scholarly journals Towards Sustainable Urban Development: the Ukrainian situation

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 92-100
Author(s):  
Patrizia Gazzola ◽  
Olena Dymchenko ◽  
Volodymyr Sribnyi ◽  
Olena Panova

Abstract The continuing process of urbanization sets up urgent issues of environmental degradation resulting in disrupting opportunities to enhance quality of life of the population. In Ukraine, the anthropogenic and human impacts on the environment are several times higher than in developed countries. Thus, life expectancy in Ukraine is on average around 68 years (e.g. in Italy – 82, Sweden - 80, Poland - 74) which is largely due to the environmental pollution which is the result of production activities of mining, metallurgy, chemical industries, fuel and energy complex. Therefore, there is a strong need in the Ukrainian society to address the consequences of powerful external forces as environmental pollution and climate change, and internal forces as socioeconomic development. These forces play a role at all levels but are prevalent at urban levels. Cities are not isolated entities; they interact with their surroundings, economically, socio-politically and environmentally. Urban development toward sustainability has to consider the capacity of the entire ecosystem to support such development including the prevention and mitigation of adverse environmental impacts of the outside urban areas. Hence, cities are unique territories to implement green economy opportunities to ensure the development of sustainable societies. Exploring different dimensions of sustainability should be connected with the exploration of urban processes and developments on a global level. This connection shows how sustainability can be destroyed or ensured. Sustainability should be based on social cohesion in local urban areas and contribute to sustainable urban development.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 766
Author(s):  
Yuanmao Zheng ◽  
Qiang Zhou ◽  
Yuanrong He ◽  
Cuiping Wang ◽  
Xiaorong Wang ◽  
...  

Quantitative and accurate urban land information on regional and global scales is urgently required for studying socioeconomic and eco-environmental problems. The spatial distribution of urban land is a significant part of urban development planning, which is vital for optimizing land use patterns and promoting sustainable urban development. Composite nighttime light (NTL) data from the Defense Meteorological Program Operational Line-Scan System (DMSP-OLS) have been proven to be effective for extracting urban land. However, the saturation and blooming within the DMSP-OLS NTL hinder its capacity to provide accurate urban information. This paper proposes an optimized approach that combines NTL with multiple index data to overcome the limitations of extracting urban land based only on NTL data. We combined three sources of data, the DMSP-OLS, the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), and the normalized difference water index (NDWI), to establish a novel approach called the vegetation–water-adjusted NTL urban index (VWANUI), which is used to rapidly extract urban land areas on regional and global scales. The results show that the proposed approach reduces the saturation of DMSP-OLS and essentially eliminates blooming effects. Next, we developed regression models based on the normalized DMSP-OLS, the human settlement index (HSI), the vegetation-adjusted NTL urban index (VANUI), and the VWANUI to analyze and estimate urban land areas. The results show that the VWANUI regression model provides the highest performance of all the models tested. To summarize, the VWANUI reduces saturation and blooming, and improves the accuracy with which urban areas are extracted, thereby providing valuable support and decision-making references for designing sustainable urban development.


Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (5) ◽  
pp. 1024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ashraf Abdelkarim ◽  
Ahmed Gaber ◽  
Ahmed Youssef ◽  
Biswajeet Pradhan

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.


2021 ◽  
Vol 296 ◽  
pp. 03006
Author(s):  
Inna Baranova ◽  
Maria Vlasenko ◽  
Tamara Dzholdosheva ◽  
Eugenia Prikhodko

The reuse of industrial zones is becoming one of the determinants of sustainable urban development, which ensures the effective use of urban areas, taking into account the principle of their integrated development. However, the modern urbanized environment has serious environmental problems, which limits the active use of the redevelopment tool. The conducted research of the implemented redevelopment projects showed that their main share is accounted for the construction of apartments and housing, multinational complexes, creative spaces and offices. The results of the cluster analysis of the territories of Russia allowed the authors to identify the most promising regions for redevelopment.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 121
Author(s):  
Jose Manuel Diaz-Sarachaga

