scholarly journals Housing challenges, mid-sized cities and the COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 70-90
Author(s):  
Justin Van der Merwe ◽  
Brian Doucet
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Critical Reflection ◽  
Urban Regions ◽  
New Challenges ◽  
Proactive Planning ◽  
Commuting Distance ◽  
Early Indicators

This article examines key housing challenges in mid-sized cities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Two questions guide our critical reflection: understanding to what extent the pandemic represents new challenges and what planners can do to respond to them? We use the example of the Region of Waterloo, situated 100km west of Toronto and one of Canada’s fastest growing urban areas. Waterloo has many similar characteristics to other mid-sized cities within commuting distance of large urban regions. In this article, we focus on two of the biggest (and inter-related) housing issues: inward migration from the Toronto Region and growing unaffordability. Both these challenges long-predate the COVID-19 pandemic, but there are early indicators that they are accelerating because of it. By rooting the challenges of the pandemic within longer trends and trajectories, our critical reflection suggests that many solutions that have long been understood to address housing inequalities are still important during the pandemic. Rather than devising new solutions, we argue that the pandemic requires implementing ideas called upon for years by researchers and advocates and more proactive planning to address market deficiencies.

scholarly journals Innovative Business Models for Smart Cities – A Systematic

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (12S2) ◽  
pp. 375-379 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Business Models ◽  
Smart Cities ◽  
Personal Satisfaction ◽  
Economic Risk ◽  
Urban Regions ◽  
Course Of Action ◽  
Town Development ◽  
Suitable Arrangement

urban areas are the cars of development for a country. Savvy advances can help cope with the metropolis problems and enhance personal satisfaction, economic risk, and liveability for residents. urban regions income via a straightforward diagram of nice exercise solutions for turn out to be greater clever and from distinguishing most suitable arrangement suppliers. agencies that make metropolis areas more astute income thru getting step by step unmistakable to metropolis areas spherical the sector with their recently created or tested arrangements. innovative plans of movement help quicken the reception of savvy advances. exceptional subsidizing structures were utilized by city areas to create sensible town ventures. anyhow, it has been uncovered that the writing does not provide enough contemplations on these thoughts. This paper offers a recognise-a way to the concept of creative plans of motion and the appropriation of those in shrewd urban corporations. in addition the paper propels the comprehension at the advancing plans of movement and city acquisition tactics that might be utilized to quicken savvy town development. The paper attempts to cope with the inquiry: What are the problems regarded with the aid of institutions and sensible city areas to build up an powerful creative course of action? city areas have structured very plenty characterised techniques and are growing strategies for eager city. The paper cope with the problems and elements of an resourceful course of action for development of savvy city groups

scholarly journals 20 Minutes Suisse Romande : géographie économique d’un média helvétique et lémanique

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Lamour
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Spatial Representation ◽  
Daily Basis ◽  
Cultural Identities ◽  
Daily Newspapers ◽  
Urban Regions ◽  
The Past ◽  
Different Types ◽  
French Speaking

The spatial representation by media is based on a series of material and ideational conditions structuring the journalistic profession and its public on a daily basis. Media are also actors taking part into the production of territories by mediatizing a “here” and “there” in which different types of news, institutional powers and cultural identities are portrayed. They are organized by a sum of geographical borders that they reproduce or cause to evolve. Over the past 20 years, media have accompanied the growth of western metropolises : The free daily newspapers circulated in large urban areas cutting across the mosaic of inherited institutional territories. However, does this necessarily mean that this press is able to overcome the territorial borders of the past ? The research based on the analysis of 20 Minutes Switzerland aimed at the French-speaking community shows that this medium is both included in bordered territories at the scale of cantons, regions and countries and also in an urban and transitional border space reorganizing these areas. Free dailies can be considered as a medium embedded in historically fragmented territories and the large urban regions of today. Les médias définissent une représentation de l’espace qui repose sur une somme de conditions matérielles et idéelles structurant au quotidien la sphère journalistique et son public. Par ailleurs, ils sont des acteurs de la production territoriale en médiatisant un « ici » et un « ailleurs » où s’organisent une actualité différente, des pouvoirs institutionnels dissemblables et des identités culturelles séparées. Les médias sont organisés par une somme de frontières géographiques qu’ils participent à reproduire ou à faire évoluer. Au cours des 20 dernières années, un média à accompagner l’essor des métropoles occidentales : les quotidiens d’information gratuits diffusés dans des régions urbaines chevauchant la mosaïque des territoires institutionnels hérités. Cela signifie-t-il pour autant que cette presse est en mesure de s’émanciper des frontières territoriales du passé˚? La recherche effectuée à partir du journal 20 Minutes Romandie montre que ce média s’inscrit, à la fois, dans des territoires clos de niveau confédéral, régional et cantonal, et dans une région urbaine frontalière transitionnelle rassemblant ces aires. La presse gratuite est un média situé dans la mosaïque territoriale du passé et dans les grandes régions urbaines d’aujourd’hui.  

