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Nadal A, Pons O, Cuerva E, Rieradevall J, Josa A. Rooftop greenhouses in educational centers: A sustainability assessment of urban agriculture in compact cities. Sci Total Environ 2018; 626:1319-1331. [PMID: 29898539 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.01.191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2017] [Revised: 01/10/2018] [Accepted: 01/19/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Today, urban agriculture is one of the most widely used sustainability strategies to improve the metabolism of a city. Schools can play an important role in the implementation of sustainability master plans, due their socio-educational activities and their cohesive links with families; all key elements in the development of urban agriculture. Thus, the main objective of this research is to develop a procedure, in compact cities, to assess the potential installation of rooftop greenhouses (RTGs) in schools. The generation of a dynamic assessment tool capable of identifying and prioritizing schools with a high potential for RTGs and their eventual implementation would also represent a significant factor in the environmental, social, and nutritional education of younger generations. The methodology has four-stages (Pre-selection criteria; Selection of necessities; Sustainability analysis; and Sensitivity analysis and selection of the best alternative) in which economic, environmental, social and governance aspects all are considered. It makes use of Multi-Attribute Utility Theory and Multi-Criteria Decision Making, through the Integrated Value Model for Sustainability Assessments and the participation of two panels of multidisciplinary specialists, for the preparation of a unified sustainability index that guarantees the objectivity of the selection process. This methodology has been applied and validated in a case study of 11 schools in Barcelona (Spain). The social perspective of the proposed methodology favored the school in the case-study with the most staff and the largest parent-teacher association (social and governance indicators) that obtained the highest sustainability index (S11); at a considerable distance (45%) from the worst case (S3) with fewer school staff and parental support. Finally, objective decisions may be taken with the assistance of this appropriate, adaptable, and reliable Multi-Criteria Decision-Making tool on the vertical integration and implementation of urban agriculture in schools, in support of the goals of sustainable development and the circular economy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Nadal
- Sostenipra Research Group (ICTA-IRTA-Inèdit; 2014 SGR 1412), Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology (ICTA; Unidad de excelencia "María de Maeztu" (MDM-2015-0552)), Z Building, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Oriol Pons
- Department of Architectural Technology (TA), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC-BarcelonaTech), School of Architecture of Barcelona (ETSAB), Av. Diagonal 649, Barcelona 08028, Spain.
| | - Eva Cuerva
- Department of Projects and Construction Engineering (DEPC), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC-BarcelonaTech), Diagonal 647, Ed. H, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Joan Rieradevall
- Sostenipra Research Group (ICTA-IRTA-Inèdit; 2014 SGR 1412), Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology (ICTA; Unidad de excelencia "María de Maeztu" (MDM-2015-0552)), Z Building, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Chemical Engineering, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Alejandro Josa
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (DECA), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC-BarcelonaTech), Campus Nord, C/Jordi Girona 1-3, 08034 Barcelona, Spain; Institute for Sustainability Science and Technology (IS.UPC), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC-BarcelonaTech), Campus Nord, C/Jordi Girona 31, 08034 Barcelona, Spain.
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Nadal A, Alamús R, Pipia L, Ruiz A, Corbera J, Cuerva E, Rieradevall J, Josa A. Urban planning and agriculture. Methodology for assessing rooftop greenhouse potential of non-residential areas using airborne sensors. Sci Total Environ 2017; 601-602:493-507. [PMID: 28575828 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.03.214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2017] [Revised: 03/21/2017] [Accepted: 03/22/2017] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
The integration of rooftop greenhouses (RTGs) in urban buildings is a practice that is becoming increasingly important in the world for their contribution to food security and sustainable development. However, the supply of tools and procedures to facilitate their implementation at the city scale is limited and laborious. This work aims to develop a specific and automated methodology for identifying the feasibility of implementation of rooftop greenhouses in non-residential urban areas, using airborne sensors. The use of Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) and Long Wave Infrared (LWIR) data and the Leica ALS50-II and TASI-600 sensors allow for the identification of some building roof parameters (area, slope, materials, and solar radiation) to determine the potential for constructing a RTG. This development represents an improvement in time and accuracy with respect to previous methodology, where all the relevant information must be acquired manually. The methodology has been applied and validated in a case study corresponding to a non-residential urban area in the industrial municipality of Rubí, Barcelona (Spain). Based on this practical application, an area of 36,312m2 out of a total area of 1,243,540m2 of roofs with ideal characteristics for the construction of RTGs was identified. This area can produce approximately 600tons of tomatoes per year, which represents the average yearly consumption for about 50% of Rubí total population. The use of this methodology also facilitates the decision making process in urban agriculture, allowing a quick identification of optimal surfaces for the future implementation of urban agriculture in housing. It also opens new avenues for the use of airborne technology in environmental topics in cities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Nadal
- Sostenipra Research Group (ICTA-IRTA-Inèdit; 2014 SGR 1412), Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology (ICTA; Unidad de excelencia "María de Maeztu" (MDM-2015-0552)), Z Building, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Ramón Alamús
- Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya, Parc de Montjuïc, 08038, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Luca Pipia
- Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya, Parc de Montjuïc, 08038, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Antonio Ruiz
- Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya, Parc de Montjuïc, 08038, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Jordi Corbera
- Institut Cartogràfic i Geològic de Catalunya, Parc de Montjuïc, 08038, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Eva Cuerva
- Department of Projects and Construction Engineering (DEPC), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, BarcelonaTech. Diagonal 647, Ed. H, 08028, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Joan Rieradevall
- Sostenipra Research Group (ICTA-IRTA-Inèdit; 2014 SGR 1412), Institute of Environmental Sciences and Technology (ICTA; Unidad de excelencia "María de Maeztu" (MDM-2015-0552)), Z Building, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain; Department of Chemical Engineering, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), Campus UAB, 08193 Bellaterra, Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Alejandro Josa
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering (DECA), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC-BarcelonaTech), Campus Nord, C/Jordi Girona 1-3, 08034, Barcelona, Spain; Institute for Sustainability Science and Technology (IS.UPC), Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya (UPC-BarcelonaTech), Campus Nord, C/Jordi Girona 31, 08034, Barcelona, Spain.
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Pons O, Nadal A, Sanyé-Mengual E, Llorach-Massana P, Cuerva E, Sanjuan-Delmàs D, Muñoz P, Oliver-Solà J, Planas C, Rovira MR. Roofs of the Future: Rooftop Greenhouses to Improve Buildings Metabolism. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.proeng.2015.10.084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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