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Copyright of Baghdad Science Journal is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of GeSec: Revista de Gestao e Secretariado is the property of Sindicato das Secretarias e Secretarios do Estado de Sao Paulo (SINSESP) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Romanian cities are facing two opposing patterns of urban development that are common worldwide: a significant number of small cities are undergoing a process of shrinkage, while large cities are experiencing dense urban sprawl. This study examines the framework of the current legislation and urban codes that impact the growth of Romanian cities. The aim is to establish a critical analysis of the current urban codes of residential areas in Romania and to create a framework for an integrated neighbourhood tool of analysis for Romanian residential areas, using urban form as a starting point. This direction starts from the fact that international documents such as the "New Leipzig Charter" recommend a resilient and environmentally friendly approach to urban development, while current Romanian normative documents on resilience and sustainability focus mostly on buildings, ignoring a broader vision that includes the urban scale of the neighbourhood or city while considering the multidisciplinary requirement for understanding urban morphology and phenomena. Existing urban legislation in Romania is characterised by several deficiencies resulting from the fragmentation of outdated regulatory bodies in the field of urban planning. Furthermore, this study has demonstrated that urban indicators can serve as a versatile tool for the assessment and enhancement of residential areas in the country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Bitácora Urbano/Territorial is the property of Bitacora Urbano/Territorial and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of ESTOA: Revista de la Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo de la Universidad de Cuenca is the property of ESTOA Revista de la Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo de la Universidad de Cuenca and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The built environment has great influence over the sustainability of societies as well as over people's quality of life. Quality of life (QoL) is a broad concept that has different definitions across diverse bodies of knowledge. The social–cultural environment and the characteristics of the built environment influence people's perception of QoL. This study aims to identify and analyse the factors that impact QoL and sustainable development in the urban context. A systematic literature review was developed to understand QoL concepts and to identify urban indicators that contribute to the multidimensional evaluation of urban QoL. The results include (1) a holistic overview of QoL concepts and indicators; (2) the proposal of a holistic urban QoL concept; (3) the identification of urban QoL dimensions and indicators that contribute to urban QoL evaluation. The main contribution of this study is its discussion of the multidimensional nature of QoL, including objective and subjective dimensions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

House geckos share living quarters with humans in the tropical and subtropical regions inhabited by these reptiles. Gecko behavior, biological traits, continuous exposure to suspended particulate matter 0 µm in diameter (PM10) and dust, as well as status as exotic species, motivated the choice of these species to examine environmental exposure to ambient air pollutants, in particular metals, and subsequent accumulation in these organisms. One part of the study was conducted in Tamaulipas (Mexico) where Hemydactylus frenatus is abundant in urban and industrial environments, the other part was conducted in Andalucia (Spain) where Tarentola mauritanica is found in similar environments. Adult geckos were collected on buildings in locations affected by various air pollution sources. For both species, higher metal contents were observed in whole-body (including digestive tracts) analysis and were markedly different between collection sites. Contents in tails, digestive tracts, and carcasses without digestive tracts were not correlated. Based on contamination factor values, bioaccumulation in H. frenatus tissues occurred for 12 of the 15 metals analyzed. Data suggest that H. frenatus might serve as a biomonitor for Cu, Ni, Pb, Cr, Li, and V, whereas T. mauritanica might be a biomonitor for Cu, Ni, Pb, and Cr. To our knowledge, metal contents for H. frenatus are reported here for the first time. House gecko data could be integrated into a highly representative monitoring system and health risk assessments related to air quality in residential areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Builder (1896-0642) is the property of PWB MEDIA Zdzieblowski sp.j. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Urban morphology is important in a broad range of investigations across the fields of city planning, transportation, climate, energy, and urban data science. Characterising buildings with a set of numerical metrics is fundamental to studying the urban form. Despite the rapid developments in 3D geoinformation science, and the growing 3D data availability, most studies simplify buildings to their 2D footprint, and when taking their height into account, they at most assume one height value per building, i.e. simple 3D. We take the first step in elevating building metrics into full/true 3D, uncovering the use of higher levels of detail, and taking into account the detailed shape of a building. We set the foundation of the new research line on 3D urban morphology by providing a comprehensive set of 3D metrics, implementing them in openly released software, generating an open dataset containing 2D and 3D metrics for 823,000 buildings in the Netherlands, and demonstrating a use case where clusters and architectural patterns are analysed through time. Our experiments suggest the added value of 3D metrics to complement existing counterparts, reducing ambiguity, and providing advanced insights. Furthermore, we provide a comparative analysis using different levels of detail of 3D building models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In recent decades, urban settlements have been greatly affected by globalisation, climate change, and economic uncertainty. When designing cities, these factors should be taken into account and adapted to the different contexts involved. The redevelopment of degraded urban areas is the first step toward achieving the sustainability aims set out in the Sustainable Development Goals. In this context, evaluation methods are required in the decision-making process, considering different social, economic, and environmental aspects to define the correct policies and actions for city redevelopment. In this paper, an evaluation methodology is proposed in order to obtain a priority scale of interventions for urban regeneration. Starting from on-site inspections to better know the current scenario, a set of indicators is established to evaluate the urban quality. Criticalities and potentials emerge through SWOT analysis and, with the ANP-BOCR method, the priority scale of the identified scenarios is defined. This decision-making approach was applied to the case study of the Rimini Canal Port, in the northeast of Italy, which is a degraded area of the city. This methodology is a tool that can be used in the future by decision makers (DMs) for the redevelopment of small port areas within similar urban contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Romanian cities are facing two opposing patterns of urban development that are common worldwide: a significant number of small cities are undergoing a process of shrinkage, while large cities are experiencing dense urban sprawl. This study examines the framework of the current legislation and urban codes that impact the growth of Romanian cities. The aim is to establish a critical analysis of the current urban codes of residential areas in Romania and to create a framework for an integrated neighbourhood tool of analysis for Romanian residential areas, using urban form as a starting point. This direction starts from the fact that international documents such as the “New Leipzig Charter” recommend a resilient and environmentally friendly approach to urban development, while current Romanian normative documents on resilience and sustainability focus mostly on buildings, ignoring a broader vision that includes the urban scale of the neighbourhood or city while considering the multidisciplinary requirement for understanding urban morphology and phenomena. Existing urban legislation in Romania is characterised by several deficiencies resulting from the fragmentation of outdated regulatory bodies in the field of urban planning. Furthermore, this study has demonstrated that urban indicators can serve as a versatile tool for the assessment and enhancement of residential areas in the country.

COVID-19 has affected over 170 countries around the world. Alarming rate has increased with the increase of infected cases and death rates. Whereas, the World Health Organization (WHO) had declared the COVID-19 virus as a pandemic on 11th March 2020. Preparations were made to face the spread of COVID-19, as predicting the most probable risk areas by using spatial models. Prediction spatial models of COVID-19 risk areas can help the governmental authorities to generate sustainable strategies and set up suitable protocols to control the pandemic. This research presents an attempt of a potential spatial prediction modeling of COVID-19 risk areas in Cairo governorate-Egypt. Four indicator models (demographic, residential, environmental and topographic) were developed using geomatics technology based on the guidelines of the UN-habitat sustainable development goals (SDGs) target (11 & 3). Five predicted scenarios were generated for the most pandemic probability areas by the integration of the four indicator models. The results showed that there are common areas in all scenarios for highly COVID-19 pandemic risk areas. These common risk areas were found in (El Marag, El Salam, Ain Shams, El Mataria, El Gammaleya, Manshiat Nasser, El Mosky, Bolak, Hadaak El Koba, and El Sharbeya) districts. The hotspots zones are characterized by overcrowding, high population density and economic activities, large family size, poor infrastructure service and low rate of education. Moreover, it was noticed that crowding points resulted in traffic density and air pollution, which may affect the pandemic spread. The accuracy assessment results displayed that, the environmental predicted scenario was more consistent with the official data of the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population) MOHP), while the residential one was less convenient. The result of this study supports the health sector by predicting the hot spots areas. The present study is aimed to develop a proactive plan to confront the pandemic before spreading in the Cairo governorate-Egypt. Also, the proposed prediction model can be an effective aid for decision-makers across the world working on containment strategies to minimize the spread of Coronavirus.

