Provisions of Infrastructure for Low-Cost Housing Developments

Infrastructure is an important factor influencing the cost of housing, in addition to being an essential element for healthy living environment. Therefore, it should be provided in adequate manner at low cost for the life basic needs of residents. The research in this thesis includes the development of an approach for providing low-cost housing (LCH) in Gaza Strip with basic infrastructure at low cost such that not to increase the cost of housing. The infrastructure for low-cost housing has been classified to include two categories; the basic infrastructure components (BICs) and the supportive infrastructure components (SICs). The BICs have been determined to include seven basic components which are (1) water supply, (2) sewerage system (wastewater collection), (3) wastewater treatment and disposal or reuse, (4) power supply and security lighting, (5) access and paving, (6) stormwater drainage and (7) telephone lines. The SICs involve facilities such as (1) Parks and green spaces, (2) Schools, (3) Health centre, (4) Mosque, (5) Public market and (6) Public services. An approach has been developed for the provisions of the basic infrastructure components (BICs) for LCH through five phases. The first phase includes designation of the seven components and the main bases of provisions. The second phase proposes an institutional setup. The third phase involves the determination of minimum requirements of provisions of the seven BICs and includes seven parts. Each part is specified for the provision of one component and includes three activities. The fourth phase, introduces management option for operation and maintenance (O&M). Finally, the fifth phase proposes financing and cost recovery arrangements for construction and O&M. Applicability and practicality of the developed approach in the real life has been examined successfully by applying it to a selected low-cost housing project in Gaza Strip as a case study. The most suitable case study has been selected from five housing developments executed by official housing institutions, using the scoring method as a simple decision making tool. Specific conclusions have been derived about the main two categories of infrastructure, their components and characteristics. Recommendations have also been suggested for the stakeholders working in the fields of LCH, infrastructure and research. It is proposed that the developed approach is used as a guiding document by relevant decision makers of planning, design, financing and management of the low-cost housing. It is also recommended that the developed approach be a part of the future Palestinian housing strategy

Estimation of shallow geothermal potential to meet building heating demand on a regional scale

Extracting shallow geothermal energy using borehole heat exchangers (BHEs) can help decarbonising theresidential heating sector, particularly where no other low-carbon heating solutions are readily available.To assist urban planners and policy makers in developing carbon-neutral heating plans, the regionaltechnical shallow geothermal potential must be known. Here, we calculate the technical geothermalpotential of BHEfields on a regional scale while taking potential thermal interference between BHEs,geological conditions, as well as space available for BHE installation into account. The number of BHEsplaced is maximized and heat extraction rate from each BHE is optimized taking regional regulations intoaccount. When the methodology is applied to the German state of Baden-Württemberg on a building-block scale, results suggest an annual technical potential of 33.5 TWh. We then link this technicalgeothermal potential to heating demand scenarios on a building block scale and the results show that,depending on the renovation status of the buildings, between 44% and 93% of all building blocks can beheated using only BHEs. This allows for a rapid identification of building blocks for which BHEs are notable to meet the heating demand and where other means of heat supply will be needed

Peri-urban land in Ethiopia: genesis, dynamics and planning

In Ethiopia, new settlement forms are emerging consequent to the nation’s rapid urbanization and horizontal expansion of the urban centres. The growing significance of secondary and small cities and towns and the rapid proliferation of peri-urban settlements are among these new urban forms. Peri-urbanization became the dominant form of spatial transformations at the peripheries, which resulted in a severe state-community conflicts yielding resistance to urban growth and planning and protests that grew into deadly violence.In Äthiopienen entstehen neue Siedlungsformen infolge der raschen Urbanisierung und horizontalen Ausdehnung der urbanen Zentren. Zu den neuen urbanen Formen zählen, mit wachsender Bedeutung, Kleinstädte und sich rasch verbreitende stadtnahe Siedlungen. Die Peri-Urbanisierung wurde zu einer dominanten Form der räumlichen Transformation an den Peripherien, was zu heftigen Konflikten zwischen Staat und Gemeinschaft führte

ACCOMMODATING CONSERVATION: REGULATING ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE IN A HIMALAYAN TOURIST TOWN

This dissertation discusses the construction of socio-spatial landscapes in Leh, Ladakh and elucidates the relationships between stakeholders in the tourism arena, conservation profession, regional and state government, and local civil society. It explains processes of urban regulation, juxtaposing the (re)production and representation of Ladakhi architectural heritage both during the conservation of historical buildings and during the construction of new tourist accommodations. Qualitative ethnographic research and spatial studies were conducted to investigate how competing discourses on Ladakhi heritage generated by state-based tourism industries and by non-governmental organizations are shaping building traditions, residence patterns, and livelihoods for resident Ladakhis. Leh\u27s built environment is a product of numerous contestations and negotiations between residents, NGOs and the state in places I call heritage construction sites: architectural conservation projects and new guest-house construction projects, respectively. In this study, I pinpoint how Ladakhis identify with or contest the transformation of their urban landscape, answering the question whose heritage is it

