1,721,092 research outputs found
The definition of urban surface uses: a systemic approach for climate resilient and sustainable cities
Full text linkIn the current scenario of massive urbanization and global climate change, the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development identifies among the main goals the necessity to make cities sustainable and resilient. The urban surfaces (i.e. streets, façades, roofs, etc.) are a key element in this process. Indeed, their exploitation offers the opportunity to increase resource efficiency, to produce renewable energy, to mitigate and adapt to climate change, and to reduce the overall environmental impact of cities. Urban planning plays an essential role in defining the allocation of surface uses and ensuring their integration. This paper proposes an analytical framework to support planning decisions about the types of surface use allowable, their extent and location. First, urban surfaces typologies and their major cluster of uses have been classified. For each cluster, a set of criteria has been identified to evaluate the technical viability of its application. Finally, a workflow has been designed for characterising the most suitable surface uses in consolidated urban areas. The application of the proposed approach, which has been tested in Bolzano (Italy), is able to support the implementation of integrated policies aimed at achieving Sustainable Development Goals in cities
L'utilizzo “smart” delle superfici urbane: quali funzioni e come integrarle?
No full textGli attuali trend considerano le superfici urbane non più come un costo, ma come una risorsa, grazie ai loro molteplici possibili utilizzi. Questo scritto discute i più promettenti utilizzi delle superfici urbane, le possibili sinergie
interdisciplinari tra essi e i benefici da questi apportati nel raggiungimento di obiettivi di resilienza e di sostenibilità urbana
Transizione smart al passo con il ripristino degli ecosistemi: le “Nature-based Solutions”
No full textLa transizione smart guarda non solo alle soluzioni tecnologiche artificiali ma anche a quelle naturali. La natura, infatti, offre diverse strategie, efficienti in termini di costi e che presentano molteplici benefici per l'aumento della resilienza delle città. Il concetto di “nature based solution”, soluzioni basate sulla natura, è spiegato attraverso concetti adottati in diverse città del mondo e l' esempio concreto di Bolzano
A holistic approach to assess the exploitation of renewable energy sources for design interventions in the early design phases
No full textThis study presents a holistic approach applied to assess the exploitation of renewable energy sources for design interventions in the early design phases in a consolidated urban environment. Concerning the cooling season, the approach implies set of environmental analyses focused on twofold assessments: (i) the use of renewable energy sources for active and passive strategies, (ii) the impact on outdoor thermal comfort of the technological solutions and cool materials installed on the buildings’ facades. From the definition of the local boundary conditions, preliminary climate analyses were conducted with dynamic simulation tools such as Ladybug and DIVA-for-Rhino, while numerical and computational fluid dynamic models, such as ENVI-met and OpenFOAM, were used to carry out microclimate and wind flow analyses. The approach is tested on two existing residential building blocks in a case study district in Bolzano (Italy). The assessment of several design interventions and building technological solutions have been studied: from the (i) addition of one-story volume on the existing buildings, to the (ii) creation of new green areas, and the (iii) installation of building integrated photovoltaic (BIPV), vertical greenery and double skin façade (DSF) systems on the building's façades. The results, divided into practice and policy implications, demonstrate that preliminary analyses play a relevant role to assess the exploitation of renewable energy sources to optimize the use of urban and building surfaces since the early design phases. High-albedo materials on the façades can counterbalance the loss of solar potential due to the overshadowing effect of the additional story. The combination of cool materials (e.g., white reflective plaster) and the increment of the buildings’ height could reduce by about 1°C the thermal discomfort registered during the high thermal peak during the day. Solar and urban airflow analyses allow optimizing the integration of BIPV in a DSF system; while the installation of green façade can reduce the air temperature locally by up to about 0.5°C
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Visualizzazione di parametri morfologici e ambientali a supporto della pianificazione urbana
Full text linkNell’attuale scenario di urbanizzazione e crescita della popolazione urbana, numerose strategie di mitigazione e adattamento stanno venendo sviluppate al fine di affrontare le problematiche ambientali e gli effetti dei cambiamenti climatici (i.e. produzione di energia da fonti rinnovabili, agricoltura urbana, regolazione microclimatica etc.). Tali soluzioni sono strettamente correlate all'utilizzo delle superfici urbane (i.e. involucro degli edifici, strade, spazi pubblici, ecc.). Tuttavia, gli attuali metodi di pianificazione urbana mostrano la mancanza di un approccio sistemico in grado di allocare ed eventualmente integrare più utilizzi, evitando soluzioni sub-ottimali.
La pianificazione urbana svolge e svolgerà sempre più un ruolo essenziale nella gestione dei conflitti tra diversi usi e nella loro integrazione finalizzata alla realizzazione di città resilienti e sostenibili. Ciò implica decisioni spazialmente esplicite relative all’allocazione di funzioni specifiche delle superfici, alla loro estensione e disposizione. L’ articolo dimostra come tale processo possa essere supportato da informazioni accurate circa la distribuzione spaziale di parametri chiave nella determinazione di strategie efficaci, quali ad esempio le caratteristiche morfologiche e geometriche dell'area urbana, i materiali utilizzati, la termodinamica e la dinamica dei fluidi applicata a irraggiamento solare e vento.
Questo studio infine presenta le potenzialità d’utilizzo di modelli spaziali a supporto delle decisioni relative all’uso delle superfici urbane e alla loro disposizione spaziale attraverso il caso specifico di un distretto situato a Bolzano
Reducing Power Consumption in Wireless Sensor Networks using a Novel Approach to Data Aggregation
No full textSaving energy is a very critical issue in wireless sensor networks (WSNs) since sensor nodes are typically powered by batteries with a limited capacity. Since the radio is the main cause of power consumption in a sensor node, transmission/reception of data should be limited as much as possible. To this aim, we propose a novel distributed approach to data aggregation based on fuzzy numbers and weighted average operators to reduce data communication in WSNs when we are interested in the estimation of an aggregated value such as maximum or minimum temperature measured in the network. The basic point of our approach is that each node maintains an estimate of the aggregated value. Based on this estimate, the node decides whether a new value measured by the sensor on board the node or received through a message has to be propagated along the network. We show how the lifetime of the network can be estimated through the datasheet of the sensor node and the number of received and transmitted messages. We discuss and evaluate the application of our approach to the monitoring of the maximum temperature in a 100-node simulated WSN and a 12-node real WSN. Finally, we compute the estimates of the lifetimes for both the networks
Ecological risk assessment for the recent case of DDT pollution in Lake Maggiore (Northern Italy)
No full textContamination by DDT of industrial origin was detected in 1996 in Lake Maggiore (Northern Italy) causing concern for wildlife and human health. Starting from 1998 a monitoring programme involving different research laboratories was undertaken to establish the pollution level of the lake. In assessing the ecological risk to Lake Maggiore wildlife during this period, the present study integrates information provided by the Commission for the Protection of Italian and Swiss Waters with further analysis and ecotoxicological tests carried out on some autochthonous target species for this insecticide. Sediments collected at the end of 1997 in the most contaminated bay (total DDT 860.2 ng g-1 dry weight) caused a decrease in fertility and growth of benthic oligochaetes and chironomids, while the 48 h IC50 for Daphnia galeata (0.76 μg L-1, c.i. 0.43-1.34) was much higher than the DDT concentration in the lake water. The risk of acute effects on zooplankton should therefore be excluded, while transfer through the trophic web and bioconcentration in fish and fish-eating birds are the most adverse consequences of DDT contamination in Lake Maggiore
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