scholarly journals Framing Electric Mobility for Urban Sustainability in a Circular Economy Context: An Overview of the Literature

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (14) ◽  
pp. 7786
Author(s):  
Walter Leal Filho ◽  
Ismaila Rimi Abubakar ◽  
Richard Kotter ◽  
Thomas Skou Grindsted ◽  
Abdul-Lateef Balogun ◽  
...  

The development of electro-mobility is one of the centerpieces of European country attempts to reduce carbon emissions and increase the quality of life in cities. The goals of reducing emissions from the transport sector and phasing out fossil-fueled vehicles in (urban) transport by 2050 present unrivaled opportunities to foster electro-mobility. This paper provides a comprehensive review of the literature and provides a detailed analysis of the current development of electro-mobility in Europe, assessing social, economic, and environmental aspects under a circular economy (CE) context. It also examines the existing challenges and suggests ways of addressing them towards improving the environmental performance of electro-mobility and the urban quality of life. The paper argues that a narrow technology-only agenda in electro-mobility will be less successful without the imperative of the CE, including not just materials and resources but also energy, to unlock the medium-term co-benefits of de-carbonization of both the transport as well as the building and energy sectors. The paper critically reviews some of the anticipated future developments that may guide the growth of this rapidly growing field into a CE.

Author(s):  
José van

Platformization affects the entire urban transport sector, effectively blurring the division between private and public transport modalities; existing public–private arrangements have started to shift as a result. This chapter analyzes and discusses the emergence of a platform ecology for urban transport, focusing on two central public values: the quality of urban transport and the organization of labor and workers’ rights. Using the prism of platform mechanisms, it analyzes how the sector of urban transport is changing societal organization in various urban areas across the world. Datafication has allowed numerous new actors to offer their bike-, car-, or ride-sharing services online; selection mechanisms help match old and new complementors with passengers. Similarly, new connective platforms are emerging, most prominently transport network companies such as Uber and Lyft that offer public and private transport options, as well as new platforms offering integrated transport services, often referred to as “mobility as a service.”


2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (01) ◽  
pp. 191-214
Author(s):  
Isabela Veloso Lopes Versiani

O presente artigo tem como objetivo aprofundar o debate acerca da emergência do tema da qualidade de vida vinculado ao meio urbano e de suas possibilidades para o planejamento urbano. De caráter exploratório, através de pesquisa bibliográfica e documental, o artigo procura delimitar marcos conceituais sobre a qualidade de vida e sua relação com um novo modelo de planejamento urbano a partir do paradigma do desenvolvimento social e de diretrizes do Estatuto da Cidade (2001), além de discutir formas de operacionalização desse conceito tendo como base algumas experiências de construção de sistemas de indicadores de qualidade de vida urbana no Brasil. Como resultados, evidencia-se que a preocupação com a qualidade de vida tem sido expressão recorrente nos debates sobre o presente e futuro das cidades, ganhando espaço e legitimidade a partir de um esforço de delimitação conceitual e de instrumentos para sua mensuração, destacando a contribuição de indicadores georreferenciados para melhor compreensão de desigualdades intraurbanas em diversas áreas. Acredita-se que a incorporação dessa discussão ao planejamento urbano pode contribuir de maneira significativa para pensar e operacionalizar instrumentos que auxiliem no direcionamento de ações e efetivação de políticas públicas para melhoria das condições de vida da população. Palavras-chave: Planejamento Urbano; Indicadores; Qualidade de vida.   GEOREFERENCED INDICATORS OF URBAN QUALITY OF LIFE: possibilities for urban planning  Abstract  This article aims to deepen the debate on the growth of the quality of life theme linked to the urban environment and its possibilities for the urban planning. With exploratory character, through bibliographical and documentary research, the article seeks to define conceptual frameworks on the quality of life and its relationship with a new urban planning model from the social development paradigm and the “City Statute” guidelines (2001), besides discussing ways of operationalizing this concept, basing on experiences of previously existing systems of urban quality of life indicators in Brazil. As a result, it is clear that the concern for quality of life has been a recurring point in discussions regarding the present and future of cities, gaining ground and legitimacy from efforts of conceptual delimitation and tools for its measurement, highlighting the contribution of georeferenced indicators for a better understanding of intra-urban inequalities in many areas. It is believed that the incorporation of this discussion into urban planning can contribute significantly to think and operationalize instruments that can help to direct actions and execution of public policies to improve the living conditions of the population. Keywords: Urban Planning; Indicators; Quality of life.   INDICADORES GEOREFERENCIADOS DE CALIDAD DE VIDA URBANA: posibilidades de planificación urbana Resumen En este artículo se pretende profundizar el debate sobre el surgimiento del tema de la calidad de vida relacionado con el ambiente urbano y sus posibilidades para la planificación urbana. De carácter exploratorio, a través de la investigación bibliográfica y documental, el artículo busca definir los marcos conceptuales de la calidad de vida y su relación con un nuevo modelo de planificación urbana desde el paradigma del desarrollo social y las directrices del Estatuto de la Ciudad (2001), además de discutir maneras de hacer operativo este concepto basado en algunas experiencias en la construcción de sistemas de indicadores de calidad de vida urbana en Brasil. Como resultado de ello, es evidente que la preocupación por la calidad de vida ha sido una expresión recurrente en los debates sobre el presente y futuro de las ciudades, ganando terreno y legitimidad a través de esfuerzos de delimitación conceptual y herramientas para su medición, destacando la contribución de indicadores georeferenciados para una mejor comprensión de las desigualdades intra-urbanas en muchas áreas. Se cree que la incorporación de esta discusión a la planificación urbana puede contribuir significativamente a pensar y operar instrumentos que ayudan a dirigir las acciones y ejecución de políticas públicas para mejorar las condiciones de vida de la población. Palabras-clave: Planificación urbana, indicadores, calidad de vida.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamal Al-Qawasmi ◽  
Muhammad Saeed ◽  
Omar S. Asfour ◽  
Adel S. Aldosary

