gases and particles that pollute the air. Air pollution, as one of the concerns of the present age, in addition to environmental degradation and economic damage, poses serious risks to human health. Continuous monitoring of air quality to identify pollut- ants and identify sources of their emissions is also one of the basic strategies for controlling air pollution. Unhealthy air quality causes a lot of damage to humans and the environment and various health effects. Air pollution is a major environmental threat to human health in many developed or develop- ing cities around the world. The level of air pollution is usually determined by the concentration of air pollutants such as dioxide hydrogen, sulfur di- oxide, carbon monoxide, ozone and suspended particles. In recent years, air quality has been a major factor in the emergence of quality of life in urban areas, especially in densely populated and industrial areas. Air pollution with a wide range of suspended particles has effects on human health, including the respiratory and cardiovascular systems, as well as mortality. In this article, the effects of air pollution on the environment and sources and the source of pollution in Ahvaz city are introduced.


EDIS ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudia Paez ◽  
Jason A. Smith

Biscogniauxia canker or dieback (formerly called Hypoxylon canker or dieback) is a common contributor to poor health and decay in a wide range of tree species (Balbalian & Henn 2014). This disease is caused by several species of fungi in the genus Biscogniauxia (formerly Hypoxylon). B. atropunctata or B. mediterranea are usually the species found on Quercus spp. and other hosts in Florida, affecting trees growing in many different habitats, such as forests, parks, green spaces and urban areas (McBride & Appel, 2009).  Typically, species of Biscogniauxia are opportunistic pathogens that do not affect healthy and vigorous trees; some species are more virulent than others. However, once they infect trees under stress (water stress, root disease, soil compaction, construction damage etc.) they can quickly colonize the host. Once a tree is infected and fruiting structures of the fungus are evident, the tree is not likely to survive especially if the infection is in the tree's trunk (Anderson et al., 1995).


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