scholarly journals From Rural Spaces to Peri-Urban Districts: Metropolitan Growth, Sparse Settlements and Demographic Dynamics in a Mediterranean Region

Land ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 200
Author(s):  
Rosanna Salvia ◽  
Rares Halbac-Cotoara-Zamfir ◽  
Sirio Cividino ◽  
Luca Salvati ◽  
Giovanni Quaranta
Keyword(s):  
Regional Scale ◽  
Large City ◽  
Urban Dispersion ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Economic Expansion ◽  
Rural Districts ◽  
Demographic Dynamics ◽  
Metropolitan Growth ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Peripheral Areas

Considering settlement characteristics and population dynamics together over multiple spatio-temporal scales, the present study analyzes the spatial distribution of sparse settlements and population surrounding a large city in Southern Europe (Athens, Greece), in relation with long-term metropolitan growth and recent economic downturns. Results of the analysis identify regional-scale processes of urban compaction during economic expansion (2000s) with incorporation of scattered settlements in a high-density urban fabric, and moderate urban dispersion affecting low-density, peripheral areas in the subsequent period of recession (2010s). However, more heterogeneous dynamics were observed at the local scale. With economic expansion, a slight increase in the number of settlements was observed in local districts experiencing intense sprawl in earlier decades. With recession, a slight decrease in the number of settlements was, in turn, recorded in some rural districts surrounding compact urban centers, likely acting as local hotspots of urban re-densification. Given the multiplicity of socioeconomic factors involved, our findings highlight how urban development follows sequential phases of compaction and dispersion, based on locally differentiated spatial regimes characterizing settlement expansion and population growth. Sustainable urban management should face more actively with increasingly fragmented settlement dynamics at the fringe, prefiguring an appropriate spatial balance between urban centers and sparse settlements in light of recent demographic trends.

Spatial modeling of air pollution based on data streams from geosensor networks

2018 ◽  
Vol 930 (12) ◽  
pp. 39-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
V.P. Savinikh ◽  
A.A. Maiorov ◽  
A.V. Materuhin
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Data Streams ◽  
Spatial Modeling ◽  
Spatial Model ◽  
Large City ◽  
Field Tests ◽  
Processing Unit ◽  
Geosensor Network ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Different Sources

The article is a brief summary of current research results of the authors in the field of spatial modeling of air pollution based on spatio-temporal data streams from geosensor networks. The urban environment is characterized by the presence of a large number of different sources of emissions and rapidly proceeding processes of contamination spread. So for the development of an adequate spatial model is required to make measurements with a large spatial and temporal resolution. It is shown that geosensor network provide researchers with the opportunity to obtain data with the necessary spatio-temporal detail. The article describes a prototype of a geosensor network to build a detailed spatial model of air pollution in a large city. To create a geosensor in the prototype of the system, calibrated gas sensors for a nitrogen dioxide and carbon monoxide concentrations measurement were interfaced to the module, which consist of processing unit and communication unit. At present, the authors of the article conduct field tests of the prototype developed.

scholarly journals iBikeSafe: A Multi-Parameter System for Monitoring, Evaluation and Visualization of Cycling Paths in Smart Cities Targeted at Cycling Adverse Conditions

Smart Cities ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 1058-1086
Author(s):  
Franklin Oliveira ◽  
Daniel G. Costa ◽  
Luciana Lima ◽  
Ivanovitch Silva
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Large City ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Parameter System ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Adverse Conditions ◽  
Last Mile ◽  
Real Scenario

The fast transformation of the urban centers, pushed by the impacts of climatic changes and the dramatic events of the COVID-19 Pandemic, will profoundly influence our daily mobility. This resulted scenario is expected to favor adopting cleaner and flexible modal solutions centered on bicycles and scooters, especially as last-mile options. However, as the use of bicycles has rapidly increased, cyclists have been subject to adverse conditions that may affect their health and safety when cycling in urban areas. Therefore, whereas cities should implement mechanisms to monitor and evaluate adverse conditions in cycling paths, cyclists should have some effective mechanism to visualize the indirect quality of cycling paths, eventually supporting choosing more appropriate routes. Therefore, this article proposes a comprehensive multi-parameter system based on multiple independent subsystems, covering all phases of data collecting, formatting, transmission, and processing related to the monitoring, evaluating, and visualizing the quality of cycling paths in the perspective of adverse conditions that affect cyclist. The formal interactions of all modules are carefully described, as well as implementation and deployment details. Additionally, a case study is considered for a large city in Brazil, demonstrating how the proposed system can be adopted in a real scenario.