The access to open government data has been a relevant topic for societies around the world, especially over the last ten years. This paper aims to analyze the indicators of the São Paulo City Observatory (ObservaSampa), confronting them with the ISO 3712x series (sustainable, smart, and resilient cities) standards, to assess if the former meet both open data principles and the ISO prescriptions. Bibliometric analysis, comparative analysis, cluster analysis, and principal component analysis (PCA) were the methods used in this research. From the comparative analysis, 18 indicators were identified as conforming and 41 as partially conforming. Thus, 20% of the ObservaSampa indicators adhere to the ISO standards. The PCA applied to the conforming indicators shows component 1 is related to socioeconomic dimensions, while component 2 refers to social policy, with both appraisals confirmed by cluster analysis. Measuring and presenting city data in compliance with indicator standards is relevant because they open the possibility of comparing different cities. However, there is still a lack of consensus on a common set of indicators to be accommodated within the current ISO standards system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Legado de Arquitectura y Diseño is the property of Universidad Autonoma del Estado de Mexico and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of the Arab American University is the property of Association of Arab Universities and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The built environment has great influence over the sustainability of societies as well as over people’s quality of life. Quality of life (QoL) is a broad concept that has different definitions across diverse bodies of knowledge. The social–cultural environment and the characteristics of the built environment influence people’s perception of QoL. This study aims to identify and analyse the factors that impact QoL and sustainable development in the urban context. A systematic literature review was developed to understand QoL concepts and to identify urban indicators that contribute to the multidimensional evaluation of urban QoL. The results include (1) a holistic overview of QoL concepts and indicators; (2) the proposal of a holistic urban QoL concept; (3) the identification of urban QoL dimensions and indicators that contribute to urban QoL evaluation. The main contribution of this study is its discussion of the multidimensional nature of QoL, including objective and subjective dimensions.

This paper presents the concept of urban pandemic vulnerability as a crucial framework for understanding how COVID-19 affects cities and how they react to pandemics. We adapted existing social and environmental urban vulnerability frameworks to assess pandemic impacts and responses, identifying the appropriate components and spatial, environmental and socio-demographic variables of interest. Pandemic vulnerability depends on exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity features, which occur in different combinations in different parts of a city. The model was applied to the Metropolitan Region of Amsterdam (MRA) to create a map of pandemic vulnerability. This map differentiates between affected areas according to the types of vulnerability they experience, and it accurately identified the most vulnerable areas in line with real-world data. The findings contribute to clarifying the challenges brought by COVID-19, identifying vulnerability thresholds and guiding planning towards pandemic resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inadequate supply of transport infrastructure is often seen as a barrier to a sustainable future for cities globally. Such barriers often perpetuate significant inequalities in who can and who cannot benefit from sustainable transport opportunities, and as a result there is momentum for transformative urban planning to promote sustainable transportation equity. This study introduces a new set of two-dimensional indicators, merging elements of supply and demand, to identify barriers and imbalances in sustainable transport equity. The accessibility indicators, which are generated for bus, rail, and cycle infrastructure, consider the proximity of administrative areas to good quality transport infrastructure, as well as mode-specific demand, to clearly