Findings from a survey on the current use of daylight simulations in building design

This paper presents findings from a web-based survey on the current use of daylight simulations in building design. The survey was administered from December 2nd 2003 to January 19th 2004. One hundred and eighty five individuals from 27 countries completed the survey. The majority of respondents worked in Canada (20%), the United States (20%), and Germany (12%). Most participants were recruited through building simulation mailing lists. Their self-reported professions ranged from energy consultants and engineers (38%) to architects and lighting designers (31%) as well as researchers (23%). They worked predominantly on large and small offices and schools.Ninety one percent of respondents included daylighting aspects in their building design. Those who did not consider daylighting blamed lack of information and unwillingness of clients to pay for this extra service. Among those participants who were considering daylighting 79% used computer simulations. This strong sample bias towards computer simulations reflects that many participants had been recruited through building simulation mailing lists. Participants named tools’ complexity and insufficient program documentation as weaknesses of existing programs. Self-training was the most common training method for daylight simulation tools. Tool usage was significantly higher during design development than during schematic design. Most survey participants used daylighting software for parameter studies and presented the results to their clients as a basis for design decisions.While daylight factor and interior illuminances were the most commonly calculated simulation outputs, shading type and control were the most common design aspects influenced by a daylighting analysis. The use of scale model measurements had rapidly fallen compared to a 1994 survey, whereas, trust in the reliability of daylighting tools has risen. While participants named a total of 42 different daylight simulation programs that they routinely used, over 50% of program selections were for tools that use the RADIANCE simulation engine, revealing the program's predominance within the daylight simulation community.     

城市非建设用地对雨洪管理的影响

针对城市的防洪排涝控制、雨水安全排放等问题,探讨了如何构建高效的雨洪控制管理体系,详细介绍了城市雨洪管理的三种模式及自然水体在城市雨洪管理中的地位,并分析了LUCC对城市水安全问题的影响因素,以从根本上减少城市水安全问题。     

塑料三玻窗在严寒地区的应用

本文针对以塑料三玻窗在严寒地区应用中出现的一些问题，如中空玻璃失效、窗墙连接部位热桥现象、塑窗换气问题等进行了分析，并提出改善措施及建议。     

Bangkok living: Encountering others in a gated urban field

This paper reflects on the social effects of gated living in Bangkok. Income inequalities in this little-researched Thai capital are among the highest in the world, while income groups live highly segregated and often behind walls and gates. According to one dominant criticism, this ‘enclave urbanism’ prevents intergroup encounters, thus undermining mutual understanding and solidarity. This view seems consistent with recent observations that prejudices between income groups in Bangkok are high. Reporting on research on the social networks of Bangkok's various resident groups, we reflect on the role of the city's gated urban structure in this polarization. We conclude that social networks in poor neighborhoods are close-knit while neighborhood contacts in high-income areas are sparse. We also conclude that encounters between different income groups do take place, with exception of the super-rich. And while our research does not show negative attitudes towards others in general, it does indicate a potentially problematic stigmatization of low-income neighborhoods.     

Drivers of urban sprawl in urban areas of Iran

During the recent decades, debates about urban sprawl have increased strongly in Iran. Literature review shows that there are few studies about causes of sprawl in urban areas of Iran. This paper analyses driving forces in creation or intensification of urban sprawl in Iranian cities. The methodology of the research is based on documentary and survey method. Results indicate that the most important drivers of urban sprawl are 22 factors in Iran. By using exploratory factor analysis, 22 factors are summarized in eight main factors. These factors include population growth, land value, political fragmentation, land speculation, transportation policies, exterior pressure, management system and land use. The eight main factors are able to explain an average of 76.9% of the urban sprawl phenomenon in Iran. The analysis of variance indicates that none of them can be effective in explaining urban sprawl alone in Iran that they were explained by each factor on urban sprawl. The population growth has the highest impact by 13% and land use has the lowest impact by about 7%. The margin of discrepancy between variance was explained by factors that suggest all of the eight extracted factors play a key role in the urban sprawl of Iran. Policies for controlling and reducing consequences of this phenomenon should be initiated by the government by considering the influential role of government in the urban sprawl of Iran. In particular, it can be helpful to establish integrated urban management, a compilation of comprehensive law about urban land and pay attention to worn-out textures and brownfield development.     

Particulate matter in urban areas: health-based economic assessment

The interest in the association between human health and air pollution has grown substantially in recent years. Based on epidemiological studies in several countries, there is conclusive evidence of a link between particulate air pollution and adverse health effects. Considering that particulate matter may be the most serious pollutant in urban areas and that pollution-related illness results in financial and non-financial welfare losses, the main objective of this study is to assess the economic benefits of reducing particulate air pollution in Lebanese urban areas. Accordingly, the extent and value of health benefits due to decreasing levels of particulate in the air are predicted. Health impacts are expressed in both physical and monetary terms for saved statistical lives, and productivity due to different types of morbidity endpoints. Finally, the study concludes with a range of policy options available to mitigate particulate air pollution in urban areas.     

