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"Sustainability Matters: Prospects for a Just Transition in Calgary, Canada's Petro-City" is a book by Noel Keough and Geoff Ghitter that explores various issues related to sustainability in the city of Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The authors cover topics such as urban planning, transportation, energy, equity, diversity, and governance. The book argues that Calgary's growth and development have been driven by land developers and business interests, resulting in a large ecological footprint and an unsustainable city. The authors propose solutions and draw on examples from other cities to increase sustainability in Calgary. However, the book lacks discussion on how to build political support for these proposals and appeal to a broader range of political values. [Extracted from the article]

Autonomous navigation requires multi-sensor fusion to achieve a high level of accuracy in different environments. Global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receivers are the main components in most navigation systems. However, GNSS signals are subject to blockage and multipath effects in challenging areas, e.g., tunnels, underground parking, and downtown or urban areas. Therefore, different sensors, such as inertial navigation systems (INSs) and radar, can be used to compensate for GNSS signal deterioration and to meet continuity requirements. In this paper, a novel algorithm was applied to improve land vehicle navigation in GNSS-challenging environments through radar/INS integration and map matching. Four radar units were utilized in this work. Two units were used to estimate the vehicle's forward velocity, and the four units were used together to estimate the vehicle's position. The integrated solution was estimated in two steps. First, the radar solution was fused with an INS through an extended Kalman filter (EKF). Second, map matching was used to correct the radar/INS integrated position using OpenStreetMap (OSM). The developed algorithm was evaluated using real data collected in Calgary's urban area and downtown Toronto. The results show the efficiency of the proposed method, which had a horizontal position RMS error percentage of less than 1% of the distance traveled for three minutes of a simulated GNSS outage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The critical research agenda on smart cities has tended to assume a largely top-down orientation in which powerful actors like the state and corporations enact programmes to embed Information & Communication Technologies (ICT) in the urban landscape. Because of the way research has framed this relation of power, the dominant response has been to seek social justice by either contesting these top-down exercises of (digital) power or by reconceptualising the smart city 'from below'. In this paper, we join a growing chorus of voices recognising the importance of interstitial actors that influence the ways in which the smart city manifests. We draw on a five-year ongoing study in Calgary, Alberta, to examine two actor groups that are, properly, neither top-down nor bottom-up, but play an important role in envisioning, implementing and contesting how 'smartness' is framed. The first set of actors, situated between the top and bottom of the smart city hierarchy, are most prominently community associations, non-profit organisations and ad-hoc task groups. The second group is comprised of groups with different digital practices, whose spectre of marginalisation influences how digital systems are articulated and pursued. These actors strategically move between different interstices in order to enact particular kinds of political influence, and often influence smart cities by virtue of their absence, profoundly impacting urban political geographies of smartness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Data compression is essential to reduce high storage and communication costs for a wide range of systems and applications. Canonical Huffman coding plays a pivotal role for several compression standards. This paper presents bit-parallel static and dynamic canonical Huffman decoder implementations using an optimized lookup table approach on a fine-grain many-core processor array and an Intel FPGA. The decoder implementation results are compared with an Intel i7-4850HQ and a massively parallel Nvidia GT 750M GPU executing the corpus benchmarks: Calgary, Canterbury, Artificial, and Large. The many-core implementations achieve a scaled throughput per chip area that is 891× and 7× greater on average than the i7 and GT 750M respectively. Moreover, the many-core implementations result in a scaled energy efficiency (compressed bits decoded per energy) that is 149.5×, 3.9×, and 2.5× greater on average than the i7, GT 750M, and Intel FPGA respectively. In addition, the optimized lookup-table-based static canonical Huffman decoder on the Intel FPGA yields performance and energy efficiency improvements of 2.1× and 3.68× respectively on average compared to a dynamic canonical Huffman decoder at a 17% cost in compression ratio. • The optimized look-up table approach speeds up the canonical Huffman decoding. • Static decoder executes faster than the dynamic decoder at the cost of compression ratio. • Many-core array implementation outperforms GPU, CPU, and FPGA in terms of area and energy efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a comparison of the spatial equity dimensions of dockless bike and e-scooter sharing in Calgary, Alberta. Using trip data