identify areas where the supply of infrastructure is inadequate to support local populations. We present a policy case study for Liverpool City Region, which demonstrates how these indicators can be used in an analytical framework to support transformative urban planning in long-term. In particular, the indicators reveal policy priority areas where demand for sustainable transport is greater than supply, as well as neighbourhoods where multiple transport inequalities are intersecting spatially, highlighting the need for specific types of infrastructure investment to promote sustainable transport equity (e.g. more frequent services, additional cycle paths). Our framework lays the foundations for improved decision-making in urban systems, through development of mode-specific sustainable transport indicators at small area levels, which harmonise elements of supply and demand for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 has affected over 170 countries around the world. Alarming rate has increased with the increase of infected cases and death rates. Whereas, the World Health Organization (WHO) had declared the COVID-19 virus as a pandemic on 11th March 2020. Preparations were made to face the spread of COVID-19, as predicting the most probable risk areas by using spatial models. Prediction spatial models of COVID-19 risk areas can help the governmental authorities to generate sustainable strategies and set up suitable protocols to control the pandemic. This research presents an attempt of a potential spatial prediction modeling of COVID-19 risk areas in Cairo governorate-Egypt. Four indicator models (demographic, residential, environmental and topographic) were developed using geomatics technology based on the guidelines of the UN-habitat sustainable development goals (SDGs) target (11 & 3). Five predicted scenarios were generated for the most pandemic probability areas by the integration of the four indicator models. The results showed that there are common areas in all scenarios for highly COVID-19 pandemic risk areas. These common risk areas were found in (El Marag, El Salam, Ain Shams, El Mataria, El Gammaleya, Manshiat Nasser, El Mosky, Bolak, Hadaak El Koba, and El Sharbeya) districts. The hotspots zones are characterized by overcrowding, high population density and economic activities, large family size, poor infrastructure service and low rate of education. Moreover, it was noticed that crowding points resulted in traffic density and air pollution, which may affect the pandemic spread. The accuracy assessment results displayed that, the environmental predicted scenario was more consistent with the official data of the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population) MOHP), while the residential one was less convenient. The result of this study supports the health sector by predicting the hot spots areas. The present study is aimed to develop a proactive plan to confront the pandemic before spreading in the Cairo governorate-Egypt. Also, the proposed prediction model can be an effective aid for decision-makers across the world working on containment strategies to minimize the spread of Coronavirus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista: Módulo Arquitectura CUC is the property of Corporacion Universidad de la Costa, CUC and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Human well-being is affected by the design quality of the city in which they live and walk. This depends primarily on specific physical characteristics and how they are aggregated together. Many studies have highlighted the great potential of photographic data shared on the Flickr platform for analyzing environmental perceptions in landscape and urban planning. Other researchers have used panoramic images from the Google Street View (GSV) web service to extract data on urban quality. However, at the urban level, there are no studies correlating quality perceptions detected by social media platforms with spatial geographic characteristics through geostatistical models. This work proposes the analysis of urban quality in different areas of the Livorno city through a methodological approach based on Geographical Random Forest regression. The result offers important insights into the physical characteristics of a street environment that contribute to the more abstract qualities of urban design.

