scholarly journals Changes in Mediterranean mesocarnivore communities along urban and ex-urban gradients

2015 ◽  
Vol 61 (5) ◽  
pp. 793-801 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariano R. Recio ◽  
Carmen M. Arija ◽  
Sara Cabezas-Díaz ◽  
Emilio Virgós
Keyword(s):  
Urban Development ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Mediterranean Ecosystems ◽  
Control Area ◽  
Wildlife Habitat ◽  
Domestic Cat ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Domestic Species ◽  
Impact Of Urbanization ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Urbanization causes wildlife habitat loss, fragmentation, and the replacement of specialist species by generalists and/or exotic taxa. Because mesocarnivores are particularly vulnerable to habitat modifications, the rapid expansion of urban areas and the increasing trend for ex-urban development occurring in Mediterranean ecosystems may be major drivers of change in mesocarnivore communities. We combined camera trapping and sign surveys to quantify the richness and relative abundance of a set of wild and domestic mesocarnivores. We quantified these variables controlling for the gradient of urbanism, ex-urbanism, and other environmental variables in patches of natural vegetation in the region of Madrid (central Spain), and a non-urbanized control area ~220 km south of Madrid city. Using conditional autoregressive models (CAR) and model selection procedures, we found that urbanization influenced mesocarnivore community composition but this influence was not detrimental for all the species tested. Generalist carnivores such as the red fox Vulpes vulpes were more abundant in urban and ex-urban areas. Ex-urban development creates overlapping areas between wild and domestic species (such as the domestic cat Felis catus and the wildcat Felis silvestris) but contact between wild and domestic carnivores in natural areas is unlikely. Detection of species in the control area was very low. Therefore, the impact of urbanization in causing changes in mesocarnivore communities may be less than other factors such as illegal predator culling.

scholarly journals IMPACT OF REGIONAL DISTRIBUTION AND AIR POLLUTION ON INTERNAL STRUCTURE OF MELIA AZEDARACH L. LEAVES

2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (6) ◽  
pp. 1326-1333
Author(s):  
V. Abozaid ◽  
H. Arif Abdulrahman ◽  
D. Ayoub Ibrahim
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Leaf Area ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Regional Distribution ◽  
Industrial Area ◽  
Control Area ◽  
Melia Azedarach ◽  
Layer Width ◽  
Anatomical Features ◽  
The Impact

This study was performed to investigate the impact of air pollution on leaf area and anatomical features of Melia azedarach L. trees, in urban areas with three demographical classes: location (I) industrial area, location (II) roadside area and free parts (control area) as a location (III) of Duhok city/Kurdistan Region-Iraq, during July 2021. The results demonstrated that the leaf area of selected plants' leaves in location I had reduced with no noticeable change in the average stomata density in the three locations I, II and Ⅲ. Meanwhile, the results of the most anatomical features of the blade (blade, lower cuticle, epidermis (both upper and lower) thickness, palisade layer height and spongy parenchyma width) in addition to midrib parameters (epidermis thickness (upper and lower), collenchyma and parenchyma layer width, phloem and xylem width and pith diameter) were decreased in both locations I, II, and with well-developed anatomical features in location III.

scholarly journals The impact of urbanization expansion on agricultural land in Ethiopia: A review

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 73-80
Author(s):  
Assefa Ayele ◽  
Kassa Tarekegn
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Rural Livelihoods ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Economic Resource ◽  
House Construction ◽  
Impact Of Urbanization ◽  
The Impact

AbstractIn a country like Ethiopia where the vast majority of the populations are employed in agriculture, land is an important economic resource for the development of rural livelihoods. Agricultural land in peri-urban areas is, however, transformed into built-up regions through horizontal urban expansion that has an effect on land use value. In recent years Ethiopia has been experiencing rapid urbanization, which has led to an ever-increasing demand for land in peri-urban areas for housing and other nonagricultural activities that pervades agricultural land. There is a high demand for informal and illegal peri-urban land which has been held by peri-urban farmers, and this plays a vital role in the unauthorized and sub-standard house construction on agricultural land. This urbanization has not been extensively reviewed and documented. In this review an attempt has been made to assess the impacts of rapid urbanization on agricultural activities. Urban expansion has reduced the areas available for agriculture, which has seriously impacted upon peri-urban farmers that are often left with little or no land to cultivate and which has increased their vulnerability. Housing encroachments have been observed to be uncontrolled due to a weak government response to the trend of unplanned city expansion. This has left peri-urban farmers exposed to the negative shocks of urbanization because significant urbanization-related agricultural land loss has a positive correlation with grain production decrease. Appropriate governing bodies should control urban development in order to control the illegal and informal spread of urbanization on agricultural land that threatens food production.

