REAL CORP
Not a member yet
1255 research outputs found
Sort by
Applying 3D Printing as a New Building Technology: Potentials and Challenges in the Egyptian Context
Get PDFIn the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the world of architecture and construction is being changed by new technologies with opportunities and limitations. Large-scale 3D printing (3DP) technology has recently been introduced as a new building technology to improve productivity and quality. Recently, worldwide stakeholders started experimenting with the technology substitute of traditional. This is due to achieve potentials benefits, such as increased accuracy, customisation, and design flexibility. Additionally, it reduces wasted material, costs, manpower, and printing time. However, these initial investigations are very fragmented at the time of the study. There are different views on where technology can be directed and a large gap between ideas and their applications. 3D printers will be used primarily to print buildings for low-income housing and emergency housing in developing countries such as Egypt, while most of the buildings that have been built were executed in developed countries. Therefore, it is necessary to understand the international applications and challenges of 3D printing. This paper was set out to give insight into applying 3D printing as a new building technology on an international scale and assessing the applicability potentials and challenges in the Egyptian context; through 1. gathering and analysis of documents and references of opportunities and limitations of 3D printing factors(design, environmental, social, and economical); 2. qualitative data analysis.The descriptive study of international examples outlines the factors used to assess the international examples with anassessment matrix and analysethem within the Egyptian context. It shows that projects divide internationally into projects which invest in optimising the performance and others which are optimising the production according to different characterisations. There are greatpotentials of using 3D printing in Egypt, but it needs to be adapted to numerous challenges in achievingits maximum potential
Gähnende Leere oder beliebter Park? Nutzung eines innerstädtischen Universitäts-Campus zur Zeit der Corona-Pandemie am Beispiel des Campus Süd des Karlsruher Instituts für Technologie (KIT)
Get PDFNur selten liegt ein großer Universitätscampus zentral in einem Stadtgebiet, wie das in Karlsruhe der Fall ist. Die angrenzenden Stadtteile sind von der direkten Nachbarschaft des Campus über die Jahre geprägt worden – eine hohe Zahl an Studierenden-WGs und die größte Dichte an Studierendenverbindungen in Karlsruhe sind dafür nur zwei Indizien. Innerhalb der Stadtviertel sind v.a. in den Sommermonaten häufiger Studierendengruppen anzutreffen, welche die Grün- und Parkflächen auf und außerhalb des Campus zum gemeinsamen Lernen und Verweilen nutzen. Doch seit Beginn der Corona-Pandemie und der damit verbundenen Maßnahmen zur Eindämmung der Verbreitung des Virus fehlt dieses öffentlich sichtbare studentische Leben in der Stadt Karlsruhe. Studien-, Lehr- und Forschungsbetrieb finden seit März 2020 überwiegend nicht mehr auf dem Campusgelände statt. In dieser Zeit konnte beobachtet werden, wie das Gelände als geschätzter innerstädtischer Naherholungsraum immer stärker genutzt wurde. Im Rahmen einer schriftlichen Anwohnendenbefragung in den umliegenden Stadtvierteln und einer mündlichen Passantenbefragung auf dem Campusgelände im März 2021 wurde die Bedeutung des innerstädtischen Campusgeländes für Anwohnende und Campus-Angehörige erforscht. Es kann bereits gezeigt werden, dass der Campus Süd des KIT für die Stadtbewohnenden und Campus-Angehörigen ein geschätzter innerstädtischer Naherholungsraum ist. Die Freiflächen des Campus fördern den Austausch und die soziale Interaktion. Durch seine sehr gute Anbindung mit jeglichen Verkehrsmitteln und der hohen Zufriedenheit mit der Erreichbarkeit des Geländes, kann die zukünftige Campus- und Stadtentwicklung aus diesem Potenzial weiter schöpfen. Die vermehrte Nutzung des Campus als Spazierfläche kann durch entsprechende Installationen im Hinblick auf die Bedürfnisse dieser Nutzendengruppe, wie beispielsweise Ruhebänke, öffentliche Cafés oder Bücherschränke, die Verweildauer auf dem Campus und so die Aufmerksamkeit auf wissenschaftliche Themen erhöhen. Dennoch sollten bei der zukünftigen Campus- und Stadtentwicklung immer auch die Vorteile eines in sich geschlossenen Campus bedacht werden. Die Idee der in sich geschlossenen Anlage fördern eine größere Ruhe, Kontemplation und Freiheit der Planung für die Campusentwicklung. Es ist daher zwingend notwendig, nicht nur eine Wunschvorstellung zu formulieren, sondern den Ist-Zustand der jeweiligen Campusnutzung am Standort zu evaluieren, um für die jeweilige Stadt die geeigneten Maßnahmen zu einer gewinnbringenden und angestrebten Verknüpfung von städtischem und wissenschaftlichem Alltag auf einem Campusgelände zu entwerfen
How COVID Affects Decision Making in Planning? The Use of ICT in Planning Boards’ Hearings
Get PDFThe purpose of this study is to examine the effect of COVID-19 on decision-making in planning. Put differently, how the shift to video-conference meetings has influenced the processes associated with land use planning.
