Causes of habitat loss in a Neotropical landscape: The Panama Canal corridor

We studied drivers of habitat conversion in the Panama Canal region, where rich biodiversity in tropical rainforests currently coexists with two major growing cities and a plethora of economic opportunities. We examined existing administrative units (counties) with known biophysical (e.g., rainfall, topography) and socio-economic (e.g., population density, road density) characteristics. To identify associations between those characteristics and likelihood of habitat conversion to agriculture or urbanization, we used canonical correlation analysis. Two axes accounted for most of the variation among administrative units: one for urbanization and the other for agriculture. Rainfall and topography were negatively associated with urbanization, whereas population wealth was positively associated with land conversion to urban. Agriculture was most strongly associated with elevation variability and topographic complexity. To a lesser extent, agriculture was associated with rural population density, mean annual human population growth and poverty level. We hypothesize that most future habitat loss in the Panama Canal region will be from urbanization as Panama City expands and populations grow along the highway system. Decision-makers will need to emphasize preservation of forests on the edge of developments, where risk of loss is highest. These forested lands tend to become more expensive as urbanization approaches, putting them at greater risk of being converted. Nevertheless, they are still important for protection of the Canal watershed and the high levels of biodiversity in watershed forests. Land planners and decision-makers should consider the influence of socio-economic and biophysical factors when selecting forests to protect for conservation.     

Night and day at the beach: Relating social life to location and infrastructure in a Brazilian city

Brazilian city beaches are public spaces favoring citizens well-being. Urban studies relate built form and infrastructure with urban vitality and coastal studies underline uses as important for beach management, yet few researches relate form and infrastructure with beach uses. Understanding daily life as essential for public spaces and that spatial form relates with uses, this paper assesses time-based relationships between built and natural physical attributes and social life on the beaches of João Pessoa, a coastal city in North-east Brazil. Physical attributes are investigated at city scale - beach type, street network centrality and topography - and seafront scale - land uses, public/private interfaces, public infrastructure, beach sections and water quality. Beach social life was surveyed online, enquiring peoples' beach choice, visiting time and place, activities and evaluation. Infrastructure and street network follow topography and help configure shore and promenade for different landscapes. More central beaches have diverse land uses, well-equipped promenades and lighting and were popular night and day, while less central beaches had less infrastructure and were visited only by day. Findings highlight how physical attributes facilitate uses and, together with peoples’ evaluation, can inform urban beach design and planning.     

快速城镇化地区城镇体系空间结构优化研究

针对以快速城镇化地区的阶段性问题,以宿迁市为例,基于城镇体系的发展现状与存在的问题,结合区域协调、新型城镇化、城乡统筹等发展要求,对市域空间结构、等级规模、职能结构等进行了优化,以期促进宿迁市的快速平稳发展。     

Effects of urbanization on historical heritage buildings in Kumbakonam,Tamilnadu, India

Urbanization is a common and inevitable occurrence everywhere. While growth and expansion are beneficial for manypeople and businesses, there is apotential for loss of historical areas that are the heritage value to people. This paper investigates the effects of urbanization on the heritage buildings in the historical-heritage temple town of Kumbakonam in Tamilnadu, India. Heritage temple towns are frequent targets for the rapid transition to urbanization that is often accompanied by alteration of historical areas. The primary objective of this study was to identify how urbanization could change the heritage characteristics in a temple town. An ordinal regression model was used to analyze urbanization data from the heritage town of Kumbakonam. Our findings revealed specific physical, socioeconomic, and sociocultural factors of urbanization that caused identifiable and significant changes in the heritage characteristics of Kumbakonam. These factors play a significant role and wouldaid in the implementation of the Local Development Plan (LDP) for sustainable urban growth and preservation of the heritage character of Kumbakonam.     

快速城镇化时期滨海城市空间结构演化特征研究

随着城镇化的快速发展,以及建设"海洋经济示范区""沿海经济带"等战略的提出,滨海城市空间结构发生着不同于以往的剧烈变化。文章选取30余个城镇化发展速度较快、在滨海城镇群中具有代表性的城市作为研究对象,从宏观的外部形态、中观的功能布局和微观的内部空间三方面入手,探讨了滨海城市在快速城镇化时期空间结构演化的一般特征。此研究不仅有助于认知滨海城市空间发展趋势和规律,同时为滨海城市由于空间结构演化所引发的灾害和城市问题的防控提供理论基础和支撑。     

Governance structures and their impact on tariff levels of Brazilian water and sanitation corporations

This study analyzes the effect of governance structure on the tariff levels applied by Brazilian corporations of water supply and sanitation. It aims to contribute to the traditional debate of public versus private management, and to determine the effect of regulatory structure on tariff levels. The results first show that, when jointly considered, the water supply and sanitation tariff levels are higher for privately managed corporations. Second, we have found that a corporation regulated by a local agency or a regional agency does not exhibit significantly lower tariff levels than unregulated corporations. Finally, the results indicate that the use of the rate of return and price cap/revenue cap regimes do not provide tariff levels lower than those set via negotiation with the municipality.     

