scholarly journals Nature-Based Solutions for Water Management in Peri-Urban Areas: Barriers and Lessons Learned from Implementation Experiences

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (23) ◽  
pp. 9799
Author(s):  
Nancy Andrea Ramírez-Agudelo ◽  
Roger Porcar Anento ◽  
Miriam Villares ◽  
Elisabet Roca
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Problem Solution ◽  
Institutional Economic ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Societal Challenges

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are defined by the European Commission as “actions that are inspired by, supported by, or copied from nature…” and that solve societal challenges and multiple benefits. As a result, NBS are often promoted as alternative responses that solve complex societal challenges such as watershed management, while delivering a systemic approach of multiple benefits for well-being, human health, and sustainable use of resources. Despite rising interest in NBS, further identification of experiences implementing NBS could advance our understanding of the operationalization of this comprehensive concept. For this purpose, we analyzed 35 peer-reviewed articles on implementation experiences of NBS for water management in peri-urban areas, on aspects related to (i) NBS problem–solution: water challenges, ecosystem services, scales, and types; (ii) NBS governance and management. From the insights of the analysis, this paper asks what lessons are learned, and which barriers are identified, from implementing NBS for water management in peri-urban areas? As a result, this study presents a detailed analysis of each aspect. We conclude by highlighting accountancy, monitoring, and communication as potential success factors for integration and development while diminishing the overall barrier of complexity, which leads to technical, institutional, economic, and social uncertainty.

scholarly journals Present challenges for future water sustainable cities: a case study from Italy

2013 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 151-166
Author(s):  
L. Bonzanigo ◽  
G. Sinnona
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Severe Drought ◽  
Sustainable Cities ◽  
Adaptation Measures ◽  
The Future ◽  
Italian Context ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. The global population is increasingly concentrated in cities. Cities and urban areas face many challenges – economic, social, health and environmental – which are often exacerbated by an increase in the frequency of natural disasters. Together, these challenges call for a shift towards sustainable cities which reduce their impact on the surrounding environment, whilst at the same time succeeding to make resources available to their increasing number of inhabitants. This article explores the state of the art of water management practices of the highly urbanised Northern Italian region and plans and scope for the future development of water management. Although the region is at present not under severe water stress, recently some cities faced water scarcity problems and were forced to implement water rationing. We assessed the vulnerability of Parma and Ferrara to a water crisis, together with the regular and emergency adaptation measures already in place, and the forecast for the near future. In two workshops, the authors adapted the Australian concept of Water Sensitive Urban Design for the Italian context. Although the population remains generally unaware of the impact of the two latest severe drought events (2003 and 2006/7), many adaptation measures towards a more sustainable use of the water resource are already in place – technically, institutionally, and individually. Water managers consider however that the drastic and definite changes needed to integrate the urban water management cycle, and which minimise the ecological footprint of urban spaces, lay far in the future.

scholarly journals Designing user-centred mHealth initiatives to promote healthy behaviours for children with disabilities: A feasibility/pilot study of the Jooay App (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Keiko Shikako-Thomas ◽  
Ebele RI Mogo ◽  
Valerie Grand-Maison ◽  
Robert Simpson ◽  
Lesley Pritchard-Wiart ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Children With Disabilities ◽  
Underserved Populations ◽  
Implementation Process ◽  
Health Behaviours ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mobile App ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Action Research Approach

BACKGROUND The gap between research and its practical application in community settings limits its impact on public health. Closing this gap has the potential to improve the well-being of underserved groups, such as children with disabilities. Mobile health holds promise in closing this gap by helping underserved populations build community and improve their access to community resources and supports that can lead to improved health behaviours. OBJECTIVE In this feasibility pilot, we describe the development of the mobile app, Jooay. Jooay was developed in partnership with stakeholders to facilitate access to leisure and physical activity community programs for children and youth with disabilities. We also reflect on the lessons learned throughout the implementation process that are relevant for improving health behaviours for children with disabilities. METHODS We used a participatory action research approach in the development of the app. We also administered a cross-sectional survey to current Jooay users and analysed various app usage indicators to explore use patterns and user feedback and preferences. Finally, we critically appraised the implementation process, using the best practices for implementation research by Peters et al. (2013). RESULTS Our analysis of usage data revealed that access to the Jooay app is concentrated in urban areas. Perceptions, attitudes, and information needs varied according to the type of user. Use of the mobile app changes over time, with usage decreasing after download, showing a need for sustained engagement of app users. Users found value in using the app to identify activities they would not otherwise know about. However, app use alone was not enough to improve participation. We also encountered challenges with survey recruitment and attrition, suggesting the need for more seamless and engaging means for data collection within this population. CONCLUSIONS Using the information gained from this study, we intend to improve the next iteration of the Jooay app to sustain user engagement and behaviour change. We will also conduct a larger study assessing the relationship between urban design and access to inclusive and adaptive leisure programs. This study will inform the improvement of app listings and an understanding of the different user groups.

