scholarly journals Effect of Road Traffic on Air Pollution. Experimental Evidence from COVID-19 Lockdown

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (21) ◽  
pp. 8984 ◽  
Author(s):  
Riccardo Rossi ◽  
Riccardo Ceccato ◽  
Massimiliano Gastaldi
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Traffic Flows ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Sources Of Pollution ◽  
Urban Contexts ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The City

The increasing concentration of human activities in cities has been leading to a worsening in air quality, thus negatively affecting the lives and health of humans living in urban contexts. Transport is one of the main sources of pollution in such environments. Several local authorities have therefore implemented strict traffic-restriction measures. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the effectiveness and limitations of these interventions, by analyzing the relationship between traffic flows and air quality. The used dataset contains concentrations of NO, NO2, NOx and PM10, vehicle counts and meteorology, all collected during the COVID-19 lockdown in the city of Padova (Italy), in which severe limitations to contain the spread of the virus simulated long and large-scale traffic restrictions in normal conditions. In particular, statistical tests, correlation analyses and multivariate linear regression models were applied to non-rainy days in 2020, 2018 and 2017, in order to isolate the effect of traffic. Analysis indicated that vehicle flows significantly affect NO, NO2, and NOx concentrations, although no evidence of a relationship between traffic and PM10 was highlighted. According to this perspective, measures to limit traffic flows seem to be effective in improving air quality only in terms of reducing nitrogen oxide.

scholarly journals Contrasts in Innovation: Pittsburgh Then and Now

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J Madison
Keyword(s):  
Steel Industry ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Production Model ◽  
Local Conditions ◽  
Industrial Economy ◽  
Industrial Regions ◽  
Post Industrial ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The City

Assessments of the relationship among law, innovation, and economic growth often begin with one or more propositions of law or law practice and predict how changes might affect innovation or business practice. This approach is problematic when applied to questions of regional economic development, because historic and contemporary local conditions vary considerably. This paper takes a different tack. It takes a snapshot of one recovering post-industrial economy, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. For most of the 20th century, Pittsburgh's steelmakers were leading examples worldwide of American economic prowess. Pittsburgh was so vibrant with industry that a late 19th century travel writer called Pittsburgh "hell with the lid taken off," and he meant that as a compliment. In the early 1980s, however, Pittsburgh's steel economy collapsed, a victim of changing worldwide demand for steel and the industry's inflexible commitment to a large-scale integrated production model. As the steel industry collapsed, the Pittsburgh region collapsed, too. Unemployment in some parts of the Pittsburgh region peaked at 20%. More than 100,000 manufacturing jobs disappeared. Tens of thousands of residents moved away annually. Over the last 30 years, Pittsburgh has slowly recovered, building a new economy that balances limited manufacturing with a broad range of high quality services. In 2009, President Barack Obama took note of the region's rebirth by selecting the city to host a summit of the Group of 20 (G-20) finance ministers. The paper describes the characteristics of Pittsburgh today and measures the state of its renewal. It considers the extent, if any, to which law and the legal system have contributed to Pittsburgh's modern success, and it identifies lessons that this Pittsburgh case study might offer for other recovering and transitioning post-industrial regions.

scholarly journals The impact of ship emissions on air quality and human health in the Gothenburg area – Part 1: 2012 emissions

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (12) ◽  
pp. 7509-7530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lin Tang ◽  
Martin O. P. Ramacher ◽  
Jana Moldanová ◽  
Volker Matthias ◽  
Matthias Karl ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Ship Emissions ◽  
The North ◽  
Relative Contribution ◽  
Premature Deaths ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
The Baltic ◽  
The Impact ◽  
The City

