scholarly journals Lessons from New York High Line Green Roof: Conserving Biodiversity and Reconnecting with Nature

Urban Science ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 2
Author(s):  
Kawar Salih ◽  
Zaid O. Saeed ◽  
Avar Almukhtar
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Urban Design ◽  
Urban Expansion ◽  
Green Roof ◽  
Green Roofs ◽  
Urban Spaces ◽  
Climate Change Research ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
High Line

The concept of sustainable urban design has appeared in different perspectives to minimize and reduce the negative impacts of urban expansion in terms of climatic and environmental drawbacks. One of the undeniable approaches of sustainable urban design is the adoption of green urban roofs. Green roofs are seen to have a substantial role in addressing and resolving environmental issues in the context of climate change. Research investigations have indicated that green roofs have a remarkable impact on decreasing rainwater runoff, reducing the heat island effect in urban spaces, and increasing biodiversity. Nevertheless, green roofs in urban spaces as a competent alternative to nature remains a standing question. To what extent can green roofs mimic the biodiversity that is seen in nature? Moreover, to what level is this approach practical for achieving a tangible reconnection with nature, or so-called biophilia? This study attempts to discuss the essence and impact of green roofs in urban spaces based on a case study approach. The study reflected lessons from the New York High Line Green Roof regarding biophilia and biodiversity in this case study. It concludes with key lessons that can be transferred to other urban spaces with similar settings.

Designing and Installing a Retrofit Heated Green Roof Using Either Co-Gen Waste Hot Water or Municipal Waste Steam Heat as Energy Source

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Dell ◽  
C. S. Wei ◽  
Raj Parikh ◽  
Runar Unnthorsson ◽  
William Foley
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
York City ◽  
Waste Heat ◽  
Green Roof ◽  
Cooling Water ◽  
District Heating ◽  
Green Roofs ◽  
Hot Water ◽  
Small Scale

Municipal District Heating Services and Combined Heat and Power (CHP) systems can produce waste heat in the form of steam condensate and hot water. The authors have developed a system to use this thermal pollution to heat the soil and growth medium of green roofs and outdoor gardens. The system enables plant life to survive colder climates and increases growth often in excess of 20% (Power2013-98172). In New York City test heated green roofs, the system can save vast amounts of normally required cooling water that is tapped from the overburdened municipal supply (IMECE2013-65200). Existing small scale green roofs in New York City and larger scale heated green roof retrofit in New York City is presented to indicate additional construction details, thermal considerations, and potential code compliance considerations.

scholarly journals Supporting Children’s Independent Activities in Smart and Playable Public Places

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (20) ◽  
pp. 8352
Author(s):  
Chiara Garau ◽  
Alfonso Annunziata
Keyword(s):  
Urban Design ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Urban Spaces ◽  
Methodological Framework ◽  
Public Places ◽  
Historic Center ◽  
Physical Attributes ◽  
Process Of Urbanization ◽  
The City

The global process of urbanization, and the modification of social interaction determined by the pandemic crisis, poses the issue of the place of vulnerable users and, in particular, children, within the contemporary city. This research aimed to elaborate a theoretical and methodological framework, based on the concepts of affordance and capability, for analyzing the potential of public spaces to enable and support children’s independent activities. This potential, or meaningful usefulness, is expressed by the Index of Meaningful Usefulness of public Urban Spaces (IUIS). The latter is calculated via the tool ‘Opportunities for Children in Urban Spaces’ (OCUS). This methodology is applied to the analysis of significant public spaces within the historic center of the city of Iglesias in Sardinia, Italy. The results reveal adequate usefulness of the selected spaces, while underlining criticalities related to intrinsic spatial and physical attributes. The application to the case study confirms the validity of the theoretical and methodological framework embodied in the OCUS tool for supporting urban design and planning by orienting place-shaping processes towards the acknowledgement of children’s needs.

