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A Diversified Approach to Mitigate Crises in Urbanized Areas

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A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Urban and Rural Development".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 November 2022) | Viewed by 33887

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Elżbieta Ryńska

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Architecture, Warsaw University of Technology, 00-659 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: sustainable development in architecture and urban planning; resilient cities; circularity in urban planning and buildings; efficient energy solutions; water in architecture; daylighting; equity and accessibility

Prof. Dr. José Guadalupe Vargas Hernández‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬‬

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Guest Editor

University Center for Economic and Managerial Sciences, University of Guadalajara, Jalisco 45100, Mexico
Interests: urban and organizational economics; strategic management
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Janusz Marchwinski

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Guest Editor

Faculty of Architecture, University of Ecology and Management, 00-792 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: sustainability; ecology; energy-effective solutions; architecture

Dr. Jan Winkler

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Guest Editor

Department of Plant Biology, Faculty of AgriSciences, Mendel University in Brno, 613 00 Brno, Czech Republic
Interests: habitats influenced by human activity; climate mitigation

Dr. Magdalena Grochulska-Salak

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Guest Editor

1. Department of Civil Engineering Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, 02-787 Warsaw, Poland
2. Faculty of Architecture, Warsaw University of Technology, 00-659 Warsaw, Poland
Interests: sustainable development; urban resilience; self-sufficient units; urban agriculture; blue and green infrastructure

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The world is urbanizing rapidly. The past two decades have seen a gradual shift in policy thinking on the intersection between urbanization, sustainable development, climate mitigation solutions, and circular approaches. Demographic shifts also correlate with the impacts of climatic changes, conflict and health displacements, and the need to re-measure the approach toward the choices made within urban planning and buildings solutions. The idea of sustainability and urban development should be perceived jointly—the perception should cover design processes, organization, and planning processes used for the buildings’ development as well as facility management and modifications of already existing building structures. It should be noted that there are many types of local and global crises with often diversified mitigation approaches depending on the local policies and designer knowledge. This Special Issue is dedicated to the presentation of solutions aiming to fulfil four of the US Environmental Program aims: G 3—Good health and wellbeing, G 9—Industry, innovation, and infrastructure, G 11—Creating sustainable cities and communities, and G 13—Climate actions. The logic behind this choice of research areas is showing why urban space should be perceived as a holistic multilevel set of approaches, with emphasis on harmonious correlation between the humanmade and the existing natural landscape, as well as rehabilitation and efficient use of resources allowing to move toward sustainable development aims.

Prof. Dr. Elżbieta Ryńska
Prof. Dr. José G. Vargas-Hernández
Dr. Janusz Marchwinski
Dr. Jan Winkler
Dr. Magdalena Grochulska-Salak
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

mitigation of climatic changes
health and wellbeing in urban areas
sustainable urban areas
alternative building materials and technologies
housing crisis
interdisciplinary approach to crises in urbanized areas

Published Papers (14 papers)

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Research

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25 pages, 11549 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Resilience in Urban and Architectural Design—The Issue of Sustainable Development for Areas Associated with an Embankment

by Agnieszka Starzyk, Janusz Marchwiński, Eliza Maciejewska, Piotr Bujak, Kinga Rybak-Niedziółka, Magdalena Grochulska-Salak and Zdzisław Skutnik

Sustainability 2023, 15(11), 9064; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15119064 - 03 Jun 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1458