Effects of urbanization on food-energy-water systems in mega-urban regions: a case study of the Bohai MUR, China

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caiyun Deng ◽  
Hongrui Wang ◽  
Shuxin Gong ◽  
Jie Zhang ◽  
Bo Yang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Water System ◽  
Energy System ◽  
Water Systems ◽  
Stress Index ◽  
Food Energy ◽  
Urban Regions ◽  
System Pressure ◽  
Impact Of Urbanization ◽  
The Impact

<p>The security of food-energy-water systems (FEW systems) is an issue of worldwide concern, especially in mega-urban regions (MURs) with high-density populations, industries and carbon emissions. To better understand the hidden linkages between urbanization and FEW systems, the pressure on FEW systems is quantified in a typical rapid urbanizing region—the Bohai MUR. The correlation between urbanization indicators and the pressure on FEW systems is analyzed and the mechanism of the impact of urbanization on FEW systems is further investigated. Results show that approximately 23% of croplands is lost, 61% of which is converted to construction lands and the urban areas expand by 132.2% in the Bohai MUR during 1980-2015. The pressure on FEW systems has an upward trend with the stress index of the pressure on FEW systems (FEW_SI) exhibiting ranging from 80.49 to 134.82% and dominant pressure consisting of that has converted from water system pressure to energy system pressure since 2004. The FEW_SI in the Bohai MUR is enhanced with cropland loss and the increase in urbanization indicators. Additionally, land use, populations, incomes, policies and innovation are the main ways urbanization impacted FEW systems in MURs. This study enhances our understanding of the pressure variation on FEW systems in MURs and the effects of urbanization on FEW systems, which helps stakeholders to enhance the resilience of FEW systems and promote sustainable regional development.</p><p><strong>Keywords:</strong> urbanization, food-energy-water system pressure, linkages, MURs</p>

DEVELOPMENTAL FEATURES OF NON-URBAN AREAS USING LOCAL PEAT RESOURCES IN A SUSTAINABLE WAY

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 37-47
Author(s):  
Alexander Semin
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Raw Materials ◽  
External Environment ◽  
Social Infrastructure ◽  
Systematic Analysis ◽  
Mineral Raw Materials ◽  
The Subject ◽  
New Challenges ◽  
Cluster Type ◽  
Developmental Features

The purpose of the study: The purpose of the study is to assess the regional potential of the territory enriched with peat resources and to develop strategic directions and mechanisms aimed at its further sustainable and competitive development. The methodology: Methodology is based on a systematic analysis of socio-economic processes, the use of monographic studies, the use of abstract-logical, economic-statistical, computational-constructive, and expert research methods. The object of the research is the production and social infrastructure of out-of-town territories. The subject of the research is to identify patterns, trends, and features of the formation and functioning of the industrial and social infrastructure of the out-of-town territory. Main findings: The use of new technological processes and equipment for the processing of peat and mineral raw materials was substantiated scientifically to obtain new composite materials for multipurpose applications. The features of the use of local peat resources in ensuring the development of out-of-town territories were investigated based on a set of scientific approaches. The feasibility and effectiveness of the application of project management for the natural and technogenic complex to ensure multi-criteria optimization of the production and social infrastructure were established. Applications of this study: The results of this study were tested and implemented within the territory of the Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug-Yugra, which made it possible to develop a strategy for the development of a cluster-type okrug and increase the efficiency of using local peat resources of extra-urban areas. The novelty (originality) of this study lies in the fact that the conducted research enabled to identify new features of the use of local peat resources in ensuring sustainable development of out-of-town territories, and to develop a strategy of socio-economic development adequate to new challenges of the external environment.