scholarly journals Investigating the Spatio-Temporal Variation of Soil Moisture and Agricultural Drought towards Supporting Water Resources Management in the Red River Basin of Vietnam

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 4926
Author(s):  
Nguyen Duc Luong ◽  
Nguyen Hoang Hiep ◽  
Thi Hieu Bui
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
River Basin ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Red River ◽  
Agricultural Drought ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Red River Basin ◽  
Spatio Temporal

The increasing serious droughts recently might have significant impacts on socioeconomic development in the Red River basin (RRB). This study applied the variable infiltration capacity (VIC) model to investigate spatio-temporal dynamics of soil moisture in the northeast, northwest, and Red River Delta (RRD) regions of the RRB part belongs to territory of Vietnam. The soil moisture dataset simulated for 10 years (2005–2014) was utilized to establish the soil moisture anomaly percentage index (SMAPI) for assessing intensity of agricultural drought. Soil moisture appeared to co-vary with precipitation, air temperature, evapotranspiration, and various features of land cover, topography, and soil type in three regions of the RRB. SMAPI analysis revealed that more areas in the northeast experienced severe droughts compared to those in other regions, especially in the dry season and transitional months. Meanwhile, the northwest mainly suffered from mild drought and a slightly wet condition during the dry season. Different from that, the RRD mainly had moderately to very wet conditions throughout the year. The areas of both agricultural and forested lands associated with severe drought in the dry season were larger than those in the wet season. Generally, VIC-based soil moisture approach offered a feasible solution for improving soil moisture and agricultural drought monitoring capabilities at the regional scale.

scholarly journals Indicators of the Tourist Attractiveness of Urban–Rural Communes and Sustainability of Peripheral Areas

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (12) ◽  
pp. 6968
Author(s):  
Natalia Świdyńska ◽  
Mirosława Witkowska-Dąbrowska
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Regional Development ◽  
Development Pattern ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Global Trends ◽  
Urban Rural ◽  
Tourist Infrastructure ◽  
Peripheral Areas ◽  
The Impact ◽  
New Jobs

The elements which determine a peripheral area’s level of tourist attractiveness, such as tourist infrastructure and tourist values, should be developed in urban–rural communes in peripheral areas, where tourism may be one of the forces capable of stimulating sustainable development. This study covered urban–rural communes of the province of Warmia and Mazury in Poland. Urban–rural communes are specific areas where urban–rural linkages are often important. The research was carried out in accordance with Hellwig’s taxonomic development pattern method. The study found no complementary relationship between tourism values and tourism infrastructure with regards to creating tourism attractiveness. Tourism attractiveness was found to be more affected by tourism infrastructure. However, in units with larger urban centers, tourist values were found to significantly contribute to tourist attractiveness. The presented results provide a good basis for further research on the impact of global trends on regional development. At the same time, the analyzed framework provides guidance for ensuring the development of local tourism, and the study’s suggested priorities and measures could lead to the development of tourism in peripheral regions, which should in turn attract new investments, create new jobs, and thus develop the economy and the welfare of the population.

scholarly journals Simulating Spatio-Temporal Patterns of Bicycle Flows with an Agent-Based Model

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 88
Author(s):  
Dana Kaziyeva ◽  
Martin Loidl ◽  
Gudrun Wallentin
Keyword(s):  
Regional Scale ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Wide Field ◽  
Traffic Patterns ◽  
Agent Based Model ◽  
Validation Data ◽  
Agent Based ◽  
Mobility Behavior ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Models Validation

