ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Urban ecology and related environmental concerns
Gh. Ebraheim; A.R. Karbassi; N. Mehrdadi
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Rainwater in the city of Tehran is regarded as a freshwater source; however, because of highly polluted air conditions, the rainwater quality could be seriously affected. Therefore, the treatment of it could be an attractive topic for assessment. The purpose of the present ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Rainwater in the city of Tehran is regarded as a freshwater source; however, because of highly polluted air conditions, the rainwater quality could be seriously affected. Therefore, the treatment of it could be an attractive topic for assessment. The purpose of the present study was to treat Tehran rainwater by employing photoelectrocatalytic methods as one of the most powerful treatment methods. Also, this study aimed to find an easy laboratory procedure to create various redox environments and to assess a protocol for the release of metals.METHODS: The photoelectrocatalytic process was achieved by using a photocatalyst (Titanium dioxide) as the photoanode for the treatment of Tehran rainwater. Sodium ascorbate was used as a reducing modifier to assess the effect of various redox potentials on the performance of the photoelectrocatalytic process.FINDING: The positive redox potential, the 6 centimeter gap, and the sodium chloride concentration of o.65 g/L resulted in a considerable increase of the chemical oxygen demand, iron, manganese and lead removals. On the other hand, the negative redox potential, the 12 cm gap, and the sodium chloride concentration of o.65 g/L led to a noticeable increase in the removal of zinc. By employing the speciation and Pourbaix diagrams, the removal mechanisms of the PEC process were investigated. Chemical oxygen demand, iron and manganese by oxidation, lead, zinc and cadmium by precipitation were removed. Also, based on the cluster analysis, it was found that redox potential, dissolved oxygen and pH had a strong relationship.CONCLUSION: This work provided evidence that the redox potential could be regarded as a critical parameter helping to better estimate the risks associated with the polluted sites.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Urban and municipalities management
A. Narmilan; N. Puvanitha; G. Niroash; R. Vassanthini; M. Sugirtharan
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Increased demand for water has put pressure on the water supply system, which has led to environmental issues such as water resource over-exploitation and ecosystem balance breaks. This study aimed to examine household water consumption trends and management practices and compare ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Increased demand for water has put pressure on the water supply system, which has led to environmental issues such as water resource over-exploitation and ecosystem balance breaks. This study aimed to examine household water consumption trends and management practices and compare the efficacy of various water management interventions to reduce the Batticaloa district's water deficit.METHODS: The primary data was collected through a questionnaire survey from 300 households belonging to the urban area in Batticaloa District in Manmunai Pattu, Sri Lanka. The data were analyzed using correlation and linear regression analyses. A flow rate study was designed to assess the individual flow rate for each household.FINDINGS: The overall domestic water use is negatively correlated (p ≤ 0.01) with the household head's age and education level and positively associated with income level. As the household size, age, education level, number of taps, and household income showed statistical significance (p ≤0.05), the Linear regression model was statistically essential. Together, they accounted for 96.5% of the difference in per capita water consumption in the wet season. Moreover, most of the people are not aware of the cost of water per cubic meter and only 26.7% are aware of the cost and 88% of the respondents are more concerned about the quality of water and very few respondents (12%) are not concerned about the water quality.CONCLUSION: The results indicate that more water is used by people with higher incomes in urban areas than people with lower incomes. The use of water depends on household members' living standards, family size, age, education level, and the number of taps present in the household. Also, most household members are not aware of the efficient use of water in the study area.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Urban social and cultural welfare
E. Jalalian; E. Nasiri Hendekhaleh; N. Ezadbin
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Social resilience is one of the ways to reduce social problems and is a factor for the success of social welfare programs, increasing trust and social capital; therefore, in recent years, more attention has been paid to the issue of social resilience. The present study deals ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Social resilience is one of the ways to reduce social problems and is a factor for the success of social welfare programs, increasing trust and social capital; therefore, in recent years, more attention has been paid to the issue of social resilience. The present study deals with theoretical and experimental analysis of social resilience. METHODS: The aim of this study was to investigate the level of social resilience in region one of Karaj city by descriptive-analytical method. The statistical population consisted of residents of District one of Karaj city, 384 of whom were randomly selected. The researcher-made questionnaire was confirmed by face validity and Cronbach's alpha of 0.85. FINDING: Data analysis was performed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS software. The results showed that the confidence component was 2.53, 1.73, 2.52, 4.14, 4.01 and 8.86 that all coefficients were higher than 2.59 at the significance level of 0.01. For the social capital component was 1.65, 6.14, 07.03, -1.01, and -0.35, which showed that all coefficients were higher than 2.59 (14, 15) at the significance level of 0.01. For the component of commonalities between residents component was 7.87, 11.74, 7.21, 0.85-1.17, 2.93, showing that all coefficients were higher than 2.59 at the significance level of 0.01. Also, the structural model of social cohesion, the criteria of goodness of fit index and the adjusted fit index were equal to 0.79, which indicates that the model has a moderate fit. CONCLUSION:The purpose of this study was to investigate and measure the criteria of social resilience among the four dimensions of resilience in the settlement. As one of the most important ideas in urban planning is to create resilient cities that are resilient to social crises, therefore, paying attention to the dimensions of social cohesion, including: trust, social capital and commonalities between residents can ensure that a high level of social resilience is created and effectively operates in accordance with sustainability in society.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Sustainable urban infrastructure