Urban quality of life (QOL) is a complex and multidimensional concept. A wide range of urban QOL assessment tools has been developed worldwide to measure and monitor the quality of urban life taking into account the particular conditions of cities/regions and the needs of their residents. This study aims to develop an urban QOL assessment tool appropriate for the context of Saudi Arabia (SA). For this purpose, this study developed and used a structured approach that consists of an in-depth analysis of 21 urban QOL assessment tools in use worldwide, combined with focus group analysis and feedback from a panel of experts. The results revealed that there is a lack of consensus among the existing tools regarding the usage of QOL indicators and domains, and that the majority of the tools demonstrate a lack of proper coverage of QOL subdomains. The results also show wide variations in the number of indicators used and that most of the examined tools are using objective measurable indicators. This study has identified 67 indicators distributed across 13 domains that constitute the core criteria of the proposed QOL assessment tool. The selected indicators and domains cover all the attributes of urban QOL and are evaluated by experts as important criteria to assess/measure QOL. Moreover, the results demonstrate the advantage of the developed framework and comprehensive list of criteria (CLC) as a structured and efficient approach to design better QOL assessment tools.


2021 ◽  
pp. 32-53
Author(s):  
Omar Rojas García

This paper was originated in an investigation carried out in the Municipality of Ecatepec de Morelos in the period from October 2019 to March 2020, and which served as support for the update of the Municipal Urban Development Plan 2020 for the same municipality. The purpose is to recognize the socio-environmental factors that drive the construction of human settlements in ecological conservation areas and that, in the medium term, alter the surrounding ecosystems and increase their vulnerability to geological and hydrometeorological phenomena. Through an environmental risk analysis methodology, the socio-environmental impacts generated by irregular settlements on ecological conservation areas are analyzed, as the houses are located in areas of high slope, it makes them more vulnerable to the phenomena mencioned. Even these areas are accessible to certain sectors of the population, in terms of rent or purchase of housing, such practices are usually illegal, and bring with them the deterioration of the existing natural vegetation, in addition to the loss of ecosystem services derived from the unplanned urban growth. These invasions correspond to a permanent process that includes complex variables, such as the deterioration of the quality of life, economic insufficiency to satisfy needs and in a synergistic way, generates social problems such as insecurity and violence.


Vascular ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 531-539 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jordan Luke Green ◽  
Amy Elizabeth Harwood ◽  
George Edward Smith ◽  
Tushar Das ◽  
Ali Raza ◽  
...  

Objectives Peripheral arterial disease most commonly presents as intermittent claudication (IC). Early evidence has suggested that extracorporeal shockwave therapy is efficacious in the short term for the management of intermittent claudication. The objective of this pilot trial was to evaluate the medium-term efficacy of this treatment. Methods This double-blind randomised placebo-controlled pilot trial randomised patients with unilateral intermittent claudication in a 1:1 fashion to receive extracorporeal shockwave therapy or a sham treatment for three sessions per week over three weeks. Primary outcomes were maximum walking distance and intermittent claudication distance using a fixed-load treadmill test. Secondary outcomes included pre- and post-exertional ankle-brachial pressure indices, safety and quality of life assessed using generic (SF36, EQ-5D-3L) and disease-specific (vascular quality of life) measures. All outcome measures were assessed at 12 months post-treatment. Results Thirty participants were included in the study (extracorporeal shockwave therapy, n = 15; sham, n = 15), with 26 followed up and analysed at 12 months (extracorporeal shockwave therapy, n = 13; sham, n = 13). Intragroup analysis demonstrated significant improvements in maximum walking distance, intermittent claudication distance and post-exertional ankle-brachial pressure indices ( p < 0.05) in the active treatment group, with no improvements in pre-exertional ankle-brachial pressure indices. Significant improvements in quality of life were observed in 3 out of 19 domains assessed in the active group. A re-intervention rate of 26.7% was seen in both groups. Conclusions These findings suggest that extracorporeal shockwave therapy is effective in improving walking distances at 12 months. Although this study provides important pilot data, a larger study is needed to corroborate these findings and to investigate the actions of this treatment. ISRCTN: NCT02652078.


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