Finite element model updating of a large structure using multi-setup stochastic subspace identification method and bees optimization algorithm

In the present contribution, operational modal analysis in conjunction with bees optimization algorithm are utilized to update the finite element model of a solar power plant structure. The physical parameters which required to be updated are uncertain parameters including geometry, material properties and boundary conditions of the aforementioned structure. To determine these uncertain parameters, local and global sensitivity analyses are performed to increase the solution accuracy. An objective function is determined using the sum of the squared errors between the natural frequencies calculated by finite element method and operational modal analysis, which is optimized using bees optimization algorithm. The natural frequencies of the solar power plant structure are estimated by multi-setup stochastic subspace identification method which is considered as a strong and efficient method in operational modal analysis. The proposed algorithm is efficiently implemented on the solar power plant structure located in Shahid Chamran university of Ahvaz, Iran, to update parameters of its finite element model. Moreover, computed natural frequencies by numerical method are compared with those of the operational modal analysis. The results indicate that, bees optimization algorithm leads accurate results with fast convergence.     

The cooling effect of green infrastructure on surrounding built environments in a sub-tropical climate: a case study in Taipei metropolis

Green infrastructure that provides cooling service is regarded as a critical urban planning strategy to mitigate urban heat. This study assesses important greenspace and matrix factors that contribute to greenspace cooling effect beyond greenspaces in Taipei metropolis using Landsat 8 satellite imagery. The results indicated that both greenspace and matrix features have jointly affected greenspace cooling intensity, but their cooling contributions to the mean temperature of greenspace and that of surrounding built environments were not necessarily identical or explicit. Larger greenspaces with compact/simple shape, containing more water elements and higher greenness tended to be cooler, whereas higher development intensity, lower tree proportion and fewer water elements in the matrix tended to produce warmer built environments. The influence of these features on temperature outside greenspaces varied by distance. With the distance increasing from greenspaces, the effect of greenspace features dropped and that of matrix features rose.     

加快推进重庆城镇化建设策略研究——基于重庆统筹城乡发展的视角

大城市、大农村、大山区和大库区并存使重庆成为全国城乡二元结构矛盾较为典型的地区。要打破这种城乡二元分割格局、解决农村问题,就必须城乡统筹考虑,加快城镇化进程。文章在分析直辖后重庆城镇化建设的主要绩效和存在问题的基础上,提出了新时期推进重庆城镇化进程的建议。     

城市化对城市降雨径流的影响及城市雨洪控制

介绍了城市化造成的城市气候对降水、降雨径流、降雨径流水质的影响，分析了这些影响带来的不良后果，并提出了必要的收集、处理和雨水再利用措施。     

建筑业所有制结构对经济效益的影响研究

针对目前国有建筑企业经济效益普遍不高的现状,分析了建筑业所有制结构变动及其对建筑业经济效益的影响。首先对我国建筑业所有制结构的发展历程进行了回顾,分析了不同所有制类型建筑企业的变化趋势。同时,对我国不同所有制结构建筑企业的现状进行了比较,并对比较的结果进行原因分析。最后,采用1980～2006年的时间序列数据对我国建筑业经济效益和所有制结构之间关系进行实证分析。通过分析,试图找出所有制结构和经济效益之间的动态变化关系。     

欧洲城市化对发展中国家卫生的影响及启示

首先正确定位发展中国家所处的情况,以四条标准量化他们所面对的问题,其次以政府、非政府的民间组织和每个个体作为解决此问题的切入点并借鉴19世纪工业化国家在相关方面的成功思路,针对我国当前公共卫生现状及相关政策等问题,提出了建议和展望,以期指导实践。     

数种云南报春花资源及其园林应用初探

云南是我国报春花属(Primula)植物的主要分布区.对滇中及滇西北报春花资源进行了调查,对观赏价值较高的一些种类的形态特征、分布地的生境进行了描述,并从其园林应用方面展开了探讨.     

