scholarly journals The thermal waters in Sofia City (Bulgaria): importance, condition and problems

2021 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 3-13
Author(s):  
Vladimir Hristov ◽  
Nikolay Stoyanov ◽  
Simeon Valchev ◽  
Aleksey Benderev

Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, is situated in a region rich in thermal waters, which were a major factor for the establishment and development of the city. The thermal spring in the city center of Sofia has been in use since ancient times. As the city expanded rapidly in the 19th and 20th centuries, it absorbed many other sources of thermal water. In addition, the available volume of usable thermal water increased with the construction of abstraction wells. The prevailing types of thermal waters are sourced from Mesozoic rocks at the base of the Sofia graben. The water temperatures are in the range between 21 °C and 54 °C, and the mineralization is up to approximately 1 g/L total dissolved solids (TDS). There is only one source in deeper rock formations with approximately 4 g/L TDS. The population of the city utilizes the thermal water resources to a various degree, mainly for bottling of natural mineral water. Some sources are used for balneology, sport, recreation and sanitation; however, their potential is not sufficiently utilized. Considering the importance of the thermal water resources for the city and its population, a numerical model was set up to study the impact of subway construction on the thermal spring in the center of Sofia.

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8215
Author(s):  
Lluís Frago Clols

COVID-19 has meant major transformations for commercial fabric. These transformations have been motivated by the collapse of consumer mobility at multiple scales. We analyzed the impact of the collapse of global tourist flows on the commercial fabric of Barcelona city center, a city that has been a global reference in over-tourism and tourism-phobia. Fieldwork in the main commercial areas before and after the pandemic and complementary semi-structured interviews with the main agents involved highlight the relationship between global tourist flows and commercial fabric. The paper shows how the end of global tourism has meant an important commercial desertification. The end of the integration of the city center into global consumer flows has implications for urban theory. It means a downscaling of the city center and the questioning of traditional center-periphery dynamics. It has been shown that the tourist specialization of commerce has important effects on the real estate market and makes it particularly vulnerable. However, the touristic specialization of commercial activities as a strategy of resilience has also been presented. This adaptation faces the generalized commercial desertification that drives the growing concentration of consumption around the online channel.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 679-687 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelos Alamanos ◽  
Stamatis Sfyris ◽  
Chrysostomos Fafoutis ◽  
Nikitas Mylopoulos

Abstract The relationship between water abstraction and water availability has turned into a major stress factor in the urban exploitation of water resources. The situation is expected to be sharpened in the future due to the intensity of extreme meteorological phenomena, and socio-economic changes affecting water demand. In the city of Volos, Greece, the number of water counters has been tripled during the last four decades. This study attempts to simulate the city's network, supply system and water demand through a forecasting model. The forecast was examined under several situations, based on climate change and socio-economic observations of the city, using meteorological, water pricing, users' income, level of education, family members, floor and residence size variables. The most interesting outputs are: (a) the impact of each variable in the water consumption and (b) water balance under four management scenarios, indicating the future water management conditions of the broader area, including demand and supply management. The results proved that rational water management can lead to remarkable water conservation. The simulation of real scenarios and future situations in the city's water demand and balance, is the innovative element of the study, making it capable of supporting the local water utility.


Author(s):  
Silvija Ozola

In Liepaja, until 1703 economic developed on the Trade Port channel’s southern embankment. The main traffic flow changed his direction: from the port to the New Market leads Great (Latvian: Lielā) Street, at which end a wooden bridge was built over the channel. In the 19th century, the Administrative Center formed at the New Market Square’s vicinity. Streets connected squares and green structures in a united system. The Rose Square was set up instead the New Market. During World War II, the building at embankments and Great Street was destroyed. Using the Master Plan, approved in 1950, architect Vladimir Kruglov created the Detailed Plan for developed of Liepaja Center and Great Street. A reinforced-concrete bridge was built across the channel. Until the 100th Anniversary of the Proclamation of Independence of Latvia, the bridge was expanded, but Great Street was reconstructed. The object of the research – the city center of Liepaja and Great Street. Research problem – architectural changes of the city center of Liepaja and Great Street has studied not sufficiently. Research novelty – architectural analysis of the city center of Liepaja and Great Street. The goal of the research – to determine the typical changes in planning of the city center and Great Street in the context of Liepaja urban development. Main methods applied – analysis of archive documents, projects and cartographic materials of urban planning, as well as study of published literature and inspection of buildings in nature.


Author(s):  
Qiang Sheng ◽  
Junfeng Jiao ◽  
Tianyu Pang

AbstractThis paper investigates the impact of street pattern, metro stations, and density of urban functions on pedestrian distribution in Tianjin, China. Thirteen neighborhoods are selected from the city center and suburbs. Pedestrian and vehicle volumes are observed through detailed gate count from 703 street segments in these neighborhoods. Regression models are constructed to analyze the impact of the street pattern, points of interest (POIs), and vehicle and metro accessibility on pedestrian volumes in each neighborhood and across the city. The results show that when analyzing all neighborhoods together, local street connectivity and POIs had a strong influence on pedestrian distribution. Proximity to metro stations and vehicle accessibility had a minor impact. When analyzing each neighborhood separately, both local- and city-scale street patterns affect pedestrian distributions. These findings suggest that the street pattern provides a base layer for metro stations to attract both the emergence of active urban functions and pedestrian movement.


Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (10) ◽  
pp. 1356
Author(s):  
Beatrice Moroni ◽  
Stefano Crocchianti ◽  
Federica Bruschi ◽  
Chiara Petroselli ◽  
Alessandro Di Menno di Bucchianico ◽  
...  

