scholarly journals Current Trends in Urban Heritage Conservation: Medieval Historic Arab City Centers

2022 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 607
Author(s):  
Ahmed Mohamed Shehata
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Congestion ◽  
Heritage Conservation ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Urban Conservation ◽  
Urban Heritage ◽  
Job Opportunities ◽  
Quality Aspects ◽  
Historic Areas ◽  
Urban Issues ◽  
The Impact

Traditional conservation efforts did not improve the conditions in most historic urban centers of Arab cities. The internationally adopted shift in historic urban conservation grants better urban vitality and sustainability for these areas. This study investigates the existing trends and forthcoming changes in urban conservation and their implication on historical centers. Urban Heritage Conservation UHC trends were reviewed, conservation parameters were defined, and quality aspects of successful historic urban conservation were identified, and an assessment framework was developed to evaluate the resulting conserved urban heritage. Two case studies of Arab cities, Jeddah and Aman, were analyzed. The findings highlight the most common urban issues such as reusing historic buildings, traffic congestion, and lack of funds. The impact of urban management on historic areas’ quality was revealed. Moreover, the paper ends with recommendations for conservation authorities. These include engaging residents in the conservation efforts, adopting more innovative traffic solutions to ease congestions, turning the historic area into a pedestrian-friendly space, attracting visitors through arranging cultural events, creating new job opportunities through heritage, and improving the image of the areas through urban regulations. The paper’s findings would contribute to the knowledge related to Urban Heritage Conservation (UHC), and its recommendations would help practitioners and decision-makers.

scholarly journals Current Trends in Urban Conservation: Medieval Historic Arab City Centers

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Mohamed Shehata
Keyword(s):  
Arab Countries ◽  
Heritage Conservation ◽  
Urban Management ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Urban Conservation ◽  
Intangible Heritage ◽  
Urban City ◽  
Urban Heritage ◽  
Management Policies ◽  
The Impact

As Arab countries are beginning to recover from the socioeconomic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, conservation programs are restarting. Noticeably, traditional conservation efforts have not helped improve the poor living conditions in most historic urban centers of Arab cities due to many reasons such as a lack of funds, urban management policies, and the narrow scope of conservation projects. In 2016, the UN urban agenda recognized tangible and intangible heritage as the basis for sustainable, vibrant, urban economies. These efforts reflect the new shift in conservation activities to tangible and intangible heritage and consider urban heritage a tourist product rather than antiquity. This approach grants urban vitality and sustainability for heritage areas. Thus, this study investigates the existing trends and forthcoming changes in conservation and their implication for the deteriorated historic urban city centers of the Arab world. International urban heritage conservation trends were highlighted, objectives and bases of successful urban conservation trends were reviewed, and an assessment framework was developed. Two case studies of historic centers in two Arab cities, Jeddah, and Aman, were empirically assessed using the developed framework. The findings highlight the most common urban problems of the historic centers in terms of urban management policies and trends. In addition, the impact of urban management policies on historic urban areas' sustainability, vitality, and quality was revealed. The paper ends with recommendations for conservation authorities to define a proposed framework to embed the conservation within the urban development plans for deteriorated historic urban centers. The paper's findings and recommendations can contribute to the required knowledge related to urban heritage conservation for practitioners and decision-makers.

scholarly journals Valuing Heritage in Macau: On Contexts and Processes of Urban Conservation

2009 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 129-160 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Chung
Keyword(s):  
World Heritage ◽  
Heritage Management ◽  
Heritage Conservation ◽  
Urban Change ◽  
Urban Conservation ◽  
Continuity And Change ◽  
Urban Heritage ◽  
Historic Centre

This paper examines the evolving values of urban heritage in Macau in terms of the various conservation approaches and mechanisms employed, and the shifting emphases on heritage and development within the context of continuity and change in Macau. Accumulated over four centuries of cultural interchange, the richly layered Historic Centre of the former Portuguese-administered outpost attained World Heritage status in 2005. After situating the problem pertaining to the multifaceted nature of heritage valorisation, the city's trajectory of urban conservation leading up to the 1999 retrocession will be traced, and germane issues concerning heritage management vis-à-vis effects of post-handover urban developments assessed. As the latest culmination of value imbalances and conflicts arising from urban change, the Guia Lighthouse controversy will be critically appraised to speculate on a timely re-evaluation of Macau's heritage conservation process.