S.Sh. Hossain; H. Delin
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The reduction of tariffs in Public infrastructure sectors is believed to be one of the key factors in addressing the socio-economic challenges of high unemployment, income inequality, and poverty. The primary objective of this paper is to design a general equilibrium model for ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The reduction of tariffs in Public infrastructure sectors is believed to be one of the key factors in addressing the socio-economic challenges of high unemployment, income inequality, and poverty. The primary objective of this paper is to design a general equilibrium model for infrastructural sectors among Germany, France, Italy, United Kingdom, China, USA, Australia, Japan and Korea, and evaluate potential economic impact of tariff reduction. METHODS: The research method of this paper was to construct a Computational General Equilibrium model to assess the economic effects. The global trade analysis project model was calibrated and discussed in this paper. The global trade analysis project database was used to validate the model. FINDINGS: Simulation result showed that tariff removal in infrastructure has the most significant effects in China, Japan, and Korea’s economic growth and employment than other countries. Gross Domestic Product, output price, and social welfare increase significantly in China compared to other countries. Gross Domestic Product increases in China by 616%, decreases in Japan and Korea 77% and 7% after mutual tariff reduction on infrastructure sectors. Meanwhile, China’s export on infrastructural sector increases by 1.71%, Japan and Korea’s export increases by 0.75% and 0.05%. On the other hand, export decreases in Germany, France, Italy, UK, USA and Australia. Finally, social welfare increases in China by $2.26 billion and Japan by $239 million. CONCLUSION: The presence of tariff reduction in infrastructure sectors will likely strengthen the market share of most of the simulated regions. These findings may provide policy-makers with crucial information for better understanding about new tariff policy. Computable General Equilibrium analysis in infrastructure sectors had paid little attention in past and this paper tries to fill the gaps and attempts to find the benefit of mutual tariff policy among countries based on global trade analysis project model.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Urban and municipalities management
Z. Omidi-Saravani; M. Kavoosi-Kalashami; A. Bakhshipour; I. Bagheri; C. Psomopoulos
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Establishing a good sound waste management system for a community requires a comprehensive knowledge of the current status and issues involved in present waste management system. This research was conducted to identify and prioritize waste management weaknesses in Saravan village ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Establishing a good sound waste management system for a community requires a comprehensive knowledge of the current status and issues involved in present waste management system. This research was conducted to identify and prioritize waste management weaknesses in Saravan village of Guilan province, Iran. METHODS: Data were gathered through a descriptive-analytical approach using a purposive sampling and researcher-made questionnaire method. Waste management weaknesses were prioritized by Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP), and Analytic Network Process (ANP). FINDING: The most important weakness of rural waste management in the study area was waste management structure, equipment, and infrastructures weakness (index C) with relative importance values of 38.1% in AHP, 37.3% in FAHP, and 38.2% in ANP approaches. The village inhabitants' weakness (index B) with relative importance values of 16.5% in AHP, 17.2% in FAHP, and 1.4% in ANP had the lowest priority among studied weaknesses. Workforce weakness (index A), and educational and cultural weakness (index D) were the second and third important weaknesses, respectively. The most important sub-indices weakness of these weakness indices were non-compliance of Rural Municipality Manager (RMM) with waste management standards, rules, and regulations; Waste disposal by the village inhabitants at the nearest site; failure to establish a solid waste fix station in the village; and lack of training and awareness of villagers about waste management. CONCLUSION: In order to establish a successful waste management system in rural areas, it is recommended to develop a comprehensive strategy that involves aspects such as; establishing proper waste management infrastructures, employment of skilled staff, and conducting training plans and motivational programs for staff and inhabitants.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Human capital in urban management
M. Jamal; Y. Vakil Alroaia
