Smart Technology Impact on Neighborhood Form for a Sustainable Doha

Biophilic smart cities: the role of nature and technology in enhancing urban resilience

The purpose of the study is to identify the main indicators and aspects for applying biophilic and smart solutions in city planning and design to achieve urban resilience. This research investigates the main definitions, elements, and attributes for biophilic design and smart city planning that help in developing resilience strategies for healthier urban environments. This study follows a methodology that comprises two approaches; first a concise review definition and principles of urban resilience. Then investigating the notions of biophilic and smart approaches to achieve healthier urban environments. Second, an analytical approach that proposes a framework for applying biophilic and smart city indicators to achieve urban resilience. The proposed framework highlights the achieved adaptive capacities for resilient cities due to adopting biophilic and smart solutions. The research results highlight a proposed relationship between principles of urban resilience, biophilic city indicators, and smart city indicators.

Smart Cities Landscape and Urban Planning for Sustainability in Brno City

This study aimed to explore the case study of Brno city regarding smart city models. We analyzed Brno considering smart and sustainable city elements, i.e., smart mobility/public transport, smart technology, smart people, smart governance, smart economy, smart living, and smart environment based on transport, energy, and environment referred herein as the smart city and sustainability model. Therefore, we investigated a case study of Brno city in the Czech Republic. We used qualitative techniques such as case study, exploration, observation, and description. We analyzed and comprehended the trends in the various features of smart city and sustainable development of the city of Brno. The findings showed that Brno city is doing its best to maintain smart city models through its governance organs and structures. The city is also working hard to improve some of the aspects that are still lagging. The ongoing developments and the future ones are based on strategic planning for both the short term and long term such as Brno2023, Brno2030, and Brno2050. It was found that Brno has a very well-planned transport system and is integrated with other aspects such as technology, energy, such as the electricity that moves the trolleybuses and trams, and environment. We strongly conclude that even though Brno city still struggles to achieve total sustainability, it is still a model and reflection of a smart and sustainable city. Finally, we noted that Brno city has very good plans and vision the “DNA” of a smart city. However, the implementation still suffers political willingness.

Residents’ Quality of Life in Smart Tourism Destinations: A Theoretical Approach

The objective of this research is to propose a theoretical model based on studies on residents’ quality of life in smart tourism destinations. Smart tourism destinations are territories based on information and communication technologies (ICT), which improve travelers’ tourist experiences as well as affect the quality of life of residents. To know the context of the relationships between tourism and quality of life, main studies and theories regarding these two phenomena are analyzed. Likewise, the relationship between smart places and quality of life is also studied. Therefore, a theoretical model on residents’ quality of life in smart tourism destinations is proposed based on a systematized analysis of the literature. From the theoretical model, it is perceived that residents’ overall life satisfaction results from the relationship between perceived tourism impacts and satisfaction with specific life factors, and they are measured by qualitative indicators. Also, it is identified that the quality of life of residents is clearly influenced by the impacts of tourism and ICTs. In addition, it is understood that the residents’ overall life satisfaction corroborates for the further development of the smart tourism destination. Finally, we understand that the knowledge of residents’ perception and satisfaction of their quality of life contribute to formulation and implementation of urban and tourism development policies in smart tourism destinations.

Spatial-Temporal Evolution and Driving Factors of Green Building Development in China

With the development of the world economy and the rapid increase in population, the carbon dioxide produced by large energy consumption has made environmental issues increasingly prominent, which has brought severe challenges to the survival and development of human society. The construction industry, as a major energy consumer and emitter, must change. Green buildings are an important way to promote the concept of sustainable development in the construction industry. In order to deepen the understanding of the spatial-temporal distribution and evolution characteristics of China’s green building development, this study collected statistical data of China’s green building label projects from 2008 to 2018, and studied the development status of China’s green buildings in three aspects: equilibrium, spatial distribution characteristics and spatial correlation. In addition, the driving factors of green buildings development were analyzed by using geological detectors. The results show that: (1) China’s green building development level has a high spatial imbalance and obvious agglomeration situation, but there is a large diffusion effect; (2) the spatial distribution characteristics, such as the distribution center, distribution range, distribution direction, and distribution shape of green buildings are constantly changing, and the changes have regularity; (3) in the early stage of green building development, there was a significant positive correlation, but most provinces were in low–low clusters; (4) economic level, technical level, and education level are the main factors influencing the development of green buildings.

A Theoretical Research Framework of Future Sustainable Urban Freight Transport for Smart Cities

This paper aims to construct a theoretical research framework for sustainable urban freight transport (SUFT) from the perspectives of future urban development and distribution innovations, and appropriate research methods are discussed, as well. Urban freight transport plays a critical role in the promotion of sustainable and livable cities. According to the literature review, considerable research on SUFT has focused on resolving some specific problems with a short-term perspective. The existence of an urban freight transport strategy is noted, which should be embedded in an overall sustainable development strategy with a long-term perspective (approximately 20–30 years). Nevertheless, considerable research has paid scant attention to the long-term planning of SUFT. Given this, this paper contributes to the closure of this gap. First, this paper presents a systematic literature review (SLR) to highlight published papers involving foresight research within the past 16 years (2003–2018). This step contributes to the understanding of research methods that can be used in foresight research. Subsequently, this paper discusses the impacts of both urban development and distribution innovations on future SUFT, and these effects are used to select the appropriate methods to construct the theoretical research framework. Finally, the theoretical research framework of long-term planning for SUFT is developed on the basis of two future perspectives: the trends of urban development and the application of urban distribution innovations. This framework is intended to provide an approach to designing sustainable urban logistics, taking into account urban development and distribution innovations.