scholarly journals Urban Heritage Conservation and Rapid Urbanization: Insights from Surat, India

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 2172 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chika Udeaja ◽  
Claudia Trillo ◽  
Kwasi G.B. Awuah ◽  
Busisiwe C.N. Makore ◽  
D. A. Patel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Skills Training ◽  
Housing Demand ◽  
Heritage Conservation ◽  
Local Policy ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Rapid Urbanization ◽  
Urban Conservation ◽  
Historic Areas ◽  
Indian City

Currently, heritage is challenged in the Indian city of Surat due to diverse pressures, including rapid urbanization, increasing housing demand, and socio-cultural and climate changes. Where rapid demographic growth of urban areas is happening, heritage is disappearing at an alarming rate. Despite some efforts from the local government, urban cultural heritage is being neglected and historic buildings keep being replaced by ordinary concrete buildings at a worryingly rapid pace. Discussions of challenges and issues of Surat’s urban area is supported by a qualitative dataset, including in-depth semi-structured interviews and focus groups with local policy makers, planners, and heritage experts, triangulated by observation and a photo-survey of two historic areas. Findings from this study reveal a myriad of challenges such as: inadequacy of urban conservation management policies and processes focused on heritage, absence of skills, training, and resources amongst decision makers and persistent conflict and competition between heritage conservation needs and developers’ interests. Furthermore, the values and significance of Surat’s tangible and intangible heritage is not fully recognized by its citizens and heritage stakeholders. A crucial opportunity exists for Surat to maximize the potential of heritage and reinforce urban identity for its present and future generations. Surat’s context is representative of general trends and conservation challenges and therefore recommendations developed in this study hold the potential to offer interesting insights to the wider planners and conservationists’ international community. This paper recommends thoughtful integration of sustainable heritage urban conservation into local urban development frameworks and the establishment of approaches that recognize the plurality of heritage values.

Impact of E-Commerce on the Urban Landscape

2020 ◽  
pp. 34-45
Author(s):  
Sotheeswari Somasundram
Keyword(s):  
Real Estate ◽  
Traffic Congestion ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Urban Landscape ◽  
City Logistics ◽  
Urban Centers ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Home Deliveries ◽  
Logistic Chain ◽  
The Impact

Consumers in large cities are projected to contribute 81% to global consumption in 2030 with B2C e-commerce sales growth projected to increase globally by 24% in 2020. The inquiry of the present study is to understand the impact of this growth on the urban landscape. Three key areas influenced by e-commerce which in turn impact the urban landscape, city logistics, warehousing, and retail experience. Rising home deliveries impact city logistics where delivery trucks contribute to traffic congestion and environmental hazards. E-commerce influences locational demand for warehouses differently, depending on the section of the logistic chain. The positive gains include reduced damage to road infrastructures and higher valuation of logistics real estate in urban areas. The final area, retail experience, influences the sustainability of malls in urban areas. Malls in urban centers could remain relevant by reconfiguring retail spaces to accommodate temporary guide stores and pop-up stores instead of anchor tenants.

TOWARDS DEVELOPING A SUSTAINABLE HERITAGE TOURISM AND CONSERVATION ACTION PLAN FOR IRBID’S HISTORIC CORE

2016 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naif Adel Haddad ◽  
Leen Adeeb Fakhoury
Keyword(s):  
Bronze Age ◽  
Local Community ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Heritage Conservation ◽  
Urban Context ◽  
Conservation Action ◽  
Urban Heritage ◽  
Conservation Action Plan

Tal (mount) Irbid in Irbid city, Jordan, with its continuous human occupation from the Bronze Age until the present, demonstrates the main landmark that has guided the spread of the urban growth of the city. The outcome of studies carried out at Irbid’s historic core, in relation to assessing the loss and degradation of the core’s cultural heritage, shall be analyzed, investigated, and discussed, as also concerns, obstacles, and issues of sustainability to this urban heritage conservation and tourism planning. The paper starts by defining the urban heritage for the historic core, which tends to be set aside, in the city’s rapid development. Actually, the remaining historic buildings can also provide the necessary inter-relationships between the historic core areas and the wider urban context to achieve a sustainable and integrated tourism and conservation action plan for the three heritage neighborhoods around the Tal, while building on tourism opportunities and taking into consideration the needs and the vital role of the local community. The paper concludes that urban heritage conservation and protection of the integrity and identity of the historic core city fabric can assist in its branding, promotion, and management in ways that could enhance the local community belonging, quality of everyday lifestyle, and visitors' experience. 