from the City of Calgary's Shared Mobility Pilot (between July-September 2019), this study investigates differences in micromobility utilization by dockless mode between areas characterized by different levels of deprivation. ANOVA and linear regression results show that utilization of both dockless modes was spatially inequitable, with e-scooter and dockless bike trips concentrated in the least deprived areas. Dockless bike and e-scooter sharing utilization declined with each increase in deprivation level by 0.138 trips per 1,000 persons per vehicle for dockless e-scooters, and 0.015 trips per 1,000 persons per vehicle for dockless bikes, suggesting that more equity considerations are required to ensure that the benefits of dockless micromobility sharing are available to all areas regardless of the relative advantage or disadvantage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses a large administrative dataset providing 105,149 daily observations on 3,176 youth aged between 18 and 24 years using emergency homeless shelters from January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2019, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Using k-mean cluster analysis we classify youth who use emergency homeless shelters by their intensity of shelter use. In Calgary, most youth use homeless shelters as a temporary and infrequent refuge when housing is lost. For these youth, shelters are an effective and relatively inexpensive approach for helping them resolve their homelessness. A significant number, however, rely on shelters for much longer stays. For these youth, shelters are ineffective and expensive responses to their homelessness. To understand how youth are changing their use of shelters over time, we introduce time series measuring first admissions and readmissions to shelters. We show that how youth use shelters, and how that use has changed over time, differs for youth who self-identify as Indigenous, Caucasian and visible minority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Do incumbents dominate non-partisan elections because of an especially large personal vote? This question has important implications for understanding the causes of incumbent success and the benefits or drawbacks of non-partisan elections. This paper uses a natural experiment, combined with three original datasets, to estimate the size, persistence, and consequences of the personal vote in a large non-partisan city election. We first use individual-level survey data to show that individuals assigned quasi-randomly to a new incumbent are substantially less likely to support the incumbent. We use a second survey, one year later, to demonstrate the persistence of this effect. Finally, we use historical election results to simulate the electoral consequences of the personal vote; we find that the personal vote is sufficiently large to affect one in four incumbent races. We conclude that the personal vote, while large and important, is not sufficient to explain incumbent dominance in non-partisan contests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Participatory action research can be a research methodology that seeks to offer relational processes that develop high touch research relationships, create coempowerment, while fostering resiliency and strength, within the HIV community. The Calgary HIV Social Society (CHSS) in Calgary, Alberta, Canada co-developed with peer-researchers at Mount Royal University, a progressive form of action-oriented research that allowed the HIV community to develop and provide social gatherings to reduce the impact of stigma and isolation. The research project was developed with the community of people living with HIV to reduce the impact of isolation and stigma. The focus of the research was to better understand how social gatherings could improve the quality of life for those living with HIV. The action-oriented methodology allowed for HIV peer-researchers to bring their expertise on what was needed to reduce stigma and isolation. The HIV social support community created participatory action research processes that successfully contributed to building an inclusive, community for people living with HIV. This paper will share the themes that acknowledge the significant impact that a HIV high touch relationship research community can have for those, who face the barriers of isolation and stigma by increasing community connection, reducing financial constraints that limit participation, while increasing mental health wellness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Solving the problems of optimal charging station location and charging duration. • Using two-stage stochastic programming considering both the users' and operating costs. • Addressing the uncertainties in the demand and performance of the Battery. • Data-driven analysis of two different transit routes with en-route and terminal charging stations. • Indicating the importance of incorporating the stochasticity of weather-induced demand and supply. While the environmental advantages of battery-electric buses (BEBs) are well-known, their significant differences from diesel buses require alterations to both route design (i.e., charging station locations) and operations (i.e., schedule management and holding control). The location, number, charging duration, and types of charging stations must be considered as part of the planning process. Charging stations can be located at depots, termini, or en-route. This paper considers the long-term planning and optimization problem of en-route