scholarly journals PUBLIC DEMAND FOR ECO-EFFICIENT CONCEPTS IN URBAN DEVELOPMENT / VISUOMENINĖ EKOLOGIŠKAI EFEKTYVIŲ KONCEPCIJŲ PAKLAUSA MIESTŲ PLĖTROS KONTEKSTE

2012 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Seppo Junnila ◽  
Miro Ristimäki
Keyword(s):  
Urban Development ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Development Process ◽  
Integrated Design ◽  
Urban Society ◽  
Information Platform ◽  
Extensive Information ◽  
New Challenges ◽  
Integrated Design Process

Global warming has brought new challenges to urban development worldwide. Built environment and cities are estimated to cause some 40-70% of the environmental impacts. This questions our current urban development practises and challenges us to find new solutions to manage the issues. The purpose of this study is to identify feasible eco-efficient concepts that can be implemented in the urban development process. These concepts are identified with a constructive research method, where potential concepts are originally identified from literature and further enhanced with thematic expert interviews, and finally, the suggested concepts are tested with a questionnaire and presented in an integrated framework for the eco-efficient concepts to better understand the requirements and opportunities in public urban development. The results showed that the urban development concepts that were most appealing to public stake holders were; an integrated design process, eco-efficient traffic and transportation solutions, and eco-efficient complementary development. Local energy procurement and management was also perceived as relatively lucrative services when developing eco-efficient urban areas. This study provides an extensive information platform (different ideas, themes, and concepts) to promote eco-efficiency in urban development in order to maintain and improve the sustainable quality of life and welfare in our urban society. Santrauka Pasaulinis atšilimas miestų plėtrai visame pasaulyje atnešė naujų iššūkių. Skaičiuojama, kad statiniai, jų aplinka ir miestai atsako už maždaug 40–70 proc. poveikio aplinkai. Tai verčia abejoti esama miestų plėtros praktika ir ragina ieškoti naujų sprendimų, kaip spręsti šias problemas. Tyrimo tikslas – nustatyti įmanomas ekologiškai veiksmingas koncepcijas, kurias galima įdiegti vykstant miestų plėtros procesui. Koncepcijos nustatomos taikant konstruktyvaus tyrimo metodą, kurio metu potencialios koncepcijos randamos literatūroje, vėliau patobulinamos atliekant teminius pokalbius su ekspertais, o paskui pasiūlytos koncepcijos patikrinamos pagal anketą ir įtraukiamos į integruotą ekologiškai efektyvių koncepcijų sistemą, kuri leidžia geriau suprasti visuomeninės miestų plėtros reikalavimus ir galimybes. Rezultatai parodė, kad suinteresuotoms visuomenės grupėms patraukliausios buvo šios miestų plėtros koncepcijos: integruotas projektavimo procesas, ekologiškai efektyvūs eismo ir transporto sprendimai, ekologiškai veiksmingas papildomų erdvių ir patalpų vystymas. Vystant ekologiškai efektyvias miesto zonas, vietinis energijos pirkimas ir valdymas taip pat laikomi gana pelningomis paslaugomis. Šiame tyrime pateikiama išsami informacijos platforma (įvairios idėjos, temos ir koncepcijos), skatinanti ekologiškai efektyvią miestų plėtrą, idant urbanizuota visuomenė palaikytų ir gerintų darnią gyvenimo kokybę bei gerovę.

scholarly journals A DECADAL ANALYSIS AND SENSITIVITY STUDY USING MOPITT CO COLUMNS OVER ASIA

2018 ◽  
Vol XLII-3/W5 ◽  
pp. 53-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Lin ◽  
J. Cohen
Keyword(s):  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Biomass Burning ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Sensitivity Study ◽  
The Other ◽  
Peak Time ◽  
Urban Regions ◽  
Forest Clearing ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
A New Technique

