Site selection criteria for temporary sheltering in urban environment

Author(s):  
Katayoun Jahangiri ◽  
Hasti Borgheipour ◽  
Saeid Bahramzadeh Gendeshmin ◽  
Amirhossein Matin ◽  
Ghazaleh Monazami Tehrani

Purpose The inevitable occurrence of natural disasters and crisis arising from them causes a lot of losses globally, particularly in disaster-prone countries such as Iran. One of the main issues considered by organizations involved in crisis management is the selection of suitable sites for temporary sheltering for disaster victims. This study aims to choose safe places to establish temporary sheltering in urban environment. Design/methodology/approach Initially, relevant factors are identified by reviewing literature and through consultation with disaster experts. Next, the important layers were collected and analytical hierarchy process was used to assess the criteria weights based on their effectiveness on selection of safe sites for temporary sheltering. Finally, for integrating layers of factors, overlay and fuzzy models were used in Geographic Information System (GIS) environment, and subsequently, a proper map was prepared and suitable areas were identified. Findings 7 main criteria and 19 sub-criteria were selected to provide safe places for temporary sheltering. The results of fuzzy model in this study provide more accurate and limited safe areas for temporary sheltering when compared to index overlay model. Originality/value The results of this study will help decision-makers and local and regional managers to reduce the vulnerability of at-risk communities in urban environments. Moreover, choosing appropriate places for temporary shelters would help build community disaster resilience according to these criteria.

Author(s):  
Marija Šperac ◽  
Dino Obradović

The urbanization process significantly reduced the permeability of land surfaces, which affected the changes of runoff characteristics and the relations in the hydrological cycle. In urban environments, the relationships within the hydrological cycle have changed in quantity, in particular: precipitation, air temperature, evaporation, and infiltration. By applying the green infrastructure (GI) to urban environments is beneficial for the water resources and the social community. GI has an effect on the improvement of ecological, economic, and social conditions. Using GI into urban areas increases the permeability of land surfaces, whereby decreasing surface runoff, and thus the frequency of urban floods. It also has a significant influence on the regulation of air quality, water purification, climate change impact, and the changes in the appearance of the urban environment. When planning and designing the GI, it is necessary to identify the type of GI and determine the size and location of the selected GI. Since each urban environment has its own characteristics, it is necessary to analyze them before deciding on the GI. The paper analyzed meteorological parameters (precipitation, air temperature, insolation, air humidity) affecting the selection of GI types, using the specific example of an urban environment – the City of Osijek, Croatia. Significant parameters when designing GI are operation and maintenance These parameters directly affect the efficiency of GI. The proper selection of GI and its location results in maximum gains: the reduction of land surface drainage - drainage of the sewage system, purification and retention of precipitation at the place of production, the improvement of air quality, and the improvement of living conditions in urban environments


Author(s):  
David Coldwell ◽  
Sarah Coldwell

The increasing reported incidents of knife crime in cities and the release on parole of “rehabilitated” violent criminals are creating an unsafe urban environment. Such occurrences suggest that measures taken to address psychopathic-oriented behaviour may have been ineffective because the individual’s degree of “moral deficit” is not fully accounted for in the application of specific therapies. This study developed a theoretical model of “moral deficit” that is aligned with the appropriateness of therapy, ranging from the extreme “classical approach” of total confinement justified by a belief in the incurability of psychopaths to the modern therapy that aims to reintegrate the psychopath with society using “moralizing therapy”. Analysis of secondary data from extant literature was used to develop the theoretical model of “moral deficit”. Secondary data analysis suggests that the extent of psychopathic “moral deficit” may be an important factor in the selection of appropriate therapeutic measures for psychopathy treatment and the rehabilitation of psychopaths as law-abiding members of society. We conclude that a specific type of psychopathic moral deficit may have an important bearing on the appropriateness of treatment. It is recommended that the treatment of psychopathy makes greater provision for the extent and type of psychopathic “moral deficit” in assessing the most appropriate applications for the treatment of psychopathy and promoting the safety of urban environments.


2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ejeng B. Ukabi

The quest for improvement and upgrading of the historic urban environment through coexisting historical context and new context had introduced tension over the previous years. The resultant flows have jeopardized the harmonious layers of historical settings. The concept of conservation that provides the needed bridge between the forces in many cases implemented exhibits a no consideration of the three polarities that controls historic areas. The aftermath shows up in two ways. At one end is convergence and divergence at the other but the emphasis of this paper focuses on investigating what happens in historic urban environments when annex developments exceed historic limits? Historic Limit (HL) is the hidden benchmark and maximum point of the historic urban environment at which the forces produced by the two contexts coexist elastically. In order to answer the generated question, a literature review of the keywords that constitutes the topic is explored. The ideas of Warren John on ‘interaction’ and that of Getty Conservation Institute on ‘relationship’ that happens in the built above environment will buttress the argument. A model that represents the correlation of the two contexts is developed to simplify the overall intentions of the essay. Another technique is the selection of two composite annex cases to validate the targeted objectives. The article is concluded by recommending that conservation schemes in historic urban landscapes should adopt consensus design strategy for tackling context tension. As a sure way of sustainably welcoming the voices of the community in the process before implementation of the development.