We discuss this issue by looking at the shift of Israeli planning boards to online meetings. Since March 2020 decision-making has changed from face-to-face meetings between planners, public officials, and stakeholders to an online mode of decisions and meetings using a range of tools including, but not limited to Zoom and Teams. The lessons learned in Israel are relevant and applicable to other countries where similar shifts to online \ virtual hearings took place in 2020.
Everywhere, and globally, state and local governments have found new ways to enable the continuation of planning hearings and meetings; these remain uninterrupted, amid new requirements for social distancing. New laws enabled planning boards at the local, regional, and national levels to make decisions without meeting face-to-face. Notably, the Israeli regulations are but one example. In other countries, such as in the US and the UK, national and local governments have introduced similar policies and guidelines that enable, or even mandate, planning boards to shift their mode of operations to include online meetings -usually through ZOOM, TEAMS, SKYPE softwares (Thomas, 2020).
COVID19 has therefore had a major impact on the way planning is conducted around the world. These new regulations are important, as they have facilitated the continuity of policymaking in the field of planning. They also enabled planning boards to cope with their workload as no meetings had been held for months due to social distancing requirements.
The shift to online decision-making was praised by the professionals and media as rather successful (Steuteville, 2020), saving time, travel costs, and making planning more accessible via the use of Information and Communications Technology (ICT). On the face of it, COVID19, as a crisis, also held the promise of expediting the assimilation of technology in the planning process. It was therefore an opportunity to reconsider the way in which planning is carried out and to make it better, less bureaucratic, and more transparent.
To examine these issues, we initiated a survey among practicioners who participated in online (Zoom) meetings held by planning boards. In particular we ask:
• What do participants in online decision-making think about this new mode of communication? How satisfied are they?
• Compared with face-to-face engagements, what are the major pitfalls and advantages of online decision-making in planning?
The findings suggest that attendees is online meetings acknowledge the importance and advantages of ICT in facilitating planning discussions during the pandemic. However, they also flag some problems and challenges associated with this tool
Quantifying the Benefits of Sustainable Transport for the Urban Economy
Get PDFThere is ample research on health benefits and benefits due to the prevention of environmental damage induced by the use of sustainable means of transport. For the political acceptance of measures for the promotion of sustainable urban transport it is important in addition to evaluate how a more sustainable system of urban transport directly affects urban businesses with regard to transport cost and productivity. This question leads to the very purpose of urban transport which is providing accessibility. It can be shown that beginning from a very low percentage any increase in the modal share of car traffic in a given system of urban transport causes accessibility to fall due to increased congestion. With regard to urban businesses this means that access of potential labour force to places of work, the so called „effective size of the labour market“ is reduced. Research also has shown that productivity is positively linked to the size of the labour market. Hence it is possible to attribute a marginal cost or benefit to any increase or reduction of urban car traffic. In case of the city of Vienna this benefit can be estimated at 4000 to 5000 Euro per year for every commuter changing from car to public transport walking or cycling. This adds to the already well researched benefits brought about by the reduction of congestion cost
Simulation and Analysis of Urban Green Roofs with Photovoltaic in the Framework of Water-Energy Nexus
Get PDFUrban green infrastructures such as green roofs can reduce building energy demand, mitigate rainfall run-off and improve urban air quality. On the other hand, decentralized renewable energy systems such as rooftop photovoltaics (PV), are one of the key actions towards reducing a building’s energy dependence and greenhouse gas emissions. This study assesses the technical and economic benefits of a combination of green roofs and PV systems and thereby considers increased PV yields, decreased building heat demands, and reduced rainwater runoff mitigation, that can stem from this combination. For this, two workflows within an urban simulation environment, SimStadt, were applied and extended for two city quarters in Stuttgart, Germany. The results show that by installing green roofs with PV systems where possible, annual PV yields increase by about 0.3%, annual space heating demands decrease by 0.1 %, and 30 % of rainwater runoff can be avoided in the case study areas. The economic cost-benefit analysis, however, shows that only around 31% of the initial investment can be recurred over the assets’ lifetime
Synthetic and Tangible Agents for an Activity-based Urban Planning Tool
Get PDFAI is on the rise. Powerful cloud platforms and networked software components can perform increasingly complex data evaluations and simulations. Recent research and development projects show how great the potential of artificial intelligence is for urban planning. However, despite the impressive, technical possibilities, it currently remains unclear how planning stakeholders and the affected population can be meaningfully involved in the intelligent processes of the "black box". The authors are of the opinion that sustainable urban development planning not only requires acceptance of the spatial planning result, as has been the case up to now, but also requires acceptance of the increasingly digitally supported planning process. For this reason, it must also be possible for laypersons to understand the digital analysis and evaluation processes and to comprehend their relevance and spatial interactions. Consequently, simulations must not only run in the computers of the respective planning or engineering offices, but require a simple, haptic analog translation that can also be used in participation processes as already shown in the CityScope projects .