Abstract

The dynamically changing world poses new challenges to urbanized areas, e.g., related to water management in the architectural and urban context. Improving retention and strengthening blue-green infrastructure can be based on technical, semi-natural and natural methods, which are less invasive. Various forms are used in the city space: flow control, detention, retention, filtration, infiltration, and treatment. The implementation of the green order strategy and shaping sustainable development in the context of designing the city’s resilience is associated with shaping spatial policy and urban planning assumptions for the transformation of public spaces and new investments in urbanized areas in crisis. The shaping of waterfronts in the city and green and blue infrastructure significantly shape the parameters of the environment and the regenerative capacity of the urban ecosystem. The aim of this work was to show the relationship between the problem of embankments and the possibilities of developing space in their proximity, including areas exposed to the risk of flooding. The relationships determined by the goal were verified in comparative studies, a repeatable method of collecting, processing, analyzing, and interpreting the obtained data was used. The issue was presented in a broader context of flood risk and water management in the area of Lake Zegrze, collisions and spatial conflicts were analyzed. The results are presented in the context of detailed water management data for the complex of Riva Zegrze facilities, which is a model example regarding the sustainable development of areas on embankments, considering their specific floodplain development possibilities. The effects of the research allowed for the formulation of conclusions, including in terms of implementation, in the field of urban and architectural design for areas associated with an embankment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Diversified Approach to Mitigate Crises in Urbanized Areas)

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25 pages, 565 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Unintended Consequences of Housing Policies: Evidence from South Korea

by Chunil Kim and Jinsoo Ko

Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3407; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15043407 - 13 Feb 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2292

Abstract

South Korea has crafted a series of policy measures to regulate or stimulate housing markets. One interesting feature is that policy makers and market observers have paid enormous attention to one particular housing market, the Greater Gangnam Area in Seoul. The area is an upscale and self-sufficient urban neighborhood with high-priced residential properties; the nation’s housing policies have been directed toward tempering housing price appreciation there. This leads to the following research question: whether the housing policy tools achieved the intended goals or not. This study examined the differential impacts of government-initiated policy measures on housing submarkets in the primary real estate market. Quasi-experimental econometric evaluations, which are AITS-DID methods, revealed that recent policy measures did not achieve the intended goal of housing price stabilization. Rather, those policy instruments brought about unintended consequences. The Housing Welfare Roadmap measure was intended to cool down the Gangnam housing market, but it in fact increased the Gangnam housing prices by 5.69 percent points in comparison to the non-Gangnam area. In order to tackle housing market imbalances, the government should devise long-term urban and regional planning strategies to create self-sustaining communities suitable for various population groups so that they can compete with existing strong real estate markets. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Diversified Approach to Mitigate Crises in Urbanized Areas)

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22 pages, 12869 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Straw Bale Building as a Low-Tech Solution: A Case Study in Northern Poland

by Michał Pierzchalski

Sustainability 2022, 14(24), 16511; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su142416511 - 09 Dec 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2608

Abstract

There is a growing interest in low-tech technologies, drawing on the tradition of building with organic and unprocessed materials. One such technology is straw bale constructions. This paper presents an example of a timber-frame building in which straw bales were used as wall filling. The building is located in northern Poland and is a small, year-round single-family dwelling. Based on the available literature and experimental studies, it can be concluded that straw bale technology carries several potential threats related to the selected technology, quality of workmanship, and climatic conditions. The article describes the measurements of the air tightness of the building, the heat transfer coefficient U and the analysis of the humidity of straw walls. The study results confirm the risks related to the low air tightness of the building and the risk of water vapour condensation in the external partitions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Diversified Approach to Mitigate Crises in Urbanized Areas)

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15 pages, 811 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Scale Compromise: Three Challenges of Large-Scale but Citizen-Driven Urban Planning

by Artur Jerzy Filip

Sustainability 2022, 14(23), 15712; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su142315712 - 25 Nov 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1676