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There are two basic reasons, namely, the country's preparedness for the leap and economic pressure, it proves that rural areas need effort and entrepreneurship, more than any other era. The objective of this study was to identify the effective factors in the development of ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There are two basic reasons, namely, the country's preparedness for the leap and economic pressure, it proves that rural areas need effort and entrepreneurship, more than any other era. The objective of this study was to identify the effective factors in the development of entrepreneurship in rural areas with emphasis on Jihadist management indicators. METHODS: The study is a descriptive research based on the method and an applied in terms of purpose and is of the correlation type. The population include all social, cultural, and economic and management experts were considered. The sampling method is stratified random and the sample size of 93 people which are selected by random stratified method. To conduct this research, 100 questionnaires were distributed among 100 members of the community, of which 93 questionnaires could be returned. The Structural Equation Model was used for inferential analysis. FINDING: The results of the study shows that geographical factors, scientific-technological and Jihadi Management factors with coefficients of 36.1%, 27.2% and 67% (respectively) have related with entrepreneurship development significantly, in rural regions. Also, economic, socio-cultural and individual factors with coefficients have affected entrepreneurship development less than 5% and have a weak relationship with entrepreneurship in the research areas. CONCLUSION:Findings show that jihadi entrepreneurship includes three components of jihadi spirit, jihadi motivation and jihadi movement as a central category of rural entrepreneurship and the categories of causal, contextual, interventionist, strategic and consequences are in line with jihadi entrepreneurship.
CASE STUDY
Sustainable urban infrastructure
C.M. Torres Navas; J.C. Musa Wasil; K. Malave Llamas; C. Morales Agrinzoni
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The destruction of urban areas has caused environmental, social and economic problems. One of these areas was identified in the Municipality of Humacao, on the east coast of Puerto Rico. This land is vast and unused, Fulladosa farm, located in the urban area of the Municipality ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The destruction of urban areas has caused environmental, social and economic problems. One of these areas was identified in the Municipality of Humacao, on the east coast of Puerto Rico. This land is vast and unused, Fulladosa farm, located in the urban area of the Municipality of Humacao. It is suggested to create an eco-park in this place to restore this green space and help improve the environment. METHODS: The collection of information through public documents offered information related to the study area. Through a physical spatial analysis, the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the study area could be obtained. This technique made it possible to identify areas with development potential to create an eco-park. Management strategies were developed for the development of the eco-park. Sustainable aspects were analysed to assess the viability of establishing an eco-park on the Fulladosa farm. FINDINGS: The Fulladosa farm, located on Almodóvar Final Street in Barrio Cataño, has a high-density residential rating. According to the joint regulation, the use of parks in classified plots as high-density housing is not allowed. Therefore, a location query must be used to submit the project to the Licensing and Approval Office. Finally, it was found that the study area is prone to flooding. Flood insurance is also required, and the municipality must obtain the elevation certification required by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. CONCLUSION:The creation of this eco-park can provide environmental education, community interaction and recreational spaces. Completion of this project will generally provide environmental, social and economic benefits to the community.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Urban architecture, design, development and planning
M.J. Nouri; E. Zebardast
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: One of the issues that have been evident in previous researches on urban poverty is the existence of a methodological gap in identifying spatial representation of urban poverty. This paper suggests a methodology for identifying the spatial representation of urban poverty and ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: One of the issues that have been evident in previous researches on urban poverty is the existence of a methodological gap in identifying spatial representation of urban poverty. This paper suggests a methodology for identifying the spatial representation of urban poverty and applies it to Isfahan Metropolis in Iran. METHODS:A hybrid model of exploratory factor analysis and analytical network process was used with urban poverty indicators. Using the model, the compiled database consisted of 27 indicators with 12196 specific data per indicator was analyzed to determine the domains of urban poverty and relational importance coefficient of each indicator. A composite index of urban poverty was then constructed to evaluate urban poverty in each urban block. Also, the autocorrelation test and cluster and outlier analysis were used to find the spatial distribution pattern and concentrations of urban poverty in the metropolis. FINDING: Seven domains of urban poverty in Isfahan metropolis were extracted which cumulatively explain about 57.3 percent of the data variance including “general poverty (13.25%), crowdedness in the housing unit (10.09%), economic poverty (9.462%), intrinsic poverty (8.23%), infrastructure poverty (6.243%), migrant’s poverty (5.276%) and unhealthy living condition (4.173%). Classifying urban blocks based on the composite index has shown that 9.8% of the population and 15.7% of urban blocks had the highest poverty rate. The autocorrelation test (Moran’s index=0.459; p-value=0.000) has indicated that urban poverty was clustered. Using Cluster and outlier analysis, it was determined that 70% of urban poverty concentrations were located in suburbs and peripheral districts. CONCLUSION: Urban policymakers can adopt relevant policies in relation to various types of urban poverty identified in metropolises and determine policy priorities based on the weight calculated for each indicator. They can also suggest policies at the macro-micro levels using the urban poverty distribution pattern and concentration map.
ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Sustainable urban infrastructure
Kh. Eshtiaghi; M. Aliyannezhadi; A.H. Najafian
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Given the spread of environmental pollution, the development of strategies and changes in lifestyle to reduce urban environmental pollution is of great importance. One of the existing solutions is to develop and promote the use of electric vehicles. An electric vehicle is a ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Given the spread of environmental pollution, the development of strategies and changes in lifestyle to reduce urban environmental pollution is of great importance. One of the existing solutions is to develop and promote the use of electric vehicles. An electric vehicle is a car that uses a battery pack to store the electrical energy that powers the motor. EV batteries are charged by plugging the vehicle in to an electric power source. These days, electric vehicles are considered as one of the most modern innovations in the car business. However, the use of these vehicles has not been particularly widespread in third world countries, and this may be due to several reasons. Despite the high level of air pollution in Iran, People and the government still do not accept electric vehicles as an important way to reduce air pollution, and electric vehicles are rarely seen on the streets. The main factors that can affect the reception of electric vehicles by the Iranian people are economic, technical, access, laws, marketing, and personal. METHODS: The factors extracted from literature and identified factors were prioritized using the analytic network process technique. After data gathering with help of questionnaire which its relaiablity and validity was confirmed through inconsistency index and content validity ratio consecutively, the data analysis was performed using SuperDecision software. FINDING: The results showed that Economic with 23%, Technical with 17.8%, Accessibility with 16.4%, laws with 15.3%, marketing with 15.1% and personal with 12.2% had the most significant effect in acceptance of the Iranian people of electric vehicles. CONCLUSION:The results showed that economic factors had the most significant effect in comparison with other criteria. depreciation time, producer company, fuel subsidy, availability of repair shop, car and importance to the environment were the most significant factor in each criteria.
CASE STUDY
H. Raghfar; A. Taklif; S. Shahhosseini; A. Ghasemi; A. Faridzad
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The long-term nature and capitalization of projects as well as the risks of the country's economic environment have made the provision of proper infrastructure as a permanent problem for national and local governments. Governments prefer to outsource the development and exploitation ...
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BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The long-term nature and capitalization of projects as well as the risks of the country's economic environment have made the provision of proper infrastructure as a permanent problem for national and local governments. Governments prefer to outsource the development and exploitation of capital assets to the private sector due to several reasons. In this matter, government institutions, due to their weaknesses in both technology and financing, are willing to create some optimal policy frameworks to utilize financial instruments to encourage private sector participation, as well as increase the share of revenues from the urban projects.The aim of this paper is to use the auction theory to improve the current mechanisms of public asset allocation. METHODS: This paper investigated the legal framework to design an allocation mechanism for the public assets using a qualitative approach. This qualitative method is based on the case study. This paper works on a series of library studies in order to analyze and familiarize with the problems, shortcomings, and inadequacies in the allocation of public assets exploitation plans in the Municipality of Tehran. FINDINGS: The obtained results indicate that the current rule can be improved in terms of choosing the process holding model, bidding criteria, and focusing on sharing future revenues in order to strengthen both the optimality and efficiency of outputs CONCLUSION: This paper proposed the bidding mechanisms that can be employed based on the current rules. After determining the qualifications of the contractors, a two-step model can be utilized to provide the set of assets. The mechanism of holding bidding was provided based on the results of previous researches as well as the features of the current rule in the form of two stages of price detection and the First Price Sealed Bid Auction mechanism.