Facilities ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Alenka Temeljotov Salaj ◽  
Carmel Margaret Lindkvist

Purpose This paper aims to illustrate where facility management (FM) is having an impact on the urban environment and what other work needs to be done to easier facilitate achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). This is important for practices as it highlights opportunities where the FM discipline can develop and to research to illustrate where the discipline is going. The societal benefit is that we see Urban FM as an intermediator between citizens, public and private practices providing the platform of how they can work together for mutual benefit. Design/methodology/approach The method used is a literature review, looking latest state-of-art in the mentioned field has been assessed and the developments along with potential future research focuses, have been identified. The current scope to expand FM role were also taken into consideration from a recent workshop at the EuroFM conferences 2019 and 2020, several presentations at the CIB World Congress Hong Kong 2019, CIRRE 2018 and 2019, and special Facilities’ issue, illustrating how FM works within Urban environments and the potential contribution the discipline makes on neighbourhoods, communities and broader city-scale. Findings The authors present how FM fits in with a Smart and Sustainable City context by positioning communities as core for meeting SDGs, but they often fall out of needs perspective for hard and soft services. Since 2018, the authors have intensely worked on this topic developing conference papers at both a European and international level. The topic of Urban FM is growing in importance based on out interactions at these conferences and interactions with FM network groups. In addition, the authors have been identifying gaps, with communities that are currently not being met by current urban practice perspectives but could be met through an Urban FM practice perspective. They have engaged an educational perspective of Urban FM by developing workshops, summer schools with students from around Europe and new courses. With a specific focus on this concept, it is important to branch out ideas and disseminate of what a more structured urban FM is. Research limitations/implications Smart and Sustainable Cities has been a focus for many years now from various perspectives such as urban planning and technology providing solutions and frameworks on how to manage increasing populations in cities. What these studies neglect is a service-oriented perspective supporting the livability requirements and social values of future and current communities living in cities which goes beyond operating and maintaining infrastructure of cities. This neglect which highlights the need to develop an understanding where FM expands its role in the urban environment. Originality/value The aim is to highlight solidify research that is happening in this area where FM links to the urban environment and the benefit it has in terms of sustainability. It illustrates to practice and teaching that the concept of FM is relevant within an urban environment, creates stronger connections within and between citizens and cities and illustrate how Urban FM is necessary in facilitating community facilities.


2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (1/2) ◽  
pp. 3-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashraf M. Salama ◽  
Yonca Hurol

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to construct a series of narratives by assessing a selection of the key literature generated by Open House International (OHI) over a period of 15 years. The paper also presents a brief review of the latest developments of the journal while introducing concise observations on the articles published in this edition – Volume 45, Issues 1 and 2. Design/methodology/approach Through a classification procedure of selected special issues published by OHI since 2006, 10 issues were identified based on the currency of the issues they generated. Following the review of the editorials, the key content of more than 100 articles within these special issues, the content of this edition and relevant seminal literature, the analysis engages, through critical reflection, with various themes that echo the polyphonic nature of built environment research. Findings The analysis conveys the plurality and diversity in built environment research where generic types of narratives are established to include three categories, namely, leitmotif, contextual/conceptual and open-ended narratives. Each of which includes sub-narrative classifications. The leitmotif narrative includes design studio pedagogy, sustainable environments for tourism, responsive learning environments, affordable housing environments, diversity in urban environments and urbanism in globalised environments. The contextual/conceptual narrative encompasses architecture and urbanism in the global south and the tripartite urban performance and transformation. The open-ended narrative embraces thematic reflections on the contributions of this edition of OHI. Originality/value Constructing polyphonic narratives in built environment research based on contemporary knowledge is original in the sense of capturing the crux of the themes within these narratives and articulating this in a pithy form. The elocution of the narratives stimulates a sustained quest for re-thinking concepts, notions and issues of concerns while invigorating research prospects and setting the future direction of OHI.


