Purpose – Environmental emissions are increasing in the urban areas. Much of the emissions arise from public procurement activities given that public sector firms are major customers to many supplying firms. Given the tremendous contribution, this study aims to examine the adoption of environmentally friendly urban freight logistics practices among public sector firms through assessing the impact of urban environmental governance, government environmental communication and organizational environmental governance. Design/methodology/approach – Data for the study were collected in a single time period from central procuring and disposing entities (public sector firms) in the urban areas. A sample of 105 public sector firms in were used. One procurement officer and one member of the contracts committee were the key informants in the study. AMOS SPSS version 26 was used to obtain the results for the structural model and measurement model, respectively. Findings – The findings indicate that the adoption of environmentally friendly urban freight logistics practices among public sector firms is significantly influenced by government environmental communication, organizational environmental governance and urban environmental governance. Urban environmental governance significantly influences organizational environmental governance. Urban environmental governance fully mediates the relationship between government environmental communication and public sector firms’ adoption of environmentally friendly urban freight logistics practices. Also, urban environmental governance and organizational environmental governance mediate the relationship between government environmental communication and adoption of environmentally friendly urban freight logistics practices. Research limitations/implications – This study examined the adoption of environmentally friendly urban freight logistics practices among public sector firms. However, the study was conducted in a public procurement setting rather than a private sector procurement setting. Also, the study examined the impact of government environmental communication on public sector firms’ adoption of environmentally friendly urban freight logistics practices ignoring the impact of internal communications made within the public sector firms on environmental issues. Originality/value – This study examined the adoption of environmentally friendly urban freight logistics practices among public sector firms. Freight logistics in public sector procurement has not been given significant attention in earlier research. Emphasis is placed on sustainable public sector procurement ignoring other aspects that would help curb environmental emissions that may arise during and after the delivery of public procurement requirements.
Urban groups. The city. Urban sociology, Cities. Urban geography
Koichi Tsubogo, Kohei Araki, Yasushi Fukuda
et al.
Abstract In recent years, the incidence of sediment disasters caused by climate change, such as torrential rains exceeding expectations due to global warming, has been increasing year by year, and the associated human and economic losses have been expanding. In this paper, nonwoven filters were installed on the slope of an on-site observation area in the sediment disaster warning area north of National Institute of Technology, Tokuyama College in Shunan City, Yamaguchi Prefecture. The rainfall intensity and moisture content by volume were then measured in both the nonwoven filter installed and bare ground sections. As a consequence, the relationship between precipitation levels and the occurrence of slope failure was elucidated. Moreover, the rainfall seepage model proposed by Tsubogo et al. demonstrated a reduced discrepancy between the numerical solution and the observed value in comparison to the previous model. When a nonwoven filter was installed, the results of the numerical solutions exhibited a high degree of concordance with the observed value. In the bare ground section, the outcome of the before collapse numerical solution was in alignment with the observed value. However, following the collapse, this concordance exhibited a tendency to diminish.
A. V. Shevchenko, A. A. Seleznev, G. P. Malinovsky
et al.
The aim of this study is to provide a tool to assess sediment production in an urban area. The urban environment is affected by a variety of anthropogenic and natural factors that, in particular, lead to the sediment production. The storage of sediments in the urban landscape negatively affects the quality of the urban environment. The model was developed on the basis of landscape studies conducted in residential areas of six Russian cities. The model takes into account (1) the influence of precipitation, spring snowmelt, and vehicles, (2) the influence of erosion factors for two seasons: warm (t>5°C) and cold (t<5°C), and (3) the presence of disturbed surfaces. The application of the developed model to Ekaterinburg city conditions returned sediment production equal to 1.2 kg/m2/y. A comparison of seasonal values shows that sediment production in cold season is 2.5 times higher than in the warm season. In the absence of the disturbed surfaces, sediment production decreases to 0.44 kg/m2/y. Modeling showed a correlation between sediment production in Russian cities and duration of the cold season. The efficiency of various urban area maintenance practices and cleaning measures were evaluated in terms of sediment production and storage. The developed model presented in this paper is based on research in Russian cities, but can be applied to assess the formation of sediment and measures to reduce the value of its accumulation in the urban environment in different regions of the world.