Abstract. Ship emissions in and around ports are of interest for urban air quality management in many harbour cities. We investigated the impact of regional and local ship emissions on urban air quality for 2012 conditions in the city of Gothenburg, Sweden, the largest cargo port in Scandinavia. In order to assess the effects of ship emissions, a coupled regional- and local-scale model system has been set up using ship emissions in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea as well as in and around the port of Gothenburg. Ship emissions were calculated with the Ship Traffic Emission Assessment Model (STEAM), taking into account individual vessel characteristics and vessel activity data. The calculated contributions from local and regional shipping to local air pollution in Gothenburg were found to be substantial, especially in areas around the city ports. The relative contribution from local shipping to annual mean NO2 concentrations was 14 % as the model domain average, while the relative contribution from regional shipping in the North Sea and the Baltic Sea was 26 %. In an area close to the city terminals, the contribution of NO2 from local shipping (33 %) was higher than that of road traffic (28 %), which indicates the importance of controlling local shipping emissions. Local shipping emissions of NOx led to a decrease in the summer mean O3 levels in the city by 0.5 ppb (∼2 %) on average. Regional shipping led to a slight increase in O3 concentrations; however, the overall effect of regional and the local shipping together was a small decrease in the summer mean O3 concentrations in the city. In addition, volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from local shipping compensate up to 4 ppb of the decrease in summer O3 concentrations due to the NO titration effect. For particulate matter with a median aerodynamic diameter less than or equal to 2.5 µm (PM2.5), local ship emissions contributed only 3 % to the annual mean in the model domain, while regional shipping under 2012 conditions was a larger contributor, with an annual mean contribution of 11 % of the city domain average. Based on the modelled local and regional shipping contributions, the health effects of PM2.5, NO2 and ozone were assessed using the ALPHA-RiskPoll (ARP) model. An effect of the shipping-associated PM2.5 exposure in the modelled area was a mean decrease in the life expectancy by 0.015 years per person. The relative contribution of local shipping to the impact of total PM2.5 was 2.2 %, which can be compared to the 5.3 % contribution from local road traffic. The relative contribution of the regional shipping was 10.3 %. The mortalities due to the exposure to NO2 associated with shipping were calculated to be 2.6 premature deaths yr−1. The relative contribution of local and regional shipping to the total exposure to NO2 in the reference simulation was 14 % and 21 %, respectively. The shipping-related ozone exposures were due to the NO titration effect leading to a negative number of premature deaths. Our study shows that overall health impacts of regional shipping can be more significant than those of local shipping, emphasizing that abatement policy options on city-scale air pollution require close cooperation across governance levels. Our findings indicate that the strengthened Sulphur Emission Control Areas (SECAs) fuel sulphur limit from 1 % to 0.1 % in 2015, leading to a strong decrease in the formation of secondary particulate matter on a regional scale was an important step in improving the air quality in the city.

scholarly journals Does changing to brighter road lighting improve road safety? Multilevel longitudinal analysis of road traffic collision frequency during the relighting of a UK city

2020 ◽  
Vol 74 (5) ◽  
pp. 467-472 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paul Marchant ◽  
James David Hale ◽  
Jon Paul Sadler
Keyword(s):  
Road Safety ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Multilevel Modelling ◽  
Personal Injury ◽  
Light Emitting ◽  
Road Lighting ◽  
Road Traffic Collision ◽  
White Light Emitting Diodes ◽  
The City

BackgroundA step change in the night environment is taking place, with the large-scale installation of bright, broad-spectrum road lighting such as white light-emitting diodes (LEDs). One justification for this is a reduction in road traffic collisions (RTCs). This study aimed to estimate the effect of new lighting on personal injury RTCs within a large UK city.MethodsWe analysed a 9-year time series of weekly RTC personal injury counts in 132 areas of the city using multilevel modelling. The RTC rate over a full 24-hour period was the primary outcome; darkness and daylight RTC rates were secondary. The background change in RTC rate was separated from the change associated with the number of newly installed bright lamps by including a polynomial underlying time trend for the logarithm of the mean number of collisions per week for each area. The study was based on a rigorous, predesigned and archived protocol.ResultsWithin-area coefficients for the broad lighting effect were positive; as the number of bright lamps in an area increased, so did the RTC rate. The estimate for the increase in the within-area 24-hour RTC rate is 11% (95% CI 2% to 20%). The estimate of darkness-only RTCs is 16% (95% CI 2% to 32%). If the effect of lighting on darkness RTC rate is adjusted by that for daylight, one obtains 4% (95% CI −12% to +23%).ConclusionNo evidence was found for bright lamps leading to an improvement in road safety in any of the analyses. For this city, introducing brighter road lighting may have compromised safety rather than reducing harm.

scholarly journals Locus of Control Memoderasi Pengganggaran Partisipatif terhadap Kinerja Manajerial (Studi Pada Pemerintah Daerah Kota Ternate)

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-198
Author(s):  
Iwan S. Seber ◽  
Irsad Muhammad
Keyword(s):  
Locus Of Control ◽  
Random Sampling ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Control Variable ◽  
Civil Servants ◽  
Participatory Budgeting ◽  
Managerial Performance ◽  
Budget Planning ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The City