Abstract

Amongst various urban crises, some fundamental ones require long-term policies and large-scale developments to be effectively mitigated. Since multiple government-led large-scale projects raised more and more public opposition, the question whether such grand endeavors can be approached by citizen-driven initiatives became urgent. However, large-scale urban planning issues are still believed to be too big, too complex, and too difficult to be solved from the bottom up. This paper examines such recurring belief—here termed the “scale compromise”—and conceptualizes it across two essential dimensions of urban planning: spatial and political. The scale compromise is presented twofold, as each side of the compromise is embedded within a separate strand of urban planning practice: large-scale urban planning as traditionally associated with the authority-led approach, and citizen-driven urbanism as traditionally linked with locality. Regarding each approach, respectively, the causes, consequences, and difficulties of the scale compromise are discussed from both perspectives. Finally, by breaking down the resulting compromise across three integral aspects of planning—the socio-economic, organizational, and technical—the “scale compromise” conceptual framework indicates three scale-related challenges. Accordingly, this paper argues why all the three challenges must be met concurrently, as failing at one squanders the efforts made for the others. Finally, some recent experience in the development of urban greenway projects in the U.S. are discussed as promising points of reference for dealing with the scale compromise and for seeking new solutions to fundamental urban crisis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Diversified Approach to Mitigate Crises in Urbanized Areas)

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19 pages, 862 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research on Urban Resilience and Influencing Factors of Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle

by Mei Yang, Mengyun Jiao and Jinyu Zhang

Sustainability 2022, 14(17), 10585; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141710585 - 25 Aug 2022

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1837

Abstract

Building resilient cities is the foundation and guarantee for the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle to achieve high-quality and sustainable development. This research uses the entropy TOPSIS method to evaluate the urban resilience level of the Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Circle and uses the Fuzzy Set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA) approach to analyze the configuration of contributing factors. Research indicates that the overall urban resilience level is relatively low, with more than 70% of the areas being less than 0.3. Overall, Chengdu (Level 1) and Chongqing central districts (Level 2) are 1–3 levels higher than their surrounding areas, which indicates insufficient spatial balance. The consistency scores of the single-antecedent condition necessity analyses were all less than 0.9, and the consistencies of all configuration analysis results were all greater than 0.8. This research proves that the creation of urban resilience is the result of a combination of factors, rather than the independent influence from any individual factor. Financial and innovation forces are the key driving factors that affect the level of urban resilience. The multiple driving model also helps to improve the level of resilience. The lack of cultural and innovation forces in Chongqing area has been proven to inhibit the level of urban resilience, and the lack of openness and political focus has resulted in a low level of resilience in the Sichuan area. We propose to promote the construction of a “dual core”, to create synergies between Chongqing and Chengdu, and to achieve balanced and integrated development in the entire region. We focus on the key factors affecting the resilience level of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle. In the future, we suggest further opening the market and implementing a developing strategy that is driven by economy and innovation. Regarding the construction of the Sichuan and the Chongqing areas, we encourage the two regions to adjust policies based on local conditions. First, the administration should solve the driving force deficiencies for development, then adopt differentiation strategies for regional development. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Diversified Approach to Mitigate Crises in Urbanized Areas)

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26 pages, 3174 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Origin of the Crisis in the Spatial Development of Contemporary Cities: A Review of Selected Historical and Modern Mechanisms

by Kinga Rybak-Niedziółka

Sustainability 2022, 14(17), 10482; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su141710482 - 23 Aug 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1413

Abstract

The presented research is a review containing an original synthesis on some of the causes of urban development problems. The article covers historical and contemporary aspects of selected phenomena since the end of the 19th and 20th centuries in cities with patterns of European and American structures. The research background focuses on issues related to morphology, function, and form. The aim of the research is to present the results of the review, mostly canonical publications surrounding the history of architecture and town planning, grouping them according to the observed regularities. The research thesis assumes that the observed trends that are present in today’s discussion on urban development stem from some phenomena that appear in both selected urban patterns. The research methods are based on the literature query on the development of cities and the issues raised in the articles. The results are combined with a discussion and focus on the author’s synthesis of the observed trends, and they are divided into historical and contemporary groups describing selected causes of the current crisis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Diversified Approach to Mitigate Crises in Urbanized Areas)