Transport planning strategies regard cycling promotion as a suitable means for tackling problems connected with motorized traffic such as limited space, congestion, and pollution. However, the evidence base for optimizing cycling promotion is weak in most cases, and information on bicycle patterns at a sufficient resolution is largely lacking. In this paper, we propose agent-based modeling to simulate bicycle traffic flows at a regional scale level for an entire day. The feasibility of the model is demonstrated in a use case in the Salzburg region, Austria. The simulation results in distinct spatio-temporal bicycle traffic patterns at high spatial (road segments) and temporal (minute) resolution. Scenario analysis positively assesses the model’s level of complexity, where the demographically parametrized behavior of cyclists outperforms stochastic null models. Validation with reference data from three sources shows a high correlation between simulated and observed bicycle traffic, where the predictive power is primarily related to the quality of the input and validation data. In conclusion, the implemented agent-based model successfully simulates bicycle patterns of 186,000 inhabitants within a reasonable time. This spatially explicit approach of modeling individual mobility behavior opens new opportunities for evidence-based planning and decision making in the wide field of cycling promotion

scholarly journals Holocene changes in African vegetation: tradeoff between climate and water availability

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 681-686 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Hély ◽  
A.-M. Lézine ◽  
APD contributors
Keyword(s):  
West Africa ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Plant Distribution ◽  
Climate Conditions ◽  
Tropical Plants ◽  
Plant Migration ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Instrumental Records

Abstract. Although past climate change is well documented in West Africa through instrumental records, modeling activities, and paleo-data, little is known about regional-scale ecosystem vulnerability and long-term impacts of climate on plant distribution and biodiversity. Here we use paleohydrological and paleobotanical data to discuss the relation between available surface water, monsoon rainfall and vegetation distribution in West Africa during the Holocene. The individual patterns of plant migration or community shifts in latitude are explained by differences among tolerance limits of species to rainfall amount and seasonality. Using the probability density function methodology, we show here that the widespread development of lakes, wetlands and rivers at the time of the "Green Sahara" played an additional role in forming a network of topographically defined water availability, allowing for tropical plants to migrate north from 15 to 24° N (reached ca. 9 cal ka BP). The analysis of the spatio–temporal changes in biodiversity, through both pollen occurrence and richness, shows that the core of the tropical rainbelt associated with the Intertropical Convergence Zone was centered at 15–20° N during the early Holocene wet period, with comparatively drier/more seasonal climate conditions south of 15° N.

Combining static and dynamic environmental factors at various scales to predict shallow landsliding in South Tyrol, Italy – The Proslide project

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin Kohrs ◽  
 Lotte de Vugt ◽  
Thomas Zieher ◽  
Alice Crespi ◽  
Mattia Rossi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Regional Scale ◽  
Remote Sensing Data ◽  
Predisposing Factors ◽  
Physical Models ◽  
Data Driven ◽  
Catchment Scale ◽  
Heterogeneous Model ◽  
South Tyrol ◽  
Daily Precipitation Data ◽  
Spatio Temporal

<p>Shallow landslides in alpine environments can constitute a serious threat to the exposed elements. The spatio-temporal occurrence of such slope movements is controlled by a combination of predisposing factors (e.g. topography), preparatory factors (e.g. wet periods, snow melting) and landslide triggers (e.g. heavy precipitation events).  </p><p>For large study areas, landslide assessments frequently focus either on the static predisposing factors to estimate landslide susceptibility using data-driven procedures, or exclusively on the triggering events to derive empirical rainfall thresholds. For smaller areas, dynamic physical models can reasonably be parameterized to simultaneously account for static and dynamic landslide controls.  </p><p>The recently accepted Proslide project aims to develop and test methods with the potential to improve the predictability of landslides for the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is envisaged to account for a variety of innovative input data at multiple spatio-temporal scales. In this context, we seek to exploit remote sensing data for the spatio-temporal description of landslide controlling factors (e.g. precipitation RADAR; satellite soil moisture) and to develop models that allow an integration of heterogeneous model inputs using both, data-driven approaches (regional scale) and physically-based models (catchment scale). This contribution presents the core ideas and methodical framework behind the Proslide project and its very first results (e.g. relationships between landslide observations and gridded daily precipitation data at regional scale). </p>

scholarly journals Urban Growth and Demographic Dynamics in Southern Europe: Toward a New Statistical Approach to Regional Science

2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 2765 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariateresa Ciommi ◽  
Francesco Chelli ◽  
Margherita Carlucci ◽  
Luca Salvati
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Population Decline ◽  
Land Use Patterns ◽  
Urban Forms ◽  
Use Patterns ◽  
Demographic Dynamics ◽  
Steep Decline ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Linear Regression Modeling