تتناول هذه الورقة البحثية البعد الصوتي لمدن الواحات وتوضح كيف ان الصوت العمراني يمكن ان يعزز ديناميكية جماعية، مما يمكن فريقًا متعدد التخصصات من العمل معاً من أجل وضع تصور مستقبلي للواحات مستمداً من تراثها الثقافي. تقع مدن الواحات في قلب الصحراء وتعتمد على نسيج عمراني قديم مصمم لإنشاء مناخات محلية مكتفية ذاتيًا. الشوارع الضيقة والمتعرجة، والموجهة لتقليل التعرض للشمس، تمتد عبر المدينة. يُظهر هذا النمط العمراني التقليدي للواحات تكيف الإنسان مع البيئة المناخية القاسية. ومع ذلك، فإن التطور الحديث، الذي يركز على نماذج موحدة للتصميم يهدد التوازن البيئي والاجتماعي لهذه المدن. يفترض البحث أن الراحة الحرارية لا تنشأ فقط من التشكيل العمراني والقياسات الحرارية، ولكن تنبع أيضا من الممارسات الاجتماعية التي تكيف هذا العمران مع المناخ القاسي. ولهذا يقدم البحث مفهوم نظري جديد وهو الأجواء العمرانية (urban ambiances) وهو مفهوم فرنسي يتناول الجوانب الحسية والشعورية والوجدانية للفراغ. تستخدم الدراسة نهجًا صوتيًا لتحديد مجموعة من المواقف العمرانية urban situations التي تجمع بين الشكل العمراني والممارسات الاجتماعية والظواهر الحسية. يناقش المؤلفون نتائج ورش العمل الجماعية التي تمت في 2015 في تزنيت بالمغرب وفي 2016 في نفطة بتونس كجزء من مشروع ZERKA الذي يدرس الواحات في حوض البحر المتوسط. التسجيلات الصوتية التي تم جمعها خلال البحث متاحة على منصة Cartophonies التابعة لمختبر CRESSON، مما يوفر تجربة صوتية للقارئ وتنشئ أرشيف صوتي للمدن التي تشهد تحولات عمرانية كبيرة تهدد باختفاء بعض الظواهر الصوتية التي تمثل جزء من التراث الثقافي للمدن.
This paper explores how soundscape approaches can foster a collective dynamic, enabling a multidisciplinary team to reimagine the future of the oasis cities. It provides a new perspective for studying the microclimate of these unique settlements, which pose significant challenges for urban planning. Nestled within the desert, oasis cities rely on an ancient urban fabric designed to create self-sustaining microclimates. This traditional oasis urbanism demonstrates human adaptation to a harsh environment. However, modern development, with its focus on standardized designs and efficiency, threatens the ecological and social balance of these settlements. The research postulates that comfort arises from both the thermal regulations of the specific architecture and the social practices that adapt to the harsh climate. It introduces the concept of ambiance, addressing the sensory and experiential aspects of spaces. The study focuses more on a sonic approach to define urban situations that combine urban form, social practices, and sensory phenomena. The authors discuss collective experiences conducted pn 2015 in Tiznit, Morocco, and in 2016 in Nefta, Tunisia, as part of the ZERKA project funded by the Envimed program.The outcomes published in this research examine both fieldwork approaches and the theoritical reflections they inspired during the project. The sonic recordings are available on the CRESSON laboratory's Cartophonies platform, providing an immersive soundscape experience and creating a sonic archive for cities undergoing transformation.
Cities. Urban geography, Urbanization. City and country
Marisa Fuchs, Polina Unger, Maximiliane Seitz
et al.
Since 2005, there has been an increase in the sharing of functions between the central places of the federal states in Germany. Especially in light of the demographic and structural changes in rural regions, function-sharing city alliances are essential to secure the provision of services of general interest. As part of a central place system, function-sharing city alliances are subject to performance evaluation in some states, but the federal-state development plans do not define the type of evaluation, its function, form or criteria. There is currently no standardised evaluation approach. Using the example of three newly cooperating cities in the Harz planning region (Germany), this paper presents a holistic and tiered model for evaluating the shared provision of high-order services of general interest. The model considers the maturity of the cooperation by combining different forms of evaluation at different points in time. The scorecard technique enables the combination of various quantitative and qualitative criteria in one evaluation system. When developing the model, we applied the real-world lab approach as a research mode to ensure the evaluation model met scientific and practical requirements. The modular nature of the evaluation model enables a transfer to other function-sharing city alliances and can therefore form the basis of a standardised evaluation approach.