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32 pages, 31697 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Identification of Embodied Environmental Attributes of Construction in Metropolitan and Growth Region of Melbourne, Australia to Support Urban Planning

by James Rydlewski, Zohreh Rajabi, Muhammad Atiq Ur Rehman Tariq, Nitin Muttil, Paras Sidiqui, Ashfaq Ahmad Shah, Nasir Abbas Khan, Muhammad Irshad, Arif Alam, Tayyab Ashfaq Butt and Anne Wai Man Ng

Sustainability 2022, 14(14), 8401; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14148401 - 08 Jul 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1917

Abstract

As growth regions evolve to accommodate the increasing population, they need to develop a wider variety of residential properties to accommodate the varying needs of the residents. As a result, the new accommodation is denser which involves higher embodied water carbon and energy. This research compares the construction differences in metropolitan and growth regions of Melbourne to identify embodied carbon, water, and energy. Representative areas of 25 km² are selected from both regions. The growth region has 80% of the built area comprised of 2nd generation low-rise residential buildings whereas the prolific construction type in the Metropolitan region is mixed purpose industrial with 30% of the built area comprising of this type. The methodology implies open-source satellite imagery to build a spatial dataset in QGIS. The visual identification of the constructions in the study areas enables to identity the materials used in their construction. The total embodied carbon, water, and energy for the Metropolitan region are 32,895 tonnes, 4192 mL, and 3,694,412 GJ, respectively, whereas in the growth region, the totals are 179,376 tonnes carbon, 2533 mL water, and 2,243,571 GJ. Whilst Metropolitan has a significantly higher overall footprint when this is compared to the population of each region, it is shown that the growth region with its current construction type has a higher embodied carbon, water, and energy per head. The total per head for Metropolitan is 226.7 GJ energy, 257 kL water, and 20 tonnes carbon, whereas in the growth region, the embodied energy, water, and carbon, respectively, per head is 287.4 GJ, 324.6 kL, and 22 tonnes. The current performance per head of the growth region is considerably lower than that of Metropolitan. Using diverse residential construction types and efficient materials can serve the demanding needs of denser populated areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Diversified Approach to Mitigate Crises in Urbanized Areas)

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27 pages, 10744 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Dense and Proximate Development—Daylight in the Downtown Area of a Compact City

by Elzbieta Rynska and Maryia Yanchuk

Sustainability 2022, 14(2), 774; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14020774 - 11 Jan 2022

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1960

Abstract

Daylight is of utmost importance and should be the main source of light in most areas dedicated to working and living. When considering our contemporary way of living, it can be easily discerned that most of our life is spent indoors, yet in a typical architectonic design approach, daylight is too often hardly of consequence. Hence daylight becomes a critical factor. Designers comply with the legal requirements of the solar hours required for areas subjected to constant use. Simultaneously for electrical engineers’ daylight is only an additional source of light valued only where energy efficiency is concerned. The basic idea of this research is to, starting from the concept level, design the building’s volume in line with energy efficiency requirements and user expectations using daylight access strategy as the main parameter. This scope of research has been a subject of various scientific theses conducted within the last years at the Faculty of Architecture Warsaw University of Technology. This paper is dedicated to the latest and most developed outcomes. The presented solution is an architectonic point of view dedicated to the use of the daylight factor in office areas located in a dense city district that may support efficient energy requirements, including the requirements of the electric lighting system. Illumination values were set according to the BREEAM daylight and PN-EN 17037 Daylight of Buildings standard. The presented strategy is unconventional for Poland, but has the potential to be included in practice and should be developed further, together with electrical engineers, as a part of energy-saving solutions. Possibly, it should be followed simultaneously with the development of the compact cities ideas. It is hoped that it might be a starting point for discussion, and for a more detailed interdisciplinary research in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Diversified Approach to Mitigate Crises in Urbanized Areas)

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38 pages, 4454 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Influence of Environmental Factors on Urban and Architectural Design—Example of a Former Paper Mill in Nanterre

by Renata Jóźwik and Anna Jóźwik

Sustainability 2022, 14(1), 86; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su14010086 - 22 Dec 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 5894