Sustainable urban growth in peripheral areas

The monograph addresses the factors affecting the degree of sustainability exhibited by population growth in peripheral urban settlements. Development differentials between core and peripheral regions in countries of different size and various level of economic development are discussed and specifically, the following issues are considered: 1, core versus periphery: inequalities and development needs; 2, development peculiarities of peripheral urban settlements; 3, criteria for sustainable urban growth; 4, factors influencing urban growth in peripheral areas; and 5, planning strategies for regional development. Two major theoretical considerations are posited for discussion. First, that ‘sustainable population growth' of an urban settlement is defined according to the settlement's ability to attract newcomers and retain current residents (migration attractiveness). Second, that the preconditions which are essential for sustainable population growth in peripheral areas are not identical to those in the core. A set of analytical models designed to explain development peculiarities of peripheral settlements are suggested and several planning strategies are also proposed, aimed at enhancing the socio-economic sustainability of existing settlements in peripheral areas. These include: 1, the formation of compact development clusters; 2, the concentration of state and local financial resources on selected development settlements; 3, the adoption of a system of progressive economic incentives to promote private investment in peripheral areas; and 4, stricter regulation of land use in core regions.     

Understanding chronic poverty in urban areas

The problem of chronic poverty in urban areas has been given little attention despite an increasing interest in poverty and some recognition of the growing significance of urban populations. This paper reviews the literature to bring together what we know about the nature and scale of chronic poverty in urban areas. It begins with a consideration of the definition of chronic urban poverty and related issues of poverty measurement. The section also reports on some recent assessments of the scale and scope of urban poverty. Following sections report on the different nature of such poverty in specific kinds of urban settlements (small towns, urban peripheries and the inner city) and social groups that appear to be particularly vulnerable. The paper concludes by drawing out some of the factors that appear to be of significance in understanding the causes of chronic poverty in urban areas.     

Transport of traffic-related aerosols in urban areas

This study was undertaken to assess the influence of traffic on particulate air pollution in an urban area, and to characterise the short-range transport of the aerosols generated by traffic. The study was conducted in Kraków, a city located in southern Poland with a population of approximately 800,000. Aerosol samples were collected using automatic sampling equipment at five sites located at different distances from the main road in Kraków, ranging from 5 to 1500 m. The sampling set-up allowed standardisation of the results due to continuous determination of the meteorological parameters (temperature, atmospheric pressure, wind speed and direction, rainfall and humidity). Aerosol particles were separated according to aerodynamic diameter into two size fractions: > 1.9 microm (coarse fraction); and 1.9-72 microm (fine fraction). The concentrations of 27 elements were measured in both size fractions (Na, Mg, Al, Si, P, S, Cl, K, Ca, Ti, V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Ni, Cu, Zn, Ga, Ge, As, Se, Br, Rb, Sr, Zr, Ba, Pb). The multielement analyses were performed by Particle-Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) spectrometry. Traffic contribution to particulate air pollution was determined on the basis of 13 elements which were present above the detection limit in all samples (Mg, Al, Si, P, S, K, Ca, Ti, Mn, Fe, Cu, Zn, Pb). It was found that the traffic contribution in the coarse size fraction was approximately 80% up to 150 m from the road; it dropped abruptly by a factor of 2 over a distance of 150-200 m and declined further to 20% at 1500 m from the road. Traffic contribution for the fine particle concentrations of individual elements was 50-70% in the close vicinity of the road (5 m); then there was a decrease, followed by an increase at a greater distance from the road. Possible explanations for this behaviour of the fine particles are given.     

雅库特共和国城市地区的环境地球化学(英文)

回顾了北部城市化特别是雅库特城市地区环境的化学研究结果。结果表明,不利的气候和工程地质条件增加了城市生态系统的压力,并在所有环境成分中检测到与人类活动有关的强烈的地球化学异常。城市化地区的独特特征是向下迁移的深层污染与活性层和冻土的盐性。     

Vacant urban areas: Causes and interconnected factors

Vacant urban areas (VUAs) can consist of both vacant land and abandoned structures. In this article, the authors summarize a recent survey on VUA, examine current conditions and causes of VUA, and explore the possible interconnections among these conditions and causes. The research examines employment, fiscal position, elasticity, population alteration, and regional location as primary variables. We find that VUAs are not interchangeable indicators of urban decay. Vacant land is most often associated with cities that have expanded their political boundaries while structural abandonment is more related to a city's population loss. Improvement of the local economy may not necessarily help reduce vacant land while structural abandonment is more sensitive to a city's economic status. Regional planning for VUAs, the strategic location of new industries and jobs, and new population/density regulatory approaches could be the next phase in addressing VUA changes.     

Spatial resilience and urban planning: Addressing the interdependence of urban retail areas

In this article we look at examples of three predominant kinds of Swedish retail places – the pedestrianised city centre, the neighbourhood centre and the regional shopping mall – all of which play important (winning or losing) roles in contemporary retail development. This investigation is based on an empirical study of the Malmö region (in southern Sweden) and the findings suggest that the different retail areas are developing independently following the logic of their own business. They have failed to relate their business to the retailscape of the urban region. We also develop spatial resilience as a concept that can be used to acknowledge the interdependence of different retail areas in discussions of urban and regional planning. We argue that more fluid or associative means of stabilisation seem to be overlooked in the present strategies for retail resilience, leaving more classical network stabilization as the only means of choice.     