Cities. Urban geography, Urbanization. City and country
Augustine Chiga Awolorinke, Stephen Appiah Takyi, Owusu Amponsah
The complexities involved in the urbanization process and its effect on environmental sustainability and city aesthetics has been extensively researched in the conventional literature. The rapid urban growth in countries in the global south coupled with weak development control has led to the encroachment of environmentally sensitive areas. Yet, little is known among scholars on whether regulatory agencies have given up on the encroachment of ecologically sensitive areas to continue or they are powerless. This paper through a qualitative research approach explores the factors that influence non-compliance with land use and ecosystem regulations from the perspective of relevant stakeholders. Through face-to-face interviews, 19 participants from eleven (11) regulatory institutions in the Greater Kumasi Metropolitan Area were interviewed. The findings of the study showed that several factors ranging from political, social, and economic adversely affect the ability of the regulatory agencies to effectively enforce the regulations that protect environmentally sensitive areas such as freshwater and wetlands. For example, in terms of political factors, the study showed that, the powerful nature of political actors in Ghana's democratic dispensation coupled with their continuous interference in the enforcement of regulations and the lack of sustained political will continue to threaten the sustainable management of environmentally sensitive areas. Socially and culturally, there is a shift from communal management of ecological resources to a formal public institutional management approach. Inadequate financial support, logistical constraints, and unavailability of technical experts and technology were economic factors that influence institutional non-compliance with land use and ecosystem regulations in Ghana The researchers conclude that the inability of the policymakers and the relevant authorities to address these political, social, and economic barriers confronting the regulatory agencies will continue to make them powerless when it comes to the enforcement of the regulations that protect environmentally sensitive areas.
Urban groups. The city. Urban sociology, Cities. Urban geography
Abstract Using a 3D geographical information system (GIS) and cloud computing, a new government affairs service platform is presented. To manage and use the city’s data efficiently, the 3D analysis and visualization of the city’s information are held on the platform of the smart city. With the new platform, a series of e-government services can be conducted to manage the makers and operation supervisors in the government agencies and other smart city industries, such as urban disaster and environmental protection, intelligent transportation, monitoring and evaluation of the urban resource centers. All services presented on the platform are extracted from the government departments’ practical demand.
Globally, the responsible factors for the ongoing development of urbanization are the high speed of population growth, and the mass migration of humans to cities and large urban areas. In most countries, this process resulted in the emergence of ‘pseudo-urbanization’ which is difficult to be regulated. The purpose of the carried researches to determine the development priorities in the territory of Greater Baku – the capital city of the Republic of Azerbaijan; to define the problems that take place in this connection; and to develop ways of elimination of these problems. The reason of taking Baku as a research area is connected with some of the factors. Firstly, studies on Baku have been conducted based on the Soviet geographical and urban planning school and their methods for a long period. In this regard, it is necessary to carry out research in this field based on the principles adopted in most countries. Secondly, since 1992, the intensive accumulation of population in the territory of the capital city and the surrounding areas is being observed because of socio-economic problems. As a result, the process of pseudo-urbanization intensified, entailing a densely-populated area. Thirdly, low-rise buildings still continue to exist in the large areas within the territory of Baku, and they are not associated with the functional structure of the city. This situation creates many challenges, particularly in terms of density growth and effective use of the city’s territory. Finally, numerous new buildings have been constructed in the residential areas of Baku in recent years, and this may entailserious problems in water supply, energy provision, and utilities. The study is carried out referring to previous works of researchers, statistic data, and the results of the population census conducted in 1959-2009.The practical significance of the scientific work is that positive and negative factors affecting the further development of Greater Baku are definedtogether withshowing the optimal ways of development
