Assessing the Impact of the Implementation of Regulatory Measures in Transport on the Transport Service of the City Center

COVID-19 has meant major transformations for commercial fabric. These transformations have been motivated by the collapse of consumer mobility at multiple scales. We analyzed the impact of the collapse of global tourist flows on the commercial fabric of Barcelona city center, a city that has been a global reference in over-tourism and tourism-phobia. Fieldwork in the main commercial areas before and after the pandemic and complementary semi-structured interviews with the main agents involved highlight the relationship between global tourist flows and commercial fabric. The paper shows how the end of global tourism has meant an important commercial desertification. The end of the integration of the city center into global consumer flows has implications for urban theory. It means a downscaling of the city center and the questioning of traditional center-periphery dynamics. It has been shown that the tourist specialization of commerce has important effects on the real estate market and makes it particularly vulnerable. However, the touristic specialization of commercial activities as a strategy of resilience has also been presented. This adaptation faces the generalized commercial desertification that drives the growing concentration of consumption around the online channel.

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Understanding the Impact of Street Patterns on Pedestrian Distribution: A Case Study in Tianjin, China

Urban Rail Transit ◽

10.1007/s40864-021-00152-9 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Qiang Sheng ◽

Junfeng Jiao ◽

Tianyu Pang

Keyword(s):

Base Layer ◽

City Center ◽

Street Pattern ◽

Gate Count ◽

A Minor ◽

The Impact ◽

The City ◽

Street Segments ◽

Urban Functions

AbstractThis paper investigates the impact of street pattern, metro stations, and density of urban functions on pedestrian distribution in Tianjin, China. Thirteen neighborhoods are selected from the city center and suburbs. Pedestrian and vehicle volumes are observed through detailed gate count from 703 street segments in these neighborhoods. Regression models are constructed to analyze the impact of the street pattern, points of interest (POIs), and vehicle and metro accessibility on pedestrian volumes in each neighborhood and across the city. The results show that when analyzing all neighborhoods together, local street connectivity and POIs had a strong influence on pedestrian distribution. Proximity to metro stations and vehicle accessibility had a minor impact. When analyzing each neighborhood separately, both local- and city-scale street patterns affect pedestrian distributions. These findings suggest that the street pattern provides a base layer for metro stations to attract both the emergence of active urban functions and pedestrian movement.

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Characteristics and Extent of Particulate Matter Emissions of a Ropeway Public Mobility System in the City Center of Perugia (Central Italy)

Atmosphere ◽

10.3390/atmos12101356 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (10) ◽

pp. 1356

Author(s):

Beatrice Moroni ◽

Stefano Crocchianti ◽

Federica Bruschi ◽

Chiara Petroselli ◽

Alessandro Di Menno di Bucchianico ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Particulate Matter ◽

Central Italy ◽

Road Dust ◽

High Volume ◽

Atmospheric Particulate Matter ◽

Aerosol Sampling ◽

City Center ◽

Mobility System ◽

The Impact ◽

The City

Minimetrò (MM) is a ropeway public mobility system that has been in operation in the city of Perugia for about ten years to integrate with urban mobility and lighten vehicular traffic in the historic city center. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the impact of MM as a source of pollutants in the urban context, and the exposure of people in the cabins and the platforms along the MM line. These topics have been investigated by means of intensive measurement and sampling campaigns performed in February and June 2015 on three specific sites of the MM line representative of different sources and levels of urban pollution. Stationary and dynamic measurements of particle size distribution, nanoparticle and black carbon aerosol number and mass concentrations measurements were performed by means of different bench and portable instruments. Aerosol sampling was carried out using low volume and high-volume aerosol samplers, and the samples nalysed by off-line methods. Results show that MM is a considerable source of atmospheric particulate matter having characteristics very similar to those of the common urban road dust in Perugia. In the lack of clear indications on road dust effect, the contribution of MM to the aerosol in Perugia cannot be neglected.

