{"title":"Waste collection route optimisation for the second waste-to-energy plant in Budapest","authors":"Kende Kocsis , József Kövendi , Balázs Bokor","doi":"10.1016/j.scs.2024.105953","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scs.2024.105953","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The city of Budapest produces approximately 680–700 000 tonnes of municipal solid waste every year, of which <2/3 is being recycled or used for energetic purposes, the rest ends up in a landfill. To combat this environmental and logistical problem the installation of a second waste incineration plant has been proposed in the south of the city. The only cost associated with fuel consumption in the case of waste to energy powerplants (WtE plants) is the transport cost, as the city council provides economic support for waste disposal. Since the transportation has a huge influence on the cost of opertation, logistical optimisation of the transport routes promises a direct impact on cost savings. In this study the logistical optimisation of the Southern Budapest area was carried out using image processing and logic based algorithm programming. As a result the optimal transport of 230 000 tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) was solved resulting in a 4 835.2 km monthly travel distance reduction.This value can be translated to 7 823 €/month cost, 9 459.6 kg/month CO<sub>2</sub> and 45.3 kg/month NO<sub>x</sub> emissions reduction in the urban areas.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48659,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Cities and Society","volume":"117 ","pages":"Article 105953"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142663146","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jeetendra Sahani , Prashant Kumar , Sisay E. Debele
{"title":"Assessing demographic and socioeconomic susceptibilities to heatwaves in the Southeastern United Kingdom","authors":"Jeetendra Sahani , Prashant Kumar , Sisay E. Debele","doi":"10.1016/j.scs.2024.105958","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scs.2024.105958","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>As climate change intensifies, the frequency and intensity of heatwaves are rising to pose significant health risks. Population vulnerability, influenced by socioeconomic and demographic factors, is a widespread concern. We analysed heat vulnerability by demonstrating usefulness of principal component analysis on recent, localised census data at lower super output scale for vulnerability factors such as poverty, access to cooling facilities, age, and gender for a non-city yet highly heat risk vulnerable case study of Surrey, UK. Four major factors (poverty, elderly population, unemployed students, daily commute) were identified, creating a cumulative Heat Vulnerability Index, aiding in prioritising interventions and mapping vulnerable areas. Mapping revealed most areas had a moderate vulnerability level of 3 out of 6 for individual major factors, with cumulative scores ranging from 11 to 12 out of 20. The study emphasises the interconnectedness of vulnerability factors and highlights the applicability of the approach beyond Surrey. The demonstrated methodology provides a valuable template for vulnerability assessments in regions facing similar challenges and have its up-to-date effective heat action plan underlining the importance of tailored strategies for comprehensive heat risk management (e.g. cooling centres, transport aid, multilingual risk communication and home visits). Policymakers can utilise the insights gained to develop targeted measures for vulnerable populations and manage heat-related issues effectively on a global scale.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48659,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Cities and Society","volume":"117 ","pages":"Article 105958"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142663121","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Multi-factor dynamic correlation prediction and analysis of carbon peaking for building sector: A case study of Shaanxi province","authors":"Xue Zhang, Zengfeng Yan, Pingan Ni, Xia Yan, Fuming Lei, Yingjun Yue","doi":"10.1016/j.scs.2024.105960","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scs.2024.105960","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The factors influencing carbon emissions in the construction sector are numerous, and the relationships between these factors are complex. Previous studies on carbon peaking have often overlooked the dynamic changes between influencing factors and limited the number of variables to simplify the computation of predictive models. Based on the goal of carbon peaking, this study explores the relationships between internal factors within the construction industry and establishes a network of factor correlation. Furthermore, this network is embedded into an improved STIRPAT model, and a multi-factor dynamic correlation prediction model is constructed by incorporating scenario analysis. Taking Shaanxi Province, China, as a case for empirical analysis, the study explores carbon-peaking solutions for the building sector under different development scenarios. The findings indicate that carbon emissions in Shaanxi's building sector continuously increased during the study period, reaching 213 MtCO<sub>2</sub> in 2020. Through factor screening, 12 driving factors were found to be significantly related to carbon emissions, all showing positive correlations, with the urbanization rate contributing the most to emissions. The dynamic association prediction model constructed had an accuracy of 0.996. Using this model, nine carbon emission scenarios were predicted, with optimizing the energy structure identified as the critical pathway, achieving a 5.01% reduction in emissions. A comprehensive strategy could achieve a 12.49% reduction and meet the carbon peaking target. Finally, the study proposes policy recommendations for the coordinated management of emissions reductions in cities and the construction industry, contributing to the development of sustainable cities and societies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48659,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Cities and Society","volume":"117 ","pages":"Article 105960"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142663172","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Fulin Jia , Yaqin Cao , Weijun Gao , Wanxiang Yao , Xi Meng , Chao Wang , Tianhui Wang , Dewancker Bart