Are We Experienced? Reflections on the SUNY Experiential Learning Mandate

2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-38 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerry Isaak ◽  
Michael Devine ◽  
Curt Gervich ◽  
Richard Gottschall
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Experiential Learning ◽  
The State ◽  
Educational Process ◽  
Academic Program ◽  
Learning Activities ◽  
State University ◽  
University System ◽  
Study Approach

Background: The State University of New York (SUNY), the nation’s largest comprehensive public university system, recently proposed making experiential learning activities available to all students enrolled in an academic program. Each campus was tasked with examining the feasibility of including experiential learning activities as a degree requirement. The Plattsburgh campus faculty senate voted to reject this requirement. Purpose: In light of the Plattsburgh rejection of the SUNY mandate, this study seeks to examine the practice and perspectives of four Plattsburgh faculty through the lens of a single experiential learning assignment. Methodology/Approach: A case study approach was used to illuminate common and/or distinctive pedagogies of instructors across four disciplines. Findings/Conclusions: Common themes include the elements of choice, embodiment, relationships, and risk. Critical to each case study was the willingness and ability of the instructor to engage in the educational process as a participant and expert learner. Implications: If the state, university system, or campus seeks to mandate experiential/applied learning, the mandate should be focused on the pedagogical components of experiential education not on the types of activities that count.

scholarly journals Supporting Children’s Independent Activities in Smart and Playable Public Places

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chiara Garau ◽  
Alfonso Annunziata
Keyword(s):  
Urban Design ◽  
Public Spaces ◽  
Urban Spaces ◽  
Methodological Framework ◽  
Public Places ◽  
Historic Center ◽  
Physical Attributes ◽  
Process Of Urbanization ◽  
The City

The global process of urbanization, and the modification of social interaction determined by the pandemic crisis poses the issue of the place of vulnerable users, and in particular children, within the contemporary city. This research aims to elaborate a theoretical and methodological framework, based on the concepts of affordance and capability, for analyzing the potential of public spaces to enable and support children’s independent activities. This potential, or meaningful usefulness, is expressed by the Index of Meaningful Usefulness of public Urban Spaces (IUIS). The latter is calculated via the tool ‘Opportunities for Children in Urban Spaces’ (OCUS). This methodology is applied to the analysis of significant public spaces within the historic center of the city of Iglesias in Sardinia, Italy. The results reveal adequate usefulness of the selected spaces, while underlining criticalities related to intrinsic spatial and physical attributes. The application to the case study confirms the validity of the theoretical and methodological framework embodied in the OCUS tool for supporting urban design and planning by orienting place-shaping processes towards the acknowledgement of children’s needs.

The Rules of Attraction: Urban Design, City Films, and Movement Studies

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Frahm
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
New York City ◽  
Urban Design ◽  
Direct Observation ◽  
York City ◽  
Social Life ◽  
Instructional Film ◽  
Urban Spaces ◽  
The Social ◽  
Precise Analysis

"William H.Whyte’s instructional film The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces (1979), which chronicles the findings of his decade-long study of people’s behavior in small urban spaces in New York City in the 1970s, offers a precise analysis of the rules of attraction that draw people into places and that keep them attached. By combining direct observation with complex technical arrangements and new forms of movement studies, Whyte’s study advocates a quintessentially process-oriented understanding of ‘placemaking’ that shaped a new bottom-up approach to urban design in the 1970s. "

Making the Invisible Visible

2021 ◽  
pp. 29-62
Keyword(s):  
Smart Cities ◽  
Research Literature ◽  
Urban Spaces ◽  
Case Study Approach ◽  
Research And Practice ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Exploratory Case Study ◽  
Correlational Design ◽  
The Invisible

The purpose of this chapter is to explore how the invisible is being made visible in smart cities and regions. The research literature for urban approaches to making the invisible visible is explored in this chapter in the context of smart and responsive cities and regions, enabling the identification of opportunities for research and practice. Using an exploratory case study approach combined with an explanatory correlational design, this chapter reveals how people describe and assess their experience of cities as smart. An analysis of quantitative and qualitative data focusing on the constructs of heightening urban sensibilities and urbanizing sheds light on opportunities for both practice and research going forward. This chapter makes a contribution to 1) the research literature for urban approaches to the making of smarter and more responsive cities through making the invisible visible and 2) conceptual and practical thinking through formulation and operationalization of an emerging framework for making the invisible visible in urban spaces and regions.

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