scholarly journals Building capacity for mainstreaming nature-based solutions into environmental policy and landscape planning

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mario V Balzan ◽  
Judita Tomaskinova ◽  
Marcus Collier ◽  
Lynn Dicks ◽  
Davide Geneletti ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Green Infrastructure ◽  
Landscape Planning ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Research Strategy ◽  
Sustainable Solutions ◽  
Research And Innovation ◽  
Societal Challenges ◽  
Rapid Economic Growth ◽  
The Eu

Nature-based solutions (NBS) is a term often used to refer to adequate green infrastructure that provides multiple benefits to society whilst addressing societal challenges. They are defined as actions to protect, sustainably manage and restore natural or modified ecosystems that address societal challenges effectively and adaptively, simultaneously providing human well-being and biodiversity benefits. Malta, the smallest member state of the EU, has been characterised by rapid economic growth and urbanisation and Maltese citizens had the highest rate of exposure to pollution, grime or other environmental problems, in the EU. The project ReNature aims to establish and implement a nature-based solutions research strategy for Malta with a vision to promote research and innovation and develop sustainable solutions whilst improving human well-being and tackling environmental challenges. Here, we introduce the opening of ReNature collection of research articles in the Open Access Research Ideas and Outcomes (RIO) journal to publish unconventional research outputs and training materials. It will host key outputs relating to the sustainable use of biodiversity, biodiversity – ecosystem functioning, green infrastructure and ecosystem service assessments across rural-urban gradients, equitable access to the benefits derived from nature in cities and socio-environmental justice, payments for ecosystem services, and designing nature-based solutions.

scholarly journals Assessing Resources Management for Sharing Economy in Urban Logistics

Resources ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (9) ◽  
pp. 113
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Szmelter-Jarosz ◽  
Jagienka Rześny-Cieplińska ◽  
Andrzej Jezierski
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Sharing Economy ◽  
Local Market ◽  
Logistics System ◽  
Resources Management ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Modern Cities ◽  
Partial Analysis

Sharing economy requires cities to redefine their management strategies. As a consequence of the development of new ideas, the main aim of modern cities should focus on achieving the sustainable use of resources. In the existing literature, only a partial analysis of resources management in cities can be found. For this reason, the authors decided to prepare the framework for empirical research about resources management in sharing economy in cities, especially in the urban logistics system. The main aim of the study is systematizing criteria related to the assessment of the management of urban resources in the era of sharing economy. To achieve the goal of the research, a systematic literature review was made according to chosen approaches and procedures. This resulted in creating a set of criteria for the analysis and evaluation of resources management in urban areas. It contains five areas with 26 criteria and a map of assumed correlations between them. Those outcomes can be used by local authorities or even other urban logistics stakeholders to define or improve their actions aimed at developing a sharing economy services portfolio on the local market. Additionally, they constitute a set of initial information for further scientific research.

scholarly journals Efficiency Analysis of Water Conservation Measures in Sanitary Infrastructure Systems by Means of a Systemic Approach

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 3055
Author(s):  
Karoline Richter ◽  
Daniel Costa dos Santos ◽  
Aloísio Leoni Schmid
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Water Conservation ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Urban Water ◽  
Urban Water Management ◽  
Urban Impacts ◽  
Urban Water Use ◽  
Effective Drainage

The challenges of urban water management and sanitary infrastructure (water supply (WSS), sewage (SS), urban drainage (UDS) systems) are increasingly frequent in Brazilian cities whether as a combined result of overcrowding and/or a lack governmental interest and hence investments, in the sector. Such an increase in environmental pressure reflects directly on population welfare and well-being related to the availability of drinking water, wastewater treatment, and access to effective drainage systems in order to minimize, or at least reduce, the occurrence of urban flooding and associated public health risks. Thus, alternatives with an integrated approach to urban water management are interesting to the reality of countries such as Brazil. The urban water use (UWU) model is a strategic planning tool with integrated way of thinking, which selects measures to mitigate the urban impacts in sanitary infrastructure and buildings. In this sense, the objective of this research is to apply the UWU model in a case study in Curitiba/Brazil to demonstrate the effect of the systematic approach and its intrinsic synergies in the systems in question, promoting water conservation in urban areas. The results are favorable to integrated systems with synergy use, evidencing quantitatively a greater efficiency in them.

scholarly journals floodX: Urban flash flood experiments monitored with conventional and alternative sensors

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew Moy de Vitry ◽  
Simon Dicht ◽  
João P. Leitão
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Flash Flood ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Early Warning Systems ◽  
Flash Floods ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
High Temporal Resolution ◽  
Data Types ◽  
Urban Flood ◽  
Flood Risk Mapping

