An analysis on the effects of urbanization on the local climate of three inland developing cites in East China

Most studies on the impact of China’s urbanization on local climate focus on developed coastal cities, with little attention paid to inland developing cities. In the present study, we selected three representative and neighboring developing cities (Nanchang, Jiujiang and De’an) in East China to examine, through comparative analyses, local climate changes in inland developing cities with varying sizes during the past 45 years, based on homogenized datasets (1967-2012) released by the National Ground Meteorological Station, taking local economic, demographic, etc. factors into account. Our findings are as follows: The speed of urbanization in these three inland developing cities is correlated to their respective status and sizes - the bigger the city, the faster the urbanization occurring in said city. The pace of the urbanization has a clear impact on the local temperature variability. For the past 45 years, the warming rate in Nanchang (large city) was approximately 0.27 /decade while that in Jiujiang (middle-size city) was approximately 0.23 /decade and that in De’an (small town) was approximately 0.20 /decade. The warming rate was observed to rise in line with city size. The number of high temperature days (HTDs) increased significantly in all three cities over the course of the past 45 years. During the period of 2003 to 2012, HTDs in Nanchang, Jiujiang and De’an increased by 9.8, 5.1 and 1.3 days, respectively, compared with the period of 1967-1976. The larger the city, the more significant the increase in HTDs was observed.

Twinning arrangements and service delivery in Zimbabwe’s local authorities: The case of Bulawayo City Council (Zimbabwe) and eThekwini Municipality (South Africa)

The Zimbabwean local government environment has been affected by chronic defects in the provision of basic public services. As such, city twinning has been adopted as one of the strategies to address the impasse in service delivery as it allows for the sharing of expertise in local governance, development, strategic international relations and the enhancement of service delivery in local authorities. Using the exploratory case study research design the study explores the impact the twinning arrangement between Bulawayo City Council (BCC) and eThekwini Municipality and how it has enhanced service delivery in Bulawayo. Data was gathered from written documents, observations and in-depth interviews. The study established that the BCC-eThekwini cooperation has been very fruitful and Bulawayo City Council has benefited immensely through the exchange of ideas and information as well as technology transfer among others from this twinning arrangement. Nonetheless, it was also observed that weak legal and financial frameworks hinders the city twinning partnership from realising its full fruition. The study concluded that city twinning between BCC and eThekwini is a favourable route for creating sustainable South to South linkages that benefit developing cities. As recommendations, the article argues that there is need for clarity in defining the partnership roles and goals, community involvement as well as an enabling policy and institutional environment.

e-Quantum leap on a data highway: Planning for electric minibus taxis in sub-Saharan Africa's paratransit system

Minibus taxis are ubiquitous in the developing cities of the Global South. This versatile, and somewhat chaotic public transport system is now faced with the need to move to renewable energy. But the looming roll-out of electric vehicles poses a threat to the already fragile electrical grids of African cities. This chapter evaluates the energy requirements of decarbonisation and evaluates two types of data, passenger-based and vehicle-based, from research in South Africa that has modelled these taxis. Using these two data capture methods, we assess the energy requirements and charging opportunities for electric minibus paratransit in three African cities and compare the results of the two methods to assess their suitability for planning minibus taxi electrification.

Urban Sustainability in the Global South and the Role of Integrated Transport Solutions - Experiences from Latin America with a Focus on Chile's TranSantiago

<p>Achieving urban sustainability will be a major challenge in the coming decades. Especially in the Global South the dramatic increase in urban population is demanding intelligent policy solutions in order to prevent urban collapse. Integrated urban transport systems that provide for intelligent mobility solutions play a key role in the search for sustainability. Latin America in particular has seen the implementation of visionary urban transport systems in the cases of Curitiba and Bogota, where Bus Rapid Transit has emerged as a promising transport mode for developing cities with limited funding opportunities. This research thesis portrays and analyses Santiago de Chile's new integrated transport system, TranSantiago, and identifies three key components, which have been neglected in the case of Santiago and that are essential in the context of achieving urban sustainability - visionary leadership, institutional stringency and widespread public participation. TranSantiago must be considered a total failure when compared to the initial aims and objectives, taking into account the huge social cost and the lack of environmental or economic benefits that the system overhaul has created.</p>