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Car ownership and commuting mode of the “original” residents in a high-density city center: A case study in Shanghai

Journal of Transport and Land Use ◽

10.5198/jtlu.2021.1606 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (1) ◽

pp. 105-124

Author(s):

Tao Chen ◽

Haixiao Pan ◽

Yanbo Ge

Keyword(s):

Public Transportation ◽

Central Area ◽

High Density ◽

Easy Access ◽

Urban Structure ◽

City Center ◽

Rapid Urbanization ◽

Multinomial Logistic Model ◽

The Impact ◽

The City

As a result of rapid urbanization and motorization in China, numerous mega-cities have emerged, and large numbers of people live and work in the city centers. Consequently, developing a public transport-oriented urban structure and promoting sustainable development are major planning strategies for the country. To understand the impact of rail transit on motorization in a high-density city center, we conduct a household travel survey in three neighborhoods around metro stations in the central area of Shanghai. We examine the car buying and commuting behavior of those Shanghai “original” residents who lived there when the city began growing, engulfing them in the center. Studies have shown that 40 percent of commuters in the city center commute outward, following a virtually reversed commute pattern, and the factors significantly affecting their car purchasing choice include their attitude toward cars and transit, household incomes, ownership of the apartments they live in, and the distance between family members’ workplaces and nearest metro stations. Despite easy access to the metro from their home in the city center, those who purchase their apartment units also likely own a car, while those who rent their apartment units are less likely to own a car; however, these odds are still higher than for those who live in an apartment unit inherited from their relatives or provided by their company. In the city center, if a family owns a car, then that car would almost certainly be used for daily commuting. A multinomial logistic model is applied to examine the factors influencing the tendency for using cars. The results show that people’s choices of commuting by alternative modes rather than cars are also shaped by their attitude toward public transportation, but other factors can also subtly change people’s commuting behavior under certain conditions. The commuting distance discourages people from walking and taking buses (but not metro). As the egress distance to the workplace increases, the metro becomes less appealing than cars. Mixed land use encourages people to walk or take buses instead of driving. Older people prefer riding buses and walking to driving, and female respondents tend to prefer walking, cycling, and riding the metro to driving compared to male respondents. These findings contribute to understanding the behavior of people who are familiar with public transportation and how to encourage them to switch from driving cars to alternative transport modes.

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The impact of COVID-19 pandemic course in the number and severity of hospitalizations for other natural causes in a large urban center in Brazil

PLOS Global Public Health ◽

10.1371/journal.pgph.0000054 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 1 (12) ◽

pp. e0000054

Author(s):

Luisa C. C. Brant ◽

Pedro C. Pinheiro ◽

Isis E. Machado ◽

Paulo R. L. Correa ◽

Mayara R. Santos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rebound Effect ◽

Healthcare Facilities ◽

Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test ◽

Hospital Deaths ◽

Regulatory Measures ◽

Belo Horizonte ◽

Competing Causes ◽

The Impact ◽

The City ◽

Series Study

The COVID-19 pandemic may indirectly impact hospitalizations for other natural causes. Belo Horizonte is a city with 2.5 million inhabitants in Brazil, one of the most hardly-hit countries by the pandemic, where local authorities monitored hospitalizations daily to guide regulatory measures. In an ecological, time-series study, we investigated how the pandemic impacted the number and severity of public hospitalizations by other natural causes in the city, during 2020. We assessed the number and proportion of intensive care unit (ICU) admissions and in-hospital deaths for all-natural causes, COVID-19, non-COVID-19 natural causes, and four disease groups: infectious, respiratory, cardiovascular, and neoplasms. Observed data from epidemiological week (EW) 9 (first diagnosis of COVID-19) to EW 48, 2020, was compared to the mean for the same EW of 2015–2019 and differences were tested by Wilcoxon rank-sum test. The five-week moving averages of the studied variables in 2020 were compared to that of 2015–2019 to describe the influence of regulatory measures on the indicators. During the studied period, there was 54,722 hospitalizations by non-COVID-19 natural causes, representing a 28% decline compared to the previous five years (p<0.001). There was a concurrent significant increase in the proportion of ICU admissions and deaths. The greater reductions were simultaneous to the first social distancing decree or occurred in the peak of COVID-19 hospitalizations, suggesting different drivers. Hospitalizations by specific causes decreased significantly, with greater increase in ICU admissions and deaths for infectious, cardiovascular, and respiratory diseases than for neoplasms. While the first reduction may have resulted from avoidance of contact with healthcare facilities, the second reduction may represent competing causes for hospital beds with COVID-19 after reopening of activities. Health policies must include protocols to address hospitalizations by other causes during this or future pandemics, and a plan to face the rebound effect for elective deferred procedures.