Effects of human activities and urbanization on groundwater environments: an example from the aquifer system of Tokyo and the surrounding area

The Kanto plain that is the largest depositional plain in Japan has the largest urbanized area called Tokyo Metropolitan Area. This plain has experienced extensive groundwater withdrawals for water resources and human induced disasters such as land subsidence in the process of urbanization. Japanese national government and local governments have monitored groundwater levels and settlement of ground surface for about half a century. These data are useful not only for the prevention of these disasters but for the evaluation of the change of groundwater flow beneath the urbanized area. However, few hydrological and hydrogeological studies about the change of groundwater flow in this plain have been conducted until now except for several studies which were limited in areal extent. In this paper, changes of the distribution of hydraulic heads in the central part of this plain are discussed using the long-term groundwater level observation data to evaluate the change of groundwater flow. The temporal changes in the distribution of hydraulic heads in a major confined aquifer (the second aquifer) and the areal extent of the urbanized area for approximately 50 years can be summarized as follows. In the latter half of the 1950s, urban area was limited in the southern region of the study area and hydraulic head gradually declined from the northwest to the southeast in the study area. After the 1960s, urban area extended toward the north and groundwater in the northern part was largely abstracted until the 1980s. As a result, hydraulic heads in this area markedly declined. On the other hand, hydraulic heads in the southern part began to rise because of the restriction of groundwater withdrawals. In recent years, low hydraulic head area has been formed from the northern region to the central region. These results suggest that the groundwater flow which was affected by urbanization (groundwater withdrawals) has continued to change over several decades, even after the regulation of withdrawals, and hence, the continued monitoring of the groundwater environment is important for the sustainable use of groundwater resources.     

混凝土面板及施工对窄扁拱形组合网架桥稳定的影响

一座长50m宽4.5m的扁拱形人行桥采用了由双层网架和混凝土面板组成的组合网架结构.在施工过程中安装完的网架作为混凝土面板的施工支架使用.为研究混凝土面板和施工对屈曲荷载的影响,利用AN SY S的单元生死功能对结构进行了非线性对比计算.分析表明,混凝土面板施工对最小几何非线性屈曲荷载系数λ影响不明显.混凝土面板可以明显加强网架的抗扭转屈曲能力,对λ影响较大.     

基于多源数据的超大城市桥下空间研究及其公共性需求评价 ——以北京市为例

桥下空间是超大城市中一笔可观的公 共空间资源却长期不为公共利用,本文以木樨 地桥下空间为突破口,研究总结其长久被市民占 用开展公共活动的本质原因是桥区周围有大量 居住区而公共活动配套严重不足,由此将研究 范围扩大至中心城区所有城市道路桥下空间,划 定环境研究范围并对环境型进行分类,利用分 层分析法构建评价体系计算桥下空间公共性需 求,结合自然断点法划分公共性需求类型以指 导后续桥下空间的规划再利用。     

Half a century of urbanization in southern European lowlands: a study on the Po Valley (Northern Italy)

This work analyses urban growth, in terms of quality and quantity, in one of the vastest lowlands in southern Europe, the Po Valley (PV). Research on the PV is part of a wider project dealing with the whole of Italy and, to allow a comparison with the other national geographic realities, it was carried out using municipal data. The main objective is to analyse the dynamics of the phenomenon of land uptake from the post-war period to the noughties, highlighting some territorial and environmental effects, and to prepare a future risk scenario for this area which is the cornerstone of the European economy. In this geographical district, urban conversion of land is a territorial ‘disease’ resulting from complex economic dynamism and ongoing population growth. These scenarios may seem justified by the fact that the PV is the most productive territory in the country, but the PV is one of the most heavily polluted areas in Europe with a highly deteriorated environmental matrix. The PV extends over five Italian regions with different settlement histories and different urbanization models, models which are evaluated and compared even with some European cases in the study. They are, however, always urban forms that are spread sparingly over the territory. This is why, in its conclusions, the research proposes criteria of compacting and reducing sprinkling, and improving the quality of the environmental matrix.     

人口流失地区就地城镇化特征与影响因素研究 ——以四川省典型县域为例

探讨人口流失地区的就地城镇化特征 与影响因素,对于推动形成“以县城为重要载体 的就地城镇化模式”具有重要参考意义。文章 以四川省72个县域单元为研究范围,以典型个 例——岳池县的留守农民调查数据为支撑,运用 多元逻辑回归分析,从个人、家庭、生产生活、 养老和教育4个层次分析留守农民的不同居住 地域迁移意愿和影响因素。研究发现：一、与其 他地区不同,人口流失地区城镇化在空间-经济- 人口3个层面分异明显,近40%的留守农民有城 镇化倾向,迁移意愿和偏好强度依次为县城＞ 大城市＞地级市＞小城镇;二、就地城镇化影 响因素呈现“轻生产、重生活”特征,即不以收入、就业为首要导向,而是将家庭养老和子女教育视为就地城镇化的决定性因素。最后,基于此 提出构建完善的城乡教育与养老服务体系,并积极探索内生型城镇化发展路径的政策建议。