Purpose - The intense urbanization process has transformed the urban dynamics. Such phenomenon is the cause of some of the main problems of contemporary cities, in social, environmental, and economic dimensions. Therefore, planning and managing cities have been a challenge for public managers. The concept of Smart Cities is an initiative that seeks to assist in this process, using Information and Communication Technology (ICTs) as agents of transformation in the urban environment. One tool used by Smart Cities is the measurement through indicators, serving as a basis for decision making. The objective of this article is to analyze the urban indicators of Economy and Entrepreneurship of Passo Fundo / RS. Design/ methodology/approach - In the methodology, the indicators of the Connected Smart Cities Ranking were used as a reference, adopting a regional cut of medium-sized cities, located in the South Region, classified among the first 20 in the Ranking. Multimethod research, collection, and data collection procedures were applied. Findings - The results show that the majority of the Passo Fundo indices are lower than those of the cities analyzed, as well as the indices related to employability and the growth of companies. However, the city has satisfactory rates, such as the workforce in the Education and R&D sector, and the creation of technology centers and incubators in the municipality. Originality/value - From this analysis, the results obtained may serve as subsidies for public management in the formulation of more assertive strategies for Passo Fundo / RS in the quest to become a more intelligent and sustainable city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human well-being is affected by the design quality of the city in which they live and walk. This depends primarily on specific physical characteristics and how they are aggregated together. Many studies have highlighted the great potential of photographic data shared on the Flickr platform for analyzing environmental perceptions in landscape and urban planning. Other researchers have used panoramic images from the Google Street View (GSV) web service to extract data on urban quality. However, at the urban level, there are no studies correlating quality perceptions detected by social media platforms with spatial geographic characteristics through geostatistical models. This work proposes the analysis of urban quality in different areas of the Livorno city through a methodological approach based on Geographical Random Forest regression. The result offers important insights into the physical characteristics of a street environment that contribute to the more abstract qualities of urban design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cities are key to climate change mitigation and adaptation in an increasingly urbanized world. As climate, socio-economic, and physical compositions of cities are constantly changing, these need to be considered in their urban climate adaptation. To identify these changes, urban systems can be characterized by physical, functional, and social indicators. Multi-dimensional approaches are needed to capture changes of city form and function, including patterns of mobility, land use, land cover, economic activities, and human behaviour. In this article, we examine how urban structure types provide one way to differentiate cities in general and to what extent socio-economic criteria have been considered regarding the characterization of urban typologies. In addition, we analyse how urban structure types are used in local adaptation strategies and plans to derive recommendations and concrete targets for climate adaptation. To do this, we examine indicators, background data used, and cartographic information developed for and within such urban adaptation plans, focusing in particular on the German cities of Karlsruhe and Berlin. The comparative analysis provides new insights into how present adaptation plans consider physical and social structures, including issues of human vulnerability within cities. Based on the analysis we make recommendations on how to improve the consideration of both physical and socio-economic aspects of a city to support pathways for adaptation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Resumen La insostenibilidad constituye un tema de reflexión obligada en los momentos actuales que vive el planeta, en donde los grandes desafíos a enfrentar están marcados por el cambio climático, el crecimiento poblacional y la urbanización acelerada, cuyas secuelas van de la mano del consumo irracional de recursos, la contaminación, la desigualdad y la pobreza. En Latinoamérica, esta situación se ve reflejada en un crecimiento urbano discontinuo, periferias pobres, bajas densidades, déficit de infraestructuras y servicios, entre otros factores que han sido considerados detonantes de problemas socio ambientales y de salud de su población; hechos que exigen ser tratados mediante procesos de planeamiento más integrales, que incluyan criterios de sostenibilidad y mecanismos de medición como indicadores e índices de sostenibilidad, para que ayuden a forjar ciudades y territorios más sostenibles. La investigación tiene como objetivo contrastar la realidad latinoamericana con otras realidades ya destacadas en el tema como la europea a través del caso español, con el fin de superar la visión sectorial del análisis. Los aportes más relevantes, se conjugan en una batería de indicadores referenciales con énfasis en la dimensión física ambiental, que podrían ser útiles al momento de plantear un modelo de Unidad Barrial Sostenible (UBS) para Latinoamérica. Abstract The unsustainability is a subject of reflection forced in the current moments that the planet lives, where the great challenges to face are marked by climate change, population growth and accelerated urbanization, whose consequences go hand in hand with the irrational consumption of resources, pollution, inequality and poverty. In Latin America, this situation is reflected in discontinuous urban growth, poor peripheries, low densities, lack of infrastructure and services, among other factors that have been considered triggers of socio-environmental and health problems of its population; facts that require to be treated through more comprehensive planning processes, including sustainability criteria and measurement mechanisms such as indicators and sustainability indices, to help forge more sustainable cities and territories. The research aims to contrast the Latin American reality with other realities already highlighted in the subject, such as the European one through the Spanish case, in order to overcome the sector vision of analysis. The most relevant contributions are combined in a battery of reference indicators with emphasis on the physical environmental dimension, which could be useful when proposing a Sustainable Neighborhood Unit model (UBS) for Latin America.