scholarly journals Behavior of Traffic Congestion and Public Transport in Eight Large Cities in Latin America during the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (10) ◽  
pp. 4703
Author(s):  
Renato Andara ◽  
Jesús Ortego-Osa ◽  
Melva Inés Gómez-Caicedo ◽  
Rodrigo Ramírez-Pisco ◽  
Luis Manuel Navas-Gracia ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Latin American ◽  
Public Transport ◽  
Public Transportation ◽  
Traffic Congestion ◽  
Urban Transport ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Johns Hopkins Hospital ◽  
Large Cities ◽  
Public Data ◽  
The Impact

This comparative study analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on motorized mobility in eight large cities of five Latin American countries. Public institutions and private organizations have made public data available for a better understanding of the contagion process of the pandemic, its impact, and the effectiveness of the implemented health control measures. In this research, data from the IDB Invest Dashboard were used for traffic congestion as well as data from the Moovit© public transport platform. For the daily cases of COVID-19 contagion, those published by Johns Hopkins Hospital University were used. The analysis period corresponds from 9 March to 30 September 2020, approximately seven months. For each city, a descriptive statistical analysis of the loss and subsequent recovery of motorized mobility was carried out, evaluated in terms of traffic congestion and urban transport through the corresponding regression models. The recovery of traffic congestion occurs earlier and faster than that of urban transport since the latter depends on the control measures imposed in each city. Public transportation does not appear to have been a determining factor in the spread of the pandemic in Latin American cities.

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 An Efficiency Enhancing Methodology for Multiple Autonomous Vehicles in an Urban Network Adopting Deep Reinforcement Learning

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Quang-Duy Tran ◽  
Sang-Hoon Bae
Keyword(s):  
Reinforcement Learning ◽  
Traffic Congestion ◽  
Autonomous Vehicles ◽  
Penetration Rate ◽  
Autonomous Vehicle ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Urban Network ◽  
Learning Agents ◽  
Policy Optimization ◽  
The Impact

To reduce the impact of congestion, it is necessary to improve our overall understanding of the influence of the autonomous vehicle. Recently, deep reinforcement learning has become an effective means of solving complex control tasks. Accordingly, we show an advanced deep reinforcement learning that investigates how the leading autonomous vehicles affect the urban network under a mixed-traffic environment. We also suggest a set of hyperparameters for achieving better performance. Firstly, we feed a set of hyperparameters into our deep reinforcement learning agents. Secondly, we investigate the leading autonomous vehicle experiment in the urban network with different autonomous vehicle penetration rates. Thirdly, the advantage of leading autonomous vehicles is evaluated using entire manual vehicle and leading manual vehicle experiments. Finally, the proximal policy optimization with a clipped objective is compared to the proximal policy optimization with an adaptive Kullback–Leibler penalty to verify the superiority of the proposed hyperparameter. We demonstrate that full automation traffic increased the average speed 1.27 times greater compared with the entire manual vehicle experiment. Our proposed method becomes significantly more effective at a higher autonomous vehicle penetration rate. Furthermore, the leading autonomous vehicles could help to mitigate traffic congestion.

Makkasan Train Factory: an attempt to preserve Bangkok’s urban heritage

2020 ◽  
pp. 80-84
Author(s):  
Pongkwan Lassus
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Heritage Conservation ◽  
Future Generations ◽  
Direct Access ◽  
Master Plan ◽  
High Speed Train ◽  
Intangible Heritage ◽  
Industrial Estate ◽  
Urban Heritage ◽  
Mixed Use

The Makkasan Train Factory, opened 110 years ago, is the first industrial estate in Thailand and used to be the biggest hub for train production in Southeast Asia. Nowadays, this huge land of 80 hectares, with direct access from the Savarnabhumi airport rail link, is considered a golden land right in the business center of Bangkok, that attracts real estate investors. A third of the land set aside at the end of last year for the development of a mixed use commercial project as a part of the High Speed Train project. As this land is the last big area of public land in the capital, civic groups for urban heritage conservation and the environment tried to point out its tangible and intangible heritage value hoping that there would be a proper master plan to preserve these values for future generations.

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