A quick assessment method to evaluate sustainability of urban built environment: Case studies of four large-sized Chinese cities

Cities ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 89 ◽  
pp. 57-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wu Deng ◽  
Zhen Peng ◽  
Yu-ting Tang
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
N.N. Jayaratne ◽  
◽  
I. Rajapaksha ◽  

Urbanization and population aging are two key phenomena in the twenty-first century that concerns the elders living in cities, especially those in low- and middle-income countries like Sri Lanka. In such a setting, understanding the responsiveness of the built environment for active aging is crucial. However, even the few available studies are prioritized on health rather than the built environment attributes. Therefore, this study aims to assess the built environment attributes related to elders, for the first time, in developing countries like Sri Lanka. The assessment method composes of two case studies in Colombo, Sri Lanka with a questionnaire survey, an axial map, and a frequency analysis using the SPSS software. The case studies comprise of a middle-income and a low-income settlement both with high population density. The analysis results explicitly informed that, in comparison, the middle-income settlement is more adversely affected by the built environment response related to health and social relationships. This finding is further supported by the prominence in health-related issues of loneliness (ρ-value .042) and lack of freedom (ρ-value .014) in the middle-income settlement. The built environment attributes were ranked based on their significance in correlation with the Quality-of-Life measures and the individual age-related characteristics. This was further developed for an appraisal that assesses health-related aspects of built environment response for vulnerable age groups like elders. The findings and the appraisal could support the future decision-making process of the National health budget and future urban design interventions since Sri Lanka has the highest South Asian aging population.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5107
Author(s):  
Cristina S. Polo López ◽  
Floriana Troia ◽  
Francesco Nocera

This paper proposes to identify an approach methodology for the incorporation of building-integrated photovoltaic systems (BIPV) in existing architectural heritage, considering regulatory, conservation and energy aspects. The main objective is to provide information about guidance criteria related to the integration of BIPV in historical buildings and about intervention methods. That will be followed by the development of useful data to reorient and update the guidelines and guidance documents, both for the design approach and for the evaluation of potential future interventions. The research methodology includes a categorization and analysis of European and Swiss case studies, taking into account the state of preservation of the building before the intervention, the data of the applied photovoltaic technology and the aesthetic and energy contribution of the intervention. The result, in the form of graphic schedules, provides complete information for a real evaluation of the analyzed case studies and of the BIPV technological system used in historical contexts. This research promotes a conscious BIPV as a real opportunity to use technology and a contemporary architectural language capable of dialoguing with pre-existing buildings to significantly improve energy efficiency and determine a new value system for the historical building and its environment.


1982 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-203
Author(s):  
James A. Wise

This is a panel session focused on the applications of Human Factors to real world problems in architectural design. Five representatives from various design & research professions will present recent case studies of theirs, and examine the contribution that Human Factors made to these projects. The diversity of their examples shows the usefulness and importance on integrating concerns for the human user into plans for the built environment.


Author(s):  
Douglass Bailey ◽  
Lesley McFadyen

This article presents two bodies of work, both of which take an interdisciplinary approach to the study of buildings from Neolithic Europe. The first connects archaeology to theories in architectural history, while the second creates links between archaeology and art. This article works through four ideas about architecture which the article offers as disconnected propositions. There is no easy narrative for this article, just as there is none for the living built environment of the past or the present. This article proposes that archaeologists step away from accepted and comfortable knowledge of architectural form and interpretation. The aim of this article is to work through four case studies from our work on prehistoric European architecture. The case studies illuminate four propositions, which are offered as provocations for further work on architecture by archaeologists but also by anthropologists and other social scientists and humanities scholars whose work engages architecture concludes this article.


2010 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 299 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Beverly ◽  
P. Bothwell ◽  
J. C. R. Conner ◽  
E. P. K. Herd

We assessed the exposure of the built environment to potential ignition sources generated from vegetative fuel for four communities in the province of Alberta, Canada. Ignition processes generated by burning vegetation that were included in the analysis were radiant heat, short-range spotting, and longer-range spotting. Results were used to map the boundaries of the wildland–urban interface and to delineate zones within each community that identify the degree to which these areas represent potential wildfire entry-points into the wildland–urban interface. The assessment method can be used to set priorities for mitigation activities; compare conditions within and between communities and over time; and identify priority areas for time- and resource-intensive site assessments that are often completed for individual structures located in the wildland–urban interface. We compared results among the four case-study communities and demonstrated an application of the approach for evaluating community fuel treatment plans. Factors that influenced the exposure of the built environment to potential ignition sources differed among the communities, which suggested the need for community-specific mitigation strategies. Spatial patterns of areas with elevated ignition exposure reflected not only the amount of ignition-producing vegetation around the built environment, but also the size and arrangement of fuel patches in relation to the unique morphology of the community and the occurrence of occluded interface zones.


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