This study examines the effect of participatory budgeting on managerial performance with locus of control as a moderating variable. Proposional random sampling is a technique used in this study. There were 108 state civil servants within the regional apparatus organization in the city of Ternate as respondents in this study. The results of statistical tests show that the locus of control variable moderates the relationship between participatory budgeting and managerial performance. Partially, participatory budgeting has an effect on managerial performance. The implication of this research is that it can be used by regional apparatus organizations to design budget planning arrangements in the city of Ternate. 

scholarly journals Urbanisation Footprints and the Distribution of Air Quality in Nairobi City, Kenya

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Maurice O Oyugi
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Correlation Coefficients ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Urban Morphology ◽  
Morphological Parameter ◽  
Land Uses ◽  
Morphological Variables ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The City ◽  
Morphological Variable

Various postulations on the relationship between urban morphology and air quality are qualitative. This fails to establish the strength of the contributions of each morphological parameter in the spatial distribution of the air quality. It is this gap in knowledge that this study sought to fill by modelling the correlation existing between the urban morphological variables of development density, land uses, biomass index and air quality values of Nairobi city. While 30 development zones of the city constituted the target population, IKONOS satellite imagery of the city for the year 2015 was utilised in establishing the development densities, land uses and biomass index. The parameters were transformed into numerical surrogates ranging from 1 to 10 with lower values accorded to zones with low biomass index, the highest development density, noxious land uses, high gaseous concentrations and vice-versa. Pearson’s correlation coefficients (r), coefficients of determination (R), t-tests and the Analysis of Variance (F-tests) with levels of significance being 95% were used to determine the strengths, significances and consistencies of the established relationships. The study established that development density is the most significant morphological variable influencing the distribution of air quality. This is followed by biomass index and to a weaker extent, land uses.

scholarly journals Memory and change through Le Corbusier. Fragments of urban views

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabiola Gorgeri
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Le Corbusier ◽  
Three Dimension ◽  
World War ◽  
Palabras Clave ◽  
Urban Project ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The City ◽  
New Buildings

Abstract: In the urban project of Le Corbusier the relationship between new and existing is opportunity of poetic composition. The real traces of the past of one place are transformative tools by which the new project is developed. The projects after World War II, like reconstruction project of Saint-Dié, are occasions to reflect about the new urban developments, rapid and extensive, and the relation of them with the landscape in a new territorial vision. The fragments of past and the new buildings are seen like belonging to a same context of reference and the entire urban composition forming part of a landscape on more large scale. Therefore, the urban project is an ensemble of architectural objects and nature that are held together by calculated visual relation. It is a kind of montage of urban views related to the dimension and measure of the human subject, like visual points or pedestrian paths. Memory and change are linked together by the natural history process and commensurate also to the human measure by a three dimension urbanism where the architecture can anew make the city. Resumen: En el proyecto urbanístico de Le Corbusier la relación entre la nueva y la existente es la oportunidad de la composición poética. Las huellas reales del pasado de un lugar son herramientas de transformación por el que se desarrolla el nuevo proyecto. Los proyectos después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, como el proyecto de reconstrucción de Saint-Dié, son ocasiones para reflexionar acerca de los nuevos desarrollos urbanos, rápidas y amplias, y la relación de ellos con el paisaje en una nueva visión territorial. Los fragmentos del pasado y los nuevos edificios son vistos como pertenecientes a un mismo contexto de referencia y toda la composición que forma parte urbana de un paisaje de más gran escala. Por lo tanto, el proyecto urbano es un conjunto de objetos arquitectónicos y la naturaleza que se mantienen unidas por la relación visual calculada. Es una especie de montaje de vistas urbanas relacionadas con la dimensión y la medida del ser humano, al igual que los puntos visuales o caminos peatonales. La memoria y el cambio están unidos entre sí por el proceso de la historia natural y acorde también a la medida humana por un tres dimensiones urbanismo donde la arquitectura de nuevo puede hacer de la ciudad.  Keywords: urban project; landscape; memory; Saint-Dié. Palabras clave: proyecto urbano; paisaje; memoria; Saint-Dié. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4995/LC2015.2015.927 

scholarly journals CRANIAL MEASUREMENTS

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (08) ◽  
pp. 1034-1038
Author(s):  
Mohammad Afzal Khan ◽  
Muhammad Naeem Chaudhry ◽  
Faris Mohammed Nour Altaf
Keyword(s):  
Linear Regression ◽  
Correlation Coefficient ◽  
Linear Regression Models ◽  
Cranial Measurements ◽  
Different Populations ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Head Height ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
The City ◽  
Gender Specific