Cities are key to climate change mitigation and adaptation in an increasingly urbanized world. As climate, socio-economic, and physical compositions of cities are constantly changing, these need to be considered in their urban climate adaptation. To identify these changes, urban systems can be characterized by physical, functional, and social indicators. Multi-dimensional approaches are needed to capture changes of city form and function, including patterns of mobility, land use, land cover, economic activities, and human behaviour. In this article, we examine how urban structure types provide one way to differentiate cities in general and to what extent socio-economic criteria have been considered regarding the characterization of urban typologies. In addition, we analyse how urban structure types are used in local adaptation strategies and plans to derive recommendations and concrete targets for climate adaptation. To do this, we examine indicators, background data used, and cartographic information developed for and within such urban adaptation plans, focusing in particular on the German cities of Karlsruhe and Berlin. The comparative analysis provides new insights into how present adaptation plans consider physical and social structures, including issues of human vulnerability within cities. Based on the analysis we make recommendations on how to improve the consideration of both physical and socio-economic aspects of a city to support pathways for adaptation.

Purpose: Since the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development was set, cities are gaining momentum in the sustainability debate as favorable hubs of interventions to implement environmentally friendly policies. What makes a city sustainable is still object of debate though, as standards, frameworks, and methodologies with different goals and scope proliferate. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is promising in supporting cities to achieve this ambitious task, but methodological constraints still exist to make it applicable at city scale. This study offers proposals to solve current bottlenecks in the goal and scope phase for the application of LCA to urban systems and allowing for a meaningful inter-city comparison and benchmarking. Methods: In order to define cities along with their function(s) and functional unit, a systematic desk study combined with authors' knowledge is performed and tested on the city of Leuven (Belgium). The final outcome includes the following: (i) categorization of cities based on their (prevalent) function(s); (ii) sets of indicators able to support both urban policies and LCA studies; and (iii) accounting and use of the population equivalent concept, as innovative and enhanced functional unit able to summarize and normalize different entities (i.e., residents and other city-users) to one single metric. Results and discussion: Despite the fervent debate about cities and their sustainability, few studies address the topic of categorization and benchmarking of cities in an exhaustive way. The proposals were successfully applied to the city of Leuven, as first case study, with different degrees of extent and quality. A shortlist of five biophysical and economic criteria combined with ten urban categories represents a first straightforward tier of categorization. The population equivalent has the triple function of being descriptive, quantitative, and analytical for performing thorough urban sustainability studies and define targeted policies, but requires high computational and data collection efforts. The quality and granularity of collected information proved to be directly proportional to the access of local data sources, and inversely to its complexity, i.e., sufficient for policy support, but improvable when the goal is to perform LCA studies. Conclusions: The functional categorization of cities and the calculation of the population equivalent provide a new approach for meaningful and helpful inter-city comparisons, as well as an enhanced detection and interpretation of urban environmental burdens. Due to the relevance of the topic in the scientific debate, the authors envisage complementary and multidisciplinary studies to make cities more and more part of the solution to the sustainability challenge, especially to improve the concept of population equivalent and the data management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Arquitetura IMED is the property of Revista de Arquitetura IMED