Losses from commercial activities reflect the decline and deterioration of the downtown, the urban fabric and the social structure of the cities. The dependence on motorized vehicles has grown significantly among consumers who must move to meet their daily needs. Such a process marginalizes vulnerable populations by promoting urban lifestyles less sustainable. Proximity trade is therefore becoming increasingly important for those groups because it encourages dynamism among distinct urban areas and reduces the use of vehicles. This urban model addresses a relevant issue as universal accessibility that allows residents to enjoy an available city and move freely without encountering obstacles. The major role played by trade in the creation of wealth and urban fabric demands the integration of commercial areas provisions into urban policy guidelines. In this context, the study aims at developing a set of indicators that link proximity trade with the promotion of sustainable urban development and the model of compact city to be included in Spanish urban planning guidelines. Sixteen indicators were thus formulated around five areas of action: urban morphology, urban complexity, sustainable mobility, urban metabolism and social cohesion.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (9) ◽  
pp. 2351
Author(s):  
Paola Clerici Maestosi

This Special Issue of Energies “Smart Cities and Positive Energy Districts: Urban Perspectives in 2020” introduce contemporary research on Smart Cities and on Positive Energy Districts. The topic highlights the variety of research within this field: from the analysis of 61 Positive Energy Districts cases to papers illustrating the Positive Energy Districts dimension or Smart Energy Communities supporting low carbon energy transition as well as selected Smart Cities Experiences. The focus is thus given on how RD&I stakeholders and Municipalities are facing sustainable urban development challenges. An overview of Horizon Europe RD&I program on sustainable urban areas is provided.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 ◽  
Author(s):  
Narimah Samat ◽  
Mohd Amirul Mahamud ◽  
Mohammad Javad Maghsoodi Tilaki ◽  
Mohd Azmeer Abu Bakar ◽  
Leong Tan Mou ◽  
...  

Urban encroachment into the peri-urban areas has blurred the borders between urban and rural areas. Thus, the urban growth boundary (UGB) has been used to encourage the sustainable development of cities and improve long-term planning efficiency. Studying the understanding of the UGB concept in ensuring sustainable development in Malaysia would be beneficial. This study aimed to investigate the perception and understanding of the UGB concept and function to achieve sustainable urban development. An online survey was conducted involving 82 experts, which comprised planners from PLANMalaysia and academicians in the field of urban planning. Results indicated that the perception of the UGB score was significantly greater by 1.16 than the normal score of 3, which indicated that the experts agreed that UGB could improve the urban development. The findings also indicated that the existing planning policy and inclusion of UGB had protected agricultural and natural land; however, stricter and tighter borderless development should be conducted.


Author(s):  
Mozhgan Samzadeh ◽  
Zunaibi Abdullah ◽  
Saari Omar ◽  
Aniza Abdul Aziz

In the past few decades, cities from various parts of the world have faced with unplanned and uncontrolled physical expansion due to inappropriate policies. Among different solutions against urban sprawl, the dominant sustainable cure is the so-called 'Urban Consolidation' (UC). This paper aims to explore urban sprawl characteristics and present its cause and effect on the sustainability criteria of Shiraz city, Iran. It is confined to an exploration of population growth and physical expansion of the city. The data has been collected from governmental organizations and documents. This paper examines UC policy implementation in the inner city of Shiraz to control low-density urban sprawl. As the result, this paper discovers that the policy emphasizes on the higher density housing development in existing urban areas considering the capacity of infrastructures and facilities’ availability prior to calculate housing targets to decrease the demand for Greenfield development. It concludes with a brief discussion on the challenges to achieve sustainable urban development goals in the city through UC strategies.


Buildings ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (7) ◽  
pp. 116
Author(s):  
Ana Carolina Hyczy de Siqueira ◽  
Mohammad K. Najjar ◽  
Ahmed W. A. Hammad ◽  
Assed Haddad ◽  
Elaine Vazquez

The accelerated urban transition and its consequent unsustainability is a problem registered in several global scenarios. This issue has been identified in the city of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. One of the solutions provided for this theme is the application of specific methodologies to measure sustainability in urban areas such as the case of Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Neighborhood Development (LEED-ND). This work aims to analyze a real urban project, still in the executive project phase, Morro do Encontro project, in the scenario of the slum area of Rio de Janeiro based on the LEED-ND indicator system. The novelty of this study is to evaluate the existing relationships, between urban development actions and sustainability, through LEED-ND indicators, in the proposals of the Brazilian government plan PAC2, as a means of verifying their effectiveness. A total of 12 boards of the discipline of Urbanism in the executive project phase are studied. The analyzed items are divided into credit items and mandatory items. A total of 8% of credit items (CI) and 33% of mandatory items (MI) are attended. The results found indicated 47 sustainability items were not met and, therefore, can be improved. This comes back to the fact that 100% of the mandatory LEED-ND items were not achieved, which means that this project as it was conceived cannot be considered as a sustainable urban solution.


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