Urban Sustainability in the Global South and the Role of Integrated Transport Solutions - Experiences from Latin America with a Focus on Chile's TranSantiago

<p>Achieving urban sustainability will be a major challenge in the coming decades. Especially in the Global South the dramatic increase in urban population is demanding intelligent policy solutions in order to prevent urban collapse. Integrated urban transport systems that provide for intelligent mobility solutions play a key role in the search for sustainability. Latin America in particular has seen the implementation of visionary urban transport systems in the cases of Curitiba and Bogota, where Bus Rapid Transit has emerged as a promising transport mode for developing cities with limited funding opportunities. This research thesis portrays and analyses Santiago de Chile's new integrated transport system, TranSantiago, and identifies three key components, which have been neglected in the case of Santiago and that are essential in the context of achieving urban sustainability - visionary leadership, institutional stringency and widespread public participation. TranSantiago must be considered a total failure when compared to the initial aims and objectives, taking into account the huge social cost and the lack of environmental or economic benefits that the system overhaul has created.</p>

Applicable Smart City Strategies to Ensure Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Integration in Poor Cities: Kabul Case Study

A smart city is fundamentally intended to reduce the consumption of resources and optimize efficiencies. In almost any area, efficiency results in energy saving, reduced energy intensity, sustainable economic development, enhanced productivity, a protected environment, and most importantly, cooperation with the climate change battle. Although budget, technology, and the required infrastructure are major constraints for poor cities to achieve smart and sustainable city goals, the benefits of smart cities are multiple for poor cities compared to developing and developed cities. Poor cities achieve improved living environments, security, safety, economic development, governance, and quality of life in addition to achieving sustainable energy goals, and this study seeks to identify those smart renewable energy and energy efficiency strategies that are economically feasible and technically applicable in poor cities. The findings of this research would help poor and low-income, developing cities take the initial steps towards becoming smart cities by applying smart, innovative, and economically feasible sustainable energy projects and initiatives. As a result, these cities will be able to enhance their environment, economy, and employment by transitioning to smart ones.

Obliged to Wander

Urbanity did not just travel through pipes or print. It also spread via the mobile bodies of people who immersed themselves in unfamiliar cultures, carried their versions of these new cultures to other settings, and adapted them anew. Chapter 5, “Obliged to Wander,” focuses on two largely forgotten novels that explore women’s movement within and among cites: Sally Sayward Barrell Keating Wood’s Dorval, or the Speculator (1800), and Martha Read’s Monima, or the Beggar Girl (1802). Through mobility both free and forced, these novels’ protagonists traverse numerous developing cities including Boston, New York, and Philadelphia; inhabit a variety of urban domestic and institutional settings ranging from palaces to prisons; and call attention to the complex causes of urban poverty. They also move outside of the US to Europe, the Americas, and San Domingo, positioning women as key participants in the dissemination and transformation of urbanity. In so doing, Dorval and Monima revise gender and genre expectations to construct the liminal city as a space of active self-making for women as writers, readers, and characters; the texts both highlight this space’s potential and foreshadow its end.

Smart City and Preservation of Identity in Doha

The globalization and modernization process of the 20th-21st centuries decreased diversity and created similar cultures—the modern culture also created" modern" cities. Modern cities provided humanity the integration into production. Transportation, accommodation, and the other needs of people integrated into the output have been designed into those cities. However, later developments and research denote that the cities are not sustainable for the long term. Air pollution, water supply, food, and access to services are modern cities' main concerns. Therefore, a new development in the concept of cities was created, which is smart cities. The theory of smart cities provides the administrative power of a country with a well-established, sustainable, and smart development. The theory implemented in Doha is one example of the latest developed/developing cities. The limited population of Qatar and the significant wealth of natural gas provide them the means to establish a smart city. The main catch phrase for Qataris on that development project is “modernization with protecting the heritage.” This study examines Qatar's attempts to create Doha as an example of a smart city while protecting tradition and culture. The focus of that study will be the economic, societal, and environmental developments to denote the harmony of modernity and tradition in Doha. The research indicates that the Qatari administration builds Doha on three pillars: smart society, smart environment, and smart development.