{"title":"A new quantitative method for evaluating the impact of garden greening on outdoor thermal environment in summer - A case study of Japanese residential gardens","authors":"Fulin Jia , Yaqin Cao , Weijun Gao , Wanxiang Yao , Xi Meng , Chao Wang , Tianhui Wang , Dewancker Bart","doi":"10.1016/j.scs.2024.105962","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scs.2024.105962","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Garden greening can improve the outdoor thermal environment of buildings, but there is a lack of quantitative research on this aspect. First, this research quantitatively analyzes the effect of garden greening on the outdoor thermal environment by conducting field measurements at various distances from measurement points set up in a traditional Japanese residential garden during the summer, and a TDTE model was established. The results show that the outdoor thermal environment evaluation indices at each measurement point reach the maximum value of 13:00 daily. The outdoor thermal environment evaluation indices such as the average air temperature value at the nearest measurement point to the garden greening were 12 % lower than those at the farthest measurement point. Secondly, the TDTE model was established based on this foundation, and the validation of the measured data showed that the TDTE model had high reliability (the average <em>RMSE</em> value was 1.791, and the average <em>MAPE</em> value was 2.978). Finally, the model can provide ideas as well as the theoretical basis for quantitative research related to greening and outdoor thermal environments. This research provides scientific guidance for planning as well as reconstruction of residential garden greening.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48659,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Cities and Society","volume":"117 ","pages":"Article 105962"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142663247","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Wentong Yang , Junfei Chen , Tonghui Ding , Xiaodong Yan , Wenjie Gong
{"title":"Supply-demand security assessment of water-energy-food systems: A perspective on intra-city coupling and inter-city linkages of ecosystem services","authors":"Wentong Yang , Junfei Chen , Tonghui Ding , Xiaodong Yan , Wenjie Gong","doi":"10.1016/j.scs.2024.105964","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scs.2024.105964","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Ensuring the supply-demand security of water-energy-food systems (WEF) is paramount in sustainable cities. Leveraging ecosystem services (ESs) as a bridge between WEF supply and demand, this study proposes a conceptual framework for assessing the supply-demand security of WEF from the perspective of intra-city coupling and inter-city linkages of WEF-related ESs. Considering 14 Liaoning cities, we developed supply-demand indices for three ESs: water yield, carbon storage, and food production. The supply-demand security pattern of WEF was evaluated using Spearman's rank correlation, the Copula model, the coupling coordination degree model, the gravity model, and social network analysis, using these indices. The results show that the supply-demand security of WEF was higher in eastern Liaoning cities and weakened westward. Dandong had the highest supply-demand security, with a 98% probability of achieving moderate surplus in WEF resources. The regions of Dandong-Liaoyang-Anshan-Yingkou-Panjin-Jinzhou and Tieling-Fushun-Benxi formed two extreme WEF coupling coordination gravity networks. Liaoyang, Panjin, and Fuxin emerged as hubs in the WEF coupling coordination gravity networks and exhibited the highest degree and betweenness centrality values. Additionally, Fushun, Liaoyang, Dandong, and Tieling were identified as WEF high coupling coordination nodes. This supply-demand security assessment framework for WEF offers a scientific basis for developing sustainable city strategies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48659,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Cities and Society","volume":"117 ","pages":"Article 105964"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142663122","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Navigating urban risks for sustainability: A comprehensive evaluation of urban vulnerability based on a pressure–sensitivity–resilience framework","authors":"Yongjie Wang, Jinjin Shu, Yu Yuan","doi":"10.1016/j.scs.2024.105961","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scs.2024.105961","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Cities are important symbols of civilization in human society. The vulnerability to cities caused by human activities and natural disasters has become increasingly evident. How to reduce the vulnerability of cities is an important topic in the research of urban public safety and sustainable development. In this study, a comprehensive evaluation of urban vulnerability is conducted on the basis of the pressure–sensitivity–resilience framework from a complex systems perspective, integrating three subsystems—the resource–environment, economic, and social subsystems. On the basis of data from 18 cities in Sichuan Province, China, from 2006 to 2021, this study analyzes vulnerability in terms of its scores, spatial and temporal evolution, and obstacles. The results reveal that the overall vulnerability of the Sichuan Basin has shown a fluctuating downward trend over the past sixteen years, and the spatial distribution has evolved into a large “low-vulnerability” agglomeration. The obstacles affecting urban vulnerability are also changing dynamically and include factors such as the harmless treatment rate of household waste and industrial smoke dust emissions. Drawing from these insights, this study enables the identification and diagnosis of urban vulnerability and, further, provides city managers with tailored recommendations for crafting policies that aim to mitigate risks and promote sustainable development.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48659,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Cities and Society","volume":"117 ","pages":"Article 105961"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142663144","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Masoumeh Rezazadeh Seylab , Mehdi S. Naderi , Gevork B. Gharehpetian