<p><strong>Abstract.</strong> Biomass burning and urbanization are both significant sources of CO emissions and atmospheric loadings in the real environment. The sources of CO are due to incomplete combustion, on one hand of biomass from agriculture or forest clearing, and on the other hand from coal, oil, gas, and other similar materials. However, the spatial and temporal underlying properties and patterns are quite different between these two types of source regions, with urban regions having a relatively constant source of CO emissions, with only short term concentration fluctuations due to local meteorology. On the other hand, in biomass burning regions, the emissions themselves tend to be highly concentrated over a short burning period, and very low otherwise. We hence present a new technique to classify and quantify biomass burning regions and urban regions based on an objective analysis of the CO total column measurements from the MOPITT satellite. By using all of the data from 2000&amp;ndash;2016, in connection with averages and standard deviation cutoffs, we successfully determine these regions. By performing a sensitivity analysis, in connection with additional ground-based measurements, we determine that the ideal cutoffs for the mean column loading and standard deviation of the column loading 28<span class="thinspace"></span>&amp;times;<span class="thinspace"></span>1017<span class="thinspace"></span>mol/cm<sup>2</sup> and 6<span class="thinspace"></span>&amp;times;<span class="thinspace"></span>1017<span class="thinspace"></span>mol/cm<sup>2</sup> respectively. These results are capable of representing known urban regions and biomass burning regions well throughout China, Southeast Asia, and South Asia, specifically including Beijing, Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hunan, Guangdong, and Bangkok on one hand, and Northeastern India, Myanmar, Laos, Northern Thailand, and Vietnam on the other hand. A detailed analysis of the time series over the different classified regions show that while the urban areas have a much higher annual value, and a relatively long peak time, that their maximum is never as high as the peaks in the biomass burning regions, and that these peaks in the biomass burning regions are extremely short in duration, although they occur annually or bi-annually. Finally, we have not been able to obtain a statistically relevant decreasing trend, as others have found, making CO possibly an interesting species for future studies.</p>

scholarly journals Angiosperms of Nanmangalam Reserve Forest, an urban forest in Metropolitan Chennai, India

Check List ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 057
Author(s):  
Prabakaran Nehru ◽  
G. Gnanasekaran ◽  
N. Muthu Karthick ◽  
D. Narasimhan
Keyword(s):  
Endemic Species ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Tamil Nadu ◽  
Urban Forest ◽  
Forest Fragment ◽  
Urban Regions ◽  
Reserve Forest ◽  
Angiosperm Species ◽  
Original Vegetation

Humans have altered the forests of urban regions drastically, thereby reducing the original forests to isolated fragments. Such fragments may contain remnants of the original vegetation. Nanmangalam Reserve Forest (NRF), located in the Metropolitan Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, is an example of such a forest fragment, covering an area of 321 ha. A total of 449 angiosperm species belonging to 313 genera representing 83 families were recorded from NRF. Amongst the species, 79% were dicots and 21% were monocots. The most genera/species rich families were Fabaceae (37/69) and Poaceae (34/52). The species rich genera included Cassia (10), Crotalaria (7), Erogrostis, Hedyotis and Phyllanthus (6 each). Six endemic species were recorded. This diversity amidst a rapidly expanding city has to be protected in order to enable the conservation agenda of urban areas.

scholarly journals Micromobility Station Placement Optimization for a Rural Setting

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Taraneh Askarzadeh ◽  
Raj Bridgelall
Keyword(s):  
Traffic Congestion ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Rural Setting ◽  
Walking Distance ◽  
Location Allocation ◽  
Placement Decisions ◽  
Placement Optimization ◽  
Bike Sharing ◽  
New Challenges