The urban canyon and building energy use: Urban density versus daylight and passive solar gains

The link between urban density and building energy use is a complex balance between climatic factors and the spatial, material and use patterns of urban spaces and the buildings that constitute them. This study uses the concept of the urban canyon to investigate the ways that the energy performance of low-energy buildings in a north-European setting is affected by their context.This study uses a comprehensive suite of climate-based dynamic thermal and daylight simulations to describe how these primary factors in the passive energy properties of buildings are affected by increases in urban density.It was found that the geometry of urban canyons has an impact on total energy consumption in the range of up to +30% for offices and +19% for housing, which shows that the geometry of urban canyons is a key factor in energy use in buildings. It was demonstrated how the reflectivity of urban canyons plays an important, previously underestimated role, which needs to be taken into account when designing low-energy buildings in dense cities. Energy optimization of urban and building design requires a detailed understanding of the complex interplay between the temporal and spatial phenomena taking place, merging qualitative and quantitative considerations.     

Biotope patterns in urban areas: a conceptual model integrating biodiversity issues in spatial planning

We present a model that considers the spatial aspects of biodiversity in urban planning. Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, is used as a study area. The model comprises three steps of strategic selection: (1) information sources; (2) target biotopes, and (3) presentation strategies adapted to priorities in spatial planning. A classification system based on the interpretation of colour infrared aerial photographs was developed. Established methods for the study of woodland and agricultural landscapes were merged and modified in order to fit the present objectives. Ecologically valuable biotopes were found both in green and built-up areas. The methods developed have been used in the comprehensive planning of Stockholm to designate the core areas and the zones in the surrounding landscape with different demands for spatial planning. The model to support urban planners with context-sensitive planning tools was sufficiently flexible for the adaptation to the conditions of each individual area and the level of detail suited to the planning situation. It also provided information on the effects of fragmentation, creating a platform for meaningful follow-up work.     

URBAS: forecasting and management of flash floods in urban areas

Recent studies on climate change indicate a growing frequency and intensity of flash flood events in western Europe. Flash floods are caused by extreme local precipitation. The URBAS project is concentrating on the urban occurrence of flash floods in Germany. URBAS has as a main objective to increase the preparedness and the range of possible actions of urban actors (e.g. communities, public enterprises) before and during rare small-scale flood events. Within URBAS the meteorological parameters, runoff and damage of flash floods are investigated. Innovative and feasible actions and precautionary measures at a reasonable cost-value-ratio are to be developed.     

Lead levels of edibles grown in contaminated residential soils: a field survey

Plants grown in lead contaminated soils can accumulate lead from the adherence of dust and translocation into the plant tissue. In order to evaluate the potential health hazard due to the consumption of plants grown in residential gardens contaminated by lead, a survey of the lead concentrations in a typical array of edible vegetables, fruits and herbs was conducted. Samples of garden plants harvested from the field were washed with detergent or water alone to remove adhered soil. They were dried, separated into sections including root, shoot and edible fruit, and then analyzed for lead content using inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). Soil samples, taken in conjunction with the plant harvesting, were analyzed using flame atomic absorbance (FAA). A pattern of lead transference from soil through the root to the stem and leaves of garden crops was found. The majority of the lead was concentrated in the roots (root:soil ranging from 0.02 to 0.51), with some translocation into the shoots (shoot:soil as high as 0.10). This pattern is a concern particularly for crops in which the root, stems, stalks or leaves are edible. The lead concentration in fruiting vegetables was less than the detection limit of 10 ppm (microgram lead/gram dry plant matter). Some edible portions of the leafy vegetables and herbs, however, were found to have lead levels that, if consumed, could contribute to the total body burden of lead. Therefore, urban gardeners should test the lead levels in their soils and develop strategies to ensure safety.     

Impact of non-uniform urban surface temperature on pollution dispersion in urban areas

Airflow pattern through street canyons has been widely studied to understand the nature of pollution dispersion in order to develop guidelines for urban planners. One of the major contributing parameters in pollution dispersion is thermal-induced flow caused by surface and air temperature difference. However, most of the previous studies assumed isothermal condition for street canyons. Those addressed the thermal-induced flow, have assumed a uniform wall surface temperature distribution. The external building wall surface temperature distribution is not uniform, and is influenced by many factors including the wall surface characteristics, and shading. The non-uniform temperature distribution significantly impacts on 3-dimensional airflow within street canyons. Moreover, effect of intersection is barely considered in the literature where L/H<3 (L and H are respectively length and height of street canyon). This Paper reports the development of a 3-dimensional model to study the effect of non-uniform wall surface temperature distribution on the pollution dispersion and flow pattern within the short street canyons (L/H<3). For this purpose, a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is developed to investigate these effects on pollution dispersion in various prevailing wind velocities and directions. Moreover, active and passive techniques to reduce the level of concentration are examined. The study clearly shows that thermal-induced flow dominates during fair-weather condition.