For this project, the big revitalization project of Deutzer Hafen in Cologne to a future district with more than 9.500 daily users is used as a case study in building a decision support system for urban planning. It is composed of three parts: an agent-based model, a tangible user interface and a synthetic population. The project enables users to get in touch with an agent-based model (ABM) without any knowledge in coding or even interacting with computers. It connects physical objects to digital information. Based on the theories of Castiglione et.al. , Gehl , Shannon and Jacobs this project shows how to use an artificial and analog simulation model to measure the urban vitality of the public spaces in the district, based on the activity and travelling patterns of the population. This is done by testing different scenarios in which we change interactive parameters of the model: the use of the buildings and the demographics of the population. We can then determine which scenarios benefit the most life in the public spaces of the district, by finding areas of interest or problematic ones
Together we are Stronger – Examining Thematic and Procedural Entry Points for Multidisciplinary, Integral Spatial Planning Approaches to Confront Climate Change
Get PDFDue to climate change, meteorological phenomena can occur with changing frequency and intensity. As a result of these changes, different thematic challenges arise, depending on the geographical location, topographical and climatic conditions, as well as other influencing factors such as land use. Spatial planning can contribute significantly to the prevention or mitigation of climate change-related risks through the creation of visions and integration of objectives, as well as through spatial research and the support of planning decisions (e.g. Hurlimann and March 2012).
Urban and in particular metropolitan areas and their surrounding sub-urban structures are particularly prone to climate change impacts, such as increasing and longer-lasting heat waves due to its high share of impervious surfaces (Morabito et al., 2021). Consequently, they need to urgently consider resource scarcity (e.g. related to droughts) and complex planning decisions caused by multiple land use changes and diverse pressures accumulating with intensifying climate change impacts. Among others, Matthews (2012) addresses the key role of metropolitan areas in coping with climate change as a “transformative stressor”. Besides these challenges, several authors highlight the multiple co-benefits (e.g. for health, recreation and/or nature conservation) that can result from a precautionary and proactive approach to climate change adaptation in urban and sub-urban areas (Floater et al. 2016; Raymond et al. 2017). Similarly, Biesbroek et al. (2009) already discussed the potential to combine adaptation and mitigation efforts to create joint benefits in planning.
To achieve these aims in adapting to climate change and creating positive synergies, horizontal cooperation across planning borders is often required. Such an approach allows for an early consideration of planning alternatives and enables planners to specifically and appropriately implement further climate proofing measures, all of which are considered essential steps in the climate proofing of spatial plans and programmes (Hurlimann and March 2012). To consider climate change along horizontal planning boundaries in an integrative manner, it can be highly relevant to consider information and planning objectives from adjacent or complementary sectoral instruments, as Matthews and Baker (2021) point out. Similarly, Widmer (2018) highlights the importance of addressing the „cross-cutting nature of adaptation” within integral planning processes.
