A realistic approach for the assessment of plastic contamination and its ecotoxicological consequences: A case study in the metropolitan city of Milan (N. Italy)

The aim of this paper is that of proposing a methodology on how to design a microgrid for an industrial area. In particular, the paper reports the description of a project, jointly developed by the University of Genoa and Ansaldo Energia SpA, to design a polygeneration microgrid for the industrial site of Ansaldo Energia company in the Metropolitan City of Genoa. The microgrid infrastructure integrates different technologies to satisfy the electrical, thermal and cooling demand of the site, among which an important role is played by the cogeneration AE T100 microturbines developed by the company. In the paper, the optimization tool AEN-MGD, developed to optimally design and operate the microgrid, is described and different possible configurations of the microgrid are investigated and analysed from the technical, economic and environmental point of view. The proposed model has a general validity and it can be used to design and operate other similar energy infrastructures.

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What did the 2015 earthquake tell us about what the state of earthquake resilience in Kathmandu metropolitan city was?

International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment ◽

10.1108/ijdrbe-12-2018-0052 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (2/3) ◽

pp. 188-202

Author(s):

Tej Kumar Karki

Keyword(s):

Content Analysis ◽

Field Observation ◽

The State ◽

Building Code ◽

Content Type ◽

Metropolitan City ◽

Detailed Case ◽

Media Reports ◽

Earthquake Resilience

Purpose This paper asks what was the state of building-code enforcement and citizen – government collaboration in disaster preparedness when an earthquake hit Kathmandu metropolitan city (KMC) in 2015? It reviewed government documents, analyzed media reports, interviewed building-code monitoring officers and carried out a detailed case study of the earthquake-damaged Park View Horizon Housing Apartment (PVHA) Complex. The research found several earthquake-resilience issues. They were enforcement-vulnerability (Building bylaws, planning permit and building code); institutional-coordination vulnerability; Apartment-regulation vulnerability; technological vulnerability; and citizen-government-collaboration vulnerability. Design/methodology/approach The study area of this research is KMC, and this research is based on content analysis, field observation and interview. It has reviewed all the newspapers and media reports that had covered earthquake issues during and after the 2015 disaster, as well as the articles published in Nepal, South Asia, the USA, New Zealand and Haiti. The literature on Nepal’s building code, seismic history and institutional arrangements for governing earthquake-related issues were reviewed. After field observation of some of the damaged apartments, a detailed case study of PVHA Complex was carried out. Findings The research found several earthquake-resilience issues. They were enforcement-vulnerability (Building bylaws, planning permit and building code); institutional-coordination vulnerability; Apartment-regulation vulnerability; technological vulnerability; and citizen-government-collaboration vulnerability Research limitations/implications A limitation of this study was its heavy reliance on content analysis, one case study and a few interviews and discussions with affected residents, local governments and developers. Practical implications This study would help enhance disaster governance in developing nations. Social implications The citizen–government collaborative approach to earthquake resilience would enhance human resilience to disaster at individual and community levels. Originality/value Since this is the first research carried out on the state of building code and institutional resilience at the time of the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, it is original and provides policy insights for earthquake resilience in Nepal.

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