The Political Economy of Land and Urban Development

2018 ◽  
pp. 343-359
Author(s):  
Kudzanai Bvochora ◽  
Bernard Kusena
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Natural Increase ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
The Political ◽  
Social Infrastructure ◽  
The World ◽  
Urban Settlements ◽  
Development Processes ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The Relationship

Many urban areas which have sprouted around the world owe their economic and social origins in growth points and market centers. Situated about 15 kilometers south-east of Harare, Epworth became one of Zimbabwe's largest peri-urban settlements due to the combined effect of demographic, political, and socioeconomic factors, among others. This chapter interrogates the various forces behind this unprecedented population growth. It demonstrates the relationship between Epworth's ballooning population and the various pull and push factors of urbanization. For example, immigration contributed immensely to this rise, although natural increase in births also contributed fairly significantly. This chapter examines the impact of population dynamics and other variables that were linked to the rapid expansion of Epworth on the overall development processes, arguing that economic and social infrastructure became conditioned by such dynamics.

scholarly journals Flood Hazard Assessment of the Urban Area of Tabuk City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia by Integrating Spatial-Based Hydrologic and Hydrodynamic Modeling

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 1024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashraf Abdelkarim ◽  
Ahmed Gaber ◽  
Ahmed Youssef ◽  
Biswajeet Pradhan
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Urban Development ◽  
Urban Area ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Morphological Characteristics ◽  
Hydraulic Modeling ◽  
Sustainable Urban Development ◽  
Flood Hazards ◽  
Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia ◽  
The Impact

This study deals with the use of remote sensing (RS), geographic information systems (GISs), hydrologic modeling (water modeling system, WMS), and hydraulic modeling (Hydrologic Engineering Center River Analysis System, HEC-RAS) to evaluate the impact of flash flood hazards on the sustainable urban development of Tabuk City, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Determining the impact of flood hazards on the urban area and developing alternatives for protection and prevention measures were the main aims of this work. Tabuk City is exposed to frequent flash flooding due to its location along the outlets of five major wadis. These wadis frequently carry flash floods, seriously impacting the urban areas of the city. WMS and HEC-HMS models and RS data were used to determine the paths and morphological characteristics of the wadis, the hydrographic flow of different drainage basins, flow rates and volumes, and the expansion of agricultural and urban areas from 1998 to 2018. Finally, hydraulic modeling of the HEC-RAS program was applied to delineate the urban areas that could be inundated with floodwater. Ultimately, the most suitable remedial measures are proposed to protect the future sustainable urban development of Tabuk City from flood hazards. This approach is rarely used in the KSA. We propose a novel method that could help decision-makers and planners in determining inundated flood zones before planning future urban and agricultural development in the KSA.

scholarly journals Genetic inheritance and environment determine endocrine plasticity to urban living

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1908) ◽  
pp. 20191215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenny Q. Ouyang ◽  
Davide Baldan ◽  
Crystal Munguia ◽  
Scott Davies
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Genetic Component ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Free Living ◽  
House Wren ◽  
Endocrine Stress Response ◽  
Baseline Corticosterone ◽  
Impact Of Urbanization ◽  
The Impact

As urban areas continue to expand globally, understanding how and why species respond to novel habitats becomes increasingly important. Knowledge of the mechanisms behind observed phenotypic changes in urban animals will enable us to better evaluate the impact of urbanization on current and future generations of wildlife. Physiological changes, such as those involved in the endocrine stress response, may allow individuals to inhabit and thrive in urbanized areas, but it is currently unknown how these changes arise in natural populations. In this study, we performed a four-way cross-foster experiment in free-living house wren chicks, Troglodytes aedon , to disentangle whether differences in baseline corticosterone between urban and rural individuals are a result of genetic and/or plastic mechanisms during development. We found that urban chicks already had higher corticosterone levels than their rural counterparts on the day they hatched, which suggests a possible genetic component to the corticosterone phenotype. However, rural offspring that were moved to an urban environment significantly increased their corticosterone levels, mimicking those of urban offspring. Our findings suggest that, although differences in baseline corticosterone concentrations between urban and rural individuals may have a genetic component, plasticity plays a pivotal role and can modify the corticosterone phenotype in response to the environment experienced in the first two weeks of life.