Urban Systems Design: A Conceptual Framework for Planning Smart Communities

Urban systems design arises from disparate current planning approaches (urban design, Planning Support Systems, and community engagement), compounded by the reemergence of rational planning methods from new technology (Internet of Things (IoT), metric based analysis, and big data). The proposed methods join social considerations (Human Well-Being), environmental needs (Sustainability), climate change and disaster mitigation (Resilience), and prosperity (Economics) as the four foundational pillars. Urban systems design integrates planning methodologies to systematically tackle urban challenges, using IoT and rational methods, while human beings form the core of all analysis and objectives. Our approach utilizes an iterative three-phase development loop to contextualize, evaluate, plan and design scenarios for the specific needs of communities. An equal emphasis is placed on feedback loops through analysis and design, to achieve the end goal of building smart communities.

Environmental and Economic Life Cycle Analysis of Primary Construction Materials Sourcing Under Geopolitical Uncertainties: A Case Study of Qatar

Environmental and economic cycles under varying geopolitical uncertainties can lead to unsustainable patterns that significantly and negatively affect the welfare of nations. With the ever-increasing negative environmental and economic impacts, the ability to achieve sustainability is hindered if the implications are not properly assessed in challenging geopolitical crises. The infrequent and fluctuating nature of these challenging geopolitical settings causes disregard and neglect for exploration within this issue. In this study, a comparative life cycle assessment was conducted as a method to evaluate the environmental and economic impacts of construction material flow across country boundaries. Based on the results found from the life cycle assessment, an environmental forecast and sensitivity analysis were established. Considering the State of Qatar as a case study, asphalt and bitumen, cement, limestone, sand, and steel were analyzed from gate-to-gate depending on transportation mode and distances used within both the pre-crisis and post-crisis sub-periods, comparing carbon emissions and costs. The results showed that the mode of transport plays a significant role in terms of carbon dioxide emissions as opposed to distance traveled. However, the increase in distance coupled to the majority shift from land to sea-based transport resulted in an overall increase in carbon emissions and costs post-crisis. In addition, the analysis of the environmental and economic impact assessment using the average CO2 equivalent (CO2-e) per kilogram and the unit price of the five primary construction materials has shown a significant, 70.68% increase in global warming potentials (GWP) after the crisis, coupled with an increase in the overall cost. An assessment of environmental and economic impacts during geopolitical uncertainties allows for the significant ability to realize sustainable measures to greatly reduce economic and environmental degradation.

Optimal DG Placement to Find Optimal Voltage Profile Considering Minimum DG Investment Cost in Smart Neighborhood

: Distributed Generations (DGs) have a productive capacity of tens of kilowatts to several megawatts, which are used to produce electrical energy at close proximity to consumers, which of the types of DGs can be named solar cells and Photovoltaics (PVs), fuel cells, micro turbines, wind power plants, and etc. If such kinds of power plants are connected to the network in optimal places, they will have several positive effects on the system, such as reducing network losses, improving the voltage profile, and increasing network reliability. The lack of optimal placement of DGs in the network will increase the costs of energy production and losses in transmission lines. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize the location of such DGs in the network so that the number of DGs, installation locations, and their capacity are determined to which the maximum reduction in network losses occurs. Besides, by applying an appropriate objective function, the evolutionary algorithm can find the optimal location of renewable units with respect to the constraints of the issue. In this paper, the Genetic Algorithm (GA) and the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm are used to address the placement of wind and photovoltaic generators simultaneously in two states: With and without considering the effects of greenhouse gas emission. In this regard, first, an analytical method for optimal DG (wind and PV) placement is presented, then, the proposed approach is applied over a real study case, and the simulation carried out using the MATLAB program; hence, the placement problem was solved using GA and PSO and implemented in the IEEE 33-bus radial distribution system. The obtained results were compared and analyzed. The results of the simulation show the improvement of the voltage profile and the reduction of losses in the network.

Urban Sustainability and Livability: An Analysis of Doha’s Urban-form and Possible Mitigation Strategies

This study examines the concept of sustainability and livability at the neighborhood level in a low-density city such as Doha. In its current form, Metropolitan Doha, Qatar’s capital and where 80% of the population resides, is neither sustainable nor ranked highly in many city livability indices of international cities, although Qatar aims to become a truly sustainable state as envisioned in its Qatar National Vision (QNV) 2030 and endorsed in its National Development Strategies 2012 and 2018. Doha remains a fractured city; its rapid growth has led to unrestrained, extensive urban sprawl with high dependency on private transportation mainly by large SUVs, continually instigated by the absence of public transportation. Doha is also a relatively low-density city where the main driver of its urban sprawl is the inhabitants’ deep-set desire for privacy, and hence, home ownership of single-family detached villas, which have become the predominant residential building-block of neighborhoods with little to no provisions of in-neighborhood community services and amenities such as basic shopping, health, education, and recreation. Consequently, this urban form has resulted in long and frequent commutes for individuals and families, increasing the number of vehicles in traffic almost every hour of every day, traffic congestion, high transportation-related CO2 emissions, additional expenses, and loss of quality family time, among several other environmental, social, and economic sustainability impacts. The findings of this study, which are based on a behavioral survey, illustrate the residents’ views on neighborhood improvement and changes in the transportation modes, as well as their willingness to change their habits for the benefit of common and future generations.