{"title":"Dynamic energy management and control of networked microgrids based on load to grid services and incentive-based demand response programs: A multi-agent deep reinforcement learning approach","authors":"Masoumeh Rezazadeh Seylab , Mehdi S. Naderi , Gevork B. Gharehpetian","doi":"10.1016/j.scs.2024.105957","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scs.2024.105957","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study has presented the energy management paradigm in a networked microgrid structure based on L2G services and considering incentive-based load response (IBDR) programs and energy market requirements to reduce operating costs, control and restore voltage and frequency index, providing the benefits of subscribers and distribution system operators. In this study, multi-objective functions such as optimal operation based on IBDR structure and energy market requirements, risk assessment, and L2G service approach are configured in the framework of central and local controllers. Optimal operation and risk assessment are analyzed by a multi-task learning algorithm based on multi-objective function and L2G service policies are evaluated based on multi-agent deep reinforcement learning. Control policies are sent by the communication system to the components affecting the optimal power distribution as well as the voltage and frequency controllers. L2G services have been evaluated in different scenarios such as plug-and-play operating conditions, load fluctuations, and operating in island mode. The results of optimal operation based on L2G services show that the IBDR program implementation reduces the total operation cost by 21%. Also, the total operating cost of the proposed framework is 13.97% less than the RL method and 27.8% less than the ANN method.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48659,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Cities and Society","volume":"117 ","pages":"Article 105957"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142663174","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xiaofei Chen , Ziqi Xu , Yiqun Qiu , Haoxing Hu , Xingtian Wang
{"title":"China's newest design of apartment buildings with modernized façade: A comparative evaluation of its energy performance in five major climate zones","authors":"Xiaofei Chen , Ziqi Xu , Yiqun Qiu , Haoxing Hu , Xingtian Wang","doi":"10.1016/j.scs.2024.105954","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scs.2024.105954","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Many studies have indicated that the energy efficiency of residential buildings can greatly mitigate energy shortages and environmental problems. High window-to-wall ratio, flat geometric shape, and open space layout are the key characteristics of apartment buildings with modernized façade (ABMF), and the major design trend dominating China's housing market. This study aims to understand the isolated effects of these three design factors on the energy performance of ABMF in five major climate zones using a parametric performance design method. Three important findings were concluded: 1) the energy use intensity (EUI) of ABMF showed a positive relationship to the window-to-wall ratio in five climate zones. Qingdao in Cold Region (2.12 kWh/m<sup>2</sup>) and Kunming in Temperate Region (1.04 kWh/m<sup>2</sup>) exhibited lowest average increase in EUI; 2) the reduction of EUI was twice as much in Kunming than in the other four cities, when the aspect ratio of ABMF changed from 1.75 to 0.95; 3) the ‘exterior-side hall’ was the most energy-efficient layout in the five cities. This study is the first to investigate the energy performance of the newest apartment design and hopefully can attract more studies to explore the suitability of ABMF for the sustainable development of China's housing market.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48659,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Cities and Society","volume":"117 ","pages":"Article 105954"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142663245","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Climate adaptation strategies for active transportation: Barriers and facilitators in U.S. cities","authors":"Alessandro Rigolon, Nawshin Tabassum, Reid Ewing","doi":"10.1016/j.scs.2024.105956","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scs.2024.105956","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Despite efforts to mitigate climate change by promoting active travel, limited research has focused on climate adaptation for active transportation (CAAT) initiatives. To address this gap, we conducted a qualitative study based on interviews with 30 planning professionals to uncover what CAAT projects U.S. cities are implementing, their barriers, and their facilitators. We found that U.S. cities are increasingly implementing CAAT projects such as street trees and green stormwater infrastructure to address threats like extreme heat and pluvial flooding. Importantly, CAAT projects require collaborations between city departments (e.g., transportation and forestry). We also identified a complex network of barriers and facilitators shaping CAAT project implementation. Funding, politics, laws, and cross-department collaborations can be barriers and facilitators, and supportive (or unsupportive) politics and laws are strongly connected. Additionally, underserved communities face unique barriers to implementing CAAT projects, but recent facilitators such as dedicated funding have contributed to equitable investment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48659,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Cities and Society","volume":"117 ","pages":"Article 105956"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142663246","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Operational sensitivity analysis of flooding volume in urban areas","authors":"Leonardo Sandoval, Aronne Dell’Oca, Monica Riva","doi":"10.1016/j.scs.2024.105928","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.scs.2024.105928","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>We focus on a probability-based approach to analyze the flooding volume during extreme rainfall events in urban areas. Our approach considers uncertainty in both <em>non-operational</em> and <em>operational</em> variables. The former are quantities that are tied to the characterization of rainfall events and key catchment features, whose uncertainties stem from incomplete characterization. The latter comprise elements of the system on which actions can be taken within a range of design values. As the non-deterministic nature of these two types of quantities differs at a fundamental level, we rely on an operational Global Sensitivity Analysis theoretical framework that explicitly recognizes this distinction. As a test bed to showcase our approach, we consider an urban catchment in Northern Italy. We assess the sensitivity of the flooding volume to a set of <em>operational</em> variables, such as diameter and roughness of a set of conduits of the sewer network as well as potential improvement of the infiltration capacity of the urban catchment. We show that our approach can identify the operational configuration with the highest effectiveness in mitigating instances of flooding, taking into account the uncertainties in the <em>non-operational</em> quantities that drive the system behavior.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":48659,"journal":{"name":"Sustainable Cities and Society","volume":"117 ","pages":"Article 105928"},"PeriodicalIF":10.5,"publicationDate":"2024-11-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142663248","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}