and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A growing body of empirical findings suggests that more satisfactory, compact, and traversable built environments can positively influence active travel, physical activity, and the walking experience. To this end, planning for better and more walkable places has been identified as a hot topic in urban studies and public health research, since. However, European-level indicators assessing aspects of pedestrian-friendly urban environments are largely lacking. This article introduces spatial and tabular data files of 17 pre-processed and microscale walkability indicators. The dataset presents relevant to the pedestrian environment information for 59 central urban areas from 26 European countries and aims to support policy analysis and assessment related to healthy and low-carbon transportation systems as well as sustainable communities. Methodologically, we applied a virtual (i.e., Google Street View) street audit tool, block-by-block and on both sides of each street and crossing segment separately. To this end, we digitized in polyline features observations and evaluations for a total of 112.577 street- and/or crossing-segments. The data collection process was a demanding and challenging process, which lasted for 21 months and involved 46 trained observers. The data tables in this paper present processed data of each audited item topic as a total share of street segments or crossings length by city. More specifically, the data tables contain indicators that describe the following seventeen themes: percent of segments with predominant commercial or/and entertainment buildings (active uses), percent of segments with access to park/plaza, percent of segments with transit stop(s), percent of segments with available public seats, percent of segments according to their street lighting conditions, percent of segments with well-maintained buildings, percent of segments where graffiti is not present, percent of segments where a bike lane is present, percent of segments where a sidewalk is present, percent of segments with well-maintained sidewalks, percent of segments with sidewalk buffers, percent of segments according to shading levels, percent of segments with wider sidewalks, percent of segments according to the number of road traffic lanes, percent of crossings with a pedestrian walk signal, percent of crossings with curb(s) ramp and percent of crossings with a marked pedestrian crosswalk. Additionally, a dedicated web-GIS platform has been designed and developed to visualize and disseminate collected data in openly available density maps of high spatial resolution (50 m × 50 m). The above data can be utilized to both raise awareness of unsatisfactory pedestrian environments and appoint them as a key health and environmental issue, as well as to assist European policy-makers to apply urban mobility strategies and monitor progress in urban sustainability and public health goals.

Copyright of Builder (1896-0642) is the property of PWB MEDIA Zdzieblowski sp.j. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

While planning practice largely relies on conventional planning methodologies, academia is ahead on the research about geotechnical tools such as Planning Support Systems (PSS) and how they could support contemporary and complex planning processes. The aim of this paper is to show the outcomes of the application of geo-tools (i.e. Geographical information systems) in an empirical case carried out by practitioners, academics, and the Municipality of Jerez. It draws on empirical data from a planning project focused on the dilapidated and oldest area in the city centre. This area is collapsing due to lack of maintenance and lack of inhabitants. The project created an urban indicator framework, to determine the agenda and priorities for urban development projects implemented in the area. It is a quantitative approach and distil what could be done to ameliorate the situation. This paper promotes aims to reflect how PSS can be appropriated in a specific planning culture. The goal is to find which are the crucial urban indicators and which are the added values found during the implementation of PSS during the process. It concludes by emphasizing the valuable contributions of empirical case studies to better understanding the added value of PSS in planning practice. It reflects on the demand to promote tailored PSS applications in order to adapt to local planning methods and theories.