Micromobility is an evolving form of transportation modality that uses small human- or electric-powered vehicles to move people short distances. Planners expected that bike sharing, the first form of micromobility, would reduce traffic congestion, cut travel cost, reduce pollution, enable connectivity with other modes of transport, and promote public health. However, micromobility options also brought new challenges such as the difficulty of placement decisions to encourage adoption and to minimize conflict with other transport modes. Sound deployment decisions depend on the unique environmental characteristics and demographics of a location. Most studies analyzed deployments in high-density urban areas. This research determines the best locations for 5 new bike-sharing stations in Fargo, North Dakota, a small urban area in the rural United States. The workflow combines a geographic information system (GIS), level of traffic stress (LTS) ratings, and location-allocation optimization models. The spatial analysis considered 18 candidate station locations and eliminated those that fell within the 700-meter isochrone walking distance of the 11 existing stations. This case study demonstrates a scalable workflow that planners can repeat to achieve sustainable micromobility deployments by considering the land use, population density, activity points, and characteristics of the available pathways in their unique setting.

scholarly journals Coming to Action: Operationalizing City Resilience

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 3054 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marta Iturriza ◽  
Josune Hernantes ◽  
Leire Labaka
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Traditional Approach ◽  
Decision Makers ◽  
Daily Activities ◽  
Maturity Model ◽  
Sustainable Cities ◽  
Qualitative And Quantitative ◽  
Key Points ◽  
New Challenges

There is an urgent need to build city resilience in order to face upcoming foreseen and unforeseen disasters more holistically, economically and collaboratively. Population trends mean that people are moving to urban areas and the traditional approach to crisis management is becoming obsolete as it is no longer able to deal with the new challenges that are emerging such as social dynamics or climate change. In this context, there are numerous studies and strategies that define how to build city resilience and consequently sustainable cities. However, decision-makers have trouble putting the knowledge in the studies and strategies into practice, as they find this information to be too abstract or far from their daily activities. More practical tools are needed to facilitate the operationalization of city resilience and familiarize decision makers with the concept. To that end, this paper presents both a qualitative and quantitative toolkit that enables decision makers to study, understand and train themselves to operationalize city resilience properly. This toolkit is composed of two complementary tools, namely the Resilience Maturity Model (RMM) and a serious game called City Resilience Dynamics (CRD). The paper also discusses the key points that led to a useful, trustworthy and flexible toolkit that decision-makers can use in building city resilience.

scholarly journals ​Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown on Indian Agriculture: A Review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sonia Goel ◽  
Mohinder Singh ◽  
Anshul Phaugat ◽  
Sapna Grewal ◽  
Mukesh Goel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Agricultural Sector ◽  
Industrial Sector ◽  
Economic Implications ◽  
Informal Workers ◽  
Agriculture Sector ◽  
New Challenges ◽  
Direct Loss ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Impact

More than 10 million laborer have been displaced from their usual workplaces during the suddenly announced lockdown by the government of India in 2020 in order to prevent and control the spread of one of the deadliest diseases of our times namely; COVID 19, popularly known as Sars Corona Virus in March - June 2020; as per the official figures provided by the GOI. There has not been a single sector that remained unaffected from the devastating impacts of COVID-19, not even agriculture. The impact of lockdown on agriculture is hard to measure as it involves a complex relationship between multiple direct and indirect factors like labour availability, lack of supply of raw materials from the agro-industrial sector etc. The lockdown period created severe economic implications (negative) for farmers (small, marginal and large), landless laborer and all the other agricultural stakeholders who had to face new challenges for earning their livelihood. The direct loss to the agriculture sector was estimated to multi-corers by various government officials while the indirect losses may be many folds of the direct loss. The marginal income of laborers in the agriculture sector was believed to be coming close to zero due to lockdown conditions. In addition to this, smart investments, improved technologies and standardized model frameworks must be designed for the agriculture sector to combat the COVID 19 impact. The current analytical review is focused on all the major factors associated with the agriculture sector that have been highly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, ranging from production, storage to procurement and selling. The lockdown has choked off almost all economic activities. In urban areas, COVID-19 forced widespread loss of jobs and incomes for informal workers. Estimated by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy, unemployment shot up from 8.4% in mid-March to 23% in the first week of April 2020 further soaring to 30.9% by the end of April, 2020. We have also looked into the possible strategies that can be taken into consideration by the government as well as those associated with the agricultural-food sector. This pandemic has emerged several new challenges to the agricultural sector but has given us time to think and strategize things for better management in future. Suggestions have also been made to adopt alternate approaches and work in this newly created world with the ability of better resource handling.

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