Cities. Urban geography, Urban groups. The city. Urban sociology
This article focuses on the emergence of ‘low‐carbon’ gentrification as a distinct urban phenomenon, a process that we see as the outcome of efforts to change the social and spatial composition of urban districts under the pretext of responding to climate change and energy efficiency imperatives. The article develops a conceptual framework for scrutinizing low‐carbon gentrification, predicated upon insights from literatures on ecological gentrification and displacement. It documents the existence of an ‘eco‐social paradox’ associated with new patterns of socio‐spatial segregation and energy efficiency retrofits. We interrogate the discursive and policy frameworks, socio‐spatial implications and political contestations of low‐carbon gentrification. Evidence is drawn from case study research in an inner‐city district of the Polish city of Gdansk, where such processes have been unfolding since 2006 due to the implementation of a targeted urban regeneration programme. This investigation is positioned within a wider analysis of secondary written sources about similar developments in other geographical contexts across Europe and North America, where anecdotal evidence suggests that low‐carbon gentrification may be widespread and common. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie wpływu zmiany funkcji pełnionych przez port w Ustce na jego fizjonomię. Analiza funkcjonalna dotyczy głównie okresu 2016-2019. Natomiast analizę fizjonomii przeprowadzono dla 2021 r. Stwierdzono, że podstawowa dla portów funkcja przeładunkowa jest w Ustce pełniona w minimalnym stopniu. Funkcja turystyki morskiej jest realizowana w stopniu niewystarczającym (brak mariny jachtowej), a żeglugi pasażerskiej nie jest realizowana. Port pełni nadal funkcję rybołówstwa i wędkarstwa rekreacyjnego, ale w stopniu mniejszym, niż w przeszłości. Działalność produkcyjna na terenie portu nie jest już prowadzona, chociaż w przeszłości była realizowana na dużą skalę. Istnieje szansa, że w porcie rozwinie się funkcja związana z konserwacją i eksploatacją farm wiatrowych. Obecnie w porcie rozwijają się silnie funkcja turystyczna (gastronomia, hotele itd.) oraz mieszkaniowa. Wprowadzenie tej ostatniej funkcji do portu uznano za błąd. Zmiany funkcji powodują zmiany w fizjonomii portu. Znikają obiekty przemysłowe i przeładunkowe, a na ich miejsce pojawiają się obiekty z funkcją hotelową i gastronomiczną oraz mieszkaniowe, aczkolwiek zmiany te zachodzą z dużym opóźnieniem.
Cities. Urban geography, Transportation and communications
The aim of this paper is to make a typology of industrial towns according to their economic performance and to establish place-specific local factors influencing the typology and their territorial distribution. We collected 15 indicators of economic performance for 23 small industrial towns in Slovenia, and with the method of Principle Component Analysis with k-means clustering made a typology of small industrial towns. The results show a great variety of small industrial towns, with many of them having a strong economic performance. In the discussion, we relate the findings to the overall transformation of industry in the post-socialist context, to re-industrialisation tendencies and to place-specific factors such as peripherality and specific historical events (polycentric policies). We conclude with the call to continue studying small industrial towns through the prism of opportunities and to address their weaknesses and maximise their place-specific strengths.
This article reviews and analyses how and why land-management practice draws on two contrasting value systems: economic and social. Land managers are at the crossroads of different value systems, which both overlap and contrast. The aim of this article is to provide an understanding of which aspects are crucial in each of the value systems, and to provide a basis for how and where the value systems can be connected and where they are contradictory. This is undertaken using an exploratory qualitative and descriptive comparison, which contrasts the epistemic logics of the value systems, the manner in which each system makes use of different scales, and the way in which decisions are made with each value system. Such an understanding is crucial to improve coherence in designing and predicting the future effects of land-management interventions. Currently, practitioners tend to design interventions based on single value systems, rather than on combining or integrating value systems. The discursive comparison provides the initial steps towards a more coherent understanding of the common ground and the missing links in value logics applied in land management. These results are relevant to provide better descriptions and predictions of the effects of land-use interventions and develop improved transdisciplinary models to predict changes and development in the utilization of land or property.
Cities. Urban geography, Urbanization. City and country