Abstract

Biophilic design is developed in urban planning concepts for cities—in line with sustainable development. A case study of converting a former paper mill in Nanterre into a university campus showed what factors influence the emergence of the biophilic form. The research informs the planning and design mechanisms and directs attention to the process. As a result, the study demonstrates that biophilic elements from the place-based pattern group are directly related to in-depth environmental analysis—similar to elements from the nature-based and element-based pattern groups. Together they result in a biophilic form. The element of creation is also present in the design process but is not the primary determinant of the choice of a design approach. In part, the form is adapted to the area’s environmental characteristics, which result from their interaction with objective determinants. Nevertheless, the implementation is not devoid of compositional, creative, and cultural elements—that is, it assumes the features of biophilic architecture. This fact proves that the environment can influence the creative potential in architecture and urban studies. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Diversified Approach to Mitigate Crises in Urbanized Areas)

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17 pages, 5154 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modern Details in Meaningful Architecture

by Ewelina Gawell and Konrad Grabowiecki

Sustainability 2021, 13(24), 13691; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132413691 - 11 Dec 2021

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2762

Abstract

Architecture is the art of shaping space, system, and technology. A close relationship is established between the building and its user, as the facility provides shelter and communicates with the inhabitants by meanings encoded in the form. The reception of architecture occurs through an ideological narrative and the quality of construction and material solutions. Contemporary pro-environmental postulates exert an increasingly clear influence on how architecture is shaped, especially on its aesthetic and semantic solutions. In this context, the article refers to the interdependence between art and technology in shaping the architecture of meanings through detail. The work aims to expand qualitative research on shaping contemporary detail in the context of pro-environmental trends in architecture. The detail was selected based on its clear message—its meaning provides the leading feature of the structure, both in technical (engineering solutions) and semantic (narrative) terms. The article provides an attempt to answer the question of how a semantic detail should be shaped, with the account to contemporary concepts on sustainable development architecture. A synthetic-comparative methodology was adopted; specific groups of completed objects were analyzed in the context of the indicated topics. The conclusions from this part of the work constitute case study guidelines, which was conducted on the example of an original project. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Diversified Approach to Mitigate Crises in Urbanized Areas)

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14 pages, 4759 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Reconfigurable Neighborhood—Mechatronisation of the Urban Design

by Karolina Dąbrowska-Żółtak, Jerzy Wojtowicz and Stefan Wrona

Sustainability 2021, 13(24), 13547; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132413547 - 07 Dec 2021

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2476

Abstract

Today more than half of the world’s population lives in cities not yet ready for the massive growth and adaptation required to meet global urbanization predicted for the next decades. The planning, design, and urban governance must urgently evolve. Future cities should become more efficient, inclusive, and sustainable. The intelligent town we anticipate combines the concepts of new information flow as well as research proposals for the design, upgrade of buildings and municipal infrastructure using robots and mechatronic systems at the scale of dwelling, building, neighborhood, district or town. This article presents the conceptual framework for the role of kinetic and responsive design at the scale of small urban areas, taking into account dynamic adaptation to users’ needs and changing environmental conditions across a day, week, month and year. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Diversified Approach to Mitigate Crises in Urbanized Areas)

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19 pages, 11041 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Resilience of Raw-Earth Technology in the Climate of Middle Europe Based on Analysis of Experimental Building in Pasłęk in Poland

by Jerzy Górski, Anna Patrycja Nowak and Marek Kołłątaj

Sustainability 2021, 13(23), 13246; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su132313246 - 30 Nov 2021