Minimetrò (MM) is a ropeway public mobility system that has been in operation in the city of Perugia for about ten years to integrate with urban mobility and lighten vehicular traffic in the historic city center. The purpose of this work was to evaluate the impact of MM as a source of pollutants in the urban context, and the exposure of people in the cabins and the platforms along the MM line. These topics have been investigated by means of intensive measurement and sampling campaigns performed in February and June 2015 on three specific sites of the MM line representative of different sources and levels of urban pollution. Stationary and dynamic measurements of particle size distribution, nanoparticle and black carbon aerosol number and mass concentrations measurements were performed by means of different bench and portable instruments. Aerosol sampling was carried out using low volume and high-volume aerosol samplers, and the samples nalysed by off-line methods. Results show that MM is a considerable source of atmospheric particulate matter having characteristics very similar to those of the common urban road dust in Perugia. In the lack of clear indications on road dust effect, the contribution of MM to the aerosol in Perugia cannot be neglected.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 105-124
Author(s):  
Tao Chen ◽  
Haixiao Pan ◽  
Yanbo Ge

As a result of rapid urbanization and motorization in China, numerous mega-cities have emerged, and large numbers of people live and work in the city centers. Consequently, developing a public transport-oriented urban structure and promoting sustainable development are major planning strategies for the country. To understand the impact of rail transit on motorization in a high-density city center, we conduct a household travel survey in three neighborhoods around metro stations in the central area of Shanghai. We examine the car buying and commuting behavior of those Shanghai “original” residents who lived there when the city began growing, engulfing them in the center. Studies have shown that 40 percent of commuters in the city center commute outward, following a virtually reversed commute pattern, and the factors significantly affecting their car purchasing choice include their attitude toward cars and transit, household incomes, ownership of the apartments they live in, and the distance between family members’ workplaces and nearest metro stations. Despite easy access to the metro from their home in the city center, those who purchase their apartment units also likely own a car, while those who rent their apartment units are less likely to own a car; however, these odds are still higher than for those who live in an apartment unit inherited from their relatives or provided by their company. In the city center, if a family owns a car, then that car would almost certainly be used for daily commuting. A multinomial logistic model is applied to examine the factors influencing the tendency for using cars. The results show that people’s choices of commuting by alternative modes rather than cars are also shaped by their attitude toward public transportation, but other factors can also subtly change people’s commuting behavior under certain conditions. The commuting distance discourages people from walking and taking buses (but not metro). As the egress distance to the workplace increases, the metro becomes less appealing than cars. Mixed land use encourages people to walk or take buses instead of driving. Older people prefer riding buses and walking to driving, and female respondents tend to prefer walking, cycling, and riding the metro to driving compared to male respondents. These findings contribute to understanding the behavior of people who are familiar with public transportation and how to encourage them to switch from driving cars to alternative transport modes.


2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Mufeed E. Shouk

All Iraqi cities also Erbil city are particularly significant growth since 2005 and so far because of great opening that took place and an increase in rates of economic growth which was reflected in the per capita income and the development of infrastructure and public services. Because of the big shortage in all kinds of service projects, residential and entertainment. decision maker adopting the idea of ​​investing in these areas and to develop and improve the reality after coming out of economic crises caused by wars over the country in general and the events experienced by the city of Irbil, in particular, and for the work and construction, attracting foreign investments had to be set up a facilities to investment firms and investors for the success of  the process decision makers  try to find the laws of planning or change the laws planning in according  to the wishes of investors and to stimulate the investment process and thus develop and improve services and meet the requirements without referring to the main reasons that the laws has set for it.  As is well known to urban planners that the laws designed to protect the uses of the land where you are trying to stop any abuses would confuse the planning process.


Forests ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (12) ◽  
pp. 1261
Author(s):  
Iwona Dominika Orzechowska-Szajda ◽  
Robert Krzysztof Sobolewski ◽  
Joanna Lewandowska ◽  
Paulina Kowalska ◽  
Robert Kalbarczyk

The differences in plant phenology between rural and urban areas are the subject of research conducted all over the world. There are few studies aimed at assessing the impact of the urban heat island on plant vegetation only in urban areas. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of the distance from the city center and the form of land cover on the phenological development of trees using the example of the horse chestnut (Aesculus hippocastanum L.). The research area covered the entire city of Wrocław. In order to best capture the impact of the distance from the city center on the rate of changes of individual phenophases, 3 areas were designated—at a distance of 1 km, 2 km and 5 km. The study assessed the average duration of individual phenological phases along with the variability characteristics for leafing, flowering and fruiting in relation to the designated zones and classified forms of land cover based on mean value (x¯) and standard deviation (±SD) in individual weeks of the year. For the leafing and flowering phases, the frequency of the occurrence of phases in individual weeks of the year was analyzed in relation to the designated zones and classified land use methods. The results obtained on the basis of phenological observations carried out in 2017 in Wrocław confirmed the extension of the period of vegetation in the city center in relation to its peripheries. Trees growing in road lanes entered the vegetation period later and defoliated faster, which confirms the negative impact of street conditions on the development of trees in urban space. Thus, the growing season in road lanes is shorter and due to the 1-year observation period, it is justified to conduct further observations.


2012 ◽  
Vol 446-449 ◽  
pp. 3087-3091
Author(s):  
Yi Lin Guo ◽  
Jing Liu

With the rapid urban underground rail development, a considerable number of cities bridges face the impact of the MTR. The subway construction through the city bridges lead to a considerable degree of subsidence, deformation, cracks and even a partial collapse, severely affected the bridge function. As the Beijing Subway Line 10 passing through Xinxing Bridge for the study object,the author set up the health monitoring index system of the subway construction through the city bridge, and analyses the monitoring data and the impact for the processing of subway construction across the bridge.


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