charging station locations and charging duration to optimize passengers' waiting time and operation and capital costs while addressing the weather-induced stochasticity of ridership and battery performance of the BEBs. A linear deterministic optimization model and a two-stage stochastic programming (SP) optimization process are developed to place BEB charging stations along the route and estimate their assigned charging time for both one-way and two-way operations. The developed approaches are tested on two high-demand bus routes in Calgary. The impact of the breakdown of the charging station associated with the maximum charging time on the schedule and the cost of the BEB operation is assessed. The solution of the stochastic model is analyzed using the expected value of perfect information as an index. The results indicate that using the SP model helps decrease the expected travel time of the route while the total cost per trip increases compared to the deterministic model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines selected post-consumer waste materials for use in the building envelope including end of life tires, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles and paper/cardboard fibres. Three use types within the envelope are analysed according to uses in existing literature: thermal mass, insulation, and interior panelling. The materials are simulated in EnergyPlus, within a high performing residential base case located in Calgary, Alberta. The associated embodied energy and global warming potential of each material scenario are evaluated in OpenLCA. Most cases, excluding tire chip insulation, yield annual heating and cooling loads within a 10% margin of the base case, making them suitable for high performing buildings. Thermal mass components which prioritise reuse and undergo minimal processing such as whole earth-filled tires and whole PET bottles set in concrete blocks, are most effective at mitigating base case impacts. These cases result in a reduction of embodied energy and global warming potential by up to 70%, and lifetime energy by up to 40–50% when compared against an envelope using conventional construction materials. • Municipal wastes are comparable in energy use intensity to conventional materials. • Reduction of masonry requirements has the largest effect on total embodied energy. • Reused materials reduce building lifetime energy by 50% from conventional materials. • Based on waste generation rates, paper reuse applications are most deployable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Shared-e-scooters are being introduced in cities worldwide, with their introduction often being distant from the actual service characteristics understanding, potential benefits, and threats realization. This research explores scooter use by examining approximately nine million scooter trips from five North American cities (Austin; TX, Calgary; AB, Chicago; IL, Louisville; KY, Minneapolis; MN). By investigating the spatiotemporal hourly and daily use, we found that demand patterns tend to be similar in the different cities. Trip characteristics (speed, duration, and distance) are almost empirically consistent across the five cities; however, there is evidence that trip characteristics change over time in the same city. We also examined the impact of exogenous factors on scooter demand, and found that weather (temperature, wind speed, precipitation, and snow), day of the week, infrastructure (bike lanes, sidewalks, and shared bike stations), sociodemographics (gender, age, and income), land use, and accessibility to transit significantly impact demand. Findings highlight the need for evidence-based examination of shared-e-scooters and regulatory processes to guide policy decisions by the different stakeholders. • Shared E-scooters introduction to cities was not always done based on prior planning. • This paper explores E-scooter trips in five cities • Trip characteristics in the five cities are almost consistent. • Spatial and temporal demand patterns are also almost similar. • Weather, weekday, infrastructure, demographics, and PT accessibility impact demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Temporary land-uses (TLUs), especially on vacant land in cities, is a topic of increasing attention in Urban Studies. More specifically there is a focus on how TLUs are increasingly an area of experimentation in urban planning and policy, in part because they have been shown to be a catalyst for urban revitalization. In this paper, we explore TLUs in Calgary, Alberta. Calgary provides a noteworthy case-study for several reasons. Firstly, the city has experienced a severe recession since 2014, and while policymakers have made some effort to allow for more flexible land-uses, this has not been presented as a means to urban revitalization. Secondly, despite a concern in the creative cities' literature on the importance of creative spaces for a more vital form of urbanism, issues of land-use remain largely underexplored. In Calgary the existing legal structures around TLUs in Calgary are an important limitation on their more widespread adoption, but in this study, we also investigated local attitudes towards TLUs to see if that too was having a limiting impact in Calgary. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key informants, comprising a mix of local policymakers, officials, and interested citizens. We found that all the informants agreed that TLUs positively stimulate the local economy and urban life. Moreover, all agreed that government regulation and misunderstandings about the legal meaning of the word 'temporary' are significant barriers to increasing the adoption of TLUs across the city. However, we also found there was a clear divide between the two groups. One group viewed land-use bylaws positively, and saw it as a necessary factor for ensuring safe and quality urban development. The other group viewed land-use bylaws negatively, and the hindrance to temporary land-use adoption as yet another case of how land-use bylaws contributed to a range of urban problems. It became evident that this division is having a limiting impact on TLU adoption in Calgary and this division has to be addressed if TLUs are to expand beyond their currently limited adoption. Moreover, we found the literature on TLUs fails to capture a problematic local understanding of TLU in Calgary. The greatest barrier in Calgary appears to be a concern about the possible misperceptions, and political implications, which surrounded previous efforts to have temporary-land uses within the city. • Temporary Land Uses (TLU) are increasingly used in planning for urban revitalization. • TLU can be used to attract the creative class and stimulate local economies. • Calgary bylaws and permits limit widespread TLU adoption in the city. • Confusion about the definition of temporary limits adoption of TLUs in Calgary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new data-driven network vulnerability approach is presented. • A novel approach is developed to identify the spatiotemporal impact of incidents. • The proposed approach monitors the dynamic propagation of congestion patterns. • The spatiotemporal impact of incidents is used to derive a new vulnerability index. • The new vulnerability index considers probability and consequences of link failure. This paper proposes a new data-driven impact area vulnerability analysis approach that considers both the probability of impact of incidents and their resulting effects on an impact area. Multi-year observed travel time and incident data are deployed to investigate the underlying traffic propagation dynamics. These datasets contain a wealth of information that reflects the occurrences of link closure/disruption by space and time and the network-wide impacts stemming from these disruptions. A novel approach is developed to identify the resulting spatial and temporal impacts of non-recurrent incidents. Rather than focusing solely on the travel time changes of the link subject to incident, this approach captures all aspects of the impacts of incidents by monitoring the dynamic propagation of congestion patterns in the set of links that are in the vicinity of the link subject to incident (i.e., impact area). These spatial and temporal dimensions of the impacts are subsequently used in a new vulnerability analysis. The performance of the developed approach was examined using historical travel time and incident data from the City of Calgary, Canada. The results indicate that the recorded temporal impact of incidents is not representative enough of the true impact of incidents because the dynamic spatial propagation of the effect of incidents on the impact area is overlooked. The proposed approach is capable of capturing the enduring spatiotemporal impact of incidents in a large-scale road network. The primary improvement of the developed vulnerability index is its ability to model multi-dimensional aspects of non-recurrent travel delays caused by non-current incidents in a road network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban stormwater models such as PCSWMM are important tools for evaluating urban stormwater quantity and quality. However, due to the lack of consideration of land covers, traditional catchment delineation methods have defects in model precision, parameter transferability and assessment of contribution from individual land cover types. This paper used PCSWMM model as a foundation, built a new land-cover based (LCB) model and made a systematic comparison with the traditional watershed delineation tool (WDT) model to study the impacts of land cover on the simulation of stormwater runoff and pollutant loading. The models were applied to two urban catchments in Calgary, Canada. The results revealed that the LCB model performed better than the WDT model in hydrological simulation, and land cover consideration can considerably improve model accuracy. The two models showed comparable performances in simulation of total suspended solids (TSS), total nitrogen (TN), and total phosphorus (TP) loading. The LCB model parameters could be regionalized based on land cover types. The hydrologic-hydraulic parameters can be satisfactorily transferred from neighboring gauged catchments to similar ungauged catchments. The transferring of water quality parameters did not perform as satisfactory. The LCB model could quantitively evaluate the contribution to runoff and pollutant loads of different land covers. Roads and roofs were found to be the major contributors to urban runoff and pollutants in the two urban catchments. Green space became important only during large storms events and its contribution could be ignored during dryer years. • A new land-cover based SWMM model was built to simulate runoff and water quality. • Land cover-based catchment delineation can improve water quantity modelling. • Hydrologic-hydraulic parameters could be successfully transferred between sites. • New model could quantitively evaluate the contribution of different land covers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]