Viewed by 1697

Abstract

The article concerns the experimental building in raw-earth technologies situated in Ecological Park in Pasłęk, in the northeast part of Poland with rather severe climate characteristics for middle and east Europe. The purpose of the designing and realization of the building was to demonstrate the methods of construction in traditional raw-earth technologies with current modifications and then to create the possibility for long-term research and observations at the site visits during the buildings’ exploitation. The building was designed as energy efficient with a passive solar system, green roof, and space arrangement. Construction effects of exploitation were checked. Also, physical aspects were analyzed and thermal-humidity environmental parameters were measured with specialized equipment. Examples of such measurements with appropriate conclusion are presented. Based on the analyses, the authors evaluate the resilience of the applied technology under the given climate conditions, as one of the possible sustainability technologies that can be used in Poland under given restrictions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Diversified Approach to Mitigate Crises in Urbanized Areas)

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15 pages, 3592 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Significance of Urban Vegetation on Lawns Regarding the Risk of Fire

by Jan Winkler, Monika Malovcová, Dana Adamcová, Paweł Ogrodnik, Grzegorz Pasternak, David Zumr, Marek Kosmala, Eugeniusz Koda and Magdalena Daria Vaverková

Sustainability 2021, 13(19), 11027; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su131911027 - 05 Oct 2021

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 2068

Abstract

Urban green infrastructure significantly influences the functioning of a city and the comfort of its residents. Lawns are an essential element of public greenery. They represent a live component, and if they are lacking, of low quality, or neglected, this will cause major problems in the urban environment. The vegetation structure of urban grassy areas changes under the influence of different management methods used for their maintenance. The main goal of this study was to evaluate the species diversity of urban lawns and to determine the influence of this vegetation on factors based on the representation of the species found. Three sites with urban lawns were chosen in a built-up city area where different types of vegetation management were applied: Typical management, in which grassy areas are mowed twice a year; intensive management, in which lawns are mowed several times a year and the biomass is removed; and extensive management, in which lawns are mowed irregularly, once a year at most, and the biomass is left unevenly on the site. Extensive management and unkempt urban grassy areas represent a high risk of fire due to the presence of plant species that produce great amounts of biomass. Combined with dry and warm weather, the dead biomass can lead to outbreaks of fire. Extensive management of urban grassy areas brings some benefits, such as lower maintenance costs and increased biodiversity and bioretention. On the other hand, intensive management reduces the risk of fire and the biodiversity of the plant community. Attention should be paid to the composition of vegetative species and their functions that could threaten the safety of residents, with the risk of fire being one of them. However, the vegetation biomass of grassy areas affected by management practices is only a precondition for the risk of fire because weather and drought occurrence play important roles as well. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Diversified Approach to Mitigate Crises in Urbanized Areas)

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Review

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16 pages, 2213 KiB

Open AccessReview

Transformation of the Urban Energy–Mobility Nexus: Implications for Sustainability and Equity

by Peerawat Payakkamas, Joop de Kraker and Marc Dijk

Sustainability 2023, 15(2), 1328; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su15021328 - 10 Jan 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2013

Abstract

In the coming decades, decarbonization of society in response to climate change will result in transformation of urban systems, especially in the energy and mobility sectors. This transformation will likely lead to stronger links between both sectors, which may have both desired and undesirable consequences. However, current policies are predominantly sectoral and tend to assume only a positive impact of the transformation of the energy–mobility nexus on urban sustainability. We conducted a systematic literature review, which covered 78 articles, to identify the interactions between the transformations of urban energy and mobility systems, their impacts on various aspects of sustainability and equity, and the relevant policies that target the nexus. The results show that the positive impacts of the transformation of the urban energy–mobility nexus are outnumbered by negative impacts on various aspects of sustainability and equity. A major equity issue concerns a possible reinforcement of socio-spatial inequalities in access to renewable self-production of electricity, electric vehicles, their integration, and the associated benefits. In conclusion, the issue of socio-spatial inequalities should be a priority for further research and policy development, given the currently limited understanding of these equity risks and the growing emphasis on the need for a just transition. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue A Diversified Approach to Mitigate Crises in Urbanized Areas)

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