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The Influence of Urban Conditions on the Phenology of Aesculus hippocastanum L. Using the Example of Wroclaw (Poland)

Forests ◽

10.3390/f11121261 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 11 (12) ◽

pp. 1261

Author(s):

Iwona Dominika Orzechowska-Szajda ◽

Robert Krzysztof Sobolewski ◽

Joanna Lewandowska ◽

Paulina Kowalska ◽

Robert Kalbarczyk

Keyword(s):

Land Cover ◽

Urban Space ◽

Urban Areas ◽

Negative Impact ◽

Vegetation Period ◽

Aesculus Hippocastanum ◽

Horse Chestnut ◽

City Center ◽

The Impact ◽

The City

The differences in plant phenology between rural and urban areas are the subject of research conducted all over the world. There are few studies aimed at assessing the impact of the urban heat island on plant vegetation only in urban areas. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of the distance from the city center and the form of land cover on the phenological development of trees using the example of the horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum L.). The research area covered the entire city of Wrocław. In order to best capture the impact of the distance from the city center on the rate of changes of individual phenophases, 3 areas were designated—at a distance of 1 km, 2 km and 5 km. The study assessed the average duration of individual phenological phases along with the variability characteristics for leafing, flowering and fruiting in relation to the designated zones and classified forms of land cover based on mean value (x¯) and standard deviation (±SD) in individual weeks of the year. For the leafing and flowering phases, the frequency of the occurrence of phases in individual weeks of the year was analyzed in relation to the designated zones and classified land use methods. The results obtained on the basis of phenological observations carried out in 2017 in Wrocław confirmed the extension of the period of vegetation in the city center in relation to its peripheries. Trees growing in road lanes entered the vegetation period later and defoliated faster, which confirms the negative impact of street conditions on the development of trees in urban space. Thus, the growing season in road lanes is shorter and due to the 1-year observation period, it is justified to conduct further observations.

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The Impact of the Ring Road Conclusion to the City of Guimarães, Portugal: Analysis of Variations of Traffic Flows and Accessibilities

WSEAS TRANSACTIONS ON ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT ◽

10.37394/232015.2020.16.2 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 16 ◽

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Transportation Systems ◽

Traffic Volume ◽

City Center ◽

Urban Centers ◽

Ring Road ◽

High Traffic Volume ◽

The Impact ◽

The City

The high traffic volume is the main source of the congestion in cities, which is a big problem on transportation systems. This congestion is the main cause of the increase in the level of noise and air pollution in urban centers what directly affects the quality of life of the population. Also, contributing to the big number of vehicle conflicts that affects the performance of the transportation systems and the quality of life of the population. These problems are the result of the high volumes of the through traffic. Therefore, to reduce the traffic volume in urban center of Guimarães, Portugal we studied a possible conclusion of the ring road, on the slope of the Penha hill for the morning peak hour. To carry out our study, the Origin – Destination Matrix for peak hour was estimated from the data of traffic counts. Concluding that there was a reduction of the traffic volume in the section of the ring road that was already built. However, in the city center there were no major variations of the traffic volume and accessibilities.