scholarly journals Thematic Maps of the Impact of Urbanization and Socioeconomic Factors on the Distribution of the Incidence of Cutaneous Leishmaniasis Cases in Sefrou Province, Central North of Morocco (2007–2011)

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Fatima Zahra Talbi ◽  
Nordine Nouayti ◽  
Hajar El Omari ◽  
Mohamed Najy ◽  
Khadija Lahouiti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Statistical Analysis ◽  
Socioeconomic Factors ◽  
Cutaneous Leishmaniasis ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Correlation Study ◽  
Poverty Rate ◽  
Impact Of Urbanization ◽  
The Impact

Background. Leishmaniases are vector-borne diseases with health risks. They cause a big health problem. These parasitic diseases are transmitted by the parasite of the genus Leishmania through sandflies. Objective. The aim of this work is to study the distribution of the incidence of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) cases and the impact of urbanization and socioeconomic factors and their effects as leishmaniasis risk factors. Methods. We conducted a retrospective study of CL cases collected at the level of Sefrou Province during the period from 2007 to 2011. The data was collected from registers of the Medical Delegation of Sefrou Province. The socioeconomic data, namely, the poverty rate, the popular density, and the type of environment (urban/rural) of Sefrou Province, were obtained from the High Commission for Planning. Statistical analysis was performed by SPSS software (version 20). The data were registered in a Microsoft Excel 2010 file. Statistical analysis was based on one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), and then a correlation study was carried out (Pearson correlation). The results were considered significant when p was less than 0.05. The database was analyzed by QGIS 2.18, which is open source software. Results. A total of 349 cases of CL were collected at Sefrou Province from 2007 to 2011. A percentage of 49% of the cases come from urban areas, while 51% of the cases come from rural areas. In the statistical analysis, the division of the incidence of CL cases was found to be significantly associated only with urbanization. For the other factors, the number of people or the poverty rate is not taken into account in the incidence dynamics. Conclusion. This study may be useful for the implementation of future adequate measures and controls. Getting rid of leishmaniasis requires a comprehensive approach by acting on the sources of contamination through good continuous surveillance, appropriate management, effective vector control, and awareness-raising strategies.

Effects of urbanization on food-energy-water systems in mega-urban regions: a case study of the Bohai MUR, China

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caiyun Deng ◽  
Hongrui Wang ◽  
Shuxin Gong ◽  
Jie Zhang ◽  
Bo Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Water System ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Stress Index ◽  
Food Energy ◽  
Urban Regions ◽  
System Pressure ◽  
Impact Of Urbanization ◽  
The Impact

<p>The security of food-energy-water systems (FEW systems) is an issue of worldwide concern, especially in mega-urban regions (MURs) with high-density populations, industries and carbon emissions. To better understand the hidden linkages between urbanization and FEW systems, the pressure on FEW systems is quantified in a typical rapid urbanizing region—the Bohai MUR. The correlation between urbanization indicators and the pressure on FEW systems is analyzed and the mechanism of the impact of urbanization on FEW systems is further investigated. Results show that approximately 23% of croplands is lost, 61% of which is converted to construction lands and the urban areas expand by 132.2% in the Bohai MUR during 1980-2015. The pressure on FEW systems has an upward trend with the stress index of the pressure on FEW systems (FEW_SI) exhibiting ranging from 80.49 to 134.82% and dominant pressure consisting of that has converted from water system pressure to energy system pressure since 2004. The FEW_SI in the Bohai MUR is enhanced with cropland loss and the increase in urbanization indicators. Additionally, land use, populations, incomes, policies and innovation are the main ways urbanization impacted FEW systems in MURs. This study enhances our understanding of the pressure variation on FEW systems in MURs and the effects of urbanization on FEW systems, which helps stakeholders to enhance the resilience of FEW systems and promote sustainable regional development.</p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong> urbanization, food-energy-water system pressure, linkages, MURs</p>

scholarly journals Public-Private Partnership Model used in urban sustainable development propriety research in Taipei governance of Taiwan