Purpose -- The need to plan and manage cities is increasingly aligned with the search for sustainable development in all its dimensions. Countless initiatives and tools aim to assist in this process, as is the case of urban indicators, which serve as a basis for measuring, analyzing and understanding the context of cities. In this sense, the main objective of this article is to understand and analyze the context and application of one of these tools, ISO 37120 - Sustainable Development of Communities: Indicators for urban services and quality of life. ISO 37120 is an internationally recognized standard, composed of integrated urban indicators, which balance three dimensions of sustainable development; in addition, the standard allows the implementation of smart city initiatives. Design/methodology/approach -- Documentary research was used and, subsequently, a critical analysis was carried out, from which positive and negative points were identified in relation to the application of ISO. Findings -- Results demonstrate the increasing use of ISO 37120 as a way of measuring urban indicators; however, there is still difficulty in continuing to validate the methodology after the first certification. In addition, it was found that most of the certified cities are national capitals, cities that have also been looking for alterna- tives to become more intelligent and sustainable. Originality/value -- The operation of ISO 37120 certification was presented, as well as some weaknesses and potentialities of this certification system, which aims to assist in the solution of main urban issues, building smarter, more sustainable and resilient cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human vulnerability concept is becoming very fruitful to uncover social latent difficulties and to inspire proactive actions according to a more comprehensive spatial development. Framed on this interdisciplinary field, this study intends: a) to identify aspects and indicators to measure socio-environmental vulnerability, specifically regarding to air degradation; and b) to build measures of it, usable for Spain, and considering the city of Madrid as case study. To these objectives, a set of facets and indicators have been selected and gauged, using the Delphi technique. After exploring the relations among such indicators with principal component analysis, a weighted mean has been adopted to obtain, firstly, a relative vulnerability index, and then an absolute vulnerability estimation for the city neighbourhoods. They uncover noteworthy intra-urban differences. Data handling and spatial analysis, as well as geovisualization of results, have been effectively supported by a geographical information system. The findings deliver better knowledge to implement policies for protecting people living in the most vulnerable areas of the city. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current systems of urban indicators tend to focus on the analysis of large cities and metropolises, leaving aside the diversity of urban and rural territories where a large part of the population lives. In the case of Colombia, there is, furthermore, a lack of information at the municipal level, which makes it difficult for municipalities with scarce resources to formulate and update land-use plans. This essay proposes a set of indicators inspired by UN-Habitat's City Prosperity Index, but adapted to the diversity of municipalities and to the availability of statistical data in Colombia. The analysis of the results, and particularly the interrelation between territorial and socio-economic variables, has provided a new vision of the territory, allowing to identify, through a cluster analysis, four classes of rural municipalities, differentiated by their social and economic characteristics. Although the proposed method does not reach a level of detail sufficient for a diagnosis at the municipal level, it defines reference levels for a more specific diagnosis and to help to reduce the lack of information of which municipalities suffer, not only in Colombia, but also in many other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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This work explores the extent to which urban integration is related to a better quality of life in the metropolitan areas of Santiago, Valparaíso and Concepción. This challenge has not been addressed so far as a result of its methodological and interpretation complexities. Through the comparative analysis of the Urban Life Quality Index (ICVU) and Urban Integration indices raised from the System of Urban Development Indicators and Standards (SIEDU), three key dimensions are addressed: sociocultural conditions, connectivity and mobility, and housing and environment. The results confirm in the case of the three metropolitan areas of Chile that urban integration is not necessarily expressed as the result of a better quality of life, opening an important question about the scope that a good endowment of public and private goods and services may have in order to guarantee a greater degree of integration in neighborhoods and municipalities, at least at the metropolitan level. Additionally, the importance of the geography of the metropolitan areas is revealed, due to some conflicting results obtained, generating a significant contribution for the design of public policies before their next examination in Chile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a framework for a package of Urban Sustainability and Resilience Indicators (USRI) based on a holistic approach to urban dynamics that we name the ‘pyramid of urban resilience and sustainability’. We start with a concise discussion of the concepts of urban resilience and sustainability, their synergies and trade-offs. We then make a point of the need for an interdisciplinary and holistic approach to assess progress towards or away from urban sustainability and resilience; and delineate an analytical framework that enables a comprehensive approach to ‘the urban’ by addressing not only ecological but also economic, sociocultural and governance dimensions. We critically reflect on its potential (and limits) by applying it to the case of Mexico City. The paper presents preliminary results for the ecological dimension of such a framework, and insights from the case of solid waste. USRI offers the potential for a systemic approach to urban sustainability and resilience. Yet, some limitations are evident, mostly related to data availability at the urban level, complexity to aggregate and weight data, the limited efforts for knowledge coproduction and the incorporation of participatory processes, and the need to cautiously translate findings – and their inherent uncertainties – into decision-making.

We are living in an urban age [...]