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An Assessment of Heatwave Impact in Enugu Metropolis of Enugu State

10.21203/rs.3.rs-36863/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Christian Chijioke Agu ◽

Ikwuka Amarachi ◽

Kamila Tukur ◽

Hassan Omede ◽

Blessing Kakushia Nwadike

Keyword(s):

Local Government ◽

Change Detection ◽

Vegetation Index ◽

City Center ◽

Potential Implication ◽

Enugu State ◽

The Impact ◽

Near Future ◽

The City

Abstract Background: The context of this research the impact of heatwave within Enugu city center, with the aim to analyze the impact in the city metropolis of Enugu state which comprises of three local government areas namely Enugu East Enugu North and Enugu South.Result: From the result, our findings showed the increase in lst over the period of years and over 50% inhabitants feel discomfort, while the vegetation index reduced in year 2020.Conclusion: The summary of the research looked at the change detection, NDVI, LST, and thermal comfortablity index, the potential implication of the result shows that heatwave impact is more felt in the study area and, the city will become more hotter in the near future thereby making it unfavourable and un comfortable for people to live or habit.

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FEATURES OF POST-WAR RESTORATION OF FACADES OF BUILDINGS IN THE HISTORICAL CENTER OF ROSTOV-ON-DON

Bulletin of Belgorod State Technological University named after V G Shukhov ◽

10.34031/2071-7318-2020-5-8-18-31 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 5 (8) ◽

pp. 18-31

Author(s):

I. Moskalenko

Keyword(s):

City Center ◽

Building Facades ◽

Fixed Assets ◽

Human Material ◽

Restoration Work ◽

Post War ◽

Projected Changes ◽

The Impact ◽

Historic City ◽

The City

The author considers the combination of tradition and innovation in the solutions of decoration of facades destroyed during the great Patriotic war, their relationship and influence on the formation of a new "identity" of the city. Pre-war and post-war photographs, as well as modern photographs and measurements of the architecture of the historic city center, are a useful tool for understanding the processes of formation of the architectural and artistic appearance of urban development. The study of archival materials allows to get an impression of the projected changes in the development of the main highways as part of the post-war restoration, their implementation and the impact that they had on the historical development of the city. The purpose of this work is to identify techniques for artistic and stylistic solutions of building facades in the framework of post-war reconstruction. As a result of changes in the stylistic design of the facades of buildings of the main highways of the city, the he development becomes more concise and calm forms, eliminating all elements that do not meet the requirements and attitude to pre-war styles. New elements are introduced that emphasize the ideology of power. During the restoration work, the differentiation between the main highways and secondary buildings is emphasized. It arose as a result of the investment of fixed assets (financial, human, material) in the reconstruction of the main highways.

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An Assessment of Heatwave Impact in Enugu Metropolis of Enugu State

10.21203/rs.3.rs-36863/v3 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Christian Chijioke Agu ◽

Ikwuka Amarachi ◽

Kamila Tukur ◽

Hassan Omede ◽

Blessing Kakushia Nwadike

Keyword(s):

Local Government ◽

Change Detection ◽

Vegetation Index ◽

City Center ◽

Potential Implication ◽

Enugu State ◽

The Impact ◽

Near Future ◽

The City

Abstract Background: The context of this research the impact of heatwave within Enugu city center, with the aim to analyze the impact in the city metropolis of Enugu state which comprises of three local government areas namely Enugu East Enugu North and Enugu South.Result: From the result, our findings showed the increase in lst over the period of years and over 50% inhabitants feel discomfort, while the vegetation index reduced in year 2020.Conclusion: The summary of the research looked at the change detection, NDVI, LST, and thermal comfortablity index, the potential implication of the result shows that heatwave impact is more felt in the study area and, the city will become more hotter in the near future thereby making it unfavourable and un comfortable for people to live or habit.

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