This paper, based on a large case-study in the eastern part of Austria, funded by the “Planungsgemeinschaft Ost – PGO” (Planning Association East) and involving three different federal states – each with its own legal system – discusses specific entry points and barriers that need to be overcome in order to foster an integrative, multidisciplinary consideration of climate change in and around cities including also large metropolitan areas. Based on a theoretical framework (Jiricka-Pürrer et al. 2020), which helps to approach the complex challenges of climate proofing in an integrative way across planning borders, the authors undertook a systematic review of the thematic and procedural entry points for cooperation across planning units. Nineteen expert interviews were carried out with spatial planning units, as well as departments of forestry, geology and water management across the three Federal states of Vienna, Lower Austria and Burgenland. They review, among other aspects, the cross-institutional communication and coordination of targets, as well as data-related challenges and measures for climate change adaptation. Additionally, opportunities to increase co-benefits for climate change mitigation, public health and nature conservation are discussed, particularly in the light of procedural entry points. The complex challenges of this case study area in Eastern Austria showcase the variety of options for integral planning and cooperation at various planning levels (federal, regional to local) and the need for multidisciplinary perspectives
A Prospective Approach for Cities in Transformation: Vision of the Leipzig Charter in the Light of the Covid-19 Experience
Get PDFCovid-19 acted as a trigger of an extreme situation that affected all aspects of life worldwide. Its effects on cities have been and are devastating. Covid-19 also revealed the lack of resolution of previous persistent urban problems and the reluctance of many governments to face up to short-term, politically unpopular solutions. Conversely, the pandemic has led to the emergence of trends whose effects could give rise to new sustainable urban dynamics in the medium and long term.
The paper explores how positive and negative changes of the built environment and its uses altered by the pandemic could be harnessed as lessons for sustainable post-Covid-19 urban development. It concentrates on identifying the main challenges of the Leipzig Charter's objectives - the "just, green and productive" city, pillars of sustainable urban development - to cope with the effects of worldwide calamities. The global and all-pervasive nature of the pandemic offers planners an opportunity to reflect on prospective scenarios that address truly resilient urban development
Assessing the Efficacy of Spatial Planning and Development System in Improving Living Conditions of the Society
Get PDFGlobally, spatial planning and development systems have proven to be critical instruments for establishing long-term, sustainable frameworks for improving social, territorial, and economic development conditions. In developing cities, spatial planning and development systems are generally used to enhance the integration between sectors such as housing, spatial justice, transport, energy and industry, and improve people's quality of life. This paper uses a case study research approach to unpack how spatial planning and development systems have contributed to the enhancement of society’s living conditions in the City of Johannesburg, South Africa. Interviews with key stakeholders and questionnaires were used to gather information from the University of Johannesburg, the City of Johannesburg Municipality, and the Housing development Agency. The findings reveal a need to develop institutional and financial mechanisms to improve communities' quality of life and planning tools designed as drivers for spatial change. The paper also highlights the challenges that hinder appropriate living conditions and urban transformation, including high urbanisation rates, poor service delivery, high rentals, and unemployment. The paper concludes with a discussion of the significant gaps in knowledge that concerns the implementation of spatial planning and development systems in urban areas for the purposes of improving the status quo. The work recommends the adoption and implementation of adaptable and regenerative spatial planning as a vehicle for the improvement of living conditions in cities of the developing world
Behavioural Studies in Spatial Planning
Get PDFThe main strategic planning policy in Flanders has in view to reduce the growth of the net settlement area. It is important to enthuse people to live closer together in the centres of villages, towns or in more dense urban areas to preserve open areas. The question is how to achieve this.In the last few years, there has been a growing awareness of the importance of convincing citizens to change their behaviour voluntarily. A crucial question is which behavioural change we can expect from the population, whether this can be met at once by everyone and what a government has to change or needs to provide to make the change possible.
In recent years, the Flemish Planning Bureau for the Environment and Spatial Development commissioned several behavioural studies, conducted by Endeavour. It concerns two studies carried out on compact housing, on travel behaviour, on choice of residence in relation to facilities, and a new study on the behavioural influencers of housing. Thanks to an approach that combines the fields of architecture, urban planning, sociology and design Endeavour created a methodology of participation and co-creation with citizens, aiming at different segmentations of the population. This method successfully brought a multitude of experiences to the surface by means of a variety of people who sufficiently represent the diversity in Flanders. Insights into attitudes and motivations of a broad public are the key to understanding how to change certain aspects of behaviour into something more sustainable.
This paper focuses on two themes. The first reflects on practices, tools and knowledge that are nowadays common in (regional) spatial planning and how they relate to human behaviour. The second introduces insights from qualitative research for behavioural change that focuses on how to approach different target groups within the population. The aim is to guide behaviour in function of an inclusive and sustainable spatial transition. As the paper shows, it is important that in this transition process people do not get the feeling of 'losing' something. such as comfort or choice