Abstract. The datasets described in this paper are intended to provide a basis on which new methods for monitoring and modelling urban pluvial flash floods can be developed. Pluvial flash floods are a growing hazard to property and inhabitants' well-being in urban areas. However, the lack of appropriate data collection methods is often cited as an impediment for reliable flood modelling, thereby hindering the improvement of flood risk mapping and early warning systems. In the floodX project, 37 controlled urban flash floods were generated and monitored in a flood response training facility with state-of-the-art conventional sensors in the drainage network, as well as alternative sensors on the surface, namely temperature probes and surveillance cameras. With these data, the technical feasibility of utilizing citizen science and computer vision for urban flood monitoring can be explored. The floodX project stands out as the largest documented flood experiment of its kind, providing both conventional and alternative data types in parallel and at high temporal resolution. Besides describing the flash flood experiments and the resulting datasets, weaknesses in the data and lessons learned are also described. The main data package is openly available at http://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.236878.

scholarly journals Local Action Group - a pillar of the development of the Romanian village

2021 ◽  
Vol 95 ◽  
pp. 01013
Author(s):  
Mihaela Felicia (Stanciu) Florescu ◽  
Adrian Turek Rahoveanu
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Social Issues ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Local Action ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Balanced Development ◽  
Action Group ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
The Impact

The Local Action Groups have the capacity to act in a complex way, so as to cover the entire economic and social issues of the regions where they act. The actions carried out by the LAGs have direct consequences on rural development by encouraging those projects that develop alternative solutions in obtaining revenues; diversification of the market for products and services; ensuring sustainable development, by protecting the environment and ensuring the security and well-being of life. This article makes an analysis of the impact of European funding in supporting the development of the rural environment of the area of influence of a Local Action Group in Olt County. It describes the situation of European funding at LAG level and the proposal of development directions that need to be considered in the future: increasing competitiveness in agricultural activities, sustainable use of resources and balanced development of economic activities and local communities in rural areas.

scholarly journals Operationalizing the Circular City Model for Naples City-Port: A Hybrid Development Strategy

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Cerreta ◽  
Eleonora Giovene di Girasole ◽  
Giuliano Poli ◽  
Stefania Regalbuto
Keyword(s):  
Development Strategy ◽  
Circular Economy ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Public Authorities ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Eu Directive ◽  
City Model ◽  
The City

The city-port involves a decisive reality for the economic development of the territories and nations, capable of significantly influencing the conditions of well-being and quality of life, and of making the Circular City Model operational, preserving and enhancing seas and marine resources in a sustainable way, through the construction of appropriate production and consumption models, with attention to relations with the urban and territorial system. The Circular Economy paradigm identifies the ideal context in the city-port to rethink traditional development models and make ports driver areas for the regeneration of the city and metropolitan territories, in compliance with the EU Directive 2014/89 which considers maritime spatial planning as a tool for public authorities and stakeholders to achieve an integrated approach, promoting the development of maritime and coastal economies and the sustainable use of resources. The paper, starting from these assumptions, presents an adaptive decision-making process for the strategies development of the Naples (Italy) commercial port, aimed at re-establishing a sustainable city-port relationship and making operative Circular Economy principles.

scholarly journals The Agrarian Crisis and Its Nutritional Consequences in India

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 292-313
Author(s):  
Anil Chandy Ittyerah ◽  
Radha Holla
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Policy ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Sustainable Use ◽  
Sustainable Solutions ◽  
Nutrition Security ◽  
Use Of Resources ◽  
Marginal Farmer ◽  
Low Input Agriculture ◽  
Farming Families ◽  
Agrarian Crisis

India is currently in the grip of an unprecedented agricultural crisis, which has led to the suicide of over 300,000 farmers over the past two and half decades. The crisis has been caused by multiple factors including lack of a sustainable agricultural policy, globalization, and decreased state investment in agriculture concurrent with an increased role of private players and climate change. This has led to reduced income for farmers and increased farmers’ indebtedness, which in turn affects the nutritional status of farming families, particularly women and children. In 2017, India was ranked 100 out of a total of 117 countries by the Global Hunger Index. The focus of state schemes related to nutrition has been on ensuring food security rather than nutrition security. The agrarian crisis is increasingly making agriculture an unviable occupation and hundreds and thousands of farmers are opting out of working on the land to move to urban areas, where jobs are scarce, further deepening the nutritional crisis. The long-term sustainable solutions include sustainable use of resources of land, seed, and water through promotion of low-input agriculture that is tailored to the nutritional and income needs of farmers and their families, and to the agro-ecological conditions of the region. Agricultural policy must enable the small and marginal farmer to earn a fair income and to be free of debt by ensuring access to procuring agencies, an adequate price for produce, and low-interest micro-loans.

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