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (7) ◽  
pp. 4824-4836
Author(s):  
Mou-Chung Tseng ◽  
Chien-Wen Peng
Keyword(s):  
Urban Development ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Urban Spaces ◽  
Sustainable Urban Development ◽  
Partnership Model ◽  
Impact Of Urbanization ◽  
Social Demographic ◽  
Feasible Study ◽  
The Impact

With the shift in global economic, social, demographic, and information technology, the emergence of metropolitan areas not only penetrated the border relations between countries, changed the interaction between central and local governments, restructured the size and style of urban spaces, but also caused a huge transformation in local infrastructures and community structures. The local governments hence have to face challenges in their management in regards to the arising changes and needs. This type of urban formation and development is not only a trend in countries around the globe; it is also an area the Taiwanese governments are actively involved in. With the impact of urbanization, the size of highly functional cities has surpassed core city administrative regions; therefore, this has generated various planning, administrative and policy issues. This study examines the PPPs views on urban development; the research methodology will be designed to focus on qualitative research, firstly undergoing document analysis, studying the progress of sustainable urban development and various issues arising during the development process in Taipei, Taiwan. Secondly, case analysis will be implemented to study the characteristics, current situation and problems in sustainable urban development in Taiwan. With two combined, a concrete and feasible study on sustainable urban development can be integrated and accomplished.

scholarly journals Multiobjective optimisation of flight paths for noise level mitigation and sound quality improvement

Noise Mapping ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 268-280
Author(s):  
Francesco Centracchio ◽  
Lorenzo Burghignoli ◽  
Umberto Iemma
Keyword(s):  
Quality Improvement ◽  
Noise Level ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Sound Quality ◽  
Noise Spectrum ◽  
Aircraft Noise ◽  
Rapid Expansion ◽  
Target Sound ◽  
Aviation Noise ◽  
The Impact

Abstract The present work deals with the multiobjective, multidisciplinary optimisation of takeoff and approach operations of a commercial aircraft aimed at the mitigation of the impact of aviation noise on the population. The innovative approach used here couples the minimisation of the aircraft noise level at the certification points with the improvement of the sound quality. The latter objective represents the main novelty of the present work and is addressed using a spectral–matching approach to make the aircraft noise as close as possible to a target sound. The rationale underlying the research is the development of a community–oriented approach to the assessment airport operations in view of the complete redefinition of the future airport scenarios. Indeed, the air traffic growth, the rapid expansion of urban areas around airports, and the expected advent of urban air mobility, are transforming the aviation noise into a serious hazard to the sustainable development of society. The sound–quality–based objective imposes a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach also in the procedural optimisation, due to the detail required to estimate the noise spectrum composition. Two merit factors are minimised, specifically the EPNL at the noise certification points and the Lp –norm of the difference between the noise produced by the configuration under analysis and a target sound. The target sounds are obtained by using sound engineering techniques aimed at the sound quality improvement, on the basis of the results of the psychometric tests campaigns performed within the projects SEFA and COSMA. The minimisation is achieved adopting a global evolution method, and the results are presented in terms of approximated Pareto frontiers for a single–aisle aircraft in both takeoff and landing conditions.

Simplifying impact of urban development on sewer systems

2014 ◽  
Vol 70 (11) ◽  
pp. 1808-1816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manfred Kleidorfer ◽  
Robert Sitzenfrei ◽  
Wolfgang Rauch
Keyword(s):  
Urban Development ◽  
System Performance ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Design Guidelines ◽  
Engineering Practice ◽  
City Development ◽  
Small Catchment ◽  
The Public ◽  
Design Rainfall ◽  
The Impact

Linking urban development and urban drainage models is a more and more popular approach when impacts of pavement of urban areas on sewer system performance are evaluated. As such an approach is a difficult task, this is not a feasible procedure for everyday engineering practice. We propose an alternative method, based on a developed simple near-quadratic relationship, which directly translates change (increase or decrease) of paved area into a change in the return period (RP) of the design rainfall event or design rainfall intensity. This formula is simple to use and compatible with existing design guidelines. A further advantage is that the calculated design RP can also be used to communicate the impact of a change in impervious areas to stakeholders or the public community. The method is developed using a set of 250 virtual and two real-world case studies and hydrodynamic simulations. It is validated on a small catchment for which we compare system performance and redesigned pipe diameters. Of course such a simplification contains different uncertainties. But these uncertainties have to be seen in the context of overall uncertainties when trying to predict city development into the future. Hence it still is a significant advantage compared to today's engineering practice.

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