Dutch agriculture and horticulture with a glance at South Korea : policies and results in the past, present en future

Dit rapport geeft inzicht in de huidige verschillen en overeenkomsten tussen Zuid-Korea en Nederland. Meer specifiek is ingegaan op de ontwikkelingen van de Nederlandse land- en tuinbouw in verleden, heden en toekomst en wat de voorwaarden zijn geweest voor de sterke internationale positie van de Neder landse land- en tuinbouw. Ook de ontwikkelingen in het beleid van de Europese Unie en de Nederlandse Overheid, het gehele agro!complex en het landelijk gebied zijn in deze studie beschouwd. In het rapport is ook een bijlage opgeno men met adressen van de meest belangrijke instanties, instituties en bedrijven rondom de land- en tuinbouwsecto

Urban Challenges and Urban Design Approaches for Resource-Efficient and Climate-Sensitive Urban Design in the MENA Region

Printausgabe unter ISBN 978-3-7983-2534-0, ISSN 2193-6099 erschienenIn an era defined by climate change, huge resource consumption, a lack of social cohesion, rapidly accelerating technological innovations, economic shifts, and the transformation of political systems, solutions must be pursued at every level of action. This book shows how solutions from urban design and planning can, by integrating the approaches of multiple disciplines, be the first steps toward envisioning the sustainable, energy-efficient, and climate-sensitive city of the future. This book is compiled for readers from a range of professional backgrounds. Its intended audience includes the government bodies, municipalities, urban planners, engineers, architects, civil servants, and citizens who are part of urban development, from initiation through implementation. The facts and findings presented herein are relevant to any national or international debate concerning urban development which aims to create sustainable, resource-efficient, and climate-sensitive urbanization processes. The text and visuals of this book are intended to serve as a comprehensive decision support tool, taking into account that current and future urban challenges and planning tasks can only be tackled through an interlinked and stakeholder driven iterative process. As a result of the Young Cities research project, this book acts as a multilayered reference manual by providing: (a) a brief outline of the MENA region’s urban challenges; (b) a proposal for generic principles and actions for creating an energy- and resource-efficient as well as environmentally sustainable urban environment; (c) the opportunities and impacts of each discipline involved in an integrated planning process; and (d) the findings of the applied principles in the 35 ha “Shahre Javan Community” pilot project

The Relationship between Food Green City and Low Carbon Society

World has already become urban dominated entity living more than 50% of the world\u27s population in cities (set to reach 60% by 2030 and more than 70% by 2050). But, the cities have developed as centers for the secondary (industry) and tertiary (service oriented) economic activities without proper care for primary (basically agriculture) economic activities. The expanding urbanized society is therefore continuously consuming more and more resources and uses the rural lands and rivers/oceans as its waste sinks. Hence, present cities act like parasite, growing and being transformed over the years, consuming resources from nature without giving anything back in return becoming more and more unsustainable. A tool developed by William Ree\u27s called `Ecological Footprint\u27 is gaining popularity as a means of getting conceptual idea of level of sustainability. Higher the use of resources for providing food and energy in a city, the value of Ecological Footprint of the city will be higher and vice versa. Resources use in providing food to the city dwellers measured by Food Footprint is one the major component of the Ecological Footprint. Thus, if we want to lower the Ecological Footprint of a city, it is very important to lower the Food Footprint. How can our city become self sufficient in terms of food so that we can lower the Food Footprint? Then, Ecological Footprint will be lower, which means that the place will be more sustainable. In such context of limited resources we have, it was searched a way towards urban sustainability and a Concept of Food Green City was developed to practice for productive greening with PLEASURE principles. This hopes to minimize use of resources in the city as a process of urban sustainability. Similarly, cities are responsible for human impact for environmental degradation including climate change with more than two-thirds of global energy use and greenhouse gas emissions covering just about 2% of the earth\u27s surface. Today, there is 30% more CO^2 in the atmosphere compare to the period at the beginning of the industrial revolution. With the beginning of the 21^st century there has been a chain of awaken calls for saving the planet against climate change. By this time, global temperatures have risen by nearly two degrees Fahrenheit than pre-industrial period. Scientists believe that only massive reductions in greenhouse gas emissions can stop the process of global warming. In response to it, a low-carbon society (LCS) adopting patterns of consumption and behavior that are consistent with low levels of green house gas emissions is under discussion and practicing in various cities. Thus, this study tries to analyze the both concept of Food Green Cities and Low Carbon Society comparing their principles and identifying similarities in supporting for the urban sustainability with case study of some relevant selective cities (City of Havana, Dongtan City and 13 Eco-Model Cities) of the various countries (Cuba, China and Japan). This study finds positive relationship between Food Green City and Low Carbon Society and gives some recommendations for the practicability of the implementation to achieve urban sustainability for saving our home earth