Human body exhibits regular age, sex and race dependent proportions amongstits various segments relative to its height. Knowledge of the cranial morphometry is importantfrom clinical and forensic view point. The stature of a person being genetically predeterminedis an inherent characteristic, the estimation of which is considered to be important assessmentin identification of human remains. Norms of regression formulae for calculation of height arerequired for different populations. Objectives: To document norms for cranial dimensions andpresent linear regression formulae for stature prediction in adult male and female populationof Southern Punjab. Place and duration of study: The study was conducted at the MultanMedical and Dental College, Multan and took about fourteen months to complete. Materialand methods: The study was conducted on 672 adult individuals (430 males and 242 females)from in and around the city of Multan in Punjab. Measurements of the head including maximumcranial length (glabella-inion length), maximum cranial breadth (maximum bi-parietal diameter)and maximum auricular head height were taken. Results were expressed as mean ± SD.Height was measured in standing anatomical position. Correlation coefficient of Pearsonwas used to find the relationship between various cranial dimensions using which the linearregression formulae to predict the stature were derived. Results: The mean height of the studypopulation was found to be significantly different between genders. The males appeared tobe considerably taller than females. The mean cranial length, cranial breadth and auricularhead height the measurements were larger significantly in the males as compared to females.Pearson’s correlation coefficient between stature and cranial measurements was found to behighly positive for both sexes. Linear regression formulae to predict the stature from the cranialdimensions were derived. Conclusion: The study is conducted to document norms for cranialdimensions and it presented gender specific linear regression models for stature prediction inadult South Punjab population.

scholarly journals LIFE MONZA: project description and actions’ updating

Noise Mapping ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Bartalucci ◽  
Francesco Borchi ◽  
Monica Carfagni ◽  
Rocco Furferi ◽  
Lapo Governi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Air Pollutants ◽  
Road Traffic ◽  
Ambient Air ◽  
Limit Values ◽  
Low Emission ◽  
Project Description ◽  
Air Quality Improvement ◽  
The City

Abstract The introduction of Low Emission Zones, urban areas subject to road traffic restrictions in order to ensure compliance with the air pollutants limit values set by the European Directive on ambient air quality (2008/50/EC), is a common and well-established action in the administrative government of cities. The impacts on air quality improvement are widely analysed, whereas the effects and benefits concerning the noise have not been addressed in a comprehensive manner. As a consequence, the definition, the criteria for the analysis and the management methods of a Noise Low Emission Zone are not clearly expressed and shared yet. The LIFE MONZA project (Methodologies fOr Noise low emission Zones introduction And management - LIFE15 ENV/IT/000586) addresses these issues. The first objective of the project, co-funded by the European Commission, is to introduce an easy-replicable method for the identification and the management of the Noise Low Emission Zone, an urban area subject to traffic restrictions, whose impacts and benefits regarding noise issues will be analyzed and tested in the pilot area of the city of Monza, located in Northern Italy. Background conditions, structure, objectives of the project and actions’ progress will be discussed in this article.

scholarly journals URBAN SPRAWL PATTERN AND EFFECTIVE FACTORS ON THEM: THE CASE OF URMIA CITY, IRAN

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamal MOHAMMADI ◽  
Asghar ZARABI ◽  
Omid MOBARAK
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Urban Sprawl ◽  
Urban Growth ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Land Uses ◽  
Effective Factors ◽  
Substitution Process ◽  
Urban Contexts ◽  
The City

Urban sprawl has become a remarkable characteristic of urban development worldwide in the last decades. Urban sprawl refers to the extent of urbanization, which is a global phenomenon mainly driven by population growth and large scale migration. In developing countries like Iran, urban sprawl is taking its toll on the natural resources at an alarming pace. The purpose of this paper is to study urban growth and effective factors on them in the city of Urmia, Iran. We used quantitive data of the study area from the period between 1989 and 2007, and population censuses of Urmia. To measure the model of urban growth, Holderness and Shannon’s entropy were employed. The Urmia case is interesting for several reasons: first, it is a case of very fast urban growth even for a developing country; second, it illustrates how the fastest rates of urban sprawl may correspond to middle size cities rather than to large centers. Third, it portrays a land substitution process in which agricultural land is not the primary provider of urban land which is relatively rare in urban contexts, and fourth, it also illustrates how urban sprawl may also hide important internal land uses such as the presence of agricultural plots within urban boundaries.

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