2019 ◽  
Vol 91 (7) ◽  
pp. 1051-1057
Author(s):  
G. Nilay Yücenur ◽  
Anıl Sezer Subaşı

Purpose The purpose of this study is to select the most appropriate city in Turkey for space shuttle launching ramp. Design/methodology/approach In the proposed approach, an integrated methodology is used. The SWARA method is used in the first phase of the solution for determining criteria’s importance weights. Based on the criteria weights obtained by the SWARA method, the WASPAS method is used for selecting the best alternative. Findings Mugla is selected for the most suitable city for the first space shuttle launching pad according to determined criteria and proposed model. Research limitations/implications Although there are 81 cities in Turkey, 4 alternatives were selected for evaluation. It is possible to eliminate this limitation by the future studies with the implementation of proposed model to entire of Turkey. Practical implications This proposed model can be used by the countries which want to have a new or first space shuttle launching ramp in the world. Originality/value Although some climatic conditions are pointed out on the location of the space shuttle launching ramp, in literature, there is not a comprehensive and detailed evaluation example as much as the model proposed in this study. Therefore, this study is the first in terms of the proposed model and applied techniques in the sectoral sense. In addition, the study is also a guide for solving the original model which is revealed in the selection of the most suitable alternative city for space shuttle launching ramp by different multi-criteria decision-making methods.


Author(s):  
Philip James

Relationships between organisms within urban environments are many and varied. Plants are found in many households, and in addition to the benefits derived from their decorative properties, they also purify the air by removing pollutants. Over the course of history some animals have become domesticated: cows, horses, goats, providing food and transport. Of these, a select group have become companions (cats, dogs, and more exotic pets). Such domesticated and companion animals are an important part of the overall biology of urban environments and these relationships are explored and discussed. Some former companion or domestic animals have become feral, and other animals have never been domesticated and live freely in the urban environment. Some of these animals have beneficial relationships with humans whereas others are parasitic or are considered pests. These relationships are the focus for the later part of the exploration set out in this chapter.


Author(s):  
Philip James

The two main themes contained within the title The Biology of Urban Environments are explored. The initial focus is on urban environments. A discussion of the origins of cities and the global spread of urbanization leads on to a consideration of urban environments in the twenty-first century. In the second section, the focus switches to biology. The scope of the discipline is set out in terms of both the range of sub-disciplines and of biological scales. It is established from this discussion that in this book the topics considered span from genes to ecosystems and will be illustrated by examples of the biology of micro-organisms, plants, and animals. Importantly humans will be included within this consideration: our biology is affected by urban environments. The final part presents the structure of the book.


Kybernetes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 1083-1102
Author(s):  
Georgios N. Aretoulis ◽  
Jason Papathanasiou ◽  
Fani Antoniou

Purpose This paper aims to rank and identify the most efficient project managers (PMs) based on personality traits, using Preference Ranking Organization METHod for Enrichment Evaluations (PROMETHEE) methodology. Design/methodology/approach The proposed methodology relies on the five personality traits. These were used as the selection criteria. A questionnaire survey among 82 experienced engineers was used to estimate the required weights per personality trait. A second two-part questionnaire survey aimed at recording the PMs profile and assess the performance of personality traits per PM. PMs with the most years of experience are selected to be ranked through Visual PROMETHEE. Findings The findings suggest that a competent PM is the one that scores low on the “Neuroticism” trait and high especially on the “Conscientiousness” trait. Research limitations/implications The research applied a psychometric test specifically designed for Greek people. Furthermore, the proposed methodology is based on the personality characteristics to rank the PMs and does not consider the technical skills. Furthermore, the type of project is not considered in the process of ranking PMs. Practical implications The findings could contribute in the selection of the best PM that maximizes the project team’s performance. Social implications Improved project team communication and collaboration leading to improved project performance through better communication and collaboration. This is an additional benefit for the society, especially in the delivery of public infrastructure projects. A lot of public infrastructure projects deviate largely as far as cost and schedule is concerned and this is an additional burden for public and society. Proper project management through efficient PMs would save people’s money and time. Originality/value Identification of the best PMbased on a combination of multicriteria decision-making and psychometric tests, which focus on personality traits.


SAGE Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 215824402110360
Author(s):  
Fengsheng Chien ◽  
Chia-Nan Wang ◽  
Ka Yin Chau ◽  
Van Thanh Nguyen ◽  
Viet Tinh Nguyen

The uses and management of capital is extremely important to the operation of any businesses. However, not all businesses have available capital, so the use of loans in many different forms is always an effective solution in managing corporate finance. Accompanying with businesses, many financial leasing companies have implemented products and programs to lend money to businesses with low interest rates. So, choosing the best financial leasing company is a primary concern of businesses. To increase competitiveness, financial leasing companies often offer preferential conditions to attract businesses. Choosing the best financial leasing service to leasing is important and necessary to those businesses. Thus, the selection of a financial leasing company by small and medium enterprises benefits from the application of Multicriteria Decision-Making (MCDM) methods which allows the decision maker to consider various qualitative and quantitative criteria. In this article, the author applied Fuzzy Analytical Network Process (FANP) to calculate the related criteria weights of the financial leasing company selection problem of businesses. Then, the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) is applied to rank the potential decision-making units. This research establishes one complete and efficient model for financial leasing company selection using FANP and TOPSIS methods. The proposed model is then applied into a real-world case study to demonstrate its feasibility.


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