Metropolitan growth in Europe has resulted in drastic changes of urban forms, socio-spatial structures and land-use patterns due to sequential processes of urbanization, suburbanization and re-urbanization. To assess latent shifts from mono-centric models towards more disarticulated and decentralized settlement configurations, the present study evaluates spatio-temporal patterns of growth between the 1920s and the 2010s in three Mediterranean cities with different structure and functions (Barcelona: compact and moderately polycentric; Rome: dispersed, medium-density; Athens: mono-centric, hyper-compact). To identify and characterize long-term urban transformations, an original approach was illustrated in this study, based on a multivariate analysis of 13 indicators resulting from descriptive statistics and linear regression modeling the relationship between population density and distance from inner cities. The empirical results of this study indicate that Barcelona, Rome and Athens have experienced different urbanization cycles, characterized by a (more or less) concentrated distribution of population along urban gradients. Despite similarities in demographic dynamics and planning practices, these processes have determined (i) a mostly centralized growth in Barcelona, (ii) a relatively dispersed and discontinuous spatial structure in Rome, and (iii) a steep decline of population density with the distance from downtown Athens. Compact urban expansion, population decline and urban de-concentration were finally assessed using the analytical approach proposed in this study.

scholarly journals Analysis of the Contribution of Small Residential Care Centers for the Elderly to reduce the Socio Environmental Impact and Foster Entrepreneurship in Brazilian Megacities (São Paulo)

2016 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heloisa Candia Hollnagel ◽  
Luiz Jurandir Simões De Araújo ◽  
Ricardo Luiz Pereira Bueno
Keyword(s):  
Business Models ◽  
Elderly Care ◽  
Care Center ◽  
Life Quality ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Work Place ◽  
Decent Work ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
Peripheral Areas

On 2016 the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda officially came into force proposing that Governments can work to promote inclusive and sustainable economic growth, employment and decent work for all. This study aims to analyze the contribution of Residential Elderly Care Center – RECC to promote SD along with social support in urban centers of megacities. Considering that the current scenario presents: longer life expectancy and increasing numbers of older people; the growing presence of women in the market and the hierarchy of companies making more and more difficult for them to stay at home as well as the failure of public care structure to respond adequately to citizens’ demands new business models are welcome. While the families are getting smaller which removes potential caregivers within them, conversely mobility issues among peripheral areas and public institutions are increasing. Large arrangements for caring can be useful in some contexts, but generally, require commuting from home to the support structure and new public and private investments. The potential reduction of human daily dislocations could improve the environment and life quality in megacities in many aspects: decreasing vehicles CO2 emissions, pollution and the volume of traffic; giving practicality to everyday life of families with dependent members of care and generating new opportunities of small business. In addition, this new residential structures employment might reduce the need to shift the caregivers themselves to their work place, strengthen community bounds and not require immobilization of new properties of the exclusive use for Care centers in highly urbanized areas. The methodology used in this paper is based in the exploratory-descriptive and bibliographical-documentary method. Results of the study are corroborated by a series of complementary research of the authors. Conceptual step-by-step flowchart to assist an entrepreneur to open a RECC is described.

scholarly journals Global horizontal irradiation: spatio-temporal variability on a regional scale in the south of the Pampeana region (Argentina)

2021 ◽  
Vol 56 (2) ◽  
pp. 220-233
Author(s):  
María Eugenia Fernández ◽  
Jorge Osvaldo Gentili ◽  
Ana Casado ◽  
Alicia María Campo
Keyword(s):  
South America ◽  
Seasonal Dynamics ◽  
Temporal Variability ◽  
Cloud Cover ◽  
Regional Scale ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
The South ◽  
Monsoon System ◽  
Spatio Temporal ◽  
Dynamics Of Action

The objective of this work is to analyze the spatio-temporal distribution of Global Horizontal Irradiation (GHI) on a regional scale and its relationship with frequent synoptic situations in the south of the Pampeana region (Argentina). It was verified that the latitudinal pattern of distribution of the GHI is modified in the region by cloud cover, which is in turn determined by the seasonal dynamics of action centers and the passage of fronts in summer and winter. The South America Monsoon System (SAMS) defines differential situations of cloudiness and rainfall in the region, which affect GHI. GHI increased successively between the decades 1981–2010, a factor associated with the variability of rainfall that characterizes the region.

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